College Hoops

College Ho ps Who has the skills to pay the bills?

Page 39 Behind the scenes of the NCAA tournament.

Page 30

Don’t fall into temptation of drugs.

Page 10

An inside on bracketology.

Page 39 Picture by Austin Monteith

Drink Now, Win Later

Bring Your Performance To the Next Level

Table of Contents 10

Shooting Hoops and Shooting Up

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Tips to Touch Up Your Game

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Ballin’ Bracketology

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Underestimated Underdogs

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Tournament Tourism

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Behind the Scenes: NCAA Tournament

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From College to The Pros Player Salaries that ate the Texan Calories 3

The Hoops Squad Jeremiah Arias enjoys walking around downtown in his

home city, Austin, with the company of his friends. As well as working out, and eating asian food. He also enjoys attending Austin music events, mainly rap or alternative artists. He can usually be found staying after school in the LBJ weight room or out on the field during long football practices, not getting out till seven in the afternoon.

Photo by Zach Sessa Alec Garza can usually be found on the football field or

lifting weights during the week. Even during the off season this dedicated young man works tirelessly to improve his game so he can get to the NFL. When he’s not playing football or working out he might be with friends, or playing basketball. On the weekend he likes to relax and watch sports.

Photo by Zach Sessa

Zach Sessa on any day of the week, can be found

making that swish sound when the ball goes through the net and showing off his handles on the court.

When Zach isn’t working on improving his game he can be found studying in the library for his favorite class, Spanish. On the weekends, Zach makes YouTube videos with his brother Ben. They have a joint account where they like to post vlog and skit videos.

Photo by Jeremiah Arias Andres Cortez prefers kicking a ball with his feet rather

than dribbling the ball with his hands. He does enjoy basketball though, as he just got NBA 2k14 and is on that game 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Andres enjoys having a laugh, as well as giving one. He loves learning interesting things and being entertained, either sitting on the couch watching TV or playing video games, or going outside and play any sport with friends and family.

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Photo by Zach Sessa

Photo by Sebastian Bell 5

Letter From the Editor

Photo By Jeremiah Arias

Dear Readers,

We are thrilled that you have taken your time to read our College Hoops magazine.

This magazine was created to give you, the reader, an in depth look at college basketball during its prime time of the season. Basketball has always been a part of my life and when the opportunity came to share my love for the game through a magazine, I couldn’t wait. Many hours of work were put into finding the best information and sources possible, so that our work could be the best that it could be. We hope that you feel our passion for basketball is portrayed through College Hoops so that you feel like you are experiencing these stories first hand.

I know from my own experience that after reading different sports magazines, I am left with a longing feeling to get to know the players on a more personal level. The stories that we have provided you with give you a look at the course of the season, struggles that the players deal with, experiences that the players have had while attending college, as well as analysis and statistics on basketball. Our stories have been put together by obtaining interviews from sources who have a direct connection and are or were highly involved in the game. This magazine thrives on our love of basketball which gave us the passion to write and compose this magazine to make it that much better for our readers.

I hope that you feel that you have gained access to the game on a more personal level and that your love for college basketball continues to grow after reading College Hoops.

Sincerely, Zachary Sessa

Come out and Support Your Team This Year

You Might Come Out On Top

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Picture by Steven Ruiz

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Shooting Hoops and Shooting Up The affects of drugs on basketball players , why you should stay drug free as an athlete and the losses from using drugs.

By: Jeremiah Arias

Photo By: Dedrick Allan 10

Chris Herren was a drug addict in the NBA, in 1999. He was kicked out of the NBA and almost lost his life due to using alcohol, painkillers, crystal meth and heroin. He was actually dead for 30 seconds after an overdose. He did not only hurt his body, but he lost his career. The path to be greatness and succeeding in the world of basketball can be a rocky road, with many temptations and distractions. One of those distractions may be drugs, and drugs can ruin sport careers in many different ways, such as causing a player to lose their spot on the team or even get arrested. Drugs

this, one would have to avoid drugs in general.

Drugs can destroy any sports career, whether a player gets caught, just stops playing due to addiction, or their skills may start to deteriorate. It has been proved that drugs worsen a players abilities to play basketball or any sport and then performance enhancing drugs are just cheating, if one truly loved a sport they’d play with their natural talent and work hard. When someone is an athlete, it’s important to stay straight edge and stay away from drugs or alcohol so that they can play to their full potential. Even if they don’t

“...if you’re taking it very serious, then it’s important that you just focus on doing your best, and not using anything that could, I guess de-enhance your performance, or deter your performance. can have a negative effect on a sports career, no matter how great the athlete is.

“...if you’re taking it very serious, then it’s important that you just focus on doing your best, and not using anything that could, I guess de-enhance your performance, or deter your performance.” said basketball player Allie Green. Drugs can lead down a path to failure and regret with sports, and to avoid this, one would have to avoid

stay clean, their coaches will find out, not only will it hurt their sports career it will hurt the player themselves.

