Sportswriting Final Project

HOME IS WHERE THE HAWKS ARE

By Robbie Lehman

The bond between the Iowa City community and the University of Iowa is unique, but then again, it’s not. Every college town has its own identity, atmosphere and culture.

Roaming the streets of Iowa City, citizens can’t help but feel a sense of pride when viewing the distinct features the town has become known for. These local landmarks include the Old Capitol Building, which marks the heart of the city. The Iowa River flows mightily and splits the city into halves, East and West. The pedestrian mall is a famous two-block stretch of restaurants, stores, bars and more. And you can’t miss one of the tallest structures in the city, historic Kinnick Stadium.

The recently renovated press box can be seen from just about anywhere in town. It symbolizes another major characteristic of Iowa City—the relationship between the community and the University of Iowa. On fall Saturdays, 70,585 fans in black and gold jam-pack Kinnick to cheer on their beloved Hawkeye football team.

Iowa City natives live and die with all Hawkeye sports. The pride and passion that exudes from residents is visible on clothing, store windows, bumper stickers, you name it. The city is entirely engulfed in Hawkeye mania year round. Equally, the university recognizes its deep-rooted connection with the local community. The two are one in the same.

WHERE IT ALL STARTS

Iowa has no top-level professional teams in the five major sports. Of the big four universities that includes Iowa State, Northern Iowa and Drake, Iowa athletics boasts the majority of statewide fan support. It is called the Hawkeye State, as most Iowa enthusiasts would quickly remind you. As the saying goes, Iowa fans bleed black and gold. The connection of the university and community stems from the fact that scores of Iowa City’s 67,000 residents are employed by the university. Children seem to learn the signature I-O-W-A cheer before they are born. In March of 2007, Iowa City was named the No. 5 best place to live in the nation, according to Sperling’s Best Places, a Web site that conducts annual studies of American cities.

Currently, there are more Hawkeye athletes from Iowa City high schools than ever before. The local athletic culture starts with the three high schools—Iowa City High, Iowa City West High and Regina High School. City and West are both public, while Regina is a private Catholic school. All three are considered some of the best-run athletic departments in the state while producing numerous athletes that have competed at the Division I level. Iowa City’s athletic history has been well documented. Coaches in every possible sport have recruited the Iowa City area over the years, but they are finding that more of the local athletes are choosing to stay close to home and play for the team they grew up adoring.

Selecting a college is a big decision. For an 18-year-old high school senior, it can seem like the biggest decision in the world. At that time, it’s difficult to know where one wants to spend the next four or five years of their life when most students don’t know what they are going to do the next weekend. A tradition has began in which local athletes can’t pass up—putting on the Hawkeye uniform.

Steve Roe has been the Associate Sports Information Director at Iowa since 1993 and knows the Iowa City-University of Iowa relationship very well. He graduated from Regina in 1973, watching a fair share of athletes develop locally and go on to glory as Hawkeyes.

“All three schools have a system in place where they identify kids at a young age and start developing those kids the way they want them taught. From that you get competitive student-athletes. Growing up in a community with a university right there, you have that natural connection. I think they just go hand in hand—an active community and kids that are loyal to Iowa because they grew up here.”

THE PAST

Tim Dwight and Nate Kaeding were both Iowa City prep stars in their day. Each was a highly recruited out of high school with impressive résumés of scholarship offers. Both football players, Dwight of City High was an all-state running back while Kaeding, a West High product, was a multiple sport athlete but an elite placekicker. The Iowa program was able to convince both of them to stay home.

It ended up working out nicely for both. Dwight went on to become an All-American wide receiver (as well as a sprinter on the track and field team), finishing seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1997. Recently, he retired from football after a ten-year career in the NFL. As for Kaeding, he earned the Lou Groza Award as college football’s top placekicker in 2002, on his way to becoming Iowa’s all-time leading scorer. He is currently in his sixth season with the NFL’s San Diego Chargers. Both Dwight and Kaeding organize their own football camps in Iowa City each summer, helping develop the next crop of local talent.

THE PRESENT

Currently, there are 28 Hawkeye athletes from Iowa City high schools, spanning 13 different sports. For the most part, each athlete had the chance to compete at other universities, but ultimately couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to showcase themselves in their hometown and proudly wear the famous tigerhawk. This was the case for both Matt Gatens and Jackie Kaeding.

Kaeding, of West High, has lived her life by the strength of her right leg, just like her older brother Nate. The 22-year-old finished her Hawkeye soccer career a month ago and recently graduated. When she went through the recruiting process five years ago, it was the easiest decision of her life to play for Iowa and a dream come true.

“There’s a little bit of a legacy within my family,” Jackie Kaeding said. “I think just growing up here, it’s such a tribute to this college that people want to be a Hawkeye. I dreamt of that. It was a no-brainer, I guess.”

A graduate of City High, Gatens, 20, is a starting sophomore guard on the Iowa basketball team. He also explained playing for the hometown Hawkeyes, his boyhood fantasy, as the chance of a lifetime.

“[There is] just a great tradition here in Iowa City,” Gatens said. “I always wanted to play in front of my family and friends. There’s a great support system here. It just felt like a great fit.”

Asked if she regretted the choice of staying so close to home, Kaeding said not at all because she still has a chance to spread her wings after college.

“It’s definitely crossed my mind how great it would have been to go somewhere else. We have girls from California and Florida on our team, and they just got such a different experience. But I’ve always known that now is kind of my opportunity to go and do something else and to grow a little bit. I’m still young in the grand scheme of things, so I don’t think I really missed out.”

For Gatens, whose father Mike was also a Hawkeye basketball letterman, graduating in 1976, the regret of not playing for Iowa would have outweighed the other side.

“I looked at some other spots, but I always knew deep in my heart that Iowa was where I wanted to be,” Gatens said. “You always kind of think in the back of your mind, “What if I would have gone somewhere else?’ And that’s kind of why I didn’t want to go anywhere else, because I would have thought, “What would it have been like if I had played for Iowa?’ I don’t think I ever could have gotten over that.”

A starter as a high school freshman, Gatens received recruiting letters from universities like Wisconsin, Arizona and Stanford. But the all-time leading scorer in City High history verbally committed to Iowa shortly after his freshman season.

“I could never see myself going somewhere in the Big Ten because I couldn’t see myself having to come back to Carver[-Hawkeye Arena] and playing in the place I grew up watching the Hawks play. That would have been too tough. I just knew this was the right choice for me.”

Gatens said that the lure of staying in Iowa City for college went beyond just having his family and friends close, although that was a big plus for him. The community environment was one that he grew up accustomed to and wasn’t ready to let go of.

