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Show SPORTS VOLUMELII. ISSUE 16 IN THE ZONE with Mall Petersen Utah State fan revolt perfect timing for UVU Timing is everything, and really, the Wolverines' couldn't be better heading into tomorrow's men's basketball game at Utah State. That's because the Aggies find themselves in their own controversy, though nowhere near a Penn State or Syracuse level (a.k.a. DEFCON 0.5). Sum-up: USU fans chose to take offense last week after two incidents put their in-game behavior in question. Athletic director Scott Barnes and school president Stan Albrecht issued a letter of apology to BYU for Aggie fans' behavior during the BYU-USU basketball game. Several fans had boasted crude signs referring to BYU forward Brandon Davies' honor code violation from last season. The letter was compounded by a USU usher admonishing student fans to stop cursing and pointing. The fans responded, remaining silent during the first three minutes of last week's game against University of Denver. They basically said, "You don't want us to cheer our way, we won't cheer at all?" Let's get one thing straight. Utah State has the best fans in the state. They are involved, loud and obnoxious all for their team. Do they sometimes cross the line with the things they say/do? Of course they do. In good conscious, they can't deny it. That being said, I would rather have an occasionally over-rowdy fan base than one without a beating heart. It makes the program look good and, more importantly, lifts teams beyond their own talent level. The fact that such a huge home-court advantage could be splintered right when UVU comes to town is a godsend for the Wolverines. Logan is a notoriously difficult place to win, and UVU will need all the help they can get. They are winless on the road, awful from 3-point range and inconsistent overall. Don't forget, though, that the Wolverines have a personal vendetta against Utah State this year following the WAC invitation that never came. Certain players have said that the Utah State game was the circled one on their calendars for that reason. Isiah Williams has a penchant for stepping up in big games, and there's no reason to think he won't take his play up a notch against the program that prevented more meaningful games for him and the team. Barnes reportedly said last week that he would meet with student leadership and event staff Tuesdsay to clear the air. Utah Valley can only hope the fans resist a little longer. CONTACT: DECEMBER 5, 2011 WWW.UVUREVIEW.COM Team White Magic rolls in intramural playoffs By COLIN MCGRATH Sports Writer As the UVU basketball season rolls on, students marvel at the talent of players such as senior guard Isiah Williams. As he knocks down his signature three pointers game after game, he reminds spectators that they may not be as talented as a Division I athlete. of an inner-city pick-up game. A little arguing and even a couple of scuffles helped raised the intensity of the game, while the play of White Magic's Oliver Jensen made it entertaining. Jensen was arguably the team's leading scorer, though there isn't any way of knowing considering the program doesn't record personal statistics. White Magic went on to roll But that's not stopping some UVU students from wanting to showcase what they can do on the basketball court. Dozens of students participated in intramural basketball games on Wednesday night held at the open courts in the physical education building. The first game, a fiercely contested battle between two teams named White Magic and Cash Money, had the feel over Cash Money 69-59 and advanced to the next round of the playoffs, played that same night, where they faced a team named the Hurricanes. The Hurricanes, who went into the game undefeated, were unable to find an answer to Jensen as well. Leading by two points with only seconds left, Jensen intercepted a lobbed pass, ruin- Intramural B4 Two-time teammates II 111 1111111 1 111111111 lit 11 11 Shane Maryott/UVU Review Kaycee Mansfield brings two years of varsity experience to this years team. She is teamed up with her running mate from American Fork high school. The two will need to factor into team development to climb out of an early hole. Former Cavemen find themselves on the same team again By JAROM MOORE Managing Editor Most people playing a team sport will say their teammates are their best friends. After eight years of playing together, it's no longer a cliché. Kaycee Mansfield and Cydne Mason are two ju- niors starting for the UVU women's basketball team. They started playing together in seventh grade in American Fork and have continued through their college career. Mason, at 5-6, is the point guard for the team. Mansfield is listed at 5-10 and plays the swing-forward position, which is either the small or the power forward. They met in first grade, before most anyone could actually play real basketball. They were in the same class before a move took them out of elementary school boundaries. They played against each other through elementary school until they came to the same school in Junior High. Once they got to high school they started showing off their skills as players and helped their teams improve each year. During their freshman year at American Fork High School their basketball team won a total of four games. In their junior year they were able to win their region title and take second place in state. Their senior year they helped the Cavemen win the state championship. They were both named to at least one First Team All-State team by local papers. While they were tea mmates and came to UVU, they didn't choose to come to Orem at the same time. "It's kinda funny how it happened," Mason said. "I was a verbal commit before my senior year." "I knew of her decision," Mansfield said, "but I still wanted to take a look at my options. I looked around and this was my best option. It all worked out." They both have an admiration for the others work ethic, which allows them to both push each other. "Her work ethic to do whatever it takes to get better," Mansfield said of Mason's qualities. "She takes charge on defense." "Other than her work ethic," Mason said regarding Mansfield. "She plays Teammates B4 Inconsistency plagues Wolverines early By JONATHAN BOLDT Asst. Sports Editor This season has brought mixed results for Dick Hunsaker's squad up to this point. Against inferior opponents and teams with a similar talent level as UVU, the Wolverines have found a way to win if not dominate at times. It's a whole other story when the level of competition steps up. Against Simpson, Grambling State, Kansas City-Missouri, and Northern Illinois the Wolverines have won by a combined 72 point margin of victory. That number is almost as impressive as their margin of defeat is mind-blowing against Houston, Arkansas, Oakland, and Wyoming - a combined 61 points. "We are not a polished team right now," Hunsaker said. "We're still struggling to get in a rhythm or a flow and on the offensive end the decision making needs to improve." Finding consistency on both ends of the floor will be key for the Wolverines if they hope to have the type of season they believe they can have. Isiah Williams' numbers are down and he has been slowed by injury for the first part of the year, but the star thus far has been the senior from the Bronx, Geddes Robinson. Robinson not only leads the conference in field goal percentage (66 percent) and rebounds per game (10.6) by a large margin and won conference player of the week two out of the last three weeks, but those numbers put him among the best in all of college basketball this season. "Geddes is a guy who had a great offseason," Hunsaker said. "He loves to condition and get with the strength coach, he's in the best shape of his life. His endurance has improved, his self-confidence has improved, he is still growing and trying to find his game. Geddes is a guy who has earned this tremendous start to the season." The only one not singing the praises of Robinson is Robinson himself. "I'm happy to win the award (conference player of the week)," Robinson said. "But I don't focus on it too Basketball B2 Lance Larsen/UVU Review Point guard Holton Hunsaker dishes the ball off against Grambling State. Online only at UVUREVIEW.COM Men's Basketball Follow the Wolverines as they continue their tough non-conference stretch during the winter break. Geddes Robinson is top-10 in the nation in rebounding Women's Basketball The Wolverines began a stretch of five straight home games over the weekend, and will travel to play the University of Utah later during the break. SPORTS EDITOR ASST. SPORTS EDITOR SPORTS DESIGNER petersensports@gmail.com jonboldt@gmail.com gonzamatic@gmail.com MATT PETERSEN JONATHAN BOLDT ERIC GONZALEZ Exclusive Analysis Matt Petersen, Jonathan Boldt and Kevin Boldt offer their inside takes on UVU Athletics, including team reports, analysis and audio podcast roundtables. FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! @UVU_SPORTSDESK |