Former Gwinnett Wrestler Excelling at Stanford

Back in 2005 at the Macon Colosseum in Macon, GA, Tyler Parker, a Senior wrestler at Collins Hill High School in Suwanee, GA, did something that had never been done in the history of Georgia High School Wrestling. He won the state championship in his weight class for the fourth straight year, making Parker the first to win the individual State Title four years in a row. The match that won him the championship capped off an incredible record of 54-0 his Senior year.

Parker has since taken his skills on the mat to the West Coast, to Stanford University, where he is beginning his Senior year and serves as one of four team co-captains on the Stanford Wrestling Team. His Freshman year in 2005-06 saw him earn a starting spot at 141 lbs. That year, he took second at the Central Missouri Open and won 7 of his first 9 collegiate matches. He also competed in the FILA Junior Nationals in April of that year.

During his Sophomore season, Parker competed in the PAC-10 Championships and finished with a 1-2 record. The competition got tougher as Parker would face three ranked wrestlers in his first nine matches of the year. Parker performed so well that he made it into the PAC-10 rankings at #6. Also during his Sophomore season, Parker earned Second Team All-Academic honors and competed in the NCAA Div. l National Championships.

After a red shirt season in which Parker didn't compete on the mat for the Cardinal, Parker returned to the mat in January 2009 after sitting out much of the season due to injury. He finished the year with an overall record of 4-3. One of those wins was a key come from behind win against Arizona State's Vincente Varela. That win helped Stanford beat ASU for only the second time in school history. A Management Science major, Parker was named to the First Team PAC-10 All-Academic Team during the 2008-09 season.

Tyler Parker has achieved a tremendous amount of success both on and off the mat during his high school and college careers. He is another of the many student-athletes from Gwinnett County, GA who have excelled in college both academically and athletically. It will be exciting to watch and see what he will do during his final year wrestling for the Stanford Cardinal.

Stanford's Press Named Pac-10 Player of the Week

Stanford Sr. Forward Christen Press was named PAC-10 Player of the Week this past week for her efforts against Hawaii, as she scored two goals to lead the Cardinal to a 6-2 victory over the Rainbow Warriors in Honolulu this past weekend.

The Palos Verdes Estates, CA native also tallied an assist as she connected with Sr. Forward Kelly O'Hara who scored a breakaway goal in the fifth minute of the second half. Press scored her two goals in a 5 minute span to secure the win for Stanford. Press was Stanford's leading scorer a year ago. With her two goals over the weekend, Press is now ranked #9 among Stanford's all-time leading scorers with 26 goals. With her assist on O'Hara's goal, Press is now ranked #8 on the school's all-time career assist list with 18.

Press continued her scoring ways on Sunday against San Diego St. The Cardinal found themselves down by two goals, but Press and Sophomore MF Teresa Novala each scored twice and Sr. Forward Kelly O'Hara scored to give the Cardinal a come from behind 5-2 victory over the Lady Aztecs. Press now has a total of 28 goals all-time.

Christen Press was one of 24 players called to the US U-23 Training Camp back in June. She scored a goal against an Irish select team during the U-23 team's two-game tour of Ireland and N. Ireland. She was formerly part of the US U-20 Player Pool.

It appears that if Christen Press continues to perform as she is doing, she has a great chance of being on the US National Team when the FIFA Women's World Cup comes around two years from now.

Former Central Gwinnett Standout Getting it Done for Union

From time to time here at College Sports, we want to give a shout out to former Gwinnett County, GA student-athletes who are excelling at the college level. One such student-athlete is Jr. Wide Receiver Rolando Dyer of Union College.

Dyer had a stellar career at Central Gwinnett High School and has translated that on to the college grit iron of Union College , a small NAIA school in Barbourville, KY. Back on Sept. 27, 2008, Dyer caught a career-high six passes for 98 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 35-28 win over then-No. 18 Georgeotwn (Ky.). During his Freshman season in 2007, Dyer appeared in 8 games catching 8 passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns for the Bulldogs.

Back in 2008. Union finished the regular season at 9-2 before losing to St. Francis University in the first round of the NAIA Playoffs. Dyer finished the 2008 campaign with 29 catches for 518 yards and 8 touchdowns. His longest reception was for 64 yards against the University of Virginia-Wise back on Nov. 1 of last year. Dyer also performed punt returning duties for the Bulldogs. He had 4 punt returns for 78 yards against St. Francis, his longest being for 31 yards.

Dyer is also teammates of two other Gwinnett Prep standouts: Sophomore RB Chandler Priest out of Grayson High School and Freshman OL Darryl Jones from Lawrenceville. There are 17 Georgia player on Union's roster for 2009, and I'm sure that Head Coach Tommy Reid will do more tapping into the rich talent of Gwinnett County high school football. The Bulldogs open their 2009 campaign on Saturday Sept. 5 with a home game against fellow Appalachian Athletic Conference foe UVA-Wise at 1:30PM.

