lay 1,2003 f!
May 1,2003
The Blue Banner
Pages
Sports
ney
siii
Pardon the interruption, UNCA
Banner writers answer all things serious and silly about sports
Terrence
Sports Reporter
Jennifer
Bacon
Sports Reportei
^ONUNE EDITOR
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iES Page 5
Who’s your pick to win the NBA
Championship? Will we see yet an
other Lakers win or a dark horse run
from the (L)Eastem Conference?Nets,
Celtics, Hornets, Magic, 76ers, Pis-
Pacers, Bucks, Lakers, T-Wolves,
Blazers, Spurs, Suns, Mavs, Jazz,
Kings
Terrence Basso: I think the Lakers
still have at least one more tide in
store. I can see them being de
throned by Sacramento if it comes
but outside of the Kings I
don’t think Shaq and company will
be defeated this season. Sure they
had a sub-par regular season but
that doesn’t mean all that much
once the playoffs start. I think the
Nets are going to be the East’s
representatives this year. You never
know, they could surprise everyone
and take down L.A. but I’m not
counting on it.
Jennifer Bacon: I always like to
pull for the underdog in most situ
ations. In a perfect world, I would
cheer on the Jazz or Magic, but this
isn’t a perfect world, so I’m going to
have to say the Spurs. They have a
better team than the Lakers do over
all. We all know the Lakers are
slowly going downhill.
Who’s the best coach in sports and
why? Amateur, Collegiate, Profes
sional, et al so long as he or she is
currently coaching. ’ '
Bacon: Phil Jacl«on. The goatee is
really rocking, man.
Basso: Even if I wasn’t a Yankee fan
I think I’d still have to pick Joe
Torre as the best coach out there.
First of all, he’s been able to handle
working in the New York sports
climate and dealign with all the
distractions that come with it. He’s
been able to keep Steinbrenner in
check ^or the most part during his
tenure in the Big Apple and that is
small feat either. And let’s not
forget that he coached the Yankees
four championships in the past
seven years. There’s no reason he
won’t add another one this year.
He also is a student of the game,
which is important for any coach.
Whether you love or hate the Yan
kees, you can’t deny Torre’s coach
ing ability.
If UNCA teams weren’t the Bulldogs,
who or what would our mascot be
and why?
Basso: They’d have to get some
strange name like minor league base
ball teams have. I’ll go with the
Asheville Mountain Trolls. Hope
fully the mascot outside of the gym
wouldn’t be anatomically correct
in that case since that’d be pretty
frightening.
Bacon: The Activists. Activists of
what? I have no idea.
It’s the end of they year. Based on
what you know, see and read...give
outthe report card grades (andmaybe
a little note) for the following UNCA
Bacon: men’s basketball: A-f. Way
to go guys!
women’s basketball: E for Effort
men’s soccer: B
women’s soccer: B
baseball: A-
volleyball: A-f
men’s tennis: B
women’s tennis: B-
track and field: B (same for Cross
Country)
Basso: Men’s Basketball: A+. The
tournament birth was more than
anyone could have asked. I look
forward to seeing them get back
there next year.
Women’s Basketball: D. They had
three wins towards the start of the
season but after that they went on
to lose their final 20 games. They
did show a lot of heart and some of
those losses were close so hopefully
they’ll improve next season.
Men’s Soccer: B. They finished up
with a .300 conference record and
ED FICKLE/PHOTO EDITOR
were 6-10-2 overall. They had a lot
of freshmen coming in and can
expect big things in the next few
seasons.
Women’s Soccer: B-. They had a 9-
8-3 record, but unfortunately went
2-4-0 in conference play, which
hurt them.
Baseball: A-. They’re a game under
.500 and 9-8 in conference play.
They’ve had good pitching all year
and the offense has come along
well.
Volleyball: A. They made it to the
Big South semi-finals and were 26-
8 overall. I don’t see any reason that
they shouldn’t get back there again
next year.
Men’s Tennis: A. The team has
played really well this season. It was
the first winning season since 1986
and was nationally ranked for a
while.
Women’sTennis: B-f. The women’s
side produced a winning season as
well. They played well over the
season and can hopefully get even
better next year.
Track and Field: N/AI can’t judge
track in one lump grade because it’s
such an individual sport. One mass
grade doesn’t do individuals jus-
Bachelorette. If anything, she can
flash hijn as he’s shooting as a dis
traction. Win by any means pos
sible!
Basso: I’d like to think that The
Bachelorette saw enough basket
ball as a cheerleader to pick up a
thing or two. Of course, it’d be the
longest game of H.O.R.S.E. in his
tory since FOX would make it into
a reality series lasting 14 episodes.
ESPN has a running dialogue be
tween who’s got the better playoffs,
the NHL or the NBA. So tell me, who
has the better playoffs?
Basso: The NHL playoffs are bet
ter. They’re more intense, more
fun to watch and just provide a
better show in general. Just because
they’re not as widely watched and
analyzed as the NBA playoffs
doesn’t mean they’re not as good. If
they ever caught on to a larger audi
ence I think people would realize
how much better they are.
