THE DAILY ATHENAEUM
6 | SPORTS
Thursday January 19, 2012
Jones carries WVU in win over Marshall
THE DAILY ATHENAEUM
Thursday January 19, 2012
SPORTS | 7
track
Mountaineers to host WV State Farm Games by amit batra sports writer
The West Virginia track and field team returns home to host the WV State Farm Games in the Shell Building this weekend. The Mountaineers return to action following a successful trip to State College, Pa., in the Penn State Nittany Lion Challenge. Two Mountaineers were able to earn Big East qualifying marks. WVU will face some stiff competition from Waynesburg, Hood College, Hagerstown and Bethany. Senior long jumper Meghan Mock is unsure if she will compete this weekend, but she would like to do something impactful for her team if she does. “I’m not sure if I’m doing the triple jump or not,� Mock said. “If I do, I’d like to beat my mark from last year and qualify for the Big East with a good jump. I wasn’t that far away
from it last year, but I really didn’t practice much. “We lifted a lot this week, but my goal is to just do my best. We’re building up our strength and endurance for later in the year, so I’ll do my best, but won’t expect my best jump of the year,� she said. Triple jumper Stormy Nesbit feels like she can use this weekend as a stepping stool for reaching her ultimate goal. “In both our meets this year I hit 11.90 meters in the triple jump, so at this point of the season I hope to get past the 12-meter mark,� Nesbit said. “Both my coaches and I know that I’m capable of hitting 13 meters, so that’s the ultimate goal, but my focus right now is to hit 12 meters and go from there by focusing my technique and conditioning.� Head coach Sean Cleary feels the girls can use this smaller meet as a building point for the future. “Penn State should have wiped out the cobwebs,�
Cleary said. “We are always fired up to go to State College and compete. We will come home this weekend to a smaller but meaningful competition. “Our ladies need to go out and compete with the focus required for lifetime best performances. Do this week in and week out and when the stars align, we will reach our potential.� The State Farm Games could be impactful for the Mountaineers in terms of qualifying for the Big East and getting adjusted to different tracks. “We are looking to go out there and compete. Simple as that,� Cleary said. “The track is not as fast as last weeks. To me that is irrelevant. We get so caught up sometimes in times and distances when the reality of our sport is that if we continue to go out there and compete, great times and distances will unfold as they should.� dasports@mail.wvu.edu
A member of the WVU track team performs the long jump in 2011.
matt sunday/the daily athenaeum
swimming
WVU travels to Maryland for second road meet by robert kreis sports writer
matt sunday/the daily athenaeum
West Virginia senior forward Kevin Jones bumps chests with freshman forward Keaton Miles. Jones had his 11th double-double of the season Wednesday against Marshall.
by michael carvelli sports editor
Charleston, W.Va. - Following last season’s disappointing result against Marshall, West Virginia senior forward Kevin Jones knew what it felt like to lose to his in-state rival. It was a feeling he didn’t want to experience again. “It was just a total team effort. We were able to get it done,� Jones said after the
Mountaineers’ 78-62 win. “We knew what happened last year with the big lead they had and we just didn’t want that same feeling (this season).� West Virginia quickly erased a seven-point deficit and went into the half tied with the Thundering Herd. “We were making shots,� Jones said. “Truck hit a big shot going into halftime and I think that gave us a lot of momentum. In the second half, when
the Mountaineers needed somebody to step in and carry the load, Jones did just that. After scoring seven points and pulling down two rebounds in the first half, the 6-foot-8 senior was able to do most of his damage in the game’s final 20 minutes. He made five of his seven shot attempts from the field - including two momentumshifting three-pointers - and scored 18 points with five rebounds.
Do the Jews Have the Right to a State in the Holy Land? The question is not whether the Palestinians are an “invented people,� but rather why Arabs deny Jewish history and Jewish rights to a state in Israel.
The recent brouhaha about whether the Palestinians are an “invented people� misses the point. The real question we should ask is, “Why do Palestinian Arabs repudiate 3,000 years of Jewish history in Palestine and the rights of Jews to a state in their ancestral homeland?� Can peace really be achieved if the Palestinians teach their people the lie that Jews are newcomers and Palestinians were the original inhabitants of the Holy Land?
What are the facts?
To prop up claims that only Arabs have valid rights to the Holy Land, the P.A. and its academics Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas stood have fabricated histories of Palestinians, Arabs and before the United Nations General Assembly in Muslims before Biblical times. Of course this is September, 2011 and said, “I come before you from impossible, since the term Palestine was coined by the Holy Land, the land of Palestine, the land of Rome in 136 C.E.—after the time of Jesus. Islam was divine messages, ascension of the Prophet established much later in 610 C.E., and Arabs first Mohammed (peace be upon him) and the birthplace arrived in Israel with the Muslim invasion of 637 C.E. of Jesus Christ (peace be upon him).� What’s missing We witness more such distortions and outright lies in Abbas’s description of the Holy Land is any in a 2005 Palestinian Authority video documentary mention of its Biblical founders, the Jewish people, or that claims the ancient, the fact that Jesus was a Jew. vanished Canaanites were So brazen is the Palestinian The Palestinians deny virtually Arab, as were the Biblical effort to turn history on its head that Abbas’s every fact of Jewish life in Palestine Hebrews, and that the religion preached by Moses predecessor, Yassir Arafat, before and after Biblical times. was Islam. often claimed that “Jesus was In the face of these the first Palestinian martyr.� fabrications, it’s fair to ask: Are the Palestinians an Indeed, rewriting the history of the land of Israel in invented people? The Associated Press headline order to deny Israel’s right to exist is central to the responding to the question announced, “Palestinians Palestinian Authority’s PR strategy. This rewriting ‘invented people’ is truth.� But this is nothing new. has two dimensions: First to erase the 3,000-year The fact that the Palestinians are a made-up people history of the Jewish nation in the Holy Land; and has been established by all manner of historical second to invent ancient Palestinian, Muslim and research and acclamation, even by Arabs themselves. Arab histories in the region. We know that never in history was there a The Palestinians deny virtually every fact of Palestinian state. We also know that nearly all the Jewish life in Palestine before and after Biblical cities in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza have Hebrew times. Dr. Jamal Amar, a lecturer at Bir-Zeit names—like Bethlehem, Nazareth and Hebron—and University states that in the Holy Land after “60 years their current Arabic names are translations of these of digging . . . they’ve found nothing at all, not a names. water jug, not a coin, not an earthen vessel . . . More importantly, back in 1937, the Arab leader absolutely nothing of this [Jewish] myth, because it is Auni Bey Abdul-Hadi proclaimed to the Peel a myth and a lie�—this despite the discovery of tens Commission, “There is no such country [as of thousands of Hebrew coins, texts, pots, buildings Palestine]. Palestine is a term the Zionists invented.� and seals carrying Biblical references. Likewise, Then in 1977, Zahir Muhsein, a member of the PLO despite definitive archeological findings from the Executive Committee said in an interview that “The Temple Mount in Jerusalem and exhaustive scholarly Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a confirmation of two Jewish Temples, the Palestinian Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our Authority (P.A.) categorically denies the existence of struggle against the state of Israel . . . Only for any Temple. political and tactical reasons do we speak about the What’s more, the P.A. claims that since the Jews existence of the Palestinian people.� had no history in the Land of Israel, Zionism was a To say that the Palestinians are a fabricated colonialist movement fabricated by Europeans to get people, however, is not to say that they don’t deserve rid of Jews. Another professor at Bir Zeit University, their own state. Rather, the problem arises when the Samih Hamouda, asserts that President Abbas’s P.A. invents not only their peoplehood but also a false student research proves “the Zionist movement is not history that justifies permanent jihad against the Jewish . . . Rather it is an imperialist colonialist Jewish people and denies their rights to selfmovement which sought to use the Jews . . . to determination and a Jewish state in their homeland. further western colonialist plans.� Israel has long accepted the idea of two states for two peoples—the Palestinians and the Jews. But the Palestinian Authority refuses to embrace this solution. As Mahmoud Abbas lashed out just a few months ago, “Don’t order us to recognize a Jewish state. We won’t accept it.� Clearly, until this fundamental issue is resolved, the Palestinians will not achieve their goal of statehood. The fact that this outcome is based on falsehoods makes it a shame and a tragedy.