Oklahoma St. May be Georgia's Toughest Season Opener in Program's History

I cant think of another year in Georgia Football history where the Dawgs have opened with an opponent as tough as Oklahoma St. Perhaps maybe Alabama in 1985, a game the Dawgs lost to the Tide on a Labor Day Monday night under the lights between the hedges.

The Cowboys are ranked in the top 10, and their offense is ranked the best in the nation by CollegeFootballNews.com. One of the big reasons is QB Zack Robinson. the Sr. signal caller from Littleton, CO broke a plethora of school records last year. Robinson Is already all over the OSU record books with another full season to play. He's second all-time at OSU in passing yards (6,223). He holds the school record for career total offense (7,786) and is third all-time at OSU in touchdown passes with 51 - just four shy of the school record held by Josh Fields. If that's not enough, his 2008 season statistics place him second on the single-season passing yards list with 3,064 and second on touchdown passes list with 25. Based on all this, Robinson should be a Heisman Trophy candidate.

The Cowboys have an explosive running attack in Jr. RB Kendall Hunter. Hunter was the Big 12's leading rusher by more than 30 yards per game last year, and is already No. 11 all-time at OSU with 2,251 rushing yards. Also, the Dawgs will have to deal with Junior All-American WR Dez Bryant. With just two seasons under his belt, Bryant is arguably the best wide receiver in school history. In 2008, he was second in the nation in touchdown receptions with 19, third nationally with 113.9 receiving yards per game, third nationally with 17.94 yards per punt return, and second nationally with 9.69 points per game. He's just a Junior. If he, Robinson and Hunter have the kind of seasons this year they had in 08, OSU has the possibility of winning the Big 12. Georgia Defensive Coordinator Willie Martinez probably isn't getting much sleep thinking about how to stop this multi-powered offense. We cant forget Sr. Offensive Lineman Russell Okung. Okung is one of the nation's top lineman and is expected to go high in the 2010 NFL Draft.

The Georgia defense has its work cut out for them, no question about it. If the Offensive Line of Georgia can protect Joe Cox and block for RBs Caleb King, Richard Samuels and others, the Dawgs might have a chance. I will go out on a limb and say Georgia upsets the Pokes 20-17, but this is just a hunch. In the past, Georgia wins this type of game because Georgia has been more talented, at least on paper. However, this is a daunting task. The game is in Stillwater, the Cowboys desperately want to upset a big name school and take their place among fellow conference and national powerhouses Oklahoma and Texas. Again, this may very well be the toughest opponent the Dawgs have faced in an opener ever, at least in the last 3 decades. Information in this article was gleaned from the Oklahoma St. athletic web site www.okstate.com.

Knight's Inclusion Into IU Hall of Fame Long Overdue

Know matter what you or I might think about Coach Bobby Knight, and I'm not a big fan of his at all, we cannot deny that he is arguably the greatest college basketball coach of all time. He is definitely the winningest coach of all time in college basketball, as far as Mens College Basketball is concerned.

It's because of that success that Indiana University has finally inducted Coach Knight into the Indiana University Sports Hall of Fame. This has been long overdue. I know he has engaged in reprehensible behavior: throwing chairs, berating members of the media, berating his own players, etc. Most people, myself included, don't condone any of that. However, he has won three national titles at IU and he has done a lot for the university and the city of Bloomington. He's also done a lot for his former players. As mentioned above, he has more wins than any other Div. l college basketball head coach. I believe it's something like 826.

I know this could not have been done back when then Indiana University President Miles Brand was there. We all know what happened. Knight was given a "zero tolerance" reprimand after a video tape showing the coach "choking" IU player Neal Reed surfaced back in May of 2000. Four months later, an incident with an IU student gave President Miles Brand the excuse to fire bob Knight. The student in question was the son of one of Knight's most vociferous critics.

Time heals all wounds, and with a new president and new athletic director, the timing was right for Knight to be inducted into the IU Sports Hall of Fame. He deserves it in spite of all of the baggage he brought. He won games and championships, and he made academics the top priority for his players. Congratulations to Coach Knight. It was long overdue.

Former Gwinnett Soccer Standouts Make Pre-season All-Conference

As a testimony to the outstanding soccer talent produced in Gwinnett County, GA, two former Gwinnett area soccer starts have been named to the All-Conference USA Pre-season Team last Wednesday.

Both teammates at the University of South Carolina, Juniors Sam Arthur and Jimmy Mauer are key contributors for the success of the Gamecoks in 2008. Arthur, out of Greater Atlanta Christian, spear headed the Gamecocks' attack with a conference best 12 goals and three assists for 27 points last season, and was a first team all-conference selection as a Sophomore.

Jimmy Mauer is a Junior Goal Keeper from Lawrenceville, but attended St. Pius X High School in Atlanta. Mauer was a second team all-conference selection in 2008. Mauer had a great year between the pipes with a 0.80 goals against average and 9 shutouts. That performance earned him Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week four times.

These are two examples of the plethora of soccer players coming out of Gwinnett County who have gone on to have stellar college careers. Some players, such as Josh Wolfe of the MLS Kansas City Wizzards (Parkview HS) and Justin Moore of Real Salt Lake (MLS) and the Atlanta Silverbacks (USL First Division) have made it to the pros. Justin Moore also played at Parkview High School and he played collegiately at Clemson. Back in the mid 90s, his older brother Jason Moore, also of Parkview HS, played collegiately at Virginia before having a stint with DC United.

