Everyone’s a Lobo

LeBron James 42 points wasn’t enough to defeat the New Jersey Nets yesterday night. The Nets defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 104-99, and remain in the eighth spot for the Eastern Conference.

The Nets are currently suffering from a 27-38 record, and are fourth in the Atlantic Division. Nets head coach Lawrence Frank was happy with his teams performance, and enjoyed the amount of assist from the Nets.

“It was a really good team win,” Frank said. “You look at all the guys who had assists and all the different guys who scored. Hopefully we can use this as the blueprint to how we’re going to play.”

Nets guard Vince Carter had 14 points, and lead with eight rebounds and six assist. He played 41 minutes, shot 5-19 from field goals, and was 0-2 from three point range. Carter wasn’t happy with the amount of shots taken in the paint. “It’s always frustrating when we try to get to the hole and don’t make our shots,” Carter said.

Devin Harris finished with 19 points, and received five assist. He suffered with five turnovers, but grabbed five rebounds. Harris was satisfied with their victory against the Cavaliers, and believed it was important. The Nets “rough” road trip wasn’t successful, and their confidence was falling according to Harris. “It was a must-win situation for us,” Nets guard Harris said. “We had a rough road trip. We needed this win to get our confidence back.”

Richard Jefferson lead with 24 points, and had six assist. He’s happy about Harris productiveness towards the Nets, but believes it’ll take time before improvement happens. With their victory; Jefferson feels confident about their competition in the Eastern Conference.

“We got Devin back two games before we went on that road trip. If you’re trying to establish an identity, it’s hard to do it against San Antonio back-to-back, against New Orleans, Dallas and Houston on a 20-game win streak,” Nets forward Jefferson said. “It’s difficult, but no one here was looking down or been upset. We were frustrated, but it’s going to take time. It’s good to be back in the Eastern Conference.”

Forward Josh Boone had 13 points, with seven rebounds; Bostjan Nachbar had 21 points coming from the bench. The Utah Jazz are next for the Nets, and success hasn’t come towards their path because they’ve lost their previous match-up, 102-75. They allowed Jazz guard Deron Williams to score 20 points with six assist.

“This was an unacceptable performance and I take responsibility. I’m in charge of the product out there and this is not gonna work,” New Jersey coach Lawrence Frank said. “We didn’t have any defensive energy but you gotta give Utah credit. They’re the best system team in the league and they carved us up tonight.”

The Cavaliers are second in the Pacific Division, and their record is 37-28. Mike Brown wasn’t happy with his teams productivity, and said “they kicked our behinds.” They’ve struggled against the Nets throughout the season according to Brown, but gave Jefferson and Carter credit for their performance.

“They kicked our behind. Right now, we don’t have any answers obviously for that team and it showed tonight, it showed in the first two games,” Cavaliers coach Brown said. “They got our number. They kick our behind and until we go and prove different, you’ve got to give them credit. Richard Jefferson, Vince (Carter), they’ve had a field day every time we’ve played them.”

Despite James 42 points and 11 rebounds; he still wasn’t happy about losing. “We lost the game in the first quarter,” Cavaliers forward James said. “Giving up 38 points, that’s their season high, and we lost by five points and got outscored by 15 in the first quarter. So we started off, we didn’t show no adjustments on the defensive end and were very lackadaisical, myself included. And we let them just do what they wanted to do in the first quarter.”

Wally Szczerbiak had 7 points, and five assist. Szczerbiak honors being teammates with James, and believes he could be better then Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant. “It’s scary, it really is,” Cavaliers Forward Szczerbiak said. “It’s pretty special being on this team and seeing him day in and day out. Being able to watch it, the fans are probably watching the best basketball player in the world. It’s arguable between him and Kobe, and I’m going to argue for him every day.”

Guard Devin Brown had 19 points and seven rebounds. Demon Jones had 12 points, but shot 4-10 from field goals.

Original post by Kenrick Thomas

The number one ranked North Carolina Tar Heels defeated the number six ranked Duke Blue Devils, 76-68. With their victory against the Blue Devils, the Tar Heels are now 29-2.

Tar Heels coach Roy Williams believes guard Ty Lawson has helped them accomplish much this season. “Ty Lawson at 80 percent is pretty doggone good, and Ty Lawson at 80 percent is extremely important to our team,” Williams said.

Winning against the Blue Devils is benefaction for the Tar Heels according to Williams, because he believes they’ll be competing for the ACC Championship.

“Yeah, it’s for a conference championship, and you can make a scenario where it’s worth a whole lot more,” Williams said. “Push comes to shove guys, it’s Duke versus North Carolina, and that’s all it’s got to be.”

Williams worked on team defense, and statistics has shown improvement. He said, working on defense is important, because it’ll help accomplish big achievements.

“We’ve been drilling (defense) since the first day,” Williams said. “It’s a challenge to try to be a really good defensive team. Sometimes, you get lucky and they miss shots as well. The statistics show that we’ve gotten better defensively. It’s something that you have to be good at if you want to reach those big-time dreams that we have.”

Tar Heels forward Danny Green lead with 18 points and had 8 rebounds. He impressed many with his seven blocked shots, and said they wanted to take control. “Our perimeter guys took it personally tonight,” said Green. “We wanted to come out and knock down shots, play smarter, play better and take the crowd out of the game. We kept our poise when they came back.”

Wayne Ellington finished with 16 points, and said patients was the key. “We’ve been there before—been there plenty of times,” Tar Heels guard Ellington said. “Stay patient and do what we have to do. We stopped them and then executed our offense and pulled out the win.”

Tyler Hansbrough had 16 points and lead with 15 rebounds. He shot 8-21 from field goals, and said making big shots gave them more confidences. “They had a tough game the first time we played them,” Tar Heels center Hansbrough said. “He hit some big shots and that gave him confidence.” He’d also passed the 2,000 point mark in his career.

Tar Heels guard Ty Lawson had 10 points, but shot 4-10 from field goals. “I’m undefeated here, and I want to come here and win and keep the streak going,” said Lawson.

Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski believes his team played great, but couldn’t fall threw. “I still thought we were doing really good things. We just couldn’t get that thing in the hole there,” Krzyzewski said, who lost the chance to get his 800 victory in his career. “We were still making winning plays—plays that could win. Obviously, they didn’t turn out to be winning plays.”

Blue Devils guard Greg Paulus lead with 15 points, but shot 4-10 from three point range. Guard Jon Scheyer had 14 points, but shot 5-12 from field goals. Gerald Henderson had 10 points with 9 rebounds. Kyle Singler added with 10 points as well, and grabbed 8 rebounds.

“It’s March. There’s a month or so left in the season (and) I have to be the most excited that I’ve ever been,” Singler said. “Each game is the biggest game to this date.” Singler has much confidence, and said the Tar Heels will be fine if they contiune their success. “They can have two Tyler Hansbroughs out there, and if we fight, scrap and just do the little things all night long, and execute on the offensive end, we’ll be fine,” Singler said.

DeMarcus Nelson suffered with 6 points, but grabbed 6 rebounds. “I think we definitely used too much emotion, just raw emotion, throughout the course of the game,” said Blue Devils guard Nelson. “When you play against a team like that, you’ve got to have some poise. And we stressed coming into this game and approaching it like any other game, and I think everybody was ready to play. But I think we might have played on raw emotion, and it drained us.”

Original post by Kenrick Thomas

Loenard Kevin Bias played college basketball for University of Maryland, but suffered from a cardiac arrhythmia, which was caused from a cocaine overdose. Two days before his death, Bias was selected by the Boston Celtics in the 1986 NBA Draft.

Bias was raised in Landover, Maryland; he attended Northwestern High School in Hyattsville, Maryland.

His performance in basketball lead him to the University of Maryland where he became an All-American.

Bias scoring ability impressed many, and his leaping ability entertainment many more. Bias strength was useful, and created easy baskets for others.

While playing college basketball, many considered Bias the most dynamic player in the nation. Entering the NBA Draft, some scouts thought he was the most complete forward in college basketball. He was compared to NBA superstar Michael Jordan, even though Jordan was already in his second season in the NBA.

Before Bias was taken to the Leland Memorial Hospital in Riverdale, he collapsed in his dormitory suit and was pronounced dead two hours later. According to evidence, cocaine was found in a urine sample taken at the hospital as an emergency medical team labored from 6:50 to 8:50 a.m. to revive him. A police officer said James Ross which is the head of criminal investigations for Prince George’s County police, said even if the cocaine was detected, it won’t be possible to tell if that caused his death without further test.

Many medical experts said a cardiac arrest in a 22-year-old with good physical health could be caused by cocaine; by a heart ailment that even frequent examinations might have missed, or sometimes a combination of two.

Bias passed a physical including a urinalysis test for drugs; which was taken May 27 by the Boston Celtics, who selected Bias with the number two overall pick in the National Basketball Association draft. Bias didn’t show any heart ailments in many team physicals. There was a special study to look for hidden heart disease, and no evidences showed drug use in his urine test in the season before.

Coming from Boston with his father, he went to the family home in Landover about 11 o’clock p.m, and arrived at College Park at 12 o’clock midnight. Bias went into his dormitory suit with his teammates and friends of the football team until 2 o’clock a.m. He drove off without anybody, and was notice at an off-campus gathering; Bias later returned to his dorm about 3 a.m. He collapsed after 6 o’clock a.m, while talking with his teammate Terry Long.

Bias was anesthetized, and wasn’t breathing when county ambulance arrived at his dormitory suite at 6:36 a.m. Four minutes after the ambulance was notified and six minutes before a mobile intensive care unit arrived, Bias never regained consciousness nor breathed on his own according to Dr. Edward Wilson, chief emergency room physician at Leland Memorial.

Still not breathing, Bias was taken to the state medical examiner’s office in Baltimore the next day for an autopsy. It took seven to 10 days before complete autopsy results are obtained according to Dr. John E. Smialek, Maryland’s chief medical examiner. “We are not releasing any preliminary results,’ said Smialek. “We will wait until everything is properly evaluated.”

Landover, Maryland homicide unit investigated, but a spokesperson said no foul play was expected. All five teammates who was roommates with Bias was questioned, according to Paul Noblitt who’s a detective. Keith Gatlin was taken into the Police Department after 11 o’clock the night before.

Michelle which is Bias sister, said she was notified that her brother was talking with Long on a couch in their dormitory suite in Washington Hall when he collapsed. Thomas Brinkley a fire department spokesperson reported that Long was administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation when the county ambulance arrived. It couldn’t be determined who placed the call for help.

“He was sitting on the couch with Terry Long,” said Michelle Bias, who wasn’t near the dormitory, “and he laid back like he was going to sleep and he started to have a seizure.”

Nobody knew what Bias did between midnight and 6:30 a.m. Michelle said Bias and their father Jame, came in from Boston on a plane, and drove directly to their home in Landover. “He (Bias) left home at 11:30 p.m. to go back to the dorm,” Michelle Bias said.

Former defensive back on Maryland’s football team, Keeta Covington said he was in Bias dormitory suite when he arrived. Covington reported that himself, Bias, Long and basketball players Gatlin, David Gregg and Jeff Baxter ate crabs and talked about the Boston Celtics and Bias future until 2 o’clock a.m. and Bias left.

“He got tired of all the questions,” Covington said. “He’d had microphones in his face for two days. We were just like the reporters. We were curious, only without pencils and microphones.”

Covington said he walked with Bias to the parking lot, and Bias told him “I’m getting away from here.” Covington said the time was “2 or 2:15.”

Covington said, Bias was tired of the attention and wasn’t sick. “As far as feeling sick, bad—nothing,” he reported. “He was trying to get away from the phone.”

Bias drove away in his newly purchased Nissan 300ZX, Covington said. “I was under the impression he was going to see a lady,” he reported.

