It’s been an exciting year in the world of intercollegiate athletics and we’ve had a lot of fun discussing some of the NCAA’s hot topics on the Double-A Zone for the past 12 months.

During the past year, we’ve had student-athletes share guest blogs from Adelphi, Boston College, Carleton, Clarke, Drexel, Duke, Indiana, Indianapolis, Maine, Maryland, Middle Tennessee, New Haven, North Carolina, Quincy, Rutgers, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville and Wash. U. in St. Louis.

We’ve had posts from coaches at Boston College, Bryant, California (Pennsylvania), Carleton, Georgetown, Delaware State, Mercyhurst, Merrimack, Middle Tennessee, Northern Iowa, Ohio, Rhodes, Sacred Heart, Stanford, Texas A&M-Kingsville and Wesleyan (Georgia).

There have been passionate discussions about Title IX, sportsmanship, diploma mills, academic reform, postseason football, pay-for-play and most recently, whether male practice players should be permitted in women’s sports.

NCAA President Myles Brand has joined us each Monday morning to discuss anything and everything happening in college sports and has answered many of your questions. We have been introduced to 13 NCAA staff members and introduced editorial cartoons.

The Double-A Zone has set the record straight when misinformation about the NCAA infiltrates major media. We have discussed and lauded committee decisions; we have also criticized them.

There haven’t been too many dull moments during the past 365 days and we look forward to expanding our coverage and continuing our spirited conversations during 2007.

I’d like to thank all of our committed readers and listeners – many of them student-athletes – for helping the Double-A Zone grow during the past year. The quality of the conversations is a tribute to you all. Happy New Year!

I’m all for honesty, so when I get to work each day, I have a cup of coffee while I put together the Double-A Zone’s morning feature. I fill the cup halfway with decaffeinated coffee before topping it off with regular. I’ve always been leery of altering my natural state and I’m uncomfortable with too much caffeine in my body.

I do believe that everything in moderation is okay, and certainly don’t pass judgment when I see someone drinking a Red Bull, which contains 80 milligrams of caffeine in one can. A standard can of soda has about 37 milligrams of caffeine.

Recently, a new high caffeine energy drink hit the shelves with 280 milligrams of caffeine in each can. There is no way that much caffeine in one shot is healthy and I don’t think see any legitimate reason for it to be offered in stores.

Even worse, the name of the beverage is “Cocaine” – a more than loose reference to the illegal drug. There’s smart marketing and then there’s offensive marketing. Whoever coined the name of the beverage should be fired.

The can’s logo alludes to the powdery nature of actual cocaine and call me crazy if I think this somehow puts a positive spin on the effects of the drug. Essentially, drinking a can of “Cocaine” will make you feel as if you’d put a dose up your nose. This isn’t right.

Aside from my natural outrage that this beverage is being marketed and sold, I am upset that high school and college kids might turn to it to help stay awake through finals or to gain an edge in competition. I’d like to think that all kids are smart enough to know the difference between “Cocaine” and cocaine, but why are we promoting the benefits of a serious drug?

Teenagers are influenced easily and I would hate to see them carrying around cans of this stuff because they think it’s cool. It’s ill-advised, disgusting and undoubtedly detrimental to your health.

Try, try again. Bob Knight failed to grab his 880th win last night, as UNLV beat Texas Tech, 74-66, in Knight’s quest for history. The Red Raiders have two more home games before they hit the road, so Knight should be able to get it done on his home court. Texas Tech plays New Mexico on New Year’s Day.

Texas A&M rolls over Grambling. Like a surgeon, I examined the box score from last night’s game between Texas A&M and Grambling. The Aggies won big, 101-27, and anytime I see a score like that, I worry about sportsmanship. But this time it looks more like two teams that shouldn’t have been on the court together rather than one running up the score. Texas A&M scored the game’s first 28 points and shot 52.1 percent from the field. Grambling, on the other hand, hit 10-of-51 shots and turned the ball over 30 times. Texas A&M coach Billy Gillispie played 15 players, although perhaps he could have given the last five guys on the bench a few more minutes on the floor. But that’s Gillispie’s prerogative and my thoughts really don’t matter. I don’t think anything wrong happened – these teams just aren’t on the same level.

Mascot discussion continues. An article in today’s New York Times continues the conversation about the NCAA’s restrictions on Native American mascots, nicknames and imagery. Joe LaPointe’s story takes a look at Florida State’s relationship with the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

Rutgers wins first bowl game. I watched last night’s Texas Bowl between Rutgers and Kansas State with a host of Scarlet Knights fans in a lower Manhattan sports bar. It was a fun atmosphere, especially because Rutgers won its first-ever postseason game with a dominant 37-10 win. The Scarlet Knights finished the season with an 11-2 record and the program that served as a doormat in the Big East for years has emerged as a national power. A lot of money has been invested in the program at a time when New Jersey has made budget cuts from its educational system across the board. While the gridiron success is great, I’m getting the message that some priorities may be in the wrong place.

Mediocrity turns into good game. Two 6-6 teams turned in perhaps the best game of the bowl season last night, as Oklahoma State kicker Jason Ricks booted a field goal with 8.9 seconds left in regulation to lift the Cowboys over Alabama in the PetroSun Independence Bowl, 34-31. OSU finished the season 7-6 while Alabama ended with a losing 6-7 record. It was a great game between two not-so-great teams.

Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville basketball student-athlete Amy Austin recently spent a week in Orlando with her team.

Friday, December 15th
6:00 a.m.
Wake up call from a teammate! Although we are heading to Florida, I still can’t seem to fully awaken. Luckily, I packed everything the night before and rolled out of bed to head to the airport.

1:00 p.m.
Finally arrive! The sun is shining and we all opt for shorts and sandals to head to Subway for a quick bite to eat.

3:00 p.m.
A little meeting with Coach to set up workout times to get on the hotel equipment.

7:00 p.m.
Grocery shopping with some teammates and Coach. It is always an adventure when we go out….

Saturday, December 16th
9:15 a.m.
Rise and shine for a team breakfast. Anything you wanted you got… pancakes, bagels, yogurt, omelets, French toast, and the list goes on!

10:30 a.m.
Free time!!! Half the team heads to the mall (I opted out since I would only spend more money on things I didn’t need) while the others down to the beach. While it was raining, it was fun to walk around and go out to eat next to the ocean.

7:30 p.m.
Practice in a high school gym. The team was pretty energetic and ready to play. We haven’t played in a week which happened to be our first loss of the season. We didn’t expect to go undefeated for the season, but the loss still hurts. Hopefully everyone still has a sour taste in their mouths from it and will play with a little fire tomorrow.

Division I membership prepares to vote. With the 2007 NCAA Convention scheduled to begin next week, the Division I membership is gearing up for a highly anticipated vote. Earlier this year, the Division I Board of Directors adopted Proposal No. 05-54, which permits student-athletes who have received their undergraduate degree to transfer to another institution for graduate work and be immediately eligible for competition. There has been resistance to the legislation and the Division I membership has enacted an override that will allow each institution to have a say in whether the proposal remains in place or is overturned. The main fear of the proposal’s detractors is that this legislation could cause a free agent market for student-athletes who have graduated early. After one year, it doesn’t seem to be much of an issue, however, as only 25 student-athletes took advantage of the legislation and left their original schools.

It’s all about nuts. I am currently in New York City, and was playing with the idea of running a four-mile road race sponsored by Emerald Nuts on New Year’s Eve. The race is at midnight in Central Park and seems to be one of the healthiest ways to spend the evening. I had stopped thinking about the race for a while, but last night’s Emerald Bowl game between Florida State and UCLA has got me thinking about it again. Maybe I’m nuts, but it sounds like fun to me. On the gridiron, Florida State took care of business and beat UCLA, 44-27. Bobby Bowden avoided a losing season for the first time in 30 years as Drew Weatherford threw for 325 yards and Lorenzo Booker ran for two scores to lead Florida State. Both teams finish the season 7-6.

On this date in 1905, the second football reform conference is held and 62 football-playing institutions attend. Captain Palmer Pierce of the U.S. Military Academy leads delegates in formation of the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States, as well as a football rules committee for its members.