With the growth of soccer in Gwinnett, there will undoubtedly be more players to excel at the college level and maybe event the professional ranks. Information in this article was gained from the Gwinnett Daily Post.

Be Sure Your Sins Will Find You Out: Memphis Forfeits 2007-08 Season

When I was a young boy, I had the privilege of growing up in a Christian home and attending Christian schools. One thing I learned from my parents and teachers is that consequences, sooner or later, will follow wrong doing. "Be sure your sins will find you out" was a statement I heard. Apparently, John Calipari and Derrick Rhodes didn't take seriously that dire warning.

Yesterday, the NCAA informed the University of Memphis that the Mens Basketball Team would have to forfeit all 38 games including their Final Four appearance because one of their players, starting point guard Derrick Rose, had a fraudulent score on the SAT. The Mens Basketball Program will also be put on probation for 3 years. I wrote an article about this a few months ago. John Calipari had left the Tigers to go to "bluer" pastures at Kentucky. I warned Kentucky that the Wildcats might be making a big mistake. It turns out that "might" may be looking more like "is" or "are", depending on your grammar.

Derrick Rose is now making millions as the starting point guard for the Chicago Bulls, and, as mentioned earlier, John Calipari is now at Kentucky. This is the second time that one of Calipari's Final Four teams will have their Final Four appearance stricken from the record. The first one was back in 1996 when Calipari's UMASS Minutemen reached the Final Four and lost to Kentucky, the eventual national champion. Massachusetts was assessed this penalty because former Minutemen Center Marcus Cambi was given financial gifts, which is obviously and NCAA violation.

Some people just don't get it. They will never get it. John Calipari is apparently one of these people. The University of Memphis says they will appeal the NCAA's decision. My suggestion to Memphis is this: since both Rose and Calipari are making millions of dollars with their respective employers, the university should go after them via law suits. Right now, they are both off the hook since they aren't at Memphis anymore. They both have caused embarrassment and shame to U of M and the city of Memphis. I'm wondering if a defamation law suit is possible. I find Calipari more culpable since this is the second time this has happened on his watch. The chances of Memphis winning an appeal of the NCAA's edict is slim to none, but the university might be able to save face by going after Calipari and Rose in a law suit. That's my opinion and I welcome yours.

Bryan Womens Soccer Team Scoring in the Classroom

Here at College Sports from time to time, we want to recognize student-athletes who are excelling where it really counts: in the classroom.

Last week, the NAIA announced the winners of the Scholar Team Awards, and the Bryan College Women's Soccer Team was tied for 8th in the nation with a team GPA of 3.51. The Womens Soccer Team was one of four Bryan athletic teams to receive the award, and of those four, they had the highest GPA. They were also the only Womens Soccer Team in the Appalachian Athletic Conference to receive the award.

Head Coach Mark Suave is extremely proud of his team's accomplishment: "Being the head women's soccer coach at Bryan College is a lot more than just running technical and tactical sessions," Coach Suave said. "For me, coaching is an opportunity to invest in lives. Coaching extends well beyond the practice fields and times. I take a holistic approach with each individual player. I challenge the girls to always give just a little more on the field and off the field. At the beginning of the spring semester I challenged the girls to have a team GPA higher than a 3.5, and they responded. I am honored to be their coach and I am very proud of my team's efforts on the field and in the class room."

The Lady Lions open their season Friday evening when they host Trevecca Nazarine University at 7pm. One of the other Bryan teams to receive the award was the Mens Basketball Team. They were ranked 24th in the NAIA with a team GPA of 3.06. They also were the only mens basketball team in the Appalachian Athletic Conference to receive the award. Congratulations to all of the Bryan athletic teams who received the NAIA Scholar Team Award. You did it where it counts the most!

Fast Feet Without Shoes: Cross Country Runner Runs Barefooted

Mari Jean Wegert is a Junior runner on the Grace College Women's Cross Country and Track teams. She advanced to the NAIA Nationals in the 800 as a freshman, and her 3,200-meter relay team qualified to nationals during the indoor season last year. This is nothing out of the ordinary for top notch runners. There is one exception. She is doing it barefooted.

"I don't know how to put into words why it's so much more fun," Wegert said of running barefooted. "I remember feeling miserable (with shoes). It felt a lot lighter without shoes. I like to be different -- it's fun to have a way to run that nobody else does," Wegert continued. As a Cross Country runner, Wegert advanced to the NAIA nationals and she finished 13th at the Christian college nationals meet as a Sophomore.

When she came to Grace College, a small NAIA school in Winnona Lake, Indiana, Wegert had no plans to participate in intercollegiate athletics. "When I first came to college, I wasn't an athlete. I like poetry and music and didn't like the athlete stereotype. It gives me a way to not totally fit into the mold of a jock. I can run faster and be more competitive," Wegert said. Wegert's goal is to run under 18 minutes in Cross Country and 2:09 in the 800.

Wegert didn't start running competitively until her Senior year in high school, at the request of the coach. She ended up being part of a 3200 meter relay team that qualified for the Regionals. Grace Cross and Country and Track Coach Neal Butler didn't discourage Wegert from running barefooted. At a meet in Indianapolis, Wegert complained to Coach Butler that she wanted to run barefooted. Butler asked the meet officials and they said it was OK. Wegert made it to the Finals and finished in seventh place. "I started too fast but it was so much fun, and I've run about every race since without shoes," Wegert said.

Marijean Wegert does have to be very careful to take care of her feet. "I have to run carefully and watch where I'm running," Wegert said. "The track does tear up your feet, and I'll limp around after a race. It wasn't too bad after a while, and I have a couple layers of callouses on my feet (now). Wegert also said that it was a gradual experience building up callouses and endurance. She says that form is important and that running barefooted actually helps her form.

An English major from Elmore, OH, Wegert is having a great time at Grace College. She's enjoying the academic, social and athletic atmosphere of college life: "I always looked forward to college," Wegert said. "Everybody learning together and eating together. That attracted me. I love having a deep discussion or talking about literature with friends after class. It's a good environment to learn, have fun with friends and find ways to be creative."I really enjoy the team, coach and the whole competitive aspect."

to me, Marijean Wegert is one of the toughest athletes around. To be able to run barefoot at a high level on the track or through the woods takes guts. Some days the asphalt or concrete is very hot. When running through the woods in a Cross Country meet or in practice, she steps on sharp twigs or rocks, yet that doesn't deter her from having fast fet without shoes. Marijean Wegert is one tough student-athlete. Information for this article was gathered from the NAIA's official website http://www.naia.org/ and from the News Messenger out of Fremont, OH and their Staff Writer Matthew Horn.

Paulus Nemed Starting QB at Syracuse

After four years in the back court of the Duke Blue Devils, Greg Paulus will now be passing an oblong ball for the Syracuse Orange. Yesterday, Greg Paulus was named the starting quarterback for Syracuse University in their opener against Minnesota at noon on Sept. 5.

Paulus graduated from Duke, but still has 1 year of eligibility left and has decided to use it at Syracuse. He didn't join the Orange for workouts until July, and he has already been named the starting quarterback. He didn't participate in Spring Practice, but he has beaten out the other QBs to be the starter. Something is wrong with this picture. Yes, I know he has talent. Coming out of high school, Paulus was one of the elite high school quarterbacks in the country. However, he has not thrown a football in 4 years, let alone thrown one with huge defensive linemen breathing down his neck.

Either Paulus is a natural and has a nack of picking up the offense quickly, or the Orange other quarterbacks are really bad. I hope the best for him. I hope he succeeds, but I cant help but feel for the other QBs who put in the work in the Spring and Summer workouts. They paid their dues. I'm not sure Paulus did.

Gruden Should Become the Next Football Coach at IU

What is John Gruden doing in the booth for Monday Night Football? He belongs back in coaching, but this time, at the college level. I cant think of a better place for him to go: Indiana.

Yes, you heard me right. IU needs a resuscitation of it's woeful pigskin experiment. John Gruden would be the perfect man to resurrect the program. He's from Indiana. He's won the ultimate prize at the professional ranks: Super Bowl Championship. He's young and energetic. He would breathe life into the program. If you watched last night's pre-season ESPN telecast of the NY Giants/Carolina game, he was giving rave reviews of the Wildcat Offense. He could install that at Indiana, bring some excitement to the program. there's no doubt he would recruit the right players for his system.

Several blogs ago, I wrote that Indiana Football should revert to a Club Sport because it has been, for the most part, awful. I think John Gruden would change that, just like Mark Mangino has turned Kansas from the Big Xll door matt to a BCS bowl appearance and a win over Virginia Tech 2 years ago. Gruden could do the same thing. I have no doubt. That's my opinion, and I welcome yours.

State with the Best ever College Basketball Starting 5 Revised Version

I need to change the criteria. If you read the previous blog about which state has the best ever college basketball starting 5, you'll notice that the criteria I chose was that in order for those players to be eligible, they had to play at least High School ball in that particular state and not necessarily college in that state. My friend's idea when he suggested this topic was that the criteria would be that the players would represent the state they played COLLEGE BASKETBALL in, not high school.

He made a case for Louisiana being the state with the best all-time CB starting 5: Shaquille Oneal, Bob Petit, Karl Malone, Pete Maravich and Chris Jackson. All 5 of these players play college ball in the state of Louisiana. They were not all from Louisiana and they didn't all play high school ball there. By the way, his sixth man was Joe Dumars. So, if you still want to come up with the state with the best all-time starting five based on the players being from that state, or at least playing high school ball there, then go read the previous blog at kgussports.blogspot.com and post your comment. However, as far as I'm concerned, I'm changing the criteria to it being the state where they played college basketball.