David Driggers, a friend whom Bias often played pickup basketball games with said he spotted Bias at a small gathering on Cherry Hill just off-campus. “He stopped by and said how excited he was and talked for a while,” Driggers said. He said there weren’t any drugs at this gathering, “Just soda,” he said.

Drigger drove Bias at the party “around 2, 2:30,” and Covington was quoted saying Bias returned on campus about an hour after his departure, and that was around 3 o’clock a.m. Whatever happen between then and the time Bias collapsed couldn’t be determined. Long wasn’t available and Gregg declined to answer any questions.

Nevin reported that Bias was out for most of the night and early mourning, and when he arrived he went straight to bed without seeing anyone. Nevin was asked if he seen any drug use, Nevin said “I didn’t see anything, but the police are going through it (the dorm) with a fine-tooth comb.”

Baxter and Gatlin both went to sleep early in the evening, and Gatlin awoke when Bias was on the floor and paramedics in attendance. “I was in a state of shock,” Gatlin reported. “I was worried about Lenny, he was on the floor. All my teammates and I just rushed up, got dressed, shorts or anything, and followed him to the hospital. I called his mother and just told her that Len had a seizure and they were taking him to the hospital, and she said, ‘Okay, I’m going.’”

Wilson said, “Bias was unconscious . . . he never spontaneously began breathing on his own. He had no organized heartbeat.” Wilson said Bias was given five drugs, because they tired to revive him: sodium epinephrine, sodium bicarbonate, lidocaine, calcium and bretyline. After the chemicals failed, Wilson said a pacemaker was put into his heart muscle to try and make it beat, but that also failed.

Many believe Bias could have became the greatest basketball player, but his story was stopped short. Hearing and reading about Bias brought tears to many eyes, because his talent never lived its potential.

Source: Keith Harriston and Sally Jenkins

Original post by Kenrick Thomas

The Cleveland Cavaliers received their 35th victory of the season against the New York Knicks, 119-105. The Cavaliers are currently 35-26, and are second in the Central Division.

Cavaliers forward LeBron James lead with 50 points, 10 assist, and 8 rebounds. James was satisfied with his performance, and enjoyed his standing ovation.

“I’ve dreamed about playing well in this building and it’s overtaken of how I could ever dream about,” James said. “To get a standing ovation in the greatest basketball arena in the world, it was a dream come true for me. It’s one of the best things that ever happened to me.”

Anthony Erskine from Mount Vernon whom is 17 years old; approached James during the game while sitting on the bench. Then was arrested by security.

“It was a great feeling. You get a fan to come down there to express the way he feels about you … told me I was his favorite player, that never happens,” James said. “I respect him. I respect his pride and for him to come out there and tell me something like that face to face. It’s like the (most) unbelievable thing that ever happened to me.”

Erskine wanted the chance to speak with James, because he’d never seen him in person. He felt it was his only chance. “I never got a chance to see him in person, and that’s my favorite player. I want to be just like him. I never got a chance to meet him. So I finally got a chance to meet him in person,” Erskine said. “I never thought I would get a chance to see him again, so I figured ‘Why not?”’

Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown enjoys coaching James, because he’s a great player according to himself. He believes he’ll never coach another player like James, and its a one time deal. Brown said, he takes advantage of every second with James.

“You can’t take it for granted because he’s that good. He’s just a great player,” Brown said. “I try not to because coaching a guy like that, working with a guy like that, it’s probably a once in a lifetime deal. You just try to take advantage of every second that you’re with him.”

Cavaliers guard Delonte West finished with 10 points, but shot 4-10 from field goals. Devin Brown had 14 points, but James brought the entertainment. The fourth quarter is important to James, because that’s his time to work. “I just live for the fourth quarter,” said James, the NBA’s leading scorer at 30.3 points per game. “When the games are close, that’s when I like to do work. We were just able to take the life out of them.”

The Knicks are currently 18-43, and are fifth in the Atlantic Division. Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said, James was unstoppable and wasn’t containable. “The 3-ball for him, that’s the shot that you would hope that he takes,” said Thomas, who compared James productiveness to former NBA superstar Michael Jordan. “However, when he makes them like that, he’s virtually unguardable because he’s big, he’s strong, he’s fast and he’s unselfish, also. He’ll give the ball up.”

Knicks guard Jamal Crawford had 25 points, and shot 9-16 from field goals. Nate Robinson had 24 points, and center Eddy Curry finished with 20 points. Forward David Lee had 17 points, with 8 rebounds; Wilson Chandler had 11 points coming from the bench.

Original post by Kenrick Thomas

Former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre finally pulled the trigger. Spending the last four off-seasons deciding whether he’ll retire has created news; but he officially finished his career.

Favre felt mentally tired, and didn’t believe his team would their better success. “I know I can still play, but it’s like I told my wife, I’m just tired mentally. I’m just tired,” Favre said to ESPN NFL Insider Chris Mortensen in a voice mail message.

Many didn’t assume it’ll happen, but Favre remains remembered according to others. He finishes his career with the most touchdown passes (442). “He (Favre) said it was time for him to hang up the cleats,” McCarthy reported in the news conference Tuesday afternoon.

Favre’s agent, Bus Cook was notified about his decision on Monday. “Nobody pushed Brett Favre out the door, but then nobody encouraged him not to go out that door, either,” Cook told the Associated Press by phone from his office in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Packers general manager Ted Thompson appreciates Favre’s 17 seasons, and understands his importance towards their organization. “His accomplishments are legendary,” Thompson said. “And it’s the passion with which he played that made everyone a Brett Favre fan.”

The Packers surprised many with their success last season. Favre lead them to the NFC championship game in January, but couldn’t defeat the New York Giants (Super Bowl Champions). Favre talked with Deanna (his wife), and believed winning a Super Bowl wasn’t happening again.

“If I felt like coming back—and Deanna and I talked about this—the only way for me to be successful would be to win a Super Bowl,” Favre told Mortensen. “To go to the Super Bowl and lose, would almost be worse than anything else. Anything less than a Super Bowl win would be unsuccessful.”

Favre broke former Miami Dolphins quarterback and Hall of Fame Dan Marino’s career completions in 8, 758 attempts for 61, 655 yards; he’d also had 442 touchdowns and 288 interceptions. Marv Levry says Favre’s a “gun slinger,” but was tough throughout his career.

“He was the prototypical gun-slinger type,” said Levy, Pro Football Hall of Fame coach. “He’s the type of guy where, ‘Oh, what’s he throwing into that crowd for?’ But he had intuition, toughness, resilience.”

Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and Hall of Fame Troy Aikman won’t be surprised if Favre returns. “As the season gets closer, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he changes his mind,” said Aikman.

Favre’s retirement surprised Ron Wolf, and he understood his passion for football. With Favre calling a quits means his passions has fallen according to Wolf. “I was surprised when I heard it this morning,” former Packers general manager Wolf said. “He played with such a great passion. He must have figured he no longer had that passion, and it was time to get out.”

Favre’s performance has entertained other athletes; seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong was impressed with Favre’s career. His leadership and encouragement has expired his team said Armstrong. Playing through pain, and suffering times leads many to believe Favre is a strong individual.

“To me he’s an ironman,” Armstrong said while visiting an anti-smoking rally in Wisconsin’s capital. “He was around a long time. He played hard the whole time. He worked hard the whole time. He inspired and encouraged his team the whole time. He played through pain, he played through losses.”

Many conclude Favre’s receivers were underrated, but according to statistics they’ve done descent. Favre had a career-high completion percentage of 66.5; he’d also threw for 4,155 yards, 15 interceptions and 28 touchdowns. Before entering the NFC Divisional Playoff game, Favre didn’t presume it’ll be his last game.

“For the first time in three years, I haven’t thought this could be my last game,” Favre reportedly told the Biloxi Mississippi Sun Herald. “I would like to continue longer.”

The Packers finished the season 13-3, and lead the NFC North Division. People have notice Favre struggled in subzero temperatures in a 23-20 losing effort against the Giants. His career statistics will over shadow his struggles, because many believe he’ll entering the Hall of Fame.

“The Packers owe him a tremendous debt of gratitude,” Thompson reportedly said in a statement. “The uniqueness of Brett Favre his personality, charisma and love of the game—undoubtedly will leave him as one of the enduring figures in NFL history.”

Original post by Kenrick Thomas

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Dallas Mavericks, 108-104. The Lakers currently are 42-18, and lead the Pacific Division; this convinced many that the Lakers could compete for the championship.

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant scored 52 points, and grabbed 11 rebounds. Mavericks coach Avery Johnson couldn’t stop Bryant, and said he tried multi-times during the game.

“We gave him a single look, then we double-teamed him, then we gave him a triple-team and he split the triple-team and scored,” Johnson said. “We tried to zone him, we tried to funnel him in the trap for a zone and he went the other way. He didn’t cooperate on any of our defenses. Obviously he milked the free throw line on us and he just had it all going. He’s a great player. He has these (games). Lots of these.”

Bryant scored 50 points or more, twenty-two times in his career. It’s Bryant’s first time this season, but scoring 52 points gave him 20,989 career points and he moves past Walt Bellamy for 25th on the NBA’s all-time list.

Bryant had four assist, but suffered with five turnovers. He played 55 minutes, and only shot 2-3 from three point range. Bryant wasn’t happy during the first half because he struggled with his free throws. “I was really upset with myself at halftime,” Bryant told reporters.“Just relax and go knock them down.”

He was satisfied with his teams performance, and was happy with their defense. “All in all, we didn’t give them any good looks, and I think eventually that wears a team down,” Bryant said. “We really got it done on the defensive end. It was a physical game. It was back and forth. We didn’t play extremely well, but it felt good to get this one done.”

Lakers center Paul Gasol finished with 17 points, and lead with 14 rebounds. Guard Derek Fisher had 11 points, but was 3-11 from field goals. Forward Luke Walton had 6 points, but added 11 rebounds.

“You know fatigue has an effect on the ball game, but you don’t use it as an excuse,” said Lakers coach Phil Jackson. “You know you are going to lose (eventually), but you hope to not have a slippage of fundamentals, or things like that.”

The Mavericks are fourth in the Southwest division, and is 39-21 on the season. Johnson believes the players are still learning each other. “We are six or seven games into this thing and we are finding out more and more about how he works well,” Johnson said. “He and (Erick) Dampier have played real well together. Damp had a double-double and they had some good reads together. So we are finding out more about our team as we go forward.”

Jason Kidd had 15 points, 6 rebounds and lead with 11 assist. Kidd wasn’t happy about this free throw efforts, and believes he could have done better. Kidd said his confidence was good, but couldn’t follow through.

“I felt confident at the free throw line, but I just left it short,” Mavericks guard Kidd said. “To tie the game, I have to be able to step up and make that free throw.” He’s comfortable about his teams effort, but still isn’t happy with the ending. “It was great for the players and the fans; both teams had leads, both teams fought to come back,” Kidd said.

Improvement is needed according to Kidd, but says their heading the right direction. As greatest improves, Kidd feels trustful around his new teammates. He believes the Mavericks played descent since he’s arrived, but making adjustments won’t be easy.

“I think anytime you’re on the run trying to make adjustments it’s hard in this league,” Kidd said. “In this league, everybody is a professional and they’re not going to wait around until you get it. We’ve been together for six games and we’re doing a pretty good job.”

Kidd’s happy with the Mavericks, and feels confident about winning a championship. With competitive players such as Nowitzki; Kidd feels closer to destiny. “So I think as a whole there still are some areas that we have to tighten up, but I think we’re going in the right direction. We’re building and each time we go out on the floor we believe in one another and I think that’s a big thing. I’ve always said if you believe in one another you can have success.”

Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki lead with 30 points, and had 13 rebounds. He shot 3-7 from three point range, and 10-26 from field goals. Nowitzki supports Kidd’s effort towards the team, and feels useful with him. He likes Kidd’s post performance, but said he’ll need to improve. “It was fun to watch Kidd all over the court,” said Nowitzki . “He scored points in the post like we need him to do. He needs to become a scorer.”

Guard Jason Terry had 18 points, and forward Josh Howard finished with 11 points and 7 rebounds. Howard shot 3-14 from field goals, and Terry suffered shooting 5-13. Center Erik Dampier had 16 points, and lead with 17 rebounds.

Original post by Kenrick Thomas

Number six ranked Kansas Jayhawks defeated the Kansas State Wildcats yesterday night, 88-74. The Jayhawks are 26-3, and lead the Big 12 with a 11-3 conference record.

Jayhawks guard Russell Robinson finished with 14 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assist. He had three blocks, and five turnovers. Robinson respects Wildcats forward Michael Beasley’s talent, and understood his productiveness towards his team.

“It was a quiet 39 if you ask me,” said Robinson. “He’s a real great player. He finds his way to make baskets. We got them into quick foul trouble early and kind of got them out of sync. We didn’t give them anything easy.”

Jayhawks head coach Bill Self believes their home court advantage helped against the Wildcats. “The crowd was great,” said Self. “That makes such a big difference.”

The Jayhawks are currently tied with the Texas Longhorns, whom is ranked number 5. They’ve happen to lose against Texas Tech early Saturday. “Everything was good today,” said Self. “Texas getting beat didn’t hurt our feelings much.”

According to Self, the Jayhawks “horrible” performance against the Wildcats in their first meeting, helped them succceed yesterday. “I think the motivation that they beat us the last time certainly adds to the anticipation of the game,” Self said. “The way I look at it, is you have a couple of teams that really feel like they need a win. Both teams should be anxious to play.”

Self notice improvement from his team, and said they’ve played better then the last three weeks. The players were more energized, and focused on success. “When you’re 24-3, you shouldn’t be able to say the ship needs righting. But our players all know that it did,” Self said. “We were a better team tonight than we were the last two to three weeks. Our guys had more energy and they seemed to be more focused and played with more of a purpose.”

Jayhawks forward Brandon Rush lead with 21 points, and shot 7-16 from field goals. Guard Sherron Collins had 18 points, but shot 3-7 from three point range. Forward Darrell Arthur and Darnell Jackson had 10 points each.

The Wildcats head coach Frank Martin believed their chances were there, but they weren’t taken. “That’s what broke our backs,” said Martin. “We had cut it to nine at one point in the first half, and then they pop it back up to 12 and we were still fine with that. But the second half starts and we give up six offensive rebounds in the first minute-and-a-half. If that’s the way you start a second half when you’re down, it’s hard to get back in the game.”

Beasley lead all-scores with 39 points, and had 11 rebounds. He shot 11-23 from field goals, and 4-7 from three point range. Beasley was 13-16 from free throws, and was the only Wildcat to score double-figures. He said,the Jayhawks played with a purpose, and the Wildcats didn’t play to expectations.

“They came out and played with a purpose,” Beasley said. “We didn’t play up to our potential. We laid down. As a whole we just weren’t there, energy-wise, intensity-wise. We got out-rebounded the whole game. We just didn’t have no will to win. No fight.”

He said the Jayhawks played with a “chip” on their shoulders, and wanted revenged. “They played with a chip on their shoulders,” said Beasley. “They played with a vengeance. They just came out and played relentlessly.”

Clent Stewart lead with six assist, but finished with six points. He suffered with four turnovers, and shot 2-7 from field goals. “All their 3s were wide-open,” said Wildcats guard Stewart. “My nephew could sit out there and make wide-open 3s, and he’s three years old. You can’t do that. You have to contest every shot.”

Original post by Kenrick Thomas

Sitting on the Greyhound, without anyone realizing, and nobody caring. He departed during the week, with one suitcase full of clothes, one jacket and one championship ring he never though he’ll accomplish. He refused to take the car dealerships, where he said his head coach gotten him an SUV. He forgot about his tutors, which pulled strings for him to receive an “A.”

He refused to acknowledge the mansions, where he played video games with kids and received money for doing so.

He started to dislike Columbus, Ohio, and also the racial hate mail he received. He didn’t reveal his mother with this upsetting news, because he was deeply depressed.

He remained on the Greyhound for four days, because he needed time to think. He stayed until he viewed the Pacific Ocean. He rest his head against the window, and decided to stretch his leg. While laying down comfortably, hateful thoughts entered his head: the NFL won’t ever take him. They’ll never understand him. He doesn’t give 100 percent. He brings an “horrible” example.

He arrived in Hollywood, and many people didn’t acknowledge him. He was able to walk the streets, and people wouldn’t notice him. His associates notified many NFL general managers and wanted their thoughts on Maurice Clarett. Their answers weren’t surprising: not responsible, risky, doesn’t work hard and late draft pick.

He wasn’t happy and it lead him to believe his college coach Jim Tressel gave those GMs unfaithful information. He claims Tressel protected him from NCAA investigations.

“I thought he’d give me the NFL,” Maurice Clarett says. “I thought he’d say, ‘You took from me and you didn’t tell on me, so here’s the NFL.’ He could have painted me as the first pick in the draft, as the world’s greatest everything. He wound up selling me out.”

It’s possible Clarett’s career could be discontinuance, denounced by his own school, which he helped brought a championship victory nearly five years ago. Ohio State athletic director Andy Geiger tarnished Clarett’s companion to league officials, and that caused Clarett to drop in the NFL draft according to one NFL GM. “The AD just didn’t like Clarett, for whatever reason,” the GM reported.

A sprinkle of people only knew the reason Clarett kept answering “I don’t know” to the NCAA’s questions. Questions were being asked, how he received those cars, cash and trinkets; Clarett claims he kept saying “I don’t know” or “I just receive them” or “I don’t remember.” Geiger wasn’t happy with Clarett, and the NCAA ran him away from that. Clarett claims he gave false information because he wanted to help his coach. Another reason was because he thought Tressel would convince Geiger to get him eligible.

“He’s ineligible because he declined to tell the truth 17 times during an investigation,” Geiger said, when refusing to discuss Clarett’s illegal allegations. “If you want to give him credibility when he’s been unable to tell the truth under any circumstance since I’ve been around him, I’m not going to respond.”

“What would’ve become of Ohio State if I said everything? Half the team would’ve been suspended, and it would’ve been worse for everybody. I was like, why don’t I just take it?,” said Clarett.

Clarett believed Tressel would return the favor and help him, but instead he was suspended. He claimed tutors, and teachers weren’t able to help him. Clarett called it “blackball.” He sat in front of a tape recorder, and gave Tom Friend from ESPN The Magazine inside information. Its another reason why he’s giving the truth about free cars, free cash and free grades.

“Ohio State created me,” Maurice Clarett said. “They created what they suspended.”

Clarett graduated from high school a semester early, and attended Ohio State in January 2002. He talked about a system that was created, and it kept him eligible and was overseen by the football program. He said his grades weren’t reasonable, and wasn’t supposed to participate in spring training camp, but claims his coach pulled some strings. “As soon as they’d seen me struggle, they switched academic advisers for me,” Clarett says. “He turned me on to a tutor, and then we were cool.

He explained how tutors were also his professors, and how he practically did nothing. “The tutor is a professor at the school. I’d sit there with a notepad, and I’d be playing or talking on the phone, and he’d just outline everything in the book, and say, ‘This is what you write for your paper.’ He’d take a notepad and say, ‘Write this, write that.’

“And they’d tell you like, the old test from winter ‘02 is going to be the test for January ‘03. Or the fall of ‘01 is going to be the next test. They tell you how the tests rotate.”

While getting ready for his 2002 debut season, and become the pioneer freshmen running back to start a season opener; Clarett started to realize everything was created to prevent him from failing classes.

“My classes were all independent study,” Clarett says. “So I’d show up in like the eighth week of the quarter and do something for the last two weeks, and I’d be fine. A lot of times, during classes, I’d be in the weight room lifting. The coaches would be like, ‘You get your class done?’ I’d be like, ‘I’ll get it done the last two weeks.’”

Clarett continued saying how his advisers created his course schedule, and they’ll put him in effortless classes and told him which professors will pass him.

“We helped Maurice with, ‘How can I survive, how can I get a good grade on a test,’” a former Ohio State staff member said. “We understand the system. But that doesn’t mean we did his work. Players like to brag that people are helping them out. It’s a sign of status.”

Clarett wasn’t surprised about the privileges that were handed to him. “Any kid from Ohio will know,” he said. “It’s kind of a tradition. If you play good at Ohio State, you get taken care of.” He’d never encounter that life style, and it was a different experience. He received help his first day on campus, because a staff member provided money for Clarett to stay in a hotel room.

The staff members were providing Clarett with jobs, and he’ll receive money. “If you’re a walk-on, you’re going to get a real job,” Clarett explains. “But if you’re a player, you go water some flowers for like four hours, and they pay you like a couple hundred. Sometimes you don’t show up and you still get paid. That was my introduction to ‘here comes all the free money.’ I did show up at first. But I was like, this is boring, I ain’t doing this. I used to go watch ‘em hang drywall or something. I’d just hang out, go to McDonald’s, come back, watch, leave, be gone. I made a couple grand,” said Clarett.

Staff members will set Clarett up with a booster, and he’ll receive gifts. “They got a little thing where you read books every Friday for kids. And you’ll magically meet somebody there. Mr. Such-and-Such will be there. And then you meet Mr. Such-and-Such, and Mr. Such-and-Such becomes your friend for a while.”

“And how much cash would Mr. Such-and-Such pass along?,” asked Friend.

“Depends how you played that week,” Clarett answered.

Sometimes Clarett will enter the coaches office, and he’ll introduce him into someone who’ll engaged him into illegal activities. “It’d get filtered down,” Clarett says. “Me and a player would go into a coach’s office. And the coach would be like, ‘You met my friend Such-and-Such? He’s a good friend of the program. You should check him out sometime.’ You go over to his house, you meet him for dinner. You go play with their kids, meet their kids. The boosters know you’re in college and need help. They’re like, ‘You got any money in your pocket?’ They make sure you’re straight.”

Clarett didn’t live far from the Ohio State campus, but transpiration was needed. He reported to his coach for transpiration help, and Clarett received more then needed. “My transmission blew in my car, a Cadillac. So I’m like, ‘Coach Tressel, I can’t get back and forth to campus.’ This is probably after practice, 6 o’clock, 5 o’clock one night. He gets on the phone and says, this is where I get my car from. He called the man from McDaniel Automotive. He’s like, ‘I got a player here, Maurice Clarett. He needs a car. Do you have a car out there he can use?’

“So the man gets on the phone with me and says, ‘What kind of cars do you like?’ I say, ‘Got any trucks?’ He says, ‘Yeah, I got two trucks. I got an Expedition and I got a Tahoe here right now.’ He’s like, ‘I’ll be there tomorrow morning.’ They drove down to give me the car.”

Clarett told Friends he drove the Tahoe for eleven days, and decided to get the Expedition. This was against the NCAA rules, because no athlete was authorize to receive anything from nobody. With Clarett’s confessions, it explains how Tressel broke the rules.

As long as Clarett’s the running back for Ohio State, he’ll receive the right treatment. Clarett and Tressel always talked behind closed doors, and never in front of people. “We never talked in front of anybody else,” Clarett said. “It was always, ‘Come to my office.’”

The place still remains where Clarett received his illegal cars from, and Tressel paved the road. “Put it like this,” he says. “There’s a dealership on Morse Road, The Car Store. They’ve got a used car lot. You just go to the dealership, and go and go and keep on going. That’s the car dealership Coach Tressel introduced me to, that and McDaniel Automotive. Both places set me up. I wouldn’t have known these places if it wasn’t for Ohio State.”