Facts and Logic About the Middle East P.O. Box 590359 San Francisco, CA 94159
Gerardo Joffe, President
But he said what happened in the second half was a tribute to the player that he has become over his time at WVU. “I matured, and I know where my game is,� he said. “I know where to get my shots at. That’s the difference from last year’s Kevin. I think I was just letting the game come to me.� Behind Jones’ strong performance in the second half, the Mountaineers were able to beat Marshall without junior forward Deniz Kilicli.
Jones had to do most of his damage while being guarded by Marshall junior forward Dennis Tinnon, one of the nation’s leading rebounders. “He’s a great player, he’s a great rebounder,� Jones said. “I told him after the game to just keep playing well. He’s very aggressive and he’s going to be a real good player for them coming down the stretch.� While the win was nice, and
see Jones on PAGE 7
rifle
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“I just wanted to keep doing what I normally do,� Jones said. “My shots started falling in the second half once we started running offense and getting into our stuff, that’s when we’re at our best. “I was in a trance. I was just stuck in the game.� Jones admitted he got a little frustrated in the first half when Marshall was sending different guys to guard him in hopes of containing the Big East Conference’s leading scorer.
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Freshmen filling big void in 2012 by alex sims sports writer
The freshmen of the 201112 West Virginia rifle squad faced a tremendous challenge before they even fired their first collegiate shot. Questions were raised as to whether the newcomers would have what it takes to fill the void left by the five departing all-American shooters, including world champion air rifle shooter, Nicco Campriani. It was far from certain whether they could replace a group of seniors who went out with the 2009 national title, the 2011 air rifle national title, and just three points short of the 2011 overall national title. “The last few years, we’ve had a ton of depth on the team,� said West Virginia head coach Jon Hammond. “This year, I wasn’t sure how it was going to shake up.� Just to remain among the top programs in the country would be a lot to ask for just about any program dealing with the departures WVU had to work through. But somehow, Hammond has answered those questions and found yet another group of stellar shooters to step into place in the ever-growing line of prolific Mountaineer shooters. Now with the preseason doubts eradicated, the Mountaineers find themselves poised to compete for the program’s unprecedented 15th national title. “I was honestly thinking it would be another, probably two years before we were
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Members of the WVU Rifle team practice shooting in a practice range. at that same level,� said redshirt-freshman Thomas Kyanko. “We basically replaced all the really experienced shooters and replaced them with a bunch of completely fresh shooters, and all of a sudden we’re shooting just as well again. It was definitely not expected.� The Wellsburg, W.Va., native spent last season in Morgantown as a redshirt, but has filled in extremely well for those experienced athletes from whom he was able to learn last season. Kyanko, the only West Virginia native on this year’s team, has paced this group of freshmen statistically, carrying the third-highest combined average for WVU of 1,166.14, less than a point behind senior all-American Justin Pentz. Kyanko is not the only academic sophomore to contribute to this group of new Mountaineer shooters, however. Pasadena, Md., native Taylor Ciotola joined the team after his first academic year at WVU. After setting his personal best last weekend against Akron, he has an aggregate average of 1,155.43. In his first match, he set a personal best that would last through the tribulations consistent with an inexperienced shooter, but has been able to start the second half of the 2011-12 campaign strong, along with his freshman teammates. “It’s been awesome so far,� Ciotola said. “My scores are continually getting better. There was a point last semes-
wvu sports info
ter where they started to go down, but I’m really happy with how I’ve started off this semester.� After missing the first three matches of the year while competing with the Puerto Rican national team in the Pan American Games, true freshman Amy Bock shattered her previous collegiate personal best score, with a combined total of 1,172. Her combined total is second among freshmen, at an even 1,158. Estonian national team member Meelis Kiisk is another freshman with international experience who has shined while replacing the decorated shooters who departed after graduation. Apart from being one of WVU’s most consistent shooters, compiling an aggregate average of 1,157.86, Kiisk appears to have begun 2012 in the right way, as well. Kiisk, along with Kyanko, set his personal best in air rifle against the Zips, to make it four freshmen, all with personal best scores, to begin their run for their 15th national title. An astonishing feat, even for the coach who sees just how talented these athletes are nearly everyday. “They’ve really developed probably quicker than what I had hoped for and what I thought,� Hammond said. “They’ve definitely given me some selection problems. But these are good problems to have.� dasports@mail.wvu.edu
The West Virginia men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams will travel to Maryland on Jan. 21 for the teams’ second dual road meet of the season. In the first away meet against Penn State, West Virginia head coach Vic Riggs claimed the traveling was the main reason for the teams’ slow start against the Nittany Lions.
Although it may have been a problem in the first meet, Riggs fully expects the teams to not only handle the adversity presented, but thrive on it. “Anytime you compete away from your home, it certainly is going to affect the team,� Riggs said. “It is just like competing when you have a cold – anybody can use it as an excuse, but the talented and competitive kids don’t, and we should perform well.� To further make sure his team is not negatively affected
by the traveling, Riggs said it is vital for that his teams eat well the night before the event, stay hydrated on the bus ride to the meet, as well as arrive early to sort out any problems that may occur. “We will get there early enough for the kinks to get worked out,� he said. Riggs is confident his team will not let the traveling hinder the teams’ success against the Terps, as both the men and women’s teams inch closer to the Big East Championships
tennis
Samara hopes team is ready to go by robert kreis sports writer
West Virginia women’s tennis head coach Tina Samara hopes to see her team in as good of shape as they were when they capped off their fall season on Oct. 23 when the Mountaineers travel to Ohio State to open up their spring season on Jan. 21. “First and foremost hopefully (the team is) all ready to go and healthy and came back as fit as they left,� Samara said. “We got to a good place when we finished the season, but they had a month off from any required tennis or working out. “The number one thing is hoping that they are as healthy, if not better than when they left.� The spring season is more about where the team stands as a whole, rather than the fall season that concentrates mainly on individuals of the team participating in tournaments. Samara hopes team chemistry built upon during the fall season will continue to flourish as spring rolls on.
Jones
Continued from page 6 he said he was happy with the way he played, the way that the Mountaineers were able to handle adversity and continue battling in a hard-fought, emotional game against their in-state rival was what Jones was the most proud of Wednesday night.
“Overall our team chemistry is a whole lot better,� Samara said. “Hopefully that will show when we compete as a team because that is a huge part of college tennis. “Spring tennis is not just how good everybody is in their individual spots, but how (the team) supports each other on and off the court.� When Samara was appointed as head coach at the beginning of the 2010 season, she embarked on a complete overhaul of the culture of West Virginia women’s tennis. After a year and a half on the job, she is finally starting to see walls being built upon the foundation she is laying. “(The team) is a lot more on the same page as far as what our goals are and what we need to do to get their,� Samara said. “I think everybody now, which I don’t feel was the case early on, really does want to win. “(Winning) matters to them now.� Now that Samara has implemented a winning mentality within the team, she hopes
to see her squad take it to the next level and produce victories on the court. “It is a matter of competing now,� Samara said. “Especially our younger kids, now have a much better understanding of the level and how competitive it is, and we are hoping to get a lot more wins from everybody.� When Samara took over as head coach, she understood that she had her work cut out for her. Although it may not have been as smooth a transition as she would have hoped, she is confident the new mentality of the Mountaineers is starting to show. “I don’t know that any coach ever thinks it is going as fast as we wanted it to,� Samara said. “Realistically we have had a lot of turnover and I see all of it as positive turnover. “I think we are in a pretty good place, and with the next recruiting class we will be in an even better place, so I expect this to be the beginning of those changes.�
“We wanted to come out with passion and fire, which I don’t think we did last year,� he said. “We took this game for granted and we definitely didn’t do that this year. “We knew the importance of it, we heard the talking and everything and we just focused on our game plan and we came out and executed.�
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that will be held Feb. 10-18. For the men’s team, the meet against Maryland will be their final competition before the championships. Riggs hopes to ride the momentum of a victory against Maryland into the Big East, especially after a recent loss to the Mountaineers’ biggest rival. “Obviously losing against Pitt was a disappointment, and we have not done that in a couple years,� Riggs said. “Anytime you have the opportunity to finish your dual meet sea-
son with a victory, it is important, and I think it would raise the spirits.� The women, who beat Pittsburgh, hope to continue their winning ways against Maryland. Before the Big East Championships, the team will travel to Ohio on Jan. 27. Riggs and the team will use the meets at Maryland and Ohio to finetune their skills before the championships and hopefully gain victories against teams they have struggled with in
the past. “Having that opportunity to race back to back and be able to move some girls around in events, and give them one more opportunity going into Big East is something that is an advantage,� Riggs said. “Having the opportunity to race programs that have beat us in the past and the opportunity to be competitive with them will certainly help us for Big East.� robert.kreis@mail.wvu.edu
Darvish comes to Rangers for $60 million, six years ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Yu Darvish is coming to America to pitch. Japan’s best pitcher and the Texas Rangers agreed before Wednesday’s deadline to a $60 million, six-year contract. In addition to the salary, the Rangers will pay a posting fee of about $51.7 million to pay to the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters of Japan’s Pacific League. The deal came at the end of a 30-day negotiating window that began Dec. 19 when the Rangers’ bid to negotiate with the pitcher was accepted. Had a deal not been reached by the 4 p.m. CST deadline, Darvish would have remained with the Fighters and Texas would have kept the posting fee. When the deal was reached in Texas by his agents Don Nomura and Arn Tellem, the 25-yearold Darvish was home in Japan, where he returned for offseason training after his first and only visit to Texas two weeks ago. The Rangers plan to formally introduce Darvish on Friday. Darvish had a 93-38 record with
a 1.99 ERA over the past seven seasons in Japan. The 6-foot-5 righthander was a two-time Pacific League MVP and a five-time AllStar. He led the league in strikeouts three times, in ERA twice and won two Gold Gloves. Rangers President Nolan Ryan, a Hall of Fame pitcher and strikeout king who pitched a record 27 major league seasons, was impressed by Darvish’s size and attitude about wanting to compete when they met for the first time earlier this month. “To me, he represented all I had been led to believe, so I felt really good about it,� Ryan said last week. The deal surpasses what Daisuke Matsuzaka got when he left Japan and signed with the Boston Red Sox just more than five years ago. Dice-K got a $52 million, six-year deal and the Red Sox also had to pay a $51.111 million posting fee that was the highest for a Japanese player before what the Rangers bid for Darvish. When Ichiro Suzuki used the posting system in 2000 to get to the major leagues, the Seattle
Mariners won the right negotiate with a bid of about $13 million, then signed him to a $14 million, three-year contract. Through last season, 38 Japan-born pitchers had appeared in the major leagues. There were nine last season, including relievers Yoshinori Tateyama and Koji Uehara with the Rangers. Both are still on the 40-man roster in Texas. Matsuzaka is 49-30 with a 4.25 ERA in 106 games (105 starts) in five seasons with the Red Sox since his high-profile move from the Seibu Lions to Boston in December 2006 when he was 26 years old. He has had six stints on the disabled list, including last season when he had right elbow surgery and didn’t pitch after May 16. He is going into the final season of his contract with the Red Sox worth about $10 million. Darvish, the son of an Iranian father and a Japanese mother, went 18-6 with a 1.44 ERA last season in Japan, when he made the equivalent of about $6 million. He had 276 strikeouts to lead the Pacific League.