In today’s Coaches’ Corner post, Carleton women’s basketball coach Tammy Metcalf-Filzen continues our discussion about male practice players.

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Tammy Metcalf-Filzen, and I've been the WBB coach here at Carleton, an NCAA DIII school for ten years. During that time, I have seen the introduction of male practice players as a viable option for folks like us who don't carry a large squad and also who have a significant number of multiple-sport athletes. We could carry a few more players, our budget would allow it, but it is very difficult to keep 15 players happy with significant playing time and our student-athletes prefer to be involved. If they are practicing, they expect to be playing.

Over the course of the last seven years or so, we have had fall sport athletes who come in late to our practices. Our athletic department supports and encourages multiple sport involvement. This season, we are carrying 11 players on our roster - three of them are volleyball players. It would have been impossible to appropriately prepare our team for competitions without the male practice players we have – male students who are not good enough to make the men's team but have played high school basketball and are committed to our team and helping in any way they can.

Our volleyball and soccer athletes miss anywhere from 2-4 weeks of our preseason practices. I have always understood the DIII level to be supportive of multiple sport student-athletes and a ruling against male practice players puts pressure on us to eliminate the involvement of student-athletes coming in late to our program.

The most argued point in the whole male practice player controversy is that it takes away opportunities for women. We have a maximum of 15 opportunities for women on our squad. The women on our campus, who are good enough to play, make the team. If they are not good enough to make the team they don't. They prefer it that way. If they aren't going to play within a year or two they want to know it up front so they can choose to invest their time in other activities on campus. The number of players we have on our squad is not connected in any way to our male practice players. If we have 10 healthy players in practice and we can go 5 on 5, they get the nod every time. Our players don't sit and watch when we have enough. The male practice players do… every time.

I believe the male practice players allow our players to develop in our system in a much faster and more productive manner than they would otherwise. I have seen this in action. When we did not have male practice players, our young players spent a great deal of their time learning and running our opponents’ offenses and defenses rather than getting the repetitions in running our stuff. This was a frustrating and confusing situation for them–they wanted to master our strategies so they could be in a position to help our team sooner and more effectively - the male practice players have allowed for that.

The Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) has spent a great deal of time on this issue - getting feedback from the coaches at all levels - and have come up with the recommendation to allow the male practice players without restriction. The NCAA’s Committee on Women’s Athletics refuses to consider what the coaches are saying. They have not asked us for input. The assumptions being made are ill informed and are being made by folks with little or no understanding of what is being done on the practice floor every day across the country.

President Ford dies at 93. Gerald R. Ford, the 38th president of the United States, died late Tuesday night after complications from pneumonia. President Ford was the only man to serve in the Oval Office without being elected; he assumed office after Richard Nixon resigned amid the Watergate scandal. Ford went on to pardon Nixon and many believe that cost him a chance at a second term. Interestingly, Ford wasn’t on Nixon’s ticket in 1972. Nixon ran with Spiro Agnew, but Agnew resigned from the vice presidency amid controversy of his own.

One of the most influential student-athletes of the NCAA’s first century, President Ford was a member of the Michigan football teams that won national championships in 1932 and 1933. Ford is the only United States president to tackle a future Heisman Trophy winner, knocking down the award’s first recipient, University of Chicago standout Jay Berwanger. In 1935, Ford was named Michigan’s most valuable player.

Ford is one of two former presidents to have an NCAA award named after him. The Theodore Roosevelt Award is the NCAA’s highest honor while the Gerald R. Ford Award is presented to individuals who have provided significant leadership as an advocate for intercollegiate athletics during their careers.

Central Michigan rules Motor City. Interim Coach Jeff Quinn led Central Michigan to a 31-14 victory over Middle Tennessee in the Motor City Bowl last night. Quinn assumed head coaching duties three weeks ago when Brian Kelly filled the vacated post at Cincinnati. I was startled to read that a record crowd of 54,113 filled Ford Field to watch the game. Central Michigan was obviously the hometown favorite but isn’t it crazy that more people went to that game than the NFL games in the same stadium?

Calling all fans. Our friend Alex Ernst, who runs the CrossCyed blog, sent along an article from the Des Moines Register about women’s basketball attendance at four Iowa schools. While the popularity of women’s basketball is constantly growing, it hasn’t seen a lot of support from students. Give this article a read to learn about some of the interesting things athletics departments are trying in order to get students to women’s games. I love all sports, but there’s definitely something special about women’s basketball and I think it’s just a matter of time before it begins to get the appropriate support.

One of my favorite things about the NCAA is that you can go down to the first floor and grab 25-cent sodas during any part of the day. Even better than the refreshing colas, however, is walking by friendly colleagues on your way to the vending machines and stopping to have a brief conversation.

The people at the national office all seem to love what they do, but I’m not sure anybody is much happier than Byron Hatch, assistant director of membership services. Byron always goes out of his way to say hello, see how you are and ask what’s new. It’s a pleasure to work with him and I only wish our paths crossed more often.

A lawyer and former tax consultant, Byron introduces himself on today’s edition of Faces of the NCAA. In our conversation, Byron discusses his battle with cancer, his daily charge at the national office and how his first step in the door was saying hello to Myles Brand in Texas.

A whole lot of touchdowns. Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan tossed five second-half touchdowns to lead the Warriors over Arizona State, 41-24, in Saturday’s Hawaii Bowl. Brennan finished the season with 58 touchdown passes, breaking the previous single-season mark established by Houston’s David Klingler in 1990. Klingler tossed 54 touchdowns that year before moving forward to a career in the NFL. I’ve seen Brennan play a couple of times and he’s certainly talented. He was 33-of-42 for 559 yards on Saturday and finished the season with 5,549 passing yards to become just the third player with more than 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns in one year. All that and he still has one season left to play.

A weekend of records. Brennan wasn’t the only person to make history in the world of college sports as Texas Tech head coach Bobby Knight led the Red Raiders over Bucknell to tie Dean Smith with 879 career victories. With one more victory, Knight will become the all-time leader. Knight is one of those coaches that you either love or hate, and while I believe his antics are wholly unnecessary, there’s no denying that he’s done a great job with his teams over the years. He had a winning record at every stop along the way, first at Army, later at Indiana and now at Texas Tech. He seems unconcerned with the record and that’s probably the way it should be. From the outside, it doesn’t seem as if he treats his players right and that bothers me. On the other hand, they keep coming back. Knight will look for his 880th win on Thursday against UNLV.

Almost a bad situation. Because of television rights, fans in the New Jersey and New York area almost had to go without watching Rutgers play against Kansas State in the Texas Bowl on Thursday. I don’t want to get into too many details, but a deal has been worked out between the NFL Network and Cablevision and fans will now be able to tune in and watch the Scarlet Knights in their second straight bowl game.

Two games, two routs. The second bowl game of the postseason was about as thrilling as the first. Last night, BYU rolled over Oregon, 38-8, in the Las Vegas Bowl. BYU quarterback John Beck threw for 375 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Cougars. Beck also ran for a score.

Rice is playing? The one thing I do like about all of the bowl games is that there are programs that haven’t been successful in many years that finally get a shot at playing this late in the season. Last year, Rutgers qualified for its first bowl game in years and the Scarlet Knights almost won the Big East title this season. In tonight’s New Orleans Bowl, Troy will take on a Rice team that hasn’t been to the postseason in 45 years. Troy moved up to the Football Bowl Subdivision six years ago and is playing in just its second bowl game. This is an instance where two teams that don’t get much recognition or time in the spotlight will play a game that truly matters to the players, coaches and community. Good luck to both programs.

What gap? Northwestern doesn’t have the most successful men’s basketball program, but a Big Ten school shouldn’t struggle with a Division III team, right? Wrong. Last week, Northwestern barely squeaked by Division III Wheaton (Illinois), 41-39. Wheaton had a shot to win at the buzzer, but the three-point shot rimmed out. There is a perceived talent gap between Division I and Divisions II and III, but I’ve got news for you – it’s not that big.

1,000 and counting. Wentworth forward Cheyenne Noble grabbed a season-high 19 rebounds and became the third Wentworth player to reach 1,000 career rebounds in a loss to Newport News on Monday night. Noble has 1,011 rebounds and is just 26 out of the top spot in the record book.

