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Show Sports FRIDAY DECEMBER 2 2011 Dad, husband, student, athlete Bamforth balances school, basketball and parenthood By Nathan Davis sports editor I The Signpost SOURCE: SCOTT BAMFORTH Weber State University's shooting guard Scott Bamforth kisses his son Kingzton John Bamforth. Bamforth has been figuring out how to balance basketball,school and parenthood. Nathan's Notations This time last season, all Scott Bamforth had to worry about was playing basketball. A year later, he is married and a new father to Kingzton John Bamforth. Things were rough for Kingzton at first. After he was born, he had to spend some time in the Intensive Care Unit and nearly died. Now he is home and doing well. Since Kingzton's birth, Bamforth has had to figure out how to balance his family, basketball and school. It's something he said can be both challenging and rewarding. "It's a lot different, but it's fun at the same time," Bamforth said. He also said the new additions in his life have made things more enjoyable and have helped him see the most important things in life. "It's actually been a lot of fun," Bamforth said. "My son and my wife are always first in my life, no matter what. It's been kind of fun when I come home from practice or working out. I get to come home to my son and see him smiling." One thing that is often difficult for new parents is adapting to a new sleeping schedule, but Bamforth said it works well with him and his wife because he is a night owl. "Obviously with a newborn baby," Bamforth said, "they're awake throughout the night, but I'm a night person. I'm always up no matter what till 3 or 4 in the morning, so I stay up with him, then my wife takes over when I go to sleep or go to class." This year, Bamforth has been a key part of WSU's 4-1 start to the season, including hitting 10 out of his first 12 3-point attempts of the year. Damian Lillard said that having him on the court helps everyone else perform better. "It's fun playing with Scott, because he's another guy on the guard line other than Bull (Kyle Bullinger) that can take the pressure off me and make teams pay," Lillard said. "He's also a really smart player and brings a lot to the table." Lillard also said opposing teams have to respect Barnforth and guard him heavily, See Bamforth page 9 Life after football for two starters Nathan Davis • The Signpost columnist Damian Lillard is one of the classiest athletes Recently, I got involved in a Facebook argument over Weber State University's men's basketball team with a die-hard Utah State University fan. I try to avoid arguing on the Internet, but I couldn't resist this time. The only reason why I got involved in the argument was because someone had said that WSU wasn't a good team, and the win over USU was lucky He also questioned the team's ability and said that Damian Lillard was cocky and overrated. After I commented and defended WSU by explaining that they have one of the best teams in the state, and that Damian Lillard is the best player in the state, I started thinking that not only is he amazingly talented, he is one of the nicest athletes I've worked with. Over the weekend, WSU lost its first game of the year, but Lillard more than cemented a solid claim to the title of best player in the state. He had a huge game, tying a career high with 36 points. Lillard also became the leading scorer in the nation. Following that game, in which, for much of the game, Lillard single-handedly carried the Wildcats and kept the game close, Lillard showed that, besides being one of the top point guards, he's also one of the most humble. He said that being the leading scorer doesn't mean that much to him. He would have rather won the game. Toward the end of the WSU game against USU, after it was clear USU wasn't going to win, Aggie point guard Brockeith Pane exchanged words with Lillard and got in his face. Throughout it all, Lillard remained calm and closed out the game, playing with a high level of intensity. After the game, Lillard said that he didn't get involved in the scuffle with Pane, but just played harder, because if Pane was going to act like the game wasn't over, Lillard was going to play like it was still the first half. See Notations page 9 PHOTO BY BRYAN BUTTERFIELD Above: Weber State University's Austin Raught scores a touchdown in a game against Sacramento State University. Right: Nick Webb (45) helps tackle a Montana State University player. Austin Raught and Nick Webb talk about their plans after NCAA play By Susana Landaverde correspondent I The Signpost With all the stress that students encounter from day to day, many overlook the hardships that student athletes face. Austin Raught and Nick Webb are two seniors who just finished their final college football seasons at Weber State University. The question many graduating play- ers are asking at the end of this season is what they will do next. Raught has been playing football for 12 years. Four of those years have been dedicated to playing for WSU. He entered his senior season as one of the top returning receivers for the Wildcats, and had a total of 244 yards with two touchdowns for the year. He played in all 11 games this season. Raught said being a student athlete was a great experience and helped him grow as a person. He said the coaching staff at WSU was always there to help him, on and off the field. "The experience was awesome," Raught said. "I had a great time playing for Coach Mac. The coaches were awe- some." Raught said he is looking forward to graduating in spring 2012 with a bachelor's degree in organizational communication. He said it will be different after the season, and he will miss the experiences he has had while playing football. "I will miss the relationships with the players and coaches, as well as playing in the games," Raught said. Raught said he will now focus on the future, as his days of playing football have come to an end. He said he feels new opportunities are waiting for him. He currently has an internship with Northwestern Mutual, where he hopes to be hired as a full-time employee after graduation. See Football page 9 WSU wins California tourney By Hector Valencia sports reporter I The Signpost The Weber State University Bowling Club won its first out-of-state tournament of the season in a tournament in Camarillo, Calif., hosted by California State University, Long Beach at Harley's Camarillo Bowl. The tournament started on Nov. 19 and ended on the next day. The team lost a few games to California Polytechnic State University and to the University of California, but the Wildcats came back to defeat UC Davis in the last game to win the tournament. WSU Head Coach Fred Meaders said he was pleased with the team, which won some important matches against a number of talented teams. "There were a numbers of very competitive teams in the western U.S.," Meaders said. "It was a very challenging tournament for us." He said they finally got a few good breaks at the right time to win the important games. The team finished with a final record of 6-2 in the tournament. The team made good showings against a couple of teams it has struggled to defeat in the past, easily beating the CSULB team, which was a national champion last year, and narrowly defeating Arizona State University. "My team really performed well," Meaders said. "When someone was struggling with a score of 1-2, others players would step up their performances." Senior Mark Mandell bowled best the first day with an average of 226 and a high game of 278. Kasey Kolezak, also a senior, bowled the second day with an average of 232 and a high game of 259. "The tournament was really good," Mandell said. "The team bowled well together." Mandell had 90 shots with 49 strikes, and 37 shots with 29 spares. See Bowling page 9 |