First NBA Matchup, Olympic Attendance and ESPY Nominees - Jul 08, 2008
posted by: Howard Smith
- Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley, the top two picks in the recent NBA Draft, met yesterday in their first summer league game. Beasley got the best of the matchup, scoring 28 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Rose had 10 points and four assists in the game. This got me thinking...which college career would you prefer? Would you want to put up Player of the Year-like numbers on a pretty good Kansas State team, or be the point guard for the national champion runner-up?
- As presidential candidates postulate about their fictitious involvement in the Olympics, steeplechaser Anthony Famiglietti had a more literal decision to make. After qualifying for the Olympics Famiglietti told the New York Times, "I had a lot of moral dilemmas about making this team and going to a country that is suppressing the human rights of individuals in their country and individuals in Tibet." Famiglietti eventually decided to make the trip to Beijing because, like the 1936 Olympics, "I think if you use it for the right things, it can have an incredible effect on people in a positive way." What do you think? Did Famiglietti and President Bush make the right decision?
- Colorado defensive tackle George Hypolite is doing more than just getting ready for his senior season on the football field. The All-Big 12 player volunteers at a local Boulder safe house for battered women and children. We know there are numerous student-athletes around the country who do great things like this off the field, and we always love to hear about them. Send us your ideas at hssmith@ncaa.org or mhlawrence@ncaa.org.
There are several college ties to the nominations for the upcoming ESPY Awards. A couple of note:
- Loyola College swimmer Phil Scholz has been named a finalist for the "Best Male Athlete with Disability" category. Scholz will be swimming for the US Paralympics team in Beijing after winning the gold in all four of his events at the trials in April. During his first year at Loyola, Scholz set 14 American swimming records.
- Division II Western Oregon's softball game against Central Washington was nominated for "Best Sports Moment." Western Oregon's Sara Tucholsky's was carried around the bases by two Central Washington players after tearing her ACL during her first-ever home-run trot.