The basketball player, sports doctor and basketball coach interviewed all talked about and agreed that there are no beneficial effects from using drugs as an athlete and it only worsens a players abilities. There are not any positive effects of using drugs as an athlete, their skills can lower in quality, their reaction

By: Kenneth Ingram time can be slower and they can even cause brain damage, according to the sports doctor at LBJ high school.

Even with performance enhancing drugs improving the body, there is still physical damage done to the body.

Drugs can even affect the user socially and mentally.

Even though drugs can destroy sport careers, many athletes still use them, but this of course comes with consequences that can ruin a season.

“Yeah definitely, I know one, he got caught, with pills, so he got suspended, and that definitely affects if you’re able to play or not”, basketball player Allie Green said.

If a player does drugs during the season, it will not only affect their basketball skills, but it will also hurt their qualification to play. If they fail a drug test, they will not be able to play and most likely be suspended, and if they fail multiple than that player could even be kicked off the team. People who genuinely care about basketball avoid drugs, so that they may qualify for the season.

“The typical consequence for failing a drug test is suspension.. but we usually have specific consequences that pertain to the types of drugs or the situation, and the punishments”, the Mercer college coach

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Jonathan Howard said.

So if a player does drugs, they will most likely get caught with the random drug tests which will only lead to bad things. An example is Chris Herren, as mentioned earlier, he didn’t just lose his career, he even lost his own life for 30 seconds.

Not all cases are as severe as this, but they can all lead down paths similar to his.

Some people damage their skills by using drugs, but others enhance their skills with performance enhancing drugs such as steroids, which is morally wrong.

“No, they’re definitely not morally right because it’s giving you an unfair advantage, so like, in cases like

baseball there’s people like Sammy Sosa, who have used them, set records, but they’ve been caught like, using the drug, and so that... those records don’t really count because of their performance enhancing drug use”, the high school basketball player Allie Green said.

Using performance enhancers may

“..alcohol is a drug, our society doesn’t seem to think so, but it is, and it definitely affects you, alcohol more so than marijuana..”

Photo By: Josie Feliz

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not be the same as using other drugs, but its still wrong, and some cases worse.

People who use performance enhancers are not only using drugs, and damaging their body, but they are also cheating. A player making his or her own skills better unnaturally is morally wrong in this sport or

any sport and will result in getting kicked out of the league. Not only is this cheating if a player uses these drugs but they are also lying to themselves, because they don’t know how great they really are or could aspire to be, but rather see how good they are in a state that’s not even them.

One of the largest drugs in use, almost by all college and professional basketball players, is alcohol according to the sports doctor at LBJ high school. “..alcohol is a drug, our society doesn’t seem to think so, but it is, and it definitely affects you, alcohol more so than marijuana..”, the sports doctor said.

Surprising to

some people, but yes alcohol is technically a drug, not an illegal one, but it still has negative effects on the individual consuming it. Alcohol can definitely have an effect on the practices, because according to the coach at Mercer Jonathan Howard , players sometimes show up hung over to practices which can affect how they play. While under the influence.

“There were kids getting DUI’s and getting busted with possession once they get pulled over”, the sports doctor said.

This also affects the student athletes career, because professional teams are going to want players that have clean records, and if a player is getting pulled over for drunk driving, that’s not gonna look that great. Players like Dwight Howard stayed straight edge and he was considered by many NBA teams. It seems that alcohol is very overlooked when it comes to being straight edge, but alcohol can have just as much of an effect on a sports career as any drug can.

Various types of drugs can affect an athlete’s career in many different negative ways. There are physical effects such as slowed reaction time or fatigue, neurological effects like short term memory loss, social effects,including anti socialness, and qualification effects which could affect

Photo By: Kevin Canevari the athletes ability to go to college or the NBA, but those can be helped. Although something that can never be recovered is a lost opportunity or lost time.

“No, the only loss I’m aware of is lost time”, the sports doctor said after being asked if there were any long time effects of marijuana.

Players can stop using drugs at any point in time, and if they do, that’s very good. They will most likely improve.

Although this is possible, they can never gain back all the lost time they spent doing drugs, or that time they

“No, the only loss that I’m aware of is lost time.” missed a game because they were suspended for failing a drug test.

They could of even lost a life changing opportunity if they had been suspended from an important game.

Drugs may be good at the moment of doing them, but they come at a great cost. Back to Chris Herren again, he was in the NBA, he had made it to the big league that very few people can do, and

many wish they could do, but he lost all of that because of drugs.

Drugs just aren’t worth it when a player has something as important as a sports career on the line. If they ever wish to go down the path of greatness, there will be many temptations, drugs being one of them, but if the temptation is avoided, and if they stay on the straight path to success, it will be worth it. Even according to Chris Herren who is now recovered, drugs are not worth the price, and he has said he wishes he could take back what he did.

Why spend hours, days,

weeks, and months of their life training to be a great basketball player when they’re just gonna throw it all away for a couple nights of drugs, when they could be in the NBA. Drugs can greatly affect the life of an athlete, and if they’re aspiring to be a great one, then avoiding drugs is a safe path to take, and a successful path as well.

“I think if you want to take sports seriously, you should consider stopping using these drugs because they have a negative effect on your performance”, basketball player Allie Green said.

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Tips to Touch Up Your Game For any basketball players, including novices aspiring to be great or even experts trying to perfect their skills, this article will improve a players skills and correct and flaws or false beliefs about these skills.

By: Jeremiah Arias

If you’re aspiring to be a better basketball player, that goal can be easily conquered with the help and tips from a professional basketball player or coach. Our goal is to provide you with helpful basketball routines from NBA players, college players and coaches to improve your skills. This stepby-step training guide has tips from many great players such as Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash, all here to improve your game!

Becoming a good Blocker: Defense is definitely as important as offense in the game of basketball, and can’t be neglected.

In order to be great, and these useful defensive tips will help you block like a pro.

Photo By: Joe Lewnard

How to throw threes: Former NBA player Dave Hopla, who once had a 99.19% shooting percentage, gives these tips for shooting threes.

Photo By: Ronald Martinez

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1.Toes to target: make sure your toes are pointing to the basket.

2.Feet shoulder-width apart.

3.Form the letter L with your shooting arm.

4.Wrinkle the wrist: the skin on your wrist should wrinkle up when you cock it.

5.Bend and extend your legs.

6.Make sure your elbow is above your eyebrow.

7.Hand to the hoop.

8.Freeze the followthrough.

Tip Drills: 1.Jump and dribble the ball continually.

2.Work right hand, left hand and alternate hands.

3.Work either by number of repetitions (10 tips each hand) or by time (tip for 30 seconds) Blocks: Each player sets outside the lane with his inside foot on the block along the lane.

2.The coach stands out top with the ball.

3.The coach passes the ball to one of the players.

4.Player with the ball goes directly to the basket, no fakes, no dribble, just one step to the hole. 5.Other player attacks the shooter.

6.The defender tries to get to the ball with his inside hand and with one step.

7.The drill consists of only one shot.

Practicing your Passing: In basketball, there are two main ways for passing the ball effectively to your teammate. This includes the chest pass and the bounce pass, below are some tips for perfecting these two necessary moves.

1.Pass with two hands. By putting both hands on the ball you have more control and can easily put backspin on the ball.

2.Step into your pass. Put your weight into your pass to ensure proper velocity and control.

3.Always follow through. Just like a good shooter, a good passer will follow through.

4.End with your thumbs pointing down. Your thumbs should point down at the end of your follow through. This ensures there is proper backspin on the ball which makes it easier to catch.

5.Make the pass easy to catch. Don’t put a lot of speed on the pass if you don’t need it, and always read the body language of your teammate, are they ready for a pass? Where are their hands?

Photo By: Tammy Biondi

6.Don’t jump. Once you jump, you have no choice but to throw a bad pass.

Reccomendations for Rebounding: One last skill that is needed to be a successful player is being able to rebound. This is a skill many players lack, but with it, a player can make their way to the top.

1.Block-Out (Between Man & Basket), Flex Knees, Eye On Ball,Timing, Long Rebounds on 3 Point Attempts, Remember the shooter will know best on where rebound will be.

2.Get low, because You will have a lower center of gravity and be harder to push around. This way you can keep yourself between your man and the basket so you have a better chance for the rebound.

3.You will be able to jump higher faster. This is because you won’t have to waste time lowering yourself, and can spring up right away.

4. The last major thing you can do to get more rebounds is to learn when to tip the ball. There is going to be many times that you won’t be able to get to the ball on time and get both hands on the ball and secure it.

Photo By: Andy Demetra

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Old Spice

Make your hard work smell good

Ballin’ Bracketology

With Alec Garza: Bracketology Enthusiast The NCAA tournament is the largest most important event in college basketball. Every year 64 teams enter the tournament hoping to win it all. And every year people around the nation fill out brackets hoping for a perfect bracket, and up to now there has never been a perfect bracket according to collegespun.com. In Fact the odds of getting a perfect bracket are so slim that you have better odds winning the lottery, shooting a hole-in-one in golf, and being struck by lightning on the same day says hpe.com.

Many teams enter the tournament with hope but the only team most people expect to win are the teams that fall under these five categories.

1. The Front Runners 2. The Contenders 3. The Untrustworthy Contenders 4. The Sleepers 5. The Super Sleepers Under these five categories there are are 23 teams that for the most part can expect success in the tournament.

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1) Florida Gators Strengths: Defense, offense, balance, toughness, resilience Weaknesses: Free-throw shooting, perimeter defense, lack of go-to scorer Best-case scenario: National championship

Worst-case scenario: Round of 32 upset

2) Louisville Cardinals Strengths: Explosiveness on both sides of the ball, Russ Smith Weaknesses: Depth, free-throw shooting Best-case scenario: National championship

Worst-case scenario: Round of 32 upset 3) Wichita St. Shockers Strengths: Balance, experience, chip-on-the-shoulder-ness Weaknesses: Size, interior defense Best-case scenario: National championship Worst-case scenario: Round of 32 upset

4) Arizona Wildcats Strengths: Defense, defense, defense, height, defense, and also defense Weaknesses: Free-throw shooting, shooting, depth Best-case scenario: National championship Worst-case scenario: Round of 64 upset

10) Villanova Wildcats Strengths: Balance, versatility, experience Weaknesses: Perimeter defense, lack of go-to scorer Best-case scenario: National championship Worst-case scenario: Round of 32 upset 5) Virginia Cavaliers Strengths: Defense, discipline, guard play Weaknesses: Athleticism, three-point shooting, reliance on pace Best-case scenario: National championship Worst-case scenario: Round of 32 upset

11) UCLA Bruins Strengths: Big, strong, physical ... and that’s just the point guard Weaknesses: Perimeter defense, focus Best-case scenario: National championship Worst-case scenario: Round of 32 upset

6) Kansas Jayhawks Strengths: Elite talent, length, no one else having Andrew Wiggins Weaknesses: Perimeter defense, not having a healthy Joel Embiid Best-case scenario: National championship Worst-case scenario: Round of 32 upset 7) Michigan Wolverines Strengths: Offense, offense, offense, Nik Stauskas Weaknesses: Defense, especially interior defense Best-case scenario: National championship Worst-case scenario: Sweet 16 upset

12) Duke Blue Devils Strengths: Perimeter offense, having Jabari Parker Weaknesses: Defense, having Jabari Parker playing defense Best-case scenario: National championship Worst-case scenario: Round of 64 upset

8) Michigan St. Spartans Strengths: Balance, experience, health, the invaluable esteem of every pundit Weaknesses: Consistency, defense, inability to draw fouls Best-case scenario: National championship

Worst-case scenario: Round of 32 upset

9) Iowa St. Cyclones Strengths: Offensive versatility, starting lineup Weaknesses: Defense, lack of experience, rebounding Best-case scenario: National championship Worst-case scenario: Round of 64 upset

13) Creighton Bluejays Strengths: Perimeter offense, three-point shooting, Doug McDermott Weaknesses: All facets of defense Best-case scenario: National championship Worst-case scenario: Round of 32 upset

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14) Wisconsin Badgers Strengths: Offense, versatility, frustrating offensive system Weaknesses: Defense, reliance on pace Best-case scenario: Final Four Worst-case scenario: Round of 32 upset 15) Syracuse Orange Strengths: Talent, steady point guard, frustrating defensive system Weaknesses: Season extending past Valentine’s Day Best-case scenario: Elite Eight Worst-case scenario: Round of 32 upset 16) Cincinnati Bearcats Strengths: Defense, especially in the half court Weaknesses: Offense, lack of a second scorer Best-case scenario: Sweet Sixteen Worst-case scenario: Round of 64 upset 17) New Mexico Lobos Strengths: Inside-out balance, excellent frontcourt Weaknesses: Defense, athleticism Best-case scenario: Elite Eight Worst-case scenario: Round of 64 upset

19) North Carolina Tar Heels Strengths: Superb point guard, run-and-gun style Weaknesses: Point guard frequently hibernates for first half Best-case scenario: Final Four Worst-case scenario: Round of 64 upset 20) Oklahoma Sooners Strengths: Shooting, offensive rebounding, free-throw shooting Weaknesses: Defense, in every facet Best-case scenario: Final Four Worst-case scenario: Round of 64 upset

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21) Oklahoma St. Cowboys Strengths: Explosiveness, elite talent Weaknesses: Consistency, shooting Best-case scenario: Final Four Worst-case scenario: Round of 64 loss

22) Connecticut Huskies Strengths: Have Shabazz and you don’t Weaknesses: Interior scoring, defense Best-case scenario: Final Four Worst-case scenario: Round of 64 upset

23) VCU Rams Strengths: HAVOC, as per usual Weaknesses: Interior play Best-case scenario: Sweet 16 Worst-case scenario: Round of 64 upset For more information on more teams visit http://www.sbnation.com/collegebasketball/2014/3/20/5528988/ncaatournament-2014-power-rankings64-teams

Underestimated Underdogs Coaches and former Player weigh in on the how being favored or being an underdog hurts or helps your team

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By: Alec W. Garza One in four underdogs will win the game that they’re not favored in.

It might not seem like

Photo By: Sam Richie

thats a very large statistic however it is considering that the teams aren’t favored to win.

The NCAA tournament is a great example of this. They don’t call

Photo By: ESPN it March Madness for nothing. But how do these wins take effect on a teams? Are these underdog wins as glamorous as the seem to the average basketball fan?

“It is fun to win as an underdog. Upsets make the game exciting” coach Colin McGrath said.

Just what do underdog wins mean to a team in building up their status? And what underdog wins really mean to players and coaches in

You have to make sure the team has moved on Said McGrath” Do players tend to dwell on the game after underdog win?

“It depends on if your team is mature and understands there are more games to play and that that win is only one win coach Greg Heir said” The underdog wins can take a negative effect on a team if the coaching staff doesn’t do a good job. The

NCAA tournament last year. Despite their being a nine seed the shockers dominated throughout the tournament knocking off many teams, even a one seed at one point.

