A Lucky Number

Congratulations are in order again today for Maryland's super frosh, Alyssa Thomas, who was named ACC Rookie of the Week once again -- the final time the honor will be awarded this season.

This makes a total of 1-2-3-4-5-6-7, SEVEN times that Alyssa has been singled out as the ROW this season, breaking the "old" Maryland record of six that Alyssa set herself just last week (which broke the previous record of five shared by Crystal Langhorne and Marissa Coleman).

How special is this young lady? Well, all you have to do is look at the list of this season's ACC scoring leaders. What you would find is that of the top 10, nine are Juniors and Seniors . . . household names like Carolyn Swords and Jasmine Thomas. But there's one lone freshman in the group. Yup, you guessed it. Maryland's own super frosh, Alyssa Thomas. And when it comes to rebounding, Alyssa is 11th in the Conference . . . the highest ranked freshman player in that category, too. Can there be any doubt as to who might win the ACC Rookie of the Year award when it's announced later this week in Greensboro? We think not.

What else is there to say, but Congratulations, Alyssa! As Terps fans, we know how truly lucky we are to have you on our team!

But there will be time to celebrate later; for now. . . on to Greensboro and the ACC Tourney!

Go Terps . . . Beat Tech!

Best Kept Industry Secret

I recently had the pleasure of attending the ASTM International F24 committee on amusement rides and devices bi-yearly conference held in New Orleans, Louisiana. There were more than 125 attendees of the event which included individuals from Canada , the Netherlands, Germany, Japan, Singapore, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the US. The ASTM F24 committee is the best kept secret in the amusement industry. Why? If you're looking for a job in the industry everyone tells you that you have to attend IAAPA, the yearly colossal expo show. From what I've heard, the park representatives present are under huge pressure to try and sell or purchase new rides, so it feels like you are getting in the way if you want to hand someone your resume. At the ASTM conference there is no pressure, everyone is totally relaxed and open and friendly. Not to mention nearly every attendee (except for myself) seemed to have a vice president, director, manager, or president attached to their job title. And they were all willing to sit down and have a conversation with me. How awesome is that? If you're looking into a job in ride design or engineering you need to join ASTM and participate in these meetings.


I will let you in on another piece of information. Nearly all of the engineers I talked to expect new employees to have at least six months of actually working at and amusement park under their belt, especially working hands on with rides. Oh, and Disney expects students applying for internships to have at least a 3.0 GPA. I hope that helps some of you young engineering out there looking to get into the amusement park industry.

Kemba up for an Oscar

Kemba Walker has been named one of the 10 finalists for the Oscar Robertson Award, given annually by the USBWA to the nation's top player.

This year's finalists:

Jimmer Fredette – BYU

Jordan Hamilton – Texas

JaJuan Johnson, Forward – Purdue

Terrence Jones – Kentucky

Marcus Morris – Kansas

Kyle Singler – Duke

Nolan Smith – Duke

Jared Sullinger, Center – Ohio State

Kemba Walker, Guard – Connecticut

Derrick Williams – Arizona

Buckeyes Back on Top

Ohio State is back as my No. 1 this week, thanks to Pitt's overtime loss at Louisville on Sunday. Of my top four, Pitt and Duke both lost while OSU and Kansas both won twice. So it was down to the Buckeyes or Jayhawks, and I went with Thad Matta's boys.

Elsewhere ...

*** BYU moves from No. 7 to No. 4 after its impressive win at San Diego State on Saturday. I've liked the Cougars all season, and think they merit a No. 1 seed.

*** Louisville rises from No. 13 to 9 after its win over Pitt (as well as a trouncing of Rutgers earlier in the week). The Cardinals are playing as well as anyone in the Big East not named St. John's. I've got the Johnnies jumpin up from No. 25 to No. 15.

*** I dropped UConn two spots, from No. 14 to 16, after its 1-1 week. Splitting two games against a pair of bubble teams (Marquette at home, Cincinnati on the road) sort of cancels each other out.

*** I'm loathe to punish a Big East team too much, since it is the best conference in the country, but I've actually dropped Georgetown out of my top 25 after ranking them 10th last week. That the Hoyas lost to Cincy and Syracuse (at home) this week was bad enough. But losing Chris Wright for what appears to be at least the next two weeks really hurts their chances of doing anything.

*** My only new team is Xavier, who I probably should have had ranked earlier anyway. Strongly considered were UCLA (huge romp over Arizona) and George Mason.


1. Ohio State
2. Kansas
3. Pittsburgh
4. Brigham Young
5. Duke
6. San Diego State
7. Texas
8. Purdue
9. Louisville
10. Notre Dame
11. Florida
12. Wisconsin
13. Syracuse
14. North Carolina
15. St. John's
16. UConn
17. Missouri
18. Kentucky
19. Utah State
20. Villanova
21. Arizona
22. Vanderbilt
23. Texas A&M
24. Temple
25. Xavier
Bye, Bye, Maryland!

The BCs are just funnin' with ya . . . not bye, bye, Maryland . . . as in Goodbye to Maryland. But Bye! Bye! The Terps got a Bye in the first round of this week's ACC Tournament! Yay!

Two things had to happen this afternoon -- the final day of the regular season -- in order for the Terps to leap frog over Georgia Tech and UNC to move from 6th to 4th in the ACC. First, the Terps had to beat Boston College on the road at Conte Forum in their 1 PM game. Then, if the Maryland team succeeded in doing what they could control, the Terps would need an assist from Miami, who was playing at Georgia Tech (that game starting at 2 PM). If both visiting teams won, the Terps would gain that coveted final bye. Only 4 of the 12 teams in the Conference get a free pass to avoid having to play on Thursday. And the Terps were hoping, by around 4 PM today, to be the proud owners of one of those Get-Out-Of-Playing-Thursday-Free cards!! And they are!

First, the Terps beat the Eagles, 78-69. (And in doing so, they helped assuage some of the angst we were feeling about that harmonic convergence of horribleness earlier in the season, when BC escaped Comcast with a surprising win.)

Once the Terps took care of business in Boston (a favorite city for Maryland fans), all we could do was wait for the end of the Miami-GT game. Miami was up by 1 point at the half (too close for comfort) when the Terps' game ended. The 'Canes stretched their lead during the final period, only to have the Yellow Jackets pull closer again. The wait was agonizing. Finally, though, Miami closed it out, 70-59, completing the visiting team sweep that Maryland needed. Thank you, Coach Katie & Co.! #4 and a Bye!

We followed both games on GameTracker, watching those little colored figures run up and down the court. It's hard to get much of a feel for a game that way, but from reviewing the stats, here's our take on how Maryland earned that oh-so-important W:

All five Maryland starters had double-digit afternoons. After a slower than usual start (3 points on 1 of 8 shooting in the first half), super frosh Alyssa Thomas roared back in the final period to finish the game leading all Maryland scorers with 17 points (and 9 rebounds, just 1 shy of a double-double). Kim Rodgers (who got the start today over Ti-Hawk) was right behind with 16 points, including 3 of 5 from beyond the arc. One of her long balls was a buzzer beater that ended the first half and sent her team to the locker room at the break with great momentum. Anjale Barrett had a big scoring game, 15 points, and Lynetta Kizer, who was a huge factor in keeping the Terps in the game during the first 20 minutes (11 first half points), finished with 14. The fifth Terps starter, Diandra T, scored in the single digits (7), but led her team with 10 rebounds.

So that's how it was done. Now it's bye bye Comast North and hello Greensboro . . . which we hope, thanks to the expected migration of red people, will once again turn into Comcast South.

The Terps tip off on Friday at 11 AM against the winner of Thursday's game between #5 Georgia Tech and #12 Virginia Tech.

Go Terps! Beat . . . uuhh . . .Tech!

The Warrior is a Warrior

Jim Calhoun used to refer to Jeff Adrien as a "warrior" about once a week back when Adrien was a power forward for the Huskies. Now, he literally is a Warrior, having signed with Golden State.

Here's the press release:

The Golden State Warriors signed forward Jeff Adrien of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers for the 10th GATORADE Call-Up of the 2010-11 NBA Development League season. Adien’s call-up increases the number of current NBA players with NBA D-League experience, including players currently on assignment to their NBA D-League affiliates, to 84.

In 27 games (21 starts) this season, Adrien has averaged 18.3 points and a league-leading 11.2 rebounds. The NBA D-League Player of the Month for January and an NBA D-League All-Star, Adrien has recorded 20 double-doubles, and has averaged 19.9 points and 12.2 rebounds in 22 games (20 starts) since joining Rio Grande Valley from the Erie BayHawks via trade on Dec. 30.

Adrien (6-7, 245) played 15 games with Golden State earlier this season, averaging 2.9 points and 3.3 rebounds in 10.8 minutes.

A second-year pro out of Connecticut, Adrien finished his four-year collegiate career as the first Huskies player to record at least 1,600 points (1,603) and 1,000 rebounds (1,126). As a senior, Adrien averaged 13.6 points and 9.9 rebounds in 36 games, earning All-Big East Second Team honors and leading UConn to a Final Four appearance. In his junior season, Adrien averaged 14.8 points and 9.2 rebounds in 33 games and was named an All-Big East First Team performer.

Adrien is expected to join the Warriors today, and should be available when they host the Atlanta Hawks tonight at 10:30 p.m. ET.

Calhoun: My Bad


Here's Jim Calhoun's statement on the NCAA sanctions handed down to his program, released this evening by his attorney, Scott Tompsett:

First of all I'd like to thank everyone who has offered support over this past week both for our program and for my family during what has been a difficult time. Regarding the NCAA's findings and penalties, I'd like to state the following:

As the leader of the Connecticut basketball program and an ambassador of the University, the buck stops with me. No qualifications. No exceptions. Without going into the details of the case or addressing each of the findings and subsequent penalties, I fully acknowledge that we, as a staff, made mistakes and would like to apologize to the University and all associated with UConn on behalf of myself and the men's basketball program.

Throughout my 39-year career, my intentions have been, and will continue to be, on doing things the right way, in full compliance with the rules of my profession, and more importantly, with a moral and ethical standard that has been at the center of who I strive to be as a person. I remain committed to doing my job with integrity. Clearly, through our actions, there are lessons to be learned for the University, for our basketball family, and for me personally.

Unfortunately, our mistakes have caused unrelated attention to be placed on the young men in our program today who continue to write their own story this basketball season. I will not allow those distractions to continue.

My love for my players, the game of basketball and this University will remain my number one professional priority. As the leader of this program, I am moving forward. I owe this to our players and our staff. I have apologized to them privately for the distractions. My personal feelings about this situation and the NCAA's findings will remain private and I will not have any further public comment on this matter.

I am energized and excited about the remainder of the regular season and what the post season may hold and our program remains committed to making UConn and all associated with it, proud of what we do both on and off the floor.


Tompsett added that Calhoun has not yet decided whether to appeal the NCAA's decision, but if he does, it will be done so privately and confidentially with the NCAA.

Book Review - February Tribute to Black History Month - II

Book Review - February Tribute to Black History Month - II
Doing the Hokie Pokey

Okie Dokie, the Terps beat the Hokies at Comcast tonight, 61-48. That's the good news. But this wasn't the game the BCs were expecting. Hardly.

When the last place team in the conference comes into your house sporting a 1-11 record, and your team is the #15/17-ranked team in the nation, you really don't expect the game to be tied with fewer than 12 minutes left. But it was, 33-33. (From where we sat, across the court, it looked like Coach B's ears were getting a little smokie at her team being tied this late in the game with the Hokies.)

We don't know if the Terps were looking past VT to Boston on Sunday or Greensboro next week, but they definitely came out of the blocks . . . well, a little pokey. Fortunately, a late scoring surge and some defensive stops allowed Maryland to avoid what would have been an exceedingly embarrassing and costly chokie.

Again playing all but one minute of the game, super frosh Alyssa Thomas (and the BCs' odds on favorite for ACC Rokie Rookie of the Year) led all scorers with 15, while Lynetta Kizer notched another double-double (11 points and 12 boards). Oddly, for a team that has struggled all season with its long range shooting, tonight, when just about nothing else was going right, the Terps managed to light it up from beyond the arc. Laurin Mincy, off the bench, nailed four three-pointers, firing up the crowd -- as well as her teammates -- and providing the much-needed scoring separation that Maryland required to put this game away. Laurin (who finished with 12 points) got long-distance help from Natasha Cloud and Kim Rodgers (who didn't play the first half) . . . they each also hit a long ball tonight.

That's about it for the highlights. And while there were plenty of seniors in Comcast tonight -- all of us card-carrying AARP members -- there was not a single senior on the Terps bench. So the final home game of the regular season -- traditionally "Senior Night" -- lacked some of the special emotion that might have helped redeem this otherwise mostly-painful, seemingly interminable, evening.

But Maryland got the win, ugly though it was. The Terps now head to Boston, where they play the Eagles in the last game of the regular season on Sunday at 1 PM. After that, it's on to Greensboro and the ACC Tourney.

It's still too early to tell who and when the Terps will play first in Tournament Town. If Maryland can beat the Eagles on Sunday (not an easy assignment, if you recall the loss to BC at Comcast), then Maryland will still have a chance to finish fourth in the ACC standings and receive a bye on Thursday. But that will depend on the outcome of Miami's game at Georgia Tech (also on Sunday). If the Terps win and GT loses, then Maryland will jump to fourth (by virtue of the tie-break), earn the bye, and not play until next Friday. But a Terps' loss or a Yellow Jackets' win would result in a 1st round game for Maryland on Thursday.

But what the heck . . . it's ACC Tourney time! So whatever, whomever . . . Go Terps! See ya in Greensboro!

Put your right foot in, put your right foot out....

Go Terps . . . Beat the Eagles!

Too Much, Too Little, Too Late

Plenty of blame to go around in this loss.

Kemba Walker tried to do too much down the stretch, and while he wound up doing a lot of good (27 points, his usual array of special plays) he did plenty of bad over the final two minutes of regulation and overtime. Walker took some ill-advised shots, had some ugly turnovers and dribbled the ball into double teams a few too many times.

"I (made) two big turnovers at the end of the game," the always accountable Walker said. "They doubled me, and I was careless with the ball ... I think I was trying to force the issue a little too much."

Of course, it would have helped if his teammates had provided some help for him and presented themselves to him while he was being trapped.

Said Jeremy Lamb: "(Kemba) still made a lot of big plays. I feel like I let the team down. I didn't hit shots I usually hit."

George Blaney also could have drawn up some more imaginative offensive sets. And, by his own admission, could have allocated his minutes better.

"I probably ran everybody too many minutes," Blaney confessed. "We needed to get a little bit more production, but some of the guys that came in and didn't get it done when they were asked to do it, so we stayed with the guys that were doing it."

Where was Jamal Coombs-McDaniel, who made his second start of the season, down the stretch? On the bench, given his inability to guard Jimmy Butler. Niels Giffey (9 points) did a decent job in his stead, but it was surprising how little run Coombs got in the latter part of the game.

Oh, and the 17 turnovers didn't help either. Neither did teh 36-percent shooting -- a remarkable number, considering UConn grabbed 28 offensive rebound and, ostensibely, had many point-blank shot attempts.

"I don't know if I've ever seen that before, to be honest with you," Blaney said.

Oh, and what exactly was Roscoe Smith thinking, putting up a long jumper off a rebound with 3 1/2 minutes left in OT?

Anyway, here's the game story: http://nhregister.com/articles/2011/02/24/sports/doc4d671631b2bd9969606032.txt
So if I'm a UConn fan, I'm a bit worried right now. But should you give up all hope? Nah, not with a group led by Walker and Jim Calhoun. It won't be easy the rest of the way -- the Huskies play at Cincinnati, at West Virginia and host Notre Dame in their regular-season finale.

They could easily lose all three games. But would it completely shock you if they won all three, or at least two of them? Not in this crazy season.

Calhoun Won't Coach Tomorrow

Jim Calhoun will not be with the team today for practice, nor for tomorrow night's game against Marquette so that he can attend the calling hours and memorial service in Nashaua, N.H. for his sister-in-law, Eileen (McDevitt) Fucile, who passed away on Monday.

Associate Head Coach George Blaney will be available to the media today and will coacht he team tomorrow night.

This is something Calhoun had told us about a little over a week ago, during a meeting with the press in which he also stressed that "there are more important things in life" than winning and losing in basketball.

Quiver and Shake

Three words sum it all up: No postseason ban.

Isn't that what it's really all about? Sure, the NCAA's sanctions against UConn are everything from minor to embarassing to legitimately hurtful. But when it's all said and done, the lack of a postseason ban is really what Husky fans care about the most.

And if you listen to committee of infractions chairman Dr. Dennis Thomas, a postseason ban could have happened.

“There are a lot of options the committee has in its quiver,”
said Thomas, who is the commissioner of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. “Based upon all of those options, which is inclusive of a postseason ban, we decided to implement the penalties as said forth in the public release.”

Let’s break down what each of the NCAA’s sanctions against UConn means to the program and to Jim Calhoun, and how everything that transpired today affects the program going forward.

Public reprimand and censure.

Little more than public embarrassment. Jim Calhoun takes his image, legacy and place in the history of the game seriously, so I’m sure he’s not happy about it. But it is what it is. Does anybody even remember that Charles Rangel was publicly censured a few months ago? Didn’t think so.

Three years of probation from February 22, 2011, through February 21, 2014. The public infractions report further details the conditions of this probation.

The NCAA adds a year to what UConn already self-imposed. Hardly the end of the world.

The head coach must be suspended from all coaching duties for the first three conference games of the 2011-12 season. He cannot be present in the arena where the games are played and cannot have contact with the coaching staff or student-athletes during the games.

Embarassing, no doubt. A little surprising, too, that the long arm of the NCAA extends into specifically suspending a coach from conference play. Tennessee’s Bruce Pearl was suspended for the first eight SEC games this season for misleading NCAA investigators (sound familiar?), but that was levied by the SEC itself. The NCAA has yet to punish Pearl (who, ironically, coached against UConn, a non-conference foe, in the middle of that suspension last month).

Two-year show-cause order for the former operations director (February 22, 2011, through February 21, 2013). The public report further details the conditions of this penalty.

This obviously only affects Beau Archibald. According to a source, Archibald will appeal this decision.

Permanent disassociation of the involved booster. The public infractions report includes further details.

Did you really think the program would ever associated itself with Josh Nochimson again?

Reduction of men's basketball athletics scholarships from 13 to 12 for the 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 academic years.

NCAA adds one more year to UConn’s self-imposed two-year sanctions. Not a shock, and certainly not a back-breaker. Consider: UConn has 12 scholarship players this season (per its own self-imposed sanctions). Seniors Donnell Beverly and Charles Okwandu are gone after this year, and in all likelihood, so is Kemba Walker to the NBA. That’s three spots open for next year, maybe more if there are any of the usual transfers, etc. One spot has been filled by Chicago point guard Ryan Boatright. The Huskies will have at least two spots open for next year and the year after, since everyone else on this year’s roster is a sophomore or freshman. That’s enough.

I’m going to lump these next four together:

Ban on men’s basketball recruiting calls during the 2011-12 academic year until 30 days after the first day that phone calls are allowed.

Reduction in the number of men’s basketball coaches allowed to make phone calls from three to two, not including the head basketball coach, for six months after the university’s response to the notice of allegations (self-imposed by the university).

Reduction of the number of men’s basketball off-campus recruiting days by 40, from 130 to 90, for the 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 recruiting periods.

Limit of five official paid visits for men’s basketball for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 academic years.

None of these are good for the Huskies, particularly the reduction of off-campus recruiting days. But again, UConn has a host of good, young players already in stock, and it’s a good bet the Huskies will still be able to get good players despite these sanctions.

The head coach, assistant coach and all members of the compliance staff must attend the NCAA Regional Rules Seminar.

Whatever.

Bottom line: Jim Calhoun says he is “very disappointed” in the NCAA’s findings. I’m sure there is a part of him – the extremely prideful part, the part that will never go down without a fight, the part that is very protective of his place in the history of the game – that is disappointed.

But there almost has to be another part of Calhoun that is a bit relieved that the sanctions weren’t worse. There is no postseason ban, which is about the only thing that most UConn fans really, truly cared about. The lack of a postseason ban and the cloud finally being lifted off the program should be enough to satisfy prospective recruits and limit any more negative recruiting that may be going around.

If nothing else, Calhoun is guilty of his overzealous pursuit of Nate Miles. Now, he’s paying the piper – but the price could have been a lot worse. UConn is going to the NCAA tournament this season and can for seasons to come, as well, provided it deserves a bid.

NCAA Sanctions vs. UConn

In case you somehow don't know by now, here's how the NCAA has chosen to punish UConn for its recruiting violations, primarily involving Nate Miles:

 Public reprimand and censure.

 Three years of probation from February 22, 2011, through February 21, 2014. The public infractions report further details the conditions of this probation.

 The head coach must be suspended from all coaching duties for the first three conference games of the 2011-12 season. He cannot be present in the arena where the games are played and cannot have contact with the coaching staff or student-athletes during the games.

 Two-year show-cause order for the former operations director (February 22, 2011, through February 21, 2013). The public report further details the conditions of this penalty.

 Permanent disassociation of the involved booster. The public infractions report includes further details

 Reduction of men's basketball athletics scholarships from 13 to 12 for the 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 academic years.

 Ban on men’s basketball recruiting calls during the 2011-12 academic year until 30 days after the first day that phone calls are allowed.

 Reduction in the number of men’s basketball coaches allowed to make phone calls from three to two, not including the head basketball coach, for six months after the university’s response to the notice of allegations (self-imposed by the university).

 Reduction of the number of men’s basketball off-campus recruiting days by 40, from 130 to 90, for the 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 recruiting periods.

 Limit of five official paid visits for men’s basketball for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 academic years.

 The head coach, assistant coach and all members of the compliance staff must attend the NCAA Regional Rules Seminar.

Calhoun, Hathaway Reactions

Here's what Jim Calhoun, Jeff Hathaway and UConn prez Philip Austin had to say about the NCAA's penalties on the UConn program:

Statement from President Philip E. Austin:

This is deeply disappointing to the UConn community. Let me be very clear, we will comply fully with the NCAA’s sanctions and work with great resolve to restore the luster to our men’s basketball program.

Statement from Director of Athletics Jeffrey A. Hathaway:

We have worked closely with the NCAA from the time we learned of the allegations.

When we submitted our response to the NCAA Committee on Infractions acknowledging violations in the men’s basketball program, we immediately self-imposed a series of penalties and corrective measures that are included as part of the NCAA Committee on Infractions report. We are disappointed that the Committee determined that additional penalties needed to be imposed.

We value the principles of the NCAA and fully recommit ourselves to running a program of impeccable integrity.

Statement from Head Basketball Coach Jim Calhoun:

I am very disappointed with the NCAA’s decision in this case. My lawyer and I are evaluating my options and will make a decision which way to proceed.

In the meantime, I will not make any further statements about the case as our program prepares for what I hope will be an exciting and successful postseason.

NCAA Decision to be Announced Today

The NCAA Committee on Infractions will discuss its decision regarding UConn's recruiting violations during a conference call today at 3 p.m.

The committee's chair, Dennis Thomas, the commissioner of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and formerly director of athletics at Hampton University, will be on the call.

Per ESPN's Andy Katz, coach Jim Calhoun will be cited for failing to create an atmosphere of complinace, but the school will not receive a postseason ban.

SIX is Special!!!

A HUGE congratulations to Alyssa Thomas, who today was named ACC Rookie of the Week . . . for the sixth time this season! With this week's well-deserved honor, super frosh Alyssa has now broken the Maryland school record for the most ever ACC Rookie of the Week honors.

To put this accomplishment in perspective: Crystal Langhorne and Marissa Coleman (two pretty darn good ballers in the BCs' opinion) shared the previous record . . . each was named ACC Rookie of the Week (just) five times. (Both went on to win the ACC's Rookie of the Year award, as did the Terps' current team leader, Lynetta Kizer.)

While Alyssa's latest Rookie of the Week accolade is hardly a surprise, it is still very special!

Congratulations, Alyssa!

Photo Credit: DC BasketCases

Some Tix Remain for Marquette

There are only 1,500 tickets remaining for UConn's bout with Marquette at the XL Center on Thursday at 7 p.m. Tickets are SOLD OUT for the game against Notre Dame on Saturday, March 5 in Gampel Pavilion at 2 p.m.

Fans can still purchase tickets for the game against Marquette through the UConn ticket website available through UConnhuskies.com. Be sure to order now as tickets will not last

It's a larger world after all...

You know America is getting fatter when "It's A Small World" ride at Disneyland has to close for 10 months so they can make the water channel deeper and the boats more buoyant because the average weight of Americans has increased since 1965, causing the current boats to bottom out and get stuck.

"The Imagineers who designed the unique flume ride system for the World's Fair assumed that adult men would average 175 pounds, and adult women would average 135 pounds. Needless to say, those 1960's statistics are hopelessly out of date in today's world. This same issue creates similar problems on the drops at Pirates of the Caribbean, or even on the older dark rides like Pinocchio or Alice In Wonderland as the more heavily loaded cars try to keep up their pace throughout the ride. But at it's a small world, the weight related problems happen more frequently."

"...added buoyancy of the new boats should allow for several hundred extra pounds of churro-loving park visitors to pile into the new boats before they bottom out and bring the ride to a stop."

"It's a small world may be the attraction everyone loves to make fun of, but its popularity has endured for almost 45 years...2,500 riders per hour to cycle through the 15 minute long attraction...35,000 or more people float through in one day."

Wish Upon a Star

The following is an excerpt from Richard Collier's "Wish Upon a Star: The Magical Kingdoms of Walt Disney."

In (the Spring of) 1955, a letter arrived on Walt's desk from a woman in Tennessee. She and her family were faithful watchers of Disney's weekly television show, on which Walt had recently been describing his plans for Disneyland. Like millions of other youngsters, her 11-year-old son voiced the hope that he could one day visit the park. But Disneyland would not open for some months, and the boy no longer had the time. He was the victim of leukemia. Was there some way, his mother asked, that his dream could come true.

Walt at once made the arrangements. On a Saturday morning, weeks before the official opening of the park, the family arrived. Main Street and the central plaza were still unpaved, the landscaping was still underway, and the ... train, which was to circle the area, was still in the shed unpainted. But Walt ordered the locomotive and coal car out anyway. The boy climbed in and Walt took the throttle.
For two full hours they rode the train, backing and switching along the completed portion of the track. At one point a member of Disney's staff saw the train halt far off on the skyline. Walt's left arm was tight around the child's shoulder, his right was gesturing into the distance. Across the underdeveloped acres, Walt's ideas were dancing like will-o'-the-wisps, as he talked of things unrealized on any drawing board -- Rainbow Caverns, Tom Sawyer's Island, the Haunted Mansion.
Walt had chosen to share these dreams with a child who could never see them come true. But those who had seen him act out every role in "Snow White" knew that the visions that he was sketching for the boy were just as vivid as the real things would ever be. This is how (Walt's) friends remember him, the dreamer, the spinner of enchantment, in whose heart and mind there always lived the magical world of childhood.

Isn't that a great story? I've often wondered why this particular tale hasn't turned up in any of the Walt biographies that have been published over the past 30+ years. But from what Van France once told me (He was supposedly there the day that Disney actually took this young boy out for that train ride) Walt gave some very specific instructions to those who were at the Disneyland worksite that Saturday: "No pictures. No publicity." 

I don't know why it is that I find that particular aspect of this story so appealing, so refreshing. I guess -- given that we live in a world where celebrities won't even show up for a charity event until they've been assured that there will be cameras there -- to have Walt insist that this should be a private moment, something that only this boy and his family would ever know about ... That (to me, anyway) says an awful lot about Walt Disney and his character.

Hard Rock Woes

Ever heard of Hard Rock Park? Probably not, which is why they filed for chapter 11. Hard Rock Park announced on its Web site that it is closed for the season "to allow management to focus on restructuring efforts." The announcement says the park will reopen in 2009. The closure will help the park reduce debt and ensure it can stay around. HRP filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which will allow the park to stay open and try to cut back on its debt.

To give you a little background, Hard Rock Park is branded just like the restaurant/hotel chain in terms of theme, except here it is executed on a 140 acre, $400 million dollar amusement park. The star attraction is the B&M sitdown looping coaster "Led Zeppelin: The Ride," a steel machine that is set to the music of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love". The park features six "rock environs" celebrating rock's culture, lifestyle, legends and irreverence. There's a dark ride called "The Trip" and the theme is, you guessed it, doing drugs and getting high. At an amusement park. Intended for families. Another notable ride is Maximum RPM, the first roller coaster to utilize a Ferris wheel type lift system and karaoke queue line.

Located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, the park opened its doors for the first time this past spring with high attendance expectations: 3 million projected the first year. That didn't happen. Not even close. Poor planing did this park in. The rides had surprising low capacity (not that that's mattered thus far). The lack of a proper water ride was a big mistake. They had a water play structure with a dumping bucket that you find at most water parks, which was a stupid choice to put into a dry rides park. And the ticket pricing was probably too high for what the park had to offer.

That is one of the major problems of this park. The pricing versus the perception. Visitors go expecting a bunch of kick-ass rides and leave disappointed and feeling ripped off. There are a few good rides but not a lot of them, and the park is definitely lacking attractions the entire family can enjoy together. HRP is an amusement park but it's focused on the whole "experience" and it's not just about "the rides." The question is how do you market that?

HRP must have had some amount of operating capital or they would've closed in June. I'm guessing the original game plan was that they hoped to make enough money to operate year-round, even if it was at a net-loss for the first few years. It would seem to me that marketing would be even more important than any one attraction, so I wonder why the plan didn't include one less big attraction and a boat load of cash to sell the park to the world. What probably really happened is that they spent way too much operating the park and made way too little, a bad combination of poor marketing and a perfect storm of economic suckage.

Many people compare Hard Rock's situation to that of the now defunct Wild West World in that a brand new amusement park that opened has financial difficulties right from the start and closes soon after. The major difference is Wild West World was some guy who decided to build an amusement park without a proper business plan. He mortgaged his house and hoped people would come to his park. At least Hard Rock Park has investors.

Hard Rock Park is not going anywhere anytime soon. They just need to make some changes in order to be a viable entertainment option in their market, but it could work if the right balance of price vs. product is reached (see Profit-maximizing blog for more). This park has a lot of potential, it's in a great location where families are already going for vacation, and I think there is too much invested for it to go away. I hope they'll get their act together next year.

Tenth Place, After All!

So the Big East coaches had it right all along: UConn is the 10th-place team in the Big East. At least that’s where the Huskies are right now. (Actually, they’re in a three-way tie for eighth, but if you check the Big East standings, they’re in the 10th position).


Just another example of how incredibly strong the conference is this season. Jim Calhoun made a great point the other night: the Huskies will almost certainly be a higher seed for the NCAA tournament (right now probably a four or five) than for the Big East tournament (right now, 10th).

As for my Top 25 this week … this was a tough one. It really was.

Who do I rank No. 1, after my (and seemingly everybody else’s) top four teams (Ohio State, Kansas, Pittsburgh, Texas) all lost over the prior seven days?

Can I actually keep Ohio State at the top after a loss, again, for a second straight week? Yeah, I could. But I won’t. There’s no great shame in losing on the road to E’waun Moore … er, Purdue, and the final score (76-63) didn’t necessarily indicate how close the game was. Nevertheless, a 13-point loss is a 13-point loss. Bye, bye Buckeyes.

Kansas? The Jayhawks looked pretty good blowing out Colorado on Saturday, but looked just as bad getting popped by a disappointing Kansas State team a few days earlier.
Texas? Sorry, I’m not as big on the Longhorns as a lot of people. They’ve got four losses, most recently on Saturday to Nebraska. I mean, come on … Nebraska? I know the Cornhuskers are a borderline bubble team, but … Nebraska? Who’s their center, Dave Rimington?


Can I vault San Diego State, Duke or BYU (my No.’s 5, 6 and 7, respectively) up to the top spot? I’m not prepared to rank San Diego State No. 1, despite the fact that they’re the nation’s lone one-loss team and No. 3 in the RPI. BYU, either.
Duke certainly gets some consideration. Duke, after all, is Duke. They’re on TV more often than ‘Leave it to Beaver’ re-runs. They’re 24-2. But … the ACC is pretty down this year. Not this week.

So that leaves a somewhat unconventional choice: Pittsburgh. Yeah, they lost to St. John’s on Saturday in the Garden but, lately, who doesn’t? Duke did. So did UConn, Georgetown and Notre Dame. The Johnnies are good, and they’re real tough at home. Still, if Dwight Hardy’s reverse layup with 1.2 seconds left goes in and out, the Panthers are 25-2, 13-1 in the Big East and probably atop of a lot of voters’ Top 25.

Oh, and Pitt has also beaten Texas this year.

Here’s my main rationale: Pitt is the best team in by far the best conference in America. That’s good enough for me. Not sure if many other voters will think the same way, so if you see in tomorrow’s AP rankings: 1. Pittsburgh (1) … yup, that’s me.

Elsewhere, I’ve righted a wrong and got Vanderbilt ranked this week. I’m always slow on warming to them, but the Commodores are worthy. I’ve booted out St. Mary’s and Coastal Carolina, which left one other spot open (along with Vandy). I narrowed it down to two: St. John’s and George Mason. Big East or UConn fans’ biggest nightmare?

I went with the Big East. Best conference in the land. (And don’t look now, but Cincinnati is knocking at the Top 25, too).

My top 25:

1. Pittsburgh (24-3)
2. Ohio State (25-2)
3. Kansas (25-2)
4. Duke (25-2)
5. San Diego State (27-1)
6. Texas (27-4)
7. Brigham Young (25-2)
8. Purdue (22-5)
9. Florida (21-5)
10. Georgetown (21-6)
11. Notre Dame (21-5)
12. Arizona (23-4)
13. Louisville (20-7)
14. Connecticut (20-6)
15. Wisconsin (20-6)
16. Missouri (21-6)
17. Villanova (21-6)
18. Kentucky (19-7)
19. Utah State (25-3)
20. Vanderbilt (20-6)
21. Texas A&M (21-5)
22. Syracuse (22-6)
23. North Carolina (22-6)
24. Temple (21-5)
25. St. John’s (17-9)
Opportunity Lost

Following Thursday's big win over the Blue Devils, Maryland arrived in Tallahassee with a very real opportunity to knock off its second top-of-the-conference team in the span of just 4 days. But today, somewhere between the first 5 minutes or so of the first half and the last 5 minutes or so of the second half, the Terps lost their way (as well as the opportunity), and fell to #12/15-ranked FSU, 72-66.

In the other 30 minutes (give or take some), Maryland was outplayed by the 'Noles. The Terps missed lay-ups, missed free throws, shot poorly from beyond the arc, turned the ball over at inopportune times, and got very little scoring help (only 7 points) from their usually reliable bench. Missed opportunities all over.

The Seminoles didn't earn a higher ranking, and they didn't win 9 of their 11 ACC contests before today, without being a very good and very talented team. No question that some of Maryland's missed chances have to be credited to the tough play of FSU. But for quite a few more of those missed chances, the Terps have only themselves to blame. They know, as do their fans who watched the game (in high-def) on ESPN2, that Maryland had a good opportunity to pull off the upset . . . but didn't.

For those readers who may not have seen today's game, here's a brief synopsis: Maryland raced out to an early lead, in part due to very poor shooting by FSU. The 'Noles took the lead with about 7-1/2 minutes left in the first half (22-24), led the Terps by 8 at the break (28-36), and then stretched their lead to 12 in the final period, before Maryland put on a charge in the late-going, closing the gap to as little as 4 points. But no closer . . . too little, too late.

Super frosh and workhorse Alyssa Thomas led all scorers in the losing effort, with a career-high 26 points (and played all but 1 minute of the game). Lynetta Kizer (battling the flu according to the ESPN announcers) played only 25 minutes, but still managed to notch another double-double, with 17 points and 10 boards.

Unfortunately, the other noteworthy stats help explain today's loss. The Terps, mediocre all season from the free throw line, were even worse than mediocre today, hitting only 45.8% (11 of 24), while FSU succeeded on 22 of 31 attempts from the charity stripe (71%). Maryland also turned the ball over 16 times, and made only 3 of 13 three-pointers (23.1%).

With only two games left in the regular season, Maryland missed a major opportunity today to move up in the conference standings, and possibly secure a bye in the first round of play at Greensboro. It may still be possible to get a bye (we confess that we haven't done the math), but it's certainly less probable after today's loss.

In any event, a win today would've given this young team real momentum heading into the final days of the regular season and then the ACC Tournament. But that opportunity was lost. They can restart their Mo by beating Virginia Tech at Comcast on Thursday at 7:30 PM (Senior-less night) before they hit the road for a rematch in Boston against the Eagles, who beat them at Comcast earlier this season.

Go Terps . . . Beat the Hokies!

Poem - I'm Sorry Dr. King

Poem - I'm Sorry Dr. King

Black History Month Tribute - Blaxpoitation Films

Black History Month Tribute - Blaxpoitation Films

Black History Month Tribute - Blaxpoitation Films

Black History Month Tribute - Blaxpoitation Films

Black History Month Tribute - Blaxpoitation Films

Black History Month Tribute - Blaxpoitation Films
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Most kids celebrate turning 3 with cake, ice cream, and some new toys. But if you're the twin sons of Maryland Head Coach Brenda Frese and her husband, Mark Thomas, and today is your 3rd birthday -- and Mom's team is playing Duke -- well, there's another present you'd like as well (the very same one the Terps gave you and your Mom on the day you were born) . . . a win over the Blue Devils. And the Maryland team did not disappoint Markus and Tyler (or their Mom) today on the twins' birthday, delivering not only a win over Duke at Comcast tonight, but a crushing victory, 69-47. Happy Birthday indeed!!

In the first few minutes of the game, a blowout by the Terps was the furthest thing from our minds, as Maryland quickly fell behind, 0-7. But tough defense enabled the Terps to gradually claw their way back from that inauspicious start. In a low-scoring first half, Maryland managed to take an 8-point lead into the locker room at the break, 27-19.

As the final period got underway, the Terps built on that lead, stretching their margin to 12. However, a Duke run closed the gap to a single point. But that's as close as the Devils got. With the score at 39-38, Maryland dug in, went on a tear, and simply ran away with the game. To say that the more than 10,000 fans on hand (minus a smattering of Dukies) were thrilled, excited and enjoying themselves . . . would be an understatement.

Maryland's deep bench was a huge factor tonight. No Maryland starter played more than 27 minutes, while four of Duke's starters played between 32 and 36 minutes. The Terps' starters got more rest, thanks to Maryland's outstanding reserves, and it showed in the starters' performances. Playing only 27 minutes, Lynetta Kizer led all scorers with 17 points, and nabbed 9 rebounds and 3 steals (with no turnovers). Super frosh Alyssa Thomas outscored each of the two Duke Thomases, including Duke senior star Jasmine Thomas. In 26 minutes, Alyssa had yet another double-double, 15 points and 10 rebounds. (Jasmine Thomas led her team with 12 points in 34 minutes.) Ti-Hawk rounded out the Terps' double-digit scoring, with 10. And although she finished with only 2 points, Dara Taylor, off the bench, in 13 minutes of playing time, did a stellar job of harassing Duke's Jasmine Thomas on defense, while also taking care of the basketball on offense (zero TOs!). As is usually the case when Maryland records a big win, the key to the victory was a total team effort by the Terps' talented, athletic, and deep line-up.

Any time you knock off the #1 team in your conference (ranked #7 in the nation!), and you do it in front of a huge turnout of home fans, and you hold that team to fewer than 50 points, and that team just happens to be Duke . . . well, it just feels like your birthday, New Year's, and the 4th of July all rolled into one! So Happy Birthday . . . we definitely enjoyed tonight's fireworks! Way to go, Terps!

Photo Credit: DC BasketCases

Kemba's Best? I Think So

Kemba Walker has had some remarkable performances this season.

He scored 42 points against Vermont. He averaged 30 a game in three wins in Maui over Wichita State, Michigan State and Kentucky. He had a triple-double against UMBC. He scored 31 against DePaul, 30 against New Hampshire, 22 with seven assists on Sunday against Providence. He's hit huge, game-winning shots against Texas and Villanova.

But I think Wednesday's effort against Georgetown -- 31 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds, one remarkable drive to the hole after another, one of the wildest plays you'll ever see in a game -- tops them all.

Granted, I wasn't at Maui, or Texas, or DePaul. But watching Walker almost singlehandedly take over Wednesday's game, scoring on fallaways, reverse layups, scoop shots and that incredible putback of his own (purposely) missed shot was something to behold.

And like the Providence game, he was efficient. Granted, he took 23 shots, but he hit 13 of them. He also doled out those 10 assists -- most of them to Jamal Coombs-McDaniel (more on him later). Walker really didn't force anything, just took what the Hoyas gave him and found his teammates when nothing was there.

Jim Calhoun was asked afterwards if this was Walker's best game of the season, given the level of competition, the importance of the game, the all-around stat line, etc.

Calhoun paused.

"He did some things in Maui I haven't seen before," he finally said. "I'm sure it was fun to watch. It was fun to coach, I know that."

It was also Walker's best game in a season full of great ones.

Here's my game story: http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2011/02/16/sports/doc4d5c82fdabc1b246262766.txt

'A Great Play by a Great Player'


First off, let's talk about 'The Play' -- the one you'll be seeing on highlight shows for years to come.

Of all of Kemba Walker's 31 points on Wednesday night -- of all the remarkable drives to the hoop for scoop shots and reverse layups, sprinkled in with the occasional fallaway 'J' -- none were more remarkable than the two he scored on a play he apparently perfected on the playgrounds of the Bronx but never had the guts to attempt in a real game.

Just over three minutes into the latter half, Walker, guarded tightly by Georgetown's Henry Sims up near the top of the key, and with the shot clock winding down, leapt forward, threw the ball off the backboard, caught it in mid-air and sank a six-footer.

Jim Calhoun said he may not have ever seen such a play before, though he thought he recalled a West Virginia player trying it -- and missing -- many years ago.

Personally, I think I recall Isiah Thomas do something similar a long time ago. If memory serves me correct, Isiah -- the former Piston, not the current Washington Husky -- threw a ball off the backboard from about 12 feet out and either dunked it or laid it in. It was more for show than anything else.

Walker's, however, was more impressive, considering its importance (in the midst of a 9-0 UConn run in which they'd regain the lead) and the distance from where he tossed the ball up.

"I thought he was throwing it too hard," said Jamal Coombs-McDaniel. "I had no idea what he was doing. It was a great play by a great player. He's playing out of his mind right now. When he's playing like that, we're tough to beat."

Here's what Kemba had to say about it:

"I had an 'iso' with Sims. I stepped back, it was just me and the rim. I just threw it off the backboard and got it back on the way down."

"He was on my side, and it was just me and the basket. That was the only play he gave me."

"I did it a lot in pick-up, never had the courage to do it in a game. But it was there. I'm just happy I made it …"

"It was the only play available. At the time, there was nobody in the middle, everybody was on the outside of the paint, he was on my side and that's what I saw."

Not solely because of that play but because of his tremendous all-around game -- 31 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds -- as well as his terrific effort a few days earlier in a win over Providence, Walker is right back in the player of the year debate.

As in national player of the year, not just Big East.

"I keep hearing, 'Well, he couldn't be the Big East player of the year,'" Calhoun said. "No, you're probably right. He might be the national player of the year."

He might be. And while I've never really heard anyone suggest Walker couldn't be the conference player of the year, there's no doubt guys like Notre Dame's Ben Hansborough and G'town's Austin Freeman had entered the conversation in recent weeks.

Right now, I'm not sure how Walker couldn't win that award. And he's right on Jimmer's and Sullinger's heels again for national POY, IMO.

Hot Ticket

There are less than 500 tickets remaining for tonight’s game vs. Georgetown at the XL Center.

Fans can purchase tickets online at UConnHuskies.com until 3 p.m. today. Any tickets purchased online will be available for pickup this evening at XL Center.

Also --- tickets are also on sale at the XL Center box office, which opens at noon today and will remain open through tip-off.

He Can't, Can't, Can't Stand Losin'


My story in today's Register points out Jim Calhoun's absolute hatred of losing, how it rubs off on his players (usually) and often wills his team to victories, and asks if there is another sports figure who hates losing more than him.

Is there? I'm not sure. Tiger Woods comes to mind. He was as petulant as anyone when he didn't win a tournament, often blowing off the media or throwing his clubs around. Now, however, he's almost become a clown. Spitting on the green? Really?

Bob Knight? Ever hear that secretely taped, volcanic rant he gave to one of his Indiana teams about how was sick and tired of having to lose to Purdue? If you listen to it, it kinda proves it was really all about him.

Michael Jordan? Didn't have much practice losing (6-0 in NBA finals). Derek Jeter, Tom Brady -- they're in the running. But I'd argue none takes losing any worse than Calhoun.

Amusement Authority Android App Suggestions

I'm currently learning how to write apps for Android phones. However, I need a goal to work towards. I was wondering if any readers had any ideas or suggestions for an Amusement Authority phone app (or any other related apps). I'm trying to think of something somewhat simple to start off with but could be added onto later or inspire new ideas. Disney stuff has been well covered so I want to stay clear of that. I think the ideal model is the have a basic version which is free to download but more advanced users could then download a "pro" version for a small fee. What do you think? Any suggestions? Please comment below!

Also, how many Android user vs. iPhone users are out that which use this site?

Status Quo


It was pretty easy for me to choose this week's Top 25, with the exception of one pesky little position: No. 1.

Otherwise, it seemed pretty clear-cut: kick out Minnesota, welcome in St. Mary's (briefly even consider St. John's) and, voila, there you have it.

But it was very tricky picking this week's No. 1, given Ohio State's loss at Wisconsin on Saturday. Here was my quandary:

For one, I always make my rankings off of my previous week's poll, not the actual AP poll itself. The two are often similar, but there are usually a few significant variances. With that in mind, my top four last week were: 1. Ohio State, 2. Kansas, 3. Pittsburgh, 4. Texas.

The Buckeyes, of course, lost, while the three teams behind them each won twice. Since I almost always penalize a team at least a spot or two for losing, this was easy, right? Leapfrog Kansas to No. 1, drop OSU to No. 2 and keep Pittsburgh and Kansas in their respective spots.

But then I would have Kansas at No. 1 and Texas at No. 4, even though the Longhorns beat the Jayhawks in Allen Fieldhouse a few weeks ago, snapping Kansas's 69-game home winning streak. While you can't always use such logic (UConn, after all, beat Texas in Austin), is it fair to have the Jayhawks three spots ahead of Texas?

OK, easy solution: move Texas to No. 3, drop Pitt to No. 4. But how can I drop the Panthers, who beat two top 25 teams (West Virginia and Villanova, on the road) last week? Pitt is far and away the best team in the best conference in the nation. At 23-2 overall, you can make a strong argument they should be No. 2 or even No. 1. Nah, not dropping them.

And so, I decided to keep the status quo. Ohio State remains my No. 1. A loss at Wisconsin (whom I've got at No. 10 this week) is nothing to sneeze at. Not at all. The Buckeyes may have squandered a 15-point lead in the game, but they were still in it until the final seconds. In Jared Sullinger, they may have the national player of the year. Their starting five is probably the most complete in the country. They are still probably the best team in the country, in my opinion. So, they're my No. 1.

And my top four (in fact, my top seven) remains the same. Texas may be playing as well as anyone right now, but it does have three losses. (Plus, as a former PC fan, I'm never bullish on a Rick Barnes-coached team come tourney time).

I dropped UConn from No. 8 to No. 12. That's what an ugly loss at St. John's (which, like I said, did merit top 25 consideration) will do. Here's my Top 25, submitted late last night:

1. Ohio State (24-1)
2. Kansas (24-2)
3. Pittsburgh (23-2)
4. Texas (22-3)
5. San Diego State (25-1)
6. Duke (23-2)
7. BYU (23-2)
8. Georgetown (20-5)
9. Notre Dame (21-4)
10. Wisconsin (19-5)
11. Florida (20-5)
12. UConn (19-5)
13. Purdue (20-5)
14. Arizona (20-4)
15. Missouri (19-6)
16. Louisville (19-6)
17. Villanova (19-6)
18. Kentucky (17-7)
19. Utah State (23-3)
20. Texas A&M (19-5)
21. Syracuse (20-6)
22. North Carolina (18-6)
23. Temple (19-5)
24. St. Mary's (22-4)
25. Coastal Carolina (24-2)

Coombs-McDaniel's 'Stormy' Night


There's one play, in my mind, that best summarizes UConn's 75-57 romp over PC on Sunday night.

With 4:41 left the Friars still in it (trailing 63-55), Kemba Walker got the ball near the top of the key with the shot clock running down. He took a couple of dribbles and seemed primed to hurl up a 3-pointer.

Walker leapt in the air like he was taking a jumper, but instead fired a bullet down low to a wide-open Jamal Coombs-McDaniel, who it a reverse layup with about a second left on the shot clock. That kicked off a 12-0 Husky run that shut the door and gave them the victory.

It also represented everything that was right for the Huskies on Sunday. Walker, rather than forcing up a tough shot, distributed the ball beautifully. He did it all night, racking up seven assists while taking just 10 shots -- a season-low. He hit seven of them (including a trio of 3-pointers), to snap out of a seven-game shooting slump (during which he was 38-for-123, 31 percent overall).

And, of course, Coombs-McDaniel had by far his best night as a Husky, with career highs in points (25), rebounds (eight), minutes (31), praises from Jim Calhoun (who labeled his relationship with the player as "stormy") and postgame questions from the media.

"I'd love to ask him, 'Do you think, in the midst of playing six minutes, say, in Hawaii, did you really think you'd come here and score 25 in a game?'" Calhoun said. "He'd say yes, by the way. His ego would say. But I really wondered that. And yet, in the last couple of games, the one thing he does is comes in and plays hard."

Has Calhoun seen frustration from Coombs-McDaniel?

"I did last year. I don't think I saw frustration. The thing he is, he's probably 15, 20 pounds heavier, worked like crazy on weights. Roscoe (Smith) comes in, Niels (Giffey) was great, and then he kind of got stuck. When you win 11, 12 games in a row and you're 17-2, you're not going to make too many changes. But during his struggle, every time we put him in, he gives us a spark. He did that against Seton Hall, as a matter of fact."

Said Coombs: "It's definitely been tough, but I'm just trying to stick with it. Last year, I would sulk and stuff, and that's not doing me any good. I'm just trying to continue to play hard, get better and earn some minutes on the court."

Fittingly, that 12-0 UConn run was also capped by a pass from Walker out on the perimeter to Coombs-McDaniel, who buried a 3-pointer.

Charles Okwandu (six points, career-high 11 rebounds, four loud blocks) played terrific, and Donnell Beverly (five assists) was as steady as ever. But this game was all about Kemba Walker getting back to being Kemba Walker and Jamal Coombs-McDaniel (who'll be in the starting lineup Wednesday against Georgetown) having a breakout game.
It's Bad Enough that the Terps lost -- at home -- today to the Cavaliers, 60-57. But it's also bad that this was a game they could've won, and even worse, it was definitely a game they couldn't afford to lose. Bad.

Maryland is now on a two-game losing streak and faces the daunting (but do-able) task of trying to get back on track against league-leading Duke on Thursday (7:30 PM at Comcast).

On top of everything else, this afternoon's match wasn't a particularly fun game to watch. Lots of bad play by both teams early on. In the first 3 minutes of the game, the two teams combined for 3 points. About 9 minutes into the game, the bad news was that the Terps had only scored 5 points; the good news was that Virginia only had 8 points. The first period ended with the Cavs up, 25-23. Bad.

The final period had a little more scoring, but's that's about the only good thing we can say. Maryland nursed a slim lead for most of the 2nd half, but couldn't manage to close the game out. In the end, the Cavs came back, hung on to a 1-possession margin, and dropped the Terps to 6-4 in ACC play. Bad.

Of course, as long as we're handing out Bad-day awards, the BCs want to give a shout-out to today's refs. We were particularly impressed with how Lynetta, for example, could get bumped, hacked and/or pushed on average about 3 times whenever she got the ball on the low block and the officials would wait until the 3rd time she was hit to blow their whistles . . . and then they'd call her for traveling. Bad.

As fans from our section were filing out, nobody was smiling. They were mumbling things like, "that was really bad." Can't say we disagree. If our section was a representative sample of the 9,300-plus fans at Comcast today, then there were lots of bad moods in lots of cars on the drive home.

Oh well, today's game is now history. Funny thing about the past . . . you can't change it. So don't waste time trying. What you can do is learn from it. We have no doubt that the Maryland players and coaches will be learning everything they possibly can from these last two losses, so hopefully they can return to their winning ways on Thursday. And if they do that -- beat the Blue Devils --we guarantee there will be thousands and thousands of Maryland fans heading home that night in a very good mood.

Go Terps . . . Beat the Blue Devils!

Coleman Out

PC guard Gerard Coleman will not play tonight against UConn due to his "failure to fulfill his responsibilities as a student-athlete." Alex Oriakhi, Coleman's teammate at Tilton (N.H.) School, said yesterday he was told Coleman may have fallen asleep during a class.
Better Late Than Never

These days, when sports teams win championships, there's always lots of hoopla and celebration, and usually some serious bling involved. But what championship teams take for granted today, wasn't always so.

Back in 1978, Maryland's Basketball Team had the great honor of winning the first ever ACC Women's Basketball Championship. But honor (and a place in history) was, in fact, all that they received -- no bling. To be more specific: no rings.

As the years went by and members of that history-making team cheered on newer champions --players who were honored with t-shirts, hats, banners and rings -- not having a ring of their own, well, it rankled. So a few years ago, '78 team member Liz Abood decided to do something about it. And thanks to her efforts, which you can read about here, this decades-long slight will be rectified tomorrow, Sunday, at Comcast Center, when the 1978 players will -- finally -- receive their long overdue ACC Championship rings during halftime of the Terps' game against Virginia.

After only 33 years, these champions will finally get their bling! Wow . . . this just has to be one of the BEST halftimes EVER!

Congratulations (again) to the '78 Terps! We hope their presence on the court tomorrow will be an inspiration to this year's team. What better reminder of the great tradition that is Maryland Basketball.
* * * * * * *
Don't miss . . . a nice article by Gene Wang in Sunday's Washington Post about Lynetta Kizer, here.

All Apologies


It was a surprisingly contrite Jim Calhoun at practice this morning.

Calhoun apologized to his team for the technical foul he incurred at the end of the first half in Thursday night's loss to St. John's. (He had apparently done so at halftime on Thursday as well, per Shabazz Napier).

"I apologize for the two points on the technical foul, but what happened, happened," he said.

He also thanked them for their hard work and told them he appreciated the fact that, the more he gets on them, the more they seem to respond.

"This has been a fun year," Calhoun told reporters afterwards. "It was a fun year when we were 17-2, it's a fun year at 18-5. I don't like losing, no, but there are more important things in life."

Still, it's hard to imagine Calhoun would be in a "fun" mood if the 10th-ranked Huskies were to lose to Providence tomorrow night. UConn (18-5, 6-5 Big East) has dropped three of its last four, with tough games against No. 11 Georgetown and No. 16 Louisville immediately on the horizon this week.

While Providence has defeated both Louisville and No. 9 Villanova this season, it is still just 3-8 in the Big East and hasn't won a road game in over a year (12 games, dating back to an early-January win at DePaul last season. Does that even count?).

The Friars also look like they'll be without talented freshman guard Gerard Coleman, who averages 10.4 points per game. According to Fox Sports' Jeff Goodman, Coleman may miss tonight's game and, possibly, the rest of the season for academic reasons.

(UConn's Alex Oriakhi, a high school teammate of Coleman's at the Tilton School, said Coleman told him he'd be a "game-time decision" in a text message. He said Coleman told him he had fallen asleep in class).

Either way, PC always seems to give UConn trouble in recent years, winning four of the last five meetings, including an 81-66 whitewash last season at the Dunkin' Donuts Center. That game was quite similar to the Huskies' 89-72 loss to the Johnnies Thursday night at the Garden: a close game at halftime (PC led, 36-35), followed by a second half of blistering shooting (49 percent) and high-energy play by the Friars.

Of course, Calhoun wasn't on the sideline for that one, in the midst of a seven-game medical leave. George Blaney coached that game.

PC is led by Marshon Brooks, a smooth senior guard who never met a shot he didn't like and leads the Big East and is fifth in the nation in scoring at 23.2 points per game.

"He's just an amazing scorer," Oriakhi said. "He does everything for that team, really. If we get a lot of help on him, especially when he gets to the hole, try not to have him see any open looks, it's going to be really tough for them, because he really does everything for that team."

Added Napier: "He lets it fly, no matter what. He has to. He's kind of like a Kemba Walker on their team. I don't think he's as good as Kemba Walker. You can stop him, Kemba Walker you can't stop. Kemba Walker has to stop himself … Marshon's a great player, but I think if Kemba gets it going, it's a whole lot of trouble for the other team."

Calhoun said he's not overly concerned with stopping Brooks, noting that he didn't expect St. John's Dwight Hardy to score 33 in a game as he did in Thursday night's win over the Huskies.

"Obviously, Brooks is a tough match-up," Calhoun said, "but they're a tough match-up. They're a very good team. In a lot of leagues, they'd probably be close to a shoo-in for the NCAA tournament."

Who guards Brooks? Most likely Roscoe Smith, with maybe a little Jeremy Lamb and Kemba Walker sprinkled in. Oriakhi thought Walker might start on him, but at 6-1, he's giving at least four inches away to Brooks.

I'd expect Roscoe to do the honors.

***UConn's ever-revolving starting lineup will welcome back Charles Okwandu tomorrow night. The 7-foot senior didn't start against St. John's but had "two sensational practices" this week, according to Calhoun.

*** Although Coleman apparently may not play, Oriakhi is particularly looking forward to tonight's game.

"We've been talking about this game since high school," he said. "We've been talking a lot of trash. This is definitely a personal game for me. I circled it on the schedule. This is the biggest one of the year for me."

*** Napier on getting through shooting struggles: "You've got to have a shooter's memory. If you miss 10 shots, you've got to believe you're goiong to make the next 10 shots. Not every shot's going to go in, it's human error. You've just got to go out there, shoot the shot the same way every time, same rotation off your fingertips, and hopefully it goes in. Once it leaves your hand, you can't do anything about it."

*** Why is tonight's game at 7 p.m on a Sunday? Apparently, it has to do with the UConn men's and women's hockey games at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., respectively, today at Rentschler Field.

Yeah, because I'm sure thousands of fans wouldn't want to miss a women's hockey game just to see the Huskies play.

Walker Still in the Running?


Kemba Walker is on the 2010-11 Naismith List of the top 30 men's college basketball players in the nation. No surprise there, though in the past few weeks, Walker has gone from the national player of the year frontrunner to barely still in the conversation.

Obviously, he still has time to pick things up, and it says here that he will. Great players find a way to work it out. We've already delved into the "what's wrong with Kemba" thing, so we're not going to spend too much time on that again. The one alarming thing lately, though, has been Walker's woes at the foul line.

Over his last six games, Walker is shooting 55 percent (17-for-31) from the charity stripe. In his last three games, he's hitting just 40 percent (6-for-15). And he's missing some big ones, too (like those three in a row late in the game against Seton Hall).

So what's going on?

"I don't know what's going on at the free throw line," Walker said on Thursday night. "I think I'm thinking a little bit too much, because I have been missing lately. I think I'm just over-thinking it. I'm just going to keep working on it."

It's worth noting that Walker didn't look like a defeated man after Thursday's game. Rather, he was surprisingly positive and upbeat about both himself and his team -- as if he realized that both would straighten out of their recent respective ruts.

Would you bet against him?
A Tale of Two Cities Halves

Maryland's 7-game win streak came to an end tonight in Miami, 83-75. The Hurricanes, who haven't lost at home all season, still haven't. And the Terps, who entered the game tied for 4th in the ACC, now head back to College Park tied with Georgia Tech for 5th. In other words, not a good day for Maryland.

But "not a good day" doesn't even begin to describe the Terps' performance (or lack thereof) in the first half of tonight's match-up. In the first 20 minutes, Maryland committed 20 turnovers (no that's not a typo) . . . one turnover per minute. And those 20 TOs led to 20 points for Miami. 20 TOs in an entire game generally makes for a bad outing. But 20 in a single half? (Holy hurricane, Batman, it's a Category 5!) It was so bad that, according to GameTracker, redshirt freshman Whitney Bays was even credited with a TO! The 'Canes took 38 shots in the first 20 minutes; Maryland (by virtue of giving the ball away) took a measly 22. Half-time score, 45-31 in favor of Miami.

Miami has a great backcourt; let's give credit where credit is due. But forcing 20 turnovers great? A 38-22 shot advantage great? We didn't see it; we followed the little figures on GameTracker. So how much was great backcourt play by Miami and how much was Maryland mistakes? Hard to say.

But what we can say is that a very different Maryland team emerged from the locker room after the break. The same team that coughed up the ball 20 times in the first half only gave it away a stingy 3 times in the final 20 minutes. The Terps who took only 22 shots in the first period took 35 in the second (hitting 57%), while only allowing the 'Canes 27 tries (with only a 40% success rate).

Maryland's second half effort was remarkable. The Terps battled back to close that 14-point 1st period deficit to just 2 points within the final few minutes of the game. But, in the end, the hole the Terps found themselves in at halftime was just too deep. For once, there were no miraculous final minute heroics. No last second salvation for Maryland. Just an "L" in the win/loss column.

As for individual performances, five Terps put up double-figures in tonight's losing effort, including ACC Player of the Week Lynetta Kizer, who had a double-double (15 points and 11 boards), and Ti-Hawk, who also had a double-double (12 points, 10 boards). Kimmie (11), Anjale and Alyssa (each with 10) also finished in double figures. We're sure they'd all rather have had a win than any individual stat highlights.

With just a few weeks left now in the regular season, the Terps return home to College Park, where they will face a (tougher-than-their-record) Virginia team on Sunday at 2 PM. Let's hope this is the start of a new Maryland win streak. The Terps cannot afford to lose to the Cavs if they have any hope of getting a bye in the first round of next month's ACC Tournament.

Go Terps . . . Beat the 'Cavs!

St. John's Wart

That was ugly.

Not much positive to this one if you're a UConn fan. Jim Calhoun said this was over at the opening tap, though that's not really true. The Huskies led 31-29 after Jamal Coombs-McDaniels' 3-pointer 54 seconds before halftime.

Then, it all fell apart.

Dwight Hardy hit a 3-pointer (a familiar refrain for the evening). Roscoe Smith turned the ball over. Malik Boothe Kemba Walkered the Huskies, banking in a 37-footer at the buzzer.

Calhoun thought Boothe had traveled on the play and ... um ... expressed as much to referee Mike Eades. He got hit with his first technical of the season.

"I do think four steps is a bit much," Calhoun said afterwards. "I'll take three, but the fourth step got me."

Boothe opened the latter half with the two freebies, St. John's scored on its first possession. Instead of a chance to take the lead in the final seconds of the first halff, UConn suddenly trailed by eight 25 seconds into the latter.

Then, the Johnnies decided not to miss: 12 of their 14 to start the second half, 17-for-24 total (71 percent) over the final 20 minutes. All 16 of their free throws.

The chain of events surrounding halftime surely hurt the Huskies and pumped up the Johnnies, right Coach Calhoun?

"Then we should have lost by 15," he said, regarding his 'T.' "They would have had possession (to start the second half anyway)."

Some of UConn's players clearly thought the sequence was the game-changer, however.

"Malik hit a big shot at the buzzer, that gave them a lot of momentum," said Walker. "They had the tech, more momentum. From there, they kept rolling. They couldn't miss. But, it's alright. We're just going to try to get better and learn from this experience."

Added Jeremy Lamb: "(Boothe) hit almost a halfcourt shot, and then Coach got a technical foul so I think they were really excited, it boosted them. But there's still no reason for how we played."

True enough. When asked what bothered Calhoun the most about his team's performance, he said: "Every aspect that you can possibly name: from the foul shooting, to no defense, to rebounding, to not running, to getting run on …"

Hardy scored a career-high 33 points and became the first Johnnie to score 30 in consecutive games since Marcus Hatten in 2003.

*** UConn shot 37-percent from the floor – thanks in great part to a bunch of baskets in garbage time. Worse, the Huskies hit just 13 of 22 free throws. They were outrebounded 43-33, outscored on the fast break by a resounding 27-2 and inside the paint 40-18.

Walker struggled shooting yet again: 4-for-16 from the floor, 3-for-6 from the foul line for 15 points. Lamb lied down on Broadway, hitting some shots late but wound up hitting just 5 of 16 from the floor for 13 points.

Young Lamb


Lotta talk today about Jeremy Lamb's emergence as a Big East Rookie of the Year candidate, and deservely so.

Lamb has arguably been UConn's best player overall (yup, even better than Kemba) over the past few weeks. He's averaged 17.1 points in his last six games, shooting 57 percent from the floor in that span and upping his Big East average to 12.7 ppg. He's been the league's Rookie of the Week the past two weeks.

So it's hard to argue he's not right in the running for the league's top rookie award. Right now, he's got to be neck-and-neck with DePaul's Cleveland Melvin as the favorite. Melvin (a one-time UConn commit) has the better numbers, averaging 18.2 per game in Big East play, sixth overall in the conference. Melvin's also eighth overall in rebounding (6.7) and ninth in blocked shots (1.45).

Impressive stuff, no doubt. But it's important to note that he's doing it for a team that's 0-11 in league play. On a young, terrible team, Melvin is the focal point of the offense -- and while certainly making the most of the opportunity, it would be interesting to see what kind of numbers Melvin and Lamb would put up if they switched teams.

I'll agree with the opinion of Jim Calhoun, who never mentioned Melvin by name but clearly had him on his mind.

"(Lamb's) team has to win every night, his team is in the top 10. Every game he plays, there’s a great deal of pressure on him ... I give a lot more credit to winning than I do to anything else."

In other words, scoring 14 points in a win over Villanova or 10 in a key, comeback win over Seton Hall holds more merit than tossing in 24 in another double-digit loss. Kinda like debating whether Felix Hernandez of the last-place Mariners or CC Sabathia of the first-place Yankees should win the Cy Young award (of course, King Felix wound up winning that award in a big victory for the sabermetrics crowd).

For his part, the soft-spoken, unassuming Lamb isn't focusing too much on any potential individual honors.

“I haven’t really thought about it," he said. "Of course that would be a big accomplishment, but I haven’t really thought about it. I’ve just been trying to stay focused on what we’re doing right now.”

Lamb said that entering the season, “I wanted to average double-digit points. That was probably the only thing. I just wanted to come in, get stronger, and really just see if I could play on this level.”

He added that his improved play of late really just boils down to being more confident.

"You can have all the experience in the world, but if you don’t have confidence, you’re not going to do stuff you know you can do," he said. "My teammates, Coach Calhoun, have been telling me, ‘You can do this, you can do that.’ My dad talked to me. It’s confidence level."

Noted Kemba Walker: “He’s just more aggressive. He just knows how to score now. He knows how to pick his spots, where his hot spots are. He’s just really finding out how to put the ball in the hole.”