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Cycling
team races into new season
The
MSU cycling team participated in the Tour of Tunis, a race designed
over a three-mile section of gravel and mud on Saturday. Eighteen
cyclists from MSU took part in the Texas A&M-hosted race. The day
started out with a drizzle, but stopped by the end of the race as
the wind picked up and the temperatures dropped. The men’s “A” team
took second through fifth places. Stefan Rothe took second, Jeff Via
placed third, Bjoern Ossenbrink came in fourth and Josh Holder placed
fifth. Sean Depew placed ninth. Stephanie Hannos, Janna Jackson and
Ivana Miucic took first, second and third places respectively in the
women’s “A” division. Dominic VanNielan, Brian Wyrick and David Martin
placed first, second and third respectively in the men’s “B” division.
Ramona Wible took fifth place and Leah Little placed seventh for the
women’s “B” team. In the men’s “C” division, Greg Saxon took second
place, David Powell came in ninth, Richard Whatcott placed 14th and
Tim Pope rode in at 19th place. “Overall, we did really well, though
I think we could have beaten A&M,” cycling coach Mark Ernsting said.
“Last year we beat them, so they were determined to beat us this year.”
Despite being nearly 250 points behind A&M in the overall standings,
Ernsting is happy with what he sees from the team. He has two riders
from Germany on the “A” squad and two Texas cyclists on the “B” team
that could move up to “A” soon. Ernsting is also happy with “C”-teamer
Greg Saxon. “He’s never raced before and he could already race with
the B’s,” Ernsting said. “He’s really strong.” The team continues
to look ahead to the national competition in Berkley, Calif., in May.
“Our main focus of the year is to win nationals as a team,” Ernsting
said.
Some
college athletes deserve to be paid
Leave it to those wild, football-craved Nebraskans to cause controversy once again. This past week, Nebraska’s Gov. Mike Johanns basically said he would back a bill that would pay athletes. “College football has become a multi-million dollar industry that should do much better for its athletes,” he said. Before the collegian purists who preach the values of amateurism get their panties in a wad, let me just say it won’t happen yet. Even if the bill is passed, it would only take effect if three other states with teams in the Big 12 Conference adopt similar laws. But the question remains – should collegian athletes get paid? This is a very complicated and delicate matter, but for what my opinion is worth, I say, to a certain extent, that they should. The days of calling NCAA contests “amateur” have surpassed us with every million-dollar bowl game and television deal. Collegiate sports are big businesses. The 28 bowl games that were recently played dished out $178 million to universities and conferences involved. Some say a full scholarship is reward enough for the Maurice Clarett’s and T.J. Ford’s of the college game today. But that scholarship (roughly $10,000 to $20,000) pales in comparison to the millions of dollars schools bring in on bowl games, tickets, merchandise, etc. Before we get into specifics, let me first say that 99.9 percent of all athletes are neither talented nor proven enough. It’s that other .1 percent that raises the question. Maybe paying the superstars of the game a percentage of profits would be a feasible answer. Another solution would be to grant certain athletes who are destined for the pros a loan that could be repaid once they make the big cash. Because athletes are usually not permitted to work, they have hardly any way to generate money. Endorsements, which often account for more than a pro player’s salary, are against the law in the NCAA’s eyes. It’s no wonder why countless underclassmen jump to the pros early or get into trouble with money-dealing boosters. Whatever the end result, the NCAA needs to look out for the individuals who play the game. When Chris Webber was a freshman standout at Michigan, he stood in a mall, unable to purchase his own jersey in a store. And that’s just not right.
