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Show www.dailyutahchronicle.com UPCOMING SPORTS EVENTS THURSDAY: Men's Basketball SPORTS Red Rocks amp up the competition Griffin Adams 7:30 p.m. Los Angeles, Calif ASST. SPORTS EDITOR Utah vs. Denver 5 p.m. Eccles Tennis Center FRIDAY: Women's Basketball Utah vs. Washington St. 7 p.m. Huntsman Center Track Husky Classic All Day Seattle, Wash. PAC-12 STANDINGS MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM CONF OVERALL Arizona 10-1 23-1 UCLA 7-3 18-5 Colorado 7-4 18-6 Arizona St. 7-4 18-6 Stanford 6-4 15-7 California 6-4 15-8 Utah 5-6 16-7 Oregon St. 5-6 13-10 Washington 5-6 13-11 Oregon 3-8 15-8 Washington St. 2-9 9-14 USC 1-9 10-13 Wednesday February 12, 2014 GYMNASTICS Utah @ USC Women's Tennis 5 Through all of the challenges the No. 4 Red Rocks have faced on beam in 2014, there is one aspect of the event that helps them get through their set at each home meet. Utah has developed a tradition of having each gymnast choose a song that plays during their routines at the Huntsman Center. When freshman and leadoff beam worker Baely Rowe competes, for example, Beyonce's "Love on Top" can be heard blaring over the public address system. As Rowe performs, it's not only Beyonce who is singing. "I like to sing during my routines so I don't think," Rowe said. "I really love Beyonce. I know all the lyrics to that song, and it's a good beat for moving through my beam routine." While Rowe picked a song that she could probably sing at the drop of a hat, some gymnasts pick songs that motivate them. Kailah Delaney's choice of R. Kelly's "The World's Greatest" falls into this category. "I have always loved that song, and it's always been my favorite," Delaney said. "Plus, I think it's a very positive song, so while I'm on beam and I do hear it, it just makes me feel good. It's a feel-good song. It makes me more confident." Sophomore Breanna Hughes, a big country music fan, went with a simple approach to deciding her beam song in her freshman year. She just grabbed her iPod and looked to see what song she played the most. Sugarland's "Little Miss" was the one, and it's still her song of choice when she competes on beam. "I asked some of the girls what they thought of this song, and they all thought it was a perfect fit for me," Hughes said. "It's a perfect pace for beam. The slower songs like this one are really relaxing, and [I] can get into a groove with it." While the Red Rocks have found a comfort zone playing the songs at home meets, they don't have the luxury on the road and won't have it on the biggest stages — regionals and nationals. In preparation for that, Rowe has created See GYMNASTICS page 6 SKI CHRIS AYERS/The Daily Utah Chronicle Freshman Baely Rowe competes on the beam at last week's meet at the Huntsman Center. THE GREAT DEBATE -1 Ski team Who is at fault in Marcus Smart debacle? Smart can't afford to be stupid Fan's attacks make him culpable slides in T 0 the ranks Davis Bunting STAFF WRITER Another competition, another drop in the standings as the Utah ski team competed last weekend at the New Mexico Invitational. After winning their first invitational on home snow in Park City, the Utes have slowly been sliding. Utah left New Mexico in fourth place with a final score of 549. Although the Utes are dropping in a slow yet consistent manner, skiers say luck just hasn't been on their side, and they are better than their finishes indicate. "I think overall this year our team is really strong, but we were really unlucky with conditions all the time," said junior alpine skier Ana Kobal. "I wouldn't say that we were skiing bad. The conditions just weren't in our favor. It's so much different every race. Sometimes it was windy. Sometimes it was bad snow ... There are so many different factors that can affect you." New Mexico took first place with a score of 655, and defending national champion Denver placed just ahead of Utah in third, although the Pioneers had some of their best skiers absent, including some at the Winter Olympics in Sochi. Colorado took second. Chloe Fausa highlighted the women's team in the first women's slalom, placing sixth, while Kobal placed sixth in the second women's slalom. For the men, Andy Trow took sixth overall for the Utes in the first slalom, and Mark Engel skied to the podium in the second men's slalom, placing second. Fausa and Engel started despite the fact they were both recovering from competition See SKI page 8 hat was a really stupid thing to do, Marcus Smart. In case you missed the story, the aforementioned star guard from Oklahoma State made headlines Saturday night after he pushed Texas Tech fan Jeff Orr in the stands during the Cowboys' road game against the Red Raiders. The incident occurred as Smart was chasing down a Texas Tech player in transition defense. Smart exploded to the hoop in hopes of blocking the shot, but instead missed the ball and found himself sitting among Orr and other loyal Red Raider fans. Orr apparently said something Smart did not like, and so Smart pushed him. Since that night, there has been a great deal of debate about how wrong Smart was to physically harm someone. Much of the conversation has centered around what Orr may have said. On made a statement indicating he called Smart "a piece of crap," but many have hypothesized that Orr really used a racial slur. Neither Smart nor anyone else from Oklahoma State has discussed what Orr said. In any event, Smart needs to learn to have better self control than what he displayed Saturday. Smart is a surefire NBA prospect, and unfortunately, he'll likely be called some pretty bad things throughout his pro career. He's not going to make it very far if his regular response to stupid fans is to physically harm them. There are a lot of stupid fans out there. Speaking of the NBA, this incident has surely put pro teams on alert. A season ago, Smart was projected to be a top five draft pick, but he decided to return to school for his sophomore season. So many people saw that as a noble decision on his part, but his stupidity Saturday could cause him to regret that choice. Before the incident, Smart was once again considered to be a great pro prospect, but he certainly didn't do himself any Sports Editor favors when he pushed Orr. You see, most NBA front office folks put a good deal of stock into what a player's character is like when deciding who to draft, as a draft pick is a multimillion dollar investment. There's no question Smart is a really good basketball player, but now his character seriously needs to be called into question. Saturday's incident caused many to think of Metta World Peace (formerly Ron Artest), who was infamously suspended for 73 games in 2004 for causing a fight in the stands when his Indiana Pacers took on the Detroit Pistons. Smart has never seemed to have anger problems, but now he's under a microscope, and deservedly so. To be clear, Smart does deserve to be forgiven this time around, and fans shouldn't be too harsh on him because of one incident. At a press conference Monday in which it was announced that Smart will be suspended for OSU's next three games, the sophomore was very apologetic about the whole thing. In addition, his head coach Travis Ford said, "I know Marcus Smart's heart. I know how he's hurting. I know how regretful he is right now" That may be true, and I hope it is, but at the same time, Marcus Smart needs to truly understand how stupid his decision was last Saturday. More importantly, he needs to make the decision now to never do that again so he can have success over the remainder of his college career and in the NBA. klahoma State's Marcus Smart should not BRANDON be seen as a bad guy for his minor altercation with BARLOW Texas Tech fan Jeff Orr last Saturday night. The last thing a 19-year-old StaffWriter athlete trying to win a close game wants to deal with is some opposing fan provoking suspensions, just like the whole him or her for a negative reacthing did for Smart. From racial slurs to talking tion. Since the incident, it has been revealed that Orr has a about players' mothers, at some history of trying to drive players point it goes too far when it to the edge. I understand that the comes to young kids who are just whole point of having a big home playing a game for their school. crowd is to generate noises and People come to these events distractions to try to affect the excited and amped up, and all of play of the other team. But some the sudden they start acting as people are willing to go further if the opposite team had done than others and completely cross them some personal offense. a line that could lead a young kid All these kids are doing like Smart to react the is playing against a group of way that he did. peers. It should not be treated But of course, the as a crime. Whether you are a blame almost always student, alumni or season ticket goes on the athlete. It holder, paying to watch these seems it can't ever be a games does not give you a holy fan's fault for eliciting right to get personal. There is nothing wrong with a negative response. Pressure comes down on coaches, schools waving foam fingers while an and even conferences to disciopposing player is at the free pline the player, but the fan gets throw line or screaming at the away unscathed. top of your lungs when the Smart later issued a mature other team is on offense, but apology to Oklahoma State and verbal attacks that are purits fans as well as to Orr. But posefully meant to break the Smart's apology was not necesconfidence of a single player on sary. He could take a leaf out of an opposing team are going to set many young kids off. The Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman's book and attitude of, "I am a diehard fan, apologize for everything but so I have the power!" is ridicuhis actions. lous and shows a complete lack Orr has "volunteered" to not of good sportsmanship. return to any Texas Tech home As much as many people love games for the rest of the season. sports, some more passionately There should not even be an opthan others, it needs to be undertion for him to. Conduct such as stood they are only games that the kind he displayed Saturday hardly affect our lives other than should have been dealt with by providing us entertainment for a the school's administrators and few hours. should have resulted in game b.barlow@chronicle.utah.edu VS. r.mcdonald@chronicle.utah.edu Vote on who won this week » www.dailyutahchronicle.corn |