During these illegal activities, the Buckeyes were playing their way to the National Championship game. When the Buckeyes defeated the Michigan Wolverines; Clarett’s performance was unstoppable. He said, coaches excused players from practices, and sometimes boosters would stop by hand Clarett his money.

“I couldn’t have asked for more,” Clarett says.

“I had the money I wanted, the car I wanted. I literally, literally had everything. My freshman year, being 19. If I wanted to call a girl, I could’ve called any girl I wanted, probably, in Ohio. If I wanted any car to drive, I could go to a dealership and get it. If I wanted some clothes, I had the money to put clothes on my back.

“And then, within a matter of months, everything got taken away. Every single thing. I’m talking from A to Z. I’d call people and they’re, ‘Uhhhh, I’m too busy right now.’ The clubs that used to let me in? ‘Uhhhh, not today.’ The girls? ‘Uhhh, I’m too busy right now.’ Everybody became unavailable.

“I had nothing.”

Clarett understood he implode the rules, and knew it wasn’t good to expect Ohio State to cover for him. Things heated up when Clarett called them “liars” before the National Championship game. During this week, Clarett wanted to attend his friends funeral. Ohio State didn’t allow this to materialize, and said he didn’t have the right paperwork in-order to arrive at his friends funeral. Clarett said he was crying in front of Tressel, because he believed the media wasn’t truthful.

“It was real big,” he says. ” ‘Clarett calls Ohio State a bunch of liars.’ ”

Ohio State was able to defeat the Miami Hurricanes, and became the National Champions. Clarett felt when he called out his school that boosters started to pull away from him. “They didn’t help me out,” he says, “because I ran my mouth.”

He still was receiving cars, and purchased a 2001 Monte Carlo. While driving around, Clarett realized it was burglarized, and asked Tressel for some advice. Tressel told Clarett to call the University Police.

When the Police arrived, Clarett reported that TVs, radios, CD’s and his wallet was stolen. The Police Officer asked how much did these items cost, but Clarett didn’t have a clue because the Car was borrowed. The Officers asked the amount of CDs that were in the car, and Clarett guessed there were 300.

Clarett expected more attention from the media, but the news never broke. He started pulling away from the team, and decided to work with a personal trainer.

“I didn’t care,” Clarett said. “I was like, the hell with them. I’m not saying it to be cocky, but people in town thought I had become bigger than Ohio State. The thing at the Fiesta Bowl had made everything real big, and they thought I needed to be brought down.”

Later, Clarett received a phone call from the athletic department and they wanted to see him (with a lawyer).

On July 12, the New York Times reported that Clarett received illegal academic help, and walked out during a final exam and was able to retake the test. Ohio State reported, saying they’ll investigate this problem.

On July 29, the stolen items from his borrowed car went public. The following day, Tressel and Geiger reported that Clarett couldn’t re-join the team until these issues were settled. Later, Clarett received his multi-game suspension. On September 10, Geiger reported that Clarett was finished for the season, because he violated NCAA Bylaws 10.1 (giving false information) and 12 (taking benefits).

The NCAA asked Clarett about the Chevy Tahoe, and he wasn’t forthright. “They asked, ‘How did you get the car?’” Clarett says. “I said, ‘I looked up the dealer’s number in the phone book.’ So they go investigating and find out the number isn’t even in the phone book. They said, ‘Did you get this car through Coach Tressel?’ I’m like, ‘Nah.’ They suspended me for that.”

While sitting with NCAA officials and Geiger, Clarett wasn’t comfortable. “I said, ‘If you’re suspending me for stuff I did back in high school, I was never eligible to play anyway. So the trophy should be taken back, right?’

“Geiger just said, ‘No, no, no, no. That has nothing to do with it. Just answer the questions.’”

Clarett refused to answer questions. “I was trying to protect Coach Tressel, the boosters and everybody,” he claims. “There were all kind of bills I had run up that boosters just gave me cash for. And I couldn’t explain to the NCAA where I got it from.

“During the investigation, they started asking, ‘Did anybody else get benefits?’ And I’m sitting there thinking to myself, ‘I’m going through four-hour interviews. If I tell on anyone, you’re going to bring him in, and he’s going to have four-hour interviews. It was more than 10 people. It was more than 20 people.

“The NCAA was, ‘Are you sure you don’t want to say anything about anybody else? And Mr. Geiger was like, ‘Are you sure?’ Inside, I’m like, ‘Are you crazy?’ The only thing that matters at Ohio State is football. Everybody knows what’s going on, but everybody doesn’t want to act like they know.”

He believed Tressel sold him out, and used him. Clarett tried calling Tressel multi times, but he’d never answer the phone. It lead Clarett to believe, Tressel left him hanging. “I couldn’t talk to Coach Tressel,” Clarett says. “He was making himself unavailable.

“We had so many meetings before that Coach Tressel just saved me in. I think he knows in his heart he sold me out. He sold me out to keep his integrity. I don’t know if it was the pressure from the athletic department saying, ‘You got to sell him out.’ But he sold me out.

“Coach Tressel, he made everything easy … until he wanted to make it hard.”

Clarett never played a single football game after his issues with Ohio State. Many believe his life has fallen. Currently, Clarett is serving prison time and won’t be released until his seven year sentence is over.

Source: Tom Friend

Original post by Kenrick Thomas

The Connecticut Huskies defeated the Syracuse Orange 63-61. This continues their winning streak to six games, and the Huskies are currently ranked nineteenth in the USA Today and Associated Press Polls.

Huskies forward Jeff Adrien lead with nineteen points, and added with twelve rebounds. He played fourty minutes, and shot eight and fourteen from field goals.

“Jeff Adrien was a warrior out there,” the Huskies head coach Jim Calhoun said, whom recieved his 767 career victory; which puts him past Orange head coach Jim Boeheim. “It was a really, really good win. I’ve said a long time that this is a league that will eat its own.”

The Huskies record is 17-5, but are 7-3 in Big East play. They’ve beaten three consecutive ranked opponents, and lead the nation with blocked shots for six straight years.

Hasheem Thabeet finished with six points, but had eight rebounds and seven blocked shots.

