Big Sky Championship Recap

Big Sky Conference Championship Recap

by Nicholas Lozito

When a desperation half-court shot hits the floor before the buzzer even sounds, chances are the ball was heaved up a bit too soon. With an NCAA Tournament bid at stake, however, one can come to terms with why Jamaal Jenkins didn’t take an extra dribble or two towards the basket before taking his game-winning attempt. The Weber State (14-16) point guard’s shot, taken with over two seconds left on the clock, missed wide right and gave Montana (18-12) a 63-61 win and Big Sky Tournament championship. The NCAA Tournament appearance will be the Grizzlies’ first since 2002.

With Weber leading 39-38 with 11 minutes remaining, Montana went on a 16-5 run over the next six minutes, capped by a Virgil Matthews dunk, to lead 54-44. Down nine points with under three minutes left, Weber’s Troy Goodell scored six-consecutive points in a 20-second span to cut Montana’s lead to 58-55. After two Montana free throws, Wildcat Coric Riggs hit a 3-pointer with four seconds left to cut the Montana lead to one point. On the ensuing inbound, the Wildcats intentionally fouled Kamarr Davis, who converted one of two free throws. With 2.8 seconds left, Weber inbounded to Jenkins, who instantly shot the ball from half court.

The game featured a battle between two of the conference’s top big men: Weber’s Lance Allred and Montana’s Kamarr Davis. Allred finished with 21 points and Davis had 19, but Allred scored only three over the final eight minutes. Davis had seven points in that stretch. Jenkins finished with ten points and five assists for Weber State.

NBA Street Cred List

NBA Street Cred List

by Nicholas Lozito

There is a court in Harlem where stories are told. There are others in Coney Island, Brooklyn and the Bronx; Chicago, Detroit and Cincinnati; Oakland, Inglewood and Los Angeles. Stories of winners and losers, the shakers and those who got shook, the dunker and the dunkee. The collective stories shape legends and goats – and legends named The Goat. They turn mere men into marvels, names into nicknames and courts into cathedrals. And when the last word is spoken, the last mix tape released, Nicholas Lozito compiles his NBA Street Cred List.

Only players in the NBA are eligible. Points are awarded for playing style, fashion, and urban legend.

Allen Iverson
In the mid 90′s Iverson was the inner-city dream. And his life was chronicled in TBS’s favorite 2 a.m. movie, Above the Rim. Well, not literally, but come on – an inner-city scoring guard who battles through drugs and crime to star at Georgetown. In those days it was either Georgetown or Michigan, and everything was baggy, and I sucked at basketball. Iverson transcended the art of cornrowing, with twists and turns and patterns and shapes that da Vinci would be proud of. Then there was the time he used his patented crossover to shake Jordan. I think you left your draws at the free-throw line, MJ.
Playing style: 10
Bling-bling: 10
Legend: 9
Total: 29 of 30

Rafer Alston
Better known as Skip on the streets, Alston shed light on street basketball. His original And 1 mixtape laid the foundation for today’s And 1 phenomenon. Alston played at Fresno State before making it in the NBA. In the League, it took him a few years to adapt his style of play to coaches’ likings. The one knock on Alston is that his incredible street moves are rarely seen on an NBA court.
Playing style: 9
Bling-bling: 9 (mainly for being And 1′s franchise player)
Legend: 10
Total: 28

Vince Carter
There are two pieces of basketball footage that every basketball fan has to see. The first is Carter’s dunk over – and I am being literal when I say “over” – a 7-foot-1 center in the Olympics. The other is his windmill alley-oop in a Rucker Park game, which sent the crowd rushing onto the court in amazement.
Playing style: 10
Bling-bling: 4
Legend: 9
Total: 23

Jason Williams
Williams has the best street moves of and player on the list. And being white only adds to the mystique. Where were you when you saw him cross up Payton? I was watching the 3 a.m. Sportscenter. I stayed up for the 5 a.m. Sportscenter just to watch it again.
Playing style: 10
Bling-bling: 5
Legend: 7
Total: 22

Ron Artest
Every time Artest gets ejected from a game it just ads to the cred. If he does this stuff on the court, just imagine what he does off of it. Calling out San Antonio’s Bruce Bowen for a game of one-on-one to determine the Defensive Player of the Year award was also very credible.
Playing style: 7
Bling-bling: 5
Legend: 9
Total: 21

Stephon Marbury
Here is a Coney Island legend. During the opening scene of He Got Game, I was just waiting to see a Marbury clip – didn’t get one. The ultimate street point guard. One in a long line of NYC points to attend Georgia Tech.
Playing style: 7
Bling-bling: 4
Legend: 9
Total: 20

LeBron James
What hurts LeBron so much on this list is that everyone knows everything about him. There is no mystery – except, of course, if he will ever be better than Jordan.
Playing style: 10
Bling-bling: 5
Legend: 5
Total: 20

Tracy McGrady
McGrady is currently the second best player on this list (LeBron is No. 1), and that counts for a lot. If he had not grown up in Florida and attended prep school he would probably be a lot higher. But his game is graceful and highlight-filled, and he is Carter’s cousin.
Playing style: 9
Bling-bling: 5
Legend: 5
Total: 19

Carmelo Anthony
If it wasn’t for his winter blockbuster, “Stop Snitching,” Carmelo might not be on this list. But, the Syracuse star did grow up on some rough streets and it took him only one season to make himself one of the college game’s all-time best.
Playing style: 7
Bling-bling: 6
Legend: 6
Total: 19

Others (P-playing style, B-Bling-bling, L-Legend): Sebastian Telfair (P: 8, B: 3, L: 8); Dwyane Wade (P: 8, B: 2, L: 6); Ricky Davis (P: 9, B: 4, L: 4); Quentin Richardson (P: 6, B: 6, L: 4); Kenny Anderson (P: 7, B: 1, L: 8); Latrell Sprewell (P: 5, B: 4, L: 8); Amare Stoudemire (P: 9, B: 3, L: 5); Jason Richardson (P: 9, B: 1, L: 6).

The Lure of the NBA

Who Are They?

by Nicholas Lozito

Who are these men? So few of their names ring a bell. Their faces don’t shed any sense of familiarity.

Do the players who dominated the collegiate game yesteryear still exist? Have they found a new hobby? Where can I find them?

The answers to the last three questions, respectively: Yes, no and the NBA.

It’s no secret that the forbidden fruit has been tasted. Some take a small bite, forgoing their senior seasons. Others, like Lenny Cooke – who? I know. Check an NBDL roster – swallow the apple whole, core and all, by skipping higher learning altogether.

However, the fruit is only forbidden in failure. Nobody second guesses Dwyane Wade or LeBron. In the case of Wade, who left Marquette after his junior year, he gets more praise than criticism from commentators for staying in college as long as he did.

And embodied within that praise is the state of the college basketball fan – the one fan who will never discover how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop, because it always declares early entry into the Candy Draft after the first, second or third swipes of the tongue. For this deprived and frustrated group, let’s imagine for a second a college basketball world with no early entries:

LeBron would be a sophomore at Louisville, Carmelo a junior at Syracuse and Dwyane Wade a rookie in the NBA with an NCAA championship ring weighting down his dunking hand.

Dicky V’s diaper dandies would no longer overlap with the All-American team.

Connecticut would still be a basketball school.

In short: Life would be grand. Now only if we could make these college athletes understand.

When Carmelo Anthony returned to Syracuse after winning the NCAA title, Orangemen fans greeted him with the chant of “One more year!” Anthony responded, “I thought you were supposed to stay in college for four years.”

And he was right. You are supposed to stay in college for four years – if your purpose for attending college is getting an education, that is. For many players, this is not the case. Nor should it be.

Ask a single mother whether she wants to wait three more years for her son to get an NBA salary and put food on her three other kids’ plates. Ask a father if he’d rather see his son play one more year of Russian Roulette with a bad knee or take guaranteed millions. Ask an All-American sophomore if he’d rather take Biology 10 next year or live comfortably in his first-ever house – not apartment or projects, but a house.

For them, the answers are easy, like those on the final exam of Jim Harrick Jr’s Coaching Principals and Strategies of Basketball class. You take the money; you get what’s rightfully yours. It’s the American way, and you don’t need an A in Economics 101 to figure it out.

Yes, the game of college basketball is deteriorating. But only at the expense of fans. For the scholarshiped men on the court, college basketball still serves one of two purposes: A road to professional basketball or a free ticket to a degree. For those who set their sights on the Association, it’s only logical to take the shortest road. After all, once their playing days are over, they can always come back and get their degree.

But what good does that do for the fans? They wouldn’t have any eligibility left.

Big Sky Season Recap

Big Sky Conference 2003-04 Season Recap

by Nicholas Lozito

From his determination and intensity on the court, it’s obvious that Eastern Washington’s Alvin Snow is not a player who can tolerate much losing – which is why it must have been so difficult for the senior swingman to put up with three conference championship game losses over his first three seasons. It’s also why the fullback-sized defensive menace didn’t let it happen a fourth.

After winning the regular season conference title by four games, the Eagles knocked off defending conference champions Weber State 72-53 in the semifinals and a sharp shooting Northern Arizona club in the finals 71-59 to earn a No. 15 seed in the NCAA Tournament. In the win over Weber, senior Brandon Merritt contributed seven points, eight rebounds, six assists and three steals, while junior forward Marc Axton led the team with 21 points. Merritt had 22 points and Snow had ten points and eight rebounds in the championship game to send the Eagles to their first ever tournament berth. Eastern Washington coupled the intensity of a packed home crowd along with the confidence that comes with winning a conference championship with such great ease to help guide them through their conference tournament run.

The Eagles took a stronghold on the regular season championship early by winning eleven-straight conference games before losing their last two games heading into the tournament. The battle for the other five seeds in the conference tournament was not quite as simple as only two games separated the conference’s other seven teams. Northern Arizona, Idaho State, Sacramento State and Weber State all finished with 7-7 records while Montana and Montana State both finished 6-8, though Montana was awarded the sixth-and-final seed because of a tie-breaker which goes to the team with the most wins against the conference’s highest seed (Eastern Washington in this case).

After being predicted to finish near the bottom of the conference, Northern Arizona and Idaho State both had surprising seasons. Northern Arizona, for the most part, lived and died by the 3-point shot, with Aaron Bond (17.4 points) and Kelly Golob (13.4) leading the attack. Lanky 6-foot-3 point guard Marquis Poole (conference leader with 19.0 points and 6.0 assists) led Idaho State, breaking down defenses and disrupting opposing guards with his suffocating wingspan.

Despite not making the conference tournament, Portland State’s second year coach Heath Schroyer increased his team’s win total from five in 2002-03 to eleven this past season. He was helped along by a slew of junior college transfers, including the backcourt tandem of Blake Walker (16.1 points, 6.1 rebounds) and Will Funn (4.0 assists). Sacramento State coach Jerome Jenkins continued the steady improvement of his program as the Hornets hosted their first-ever tournament game – a 68-62 quarterfinal loss to Weber State.

In other tournament action, Montana lost to Idaho State 74-73 in their quarterfinal game. Idaho State then lost to Northern Arizona 91-72 in the semifinals. Merritt was named conference tournament MVP, while his Eagle teammates Axton and Snow were named tot the first team.

Eagles gunned down by Cowboys

No. 2 seed Oklahoma State put an end to any Eastern Washington (the 15th seed) Cinderella hopes by outscoring the Eagles 39-20 in the second half in the opening round on the NCAA Tournament. The two teams we tied at 36 at halftime. The Cowboys advanced all the way to the Final Four where they lost in the semifinals to Georgia Tech 67-65.

Merritt led the Eagles with fourteen points and seven rebounds, but shot only 4 of 14 from the field. Axton poured in ten points while Snow was held to two. For Oklahoma State, center Ivan Mcfarlin had twenty points, ten rebounds and four blocks. Point guard John Lucas, who went on to hit a clutch 3-pointer against Saint Joseph’s to send OSU to the Final Four, had 15 points and Tony Allen had seventeen points, nine rebounds and five assists.

Hoopville All-Conference Team
Marquis Poole (MVP): senior point guard, Idaho State
Alvin Snow: senior swingman, Eastern Washington
Aaron Bond: senior forward, Northern Arizona
Slobodan Ocokoljic: senior forward, Weber State
Seamus Boxley: junior forward, Portland State

Defensive Player of the Year

Alvin Snow

Newcomer of the Year

Kamarr Davis: Junior forward, Montana

Eastern Washington Eagles (17-13 overall, 11-3 in Big Sky)

The Eagles struggled through a brutal preseason schedule which featured road games against Gonzaga, San Diego State, Iowa and Oklahoma, finishing 6-10. But that was all chalked up to experience when conference play rolled around, as the Eagles rattled off eleven conference wins after losing their opener to Montana. Eastern Washington finished conference play with overtime losses at Weber State and Idaho State, but were able to bounce back in tournament play.

Forward Marc Axton helped key the Eagles turnaround with strong post play in conference action, where he averaged 13.2 points.

