Show Thursday May 2ft 1992 The Eagle - Page 7 Parting thoughts of athletics at CEU by Richard Nielsen sports editor As the year comes to an end and the graduates of CEU ponder their experiences during the post two years my thoughts have turned to the successes and failures within the athletic department As sports editor I have been responsible for reporting the sporting news every other week This has provided me with an opportunity to examine the athletics at CEU and the direction that die respective programs are heading This year the four mqjor sports at CEU Finished in somewhat typical style The men's basketball team finished with 25 wins and was knocked out of the playoffs in the semifinals by a two point loss on the opponents home court The women's basketball team volleyball team and base- ball team however finished in the middle of the conference standings and (ailed to make the region playoiTs This is a familiar situation for "the other sports" at the college Why is it that when the time comes for the region tournament CEU is nowhere to be found? To bc fair the men's basketball tournament invites the top eight schools while the other tournaments bring in fewer schools (women's basketball invites six volleyball and baseball invites four) But is this the reason that the men's basketball is so far ahead of the rest of the sports? No If you look at sports in major colleges and universities around the nation generally speaking all athletic deportments are centered around one or two money making sports Football and basketball are typically the biggest money makers for athletic deportments At CEU the "money making" sport is men's basketball The primary reason that I refer to it as the money maker gion tournament behind a coach with a "positive attitude" and outstanding middle play from Stcflani Carpenter and Julie Thompson The women's basketball team will have the most talented team ever to be assembled at the college Staci Myers will continue to be a force in the middle as one of the quickest and toughest centers in the region The only problem is that every other school will bring in more talent and the Lady Eagles will finish ahead of Colorado Northwestern and Dixie but just shy of making the playoffs The men's basketball team will be guard oriented and led Why are the crowds at men's basketball games so much by UVCC transfer Eric Talley and Jason Martin into the larger? Is it because that the men's basketball team win's more often? Because slam dunks are more appealing than region finals but will be stopped by Southern Idaho who will bring in another South American exchange student home runs or spikes? Or is it because the majority of pubthat is 6'H" and 32S pounds licity that is done for the athletic department is centered on The baseball team will bring back a number of sophomen's basketball? more I believe that until "the other sports" receive the publicplayers with playing experience and will supplement that with a solid core of freshmen following a successful ity that they deserve they will always receive the same amount of support It should also be noted that winning is spring recruiting effort Coach Dave Paur will announce in the awards banquet that he knows "which way is right field contagious and as a team wins their crowd size will generand which way is left field" The Eagles will take advanally increase Even at the beginning of the men's the crowd was not anything compared to a tage of a weak season for UVCC and finish behind only Dixie College in the conference and finally return to the reschool such as CSI As the wins added up the crowd atgion playoffs The Eagles will host their opponents on a tendance added up and the excitement surrounding the field that has a grass infield in front of a crowd larger than program was built up the CEU Soccer Team It is my hope that all the teams at CEU do compete well This leads me to consider next year and the amount ol next year and prove me wrong and take the region champisuccess that the teams will achieve So here arc my prediconships tions for the 1992-9- 3 seasons In closing I would like to thank the coaches in the athIn the club sports the tennis and golf teams will defeat letic department for assisting me with information for the Snow College and Dixie College but fall to Utah Valley paper I would also like to thank Susan Bolster for her and Salt Lake The soccer team will win at least two constant help in compiling the paper And finally I wish matches and Ted Bianco will proclaim that he is still "the to thank my wife Vicki for supporting me and not kickwinningest soccer coach in CEU history” ing me out of bed after reluming from the newspaper room The volleyball team will finally break out from the dolat 1 am on newspaper nights drums of a third place conference finish and go to the re is attendance Crowds packed the BDAC on Friday and Saturday nights for Golden Eagle Basketball At Lady Eagle Basketball games the largest group of fans were typically from the opposing school The baseball team was lucky to have a home crowd of 20 or more for on of their six afternoon doublchcadcrs Volleyball matches were so sparsely attended that when the Lady Eagles won a point the largest amount of applause came from the bench not the stands CEU alumn Tom Cook dofonda against Ronnlo Hallburton of tha Denver Broncos photo by Garth Frandaen basket-balfteas- dunk contest by scoring perfect 10a from tha Bronco JudgesJphoto by Paul Pulll on CEUs Matt Smith and Travis Raby try to steal tha ball from Hallburton who gava tha Eaglas all thay could handlaphoto by Paul Pulll |