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Show B 6 Monday November 17, 2008 Game on IQTl Sports editor Even with the opening of a new Cinemark movie theater at the University Mall and the rowdy nightlife Utah County has to offer, the best bet for entertainment could be right inside the McKay Center. With the men's and women's basketball seasons now underway, you can see the performance of a lifetime as Ryan Toolson and Robyn Fairbanks take the floor for their respective teams. Not even in the Marriot Center can you see such a dominantperformance by a single athlete night in and night out. However, if a tree falls in the woods and nobody's around to see it, does it make any noise? Thus it is for the UVU basketball season. If Toolson continues to score nearly 24 points a game with jaw dropping threes and precision free throw shooting, but no one is around to witness it, did it really happen? In order to ensure the Wolverines continue their recent success — and show up, for that matter - the • seats need to be filled. Otherwise, if no one is there to witness the spectacle, what's the point of having players like Toolson and Fairbanks, or having a basketball team at all? This season, the Men's team welcomes Utah State to the McKay Center, a team that historically has been a power in the Western Athletic Conference. In addition, Southern Utah comes to Orem to battle out the instate rivalry. The Women's team also provides an exciting home schedule, playing host to the SEC's Mississip- Utah Flash trade first round draft pick VLS Sports writer Dave Iba/ UVU Review After several winning seasons, the Wolverines have found themselves in a rebuilding year after dropping two games over the weekend to BYU. Wolverines fall to cross-town rival up the lead 4-1 in the first S p o r t s writer1, '^-/y^-.:, . the period, the Cougars used superior speed and positionBYU took advantage^ of ing. power plays, def^aliijg ;the "Tonight was tough," Wolverines \13-7''(^ Friday; ,said Captain Eric Bowman. and 7-2 on Sattircla^ -; ' . "It was a game we would Bp.tji-garties have loved to have won. It's .: ,'the-^Cou- just not coming together for . gars;jfdund , us. We're in a slump, and when you're in a slump like seams an the that it's hard to come out of Wolverines it." d e f e n s e ^ scoring 20 "They broke down our goals after ;two;gani^s while defensive zone tonight," UVU scored,only riih&r- ; . said injured assistant captain At Seven Peaks Arena' on Michael Drummond, who is Saturday, BYU scored off a recovering from a stretched shot from the weak side in MCL. "We had a lot of stuthe first minute of the game. pid penalties today. A lot of The Cougars found the weak them were worth it — proside was their key to winning, tecting your teammates, you against UVU. After opening know." PARKER DGNAT Drummond continued to say that they played lazily. They lost their cool by tripping the other team. Fixing that will minimize mistakes in the future. Wolverines head coach Tony Furness just had his gall bladder taken out and did not attend the games. Helping coach was coach Cook, who helps the team when he can. Focused on improvement, Bowman says that BYU exploited a weakness that they know we have. BYU dished out nearly four goals just off power plays. The backside defense needs to get better, and it's an issue that's going to be addressed at practice, says Bowman. The Utah Flash took their first step toward the 2008-2009 season with the ninth overall pick in the Dleague draft by picking small forward Denham Brown from Connecticut, who was later traded to the Dakota Wizards for point guard Dontell Jefferson. The Flash were in need of a new point guard after last season's point guard Kevin Kruger took a deal in Europe. Jefferson, 6'4 and 195 pounds, is a former University of Arkansas collegiate teammate of Utah Jazz guard Ronnie Brewer. Among Jefferson's long list of accomplishments, his 2006-2007 stats — 23.4 minutes, 9.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists — helped pilot the Wizards to a NBA DLeague championship. "We are obviously excited to get a player of Dontell's skills and experience," said head coach Brad Jones. "He is long and athletic and brings a new dimension to what we are trying to accomplish on both ends of the court. I really like the fact that he is a tenacious defender." Not only did the Flash Coming on the ice Satur- pick up a great new point day, the Wolverines chose guard, but they also picked to wear pink. The jerseys are up some big men to put in honor of a friend of the team who is fighting breast cancer. The money that the team made off tickets sales will go to the breast cancer research foundation. It was the first time they have worn pink jerseys says Bowman. He doubts they will use them again. One thing that did go right for the Wolverines was the impressive school spirit says Bowman. "Our school's got a lot of school spirit. UVU had more fans than BYU, and our fans all stayed the whole game, even though they were down," said Bowman. pi State as well as Utah State and Southern Utah. As the Wolverines continue to grow as a program and become NCAA eligible next season, fan support will play a role in how far UVU can progress. If the Wolverines hope to become a recognizable name in the state and in the nation,'a dedicated fan following can only help that effort. Utah Flash coach Brad Jones Dave Iba/ UVU Review some pressure under the basket. With the Flash's second pick (24th overall) they took Gaven Grant, a 6'7 and 220-pound small forward from UC State. Third pick (41st overall) was Bennet Davis, 6'9 and 225 pounds, a power forward from Northeastern, and fourth pick (56th overall) was Carlos Wheeler, a 6'7 power forward from Norfolk State. The Utah Flash had 10 picks the entire draft. The average height of their picks was 6'7 and the average weight was 225 pounds. With the height and weight, this team will be a power to be reckoned with. This is the direction that the administration has been looking for. "This year we have drafted more athletic and more experienced players," said team owner Brandt Anderson. "Last season we lacked toughness." He added that they had been working closely with the Utah Jazz and the Boston Celtics in the decision making of their pick selections. The Utah Flash season home opener is Monday, Dec. 1 vs. Bakersfield at 7:00 p.m. in the McKay Event Center. Tickets are on sale now for individual tickets as well as season tickets in the McKay Event Center box office. College Football roundup KYLE JELL1NGS Asst.'Sports editor During autumn, a lot of things start changing. However, in mid-November, there are two certainties: Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and college football is in full force. In college football, some things never change. The SEC is still one of the most dominant conferences in the country, and as of Nov. 14, they have four teams in the top 25. The other seemingly unchangeable force is the BCS and how it disappoints college football fans all across the country. In 2008 the Big 12 has also made its presence felt, supplying five teams in the top 25, three of which are in the top five. The Big 12 is led by their plethora of great college quarterbacks. There are four Big 12 quarterbacks who have a legitimate chance of winning the Heisman: Graham Harrell, Colt McCoy, Sam Brad- H I 1 Tuesday Nov. 18 Men's 1 Basketball H H • v. University of Western Montana Faith and Family • 1 Night ford, and Chase Daniel. The non-BCS conferences are also trying to make some noise in the polls, but it seems that they may just not be loud enough to get a BCS bid. Utah, Boise State and Ball State are all undefeated and not getting the credit they deserve. On the other hand, these teams may not deserve any credit, but only time will tell. The BCS always has problems, and this year is no different. With four weeks left in the regular season, not many can argue with Alabama and Texas Tech, both unbeaten, being the top two teams in the country. However, there are still four weeks left, which means there is almost certainly going to be some disappointed college football devotees. The college football season is coming to a close, and there is no telling what will happen. Though college football does have its imperfections, the one guarantee is that it will be exciting until the very end. , Wednesday Nov. 19 Thursday Nov. 20 Saturday Nov. 22 Women's Basketball Wrestling Men's Basketball, at Portland State v. University of Louisianna:l_afayette Ladies Night . at Gonzaga . Wrestling at Boise State Dave Iba/ UVU Review Utah Valjey's Jordan Swarbrick is expected to be a major contributer in his junior season. - Wrestling Best of the - West Open |