SPORTS
- Inside the Huddle
- Women's soccer loses on slippery home turf John Weidner
- Men's basketball recruits promising freshmen Ryan Clarke
- Ospreys find talons work well for handball Lori Bero
- Baseball players battle nature in scrimmage Ryan Clarke
- Soccer coach brings World Cup, Olympics, NCAA title experience to UNF Kaelena Incinelli
- From gold to blue and grey Kaelena Incinelli
Inside the Huddle
 Mason McLeod Senior, Asian Studies |
 Sarah Nowicki Sophomore, Physics |
 Katherine Tsengas Junior, Building Construction |
 Ross Brooks Senior, English |
| Question 1: Last week, LSU students stumbled upon Tim Tebow's cell phone number and left some menacing texts. If you could send him a message right now, what would you tell him? | |||
| Don't worry, when you throw that touchdown as a senior to win the Gators' fourth straight National Championship, the skies will open and you will ascend to heaven. | I would proposition him to be the object of his eternal courtship. | I would tell him he's a dirty Gator, and life is so much better when Florida loses. | I would send Tim some words of encouragement. He's a sophomore who did what he could against the No. 1 team in the nation. |
| Question 2: The University of South Florida has risen to a top five team in the nation. Should their success make UNF more optimistic about having its own football program? | |||
| It should because there is enough of a surplus of high school football talent in Florida to support various young programs throughout the state. | It's definitly inspiring to smaller schools. It's also impressive to see their coach, Jim Leavitt, stay to see the program fully develop. | I hope so because a football program would bring a much better talent pool of men for me to get to know. | It really should. In 10 years, USF has achieved a higher ranking than most of the nation's oldest and most respected programs. |
| Question 3: Are you surprised about Jaguars' quarterback David Garrard's stellar start to the season? | |||
| I'm surprised he hasn't thrown an interception. After his experience last season, he really has learned not to throw the ball up in dangerous, jump ball situations. | I think he is probably surprised at himself. He does have a great arm, though, if you know what I mean. | Absolutely not. Once Jack Del Rio decided he was our best quarterback, I knew it would work out great because Del Rio is a stud with magical blonde hair and blue eyes. | Not really. When they decided to let Leftwich go right before the start of the season, I knew Jack Del Rio had seen something he liked. |
| Question 4: This past Saturday, USC lost to a Stanford team that was a 42-point underdog. Which upset is bigger: USC to Stanford or Michigan losing to D-1 AA Appalachian State earlier in the season? | |||
| I still believe Appalachian State is the bigger upset. Stanford plays and recruits in California, and plays in the Pac-10, so they are a more feasible upset. | Stanford is a way bigger upset. You shouldn't be allowed to be that intelligent and still win football games. | Is Appalachian State in America? I don't support foreigners, unless they are Greek. | There's no excuse for a powehouse like UM to lose to Appalachian State. Don't get me wrong, I loved watching the Trojans lose. |
Women's soccer loses on slippery home turf
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Sophomore defender Lauren Maze fights Mercer for control of the ball during the game Oct. 6. |
The University of North Florida women's soccer team (3-8-1, 2-2 A-Sun) dropped a two-game set Oct. 5 and 6, losing both games 2-0.
After severe rain drenched the campus throughout the day, the Lady Ospreys faced off against the Owls of Kennesaw State University Oct. 5.
The Ospreys were out-shot 15-3 and missed several scoring opportunities. They trailed the Owls for most of the game.
With UNF already down by two, senior midfielder Jessica Jowers almost netted her second goal of the season on a corner kick, but the ball tipped off the crossbar and out of bounds.
The Owls scored both of their goals early in the game from Annie Phillips in the 11th and 24th minutes.
Junior goalkeeper Rachael Howard had a busy evening in the net, recording eight saves on ten shots on goal.
Head coach Linda Hamilton thought the rainy conditions played a big part in determining the outcome of the game.
"With all the rain on the ground, we weren't able to play the fast-paced possession game which we like to play," she said.
Although the Ospreys fell behind early, Hamilton said she was proud of the way her team played the rest of the game.
"We did a great job not giving in and playing hard throughout the game," she said. "Besides a few missed scoring opportunities, I was really happy with the way we played neck-and-neck with them throughout the game."
The following day, the rain cleared up just in time for the Ospreys to take on Mercer University's Lady Bears.
Mercer's Kacie Hudson scored her team's first goal in the seventh minute.
The Bears sealed the game when Lizzy Shaughnessy scored on a breakaway.
The Ospreys were out-shot by Mercer 14-4.
Rachael Howard recorded six saves against the Bears, bumping up her season saves to 69.
The Ospreys travel to Stetson University Oct. 12 in their fifth conference game of the season.
Contact John Weidner at sports@unfspinnaker.com -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE
Men's basketball recruits promising freshmen
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Kyle Groothuis prepares to prove he can transition to D-1. |
High school record holder DeVon Jones competes for starting spot at UNF. |
Editor's note: Contributing Writer Ryan Clarke wrote an analysis of the men's basketball freshmen for the 2007-08 season.
University of North Florida men's basketball head coach Matt Kilcullen signed high school senior Brent Wood last November.
Wood, a 6-foot-4-inch shooting guard out of Bishop Vernot High School in Fort Meyers, had the third-most three-pointers of all basketball players at Florida high schools last season. He hit them at a rate of 40 percent, while averaging 19.5 points per game.
Wood brings an able stroke with a dash of athleticism to the two guard position and figures to receive significant playing time in the three-guard run and shoot offense that the Ospreys will run this year.
Expect to see Wood's name at least considered for All-Freshman honors in the Atlantic Sun by the end of the season.
He should get plenty of action early, as he'll have to help shoulder the burden of coming up with points with the team's starting two guard, Stan Januska, out of action until mid-December.
New recruit Justin Cecil wanted to play tennis. Instead, he decided to try basketball, and all he did in his two years at Lakeland Christian High School was average a solid 20 points and 11 rebounds per game, help lead his team to a 46-10 record and record more than 1,000 career points. He hit 35 percent from three-point land, he's 6 feet 7 inches, and he played power forward. Kilcullen said Cecil is a versatile player.
After scoring 36 points in three days while the team was in Canada, and with incumbent power forward Gallo Cham's status in limbo, it looks like Cecil may be the opening day starter at the four spot. He has been pegged by Sporting News to garner conference freshman of the year honors.
Not bad for a guy who almost chose the grass court over the hard one.
Kyle Groothuis, a one time high school nobody, turned into a Division I prospect in a year.
Groothuis left David Brainerd Christian High School and made an improbable jump to Bradley Central High School for his senior season. Bradley is a Class 3A school that has produced 25 collegians over the past 11 years. Bears head coach Kent Smith admits that even he questioned Groothuis' ability to make the jump to the more competitive 3A level.
"I knew he could make a big influence on our team," Smith said. "I only questioned his adjustment to the level of intensity of 3A basketball."
Fourteen points and eight rebounds a game later, those questions were answered. Shooting 70 percent from the field and standing 6 feet and 7 inches tall, Groothuis is an intriguing prospect for the Ospreys.
The question is whether he can transition that productivity to the level of Division I college basketball.
And finally, there's really no way to know how good DeVon Jones can be at the Division I level. After all, when you and six of your teammates sign basketball scholarships, win 111 games in four years, get named to the Tennessee All-Tournaments team, and win the 2006 2A State Championship, it's easy to see how 10 points and eight rebounds a game could be looked at as soft.
However, he registered 42 charges and took possession of the school's record for blocked shots - he averaged two a game during his senior year.
The jury is still out on exactly where Jones will fit into the Ospreys' system.
The Crusaders used the 6-foot-6-inch forward primarily in the post, but Kilcullen doesn't want to stick a label on him just yet.
As with so many other freshmen around the country, time will tell as to what Jones will bring to the table for UNF.
Contact Ryan Clarke at sports@unfspinnaker.com -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE
Ospreys find talons work well for handball
Handball is not a widely known sport, but it's been gaining ground over the last two years at the University of North Florida.
The game is basically racquetball without a racquet, and it's now played as a club sport
at UNF.
The Handball Club at UNF was formed in fall 2006 and has had success at several tournaments over the last two years.
"It's something new that I had never tried," said UNF handball club President Kent Grandy. "Once I got into it, it was a lot of fun and also a really good workout."
At UNF, four-wall handball is played, although three-wall and one-wall styles also exist.
This year, the handball club will be competing in several state tournaments, including events at the University of Florida and the University of South Florida.
Osprey handballers will also host a tournament for other universities in the beginning of the spring semester.
Last year Grandy won the novice level in the state tournament.
Junior Kyle Greenhalgh, the vice president of the club, was the Level A three-wall champion in a September 2007 national competition in Ohio. Level A is the second highest level.
The handball club will be traveling to the collegiate nationals in Missouri this year.