Bacon: I know more about basket
ball, but nothing is more fun than
watching the best teams of a sport
you know nothing about get into
fights and beat the crap out of each
other. For entertainment, hockey.
Who wins at a game ofH O.R.S.E.
The Bachelor or The Bachelorette? If
you’re not in the know... the last
Bachelorette (first runner up in the
original Bachelor series) worked as a
cheerleaderfor the Miami Heat while
the current Bachelor is a member of
the Firestone family.
Bacon: That girl had to learn some
thing. I’m going to go with the
COURTESY OF MIKE GORE
The Bulldog’s baseball game against
the Asheville Tourists took some fire
for not serving any alcohol However,
due to NCAAJBig South Conference
rules UNCA can’t serve alcohol at
any of its sporting events. Hence, the
reason Bulldog-Tourist game re
mained dry. Should UNCA be able
to serve beer at sporting events? Why?
Should this apply to basketball and
volleyball games at Justice Gym?
Bacon: We shouldn’t need to sell
beer to get people to come to games.
If we needed money. I’d say yes. If
not, get lit and then come to the
games. The beer would be over
priced anyway.
Basso: I don’t think alcohol should
be served at any sporting event at
UNCA, minor league ball games or
at the professional level. Take a look
at the recent violent acts in Chicago
when the Royals were in town.
Those assaults had one major thing
in common: alcohol. I’m not call
ing for a return to prohibition or
anything like that, just for it to be
kept out of sporting venues. If
people want to have drinks and
watch the game then they can go to
a sports bar. Besides, I think people
enjoy the games more when they
can remember what happened the
next morning.
What’syour least favorite thing orpet
peeve regarding sports?
Basso: The entire NFL gets under
my skin. I think it needs some
rethinking. It’s impossible to tell
who’s the better team after such a
short season and the games can
drag on forever sometimes.
Football’s a great game but the NFL
gets it all wrong. Then again, it
could be worse. The XFL could
have lasted and that would truly be
a sad happening in the sports world.
Bacon: Parents who push their kids
too far. Like the alcoholic, over
weight fathers who go to their 6-
year-old son’s teeball games and
yell at the kids for getting out at
first. Or mothers who enroll their
daughters in ballet and dance and
then make sure that they are cheer
leaders later on. What if those kids
wanted to be artists? Those same
parents would laugh in their kids’
faces if they came home saying
“Dad, I quit football so I could be
in the school play.”
Best “sport” activity to do on the
UNCA quad during a summer day?
Basso: The best thing to do on the
quad is to go out there with a base
ball and have a long game of catch.
One of the best ways to kill a lazy
summer afiiernoon is throwing a
baseball back and forth for an hour
or two.
Bacon: I can honestly say that I
have never spent more time on the
quad than it takes to walk to class.
I guess I’d have to- say watching
dogs play fetch, but that is only
“sporty” for the dogs.
JASON MCGILL/SPORTS EDITOR
Name Association
NFL draft
Bacon: The most boring two days
of television besides a Brady Bunch
Marathon on TVLand. Donate
some of that excessive amount of
money you’re getting to us broke
college kids. We need it a heck of a
lot more than you do.
Basso: What a Dallas Cowboy has
before he goes for a drive.
Detroit Tigers
Basso: So far the Yankees have more
homeruns than the Tigers have to
tal runs. That kind of a start takes
something special.
Bacon: Cecil Fielder. The man got
Babe Ruth and Baby Ruth con
fused a few too many times it looked
like.
Bacon: North Carolina’s perennial
powerhouses of basketball.
Basso: That’d probably be a little
hard to drive on.
Final Exams
Basso: These are the times that try
men’s souls.
Bacon: A reason to celebrate when
they’re over.
Coach Hodges working in his office.
ALAN AMBROSE/ONLINE EDITOR
jY J continued
nOUgeS from page 4
history and guided the women’s
team to a win total three times
higher than last year’s.
“I couldn’t be happier with where
both my programs are right now,”
said Hodges. “The men’s team last
year was 6-14 and this year the
same team went 14-5. On the
Women’s side, we more than tripled
'in total from last year.”
In addition to having the best sea
son in school history, Hodges’ men’s
squad also had the first national
anking in school history as well.
“This season (men’s) was tremen
dous,” said Hodges. “We surpassed
all expectations and a lot of teams
looking at us as a team that’s
going to better and better every
year and hopefiilly compete for a
conference championship.”
The head coach also expects big
things from his women’s team as
Well next year.
“This year was a rebuilding year
and seven wins (this year) com
pared to two wins (last year) is
definitely moving in the right di
rection. We’re going to get better
and better and we’ll definitely have
a winning season next year.”
Although many would believe that
the teams’ impressive turn-around
was a result of Hodges’ coaching,
he’s quick to point out that there
are many other important reasons.
“I give a lot of credit to my assis
tant coach, Rob Light,” said
Hodges. “He’s done a great job
with the team. He’s come in and
drilled all the kids on the court.”
Another significant factor in both
teams’ success this year was the
leadership of two seniors, men’s
player Alan Ambrose and women’s
team member Ashley Jones.