“It’s a great city and great community. Everywhere you go, people are talking about Hawkeye sports, whether it’s football, basketball, wrestling, everything. Everybody’s always following things. There’s a great rivalry with the high schools. There’s a lot of support all around town. It’s a lot of fun to be a part of something I grew up in and always looked forward to. So it’s great to have people like that around here.”

Kaeding agreed, saying that the community really does revolve around the university, and not just in terms of athletics. She also mentioned how the college campus is unique in that it’s mixed right into the city, allowing everyday interaction between residents and students.

With each of their histories of growing up in Iowa City, it would be normal for Gatens and Kaeding to feel added pressure of performing as Hawkeyes. While Gatens felt that having his support system of family and friends keeps him more relaxed and comfortable on the court, Kaeding acknowledges the pressure she felt.

“You have a lot of little girls that look up to you. I know when I was a little kid I thought that basketball players and soccer players here were gods. Just knowing that puts a lot of pressure on me. [People] know who you are and they know the name. I have all my family that’s close so I really want to make them proud of me. I think that’s kind of the biggest thing that goes through my mind, so that’s a lot of pressure.”

Daniel Murray, a 2006 Regina product, lived every athlete’s dream last fall when the junior placekicker booted the winning 31-yard field goal with one second remaining to knock off No. 3 Penn State, 24-23, inside Kinnick Stadium. Replays of that kick have already taken on a legendary status, and the image of him sliding on his knees, fists clenched, is certain to be remembered forever in Hawkeye lore.

With Kaeding graduated, Gatens and Murray are happy to become the leaders of the Iowa City community. But don’t worry, because there’s room for more.

THE FUTURE

The trend of local Iowa City athletes choosing to go to the University of Iowa doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. As long as City, West and Regina keep producing high quality athletes, Hawkeye coaches will continue to recruit them heavily. A.J. Derby is the latest and greatest high school hero that will take his game to Iowa. The all-state senior quarterback of the Little Hawks is rated as a four-star prospect by Rivals.com, and is the consensus No. 1 overall player in the state of Iowa. In October, he announced at a press conference in the City High lobby that he would sign a letter of intent to play for Iowa. This came as a little bit of a surprise to most of the public, especially considering that Derby turned down the chance to play for nationally prominent programs like Florida, Oklahoma, Alabama, Florida State, LSU, Michigan, Nebraska and Wisconsin, all of which offered him a scholarship.

“It just felt right and I couldn’t see myself playing for any other team besides Iowa,” Derby said at the press conference. “After I’ve thought about it and went through the process, I just felt like it was exactly what I wanted. Everything here, the people, the fans and just couldn’t go wrong with the decision.”

Derby has the Iowa City community buzzing about his decision to play for the Hawkeyes. During the whole process, did their best to sway him to stay in town, not wanting to let one of their own get away. Some had interesting ways of expressing their feelings.

“I heard it a lot,” Derby said. “I went out to dinner one time at HuHot and someone wrote on my receipt, ‘Go To Iowa.’ Stuff like that. It just kind of got ridiculous, but at the same time I kind of enjoyed it. When I was actually at Iowa games I couldn’t walk like ten feet without people telling me to go to Iowa.”

Roe, the author of Hawkeyes For Life (2007), expects the trend of local athletes suiting up for Iowa to continue and maybe even grow with the help of Gatens and Derby. It’s a cyclical progression, he explained.

“You’re talking national-caliber athletes who could’ve gone anywhere in the country to play and get an education, and they chose here,” Roe said of Derby and the others. “It’s easy for those people to be a role model that you want to emulate. Because we have those examples, it’s easy to keep more people coming. It only improves and enhances the image that young kids have of those people. Then they’re not just a jersey number. They want to be the next Tim Dwight, the next Matt Gatens or A.J. Derby. The system kind of feeds itself.”

THE DREAM

What is all comes down to is a dream. Youngsters in Iowa City idolize Hawkeye athletes as role models, heroes and celebrities. They grow up wanting to be exactly like them and follow in their footsteps. When Gatens slipped on his No. 5 Iowa jersey that first time, it culminated in the realization of his lifelong dream.

“It was awesome,” Gatens said. “You always picture yourself doing that for the first time. When I finally got to do it, it meant a lot to me. I had a great sense of pride. Walking onto the court for the first time in a real game was pretty emotional but a lot of fun at the same time. I always pictured myself out there growing up watching guys. You want to follow in their footsteps and be as successful as them and put that uniform on just like they did. It’s a great feeling.”

For the recently graduated Kaeding, she looks back on her memories of wearing the tigerhawk and all that it represents with heavy emotions now that her Iowa experience is over.

“I can’t really describe [what it was like to put on the Hawkeye uniform],” Kaeding said. “It’s hard for me now to look back on it because it seems like it was so fleeting. Every time I did, it was just so special. Just the opportunity to play soccer for a place like this, it’s amazing. I was really proud to do it and I felt like doing it I didn’t only represent myself but all of my teammates and all of the university, too.”

Gatens has enjoyed keeping tabs on his local teammates since he’s been at Iowa.

“It’s a lot of fun to grow up together and then see each other here playing at a high level,” Gatens said. “It’s a lot of fun to follow them… to go to games and watch them. You grew up watching them play in high school. It’s a great feeling to go to this next step with them and it’s just a great opportunity that we’ve all taken advantage of.”

Kaeding agreed.

“It’s kind of like a little community of each other,” Kaeding said. “We’re always kind of rooting each other on because we know we came from the same place. I think it’s something that’s really special.”

When Gatens, Murray and Derby graduate from Iowa as Dwight and the Kaedings did before them, surely there will be another wave of talented Iowa City athletes ready and eager to take their place. They will be trained from an early age with an ingrained sense of loyalty to their hometown, local university, and the sports team they know best: the Iowa Hawkeyes.

WARNING: NOT BIG 10 OR BIG 12 RELATED!

Here's a column I wrote about the Portland Trailblazers for my sportswriting class. Enjoy!

They are unfortunate incidents of bad luck that can strike at any time. They can take a promising season full of high expectations and instantaneously turn it into a frustrating freefall into virtual oblivion.

Every basketball player, coach and fan knows that injuries are a part of the game.

The Portland Trailblazers know this all too well this season. The Blazers just experienced their fourth major injury since league play began when starting center Greg Oden broke his kneecap Sunday night at home in a win over Houston, ending his season for the second time in three years.

However, all hope should not be lost by fans in Portland and the rest of Blazer Nation. Do not throw away the season. I certainly won’t do that. There will still be a talented, although thin, team taking the floor at the Rose Garden.

Those critics counting them out of the Western Conference playoffs beware, because the Blazers will be ok, and maybe better, down the stretch.

