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Show /port/ I kiAk MONDAY-AUGUST 22-2005 ranee Trying to make the PGA Tour at Eastbay I don't know why you guys golf, Maybe it's because you have a natural stoke, or perhaps you just look smoking hot in a pair of knickers. I golf, not because I have a 3-handicap, but rather because I actually like hanging out in the sun every now and again. Because I enjoy spinning grass brodies in a golf-cart I just spent $18 to use. Because it gives me the rare chance to catch up with my friend Steve on all his latest adventures with the opposite sex (the guy is like magnetic when it comes to the ladies, and I've learned a lot from him out on the greens). I was playing East Bay (the cheapest course west of the Rockies) in south Provo just the other day with an uncle and cousin I rarely ever see down from Vancouver. Spinning brodies wasn't really Uncle Bill's style, but our goal wasn't to finish nine holes in under two hours. Our goal: to critique Cousin Mark's latest slice into the catfish pond, or enjoy the mulligan that I think I'm sometimes entitled to. Now don't get me wrong, there's some etiquette in golf; but that's not to say the anal groups I've often encountered creeping up too close behind me, haven't pulled my last thread. Like who actually flags down the marshal? If you want to pass me, whatever happened to politely asking to maybe play ahead? But this foursome (whom I'll call for the sake of this column, the Future CEO's of America) didn't have the gonads to make such a request. Instead, the roaming marshal had to come over and declare that our party let the Future CEO's play through. Again, it wasn't a suggestion, rather a declaration. As if their sweater vests and fresh golf spikes (straight out of the box) all of a sudden deemed these guys worthy to play on as if they owned the course. What, just cause I'm sport' n board shorts and an old pair of pumas, I get no respect? Nobody said it was mandatory to wear a visor. Anyway, so they played on, no big deal. But after a move like that, you better at least double bogey and put your stroke where your mouth is. The top score from the Future CEO's of America was a 9 on the par-3 fifth. A 9 on the par3 fifth! Not one drive hit the fairway, not one shot left me even somewhat impressed. So we waited near half an hour with mixed feelings of annoyed boredom and quiet satisfaction, as if Tiger Woods was staring down the guys (that in their own minds) thought they were actually better he was. I than tnanni I thought about calling the I Ithoi See RANT-B2 Sports Desk (801) 863-8603 f PAGEBl Paying full Price Former UVSC guard signs guaranteed NBA contract with Sacramento Kings Morgan Vance Sports Editor ike Higgins, Ronnie Price's agent, got a phone call from Sacramento King's officials on Tuesday August 2nd. In short, they were impressed enough by his new client, they wanted to sign him to a guaranteed 2-year deal. "I'm just in Wonderland right now," said the former UVSC hoops standout. "I'm ready to get started. This is a great opportunity and I'm so blessed to have the opportunity to live out my dream. A dream that began taking shape this last year as Ronnie helped UVSC begin their venture into Division I basketball by averaging 24.3 points a game (good enough for 3rd best in the nation). The Wolverines also excelled as a team behind Price's leadership, going 16-12 in their first non-provisional year, including an astounding 10-1 record at home. "The way it started, the way it ended, just being a part of the whole Division I experience," mulled Price in response to his final season in green and gold. "I'm just glad I had a chance to be here and take part in it all; amazing." But following his stint at UVSC, some disappointment followed. Invited to take part in the top two camps in the country for NBA hopefuls, and having been invited in by several different teams for personal workouts, Ronnie's name wasn't called by either David Stern or Rod Thorn during last June's NBA Draft. But that didn't seem to hinder him one bit from his dream of one day putting on an NBA uniform. "Everyone's route to the NBA is different," said Price back in July. Several teams almost immediately called after the draft ended inside New York's Madison Square Garden. Sacramento was one of them. According to Higgins, King's Head Coach, Rick Adelman really loved his potential and Ronnie saw an opportunity waiting for him there. He almost immediately found himself in Las Vegas competing for the King's summer league team. And quickly, he showed what he could do, averaging over 7 points a game despite suffering a slight foot injury half way through. "Vegas was great," he said. "I talked to Geoff (Petrie, King's General Manager) and he just told me to continue to be myself and play my game, and that's what I did. Petrie's advice wasn't just talk, seeing enough in Ronnie to officially add him to the organization's 05/06 roster. "Our coaches and staff were impressed with Ronnie's M overall ability as a young point guard in the league. He comes in with a lot of scoring ability, along with good size and defensive skills. I think he'll be an exciting young player for us." Sacramento isn't the same team it was a couple years ago when they were predicted to compete for an NBA title, but they do continue to have a strong nucleus of talent, landing recent acquisitions Bonzi Wells, Jason Hart and most recently, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, to go along with mainstays Mike Bibby, Peja Stojakovic and Brad Miller. • Also expected to contribute are the King's last two 1st round picks, Kevin Martin and Francisco Garcia, who both played