“When coming off underdog wins it depends on if your team is mature and understands there are more games to play and that that win is only one win assistant coach of the Wichita State basketball team Greg Heiar said . It also falls on the coaching staff to keep this focus on and off the court especially with young players.”

However is this proven, It seems as though most underdog wins come from teams that

are young and no one expects much from them. Even after underdog wins young teams aren’t taken very seriously. For example the Texas Longhorns were one of the youngest teams in the nation, with only one upper classmen, and they strung together a seven-game win streak with most of the teams being ranked opponents. Most coaches say that it isnt the experience of a team its the coaching and mental toughness of your team. “Good coaching and good play are the keys to winning and continuing to win in underdog situations assistant coach for Gonzaga University

“It is fun to win as an underdog. Upsets make the game exciting” coach Colin McGrath said. the long run throughout the season? Do these underdog wins take a positive or negative effect on a team in the long run throughout the season?

“Sometimes you can lose focus on the next opponent if you are still dwelling on the upset.

Wichita State coaching staff did this in the NCAA tournament last year. Stopping their players from dwelling on their underdog wins. But if channeled correctly by the coaching staff the team can prosper and thrive off underdog wins in the

Photo By: Wikipedia

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Photo By: CBS 42 NCAA tournament last year. Despite their being a nine seed the shockers dominated throughout the tournament knocking off many teams, even a one seed at one point.

However is this proven, It seems as though most underdog wins come from teams that are young and no one expects much from them.

Even after underdog wins young teams aren’t taken very seriously.

For example the Texas Longhorns were one of the youngest teams in the nation, with only one upper classmen, and they strung together a seven-game win streak with most of the teams being ranked opponents.

Most coaches say that it isnt the experience of a team its the coaching and mental toughness of your team.

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“When coming off underdog wins it depends on if your team is mature and understands there are more games to play and that that win is only one win assistant coach of the Wichita State basketball team Heiar said

Photo By: Jason Lisk

“Good coaching and good play are the keys to winning and continuing to win in underdog situations assistant coach for Gonzaga University Donald Daniels said. “Your players have to come out and think that they can win and all of the coaches as well”. So does being young really hurt or help a team? If you really look at the facts being young isn’t much of a factor in todays college basketball scene. The only thing that really can hurt a young team winning is if their coaches do not help them gain confidence and mental toughness. “All players can understand that if the team plays hard and as a unit with one goal anything can happen” McGrath said.

It’s true anything can happen. The Kentucky Wildcats, an eight seed in the tournament, for example who have five starting freshmen are now headed to the sweet sixteen in the after beating the one seed Wichita State. There have also been many crazy upsets already in the tournament just like this one.

Pressure could play a factor in this.

“Underdogs always have less pressure”, said coach McGrath. Being favored in a game can really hurt a team in the college basketball and especially in the tournament. When favored a lot in a game players tend to not prepare as well and the coaching staff might not prepare their team enough for the game. Thats where underdogs emerge and ultimately win. However there is sometimes a drop off from an underdog team because they can refocus after their win. What are the keys to winning coming off an underdog win? “ We just focus on getting our team ready to play. Make sure we are concentrating and executing properly and our effort and intensity are there on the defensive end” coach McGrath said. “ We just focus on getting our team ready to play. Make sure we are concentrating and executing properly and our effort and intensity are there on the defensive end” coach McGrath said. Some say contrary to the fact that when coming off underdog wins it helps a team

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Photo By: Michael Strickland more that it hurts them. Many coaches believe this as well they say that their team feeds of the win, and doesn’t really dwell on it. “Your players always feed off wins especially underdog wins” coach Daniels said.

How does the coaching staff react to these underdog wins? do they mean as much to them as they do to the players or is it just another game on the schedule to them?

“Underdog wins aren’t everything but it is

important to win games and some of those games you will be underdogs” coach Heiar said. Is there a correct answer then about how underdog wins effect a team. Maybe not because coaches have different views on the topic. It might not even be about the team coming off underdog wins it might be more about the coaching staff and how they hand their team and help them to win underdog games, and then after keep them focused. It

Photo By: George Mullinix

It seems as though the coaches who were interviewed conved similar statements about how after coming off underdog wins it falls on the coaching staff to refocus their team in order to keep winning.

The facts also support this hypothesis coaches who go down in history take what they have and coach them to be mentally tough to become victorious no matter what happens, or if they’re favored or not.

Other coaches have different ideas however.

Coach McGrath said “Every win feels good, the reason wins as an underdog feel great is because it can give your team confidence and it also proves others were wrong about the predicted outcome.”

Wear the Socks

That Winners Use

Tournament Tourism By: Zachary Sessa

Are you a big fan of basketball and need things to do while you aren’t attending a game during the regional rounds of college basketball? This guide will allow fans to go out and about instead of sitting around in your bland hotel room. You will get to experience the excitement of these vibrant cities while also getting to watch awesome basketball. These major cities have lots to offer and by not only attending the games, but going to numerous tourist attractions, it will make your experience that much better.

