the stentorian I ncssm
sports
may 2002 ■ 3
Final Four
Recap
SpolfiaJilM
J a re d Hill
Kevin Han
John Zhang
T he final four was once
again an exciting and
memorable event.
Texas, Marquette, Kansas, and
Syracuse proved to be excel
lent teams that had a chance of
a lifetime in competing for the
national championship.
Here's a look back at the
action and final thoughts on
each team.
1. Texas - Coach Rick
Barnes has the Longhorns'
program on the rise, and with
the funds of a big sports
school such as Texas, they
will be looking to compete for
a national championship for
years to come. Defeated by
eventual champion, Syracuse,
Texas could not overcome the
sensational Carmelo Anthony,
who had 33 points and 14
rebounds in the Longhorns'
defeat. TJ Ford, player of the
year in many publications.
wrapped up a MVP year with
a 12 point, 13 assist final. Be
sure to look out for him next
year as his team will be loaded
with depth and talent. Texas
played in its first final four in
almost 50 years, and should
reverse this trend in the future.
2. Marquette - Marquette
could not do anything to stop
the powerful Jayhawks fast
break, as they were blown out
by Kansas, 94-61, the fourth
most lopsided game in Final
Four history. Tom Crean is an
excellent young coach that
should lead Marquette to
numerous NCAA appear
ances. If "All-American
Dwayne" Wade returns, the
Golden Eagles will be solid in
Conference USA.
3. Kansas - With a
blowout victory over
Marquette in the regional
final, many publications were
B urning up the track tliis
year for NCSSM is
Jared Hill. Jared is an
avid runner and a leader for
both Cross Country and TracL
His favorite sport between the
two is Cross Country and he
placed sixth at the state cham
pionship last fall with a time
of 16:49. This spring, he has
again qualified for the state
meet for the 800 m, 1600 m,
and 3200m. Some of his
records for fastest time
include: 4:42 for the mile,
predicting a win for Roy
Williams' Jayhawks. Instead
Kansas like the previous Big
12 teams could not stop the
Syracuse freshman. Not only
did they suffer a heart-
wrenching loss to Syracuse in
the final, but Lawrenceville
also eventually lost Williams,
the coach that built Kansas
into a powerhouse, to UNC.
After the defeat, a reporter
asked Williams about the
UNC job, and with emotions
10:18 for the two-mile, and
2:09 seconds for the 800 m.
As a senior, Jared Hill hopes
to pursue a career in math or
physics at Wake Forest next
year. During his free time, he
enjoys playing soccer, reading
books, playing spades, and lis
tening to classical music.
Jared says that "when you step
onto the track, you can't see
the finish line, you should feel
it. And when you're running, if
you feel pain, then when you
step off the track, you will be
that much closer to victory".
overpowering him, Williams
cursed at the reporter. Kansas'
future is in doubt, as both star
seniors depart along with their
head coach.
' 4. Syracuse - Sweet vic
tory! Syracuse, a number 3
seed pulled off upset after
upset. The youth and talent of
Syracuse, the 2-3 zone, and
the freshman phenomenon
Carmelo Anthony cemented
their place in history with a
Dane Emmerling
string of victories over top Big
12 teams, Oklahoma, Texas,
and Kansas. No team could
stop Anthony, as he reeled
dominating performances
game after game against the
top teams in the nation.
Coach Jim Boeheim, also
deserves a lot of credit, finally
proving his crities wrong.
Watch out for Syracuse if
Anthony comes back next
year. Orange crush!
F.I.R.S.T. Robotics: To infinity and beyond
By: Judy He
F .I.R.S.T.-For
Innovation and
Recognition of Science
and Technology-was founded
by Dean Kamen a decade ago
to inspire "in young people,
their schools and communi
ties an appreciation of science
and technology, and of how
mastering these can enrich the
lives of all."
For the 2003 NCSSM
team-Team -this meant that
immediately after winter
break, they were greeted with
a basic kit of parts, including
assorted motors, sensors,
shafts, bearing and other
materials, valued at over
$5000. Assisted by mentors,
a handful of students worked
in the depths of the Cyber
Cellar to build the perfect
robot for the competition...in
six weeks.
Every year, the competi
tion "game" is different; this
year, it was called "Stack
Attack." During this game,
players start on a field 24 feet
wide by 54 feet long. There
are rails on the side and a
ramp with a line of boxes in
the middle. Each round fea
tures four teams facing off
against each other in two
groups. For the first 15 sec
onds, robots function
autonomously. Then the rest
of the game is spent co-oper
ating your ally to bring boxes
over to your side. Points are
calculated by the multiplica
tion of the number of boxes in
the highest stack with the
number of other boxes on
your side.
Achieving the highest
score on the surface is only a
max/min problem of the
Advanced Functions and
Modeling and TI-93 caliber.
However, the rapidly chang
ing constraints necessitate a
combination of defensive,
aggressive, and constructive
strategies which in turn yields
startling and exciting game-
play.
As Dr. Britton, one of the
sponsors, said, "This competi
tion is ALMOST as exciting
as building the electric car
and racing it at the Richmond
Speedway back in the early
'90's."
The parts for the 2003
robot were picked up during
winter break at Virginia
Commonwealth University.
In the month that followed,
mentors from Glaxo
SmithKline and alumni from
NCSU spent hours every
week soaking up gears and
glory. After Valentine's day,
the robot was christened Frito
and shipped off to VCU in
preparation for the competi
tion early in March.
While the team did not
pick up any honors at VCU,
the robot gained a new name,
Hannibal, and a reputation for
breaking other robots. With
the VCU Regional
Competition in Virginia as a
testing ground and a timely
grant from the Executive
Director, the team was able to
go to the Peachtree Regional
Competition in Atlanta where
they placed in the top third of
the competition and finished
in 5th with their Alliance.
Though the team didn't place
high enough for the national
competition, they promise,
"We WILL go national next
year!!!"
Besides fame, glory, and
the adulation of RoboGeeks
everywhere, participants have
a chance to win prize money.
Or, like Steve Butcher ('02), a
scholarship for college.
So for juniors who want
action and adventure, a brand
new robot needs to be built!
Not only are there electronics
to be wired, a lift mechanisms
to invent, drive trains to craft.
and programs to write but also
CAD simulations to render, a
website to maintain, team
shirts and gear to create,
money to raise and outreach
programs to develop.
Want to join?
Email Jenny Bo
(boj@ncssm.edu) or spon
sors Angelina Winbome
(winborne@ncssm.edu) or
Chuck Britton
(britton@nc$$m.edu) to join.
02-03 F.I.R.S. T Robotics Team
The 2002-2003 NCSSM F.I.R.S.T. Robotics team.