OK, in that light, North Carolina would be my candidate for the state with the best all-time college basketball starting 5. Here they are: Phil Ford, Michael Jordan, Bobby Jones, Tyler Hansbrough and David Thompson. Chris Paul is my sixth man. This was a tough one. I had to leave out several Dukies like Johny Dawkins, Christian Laetner and Jason Williams, not to mention Jerry Stackhouse and Donald Williams from UNC, as well as Rodney Monroe (NC. St.) and Stephan Curry from Davidson.

As a Georgian, I have to throw in Georgia's case as being the state with the best college basketball starting 5. If they have to have played college ball in the state of Georgia, then here they are: Kenny Anderson, Mark Price, Dominique Wilkins, Jarvis Hayes and Dwayne Ferrell with Tommy Hammonds as the sixth man. Make your case for your state being the one with the best all-time college basketball starting 5. They have to have played college ball in that particular state! Post your comment below.

What State Can Boast the Best All-Time College Starting 5

A friend of mine in Louisiana gave me a great idea for a blog. What state in the union would have the best all-time college all-star starting five? He made a great case for Louisiana. his starting five were Bob Petit, Pete Maravich, Shaquile Oneal, Karl Malone and Chris Jackson (later changed name to Mahmoud Abdul Raouf). That's an excellent case.

My vote might be the state of North Carolina. Here is my all-time starting five for NC: Jerry Stackhouse, Michael Jordan, Lou Hudson, Dominique Wilkins and Bobby Jones. Yes, I know some of you are screaming for Tyler Hansbrough, but he is not from the state of North Carolina. He is from Missouri. He would definitely be on the Missouri all-time starting five. The five players I mentioned all at least went to high school in North Carolina. By the way, Dominique Wilkins played high school ball in Washington, NC.

Here is my case for Georgia having the best all-time college starting five. they at least played high school ball in Georgia. Norm Nixon, started on the L.A Lakers 1982 NBA Championship team with Magic and Kareem. He went to SW Macon in Macon, Ga. I believe during his tenure there, SW Macon was ranked #1 in the country. Horace Grant, who one 6 NBA titles with Jordan and the Bulls. He played high school ball in Sparta, GA and was an All-American at Clemson. By the way, to qualify, the players need to have played college ball. Kenny "Sky" Walker, who was a star at the Univ. of Kentucky. He is from Georgia. Ricky Moore from Macon, GA, who played for the UCONN Huskies and is now in the NBA. My final Georgia player is Jody Meeks. He scored 54 points for Kentucky this past year breaking the school's all-time single game scoring total. Jody is from Norcross, GA, a suburb of Atlanta. He was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in this past Summer's NBA Draft. I'll make Brian Oliver my sixth man. Oliver was part of the "Lethal Weapon Three" trio who led Georgia Tech to the 1990 Final Four. There have been so many great players from Georgia to play college and pro ball. This was a tough call.

Feel free to post your state's case for the best all-time college starting five. You can throw in a sixth man also. By the way, my sixth man for the North Carolina contingent would be Stephan Curry. Your comments please.

Should Rick Petino be Fired? That's a Tough Call

No doubt Michael Vick being signed by the Philadelphia Eagles is the top off the field sports story. However, the second off the field sports story is that of the saga of Louisville University Head Basketball Coach Rick Petino.

Petino admitted to having consensual sex with a woman 6 years ago. According to reports, the woman got pregnant and Petino paid the lady something like $3,000.00 to have an abortion. Now this lady claims Petino raped her not once, but twice. The rape charges, I believe, are bogus. The woman has already been charged with filing a false report as well as extortion.

The issue I'm dealing with is; Does the university want to associate itself with someone who not only did something "inappropriate", but covered it up from UL officials these past 6 years. Yes, I know consensual sex is not a crime as far as the legal sense of the word. However, this happened while Petino was married (He still is). That's adultery. Adultery is at best very inappropriate behavior and at worst a crime against God. By the way, if Petino was serving in the US Military, he would be charged with adultery because it is a crime in the military.

Petino is a coach, but he is also a teacher. His students are his players. UL, along with every other college and university in the country, wants their professors and coaches to set the right examples for their students. What Petino did was far from the right example. It is an embarrassment to the University of Louisville. What's more worse is this was covered up until now. Petino is a winner on the court. That is, I believe, the real reason why he hasn't been fired. Winning cures everything, so they say.
Do people deserve second chances, yes. If they have a repentant attitude and are making steps to correct their behavior. like Michael Vick is trying to do, then yes, they deserve a second chance. However, the reputation of UL and its basketball program is at stake. Parents of potential recruits will now think twice about allowing their sons to play for Petino.

As far as whether or not Petino should be fired, that's a tough call for me. As one emailer to a sports talk show wrote: "If you fired everyone who has engaged in infidelity, the nation would have a 75% unemployment rate. I'm afraid that may very well be true. Your comments please.

Dustdevils Aim to Improve on Successful 08 Season

The Texas A&M International Mens Soccer Team finished the 2008 season with a strong 12-5-1 record and a third place finish in the Heartland Conference at 5-4-1. To improve on that success in 09, Head Coach Claudio Arias and his charges will have to do it while losing 9 seniors to graduation, including 2008 Conference Player of the Year Greg Mulamba.

