Sleepers, Recruiting, Golf Coach and Helping Others - Jun 27, 2008 | 9:34:38
posted by: Howard Smith
- With the conclusion of the College World Series on Wednesday, the NCAA championship season is officially over. The next sporting event is college football in August, which will be here before we know it. Be sure to check out our slideshow that honors the last 10 College World Series champions. Additionally, look back on ncaa.org on Monday for slideshows that celebrate all 88 NCAA championships from this school year.
- The NBA Draft was conducted last night, and as expected, college freshmen dominated the early picks with five of the first seven selections. The top three, as predicted by most, were Memphis' Derrick Rose, Kansas State's Michael Beasley, and USC's O.J. Mayo. The most interesting aspect of the draft to me isn't necessarily the lottery picks, but instead the steals that teams find in the second round. I think a sleeper pick might turn out to be Memphis' Chris Douglas-Roberts at pick 40 to the New Jersey Nets. The guy was a winner in college and I think that his game will translate well to the next level. Any sleepers in your mind?
- Last year, the NCAA governance structure was forced to become comfortable with technology and take a hard look at how text messaging was used in the recruitment of prospective student-athletes. While coaches are no longer texting high school students, creative recruiting tactics will undoubtedly continue to evolve. Sports Illustrated ran an interesting article on the history of recruiting in intercollegiate athletics - it's worth a read, if only to learn about the personalized comic books previously used by the Oregon football program.
- The U.S. Women's Open is being played this week in Edina, Minnesota, where Martha Nause, the golf coach at Macalester (Minnesota) qualified as the oldest woman in the field at age 53. Nause's story is inspirational, as she overcame a disease that affects facial nerves to win the 1994 du Maurier, an LPGA major at the time. Although she shot a 78 in her first round yesterday, it must be a thrill for her to be playing near home on golf's grandest stage.
- The USGA always loves interesting pairings when conducting its championships. Playing with Nause in the first two rounds is the youngest player in the field, 13-year-old Alexis Thompson, who opened with a 75 and is currently tied for 66th place. Unbelievably, this is Thompson's second U.S. Open; last year, she qualified as a 12-year-old, the youngest player to ever participate in Women's U.S. Open.
- We always love to hear stories about people helping others, especially when they involve college athletics. Indianapolis native and Saint Louis University student Brigette Schutzman was seriously hurt in a car accident last December. Brigette was a track and cross country student-athlete at Saint Louis and currently holds school records in the indoor 800 meters and 3,000-meter event outdoors. She's made a lot of progress since the accident but her family is still dealing with mounting medical bills. SLU held a benefit for Brigette this spring and Brebeuf Jesuit in Indianapolis held a 5K benefit for her last night to help with the expenses. We have heard that the event was a huge success and we wish Brigette all the best in her recovery.