As the discussion continues about whether or not male practice players should be allowed in women’s athletics, the Double-A Zone has asked for feedback from student-athletes and coaches on the issue. Today, Middle Tennessee women’s basketball standout Chrissy Givens shares her thoughts about the topic.

I think male practice players are vital to the success of a program for female athletics. I hate to admit it, but it has been proven that males are physically stronger and built differently than females. I have played with and against males my entire life. Having to prove that I could hang with them, I had to be physical and competitive. I had to find ways to get my shots off and defend them. When it was time for me to play with and against girls, it was a lot easier for me.

Last year we had a male practice team and I think it was beneficial. Because of the guys' jumping ability, we had to box out in order to get a rebound. We fine-tuned our fundamentals. They were more athletic, but we had to be more fundamental. They would block our shots and make us have to find ways to get our shots off. We had to be fundamentally sound on defense and not get faked out by all the crossovers and ‘and1’ moves. After days of getting beat by them, we finally started to get our offense going and defending the guys. Being able to get your shot off on someone you know is more athletic than you gives you confidence that you can go against anybody. When it was time for us to play, we had no problem when the teams were bigger than us or more athletic than us. In our minds we knew that no matter how athletic a team was, the guys we played against were more athletic.

Playing with guys made me stronger and mentally tougher as well. They would look at me funny on the playground when I would go over and ask to play. They said all kinds of things like: “Naw, we don’t want to hurt you,” or, “You can’t play no ball.” Their talk motivated me to go out there and try to play just like them. Because I could not jump as well, I had to be physical. I pushed and shoved and did everything I could to prove that I could hang. Soon I was the first picked because I loved to win and was not going to let anybody deny me a chance to win, male or female.

Playing against guys and knowing that physically, they are stronger and can jump higher, makes a female have to reach inside and find other ways to compete and be successful. When it is time to face your equals, it becomes a little easier knowing that you were practicing against players that were stronger and more athletic.

My personal experience with a male practice team has been beneficial. Having males to practice against also allows for there to be more rotation during practice. The girls are able to sub in and out and no one has to stay in the entire practice. The team gets to play together the entire practice instead of compete against each other. Team cohesion and togetherness on the court can be built with players getting to play with different members on the team. Also time would not have to be spent with players flipping over jerseys due to changing from defense to offense or vice versa. This is just my opinion, but I feel male practice squads are very beneficial to a women’s sport.

Minnesota takes a stand. Minnesota athletics director Joel Maturi announced that the school will not compete against North Dakota in any sport other than men’s or women’s ice hockey because of its Fighting Sioux nickname. Both schools compete in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, and I assume that’s why the Gophers will keep playing North Dakota on the ice. While the NCAA has come under much criticism for the Executive Committee’s policy restricting the use of Native American mascots, nicknames and imagery, this reinforces that there are plenty of people who work in higher education who don’t condone the use of racially sensitive monikers in the athletics arena. Maturi isn’t the first to take a stand and likely won’t be the last.

Are we rewarding mediocrity? I think the quick answer is yes, as seven teams with 6-6 records have qualified for bowl games this season. In one of the best trash-talking quotes I’ve read, Oklahoma State offensive lineman Kurt Seifreid described his excitement about the Cowboys’ upcoming Independence Bowl game: “I’m pretty excited about playing the second-best 6-6 team in the nation.” I’m all for giving kids postseason opportunities, but do these two mediocre teams really need to get out there again? I can’t think of another college sport that makes it so easy to get the postseason. Thirty-two bowl games are just too many.

Merrimack SAAC donates toys. The Merrimack Student-Athlete Advisory Committee collected toys to brighten the holidays for children at a Boys and Girls Club in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Each student-athlete was asked to bring in a toy and the response was overwhelming, as more than 300 were collected. Each team in the athletics program was involved, while four squads actually had 100 percent participation.

Molloy baseball team supports troops, kids. The Molloy baseball collected more than 35 toys and dropped them off at a local United States Marine Corps reserve base to help support the Marine Toys for Tots drive on December 14. It’s great to see so many student-athletes committed to improving the holidays for young children.

Carleton senior point guard Jake Phillips shares his first post as a guest blogger for the Double-A Zone. A four-year starter for the Knights, Jake helped lead the program to its first Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular-season title in 40 years and first-ever NCAA tournament appearance last winter. Jake is the school’s all-time leader in three-point field goal percentage and the physics major has aspirations of becoming an engineer after graduation.

I will start out by introducing myself. I am a senior physics major at Carleton College in Northfield, MN (just south of the twin cities) and the point guard of the men's basketball team. I went to high school in Brainerd, MN, which is located in the central part of the state. Like many college seniors, I am trying to decide exactly what I want to do with the rest of my life, which has led to some job interviews but nothing definite at this point.

As for school, we are currently on break both from classes and basketball which means I have gotten some quality time at home with the family before Christmas. It is nice for a few days but I am already itching to get back to school for basketball.

We have had a little bit of a slow start this season after a very successful past year which saw Carleton win its first conference title in nearly 40 years, as well as our first national tournament appearance in school history. We started the year with three games in Hawaii and although we lost all three, losing two significant halftime leads in the process, it was still a fun trip. Minnesota is about as far away from the ocean and hot weather as it gets, so the team had a blast in the sun and on the beach. Since Hawaii we have been playing better basketball including a big win last Wednesday. We beat a very good Wisconsin-La Crosse team in overtime and hope to build on that win when we get back to school on the 26th.

That's all for now. I will probably give my next update when we start playing games again at the end of December. Merry Christmas to everyone!

Your search for team rankings is over. The Double-A Zone will offer one-stop shopping for college fans by providing links to the most current NCAA polls on a weekly basis.

Division I Men's Basketball
Division II Men's Basketball
Division III Men's Basketball
Division I Women's Basketball
Division II Women's Basketball
Division III Women's Basketball
Bowling
Men's Gymnastics
Women's Gymnastics
Division I Men's Ice Hockey
Division III Men's Ice Hockey
Division I Women's Ice Hockey
Division III Women's Ice Hockey
Division I Wrestling
Division II Wrestling

Let’s go bowling. Love it or hate it, the postseason is here for the Football Bowl Subdivision as we kicked it off last night with the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl. With one of the best bowl names, the SDCCUPB featured one of the nation’s most exciting running backs in Northern Illinois senior Garrett Wolfe, who entered the game with 1,900 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground. Texas Christian wasn’t having any of the hype, however, and limited Wolfe to just 28 rushing yards in a 37-7 victory. TCU quarterback Jeff Ballard was 19-of-29 for 258 yards and one touchdown to lead the Horned Frogs. There are 31 bowls to go and we look forward to discussing them during the next three weeks.

Big Wednesday game. If you want to see two good basketball teams go at it tonight, make sure to grab a seat by the big screen at 7 p.m. to watch Oklahoma and Ohio State play in Norman. Sophomore sensation Courtney Paris has led the third-ranked Sooners (9-0) in scoring and rebounds in each of the team’s nine wins this season. Paris is averaging 21.4 points and 14.4 rebounds, numbers that are actually down from her freshman season. The 6-foot-4 center will have her hands full with Ohio State’s Jessica Davenport, who has led the No. 8 Buckeyes to a 9-1 mark. The 6-foot-5 Davenport has been just as dominant in the post as Paris and leads Ohio State with 19.6 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. This could be an instant classic and I can’t wait to watch.

Isn’t it early to be breaking records? Chatham sophomore Allason Holt broke the school’s single season record for blocked shots in a loss to La Roche last night. Holt’s pair of blocks gave her 27 for the season, two more than the previous record of 25. With nearly two-thirds of the schedule remaining, Holt will look to rewrite the Chatham record books this winter.

NYIT’s Johansen garners honor. NYIT graduate student Anette Johansen was named the East Coast Conference Women’s Basketball Co-Player of the Week for her efforts in two games last week. The graduate student from Norway averaged 15 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals against New Haven and St. Anselm in a 1-1 week for the Bears. Johansen hit 4-of-8 three-pointers against St. Anselm.

I’m a huge Syracuse fan and it pains me to criticize anything or anyone associated with the institution. This morning, however, I read an article written by a Syracuse professor that happens to be one of the most absurd pieces I’ve seen in a long while.