“You have to give credit to your
seniors and they did their part for
making this team get better and
better each day, "said Hodges. “Alan
Ambrose did an excellent job and
he’s going to be missed greatly. It
was almost like having another
coach out there, that’s how mature
he is. Ashley Jones on the women’s
side has been through it all. She had
an excellent season and she was a
great leader.”
Success so early in Hodges’ coach
ing career hasn’t been as easy as his
results have demonstrated, espe
cially since he recently made the
jump from college tennis player to
Division I college coach.
“It’s a big transition,” he said. “I
like to think I’m a players’ coach. I
kind of gear my coaching style to
wards the players because it’s all
about the student-athlete. When
my players graduate and look back
on the program, I want them to say
‘I got a lot better, I learned a lot
about myself and if I could do it all
over. I’d do it in a heartbeat.’”
So far his coaching style has
brought success and stability to a
UNCA tennis program that has
seen four different coaches in the
last four years. What was once ajob
that had an average life expectancy
of one year now has a coach that
plans on staying for many years to
come.
“I’m going to provide some stabil
ity here,” said Hodges. “I don’t
plan on leaving. My goal is to real
istically be able to honestly say that
we can compete for a conference
championship year-in and year-
In the meantime, Hodges’ desire
to succeed as a coach still collides
with his desire to succeed and com
pete as a player. Sometimes, the
UNC-Wstandout still gets the urge
during his players’ matches to pick
up a racket and take care of business
himself
“It all depends on the match,” he
said. “If you can clearly see some
thing that one of your players needs
to be doing and he or she isn’t
doing, then it is frustrating. You
j ust have to be patient because even
tually they’re going to figure it out. ”
But the question is, can the former
pro still compete with Division I
men’s tennis players or more im
portantly, can he still hang with
guys on his own team?
“If you gave me two weeks to
prepare and work on my game I’d
like to say I’d be competitive at the
top,” said Hodges. “But, if you
took me out there right now it
wouldn’t be good because my game
has pretty much gone down the
tubes since I started coaching.”
Life off the court
Although Hodges’ number one
priority is coaching his teams at
UNCA, he still finds time to step
away from the tennis world and
pursue his other interests in life like
going out, visiting his girlfriend in
Virginia and watching and playing
“I’m not too diverse,” said Hodges.
“I’m pretty much a jock. All I care
about is sports. It’s pretty sad.”
One sport that Hodges enjoys may
come as a surprise to many of his
players: surfing.
“I’m a big-time surfer,” he said. “I
do that quite a bit and I’ve surfed in
competitions, but I’ve never done
well in any of them. Hawaii is the
best place that I’ve ever surfed,”
Hodges said. “The waves in Cali
fornia are so big that they’re scary.”
Reality television has taken Ameri
can culture by storm with success
ful shows such as “Survivor,” “Joe
Millionaire” and MTVs “The Real
World.” For Hodges, his fondness
of reality television is somewhat
biased because his cousin was the
star of “Joe Millionaire,” Evan
Marriott.
“I love reality television,” said
Hodges. “There are some really
good reality shows out there like
“Joe Millionaire,” but of course I’m
a little biased. You can talk to any
body around and they may trash
the show, but deep down they are
watching it.”
And for those of you who were
wondering about what really hap
pened on the show, forget about
watching Entertainment Tonight
or reading People Magazine, Coach
Hodges has got all your answers
after hanging out with his cousin
this past Christmas.
“He (Evan) signed a $7 million
confidentiality contract and I knew
he didn’t meet anybody on the
show,” said Hodges. “The truth is
that he didn’t like any of the girls at
all. But, he had to act like he did.”
So what would Hodges do if he
came across a million dollars?
“I’d put it into my program,” he
said. “And I’d give it all my scholar
ships and then win the conference.”
“I want to be remembered as a
coach that gave everything he could
to his players,” said Hodges. “It’s
not about me,.it’s about my players.
I want everybody who plays for me
to enjoy all the benefits of being a
UNCA student-athlete.”
- • • continued
Uptnwn from page 4
It’s tough to be a fan of a team that
loses all of the time or blows the
game afi;er you thought they had it
in the bag, but loyal fans stuck by
the Bucs through all the losing sea
sons and are now proud they did.
Up until a few years ago, you’d get
made fun of for being a Bucs fan,
(and I still do) but now their wait
ing list for season tickets is massive,
and if you do get a hold of tickets
they aren’t anything close to cheap.
There is a strange feeling that
comes over you in Raymond James
Stadium that is difficult to explain.
Yes, it’s only football, but it’s the
most incredible feeling when
80,000 people are united. It makes
me happy.
Why am I writing about a Super
Bowl that took place almost a year
ago, you ask?
This is actually my last chance to
write as a reporter for the Blue Ban
ner &nA I couldn’t possibly live with
myself knowing I was a sports re
porter and never even wrote about
my favorite team — the Bucca
neers.
So I took this moment to do so.
More than likely, (though it would
be awesome if this weren’t true) the
Bucs are not going to be National
Champs for too much longer. Drafts
happening now, and come Au
gust, it’s anyone’s game again.
Living in Asheville, I haven’t been
able to share my excitement with
many people and now I have done
j ust that—before it is all over with.