"It's a good way to meet people," Grandy said. "It's a friendly competition, and the traveling is a lot of fun."
The handball club meets on the racquetball courts in the UNF Arena Monday and Thursday nights from 8 to 10 p.m.
"We welcome anyone and everyone to play," Greenhalgh said. "If you have no experience, we will teach you. We provide all the equipment that is needed."
Contact Lori Bero at sports@unfspinnaker.com -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE
Baseball players battle nature in scrimmage
Even the American League All-Stars wouldn't have been able to help Oct. 6 as the Ospreys tried against the only undefeated opponent in history, Mother Nature, at the annual Blue-Gray Inter-squad scrimmage.
The rain-shortened affair saw the debut of an Osprey squad with new recruits and returnees.
In spring 2007, the Ospreys earned a 24-32 record, only the second losing season in the program's 20-year history.
The Blue team beat out their teammates 3-2 for the win, after lightning and heavy rain suspended play after four and a half innings.
Sophomore infielder Mycal Jones went 2-3 from
the plate and scored the game-winning run after he
stole home on a wild pitch from freshman pitcher Matt
Boyd.
Rhodes got an abbreviated look at part of his pitching rotation as John Atteo, Antonio Franzese, Jonathan Turner, Ty Pryor and Tyler Stohr all
saw action.
"We've got three legitimate arms as good as anybody we've ever had here," Rhodes said. "We've got some guys that can really pitch."
Fans also got to see some signs of life on the offensive side of the ball, something Rhodes said will be crucial once the season begins.
"We're going to have to score runs," Rhodes said. "We lost offense last year and we really didn't have a good one to start with."
The Ospreys will close out fall action Oct. 13 with the annual Alumni Game, set for 1 p.m. at Harmon Stadium.
They return to the field on Feb. 22 to begin the season with a three-game series against College World Series participant Mississippi State University.
Contact Ryan Clarke at sports@unfspinnaker.com -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE
From gold to blue and grey
Soccer coach brings World Cup, Olympics, NCAA title experience to UNF
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From playing soccer for the United States to coaching for the University of North Florida women's team, Linda Hamilton's love for soccer has brought her many unique
experiences.
Hamilton began playing soccer at age eight with a boy's soccer team in New Orleans.
"My mom told me that girls don't play soccer," Hamilton said. "I grew up in a tennis family but when I started playing soccer, I just couldn't get enough of it. The team aspect and
athleticism were good
for me."
She played with boys until she was 14, when she moved to an under-19
women's team.
"I was able to use that and make a state team, then a regional team and a national team for the youth," Hamilton said.
Hamilton excelled beyond each new level she reached. On top of playing for the national team, she entered college with a soccer scholarship to North Carolina State University.
During her senior year, Hamilton played at the University of North Carolina and won the 1990 NCAA Championship title.
"I really did enjoy my college days," she said. "Winning a national
championship is a rare privilege."
Through her hard work and many accomplishments, Hamilton made her dream of playing for the U.S. Olympic team a reality, she said.
"I don't remember saying this, but my mom said I told her as a matter of fact that I was going to play for the women's Olympic team,"
Hamilton said.
Hamilton did not just play for the Olympic team - she won gold and bronze medals in her eight years.
She competed in two World Cups and two Olympics competitions as a defender and marking back.
Many of her proudest moments come from those times,
Hamilton said.
"The first time I ever put on the U.S. jersey and played my first international match representing them was very special," she said. "Obviously, winning an Olympic Championship also - that happens to so few
people, ever."
Although she gave up a lot to pursue the dream of playing professional soccer, Hamilton said she does not
regret any of it.
"We had sacrificed family and friends and relationships," she said. "I use sacrifice loosely, though. I only think it's a sacrifice when you're regretful of what you miss out on. I don't regret the choice or what I missed out on because of what I gained."
After being plagued by injuries, Hamilton hung up her soccer cleats and made use of her degree in communications.
Office work was unable to hold her for long, though, as she took up coaching a few years later.
Currently, Hamilton is sharing her experience with the UNF women's soccer team.
She said she had the privilege of being taught by some of the best coaches in the world and uses a lot of what she learned to teach others.
"I like to have a lot of different perspectives, because it's such a wide-open game and I don't believe there are any right answers,"
Hamilton said.
The Ospreys are 3-6-1 for the season, but Hamilton said she is proud of how far her team has come.
"I think we still have a ways to go, but we take every game as it comes."
Contact Kaelena Incinelli at sports@unfspinnaker.com -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE