Post by stlvufan on Jan 20, 2006 20:02:39 GMT -5
[glow=red,2,300]AROUND THE NATION[/glow]--The Chicago Tribune
tinyurl.com/auw4v
Valparaiso 76 at Chicago St. 90
Royce Parran scored 20 pts and Cougars (3-14, 2-4 Mid-Con) led by as many as 23 in 2nd half to beat Crusaders (11-5, 4-2). Ron Howard led Valpo with 23 and Dan Oppland added 20.
...
Western Illinois 53 at So. Utah 69
Nate Janes had 16 pts and 10 rebs and brother Rand also had 16 pts to lead Thunderbirds (4-14, 3-3 Mid-Con) over Leathernecks (5-12, 1-5), who never led after falling behind 17-2.
[glow=red,2,300]League of their own[/glow]--The Chicago Tribune
tinyurl.com/9etup
IPFW and South Dakota State have joined four other independent schools in forming the United Basketball Conference, which will begin next year.
[glow=red,2,300]Colleges[/glow]--The Chicago Sun Times
www.suntimes.com/output/campus/cst-spt-cage20.html
CHICAGO STATE 90, VALPARAISO 76: Royce Parran had 20 points, and four of his teammates also scored in double figures as host Chicago State beat Valparaiso.
Michael Henderson and Kevin Jones Jr. each added 15 points for the Cougars (3-14, 2-4 Mid-Con). Ron Howard led all scorers with 23 points for the Crusaders (11-5, 4-2).
...
SOUTHERN UTAH 69, W. ILLINOIS 53: Brothers Nate and Rand Janes each scored 16 points to lead Southern Utah (4-14, 3-3 Mid-Con) over Western Illinois (5-12, 1-5) in Cedar City, Utah.
Eliz Cepeda led Western Illinois with 12 points, and Fred Oguns scored 11.
[glow=red,2,300]College Basketball Roundup[/glow]--Daily Southtown
www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/dssports/pro/202sd3.htm
Chicago State 90, Valparaiso 76
Royce Parran had 20 points and four of his teammates also scored in double figures as Chicago State (3-14, 2-4 Mid-Continent Conference) beat Valparaiso (11-5, 4-2) in Chicago.
Michael Henderson and Kevin Jones Jr. each had 15 points for Chicago State. Kourtney Calvin scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while David Holston chipped in 11 points.
The Crusaders were without three of their top seven players. Ron Howard led all scorers with 23 points, while Seth Colclasure had 20.
...
Southern Utah 69, Western Illinois 53
CEDAR CITY, Utah — Brothers Nate and Rand Janes each scored 16 points and Nate Janes grabbed 10 rebounds to lead Southern Utah (4-14, 3-3 Mid-Continent) over Western Illinois (5-12, 1-5).
Eliz Cepeda led Western Illinois with 12 points, while Fred Oguns scored 11.
[glow=red,2,300]T-Birds jump on Leathernecks early[/glow]--deseretnews.com
tinyurl.com/8dwxm
[glow=red,2,300]COLLEGE BASKETBALL ROUNDUP[/glow]--The Detroit Free Press
www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060120/SPORTS08/601200312/1056
Oral Roberts 74, Oakland: Larry Owens scored 21 points and Caleb Green 17 for host Oral Roberts (10-8, 5-1 Mid-Continent). Oakland (7-12, 2-5) cut the deficit to 49-42 midway through the second half, but consecutive three-pointers by Jonathan Bluitt put Oral Roberts up by double figures for good. Calvin Wooten led Oakland with 26 points, and Shawn Hopes added 22.
[glow=red,2,300]ORU avenges setback to OU[/glow]--The Oakland Press
By GREG ECHLIN Special to The Oakland Press
TULSA, Okla. — There was no sign of the Tulsa magic Thursday night that carried Oakland University to the NCAA tournament last year, as Oral Roberts — looking like a team that remembered its bitter loss to the Grizzlies in the Mid-Continent Conference tournament a year ago — beat Oakland, 74-63, at the Mabee Center.
Then again, with five new faces in the starting lineup, it’s a different OU team that knocked off top-seeded Oral Roberts in the conference title game a season ago.
The Golden Eagles (10-8, 5-1) showed they were the more experienced team, as they built a 16-point lead in the first half, much of it aided by 12 of OU’s 14 turnovers in the game.
“All we talked about at halftime was 32 percent of our offense in the first half was a turnover,” said coach Greg Kampe, whose Grizzlies (7-12, 2-4) finished a three-game road swing. “If I had a veteran team, I think we could have done something, but we didn’t because we didn’t know how to handle it.”
During a stretch of 9 minutes, 32 seconds in the first half, Shawn Hopes accounted for OU’s only field goal. Hopes finished with a career-high 22 points on 9-for-10 shooting. His nine field goals also set a career high, with his only miss an attempted tap-in early in the second half.
OU’s last lead in the game occurred at the 16:16 mark of the first half on a Calvin Wooten jumper that made it 9-8.
A layup by Marchello Vealy then ignited a Golden Eagles run that sealed the Grizzlies’ fate. ORU assembled a 22-5 run capped by a pair of free throws from Larry Owens at the 5:57 mark of the first half. Owens paced Oral Roberts with 21 points.
Wooten finished with a game-high 26 points for Oakland, the 11th time this season the junior from Detroit Mackenzie has topped the 20-point plateau, which leads the conference. Wooten also knocked down 6 of 11 3-pointers, giving him 26 treys over the last six games.
Oral Roberts 74, OU 63
OAKLAND (7-12)
Nelson 1-5 0-0 2, Severovas 2-8 0-1 4, Hopes 9-10 4-6 22, Wooten 9-16 2-2 26, Billings 1-7 7-8 9, MacKenzie 0-1 0-0 0, Cassise 0-3 0-0 0, Carson 0-1 0-0 0, Kangas 0-0 0-0 0, McCloskey 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-51 13-17 63.
ORAL ROBERTS (10-8)
Owens 8-12 3-5 21, Green 2-5 13-15 17, Michalec 2-7 1-2 5, Ogunoye 2-6 0-0 4, Bluitt 4-8 0-0 12, Riouse 3-8 0-0 9, Vealy 2-2 0-0 4, Ehambe 0-1 0-0 0, Fowlkes 1-2 0-2 2. Totals 24-51 17-24 74. Halftime—Oral Roberts 38-24. 3-Point Goals—Oakland 6-19 (Wooten 6-11, Nelson 0-1, MacKenzie 0-1, Billings 0-3, Cassise 0-3), Oral Roberts 9-19 (Bluitt 4-7, Riouse 3-7, Owens 2-2, Ehambe 0-1, Ogunoye 0-2). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Oakland 27 (Hopes, Severovas 6), Oral Roberts 33 (Green 7). Assists—Oakland 5 (Billings, McCloskey, Nelson, Severovas, Wooten 1), Oral Roberts 19 (Ogunoye 5). Total Fouls—Oakland 18, Oral Roberts 14. A—6,018.
Mid-Con
Chicago State 90, Valparaiso 76
CHICAGO — Royce Parran had 20 points and four of his teammates also scored in double figures as Chicago State beat Valparaiso.
Michael Henderson and Kevin Jones Jr. each had 15 points for Chicago State (3-14, 2-4 Mid-Continent Conference). Kourtney Calvin scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while David Holston chipped in 11 points.
The Cougars led 41-31 at the half.
The Crusaders (11-5, 4-2 Mid-Con) were without three of their top seven players. Ron Howard led all scorers with 23 points, while Seth Colclasure had 20. Dan Oppland finished with 13 points.
S. Utah 69, W. Illinois 53
CEDAR CITY, Utah — Brothers Nate and Rand Janes each scored 16 points and Nate Janes grabbed 10 rebounds to lead Southern Utah over Western Illinois Thursday night.
[glow=red,2,300]IUPUI ranks last in state in graduation numbers[/glow]--Indy Star
www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060120/SPORTS/601200526/1068/SPORTS06
[glow=red,2,300]Mastodons join league[/glow]--Indy Star
www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060120/SPORTS06/601200516/1068/SPORTS06
[glow=red,2,300]MEN’S BASKETBALL:Kone sits as Crusaders fall to lightweight[/glow]--Post Tribune
www.post-trib.com/cgi-bin/pto-story/sports/z1/01-20-06_z1_spor_05.html
MEN’S BASKETBALL:Kone sits as Crusaders fall to lightweight
Jan. 20, 2006
By Justin Breen / Post-Tribune deputy sports editor
CHICAGO — Valparaiso went into its game at Chicago State as a recipe missing several key ingredients.
And the Crusaders, who were without guards Shawn Huff and Jimmie Miles and center Mohamed Kone, paid for their absences dearly with a 90-76 loss at the oven-like Jacoby D. Dickens Center on Thursday.
Valpo, the Mid-Continent Conference leader, fell to 11-5, 4-2. Chicago State, in the basement of the Mid-Con, improved to 3-14, 2-4.
Kone, VU’s usual starting center, did not play due to an NCAA investigation “regarding his travel to VU to enroll as a student,” according to a release issued minutes before tipoff. Kone, who sat at the end of VU’s bench, was not suspended, VU sports information assistant Andy Viano said. But Viano and coach Homer Drew said Kone will not play again until the NCAA concludes the investigation. The Crusaders play at Southern Utah on Saturday.
“We will be holding him out of tonight’s game in an effort to maintain his eligibility in the future,” the statement, issued by Drew and director of athletics Mark LaBarbera, said.
Drew and LaBarbera said in the statement that they would not comment further until the NCAA had concluded its investigation.
LaBarbera said after the game that the NCAA informed the school of the investigation Thursday afternoon. Drew said Kone’s absence on the floor was clear.
“Mo brings us a presence inside,” said Drew, whose team was outrebounded 40-35. “We would have gotten some rebounds. We wouldn’t have given them layup after layup after layup.”
Kone, listed at 6-foot-11, 240 pounds, originally committed to Baylor, where Scott Drew is the coach. But not enough of his class hours from his previous school — the College of Southern Idaho — transferred to Baylor. Kone played two seasons at Southern Idaho.
Huff, who broke his left foot on Monday and will be out at least six weeks, Drew said, and Miles, who is out indefinitely with a viral infection, did not make the trip to Chicago.
Valpo dressed just 10 players, and all of them played. The Crusaders’ most effective performers were Ron Howard (23 points) and Seth Colclasure (20 points), who added a career-high six 3-pointers.
But their efforts were not enough to help extend the Crusaders’ winning streak to seven games. Instead, Valpo (11-5, 4-2) lost for the first time since Dec. 27 vs. UMKC.
“We were just disappointed in our play tonight,” Colclasure said. “We came out flat. It was obvious from the beginning.”
The Cougars won their second straight after a 12-game losing streak. They also improved to 3-26 against the Crusaders, including last season’s 72-67 victory in the Mid-Con tournament.
Drew utilized a variety of lineups to counter the Cougars’ run-and-gun attack, but the hosts still led 41-31 at halftime.
Chicago State opened the second half with a 14-1 run to put it away. The Cougars made 10 of their first 12 shots in the second half, and they outscored Valpo 38-24 in the paint for the game.
The Cougars were led by Royce Parran’s 20 points, while Michael Henderson and Kevin Jones Jr. each scored 15.
“They made some really difficult shots,” Colclasure said of the Cougars, who were 28-of-49 (57.1 percent) from the field.
Notes
Former Chicago State player Deji Akindele is playing forward for the Fort Worth Flyers of the NBDL. Last season, the 7-footer averaged 10.5 ppg and 5.6 rpg for the Cougars. ... CSU forward Nikko Briteramos was dismissed earlier this season for an undisclosed violation of team policy. ... Nate Carter, a 6-8 senior forward for the Cougars, graduated from Emerson. ... The Cougars are scheduled to open a new arena, the Emil and Patricia Jones Convocation Center, next season. It will seat 7,000, 4,500 more than the Dickens Center. ... Coming into Thursday, Howard led the Crusaders in assists (3.3 per game) and steals (1.9), was second in points (13.1) and fourth in rebounding (3.3). ... The Crusaders will attend classes this morning and then leave this afternoon for Southern Utah.
Contact Justin Breen at 648-3122 or jbreen@post-trib.com
KONE STATEMENT
Statement on Valparaiso senior center Mohamed Kone issued by director of athletics Mark LaBarbera and men’s basketball coach Homer Drew:
“We have been informed by the NCAA of questions regarding Mohamed Kone’s travel to Valparaiso University to enroll as a student, and we will be holding him out of tonight’s game in an effort to maintain his eligibility in the future. We are unable to comment further on the situation until it has been resolved by the NCAA.”
[glow=red,2,300]COLLEGE SPORTS: VU athletes tied for third nationally[/glow]--Post Tribune
www.post-trib.com/cgi-bin/pto-story/sports/z1/01-20-06_z1_spor_08.html
COLLEGE SPORTS: VU athletes tied for third nationally
Jan. 20, 2006
Post-Tribune staff and wire report
Valparaiso University was tied for third nationally in a study of Graduation Success Rates for athletes who enrolled from 1995 to 1998.
From the years 1995-98, the Crusaders graduated a whopping 98 percent of their athletes, tying VU with Notre Dame for third. Radford, which has about 300 student-athletes, was first with a 100 percent graduation rate.
“We’re pretty thrilled,” Valparaiso athletic director Mark LaBarbera said before the Crusaders’ men’s basketball team played at Chicago State. “It speaks to the quality of our coaches. They work hard to recruit kids who are student-athletes.
“And it speaks very highly of the kids who come here.”
The actual VU graduation rate was 91 percent, LaBarbera said. However, the 98 percent “success” rate included student-athletes who may have transferred and graduated elsewhere.
“I didn’t know we were third. Now I feel even more proud,” LaBarbera said. “That’s a tremendous accomplishment.”
LaBarbera, who became athletic director in 2004, said VU has about 500 student-athletes. He was excited to have tied Notre Dame, which plays Valpo in several sports, including women’s basketball and volleyball.
“I’m an athletics person, so I do thrive on competition,” LaBarbera said. “When we have a tangible score that we can compare with, that’s great.”
Almost two dozen Division I schools, led by Radford’s 100 percent, reported Graduation Success Rates of at least 95 percent for athletes who enrolled during the 1995-98 time frame. All were higher than their general student populations and significantly higher than the rates reported by the federal government, according to NCAA figures released Thursday.
The average for the 318 Division I colleges, including the Army, Navy and Air Force academies, was 76 percent. Other GSR averages included 69 percent for men, 86 percent for women, 82 percent for whites, 59 percent for blacks, and 68 percent for Hispanics.
Indiana and Purdue each were at 81 percent.
The NCAA considers any rate above 50 percent, a standard adopted by the privately funded Knight Commission on college sports, to be good, President Myles Brand said.
“This is not Lake Wobegon, where every student athlete and every team can be above average,” Brand said. “The 50 percent rate, while not sacrosanct, is a good rate to measure whether we’re making progress.”
The NCAA released data for specific sports in December. But Thursday’s listing was the first school-by-school and gender and ethnic breakdown that also included federal graduation data and a comparison of the rates for athletes with the entire student bodies.
The figures compiled by the NCAA are generally higher than those reported by the government because the GSR does not penalize schools by including athletes who might have transferred to other schools or turned professional while still in good academic standing at their original colleges.
For that reason, Brand said, the federal rate is “somewhat flawed and conservative. ... I don’t think anything surprised us, but the numbers are revealing.”
For example, he pointed to baseball, where the NCAA rate was 18 percentage points higher than the federal rate.
“That indicates that Division I baseball players transfer a great deal,” Brand said. “Not every team or sport will go up as a result of moving from federal rate to GSR, and those teams that go down are ones that probably brought in some transfer students who didn’t graduate. We now have a way to track that.”
Radford was the only Division I school with a 100 percent GSR for 1995-98, the most recent reporting period.
Greig Denny, athletic director at Radford, called it “an important indicator of the direction and your commitment to the academic success of your student athletes. It’s not just with our coaches; there are a lot of people in that commitment. It includes our coaches, our administration and our faculty and staff at the university.”
Next after Radford was the U.S. Naval Academy at 99 percent. Notre Dame and Valparaiso tied at 98 percent. Clemson, Holy Cross, Lehigh, Siena, Georgetown, Northwestern, Richmond and Davidson were at 97 percent; Duke and Sacred Heart were at 96 percent; and Army, William and Mary, Creighton, The Citadel, Loyola, Md., Villanova and Robert Morris were at 95 percent.
At the other end of the scale, 13 schools, most of them historically black colleges in the South or Southwest, had a GSR below 50 percent.
Savannah State had the lowest, at 22 percent, followed by Florida A&M at 35 percent, Texas Southern at 36 percent, New Orleans at 38 percent and Norfolk State and Charleston Southern at 40 percent. The others below 50 percent were UTEP, Gardner-Webb, Jackson State, Idaho State, Nicholls State, Alabama A&M and Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
“Clearly you’re going to have to look at socio-economic backgrounds and particularly the quality of the high school they attended,” Brand said of the black-white difference. “There may well be other factors, but we don’t have the research to support that right now.
“What’s important from our point of view is that those who participate in intercollegiate athletics, including black males, are doing better than their demographic cohort in the general student body. That’s an essential measure.”
The national graduation average for all Division I students, including non-athletes, was 59 percent.
A separate Academic Progress Report, which will trigger the first penalties under the NCAA’s new academic reform package, are expected by late February or early March. That data will be based on the number of athletes on each team who achieve eligibility and return to campus full time each term, and colleges will be given yearly assessments.
Radford, a Virginia school of about 9,200 in the Big South Conference, competes in every major sport except football. It was listed with a 54 percent graduation rate for all students and 65 percent for athletes under the federal standard, but every athlete who left was academically eligible at the time, accounting for the NCAA’s perfect rating.
Notre Dame’s Pat Holmes, director of academic services for athletes, said the high ranking is “great. But as a university, that’s our mission, and while kids are here, it’s our job.”
[glow=red,2,300]Valpo in shock[/glow]--NWI Times
nwitimes.com/articles/2006/01/20/sports/top_sports/1ba6c4f7d47f6fcf862570fc0021ff8e.txt
[glow=red,2,300]NCAA questions Kone's travel[/glow]--NWI Times
nwitimes.com/articles/2006/01/20/sports/college_sports/2b8c0aded4a1b6c2862570fc00178a59.txt
[glow=red,2,300]Hot-shooting hosts knock off WIU men[/glow]--The Peoria Journal Star
www.pjstar.com/stories/012006/COL_B8OEFPH2.077.shtml
[glow=red,2,300]T-Birds pummel Leathernecks[/glow]--The Spectrum
www.thespectrum.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060120/SPORTS/601200328/1006
[glow=red,2,300]Gents Struggle Down Stretch, Fall 63-52 at IUPUI[/glow]--GoCentenary.Com
www.gocentenary.com/release.asp?RELEASE_ID=2188
[glow=red,2,300]Chicago State Upsets Valparaiso, 90-76[/glow]--Chicago State Athletics
www.csu.edu/athletics/MBBHome.htm
[glow=red,2,300]IUPUI PLODS TO 63-52 VICTORY OVER CENTENARY IN THE JUNGLE[/glow]--IUPUI JAGUAR ATHLETICS
www.iupuijags.com/Basketball/Mens/2005_2006/011906_cc.html
[glow=red,2,300]IUPUI TO HOST 'ROOS IN HOOPS DOUBLEHEADER ON SATURDAY[/glow]--IUPUI JAGUAR ATHLETICS
www.iupuijags.com/Basketball/Mens/2005_2006/012006_umkcprev.html
[glow=red,2,300]Kangaroos Look to Avenge Home Loss to Jaguars of IUPUI[/glow]--UMKC Kangaroos
umkckangaroos.collegesports.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/011906aac.html
[glow=red,2,300]UMKC Men Head To "The Jungle" On Saturday To Face IUPUI[/glow]--UMKC Kangaroos
umkckangaroos.collegesports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/012006aaa.html
[glow=red,2,300]Oral Roberts Hands Oakland A 74-63 Setback[/glow]--OUGrizzlies.com
www.ougrizzlies.com/story.asp?sportid=2&a=2622
[glow=red,2,300]Golden Grizzlies Prepare For Centenary[/glow]--OUGrizzlies.com
www.ougrizzlies.com/story.asp?sportid=7&a=2623
[glow=red,2,300]Owens Leads ORU Past Oakland, 74-63[/glow]--Oral Roberts University Golden Eagles
tinyurl.com/8ou3a
[glow=red,2,300]T-Birds Start Hot, Pull To .500 In Mid-Con With Win Over WIU[/glow]--SOUTHERN UTAH THUNDERBIRDS
www.suu.edu/athletics/mensball/gamewraps0506.html
[glow=red,2,300]Shorthanded Crusaders Fall at Chicago State[/glow]--www.valpo.edu
www.valpo.edu/athletics/index.php?a=s&a2=vnr&sid=2&nrid=2370
[glow=red,2,300]Leathernecks Look to Get Back on Winning Track at Southern Utah, Chicago State[/glow]--Western Illinois Athletics
www.wiuathletics.com/release.sphp?id=2283
[glow=red,2,300]Women's Basketball Hits the Road for Two-Game Road Trip[/glow]--Western Illinois Athletics
www.wiuathletics.com/release.sphp?id=2288
[glow=red,2,300]Southern Utah Takes Down Western Illinois, 69-53[/glow]--Western Illinois Athletics
www.wiuathletics.com/release.sphp?id=2289
tinyurl.com/auw4v
Valparaiso 76 at Chicago St. 90
Royce Parran scored 20 pts and Cougars (3-14, 2-4 Mid-Con) led by as many as 23 in 2nd half to beat Crusaders (11-5, 4-2). Ron Howard led Valpo with 23 and Dan Oppland added 20.
...
Western Illinois 53 at So. Utah 69
Nate Janes had 16 pts and 10 rebs and brother Rand also had 16 pts to lead Thunderbirds (4-14, 3-3 Mid-Con) over Leathernecks (5-12, 1-5), who never led after falling behind 17-2.
[glow=red,2,300]League of their own[/glow]--The Chicago Tribune
tinyurl.com/9etup
IPFW and South Dakota State have joined four other independent schools in forming the United Basketball Conference, which will begin next year.
[glow=red,2,300]Colleges[/glow]--The Chicago Sun Times
www.suntimes.com/output/campus/cst-spt-cage20.html
CHICAGO STATE 90, VALPARAISO 76: Royce Parran had 20 points, and four of his teammates also scored in double figures as host Chicago State beat Valparaiso.
Michael Henderson and Kevin Jones Jr. each added 15 points for the Cougars (3-14, 2-4 Mid-Con). Ron Howard led all scorers with 23 points for the Crusaders (11-5, 4-2).
...
SOUTHERN UTAH 69, W. ILLINOIS 53: Brothers Nate and Rand Janes each scored 16 points to lead Southern Utah (4-14, 3-3 Mid-Con) over Western Illinois (5-12, 1-5) in Cedar City, Utah.
Eliz Cepeda led Western Illinois with 12 points, and Fred Oguns scored 11.
[glow=red,2,300]College Basketball Roundup[/glow]--Daily Southtown
www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/dssports/pro/202sd3.htm
Chicago State 90, Valparaiso 76
Royce Parran had 20 points and four of his teammates also scored in double figures as Chicago State (3-14, 2-4 Mid-Continent Conference) beat Valparaiso (11-5, 4-2) in Chicago.
Michael Henderson and Kevin Jones Jr. each had 15 points for Chicago State. Kourtney Calvin scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while David Holston chipped in 11 points.
The Crusaders were without three of their top seven players. Ron Howard led all scorers with 23 points, while Seth Colclasure had 20.
...
Southern Utah 69, Western Illinois 53
CEDAR CITY, Utah — Brothers Nate and Rand Janes each scored 16 points and Nate Janes grabbed 10 rebounds to lead Southern Utah (4-14, 3-3 Mid-Continent) over Western Illinois (5-12, 1-5).
Eliz Cepeda led Western Illinois with 12 points, while Fred Oguns scored 11.
[glow=red,2,300]T-Birds jump on Leathernecks early[/glow]--deseretnews.com
tinyurl.com/8dwxm
[glow=red,2,300]COLLEGE BASKETBALL ROUNDUP[/glow]--The Detroit Free Press
www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060120/SPORTS08/601200312/1056
Oral Roberts 74, Oakland: Larry Owens scored 21 points and Caleb Green 17 for host Oral Roberts (10-8, 5-1 Mid-Continent). Oakland (7-12, 2-5) cut the deficit to 49-42 midway through the second half, but consecutive three-pointers by Jonathan Bluitt put Oral Roberts up by double figures for good. Calvin Wooten led Oakland with 26 points, and Shawn Hopes added 22.
[glow=red,2,300]ORU avenges setback to OU[/glow]--The Oakland Press
By GREG ECHLIN Special to The Oakland Press
TULSA, Okla. — There was no sign of the Tulsa magic Thursday night that carried Oakland University to the NCAA tournament last year, as Oral Roberts — looking like a team that remembered its bitter loss to the Grizzlies in the Mid-Continent Conference tournament a year ago — beat Oakland, 74-63, at the Mabee Center.
Then again, with five new faces in the starting lineup, it’s a different OU team that knocked off top-seeded Oral Roberts in the conference title game a season ago.
The Golden Eagles (10-8, 5-1) showed they were the more experienced team, as they built a 16-point lead in the first half, much of it aided by 12 of OU’s 14 turnovers in the game.
“All we talked about at halftime was 32 percent of our offense in the first half was a turnover,” said coach Greg Kampe, whose Grizzlies (7-12, 2-4) finished a three-game road swing. “If I had a veteran team, I think we could have done something, but we didn’t because we didn’t know how to handle it.”
During a stretch of 9 minutes, 32 seconds in the first half, Shawn Hopes accounted for OU’s only field goal. Hopes finished with a career-high 22 points on 9-for-10 shooting. His nine field goals also set a career high, with his only miss an attempted tap-in early in the second half.
OU’s last lead in the game occurred at the 16:16 mark of the first half on a Calvin Wooten jumper that made it 9-8.
A layup by Marchello Vealy then ignited a Golden Eagles run that sealed the Grizzlies’ fate. ORU assembled a 22-5 run capped by a pair of free throws from Larry Owens at the 5:57 mark of the first half. Owens paced Oral Roberts with 21 points.
Wooten finished with a game-high 26 points for Oakland, the 11th time this season the junior from Detroit Mackenzie has topped the 20-point plateau, which leads the conference. Wooten also knocked down 6 of 11 3-pointers, giving him 26 treys over the last six games.
Oral Roberts 74, OU 63
OAKLAND (7-12)
Nelson 1-5 0-0 2, Severovas 2-8 0-1 4, Hopes 9-10 4-6 22, Wooten 9-16 2-2 26, Billings 1-7 7-8 9, MacKenzie 0-1 0-0 0, Cassise 0-3 0-0 0, Carson 0-1 0-0 0, Kangas 0-0 0-0 0, McCloskey 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-51 13-17 63.
ORAL ROBERTS (10-8)
Owens 8-12 3-5 21, Green 2-5 13-15 17, Michalec 2-7 1-2 5, Ogunoye 2-6 0-0 4, Bluitt 4-8 0-0 12, Riouse 3-8 0-0 9, Vealy 2-2 0-0 4, Ehambe 0-1 0-0 0, Fowlkes 1-2 0-2 2. Totals 24-51 17-24 74. Halftime—Oral Roberts 38-24. 3-Point Goals—Oakland 6-19 (Wooten 6-11, Nelson 0-1, MacKenzie 0-1, Billings 0-3, Cassise 0-3), Oral Roberts 9-19 (Bluitt 4-7, Riouse 3-7, Owens 2-2, Ehambe 0-1, Ogunoye 0-2). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Oakland 27 (Hopes, Severovas 6), Oral Roberts 33 (Green 7). Assists—Oakland 5 (Billings, McCloskey, Nelson, Severovas, Wooten 1), Oral Roberts 19 (Ogunoye 5). Total Fouls—Oakland 18, Oral Roberts 14. A—6,018.
Mid-Con
Chicago State 90, Valparaiso 76
CHICAGO — Royce Parran had 20 points and four of his teammates also scored in double figures as Chicago State beat Valparaiso.
Michael Henderson and Kevin Jones Jr. each had 15 points for Chicago State (3-14, 2-4 Mid-Continent Conference). Kourtney Calvin scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while David Holston chipped in 11 points.
The Cougars led 41-31 at the half.
The Crusaders (11-5, 4-2 Mid-Con) were without three of their top seven players. Ron Howard led all scorers with 23 points, while Seth Colclasure had 20. Dan Oppland finished with 13 points.
S. Utah 69, W. Illinois 53
CEDAR CITY, Utah — Brothers Nate and Rand Janes each scored 16 points and Nate Janes grabbed 10 rebounds to lead Southern Utah over Western Illinois Thursday night.
[glow=red,2,300]IUPUI ranks last in state in graduation numbers[/glow]--Indy Star
www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060120/SPORTS/601200526/1068/SPORTS06
[glow=red,2,300]Mastodons join league[/glow]--Indy Star
www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060120/SPORTS06/601200516/1068/SPORTS06
[glow=red,2,300]MEN’S BASKETBALL:Kone sits as Crusaders fall to lightweight[/glow]--Post Tribune
www.post-trib.com/cgi-bin/pto-story/sports/z1/01-20-06_z1_spor_05.html
MEN’S BASKETBALL:Kone sits as Crusaders fall to lightweight
Jan. 20, 2006
By Justin Breen / Post-Tribune deputy sports editor
CHICAGO — Valparaiso went into its game at Chicago State as a recipe missing several key ingredients.
And the Crusaders, who were without guards Shawn Huff and Jimmie Miles and center Mohamed Kone, paid for their absences dearly with a 90-76 loss at the oven-like Jacoby D. Dickens Center on Thursday.
Valpo, the Mid-Continent Conference leader, fell to 11-5, 4-2. Chicago State, in the basement of the Mid-Con, improved to 3-14, 2-4.
Kone, VU’s usual starting center, did not play due to an NCAA investigation “regarding his travel to VU to enroll as a student,” according to a release issued minutes before tipoff. Kone, who sat at the end of VU’s bench, was not suspended, VU sports information assistant Andy Viano said. But Viano and coach Homer Drew said Kone will not play again until the NCAA concludes the investigation. The Crusaders play at Southern Utah on Saturday.
“We will be holding him out of tonight’s game in an effort to maintain his eligibility in the future,” the statement, issued by Drew and director of athletics Mark LaBarbera, said.
Drew and LaBarbera said in the statement that they would not comment further until the NCAA had concluded its investigation.
LaBarbera said after the game that the NCAA informed the school of the investigation Thursday afternoon. Drew said Kone’s absence on the floor was clear.
“Mo brings us a presence inside,” said Drew, whose team was outrebounded 40-35. “We would have gotten some rebounds. We wouldn’t have given them layup after layup after layup.”
Kone, listed at 6-foot-11, 240 pounds, originally committed to Baylor, where Scott Drew is the coach. But not enough of his class hours from his previous school — the College of Southern Idaho — transferred to Baylor. Kone played two seasons at Southern Idaho.
Huff, who broke his left foot on Monday and will be out at least six weeks, Drew said, and Miles, who is out indefinitely with a viral infection, did not make the trip to Chicago.
Valpo dressed just 10 players, and all of them played. The Crusaders’ most effective performers were Ron Howard (23 points) and Seth Colclasure (20 points), who added a career-high six 3-pointers.
But their efforts were not enough to help extend the Crusaders’ winning streak to seven games. Instead, Valpo (11-5, 4-2) lost for the first time since Dec. 27 vs. UMKC.
“We were just disappointed in our play tonight,” Colclasure said. “We came out flat. It was obvious from the beginning.”
The Cougars won their second straight after a 12-game losing streak. They also improved to 3-26 against the Crusaders, including last season’s 72-67 victory in the Mid-Con tournament.
Drew utilized a variety of lineups to counter the Cougars’ run-and-gun attack, but the hosts still led 41-31 at halftime.
Chicago State opened the second half with a 14-1 run to put it away. The Cougars made 10 of their first 12 shots in the second half, and they outscored Valpo 38-24 in the paint for the game.
The Cougars were led by Royce Parran’s 20 points, while Michael Henderson and Kevin Jones Jr. each scored 15.
“They made some really difficult shots,” Colclasure said of the Cougars, who were 28-of-49 (57.1 percent) from the field.
Notes
Former Chicago State player Deji Akindele is playing forward for the Fort Worth Flyers of the NBDL. Last season, the 7-footer averaged 10.5 ppg and 5.6 rpg for the Cougars. ... CSU forward Nikko Briteramos was dismissed earlier this season for an undisclosed violation of team policy. ... Nate Carter, a 6-8 senior forward for the Cougars, graduated from Emerson. ... The Cougars are scheduled to open a new arena, the Emil and Patricia Jones Convocation Center, next season. It will seat 7,000, 4,500 more than the Dickens Center. ... Coming into Thursday, Howard led the Crusaders in assists (3.3 per game) and steals (1.9), was second in points (13.1) and fourth in rebounding (3.3). ... The Crusaders will attend classes this morning and then leave this afternoon for Southern Utah.
Contact Justin Breen at 648-3122 or jbreen@post-trib.com
KONE STATEMENT
Statement on Valparaiso senior center Mohamed Kone issued by director of athletics Mark LaBarbera and men’s basketball coach Homer Drew:
“We have been informed by the NCAA of questions regarding Mohamed Kone’s travel to Valparaiso University to enroll as a student, and we will be holding him out of tonight’s game in an effort to maintain his eligibility in the future. We are unable to comment further on the situation until it has been resolved by the NCAA.”
[glow=red,2,300]COLLEGE SPORTS: VU athletes tied for third nationally[/glow]--Post Tribune
www.post-trib.com/cgi-bin/pto-story/sports/z1/01-20-06_z1_spor_08.html
COLLEGE SPORTS: VU athletes tied for third nationally
Jan. 20, 2006
Post-Tribune staff and wire report
Valparaiso University was tied for third nationally in a study of Graduation Success Rates for athletes who enrolled from 1995 to 1998.
From the years 1995-98, the Crusaders graduated a whopping 98 percent of their athletes, tying VU with Notre Dame for third. Radford, which has about 300 student-athletes, was first with a 100 percent graduation rate.
“We’re pretty thrilled,” Valparaiso athletic director Mark LaBarbera said before the Crusaders’ men’s basketball team played at Chicago State. “It speaks to the quality of our coaches. They work hard to recruit kids who are student-athletes.
“And it speaks very highly of the kids who come here.”
The actual VU graduation rate was 91 percent, LaBarbera said. However, the 98 percent “success” rate included student-athletes who may have transferred and graduated elsewhere.
“I didn’t know we were third. Now I feel even more proud,” LaBarbera said. “That’s a tremendous accomplishment.”
LaBarbera, who became athletic director in 2004, said VU has about 500 student-athletes. He was excited to have tied Notre Dame, which plays Valpo in several sports, including women’s basketball and volleyball.
“I’m an athletics person, so I do thrive on competition,” LaBarbera said. “When we have a tangible score that we can compare with, that’s great.”
Almost two dozen Division I schools, led by Radford’s 100 percent, reported Graduation Success Rates of at least 95 percent for athletes who enrolled during the 1995-98 time frame. All were higher than their general student populations and significantly higher than the rates reported by the federal government, according to NCAA figures released Thursday.
The average for the 318 Division I colleges, including the Army, Navy and Air Force academies, was 76 percent. Other GSR averages included 69 percent for men, 86 percent for women, 82 percent for whites, 59 percent for blacks, and 68 percent for Hispanics.
Indiana and Purdue each were at 81 percent.
The NCAA considers any rate above 50 percent, a standard adopted by the privately funded Knight Commission on college sports, to be good, President Myles Brand said.
“This is not Lake Wobegon, where every student athlete and every team can be above average,” Brand said. “The 50 percent rate, while not sacrosanct, is a good rate to measure whether we’re making progress.”
The NCAA released data for specific sports in December. But Thursday’s listing was the first school-by-school and gender and ethnic breakdown that also included federal graduation data and a comparison of the rates for athletes with the entire student bodies.
The figures compiled by the NCAA are generally higher than those reported by the government because the GSR does not penalize schools by including athletes who might have transferred to other schools or turned professional while still in good academic standing at their original colleges.
For that reason, Brand said, the federal rate is “somewhat flawed and conservative. ... I don’t think anything surprised us, but the numbers are revealing.”
For example, he pointed to baseball, where the NCAA rate was 18 percentage points higher than the federal rate.
“That indicates that Division I baseball players transfer a great deal,” Brand said. “Not every team or sport will go up as a result of moving from federal rate to GSR, and those teams that go down are ones that probably brought in some transfer students who didn’t graduate. We now have a way to track that.”
Radford was the only Division I school with a 100 percent GSR for 1995-98, the most recent reporting period.
Greig Denny, athletic director at Radford, called it “an important indicator of the direction and your commitment to the academic success of your student athletes. It’s not just with our coaches; there are a lot of people in that commitment. It includes our coaches, our administration and our faculty and staff at the university.”
Next after Radford was the U.S. Naval Academy at 99 percent. Notre Dame and Valparaiso tied at 98 percent. Clemson, Holy Cross, Lehigh, Siena, Georgetown, Northwestern, Richmond and Davidson were at 97 percent; Duke and Sacred Heart were at 96 percent; and Army, William and Mary, Creighton, The Citadel, Loyola, Md., Villanova and Robert Morris were at 95 percent.
At the other end of the scale, 13 schools, most of them historically black colleges in the South or Southwest, had a GSR below 50 percent.
Savannah State had the lowest, at 22 percent, followed by Florida A&M at 35 percent, Texas Southern at 36 percent, New Orleans at 38 percent and Norfolk State and Charleston Southern at 40 percent. The others below 50 percent were UTEP, Gardner-Webb, Jackson State, Idaho State, Nicholls State, Alabama A&M and Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
“Clearly you’re going to have to look at socio-economic backgrounds and particularly the quality of the high school they attended,” Brand said of the black-white difference. “There may well be other factors, but we don’t have the research to support that right now.
“What’s important from our point of view is that those who participate in intercollegiate athletics, including black males, are doing better than their demographic cohort in the general student body. That’s an essential measure.”
The national graduation average for all Division I students, including non-athletes, was 59 percent.
A separate Academic Progress Report, which will trigger the first penalties under the NCAA’s new academic reform package, are expected by late February or early March. That data will be based on the number of athletes on each team who achieve eligibility and return to campus full time each term, and colleges will be given yearly assessments.
Radford, a Virginia school of about 9,200 in the Big South Conference, competes in every major sport except football. It was listed with a 54 percent graduation rate for all students and 65 percent for athletes under the federal standard, but every athlete who left was academically eligible at the time, accounting for the NCAA’s perfect rating.
Notre Dame’s Pat Holmes, director of academic services for athletes, said the high ranking is “great. But as a university, that’s our mission, and while kids are here, it’s our job.”
[glow=red,2,300]Valpo in shock[/glow]--NWI Times
nwitimes.com/articles/2006/01/20/sports/top_sports/1ba6c4f7d47f6fcf862570fc0021ff8e.txt
[glow=red,2,300]NCAA questions Kone's travel[/glow]--NWI Times
nwitimes.com/articles/2006/01/20/sports/college_sports/2b8c0aded4a1b6c2862570fc00178a59.txt
[glow=red,2,300]Hot-shooting hosts knock off WIU men[/glow]--The Peoria Journal Star
www.pjstar.com/stories/012006/COL_B8OEFPH2.077.shtml
[glow=red,2,300]T-Birds pummel Leathernecks[/glow]--The Spectrum
www.thespectrum.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060120/SPORTS/601200328/1006
[glow=red,2,300]Gents Struggle Down Stretch, Fall 63-52 at IUPUI[/glow]--GoCentenary.Com
www.gocentenary.com/release.asp?RELEASE_ID=2188
[glow=red,2,300]Chicago State Upsets Valparaiso, 90-76[/glow]--Chicago State Athletics
www.csu.edu/athletics/MBBHome.htm
[glow=red,2,300]IUPUI PLODS TO 63-52 VICTORY OVER CENTENARY IN THE JUNGLE[/glow]--IUPUI JAGUAR ATHLETICS
www.iupuijags.com/Basketball/Mens/2005_2006/011906_cc.html
[glow=red,2,300]IUPUI TO HOST 'ROOS IN HOOPS DOUBLEHEADER ON SATURDAY[/glow]--IUPUI JAGUAR ATHLETICS
www.iupuijags.com/Basketball/Mens/2005_2006/012006_umkcprev.html
[glow=red,2,300]Kangaroos Look to Avenge Home Loss to Jaguars of IUPUI[/glow]--UMKC Kangaroos
umkckangaroos.collegesports.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/011906aac.html
[glow=red,2,300]UMKC Men Head To "The Jungle" On Saturday To Face IUPUI[/glow]--UMKC Kangaroos
umkckangaroos.collegesports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/012006aaa.html
[glow=red,2,300]Oral Roberts Hands Oakland A 74-63 Setback[/glow]--OUGrizzlies.com
www.ougrizzlies.com/story.asp?sportid=2&a=2622
[glow=red,2,300]Golden Grizzlies Prepare For Centenary[/glow]--OUGrizzlies.com
www.ougrizzlies.com/story.asp?sportid=7&a=2623
[glow=red,2,300]Owens Leads ORU Past Oakland, 74-63[/glow]--Oral Roberts University Golden Eagles
tinyurl.com/8ou3a
[glow=red,2,300]T-Birds Start Hot, Pull To .500 In Mid-Con With Win Over WIU[/glow]--SOUTHERN UTAH THUNDERBIRDS
www.suu.edu/athletics/mensball/gamewraps0506.html
[glow=red,2,300]Shorthanded Crusaders Fall at Chicago State[/glow]--www.valpo.edu
www.valpo.edu/athletics/index.php?a=s&a2=vnr&sid=2&nrid=2370
[glow=red,2,300]Leathernecks Look to Get Back on Winning Track at Southern Utah, Chicago State[/glow]--Western Illinois Athletics
www.wiuathletics.com/release.sphp?id=2283
[glow=red,2,300]Women's Basketball Hits the Road for Two-Game Road Trip[/glow]--Western Illinois Athletics
www.wiuathletics.com/release.sphp?id=2288
[glow=red,2,300]Southern Utah Takes Down Western Illinois, 69-53[/glow]--Western Illinois Athletics
www.wiuathletics.com/release.sphp?id=2289
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