MVP: Senior swingman Alvin Snow (14.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists)

Top scorer: Alvin Snow (14.7)
Top rebounder: Alvin Snow (5.1)
Top assists: Brendon Merritt and Alvin Snow (3.0)

Starters Leaving
G – Brendon Merritt (graduation)
G – Alvin Snow (Graduation)
C – Gregg Smith (Graduation)
G – Josh Barnard (Graduation)

Key players returning
Danny Pariseau (junior guard, 5.9 points)
Marc Axton (senior forward, 12.9 points, 4.6 rebounds)
Matt Nelson (sophomore forward, 7.9 points, 5.0 rebounds)
Paul Butorac (sophomore forward, 4.0 points, 2.5 rebounds)

Former Washington State assistant Mike Burns will take over the head coaching job at Eastern Washington. Former coach Ray Giacoletti accepted the head coaching job at the University of Utah, where he takes over for legendary coach Rick Majerus.… Freshman Henry Bekkering, who redshirted last season, appeared on Fox Sports’ Best Damn Sports Show in late May to show off him dunking ability. The 6-foot-5 Canadian forward has made a name for himself though Internet. Bekkering averaged 35 points in high school.… Marc Axton competed with Canada’s Senior National team over the summer, while Bekkering competed with the Under-20 Team.

Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (15-14, 7-7)

The top scoring team in the Big Sky (75.9 points per game) used the 3-point stroke of Kelly Golob and Aaron Bond to advance all the way to the conference championship game. The Lumberjacks went 8-7 in the preseason and earned a No. 2 seed in the conference tournament by beating Montana in overtime 80-78 in their final conference game.

MVP: Senior forward Aaron Bond (17.4 points, 5.5 rebounds)

Top scorer: Aaron Bond (17.4 points)
Top rebounder: Aaron Bond (5.5 rebounds)
Top assists: Kyle Feuerbach (3.9 assists)

Starters Leaving
F – Aaron Bond (graduation)
F – Kodiak Yazzie (graduated)
G – Chris Ferguson (graduated)

Key players returning
Kelly Golob (junior guard, 13.4 points, 3.9 assists)
Kyle Feuerbach (senior guard, 3.9 assists)
Stephen Garnett (senior forward, 6.3 points)
Paul Meynen (sophomore center, 7-freaking-foot-0)
Ruben Boykin Jr. (sophomore forward, 7.3 points, 3.6 rebounds)

Idaho State Bengals (13-18, 7-7)

After a 5-9 preseason record, which featured three wins against non-Div. I teams, Idaho State seemed doomed for yet another poor season. To top it off, they would half to play the entire season without shooting guard David Schroeder, who injured his knee at Midnight Madness festivities.

The Bengals, led by seniors Marquis Poole and Scott Henry, were able to bounce back and qualify for the conference tournament where they narrowly beat Montana in the quarterfinals 74-73 behind 24 points from Henry. The Bengals then lost in the semifinals to Northern Arizona 91-72.

MVP: Marquis Poole (senior point guard, 19.0 points, 6.0 assists)

Top scorer: Marquis Poole (19.0 points)
Top rebounder: Scott Henry (7.3 rebounds)
Top assists: Marquis Poole (6.0 assists)

Starters Leaving
G – Marquis Poole (graduated)
F – Scott Henry (graduated)

Key players returning
David Schroeder (sophomore guard, medical redshirt last season)
Jeff Gardner (senior shooting guard, 11.1 points)
Doug D’Amore (senior forward, 6.6 points)
Jesse Smith (junior center, 6.5 points, 4.5 rebounds)

Scott Henry’s brother, Tim Henry, will transfer to Idaho State from Wyoming. Tim, a 6-foot-5 swingman, will have one year of eligibility left after sitting out the upcoming season because of NCAA transfer rules. He averaged 5.7 points and 2.4 rebounds with the Cowboys.

Sacramento State Hornets (13-15, 7-7)

High expectations surrounded the Hornets this past season, as their top-two scorers from the 2001-02 season -Joseth Dawson and Joel Jones – returned from a year of ineligibility and Massachusetts transfer Jameel Pugh was set to take the floor for the first time with Jerome Jenkins team. The Hornets showed signs of fulfilling the expectations at times, but ended up finishing the season with a disappointing quarterfinal loss to Weber State on their home court.

MVP: Senior swingman Joel Jones (12.3 points, 4.7 rebounds)

Top scorer: Joseth Dawson (14.4 points)
Top rebounder: Cedric Thompkins (5.6 rebounds)
Top assists: DaShawn Freeman (3.4 assists)

Starters Leaving
F – Joel Jones (graduation)
F – Cedric Thompkins (graduated)
C- Tony Champion (graduated)
G – Joseth Dawson (graduated)
G – Brandon Guyton (graduated)

Key players returning
DaShawn Freeman (junior guard, 5.1 points, 3.4 assists)
Jameel Pugh (senior small forward, 9.3 points, 4.9 rebounds)
Chris Lange (junior forward, 3.6 points, 3.6 rebounds)

Head coach Jerome Jenkins signed a contract extension through 2006…. Yikes!!! The Hornets will open at Michigan on November 19, play at Fresno State on December 11, and at Oregon State on December 28.

Weber State Wildcats (15-14, 7-7)

After losing conference MVP Jermaine Boyette, the Wildcats knew it would be tough to 3-peat as conference champions. Weber State did win four of their last five conference games to sneak into the conference tournament, where they beat Sacramento State in the opening round before falling to Eastern Washington in the semifinals. The Wildcats had defeated the Eagles in the tournament championship game in 2002 and 2003.

MVP: Senior forward Slobodan Ocokoljic (15.0 points, 6.6 rebounds)
Top scorer: Slobodan Ocokoljic (15.0 points)
Top rebounder: Slobodan Ocokoljic (6.6 rebounds)
Top assists: Jamaal Jenkins (2.3 assists)

Starters Leaving
F – Nic Sparrow (graduation)
F – Slobodan Ocokoljic (graduated)
G – John Hamilton (graduated)
F – Patrick Danley

Key players returning
Lance Allred (senior center, 12.0 points, 6.2 rebounds)
Ryan Davis (senior guard, 2.8 points, 1.7 assists)
Jamaal Jenkins (junior guard, 2.3 assists)

Montana Grizzlies (10-18, 6-8)

The Grizzlies won six of their final seven games to advance as the final (No. 6) seed into the Big Sky Tournament. They were led by junior college transfer Kamarr Davis, who provided an interior presence for the team. The Grizzlies lost six-straight conference games at one point.

MVP: Junior Kamarr Davis (14.1 points, 6.3 rebounds)

Top scorer: Kamarr Davis (14.1 points)
Top rebounder: Kamarr Davis (6.3 rebounds)
Top assists: Derrick Mansell (4.1 assists)

Starters Leaving
G – Derrick Mansell (graduation)
F -Victor Ventors (graduated)

Key players returning
Kamarr Davis (senior forward, 14.1 points, 6.3 rebounds)
Kevin Criswell (junior guard, 12.3 points, 5.3 rebounds)
Roy Booker (senior guard, 9.3 points)
John Seyfert (junior center, 3.9 points, 5.4 rebounds)

Head coach Pat Kennedy, a former coach at DePaul and one of the game’s top recruiters, announced he will leave Montana to become head coach at Towson University. Larry Krystkowiak, Montana’s career scoring and rebounding leader who played from 1982-86, was hired to replace Kennedy. He hired Wayne Tinkle and Brad Huse as his assistants.

Montana State Bobcats (14-13, 6-8)

Don’t be fooled by a halfway decent preseason record (8-5), because the Bobcats played their fair-share of crappy teams. “Why must you be so harsh on our Bobcats,” cries a lonely fan from Bozeman. Because tough love is the only thing which can save Montana State at this point. With a 6-8 conference record, the Bobcats failed to make the conference tournament yet again. Oh, and they are losing their best player Jason Erickson to graduation.

MVP: Senior guard Jason Erickson (17.3 points, 2.7 assists)

Top scorer: Jason Erickson (17.3 points)
Top rebounder: Calvin Ento (6.0 rebounds)
Top assists: Frank Brown (4.4 assists)

Starters Leaving
G — Jason Erickson (graduated)
F – Calvin Ento (graduated)
F – Josh Barsh (graduated)
F — Calvin Ento (graduated)

Key players returning
G — Frank Brown (junior guard, 7.7 points, 4.4 assists)
F – Nick Dissly (sophomore forward, 9.1 points)
C – Matt Towsley (senior center, 8.2 points, 4.2 rebounds)

Portland State Vikings (11-16, 5-9)

Although the Vikings did fall short of another tournament berth, they did improve their win total from four in 2002-03 to eleven this past season. But losing their last three games with a tournament berth at stake was not a good way to end the season.

MVP: Junior guard Blake Walker (16.1 points, 6.1 rebounds)

Top scorer: Blake Walker (16.1 points)
Top rebounder: Seamus Boxley ( 9.4 rebounds)
Top assists: Will Funn (4.0 assists)

Starters Leaving
F — Marshal Hartman(transfer)

Key players returning
Blake Walker (senior guard, 16.1 points, 6.1 rebounds)
Will Funn (senior guard, 7.7 points, 4.0 assists)
Seamus Boxley (senior forward, 14.8 points, 9.3 rebounds)
Antone Jarrell (senior forward, 8.6 points)

The Vikings have hired two new assistants, Senque Carey and Fred Langley. Carey’s college career ended two seasons ago at New Mexico after suffering a severe spinal cord injury.

Big Sky Finals Recap

Big Sky Conference Finals Recap
		Recap by Nicholas Lozito Eastern Washington 71, Northern Arizona 59 After falling in the Big Sky Championship Game each of the past three seasons, Eastern Washington advanced to the NCAA Tournament Wednesday night with a 71-59 victory over Northern Arizona. As the final buzzer sounded, Brandon Merritt fired the basketball into the air while hundreds of his classmates stormed the court in celebration of the Eagles’ first ever NCAA Tournament berth. No. 1-seed Eastern Washington (17-12 overall, 11-3 in Big Sky) advanced to the title game by defeating Weber State 72-53, while No-2 seed Northern Arizona (15-14, 7-7) advanced by knocking off Idaho State 91-72. Two of the Eagles’ three conference losses came in the final weekend, after they had already clinched the No. 1 seed. Eastern Washington will most likely enter the NCAA Tournament as a No. 14 or 15 seed. Merritt finished with a game-high 22 points while forward Marc Axton contributed nineteen points and seven rebounds. Swingman Alvin Snow, the conference’s top on-the-ball defender, had ten points and eight rebounds. Aaron Bond led the Lumberjacks with twenty points, while Kelly Golob chipped in with fourteen. Eleven blocks between Northern Arizona big men Adrian Hayes (six blocks) and Joakim Kjellbom (five) were not enough to curtail an Eagle offense which collected seventeen offensive boards.

