SPORTS
- Inside the Huddle
- Olympic gold medalist fights childhood obesity
- Ospreys heat up Snowbird Invitational Lori Bero
- No more slip-n-slide for NCAA Ken Tysiac
- Hoop Dreams Deflate Brett Morgan
Inside the Huddle
 Matt Coleman Editor in Chief |
 Josh Salman Assistant News Editor |
 Ross Brooks Discourse Editor |
 Sarah Diener Sports Editor |
| Question 1: What team did the most to bust fan's NCAA men's basketball tournament brackets after the first two rounds? | |||
| Siena's (13 seed) straight thumping of perennially overrated Vanderbilt (4 seed). | Western Kentucky. Who are you and where did you come from? | Georgetown, hands down. Davidson is no slouch, as they proved, but come on. Georgetown should have put that one away. | Duke. |
| Question 2: The Boston Red Sox are opening their spring season in Japan, where their ace Dasauke Matsuzaka is considered God. What athlete would create the biggest stir among Jacksonville fans if they were to play in the city? | |||
| Since it was just Easter, I'll say Dale Earnhardt. Seeing his zombified corpse riding in the streets of Jacksonville would cause a stir. Plus, he's practically God to most of the confederate flag-waving population. | The all mighty Tim Tebow. But, don't worry Jacksonville, you'll get to see your favorite tight end taking snaps behind center next season when UF plays Georgia at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. | The Undertaker. Or maybe Stone Cold Steve Austin in all his beer-shower glory. Jacksonville natives would go berserk. | Macho Man Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan doing some wrestle mania down at the Veterans Memorial Arena. |
| Question 3: How will Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzi's injury impact an already muddled Western Conference? | |||
| Mark Cuban's playoff hopes will become as thin as his hairline. | They have to be careful, a couple unexpected losses and they will be totally out of the picture. It will be interesting to see if Jason Kidd can really carry the team down the stretch. | It's hard to say at this point, nearly as hard to say as Dirk's last name. | One less person for Shaq to eat on his way to the title. |
| Question 4: In an effort to avoid having bonus money taken away, Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall claimed his severely injured forearm was the result of slipping on a McDonald's bag and falling through his television. What would your excuse be? | |||
| If I were a professional football player, I more than likely cracked it on my illegitimate child's forehead after shotgunning a 40 oz. of Colt 45. | My cat peed on the tile and I slipped and fell. I was OK, but then a large bird flew through the window, knocking over my lamp, which also fell and broke my forearm. Then my dog ate my playbook. | I'm a man who appreciates tradition, so I'd go with a tested and widely accepted excuse. "My dog ate it. Well, part of it." | My dog got out and I had to chase him barefoot through the neighborhood and into a canal where an alligator with one eye bit me on the arm. |
Compiled by Brett Morgan PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE
Olympic gold medalist fights childhood obesity
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As the first American gymnast to win an Olympic gold medal on the balance beam in 1996, Shannon Miller has represented the United States as an athlete. Seven Olympic medals and 12 years later, Miller is going for success in another battle - a fight against childhood obesity. Miller moved to Jacksonville in May 2007 and opened the Shannon Miller Foundation, which is dedicated to fighting childhood obesity. She spoke to the UNF community March 18 at the Brooks College of Health luncheon and answered a few questions for the Spinnaker.
What was the main point you wanted to emphasize at the Brooks College of Health luncheon?
"Well there were many points, but I think the main point is taking responsibility for ourselves and our own health, as well as those who we love. There are things I battled with personally that I think all girls battle with - especially weight. But the important thing is to remember to live with the 'everything in moderation' approach. Health doesn't have to be about a diet or hours at the gym but focused on living all aspects of life in moderation."
What was your motivation to form the Shannon Miller Foundation?
"One of the things my parents got me into when I was little was giving back to the community. I was 8 or 9 years old when I started working with charities. So from then to now, I've worked with a lot of charities. And I enjoyed doing them because they were important, but about a year and a half ago, I thought, 'I should be able to do something I'm incredibly passionate about.' For me that's fitness and I started talking to my husband about creating a foundation that combined my passion for fitness and children. As I read the statistics on childhood obesity, it was incredible to me that it is happening in this day and age. During the last year, companies have started to get on board to broadcast that this is really an epidemic for our country."
How can students at UNF get involved with the foundation?
"The best thing to do is to go online to www.shannonmillerfoundation.com and send an e-mail to us if you'd like to volunteer or just stay updated. If you have a resume, that's great - send it. If you don't have one, that's OK too. It's a new foundation so we're just getting everything underway and starting the fundraising process."
How has your career as a gymnast prepared you for where you are today?
"People have seen me as a gymnast all my life. Most remember me at the Olympic games when I was 15 and 19 and in the best shape of my life. Of course I was in shape but people don't think about the day after the Olympics when I didn't know what to do; didn't have the structure of 40 hours a week in the gym. I went through just as many struggles as everyone else, but I was doing it all while wearing a leotard in front of millions of people. I had to learn how to become and adult and how to feel comfortable in my own skin and clothes. Today, people still have the same picture of me as a 15-year-old gymnast. Really, it's the same as pictures in a magazine - it's an impossible ideal to live up to. Reality is a healthy lifestyle, not about being skinny."
What is your proudest moment as a gymnast?
"Everyone expects me to say the Olympic games, which is obviously a highlight of my career, but the proudest moment for me was winning my very first international competition. I was 11 or 12, and it was my first international competition. I still remember standing at the top of the podium, wearing red, white and blue and hearing the national anthem play. The best thing is to go and represent my country, and that is what kept me going the rest of my career. But in general, graduating high school was the proudest moment in my life. Everyone wanted me to go into home school or just drop out for a little while, but being able to go to a public school while training and competing in the Olympics was quite an accomplishment."
In January, you went on a 10-day tour to Afghanistan. What was the best part of the experience?
"That was an amazing experience. I was asked in December if I wanted to go and boost the morale of the soldiers. At first I wasn't sure what I had to offer - I can't sing or dance - but when I got there, I found entertainment isn't really what they need. It's great if you can sing, but they just wanted a piece of home. They wanted to know what was going on back in the states. We heard a lot of their stories too. There was a lot of crying and laughing during those 10 days. And the soldiers wanted us to bring them back with us; remind everyone they are still there. The news is quickly moving to Iraq, but we still have soldiers in Afghanistan."
What do you think about Jacksonville?
"I love it, absolutely love it. I am from Oklahoma and then spent the last eight years in big cities, and Jacksonville is a mix of it all. I can get on the water, get away and feel like I'm in the country or go into the city. And being from Oklahoma, I've never had the ability to go to the riverside or the beach in just a few minutes - which has been great."
What is a typical day like for you?
"When I was competing, I could have given an exact schedule for the year. Now every day is different. I travel three to four days a week, especially this year with the Olympics coming up during the summer. I do a lot of speaking and host a TV show. But when I am in
Jacksonville, I get the paperwork done and spend time with my husband. I also participate in a lot of local events, which keep me busy. Everyday is exciting and
different."
Ospreys heat up Snowbird Invitational
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Senior Golden Creavy (216) and several other memebers of the men's and women's track teams competed at the FSU Snowbird Invitational March 21-22. Both teams return to FSU March 28-29. |
Personal bests for both the men's and women's outdoor track and field teams were attained March 21 and March 22 at the Florida State University Snowbird Invitational.
UNF Senior Emily Kohler finished second in the javelin throw with a 41.81 meter throw, which broke her outdoor record.Senior Amanda Davey finished second and senior Sarah Coghlan third in the 3,000-meter run with personal bests of 9, minutes 53.89 seconds and 9:58.62.
For the men, senior Nathan Holden marked a personal best in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 15:08.25, giving him a 16th place finish. Sophomore Samuel Palmer finished right behind him in 17th place with 15:19.60.
In the men's distance medley relay sophomore Craig Sinbine, senior Dane Simmons, seniors Marvin Moore and Will Pearce finished third with a time of 10:35.60.
The women's distance medley team made up of senior Kelly Marshall, freshman SaLydia James, junior Evelyn Moore and senior Kaitlyn Granger finished fourth with 12:41.33.
In the high jump, senior Amy Stroder finished first with 1.70m, while teammates sophomore Elise Trexler and Kohler finished third and fourth, both with 1.65m in the finals. Kohler also competed in the long jump, finishing in sixth with a 5.56m jump.
The men's and women's outdoor track teams will return to Tallahassee for the FSU Relays March 28 and March 29.
Contact Lori Bero at staff2@unfspinnaker.com -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE
No more slip-n-slide for NCAA
Court decals pose unexpected safety risk for players
Roy Williams will get his wish.
Players will not be slipping on giant decals for the rest of the NCAA tournament. The floors at the Final Four and the four NCAA regional sites, including Bobcats Arena, were never scheduled to have decals pressed onto them.
The future of the decals, which bear the NCAA logo, also will be part of the NCAA's customary, extensive review after the tournament.
"We're glad," said Steve Kirschner, North Carolina's associate athletics director for communications, "because we think it's certainly safer for the players (without the decals)."
During the March 23 second-round win against Arkansas at the RBC Center, North Carolina players Tyler Hansbrough and Marcus Ginyard slipped on the circular NCAA decal, which was more than 20 feet in diameter and centered at midcourt.
