Holidayguide

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From the park to the hardcourt ............................................... 6 Study abroad checklist ............................................... 7 Health foods to improve your studying ............................................... 8 Athletics watch guide ............................................. 17 Annual light holiday ............................................. 18

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More than a playground n

For coach Orlando Antigua and forward Angel Nunez, Dyckman Park is more than just a park.

By Tiana Aument

2.4 blocks his senior season.

Part of Louisville’s allure stemmed from two Dominican professional ballplayers, who also have ties to Dyckman Right along the Harlem River Park.

“Coach P was comparing me to in Washington Heights, New York is Dyckman Park — the former playground (Francisco Garcia) a lot, and telling me that over time that that would be a guy of USF forward Angel Nunez.

The park, known for its summer I would be like, and he would use me in streetball tournaments, is also part of that role,” Nunez said. “Also Edgar Sosa coach Orlando Antigua’s old stomping went there. Edgar Sosa was one of my mentors.” grounds.

During “You can go into any neighborhood “(We have) the same upbring- p r a c t i c e in and find a park, ing, the same background, the early the seafind guys competsame neighborhoods… and son, Nunez ing and playing all sustained hours of the night,” my point to him is just take a concusAntigua said.

“Doesn’t matter heed on the things I was able sion, which sidelined what the weather is — snow, sleet — to accomplish by surrounding him the first 10 games they’re out there playing and com- myself around the right people his sophomore seapeting.”

Nunez couldn’t (and) getting my education,” son. After that year, in resist the hype Orlando Antigua which the of New York City USF men’s basketball coach Cardinals basketball, even won the though his parents national championship, Nunez transhad other plans for him.

“I’m Dominican, so my parents origi- ferred to Gonzaga, where he was still nally wanted me to play baseball,” said dealing with concussion-like sympNunez, the middle child of seven. “I had toms.

After sitting out the first semester a glove when I was like zero. I had a due to NCAA transfer rules, he averbaseball bat and everything.”

He played until he was about 10, and aged 2.7 points and 1.9 rebounds although he still enjoys the American as a junior. The Bulldogs advanced Pastime, there was something about to the NCAA Tournament’s Round going to the park and playing basketball of 32 in 2014 and the Sweet 16 the following year. that intrigued him.

Nunez played on Antigua’s Dominican “It’s New York City: the mecca of basketball,” Nunez said. “Basketball was Republic National Team the summer before he graduated. But his ties to the everything.”

Growing up, he used to tell himself Antigua family had formed long before he’d be 6-foot-8 just like his favorite then.

Antigua had recruited him while he player, Tracy McGrady. He grew to be just that with 210 pounds to fit his coached at Kentucky, and his brother Oliver Antigua had coached at St. frame.

Nunez absorbed the city’s basketball Raymond’s in the Bronx, where he culture, which Antigua said, “brings out faced Nunez’s team in high school.

Nunez’s experience with the national a toughness (and) a competitive edge team gave him the opportunity to familthat you learn early on.”

That edge has been exhibited through- iarize himself with Antigua’s system.

“I was around Coach O for about two out Nunez’s basketball career, which has weeks, and I just liked the style of play carried him coast to coast.

Coach Rick Pitino recruited him to and the vibe I was getting,” Nunez said. play at Louisville out of Notre Dame “So I kept that in the back of my mind.”

Once he graduated from Gonzaga Prep in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, where he averaged 13.1 points, 7.8 boards and and opened up his recruitment again, S T A F F

W R I T E R

Antigua reached out to him.

“I told him he would have an opportunity to come in and be a big part of what we’re trying to do, that we would push him and challenge him,” Antigua said. “ I think he’s been great so far.”

In seven starts for the Bulls (2-5), Nunez is averaging 9.6 points and 5.3 rebounds. He’s second on t h e team with

seven blocks, a n d h e ’ s t h e

Bulls’ most consistent 3-point shooter, having made 9 of 27 (33 percent).

“He’s a scorer, inside and out,” said teammate Geno Thorpe, who has known him since playing in the same northeastern AAU circuit.

“He can post people, he can shoot over people, he can stretch the floor because he can shoot threes, he rebounds, he does

a lot. He does almost everything, one through five, and he can guard one through five.”

Nunez continues to display the same passion from his days at Dyckman, and Antigua continues to share the wisdom he has gained from that very park. “(We have) the same upbringing, the same background, the same neighborhoods… and my point to him is just take heed on the things I was able to accomplish by surrounding myself around the right people (and) getting my education,” Antigua said.

“Then you can have success with wherever that takes you, whether it be professionally to continue playing, or just away from basketball in life in general.”

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Seven things to do before you leave to study abroad

By Sarah Chrstine Davis U L O O P

The time you thought would never actually come is inching nearer and nearer. You’ve signed all the papers and paid all the fees, but it hasn’t set in that this is actually happening.

As you anticipate studying abroad this January, the nerves and excitement are settling in at a startling pace.

Instead of just anxiously awaiting the day you fly away for the semester, you can cultivate this nervous energy to your benefit to be sure your studying abroad experience is the absolute best it can be.

Spend time with friends and family

your

Most people don’t go more than a few months without visiting their hours-away family while they’re in college.

This will probably be the first time that you’re so far away

from your family for such a long amount of time. You can both prepare ahead for potential homesickness and help prevent it by spending as much time as possible with your family before you leave.

The same thing goes for your friends — especially the friends with whom you go to college. These are people who you see several times per week, if not every single day. The homesickness may be stronger with them. As with your family, spend as much time with them as possible to help ease the situation once you leave the country.

Recognizing it might be difficult to go without seeing your family and friends before you leave for your trip will make it easier to deal with potential homesickness that you face while you’re abroad.

Get to know the people who you’ll be traveling with On that note, you’ll be mak-

ing tons of new friends to make happy memories with while you’re studying abroad.

Before you leave your home country, get to know the people who you’ll be spending so much time with in a new place.

Your nerves will be matched with theirs, creating an instant connection that will make it easier to start a meaningful friendship.

Getting to know them a little bit before you leave will make the trip less intimidating so you can focus on the amazing sights you’ll see and education you’ll receive.

Speak with other students who have studied abroad Speaking with other students who have studied abroad about their personal experience is another way to ease the nerves.

They can give you insider tips that you probably never would have thought of otherwise. After all, it never hurts to have some extra insight in your

brain bank.

If you speak with someone who studied abroad in the same country you will be in, they can give you even more specific tips about where to go, what to eat — and what not to eat — etc.

Research

your

tourism

options Aside from asking your peers about their experiences studying abroad, you can do some research on your own with your computer.

Travel websites such as Expedia and review websites

n See ABROAD on PAGE 11

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ABROAD

Continued from PAGE 7

such as Yelp are invaluable sources to give you insight and knowledge about monuments, restaurants and annual events in country.

A simple Google search for “best restaurants in Cambria” or “must-see attractions in Valencia” is the perfect place to start your research.

Make a packing list (and check it twice) Prevent overpacking and forgetting something you need by creating a packing list.

However, more than any other trip, this will be an easy trip to overpack for, as you’ll probably have very little idea what you’re going to be doing and what type of clothing you’ll need.

Be sure you’re knowledgeable about the weather, climate, culture and landscape in the country to which you’ll be traveling.

There are also a few things that you’ll need almost wherever you travel to, such as an electrical adapter, the necessary travel documents and your

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personal banking information.

Get in the mindset of studying abroad One thing that many people forget when they’re planning to study abroad is that that’s just what they’re doing: studying — it just happens to be abroad.

As important as it is to appreciate the cultural experience of studying abroad, it’s also imperative that you prioritize your studies.

If you budget your time well enough, you can plan studying and homework around the more fun, touristy things you want to do.

Understand (and appreciate) that you can’t plan for everything While this can certainly be a huge reason to stress out about studying abroad, it’s also a huge part of the fun and spontaneity of the entire experience.

No matter how hard you try to plan for everything, something will inevitably happen that you didn’t prepare for. And that’s OK. That’s how you learn.

The unplanned experience will inexorably be one of the most monumental memories of your trip. Just let it happen.

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All out

Residents of several Clearwater communities participate in an annual fundraiser. To raise the funds, they decorate their houses and streets with elaborate holiday light arrangements. To read the story, see Page 18. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE

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Food for thought

By Jessi Stickel U L O O P

Sometimes, it is hard to get your mind into studying when you have a million other things going on in your life, and studying can feel like a blur. Many students do not realize that the foods they eat affect their brain and focus.

However, certain foods are known to improve focus and brainpower. Snacking on these foods while studying and/or taking finals may improve your memorization and your test scores, as well.

Blueberries The delicious blueberry is famously known for being an aid to helping your memory.

In fact, according to Scientific American, blueberries “may improve memory, learning and general cognitive function, including reasoning skills, decision making, verbal comprehension and numerical ability.”

These tiny delicious fruits might actually get you that A you are hoping for to bring up your final class grade, or just get you super focused to write that final paper.

Avocados Many people enjoy avocados in their salad and dipping chips in guacamole, although they may not know it is helping their brainpower. According to an article by SF Gate, avocados enhance many aspects of the brain and mind, such as increasing blood supply and oxygen to the brain and keeping brain membranes flexible, along with reducing risks of strokes and seizures.

So try eating an avocado or two however you like them to give your brain that extra boost it may need to stay active and focused while going through flashcards for that big final.

Leafy Greens Leafy greens are also a great and nutritious food to help your brain when studying

for final exams. ZME Science revealed eating leafy greens helps the brain become and stay strong in the future.

This category has a lot of variety, such as lettuce, kale, spinach in salads, broccoli and even celery, so this brainimproving food will definitely be easy to incorporate in your normal diet during finals week.

Dark Chocolate Who doesn’t love chocolate?

This is probably one of the tastiest studying snacks and it does a wide range of improvement to your brain as well.

According to Be Brain Fit, eating dark chocolate can bring up your mood, increase blood flow to the brain, improve learning, memory and focus, and relieve stress.

Dark chocolate seems to be the perfect snack to munch on while studying for those intense exams by giving you the tools to stay happy and focused by keeping your mind off all those other life distractions.

Nuts All nuts, but especially walnuts, are also a great snack to improve your overall brain health and cognitive performance, according to Brain HQ. In other words, you should eat walnuts both while studying for final exams and before you take the exams. Just by snacking on them could increase your test grades.

Green Tea While you can eat foods that help your brain while studying, you can also drink nutritious beverages. According to Authority Nutrition, green tea improves the brain in many ways, like brain function, especially the memory.

These foods may help your brain while studying and taking your finals; however, do not solely rely on them to get exceptional grades — you will need to study as usual.

They should used as an extra boost to your brain and possibly your exam results.

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Writers, editors, photographers wanted: The Oracle is looking to hire writers, editors and photographers. Experience a plus, not required. Must be willing to learn. Weekly meetings Mondays at 5 p.m. in SVC 0002. See our Facebook page for video directions. For more information contact the editor at oracleeditor@gmail.com.

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USF Athletics holiday guide Men’s and Women’s basketball will continue playing throughout the break, and the football team finds out its bowl destination Sunday.

Women’s basketball coach Jose Fernandez.

ORACLE PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU

By Jacob Hoag A S S T .

S P O R T S

E D I T O R

Just because the stress and enjoyment of college life takes a month break in December and January doesn’t mean Athletics follows suit. Here are five things to look for heading into the winter break: Men’s basketball takes on Gamecocks After a rocky start to the season, USF men’s basketball is finally beginning to click. Winning two of their last three — only losing to No. 1 Kentucky — USF looks to keep momentum rolling as they travel to Columbia, South Carolina on Saturday to take on the red hot Gamecocks.

Entering the weekend, South Carolina boasts an undefeated 7-0 record, which is the best start in the Frank Martin Era. Typically known for their second-ranked women’s basketball program, the men’s team hasn’t disappointed.

The Gamecocks averaged 84 points a

Football coach Willie Taggart.

ORACLE PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU

game after securing a 23-point victory of Western Carolina on Monday. Led by SEC Offensive Player of the Week Mindaugas Kacinas’ 15 points per game, USC has outscored opponents by 15 points and average nearly 20 points more than the Bulls.

USF enters the game averaging 65 points per game while shooting 41 percent from the floor. Jahmal McMurray leads the Bulls (2-5) with 15 points per game, but most of the Bulls’ points come from inside. Both junior Chris Perry and senior Jaleel Cousins are averaging just short of a double-double this season, combining for 18 points and 17 rebounds per game.

The game tips off at 4 p.m.

Women’s basketball vs. slumping PSU While the Men’s team travels into a hostile territory, USF’s women’s team stays home to face a Penn State team that has struggled on the road.

After starting off the week with a 73-47 win over Central Connecticut State at home, the Lady Lions have lost a step, losing both games of the Radisson Chatsworth

Men’s basketball coach Orlando Antigua.

ORACLE PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU

Thanksgiving Classic. After a 3-0 start, they have added one more W and lost three to nearly even the record.

On the other side of the court, USF (3-2) has yet to lose at home, but is coming off a 74-70 loss to St. Johns on Sunday.

The Game tips off at 3 p.m. on Sunday in the Sun Dome.

Big test for USF against UConn USF women’s basketball gets its biggest test of the year Jan. 10 when the top-ranked UConn Huskies come to Tampa for a battle of arguably the two best teams in the conference.

No team has been able to knock off the perennial national champion Huskies in 42 straight tries as UConn boasts the longest active winning streak in college sports.

In two meetings with the Huskies last year, the Bulls lost by an average of 32.5 points including a 92-50 beat down.

Conference play begins Both basketball squads ring in the New

Year with conference matchups.

The Women’s team opens up conference play with matchups against East Carolina (Jan. 2, Greenville, North Carolina), UCF (Jan. 5, Sun Dome) and SMU (Jan. 7, Sun Dome) before its matchup with UConn.

The men get started a bit earlier with a home matchup with Houston on Dec. 30 at 2 p.m. before heading on the road at SMU and UCF. The men’s and Women’s teams had polar opposite conference records last season going 3-15 and 15-3, respectively.

Bowl fever USF is just days away from learning their destination for bowl season. After an 8-4 season, the Bulls are bowl bound for the first time in five seasons. The likely candidates for USF are the Miami Beach Bowl, St. Petersburg Bowl, the Marmot Boca Raton Bowl and the AutoNation Cure Bowl in Orlando.

The selections will be announced this week on Selection Sunday.

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Neighborhood lights up for annual holiday fundraiser The residents of several Clearwater neighborhoods have been decorating their houses to raise money to benefit nearby Suncoast Hospice. All of the funds raised from donations are given to the hospice. n

By Miki Shine C O - N E W S

E D I T O R

For 22 years, the neighborhood of Lake Park Estates has shown its appreciation for Sun coast Hospice by decorating and lighting its houses for the holiday season. The fourneighborhood-wide light show features brilliantly decorated houses of all kinds, not just Christmas related.

The tradition started in 1993 with the efforts of Eddie Dow after his wife, Ruby, passed. He wanted a way to remember his wife, while also helping the organization that stood with them while she was sick.

“When his wife was really ill, toward the end of her life, some of our nurses went to their home and sang Christmas Carols and brought candles and just let her have a holiday experience,” Bryn

Warner, Senior Director of Resource Development for the Suncoast Hospice Foundation, said.

“That left such an impression on him that he wanted other people to have the same holiday experience … he realized that he couldn’t bring that experience to other people, but he could let other people come to it.”

An estimated $40,000 is raised at this event each year; and 100 percent of it goes to Suncoast Hospice to help provide hospice and pediatric care along with emotional support.

“Part of it is that, yes, the organization provides financial support through this event but it also provides people with a great opportunity to experience a part of what Hospice does for a family,” Warner said.

After Eddie Dow passed in 2007, the experience became

more than Lake Park Estates.

Neighboring Wieker, Lakeside Estates and Lake Seminole Village joined in.

The light show runs throughout the month of December with the lights going on from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. each day, with extended hours on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. “It’s enjoyable for anyone … the homeowners really go all out. They do a great job as far as making it something everyone can experience -- young, old, you name it,” Warner said. “There’s a gator yard, somebody does their yard all about peace. It’s not all based on Christmas, which can be a deterrent for some people, but it really shouldn’t be.

It’s a really neat thing, and it really gives the public a chance to come out and just make it a part of their holiday experience.”

The Lights of Lake Park event is celebrating its 22 year since a resident, Eddie Dow, organized the fundraiser for nearby Suncoast Hospice after his wife passed. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE

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