1.Carrier Dome- Syracuse, New YorkHosted Tournament: 6 Times

Things to Do: Rosamond Gifford Zoo, Palace Theatre, if you’re feeling adventurous travel to NYC and visit the Empire State building .

A monkey swings on a swing set in the Rosamond Gifford Zoo, located in Syracuse, New York.

2. Honda Center- Anaheim, California Hosted Tournament: 5 Times

Things to Do: Disneyland Park, Los Angeles Angels baseball game

3. Georgia Dome- Atlanta, Georgia

Things to Do: Stone Mountain Park,

World of Coca-Cola, Atlanta Botanical Garden

Hosted Tournament: 5 Times

4. Edward Jones Dome- St. Louis, Missouri Hosted Tournament: 5 Times

Things to Do: Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, Gateway of Arch, St. Louis Zoo

5. Alamodome- San Antonio, Texas Hosted Tournament: 5 Times

6. US Airways Center- Phoenix, Arizona Hosted Tournament: 4 Times

Things to Do: River Walk,

Alamo Mission, Six Flags Fiesta Texas

Things to Do: Camelback

Mountain, Arizona Diamondbacks baseball game, Grand Canyon

7. Izod Center- East Rutherford, New Jersey Hosted Tournament: 4 Times

Things to Do: Jersey Shore, Casino Pier, Atlantic City Boardwalk

Behind the Scenes: NCAA Basketball Tournament As teams play in the NCAA Tournament, things can get pretty hectic. Different programs deal with the chaos different ways, just ask Allen Griffin or C.B McGrath.

By: Zachary Sessa

Photo By Daniel Williamson 28

Allen Griffin and the Syracuse Orange arrive at their West Coast destination two days before their game.

He walks around his hotel saying hello and making small talk with players from other college teams whom he grew up playing against. The Orange go out to a movie and then dinner to have a relaxing evening before they get ready for one of the biggest games of their season. After the dinner and movie they arrive at their hotel rooms and their lights are out by midnight. “When I was in college you would probably sometimes be out there, [the tournament] if you had to go out West, about two days before your game so most things that teams would do and what we did is we went to a movie two nights before our game,� said Allen Griffin, former

Photo By Kevin Johnson The Union Bulldogs prepare for a game in their confererence tournament.

“We have done different things depending on what city we are playing in. We have gone to movies, museums, national landmarks, zoo, etc.”

Syracuse college basketball player and now assistant coach at Dayton University. Sixty Four teams are selected each year to compete in the NCAA basketball tournament. Coaches and players are surrounded by all the hype that is swirling around in the college basketball atmosphere. Various teams handle the distractions differently, some teams go out to tourist sites depending on what city they play in.

“We have done different things depending on what city we are playing in. We have gone to movies, museums, national landmarks, zoo, etc.” C.B. McGrath, who is a former player for Kansas and is now an assistant coach at the University of North Carolina, said.

Other teams do more simple stuff, according

Photo ByAbby Lewis Deandre Kane and the Cylones advanced to the sweet sixteen, exceeding expectations set for them before the season.

to Griffin, such as go out to dinner and a movie. However, most teams want to make sure that the same routine is kept in place during the tournament as it was during the regular season.

“The one thing throughout the tournament is you don’t wanna change so much that the it becomes something all over again,” Griffin said. “A lot of the things that are in place during the season are in place during the tournament.”

Most teams make sure that they keep things such as their curfew, practice hours, and study time the same, according to Griffin. But during the tournament things may have to be adjusted depending on game times and locations.

“Depending on what time the game is the next day you want lights out, sometimes it is set sometimes it isn’t,” Griffin said.

“The players need to get themselves as much rest as they need for the next day, it all depends on what time the game is the next day, sometimes there’s a game at noon and you got a quick turnaround, so you want to advise guys to try and be in bed by midnight and get as much sleep as possible.”

Griffin and the coaching staff at Dayton make sure that their players maintain their grades and study during the tournament by having a full time academic advisor.

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“[She] travels with us, tournament or non tournament, she does a really good job with our guys, we always have computers,” Griffin said. “We travel with computers so our guys don’t fall too behind and we have these guys get there work ahead of time, if they have something due over the time that we are gone they’ll be able to email it into their professors.”

The professors are usually pretty understanding of the situation these student athletes are in, but the coaches still hold their athletes at a standard.

a different strategy for making sure the players are prepared, but also well rested. According to McGrath, this is very important so that the players perform to the best of their ability.

“We [the coaching staff] judge by the players energy level if they are getting worn down,” McGrath said.

“We want to make sure their legs are fresh so we adjust practice time accordingly.”

A good way for teams to stay rested, but also feel prepared is by watching film and scouting the opponent.

“We scout our op-

“Our guys are still held responsible for getting their work in” “Our guys are still held responsible for getting their work in,” Griffin said.

Coaches need to make sure that their team is ready for their next opponent by having enough practice time, but they also need to make sure that the players don’t get too tired or injured.

“Most teams go about an hour and 15 minutes on the floor,” Griffin said. “So we wouldn’t go any more past that.”

Other teams use

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McGrath said.

However, coaches don’t want to give their players too much rest which could lead to the players’ muscles becoming too tight.

“It’s good for guys not to lay around all day you want them to get some exercise in, walk around and we make guys walk around,” Griffin said.

“We don’t go past an hour and 15 minutes which is more than enough time in this

Photo By Bill Jones Tyler Ennis and the Syracuse Orange were upset in the round of 32 by the Dayton Flyers. particular moment in this time of the year to have on the court.”

Another way coaches make sure that the players stay safe and don’t get injured during practice is by doing drills for a very short amount of time and having run-throughs.

“There is some contact, but you won’t go as long with contact. In an hour and 15 minutes

Photo by Peter Martin

Photo By Henry Thompson Michigan practices in Milwaukee for a game against Texas.

They won and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen.

Photo By Kiesha Jackson it would be about 30 minutes of full contact in some drills,” Griffin said. “This varies from coast to coast, program to program, but for us I know we would still have some contact it won’t be that much, but we would like to have contact.”

As coaches try to keep their player’s off their feet as much as possible, one would think that there is a lot of free time, but both the coaches and players are swamped with work to prepare for the next game.

“We practice everyday that we do not play a game,” McGrath said.

Another job coaches face during the tournament is making sure that their team enjoys the experience, but also maintains focus on the task at hand, winning and advancing.

“If we are fortunate enough to get our named called on Selection Sunday that’s gonna bring an excitement to itself,” Griffin said.

Other teams such as the University of

North Carolina, which have grown accustomed to hearing their names called on Selection Sunday, take a different approach to enjoying the NCAA tournament experience.

“We tell them [the players] to enjoy the tournament but be mentally focused to play your best,” McGrath said. “When you win the experience is always more enjoyable.”

The tournament brings together kids who all share a passion for the game of basketball so naturally conversations flow easily, according to Griffin. Most of the

Photo By Jackson Butler A UNC player blocks a player from Kentucky.

“If we are fortunate enough to get our named called on Selection Sunday that’s gonna bring an excitement to itself” players know each other because they grew up together, so the tournament is a kind of reunion for some.

“I grew up with guys that are on other teams, so you see guys that you know and that you played against and you definetly say hello,” Griffin said.

The NCAA tournament is a great experience for college basketball teams because it allows them to travel to new places with some of their best friends.

“During the tournament we just want to survive and advance,” McGrath said. “A one point victory gets you to the next round. As a coach I want to make sure the student athletes are maturing and getting better daily.”

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FROM COLLEGE TO THE PROS

By Andres Cortez

33

Picture by Keith Allison

Overview of “From College to the Pros”

Amount of Players in the Pros from Top 3 Player Producing Colleges

82

81

80 66

64

Total

61

Amount of Players

Kevin Durant is a star for Oklahoma City Thunder as their forward for quite some times. Fans from over the United States come to their games, waiting for Kevin Durant to blow their minds. The number 35 has been gaining popularity referring to basketball, as it is Durant’s number, the same number worn by the UCLA player that scores an average 32.1 points per game says the bleacherreport.com. He earns support from many americans from his products such as KD’s shoes, socks and shirts. His popularity had to come from somewhere, and it did. It came from his school, the University of Texas here in Austin.

The NBA is The National Basketball Association, and is currently where all the professional basketball players in the United States appear at. The ABA was the American Basketball Association, which was the old system used where professional players in the United States played.

ABA NBA

21

17 UNC

UK

College

Picture byEric Lindsey Picture by Matthew Strauss A look of an old ABA team called the Pittsburg Pipers.

Information from all this data is trusted by Baketball-Referance.com and the information of the players in the NBA are from the years of 20132014.

In the entire United States, some schools have an unbelievable amount of people that have made it to the professional level of basketball playing, and here we look at the top three.

University of Kentucky player dunking the ball, just driving through a Notre Dame player at which Kentucky Basketball fans cheered along in awe.

Career’s Made From Texas Universities The colleges from here in Texas have also had a good history in making NBA or ABA starts. Of course some more than others. Many colleges have not made a single ABA or NBA player.

34

University System

College

Texas State

Texas State Lamar Sam Houston State

Texas Tech Independent Public Texas A&M

Univ of Houston Large Private Colleges

Texas Tech Midwestern State Texas Southern Stephen F. Austin State Prarie View A&M West TexasA&M Texas A&M at College Station University of Houston Texas Christian Southern Methodist Rice Baylor

University of Texas

UT at San Antonio UT- Pan American UT at El Paso UT at Austin

Total

ABA

NBA

2 3 3 10 3 4 2 2 6 10 29 7 12 12 11 2 6 12 29

2 3 3 10 3 4 2 2 6 7 28 7 12 11 7 2 6 11 17

0

A view of UT tower at Austin during the day.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 1 4 0 0 1 12

Chaney smiles in front of the UH flag noticing the fan support for that game.

