The Morning Dish – Monday, January 24th
UW Huskies in NCAA Trouble?: Kevin Messick, the head trainer for all athletic programs at the
University of Washington has been put on administrative leave. Barring an appeal, he will ultimately be fired
for falsifying medical records to give an athlete an extra year of eligibility. University officials refused
to comment on which sport the athlete competed in but said that the player in question never received the
extra year. The infraction also occurred before the violations from former football coach Rick Neuheisel so
the school is not susceptible to repeat violator clauses. During the summer of 2002, men’s hoops assistant
coach Cameron Dollar got caught with recruiting violations but there doesn’t appear to be any links between
that and this new incident.
Apple Cup of Hoops: On the court, Washington took care of business by beating
cross-state rival Washington State 66-48. The 66 points represented the lowest scoring output of the season
for the team that ranks second in the nation with 89.4 points per game. The win moved the Huskies into a
first place tie in the Pac-10 with Arizona, a team they will play Thursday.
Bison Missing Leader: Bucknell coach Pat Flannery announced he will take a leave of absence for
health reasons prior to Sunday’s game with Lehigh. Without their coach, the Bison still prevailed 65-63 and
moved to 5-0 and first place in the Patriot League. No timetable was set for the return of Flannery, who had
led his team to upsets of St. Joseph’s and Pittsburgh in their current 11-game winning streak.
Wolfpack Bounce Back: Coming off a one-point loss against ACC newcomer Virginia Tech, NC State cruised
to a 85-69 win over Maryland. Julius Hodge had a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds to lead all
players in both categories. Nik Caner-Medley had 15 points for the Terrapins who had a modest two-game
winning streak snapped. Both teams stand at 2-3 in the ACC and return to action Wednesday when NC State
hosts Florida State and Maryland travels to Duke.
Fantastic Finish: Notre Dame thought they’d secured a win over Georgetown when Colin Falls hit a three pointer
with five seconds to go to give the Fighting Irish the lead. But the Hoyas raced the ball up the court and Roy
Hibbert slammed home the winner as time expired to give Georgetown a 55-54 win. Both teams are now 4-2 in the
Big East and tied for third place.
Blizzard Watch: This weekend’s winter storm only affected one game Sunday. Second place in the
Patriot League will have to wait as 3-1 Holy Cross delayed their contest with 3-1 American until Monday.
Tonight’s Menu
• The Bedlam Series moves to the hardwood as Oklahoma hosts Oklahoma State.
• Syracuse travels to Rutgers for a Big East Conference game.
• Wichita State looks to move into sole possession of first place in the Missouri Valley Conference when
they travel to third place Northern Iowa.
• A full slate of games in the Mountain West is highlighted with a battle of the two teams unbeaten in
conference play when Air Force travels to Utah.
