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Show DAILY THE CHRONICLE UTAH SPORTS 6.oise&GiaQ.r'caaoat:t ggg q . Utes Sign Spivey For Next Season STERLING CLIFFORD Chronicle Sports Writer At the end of Utah's NCAA Tournament run, Rick Majerus apologized to Tony Harv ey. "Tony has had to play out of position almost his whole career at Utah," Majerus said. Harvey, a natural spent much of last year and most of this season running the point on a team without a true starting point guard. Next two-guar- d, season, the point guard spot will be filled, coach Larry Eustachy, formerly of Utah State, Spivey came to Salt Lake City to play for SLCC. Since his arrival in the valley, Spivey has been free of trouble. Because Spivey has not signed a letter of intent, and can't until early April, no one from Utah is allowed to comment on the player or his status. Spivey would likely start ahead of Gary Colbert, who backed Harvey for much of this season. Majerus still will likely continue trying to sign another point guard this spring. The signing of Spivey fills one of While the Utes were in Las Vegas for the MWC Tournament, they got a verbal commitment from Salt Lake Community College guard Travis Spivey. The see UTAH, page 15 Departin' Utes Utes Keep the Peace Against Mesa JEN SMOCK earlier this month at Mesa State, tempers flared when Chronicle Sports Writer Swenson slid hard into the Mavericks' shortstop and the Utes' Jed Chrisman flattened Mesa State's first baseman. That gave way to a fight that resulted in players from both teams receiving treatment at a local hospital. On Tuesday, the scenario looked like it might be repeated. Utah began the first game on the sore side, after two of their first three batters were thumped by wild pitches. Altogether, nearly 10 players advanced to first after being hit by pitches. Utah manager Tim Esmay kept things cool, though. "That was just bad pitching, there were no intentions there," Esmay said. "Everybody knew that if something happened, they were going to be out the rest of the sea- - In doubleheader action Tuesday against Mesa State, the Utah baseball team continued its winning ways to remain undefeated at home this season. The Utes played their first home games of the year last weekend when they faced UNLV for a weekend doue bleheader. Utah won both games and was on a winning streak coming into Tuesday's games. "It's awesome being home," Utah's Sam Swenson said. "It's a whole different ball game, especially after you've been on the road for 22 straight games." Utah beat out the Mavericks 1 in the first game, and finished out the night with a 6 victory in extra innings. for the season. The Utes improved to e The last time the two teams met, in a series three-gam- 12-- 200-pou- nd 7-- Spivey averaged 18.2 points, 9.3 assists and 8.3 rebounds per game for the Bruins. Spivey was a starter at Georgia Tech as a freshman, but transferred to Iowa State after one season. It was there that The following are players, as well as stats, that Utah coach Rick Majerus will have to replsce next season if the Utes plan on making any noise in the MWC or in the NCAA Tournament. Utah finished 23-this past season and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Spivey ran into the trouble that would eventually lead him to Utah. Accused of assaulting a runaway, Spivey plead guilty to a third-degr- Hanno Mottola 17.0 ppg released Iowa State. On the advice of Iowa State head see BASEBALL, page four-gam- 14 9 Alex Jensen 13.1 ee sexual assault felony and was 13-- Jeremy Kiliion Tony Harvey Brandon Sluga 9.1 ppg ppg 9.6 ppg 0.9 ppg 4.8 rpg 7.5 rpg 1.8 rpg 2.7 apg 0.1 apg Do Basketball Skills Make Assault OK? BRANDON WINN Chronicle Sports Editor Would you cheer for a convicted felon? Would you cheer for a man convicted of sexual assault? I hope for the sake of decency you answered "no" to the second of those questions. Now, here's another one: Are you a Utah basketball fan? Seeing how you're reading this column as a student or faculty member at the University of Utah, you probably feel some sort of emotional connection to the basketball program. If so, you might have to decide where your loyalties lie when next season's hoops' season rolis around. Do you believe more in winning basketball games or having a clean program? Travis Spivey a standout point guard at the Salt Lake Community College who averaged 18 points, 9.2 assists and 8.5 rebounds per game last seasonhas verbally committed to play for the Utes. He can't actually sign until the second week of April, but he has made his intention to play for the Utes known. "Great," you're thinking, "the Utes could definitely use a point guard. Especially one with Spivey's talent." Spivey is truly a tremendous tal ent and will definitely help a Utah team that obviously suffered when Andre Miller graduated. Spivey is easily the best point guard available to the Utes and could give Utah the boost it needs to get back into national contention. Don't get so excited just yet, though. Spivey is coming to Utah with a past. In fact, he's coming to Utah with a lot of baggage that people, particularly people in a conservative state like Utah, would find reprehensible. I don't blame them. While Spivey was enrolled at he Iowa State as a third-degra of to count pleaded guilty sexual assault after admitto having consensual sex with a ting runaway girl. Iowa law sexual contact between a prohibits ee and anyone older by five or more years. That was one year d after he was arrested at a restaurant for intoxication and assault. The sexual assault was too much. He was released by Iowa State head coach Larry Eustachy, who then helped his fallen player hook up with the Bruins at SLCC. He's kept his nose clean since corning to Utah, but does that matter? Should that matter? Should the U open its doors and provide a scholarship to a person who admittedly committed a felony? A felony of a sexual nature, nonetheless with a girl, who is obviously suffering from CHRONICLE f i. fast-foo- see WINN, page 12 SPORTS EDITOR " .!.:..' ....... Tii 1 4 si' . "S " " o bi Utah's Adam Castleton avoids the kind of hard slide that started a brawl the last time the Utes faced Mesa State. BRANDON WINN WINNCHRONICLE.UTAH.EDU 581-704- 1 |