Mulamba finished his career at TAMIU in 2008 ranked sixth on the TAMIU career list in goals (13) and total points (32). Mulamba, along with fellow senior Albert Escovar were named First Team All-Conference. Seniors Adeyemi Gill and Victor Garcia were named to the All-Conference Second Team. Soamy Bautista embarks on his Junior season for the Dustdevils. He also earned second team All-Conference honors in 08. In an effort to hewn his skills in the off season, Bautista had a successful Summer season with the Laredo Heat of the PDL (Professional Developmental League).

The Dustdevils have another tough schedule in 2009, including fellow Heartland Conference foes Midwestern St., who is currently ranked #5 in the nation in the NCAA Div ll pre-season poll, and teams like Incarnate Word and W. Texas A&M just to name a few. The Dustdevils have other capable players to step in and fill the roles left by the departing seniors, such as Junior Forward Alejandro Castillo, a transfer from Concordia-Nebraska. While playing for the Bulldogs back in 2005, Castillo scored 5 goals and finished with 14 points that year. He will be looked upon to provide scoring for the Dustdevils. Also returning for his Senior season is Forward Roy Hernandez. The Houston, TX native played his first two collegiate season at San Jacinto Jr. College where he scored 11 goals as a Freshman and 12 as a Sophomore. The Dustdevils will need his scoring punch in 09 if they are to compete for a conference championship and a berth in the NCAA Div. ll Tournament.

Texas A&M International University, located in Laredo, TX on the Mexican border, is a member of the Heartland Conference in NCAA Div. ll. Head Coach Claudio Arias begins his sixth season this Fall as Head Coach of the Dustdevils with a total record of 50-34-5 while at TAMIU. Last year's 12-5-1 record was the program's best record in 4 seasons.

College Football Pre-season Polls Are Worthless

A year ago, Georgia was picked #1 in the pre-season college football polls. They finished 10-2 with a win in the Capital One Bowl It wasn't a bad season, but they couldn't live up to expectations. In 2000, Alabama was picked as the pre-season #1 team. They ended up horrible with a losing season. I believe it was 3-8 and losing to Louisiana Tech that year at home. Auburn was picked #1 pre-season in 2003. They lost to Southern Cal at home 23-0 and to Ga. Tech the following week. They ended up 6-5 with a win over Wisconsin in the Music City Bowl. Get my drift.

The title of #1 before the first kickoff is at best meaningless and at worst a curse for the team with that mantle. Pre-season polls do nothing but get the sports talk shows good ratings and inflate the heads of the players. They are worthless! In my opinion, the first ranking of the season should come out no earlier than after week three of the college football season. By then, there is pretty much a consensus of who the best team is. Texas Head Coach Mack Brown said on a sports talk show that the polls shouldn't come out until October. I'd be OK with that.

I will say that Florida, who is #1 in the pre-season polls, will probably stay there throughout the season and win the national title again. They should be the pre-season #1 pick anyway because they ARE the national champions. The champs are the champs until they are knocked off. However, that doesn't do away with the fact that pre-season polls don't mean anything. The first poll should come out at least after 3 weeks of the season have been completed. that's my opinion, and I welcome yours.

Orange Getting Ready for the next "Melo"

The Syracuse University Basketball Team will have another Melo on its squad in 2010. He's a 7 footer from Brazil named Fabricio De Melo. Recruited by several big time schools such as Louisville, Uconn, Florida St. and Florida, Fab Melo chose the Cuse.

The 7 foot 267 pound Melo transferred fro his school in Brazil to Sagemont High School in Florida. Because of Florida High School Athletic Association rules on international transfers, Melo had to sit out last season but will be eligible to play for Sagemont this year.

"He felt really comfortable with Coach Jim Boeheim, assistant coach Mike Hopkins and Bernie Fine," Sagemont High School Coach Adam Ross said. It really came down to that; feeling comfortable with the coaches and the school and the city." Coach Ross continued.

Even though Fab Melo didn't play this past season, he still created tremendous interest in the college coaching world. Coaches went to Sagemont to scout Div. l prospects and Melo caught their eye. Coach Ross believes Melo has all the skills coaches want to see in a post player. "Fab is a tremendous talent because not only does he have tremendous size but he has a very advanced skill set. For a high school junior who's 7-feet tall, his potential is limitless. He has all the tools college coaches look for to build on." Coach Ross said.

This pas Summer, Melo played in several elite camps and with his AAU team, the Florida Rams, on the AAU circuit. Melo also participated in the NBA's prestigious Players Association Top 100 Camp at the University of Virginia. While at the camp, Melo was so impressive that he was named to the First Team.

Coach Ross commented that it has been tough for Melo not being able to play high school ball this past school year, but that his conditioning has gotten better. Ross said he played in 50 games in the month of July, going from one extreme to the other. "He continues to work hard. He knows that's a key to his success.'' Coach Ross said.

Both Melo and Ross toured Syracuse University on an unofficial visit back in May. It was the third unofficial visit that Melo made. He also visited two other Big East schools; Louisville and Connecticut. Melo also made a visit to the University of Florida.

