Dedicated basketball fan makes a difference

Lea B. Olsen has written an article about community hoops and me.

Click here to see it.

Gonna Make You An Offer You Can’t Refuse - A Fan’s Perspective

editors note: this story was just too fun to read for me and i have to share it. there are pictures of these guys in the article website. click here to read the whole thing.

You’ve all seen (or at least heard of) them by now…Those ”dapper Don’s” in brilliant orange suits, black shirts, and black fedoras.
When they enter the building, they command attention. Springville fans love them. They are awesome. The girls on the team love them. They are fierce. The press loves them. They are the stuff of an instant legend.
In real life, just typical teenage boys, they represent everything that is good, and right, and amazing about life in a small town, and a small school.Some play basketball. Some play football. Some play baseball, or run track. Some are in band and drama. All are decent young men, and leaders within the school community. They are all seniors, who parted with hard earned cash for a brilliant orange suit, so they could make a BIG statement of support for their girls basketball team. Now how cool is that?
I’ll tell you how cool….so incredibly cool that they were instantly dubbed“The SHS Mafia”.

73-year-old Ken Mink is just another apathetic college athlete

By Eamonn Brennan Ken Mink's is by now a familiar tale. The Roane State College walk-on who was according to his account falsely accused of delinquency as a college hoopster in 1956, revived his career this year at the ripe age of 73. It's a goofy little feel-good story about a man fighting back against the march of time. Or something. It's really just an old dude that gets to sit on a basketball bench for a season, but it's fun, so I blog about it. Anyway, there's some slightly shocking news regarding Mink, news that you might want to be sitting down for. (Are you sitting? Of course you are. You're at a computer.) It seems Mink has lost his eligibility after failing a Spanish class, and his team is being asked to forfeit a game. College kids these days. Does the "student" in "student-athlete" mean nothing to them? Click here to read more.

Time To Get On The Soap Box

Do you want to tell everyone what you think of the MSHSL Transfer Policy? Or the run time rule? How about your thoughts about AAU/Spring - Summer Programs? Do you just want everyone to know about your team/program?

Well personally I know there are a lot of folks out there that have something to say on at least one of these ideas if not others as well. I know this because everyday when I walk into a gym there will be at least 2 parents, players, coaches, or referee's offer up a thought or two.

Well now is your chance to ask the questions, share your ideas, or just offer your take on things. You never know who is going to be there and give you an answer, or has the same thoughts you do.

CommunityHoops.com will host an open forum for everyone on Saturday Feb. 14th from 10:30am until no later then 4:30pm. at the Southdale Library (7001 york ave south in edina)

Here is the chance for fans, parents, players, coaches, and administrators to come and talk about anything related to women's basketball. All comments, provided they are clean and do not "unnecessarily" attack someone, will be posted as part of the podcast for this event., If more show up then the room will hold there will be time taken to rotate everyone in and out of the room so all that came to take part can. No admission fee - and no snacks will be served. If you wish to reserve some open mic time before Saturday, e-mail Tony at event@communityhoops.com.

NDSU Athletics Hosts 18th Annual Bison Valentine Victory Blood Drive

The 18th annual Bison Valentine Victory Blood Drive, sponsored by North Dakota State University Athletics and United Blood Services, is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 10 and Wednesday, Feb. 11, at the Bison Sports Arena. Donations will be taken from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both dates. The goal of this year's blood drive is gather 400 units of blood. The Bison Valentine Victory Blood Drive started in 1992 and has averaged approximately 261 donors with 240 units drawn over the 17 previous two-day events. The Bison Valentine Victory Blood Drive has averaged 108 first-time donors per year. United Blood Services provides blood and blood products for patients at 73 hospitals in North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota, and are in dire need of donations at this time. The purpose of the blood drive is to involve all athletics staff, student-athletes and coaches from each of North Dakota State's 16 intercollegiate sports. Each NDSU student-athlete is encouraged to recruit as many volunteers as possible for the blood drive. Donors must be at least 17 years old and weigh 110 pounds. Donors also must show a list of medications taken in the past month and identification containing their legal name with a date of birth, photo ID, social security number or a United Blood Services assigned donor number. Appointments are encouraged, but walk-ins are welcome. Last year 58 walk-ins participated. Appointments are scheduled for every 15 minutes, and those wishing to schedule a time to donate are encouraged to call the NDSU Athletic Office at (701) 231-7807 or e-mail Lynn Dorn, the Director of Women's Athletics, at Lynn.Dorn@ndsu.edu

Edina 69 Southwest 59

The Hornets was up at halftime 30-29, and used a early run in the second half to pull away from the Lakers.  The Hornets were led by Junior Guard Taylor Young who finished with 24 pts.  Jamie Breshahan chipped in 20 pts, including 17 in the first half.  Southwest was led by Freshman Guard Mariah Adanene who finished with 23 points and Center Britta Syverson 17 points respectively.

Texas coach fired after 100-0 win

I found this on http://hoopism.blogspot.com/ By now, most have heard about the Covenant School's 100-0 victory over Dallas Academy Jan. 13. Yesterday, Covenant fired Coach Micah Grimes, calling the blowout "shameful." Grimes, however, emailed the Dallas Morning News disagreeing with the decision. I do not agree with the apology or the notion that the Covenant School girls basketball team should feel embarrassed or ashamed," Grimes wrote in the e-mail, according to the newspaper. The game has ignited an old debate on message boards about whether or not playing such a game is running up the score, or just how the cookie crumbles. What I thought most interesting in the story released today is that Texas has no mercy rule in girl's basketball. Why not? It's the right thing to do. In California, our mercy rule states that when a team attains a 40-point lead the clock then runs, not stopping for timeouts or free throws, even if the lead again dips below 40. Story link: http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/9134384?MSNHPHMA

Minneapolis South 64 Minneapolis Southwest 33

The Tigers took a 4 point lead into halftime—25-21 and never looked back as the #1 Ranked Tigers pulled away in the 2nd Half.  They outscored the Lakers 39-12 in the 2nd Half.   Taylor Hill finished with 24 points and Armesha Kearney added 15 points. Britta Syverson led the Lakers with 17 pts and 10 rebounds.  The Tigers were without Forwards Gabby Roberts and Europe Guy.

Should A Games Outcome Be 'Controlled'?

I recently read and posted the story from Rivals.com's web site on the team looking to forfeit a 100-0 win. I guess this raises a few questions.  Some of which might be - what was the winning team's (or any other team in this same situation) motivation in such a lopsided win?  Where the players on the roster used to minimize such a score to the best of the coaches ability? Do you tell your players not to score or not play the game to score?  Where the attitudes of the players ON BOTH SIDES respectful to the situation? I understand that there are some games that cannot be "removed" from a schedule and that teams all play at various levels of ability.  With this said, my questions I raised above only scratch the surface of the issues involved in such a score and I would hope that if a coach leads his team in a disrespectful way while on ether end of a score like this, that the school or district administrators take STRONG disciplinary action such as a 2 game suspension or even removal from the coaching position. We do not need adults teaching or encouraging kids/players to be disrespectful when such a "life activity" comes up later whether it is in sports, work, or life in general.  As good of a coach as they might be for the fundamentals and strategies of the game, if they cannot teach other life skills in such times they do not belong coaching my child.

School seeks to forfeit 100-0 win

FROM http://highschool.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=903780 MORE: RivalsHigh100 Hoops Rankings | Top 150 prospects for 2009 DALLAS -- A Texas high school girls basketball team on the winning end of a 100-0 game has a case of blowout remorse. Now officials from The Covenant School say they are trying to do the right thing by seeking a forfeit and apologizing for the margin of victory. Samantha Peloza grabs a rebound in practice a week after their 100-0 loss. "It is shameful and an embarrassment that this happened," Kyle Queal, the head of the school, said in a statement, adding the forfeit was requested because "a victory without honor is a great loss." The private Christian school defeated Dallas Academy last week. Covenant was up 59-0 at halftime. A parent who attended the game told The Associated Press that Covenant continued to make 3-pointers -- even in the fourth quarter. She praised the Covenant players but said spectators and an assistant coach were cheering wildly as their team edged closer to 100 points. "I think the bad judgment was in the full-court press and the 3-point shots," said Renee Peloza, whose daughter plays for Dallas Academy. "At some point, they should have backed off." Dallas Academy coach Jeremy Civello told The Dallas Morning News that the game turned into a "layup drill," with the opposing team's guards waiting to steal the ball and drive to the basket. Covenant scored 12 points in the fourth quarter and "finally eased up when they got to 100 with about four minutes left," he said. Dallas Academy has eight girls on its varsity team and about 20 girls in its high school. It is winless over the last four seasons. The academy boasts of its small class sizes and specializes in teaching students struggling with "learning differences," such as short attention spans or dyslexia. There is no mercy rule in girls basketball that shortens the game or permits the clock to continue running when scores become lopsided. There is, however, "a golden rule" that should have applied in this contest, said Edd Burleson, the director of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools. Both schools are members of this association, which oversees private school athletics in Texas. "On a personal note, I told the coach of the losing team how much I admire their girls for continuing to compete against all odds," Burleson said. "They showed much more character than the coach that allowed that score to get out of hand. It's up to the coach to control the outcome." In the statement on the Covenant Web site, Queal said the game "does not reflect a Christ-like and honorable approach to competition. We humbly apologize for our actions and seek the forgiveness of Dallas Academy, TAPPS and our community." Covenant coach Micah Grimes did not immediately respond to a message left by The Associated Press on Thursday. Queal said school officials met with Dallas Academy officials to apologize and praised "each member of the Dallas Academy Varsity Girls Basketball team for their strength, composure and fortitude in a game in which they clearly emerged the winner." Civello said he appreciated the gesture and has accepted the apology "with no ill feelings." At a shootaround Thursday, several Dallas Academy players said they were frustrated during the game but felt it was a learning opportunity. They also said they are excited about some of the attention they are receiving from the loss, including an invitation from Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban to see an NBA game from his suite. "Even if you are losing, you might as well keep playing," said Shelby Hyatt, a freshman on the team. "Keep trying, and it's going to be OK." Peloza said the coach and other parents praised the Dallas Academy girls afterward for limiting Covenant to 12 points in the fourth quarter. She added that neither her daughter nor her teammates seemed to dwell on the loss. "Somewhere during that game they got caught up in the moment," Peloza said of the Covenant players, fans and coaches. "Our girls just moved on. That's the happy part of the story." THE NETWORK: Rivals site for your state | National High School Message Board

Mpls Roosevelt 45 Mpls SW 38

The Return of Shakila Boler   Southwest was up 20-15 at halftime, but it didn't ruin the return of Gopher Bound Guard Shakila Boler.  She finished with 16 pts.  Including 9 in the second half for the comeback win for the Teddies.  The Minnesota Gophers were on hand to watch the contest as well.  The Lakers held Suriya McGuire to 2 at half, but finished with 9pts.  The Lakers were led by Junior Forward Laura Maltby with 10pts respectively.

event notice

Comets Round Robin Tournament March 21, 2009 General Information (Open to Girls and Boys Teams!) Entry Fee - $200 per team, 3 game guarantee/pool play! Unsigned seniors can participate for $40, only 20 players accepted! One-Day tournament, certified officials & cost effective! Awards to 1st and 2nd place teams! Register Early - just a few slots remaining! Games played at Tallahassee Community College! This event has been developed to assist teams in preparing for AAU, YBOA and USSSA qualifying tournament events.  An economic way for good competitive basketball! Visit website WWW.COMETSGET.NET for more tournament information. To reserve your team's spot TODAY, click here! Tallahassee Comets, Inc. WWW.COMETSGET.NET

Southwest 68 Washburn 50

The Lakers were led my Freshman Guard Mariah Adanene and Senior Center Britta Syverson.   Mariah Adanene had 17pts and 6 rebs.  Britta Syverson chipped in 16pts, 10 rebs and 5 blocks.   They play two key conference opponents Roosevelt and #1 in the state South at Southwest Tuesday and Friday respectively.

Edwards Eligibility Update

The following was reported on the www.kjasr.com website. Kaylani Edwards, now of Minneapolis Roosevelt is eligible to play in any Mpls City Conference games because they are a "special" conference and as such, govern themselves regarding eligibility.  She will play Thursday against South. Edwards plays in the summer for South Coach Jihad on the Lady Cats. As for the other games she is not able to play....yet. Edwards have a lawyer and Roosevelt is also sending lawyers. More to come.

Southwest Final Score vs Tonka

Minnetonka took a 3 point lead into halftime and the Lakers never caught up as the Skippers of Minnetonka defeated Southwest 59-46 in section play.  Britta Syverson led all scorers with 18pts and 20 rebounds.

Southwest Wins in Minnepolis Conference Play

Southwest wins as Freshman Guard Mariah Adanene leads the Lakers with 27 points, 6 Rebounds, and 5 Steals.  Senior Center Britta Syverson added 19 points, 15 Rebs and 6 Blocks.  They plays a key section opponent Minnetonka at Minnetonka on Tuesday

KNEE INJURY

This item was first noticed at www.kjasr.com. Park-Cottage Grove's Tina Fisher tore three ligaments in her knee and is out for the year. From the South Washington County Bulletin.

Complete Hopkins Tournament Now Ready

Sorry for the delay but there are some issues with the first service that will not get resolved so I have found another service to use for the games. Each game will be listed on the right side of the web page. As I add the previous games to the new service, I will list them as well.

Please enjoy and please e-mail your comments to us at Ithink@communityhoops.com.

2009 Gatorade Timberwolves Shootout

From http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/jrwolves/shootout_2009.html The 13th Annual Gatorade-Timberwolves Shootout with feature 12 of the region's best high school basketball teams. The six games, set for January 3rd at the Target Center, will highlight eight of the best teams in Minnesota and some of the brightest college basketball prospects in the northern Midwest. This year looks to be no different, with several players already committed to Gonzaga, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. The Shootout has featured 18 future NBA players in its 13-year existence, including current Minnesota Timberwolf Kevin Love. The action starts at 10am on Saturday, with tickets for all six games available at the Target Center box office on the day of the Shootout for $10. Preview Read up on teams and athletes who participated in the Shootout 2009 Gatorade Timberwolves Shootout Preview Listen To John Focke and Jeff Munneke Provide a Preview of the Shootout Listen To Shootout Memories with Kevin Love Sam Dower (Osseo) Scout.com profile Mike Bruesewitz (Henry Sibley) Scout.com profile Jeronne Maymon (Madison Memorial) Scout.com profile Trent Lockett (Hopkins) Scout.com profile Rodney Williams Jr. (Robbindale Cooper) Scout.com profile Ethan Wragge (Eden Prairie) Scout.com profile Games Matchups for the 2009 Gatorade Timberwolves Shootout 10:00am -- Cloquet vs. Pelican Rapids 12:00pm -- Osseo vs. Sioux Falls Roosevelt (SD) 2:00pm -- Sibley vs. Madison Memorial (WI) 4:00pm -- Hopkins vs. Lake Geneva Badger (WI) 6:00pm -- Robbinsdale Cooper vs. Eden Prairie 8:00pm -- St. Cloud Tech vs. Manitowoc Roncalli (WI)

Tallahassee Comets 2009 Tournament Event Schedule

Round Robin (March 21, 2009):  This tournament event is open to girls and boys competitive basketball teams ages 10-17.  Each team will be provided three (3) games in pool play with the top two (2) teams advancing to bracket play.  Trophy presentation to 1st and 2nd place teams and individual player recognition!  One (1) day economical event for "all" teams preparing for AAU/YBOA/USSSA tournaments.  The registration fee is only $200 per team and $40 per '09 Senior. Spring Shootout YBOA (April 10-12, 2009):  This YBOA sanctioned tournament (YBOA Girls & Boys Super Qualifier) event is open to girls and boys competitive basketball teams ages 10-17.  Each team will be provided three (3) games in pool play with the top four (4) teams advancing to bracket play and 1st through 4th place teams participating in trophy presentation and individual player recognition!  Participating teams are eligible to participate in the Florida YBOA State Tournament.  The registration fee is only $295 per team. Summer Xplosion (May 1-3, 2009):  This tournament event is open to girls and boys competitive basketball teams ages 10-17.  Each team will be provided three (3) games in pool play with the top two (2) teams advancing to bracket play.  Trophy presentation to 1st and 2nd place teams and individual player recognition!  Economical event for girls and boys teams preparing for AAU/YBOA/USSSA National and College Exposure tournaments being held in July!  The  registration fee is only $250 per team. Big Bend Showdown-Challenge (July 24-26, 2009):  This tournament event is open to girls and boys competitive basketball teams ages 10-17.  Each team will be provided three (3) games in pool play with the top two (2) teams advancing to bracket play.  Trophy presentation to 1st and 2nd place teams and individual player recognition!  This event will be NCAA Certified for girls and boys with college coaches from all levels invited.  This is the last weekend of the NCAA summer evaluation period!  The registration fee is only $300 per team. Rising Stars Evaluation & Exposure Camp (September 5, 2009):  This camp is designed to develop fundamental basketball skills for girls and boys basketball players.  Players will participate in ball handling and shooting skills & drills; proper mechanics, setup and delivery; visualization skills, foul shooting mechanics; triple threat position, pump fake & go and more!  This is a one (1) day economical event that will prepare all participants for the NCAA Certified fall evaluation period, later in the fall.  A Comprehensive Report will be developed to include evaluations of each participant which will be provided to over 2,000 college coaches from across the country. This guarantees each player exposure and marketability!  The registration fee is only $40 per player. As a competitive girl's basketball organization, the Tallahassee Comets prides itself in being well organized and attentive to our participant's needs and enjoyment at our events.  Each tournament event will have an on-site director at each gym location, all gyms have hardwood floors and air conditioning, certified officials, preferred lodging accommodations, tournament results posted during event and on website.  Visit website www.cometsget.net for more tournament information.  I can be reached by e-mail hicksrob@comcast.net or mobile #(850) 559-1351, if there are any questions. Yours in Hoops, Robert Robert A. Hicks, President Tallahassee Comets, Inc. WWW.COMETSGET.NET

Hopkins Tournament Podcasts Update

Hello Everyone, Well I think the issue has been taken care of that has delayed the upload of Wednesdays last 3 games. Below there are a couple of links to the championship game that I am hoping you will provide some feed back on. I am looking for your thoughts on things like - Was it easy to get the game to play so you could hear it - and anything else that would make it better for you to hear the games (I know about the background noise issue - being to loud at times). Link to the game - http://ourmedia.org/node/475118 Link to the game - http://www.archive.org/details/CommunityHoopsProductionsHopkinsvs.MinneapolisSouth/ E-mail your comments to me at "gamecomments@communityhoops.com" Thanks

Hopkins Tournament Podcasts

There is a delay in posting the final 3 games of this tournament.  Once the issue has been resolved I will be posting those games.  I am working to fix the issue now.