Luke Judge

The Charlotte Motor Speedway garage area became a much brighter space last Saturday the minute that Don Miller walked through the gate.

Miller, retired president of Penske Racing South and a racer virtually since kindergarten, made an all-too-rare appearance at Penske’s Kurt Busch hauler, and the parade began. Over the past quarter-century, few garage-area residents have been as popular as Miller, and his visit to CMS attracted a long line of crewmen, officials, public relations people and journalists anxious to catch up on his latest exploits.

Miller didn’t take credit for it, but, later that evening, Penske driver Kurt Busch won the Sprint All-Star Race. It seemed only appropriate, and such circumstances might force Miller to show up at the track more often.

A long-time Penske lieutenant, Miller finally was able to officially remove himself from the sport in 2007. He had been on the road in numerous racing jobs and positions (most Penske-related) for decades, and it was past time, he said, to spend some quality days kicking around with his grandchildren. Many people who retire from busy jobs say that’s their aim; Miller has actually done it.

Another thing Miller has done since his retirement from running Penske’s stock car operations is something he should have done – write a book. Although Miller’s name generally is not known among the wide spectrum of race fans, he has been a force in racing since a relative’s souped-up hot rod first got his attention as a kid in Chicago.

He got into drag racing as soon as he could afford it, eventually put himself in position to make money from racing in a variety of jobs and then met Penske. He, Penske and Rusty Wallace eventually put together the deal that returned the Penske name to NASCAR, and they built the foundation for the Penske Racing operations that now are housed in a fabulous facility in Mooresville, N.C.

Miller became a tutor of sorts for both Wallace and later Ryan Newman, whose quick rise in NASCAR can be traced, in large part, to Miller’s smarts.

Miller had his hands in many things over the years, including the early development phase of stock-car roof flaps and the ground-floor design of the Taurus model Ford teams formerly raced.

Those stories and many others are retold in “Miller’s Time: A Lifetime At Speed,” a book Miller wrote along with Jim Donnelly. To Miller’s credit, proceeds from the book will go to assist abused children in the Carolinas, a cause he has long supported.

The fact that Miller is around at all is rather amazing. In May 1974, he survived one of the worst pit-road accidents in NASCAR history. He was serving as the catch-can man in the Penske pits when a car driven by Grant Adcox smashed into the rear of Penske driver Gary Bettenhausen’s car while it was being serviced. Miller was caught between the cars and then was slammed into the pit wall.

His right leg was virtually cut off in the accident, and rival crewman Buddy Parrott, working nearby, raced over and applied a tourniquet to cut the bleeding, a move that probably saved Miller’s life.

The brutal accident left Miller with the mangled right leg, a broken left leg, a broken back, a pelvis broken in three places and other injuries. He went through months of rehabilitation and years of surgeries and still deals with the effects of the accident 35 years later.

No one would have blamed Miller if he had traded racing for raising petunias after the Talladega trauma and its aftermath. Instead, with Penske’s encouragement and the support of family and friends, he worked through the recovery and returned to racing to become one of the most important people in the business.

“I’ve learned to live with it,” Miller said. “There always are plenty of reminders of the operations I’ve had – all the nuts, bolts, screws, pins and all that that are around. It’s always something.

“But it’s all done. I take the high road.”

Now 70, he still wanders over to the Penske shop occasionally to keep up with the goings-on. But much of his time is spent tinkering on hot rods for his grandchildren. He’s a “car guy” who wants to nurture other car guys, and he wants it done safely and sanely.

(For information about purchasing “Miller’s Time: A Lifetime At Speed,” contact the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame at ncarhof.com or call 704-663-5331).

Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEEDtv.com and has been covering motorsports for 28 years. He has written several books on NASCAR, including “NASCAR: The Definitive History of America’s Sport” and “Then Tony Said To Junior: The Best NASCAR Stories Ever Told”. He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.

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GETTING INSIDE

Cal Poly couldn’t maintain the momentum it generated at the start of conference play, but the Mustangs still managed to exceed expectations under first-year coach Joe Callero.

The Mustangs were picked to finish last in the Big West Conference, but they took sixth place and won a game in the conference tournament despite losing sophomore center Will Donahue after 10 games due to academic ineligibility.

The Mustangs entered the Big West tournament as the No. 6 seed. They beat UC Irvine in the opening round before their season ended with a 76-69 loss to Long Beach State in the quarterfinals.

“This group of guys weren’t picked to do anything this year, and I am so proud of what we’ve done,” Callero said. “To get the sixth seed in the tournament and then to win a game, that was great.”

The Mustangs improved on a 7-21 finish in 2008-09, when they finished last in the Big West and failed to reach the conference tournament. They were the early-season surprise in the Big West after winning five of their first seven conference games. A five-game losing streak finally knocked them out of contention for the Big West championship.

Senior guard Lorenzo Keeler carried the Mustangs throughout the season, averaging 16.3 points per game to earn first-team All-Big West honors. Freshman point guard Kyle Odister battled inconsistency and a move to the bench but still made the all-freshman team.

Keeler, guard Charles Anderson and forward Ryan Darling won’t be around next season when the team tries to build in this year’s progress, but they believe they are better days ahead for the Mustangs.

“People didn’t think we were going to do well, and we showed them we could play,” Anderson told the San Luis Obispo Tribune following the loss to Long Beach State. “It”s the last game for Lorenzo, myself and Darling, but we think we put the program in the right direction.”

NOTES, QUOTES

FINAL RECORD: 12-19, 7-9, sixth in the Big West.

WHAT WENT RIGHT: Senior Lorenzo Keeler emerged as one of the best players in the Big West Conference, earning first-team All-Big West honors after averaging 16.4 points per game, up from his 2008-09 average of 12.7. The Mustangs suffered from the inconsistent play of freshman PG Kyle Odister, but they showed improvement after coach Joe Callero moved Keeler to point guard and gave Odister a reserve role. Junior G Shawn Lewis was solid in a supporting role, and sophomore F David Hanson improved his game considerably over the second half of the season.

WHAT WENT WRONG: Cal Poly had to play without two of coach Joe Callero’s top recruits. Sophomore C Will Donahue averaged 11.8 points and 8.8 rebounds in 10 games before being ruled academically ineligible at the start of the winter quarter. Amaurys Fermin, another junior college recruit, couldn”t transfer until midseason and had to sit out. The Mustangs were left with little depth, particularly in the frontcourt.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “It’s not what has happened but what was the direction of the program. The enjoyable or rewarding part was that the players never really hanged their heads. And they were very enjoyable to be with. That’s not coachspeak. If they weren’t enjoyable, I wouldn’t even bring that up.” — Cal Poly coach Joe Callero, to the San Luis Obispo Tribune.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

THE GOOD NEWS: Cal Poly coach Joe Callero will return seven of his top eight scorers, including junior G Shawn Lewis and promising big men Will Donahue and David Hanson, and freshman PG Kyle Odister. Callero told the San Luis Obispo Tribune that Donahue and fellow junior college transfer Amaurys Fermin should be eligible next season. Donahue scores, rebounds and provides a big body at 6-8, 265 pounds. Fermin is a 6-4 point guard. Callero also has high hopes for Chris O’Brien, a versatile 6-4 guard who started as a freshman at USF before transferring to Cal Poly.

THE BAD NEWS: Senior G Lorenzo Keeler was a volume shooter who made just 36.3 percent from the field and 29.3 percent from 3-point range, but it won’t be easy to replace a player who finished 10th all-time at Cal Poly with 1,157 points. Keeler scored in double figures in 24 games, including 10 of the last 11. He had a career-high 38 points on 12-of-18 shooting against UC Irvine on Jan. 4.

–Sophomore G Chris O’Brien sat out this season after transferring from USF, but he could play a big role next season along with junior college transfer Amaurys Fermin.

“Chris is a very strong 6-4 player,” Cal Poly coach Joe Callero told the San Luis Obispo Union Tribune. “He can play the point. He can shoot. He can handle the ball, a great decision maker. He’s actually a good three-man from the defensive angle, somebody who has the physicality to guard some of the more physical, well-built players. Chris has the ability to score, and with Amaurys distributing, Chris will be able to score. They’ll complement each other.”

–Sophomore F David Hanson scored in double figures in 14 of the last 19 games after doing so twice in the first 12 games. He averaged 13.5 points and 8.3 rebounds over the final 12 games, posting three double-doubles. He had 17 points and 15 rebounds against Cal State Bakersfield on Jan. 30; 11 points and 16 rebounds against UC Santa Barbara on Feb. 27; and 11 points and 10 rebounds against UC Irvine on March 6.

–Junior G Shawn Lewis is the only returning player with the potential to replace leading scorer Lorenzo Keeler. Lewis averaged 11.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists this season, shooting 40.3 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from 3-point range. He was even better over the last 10 games, averaging 15.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists.

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CAL STATE FULLERTON

GETTING INSIDE

Sophomore point guard Jacques Streeter led a three-on-one break against Cal State Northridge in the first round of the Big West Conference tournament. Streeter threw a bounce pass to trailing senior forward Gerard Anderson, who became an instant internet sensation with one of the most spectacular dunks of the year.

Anderson jumped over — yes, over — Cal State Northridge guard Vinnie McGhee, cocked the ball back in his right hand and finished with a tomahawk jam. The video received 1.6 million hits in its first five days on YouTube, and in a way it provided a snapshot of the Titans’ season. Eye-popping plays. So-so results.

The Titans defeated Cal State Northridge but suffered a second-round loss to UC Davis, falling 68-65 on a night when they made just 3 of 14 from 3-point range and 10 of 17 free-throw attempts.

“It’s a hard loss to end the season,” Cal State Fullerton coach Bob Burton said. “We had an opportunity to move on in the tournament. Our defense wasn’t as good and we had some major breakdowns, which we hadn’t had too many of all year.”

The Titans finished 16-15 overall and went 8-8 to tie Long Beach State and UC Davis for third place in the Big West, but Burton believed they could have been better. They could shoot. They could score. They could block shots. They had quickness, athleticism and size. Everything except consistency.

They were up and down all season, good one night, average the next. They had three three-game winning streaks and three three-game losing streaks.

“We’ve been really consistent all year long, and by that I mean we’ve been inconsistent,” Burton told the Orange County Register. “So we’re consistently inconsistent.”

NOTES, QUOTES

FINAL RECORD: 16-15, 8-8, tied for third in the Big West.

WHAT WENT RIGHT: Cal State Fullerton led the Big West Conference in scoring, field-goal percentage, blocked shots and defensive rebounds. Five players averaged double figures in scoring, and three averaged at least six rebounds. Defensive rebounds and blocked shots led to fast-break opportunities, and the Titans were almost unstoppable in transition with sophomore PG Jacques Streeter and Fullerton flyer Gerard Anderson leading the break.

WHAT WENT WRONG: Cal State Fullerton coach Bob Burton summed it up when he said his team was “consistently inconsistent,” but there were some specific issues that prevented the Titans from fulfilling their potential. First, they lacked depth. Burton had a seven-man rotation and sometimes seemed reluctant to go that deep. Second, Streeter regressed in some ways following a sensational freshman season, shooting significantly lower percentages. Third, senior F Aaron Thompson cooled off considerably late in the season, making 9 of 38 (.237) from 3-point range over the last eight games after making 38 of 68 (.559) over the first 23.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “Guys who say slam dunks are only worth two points are out of it. That was a touchdown.” — Cal State Fullerton coach Bob Burton, to the Los Angeles Times, after senior F Gerard Anderson leaped over a Cal State Northridge defender to get to the rim.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

THE GOOD NEWS: Seven players averaged over seven points per game for Cal State Fullerton this season, and five of them will be back next season. Sophomore PG Jacques Streeter, junior G Devon Peltier and junior C Bryce Webster give coach Bob Burton a nice nucleus, and junior F Orane Chin showed signs that he may be able to move into a starting role next season.

THE BAD NEWS: Seniors Gerard Anderson and Aaron Thompson will not be easily replaced. The two of them combined to average 23.2 points, 12.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists. Anderson gave the Titans an ultra-athletic wing who could attack from various angles and elevations. Thompson was a reliable shooter who challenged the Big West Conference record for 3-point shooting percentage before falling off the pace late in the season.

–This will be a big offseason for sophomore PG Jacques Streeter. He showed tremendous promise as a freshman, averaging 10.4 points, 4.4 assists and 3.8 rebounds in 32.5 minutes per game. He averaged 11.8 points and 4.7 assists this season, both up from 2008-09, but his turnovers were up, his rebounds and steals were down, and, most troubling, there was a steep decline in his shooting percentages. Streeter’s field-goal percentage slipped from .435 to .372, his free-throw shooting percentage dropped from .762 to .690 and his 3-point shooting percentage plummeted from .421 to .297.

–Sophomore PG Jacques Streeter logged 38 minutes despite suffering an ankle injury in the first-round victory over Cal State Northridge. Cal State Fullerton coach Bob Burton said: “We wanted to get him out as soon as we could, but I wanted to win this game, too.” Streeter played all 40 minutes the next night in a quarterfinal loss to UC Davis. He struggled offensively, scoring six points on 2-of-10 shooting, but he had five assists with no turnovers.

–Burton marvels at the shooting ability of junior G Devon Peltier, who shot 42 percent from 3-point range while averaging 10.1 points in 22.3 minutes.

“We had a pretty good shooter last year in Josh Akognon, and in a game of horse, I don’t know if Josh could beat him,” Burton said.

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CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE

GETTING INSIDE

They’re still sifting through the rubble at UC Riverside, trying to find out what caused the collapse.

The Highlanders enjoyed an early five-game winning streak and a 5-2 start that may have exceeded their already-lofty expectations. They lost four of their next five before opening Big West Conference play with an overtime victory over preseason favorite Long Beach State.

That victory offered hope that the Highlanders had shaken their funk in time to contend for the Big West championship. Junior forward Kyle Austin led all scorers with 20 points and senior guard Larry Gurganious added 18, showing how good the Highlanders could be when Austin had help on the offensive end.

Unfortunately for UC Riverside, that was a rare occurrence. Austin led the team in scoring at 17.6 points per game. Gurganious was next at 8.3.

“One of the things that sticks out about this team is the fact we never developed a second-line scorer,” UC Riverside coach Jim Wooldridge told the Riverside Press-Enterprise. “We didn’t shoot the ball with a lot of confidence. We just didn’t have enough shot-making to balance our team out.”

The Highlanders lost eight of their next nine Big West games, falling to 2-8 in conference play. They showed signs of life while winning four out of five in February, but they finished last in the Big West and failed to reach the conference tournament after losing their last two games.

The Highlanders went 12-17 overall and 5-11 in the Big West. It was not at all what they expected after going 17-12 overall and 8-8 in the Big West in their first season under Wooldridge.

“I think we walked into the year thinking it was going to be easier than the year before, and that is a formula for failure,” Wooldridge said. “Every team in this league has good players, and they’re well coached.

“The mentality of this program is going to have to be that us-against-the-world, overachiever mentality. I don’t know that we had that this year. I know we had it last year. That group of kids wanted to prove something. Maybe we got a little bit ahead of ourselves this season. That’s my fault.”

NOTES, QUOTES

FINAL RECORD: 12-17, 5-11, ninth in the Big West.

WHAT WENT RIGHT: Junior F Kyle Austin continued to show that he is one of the best players in the Big West Conference. He was named All-Big West after averaging 17.6 points and 7.4 rebounds. He was second in the Big West in scoring and fourth in rebounding. G Lateef McMullan was named to the All-Freshman Team. He appeared in 27 games, started nine and finished eighth in the Big West in 3-point shooting percentage (.410).

WHAT WENT WRONG: The Highlanders couldn’t score, plain and simple. They were last in the Big West Conference in scoring (63.2 ppg), shooting percentage (.416) and free-throw percentage (.648). They were held under 60 points 14 times this season and failed to score more than 50 on four occasions. Fans had high hopes for Gonzaga transfers Larry Gurganious, but he averaged just 8.3 points in his only season at UC Riverside.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “I’m disappointed for them that we weren’t able to accomplish more this season. As the head coach, I’m ultimately responsible for what happens, or what doesn’t happen in this case, with the program.” — UC Riverside coach Jim Wooldridge, to the Riverside Press-Enterprise.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

THE GOOD NEWS: UC Riverside will return one of the best players in the Big West Conference in F Kyle Austin. They also will welcome back All-Freshman Team selection Lateef McMullan and junior G Dwight Gordon, but the most encouraging news is the potential return of G Javon Borum. Borum sat out this season with an Achilles injury. He averaged 9.7 points as a junior, shooting 42.6 percent from 3-point range and 80.7 percent from the free-throw line. Fox Sports named Borum one of the top 50 shooters in the nation last fall.

THE BAD NEWS: Already short on talent, UC Riverside has to replace six seniors, including four of its seven leading scorers. G Larry Gurganious will be the most difficult to replace. Gurganious was not the offensive threat the Highlanders needed, scoring just 8.3 points per game, but he averaged 6.5 rebounds and posted two double-doubles. He saved his best for last, scoring 22 points on 9-of-10 shooting with eight rebounds in a season-ending loss to Long Beach State.

–Senior G Sean Cunningham finished third on UC Riverside’s single-season list with 88 assists this season. He is eighth on the career list with 257 assists and sixth with 113 steals.

–Junior F Kyle Austin made 125 of 200 (.625) free-throw attempts this season, putting him fourth on the school’s single-season list for free throws attempted and eighth in free throws attempted.

–Freshman G Lateef McMullan averaged nine points, 3.3 rebounds and three assists over the last seven games, up significantly from his season averages. McMullan had season highs of 15 points and eight rebounds against Cal Poly on Feb. 13. The Highlanders will need him to take on a larger role next season.

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LONG BEACH STATE

GETTING INSIDE

Long Beach State failed to meet the expectations of those who tabbed it as the preseason favorite in the Big West Conference, but the youthful 49ers took an important step in their development in reaching the championship game of the conference tournament.

The third-seeded 49ers beat Cal Poly in the quarterfinals and Pacific in the semifinals before falling to UC Santa Barbara in the championship game. Sophomore forward T.J. Robinson was a consistent force all season and earned all-tournament honors, but sophomore point guard Casper Ware was the one who raised eyebrows with his play over the last two games.

Ware had 22 points, six assists, five steals, four rebounds and a blocked shot in a 68-61 victory over second-seeded Pacific. He had 19 points, five steals, four assists, four rebounds and another blocked shot in a 69-64 loss to top-seeded UC Santa Barbara. Ware was exceptional defensively, generating some discussion that he might be the best defensive player in the Big West.

“Casper Ware is a little pest,” Cal Poly senior Lorenzo Keeler, who was held to 11 points on 4-of-18 shooting in a 79-69 loss to Long Beach State, told the San Luis Obispo Tribune. “Every time I got rid of the ball he would jump right there. And everywhere I went, he was on me.”

Cal Poly coach Joe Callero commented on Ware’s quickness.

“The Ware kid is as quick as anybody in college basketball,” Callero told The Tribune. “He can be on one side of you. Turn around, and he’s on the other side of you.”

Robinson’s reliable play and Ware’s performance in the tournament prompted talk of a running battle between Long Beach State and UC Santa Barbara. Both teams have youthful rosters buoyed by stellar sophomore classes, but Long Beach State coach Dan Monson said his team still has work to do.

“This program needs to get to where we win championships and not just compete for them,” Monson told the Long Beach Press-Telegram. “At day’s end, it’s about winning and anything less is a disappointment. I didn’t come here to finish second.”

NOTES, QUOTES

FINAL RECORD: 17-16, 8-8, tied for third in the Big West.

WHAT WENT RIGHT: Sophomore F T.J. Robinson was named first-team All-Big West Conference after averaging 15.4 points and 10.1 rebounds per game, up from his freshman season averages of 11.4 points and 6.2 rebounds. He ranked among the top 20 in the nation in rebounds per game and double-doubles (17). Robinson led the Big West in rebounding and field-goal percentage (.520). He was eighth in scoring and ninth in minutes per game (31.9). Sophomore PG Casper Ware and sophomore G Larry Anderson struggled with their shots at times but remained productive.

WHAT WENT WRONG: Long Beach State lacked depth and didn’t have a quality center to put alongside Robinson. Long Beach State coach Dan Monson used only eight players in the last four games of the season. Senior F Arturas Lazdauskas (6-7, 239) and senior C Andrew Fleming (7-0, 290) provided big bodies, but they combined to average four points and 4.5 rebounds. The 49ers were very good defensively in the Big West Conference tournament but didn’t demonstrate the same intensity during the regular season. They also didn’t shoot the ball particularly well, ranking fifth in the Big West in field-goal percentage (.433), eighth in 3-point shooting (.330) and eighth in free-throw shooting (.652).

QUOTE TO NOTE: “We just didn’t quite play good enough. You can sit here as a coach and bemoan our execution or your rebounding or whatever. But the bottom line is they made plays and they beat us.” — Long Beach State coach Dan Monson, to the Sports Network, following a loss to UC Santa Barbara in the championship game of the Big West Conference tournament.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

THE GOOD NEWS: Long Beach State Dan Monson has three of the best young players in the Big West Conference in F T.J. Robinson, PG Casper Ware and G Larry Anderson. All three ranked among the top 15 in the Big West in scoring this season. Robinson already is regarded as the most dominant post player in the Big West after posting 17 double-doubles this season. Ware is lightning quick and is gaining a reputation as one of the Big West’s best defensive players. If he can improve his shooting percentages and cut down on turnovers, Ware could join Robinson as a first-team all-conference selection next season.

THE BAD NEWS: Monson has a wealth of young talent with more on the way, but if there’s one senior the 49ers will have trouble replacing it is G Stephan Gilling. Gilling was fourth on the team in scoring at 9.4 points per game this season and led the Big West Conference with 76 3-point goals during the regular season. Gilling shot a team-high 36.7 percent from 3-point range this season. Junior G Greg Plater was the only other Long Beach State player who shot over 31 percent, so Gilling’s perimeter shooting will be missed.

–Sophomore F T.J. Robinson was named second-team All-District 9 by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. He was one of 240 players from 24 districts honored as an all-district pick.

–Sophomore G Larry Anderson experienced significant declines in his shooting percentages this season. After shooting 54.6 percent from the field and 40 percent from 3-point range as a freshman, Anderson shot 44.3 percent from the field and 22.6 percent from beyond the arc this season. Despite his shooting woes, Anderson averaged 11.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.9 steals. He was third in the Big West in steals, sixth in assists and 15th in scoring.

–The 49ers will welcome in three highly rated recruits next season, including 6-4 SG Jacob Thomas. Thomason averaged 27 points per game at Columbia Heights High School in Minnesota this season. He scored 47 in one game and 44 in another. The 49ers also will add 6-5 SG Shelton Boykin from Long Beach Polytechnic High School and 6-9 PF Nick Shepherd from Westbury Christian High School in Texas.

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NORTHRIDGE

GETTING INSIDE

A year ago, Cal State Northridge was reveling in its second consecutive Big West Conference championship and preparing to play Memphis in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. A year later, the Matadors are heading into another offseason of uncertainty following a first-round loss in the Big West tournament.

The Matadors went 11-21 overall and tied for seventh in the Big West at 6-10. It was their first 20-loss season in 14 years under coach Bobby Braswell.

The season ended when the eighth-seeded Matadors suffered an 84-76 loss to fifth-seeded Cal State Fullerton in the opening round of the Big West tournament. They showcased some of their biggest shortcomings in defeat, shooting below 40 percent for the 12th time this season and committing 18 turnovers to bring their season total to a staggering 561. Even so, Braswell applauded the effort with a special nod to the six seniors he must replace.

“I can’t tell you how proud I am of my team, especially the seniors,” Braswell said. “I asked these guys tonight to come out here and just sell out and give everything they have. As a coach, I thought the team did that tonight. Sometimes you don’t end up on the right side of the scoreboard even when you do some things right. For the most part, we did things right.”

The Matadors played without junior forward Lenny Daniel, who was suspended prior to the tournament for “failing to fulfill the academic requirements set forth by the Cal State Northridge men’s basketball team,” according to a team press release.

“We fought to the end,” Braswell said. “Obviously, missing Lenny was a big impact.”

It was the second time this season Braswell suspended Daniel. He missed a Jan. 30 game against UC Santa Barbara and a Feb. 4 game against UC Riverside after being suspended for conduct and attitude detrimental to the team.

Daniel averaged 11.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots this season, his first with the Matadors after transferring from Coffeyville Community College. He led the team in rebounding, ranked second in scoring behind senior Kenny Daniels, and set a single-season school record with 44 blocks. Daniel will be the team’s top returning player if he stays for his senior season, but even that seems uncertain given the way his season ended.

NOTES, QUOTES

FINAL RECORD: 11-21, 6-10, tied for seventh in the Big West.

WHAT WENT RIGHT: Senior G/F Kenny Daniels had 39-point game against Idaho on Dec. 3, three players averaged double figures in scoring, and the Matadors set school records with 624 free throws made and 933 free throws attempted. Junior F Lenny Daniel joined Daniels in earning All-Big West Conference honorable mention. The Matadors enjoyed a season-long three game winning streak from Jan. 14-19, beating Seattle, UC Riverside and Cal State Fullerton during a stretch that showed how competitive they could be when they converted free throws at a respectable rate.

WHAT WENT WRONG: Daniel drew two team suspensions, which added to a pattern of poor citizenship at Cal State Northridge but represented an improvement in that Daniel was not charged with a crime. On the court, the Matadors committed too many turnovers and missed too many free throws. They were eighth in the Big West in turnover margin (-1.25), and last in turnovers (561), turnovers per game (17.5) and assist-to-turnover ratio (0.6). Cal State Northridge lost eight games by six points or less. Six of those losses came during conference play, so the Matadors have to wonder what might have been had they taken better care of the ball and made more than 69.9 percent from the free-throw line.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “Unfortunately, (I) had to make a decision on the direction of our program and what’s important to the program. There are consequences, and those consequences don’t just affect the individual. Sometimes they affect the team, but you have to do what you have to do.” — Cal State Northridge coach Bobby Braswell, in the Orange County Register, on his decision to suspend second-leading scorer Lenny Daniel for the Big West Conference tournament.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

THE GOOD NEWS: Junior F Lenny Daniel demonstrated that he could be a centerpiece player if he can stay eligible and out of coach Bobby Braswell’s doghouse. Daniel had eight double-doubles this season. He blocked at least three shots in eight games and had five blocks in three games. Also, sophomore PG Vinnie McGhee started seven games and logged 620 minutes, averaging 19.4 minutes per game. That should prove beneficial as McGhee takes on an even bigger role next season.

THE BAD NEWS: The Matadors must part with six seniors who combined for 2,212 points, 1,151 rebounds, 344 assists, 255 steals and 374 games during their careers at Cal State Northridge. They will lose three of their four leading scorers, including G/F Kenny Daniels, who averaged a team-high 15.6 points per game. The Matadors also have to replace F Willie Galick, who averaged 10.1 points and 4.9 rebounds, and PG Mark Hill, who averaged eight points and 2.3 assists. All six seniors were part of the 2008-09 team that went to the NCAA Tournament after winning a second consecutive Big West Conference regular-season championship.

KEY RETURNEES: Daniel and McGhee figure to play key roles next season, assuming they both return. That is a legitimate question with Daniel, who had academic and behavioral issues in his first season with the Matadors. The only other returning player who even tentatively can be penciled in to the starting lineup is junior G Raymond Cody, and he needs work. Cody started 15 games this season but struggled badly, shooting 32.7 percent from the field and 30.8 percent from 3-point range.

–Senior F Willie Galick scored in double figures in eight of his last nine games for Cal State Northridge, including each of the last five. He had 18 points and 14 rebounds in a win over UC Davis on March 4. He had 13 points and nine rebounds in his final game for the Matadors, an 84-76 loss to Cal State Fullerton in the first round of the Big West Conference tournament.

–Senior F Vincent Cordell made his last game for the Matadors a memorable one. With second-leading scorer Lenny Daniel suspended, Cordell received his second start of the season when the Matadors played Cal State Fullerton in the Big West tournament. Cordell posted his first career double-double with 12 points and a career-high 13 rebounds.

“I’m really proud of Vincent’s numbers,” Cal State Northridge coach Bobby Braswell said. “That’s a huge night for Vincent. Willie (Galick) had a good game with 13 points and nine rebounds. From that standpoint, they made up for Lenny’s numbers for us.”

–Sophomore PG Vinnie McGhee had 26 assists and 14 turnovers in the last 18 games after recording 24 assists and 21 turnovers in the first 14 games. That may bode well for the future for a team that must make turnover reduction a major emphasis in the offseason.

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PACIFIC

GETTING INSIDE

The itinerary was daunting enough, never mind the opponents Pacific had to push through to reach the championship game of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.

The Tigers (23-11) traveled almost 5,000 miles over six days, going more than 4,400 miles by plane and nearly 500 miles by bus, according to The Stockton Record. The trip began with a bus ride from Stockton to San Jose and a flight from San Jose to Denver. The Tigers bussed from Denver to Greeley, Colo., where they defeated Northern Colorado 63-59 in the CIT quarterfinals on March 22.

Pacific was scheduled to play Appalachian State in the semifinals two days later, but the game was moved back to March 25 after snow forced the Tigers to stay in Denver an extra day. They spent time in four states on March 24, finally touched down in Atlanta late that night and took a five-hour bus ride to Boone, N.C., for their game against the Mountaineers.

“It’s a mentally tiring experience,” Pacific coach Bob Thomason told The Record. “I’ve never had a more difficult time traveling than this one in my 22 years here. Our kids have handled this very well, and I’m really proud of them.”

If the Tigers were travel weary, it didn’t show in a 64-56 victory over Appalachian State. They raced out to a 19-4 lead less than eight minutes into the game and took a 38-19 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The Mountaineers stormed back with a 14-2 burst over a span of 2:42 to cut Pacific’s lead to 58-53 late in the second half, but the Tigers held off the charge. Junior forward Sam Willard continued his stellar play in the CIT, posting 22 points and 10 rebounds to help the Tigers win on the road for the third time in the tournament.

“I’ve been proud of many teams I’ve coached, and what this team has accomplished will never be forgotten,” Thomason said. “I know NCAA (Tournament) games are most important to people, but all the adversity we had to go through, and to play that well, I’m so proud of my team. They’ve earned everything positive I can say about them.”

What do the Tigers get for their trouble? Another road trip, of course, this one to Missouri State for the championship game March 30.

“At this point, being on the road doesn’t even matter to us,” Willard told The Record. “The wins make it all worth it, and we’re excited to be playing for a postseason title.”

NOTES, QUOTES

–Junior F Sam Willard averaged 17.7 points, 11.7 rebounds, one steal and one block in the first three games of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. He had career highs of 23 points and 17 rebounds in an opening-round win over Loyola Marymount. He had 22 points and 10 rebounds in the semifinal win over Appalachian State, his eighth double-double of the season. Willard has five double-doubles in the past eight games.

–Pacific did a defensive number on Appalachian State in the semifinals of the CIT. The Tigers amassed a 46-31 rebounding advantage while holding the Mountaineers to 33.3 percent shooting and 56 points, well under their season averages of 47.6 percent shooting and 74.8 points.

“Our coaches did a great job on the scouting report,” Willard told The Stockton Record. “We nullified their high-low offense and their guards had to take some contested shots.”

–The Tigers are 15-2 with 10 consecutive victories when they hold opponents under 60 points.

COACH: Bob Thomason, 22 years at Pacific, second year in CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.

KEYS TO VICTORY: In the championship game of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament against Missouri State, it is about whether the Tigers shoot well enough to win. They are 19-4 when they shoot better than 42 percent, 3-8 when they don’t. They made just 41.2 percent against Northern Colorado and 38.7 percent against Appalachian State, but they were good enough defensively to compensate when the shots wouldn’t fall. Another signature defensive effort is essential, but the Tigers will have to make shots to beat the Bears. They’ll look inside to junior F Sam Willard and would be wise to ride the hot hand if he’s feeling it. If not, the 3-point shooting of F Pat Eveland, G Demetrece Young, G Terrell Smith and G Allen Huddleston could determine the outcome.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “This will be the last road trip for me, so I won’t be spending this much time with these guys again. I’ve just tried to enjoy everything and have a fun experience.” — Senior F Joe Ford, in The Stockton Record, on the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

SCOUTING REPORT: Pacific isn’t shooting particularly well but appears to be locked in defensively, holding its last two opponents to an average of 57.5 points on 37 of 110 (33.6 percent) shooting from the field and 14 of 47 (29.8 percent) from 3-point range. The Tigers lead the Big West Conference and rank 23rd in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 60.4 points per game. With senior F Joe Ford — the two-time Big West Conference Defensive Player of the Year — and senior C Michael Nunnally playing the last game of their college careers, expect nothing less than an inspired defensive effort when the Tigers play Missouri State in the championship game of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.

They are a respectable 9-6 on the road, including a 7-0 mark in their last seven true road games, but winning in Springfield, Mo., won’t be easy. The Bears are 15-2 at home this season. They are led by F Kyle Weems (13.6 points, 6.1 rebounds per game), G Adam Leonard (13.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists) and G Jermaine Mallett (10.7 points, 5.7 rebounds).

Pacific 86, Loyola Marymount 76 (CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, opening round)

Pacific 63, Northern Colorado 59 (CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, quarterfinals)

Pacific 64, Appalachian State 56 (CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, semifinals)

at Missouri State, Tuesday, March 30, CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, championship game.

–Junior G Terrell Smith struggled at times over the past month but came up big in Pacific’s 63-59 victory over Northern Colorado in the quarterfinals of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. Smith had 15 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals. He made 6 of 11 from the field and 2 of 3 from 3-point range. In the nine previous games, Smith made 21 of 71 (29.6 percent) field-goal attempts, including 7 of 23 (30.4 percent) from beyond the arc.

–Freshman G Allen Huddleston was quiet in a victory over Appalachian State, but he gave Pacific fans a glimpse of the future in the three previous games, averaging 10.3 points on 10-of-18 shooting from the field, including 7 of 13 from 3-point range. Huddleston, one of the most highly rated recruits ever to sign with Pacific, scored in double figures in three of the past six games after doing so three times in the first 28 games.

–Junior PG Demetrece Young hasn’t been particularly sharp over the past four games, averaging 6.3 points, 1.8 assists and two turnovers while making 9 of 33 shots from the field, including 6 of 21 from 3-point range. He has 18 assists and 14 turnovers over the past seven games after recording 76 assists and 30 turnovers in the first 27 games.

–Junior F Pat Eveland has struggled with his shot over the past four games, averaging 4.8 points on 6-of-25 shooting (24.0 percent) from the field. He is 3 of 17 from 3-point range in that span.

–Senior F Joe Ford had eight points, a career-high 13 rebounds and two steals in the win over Appalachian State. Ford is third all-time at Pacific with 124 career steals and ninth with 58 blocks. He has played 130 games for Pacific, more than any other player in program history.

______________________________________________________________

SANTA BARBARA

GETTING INSIDE

Loyola Marymount transfer Orlando Johnson made an enormous impact in his first season at UC Santa Barbara, winning Big West Conference Player of the Year and Big West tournament MVP honors while leading the Gauchos to the NCAA Tournament.

The 15th-seeded Gauchos suffered a 68-51 loss to second-seeded Ohio State in a first-round game at the Midwest Regional. Johnson had 20 points and five rebounds and the Gauchos held the Buckeyes to 40.4-percent shooting, but they shot a paltry 32.3 percent and made just 6 of 19 from 3-point range.

Despite a disappointing ending, the season was an unqualified success. UC Santa Barbara won a share of the Big West regular-season championship, earned the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament and defeated Long Beach State in the championship game to claim an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

“You’ve got to credit UC Santa Barbara,” Long Beach State coach Dan Monson told the Santa Barbara News-Press. “They won the league for a reason. They’re a good basketball team. They disrupted us and we couldn’t get into a rhythm. They took away our transition baskets. We never got into an offensive flow, and, as shooters, we never got into a rhythm.”

Bob Williams was named Big West Coach of the Year for the third time in 12 seasons at UC Santa Barbara. He installed the team’s vaunted matchup zone defense with great success and made two key moves over the course of the season.

First, Williams went small, moving sophomore James Nunnally, who had been in and out of the lineup at small forward, to the starting power forward position. Later, after the Gauchos suffered a disappointing loss to Cal State Northridge on Jan. 30, Williams put walk-on guard Jordan Weiner in the starting lineup. Nunnally improved his numbers dramatically, averaging 16.9 points and 6.6 rebounds in 18 games leading up to the NCAA Tournament. He averaged 11.6 points and 4.1 rebounds in the first 10 games. Weiner didn’t produce big numbers, but the Gauchos went 9-1 in the first 10 games he started before falling to Ohio State.

The Gauchos made their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2002 with a youthful roster featuring one of the Big West?s best young duos. Johnson earned most of the accolades while averaging 17.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists, but Nunnally, a second-team All-Big West selection, was just as critical to the team’s success. That much was clear during the Big West tournament. Johnson was terrific, averaging 17 points, four rebounds and three assists, but the MVP award easily could have gone to Nunnally, who averaged 18 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists.

UC Santa Barbara’s success was youth driven, but senior guard James Powell provided veteran leadership and clutch shooting. Powell shot 41.1 percent from 3-point range and 91.7 percent from the free-throw line, and made a number of big shots late in the season. Other players contributed in other ways.

“I have a huge amount of respect for the 13 guys who are wearing UCSB, playing for the Gauchos, and how we have handled adversity in most every game,” Williams told the News-Press. “We get leads, people charge, and we respond.”

NOTES, QUOTES

FINAL RECORD: 20-10, 12-4, tied for first in the Big West.

WHAT WENT RIGHT: UC Santa Barbara featured an effective three-pronged attack on the offensive end with Big West Conference Player of the Year Orlando Johnson, second-team All-Big West selection James Nunnally and senior G James Powell. All three ranked among the top 10 in the Big West in 3-point shooting. Nunnally (.457) was second, Powell (.422) fifth and Johnson (.394) tied for ninth. Johnson led the Big West in scoring, was voted conference player of the year and then was named MVP of the Big West tournament. The Gauchos frustrated opponents with a highly disruptive matchup zone defense. They were first in the Big West in 3-point percentage defense (.306), second in blocked shots (3.1 bpg), and third in scoring defense (65.7 ppg) and field-goal percentage defense (.418).

WHAT WENT WRONG: The Gauchos lost six of eight from Dec. 1 to Jan. 2, including their Big West Conference opener against UC Irvine. That stretch likely prevented them from earning a higher seed and perhaps a more favorable matchup in the NCAA Tournament. Other than that, the only thing that went wrong was coach Bob Williams ending the season with 199 wins at UC Santa Barbara. An NCAA Tournament victory over Ohio State would have been a memorable way to win No. 200.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “These guys have achieved because they’ve grown a ton. I talked to them a month ago, and I told them that the team that can improve the most from a month ago to now, this day, is going to be the team to win (the Big West Conference tournament), and we ended up winning nine of our last 10.” — UC Santa Barbara coach Bob Williams, to the Santa Barbara News-Press.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

THE GOOD NEWS: This year’s roster consisted of two seniors, five juniors, six sophomores and three freshmen, so UC Santa Barbara will return a wealth of talent. The key returnees will be sophomore G Orlando Johnson, sophomore F James Nunnally, sophomore F Jaime Serna, sophomore C Greg Somogyi and sophomore G Will Brew Jr. Somogyi may be ready for a larger role next season after using his 7-3 frame and 7-9 winsgpan to make more plays around the basket in the final weeks of the season. He had a school-record eight blocked shots in a Feb. 20 game against Fresno State. He averaged four rebounds and 2.4 blocks in 14.7 minutes off the bench over the last nine games. He had six points, six rebounds and two blocks in 19 minutes in an NCAA Tournament loss to Ohio State.

THE BAD NEWS: Senior G James Powell saw a slight reduction in minutes this season but still played an important role off the bench. Powell was one of the Big West Conference’s best 3-point shooters. He set a school record with 221 career 3-point goals. He was known for making clutch shots and knocked down a number of free throws in the final minutes of games to help the Gauchos secure a share of the Big West regular-season championship for the second time in three years. He was a 91.7-percent free-throw shooter. The Gauchos have enough talent to vie for the Big West title again next season, but Powell’s contributions will be missed.

–Sophomore G Orlando Johnson showed dramatic improvement at the free-throw line over the course of the season, an important development considering he led the team in free-throw attempts. He made 84 of 101 (.832) over the final 16 games after making just 58 of 101 (.574) over the first 14 games.

–Sophomore F Jaime Serna also showed improvement over the second half of the season. Serna averaged 11 points on 64.3-percent shooting in eight games leading up to the NCAA Tournament, up from his season averages of eight points and 52.7-percent shooting.

–This will be a big offseason for sophomore PG Will Brew. Brew averaged 4.9 points, 2.6 assists and 2.2 rebounds. He shot just 36.7 percent from the field and 27.8 percent from 3-point range, and committed 56 turnovers while accumulating 74 assists, a 1.32 assist-to-turnover ratio that must improve next season. Brew missed all four shots he attempted against Ohio State but otherwise finished on a positive note, tallying five assists with no turnovers on a night when his team shot 32.3 percent.

______________________________________________________________

UC IRVINE

GETTING INSIDE

UC Irvine announced it was parting ways with longtime coach Pat Douglass less than 24 hours after the season ended with a first-round loss in the Big West Conference tournament. The school issued a four-paragraph press release on March 11 in which athletic director Mike Izzi briefly explained why he chose not to renew Douglass’ contract after 13 seasons.

“I believe this decision is in the best interest of the university,” Izzi said. “It allows us to move the men’s basketball program in a new direction with the goal of annually being in the upper tier in the Big West Conference as well as competing in the NCAA Tournament.

“A nationwide search will begin immediately to hire the new head coach. We appreciate the contributions that Pat has made and wish him well in his future endeavors.”

Douglass is the all-time wins leader at UC Irvine with a 197-191 record. He guided the Anteaters to three 20-win seasons, three Big West championships and two NIT berths. He was named Big West coach of the year in 2001 but failed to produce the school’s first NCAA Tournament appearance.

Speculation over Douglass’ future started in earnest during last year’s Big West tournament. He reportedly was told weeks ago that his contract would not be renewed. His fate might have been sealed when the Anteaters lost seven of eight from Jan. 9 to Feb. 3. That stretch included a home loss to last-place UC Riverside and a nonconference loss to Cal State Bakersfield.

UC Irvine received the production it needed from sophomore forward Eric Wise and senior guard Michael Hunter, but the Anteaters were already out of contention when junior guard Darren Moore emerged as a third scoring threat. Wise, a second-team All-Big West selection, averaged team highs of 16.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and three assists per game.

Wise and Moore represent nice building blocks for the coach who comes in to replace Douglass, and a number of potential candidates already have emerged. The Orange County Register identified four former Stanford assistants with ties to Izzi: Portland coach Eric Raveno, Concordia coach Ken Ammann, Golden State Warriors assistant Russell Turner and current UC Irvine assistant Doug Oliver.

NOTES, QUOTES

FINAL RECORD: 14-18, 6-10, tied for seventh in the Big West.

WHAT WENT RIGHT: UC Irvine did a number of things right. The Anteaters led the Big West in turnover margin (plus-1.91), ranked second in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.1) and defended fairly well, ranking fourth in defense at 60.6 points per game. They were 13-7 when they scored 65 points or more, a good indication of how competitive they might have been if sophomore F Eric Wise and senior guard Michael Hunter had more help at the offensive end.

WHAT WENT WRONG: The Anteaters struggled to score despite having one of the Big West Conference’s best scoring duos in senior G Michael Hunter and sophomore F Eric Wise. They were 1-11 when scoring fewer than 65 points, including 1-6 in conference play. The Anteaters won five of their first eight games and opened Big West play with a stunning upset over UC Santa Barbara. They played pretty well down the stretch, too, winning five of their last nine games. They found themselves in no man”s land in January and early February, after Wise began showing signs of fatigue and before junior G Darren Moore increased his production. The Anteaters were seventh in the Big West in scoring (67.6 points per game), sixth in field-goal percentage (.445) and sixth in 3-point shooting (.346). Moore emerged as a reliable scoring threat late in the season, but the Anteaters still lacked firepower.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “I think I’ll have a lot more time to chase your stray shots on the golf course.” — Coach Pat Douglass, speculating on his future in the Orange County Register days before being fired.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

THE GOOD NEWS: Sophomore F Eric Wise emerged as one of the best players in the Big West Conference after making the All-Freshman team in 2008-09. He was sixth in the Big West in scoring, eighth in rebounding and fifth in assists. Another encouraging sign was the development of junior G Darren Moore. Moore increased his contributions considerably over the final six weeks. He averaged 14.3 points and 6.3 rebounds over the last 12 games after averaging 9.4 points and 3.6 rebounds in the first 20 games.

THE BAD NEWS: There is no one on the roster ready to assume the role senior G Michael Hunter has played over the past four seasons. Hunter averaged 13.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals this season. He ranked first in the Big West Conference in free-throw shooting (.878), second in 3-point goals per game (2.52), sixth in steals and 11th in scoring. Hunter finished his career as UC Irvine’s all-time leader with 236 3-point goals. He finished third all-time at UC Irvine with 160 steals, seventh with 298 assists and ninth with 1,308 points.

–Junior G Patrick Rembert had 54 assists with just 22 turnovers in 16 Big West Conference games. He was second in the Big West with a 2.45 assist-to-turnover ratio in conference games, and third in assists (3.4 apg) and free-throw shooting (.825).

–Senior C Zack Atkinson finished third in the Big West with 1.3 blocked shots per game. He recorded at least three blocked shots in six games this season. He matched his season-high with four blocks in a 73-69 loss to Cal Poly in the first round of the Big West tournament.

–One of Pat Douglass’ last acts as coach at UC Irvine was his decision to give walk-on G Emil Kim his first career start in the opening round of the Big West tournament. Douglass rewarded Kim for his efforts in the last two games of the regular season. Kim had a career-high seven points on 3-of-4 shooting with three assists and three steals in a loss to UC Santa Barbara on March 3. He had three points and three rebounds in a dramatic comeback victory over Cal Poly on March 6.

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UC-DAVIS

GETTING INSIDE

UC Davis played its final game at the Big West Conference tournament without junior point guard Mark Payne, and that was typical for the Aggies this season.

If it wasn’t Payne it was junior forward Joe Harden, junior guard Ryan Silva or junior guard Todd Lowenthal. Seven players missed 78 games this season. Payne, who was named second-team All-Big West as a sophomore in 2008-09, was out three different times. He missed three games with a shoulder injury in January, four due to illness in February and the final game of the season, a 76-62 loss to UC Santa Barbara in the semifinals of the conference tournament, after reinjuring his shoulder.

“(Our players) are a resilient group,” UC Davis coach Gary Stewart said. “We harp on playing as a team. We don’t build the thing for one specific player.

“If we’re going to beat people, we’re going to beat them with everybody that we put in uniform, and we’ve had the benefit of having to deal with some adversity. We had to play without Mark. We’ve had to play without Joe. We have the youngest team in the conference and throw in the fact that we’ve missed almost collectively 80 games, they’re used to dealing with adversity.”

The Aggies finished 14-18 overall, but they went 8-8 to tie for third place in the Big West despite the fact that injuries, illnesses and academic issues prevented them from playing a game at full strength. Senior forward Dominic Calegari enjoyed the best season of his career, Payne and Harden contributed consistently when healthy, and freshmen such as Julian Welch, Ryan Howley and Ryan Sypkens established roles for themselves.

“Like coach said, we’ve dealt with injuries all year and the young guys just stepped up. When you have guys like that stepping up when people go down, we’re a hard team to beat.”

Welch was named Big West Freshman of the Year, and Sypkens made the All-Freshman Team. They will return next season along with Payne, Harden and everyone else except for Calegari.

“We’ve got some terrific young players, and they continue to get better and better,” Stewart told The Sacramento Bee. “We have a great belief in them. They have attributes that we feel we can build a championship team with.”

NOTES, QUOTES

FINAL RECORD: 14-18, 8-8, tied for third in the Big West.

WHAT WENT RIGHT: Senior D Dominic Calegari made the most of the last phase of his development at UC Davis, improving his numbers across the board. He averaged 16.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, two assists and 1.1 steals while shooting 50.8 percent from the field and 42 percent from 3-point range. Junior PG Mark Payne and junior F Joe Harden showed more modest progress, and youngsters such as freshman G Julian Welch showed they will be able to contribute for years to come.

WHAT WENT WRONG: The Aggies weren’t very good defensively and lacked depth even before they were besieged by injuries and other issues. Freshman F DeAndre Medlock failed to meet expectations early and then was declared academically ineligible. Junior G Ryan Silva missed seven games with a foot injury in January and early February, returned to average 9.5 points in his first four games, and then was lost for the season with a wrist injury. The Aggies did well to earn a first-round bye in the Big West tournament, but they didn’t do anything well enough to contend for the title.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “Our problem with Davis is (Dominic) Calegari. He looked like Larry Bird against us. We haven’t guarded him yet.” — Cal State Fullerton coach Bob Burton, whose team went 0-3 against UC Davis this season.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

THE GOOD NEWS: UC Davis will lose only one senior, so coach Gary Stewart will return virtually his entire roster. Mark Payne will come back for his senior season as the most experienced and versatile point guard in the Big West Conference. Junior F Joe Harden will command attention in the post, and there are a whole host of guards, including freshman Julian Welch, who have shown potential.

THE BAD NEWS: The one player the Aggies must replace is a program fixture who will be remembered as one of the best players in school history. Fifth-year senior F Dominic Calegari appeared in 115 games in four seasons and started all 64 over the past two seasons, giving the Aggies a 6-10 big man who could step out and shoot the 3-pointer at 42 percent. Calegari ended his career with 1,261 points and 484 rebounds. He averaged 18.3 points in his final eight games.

–Junior F Joe Harden was named to the all-tournament team after averaging 20 points and eight rebounds in two games at the Big West Conference tournament. Harden scored 20 points in each game, making 15 of 28 (.536) field-goal attempts.

–Junior PG Mark Payne played only 13 minutes before a shoulder injury forced him to leave his team’s quarterfinal victory over Cal State Fullerton in the Big West tournament. Payne was not in uniform and appeared to be wearing a sling the next night when the Aggies suffered a 76-62 loss to UC Santa Barbara in the semifinals.

–G Eddie Miller will be eligible next fall after redshirting this season. Miller, a 6-5 junior, transferred to UC Davis after appearing in 15 games in two seasons at Cal. Miller’s father, Ed Miller, has been associate head coach of Cal’s track and field program for over 25 years. He was the 1976 NCAA champion in the decathlon.

Sports News charles anderson, coach joe, conference games, joe callero, long beach state, sixth seed

Rick Villier has made it his full-time job to help kids in the Price Hill area have the chance to play sports.

“I started in 2006,” Villier said. “I walked in as a parent and walked out as a coach. By the time that season was over with, they threw the presidency at me and I went, ‘OK.’”

Villier became president of the Price Hill Athletic Association in 2006 when the group was just fielding baseball teams. Football had just been cut because of a lack of money. Now, football is on its way back and Villier and the PHAA have plans to bring in soccer and basketball.

“This fall, we’re supposed to have civic leaders bringing back football to the program which was disbanded in 2005 because of financial reasons,” Villier said. “We made an agreement with the Sayler Park Athletic Association to help them out with baseball and in return, our kids will be able to play soccer. Then we’re going to try to work together with the (Cincinnati Recreation Commission) to try to have basketball available for the kids next winter.”

The organization has moved beyond the Price Hill area.

“Primarily we’re a baseball organization for 3- to 15-year-olds; and they started back in 1971 serving Lower Price Hill and they quickly grew to West Price Hill and East Price Hill,” Villier said. “Over the years, we’ve expanded to Sedamsville and Riverside. Now we are in Covedale, Delhi Township, Green Township, part of Westwood and all the way out to Sayler Park.”

Two years ago, Villier and the association received some much-needed help from the Cincinnati Reds Community Fund.

“We try to keep it really simple where we provide them with a simple dollar amount to defray some expenses,” Reds Community Fund Executive Director Charley Frank said. “In exchange, we just ask the teams to complete three community service programs.”

“It’s been a huge help,” Villier said. “Back in 2008 they gave us $1,500 per team, which we were able to use for uniforms, the fields, equipment and so we were able to go out and get some new bats and bases and stuff like that.”

With the help from the Reds and fundraising activities, the association is able to charge parents $60 this year for each kid for baseball in the competitive divisions. The cost is $45 for 6- and 7-year-olds in the noncompetitive league. The association has its own league for those younger than 6 and $35 covers a jersey, hat and trophy.

Teams usually go by the Saints nickname, but this year will honor former Negro League teams from Cincinnati to go along with the Reds’ Civil Rights Game festivities. Teams will use the Browns, Cubans, Tigers and Buckeyes nicknames. The organization also works with the Cincinnati Steam baseball team and marches in the Thanksgiving Day parade on the West Side.

Just like the Negro Leagues, it’s all about the opportunity to play baseball.

“This neighborhood, I would say that they would not have too many opportunities at all” without the athletic association, Villier said.

More Good News in Greater Cincinnati

? Animals have a friend in Carol Sanger? Big brother starts sign language club at school? Choir director Darryl Collier helps students reach high notes? Coach Quincy Hightower helps kids find their way? Deerfield Women’s Club small group with big hearts? Disabilities turn Diana Mairose, Robert Shuemak into advocates ? Evelyn Jordan, 92, has collected tons of pop tops for Shriners’ Hospital? Every principal needs a volunteer like Ruth Ann Wolfe? Fashion Week in Cincinnati? Nathan Hurst makes it happen? Lacrosse team helps players get exposure? Lonely, sick get hug from Peg Quallen’s Wings of Love? Student Oliva Harris teaches lesson about world hunger? Sycamore teen Meghan Marth forms club to help Uganda students? Volunteer mom Jill Brown keeps Mason school breakfast going

Good News in NKY

? Child sex slaves in India spur Kaytlyn Exeler to action? Molly Navin serves up dignity at Parish Kitchen? Prisoners, troubled teens find hope with John Schmidt? Retired engineer Kurt Keller helps with housing? What’s the score? In Ludlow, ask Ben Clary

Sports News civic leaders, delhi township, phaa, presidency, uniforms

TGIF everyone, here’s my Top 5 for March 26, 2010 from Len Berman at ThatsSports.com.

1. Quick Hits

* There are 4 more NCAA tournament games tonight. After this evening’s action there will be 8 teams left standing.

–Tennessee/Ohio State 7:07pm
–St. Mary’s/Baylor 7:27pm
–Northern Iowa/Michigan State 9:37pm
–Purdue/Duke 9:57pm All times Eastern.

* Butler, West Virginia, Kentucky and Kansas State were last night’s winners.
* Anybody want to coach St. John’s basketball? Georgia Tech’s Paul Hewitt says no thanks.
* Alex Rodriguez talks to federal authorities today in Buffalo about his relationship with a Canadian doctor under investigation for drugs.
* Former ABC, NBC and ESPN executive Chet Simmons is dead at the age of 81.

2. Reality Bites

Ouch. I’m sure some Cornell fans fancied a trip to the Final Four, and even a ride to the championship. But after watching those athletes from Kentucky for a couple of minutes, you knew it wasn’t going to happen. Oh, that 10-2 Cornell lead was heady. But then they managed only 35 points the rest of the way. Maybe the same fate awaits Northern Iowa tonight. The tournament gives you little glimpses of “anything is possible,” and then talent and pedigree throw cold water in your face. Is that an argument for or against expanding the field to 96 teams? Cinderella will always run smack into midnight, but it’s a fun ride while it lasts.

3. Filtering the News

What’s the difference between the University of Florida football program and China? That’s a trick question. There isn’t much difference. While China messes with Google, Florida is dumping on reporters. Coach Urban Meyer didn’t like how the quotes of one of his players turned up in a column so he confronted the reporter. The newspaper was threatened with banishment, and players and coaches were off limits to all reporters after practice the other day. Just the latest example of a college coach who doesn’t know how to lead. But of course the school will stand behind him because he wins football games.

4. Friday eMailbag

In response to Education Secretary Arne Duncan’s proposal that college basketball teams should have a 40% graduation rate to qualify for the NCAA tournament, G.M. writes, “Since 40% is a failing grade in any school, might it be more appropriate to require players be able to sink 70% or more of their foul shots? After all, if we’re preparing these basketball players for life after college in the NBA, being able to make free throws would seem more appropriate.”

When I wrote about Cornell broadcasters vis a vis Syracuse’s, A.K. added the following to the Cornell list: “Bill Maher, Ann Coulter and Ken Dryden (Miracle on Ice).
Editor’s Note: Oh yeah, I’ll see you and raise you Orangemen Ted Koppel, Dick Clark, and Joe Biden… no, wait a second.

S.L. wants to know if I’m working on a Passover-related Top 5. He suggests the Jews trekking through the desert was the “longest marathon…. 40 years.”
Editor’s Note: Just typical athletes where “bread” was the issue.

And when I mentioned the Nets Jewish Family Night and facetiously suggested they should stage a live bris at halftime, D.P. suggested on twitter @LenBermanSports that with the Nets shooting accuracy, the mohel would probably miss.

5. Reeling Them In

So what sport has been booming during the recession? Fishing. Fishing license applications are up, and in 2009 the number of fisherman in the U.S. showed a rare increase. Obviously with unemployment, people have lots of time on their hands, so off to the lake/river/ocean they go. So can Olympic fishing be in our future? Ice fishing for sure in the Winter Games. The winners could stand on the podium with their medals and their catch. Good times.

Happy Birthday: Raiders running back Marcus Allen. 50.
Bonus Birthday: Stop in the Name of Love. Diana Ross of The Supremes. 66.

Today in Sports: Led by Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West, the LA Lakers set a record of 69 wins in an NBA season. (Later broken by Michael and the Bulls.) 1972.
Bonus Event: Dr. Jonas Salk announces his polio vaccine. 1953.

Follow Len Berman on Twitter: twitter.com/lenbermansports

Sports News college coach, espn, paul hewitt, s paul, university of florida, university of florida football

American Mirai Nagasu was in first place after a nearly flawless short program yesterday in the World Figure Skating Championships in Turin, Italy.

Olympic champion Kim Yu-na, who has lost only one competition over the last two seasons and was majestic in winning gold in Vancouver, was in seventh place after three major errors in an uncharacteristically sloppy performance.

Nagasu, 16, scored a season-best 70.40, putting her two points ahead of Olympic silver medalist Mao Asada of Japan – and more than 10 in front of Kim. Finland’s Laura Lepisto was third. The free skate is today.

Olympic champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada added a world title to their gold medal, edging training partners Meryl Davis and Charlie White of the United States.

COLLEGES: Kendall Berry, 22, was going to be one of the featured running backs in a Florida International football scrimmage today.

Instead, he left a football team in mourning, a university in stunned disbelief, and police searching for whomever was responsible for Berry’s death.

Berry was fatally stabbed Thursday night in an argument outside the front doors of the school’s student recreation center.

A frantic 24-hour search for a suspect ended last night, when police said 22-year-old Quentin Rashad Wyche turned himself in.

Investigators said Berry and Wyche got into a “verbal dispute,” and Wyche pulled out an unknown sharp object and stabbed Berry. It was unclear what the dispute was about.

“Kendall had an infectious personality,” FIU football coach Mario Cristobal said. “He was loved and respected by everyone who had the privilege of knowing him.”

AUTO RACING: Qualifying for the spring race at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia was rained out. The field for tomorrow’s Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 in the Sprint Cup Series was set by point standings.

Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth will start on the front row.

Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton apologized for his “over-exuberant” driving after his personal car was impounded by police near the entrance to the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne yesterday.

OLYMPICS: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev blasted sports officials for the nation’s poor showing in the Vancouver Games and told them to make sure the team wins more medals, especially in four years in Sochi.

Russia won just 15 medals in Vancouver and was 11th in the gold-medal count with only three – the team’s worst Olympic performance.

SOCCER: Charlie Davies, 23, returned to training with Sochaux, in France, hoping to boost his chances of making the U.S. World Cup roster.

Five months after a near-fatal car crash in Virginia, Davies is working on fitness and doing work with a ball.

TENNIS: Wayne Odesnik, an American tennis player ranked No. 98, pleaded guilty in Brisbane to importing human growth hormone into Australia before a tournament leading to the Australian Open. He was fined more than $7,000 and could be banned from tennis for two years.

– Staff and wire reports

Sports News mirai nagasu, student recreation center, world figure skating championships

The Celtic board have finally lost patience with Tony Mowbray and his management team, sacking them on Thursday afternoon following the humiliating 4-0 defeat by St Mirren.

It was Mowbray’s 13th defeat from 45 games in charge – simply not good enough for a club of Celtic’s stature.

But where do they go from here? Mowbray was not the club’s first choice to succeed Gordon Strachan in the first place. Depending on who you believe, one or all of David Moyes, Owen Coyle and Roberto Martinez were all approached before Celtic went begging to West Brom.

So do the Celtic board give the fans what they want in the summer, someone “Celtic-minded”? Because if they do, they will have to go further down the original shortlist to someone like Paul Lambert, completely untested above League One in England and a short stint at Livingston.

Or will they try to tempt someone like Mark Hughes to the club? Although he was sacked by Man City, he built a formidable side at Blackburn on a tight budget, something any new boss at Parkhead will have to work with.

But Hughes would still demand a healthy wage and a decent budget. And even if he delivered success, it may not be enough as he has no previous Celtic connection – just ask Gordon Strachan.

The league is gone but second place is not yet guaranteed. Dundee United are eight points behind them with a game in hand. Celtic can’t afford to go through the motions between now and the end of the season, they still require results.

They are favourites for the Scottish Cup, but who is to say they will get past Ross County before facing Dundee United or Raith Rovers in the final?

The assumption is that the manager was out of his depth and that a new man will get more out of the current squad. But what if that’s not the case? What if the squad Mowbray has assembled is simply not good enough. What if finishing 15-20 points behind Rangers is the height of their abilities?

Whoever becomes the 17th permanent manager of the club, another summer of major surgery is required.

Edson Braafheid, Landry N’Guemo, Diomansy Kamara and Robbie Keane are all on loan and will need replacing. Josh Thompson and Thomas Rogne are not yet ready to play at the heart of the Celtic defence, while you have to question whether any of Mowbray’s other signings have what it takes to succeed in Scotland.

Artur Boruc and Aiden McGeady were already being tipped to leave the club before this week, while the likes of Lee Naylor and Darren O’Dea are likely to be moved on.

And it’s not just on the field where Mowbray suffered. His whole demeanour suggested a man who knew he was fighting a losing battle from day one.

Strachan’s contempt for much of the Scottish press was accepted as he got results. But Strachan, now at Middlesbrough, respected the better quality journalists. It was mainly the inane questions from the broadcast media that got to him.

Mowbray’s dismissive attitude towards the whole media cost him dear. A quick glance at Thursday’s newspapers showed not one even slightly favourable opinion piece. I wonder what he makes of the journalists who predicted his sacking? Were they ‘qualified’ to comment unlike those who questioned his big-money purchase of Marc-Antoine Fortune?

The next man in the Celtic hot-seat has a hell of a job on his hands, on and off the pitch.

It may be one of the biggest jobs in club football, but I certainly don’t envy the next guy who tries to win over the Celtic fans.

Sports News man city, new boss, roberto martinez, thursday afternoon

Amateur boxing, chock full of drama and passion, is one of the most unfairly overlooked sports in America, relegated by most daily newspapers to the sports sections of their neighborhood editions—you know, next to stuff like softball tryouts and middle-school swimming.

But amateur boxing, especially the Golden Gloves, deserves better, especially given the hundreds of Olympic medalists and professional fighters who have proven themselves at events like the Alabama State Golden Gloves Boxing Championships.

The Alabama Gloves will be held at 7 p.m. on March 26 & 27 at the Shades Valley YMCA, located at 3551 Montgomery Highway in Homewood.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 6-12 and will be available at the door. Kids under 5 are admitted free.

Some of the winners here will go on to fight in the regional Southern Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions.

And speaking of great fighters who got their start with the Golden Gloves, Deontay Wilder of Tuscaloosa—a bronze medalist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and a professional heavyweight with a 7-0 record—will greet fans, pose for photos and sign autographs both nights of the tournament.

For information, call (205) 907-1752 or (205) 870-9622.

Sports News daily newspapers, golden gloves tournament

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As Medford’s largest sports bar, Donnelly’s Sports Bar & Grill now offers live entertainment two nights a week for those not interested in watching the game or shooting a game of pool.

The bar, which has hosted regional entertainment on Saturday nights for more than a year, will open its stage for live music on Friday nights as well.

if you go

What: Donnelly’s Sports Bar & Grill

Hours: 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 9 to 12:30 a.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to midnight Saturday

Where: 2980 Crater Lake Highway, Medford

“The biggest reason is there were so many bands to showcase in our valley that being open one night a week wasn’t enough,” says Rick Donnelly, the owner.

The nearly 6,000-square-foot bar, located inside Lava Lanes, 2980 Crater Lake Highway, features a variety of attractions including four pool tables, a large dance floor, 11 plasma screen TVs and 48 smaller TVs.

Donnelly’s offers a standard bar menu, and no reservations are needed, as the place can hold about 325 guests.

“Any other club can hold about 60 to 80 people,” says Richard Barney, Donnelly’s marketing director. “If we have 60 to 80 people, it (Donnelly’s) looks almost empty. People can know they can come in and there will be plenty of room for them to have a good time.”

Barney says the venue seeks to provide live entertainment that appeals to a crowd ages 30 to 60 and music that patrons can dance to. Donnelly adds that the bands must have a good following and be “bands we want to hear.”

Playing rock and blues, the Rogue Suspects will be accompanied by the Rock Hard Horns for two performances this weekend — 9 p.m. Friday, March 26, and at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 27.

The Suspects are scheduled to play a regular gig on the last weekend of every month at Donnelly’s.

Karen Lovely and her band, who recently won second place in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tenn., will perform at 9 p.m. Friday, April 2.

Upcoming performances will include the Robbie DaCosta Band (April 3), David Pinsky and the Rhythm Kings (April 9), Rogue Rage (April 10), the Afterburners (April 16) and Easy Valley Eight (May 15), as well as Clint Ingbretson, whose popular Elvis show has been known to pack the house.

On May 14, Donnelly’s will host a 1950s and ’60s cocktail dinner show featuring Clint Ingbretson as Frank Sinatra.

“Beginning now, you can count on us having good entertainment on out,” says Barney.

There is no cover charge to any Donnelly’s shows. For bigger shows, such as Clint Ingbretson’s or Karen Lovely’s, reserved seating near the stage can be purchased for $5.

“The facility speaks for itself,” says Donnelly. “You’re not jammed into a cubbyhole trying to listen to a band. There is no ceiling. You have the roof so the sound in that room is really good.”

For more information, call 541-245-2755.

Sports News crater lake highway, one night a week, watching the game

THE Bootle, Litherland & Netherton Junior Football League once more saw super individual and team performances at the weekend.

On Saturday in the under-8s, Parkfield (Joe Doran 2, Josh Cronin) beat Millennium (Elliot Clarke, Rhys Burgess) 3-2, and Mollies Munch Tigers (Connor Davies, Jack Smith) defeated NFB 2-0.

On Sunday in the under-7s, Northfield (Ethan Mitchell 2, Gerard Hart) got past Marine (Frankie Murtagh) 3-1. Elsewhere, Croxteth Park (Ryan Rooney 2, James Murphy 2, Jake Rooney, Harvey Wood) beat Parkfield (Luke Smith) 6-1, while Netherton Foxes (Declan Chadderton 3, Dylan Essery 2, Jonathan Barrow, mom Zac Hayes) also won well, 7-1 against Netherton Falcons. In another under-7s clash, Bootle’s Dan Curran struck the only goal in their win over Netherton Cubs.

Parkfield (Josh Cronin 2, Joe Doran 2, Dylan Woodray, Mathew Evans) blanked Forefield Rangers 7-0 in the under-8s, as Frameline (Billy McCarthy, Sonny Chambers) beat Wilko 2-1, and Croxteth Park (Thomas Laird) drew 1-1 with Mollies Munch (Regan Rubin). Marine (Alex Williamson 2) beat Netherton Youth 2-0, and Kingfield Park (Aaron Jones 3, Sam Troy) overcame Millennium 4-2.

In the under-9s, Kirkby Town (Mikey Parry, Michael Stuart, John Swift) blanked Wilko 3-0, while Fleetwood Juniors (Joe Topping 3, Luke Brennan 3, Lewis Ware 2) dispatched Indanet 8-0.

Elsewhere, Frameline (Ben Maloney, Jake Cullen, Matthew Williams) kept out Netherton Boys 3-0 and Netherton Tigers (Jake Quayle, Rafael Capano) edged White’s Security (Thomas Kirkham) 2-1.

Gorsey Boys (Dylan McGee 3, Scott Medlan 3, Joel Jackson 2) helped see off Northfield (Francis Gandy, Sean Patterson) 8-2 in the under-10s, as Blue Anchor (Brogan Ellis Rimmer, George Dickinson, Jacob Caffrey, Charlie Eadie) edged Forefield (Paul Greenhow 2, James Turner) 4-3.

Syncreon (C Swain 2, R Tate, S Doyle, K Hughes) beat Fantail (Jack Swan, Kieran Hollomby, Michael Wallworth) 5-3, as Kirkby Woodpeckers (Chris Watkinson 2) drew 2-2 with Litherland Boys (Jo Stewart 2).

In the under-15s, Crosby Stuart (Chris Clarke 3, Garry Law) defeated SWOY 4-0. Marine (Ste McHugh 3, Chris Doyle 2, Jonathan Cahill 2, Aaron Harwood, Josh Flower) blanked Swanford 9-0, and C4th Boys had a 7-0 win over Gt Crosby CPS. Kingsford beat Forefield Reds 4-0, as Rhinos beat Northfield 2-1.

In the under-16s, Marine had an 8-1 win over George’s . Elsewhere, Seftonfields beat TMS 6-3, while Northfield (Mark Smallbone 2, Charlie Cawley, Jack Corrin, Jamie Blackhurst) overcame Parkfield (Jamie Rawlings) 5-1.

Sports News frameline, junior football league

TODAY’S LIVE TV

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

Philadelphia vs. Atlanta

Arizona vs. Chicago White Sox

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NIT, Rhode Island at Virginia Tech

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Division II Semifinal, teams TBD

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L.A. Lakers at San Antonio

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Sports News l a lakers, prep boys, s college, virginia tech

Anniversary: 40 Years of the Porsche 917

“Greatest racing car in history” celebrates its birthday

Stuttgart. Forty years ago on March 13, 1969 at the Geneva International Motor show, today’s Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche unveiled a car that, even by today’s standards, is underestimated when it is described as the “super sports car”: the Porsche 917. It became a legend as one of the fastest and most successful racing cars of all time.

Porsche fired the starting shot for Project 917 in June 1968, after the international motor sports authority or FIA had announced a class of “homologated sports cars” with up to five liters cubic capacity and a minimum weight of 800 kilograms. under the supervision of Ferdinand Pi?ch, the stipulated 25 units of the new racing car model were completed by April 1969 so that the 917 could begin its racing career in the same year. after it initially dropped out of its first three races due to technical problems, the 917 success story began in August 1969 at a 1,000-kilometer race at the ?sterreichring with a victory by Jo Siffert and Kurt Ahrens.

The engine configuration of the 917 was just as unusual as its different car body versions: Behind the driver’s seat extended an air-cooled, twelve-cylinder engine with horizontal cylinders, whose crankshaft designated it as a 180-degree V engine. the 520 HP engine had an initial cubic capacity of 4.5 liters. the tubular frame was made of aluminum, the car body out of glass fiber reinforced synthetics. Porsche engineers developed different car body models to best meet the different demands of different racetracks. the so-called short-tail model was designed for heavily twisting roads in which a high contact pressure was necessary for fast cornering. the long-tail model was designed for fast racetracks and a high final velocity. then came the open 917 Spyders, which were used in the CanAm and Interseries races.

At the end of the 1970 race season, Porsche confirmed its superiority with the 917 and 908/03 models, winning the Racing Series World Championship [Markenweltmeisterschaft] in nine out of ten possible victories. this series of victories began in Daytona and continued in Brands Hatch, Monza, Spa, on the N?rburgring racetrack, at the Targa Florio, in Le Mans, Watkins Glen and the ?sterreichring. However, the season’s high point was the long-desired overall win of the Le Mans 24-hour endurance race, a trophy that Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood brought home to Zuffenhausen on June 14, 1970. Their 917 short-tail model painted in the Porsche Salzburg colors of red and white with the start number 23 not only successfully defied its competitors but also the heavy rainfall.

As in the previous year, the 1971 season was dominated by the 917 model so that the Racing Series World Championship [Markenweltmeisterschaft] went to Porsche again with eight out of ten race victories. and once again, a Porsche 917 was victorious at the Le Mans 24-Hour race – this time with Gijs van Lennep and Dr. Helmut Marko, who set a world record with an average speed of 222 km/h and 5,335 kilometers driven, a record that still stands today. One special feature of their 917 short-tail model, visually characterized by its “shark fin”, was the tubular frame made of magnesium. A 917 long-tail coupe model set a further record in 1971: on the Mulsanne straight stretch, which is part of the route in the Le Mans 24-Hour race, the sports car with the start number 21 recorded the highest speed of 387 kilometers per hour. Another Le Mans racecar achieved major recognition: the Porsche 917/20 was a mix between the short-tail and the long-tail models and was notable for its broad proportions. Although the pink colored racecar, nicknamed “the Pig”, dropped out halfway through the race, its unusual paint color made it one of the most famous Porsche models ever.

When the European FIA regulation for the “five-liter sports car” expired at the end of the 1971 season, Porsche decided to enter the Canadian American Challenge Cup (CanAm). In June 1972, the private Penske race team in motor sports used the turbo-charged Porsche 917/10 Spyder for the first time. with a performance of up to 1,000 HP, the Porsche Spyder dominated the race series and won for Porsche the CanAM championship with victories in Road Atlanta, Mid Ohio, Elkhart Lake, Laguna Seca and Riverside. In the following year, the 1,200 HP 917/30 Spyder had its racing premiere. the superiority of the monster car driven by Mark Donohue was so obvious that the regulations of the CanAM series had to be changed in the end in order to exclude the 917/30 from competing further in the 1974 season. Typical for Porsche: the technologies for increasing performance developed for these races were successfully transferred to the on-road sports car. That’s how the 911 Turbo, with its side-exhaust turbocharger, began its career in 1974 and has been, since this time, a synonym for the performance capacity of the Porsche sports car.

To date, the reputation of the 917 is legendary. Therefore, 50 international motor sports experts from the famous British trade magazine “Motor Sport” nominated the 917 as the “greatest racing car in history”. All in all, Porsche built 65 units of the 917: 44 sports cars as short-tail and long-tail coup?s, two PA Spyders as well as 19 sports cars as CanAm and Interseries Spyders with up to 1,400 HP turbo engines. Seven of the most important 917 models – among them the Le Mans victory cars from 1970 and 1971 and the 917/30 Spyder – are currently on exhibit in the new Porsche Museum in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen.

Sports News car model, forty years, geneva international, international motor sports, sports car, success story

It used to be easy to name your sports team; just pick a dangerous animal and go. unfortunately, there are way more sports teams in the world than there are cool animals, and the result is a lot of names that range from lame to laugh-out-loud retarded.

Webster University Gorloks
(College)

Runners Up:
Hamilton Tiger-Cats (CFL)
Key School Obezags (High school)
Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL)

Breakdown:
From the Webster University website: “The Gorlok is Webster University’s school mascot. It is a mythical creature that was designed by Webster staff and students through a school contest. It is reported to have the paws of a speeding cheetah, horns of a fierce buffalo, and the face of a dependable Saint Bernard.”

The design team lovingly followed the instructions to the letter and came up with a lion:

The Key School Obezags meanwhile, have cleverly made an anagram of the word “gazebo,” which would make no sense unless you knew that the school has a sort of obsession with gazebos, which it does. They don’t seem to have a mascot, but with a name like “Obezags” they could have let their imaginations run wild and made it a ferocious clown with a barracuda for a penis. The merchandising would bring the school millions.

Meanwhile, Canada continues to have problems with words, inventing the puzzling “Tiger-Cats,” and willfully pluralizing “leaves” wrong. this is a point of “dishonour” to their school system.

Philadelphia Soul
(Arena Football League)

Runners Up:
South Dakota School of Mines HardRockers (College)
Indianapolis NW Space Pioneers (High school)
Cleveland Rockers (WNBA, defuncT)
Swing of the Quad Cities (Minor League Baseball)

Breakdown:
“Soul” in this case doesn’t refer to the eternal essence of self that many believe humans possess. Rather, it’s a style of popular music in the 1970s known as Philadelphia Soul, making it highly relevant when this expansion team opened in 2004. this team was actually co-founded by Jon Bon Jovi, who is to soul what Arena football is to football.

Jon Bon Jovi, as relevant and hip as the team he co-owns.

The South Dakota School of Mines HardRockers and the defunct Cleveland Rockers of the WNBA do have legitimate connections for their wannabe-hip-sounding names. one is a pun on the school’s mining focus; the other is located near the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. However, they both end up reminding you of when a company tries to put forward a mascot with a backwards baseball cap, a skateboard and some kind of crazy-shaped electric guitar to appeal to “kids today.”

The Indianapolis NW Space Pioneers, meanwhile, had the bad fortune to tie its name to the hot current event in the ’60s, the space race, and have not mustered the energy to change it since.

Whoever renamed their team the “Swing of the Quad Cities” was obviously trying to go for something hip and fresh, but unfortunately swing is only hip and fresh to a demographic that is, for the most part, now dead.

Thailand Tobacco Monopoly
(Thai soccer team)

Runners up:
Minnesota Wild (NHL)
Stanford Cardinal (College)
St. Louis College of Pharmacy Eutectic (College)

Breakdown:
While the American teams put up one hell of a fight, they were no match for good old Asian wackiness, as the Thailand Tobacco Monopoly soccer team leaves us puzzled and nearly speechless. being named after a tobacco company would be pretty hilarious in itself. but being named after the concept of the tobacco business being dominated by one corporate entity without any competition, this is truly a masterstroke.

The NHL’s Minnesota Wild holds its own, however, being named after a concept whose definition could range from generally uncontrollable to areas untamed by man. Adjective? Noun defining a concept? who knows. There’s a team whose commitment to keeping its opponents guessing runs so deep as to extend to even its name.

Meanwhile, the Stanford Cardinal is named after a shade of red, a concept so difficult to personify that team boosters have just torn out their hair and made their mascot costume a shoddy-assembled tree.

And finally, the St. Louis College of Pharmacy has dug deep into its obscure word bank and come up with the “Eutectic,” which turns out is either an adjective referring to an alloy combination with the lowest possible melting point, or sometimes a noun referring to the substance itself. what it really says, obviously, is “We don’t have to be good at sports because we’ll have nice pharmacist paychecks soon, so enjoy your meaningless victory.”

Hiroshima Toyo Carp
(Japanese Pro Baseball-NPB)

Runners Up:
Brevard County Manatees (Minor League Baseball)
UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs (College)
Columbia College Fighting Koalas (College)
Atlanta Thrashers (NHL)
Montreal Alouettes (CFL)

Breakdown:
Listen, Hiroshima Toyo … no one is scared of carp. No one is scared of manatees either, Brevard County, but they’re bigger, so you slide out of the top spot. one might have hopes for a second that a Toyo Carp is some kind of carnivorous carp, but unfortunately Toyo is just a reference to the sponsoring company. So, they are indeed just carp.

Meanwhile, UC Santa Cruz has chosen the banana slug, mostly as a joke, which at least inspires revulsion if not respect.

Columbia College has made some kind of half-assed attempt to inject some threat by adding the “fighting” prefix to their koala name, but has only succeeded in creating a more ridiculous mental picture.

Two professional teams round out the list by inexplicably choosing small, non-threatening birds to represent themselves-thrashers …

and skylarks (alouettes):

We can easily picture some team executive hearing “Thrashers” and, picturing fierce teeth and razor-sharp claws that thrash things, saying, “Yes! go with it!” that guy was probably fired the first time somebody bothered to crack open an encyclopedia. there is no excuse for “Alouette,” since it’s most famous for having various body parts plucked off, verse-by-verse, in the well-known French song “Alouette.”

King Faisal Babies
(Ghana’s Premier Football League)

Runners Up:
Centralia Orphans (High school)
Cordozo Clerks (High school)
Cairo Syrupmakers (High school)
Wikki Tourists of Bauchi (Nigeria Premier League)

Breakdown:
We can only speculate why a professional soccer team would name itself the “Babies,” but odds are they have an odd sense of humor, wish to lull their opponents into a false sense of security, or the ownership was so fed up with the players’ whining that they changed the team name as a sort of punishment. or, possibly it’s all three.

Meanwhile, we assume the Centralia Orphans get pumped up for every game by thinking of themselves as impoverished waifs with nothing to lose, because everything they ever loved is gone, which must lead to some awesome pep rallies. The Cordozo Clerks are located near Washington D.C., which is still no excuse, because San Fernando Valley high schools never feel the need to name their teams the Pornstars. Still, the compulsion seems to be universal, vis-a-vis the Cairo Syrupmakers (Cairo being where Karo syrup is made, sadly).

Teutopolis Wooden Shoes
(High school)

Presbyterian College Blue Hose (College)
Scottsdale Community College Fighting Artichokes (College)
Frankfort Hot Dogs (High school)
Victoria Salsa (British Columbia Junior Hockey, defunct)

Breakdown:
It’s hard to explain why wooden shoes don’t feel so threatening, as logically, they could be used to bludgeon someone over the head quite effectively. nevertheless, the Teutopolis Wooden Shoes inspire a sort of stunned, mild lethargy that none of the others in this category were able to match.

The Blue Hose could arguably belong to the upcoming “Sounds Dirty” category, but we chose to take the high road in this case. meanwhile, the “fighting” prefix does even less for artichokes than it did for koalas.

The Frankfort Hot Dogs continue to prove that the pun is the lowest form of humor, and the Victoria Salsa, whether referring to the dance or condiment, lose badly on either count.

Butte Pirates
(High school)

(Due to forfeit by new Zealand Black Cocks)

Runners Up:
Cleveland Browns (NFL)
Rhode Island School of Design Nads (College)
Deportivo Wanka (Peruvian soccer team)
Chattanooga Central Purple Pounders (High school)
Young Boys Bern (Swiss soccer league)

Breakdown:
Butte County High School takes the prize with their simultaneously appropriate and completely inappropriate team nickname of “Pirates.” The new Zealand national badminton team, the Black Cocks, would have beaten them, only the name was shot down at the last minute by the international badminton authorities and the protests of many angry people with no sense of humor. Fortunately, they managed to cancel the naming just in time to save the world’s respect for badminton.

It’s hard to point out what’s dirty about the Cleveland Browns nickname without being crude, so let’s just say that one favorite euphemism for number two in the bathroom is, “Taking the Browns to the Superbowl.”

The Rhode Island School of Design has an impressive entry with their “Nads” hockey team. It was only slightly diminished by the fact they obviously did it on purpose, which is somewhat atoned for by their team cheer, “Go Nads!” and their school’s matching basketball team, the Balls.

The Nads mascot, forcing the team onto this list

Deportivo Wanka of Peru was a hit on their visit to the U.K., although admittedly somewhat puzzled by the snickers that greeted them. For those unfamiliar with zany Brit slang, the “Wanka” appear to be some sort of tribute to masturbation.

Beyond puzzling are the Chattanooga Central Purple Pounders, and last but not least, the Swiss professional soccer team with the vaguely disturbing name Young Boys Bern, who play in Wankdorf Stadium.

Read page two for the most racially insensitive nicknames, and the undisputed worst sports team name in the world.

Sports News hamilton tiger cats, imaginations, lion, obsession, paws

New Class of Catalyst Sports Shapely Selectivity March 10, 2010

This breakthrough research was featured on the cover of Dalton Transactions. Journal cover published with permission from the Royal Society of Chemistry from Dalton Trans., 2010, 39, 1692-1694

A new class of catalytic material has been studied by scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) display a unique three-dimensional structure that is highly selective and reactive, with performance that is up to 50 percent better than commercial materials in the tested reactions.

The catalysts high shape selectivitythe ability to select certain molecules in the reaction based on structurepoints to energy, environmental, and other applications for this new class of materials. This breakthrough research was featured as the cover of Dalton Transactions in February 2010.

Current commercial catalysts can convert to products up to 60 percent of reactants. Finding a stable catalyst, one that reliably converts 100 percent, means no waste and a faster, more efficient process. Stable and highly reactive catalysts that are also highly shape selective show potential for improving the refining of fossil fuels, utilizing biomass as feedstock, and reducing automobile exhaust pollutants, among other activities.

To be considered versatile, catalysts must have several attributes: high reactivity or conversion rate; large surface area; and durabilitya tolerance for high temperatures. for this study, a new class of MOF catalysts was synthesized and tested for a class of catalytic reactions known as alkylations, useful for petroleum refining. Researchers were looking at the rate of the reaction, and how the unique properties of this class of catalyst might select for the most desirable products of the reaction.

MOFs are crystalline, well-ordered, three-dimensional structures. they have open metal sites with large pores. Fine-tuning the pores, so that only certain reactions take place, could further define the catalyst for particular applications. the MOFs were exposed to the chemicals they were to convert, a.k.a., the reactants. the MOFs exhibited high shape selectivity, acting like a sieve to pick and choose which molecules get to participate in the reaction. This shape selectivity can be used to advantage when choosing a catalyst for a particular reaction.

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Metal-organic frameworks were synthesized using a single tetrahedral building block. their catalytic properties towards alkylation of toluene and biphenyl showed high selectivity for the para oriented product using these porous materials.

In addition to high shape selectivity, the open framework structures of these materials enabled greater surface area contactup to the size of a football field in a teaspoon. the increased surface area contributes to increased conversion, the rate at which the catalyst converts the chemicals in the reactant. This new material converts up to 100 percent for the alkylation reactions studied, meaning no waste and a faster, more efficient process.

MOFs provide efficient and productive reactions, maintaining these reactions under high temperatures. their unique, crystalline shape and high conversion rate are attractive for catalytic processes in both petroleum refining and chemical production. in addition, an analysis of the materials porosity points the way to many other new applications such as carbon dioxide separations which are important for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions.

Further exploration of the unique structure of these materials is warranted to examine the shape selectivity properties for the production of several chemicals. for this, scientists need to identify the active sites for the catalytic reactions. Furthermore, fine-tuning the porosity of the MOFs may yield even more gains in surface area and conversion.

more information: Thallapally PK, CA Fernandez, RK Motkuri, SK Nune, J Liu, and CHF Peden. 2010. “Micro and mesoporous metal-organic frameworks for catalysis applications.” Dalton Transactions, 39(7): 1692-1694. DOI:10.1039/b921118g

Provided by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (news : web)

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Sports News catalyst, conversion rate, dalton transactions, pacific northwest national laboratory, reactants, royal society of chemistry

ORLANDO, Fla. — the Miami Dolphins have had their share of spending misadventures since Bill Parcells took over football operations nearly 2 1/2 years ago.

We learned Monday morning they’re trying to trade left guard Justin Smiley, the player they signed to a five-year, $25 million contract one minute into 2008 free agency. They’ve already unloaded notable free agents such as safeties Gibril Wilson and Chris Crocker, receiver Ernest Wilford and quarterback Josh McCown.

But when it comes to running football operations, Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross trusts Parcells implicitly.

So completely, in fact, that Ross said Monday he doesn’t get involved in even the biggest decisions about his cash.

“I’m putting my money with Bill Parcells and our organization,” Ross told a small gathering of reporters during a break in the NFL owners meetings. “Nobody bats 1.000. I just look at the bottom line and end results and where we are and what we’re spending. the results are in the won-loss record.”

Ross suggested he stood aside two weeks ago, when the Dolphins made Karlos Dansby the NFL’s highest-paid inside linebacker with a five-year, $43 million deal.

“Bill tells me beforehand,” Ross said. “We have salary caps — this year we don’t, but we still have to live in a financial world today — and I say ‘Hey, what counts is on the field.’ That’s what he’s looking to do: deliver winners.

“I don’t try to micromanage him. You can’t look at every dollar you spend. one thing I found out: Sports is different than business. from a businessman, when it comes to what you do for paying players, you have to have a little different discipline than you’d otherwise have.”

Ross can refrain from meddling because Forbes recently ranked the Manhattan real-estate developer the 277th wealthiest man on the planet with an estimated net worth of $3.4 billion.

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Calcutta News.NetSunday 21st March, 2010 (ANI)

The Sahara Group run by businessman Subrata Roy purchased the Pune team and Rendezvous Sports bought the Kochi team on Sunday for the fourth edition of the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) tournament.

Five bidders took part in the bid for these two teams today.

Indian Premier League Commissioner Lalit Modi made the announcement that the Sahara Group has purchased the Pune team and Rendezvous Sports purchased the Kochi team.

It is reported that Sahara Group purchased the Pune team for Rs 1702 crores, while Rendezvous Sports bought the Kochi team for Rs 1533 crores.

Five bidders had lined up on Friday for submission of bids, to qualify for the auction, which took place today morning, a top BCCI official said. (ANI)

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