Big Sky First Round Preview

Big Sky Conference First Round Preview
		Preview by Nicholas Lozito Heading into the final weekend of conference play, only one game separated second-through-last place in the conference standings. The Eastern Washington Eagles, sitting all alone in first place, watched as every other team in the conference — Northern Arizona Lumberjacks, Sacramento State Hornets, Weber State Wildcats, Idaho State Bengals, Portland State Vikings, Montana Grizzlies and Montana State Bobcats — fought for their tournament berths. In the end, Northern Arizona (7-7 in Big Sky, No. 2 seed), Idaho State (7-7, No. 3 seed), Sacramento State (7-7, No. 4 seed), Weber State (7-7, No. 5 seed) and Montana (6-8, No. 6 seed) advanced to the tournament. Montana State (6-8) and Portland State (5-9) both failed to qualify. The tie-breaker between the four 7-7 teams was determined by their respective records against each other. Northern Arizona defeated Montana in overtime on Saturday to secure their No. 2 seed, while Idaho State pulled off a dramatic double-overtime win over Eastern Washington, 91-90. Sunday’s lone-and-final regular season game featured a battle for the final tournament seed between Montana State and Sacramento State. The winner took the No. 4 seed, the loser went home. The Hornets rallied back from a fourteen-point deficit to win 80-74. Eastern Washington and Northern Arizona will both receive byes into the semifinals, which, along with the finals, will be held on Eastern Washington’s home court in Cheney, Washington. The Hornets will host their first ever tournament game against the Wildcats while the Bengals will host the Grizzlies in the two quarterfinal match-ups. The lowest remaining seed after the quarterfinal round will face eastern Washington in the semifinals. No. 3-seed Idaho State versus No. 6-seed Montana Montana swept the home-and-home series with Idaho State, winning at home 91-76 and on the road 88-85. The game in Pocatello, Idaho was determined at the free throw line where Montana converted 26-of-38 attempts, compared to Idaho State’s 12-of-21 shooting. Grizzly guard Kevin Criswell, a pure scorer who looks to get his shot off the dribble, and forward Kamarr Davis, one of the conference’s strongest players, combined to score at least 40 points in both games. The Grizzlies shot a combined 28 more free throws than the Bengals in the two games, with Criswell and Davis accounting for 39 attempts. The Bengals are led by point guard Marquise Poole, a lanky slasher who leads the league in assists (6.3) and scoring (18.8). Poole averaged 20.5 points and 10.5 assists in the two games against Montana. In the frontcourt, the Bengals will look to forward Scott Henry for scoring and rebounding. Henry possesses an array of post moves, and should have enough quickness to get the bigger Davis off balance. Montana lost seven of their first nine conference games, with lone wins against Idaho State and Eastern Washington. They have since bounced back by winning four of their last five, with their only loss coming in their most recent game against Northern Arizona at home. Eastern Washington has won their last two games — both at home — against Eastern Washington and Portland State. Prior to the homestand, the Bengals had lost their last four games. Bottom Line: The Bengals biggest weakness is their depth — they rely heavily on Poole and Henry for scoring. But given a week off, expect these two stars to avenge the two losses earlier in the season to the Grizzlies. Prediction: Idaho State 88, Montana 81 No. 4-seed Sacramento State versus No. 5-seed Weber State 1,200-seat Hornet Gym will play host to it’s first ever Big Sky Tournament game as the Hornets take on the Wildcats. The two teams split their home-and home series, with the Hornets winning 64-61 in Sacramento and the Grizzlies winning 65-54 in Ogden, Utah. Joseth Dawson exploded for 32 points in the Hornets’ win, contributing half of the team’s scoring. The only other Hornet to record double figures in scoring against the Wildcats in either of the two games was Joel Jones, who put up fourteen points in the Hornets’ road loss. Shooting guard John Hamilton had fifteen points in each game, while forward Nic Sparrow had sixteen in the Wildcats’ road loss. A plethora of swingmen carry the Hornets on offense, led by Dawson and Jones. Both players can score in the paint or beyond the arc. Shooting guard Brandon Guyton is a 3-point specialist, while forward Jameel Pugh scored a career-high 24 points in the Hornets’ tournament-clinching win at Montana State. Head coach Jerome Jenkins will likely start sophomore DaShawn Freeman at the point, but will rotate both E.J. Harris and James Payne into the game. In the frontcourt, the Hornets rely heavily on Cedric Thompkins for rebounding. The Wildcats distinct advantage comes in the frontcourt, where power forward Slobadan Ocokoljic possesses the ability to take over a game. The Hornets held the Ohio State transfer scoreless in their first half of their win in Sacramento. The Wildcats have struggled to find a consistent backcourt scorer since the loss of reigning conference MVP Jermaine Boyette to graduation. The Hornets have won six of their last nine games, including an overall 10-3 record at Hornet Gym. The Wildcats have won their last three games, including an upset win over Eastern Washington. The Wildcats also knocked the Hornets off in the semifinals of the conference tournament last season en route to making the NCAA Tournament. Bottom Line: If the Hornets can push the tempo and connect from long range, they could blow away the defending conference champs. If the Wildcats can control the half-court set with big men Ocokoljic, Sparrow and Lance Allred, it could be a slow scoring win for the Wildcats. Look for the Hornets to feed off their home crowd. Prediction: Sacramento State 74, Weber State 69

Big Sky First Round Recap

Big Sky Conference First Round Recap
		Recap by Nicholas Lozito Idaho State 74, Montana 73 Montana forward Ryan Pederson’s desperation 3-pointer clanked off the rim, giving Idaho State a narrow 74-73 victory in the quarterfinal round of the Big Sky Tournament. The No. 3-seeded Bengals win avenges two regular season losses to the No. 6-seeded Grizzlies and sets up a semifinal match-up with No. 2-seed Northern Arizona in Cheney, Washington on Tuesday. Idaho State point guard Marquise Poole recorded nineteen points and two assists as the Bengals committed only seven turnovers. Poole, led the conference in both scoring (18.8) and assists (6.1) this season, converted 7-of-11 field goals and all five free throws. Shooting guard Jeff Gardner had thirteen points and eight assists. Bengal forward Scott Henry recorded a double-double with 24 points and ten rebounds on 11-of-14 shooting. The Bengals shot 59 percent as a team. Point guard Roy Booker led the Grizzlies with seventeen points, while shooting guard Kevin Criswell and forward Kamarr Davis scored eleven and twelve points, respectively. Davis also grabbed ten rebounds. Weber State 68, Sacramento State 62 Weber State power forward Slobodan Ocokoljic scored 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds to knock off Sacramento State 68-62. In No. 4-seeded Sac State’s first ever tournament game played at home, they shot 32 percent from the field including 6-of-26 from 3-point range. The No. 5-seeded Wildcats advance to face No. 1 seed Eastern Washington in the semifinals on Tuesday on the Eagles’ home court. Wildcat center Lance Allred recorded a double-double with ten points and eleven rebounds, while shooting guard John Hamilton scored twelve points. The Hornets, down five midway through the second half, had a chance to take over the game forcing turnovers on three-straight Wildcat possessions, but failed to convert on several open looks at the basket. The Hornets had fourteen steals and forced 19 turnovers from the Bengals. The Hornets also attempted nineteen more shots, but made three fewer field goals.

Big Sky Notebook

Big Sky Conference Notebook

by Nicholas Lozito

The Slammies

For two years I’ve been waiting to see Sacramento State’s dunking duo of Jameel Pugh and Joel Jones do their thing. And Saturday night against Montana, I finally got my wish.

Dunk No. 1: As me and my student-radio broadcast partner Danny Pinto struggle to set up our equipment — two minutes into the game — we glance up to see Jones receive a pass on the fast beak. Jones, a graceful 6-foot-5 swingman, takes off a few feet inside the free-throw line and finishes with his right hand.

Dunk No. 2: After Pinto and I failed to figure out how to set up our 1970′s radio equipment, we went down to the floor and took a seat behind press row. As soon as we sit down, the Hornets are on the break again with Joseth Dawson handling the ball and Pugh to his right. Dawson lobs an alley-oop pass which sails a good foot above the square on the backboard. Pugh rises to a ridiculous height and grabs the pass with two hands, then switches to just his right hand for a monstrous spike jam.

Dunk No. 3: Pugh gets a steal on the perimeter and there is nobody between him and the basket. The entire crowd is on their feet in anticipation of what the No. 33-rated dunker by Slam Magazine will do. After the game, Pugh said he didn’t attempt a between-the-legs or elbow-in-the-rim slam because he was fearful of what Hornet coach Jerome Jenkins’ reaction would be. So, instead, he elevated as high as he could, finishing with a ferocious right hand tomahawk jam.

Dunk No. 4: Minutes later, Jones has the ball on the wing, and he finds a crease in the defense. Only Grizzly forward Kamarr Davis is between him and the basket. Mr. Davis, meet Mr. Jones.

Jones finished the game with a team-high 22 points for the Hornets, who defeated the Grizzlies 76-67. Pugh and Dawson both finished with eleven points, while Davis led Montana with 24 points.

The Hornets defeated Montana State on Thursday, 77-71, receiving a clutch performance from third-string, walk-on point guard James Payne. Payne sparked the Hornets’ go-ahead run in the second half with tenacious defense and a bank 3-pointer from the right wing as the shot clock expired.

The Hornets are 8-3 in games in Hornet Gym, 1-8 in road games.

Eagles Flying High

With a convincing 100-73 win at home over Idaho State, and another win over Weber State, 73-67, Eastern Washington maintained a one-game lead in the Big Sky standings. Against Weber State, junior forward Marc Axton led the way with 25 points and eight rebounds. Against Idaho State, it was guard Alvin Snow who recorded 20 points, six rebounds and six assists.

The Eagles have now won six-straight conference games after losing their opener to Montana at home. Junior shooting guard Josh Barnard has continued his torrid shooting from 3-point range, connecting on 6-of-11 treys against Idaho State. Barnard is shooting 51.6 percent on the season. After playing less than 20 minutes in each of the season’s first seven games, freshman forward Matt Nelson has played over 20 minutes in twelve of the past thirteen, providing Axton with a legitimate frontcourt scoring partner.

Gazing The Sky

After losing their first eight road games, Eastern Washington has won their past four — including three in conference play. The Eagles 27-point victory over Idaho State was their largest victory of the season.

After home wins over Montana, 83-67, and Montana State, 63-57, Northern Arizona has now won four-straight conference games. Forward Aaron Bond is the Big Sky’s second leading scorer at 17.4 points, including 26 and 16-point efforts this past weekend. The Lumberjacks attempt the most 3-pointers per game (8.6) and connect on the second-best percentage (38.1 percent) in the conference.

Idaho State got slapped around by Eastern Washington on Thursday, losing 100-73, then beat Portland State on Saturday, 80-71. Point guard Marquise Poole recorded 29 points, seven rebounds and five assists against the Vikings. The Bengals also lost a non-conference game on Monday to Idaho, 75-59.

Both Montana State and Montana were swept this weekend at Sacramento State and Northern Arizona. Portland State was swept by Weber State and Idaho State.

The Hornets have moved from last place into a tie for fourth with the sweep. Only one game separates the bottom five teams.

Player of the Week

Marquise Poole, Idaho State

Averaged 25.5 points, six rebounds, seven assists and 1.5 steals for the Bengals in conference games this weekend.

College Quotebook 7

College Quotebook – January 15th – 24th

by Nicholas Lozito

Alisa Lewis: Long Socks And Big Smiles

“Can’t you just see her watching over us? I can see her, sitting on that rim, smiling that smile, swinging her legs and just smiling down on us.”

– California women’s basketball coach Caren Horstmeyer talks about her former player Alisa Lewis, 20, who died last Monday of bacterial meningitis.

“When we both came to Cal, I asked her one day about her long socks and knee pads. And she said, ‘My dad always told me girls should have nice knees and legs.’ And we looked each other in the eye, and just bust out laughing for hours.”

– Lewis’ former Cal teammate Renee White at last week’s memorial services.

“There is a basketball court in heaven, and she is on it.”

– Horstmeyer, reading a quote from Lewis’ mother, Diane, at last week’s memorial services.

Hear This…

“He told me, ‘Lance, you’ve weaseled yourself through life using your hearing as an excuse. You’re a disgrace to cripples. If I was a cripple in a wheelchair and saw (the way) you play basketball, I’d shoot myself.’”

– Former Utah center Lance Allred alleged that Ute coach Rick Majerus berated him about his partial hearing loss. Majerus was cleared of the allegations through a university investigation. Allred has transferred to Weber State.

“If the allegations were accurate, we would not tolerate that in the classroom. Should it be tolerated in athletics?”

– Interim university president Lorris Betz, who told the Salt Lake tribune he was confident with the investigation process.

Quit Or Cut?

“I was like, `What are you trying to do? Make me quit? If that’s the case just come out and say it and I’ll go home and pack up all my Nevada issue stuff and give it back to you.”

– Former Nevada forward Deane Brown, who says his former coach Trent Johnson forced him off the team.

“Dean and I met today and we both came to the agreement and felt it was in the best interest that Dean concentrate on getting healthy and focus on his academics.”

– In a statement made January 13, Johnson said that it was a mutual agreement for Brown to leave the team following December knee surgery.

“He doesn’t know how to talk to nobody and how to treat people…. I’m grateful for him giving me a scholarship and all. But one thing my mother and pops say about me is if I’m treated unfair, I’ll speak my mind. I’m not going to sit there and take it like other people…. In sports period, nobody believes the players. Everybody believes the coach. Whatever the coach says is the truth,” Brown added.

Cardinal Sin: Dwelling On The Past

“Wednesday night, do you know there was like 5 million people watching that game … watching us get our tails kicked…. If somebody hit you in your face, don’t you want to fight back?”

– Even after their 83-47 victory on Saturday over Southern Mississippi, Cincinnati guard Tony Bobbitt was still thinking about the Bearcats’ 93-66 loss on Wednesday at Louisville.

“They were angry at Louisville, but they didn’t get a chance to play Louisville, so they took it out on us.”

– Southern Mississippi coach James Green after the game

Who’s The Man?

“I’m just a big-time player.”

– Oklahoma State’s Joey Graham comments after a 21-point, ten-rebound performance in a 72-67 win over Texas.

“They have some big country boys, Texas. They’re pretty big down there. If we can rebound with the best of them, we’ll always have a great chance,” Graham added.

Just Win One, Baby

“We’re doing what we can, but the players we have are not as good as some of the other teams in this league.”

– Loyola (Maryland) College athletic director Joe Boylan, who’s men’s basketball program is four losses away from tying Grambling’s mark of 33-consecutive Division I losses.

“Everybody teases us about it.”

– Loyola guard Jamaal Dixon

Come across an interesting quote? You can forward it to College Quotebook by visiting our contact page. Please include the URL of the page the quote appeared on, and the quote itself. Thanks!

Big Sky Notebook

Big Sky Conference Notebook

by Nicholas Lozito

Bengals Bounce Back

Sports are unpredictable. One day you’ll think you have everything figured out, and the next day the Carolina Panthers are in the Super Bowl. The Big Sky Conference is no exception.

When the preseason came to a close, the Idaho State Bengals — 5-9 at the time — looked like a North Dakota high school junior varsity basketball team. The Bengals’ biggest wins were against Binghamton, Arkansas-Little Rock and Texas-San Antonio, and it looked as if a preseason, season-ending injury to starting shooting guard David Schroeder was too much to overcome.

But to the Pacific Northwest’s surprise — with the exception of Northern Arizona — the Bengals have found their groove in early Big Sky action. Idaho State is 2-1, with a home win over defending champion Weber State and a road victory over the conference’s top team in the preseason, Montana State. Their only loss was at Montana in a game where the Grizzlies shot 54.7 percent from the field and outrebounded ISU 50-27.

Leading the resurgence in Pocatello have been forwards Scott Henry and Doug D’Amore. Henry, who struggled early in the preseason, has averaged 18.6 points and 8.3 rebounds in conference play. Last season, Henry was one of the conference leaders in double-doubles for a Bengals squad that finished four slots higher in the conference standings than the year prior. D’Amore, who averages 7.5 points and 2.4 rebounds, recorded 28 points and nine boards in the upset win against Montana State.

Craven Criticizes Officials, Receives Suspension

Weber State head coach Joe Cravens was suspended for one game after criticizing Big Sky officiating on a radio talk show last Wednesday. Cravens, when asked about his team’s road game at Idaho State, “questioned the ‘level of officiating’ on the road and suggested some officials can be easily intimidated by home crowds,” according to ESPN reports.

Craven was suspended for Weber State’s game against Montana State, which the Wildcats lost 61-48. Cravens has since apologized for his comments. The Bengals’ loss against Idaho State snapped a 15-game conference winning streak.

Durham’s Da Man

With Montana State’s win over Weber State, head coach Mick Durham became the Big Sky’s all-time winningest coach in conference games with 102. Durham, whose all-time record with the Bobcats is 213-178, is only one win shy of breaking the all-time wins record for a Big Sky coach — former Boise State head coach Bobby Dye holds the all-time mark with a record of 214-132.

Player Of The Week

Seamus Boxley, Portland State

Averaged 18.5 points and 11.5 rebounds in a win at Northern Arizona and a loss at Sacramento State.

Gazing The Sky

Eastern Washington Eagles 68, Sacramento State Hornets 62

The Eagles most recent victory came on the road against Sacramento State, 68-62, capping a 2-0 road trip. Marc Axton scored 16 first half points — 22 overall — and grabbed seven rebounds to lead Eastern Washington, despite leaving the game momentarily with a lower leg injury. Shooting guard Brandon Merritt also missed much of the first half with a leg injury, but later returned.

6-foot-2 Guard Alvin Snow did a phenomenal job of shutting down the larger Joel Jones, one of the conference’s top offensive players, holding him to eight points on 3-of-6 shooting. Snow diminished with fourteen points and seven rebounds. Teammate Josh Barnard also finished with fourteen. The Eagles shot 56.8 percent from the field, but only 53.8 percent from the line.

Sac State was led by shooting guard Joseth Dawson’s 19 points, and 13 from forward Chris Lange. Jones had five assists. The Hornets shot 37.7 percent from the field, but made 19-of-26 free throws, an area they had recently struggled in.

Eastern Washington 63, Northern Arizona Lumberjacks 57

Merritt scored a game-high nineteen points to lead the Eagles to a 63-57 win over the Lumberjacks. Snow added ten points and eight rebounds, while freshman forward Matt Nelson scored 15. Forward Kelly Golob led Northern Arizona with fifteen points as the Lumberjacks, the leagues top 3-point shooting team, converted only 5-of-16 attempts.

Idaho State 75, Montana State 64

Marquise Poole is the foundation of Idaho State’s team. The senior point guard played all 40 minutes and dished out six assists in the upset win, while D’Amore scored 28. Jesse Smith (10 points), Jeff Gardner (11) and Scott Henry (13) all scored in double figures as well. Shooting guard Jason Erickson also played all 40 minutes and scored eighteen points for Montana State, while point guard Frank Brown had eight assists. The Bobcats hoisted 29 3-pointers, making only seven.

Idaho State 76, Montana 91

Kamarr Davis scored 23 points and grabbed twelve rebounds to lead the Grizzlies over Idaho State. The Montana backcourt tandem of Kevin Criswell and Derrick Mansell combined for 30 points, eleven assists and eleven rebounds. Poole scored 24 points and twelve assists for the Bengals, while Henry had 24 points and eleven rebounds.

Montana State 61, Weber State 48

Erickson scored a game-high 22 points, including 4-of-6 3-pointers, to lead Montana State over defending conference champion Weber State. The Bobcats forced 29 turnovers, including sixteen steals on the night. Wildcat forward Slobodan Ocokoljic scored thirteen points, but turned the ball over eleven times on the night. The Wildcats did out-rebound the Bobcats 36-22.

Portland State Vikings 71, Northern Arizona 65

Starting Viking forward Seamus Boxley had 23 points and fifteen rebounds, while backup forward Seth Scott had eleven points in only sixteen minutes. Portland State, which has the most athletic and versatile frontline in the conference, out-rebounded the Lumberjacks 34-27. Aaron Bond led NAU with 26 points. After scoring twelve points-or-more in his prior ten games, Viking shooting guard Blake Walker has scored ten and eight, respectively, in his last two games.

Northern Arizona made only 4-of-17 3-pointers, while the Vikings had only six assists.

Portland State 64, Sacramento State 76

Sac State has been looking for one of their big men to step up, and last Thursday Cedric Thompkins answered that call. Thompkins scored nineteen points and grabbed five rebounds to lead the Hornets to their only conference win on a three game homestand. Shooting guard Brandon Guyton made 4-of-8 3-pointers en route to sixteen points, as the Hornets kept the up-tempo style game they prefer in the second half, scoring 46 points.

Weber State 74, Montana 61

Frontcourt players Lance Allred (ten points), Slobodan Ocokolijic (nineteen points), Pat Danley (fifteen points) and Nic Sparrow (eleven points) led Weber State in scoring, as the guards could muster only eleven points. Kevin Criswell led Montana with 16 points. The Grizzlies only had five assists.

Battle of the Sexes

Battle of the Sexes

by Nicholas Lozito

I belong on the basketball court as much as Dick Vitale belongs in a preschool’s napping room.

I’ve stared sheepishly into the eyes of teammates after my man scored eighteen points in a game of 21. I’ve stood flat-footed at the 3-point line as far older, out-of-shape players have driven past me for uncontested lay-ups. I’ve been known to pass up crucial wide-open jump shots in fear of throwing up an air ball.

There’s no denying that my 5-foot-8, 160-pound frame encased in pasty white skin has made me a prime target for humiliation on the hardwood over the past twenty years. But nothing can compare to the embarrassment I felt in a pick-up basketball game over winter break.

I got beat by a girl.

Actually, in all fairness to my opponent, I got massacred. And in all fairness to myself, this wasn’t your average girl. Sarah Craig, a 5-foot-11 sophomore forward, led the Sacramento State women’s basketball team in scoring and steals during her freshman campaign last season.

Little did I know I would face off with her in an epic battle of the sexes — we’re talking Billie Jean King vs. Bobby Riggs — as I stepped into Sac State’s auxiliary gymnasium on a December afternoon. Despite the fact that I hadn’t participated in any athletic activity — let alone basketball — in over a month, my jumper was smooth, my passing was crisp and my patented double-pump reverse lay-up was falling with the greatest of ease. I was in the zone.

Then Craig walked in. Like Jordan taking the court before a Game 7, she sent a cold chill throughout the gymnasium. And as my two male friends (fellow Hoopville columnist Jimmy Spencer and his roommate Bobby Wright) and I chased around air balls and arrant passes on one side of the court, Craig began her pre-game warm-up routine on the other.

Next thing I know, Jimmy is asking her to join us in a friendly game of 2-on-2. My heart sank into my stomach as she nodded her head in agreement.

I had no intentions on challenging a girl this afternoon. Nor will I ever. I’ve been through that humiliation before. The emotional pain and distress I suffered during an eleventh grade wrestling meet will never be rivaled.

My knees shook as I ran through the teammate-created tunnel and onto the wrestling mat. I checked in at the scorer’s table and took my stance at the center of the mat. My opponent on this afternoon had a pony tail and breasts.

I recall one of my high school teammates shouting “Don’t get a boner!” from the bleachers. I sneered back, then gave a sarcastic grin. Shouldn’t there be some sort of law protecting teenage boys from this type of cruelty?

The whistle blew, and I quickly became the recipient of a violent head butt to the left temple which knocked me back a few feet. It took a second to figure out where I was and why this girl was grabbing for my upper thigh.

Then I realized my manhood was on the line.

I snapped. A double-leg trip dropped her to the mat, a swift cross-face to the nose stunned her and a half-nelson pinned her. But in no way, shape or form was I a winner. A chorus of boos and laughter rained upon me as the referee raised my arm to signify my male dominance. I walked solemnly back to my seat in the corner of the gym and began to pray that I would never again encounter another day like this.

For four years I had done a pretty good job of avoiding athletic-related encounters with the opposite sex. Sure, girls have laced some solid hits off of me in slow-pitch softball, intercepted some of my passes in ultimate Frisbee and ran the table on me in pool.

But as I stared into the eyes of Sarah Craig on this winter afternoon, visions of Bill Buckner, Steve Bartman and Shawn Bradley ran through my head. My knees started quivering in that same fashion — like a toddler taking its first steps across the living room rug as the mother readies herself for the fall.

Craig scored basket after basket on me. She crossed me over left and right, nailed shots over my outstretched arms and talked trash that would make Gary Payton cringe. And with every basket Craig sank, women’s basketball fans around the globe laughed a little louder.

Lying on my back in exhaustion after the game, I realized there was never a man more deserving of the humiliation I had just received.

I’ve scoffed at women’s hoops all my life for its overall lack of athleticism, snickering at missed lay-ups and air-balled free throws. I’ve mimicked their awkward shooting styles on the dormitory basketball courts, drawing laughter from freshmen onlookers. And my childish harassment has only been fueled by the futility of Craig’s very own Hornets, who have yet to win a game this season.

But those days of senseless ridicule are now in the past. Sarah Craig taught me two important lessons on the basketball court that afternoon: I suck and she doesn’t.

And even though I left my ankles somewhere near the free-throw line and my soul at the half-court stripe, the experience will always live with me.

College Quotebook 6

College Quotebook – January 7th – 14th

by Nicholas Lozito

Leading The Pac

“We’re maturing and learning, and at the same time we’re not losing. A team hits us with something devastating, we don’t panic, we don’t get all bottled up about it. We just come back.”

– UCLA forward T.J. Cummings on his team’s progression from last season. The Bruins are tied with Stanford for first place in the Pac-10 with a 4-0 record.

“I really don’t think that we get a lot of the respect that other teams on the East Coast get. That’s fine. It just makes us more the underdog, so we can come out and prove to people more that we deserve to be with those top teams that they always name.”

– Stanford point guard Chris Hernandez, whose Cardinal are undefeated and ranked No. 2.

“We’ve never been quite as unathletic as people would have you believe. They always say we don’t do this and we don’t do that, and you just kind of chuckle because we’ve averaged 78 points and been at the top of the league in points.”

– Cardinal coach Mike Montgomery

Tough Draw

“We didn’t make the schedule. We’ll just have to go out there and play it.”

– Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson on a stretch where his team plays four teams in eight days with a combined record of 42-11.

Keeping Focus

“We understand that everybody’s saying, `Are we going to get lackadaisical?’ No…. We have to deliver the first blow, second blow, third and fourth.”

– Saint Joseph’s guard Jameer Nelson on how his squad will respond to the hype of an undefeated start and high rankings.

New Atmosphere

“This is what I play the game for. This has to be the craziest (atmosphere). I didn’t think it was going to be as loud as it was. My ears are ringing right now.”

– Oklahoma State guard John Lucas, one of many Baylor transfers, after scoring 22 points in the Cowboys’ win over Oklahoma.

“Where I came from, we didn’t really have very many fans, which is part of the reason I came here.”

– Cowboy center Joey Graham, a transfer from Central Florida, after the game.

Prime Real Estate

“It’s really one of the last places you can put a logo, not unless some company signs a deal with a coach to wear a logo tie.”

– Ron Byerly, vice president of advertising and marketing for O’Reilly Auto Parts, on his purchase of the rights to put the company’s logo on Bobby Knight’s sweater for the next two seasons.

“The promotional opportunities are endless. If Bobby Knight gets tossed from a game, O’Reilly could give fans $10 off a muffler!”

– David Carter, principal of the sports marketing firm The Sports Business Group

Hold Me, Coach!

“It’s like a 50-man marching band comes out on the field, and 49 turn right, and Johnny turns left. And Johnny’s people say, ‘What’s wrong with those other 49?’ And they yell at the band director and say, ‘Keep marching, Johnny! Keep marching!’”

– Memphis coach John Calipari on coddled players these days

Watchu Talkin’ About, Willis?

“The court markings pertaining to the lane have not changed in the last 50 years; players have changed tremendously in the last 50 years. So I think the rules committee will be very careful in terms of looking at what adjustments, if any, should be made.”

– NCAA Executive Committee Men’s Chairman Willis Wilson on proposals to extend the 3-point line and widen the lane in college basketball.

What’s Luck Got To Do With It?

“I got lucky.”

– Wildcat forward Erik Daniels on his game-winning basket — made possible by a tipped pass with 2.5 seconds remaining — against No. 20 Mississippi State.

“Sometimes I’d rather be lucky than good. But you have to be good enough to put yourself in position to get those breaks.”

– Kentucky coach Tubby Smith after the 67-66 win.

Come across an interesting quote? You can forward it to College Quotebook by visiting our contact page. Please include the URL of the page the quote appeared on, and the quote itself. Thanks!

Big Sky Notebook

Big Sky Notebook

by Nicholas Lozito

Reevaluating The Big Sky

So things haven’t gone exactly as planned this preseason for most Big Sky teams. The conference has a combined 42-59 record, with many of those wins coming against non-Division I teams. About half of the conference is playing mediocre basketball, while the rest are playing downright awful. But now that the preseason is behind us, struggling teams can regroup and focus on the conference schedule, which kicks off this weekend.

And now that I’ve had two months worth of games to evaluate the conference, time has com to re-rank the teams heading into Big Sky play. Here is how I ranked the teams heading into the preseason:

1. Montana Grizzlies (3-9)
2. Eastern Washington Eagles (4-9)
3. Weber State Wildcats (6-7)
4. Sacramento State Hornets (6-7)
5. Portland State Vikings (6-7)
6. Idaho State Bengals (2-10)
7. Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (7-6)
8. Montana State Bobcats (7-5)

OK, so I’m a moron. But that’s why I always give myself a second chance. Here is how I see the Big Sky stacking up heading into conference play.

1. Weber State (7-6)

Preseason Analysis: I originally picked Montana to be the conference’s top team, based on their solid recruiting class — highlighted by junior college transfer Kamarr Davis — and the fact that coach Pat Kennedy has had two years to get the program together. But after the Grizzlies went 3-9 in the preseason I had to go with the conference’s bread-and-butter — Weber State — as my Number 1 team.

The Wildcats haven’t played stellar basketball by any means this preseason. But who has? They are still searching for a consistent backcourt scorer to replace Jermaine Boyette. John Hamilton (11.8 points) would seem to be the most likely candidate, but he most recently went scoreless in a home loss to Utah. Head coach Joe Cravens is also still looking for one of his point guards — sophomore Jamaal Jenkins or junior college transfer Ryan Davis — to grab hold of the starting spot.

The Wildcats have the conference’s best frontcourt. Forwards Slobodan Ocokoljic (15.9 points, 6.6 rebounds) and Nic Sparrow (11.2) and transfer center Lance Allred (12.4 points, 4.6 rebounds) should dominate in the Big Sky.

Weber State’s biggest win so far came on the road at Southern Utah, 82-68. Their worst came at home to intra-state rival Utah State. The Wildcats are 5-2 at home, 2-4 on the road. The Wildcats are 3-3 in their last six games and open up conference play at Idaho State on Saturday.

Last Week: Ocokoljic recorded a season-high 27 points on 12-of-12 shooting from the free-throw line as Weber State lost 70-60 to Utah at home. Utes senior forward Nate Jacobson countered the Wildcat forward’s effort with 28 points of his own, connecting on 5-of-7 3-pointers. The Wildcats got sixteen points from Allred in a 83-51 win over Savannah State on December 30, one day after losing on the road at Troy State, 79-59.

2. Portland State (6-7)

Preseason Analysis: It’s been a trio of junior college transfer guards who have Portland State playing some of the best basketball in the Big Sky. Blake Walker (18.4 points to lead the conference, 6.4 rebounds) is easily the conference’s preseason MVP, as he scored 41 in a recent win over Tennessee State. Fellow junior college transfers Sheu Oduniyi (10.2 points) and Will Funn (nine points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.1 steals) are also playing well in the backcourt.

Coming off an injury plagued season, forward Seamus Boxley is leading the conference in rebounding with 8.8, while scoring 13.2 points. Preseason all-conference selection, forward Seth Scott, has struggled on the court and has missed time due to injury and suspension. However, he has played over 20 minutes in each of the past three games, and is averaging nine points and 6.7 rebounds in that span. Also coming off an injury-plagued season, center Marshal Hartman provides a solid rebounding presence inside.

Texas-El Paso transfer forward Antone Jarrell showed solid shooting against intra-city rival Portland, scoring 20 points on 5-of-8 shooting from 3-point range, but has scored in double figures on only one other occasion.

The Vikings’ biggest win came at home to Portland, 74-55. However they also lost on the road against Portland, 60-53. Portland State has lost games at Washington, at Oregon and at Boise State by under ten points. After starting off 1-4, the Vikings are 5-3 in their last eight games. Portland State leads the conference in scoring defense, allowing only 63.8 points.

Portland State opens up conference play with a homestand against Montana State on Thursday and Montana on Saturday.

Last Week: In a road trip to the state of Tennessee, the Vikings came away with a split. They beat Tennessee State, 74-71, on December 30, receiving 41 points and seven rebounds from Walker. The Vikings lost at Tennessee-Martin on January 2, as the Skyhawks held Walker to fifteen points.

3. Montana State (8-5)

Preseason Analysis: The Bobcats are the surprise team of the preseason. And not because they somehow got Florida to schedule a game with them — you better believe they got a grip load of money out of that deal! Yes, I picked Montana State to finish last in the conference.

In my original conference preview, I said the Bobcats would win no more than two conference games. Not only did that turn out to be a very bold statement, but probably a very stupid one as well. I also said that Jason Erickson was a ridiculous choice for conference player of the year two seasons ago. I’ll stick to that statement, but will admit he has played extremely well this preseason. Erickson is second in the conference with 16.8 points, while leading the conference with 3.1 steals.

Point guard Frank Brown has teamed up with Erickson as one of the conference’s best backcourt duos. Brown averages 8.2 points and 4.6 assists. The Bobcats lead the conference in 3-point shooting percentage at 40.8 percent. They are also second in scoring offense, averaging 71.1 points per game.

The Bobcat frontcourt has been led by transfer center Matt Towsley (11.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.2 blocks), Calvin Ento (8.5 points, 5.6 rebounds) and Nick Dissly (10.6 points, 3.2 rebounds).

Montana State has won their last five games heading into Big Sky play, including their most recent win over Colorado State. Two of the team’s five losses have come by two points, while another came at Florida. The Bobcats have played nine home games and only four on the road. Montana State will open up their Big Sky schedule on the road against Portland State on Thursday and Eastern Washington on Saturday.

Last Week: The Bobcats defeated Colorado State on January 5, marking their fifth-straight win. Erickson led the way with 30 points on 11-of-14 shooting, while Dissly contributed seventeen points and nine rebounds. On December 29 the Bobcats defeated Morgan State, 81-57, on December 30 they defeated Western Carolina, 84-69, and on January 2 they defeated Rocky Mountains, 83-70. Erickson scored at least seventeen in each game.

4. Eastern Washington 4-9)

Preseason Analysis: After picking the Eagles to finish second in the conference, I was a little disappointed to see them start the season at 4-9. The season didn’t start off too bad, as they almost knocked off Oklahoma on the road. Then the Eagles went 2-8 in the month of December.

To their credit, Eastern Washington has had a brutal schedule, with losses at Oklahoma, at Washington, at Iowa, at Illinois-Chicago, at San Diego State and at Gonzaga. Eastern Washington has played four home games and nine on the road. Their only road win came at Santa Clara on January 3. They also beat Santa Clara at home on December 15.

The Eagles are led by senior guard Alvin Snow (14.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.2 steals), who most recently scored 28 points at Santa Clara. Washington transfer Josh Barnard shoots a blistering 54 percent from 3-point range, while senior guard Brandon Merritt averages a team-high 2.9 assists.

Junior forward Marc Axton has provided most of the frontcourt scoring, averaging 11.6 points. Freshman Matt Nelson has also been given plenty of playing time in a depleted frontcourt. The two Eagles who were expected to receive the bulk of playing time at the center position, Gregg Smith and Jeremy McCulloch, combine to average only seventeen minutes and 3.3 rebounds.

The Eagles are 2-6 in their last eight games, but have played only one home game since December 2. The team’s two biggest wins came against Santa Clara. Their worst loss was at Oklahoma, when they led the still-undefeated Sooners by thirteen points in the first half.

The Eagles are seventh in the eight-team conference in scoring, averaging only 64.4 points per game. They will open up conference play at home against Montana on Thursday and Montana State on Saturday.

Last Week: The Eagles defeated Santa Clara for the second time this season, this time on the road, on January 3, 65-54. Snow scored a season-high 28 points, while Axton scored fifteen and Nelson grabbed eleven rebounds. On December 31the Eagles lost at Gonzaga, 70-49. The Eagles shot 29 percent from the field.

5. Sacramento State (6-7)

Preseason Analysis: The Sacramento State Hornets may be the most athletic and talented team in the conference. Unfortunately, just about all of that talent is at the guard and swingman positions. Four of the Hornets’ top five scorers play either guard or small forward.

Shooting guard Joseth Dawson (12.2 points) and swingman Joel Jones (11.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists), who both red shirted last season, have led the offensive attack. Point guard DaShawn Freeman is second in the conference with 4.8 assists and fourth with 1.9 steals. Brandon Guyton is the Hornets sharp-shooter from outside, connecting on 38.7 percent of his 3-point attempts, while small forward Jameel Pugh has also been productive (8.2 points, 4.8 rebounds). Unfortunately, six players — including back up point guard E.J. Harris — at three positions doesn’t work, and all six have seen their playing time limited due to the backcourt depth.

While too much depth may be a problem for the Sac State backcourt, a lack of it has plagued the frontcourt. Starting center Tony Champion, who had a breakout year last season, hasn’t scored in double figures since early December. Power forward Chris Lange has struggled from the field, while his backup, senior Cedric Thompkins, who was one of the conference’s leading rebounders as a sophomore, is averaging only 4.4 boards this season.

The lone bright spot in the Hornet frontcourt may be freshman Alex Bausley, who is averaging 3.1 rebounds and connecting on 46 percent of his 3-point shots. The Hornets are second to last in rebounding margin, and are constantly overpowered upfront.

The Hornets have been a streaky team, winning three straight early on, then losing the next four. They have currently won three of the past five. Sac State’s biggest win came at Cal State Fullerton. They also lost at Oregon State by three points. The Hornets are 5-1 at home, where they will open up Big Sky play against Northern Arizona on Saturday.

Last Week: Sac State had a two-game winning streak snapped at San Francisco, 60-47. The team’s leading scorers on the season, Joseth Dawson and Joel Jones, combined to score just seven points while the team shot 32 percent. The Hornets beat Riverside at home, 66-55, on December 29.

6. Montana (3-9)

Preseason Analysis: The Grizzlies, who I originally picked to win the conference, have lost eight-straight games after opening up with a 3-1 record. All three of Montana’s wins have come at home.

Sophomore guard Kevin Criswell, who averaged 15.1 points last season, is averaging only 11.4 so far this season. The Grizzlies leading scorer is forward Kamarr Davis (12.9 points, five rebounds), a junior college transfer. Montana has seven players averaging between four and nine points.

Derrick Mansell has received the majority of minutes at the point, while junior college transfer Roy Booker has provided solid production off the bench. Mansell is the better assist man, averaging 3.5. Brent Cummings and Steve Horne have split time at the swing position.

The Grizzlies rank sixth in the conference in both scoring offense and scoring defense. They also average the most turnovers in the conference, coughing the ball up 18.8 times per game. The Grizzlies will open up conference play on the road at Eastern Washington on Thursday and Portland State on Saturday.

Last Week: Montana was spanked at Gonzaga, 88-67, on January 4. Davis led the scoring with thirteen points. The Grizzlies were outrebounded 40-19, with no player grabbing more than three. On December 30 Montana lost at UNLV, 86-67, and were led by Davis’ eighteen points. The Rebels shot 56.9 percent from the field, 42.9 percent from 3-point land and 88 percent from the free-throw line.

7. Northern Arizona (7-6)

Preseason Analysis: The Lumberjacks had a surprisingly good preseason last year and didn’t even make the conference tournament. So don’t get too excited Northern Arizona fans. This preseason’s big upset win came at UNLV, where the Lumberjacks won 74-73.