Tar Heels coach Williams opened his postgame news conference by saying the logos are dangerous.
"Pull the dadgum things off," he said.
The courts at other first-round sites also had decals.
In an e-mail to the Observer March 24, NCAA associate tournament director David Worlock wrote that tournament officials treated the floor before and during the March 23 games after learning players had been slipping.
Worlock wrote that the decals remained on March 23 after the teams and referees indicated the condition of the court was acceptable.
"At the same time, any element that could conceivably impact the competition must be assessed," Worlock wrote, "and in the case of the court decals you reference, such a review will be undertaken."
Worlock confirmed that the NCAA, not the host sites, provides the floors used at each of the four regional sites and the Final Four. Those floors will not have decals applied to them.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE
Hoop Dreams Deflate
Difficulties persisted in 2007-08 for a UNF men's basketball team that continues in its transition to Division I.
The Ospreys ended their season ranked at the bottom of the Atlantic-Sun Conference in scoring, field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage, three pointers made, free-throw percentage and assists. UNF was the only team to finish shooting under 40 percent from the field overall and under 30 percent from three.
Numbers, though, do not tell the whole story, and a litany of injuries and lineup changes were a significant contributor to the Ospreys' woes, said head coach Matt Kilcullen.
"We were a really good offensive basketball team coming back from Canada," Kilcullen said, "but then we were hit hard by injuries."
The progress made on the trip to Canada, a preseason tournament Kilcullen felt had his team on the right track, was compromised with injuries to sophomore swingman Stan Januska and freshman forward Justin Cecil, he said.
"With Stan out for two months and Justin also getting hurt, we lost two excellent offensive players," Kilcullen said. "We just couldn't get back the rhythm we had in Canada."
Even with those players out, Kilcullen acknowledged that his team's shooting percentages and offensive production are still alarming. Yet, his faith in his players and their abilities has not wavered.
"We have good shooters, and overall good players," Kilcullen said. "It is really about playing together with a consistent lineup and getting the rhythm you need to play good offensive basketball."
Kilcullen points to A-Sun champion Belmont as a contrast in the state of offensive basketball in the conference. Belmont finished first in scoring, three-point percentage, three-pointers made and assists. Belmont finished with 219 more made three-pointers than UNF and averaged more than 21 more points per game.
The casual onlooker sees Belmont's statistics as evidence that UNF needs an offensive overhaul, Kilcullen said.
Instead, Kilcullen said he believes although Belmont has good shooters and playmakers, it is their ability to stay healthy that makes them the class of the conference.
"It is difficult when you are always mixing and matching your lineups for the players to get a feel for playing with each other," Kilcullen said. "Belmont kept practically their entire lineup together the whole season, and you see that in their play."
When looking forward to a healthy lineup of his own, Kilcullen said he is excited by the improvement of some of his young players. With Januska and Cecil returning and the development of freshman forward Devon Jones and freshman center Kyle Groothuis, Kilcullen sees a core he can build around.
"Devon and Kyle got better as the season wore on, and I think they will really fill the void on the boards," he said.
That void is created by the graduation of leading rebounder James Grimball. He averaged 6.1 rebounds per game last season and was a key part of a UNF defense that finished in the middle of the A-Sun
rebounding rankings, while leading the Ospreys steadily improved team defense throughout the season, Kilcullen said.
Although the Ospreys lose Grimball and senior point guard Chris Timberlake, UNF returns 10 of its 13 players from last season, including leading scorer Tom Hammonds. Along with a freshman class led by point guard Jordan Fair and power forward Matt Sauey, Kilcullen feels his roster will be more than replenished.
"Our goal is to be two-deep at every spot, and we think we will have that," Kilcullen said. "Fair is the type of pure point guard we need, and Sauey is a terrific rebounder, so we are hopeful they can contribute early."
UNF men's basketball has two scholarships available, so finishing recruiting strong is where Kilcullen and his staff's attention are currently. The caliber of recruits is improving, and it will get even better once the Ospreys are eligible for tournament play, Kilcullen said.
"Kids want to be sitting there on selection Sunday, waiting to see if they got in," Kilcullen said. "They want to be on the big stage, and now we have the tournament to offer."
Although 17 of the Ospreys' 26 losses were by double digits last season, Kilcullen insists that the program is improving. In UNF's last six games, the Ospreys finished 2-4 with two of the losses in overtime and only one by ten points or more. These are stats Kilcullen said he feels show that his program is on the way up.
"We are building a program, and we got a lot closer last season," Kilcullen said. "It may not be happening as fast as people on the outside want it to, but it takes time and we are really close to competing at a high level."
Contact Brett Morgan at sports@unfspinnaker.com -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE