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Show B2 SPORTS Hubbard adjusts to new home, new expectations r PHOTO BY LANCE LARSEN/UVU REVIEW Alphonso Hubbard rises above two Seattle defenders for a jump shot. The outside shots will need to start falling for the Wolverines as they gear up for conference action. By MATT PETERSEN Sports Editor Alfonzo Hubbard hears head coach Dick Hunsaker preach effort in practice. He hears him bark out when Hubbard makes a mistake or he's not where he should be. After a game, Hunsaker will follow up with him, tell him what he did wrong and what to keep doing. The constant in-your-face teaching and expectations are the staple of Hunsaker's coaching style. It's also a foreign concept to Hubbard, who is playing for the third school and seventh head coach in his career. "It's kind of hard, because you have seven different voices telling you what to do," Hubbard said. "You remember what coach did last year, then you try to learn something else the next year." Hunsaker recognized Hubbard needed consistent direction as much as he needed to give consistent effort. His carousel of coaches robbed him of any long-term accountability, something Hunsaker has demanded since day one. "A very serious issue is he's kind of an Alex Smith (San Fracisco 49ers) of UVU, in that I'm the seventh head coach in seven years of basketball," Hunsaker said. "Now how's a young man supposed to really know and trust an authoritative voice and leader [after that]?" It hasn't taken long for that trust to settle in. It also didn't take long for Hubbard to understand he needed to earn that trust. Hunsaker is wellknown for getting on and even benching players who fail to perform, and that philosophy has taken precedence over Hubbard's natural talent. "I can see that he wants me to do well," Hubbard said. "I haven't had a coach like that, that pushes me like him. He'll say stuff about most things I do all day, every day. Most coaches I had would tell me but just shrug it off. They wouldn't force me to do it. He keeps pushing me." Hunsaker's demand comes from knowing what Hubbard can supply. The 6-4 junior led Salt Lake Community College last year with 17.9 points per game on 60 percent shooting to go along with seven rebounds and 1.2 steals per contest. This season Hubbard has led the team in scoring three times and rebounding twice despite coming off the bench in all but two games. Hunsaker said his talent has gotten DICK HONSAKER PHOTO BY LANCE LARSEN/UVU REVIEW him to this point. His effort, he said, will get him further. "Alfonzo's got a lot of individual talent, skill and has a feel for how to play," Hunsaker said. "He's just never been held accountable to certain standards and levels of intensity and effort on the court." It's just one of many adjustments Hubbard has made since coming to Utah Valley. A career post player, he is now learning the wing positions. Instead of playing close to the rim, Hubbard is being asked to pass, move without the ball, and be a consistent threat from the outside. Even that, Hunsaker says, isn't the most difficult transition Hubbard has had to make. "The biggest adjustment for Alfonzo is the world doesn't revolve around him on the court," Hunsaker said. "He's not the center attraction. He's a very important part of the team and the unit." The team, however, has helped make all the changes easier for Hubbard to absorb. He said the team was quick to offer advice and accept him as one of their own, while Hunsaker lauds him for meshing with his teammates on and off the court. "I'm getting way more comfortable," Hubbard said "I know I'm going to be here for [at least] another year, so I'm just trying to stay comfortable and make this my place." It showed in the Wolverines' 77-72 victory over Seattle last week. Hubbard nearly notched a double-double, finishing with nine points and nine rebounds in 24 minutes of play. It's a small step in what Hunsaker hopes becomes a prominent career. "He's really fit in well," Hunsaker said. "I'm really looking forward to only improvement and a more consistent and sustained effort from him." Matt Petersen can be reached at petersensports@ gmail.com . You can follow him on Twitter @SportsWriter93. Aird says better play, tough schedule will pay off By JONATHAN BOLDT Assistant Sports Editor In collegiate sports any season can turn on a dime, for better or for worse. Sometimes a certain player catch's fire and doubles their scoring average. Others it can be as simple as losing a player to injury. In any case, coaches and players work tirelessly to keep success rolling or dig themselves out of a hole. No matter what the cure for this year's men's basketball team is, one thing is certain: the big men down low battling in the trenches will have to make an impact. 6-9 sophomore Ben Aird will be a large cog in the wheel, both figuratively and literally, and he knows how important the big men will be. "We (the front court) need to step up and make the easy buckets," Aird said. "It's been tough to score at times this year, so what Geddes (Robinson) and I need to do is finish when we get good looks down low. That not only gets us points, but it opens things up for our shooters outside and then Isiah (Williams), Holton (Hunsaker) and those guys can get better chances as well." The first lesson in sports is that the team who scores more points wins. Head coach Dick Hunsaker however, makes sure that his team understands basketball isn't an offensively only affair. "A huge focus for us is dominating down low on defense," Aird said. "If another team is going to score on us, we want to make them have to go over us or through us to do it. We can't allow easy baskets and we have to rebound. It's awesome to have a teammate like Geddes Robinson. He is one of the best rebounders in the country and you see him working so hard and it inspires you to play harder." Other times all it takes is a change of scenery for a team to do a 180. The Wolverines have subscribed to the same theory of playing tough opponents in the pre-season as Brent Anderson and the women's soccer team. Similarly, they both had their fair share of struggles early on. Anderson's team lost to Weber State, Wyoming, Miami and Utah to kick-off a 1-4 start while Hunsaker's crew lost to Houston, Arkansas, Wyoming and Utah State on their way to a 4-4 record. The soccer team was able to learn from the early challenges and mount a turnaround finishing the season on a tear. The team earned sweeps of all major conference awards individually, but more importantly they won both the regular season championship as well as the conference tournament. The same lessons learned by the soccer team are there for the taking for Aird and his teammates. "Our schedule has helped us grow as a basketball team," Aird said. "You look at the teams we've played and how tough they are, we were in most of them even though we may not have won. And that helps you learn and grow to become the team that you want to be at the end of the season. So I think it definitely has helped us to become who we are." If this team is able to make the same type of turnaround as Anderson's squad and accomplish the goals they believe they will, it will come down to trust, according to Aird. Each man must do their part and trust that their teammates will do the same. With 18 games down and 13 to go it's getting down to the wire for this year's stable of players to make their mark. "I think we are making strides to get to where we need to go," Aird said. "Coach is emphasizing building team chemistry, working together and having faith in each other. We are making a lot of progress. We may not be there there yet, but we are on the right path." Ben Aird puts up a shot between Seattle defenders. PTT77 Work and Play in ALASKA! ow Hiring river-Guides January 17-20th HALL OF FLAGS CHECK OUT OUR BOOTH in the HALL OF FLAGS or apply online at www.AlaskaTourJobs.com - _Historic Alaska Highway–Gateway to the 49th Stde_ Summer Job Opportunity for 2012 • Paid Commercial Driver's License and Tour Guide Training—Local Provo Training Program. • Earn College Credit along with Your CDL. • Competitive Pay/Gratuities/Bonus. • Travel Accommodations to and from Alaska. • Discounted and Free Travel Privileges in Alaska and Worldwide—Including Cruises. • Experience Alaska and All its Wonders! PRINCESS CRUISES escape completely' Holland America Line A Signature of Excellence |