The Lumberjacks have been led by the 3-point shooting on their top three scorers — Aaron Bond (15.9 points, 39.5 percent from 3-point), Kelly Golob (13.4 points, 46.2 percent from 3-point) and Kodiak Yazzie 9.2 points, 38 percent from 3-point). Bond has scored over 20 points in each of his last three games. Golob has had games where he has made 4-of-7, 10-of-13, 6-of-7, 4-of-5 and 7-of-8 3-pointers.

Point guard Kyle Feuerback has led the Northern Arizona attack with 4.5 assists. With none of their top eight scorers over 6-foot-8, the Lumberjacks are a team who looks to run and find the open man on the perimeter. Senior forward Adrian Hayes is the Lumberjacks’ leading rebounded, averaging 5.1 boards.

Northern Arizona leads the conference in scoring offense, averaging 73.7 points. They are also second in 3-point percentage, connecting on 38.6 percent as a team. Northern Arizona has won four of their last five games. The Lumberjacks will open up conference play on the road at Sac State on Saturday.

Last Week: On January 3 Northern Arizona defeated Portland at home 81-73, led by Bond’s 23 points and Golob’s twenty. On December 30 they defeated Quinnipiac on the road, 79-70, as Bond led once again with 34 points.

8. Idaho State (4-10)

Preseason Analysis: It has been a preseason to forget in Pocatello, Idaho. In fact, before it even started, the Bengals lost shooting guard David Schroeder with a season -ending injury during Midnight Madness festivities. In his absence, Idaho State has beaten only two Division I teams.

The Bengals have won two-straight games, but both were against non-Division I teams. Senior point guard Marquise Poole (15.3 points, 5.4 assists), Schroeder’s replacement at shooting guard, Jeff Gardner (13.2 points) and forward Scot Henry (12.5 points, 5.9 rebounds) have kept Idaho State on life support. No other Bengal averages over six points.

And it’s all so sad, because the Bengals were a team on the rise last season, garnering a surprising No. 3 seed in the conference tournament. Idaho State ranks last in scoring offense, averaging 63.3 points, and last in scoring defense, allowing 74.8 points. The Bengals will open up Big Sky play by hosting Weber State on January 10.

Last Week: The Bengals beat Western Montana 108-85 on January 6, and crushed Rocky Mountain 105-67 on January 3. Poole scored 24 points and dished out nine assists against Rocky Mountain. The Bengals lost to Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 85-70, on December 30 and fell at BYU, 90-66, on January 29.

Player of the Week

I’m no fan of splitting awards like this. But all three of these players played extremely well this past week.

Aaron Bond: Averaged 28.5 points and seven rebounds in two games — both wins — for Northern Arizona.

Jason Erickson: Averaged 20.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists in four games — all wins — for Montana State.

Blake Walker: Averaged 28 points and 7.5 rebounds as Portland State went 1-1.

January 5th

College Quotebook – December 18th – January 5th

by Nicholas Lozito

A Knight’s Tale

– In an interview with ESPN last week, Texas Tech coach Bobby Knight went off about his relationship with former player and current Iowa coach Steve Alford.

ESPN reporter Fran Fraschilla to Alford, regarding perceived tension between the two coaches:

“How much was fact? How much was fiction?”

– Knight interrupts:

“Let me answer that. That is an absolute crock of (expletive). All you media people can go (expletive) yourself when it comes to something like that.”

A few weeks ago Knight scolded Southern Methodist fans for their use of foul language.

“This was just garbage, filthy garbage. If that’s what SMU produces, then they really ought to be proud of it.”

– Knight recently apologized for his use of language in the ESPN interview.

Pleasing Coach

“Coach was happy to come back home like anybody would be, so we wanted to come out today and play well to keep him in a good mood.”

– Texas Tech guard Donald Ross after the Red Raiders knocked off Ohio State, 80-72. Ohio State is coach Knight’s alma mater.

Tough Gig

“We’re very good at being very bad. That’s called a positive spin.”

– First-year Washington State head coach Dick Bennett on his inherited program.

“I hate it that we have to go through this, that you have to get your head handed to you every so often.”

– Bennett’s Cougars have lost three of their last four games, including a 38-point loss to No. 16 Gonzaga.

It’s A Family Affair

“He asked me if I was tired. I said, ‘Not really,’ but, man, I was tired.”

– In the second overtime of Georgia’s win over No. 2 ranked Georgia Tech, Washington Wizard forward and former Georgia star Jarvis Hayes, sitting courtside, chatted from the sidelines with his twin brother, Georgia forward Jonas Hayes. Jonas scored four of his career high 25 in the second overtime, en route to a 83-80 win.

Run Out Of The Gym

“We didn’t want them to be able to run one, single play. We wanted to make it chaotic, a complete disruption.”

– Florida coach Billy Donovan on his team’s game plan heading into the Florida State game. The No. 14 Gators beat the No. 24 Seminoles 87-73.

“You could see a good team just quit. With fifteen minutes left, Pickett and some of those guys turned to me and said, `How are you guys still running up and down the court?”

– Florida center David Lee comments on Florida State forward Tim Pickett and his teammates’ second half demeanor.

Sore Losers

“I’ve been learning all sorts of new words from that student section down there for years, and I thought, ‘You probably should learn to keep your mouth closed when you’re down 30-something,”

– Arizona coach Lute Olson comments on the Arizona State student section’s conduct during the Wildcats’ 93-74 win over the Sun Devils. The win was Olson’s 700th.

Boo Who?

“I feel like we should boo ourselves.”

– Missouri coach Quin Snyder after his No. 23 Tigers lost to at home to Belmont, 71-67.

Cardinal Craving

“When Francisco was out, I was wondering how this team would respond. They responded like hungry tigers that hadn’t eaten for two weeks.”

– Louisville coach Rick Pitino on how his No. 12 Cardinals responded against Toledo without leading scorer Francisco Garcia. Louisville won the game 92-56.

Humbling The Big Man

“I tell him not to buy into all the hype and not to accept all the praise, because that way you don’t have to accept the criticism after a bad game. And every player in America is going to have a bad game once in a while.”

– Arizona State coach Rob Evans on mentoring sophomore forward Ike Diogu.

Come across an interesting quote? You can forward it to College Quotebook by visiting our contact page. Please include the URL of the page the quote appeared on, and the quote itself. Thanks!

Big Sky Notebook

Big Sky Notebook

by Nicholas Lozito

A Kodiak Moment

Senior forward Aaron Bond scored a short-range bucket with 1.6 seconds remaining to give Northern Arizona a 74-73 road win over UNLV on Thursday. Sixth man Kodiak Yazzie fed the game-winning pass to Bond, giving the Lumberjacks their first road win of the season. Bond finished with fifteen points, while fellow starting forward Stephen Garnett led the team with 21 points.

On Saturday, the Lumberjacks defeated San Diego at home, 91-81, behind the shooting of guard Kelly Golob, who made 10-of-13 3-pointers en route to 30 points. Golob had made 33-of-70 (47 percent) shots from beyond the arc this season, including games where he had made 7-of-8, 4-of-5 and 6-of-7. The 6-foot-5 sophomore leads the team with 12.9 points per game.

The Lumberjacks have won three of their last four games. Their only loss in that span came to UC Riverside last Tuesday, when Northern Arizona turned the ball over 20 times in a 72-69 loss.

Top Dogs?

Last year’s Big Sky Championship Game participants, Eastern Washington (3-7) and Weber State (5-4), have both struggled to find wins this preseason. The Eagles have lost four of their last five games, with the only win coming at home last Monday against Santa Clara. Eastern Washington is 3-1 at home and 0-6 on the road.

One of the few bright spots for the Eagles has been the shooting of Washington transfer Josh Barnard, who is connecting on 56 percent from 3-point range. Eastern Washington’s only inside scoring threat is Marc Axton, who averages 11.1 points.

The Wildcats, who are 3-4 against Division I teams, have played five of their last six games on the road. After a 58-51 win last Tuesday over Portland at home, the Wildcats were crushed in Provo, Utah by BYU, 86-65. All-conference forward Slobodan Ocokoljic missed the game with the flu.

Weber State has struggled to get adequate production from their two point guards, junior college transfer Ryan Davis and Jamaal Jenkins, who combine to average 7.5 points and 5.5 assists.

Jenkins’ Dilemma

The Sacramento State Hornets snapped a four-game losing streak on Saturday with a home victory over UC Irvine. But head coach Jerome Jenkins still has a problem on his hands: How to distribute playing time among six players and three spots.

Against Irvine, it was forward Jameel Pugh who played a mere 12 minutes and watched as starting forward Joel Jones helped lead the Hornets to victory. With all of the talent at the point, shooting guard and small forward positions, it may be something Pugh will have to get used to. While his dunking has impressed all, the rest of his offensive game has struggled since an 18-point performance in the Hornets’ opener.

Meanwhile, the sharp shooting of Brandon Guyton and Joseth Dawson’s ability to draw fould in the paint has cut into the playing time of point guard DaShawn Freeman. In a road game against New Mexico two weeks ago, walk on James Payne received more playing time than both Freeman and second string point guard E.J. Harris.

Expect to see Jenkins continue to shuffle his lineup until the Big Sky starts. He has about two weeks to find the right formula.

Player of the Week

Blake Walker: Averaged 23.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and three assists in two games this past week for Portland State.

Gazing the Sky

Eastern Washington Eagles (3-7)

The Eagles are in the middle of an eight-game stretch where they play seven on the road. They won the only home game in the stretch against Santa Clara, but have lost the first four road games — most recently to San Diego State, 79-66.

Senior guard Alvin Snow led the Eagles in the loss to the Aztecs with seventeen points. While Snow has increased his scoring average from last season, his steals per game have dropped from 2.2 to 1.1. In the win over Santa Clara, freshman forward Matt Nelson contributed fourteen points and eight rebounds.

The Eagles also lost at Cal State Fullerton, 77-70, earlier in the week. Fullerton is 2-2 this season against Big Sky teams.

Eastern Washington will next travel to Idaho on December 28. They will then travel to No. 11-ranked Gonzaga on December 31.

Idaho State Bengals (2-8)

Not good times in Pocatello. Idaho State has now lost five-straight games, including the last two on a road trip down south. The Bengals lost at New Orleans on Friday, 86-72, and at Texas Southern on Saturday, 73-63.

At New Orleans, Bengal forward Scott Henry led the team with nineteen points and five rebounds. Shooting guard Jeff Gardner had eighteen points and five assists while point guard Marquis Poole had twelve points and six assists. Johnell Smith led New Orleans with 27 points.

At Texas Southern, Gardner led all Bengals with sixteen points on 4-of-9 shooting from 3-point range. Henry had a double-double with fourteen points and twelve rebounds.

Idaho State will next travel to BYU on December 29.

Montana Grizzlies (3-7)

After dropping three games this past week, the Grizzlies have now lost three straight games. Montana began the week with home losses to Washington State, 64-50, then to Jackson State, 71-64. They then lost on the road to Southern Illinois on Sunday, 82-71.

Steve Horne scored 25 points and grabbed six rebounds against Southern Illinois. After scoring in double digits in each of the first four games, forward Kamarr Davis has reached double digits just twice in the last six. He has also been in and out of head coach Pat Kennedy’s starting lineup.

The Grizzlies will next face Cal State Northridge at home on December 27.

Montana State Bobcats (3-5)

After dropping two games this week, the Bobcats have now lost for straight (noticing a trend?). The Bobcats lost at Wyoming last Saturday, 63-55, and at home to Denver, 81-79, this Saturday.

With seven seconds left against Denver and down by two, Frank Brown missed a 3-pointer for the Bobcats. Brown finished with eight points and five assists, while Jason Erickson led the Bobcats with nineteen points. Nick Dissly scored seventeen off the bench. The Bobcats wothe first game of a two-game series against Denver on December 3, 55-53.

Montana State will next host University of Mary on December 22 and Morgan State on December 29.

Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (5-5)

Finally, a Big Sky team on the rise. Sadly enough, over a month into the season, Northern Arizona captured the conference’s biggest upset with a road win over UNLV. The Lumberjacks won despite the Rebels shooting 50 percent from the field.

The Lumberjacks won at home against San Diego on Saturday. As a team, Northern Arizona shot 17-of-34 from 3-point range.

They will next travel to Poughkeepsie, New York to play Marist College on December 28.

Portland State Vikings (4-5)

Big Sky coaches, say hello to Blake Walker. A junior college transfer, Walker dominated the competition this past week from the guard position. In the Vikings 74-55 thumping of cross-town rival Portland, Walker scored 20 points and grabbed six rebounds. UTEP transfer Antone Jarrell also scored 20, hitting 5-of-8 3-pointers. After sitting out three games due to team suspension, forward Seth Scott, a preseason all-conference pick, played three minutes.

Walker scored 27 points in a near road upset against Boise State (7-1). The Vikings took Boise State to overtime, but two BSU free throws with 3.5 remaining in OT gave sealed the 75-74 win.

Portland State will kick off a four-game road trip at Cal State Northridge on December 22. They will then travel to Maryland Eastern Shore on December 27 and Tennessee State on December 30.

