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SPORTS November 13, 2012 SPORTS BRIEFS Chelimo, Tanui honored by USTFCCCA
Jamboree game closes with a win
NEW ORLEANS, Wash. Alaska Anchorage senior Micah Chelimo and junior Susan Tanui were named the U.S. Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association West Region Athletes of the Year on Wednesday. For the fourth straight year UAA was the recipient of the West Region Male Athlete of the Year honor, after Chelimo, the Great Northwest Athletic Conference champion from Kapkoi, Kenya, earned his second straight accolade by winning the NCAA Div. II West Region Championships on Nov. 3. Former UAA All-American Marko Cheseto garnered the honor in 2010 and 2009. A local of Eldoret, Kenya, Tanui became the second UAA woman to be named the West Region Female Athlete of the Year, after she cruised to victory at the West Region championships last Saturday. Tanui, who also won the GNAC title in October, followed former All-American Ruth Keino, who took the honor in 2011.
ANCHORAGE Alaska Anchorage men’s basketball head coach Rusty Osborne announced Monday that junior Travis Thompson will use his redshirt season in 2012-13. A 6-1, 195-pound guard, Thompson averaged 11.8 points and 3.9 assists a year ago for UAA’s 23-7, NCAA second-round club. The former local prep star from Dimond High also shot 48 percent on three-pointers in 2011-12 as he earned secondteam All-Great Northwest Athletic Conference honors. “We knew this was always a possibility for this year,” said Osborne, whose team starts tonight with an exhibition at Div. I Troy. “Our program benefitted greatly last season when Travis sacrificed his redshirt year to strengthen our team. It is now time for the program to sacrifice for him. He is in a very demanding academic curriculum (civil engineering) and will need five years to graduate. The ability to not travel this season will allow him to get a solid foundation for his last two years. He has high academic goals and we support him in those as well as his athletic goals.” Thompson was also a GNAC All-Academic Team member in 201112 with a 3.35 overall grade-point average.
Former Armstrong teammate admits doping with EPO CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) South African cyclist David George, a former teammate of Lance Armstrong, admitted using the blood-boosting drug EPO after failing a doping test. George failed an out-ofcompetition test on Aug. 29, the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport said Tuesday. He was provisionally suspended by Cycling South Africa and faces a two-year ban. George cycled on Armstrong’s U.S. Postal Service team in 1999 and 2000. George said he wouldn’t ask for his B sample to be tested and would accept his punishment. Last month, Armstrong was banned for life by the International Cycling Union and stripped of his seven Tour de France titles because of his role in a doping scandal, which was outlined in a report by the U.S. Anti-doping Agency. Other former teammates testified against Armstrong in the report, which said he used steroids, EPO and blood transfusions. George won silver in the road race at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne and bronze in the time trial in the Kuala Lumpur Games in 1998. He also represented South Africa at two Olympics, in 1996 and 2000.
Briefs compiled by Thomas McIntyre from the Associate Press and Goseawolves.com
PHOTOS BY J.ALMENDAREZ
Thompson to take redshirt in 2012-13
Junior guard Kyle Fossman scores a point during Staurday night’s game against Colorado State-Pueblo at the AT&T Jamboree. He is the team’s top returning player this season.
By Keon McMillan Contributor
The Seawolf men’s basketball team pulled off an 85-75 win over the Colorado State-Pueblo Timberwolves Saturday night in the closer of the AT&T Jamboree. Sophomore guard Teancum Stafford’s 23 points and 7 rebounds led the Seawolves. Hitting some big shots from inside and out, Stafford was named the AT&T Jamboree Most Outstanding Player. The Timberwolves won the tip at the beginning of the game, and it was back and forth after that with no team keeping a big lead in the
first half. CSU ran a zone defense that didn’t allow the Seawolves any shots inside and forced them to shoot a lackluster 37 percent from the field. Neither team had a player with the hot hand in the first half; nobody scored over 10 points in the first 20 minutes of play. Both teams were in foul trouble throughout the game. A technical foul on senior guard Bryse Velasquez gave the Seawolves the momentum to push their lead to 10, although they allowed the Timberwolves to cut it down to four before halftime.