I knew I was in for a ride when Dr. Boyce Watkins opened with: “I despise the National Collegiate Athletic Association. I hate them more than asparagus or burnt popcorn.” First of all, asparagus is delicious and quite healthy. I do agree that burnt popcorn is disgusting, so Dr. Watkins and I do have something in common. The similarities end there.

Dr. Watkins is concerned that the NCAA is “probably one of the most exploitative (institutions) in all of American history.” Is he serious? Dr. Watkins believes that because men’s basketball and football programs generate the majority of revenue for the NCAA and its member institutions that the student-athletes in those sports should be paid.

Oh yes, Dr. Watkins, let’s pay the members of the Syracuse men’s basketball team six-figure salaries and let them stroll around campus pretending to be students. If they’re pretending now and not getting everything they can out of their free education, then it’s the fault of the coaching staff and the faculty who don’t take the importance of educating students seriously enough. I suggest you speak with your colleagues about prioritizing instead of demanding that student-athletes give up their amateur status and receive compensation.

The suggestion that “the kid on the field risking life and limb while his mama is still in the projects (gets nothing)” is ridiculous. That kid is getting an opportunity to receive an education, play a college sport and make a better life for both himself and his family. Dr. Watkins believes the NCAA has established a monopoly because kids have to be in college for three years before going to the NFL. The NFL sets that rule, not the NCAA. If you’re going to take shots at the NCAA about exploitation, at least get the facts straight.

Student-athletes make the choice to go to college. If members of the Syracuse men’s basketball team, or any team, have such a hard time playing at an NCAA institution, they can play professionally overseas. They can go to work right out of high school and give up on the basketball dreams. Nobody forces student-athletes to go to college, so I don’t understand the exploitation argument. There are almost 400,000 student-athletes, and most of them receive opportunities to play because of the revenue generated by the high-profile sports. I don’t see anything wrong with that.

I paid my way through a Division III school and would have taken any dime I could have gotten toward my education. To call a free education “nothing” is a slap in the face and shows a tremendous lack of understanding about the value of a college degree.

Presidents making push? Florida President Bernard Machen and Florida State President T.K. Wetherell have gone on record supporting a playoff for the top level of Division I football. Machen and Wetherell will have to convince their colleagues, who have resisted a change from the lucrative bowl structure. Like most fans, I would love to see a playoff. While proponents of the current system emphasize the importance of the regular season, I think that a playoff might make the regular season even more exciting and intense. College basketball has a great regular season and its tournament is one of the greatest spectacles in sports. There’s certainly a long way to go, but I’m excited that two prominent presidents are getting the discussion going.

Rained out. When I was growing up, I spent many hours playing basketball in the parks of New York. In fact, playing indoors was a rare occurrence and therefore became special whenever it happened. In a 180-degree turn, organized basketball games can now take place outside. Last night, Arizona State beat Texas Tech 61-45 at Chase Field, the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks in just the second women’s basketball game played outdoors. Interestingly, the weather wasn’t great and the game was called on account of rain with about four minutes remaining.

Good news in college sports. For a mid-week refresher, check out the “Good News in College Sports” blog. With stories of student-athletes recovering from brain surgery, becoming the first member of their family to earn a college degree or going from jail to the basketball court, this blog serves as a reminder that there is a lot of inspiration walking around our campuses.

Maine swimmer Sarah Holmsten shares her last blog before winter break.

Monday, December 11, 2006
8:40pm
I think I had a mini heart attack this afternoon. After practice I opened my email, where I had received a message from the business school. I wasn’t concerned; we tend to get emails from them every couple of weeks. But this one was different.

It stated that according to their records, I would not graduate in May if I didn’t change my schedule…I was registered for what I thought was a “free elective” when really I was still in need of a general education requirement.

It will all turn out ok, I can switch around my schedule…thankfully they brought this to my attention now rather then in March. However, that sentence stating “unless you don’t change your schedule…you will not have the requirements to graduate in May 2007” is enough to send any college senior into ULTRA STRESS mode.

Now that that problem is taken care of, I need to get back to work, preparing for my two presentations tomorrow. This is going to be a very long week!

In a couple of weeks, I will attend my fifth NCAA Convention. The first three came during my undergrad days at Brandeis, as I had the unique opportunity to represent Division III on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Last year was my first time as a member of the NCAA staff and I will attend the Convention in the same capacity this year.

I love every part of Convention - although there is a lot of work to be done, the entire week is a celebration of intercollegiate athletics. There will be nearly 3,000 people representing all three divisions at the Convention, and there is ample opportunity to interact with many of them.

Each year, the NCAA honors a number of individuals for their contributions to the field. This year, Christine Grant, Paul Tagliabue, Rowdy Gaines, Cat Osterman and others will be recognized. It is always thrilling to see the awards ceremony and hear from each of honorees.

On today’s edition of Mondays With Myles, NCAA President Myles Brand discusses some of his favorite parts of the Convention, including the Honors Celebration, Career Connections and the deliverance of his State of the Association address. Our next Mondays With Myles podcast will take place immediately following the address, so make sure to stay tuned as Dr. Brand lets us know where the NCAA is headed in the next 12 months.

Listen to Mondays With Myles

A weekend of repeat champions. Three national championships were decided on the gridiron this weekend and each of the games featured a repeat winner. In the Football Championship Subdivision, Appalachian State won its second straight national title, defeating Massachusetts, 28-17, as running back Kevin Richardson rumbled for 179 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Mountaineers. In Division II, Grand Valley State won its third straight national championship, this time beating Northwest Missouri State, 17-14. Quarterback Cullen Finnerty passed for 225 yards and ran for 115 more in the Laker victory. At the Division III level, Mount Union won its second straight Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, beating Wisconsin-Whitewater, 35-16. It was the ninth national title for the Purple Raiders, who finished the season a perfect 15-0. Quarterback Greg Micheli threw for 202 yards and three touchdowns.

Is it really necessary? I have never understood rioting after a big sporting event. I can’t comprehend why people flip cars and light fires in the street – it just doesn’t make any sense to me. What I understand even less, however, is that people riot win or lose. On Friday, 10 students from Massachusetts were arrested after lighting small fires, smashing windows and throwing bottles, rocks and bicycles on campus following a loss to Appalachian State in the Championship Subdivision title game. My assumption is that similar rioting would have occurred following a victory and my question remains the same. Why?

Nebraska back on top. For the first time since 2000, the Nebraska women’s volleyball team claimed the national championship, as the Cornhuskers defeated Stanford on Saturday, 3-1. Nebraska dropped the first game of the match, but reeled off three in a row to win in front of a pumped up crowd of 17,209 in Omaha’s Qwest Center. It’s nice to win a national title, but it’s even better to do it in front of your hometown fans.

Wichita State is good. The Shockers from Wichita State continued their torrid start to the basketball season on Sunday, defeating Maryland-Eastern Shore, 102-46. The 10th-ranked Shockers are deep, as 10 players logged more than 10 minutes of action and six scored in double figures. Wichita State is 8-0 and already has road wins at George Mason, LSU and Syracuse.

Double-A Zone reader Mo Johnson shot me an e-mail yesterday asking for us to clarify a couple of things about the Division I football postseason. Mo asks: “Since the NCAA awards only one national championship in Division I football, will the winner Friday night be legitimately called the 2006 Division I National Champion?” Thanks to Mo for the question and I hope other readers will follow the trend and send in questions of their own.

When Ohio State and Florida take the field next month to play for the national championship, they won’t be playing for an NCAA trophy. The Buckeyes and Gators will be competing for the BCS national championship, which is not controlled by the NCAA. The NCAA sponsors 88 championships in 23 sports, but does not have a hand in the Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly Division I-A.

The winner of tomorrow night’s game between Massachusetts and Appalachian State will be the Division I national champion in football. The NCAA sponsors the postseason and has a hand in this championship. The victor will hoist an NCAA trophy at the end of the game, and it will be the only one provided to a Division I program this year. There is no question the winner will legitimately be called the Division I football champ.

Volleyball finals set. Nebraska and Stanford advanced to the Division I women’s volleyball finals last night. The Cornhuskers battled back from a one-game deficit to beat UCLA, 3-1. The Bruins will have to wait at least a few months before they get another opportunity to win the school’s 100th national title as Sarah Paven had 22 kills and Tracy Stalls collected 17 to lead Nebraska. In the other semifinal, Stanford dominated defending national champion Washington, 3-0. Foluke Akinradewo led the Cardinal with 15 kills while Bryn Kehoe added 44 assists, seven digs and three blocks. The championship game is set for tomorrow at 8 p.m.

A couple of big games. The women’s volleyball championship isn’t the only tournament that will be decided this weekend. The action gets started tonight as the Division I Football Championship between Appalachian State and Massachusetts kicks off at 8 p.m. Tomorrow, Grand Valley State and Northwest Missouri State will play for the Division II Football Championship at noon. Appalachian State seeks its second straight title while the Lakers are looking for their third crown in a row. Both games will be televised on ESPN2.

Walter Payton would be proud. New Hampshire quarterback Ricky Santos won the Walter Payton Award as the best player in the Football Championship Subdivision. The junior threw for 2,681 yards and 23 touchdowns this season. He ran for an additional 12 scores while leading New Hampshire to a 9-4 record.

Three days of happiness. Six New Jersey City University student-athletes visited nearby Children’s Specialized Hospital earlier this week. The project, coordinated by the school’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, is called “3 Days of Happiness for New Jersey Hospitals and Rehabilitation Centers." The trip to the hospital was the second part of the month-long initiative. The student-athletes were decked out in fun costumes to entertain the children and it seems that they were quite a hit.

After the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics (CWA) released its position statement calling for a ban on the use of male practice players in women’s athletics, there has been a lot of chatter across the blogosphere about the issue. I’ve had some excellent offline conversations and I believe there are two viable sides to the argument.

While CWA believes that male practice players take opportunities away from female student-athletes, there are many in the women’s basketball community that believe banning male practice players will stymie the game’s growth.

As a former student-athlete who didn’t see a whole of time on the field, I am bothered by the premise that second-string players may see fewer repetitions in practice because of male players. On the other hand, folks in the women’s basketball community are shouting that female players don’t see less action in practice because of male participation.

I haven’t been to a ton of women’s practices over the years, so I don’t really know what to say. I’ve extended an invitation to some current and former women’s basketball student-athletes to share their thoughts on the issue and perhaps we’ll get a more realistic understanding after we read some of those posts.

To be fair, there is student-athlete representation on CWA. In Mechelle Voepel’s ESPN column, she writes: “You know, when the NCAA moved out of Overland Park, Kan., a few years back, maybe it shouldn't have stopped at Indianapolis. Perhaps it should have kept going east. Right now, I think the middle of the Atlantic Ocean might be a good spot.”

CWA is a committee made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, including student-athletes from all three divisions. The folks in the national office had no role in that position statement. In fact, Division III is the only division that has proposed legislation affecting male practice players on the docket for the upcoming NCAA Convention. It was the Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee that felt compelled to recommend that legislation after receiving feedback from student-athletes across the country.

As I’ve mentioned, I truly believe this is an issue where we need to listen to the student-athletes. We will bring as many voices into the discussion as we can during the next few weeks and I hope everybody is willing to listen.

Spike it. The Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship will continue tonight with national semifinal matches. In the first game, top-seeded Nebraska will take on fourth-seeded UCLA. In the nightcap, Washington and Stanford will battle for a berth in the title match. Washington beat Nebraska to win last year’s championship and Stanford won its sixth national title in 2004. The four programs left in the bracket have combined for 12 of the 25 national titles that have been won in the sport. UCLA is seeking its 100th team national championship.

The holiday spirit. The Longwood Student-Athlete Advisory Committee recently collected more than 300 canned goods and enough money to buy 147 pounds of food for less fortunate families during the holiday season. Donations were received at four men’s and women’s basketball games during a two-week stretch and will help feed approximately 25 area families. Although many of Longwood’s students don’t hail from the Farmville, Virginia area, it’s nice to see that they are committed to making a difference in that community.

VMI wins sportsmanship award. Virginia Military Institute’s men’s soccer team won the Big South Conference’s Team Sportsmanship Award. Congratulations to the Keydets for this important recognition.

I think there’s something special about the fact that my college baseball coach has spent 25 years at the same school. I love that Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden have become synonymous with Penn State and Florida State. Unfortunately, these long marriages may be a thing of the past.

As coaches’ salaries increase and expectations reach unprecedented levels, it seems unrealistic to assume that college coaches will spend the majority of their careers in one place. Successful coaches find more lucrative deals and unsuccessful coaches find themselves out of a job faster than ever before, even if they have time left on their contracts.

I admit I’m an idealist. I never wanted to deal with a coaching change and I’m glad I didn’t have to go through that. I’ve said before that escalating salaries seem to go against the spirit of intercollegiate athletics. I’d rather see schools spend the extra dollars on the academic side of things or invest more money in the coaches of non-revenue sports.

Earlier this week, Dennis Erickson left Idaho after a one-year stint for the brighter football lights at Arizona State. I don’t begrudge Erickson his move, but his players certainly seemed hurt. There’s not much we can do to keep coaches from moving around – it’s their right and choice. It’s just unfortunate that it’s become such a business decision.

I think of my college coach as the patriarch of our large family. It seems that fewer student-athletes will have an opportunity to experience that as salaries rise and coaches bounce around the country.

The best in Division III. Alma quarterback Josh Brehm has been named the 14th recipient of the Gagliardi Trophy, given annually to the most outstanding football player in Division III. Brehm led Division III in three categories this season: total offense, passing yards and passing yards per game. He completed 66 percent of his passes (305-of-462) for 3,448 yards and 30 touchdowns. Even better than Brehm’s 15 school records, the business and psychology double-major has had three consecutive semesters with a 4.0 GPA. This past year, he was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Second Team.

Schiano earns honors. Rutgers football coach Greg Schiano was named Walter Camp Football Foundation Coach of the Year after leading the Scarlet Knights to just the second 10-win season in the 137-year history of the program. Schiano was recently recognized as the Big East Conference and Home Depot National Coach of the Year.

Take two in Miami. After one of the worst sports brawls in recent memory, Miami and Florida International will try it again next season. The programs announced they will play October 6 in the Orange Bowl to keep the in-town rivalry alive.

Fazekas eclipses milestone. Nevada senior Nick Fazekas scored 19 points in a 76-58 win over St. Mary’s on Tuesday night, becoming the first player in school history to score more than 2,000 points during his career. Fazekas grabbed his 1,000th career rebound in a loss to UNLV on Saturday. He currently leads the nation with 14.1 rebounds per game.

Kentucky basketball student-athlete Randolph Morris is once again making headlines. This time it’s not because he made an ill-advised attempt to jump to the NBA, but instead because of a unique loophole that could make him a rich man quite soon.

After Morris went undrafted in 2005, the NCAA withheld the Kentucky center for 14 games during his sophomore season before allowing him to take the court in a Wildcat uniform again. Morris has improved steadily since that point and has emerged as a bona fide NBA prospect early this season.

Here’s the thing: the NBA only allows you to go through its draft one time and since Morris had made himself eligible for the 2005 edition, he can no longer be drafted by an NBA team. In effect, the starting center for the Kentucky Wildcats is now a free agent.

I have to admit that I am caught off guard by this rule; I had no idea it existed and am not quite sure what to think. Conceivably, Morris could sign with an NBA team during the college basketball season, give up his amateur eligibility and finish the season as a millionaire on an NBA bench.

I hope he doesn’t do that, but just as Marc Isenberg at Money Players asked in his post this morning, how can you begrudge Morris if he leaves? If anybody else had an offer on the table for millions of dollars, they would jump in a heartbeat? Why should we expect this kid to stay?

I hope Morris does stay – for himself, for his teammates and most importantly, to finish classes. While he has already shown that his desire for a professional basketball career supersedes his educational pursuits, I hope that this time around he chooses the latter. Either way, it’s his decision to make.

Corn Nation’s Jon Johnston submitted five questions regarding postseason football last week and I wanted to post the answers on our blog as well. Jon received a comment on his blog about the NCAA’s role in postseason football and wanted to clarify some of the points. We’re always glad to receive questions on the Double-A Zone and I hope Jon has started a trend. Don’t forget – NCAA President Myles Brand is also eager to receive your questions for future Mondays With Myles podcasts.

1. How can the NCAA put teams on probation and tell them they can't go to a bowl game yet not be involved in determining postseason play?
The NCAA is a membership-led organization, and our membership has decided the extent to which they want national regulation within the postseason structure. To say the NCAA is "not involved" in postseason bowls isn’t correct. The NCAA, through its Postseason Football Licensing Subcommittee (representatives from member institutions), licenses postseason bowls to ensure they are financially viable and are structurally set up to provide a quality experience for the teams. The NCAA determines the eligibility criteria for participation in postseason bowls (e.g., minimum number of wins) and determines which conferences' officials will work specific bowl games. The NCAA just does not create the postseason match-ups between teams or determine the postseason format (e.g., BCS).

2. Why do you have to go through the NCAA to get a new bowl game established?
To ensure the bowls are financially viable, are a community based event structured to provide a quality experience for the teams, and that the number of bowls in the market is appropriate given historical data on the number of bowl eligible teams each year.

3. Was there a point in history at which the NCAA did control bowl game policies and negotiations? If so, what happened to change it?
No. The first Rose Bowl (1905) happened before the NCAA was even officially established.

4. What is the difference between Division IA, IAA, II and III - who controls the other subdivision's post-season play policies and structure?
The NCAA sponsors 88 championships in 23 sports each year. Three of those championships are football – Division I-AA, Division II and Division III. The NCAA membership has given the national office the ability to run the football championships in the other divisions, but the chancellors and presidents in Division I have not changed their commitment to the BCS and bowl structure. Until that happens, the NCAA doesn’t have control over the postseason match-ups in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

5. Could the NCAA have any influence on whether or not Division IA would move to a playoff system?
Only through the collective will of the membership. If an appropriate majority of the membership thought the postseason bowl system should be more akin to an NCAA championship, it is conceivable we could see a change that would bring the Football Bowl Subdivision in line with the rest of NCAA championship events.

Saying no to male practice players. The NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics has issued a position statement calling for a ban on the use of male practice players in women’s sports. Currently, women’s teams are allowed to use men in practice situations to help prepare for competition. While supporters of the use of male practice players argue that it enhances the quality of women’s athletics, detractors are convinced that the men take away practice opportunities from some female student-athletes. I tend to agree with that perspective and so does the Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, which recommended legislation to the Division III Management Council to restrict the use of male practice players. The Division III membership will address the issue next month at the annual Convention, while the other two divisions continue to gather information and feedback on the matter.

Once, twice, three times. There’s a great feature on ESPN Online today sharing the story of Megan, Molly and Moriah Frazee, triplets who star for the Liberty women’s basketball team. Megan was recently named Big South Player of the Week for the third time this season and leads the Flames with 19.9 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. Molly is second on the team in scoring at 9.6 points per game and Moriah is third in scoring with an average of 8.3 points. Liberty is 5-3 this season and is looking for its 11th consecutive conference championship.

Good luck finding a seat. The Division I Football National Championship Game between Appalachian State and Massachusetts is sold out. It’s the first time the game has sold out in the 10 years it has been held in Chattanooga. Finley Stadium Davenport Field holds more than 20,000 people and I’m pumped up that there’s growing interest in the Football Championship Subdivision. It’s an exciting tournament and Saturday’s championship game should prove to be a great finish to the season.

Maine swimmer Sarah Holmsten discusses the end of the semester.

Monday, December 4, 2006
5:15pm
So my wish came true. Orono, Maine finally got some snow!! Not a blizzard, but a nice dusting just in time to get me into the Christmas spirit.

In my absence the last few weekends, my fantastic roommates have taken it upon themselves to add Christmas cheer to our apartment. We have a tree, with lights, stockings and a countdown to final exams, and Christmas vacation.

haven’t been back home (Minnesota) since July so I am even more excited for this break…hopefully the blizzard doesn’t hit the day I am fly home.

Tuesday, December 5, 2006
10:00am
My 6 a.m. practices are quickly coming to an end. The end of morning practices marks a very important point in the season. We have one more meet before the Christmas break. Is the semester really almost done!?

Then, Jan. 3, we head to sunny Florida for our winter training. Now you may think this sounds like a winter vacation…WRONG. We swim approximately 5 hours a day for 10 days…not quite a vacation but better then the frozen Tundra of Orono. It is fun to come back from winter break with a nice tan.

This summer we discussed an article that alluded to basketball recruiting lists that rank sixth graders and their athletics abilities. Apparently, parents have been known to hold their 10 and 11-year-old children back in school to help boost those rankings.

For the life of me, I can’t understand how parents choose athletics over academics at such an early age. It actually makes me nauseous that we’re telling kids that it’s okay to slow down their academic progress if it means a better shot at basketball or football glory. What kind of message does that send?

On today’s edition of Mondays With Myles, NCAA President Myles Brand and I discuss our thoughts on these recruiting rankings and increased specialization in sports by today’s youth.

Listen to Mondays With Myles

Heisman announced. Another year has passed and I still haven’t won the Heisman. I guess I’ll have to work on my pose a bit more before I can be considered a serious candidate. Ohio State’s Troy Smith won the prestigious award on Saturday night in a lopsided vote – Smith grabbed 801 first-place votes while second-place Darren McFadden had 45. Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn finished third in the balloting. Smith must be thrilled to have won the Heisman, but he has seemed like a man on a mission all season, and I don’t think he’ll be happy unless Ohio State beats Florida next month in the BCS national championship game.

To Finnerty…and beyond! Grand Valley State quarterback Cullen Finnerty passed for 365 yards and six touchdowns to lead the Lakers over Delta State, 49-30, last night in the Division II national semifinals. Grand Valley will take on Northwestern Missouri State in the championship game on Saturday in Florence, Alabama. The Lakers are after their third consecutive national title while Northwest Missouri seeks its first crown since 1999. GVSU beat Northwest Missouri in last year’s title game, 21-17.

Dancing on the sidelines. I watched a bit of the Appalachian State football game on Saturday, as the Mountaineers beat Youngstown State to advance to the Division I national championship game. The Mountaineers are after their second straight national title and looked awesome on Saturday. Nobody seemed more excited than Chancellor Kenneth Peacock, who was slapping hands with fans in the bleachers. I love that Peacock was fired up about the school’s football success and in his interview with ESPN, he discussed his pride in the university’s academic accolades as well as its dominance on the gridiron. It’s a great time to be a student at Appalachian State and it’ll be even better if they can beat Massachusetts in Chattanooga next weekend.

A big win for Otterbein. The Otterbein men’s basketball team defeated Muskingum on Saturday, 95-84. Head coach Dick Reynolds won his 600th game in his 35th season at the helm of his alma mater. Otterbein won the 2002 national title.

Maryland junior Laura Harper discusses a recent road trip to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the hometown of head coach Brenda Frese. The Terrapins are 12-0 and are currently the top-ranked team in the nation.

Cedar Rapids is a place that I have never experienced or for that matter thought about. But our trip to Northern Iowa was more than just playing a team where everyone is a three-point shooting specialist. This trip was about family, friends and Oreo dessert.

This team has been on the road more than we have slept in our own beds in the last few weeks. So, to say the least, we were not as eager as we should have been to go on another trip...especially to Iowa. When we were asked what states surrounded Iowa, the team didn't know. But after this trip, we have a better appreciation for Iowa other than just corn. We got to see Coach B's roots, down to the curly mullet she had in high school.

Spending time in Coach B's house really was enjoyable and I felt the "family-feel" all throughout the house. We played ping pong, pool and looked at a ton pictures of all the Frese's. I think Mrs. Frese saved every award ever gotten from any of the children. The walls overflowed with pictures and awards. Her entire family was there, except for her sister, Marsha. All of her nieces and nephews, sisters and brother, as well as the extended family. It was a big gathering. We all got to interact more with Coach B's parents and we got to see their true personalities. Jade [Perry] got to hold Coach B's sister Stacy's new born baby, something we don't see much.

After coming off a two and a half hour plane ride, Coach B's was a great time, a relief and at the end we were all glad we got to visit Iowa. If for anything, to see Cedar Rapids and to get to know and become closer with her family.

The NCAA released a statement correcting the record about the eligibility decision made regarding Cincinnati basketball student-athlete Adam Hrycaniuk.

While newspapers have reported that Cincinnati asked the NCAA to delay its announcement until after final exams, Director of Public and Media Relations Erik Christianson says that’s not true: “During a number of discussions with the university and the NCAA regarding the eligibility decision, the school never requested to wait until the close of final exams on Thursday to announce the decision.” According to Christianson, the NCAA and Cincinnati worked together to release the information on Tuesday afternoon.

The Bearcat center has been reinstated for the 2007-08 season, but will sit out this season and lose a year of eligibility as a condition of reinstatement. The initial reinstatement decision was rendered by the NCAA staff and was appealed to a committee made up of administrators from Division I institutions. The committee upheld the staff’s decision.

Hail Guest Blogger. Double-A Zone guest blogger Crissy Givens is getting face time with a picture on ESPN Online. The Middle Tennessee senior scored 25 points to lead the Blue Raiders over eighth-ranked Georgia last night, 70-62. The Blue Raiders (6-3) must play one of the nation’s toughest schedules, having already faced off with Maryland, Tennessee and the Bulldogs. It was nice to see Crissy get some love, not only because she is a dynamite basketball player, but because she is extremely bright and does a superb job writing blogs for us all the time. I am becoming quite the Blue Raider fan!

Miami Hires Shannon. Randy Shannon has led one of the nation’s premier defenses during his tenure as defensive coordinator at Miami (Florida). For his efforts, Shannon was promoted to head coach yesterday. The former Hurricane linebacker and member of the 1987 national championship team becomes the sixth African-American head coach in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

Hanging With Ronald. The Delaware women’s lacrosse team is organizing a holiday toy drive in conjunction with a local Ronald McDonald House. Team members and coaches will purchase new toys and deliver them in the middle of the month. The team is also urging other members of the community to donate toys for the children. The Blue Hens are certainly doing their part to make the holidays a bit brighter for those who need it most.

Swimming For Jarred. The Vermont swimming and diving team participated in a swim-a-thon last month to raise money for the Jarred Williams Foundation. The Catamounts raised $2,623 for the foundation, which began in 2001 in memory of Jarred Williams – a 13-year-old who died of cancer. The foundation provides financial assistance to Vermont and New York families who have a chronically ill child and are of limited financial means.

A Bunch Of Good Sports. Charleston Southern was awarded the Big South Conference’s Team Sportsmanship Award for women’s soccer. The Lady Bucs’ softball team earned conference sportsmanship honors last spring.

Last year I had the opportunity to travel to Boston and watch the Women’s Final Four. It was an amazing experience – one I’d like to repeat each year. I love women’s basketball, but I also love the men’s game, and this year I plan on heading to Atlanta to watch the Men’s Final Four. I would love to be able to go to all of the games, but it’s a logistical nightmare. I know this is a dilemma most folks would love to have, but would it work to have the Final Fours on different weekends?

In the most recent edition of The NCAA News, Greg Johnson reveals that the Division I Women’s Basketball Enhancement Group, chaired by NCAA President Myles Brand, is examining the possibility of moving the women’s basketball championship back one week to give the burgeoning event its own place in the spotlight.

Johnson addresses the many issues that would arise with a change in championship dates, including the timing of women’s conference tournaments, which are often played the week before the men’s conference tournaments. If the women’s championship is pushed back, some teams could go a long time without competition. That doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense at that point in the season.

There is growing popularity for the women’s game, but I wonder if interest might wane after the men’s tournament had completed. Would it make more sense to move the entire women’s season up one week? Would it be better for the first round of the women’s championship to go head-to-head with the men’s conference tournaments?

I personally believe that women’s basketball can stand on its own two legs and would continue to blossom if it conducted the championship on a different weekend. I don’t know if there’s a finite answer to this discussion, but it’s certainly an interesting issue to toss around.

Double Duty. St. John Fisher rolled over Rowan on Saturday, 31-0, to advance to the semifinals of the Division III Football Championship. The Cardinals will take on defending national champion Mount Union this weekend, but that’s not the biggest story to come out of Rochester this week. Defensive Coordinator Blaise Faggiano and his wife, Alison, hopped on a plane Tuesday bound for Guatemala. On Friday, the family will return with a new member – 7-month old James. As soon as they return home on Friday night, Faggiano will get in the car for the five-hour drive to Alliance, Ohio in time for Saturday’s game. Before the biggest game of the season, Faggiano is teaching his team a valuable lesson about the importance of family and personal values. Some things are more important than football, and family is certainly one of those things. There are times that kids need a reminder of that and Coach Faggiano is making a wonderful statement. He has promised his players he will be there to deliver the team’s breakfast prayer. It sounds like this will be the most special prayer he’s given yet. Good luck to the Faggiano and St. John’s Fisher families!

Walk-on Named Captain. Tom Murray was elected to captain the 2007 NYIT baseball team. Murray set career highs in 2006 with a .262 batting average, two home runs, 19 runs scored and 18 RBIs. Normally, I wouldn’t announce the selection of a team captain, but Murray joined the team as a walk-on in 2003. I think it’s pretty cool that a kid who wasn’t recruited earned enough respect to be chosen as the team’s leader.

Night Out On The Griffs. The Missouri Western State Student-Athlete Advisory Committee hosted a night for young children, babysitting the kids while their parents enjoyed a night out on the town. More than 100 kids participated in the event, playing games and watching movies with the school’s student-athletes.

Brian Kelly did an outstanding coaching job at Central Michigan this season, leading the program to a 9-4 record and the Mid-American Conference championship. Central Michigan will face Middle Tennessee in the Motor City Bowl in less than three weeks. Kelly will not be on the sidelines.

Instead, Kelly will be leading Cincinnati against Western Michigan in the International Bowl. Kelly was hired to replace Mark Dantonio, who bolted for the opening at Michigan State. Cincinnati would rather have its new coach calling plays in the bowl game than its former coach.

If I were the Cincinnati administrators, I wouldn’t have wanted a lame-duck coach to finish the season either, but I can’t help thinking about the student-athletes. Here we have two teams that have had excellent seasons, and in the final game of the year, their coaches won’t be with them.

It certainly doesn’t bother me that the coaches have accepted new positions, but I hate that the hiring game takes place during the season. It’s terrible that coaches have to abandon their teams before the season is over, and I hate that they’re put in a position to do so.

Obviously, schools want their new head coaches in place as soon as possible to get a jump on recruiting, but as a former student-athlete, I can’t imagine playing that last game of my career without the coach who had been with me for four years. It just doesn’t seem right.

Remembering Jimmy Valvano. It’s always an emotional evening when teams get together to compete in the Jimmy V Classic in Madison Square Garden. I attended last year’s games and watched last night’s on television, and it’s a special day of remembrance, celebration, awareness and basketball. The games were fun to watch, and Oklahoma State and Arizona played well. On Monday night, the fifth annual Jimmy V Women’s Basketball Classic was played at Rutgers, Valvano’s alma mater. More important than the games, we heard from Dick Vitale and a host of others who spoke about their fallen friend and the need to win the fight against cancer.

Liberty wins sportsmanship award. For the second consecutive season, the Liberty women’s cross country team was awarded the Big South Conference’s Team Sportsmanship Award. The Lady Flames finished ahead of Coastal Carolina in the voting, which is done by conference student-athletes. Teams cannot vote for themselves. The Big South began recognizing team sportsmanship last year, and I can’t think of anything more important to honor in intercollegiate athletics.

How about those Judges? When I was a student at Brandeis, the men’s basketball team won about 25 games during my four years. Things have changed since I left, and the Judges are out to a 9-0 start after dumping Clark last night, 66-51. Brandeis is 9-0 for the third time in school history, the last time coming during the 1972-1973 season. The women’s team is also undefeated at 6-0 and hosts WPI tonight at Red Auerbach Arena. The eighth-ranked women advanced to the second round of last year’s NCAA tournament.

Lassiter earns ECC honors. NYIT sophomore basketball player Bryant Lassiter was named East Coast Conference Player of the Week after averaging 35 points, four rebounds and four steals in two games last week. Lassiter led the Bears to a double-overtime win at Adelphi, scoring a career-high 41 points. He also had 29 points in an overtime loss to Goldey-Beacom later in the week.

Finding a way. On the brink of his first college football game, Rutgers freshman Rashawn Ricks was in a car accident that killed two of his best friends and his older brother, and ended his playing career. Three years later, he’s preparing to become a New Jersey firefighter and a part-time high school football coach. Ricks has spent his time at Rutgers as a player/coach, making a significant impact despite being unable to get on the field. Lee Jenkins did a first-class job telling Ricks’ story in Saturday’s edition of The New York Times.

The first one. North Carolina won its 18th national championship in women’s soccer over the weekend, but women haven’t been competing in the NCAA for all that long. In 1973, Wayne State diver Dacia Schileru became the first woman to compete in NCAA championships competition – seven years before the Association even began staging women’s championships. The impact of her performance caused the event to be named on the Top 25 Defining Moments in NCAA history. As women’s athletics continues to grow and prosper, young girls can look up to Schileru and know she was the first one.

On this date in 2003, the NCAA Honors Committee named Alan Page as the recipient of the 2004 Theodore Roosevelt Award – the highest honor the NCAA bestows upon an individual. A former football student-athlete at the University of Notre Dame, Page was the first African-American elected to the Minnesota Supreme Court.

As a former Division III student-athlete, I shamelessly look for any excuse to promote and applaud the NCAA’s largest demographic. I love Division III and everything it stands for – high academics, competitive athletics and sportsmanship. A few weeks ago, we celebrated a beautiful story of sportsmanship and respect in a postseason soccer game between Framingham State and Bridgewater State.

It’s unusual for a Division III game to catch any publicity among major media outlets during the winter months, as Division I teams are the ones making news. This weekend, however, Lincoln (Pennsylvania) made headlines in newspapers throughout the country and on major Web sites across the Internet, as its men’s basketball team scored a record 201 points in a win over Ohio State-Marion.

Excuse me if I don’t join the long line of people waiting to congratulate Lincoln coach Garfield Yuille for his team’s dominant performance. Excuse me if I don’t celebrate the fact that Lincoln had 48 steals and didn’t stop running. Excuse me if I’m not excited that Lincoln made some noise for Division III.

I can’t find the good in outscoring one’s opponent 201-78. Lincoln scored 97 points in the opening half and poured in 104 in the game’s final 20 minutes. The Lions attempted 69 first-half shots and jumped out to a 97-44 lead. Yuille must have felt that the game wasn’t well enough in hand at that point, as the Lions continued to run and hoisted 72 shots in the second half. Is it just me or could they have slowed it down?

I understand that coaches are hesitant to have their players change the team’s style of play due to a lead, but what value is there in embarrassing a fourth-year program that only dressed six players? I know we’re talking about college kids, but who wants to be on the wrong side of that score? Yuille played all 16 of the players on his roster, but many of the reserves didn’t see a ton of court time. Lincoln never slowed it down. If the Lions could have scored 300 points, I don’t think anybody on their side would have stopped the carnage.

It’s nice to make the record books and it’s nice to get in the news. Senior Sam Wylie led the scoring with 69 points in just 24 minutes of action. Wylie hit 21 three-pointers and I can’t criticize the kid for hitting that many outside shots. He was on and kept hitting. He had the game of his life, and that’s okay.

What’s not okay is to embarrass your opponent, which is exactly what Lincoln did by refusing to slow things down. As a Division III alum, I am appalled by this story and its lack of sportsmanship. In my mind, it goes against everything we should stand for.

Maine swimmer Sarah Holmsten reports on the last week of her life.

Monday, November 27, 2006
8:30pm
During a regular week, Monday’s tend to be awful, students are still sleepy eyed from the weekend, professors don’t want to be there, and student-athletes are sore/tired from a full weekend of competition.

The Monday after Thanksgiving is 100 times worse! Students want to be at home on their couch, professors want the semester to be over, and student-athletes are still sore/tired and even out of shape from the break…Yay for Mondays!!

Back to work, then off to bed; the “normal schedule” says 6am swim tomorrow….”back to life, back to reality” (sing the song in your head, you know the words)

After an exciting finish to the college football regular season, the Bowl Championship Series selected teams for the next month’s five premier postseason games. While champions in the Football Championship Subdivision and Division II will be decided through a tournament format, the top teams in Division I will once again compete in bowls to conclude the season.

To the frustration of many, the NCAA doesn’t oversee the postseason in the Football Bowl Subdivision. For that to change, the presidents and chancellors of Division I institutions would have to propose and approve legislation to alter the structure. I don’t see that happening anytime soon.

On today’s edition of Mondays With Myles, President Brand and I discuss the exciting playoff formats and why the Bowl Subdivision hasn’t changed over. He stresses the importance of the regular season at that level and addresses the proliferation of bowl games. Dr. Brand also discusses the coaching turnover and why it’s important for schools to look at all possible candidates when filling their vacancies.

Listen to Mondays With Myles

Division II football semis set. Grand Valley State beat North Dakota for the second consecutive season and advanced to the national semifinals with a 30-20 victory on Saturday. The Lakers are in pursuit of their second straight national title and fourth in five years. Delta State earned the right to play the Lakers on Saturday with a 27-10 upset over previously unbeaten North Alabama. On the other side of the bracket, Bloomsburg and Northwest Missouri State both advanced to the semifinals. Delta State won the 2000 national championship and Northwest Missouri State won consecutive titles in 1998 and 1999. This weekend’s games will be broadcast on ESPN stations.

Crazy weekend of hoops. As a devoted Syracuse fan, I watched every minute of Saturday’s showdown with Wichita State and was thrilled when the Orange overcame a deficit of more than 20 points to storm back and tie the game with less than two minutes remaining. Syracuse fell short to an excellent Wichita State team, which improved to 6-0 and added an impressive victory to a resume that also includes wins over George Mason and LSU. In other noteworthy upsets, DePaul’s Sammy Mejia had 23 points and eight rebounds to lead the Blue Demons over No. 5 Kansas, 64-57. North Dakota State, which moved to Division I two years ago, beat No. 9 Marquette, 64-60, behind 26 points from Andre Smith. Florida State handed rival Florida its second loss in three games on Sunday as Al Thornton scored 28 points to lead the way.

100 will have to wait. Both UCLA soccer teams fell short this weekend and the school’s 100th championship will have to wait for at least a few months. On the women’s side, North Carolina knocked off UCLA in Friday’s semifinal before defeating Notre Dame on Sunday, 2-0, to win its 18th national title. The Bruins advanced to the championship game against UC-Santa Barbara, but fell to the unseeded Gauchos in the finals, 2-1. All wasn’t lost for the Bruins this weekend, however, as they upset rival USC on the gridiron to keep the Trojans out of the BCS championship game.

North Carolina wins again. With the completion of the women’s soccer tournaments, we have now finished celebrating the 25th year of women’s championships. Fittingly, North Carolina capped the celebration with its 18th national title on the soccer pitch, defeating Notre Dame on Sunday, 2-1. After opening the season with a double-overtime loss at Texas A&M, the Tar Heels failed to stumble again, reeling off 27 consecutive wins en route to the title. It was the first title since 2003 for Anson Dorrance and the Tar Heels.

Good news awaits you. Jim Johnson, who does a great job with The CourtMaster Rules on College Sports, has started a new blog celebrating the good things that happen in intercollegiate athletics. Jim and I seem to share similar philosophies that the mainstream media fails to mention the vast majority of positive stories happening on college campuses across the country. Instead, they concentrate on the missteps and often paint an unrealistic picture of what it means to be a college athlete. Jim is clearly passionate about intercollegiate athletics and understands what it’s all about.

Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco is actively lobbying for a BCS berth for LSU. The governor has called the presidents of the Rose Bowl and Orange Bowl to give the Tigers an extra boost before selections are made on Sunday.

Last month, Blanco hosted Rose Bowl President Paul Holman and other Tournament of Roses Committee members at the Governor’s Mansion. I appreciate the governor’s passion for football and for LSU, but I’m not sure I agree with government officials politicking for their hometown teams.

I would hate to think that the bowl officials can be influenced by phone calls from the governor, and it all seems a bit out of place to me.

Clarke softball student-athlete