Sacramento State Hornets (4-5)

The Hornets snapped a four game losing streak on Saturday with a home win over UC Irvine. Hitting 4-of-8 3-pointers, Brandon Guyton led the Hornets with 12 points. Joseth Dawson hit 8-of-8 en route to 10 points. Freshman forward Alex Bausley, who has seen his playing time increase of late, hit two critical 3-pointers in the second half.

The Hornets will travel to Oregon State on December 22, host Long Beach State on December 27 and UC Riverside on December 29.

Weber State Wildcats (5-4)

The Wildcats went 1-1 this week with a home win over Portland, 58-51, and a road loss at BYU, 86-65. Forward Slobodan Ocokoljic scored twelve points and grabbed seven rebounds against Portland before sitting out the BYU game with the flu. BYU shot 58 percent from the field.

The Wildcats will host Winthrop on December 22 and travel to Troy State on December 29.

College Quotebook December 11th-17th

College Quotebook – December 11th – December 17th

by Nicholas Lozito

Coach Grieves Loss Of Player

“One of my greatest fears as a coach was realized today. These players are like family to me and to each other. It’s hard to even comprehend how something like this could happen.”

– Columbus State (Georgia) head coach Herbert Greene after one of his players, Jed Bedford, died during practice. The Muscogee County coroner’s office told Columbus State, a Division II school, that cardiac arrest was the cause of death. Bedford was averaging 21.4 points on the season and led all of Division II with 135 3-pointers last season.

All-American Denials

“All I can say is that we have not ever received any impermissible benefits, including cash, from any of our coaches.”

– Missouri players Arthur Johnson and Rickey Paulding, both Hoopville second-team preseason all-Americans, deny claims made by former teammate Ricky Clemons that they received money from an assistant coach. Both players gave the same statement to the press.

“I would never tell any client to lie, including Ricky Clemons, and did not tell him or suggest to him to lie about anything.”

– Ricky Clemons claimed that he was told to deny receiving money by an assistant coach and his attorney, Wally Bley, if asked by prosecutors. Bley, quoted above, denied Clemons’ statement.

More Mizzou Mess

“We do that with photos quite frequently if there is something in the photo we don’t like.”

– Missouri’s Director of Athletic Media Relations Chad Moller explains why Ricky Clemons was cut out of a media guide photo. In the manipulated picture, Clemons’ shadow is slightly visible on the court, but his body has been replaced with courtside spectators.

A Coach For The Ages

“… he molded us from boys to men.”

– David Thompson on the death of his former North Carolina State head coach Norm Sloan, who died on Tuesday at the age of 77 of pulmonary fibrosis.

“You think Stormin’ Norman was tough. You ought to meet his wife. She was his inspiration. Together, they were unstoppable.”

– Sloan’s granddaughter Blake Nichols

Coach Retracts Remarks

“Eric Harmon … should be ashamed. Actually, he should be fired for putting people on the floor who performed the way they did today.”

– Bowling Green head coach Dan Dakich called for the firing of Eric Harmon, the Mid-American Conference’s director of officiating, after a loss to Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne. Dakich apologized two days later.

“Commenting on officials is not something a coach should ever do…. Eric, who has been a friend of mine and whom I still consider to be a close friend, had nothing to do with that situation.”

Knight Furious After Win

“I might be too old to coach, because I … these are things that I just … I have a tough time handling.”

– Head coach Bobby Knight after his Texas Tech squad had a 15-point lead trimmed to four in the second half against TCU.

Self Alive, Despite Funeral

“I wore black to tell the guys that it’s over, it’s a funeral of Bill Self in that he’s no longer the coach here.”

– Current Illinois head coach Bruce Weber, frustrated with constant talk about his predecessor Bill Self, wore all black into the Fighting Illini locker room on Thursday and announced Self’s funeral.

“My wife handed me the paper and said you’re not going to believe this. Once I did, the first thing I did was check my pulse and realized that I was still alive and said this is one funeral I’ll delay as long as I possibly can. But I wasn’t offended.”

– Self, now head coach at Kansas, responds to reading the story in a Kansas newspaper

Lying Room Only

“We just got tired of standing up. It’s pretty cool to be here for the record. That’s the reason we came.”

– Mike Morgan watched part of Saturday’s game between Kentucky and Michigan State while lying on his back. With a record-setting 78,129 fans in attendance at Detroit’s Ford Field, many fans had a tough time seeing the elevated court, so they watched on the video boards.

Come across an interesting quote? You can forward it to College Quotebook by visiting our contact page. Please include the URL of the page the quote appeared on, and the quote itself. Thanks!

Big Sky Notebook

Big Sky Notebook

by Nicholas Lozito

Put A Positive Spin On This One

For the Big Sky Conference, preseason basketball has not been fun. In fact, it has flat out sucked. I know, as a “professional journalist,” I should probably open up a thesaurus or dictionary and come up with a better word to explain how the conference performed this week. But there isn’t — they completely sucked.

Over the past week, Big Sky teams have gone 0-9 against other mid-major teams on the West Coast. Overall, only one team is over .500, and that is the returning champion Weber State Wildcats with a 4-2 record. Every other team is either at .500 or worse, including Eastern Washington who has been conference runner-ups each of the past three seasons. My preseason pick for conference champions — Montana — is 3-4, with losses to three mid-major teams already.

And as a fan and supporter of the Big Sky, I am not having a jolly old time ripping on this conference. It hurts real bad. But I have to do it — it’s my job.

A Rare Double Dip

Personally, I wasn’t even sure if it was allowed. But apparently it is. Northern Arizona and Cal State Fullerton have squared off two times this preseason, with each team winning at their respective homes.

In their most recent battle, a 82-67 Fullerton win on December 6, Titan guard Bobby Brown — “Candy Girl/You are my world/Look so sweet/You’re a special treat” — scored a team-high 16 points. Ok, I admit it, I wrote these last two paragraphs just to slide in some New Edition lyrics. Sue me.

Poole Party

After missing the first three games due to an NCAA violation, Idaho State point guard Marquise Poole has averaged a conference-leading 18.8 points since his return. The senior also averages four rebounds, four assists and 2.8 steals for the 2-5 Bengals. Poole’s biggest game was a 25 point, five rebound, five assist and six steal effort in a loss to Boise State. The 25 points and six assists were career highs.

Alone At The Top

The rest of the Big Sky should thank Weber State for retaining the little dignity the conference has left. Never mind the fact that they have wins over Albertson, Warner Pacific and Texas State, the Wildcats have what no other team has: A winning record.

The Wildcats will get some real tests in the upcoming weeks when the travel to Nevada on December 13 and BYU on December 20.

Player of the Week

Marquise Poole: Averaged 19.6 points, 4.3 assists and three steals in three games last week.

Gazing the Sky

Eastern Washington Eagles (2-5)

It’s obvious that Eastern Washington is still looking for someone to fill the shoes of Chris Hester. The Eagles are loaded at the guard position, but they still miss Hester’s ability to slash through the lane at will.

Eastern Washington’s only wins have come at home to Northwest College and Denver — not exactly Division I powerhouses. The Eagles went 0-2 this past week on their road trip to the Midwest, where they faced off with Iowa and Illinois-Chicago.

Snow scored a season-high 21 points in the 67-52 loss at Illinois-Chicago, and has scored in double figures every game this season. However, after averaging 2.2 steals last season, Snow has recorded more than one steal only one time this season.

Washington transfer Josh Barnard has been lights out from 3-point range for the Eagles, stroking a sweet 51.6 percent from outside, en route to averaging 11.3 points. On the flip side, shooting guard Brandon Merritt has shot a meager 22 percent from 3-point range this season.

The Eagles have no cupcakes in their schedule before they hit conference play in mid-January. They will next travel to Cal State Fullerton on Saturday, then host Santa Clara on Monday.

Idaho State Bengals (2-5)

The Bengals have lost four of their last five games, with the lone win coming at home to Arkansas-Little Rock. Head coach Doug Oliver is relying heavily on the scoring of point guard Marquise Poole and forward Scott Henry, but someone else is going to have to step up before conference play begins.

Shooting guard Jeff Gardner has shown the ability to hit the outside shot in replace of the injured David Schroeder. Gardner hit 9-of-15 shots from 3-point range against Texas-San Antonio and Binghamton, but has only hit 4-of-27 from long range in all other games.

The Bengals most recent losses have come at Iowa State, 73-47, and at home to Boise State, 87-78. The Bengals are last in the conference in field goal percentage, shooting just over 39 percent.

Idaho State will next face Utah State at home on Saturday, then face New Orleans at home next Friday.

Montana Grizzlies (3-4)

After winning three-straight games in late November, the Grizzlies have lost three straight in December. The most recent losses have come at home to San Francisco, 72-71, and on the road against Auburn, 73-51.

The Grizzlies trailed by five on the last possession of the game against USF, but point guard Roy Booker was fouled on a 3-point shot. Booker made the first two free throws, then intentionally missed the third. The rebound was tapped out to Derrick Mansell who, instead of attempting a 3-point shot to tie the game, made a long 2-point jumper to pull the Grizzlies within one as the final buzzer sounded.

Shooting guard Kevin Criswell led Montana with 16 points, while Booker had 13. Kamarr Davis had eleven points and eight rebounds. Criswell led Montana in scoring once again at Auburn with thirteen.

Davis, a junior college transfer, currently leads the Grizzlies in scoring with thirteen points, with Criswell right behind him with 12.6. Center John Seyfert leads the team with 7.7 rebounds.

Montana will next host Washington State on Saturday and Jackson State on Tuesday.

Montana State Bobcats (3-3)

The Bobcats have been a surprise with their 3-3 record. Especially to me, who predicted them to be an embarrassment to the sport. Jason Erickson has led the Bobcat charge averaging 16.5 points and four assists.

Montana State is coming off losses at Denver, 55-53, and at home to Santa Clara, 74-56. Erickson and point guard Frank Brown combined to score 32 of the team’s 53 point against Denver. Erickson has averaged 38.7 minutes this season. The Bobcats are by far the conference’s top 3-point shooting team, hitting an astounding 47 percent from outside. Center Matt Towsley is second on the team in scoring with 11.5 points, while also averaging 5.2 rebounds.

The Bobcats will next travel to Wyoming on Saturday.

Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (2-4)

Northern Arizona has lost three-straight road games entering a stretch where they play four games in the next week. The most recent losses have been to Oral Roberts, 83-70, and Cal State Fullerton, 82-67.

Forward Kelly Golob continues to prove himself as the top 3-point shooter in the conference, connecting on 52.5 percent from outside. Golob connected on 10-of-12 shots from 3-point range against Fullerton and Oral Roberts. He also made 7-of-8 long range shots in a game against San Jose Christian.

True freshman Ruben Boykin Jr. has averaged 6.7 points and 5.8 rebounds, but has seen his minutes drop in the past three games.

The Lumberjacks will next host Western New Mexico on Saturday, travel to UC Riverside on Monday and UNLV on Thursday, then return home to host San Diego next Saturday.

Portland State Vikings (2-4)

Senior forward Seth Scott (7.7 points) has been placed under team suspension and will not play against Jackson State. He didn’t play in Portland State’s most recent game as well, a 71-43 win over Pacific Oregon

Both of the Vikings wins have come against non-Division I schools in their own state — Southern Oregon and Pacific Oregon. Despite the poor record, Portland State is the conference’s top defensive team, allowing only 63.2 points.

A group of junior college transfers have led the offensive attack. Junior college transfer guards Blake Walker (15.2 points, 5.2 rebounds), Sheu Oduniyi (11.2 points) and Will Funn (8.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists) are leading a team which is still trying to figure each other out.

The Vikings will next host Jackson State on Saturday, travel to Boise State on Tuesday and then return home to face Portland on Friday.

Sacramento State Hornets (3-4)

After getting off to a 3-1 start — albeit with two wins over NAIA teams — the Hornets have lost three straight. The most recent loss was at home to Saint Mary’s College, 88-74.

The team has a plethora of players who can score from the shooting guard/small forward position, but nobody has stepped up to be the go-to guy. The top four scorers — Joseth Dawson, Joel Jones, Brandon Guyton and Jameel Pugh — all play the swing position, and none of them averages over 30 minutes.

Head coach Jerome Jenkins must keep his hottest player on the court, and make sure the other three players recognize who that hot player is and get him the ball.

The Hornets will next travel to San Jose State on Saturday.

Weber State Wildcats (4-2)

After winning three-straight games, the Wildcats lost to Southern Methodist, 79-74, last Saturday. Forward Nic Sparrow led Weber State in scoring with 18 points, while all-conference forward Slobodan Ocokoljic, who played only 21 minutes with foul trouble, had an off-night with twelve points and only three rebounds.

The Wildcats will travel to Nevada on Saturday, then host Portland on Tuesday.

College Quotebook 3

College Quotebook – December 3rd – December 10th

by Nicholas Lozito

Jailhouse Confessions

“When I first got here, they did, they did everybody. I mean, they do A.J. and Rickey. If they need money, they’d go to Harvey. He, he’d get it for ‘em… But it was him first, and I stopped messing with him. I stopped talking to him and (expletive) and then went to Lane.”

– In recorded telephone conversations made from Boone County Jail and reported by The Columbia Daily Tribune, former Missouri guard Ricky Clemons claims that Tigers assistant coach Tony Harvey gave money to current players Arthur Johnson (A.J.) and Rickey Paulding. Clemons, who was then serving time for sexual assault, also said he received money from assistant coach Lane Odom.

“As I have said all along, I respect the process of the investigation and until the university and the NCAA reach the conclusion of this process, I will not comment on individual allegations or stories.”

– Missouri head coach Quin Snyder

“Just know it’s bigger than Tony Cole. He got a couple hundred dollars… That’s nothing. That’s a rain check.”

– Clemons, in a conversation from jail with Amy Stewart, a Missouri law student and wife of Missouri associate athletic director Ed Stewart, where he claims to have received more money than former Georgia player Tony Cole, who said he received hundreds of dollars from coaches and boosters, which eventually led to the downfall of Jim Harrick at Georgia.

The President and His Wife

“It has been a nightmare for me personally ever since the athletic department asked me to spend some time with him, and continues to be so. Carmento’s actions were well intentioned but ill-advised under the circumstances. Her contacts with him were against my advice and without my encouragement and support.”

– Missouri president Elson Floyd, who, along with his wife Carmento, have acted as mentors to Clemons. Clemons had telephone conversations from prison with Floyd’s wife, Carmento, who was advised by her husband not to speak with Clemons. Floyd has found himself under heavy scrutiny since the junior college transfer pled guilty to an assault charge in April. Clemons was accused of attacking Jessica Bulge, who described herself as his former girlfriend.

“And I ain’t talkin’ about no Delta Delta Delta, either,” said Carmento, referring to a nearly all-white sorority, “I’m talking about Delta Sigma Theta,” (a historically black sorority).

– Carmento Floyd, wife of Missouri president Elson Floyd, in a taped conversation with Rickey Clemons while he was in prison, discussing the type of woman Clemons will try and find after he is released from jail. Clemons’ former girlfriend, Jessica Bunge, is Caucasian.

Knight Fires Back

“This was just garbage, filthy garbage. If that’s what SMU produces, then they really ought to be proud of it.”

– Texas Tech coach Bobby Knight, 63, in a radio interview after Southern Methodist fans heckled him on December 1.

“I went over and told the policeman and said, ‘The next person that comes by there and calls us any one of three really rotten names, and I gave him the names, I’m going over to the stands and I’ll put him right in your lap.”

“I thought today about writing a letter to the president of SMU, but I’m sure that wouldn’t do any good. That must happen at every game, and he must condone that kind of thing.”

– Knight continued.

“That’s just life on the road.”

– SMU athletic director Jim Copeland in response to Knight’s comments

If Only Coaches Could Play

“Looking at Providence, they have some quality seniors. I think they have guys that are older than my assistants! I’m going to see if I can get Tyrone Weeks into the game against some of these guys.”

– Rhode Island coach Jim Baron jokes about entering assistant coach Tyrone Weeks into an upcoming game with Providence. Rhode Island went on to win the game 89-79.

Mic Check, Mic Check, 1-2-3

“Whose is this? It ran out, and I’m sure I’m going to say something profound, so I don’t want you to lose this opportunity.”

– Pennsylvania head coach Fran Dunphy, coming off a loss to Saint Joseph’s, realizes a tape recorder ran out during the post-game press conference.

“Are you a Penn Student? I thought you guys had like 1600 (SAT scores)… I was never agitated. I think those three guys were just absolutely wonderful.”

– St. Joe’s coach Phil Martelli refutes a reporter’s comment that he was agitated by officials during the Hawk’s win over Penn.

Come across an interesting quote? You can forward it to College Quotebook by visiting our contact page. Please include the URL of the page the quote appeared on, and the quote itself. Thanks!

College Quotebook

College Quotebook – November 25th – December 2nd

by Nicholas Lozito

“Can I Get A Sub…Anybody?”

“I’m playing with a 5-10 shooting guard and my backup point guard is a midget. Halfway through the game, I went to press row and started asking guys if they had eligibility left.”

- Florida A&M University head coach Mike Gillespie after his undersized Rattlers lost to Florida, 102-78. Gillespie, who has no player over 6-foot-9, was missing starting forward O.J. Sumpter with a knee injury.

“O.J. would not have made a difference. He can rebound, but he’s not Moses Malone,” Gillespie said.

- On the other bench, Florida head coach Billy Donovan was getting on his guards during Terrence Woods’ 31-point explosion for the Rattlers.

“The second half, coach got on me. He talked to the whole team, but he basically came up to me and said my name and pointed me out.”

- Florida point guard Anthony Roberson

“We’ve got good enough defenders that guys shouldn’t get 31 points against us,” Donovan said.

No. 2 Florida 78, No. 5 Arizona 77

“I’ve often said I would rather lose a game like this than beat some team by 40. We can take a lot out of this game. We have a lot to learn.”

- Arizona head coach Lute Olsen after his Wildcats (then ranked No. 3) were upset by Florida (then ranked No. 9)

“It was just paying attention to what the coach told me that if I was open go to the basket and I did. Christian (Drejer) made a great pass and I just laid it up.”

- Florida senior center Bonell Colas after making the game-winning basket against Arizona

No. 11 Saint Joseph’s 84, San Francisco 52

“We really put our foot on their throat and kept it there. We were just having fun out there.”

- St. Joe’s guard Jameer Nelson, who scored 18

“He’s the best in America. He’s just special. We’ll never see another one like him.”

- St. Joe’s head coach Phil Martelli on Hoopville’s first-team Preseason All-American Jameer Nelson

No Need To Explain Yourself

“Everybody plays games like this and I’m not going to apologize for the score.”

- Oklahoma head coach Kelvin Sampson, who played every player except his son, Kellen, who is redshirting the season.

“It’s hard to back off when every kid is a really good player,” Sampson added.

- According to the Associated Press, Pine Bluff players and coaches left the locker room without commenting

No. 5 Missouri 90, Oakland (Michigan) 85

“Motown has been very good to us with Rickey (Paulding) and A.J. (Arthur Johnson), and that’s why we gave up a home game to play here. But with four minutes left, it wasn’t seeming like such a good idea.”

- Missouri coach Quin Snyder on his program’s choice to play at Oakland, located 30 miles north of downtown Detroit

Knight Gives Praise To Yellow Jackets

“Who makes the ranking? Usually people that have no idea what basketball is all about.”

- Texas Tech coach Bobby Knight explains why Georgia Tech wasn’t ranked coming into the Preseason NIT. The Yellow Jackets beat Knight’s Red Raiders 85-65 to capture the tournament title. Georgia Tech, now ranked No. 15 by Hoopville, knocked off No. 1-ranked Connecticut in the semifinals.

“They know how fragile this can be… If we slack off, we become very average and maybe even bad.”

- Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt hopes his team keeps up their level of intensity

“We misused our talent and we didn’t have our kids as ready as we should have.”

- Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun reflects on his team’s loss to Georgia Tech

Take One For The Team

“We’re going to have to give up individual adulation to gain it for the team. Everybody is going to have to look at themselves and say, ‘I can’t do certain things I want to.’”

- Sacramento State guard Joel Jones after a 76-65 win over NAIA opponent Dominican

Big Brother Program

“Us seniors have got to show our young guys what our culture is about. They’re definitely talented. They need better leadership from the older guys.”

- Cal senior guard A.J. Diggs looks to work with the Bears talented recruiting class, which features three starters. The Bears are 1-2, with all three games having been decided by two points or less.

Come across an interesting quote? You can forward it to College Quotebook by visiting our contact page. Please include the URL of the page the quote appeared on, and the quote itself. Thanks!

Basketball Movie Awards

The Inaugural Basketball Movie Awards

by Nicholas Lozito

Some call me a pathetic man with too much time on his hands. I call myself a basketball movie junkie. Either way, it has become my mission to own every halfway decent basketball movie available on VHS or DVD.

I’m off to a solid start, with “Blue Chips,” “He Got Game” and “Hoop Dreams” lined up in alphabetical order on the bottom shelf of the entertainment center – keep in mind, I started this collection about three weeks ago. While I own only three basketball movies, I have seen quite a few through hundreds of Blockbuster visits and thousands of hours of TNT, TBS and USA viewing.

And now, as the sole member of the Academy of Basketball Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, I bring you the inaugural Basketball Movie Awards!

Tonight’s host will be Matt Nover – better known as the white guy in “Blue Chips” who never played in the NBA. Wasn’t Christian Laettner available for that role? Anybody?

Nover: How are you doing tonight? (Audience applause) I see Vivica A. Fox is on hand. I thought you were great in Juwanna Mann, Vivica. Too bad the rest of America didn’t feel that way. Half way through the movie my date asked, “Juwanna get the hell out of here?”

And Ray Allen is on hand tonight. Ray, if you were as stiff on the basketball court as you are in front of the camera they’d have to call you Greg Ostertag. I’m surprise Spike Lee didn’t just cast himself for the role like he does in every other freaking movie.

Now, to the awards:

Best Acting By An NBA Player

(Note: Due to the movie’s overall absurdity, Michael Jordan’s role as himself in “Space Jam” has been disqualified. The guy was playing against 12-foot aliens for Christ’s sake.)

The Nominees:
Shaquille O’Neill in “Blue Chips”
Rick Fox in “He Got Game”
Karl Malone in “Like Mike”

And The Winner is… Rick Fox

Fox: Everyone has always told me I’m a cocky bastard, so I thought I’d put my talents to use. I’d like to thank my wife, Vanessa, for being extremely hot, Shaquille and Kobe for providing me with an NBA career and Spike Lee for letting a 30-year-old man play a college basketball player.

Worst Acting By An NBA Player

The Nominees:
Ray Allen in “He Got Game”
Larry Bird in “Blue Chips”
Shaquille O’Neill in “Kazaam”

And the winner is… Ray Allen

Allen: I’d like to thank Spike for making my lines no longer than a sentence. Bye.

Most Unrealistic Basketball Scene

The Nominees:
Lil’ Bow Wow dunking in “Like Mike”
Woody Harrelson dunking in “White Men Can’t Jump”
Michael J. Fox not only dunking, but getting his waist to rim level in “Teen Wolf”
Wesley Snipes not getting about 20 traveling calls throughout “White Men Can’t Jump”
A freaking dog playing high school basketball in “Air Bud”

And the winner is… Wesley Snipes (not in attendance)

Nover: That guy put the ball behind his back twice on a drive to the basket without taking a dribble.

Greatest Scene In A Basketball Movie

The Nominees:
Arthur Agee taking Marshall High to the state championships in “Hoop Dreams”
Jake Shuttlesworth putting the ball in his son’s court at the end of “He Got Game”
Woody Harrelson dispelling the myth in “White Men Can’t Jump”

And the winner is… Arthur Agee

Agee: If anybody cares, I went on to play college ball at Arkansas State and professionally in the USBL and IBA.

Nover: Here are some other awards that were handed out before the show:

Best Line In A Basketball Movie

The winner:

William Gates’ final line at the end of “Hoop Dreams”

“Four years ago that’s all I used to dream about was playing in the NBA. I don’t really dream about it like that anymore. Even though I love playing basketball I want to do other things with my life, too. If I had to stop playing basketball right now I think I’d still be happy. That’s why when people say, ‘When you get to the NBA are you gonna forget about me and stuff?’ I should say, well, if I don’t get to the NBA are you gonna forget about me?”

Worst Line In A Basketball Movie

The winner:

Jesus Shuttlesworth’s (Ray Allen) dialog with his younger sister when his father (Denzel Washington) comes back home after getting out of jail

Shuttlesworth: Mary, what did I tell you about letting strangers in the house?

Mary Shuttlesworth: He’s not a stranger; he’s our father.

Jesus: I don’t have a father!

Nover: Halfway decent acting on Allen’s part could have turned this into a very powerful scene. And here are some other of the Academy’s choices for the best and worst in basketball cinema.

Greatest Basketball Movies
5. Blue Chips
4. He Got Game
3. White Men Can’t Jump
2. Finding Forrester
1. Hoop Dreams

Worst Basketball Movies

(Note: I haven’t seen “Slam Dunk Ernest,” “Eddie” or “Forget Paris“)

5. Celtic Pride
4. Air Bud
3. The Sixth Man
2. BASEketball
1. Juwanna Mann

Most Overrated Basketball Movie

Hoosiers

Most Underrated Basketball Movie

Like Mike

Nover: Thanks for joining is tonight. And whoever’s paying me for this gig, I want my money in cash, placed inside a duffel bag which will be waiting for me on my front porch. Oh, and pops wants a tractor. Thank you and good night.