SPORTS
- Inside the Huddle
- Cross country intends to keep legacy intact without key players Ryan Clarke
- Alumni play in soccer challenge Kaelena Incinelli
- Osprey volleyball comes up short in first tournament Lori Bero
- Steps to growing a Division 1 basketball team Brett Morgan
Inside the Huddle
 Brett Morgan Assistant Sports Editor |
 Ace Stryker Copy Editor |
 Matt Coleman Editor in Chief |
 Jacque Strappe Baguette Fencing Aficionado |
| Question 1: What are your expectations for the Jacksonville Jaguars this season? | |||
| They'll make the playoffs and contend for the division. They have a strong roster. If the Jaguars were in the NFC, those expectations would have already been met. | I heard the population in the wild has been in decline recently due to deforestation and other threats, but I expect conservationists to make this a good year for them. | Leftwich will flop, Garrard will start as quarterback, injuries will hamper the defense and the offense will struggle. At least the concession stands will sell a lot of beer. | My expectations are that a bunch of overweight ruffians will slap hams for five seconds, take a minute break and repeat this process at length for 60 minutes. |
| Question 2: Did Florida State University offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher make the right decision by naming incumbent Drew Weatherford the starting quarterback for the season opener? | |||
| It doesn't matter. Both quarterbacks will play. Weatherford has better command of offense, but Xavier Lee's unique skill set will get him on the field. | Wait a minute - "Jimbo"? Let's fix THAT mistake before we worry about any subsequent decisions. | His mother made the wrong decision when she named him Jimbo. | Anyone named Jimbo is incapable of making an intelligent decision. |
| Question 3: The U.S. men's Olympic basketball team is now blowing through the FIBA Americas Championship. After poor recent performances in Olympic basketball, is this the team that returns the U.S. to international dominance? | |||
| Yes. Jerry Colangelo's insistence on a three-year commitment and competing for roster spots has been great. They even have Kobe defending and sharing the ball. | The United States never lost international dominance. We just tend to wither when it comes to international sports. | They have to balance out their egos to perform against tough foreign competition. They are going to need five different basketballs to keep Kobe and all satisfied. | Is international dominance all you American's think about? |
| Question 4: The NFL season kicks off Sept. 6, which also marks the start of Fantasy Football. Who is your fantasy sleeper for this season? | |||
| First off, I'm way too cool to play fantasy football. But if I were in three different leagues, I would look out for Adrian Peterson. | The giant, but I hear he's due to wake up any day now. | Fantasy sports is as interesting to me as statistics class, so I'll be sleeping through the season. From a novice perspective, I'd take LaDainian Tomlinson. | My fantasy sleeper is Gerard Depardue, or Fabio. |
Cross country intends to keep legacy intact without key players
High pre-season rankings put pressure on athletes to take the lead
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In the 17 years Mark VanAlstyne has been the head coach of the University of North Florida cross-country team, he has produced 12 All-Americans and secured a legacy of success in the records of UNF Florida Athletics.
Now, as the 2007 season prepares to get underway, the Osprey alumnus is ready to meet the challenge of maintaining that success. With a women's team that finished second and a men's team that finished fifth a year ago, he knows success is attainable.
Both teams are predicted to repeat their success from last season. The Atlantic Sun preseason poll placed the women's team second, 17 votes behind first-place Belmont University and four votes ahead of third-place rival Kennesaw State University. The Ospreys earned one of 12 possible first-place votes drawn from the head coaches of the 12 Atlantic Sun teams.
The men were voted fifth, just eight votes behind Gardner-Webb University and six votes ahead of Campbell University.
The level of expectations pressed upon the shoulders of these teams is just one of the concerns that VanAlstyne has to deal with this year. The women Ospreys
return to the track this season absent their leading runner from a year ago, Sarah Coghlan, who placed no lower than eighth in any event last year and led the team with a pair of victories. The senior finished her
career with a third place finish in the Conference Championships and as an All-Conference performer.
To find Coghlan's replacement, VanAlstyne will be counting on one of his runners to assume the leadership role Coghlan served a year ago.
"In order for us to be successful, we are going to need several of our women to step up and fill the hole that has been created," VanAlstyne said.
Statistically, the choice for that leadership role is senior Amanda Davey, who finished outside the top 15 in just one event last year, recorded a pair of top-three finishes and placed right behind Coghlan in the A-Sun championships, turning in a fourth-place effort.
Other competitors for this role include senior Golden Creavy, who finished 16th in the A-Sun Championship and 6th at the Jacksonville University Short Course Duals, and sophomore Hillary Adams, who finished 19th at the A-Sun Championships and 4th at the JU Duals.
The men will be faced with a similar test, as their biggest asset from 2006 will not be present when the team takes to the course for their first meet. Fredrick Johansson, a would-be sophomore, left the team in the off-season to return to his home in Sweden and continue his running career and education closer to home. VanAlstyne knows the men are in need of a leader.
"Somebody has to step up, take control and decide that they are going to be the leader," VanAlstyne said.
Look for seniors Dane Simmons, Nathan Holden and Marvin Moore to battle for the leadership position - but the race, according to the coach, is wide open.
The cross-country season begins Aug. 31 at the Jacksonville University short Course Duals, where the Ospreys will look to duplicate their success from last season, when both teams brought home victories from the
season opener.
Contact Ryan Clarke at sports@unfspinnaker.com -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE
Alumni play in soccer challenge
Youth triumphed over experience in the men's soccer alumni game Aug. 26.
The Osprey student team faced a team compiled of University of North Florida alumni and proved, with a 6-1 victory, they're the best athletes for the job - for now.
"Everyone seems so small on this year's team, maybe because I'm getting bigger," Eric Arbuzow, 2005 UNF graduate, said about this year's team. "They have a much deeper bench than we had. I think they will be good this season."
The young Ospreys used their endurance in the second half of play to create a 4-0 lead over the alumni.
The alumni shot off a quick goal after referees called a blocking penalty in the goal box and registered their one score of the game.
The soccer team quickly retaliated with their fifth and sixth goals, finishing the game at 6-1.
Abuzow said it was weird being back on campus with all the changes that had been made.
"We never played on this field in the stadium," he said.
Some of the alumni, including Abuzow, have pursued soccer after graduating from UNF. Abuzow went on to play in men's leagues for the Under-23 National League and for a team in Europe.
The current team's first official game will be Sept. 7.
As the alumni game marked the end of exhibition play for UNF, who competed against Flagler University and Jacksonville University in pre-season, every upcoming game affects the team's standings come playoff time.
Contact Kaelena Incinelli at uspinnak@unf.edu -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE
Osprey volleyball comes up short in first tournament
The University of North Florida volleyball team went 0-2 with a 30-12, 30-11, 30-24 loss to the University of Georgia and a 30-27, 30-25, 30-9 loss to Stetson University, the second day of the Georgia Southern Invitational.
A total of 27 errors and a -.020 hitting percentage contributed to the loss to Georgia Aug. 25. The effort of UNF (0-3) was not enough to beat Stetson, whose consistency gave them victory later on that day in Statesboro, Ga.
In the first game of the day, UNF kept up neck-and-neck with UG until a 10-1 run gave the Bulldogs a 16-6 lead. In the second game, UG had a 9-0 lead before UNF was able to get on the board with a kill from junior outside hitter Kavie Sturch.
Sturch led UNF with 14 kills and 12 digs for the day, and senior outside hitter Maegan Weisert led UNF on defense with 18 digs. Freshman middle blocker Kaley Read contributed 12 kills and junior middle blocker Bary Rasmussen had 11.
In the third game against the Bulldogs, the Ospreys fell behind to 18-11. They fought back to 23-21, but UG then went on a 7-3 run to end the match.
In the match against Stetson, UNF hit .094 and had 23 errors. UNF had a 13-8 lead in the first game until a 6-1 run helped Stetson tie the game. Stetson then closed out a game deadlocked at 24 with a 6-3 run.
In the second game against Stetson, UNF fell behind 20-15, but were able to pull back to 22-20. However, Stetson held on and closed out the game with an 8-5 run. In the third game, Stetson took a 13-3 lead and UNF was never able to recover.
The Labor Day Classic against Southeast Missouri State University will take place 7 p.m. Aug. 31 in the UNF Arena.
Contact Lori Bero at sports@unfspinnaker.com -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE
Steps to growing a Division 1 basketball team
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ESTABLISHING LEADERSHIP
Through the vision of head men's basketball coach Matt Kilcullen and the guidance of Athletic Director Dr. Richard Gropper, the University of North Florida men's basketball program is continuing its transition to Division I.
Under the guidance of Kilcullen, the school's all-time winningest coach, a commitment has been made to build the program with high character student-athletes who excel in the classroom as well as on the court.
"We are doing it the right way," Kilcullen said. "We are building with great players who are also great kids."
Kilcullen has also put together a young and passionate coaching staff that shares his vision of what UNF basketball will become.
"Before I came here, I had been with some very successful Division I and II schools," assistant coach Mike Summey said. "But I was shocked at how D-I ready UNF already was, and it is because of coach Kilcullen."
DIVISION I MENTALITY
Having a D-I caliber arena is a great start, but UNF was also fortunate to have a coaching staff with oodles of Division I experience in place.
The biggest difference in D-I and II, according to that staff, is establishing a Division I mentality.
"The D-I guys, when they hear they are playing Duke or UNC, that never bothers them," coach Summey said. "Nothing rattles them. They don't care who the school is, they just come to play."
Coach Kilcullen agrees, and says you don't have to look any farther than his newest assistant, Evans Davis.
"When Evans played, he didn't care who you were, he wanted to dominate you," Kilcullen said. "And I believe that mentality as a player will translate as a coach."
Kilcullen and his staff feel they have players with the right mentality. Now it is time to cultivate the environment.
CONSISTENCY IN RECRUITING
With the academic standards set by the university and Kilcullen, along with a point of emphasis on character, the talent pool from which the staff can recruit from would seem to have a
definite ceiling.
Just don't tell that to the coaching staff.
"I don't see a limit to the type of player we recruit at all," Summey said. "For me it is the exact opposite. I'm excited everyday to work with smart, hard working kids, because smart kids maximize their ability."
That philosophy has led to a recruiting class that has some on the staff feeling it could be their best class ever.
"We have some really athletic kids in this class, but they are also intellectual," Summey said. "They have great basketball IQ, and intellectual basketball players make intellectual basketball plays."
For the staff, the key now is to build two to three strong classes in a row.
SUPPORT SYSTEM
The transition to Division I is an admittedly tough one for Kilcullen and his staff, and one that they think would not be possible without the patience of their administration.
That patience starts right at the top with University of North Florida President John Delaney.
"President Delaney came to me day one and told me to be patient," Kilcullen said. "He understood there would be losses, and knowing that I'm a competitor, I would not take them very well. He just wanted to do it the right way."
The administration also has provided the coaching staff the accommodations necessary to compete at a Division I level.
"I've been at very good programs where we had to stop at a gas station for pre-game meals," coach Summey said. "It has been first class here. They have never told us no."
CREATING AN IDENTITY
"Our newcomers are explosive," Kilcullen said. "We have serious firepower."
With his surplus of newcomers, Kilcullen has the depth and athleticism to play the way he feels basketball should be played: up tempo.
"It's a players' game, and we want to play wide open," Kilcullen said. "It's like Noah's ark. We have two at every position, and they can really get up and down the floor."
The up-and-down style will also help some of their versatile big men.
"Getting a versatile big like Gallo Cham back is huge," said coach Evans Davis. "And Justin Cecil can step out and shoot it."
Kilcullen promises the fans they are going to like what they see.
"It will be a very entertaining brand of basketball."
Contact Brett Morgan at sports@unfspinnaker.com -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE