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UIS Men drop two straight at home
By Jason
Stuebe
The UIS men have hit a bit of a
rut in their road to conference play, dropping five straight
games, two of which were in the usually friendly confines of the
Assembly Closet.
“We need help in every
position,” was coach Kevin Gamble’s response to being asked what
went wrong after UIS’ loss to Olivet Nazarene a week and a half
ago.
“Turnovers have been a problem
all year long and the not letting turnovers happen is key to
winning.”
It’s not that the Stars aren’t
trying, however.
What the Stars lacked in points
in their 66-76 defeat against the Peacocks of Upper Iowa, they
more than made up for in effort. After digging a hole in the
first half, the Stars attempted a coup of sorts late in the
second half, as a pair of turnovers forced by UIS freshman Aaron
Anderson led to two Antonio Puckett threes and a basket by
Johnny Tate.
The run was broken, however,
when Johnny Tate went down hard on the baseline twisting his
ankle and effectively killing the mood. He would later return
to the game, though with a noticeable limp.
Tate and Puckett combined for
all but 20 of the Stars’ points, while the team shot a dismal
35.7% from the field and only 28.6% from the arch.
“We just didn’t make shots and
we got to make shots,” said Gamble.
The Stars moved on,
nevertheless, and faced rival Olivet Nazarene University at home
in a game that featured shoddy officiating, heated tempers, and
an ejected UIS assistant coach, all culminating with a 67-78
loss for the Stars.
The Stars were out-shot,
out-rebounded and just flat out-played.
Though the officiating was awful
at best, Gamble did not use it as an excuse. “It comes down to
the teams in the locker room and they (ONU) played harder the
entire game,” said Gamble, “we got beat in every aspect.”
Tate and Puckett again led the
Stars with 15 and 11 points respectively, but the men could not
put together a defense that could stand up to ONU.
The Stars hope to dig out of
their slump, which has left them 2-6 at the St. Ambrose Classic
this weekend in Davenport, Iowa.
The Stars return home for one
last hoorah at home on December 11, as they will take on Indiana
Wesleyan in a 3 p.m. contest.
Falling Stars implode in 70-53 loss
By Jason
Stuebe
The UIS women’s
basketball squad headed into Tuesday night’s game against NCAA
Division III Illinois Wesleyan knowing that they had a shot at
the equally small team. And while the Stars took the early lead
and stayed close for a majority of the game the ultimately came
out on the losing end of a 70-53 score.
“We couldn’t make shots. We could have beat them,” said Coach
Wanda Nettles. “We need to start making two-footers and stop
making silly turnovers.”
The Stars came out
swinging early catching the Titans off guard taking a 13-10 lead
but that lasted only a few fleeting minutes as the Stars allowed
the Titans to capitalize on forced mistakes.
The Stars did hang with
IWU nevertheless and entered the locker room down 23-32.
As the second half
evolved the Stars got as close as three points with 13 points
remaining but let it slip away only to regain some momentum with
roughly eight minutes remaining as UIS’ Ashley Barton, Zabrina
Harper, and Kelly Beyer turned up the heat.
That was as close as the
Stars would come however.
Foul trouble was another
key factor in the loss as two of the Stars’ critical players,
Harper and Chikayla Moss got into early foul trouble with Moss
fouling out with a little over seven minutes remaining.
“That hurt us big time,”
said Nettles. “They are key players and not having them out
there cost us.”
The Titans took advantage
of the Stars’ woes and opened up a lead that stretched to 20
points as the game wound down.
While the loss was tough,
Nettles believes that by working on boxing out and ceasing the
turnovers these losses could start turning into wins.
The Stars were led by
Barton who had another impressive night with her second
double-double in the last three matches garnering 22 points and
ten rebounds. Beyer and Harper aided with nine points a piece
with Harper pulling down seven rebounds.
Collectively the Stars
shot a dismal 32.4% from the field but did maintain 63.6% at the
free-throw line.
The loss was the Stars’
fifth straight and dropped them to 2-6 on the season. The Stars
now head on the road for Cumberland University Tournament in
Lebanon, TN before returning home on December 13 to take on
Judson College.
Chicago: The city of slumping shoulders
By
Mark Brockett
Growing up in good ol’ Elwood,
Illinois, which is right near Joliet for those of you unfamiliar
with the town that I will someday make famous, there are no
alternatives as to who you root for in regards to professional
sports teams. You are either a ‘homer’, or you better move out
of town. Since birth I have followed almost all of the beloved
Chicago teams and haven’t regretted a single moment of it.
Yes, I was there when the
Blackhawks went to the Stanley Cup in 1991(back when hockey and
the Blackhawks were still respectable), I witnessed the
incomparable Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls dominate
almost a decade of basketball, coincidentally enough, back when
the NBA was still respectable. I’ve seen the Cubs at the lowest
of the lows and some very high highs. And, last but certainly
never least, I see the Bears year in and year out and the 2001
season was as magical as any other year for me.
Unfortunately, there hasn’t been
much to be proud of, especially these days. The Blackhawks are
in a lock-out, the Bulls are merely a stepping stone in the
watered down NBA, the Cubs are good but can’t pull things
completely together as a team, and the Bears can’t catch a break
ANYWHERE. To me, it’s all just not fair.
Chicago is one of the best cities
in the entire country. The fans that support the professional
sports teams are just as great as the city itself. Why else
would the name ‘The City of Broad Shoulders’ exist? It boggles
my mind how we can’t produce just one champion, or even a winner
in this town. In the last year, there have been three instances
that have caused me to take a stand and say something about how
this city needs change and fast.
First, the Cubs collapse in
October. Never have I seen a Cubs team that had a lot of talent
but had too big of egos to play the game the way it was suppose
to be played like this one. I can handle them being terrible and
in last place, back when the likes of Todd Hundley and Fred
McGriff were starting. I can’t handle millionaire babies who
won’t step up to the plate and take responsibility for
themselves. Blaming people like Steve Stone for pointing out
that the Cubs were making poor decisions is cowardly. Period.
Secondly, we have the sorry
organization known as the Chicago Bulls. How bad is this
franchise? Other than Michael, Scotty, and the rest of the gang
parting ways, it has been one blunder after another. Trading
away great team talent (Ron Artest, Brad Miller, Jamal Crawford,
and Elton Brand), then blowing it all on guys like Eddy Curry
and Tyson Chandler who still can’t play a full game.
Finally, my beloved Chicago
Bears. The suffering needs to end. This past week, the entire
country saw the worst quarterback to ever play football in
Jonathan Quinn and see how bad an NFL offense can truly be. The
Bears are young and have bright future, but who else can really
say that in this city? Enough is enough and its time for a
change.
 College
Football needs a tournament
By Jason Stuebe
You know what; I’m not going to
even drone on with a long intro like I had originally planned.
I’m just going to come out and say it: The BCS sucks.
What is supposed to be the Bowl
Championship Series is more like the Bull Crap Series with a
“champion” decided by a computer funded through the media
conglomerates.
The solution: formulate a
freaking tournament for NCAA 1-A football already! Every major
sport -- heck, even NASCAR to some degree has a playoff system
to decide their champion. Why oh why do we not see the same for
1-A football, quite possibly the greatest display of true
athleticism and sport on the face of the earth?
My good buddy Jared Jones and I
sat down one night a few years back and devised a playoff system
that took everything from money to tradition to TV coverage into
account. Several hours of hard labor and a few beers later we
discovered that --surprise surprise-- it could work! We were
nothing more than punk sophomores in college and we did this,
why can’t the NCAA?
It’s relatively simple with a
16-team tournament that takes the 11 conference champions and
five at-large berths that can be decided through a combination
play-in games and yes, even a computer if need be.
And just because you have a
tournament doesn’t mean that you have to eliminate the bowls.
You simply make each game of the tournament a bowl game with the
semi-finals (or the final-four games if you wish) being the
major bowls such as the Sugar and the Fiesta with the
championship played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on a crisp New
Year’s Day.
The schedule is not too
difficult; the month of December is dead time for college
football anyway leading up to the last week. The 16-team
tournament would utilize four weeks of December with the play-in
on the first weekend, the start of the tournament the second
weekend and on down the line until New Year’s Day.
As far as TV is concerned, the
tourney would be worth its weight in gold. The drama of a
tournament, the possible Cinderella story, not to mention that
people would have a reason to watch the Sun Bowl or the Motor
City Bowl all combined into a neat little package that could
make December every bit as exciting as March.
But no, this isn’t the case.
The powers that be maintain the status quo, leaving college
football fans to suffer at the hand of a flawed system not
knowing whom the “real” champion is.
In any event, have a great
Christmahanukwaanzadan and Go Stars! Oh and by the way, did
anyone notice that Ron Turner got fired AFTER the subject was
raised in this column? Don’t worry, no need to thank me.
Snapshots
Men’s Basketball
UIS vs. University of
Indianapolis
The UIS men could not maintain
momentum against NCAA D-2 opponent U-Indy, falling 77-65 after
being up by as much as 12 points in the mid portion of the
second half. The Stars were led by junior Michael Griffin, who
nearly pulled out the double-double with 16 points and nine
rebounds.
UIS vs. Indiana Northwest
University (St. Xavier Classic)
The Stars continued their
downward spiral, falling to Red Hawks of INU at the Shannon
Center in Chicago last weekend, losing 78-67. Junior Antonio
Puckett led the way for the Stars with 22 points while senior
Joe Miller had 17 points and six rebounds.
UIS vs. Purdue North Central
(St. Xavier Classic)
The Stars wrapped up the St.
Xavier Classic with a 66-63 nail biter of a loss to the PNC
Panthers. Freshman Aaron Leonard and Senior Che Jordan led the
Stars in scoring with a dozen apiece with Leonard pulling down a
team-high eight boards.
UIS vs. St. Xavier (Chicago,
Ill.)
After going 0-2 over the weekend
at the St. Xavier Classic, the Stars gave Chicago another try on
Tuesday night….
Women’s Basketball
UIS vs. Judson College (AG
Edwards Tournament)
The UIS women dropped 84-66 to
the Eagles of host school Judson College two weekends ago. The
Stars were up by 12 in the first half after a slow start for
Judson, who apparently woke up in the locker room and came out
swinging for the next 20 minutes. Ashley Barton once again led
the team with 15 points, while Chikayla Moss had 14 of her own
and a team-high seven rebounds.
UIS vs. Shawnee State (AG
Edwards Tournament)
Senior Ashley Barton’s
double-double 19-point 10-board performance was not enough to
help the Stars battle Shawnee State, as they dropped their
second game of the tournament 64-56.
UIS vs. Lindenwood (St.
Charles, MO)
Lucky Lindy avenged their early
season loss to UIS, trouncing the Stars 97-66. UIS defeated
Lindenwood in their home opener early last month. UIS’ Zabrina
Harper had a game-high 22 points in a loss that dropped the
Stars to 2-5 heading into Tuesday night’s game against Illinois
Wesleyan.
Women’s
Volleyball
The American Midwest Conference
issued its 2004 awards, and to no surprise Danielle Crossen’s
masterful season was noticed as she was named to the 2004 AMC
First-Team All conference. Gretchen Conlin, Megan Leonard,
Audra Roach and Lauren Sanders were all named to the Honorable
Mention All-Conference Team.
Coach Joe Fisher’s girls can
bump, set, spike and even study! Carrie Bauer, Danielle Crossen,
Abby Kuntz, Jessica Lay, Maria Ray (hey, that rhymes!), Audra
Roach, Sarah Stratton and Ashley Wade were all named to the 2004
Academic All-Conference Team by way of their impressive GPAs.
Congrats ladies!
Campus Rec Sports
INFORMAL OPEN
RECREATION HOURS CHANGE
The Informal
Open Recreation hours for the Rec Center will be changing for
the Final Exam and Semester Break period. Check out the Campus
Rec Sports website next week to find out the new hours or watch
for the campus e-mails. Regular hours will resume on the first
day of Spring Semester classes on Monday, January 10, 2005.
LOST & FOUND
Any items not
claimed in the Lost & Found by Friday, December 10 will be
discarded or given to Goodwill. Stop by the Campus Recreational
Sports Office to check out if we have any lost article of
clothing, jewelry, books, shoes, glasses, etc. that you may have
left in any of the recreational facilities (Gym, Fitness Center,
Tennis Courts, outdoor fields).
REC
CENTER MEMBERSHIP EXPIRES SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12
The Fall and
Fall Midyear Rec Center memberships will expire at 11:59pm on
Sunday, December 12, 2004. Beginning Monday, December 13,
Semester Break or Spring Term memberships will be required for
participants to use the UIS campus recreational facilities.
Students who are registered for the Spring Semester 2005 and who
are assessed the Activity Fee and the Recreational Gym Facility
Fee will have valid i-cards and thus be automatic members of the
Rec Center. (Degree-seeking on-line students are the exception
and must purchase a membership in order to use the facilities.)
Faculty and staff employees will need to purchase or renew their
membership. Application for membership renewal may begin the
week of December 6 for the period beginning December 13.
Additional information is available on the website or is posted
in the Rec Center.
FALL
MILER’S CLUB AND INTRAMURAL CHAMPION T-SHIRTS
Eligible IM
Champions from the fall intramural sports and those Miler Club
participants who achieved their fall semester goal may pick up
their respective t-shirt at the Campus Recreational Sports
Office. A valid i-card (or photo ID) must be submitted to the
Recreation Supervisors on duty in order to receive your shirt.
UPCOMING
SPRING SEMESTER 2005 ACTIVITIES
Keep up-to-date
on all the new events and activities planned for next semester
by watching for our campus e-mails and searching our website.
Intramural sports will include 5x5 Basketball, 6x6 Indoor
Volleyball, 4x4 Futsal (indoor soccer), Badminton Doubles,
Tennis Doubles, and Softball Hitting Contests and Home Run
Derby. Fitness & Instructional classes will include Weight
Training Clinics, Spring Miler’s Club, Toning & Conditioning,
Fencing, and Tennis Lessons. (Other possibilities may be Tai
Chi and a martial arts class if arrangements can be finalized.)
National Recreational Sports & Fitness Day will be celebrated
the week of February 20. Don’t forget our annual Wisconsin Ski
Trip on February 11-13 with hopefully a new twist for a “Winter
Get-Away Weekend”!
HOW CAN I LEARN ABOUT CAMPUS REC SPORTS NEWS?
(1) Send an
Email to RecSports@uis.edu
to be included in the 2004-2005 Campus Rec Sports News List to
receive personal up-to-date information about future events and
activities. (2) Click on “Public Folders>All Public
Folders>UIS>Announcements>Campus” on your UIS e-mail account and
read the e-mail announcements sent out by UIS Campus Rec
Sports. (3) Check out the website at
www.uis.edu/recsports/. (4) Contact the Campus Recreational
Sports (CRS) Office located in the Fitness Center (SLB 118) or
call 206-6658. |