Melo had some pre-conceived ideas about the university and the city of Syracuse, but those trepidations were put to rest upon his visitation.
"He was very surprised by the campus and the town,'' Coach Ross said. "When we came out of the Carrier Dome, he said to me "I want to play in this place.''

Fab Melo has played on the Brazilian Junior National Team, but recently he's been playing in other events which took him away from the National Team. Melo is the most recent addition to an already outstanding Syracuse 2010 class. In fact, Dave Telep, the scouting director at Scout.com, ranks Melo at #5 in the Syracuse class of 2010.
Other Syracuse commitments include Dion Waiters, a 6'3 guard from Philadelphia, C.J. Fair, a 6'8 forward from Baltimore and Baye Moussa Keita, a 6'9 forward from Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, VA.

The Cuse is going to have an incredible season in 2010-11 with this class. The may very well win a national championship. The last Melo to lead Syracuse to a national title was Carmello Anthony in 2003. But I predict that Fab Melo will only attend the Cuse for 2 years, then it's off to the NBA. We shall see. Info in this blog was obtained from www.syracuse.com/orangebasketball.

NCAA Tells State of Delaware "Don't Bet on it."

Earlier today, all three divisions of the NCAA made it clear that any state that allows gambling on college games will not be allowed to host any title games. I say it's a good idea. The NCAA is trying to protect the integrity of its amature athletics. The state of Delaware wants to have sports betting, including betting on college sporting events.

I know the economy is rough. Delaware could use the money made from betting. However, I applaud the NCAA for taking a stand. The want to keep their sports clean. It is well documented the many, many abuses by student-athletes, coaches and boosters that have stained the college game. The NCAA wants less and less of it, and sending such a message as was sent today will help to keep college sports what they were intended to be: played by armature student-athletes. The NCAA has a right to do what ever it wants to keep it that way. If the state of Delaware ever hopes to host an NCAA national championship game, then they "shouldn't bet on it." Your comments please!

Gwinnett players looking to contribute for the Rebels, plus Ole Miss Outlook

Four former Gwinnett high school standouts are hoping to contribute on the field for the Ole Miss Rebels as they try to win their first SEC title since, well, who knows when. I think it was back when John Vaught was coaching. I believe that would be back during the 1950s.

Melvin Harris is a Redshirt Freshman from Buford. The wide receiver led Buford High school to a 15-0 record and a Georgia 2A State Title his Senior year. He saw no game action last year for Ole Miss being that he was redshirted. For the Buford Wolves, Harris caught 30 passes for 660 yards and 8 touchdowns during his Senior season. Harris has the talent to contribute for the Rebels on the field. Let's hope he gets his chance this year.

DB Brandon Sanders is another Redshirt Freshman and had a stellar career at Peachtree Ridge High School. Sanders was the No. 57 player in Georgia and the No. 102 CB in the nation by Scout.com. Sanders finished his Senior season with 25 tackles and one interception, and was ranked No. 71 among cornerbacks by ESPN.com. Sanders was also named First Tean All-Region. He hopes to translate all of that success on to the college scene. With physical maturation during the redshirt year, Sanders will hopefully gain game experience this Fall and help the Rebels on the field.

Julian Whitehead is yet another Redshirt Freshman from Lilburn, GA. He spent his last prep year at Hargrave Military Academy, where he was rated the No. 33 prep school player in the nation by Rivals.com. Whitehead completed 25 tackles and made four interceptions. Before Hargrave, Whitehead played at Parkview High School for Head Coach Cecil Flowe. While playing for the Panthers, Whitehead made 38 tackles and had two INT's as a Junior. For his efforts, he was named to the All-County Team. Unfortunately for Whitehead, he missed his Senior season due to injury. During the Grove Bowl (The Ole Miss Spring Game) in 2008, Whitehead had one pass break up. With a year to recover and another to get stronger, Whitehead might have a chance to contribute for the Rebels this Fall.

The final member of the Gwinnett group of Rebels is Soph. LB Trey Tripp. Tripp is from Buford, GA and played at Peachtree Ridge High School along with Brandon Sanders. Tripp was a walk-on who was redshirted his Freshman year in 2007. He didn't see any action in 2008, but in the Spring of 2008, Tripp assisted on two tackles during the Rebels' Red-Blue Game. This past Spring, Tripp made two tackles in the Grove Bowl. Though these statistics during scrimmage games may seem insignificant, Tripp's success during these scrimmages can only help his confidence. He is currently listed on the Rebel Scout Team, but will hopefully see some action this Fall.

As for the prospectus of the Ole Miss Rebels in 2009, they actually have an excellent chance to win the SEC Western Division. Starting QB Jevan Snead had a terrific season last year, so much so that Steve Spurrier (or his Director of Operations, take your pick) put Snead ahead of Tim Tebo on the Pre-Season All-SEC Team. Snead had a 145.5 rating in pass efficiency. He was second in the SEC in touchdown passes with 26 and set a school single season record in yards per completion (15.0). Snead was also third in the SEC in passing average (212.5 ypg).

The schedule is favorable for the Rebels with SEC home games against Alabama, Arkansas, LSU and Tennessee. South Carolina and Vandy, though they're road games, I believe will be wins. Arkansas is still rebuilding as is Tennessee. The games against the Tide and LSU will be difficult, but the Rebels are capable of winning those games. They don't play Florida or Georgia this year. Their toughest SEC road game will be against Auburn, but I think Ole Miss will pull that game out. As far as non-conference games, UAB is competitive but Mississippi will win on Homecoming Day. The Labor Day opener in Memphis against the Memphis Tigers will be a win, as will be home games against SE LA and N. Arizona. And of course, las but not least, the Egg Bowl. It's in Starkville this year, but Ole Miss by then will have the SEC West Title on the line and they will beat their hated in-state rivals Miss. St.

I believe that Ole Miss will finish 11-1 this year with their only loss coming against Alabama. However, the Tide will end up with two loses and Ole Miss will win the watered down SEC West. Information in this blog was obtained from www.olemisssports.com.

Marywood Women's Soccer Team Provides Hope for Kids in Guatemala

From time to time on the College Sports Blog, I want to recognize individual student-athletes and teams who make a positive difference and provide hope for those less fortunate. One example of the is the Women's Soccer Team at Marywood University, a Catholic university located in Scranton, PA.

This past Summer, the Women's Soccer Team traveled to Guatemala where they donated old soccer uniforms to a school so the kids would be able to feel like they are part of a team. Javier Diaz, a Resident Director at Marywood, went on a service trip to Guatemala. While there, Diaz realized the need for things like soccer uniforms and balls. Senior Lisa Hanselman, a Captain on the Women's soccer team, put Diaz in touch with Head Coach Andrew Smith. "Javier was looking for old items, such as used balls, to donate, and we were planning on sending old uniforms to Eurosport’s (a soccer supplier company) “Passback Program,” which donates old items to underprivileged people around the world” Coach Smith said. "We figured by donating the goods through Javier, we would at least know where they ended up.” Smith continued.

The team went to two cities in Guatemala, and the donation of old uniforms was not the only service project they were involved with. They first went to San Lucas De Toliman, where the team was involved with a reforestation program and a coffee project, which included but was not limited to manual labor (carrying sender blocks from one location to the next in order to speed up the building process) and picking bad coffee beans from 100 pound sacks of dried coffee beans. Part of the labor was to help build a coffee bean station which would allow the local Catholic church to dry more coffee beans which results in more coffee and more product. The reforestation project involved putting dirt in plastic bags but wasn't limited to just that. The Marywood team worked jointly with groups from two other universities: Loyola Univ. of New Orleans and Rice University from Houston, TX.

The Marywood team then traveled to the city of Chichicastenango, where they went to distribute the uniforms to a school of indigenous boys and girls called Internado de Ninas Indigenas, Centro Educativo Anunciata. The private school's main goal is to help the indigenous people of Guatemala and allows families to pay only as much as they can.
The soccer coach there was overwhelmed with gratitude. "The coach at first did not want to accept such a gift because he noticed the cost of one uniform (47 USA dollars)” Diaz said. However, the coach did accept the uniforms and promised that there is great potential for some of the kids to play professional soccer. The coach said he would use the donated uniforms to use in tournaments.

“Often, young kids in these countries play soccer in bare feet and worn out clothing and balls. These uniforms will certainly make them feel more like a team, and we are just glad we could help out in some small way.” Marywood Head Coach Andrew Smith said. “We are certainly glad these old uniforms will help better the quality of life for these future stars,” Smith continued.

The Marywood Women's Soccer Team is just one of thousands of examples of student-athletes volunteering their time and efforts to better improve and positively impact lives around the world. By the way, the Marywood team has excelled on the field as well. In 2008, the Lady Pacers won the Colonial States Athletic Conference Championship and gained the program's first ever berth in the NCAA Div. lll National Tournament. More on this story can be found by going to the school's website www.marywood.edu/athletics.

Former Gwinnett Prep Soccer Star Getting it Done for Carson-Newman

As I've mentioned several times before, Gwinnett County, GA has produced a plethora of terrific high school, college and several pro athletes. In this blog, we will highlight another one of those athletes who are excelling at the college level.

Gustavo Jimenez will begin his Junior Year this Fall at Carson-Newman University, where he is a defensive midfielder on the Eagles' Soccer team. Last year, Jimenez appeared in 13 games and started three of them. He scored 2 goals and 3 assists, thus finishing the 08 season with 7 points. Carson-Newman went 11-4-2 on the season en route to a berth in the NCAA Div. ll Tournament.

Jimenez prepped at North Gwinnett High School where he was a standout player earning both Defensive and All-Around MVP honors, as well as being named All-County. Jimenez and his Eagle teammates will try to duplicate and surpass last year's success. As mentioned above, the Eagles made it to the first round of the NCAA Div. ll Tournament where they lost in an 4-3 overtime heart breaker to Francis Marion. The Eagles actually had a 3-0 lead before FMU roared back and eventually won 4-3 in OT.