Picture by Mike Emery

The Voices from Austin That Made Pros

35

Picture by Flickr.com

The University of Texas in Austin has had it success in currently making so many NBA players, and ABA players maybe because of the staff and benefits in staying in Texas. These NBA players went to the University because it’s in their best interest, and if anyone in Central Texas is not wanting to leave the state for college and pursuing basketball as a career in the future, then the University of Texas in Austin should be considered as an option to go to for college. “I went to the best university in America,” Phoenix Suns forward, PJ Tucker said. “So I had the best time of my life while I was there.” Graduated from UT in Austin.

“I went to the best university in America.”

And staying at UT in Austin turned out to be a good choice for these basketball players.

“I didn’t feel like leaving when I had a great college close to me and my family,” Austin Toros, Center, Dexter Pittman said.

And Pittman turned out successful by staying in school, with help from staff at UT during college.

“From UT, I was treated amazingly,” Pittman said.

“They were one of the best things UT had, the staff is truly incredible.”

So staying in school is always worth it, especially if the plans for the future is to play sports as a career.

“School is important for everyone,” San Antonio Spurs point guard, Cory Joseph said. “Not just basketball, but to play a sport in a professional league, you need to go to school.”

And once you stay in school, entertainment is always available, and some entertainment helped the team become better.

“In basketball we like to Picture by Flickr.com show off in practice and at games,” Joseph said.

Pittman taking a free throw “But sometimes that when he use to play for UT. competition helps us become better player as athletes because we have another motivation.”

Music was a great thing to experience to

“I didn’t feel like leaving when I had a great college close to me and my family.”

Picture byFanPhonia.com

Joseph posing for a shoot.

have while at Austin, and was a great way to spend time. But of course that wasn’t the only thing that these players did.

“There are so many things to do in Austin,” Tucker said. “I liked going out to Lake Travis, the river. South

“The Eyes of Texas brought everyone from Austin together.”

by Southwest, ACL, there’s just so much going on. Any given time there’s always something to do.”

For some the music really made them alive.

“The main things that I can remember of has to be the music,” Pittman said. “Austin truly is the music capitol of the world.”

For others the music brought everyone together, and was not only a form of entertainment, but a ritual.

“The Eyes of Texas,” Joseph said. “The song that played whenever UT played and brought everyone from Austin together.”

And when the players move on to the NBA getting use to all the changes from moving team to team so often in the NBA can get hard at times.

“I always miss everyone from my previous team,” Pittman said. “But you have to get use to it in the pros because you are always moving.”

And with help from teammates, it gets easier.

“My teammates were always helpful and friendly, not only in basketball,” Pittman said. “But they helped me familiarize around the city.”

UT at Austin has had it successful professional players, and may owe it to the history of the professional players, the music and the amazing staff and Picture by Matt York people, besides there are so many opportunities to take from Tucker dribbling the ball this school for near driving through an Indian Texas folks. “It was Pacer player and taking more of the coaches a chance to score for the and the people around the team,” said Tucker.

Phoenix Suns.

“The staff on the administration side were unbelievable, I still talk to them to this day and it’s been seven years. So for me, it was just the familyfeel, everyone treated me like family.”

“Everyone treated me like family.”

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KD’s if you want to be ice cream

Players SalariesThat Ate The Texan Calories

by Andres Cortez

College stars are everywhere, and of course, most of the time they end up playing professionally for different teams. Here there is a group of people who followed their dreams and play basketball as a career. See the top 10 basketball players that get paid the most in the NBA from colleges here in Texas. Kevin Durant had to start some where to make the money he makes now. These players are like famly considering that they went to schools close to Austin. Data is trusted and from ESPN.

10. Perry Jones Earns $1,082,520 Plays for The Oklahoma City Thunder Attended Baylor University Picture By Peter Emerick Picture By Sa Daily

9. Cory Joseph Earns $1,120,920 Plays for The San Antonio Spurs Attended The University of Texas at Austin

8. Jordan Hamilton Earns $1,169,880: Plays for The Houston Rockets Attended The University of Texas at Austin Picture By Chron.com Picture By Stephen Brotherston

7. Avery Bradley Earns $2,511,432 Plays for The Boston Celtics Attended The University of Texas at Austin 38

6. Jeff Foster Earns $3,000,000 Plays for The Indiana Pacers Attended Texas State University Picture By Willie Stark Picture By Ethan Grant

5. Tristan Thompson Earns $4,062,000 Plays for The Cleveland Cavaliers Attended The University of Texas at Austin

4. Ekpe Udoh Earns $4,469,548 Plays for The Milwaukee Bucks Attended Baylor University Picture By Keith Allison Picture By Caries Kahn

3. DeAndre Jordan Earns $10,986,550 Plays for The Los Angeles Clippers Attended Texas A&M at College Station

2.LaMarcus Aldridge Earns $14,878,000 Plays for The Portland Trail Blazers Attended The University of Texas at Austin Picture By Jay Wierenga Picture By Andrew Lowe

1. Kevin Durant Earns $17,832,627 Plays for The Oklahoma City Thunder Attended The University of Texas at Austin

39

Jam to pre game tunes with beats

By Dr.Dre