Wednesday

January 26th, 2005

Sports

Volume 22, Issue 16

McKendree slips by the Stars

By Jason Stuebe - Sports Editor

UIS Junior Antonio Pucket had his lucky tape on his wrist, Senior Che Jordan had his name intentionally mispronounced as 'Chee' in the introductions, for the first time all season the Assembly Closet was at capacity and the Stars played thirty-nine minutes of great basketball. It was just that last minute, the one that mattered, which led to a 70-63 defeat to the Bearcats of McKendree.

The game however, was closer than what the score indicated. With just under 1:30 remaining in the game the Stars held a one point advantage and stood poised to upset the #10 Bearcats for the second time in three years at home. McKendree's Brad Fischer had other plans however, draining a jumper with 1:17 on the clock and giving the Bearcats the lead for good as UIS' shooting went cold and their desperation fouls in the final moments only poured salt in the wound.

Though McKendree led most of the minutes, the score was locked in a heated battle the entire game with the score being tied nine times and neither team getting a larger lead than six.

UIS' overall play showed flashes of brilliance particularly at the hands of Pucket who ran a clinic on McKendree's inside defense with a no look behind the back pass to Junior Curtis Collins to tie the game at 21 all then turned right back around a minute later and pulled the same move with Joe Miller stroking the 'J' and tying the game at 23 all.

McKendree looked to head into the locker room at the half pulling away with a tumultuous six point advantage when Pucket was fouled with less than three seconds on the clock while shooting an outside three. He went on to make all three charity shots putting UIS within three at the start of the second.

Much of the second half was nothing short of a pure grudge match with both teams playing incredible defense and forcing unnecessary turnovers which led to the Prairie Star demise.

"We had some late turnovers which hurt us," said UIS Head Coach Kevin Gamble, "we're an outside-inside team not an inside-outside and late in the game we didn't protect the ball well enough."

The McKendree win not only bolted McKendree to the top of the AMC standings, it added to Coach Harry Statham's history laden career. Earlier in the season, Statham surpassed former UNC Coach Dean Smith as the winningest coach in collegiate history.

"It has been a difficult week," said Statham, "We've have three huge road games, you guys (UIS), Columbia , and Tuesday we turn around to play Missouri Baptist. Every game is tough in this conference and UIS proved that today."

UIS was led by Pucket with 21 points and Jordan with 11 points and five rebounds. Junior Michael Griffin had eight points and five rebounds before fouling out while new recruit Curtis Collins played some of the best minutes off the bench with six points.

A Prairie Stars win could have upset the AMC apple cart but the loss dropped the Stars to 6-13 on the season and 2-1 in the AMC. Nevertheless, it didn't seem to rattle Gamble or the players. "We've improved and overall they gave a great effort," said Gamble. "They were in it at the end while playing a really good team...they'll stay positive."

The Stars now face another rival, Columbia on Thursday at home in what could really shake things up in the conference standings. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

Despite late push, women's bball falls to the Trojans

By Mark Brockett - Sports Reporter

While there were many flashes of defensive brilliance by the UIS women's basketball team, they just couldn't convert enough big offensive plays, falling to the Trojans of Hannibal LaGrange 72-69 last Tuesday night.

During the game, the Stars only shot 32.1 percent from the floor while Hannibal put up 43.6 percent. This difference in the game allowed the Trojans to maintain a steady lead for most of the contest. It wasn't until 9:00 minutes left in the second half that the conditioning and the defensive hustle became an advantage for the Stars as they were able to claw back into it.

Leading the second half charge was Ashley Barton, who finished with a team-high 18 points and had eight total rebounds, including four on the offensive side in key situations late in the game. Freshman guard LaTrice Nettles had 15 points in the contest, including a three-pointer at the very end to close the gap to 3 points. Chikayla Moss also had 10 points off the bench.

With this loss, the Stars have dropped their last four contests and 8 of their last 10. Their record as a result of this setback is 4-13 and 0-3 in American Midwest Conference play. This coming weekend, the Stars will be in action in the friendly confines of the UIS gymnasium on Saturday, January 29, against rival McKendree. Tipoff for that contest is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Random Thoughts about the World of Sports

By Mark Brockett - Sports Reporter

With just two weeks until the biggest spectacle in sports, the Super Bowl, I figure now would be a good time to reflect on other things in the sports world before we indulge our proverbial sweet tooth with all the media circus has to offer us.

I don't understand why the NHL is continuing its self made suffering with their money disputes and ego trips. I remember how successful the game was in the early 1990's and it didn't have anything to do with a salary cap or luxury taxes. It was about the athletes, the organizations, and the fans. There weren't coaches getting fired after short stints and there wasn't confusion as to what the general code of hockey was. Nowadays, people associate hockey with fighting on skates. Also to be quite honest, the sport was more Americanized then with stars such as Wayne Gretzky, Jeremy Roenick, and Chris Chellios. This has really hurt the league in recent years as far as fan following as many of these tremendous athletes are finding themselves in other sports that have more clout. While the players might say that the quality of players is still the same, I'm a tougher customer to sell to. It might be time to completely restructure the league and rejuvenate it while they still can.
I've been waiting to comment on the article that was written in The Sporting News that had Brian Urlacher as their Most Overrated Player in the NFL. Now, I may be a homer, but that just doesn't make any sense. The key stats to look at are wins and losses. This season, with Urlacher in the lineup, the Bears attained all of their measly five victories. They didn't win a single game without him in there and with wins over Green Bay and Minnesota this season, Urlacher forced two momentum shifting turnovers, one by forcing a fumble by Ahman Green from the Packers and one by intercepting Daunte Culpepper of the Vikings. By the way, those were both on the goal line. If I had to make a pick as to who is overrated, I would lose no sleep over it. It's Michael Vick of the Atlanta Falcons. Don't be fooled by the teams' appearance in the NFC championship game, it really doesn't have as much to do with him as the media makes it seem. He can't throw accurately enough to be a DECENT quarterback in the NFL and when he makes these 'amazing' plays, they never seem to happen against top ranked defenses. Yes, he can run. But, until he learns to throw the ball and not use his speed as strength and an excuse, let's keep him out of the hall of fame for now.
As a closing thought, it made me extremely happy during the player introductions of the San Diego Chargers-New York Jets football game, in which ABC had the starters for both the offense and defense introduce themselves in an interview spot, when Eric Parker, a wide receiver for the Chargers, proudly announced his former high school as his former playing field. That's right folks; Parker attended the same high school as yours truly: Joliet Township . I never thought I'd see the day where our school was mentioned during an NFL football game (Our team has been horrible for years now including a 0-9 season this year). Hopefully, brighter days will be ahead for him and my alma mater. Take care and thanks for reading.

Stuebe’s Sporting Goods
The line was crossed

By Jason Stuebe - Sports Editor

There is a thin red line that exists when coaches at the non-professional level talk to the press about their players and after last week's home loss to Hannibal LaGrange, Women's Head Coach Wanda Nettles crossed it.

"If they want to keep losing, why don't they stop playing?" said Nettles.

Whoa there Bobby Knight. And it didn't stop there.

"We have a bunch of girls that don't care," Nettles continued.

Nettles went on to criticize Senior Forward Zabrina Harper, who scored only six points, for "not having her head in the game."

Harper mind you has only been averaging 27.3 points per game in her last six outings. I guess being a one-man show all the time is expected or something.

Coach Nettles' comments following the loss against Hannibal LaGrange have caused quite the stir among players and fans and rightfully so.

It's not that I disagree with what she said, I disagree with the medium by which she said it: the media. Lines like that are meant for the locker room and not the microphone. It just doesn't look good for the program, which is already struggling, or the school itself.

Case in point, the State Journal-Register reported that Springfield High School standout Georgia Mueller was at the game. Conventional wisdom might say, 'oh we might get a hometown recruit to play at UIS.' HA! Mueller was there not for UIS but to speak with Hannibal LaGrange ! Burrrrrrn.

Many of us are left to wonder what the purpose of the tirade at the conclusion of last Tuesday night's game. Was it to motivate the players? Not hardly. Would Wooden have said that? Would Holtz? Would Valvano?

Despite the overall comedy gold of the temper tantrum, the comments that stand out most are those she made about the team's record in relation to their talent. "There's no way our record should be 4-13 with the talent that we have on this team."

You're darn skippy there's no reason; maybe its time to start looking in the mirror.

In her three and a half seasons as head coach, Nettles has only mustered a record of 39-72, I'll save you the math and just tell you that it amounts to roughly .351 percentage wise. At 5-13 this season heading into last night's game against Columbia, Nettles is on course to match if not have her worst season and certainly not on the way to matching or beating her best season of 13-18. Add that to the 22 players and five student/assistant coaches that have left the program and a questionable tenure is the result.

I am simply left in awe that throughout that entire spat after the game not once did Nettles take any responsibility for her team. There comes a point at which the coach does in fact have to take some share of the burden because at the end of the day the buck literally stops at their door.

In any event I think a public apology is in order to the fans, to the school, but most importantly to the players. As always, Go Stars!

Prairie Stars of the Week

It used to be that when we heard the names Pucket and Jordan thoughts of that dastardly individual who denied the beloved Atlanta Braves a World Series or the single greatest man to dominate his particular sport came to mind.

Now, however, hearing those names brings the fans at the Assembly Closet to their feet in raucous cheer.

Junior Guard Antonio Pucket who seems to be UIS' resident Dee Brown with a constant smile on his face and Senior Forward Che Jordan have been the leaders of the UIS resurgence from the cellar the found themselves in just one month ago.

The last week has been reciprocal for both with each leading UIS scorer's with 32 and 31 points respectively.

Jordan, who had his name accidentally mispronounced 'Chee' at the game against Harris Stowe, went on to score 21 points while nabbing seven boards and if the players and coaches have their way, he will never be introduced as Che again. Later in the week against McKendree, he was able to light up 11 points and pull down five rebounds.

Meanwhile Pucket who scored 10 at the Harris Stowe game turned up the heat against McKendree in the biggest game of the season today putting 21 points on the board for the Stars and wowing all in attendance with two phenomenal feeds to fellow teammates under stifling coverage.

With such similar stats and performances you can see it was hard to be decisive so why the heck not, we'll just give 'em both a UIS Sports Writers and Broadcaster's Association Prairie Star of the Week Award.

Campus Recreational Briefs

Intramural Badminton Doubles entries are due Monday, January 31 by 11pm in the CRS Office located in the Fitness Center. Play begins the week of February 7 in the UIS Gym. League play will be scheduled according to the players and facility availability. Only one Non-Rec Center Member per roster. Participants may enter 1 women or men's doubles team entry and 1 co-rec (mixed) team entry. UIS students and Rec Center Members with a valid i-card play for free. Non-Rec Center Members & Non-UIS pay $10 per entry and must sign a waiver form. Participants must be at least 18 years old or a UIS student.

Intramural 5x5 Basketball League starts with games in the UIS Gym this Sunday, January 30. Check the league schedule listed on the website or posted on the bulletin board outside the Fitness Center for your team's game time.

The annual Wisconsin Ski Trip to Cascade Mountain and Devil's Head is Friday-Sunday, February 11-13, 2005. Check your e-mail or the website for further information on cost, registration, and other details.

Registrations are still being accepted for the Toning & Conditioning and Fencing classes . Toning & Conditioning meets on Mondays and Fridays while Fencing meets on Wednesdays in the UIS Gym. All classes meet from 12:10-12:50pm.

The Spring 2005 Milers Club is up and running. This 15-week cardiovascular fitness activity runs through Sunday, April 24. A minimum 150-mile goal is required, but participants are encouraged to set a higher goal if they wish. Participants must register for this free activity and submit their weekly exercise slips on Mondays to the CRS Office so that their progress can be posted on the bulletin board.

Informal Open Recreation Hours for 2004-05 for the Rec Center (Fitness Center and Gym) are Monday-Thursday 8am-11pm; Friday 10am-8pm; Saturday 10am-4pm; and Sunday 2-8pm. These hours are subject to change during campus vacation periods or scheduled events. Participants wishing to use the above facilities must submit a valid i-card upon entering the Rec Center.

Campus Rec Sports News List

Send an Email to RecSports@uis.edu if you want to be on the 2004-2005 Campus Rec Sports News List to receive up-to-date information about future events and activities. For more information, contact the Campus Recreational Sports (CRS) Office located in the Fitness Center (SLB 118) or call 206-6658.

Snapshots

Men's Basketball

UIS vs. Harris Stowe State College ( St. Louis , MO )

The UIS men improved to 2-0 on the season defeating the Hornets of Harris Stowe 73-57 last Thursday night.

The UIS offense was led by Senior Che Jordan with 21 points and seven rebounds. Also getting in on the action in double digits were new comer Curtis Collins who just missed a double-double with 16 points off the bench and nine rebounds while Junior stand-out Guard Antonio Pucket had 10 points.

The Stars maintained a balanced attack and collectively shot 47.4 percent from the field, 38.5 percent from behind the arc, and 60.9% from the free throw line.

Women's Basketball

UIS vs. Harris Stowe State College ( St. Louis , MO )

The UIS women halted a four game skid and rebounded from last week's Hannibal LaGrange debacle by defeating the Hornets of Harris Stowe State 82-57.

Once again Zabrina Harper led the way with yet another double-double performance with 25 points and 12 rebounds. Chikayla Moss had 13 points on the day while Kelly Beyer and Ashley Barton mirrored each other with 12 points and eight boards apiece.

Heading into Tuesday night's game against Columbia , the Stars improved their record to 5-13 overall and 1-3 in the American Midwest Conference.

AMC Men's Standings

(As of 1/24/05 )

• McKendree College 4-0

• Missouri Baptist 3-0

• Columbia College 2-1

• UI-Springfield 2-1

• Williams Baptist 1-3

• Hannabal LaGrange 0-3

• Harris Stowe 0-4

AMC Women's Standings

(As of 1/24/05 )