All-star combo guard Brandon Roy (20.2 ppg, 5.0 apg) is the team leader, no question. With the tandem of him and budding superstar forward LaMarcus Aldridge (14.8 ppg, 7.7 rpg), the Trailblazers have two of the top players in the league at their respective positions.

Roy, who hit the game-winner to defeat the Rockets, was 2006-07 Rookie of the Year after Portland acquired him with the No. 6 overall pick. Aldridge was selected No. 2 in that same draft class. Twenty-four and 24 years old respectively, Roy and Aldridge both signed large contracts last summer when the Blazers tagged them “franchise players.”

Now is the time for these two to step up and live up to their billing by leading the franchise during this tough time. The two are largely responsible for getting the Blazers to where they are in the first place, and last year’s 54-win season that resulted in a playoff berth. Portland’s high expectations this season as a true contender in the West is due to the rapid development of the team’s core duo.

It was not all that long ago where those in the Blazer camp had no expectations whatsoever.

Sure, it will be extremely difficult for Portland to overcome the mass depletion of its roster. The other casualties include starting shooting guard Rudy Fernandez (sciatic pain), starting forward Nicolas Batum (shoulder) and reserve forward Travis Outlaw (foot). Even head coach Nate McMillan is on the disabled list after rupturing his Achilles tendon when he participated in a practice drill last week, since only nine players are currently healthy.

Oden, particularly, is a bigger blow than most people realize. The 2007 No. 1 overall pick was leading Portland in both rebounds (8.5) and blocks(2.3) as the most intimidating defensive player on the squad. He ranks second in the NBA in blocks and fourth in field goal percentage (.605).

I have confidence in the abilities of Roy and Aldridge at least holding serve at .500 until they can regain the efforts of Fernandez and Batum. If there is a positive, it’s that little-used players like second-year guard Jerryd Bayless and rookie forward Dante Cunningham will have a chance to display their young talent and gain valuable experience to help the team when it does make the playoffs.

Also, Oden’s backup Joel Przybilla moves back into the starting center spot, a role he is comfortable in after holding it all last season. McMillan is predicted to be back on the sideline Dec. 15.

Climbing back and staying into the West playoff picture is not an entirely impossible task for Portland, even with an injury-decimated roster. The Blazers will need stellar performances by their aces, Roy and Aldridge, and production from their role players.

Acting head coach Dean Demopoulos said Portland is still confident it has the right players who are up to the job. “Life throws you curveballs sometimes and if you can’t hit a curveball, you don’t belong here.”

Chris Kramer-Minister of Defense

Watching the Purdue Boilermaker's recent 73-65 road victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide gave me two thoughts concerning Big 10 and national status. The Boilers made a new case for why they are a force to be reckoned with, not only in the Big 10, but in the country. Also, Chris Kramer is without a doubt the best defensive player in the conference, and maybe nationally as well.

Purdue is 9-0 for the first time in 17 years. Ranked No. 5 in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today polls, the Boilers currently sit atop the Big 10 standings. With the 2010 Final Four back in Indianapolis, Purdue has a chance to become the story of the year if they make it to national semifinals in its home state. Head coach Matt Painter has his team playing with a swagger-a swagger that stems from the team's hard-nosed defense exemplified by Kramer.

The Huntington, Ind. native dominated the defensive end of the floor against Alabama, causing television analyst Jimmy Dykes to say this: "Chris Kramer is the best perimeter defender in the country, and it's not even close." He finished with three steals (and only one foul), not to mention adding 14 points and shooting 8-8 at the free throw line. The 6-3, 215-pound senior guard is currently second in the nation in career steals to South Carolina's Devan Downey. Kramer has led the Big 10 in steals the last two seasons, has made the all-Big Ten Defensive team three straight seasons (2007, 08, 09) and was the conference Defensive Player of the Year in '08.

A statement was made with early nonconference victories over Tennessee and Wake Forest, and the win over Alabama in Tuscaloosa increased the volume of those statements. I believe Purdue will be there in the end. With Kramer's leadership on defense, the firepower of E'Twaun Moore, JaJuan Johnson and Robbie Hummel on offense, Painter and the Boilers may indeed paint Indy black and gold in April.

Photo from sportsillustrated.cnn.com.

Poll results and new poll

Results are in from the Basketblog's latest poll. The question was who will be the Big 12 Player of the Year. It is well documented that the conference has a host of playmakers with NBA talent, from point guards, wings and all the way down to forwards and centers. The award is really up for grabs, and each player will be making his case week by week with worthy performances.

Kansas State guard Denis Clemente did not receive a vote. Craig Brackens (Iowa State), James Anderson (Oklahoma State) and Willie Warren (Oklahoma) each tallied a single vote. Three votes were casted for both Cole Aldrich (Kansas) and Damion James (Texas), tying them for second place overall. Finally, the winner of the Basketblog's Big 12 Player of the Year poll is Kansas guard Sherron Collins, who received six of the 15 total votes. The senior and native of Chicago is averaging 14.4 points, 4.3 assists and 2.0 rebounds per game for the 9-0, No. 1-ranked Jayhawks. Collins (5-11, 200 lbs) is currently projected as the No. 35 overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, according to NBAdraft.net.

The next poll question is up and running, so make sure to cast your vote for who you think is the best coach in the Big 10!

Twitter Tuesday

Several players and coaches from the Big 10 and Big 12 have Twitter accounts. This is the first installment of a new weekly feature, Twitter Tuesday. Of course, these players and coaches are incredibly busy and may not update as frequent as fans would like. But here are some recent interesting tweets for your personal enjoyment, with Twitter usernames linked for easy following. Some tweets are combined, others are fragments.

Tubby Smith-Minnesota Golden Gophers

Enjoyed watching Chuck Hayes play last night. He was a great leader for our program at Kentucky. We play tonight see you at the BARN. -Nov. 19

Big congrats to Coach Brewster & the bowl-eligible Gophers. -Nov. 15

Scott Drew-Baylor Bears

We took our team to watch the movie Blind Side..I highly recommend it.Later we found out the Director of the movie is a Baylor Grad named John Hancock and he had also directed the great sports movie The Rookie. -Nov. 30

One last thought for all the basketball coaches out there...one thing I love is after every football game most teams meet in the middle to pray together. For some reason basketball has never done that. Following our game last year at Auburn they did that. I wish after every basketball game just like in football both teams prayed together. -Nov. 31

Mark Turgeon-Texas A&M Aggies

Glad that stretch is over. 6 games in 12 days will test a team and a staff. -Dec. 7

First four minutes of this half are important! Need to build this thing up. Shared the ball well. Must play position defense, too many fouls. -Dec. 7 during game against North Texas

LaVall Jordan-Iowa Hawkeyes, Assistant Coach

Back in the tweet mix...it's been a while. Had our noses to the grindstone trying 2 get better every day. Guys r determined 2 get better. -Dec. 4

Tom Crean-Indiana Hoosiers

Two really good days of practice. The attitude is one of really wanting to learn what is needed to improve and win. -Dec. 3

We are building this program the old fashioned way. Hard work and through fierce competition. There is nothing that beats learning to compete and execute. -Nov. 26

Saturday Schedule

A couple things to touch on before I get to today's schedule and picks. First, congratulations to the Big Ten for winning its very first Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Finally earned bragging rights for a year. I've said it all along, the Big Ten is the deepest conference top-to-bottom as far as competitiveness. The Big 12 may even be the second deepest, which is somewhat of a surprise. We all knew about Kansas and Texas, but teams like unbeaten Texas Tech have surprised people early. And there is certainly no shortage of playmakers in the league either.

Which brings me to my next point-the new poll. Vote! The Basketblog wants your input! Who will be the Player of the Year in the Big 12? There are several strong candidates that all can make a case for the award.

Also, I've got updated standings of both conferences on the left side of the blog. Remember that each color-coded team name is a link that will take you to that team's official men's basketball Web site so you can follow your favorite teams easier. Your welcome.

On to some picks:

Should be a good day for the Big Ten, all playing somewhat cupcakes and only one team not playing at home.

Grambling State @ Wisconsin-I'll go with the Badgers, hot off the upset of Duke.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff @ Michigan-Wolverines beat the Golden Lions handily.

Penn State @ Temple-On the road, Battle leads Nittany Lions to victory.

Prairie View A&M @ Iowa-I will be personally working at this game, and am counting on personally witnessing a W to get the Hawkeyes back on track in Carver.

Buffalo @ Purdue-Boiler Up is on fiya, won't be put out by the Buffalo stampede.

Boise State @ Illinois-Football might be another story, but Orange Crush take this matchup on the hardwood.

Big 12 has four games schedule today, and a few better matchups compared to the Big Ten's sugary diet, partly due to the Big 12/Pac-10 hardwood series.

Oklahoma State @ Texas-San Antonio-Cow Pokes win on the road behind a beastly performance by stud James Anderson.

Missouri @ Oregon- Tigers will run 'n gun their way to a win in the end, but I'm very enticed by this game.

Kansas State @ Washington State-Pretty much a toss up, so I'll go with the home Cougars of Wazzu.

California @ Iowa State-Bears were the preseason pick to win the Pac 10, but the Cyclones are athletic enough to match up with them, and they always play well at Hilton Coliseum.

I'm predicting a 9-1 overall day by the Big Ten and Big 12. We'll check back later and see how I did. Have a great Saturday, hoops fans!

Big Ten/ACC Challenge-final night

With five games left tonight in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, the score is tied at three wins apiece for each conference. And so far, the only game I've picked incorrectly was Iowa over Virginia Tech last night. ESPN.com college basketball writer Dana O'Neil wrote a short blog entry about tonight's lineup and deciding games. She also feels that this could be the year for the Big Ten to win its first-ever Challenge.

The Big Ten needs to take three of the five games to earn the 11th edition of the event. O'Neil agreed with my picks for tonight-I'm counting on Minnesota, Michigan and Ohio State to take care of business. The Buckeyes are at home against Florida State and the Wolverines host Boston College. The Gophers need a big win on the road at Miami. O'Neil and I both felt that Wisconsin, although at home, isn't a good matchup against Duke and a physical Clemson squad should overpower Illinois who will be traveling on the road.

Big Ten/ACC Challenge

Basketball teams from the Big Ten and the Atlantic Coast Conference are paired up once again in the 11th installment of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Widely regarded as the two best conferences top-to-bottom in the nation this season, the challenge looks to be the best it's ever been. Especially considering the Big Ten has never won the challenge in its ten editions, there certainly will be some bragging rights on the line. The ESPN family of networks will televise each game, with five tonight and Wednesday night. Penn State took down Virginia, 69-66, on Monday to get the Big Ten off to a good start with a 1-0 lead.

Here's an article by ESPN.com college basketball writer Andy Katz and his take on the Challenge.

Here are my quick picks:

Purdue over Wake Forest

In a battle of black and gold, I like the playmakers of Purdue and Matt Painter's defense. Boiler up.

Northwestern over North Carolina State

Purpleooza is on a roll right now, off to a 6-1 start and playing inspired after losing leader Kevin Coble.

Maryland over Indiana

I'm not sold on the Hoosiers turning the program around in one year with a bunch of hyped-up freshman, even if they are playing at home.

North Carolina over Michigan State

As much as I like the Spartans, they haven't looked particularly impressive early on and the Dean Dome is as tough is road games get.

Iowa over Virginia Tech

The Hawkeyes are due after shooting 41-154 (27%) from beyond the arc, and its students-get-in-free night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, so that helps. A win's a win, even if it's ugly. And Hawks are due after losing at Boston College last season by one point.

Clemson over Illinois

I like the Tigers at home and the Illini's bigs aren't big enough to handle All-ACC forward Trevor Booker.

Minnesota over Miami

If the Gophers are for real, they need to show it now, and I think they will over a lackluster Hurricane squad.

Michigan over Boston College

Same thing applies for the Wolverines: should we believe the hype? Should out-talent the Eagles at home in Ann Arbor.

Duke over Wisconsin

Did you see the pace the Blue Devils played against UCONN? No way the Badgers can keep up with that, especially in a down year for them. But beware of the Cole Center...closer than the experts think in this game

Ohio State over Florida State

The Buckeyes are hot and only getting hotter behind All-America candidate Evan "The Villain" Turner (19.8 ppg, 12.8 rpg), and they cruise at home.

If you're scoring at home, I picked six Big Ten wins and Penn State's makes a total of seven. Yes, this will be the year that the Challenge title leaves the coast for the heartland. If anything, this should be an exciting couple nights of hoops.

Graphic from bigten.org.

3rd poll results and new poll question

The final results are in from the 3rd poll of the basketblog, and I must say, the numbers a little disappointing. Part of it is my fault for not updating and marketing the blog enough, but c'mon voters! The question was who will be the Big Ten Player of the Year, and only 11 votes were casted. Also, only three of the seven players even received votes. Variety and multiple opinions are a must for accurate poll results.

Anyways, coming in third place was Kalin Lucas of Michigan State who earned two votes. The silver goes to Iowa's Matt Gatens who claimed three votes. And finally, the Basketblog's choice for Big Ten POY is...Evan Turner of Ohio State. The versatile junior swingman snagged six votes for the top spot. Turner is on a tear to begin the season, helping the 5-1 Buckeyes to a No. 15 ranking in both the Associated Press and Coaches polls. He is averaging 19.8 points, 12.8 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game, and even recorded a triple double in the season opener against Alcorn State.

NBA scouts are in love with ability of Turner, who is nicknamed "The Villain." Many analysts see him forgoing his senior season to enter the draft this summer. He is currently projected at No. 6 overall by DraftExpress.

ESPN.com college basketball writer Dana O'Neil recently wrote a piece profiling Turner that is very good story that I recommend reading.

The Basketblog's 4th poll question is ready to roll, so make sure to vote for who you think will be the Big 12 Player of the Year!

Photo from nbadimensions.net.

The Real of Twitter

Commonly mistaken as a social networking site, Twitter's real potential is as a media/marketing tool. It allows for simple communication between people, organizations, companies, businesses and publications. The best way for Twitter to be used positively is to connect users through access and information on topics that they each want to know about.

In just 140 individual characters, tweets can provide a surprising amount of information and opinions, especially when combined with a link, which is one of the most appealing aspects of the site. For example, when a journalist has access to a sporting event or sources that the majority of the public does not, that professional can provide much needed and wanted tidbits through Twitter.

And if the public wants to know more, simply clicking a link can take them to a place where more detail is allowed. This allows users to control how much information they want to consume, almost navigating Twitter like they would an RSS feed. Being able to personalize and customize one's Twitter account is the key to successful.

As far as the media's responsibility of utilizing Twitter, it also needs to be responsible for what it decides to post. The main controversey of the site is that it supports speed over accuracy to accomodate the today's increasingly fast-paced, no-time-to-waste society. That is a major problem, considering the #1 goal of journalism is to always be accurate.

Some readers may enjoy using Twitter to find quick and easy nuggets of information, while others may use Twitter as only the first step in their search. When readers confuse gossip for genuine reporting, though, that is when problems can occur. The media's job is to ensure that users can tell the difference between these two types of information sharing. To combat confusion, media should pay extra attention to editing and fact checking itsTwitter feeds just as it would do to its main publication or Web site.

Top recruits ink LOI's

The college basketball early signing period began Wednesday, Nov. 11 with heavy anticipation from the media, and the deep 2010 class surely has not disappointed. Check here for the complete list of updates, school by school, of who's going to play where next season. Here's some highlights, starting with you know who.

The Kansas Jayhawks finally inked Phoenix shooting guard Royce Woolridge, who had been verbally committed for two years. At 6-3, 175, Woolridge was rated the No. 94 prospect by ESPNU 100. He showed his versatility his junior season by averaging 28.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.1 steals per game.

The Iowa Hawkeyes signed a four-player class Wednesday that made head coach Todd Lickliter extremely happy in his press conference on Thursday. The only in-state player is SF Zach McCabe from Sioux City. The others are PF Cody Larson (Sioux Falls, SD), SG Ben Brust

(Mundlelein, IL) and SG Roy Marble, Jr. (Southfield, MI, right).

Baylor adds an Amare Stoudamire-prototype in Perry Jones (Duncanville, TX), the classes No. 3 overall player in the country. Scouts say that this highflying PF brings legitimate NBA potential to the Bears.

Michigan secured Miami native Tim Hardaway, Jr. The 6-5 forward is ranked No. 99 by ESPNU 100.

Penn State coach Ed DeChellis nabbed the program's most heralded recruit in history by signing Taran Buie, the half-brother of current Nittany Lion star guard Talor Battle. The two will get to play together for one season in State College.

Photo from iahawkhoops.com.

Barnes to be a Tar Heel

Well, if you consider yourself a college basketball fan of any level, then you probably (hopefully) already know that Ames, IA native Harrison Barnes chose to take his game to Chapel Hill to play for head coach Roy Williams and the North Carolina Tar Heels. I tweeted about this yesterday--I still cannot wrap my head around the idea that a kid from Iowa was rated the #1 overall basketball prospect in the nation and will now be the next stud Tar Heel. I think it's a good fit for him and glad that he won't be a Blue Devil, that's for sure.

Barnes averaged 19.7 ppg and 8.8 rebounds on his way to becoming Iowa's Gatorade Player of the Year last season, and led the Little Cyclones to a 26-0 state championship campaign. Check out the video of his press conference from yesterday. Barnes obviously practiced his speech several times. He began it by thanking his family, the media and everyone who helped him get to where is is today. He spoke about choosing a school based on academics and athletics. He even wore a suit and tie. Does any other top player do these things? No, they just say their choice, put on a hat and smile. This kid is mature, legit and he's the real deal. Good luck son.

Harrison Barnes commitment near

The consensus #1 overall recruit in the nation for the class of 2010 is none other than Ames, Iowa's own Harrison Barnes. The 6-8, 209-pound small forward is rated a 98 by ESPN, with 99 being the highest possible score for a player. Barnes, a silky smooth scorer versatile enough to play four positions (check out this video displaying his offensive abilities), is the reigning Mr. Iowa Basketball heading into his senior season. It goes without saying that he is coveted by numerous top college programs. His short list is currently North Carolina, Kansas, Oklahoma, Duke, UCLA and Iowa State (basically the same as my list of schools when I was a senior in high school). But after months of speculation, the wait is nearly over as Barnes is set to announce his decision this Friday, November 13 at 3 p.m. The live press conference will be televised by ESPNU.

Unfortunately, as much as I would like to see Barnes stay in the midwest, I don't see that happening. Let's be honest, him staying in his hometown to play for the Cyclones would be a SHOCKER, to say the least. As a Jayhawk, he could at least make a return to play in Ames once a season. However, I also don't see him signing with KU--the team is already too deep and talented at the wing positions for several years to come, especially after landing 2009's overall #1 recruit in swingman Xavier Henry. North Carolina and Duke seem to be the top choices he is wrestling with.

I haven't seen Barnes play in person recently, but I did see him play against Urbandale when he started as a freshman in high school. This was before he was "Harrison Barnes." No one knew who he was, but I could tell he was going to be a player. He was raw at the time, but it was obvious once he matured physically and became more comfortable with his skills he would be a big time prospect. I also refereed him the summer going into his sophomore year and I could tell he was moving along in that direction. He absolutely dominated last year, leading Ames High to the state championship.

SLAM Magazine has chosen Barnes to be this season's senior diary keeper where he pens a short section talking about life as a top recruit and going through his senior year in high school. The thing that makes this kid special though, is that he is just as dedicated in the classroom as he is on the court. He's smart and very mature for his age. Some analysts may talk about him being a "one-and-done" type of player, which he may have the potential to be, but I don't think he is even considering that. He wants to enjoy college and win a national title, which is why he is taking his time with his final decision. Whichever program he chooses, it should consider itself lucky. Who says Iowa doesn't produce quality ballers?

And because, really, no post is complete without a reference to Dick Vitale, here's one of his recent tweets having to do with this subject:

Do u think it is Maolox time at Kansas, Okla.,UCLA, NC, Duke , and Iowa STas they find out in 80 hours where Harrison Barnes will go?

Photo from highschoolhoop.com.

All-time college basketball rankings

Jeff Sagarin is a math whiz who thankfully is a sports fan as well. He has developed a formula that supposedly ends the debate over which is the best college basketball program in history (in which Iowa magically comes in at #10 with a little help from Dr. Tom Davis, at right). The formula calculates points for wins, NCAA tournament wins and national championships, along with a few other categories. He compiled a list of the top Division I teams, #1 through #330, along with a more detailed explanation of the rating system.

In an October 5 article on ESPNcom however, senior college basketball columnist Pat Forde does debate Sagarin's order of the list. Forde has several qualms in the weight given to some of the categories, for example not enough is given to national championships, he writes. In the article, he lists the top ten programs in his eyes.

Here are the Big Ten and Big 12 teams as ranked by Sagarin:

Big 12 Big Ten

3. Kansas 5. Indiana

18. Oklahoma State 6. Illinois

20. Oklahoma 8. Purdue

27. Kansas State 9. Ohio State

29. Missouri 10. Iowa

47. Texas 13. Michigan

51. Colorado 14. Minnesota

52. Iowa State 15. Michigan State

57. Nebraska 28. Wisconsin

89. Texas Tech 77. Northwestern

111. Texas A&M 82. Penn State

117. Baylor

Forde's Top Ten: UCLA, North Carolina, Kentucky, Indiana, Kansas, Duke, Louisville, Michigan State, Oklahoma State and Ohio State.

2nd poll results and 3rd poll question

The final results are in from the second poll...and it seems like the Kansas Jayhawks are the Basketblog's choice to win the Big 12 this season. Rock Chalk earned 11 of the 15 total votes, with Texas, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma each earning one vote apiece. As all you readers may know, it is well documented that I support this choice whole-heartedly. The Jayhawks are extremely deep (11 players will see valuable minutes) and explosive offensively. Of course, head coach Bill Self will have them buy into his defensive philosophy as well. The only real contender I see on the Jayhawks' heels is the Longhorns, who are very similar in personnel and style. It should be a pretty good race for the regular season crown in Big 12 country.

Be sure to vote on the third and newest poll, and also be commenting on posts and sending me emails/tweets with questions and I will answer them on the Basketblog. New poll question: Who will be the Player of the Year in the Big Ten?

Pumping ESPN

Since we all love ESPN, I'm going to link to some really well done stories about Big Ten and Big 12 schools or players from those teams in those conferences. Two of my favorite writers in general both happen to work for ESPN covering college basketball. They are Andy Katz and Dana O'Neil. I swear I should earn a salary from the "Worldwide Leader" as much as I plug their content on the Basketblog.

Anyway, without further ado:

Katz just posted a really good article on Michigan State, and one of the better videos I've seen lately featuring a tour of head coach Tom Izzo's memorabilia-decorated home. Katz had another post just today about Spartan forward Delvon Roe in his blog.

Another recent article by Katz chronicled Northwestern's history as the only team in a power-six conference to never have been invited to the NCAA tournament, a drought that Kevin Coble (left) hopes to end this season.

O'Neil has a nice article here about Texas super freshman Avery Bradley. He was a top high school recruit, a McDonald's All-American, but has opted to wear #0 in college, a reference to a blank slate.

Lastly, and my favorite, is O'Neil's article on former Iowa player Jake Kelly. He transferred to Indiana State last spring to be closer to his family after the death of his mother, and he was recently granted a waiver by the NCAA that will allow him to play right away for the Sycamores.

Interestingly enough, I was one of the first people to meet Kelly when he arrived in Iowa City during the summer of 2007. I was hanging around Carver-Hawkeye Arena waiting for the Iowa team to finish weightlifting before scrimmaging with them. Kelly introduced himself to me and I got to see his skills on the court. I also had a sports studies class with him last spring. He's a great kid and had a great two season as a Hawkeye. He deserved to get the waiver and deserves to be happy back home. Best of luck to you this season, Jake.

Follow Katz and O'Neil and myself on Twitter.

Photos from skinnymoose.com and dailytexanonline.com.

Hawkeyes getting into season shape

You know college basketball is just around the corner when... teams start playing exhibition games! Iowa hopes to avoid "pulling a Syracuse" when it hosts Marian (Ind.) in Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday at 12:35 p.m. Go here to read about head coach Todd Lickliter's press conference where he talked about the importance of playing these preseason games.

The Hawkeyes most likely will go with a starting lineup of freshman Cully Payne at point guard, sophomores Anthony Tucker and Matt Gatens on the wings, sophomore Aaron Fuller at the 4 and junior co-captain Jarryd Cole at the low post.

This might be the deepest squad Lickliter has had heading into his third year with the program. His bench will offer players with experience such as senior co-captain Devan Bawinkel, sophomore forward Andrew Brommer, junior college transfer Devon Archie and redshirt freshman John Lickliter. Also as Lickliter's disposal will be a slew of young and talented freshmen like Cully Payne, Eric May, Brennan Cougill and Nick Neari. If these freshman can show that they are game-ready, things will be looking good for the Hawkeyes.

Since the 1999-2000 season, Iowa is 15-1 in exhibition games with a 79-76 loss to the Harlem Globetrotters in 2002 its only blemish. Marian is certainly capable of an upset though, as it returns its top seven scorers from a team that finished 11-15 last season. And in today's age of parity in college basketball, we all know the consequences of looking past an opponent (see: Syracuse Orange).

Today, the Hawkeyes are actually holding a close scrimmage with University of Illinois at Springfield for just another chance to prepare themselves for the start of non-conference play and what looks to be a brutal Big Ten schedule.

Photo from Hawkeyesports.com.

New Top 25 poll and videos

Here's a fresh video from ESPN with Mr. College Basketball-Dick Vitale. He talks about the first 2010 Men's Basketball ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll that is stacked with Big 10 and Big 12 teams. Kansas received 27 first place votes, Michigan State earned 3 and North Carolina slated 1 vote.

Vitale's Super Six teams: Kansas, Kentucky, Texas, Michigan State, Purdue and Duke.

The Jayhawks are his choice to win it all come March. He said they "have all the components" of a championship team: a great coach, experienced veterans, talented freshman. I agree with Vitale that the off-court issues from this summer will have little if no effect on KU's season.

Top 25 teams with ranking: Big 10 Big 12

Michigan State (2) Kansas (1)

Purdue (7) Texas (3)

Michigan (15) Oklahoma (16)

Ohio State (17)

Minnesota (18)

Others receiving votes, in order, are: Illinois, Oklahoma State, Missouri, Kansas State and Texas A&M.

I think the poll just shows how much the voters understand the top-to-bottom strength in the Big 10 this year. The conference as a whole has developed into one of the top conferences in the nation. Some criticize the conference for its slow pace and lack of scoring, and rightfully so, but I would put its defense up there with the best in the country.

The Big East leads the way with six teams ranked in the poll (Villanova, West Va., UCONN, Georgetown, Louisville, Syracuse) while the ACC only has four (UNC, Duke, Ga. Tech, Clemson).

ESPN release

Follow Dick Vitale on Twitter here.

Here's another video from ESPN-an interview with head coach Bill Self about the high expectations the Jayhawks face this season.

Analysis of Vincent reading

This is also an assignment for my sportswriting class.

(1) In Vincent's paper, he lists several factors that are key in measuring the coverage of female and male athletes in print media. The first one is quantity, which includes the amount of articles and photographs, as well as the number of words/paragraphs in each article and the size of each photo.

The next factor is quality, meaning which page the content appears on: front page, front page of sports, sports or other sections.

Third is position of the page, such as top, middle or bottom, because each position has its own meaning of important.

Content and quality of the photograph is fourth. This means whether the photo is black or white, and what the photo is of-action, competition, mug shot, etc.

Fifth-a balanced coverage (coverage being number, size, prominence and location) of females competing in "female inappropriate" sports with females competing in "female appropriate" sports should be provided.

Sixth-do not thread reports about female athletes onto reports about male athletes.

Seventh-do not portray female athletes in sexist of trivial ways.

Eighth-define female athletes through their athletic rather than gender role.

(2) The inferences and main conclusion of the study is that media are extremely powerful in spreading ideas of mainstream social value and beliefs of stereotyped gender roles. The paper mentions that parents are the most influential people in a child's life, and if they don't see media giving value to female athletes, they won't choose to have their daughter compete in athletics-an important part of a healthy lifestyle, especially in today's "fast food" society.

Also, the media portray the female body in images that are idealized, sexualized and unrealistic to young females. Overall, the paper says it is important that young girls "be able to identify with sporting role models that are determined, powerful, independent, and strong female athletes that are valued by society," without being based on constructed stereotypes of gender roles.

(3) I think that Vincent's recommendations are realistic for equitable media coverage of female and male athletes. From my own experiences, I know many females that are athletes at high levels. They understand that it is ok for women to be athletic and "feminine" at the same time. Personally, I think the media should be more conscious about giving equal coverage to females. I have been a beat writer for two women's sports teams at Iowa, and I always push for my articles to be on the front page and have a photo with them. However, I do understand that media have financial obligations and that male sports articles typically receive more attention by readers. It will be a process and there is still a ways to go before female and male coverage is equal, but with people like Vincent making the issue prominent, hopefully the day will come sooner rather than later.

Iowa City West High preview

This post is an assignment for my sportswriting class.

The theme for the 2009-10 Iowa City West High Trojans women’s basketball team will be an up-tempo game, said head coach B.J. Mayer.

“We’re not very tall,” Mayer said. “That’s going to be one of our weaknesses, defending people inside. One of the things we’re going to have to try to do is create that tempo to be chaotic and crazy, see if we can’t get people out of their element.”

Mayer fields a small and also young lineup after losing five seniors from a year ago, including current Iowa volleyball freshman Emma Krieger Kittle. But he has high hopes for the Trojans nonetheless as he inherits a junior class that went 20-1 as sophomores.

The juniors look to mix well with an experienced senior group of Kristin Fomon, Courtney Fritz, Mackenzie Reed, Sophie McDougall and Mallory Daily. Mayer also has been impressed with sophomore Tatum Klein, who he said is the team’s best defender.

Given the depth West has, Mayer plans to use that to his advantage in the fast-paced attack.

“We want to be able to just wear teams down,” he said. “We feel that with our ten kids, we’re going to be able to run kids in and out and not lose a lot of depth and intensity. That’s going to be the biggest challenge for us—playing as many young kids as we’re going to be playing. It’s going to have to keep taking steps forward and hopefully by the end of the year we’ll be playing as good as we can.”

The Trojans are coming off of a 16-6 season in 2008-09 in which they were defeated by Ankeny in the final game of sub-state play. The team learned some good lessons from the experience.

“It’s really difficult to get to the next level until you’ve been there once,” Mayer said. “At West, no one in the girls basketball program has ever been to the state tournament. So to get to that game before state I think was just a huge confidence builder. The more experience you have in those games, the better prepared you are, not only as a coaching staff, but the players who have been there.”

Getting to the tournament surely won’t be an easy path. West has to get through the competitive Mississippi Valley Conference schedule first that boasts top teams like Linn-Mar, Cedar Rapids Kennedy and, of course, the Trojans’ cross-town rival Iowa City High.

Still, that doesn’t take anything away from the goals that Mayer has for this team when it begins practice on November 9.

“We always want to expect a postseason run,” the coach said. “We feel that we play in the top conference in the state. Just by doing that, it gets us better competition and makes you improve in order to compete. Hopefully, when we get to tournament time, we will be playing our best basketball and get that good experience from playing in the Mississippi Valley Conference.”

Advice from the Sports Guy

My favorite sportswriter is ESPN columnist Bill Simmons, aka The Sports Guy. His ability to combine an incredibly deep knowledge of professional sports with witty, edgy jokes about pop culture is unmatched.

Simmons is also regarded as one of the best sources on the NBA, and consequently released "The Book of Basketball" yesterday. It's a 700-page tale of how the league developed and became what we know it as today.

Jason Pinter of the Huffington Post interviewed Simmons about the book and several other topics having to do with his career as a journalist. As an aspiring journalist, I found Simmons' opinions very interesting and took away some great pieces of advice. Here's one part that I particularly liked about finding a voice as a writer:

JP: John A. Walsh (Executive Vice-President and Executive Editor of ESPN) once said of you, "He would not have had his voice in a traditional medium. His entry point allowed him to be himself." With the decline of newspapers and onslaught of blogs, many writers are eschewing 'traditional' journalistic training. Do you feel this path is beneficial to aspiring writers?

BS: With all due respect to Walsh, who's my mentor, I disagree. I could have found that voice in a traditional medium; it's just that the medium was too traditional to ever give it a chance. You were only supposed to succeed by writing exactly like everyone else. I like that about the internet - there's no "accepted" style now. If anything, you're better off NOT writing like anyone else. The basics for aspiring writers are still in place: read as much as possible, figure out what's working for writers that you like, work at a style that combines all of those things, keep writing, keep reading, never settle for being average, and don't just say what you think but say it in a way that's fun to read and is constructed in a thought-provoking way. If you're an aspiring writer and want to blog and settle for immediacy/quantity, that's fine. Knock yourself out. That might be the right choice for you. Really, there's no right answer. It depends on the person.

I just think it's too early to say whether journalism is dying. I'd like to think that it's more alive than ever in a lot of ways. As we covered earlier, 24 year old me couldn't have gotten read in 1994. In 2009, 24 year old me could find an audience pretty quickly.That's not progress?

Check out Simmons on Twitter and his Page 2 Web site full of columns and podcasts, The Sports Guy's World.

Trip to KU

I apologize, I haven't had a new post in a while. But I have a good excuse for being busy-last weekend I took a road trip with my buddies Andy and JT to Kansas (the Sunflower State) to visit my younger sister at KU. It was my fourth trip to the Lawrence campus, and I went to my third Jayhawk football game. Going into the game, I had a 2-0 record but unfortunately Oklahoma got the best of the boys in blue last Saturday.

Anyway, I had the luck and privilege of meeting KU center Cole Aldrich. We ran into each other at the same tailgate party, and he had just gotten done with an early morning prac

tice and was chowing some food. Feeling like a stalker or something, I walked over to the 6-11, 245 junior to chat him up and tell him I was a big from Iowa. I mean, you're not not going to meet the Big 12 Co-Preseason Player of the Year when you randomly see him at a party, right?

The Bloomington, Minnesota native nearly crushed my hand when he shook it. I didn't want to bother him too much, so I kept it short. He said practice was going well, and that he was glad the football team was having such a good season. I also asked him if he knew much about the Iowa basketball team, but he said he usually follows the Gophers. I wished him luck and was on my way, but not before getting a picture with the big fella. Too bad he's sitting down because you can't tell how much he towers over me.

Last year, Aldrich averaged a double-double of 14.9 points and 11.1 rebounds, while leading the Big 12 in blocks with 2.7 a game (12th nationally). He compiled 21 double-dou

bles in all in 2008-09, and even recorded a triple-double against Dayton in the NCAA Tournament with 13 points, 20 rebounds and 10 blocked shots.

Not that I'm complaining, but I wish KU guard Sherron Collins was with Aldrich. I

would've enjoyed meeting the other half of the preseason player of the year honor. The final unfortunate thing about the trip was that we were so busy with the football game and all, I never made it to Allen Fieldhouse. I've been inside it before, but no one that goes to Lawrence should ever leave without setting sights on this legendary facility. It's named in honor of 39-year head coach Forrest "Phog" Allen. It seats 16, 300 (4,000 reserved for students alone) and is the second largest arena in the Big 12 after Texas (16,775).

It was pretty crazy over the course of the weekend how many Iowa fans we met, or at least people that had heard of the university now that the Hawkeye football team is currently undefeated and ranked No. 7 in the country and No. 4 in the BCS standings. People would come up to us at the bars wanting to talk about Iowa. We even requested the Iowa fight song and the deejay played it while we screamed our lungs out to it. I'll never forget that.

Poll results and new poll

We had an interesting and dramatic finish to the Basketblog's first poll, folks. It actually ended in a tie, meaning I have to break it by making the final vote. Here's the rundown of how the 21 total votes panned out, in reverse order, just for the sake of suspense:

Ohio State-1

Minnesota-1

Illinois-1

Purdue-2

Iowa-8

Michigan State-8

Honestly, I'm extremely surprised to see the Boilermakers get so little love from everyone. They have a solid team that is balanced on both ends of the floor, offensively and defensively. I like the optimism by Hawkeye fans, but sorry, I'm going to have to side with the Spartans on this one. The team is just too stacked with quality athletes and their coach's resume speaks for itself. Izzo will have MSU cruising through the Big Ten all the way to Indianapolis in early April.

Don't forget to vote one the new poll everyone-Who will win the Big 12 in men's basketball this season?-and to post comments and send emails!

Photo from sarottefamily.com.

Column Time

Here's a column I wrote for my sportswriting class. I haven't written many before, so be easy on me. Enjoy!

Two words mean the world to sports fans in the Sunflower State: Kansas Basketball.

The mystique that surrounds the Jayhawk hoops team doesn't only exist in Lawrence, either. Every high school kid who has laced up his sneakers dreams

about playing college ball at a university like Kansas, and would give everything for the opportunity to be a part of a program so legendary.

That is why the recent negative actions of a few Kansas basketball players is so disappointing. Sophomore guard Tyshawn Taylor dislocated his thumb after throwing a punch at a football player, allegedly over a girl. Junior guard Brady Morningstar was suspended by head coach Bill Self for all first semester games after driving under the influence of alcohol and violating curfew at the same time.

Why embarrass the name of such a historic program and university? Why waste such a chance to be idolized by an entire fan base? It's beyond me.

That is how they treat the university after everything it has done for them? A free education, free clothes and shoes, television exposure and the opportunity to showcase talent that may land a big paycheck in the NBA didn't stop these athletes from thinking before they acted. Taylor and Morningstar essentially slapped the university in the face with their actions.

Of course, while being a Division I college basketball player does put one in the limelight, it also shines a spotlight on everything he does. Fans and media are constantly obsessed with every little detail of their lives, causing them to live under a microscope of admiration and scrutiny. Thes

e athletes are people too, and they make mistakes like the rest of us. Their screw-ups are just more noticeable.

But that still doesn't make what they did right and that the public should just brush it off.

Morningstar did compose a public apology, in which he acknowledged that he gave everyone associated with Kansas a "black eye." His first sentence reads:

"Recently I made a regrettable mistake that has let down my family, friends, coaches, teammates, fellow KU student-athletes, the University of Kansas, KU basketball fans and the State whose name I wear proudly across my chest."

A native of Lawrence, Morningstar understands the impact of his actions in the community and beyond. He worked hard to earn a scholarship and a starting spot on the team, even going to a prep school in New Hampshire for a year after high school to improve his game.

"I know how lucky and privileged I am to be living my dream and to be a part of the best college basketball program in the country," Morningstar states near the end of his statement.

I thought this was a very sincere and heartfelt apology, and whether if was Morningstar's idea or not to write it is unknown.

These "black eyes" also couldn't come at a worse time for the team. the Jayhawks are unanimous preseason favorites, ranked No. 1 in nearly every poll. There is talk of a second national championship in three years. With a veteran core led by Big 12 Preseason Co-Players of the Year Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins, and a group of young playmakers under their wings, Kansas looks primed to make a deep title run come March. Or at least it did.

The truth of the matter is that these negative events will soon be forgotten once the season gets rolling along. And they should. But college student-athletes should also be smarter than that because they really are held to a higher standard than normal students. Make the most of your opportunities, Jayhawks.