“At the half, Coach told me not to worry about fouls and just ‘play the game you’re capable of playing,”‘ said Huskies center Thabeet, whom lead with block shot. “It wasn’t about me blocking shots. It was the whole team defense. If the other guys get beat, I’m there to help.”

“It was Hasheem’s job to play one-man zone and man-to-man Greene every place. I saw no other choice,” Calhoun said. “Everyone knew where he was, and if you didn’t know where he was you sat on the bench. I got everyone’s attention and told them, you will not play unless you know where Greene is.”

Donte Greene had eight points, but shot two for fifteen from field goals. He played forty minutes, but Greene was one for eight from three point range. “You have to be aggressive to put it in there,” Orange forward Greene said. “They were definitely keying on me. Wherever I was, they made sure to keep somebody in my face at all times no matter what was going on. It made it kind of tough.”

Huskies guard Craig Austrie had eleven points, but shot two for six from three point range. Forward Stanley Robinson had nine rebounds and seven points. Calhoun has gave his players praise for their performances recently. “The last eight days have felt like 800,” Calhoun said. “The kids have taken the chance to do something special. They’re listening.”

A.J. Price had fourteen points with seven assist. He was three for eight from field goals, and zero for three from three point range. “I’m impressed, I should be. It is impressive what we’re doing right now,” Huskie guard Price said. “We haven’t played at our peak but we have shown you how good we can be and as the season goes on we’ll get better and go from there.”

The Orange record is 16-8, and 6-5 in the Big East. Paul Harris wasn’t happy about losing by three points. “The West Virginia loss, we lost by 20,” Orange guard Harris said. “I’d rather have that than you fight so hard and lose by two. We had the lead. We had UConn, and we let it slip away.” Harris had twenty-four points, with eleven rebounds. Leading with four steals and zero turnovers.

Jonny Flynn finished with twenty points, five rebounds and six assist. The Huskies ability to block shots effected the Orange playing style according to Flynn. “To have four straight possessions and get our shot blocked, that just changed the whole game right there,” said Flynn. “We were kind of hesitating going to the rim, like we weren’t good enough. When you start having that thought in your mind, that you can’t go in there or you’ve got to settle for a 3-point shot, the game is over.”

Original post by Kenrick Thomas

The New York Giants finished the New England Patriots 18 game winning streak this season. Before facing the Giants, the Patriots won their last three Super Bowl appearances. The Giants started the season 0-2, but they’ve defeated the Patriots 17-14 to become Super Bowl Champions of 2007-08 season.

Giants quarterback Eli Manning had 255 yards and completed 19 of his 39 pass attempts. He threw an interception, but finished with two touchdown passes.

“There’s something about this team,” Manning said. “The way we win games, and performed in the playoffs in the stretch. We had total confidence in ourselves. The players believed in each other.”

Manning is happy about his season, and said it couldn’t get better. “That’s a position you want to be in,” Manning told reporters. “You can’t write a better script. There were so many big plays on that drive.”

Seeing Indianapolis Colts quarterback Payton Manning win his Super Bowl ring, motivated little brother Eli. “When I saw Peyton go through it last year, I was proud of him and I was happy for him,” Manning said. “Seeing it up close and what he was going through, it definitely makes you want one yourself and want to be here.”

Giants head coach Tom Coughlin believes every team could be defeated. “Every team is beatable, you never know,” Coughlin said. “The right moment, the right time, every team is beatable”. The Giants won 10 consecutive road victories this season.”It’s the way we went about our work,” Coughlin said. “The road signified the coming together of a team. We rode that emotion all the way through.”

Giants running back Brandon Jacobs had fourty two yards, and fourteen rushes. Ahmad Bradshaw had forty five yards, and nine rushes. Plaxico Burress had two receptions, for twenty seven yards, and one touchdown. “We just hung in there on offense, kept executing,” said receiver Burress, whom predicted a 23-17 Giants victory. “It came down to one play and we made it.”

“All this is entertainment,” Burress said. “It’s sports and sports are entertainment. So 23-17 is the prediction I made, but the game still has to be played.”

Safety James Bulter had 10 tackles, linebacker Antonio Pierce had 8 tackles. Defensive end Michael Strahan had 2 tackles. “That’s the best team in the league,” Strahan said. “Now we have a better understanding of them and we had never played anybody like that. Obviously, no one has since they are an undefeated team. So now we have that opportunity and if you want it, you ask for it and you better make the most of it.”

The Patriots finish the season 18-1, and coach Bill Belichick admits it was disappointment. “They played well,” Belichick said while upset. “They made some plays. We made some plays. They just made a few more. We played as hard as we could. We just couldn’t make enough plays.”

Belichick understood the toughness from the Giants, and it wasn’t a surprise to him. “We knew when we played the Giants down there they had a very physical football team,” Belichick said. “We felt they were as good as any team we had played and they have gone on to play even better than that in the playoffs and I clearly feel now they are the best team we have played all year. That’s a huge challenge.”

Tom Brady was 29-48, with 1 touchdown, and threw for 266 yards. “We played them five weeks ago and it was a three-point game,” Patriots quarterback Brady said, whom was sacked five times. “And they made enough changes and really eliminated what we did offensively.”

Despite losing, Brady still enjoys the 18 consecutive wins this season. “Being 18-0 I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished thus far and I think we have talked as a team that for the rest of our lives we’ll all remember this week,” Brady said. “We are all going to do our best to hopefully make that one of the weeks that we remember for all of the great reasons and not a week we would like to forget.”

Patriots running back Laurence Maroney had 36 yards, with 14 rushes, and 1 touchdown. Kevin Faulk had 7 receptions, tight end Wes Welker had 11 receptions, and Randy Moss had 5 receptions with 1 touchdown. “Hats off to us,” reciever Moss said. “I know a lot of people didn’t think we were going to do it. A lot of people didn’t want us to do it. In this game of football, it’s hard to go 16-and-0. As a football player and a fan of the game, my hat’s off to this organization.”

Original post by Kenrick Thomas