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Show 3 r V BACK PACE r Thursday, December 06, 2012 EDITOR V. I V L V . Anthony Anderson, r 586-548- 8 forward Jackson Stevenett (right) gets center Cal Hanks (left) had career highs in points (8), rebounds (6) and blocks game, but it was ultimately not enough. in lane the the blocked went SUU down night. Stevenett was second on the 3 Tuesday game Arena in Centrum driving in the loss the Tuesday night. (4) in 13 contest. 14 at halftime, but rebounded with a 14-- 3 run to open the half to climb back into the team with points the rd SUU 67-5- By CARTER WILLIAMS cwilliamssuunews.com SUU guard Damon Heuir overcame fans a a knee injury that gave rd scare and led a second half charge, mens basketball team but the had already dug itself into too much of a hole. San Diego guard Johnny Dee set the k tempo for the Toreros with back-to-bac- 3s to start the game and led USD with 17 points as the Toreros defeated SUU 67-5- 3 Tuesday night inside the Centrum Arena. I mean we started pretty bad, Heuir said. They came out more ready to play than we did and then from there on we had to scrap to get back in it, then we just didnt have enough to get over the hump. Down 14 points at halftime, Heuir hit k buckets that seemed to fire up SUUs offense. The responded with a 14-- 3 run to open the second half, cutting USDs lead to 39-3- 6 with 12:06. Center Jayson Cheesman capped the run with a pair of free throws to pull SUU within one possession. However, it was the closest the got to USD. The Toreros (4-methodically built back to double digits, their lead up finally pulling the game out of reach when USD guard Chris Anderson split SUUs defense to the basket for a layup. (2-never led at any The back-to-bac- 5) point in the game. Theyre a good basketball team, SUU head coach Nick Robinson said. (They) play in a good conference, theyve played a good schedule to this point, they played hard and they were more aggressive than we were. Forward Jackson Stevenett said the teams slow start and poor finish were the difference in what could have been a much closer contest. It comes down to the start of the game and the end of the game, Stevenett said. We had a run in the second half to get within 3 and then laid off the gas pedal, didn't keep attacking them and there it went from there. Heuir left in the early minutes of the Coach Allen keeps legacy Women and rivalry of Majerus alive face travel to T-Bir- ds rival UVU in-sta- te whole way through with his future on his mind. The questions that once filled his mind were cwilliamssuunews.com becoming decisively answered. Once I read the book, for one reason or Nestled on the shelf of SUU mens basketball assistant coach Drew Allens incommodious another, it was very clear to me and I kind of workspace lies the slightly tattered and worn book had a renewed desire to coach in college, he said. He talks more so about the relationship that changed his life. Within the chaotic mess, My Life on a Napkin, he had with his players and his experiences written by Rick Majerus with the addition of Gene with his players helping them become Wojciechowski, sits perched above his desktop successful grown men and his different special computer, alongside other coaches books, like relationships with them. It inspired me to want John Woodens. Those two alone provide enough to have the same affect on people, to have those divine scripture for young, aspiring hoops coaches relationships as a basketball coach. like Allen. Allen and Majerus werent close; they werent on Learning Front Enemies a first name basis. They had met here and there on At the same time he read Majeruss book, Allen occasion, but when Majerus died Saturday from was headed to daily practices with Reid and the heart complications at the age of 64, Allen was SUU mens basketball team. The two, his time suddenly without the inspiration that brought him as a college player and the book he was reading, into the coaching world in the first place. culminated into a new passion in his life. Days after Majerus death, fans and basketball My coaches that Ive had have had the most faithful mourn the loss of one of the games profound affect on me, as far as my basketball greatest minds and teachers. He had a profound career, my basketball knowledge, but also me as impact on many coaches and playing in college a young man, Allen said. As someone who's hoops today, but Majerus never realized the role growing in life, so having those experiences and he played in Allens life, nor how Majerus heated seeing someone that has been as successful as rival also did. Majerus have those experiences and speak so candidly about them, it was kind of a defining Finding a New Passion point in my decision to want to be a college Allen never made it to his dream school, the basketball coach. University of Utah, and he never did play under While coaching up north, Reid and Marjerus his idol Majerus. hated each other1 on the court. The feud was I always wanted to go to Utah, to play for notorious for seven years in Utah, until Reid was Majerus, Allen said. I remember watching his let go by BYU. those successful years, when I team in 97-9Despite that, the two enemies taught Allen was living in Oklahoma and just wanted to get everything he needed to know to become a back to Utah to be a part of that. coach one day. However, Allen landed a Division I college It is funny because there was such a heated career at SUU in 2008. Ironically, the team there for a number of years, Allen said. e 90s rivalry was then coached by Majeruss But one of the things Reid always said about nemesis Roger Reid. Reid coached BYU from Marjerus, and he didnt say a lot because I think 1989 to 1996. that rivalry is still there a little bit, was how As his time in Cedar City wore on, graduation how his teams always great of a coach he was began to near for Allen. hard and how his teams were always so played One day he wondered what to do in his future. of the hardest to play because they were so Thats when he picked up the book he never got one around to finishing in high school, My Life on In the two years Allen played at SUU and the a Napkin. more years he spent as a graduate assistant, he two He always admired Majerus and the way he the relationship he had with Reid giew into said who was coached. Thats why Allens sister, of a family bond. more playing womens hoops for the Utes at the time, I got to know him and he became a mentor gave him the book as a gift. I envisioned coach She gave me (the book) one time when she to me, similar to what him for players because he had Majerus being came back to visit from when she was at Utah, same mentoring as a that care same person Allen said. I read it maybe a quarter the way Allen said. that Majerus had, capabilities school. in high through See ALLEN, Page 11 This time, he opened the book and read it the back into the ballgame was created by defensive pressure. We mixed it up with man and zone (defense) and kind of frustrated them, he said. I think they scored 3 points in the first eight minutes of the half and definitely our defense sparked it and our transition offense, we got layups got back in it. Conversely, he said once the team was back within a possession of USD, the lack of intensity changed the complexion of the final 12 minutes. on We aggressive quit being Stevenett defense is what happened, said. We kind of laid off a little bit, saw we were in it and we didnt them defensively. keep attacking See LOSS, Page 11 first half after tangling up with teammate Jaren Jeffery. Fans held their breath as the team's leading scorer limped off the court without putting pressure on his knee. However, Heuir returned to the court before halftime with a sleeve on his knee and scored 16 of his team-hig- h 17 points points in the second half. Heuir also grabbed eight boards and picked up five assists for SUU, but turned the ball over six times. Stevenett added 13 points and eight while center Cal rebounds for 8 points Hanks scored a career-hig- h and came down with six rebounds, while swatting four shots for SUU. The 10 shots blocked a season-hig- h in the game. Stevenett said the run to get SUU By CARTER WILLIAMS 8, one-tim- well-coache- d. assistant coach Toriano Towns talks to the team during a practice earlier in the are on the road this week for two games, one week. The 4 is SUU overall. on State San UVU and Jose Saturday. tonight against SUU non-conferen- 2-- By KEEGAN MCCANN kmccannsuunews.com The SUU womens basketball team is back on the road to rival Utah take on Valley tonight, followed by Western a contest against Athletic Conference opponent San Jose State on Saturday. are coming The off a heartbreaking 70-6- 8 loss to New Mexico State last week, in which they lead the majority of the game only to watch the Aggies sink a shot with 2.1 seconds to go to snatch the victory. When we watched the film we saw that we actually played a really great game and a lot te of good things happened, head coach JR Payne said. We just need to build olf that and learn from the close last second stuff. game scorer SUUs guard Sofia Hepworth added that the loss stung the team, but second-leadin- g also taught a valuable lesson. she It motivates us, said. When you lose like that it kind of just puts a bittersweet feeling in your mind. Knowing we were that close to beating a team, don't think it will happen again. e SUU holds the the lead series against have Wolverines. The won eight of the 12 contests e and are currently on a streak against winning UVU. The Wolverines last win came in the season during a neutral site contest in Bozeman, Mont. (UVU) is scrappy, tough, they play extremely hard and they are feisty, Payne said. I think they see this as a true rivalry, cause we play them every year twice a year, so its a real rivalry for both of us. The Wolverines are coming 6 off a victory against fellow opponent Weber State Tuesday night. 1 all-tim- five-gam- 2009-201- 68-5- te 0 win snapped a losing streak for the Wolverines and forward Sammie Jensen notched her second game of the season. The senior is averaging a double-double on the year with 18.7 points and 12.8 rebounds, but is getting little from the rest of the team. No other UVU player is scoring in double digits. The six-ga- nt Forward Kaycee Mansfield and guard Whitney Jenkins are second on the team in points; each are averaging just over 8 points a night. They are really feisty (and physical) and thats something we like to do right back, guard Hailey Mandelko said. We are definitely going into this game with the mindset of we want to beat them, we want to get momentum going into conference play and going in just wanting to get this win. See UVU, Page 11 |