Junior forward Stephan Heard fights against a cluster of Thunderwolves to shoot a point in Saturday night’s AT&T Jamboree game.
Everything was falling for the Seawolves in the second half; they shot six of 11 from the three-point line. Junior guard Kyle Fossman was their lead marksman, hitting four three-pointers at a 50 percent clip. “We didn’t shoot too well in the first half,” said Fossman. “There’s always room for improvement.” The Seawolves grabbed 14 more boards than CSU, which was a big factor in the 10-point victory. Senior Timberwolf guard Dennis Arden dropped 21 points and had a pair of assists. But the Seawolves countered with a
starting five of players who all scored at least 10 points. Though they didn’t play bad, Fossman doesn’t believe the Seawolves can continue to win unless they fix some things. “If we’re going to win our conference, we need to play better,” said Fossman. “This early in the season, I feel like every team has some things they’d like to work out.” The men’s basketball team is hosting Washington Adventist University at 7 p.m. Nov. 15 and 17 at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex Center.
Randy Moss: Ending on the right note
By Thomas McIntyre Sports Editor
Randy Moss stopped being an NFL football player 18 months ago. He retired and walked away from the sport with his head down. There was no standing ovation during his final game. Moss wanted out, and as for the fans, the feeling was mutual. The 2011 season passed with little noise coming from Moss’ area. Then there were whispers about him plotting a comeback. The whispers turned into shouts. It was true; Moss, the guy who took heat throughout his career for not giving his all, was interested in giving a little bit more. If year 2000 Randy Moss became a free agent, teams would slip blank checks underneath his front door to try and sign him. That was not the case for year 2012 Randy Moss. Moss worked out for a couple of teams. Some reports said he could still fly. Those reports were probably a tad bit embellished, but the San Francisco 49ers were impressed enough to roll the dice. Year 2012 Randy Moss settled for a one-year, $2.5 million contract with the 49ers. Chump change. But to dissect the contract is to miss the point. What the 49ers really gave him was an opportunity – an opportunity to go out on the
right note. After securing a spot in San Francisco, Moss spoke on his decision to return. He talked about his passion and love for football. But more importantly, he said he had more to give to the game. Moss’ contributions to the game don’t strictly come in the form of catches and touchdowns. “More” also includes what he’s providing the 49ers outside of playing football. He’s taken teammates out fishing, shown up to offseason workouts, and adopted a team-first mentality. In 2012, Moss has been a fantasy football monster – that’s assuming your fantasy league includes stats for team-before-self actions and being a positive locker room presence. Our final memory of Moss on the field may be of him setting a block as opposed to making a dazzling grab in the end zone. And our final memory of Moss off the field could be of him staying in town to practice with fellow teammates during their bye week as opposed to him taking off to run over a meter maid with his car. Whether right or wrong, the last chapter of a player’s career heavily defines how we remember them. Moss is currently making some notable edits to his chapter. And what about the rest of the book? What’s the legacy of Randy Moss?
Well, Jerry Rice hopped on his soapbox in 2011 and said Moss could have been one of the greatest wide receivers ever had he tried harder. Take that stuff to the Apollo Theater, Jerry. Moss is one the greatest wide receivers to ever play. When Shaquille O’Neal retired, the narrative was about what he could have done. What if Shaq didn’t rap? What if they stopped greenlighting those bizarre movies he was in? What if, instead, we talk about how Shaq was the most physically dominant player in the history of the sport? Randy Moss will not be immune to the same criticism Shaq encountered. Moss did dumb things on occasion. But he’s also caught 155 touchdowns and racked up over 15,000 receiving yards, which puts him second and fourth all-time in those categories. Unreal speed, hands made of glue and a never ending vertical; Moss was nicknamed “The Freak” because he was one. The book of Randy Moss has some twists and turns. The high moments were legendary and the low moments were hard to watch. But it looks like the author is doing his best to write a happy ending. And for Moss, a strong closing act is just what his legacy needs. Maybe he can give Allen Iverson a writing lesson or two.