Lady Indians claim LSC playoff berth The Lady Indians have clinched a playoff spot in the Lone Star Conference after winning their fourth straight game against Eastern New Mexico last Saturday. MSU can finish no worse than third in the South Division with four games left in the regular season. They are 9-1 in conference and 18-5 overall. Jel-ani Armstrong pulled down 10 rebounds and scored 20 in only 24 minutes to lead the team in their 72-62 victory over the Zias. “She was big in this game and the one on Thursday,” MSU coach Shannon Burks said. “A good offensive team has scoring on the inside and on the perimeter. Jel-ani took care of one of those areas for us.” The Lady Indians overcame an off-night shooting, only hitting 34 percent of their shots. They were well below their season average from three-point range of 39 percent, shooting under 27 percent. “During a long season, I told the girls that they would experience games like that,” Burks said. “Something that we have stressed is that when we have an off-night shooting, that we will have to do it defensively.” The Zias hit 22 of their 56 shots to make 39 percent of their buckets, pulling within two points at the half. MSU out scored the Zias 42-34 in the second half, at one point leading by as many as 15. After several late substitutions by MSU, Eastern New Mexico pulled back within 10 at the end of the game. “It was a slow, sluggish game. We looked tired, maybe,” Burks said. “It is not something that I am worrying about today though.” Meosha Walker had 17 points and 11 rebounds in 31 minutes of play. Kelly Woodward returned to the lineup after missing seven games with a high ankle sprain. She played 11 minutes, pulled down 4 rebounds and was a perfect 6 of 6 from the line. “She is on her way back, healthwise,” Burks said. “She brings a perimeter shooting game that we can use down the stretch.” The Lady Indians were victorious last Thursday against West Texas A&M, defeating the Lady Buffs 78-71. Kristen Ramsey put up huge numbers, scoring 20 points including a 4 of 6 performance from behind the arc. Burks said that Ramsey’s performance was “huge,” adding that she “stepped up when we really needed it.” As usual, Jel-ani had a team-high scoring night with 22 points and 12 rebounds with nine of them coming on the defensive glass. MSU had to overcome a terrific performance from West Texas’ Celeste Stevenson. She scored 25 points and pulled down 16 rebounds. “She is one of the best in the conference on the offensive end. We knew that it would be difficult to contain her,” Burks said. The Lady Indians tried to force the ball out of her hands and into the perimeter shooters, hoping they would not ignite their offense. MSU was outrebounded during the game 47-39 but overcame that deficit by shooting above their season average. The Lady Indians return to D.L. Coliseum this week for their final home games of the season. They play on Thursday against Texas A&M - Kingsville and Saturday evening against Texas A&M - Commerce. The Lady Indians sit behind Angelo State by one game in the South Division in the LSC. They will meet the Lady Rams on the road on Feb. 27 in what could be a battle for the No. 1 spot in the conference playoffs that begin in March.
An Eastern New Mexico timeout turned the tables on MSU, who dropped their fourth straight game to the Greyhounds Saturday, 88-74. After trailing 44-40 at halftime, the Indians started the second half hot, going on an 11-4 shooting spree. Jovani Allen made a three-pointer just seconds into the half, bringing MSU within one point. ENMU pulled away by three points after a dunk by Jamaal Hunnicutt, but Allen answered with two points of his own. A series of missed shots and turnovers left the score at 46-45 until Hunnicutt made a lay-up less than two minutes later. Josh Drumgole slammed down a dunk, and Justin James hit a two-pointer after grabbing one of his six defensive rebounds of the game to put MSU up 49-48. A huge block by Allen on Kevin Iverson’s lay-up attempt sent the ball the Indians way. An assist by Marquette Wilkins gave James a chance to make good on a lay-up attempt and gave MSU the lead, 51-48. Then ENMU took their first timeout of the second half and never looked back. Randy Johnson hit a two-pointer right out of the timeout. A three-point shot by Douglas Tshomba put his team up 53-51. “We just got where we had a few untimely turnovers,” MSU assistant coach Blake Brown said. “We didn’t take care of the ball like we needed to. The turnovers doomed us.” The Greyhounds led by 12 midway through the second half. The Indians would pull within nine points on several occasions, but the free-throw shooting of ENMU was too much. The last nine minutes of the game was comprised mainly of Greyhound free throws. ENMU shot 13-of-14 from the free-throw line in the final five minutes and were 31-of-40 on the night. The Indians were 15-of-18 from the line. They would lead by as many as 16 before escaping with the 14-point win. Greyhound Cedric Palmer scored a game-high 25 points, 15 of which came during his team’s huge second half. Hunnicutt and Tshomba chipped in 17 and 14 points, respectively. Wilkins and Allen each scored 14 points, and Wilkins had seven assists. Justin James grabbed seven rebounds and scored 12 points, and Drumgole finished the night with 10 points. The loss drops the Indians to 7-16 on the season and 2-6 in the Lone Star Conference South. The LSC South-leading Greyhounds advance to 14-7 overall and 6-1 in conference play. MSU plays host to Texas A&M-Kingsville on Thursday and Texas A&M-Commerce Saturday in their final home game of the season. “We want to win at home for sure,” Brown said. “The stress for this week is to keep improving. We have to eliminate mistakes. “We normally always have a good game plan defensively. We just have to work during the week on taking care of the ball.”
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