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Show www.dailyutahchronicle.corn UPCOMING SPORTS EVENTS THURSDAY: Men's Basketball 5 SPORTS Wednesday January 22, 2014 MEN'S BASKETBALL Kenneth Ogbe: 'a team-first guy' Utah @ Arizona St. 7 p.m. Tempe, Ariz. Ryan FRIDAY: Women's Basketball Miller STAFF WRITER 21 Michigan 13-4 22 Kansas St. 14-4 23 Memphis 13-4 24 Baylor 13-4 At the press conference following Saturday's 74-69 victory over UCLA, seldom-used Utah freshman guard Kenneth Ogbe drew a laugh. Fresh off scoring 12 points on 4-of-4 shooting, Ogbe was asked if he had been waiting for his opportunity to shine. "Yeah," Ogbe said with a smile. "Who's not?" Back in October, Utah head coach Larry Krystkowiak said he was hoping to have his rotation be eight or nine players deep. Guards Brandon Taylor and Delon Wright, along with forward Jordan Loveridge have started every game this season. Forwards Dakarai Tucker and Princeton Onwas are regular rotation players, and a combination of big men Jeremy Olsen, Dallin Bachynski and Renan Lenz have held down the center position. That ninth rotation spot has given multiple players a chance to prove their worth. On Saturday, it was Ogbe's turn, and his play had everyone smiling. "It couldn't have happened to a nicer kid," Krystkowiak said following the victory. "The entire locker room is off the charts with enthusiasm for him." Upon meeting Ogbe, it's easy to see why his teammates are happy for him. The young man visibly glows. At the team's media day, he was the only one who was constantly smiling and introducing himself to reporters he didn't even recognize. Following some tough losses last week in Washington, Ogbe was seen carrying training bags and other equipment up to the team's locker room. He truly is a team first guy. Ogbe came to Utah via Germany where he played for Urspring, one of the top prep teams in Deutschland. During his time there, he met Virgil Matthews, who played under Krystkowiak while at the University of Montana. Through Matthews, a connection with Krystkowiak and Utah was made. Soon afterwards, Ogbe was named MVP of the Arby's Classic, a high school basketball tournament that features some of the stronger teams in United States Led by Ogbe's performance, Urspring became the first nonU.S. team to win the tournament in its history. This in turn resulted in Ogbe being heavily recruited by the Utes. Growing up in Germany, Ogbe 25 Oklahoma 14-4 See Utah vs. Arizona St. 7 p.m. Huntsman Center Swimming & Diving Utah @ BYU 7 p.m. Provo, Utah Track Utah @ Cherry and Silver Invitational All Day Albuquerque, N.M. NCAA TOP 25 MEN'S BASKETBALL RANK TEAM RECORD 1 Arizona 18-0 2 Syracuse 18-0 3 Michigan St. 17-1 4 Villanova 16-1 5 Wichita St. 19-0 6 Florida 15-2 7 San Diego St. 16-1 8 Kansas 13-4 9 Wisconsin 16-2 10 Iowa 15-3 11 Oklahoma St. 15-3 12 Louisville 16-3 13 Massachusetts 16-1 14 Kentucky 13-4 15 Cincinnati 17-2 16 Iowa St. 14-3 17 Ohio St. 15-3 18 Duke 14-4 19 Saint Louis 17-2 20 Pittsburgh 16-2 Griffin Adams ASST. SPORTS EDITOR After two weeks of competition, the Red Rocks are off to an incredibly impressive start, and they have the numbers to prove it. Utah is first in the nation on vault, second on floor and tied for eighth on bars. For this reason, the Red Rocks' woes on beam continue to stick out like a sore thumb. Gymnasts attribute the problems they had on the event at Cal last weekend to feeling pressure. "We had a great meet going," said freshman Baely Rowe, who was one of two Utah gymnasts to fall last Friday. "We've been doing really well on beam in practice, and we wanted to make a big score out of it. We were all pretty confident going in, and a few mistakes happened, but that just happens sometimes." Since Utah had one fall already and the rest of the lineup had clean performances, the pressure was built up even more for Mary Beth Lofgren, the Red Rocks' last competitor. "I think we put the pressure on ourselves," Lofgren said. "We hit three good events, and we wanted to make it four. PersonSee GYMNASTICS page 7 - MP/ . .. ,_01( –.411 -............ - '1111111A CHRIS AYERS/The Daily Utah Chronicle Kenneth Ogbe muscles past UCLA defender Norman Powell at the Huntsman Center on Saturday. 1- THE GREAT DEBATE -1 GYMNASTICS Red Rocks face beam challenges RUNNIN' UTES page 8 Pak Richard Sherman: an idiot or The Man? Sherman brings fun back to sports m ere moments after he sent the Seahawks to the Super Bowl by tipping an interception to teamRYAN mate Malcolm Smith to seal the MILLER win, Seattle's Richard Sherman showed a little emotion. "I'm the best corner in the 1111114•• ■•Ilil game," Sherman yelled to FOX StaffWriter sideline reporter Erin Andrews. "When you try me with a sorry rethat was missing earlier in the ceiver like Crabtree, that's the result day. Both Brady and Manning you're gonna get. Don't you open probably think they're the your mouth about the best, or I'm best, but they would never gonna shut it for you real quick." say it. Sherman did. Why is Twitter and Facebook went crazy following Sherman's comments. Ev- that so offensive? Yeah, he showed Crabtree up with erything from "classless" to "thug" his mouth, but only after he to "idiot" to things much, much worse than I will never repeat were owned him on the field. He won. thrown in his direction. Let him celebrate. I think the majority of people But I don't understand the anger. What we saw in Sherman's rant have reacted in a semi-ridiculous fashion when winning something was rare — pure, unfiltered emotion. I, for one, loved it. extremely small and in reality Before the Seahawks and Ninmeaningless. There have been ers ever took the field, the two many times in my life I have gotgreat quarterbacks of this last ten fiery mad or way overjoyed by decade faced off. The Broncos winning a board game. Could I see and Patriots had all the narratives myself saying, "You cross me in leading up to the game but sadly Settlers of Catan, and you will lose, lacked the emotion to back those I'm the best"? Yes, yes I could — along with my friends, family memstories up. Peyton Manning and Tom Brady have both publicly acbers and random acquaintances as knowledged the perceived rivalry well. People in general are probably between the two really only exists a little overcompetitive. in the media. They respect each Sherman just made the bigother. No animosity, no hatred. gest play of his career, against his Just another game. See MILLER page 8 Sherman gave us the emotion Vote on who won this week Who's classless now, Seahawks? R ichard Sherman doesn't let his play speak for itself. He wants to hear it BRANDON from his own mouth. It would be hard to argue BARLOW that Sherman isn't one of the best shut-down cornerbacks in the game right now. His style StaffWriter of play and his intelligence regarding the sport were evident in Sunday's game against the with his team in the Super Bowl. San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Instead of giving credit to his Championship. He tipped teammates or talking about the a pass intended for 49ers' big game in February, Sherman receiver Michael Crabtree decides take every second of TV that was then intercepted to time to declare his dominance. He ultimately put the game away. insisted he is the best corner in Claiming he was mic'd the league and called out Crabtree, up during the game, Sherman fol- claiming he is "a sorry receiver" lowed Crabtree as he was walkduring his postgame interview ing off the field after the interwith Fox reporter Erin Andrews. ception and was jabbering away. Now, I don't know if Sherman's mother taught him to He patted Crabtree on the butt and has claimed he said, "Good treat others the way you want game. Good game." Crabtree to be treated, but what if the responded by shoving a hand at roles were reversed? What if we Sherman's face. switched the cleats and Crabtree Who knows what Sherman was became the instigator? What actually saying to Crabtree, as would Sherman do? My guess is he is known for his trash talk on he wouldn't take it too well. the field — my guess is he said I can understand how a player it in a condescending tone. Not who is passionate about the only that, but he also threw up game gets caught up in the moa choking sign with his hands, a ment, but to personally criticize gesture which was intended for a player on a team you just de49ers quarterback Colin Kaeperfeated makes you lose credibility. nick after the play. By doing so, fans and players So Sherman wins the game and See BARLOW page 8 gets the opportunity to compete S. www.dailyutahchronicle.com |