alongside Price in Vegas. "Those guys are amazing. They play hard and they play good defense," Price said. "I'm looking forward to stepping on the court with them again." But with Bibby being one of the premier point guards in the game, and by recently trading for Hart, playing time at the point isn't going to come easy for Price. However, he doesn't look at the (possibility of starting out on bench in a negative light. "He (Bibby) is gonna be my menm try to watch every move, how he proaches practice, how he approaches NBA. And Jason's been in the league four years now. He's another guy I can learn from." No matter how much playing time does end up getting in Sacramento, it's hard to believe where he's at right now, considering where he started. From his prep days in Texas, to a brutal 1-25 season as a freshman at D-l Nichols St, UVSC was lucky enough to land the 6'2 combo guard in their See PRICE-B2 Ronnie Price Courtesy Photq/UVSC Athletic Dept. Issues promt soccer coach to resign Phillip Morgan Sports Writer Anytime a coach starts a new division I program, they're forced to sacrifice a lot. Time and money are often among those sacrifices that coaches know are necessary when they take a job. But it's when those sacrifices also include health, that some coaches begin to question if any of it's really worth it or not. For UVSC head women's soccer coach, Gabe Smart, she eventually decided that it wasn't. "I was doing everything for the women's soccer program," said Smart, who recently resigned her position on August 3. "I was working as head coach, academic advisor and also working two other jobs. Mentally and emotionally I realized that it was time for me to move on to something new. T was even having some health complications." "I've known that this resignation has been on her mind for a while," said Justin Wagar, former assistant to Smart and current interim head coach. "This job does require a lot of work, and doing it for two or three years can take a lot out of you. It's a hard situation, but as a team we need to look at things we can do to move forward." When Smart began the soccer program at UVSC, she knew how challenging it would be. In the Wolverine's inaugural season, deck Smart related a story of traveling to Idaho State to face the Bengals in an exhibition game. "We were still a junior college the first time we played them," said Smart. It was in that first contest that Idaho St trounced UVSC by six goals. "I was so excited even though we had lost," said Smart. " I told the girls that that was right where we needed to be in one year's time; because we had scored a goal." The following year the Wolverines made a game of it, but still fell to ISU 3-2. "I felt like we were making progress though in our program," she said. "In our next game we ended up tying 1-1. I was very pleased with our girls." In the most recent contest between the two teams, the green and gold finally prevailed over the Bengals. "In three years time, we went from a club team to a division I program and were able to compete with good competition." Women's soccer may have been the biggest surprise of all in that first year of D-l competition, Smart leading the squad to a 9-7-1 record. Good enough that Soccer Buzz Magazine later scored Utah Valley the 2nd best incoming division I program. After a rocky start to the 2004 season, Smart helped guide UVCS to a season-ending mark of 6-9-3. "That's a decent record," she said. "Sure we didn't get above (500), but for -an up-start program like ours, Women 4 / Soccer v/« Uleber Stole flu<). 26 @ 12 p.m. "Coach Smart's resignation did put us behind the 8-ball a little bit,".said athletic director Michael Jacobsen. "Bringing on Justin Wager as the interim head coach has been really good. He knows the program and knows the system. The girls seem to be excited about him, so we're just going to go forward and hopefully not miss a beat." Since the resignation, rumors have flown around the coop; one of those being that Smart left Utah Valley to accept a higher paying job. She denies that ever being the case. "Right now I'm still in the valley coaching different club teams. My biggest goal when I got here was to ,•*<•• * rt-r . _ improve soccer in the state of Utah. Just because I'm not coaching at the Courtesy Photo/UVSC Athletics college level doesn't mean that I'm Gabe Smart resigned last week. still not trying to improve Utah socwinning six games meant a lot to cer." our girls." Another on the rumor mill was With things on the rise, Smart's that she was actually let-go by athresignation just two weeks before letics officials; but Jacobson quickly the opening game against Mesa squashed that one as well. "100% State, came as a surprise to some. resigned," said Jacobson. "We "I was absolutely shocked when wouldn't have done that. It wouldn't Gabe told me that she was leaving," have been fair to the girls." said senior captain Carolyn Theurer, "Rumors start because people who is the only player to complete don't take the high road," Smart the UVSC program. "I've returned continued. "None of the rumors that every year because of Gabe, so it are going around are true." will be tough not to have her here." With all the stress accompanying "No time is a good time to leave,"' her past. Smart is still smiling and said the former coach. "It wouldn't working on moving forward; while have mattered when I decided to UVSC soccer hopes to do the sameleave; no time would have been a this time without her. good time." Orem Ouilz v/« Idaho f o i l / Chultor/ flug. 26/27 @ 7 p,m. Visit us online at www.netxnews.net Club hockey try-out/ flug. 24 contact Coach Brodey 755-5821 Send story ideas to smiggs86@hotmail.com |