Student Life Archives

Bernell Dorrough

It’s double the flavor and double the fun when Lindsy Williamson and Anthony Hollins get together and wax intellectual with Student Life.

Student Life: Lindsy – your first name has no ‘E’ in it. But your middle name has an ‘E’, so it’s not like your parents had something against the ‘E.’ What’s up with that?

Lindsy Williamson: No way! Get out of town! I never knew. I think my parents just thought it would be unique or something.

SL: Bigger side: LeBron’s upside or J-Lo’s backside?

Anthony Hollins: I’d say J-Lo’s backside.

LW: I’m gonna go with J-Lo too.

SL: Last year, LeBron’s teammate Ricky Davis attempted to shoot on his own basket so he could get a rebound and get credit for a triple-double. Is Ricky Davis the man or what?

LW: You gotta do what you gotta do.

SL: Would you shoot at your own basket if it meant getting a triple-double?

AH: No. If you’re not good enough to get it in the regular game, then it’s not worth it.

SL: With Kobe and Shaq engaging in another war of words recently, some conspiracy theorists believe that the entire thing was orchestrated by Lakers’ coach Phil Jackson to divert attention away from Kobe’s legal troubles. If this is the case, don’t you think a simple, “Yo, Shaq. Yo mama!” would have been enough?

AH: No, that would have hit a nerve if he went at his mom. Talking about his fat and his body is ok, but saying something about his mom might start a real fight.

SL: President Bush recently arrived in London as part of a larger trip to England. Would it be too much to ask for him to stay there?
AH: Not a bad idea, actually. Maybe we can pull Arnold from California to run the country.

LW: Keep George and send the Dixie Chicks to England.

SL: Lindsy, how did your team respond last year when critics said you wouldn’t be as strong?

LW: We were at Wheaton last year. We were warming up and one of most intense players ever overheard someone from Wheaton saying, “I heard they lost all these good players. They’re not supposed to so good this year.” So she said, “well, we’re pretty damn good,” right in the middle of a warm-up.

SL: Who is your most difficult opponent?

AH: Definitely my dad. He used to play in the NBA, so even as he got older, he was still really good. We used to go at it all the time. It would get pretty heated with lots of trash-talking.

LW: Definitely ourselves. Our practices are really tough, but I’ll tell you one opponent who is not so tough: Anthony Hollins. His broken thumb is no excuse. It wouldn’t slow me down.

SL: I hear both teams enjoy singing.

LW: The sophomores have Celine Dion sing-a-longs. She’s a favorite in the locker room. I personally wish she would have drowned with the Titanic.

AH: Freshman year, we went karaoke bowling and the seniors picked out songs for us. I had to sign Shania Twain’s “Man, I feel like a Woman.” The funny part is, I knew all the lyrics.

SL: Trash talk is an integral part of basketball. Do you ever talk junk as radical as “my cross-over is only rivaled by that of country music and pop sensation Shania Twain!”

AH: Not only do I say that line, but I proceed to sing both her top country and pop hits.

SL: Lil’ Troy raps, “wanna be a baller, shot caller, 20-inch blades on the Impala” in his famous song, “Baller.” With the possible exception of the 20-inch blades, which to me, seems a little excessive, have you ever felt yourself wishing the same thing?

LW: I don’t wish for things like Lil’ Troy. You either have it or you don’t. To quote another rapper, Juvenile, “she get it from her mama.”

SL: Space Jam: I didn’t find that movie terribly realistic. It just didn’t make sense that the little aliens would want Shawn Bradley’s talent. Is being 7’6″ really a talent?

AH: I agree with you. It’s not a talent, but as they say, “you can’t teach size.”

SL: Anthony, I hear you guys like to play hide-and-seek.

AH: My freshman year over Christmas Break, it gets a little boring, so after practice we play hide-and-seek in the A.C. We have one guy hide and everyone finds him after ten minutes. After about the third time, we picked an unsuspecting freshman, Mike Faherty, and we had him hide and left him in there.

SL: Scientists in Japan believe they have discovered a new species of whale about the size of a motor home, an impressive discovery considering how unusual it is to find new species of animals that are that large. Couldn’t they have just asked Aquaman?

AH: That would have been too easy. Scientists like a challenge.

LW: They would have, but unfortunately, he doesn’t speak Japanese.

Flash back a mere three months ago. You know, back when you hadn’t missed a single class all semester and you and your buddies could enjoy nights of worry-free drinking.

I know it seems so long ago for college students. A lot can change in three months, such as career choice or major. The same is true for those multi-millionaires in tight pants and shoulder pads, also known as professional football players.

Take the case of Keyshawn Johnson, the glorified possession receiver/chatterbox. There’s no doubting that Keyshawn is not as talented or productive as he was expected to be when the New York Jets tabbed the former USC standout the top overall pick in the 1996 NFL Draft. Or when Tampa Bay engineered a trade that sent two first-round picks (one that the J-E-T-S Jets, Jets, Jets used on Chad Pennington) for the loquacious Johnson.

But he’s still an above-average wide receiver who plays hard, runs good routes and blocks better than any wideout in the game.

Just three months ago, Keyshawn was a reigning Super Bowl champ, the focal point of an offense that moved the ball just well enough to not screw things up for the Bucs’ legendary defense. Now he’s being paid not to play for Tampa Bay, a team on the brink of elimination from the playoff race, not to mention one-year-wonder status. On Tuesday, Johnson was deactivated for the balance of the season, and the Bucs will sever ties with Keyshawn in the offseason.

Well, if the Battling Bucs are purging themselves of all their overrated, overpaid employees, maybe it’s time to cut Warren Sapp. Better yet, maybe it’s time for the NFL to step in and allow all teams to rid themselves of one overpaid player each.

Yeah, that’s it. Every team has at least one player who eats up a ton of salary cap space and doesn’t play up to his contract. The team can’t cut that player without having to take a substantial salary cap hit; in other words, part of his salary would still count against the team’s salary cap even if they release him and he’s no longer on the roster. That’s why Tampa Bay couldn’t simply cut Keyshawn and get his massive $56 million contract off the books.

Imagine if the NFL instituted a rule that allowed teams to purge one player each, without having to take a salary cap hit. It would allow teams to get out of mistake contracts, free up some salary cap space to sign new players, and heat up free agency.

Just think of what the Rams could do if they didn’t have to pay Kurt Warner to sit on the bench. They would be able to save roughly $9 million, enough money to solve offensive line woes and shore up the defensive secondary. Hell, they could probably sign Warner back at a reduced-price tag.

The more I think about it, the more I think the institution of this rule would help the game. It’s sort of like a “Get Out Of Jail Free” card. I call it the anti-franchise tag, or better yet the Keyshawn Johnson Rule. Still, I can see two problems with the ratification of this rule. One is easily repairable, but the other is more serious.

First of all, the NFL couldn’t allow teams to have this option year after year. That would be insanity, chaos, madness I say! It would encourage teams to hand players ridiculously grotesque sums of money. Well, maybe I should say even more ridiculously grotesque sums of money.

An easy solution to this problem would be to restrict the usage of the anti-franchise tag so that once utilized, the team is barred from enacting the rule for the next two years or so.

A more serious problem with the Keyshawn Johnson Rule is that it would be subject to ratification by the NFL owners and the NFL Players’ Association. The owners would vote for this rule in a heartbeat. The Players’ Association would knock it down just as quickly, since it would likely be a downward force on salaries.

I have no idea what the legality of the anti-franchise tag would be, but something tells me that a regulation that allows employers to terminate an employee’s contract on a whim would face trouble in court.

Still, I’m convinced that the Keyshawn Johnson Rule would be beneficial for the game. I’m betting that Keyshawn, sitting at home instead of playing the game he loves, would like the rule too.

Bernell Dorrough

After spending a large part of last season atop the national rankings, the Washington University men’s basketball team finds itself in an unfamiliar position as it enters the season unranked.

Still smarting after a disappointing second-round exit from last season’s NCAA Tournament, the Bears are looking for redemption. While it may be unusual for the Bears to find themselves unranked, the team is putting the situation in a positive light by using it as a motivational tool.

Having lost their five all-conference starters to graduation, the Bears would appear, at first glance, to be heading into a rebuilding year. The team, however, has different plans. With the return of senior captains Ryan DeBoer and Barry Bryant, who both saw considerable time last year off the bench, the team has a good deal of experience despite its players’ lack of starting experience.

Add Anthony Hollins and Rob Keller, both juniors, and sophomore Scott Stone to the mix, and you have a potentially potent line-up. The Bears can also expect big things from freshman guard Cameron Williams, who has been impressive in practice so far.

Bryant, who put up an impressive 6.0 points per game despite never getting a start, will be looked upon to carry much of the scoring load. Hollins and Keller, who averaged 4.0 and 3.3 points a game respectively, will also have to step up their games to replace a high-scoring starting five.

After dominating opponents last season on the fast break, the Bears’ roster still contains enough athleticism to make teams pay in transition. Another aspect of the game that the Bears will focus on is their ability to sink free throws. Although the team last season possessed gobs of talent, the Bears posted a dismal 64.4 free throw percentage.

In their first action of the season, the Bears travel to Ohio to compete in the Wittenberg Kiwanis Tip-Off Tournament. A four-team competition, the Kiwanis Tip-Off includes the Bears, Wittenburg University, University of Wisconsin-Platteville, and Eastern University.

The Bears’ first game pits them against UW-Platteville, who won the NCAA National Championship in 1999. Finishing last season with an 11-15 overall record, Platteville has a new coach, eight returning players, and will be looking to start off their season right.

Assuming that No. 22 Wittenburg will dispose of Eastern, the Bears will play Wittenburg in Sunday’s championship should they knock off UW-Platteville. It could prove to be an early-season measuring stick for the young Bears.

Should the team come away from the Kiwanis Tip-Off with a first-place trophy, the voting committee for the top-25 should have no reason to keep the Bears out of the polls.

Bernell Dorrough

Having made 14 consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament and claimed four national titles in the last six years, the women’s basketball program has a history of winning, setting records, and continuing success.

Last season, the women, who made an Elite Eight appearance, went 26-2 and 14-0 at home. The women also won their sixth straight UAA Conference title in 2002-2003 with a 13-1 conference record.

But that was last year. One can only speculate what head coach Nancy Fahey and her women may accomplish this winter.

Going undefeated at home, winning another conference title, or perhaps winning yet another national title is easier said than done. This is why the women plan to take the season one win at a time.

“We have goals,” Fahey said. “We state them like every team does. Then we go on day-by-day, game-by-game and enjoy each moment as the season progresses. Right now, the goal is to beat DePauw.”

The ladies’ season starts today with the Illinois Wesleyan Tip-Off Tournament in Bloomington, Ill. The Bears will face DePauw University tonight, and if they win, they will also take on the winner of the Illinois College-Illinois Wesleyan contest in Saturday’s championship game.

“We have seen all of these teams before,” Fahey said. “DePauw is one of the best teams in the country. DePauw is extremely well-coached and very disciplined. They are a very tough game. They finished second in a very competitive league last season.”

DePauw finished last season 22-5 with a 12-2 record in conference play.

According to Fahey, Illinois College players pose a tough matchup because they always give effort in every facet of the game.

“They are a hard nosed group,” she said. “They keep coming at you and coming at you.”

As for Illinois Wesleyan, they excel in transition, where they can utilize a plethora of offensive weapons.

“They have strong three-point shooting and play at a high tempo,” Fahey said. “They have really opened up their game.”

The Bears have beat both DePauw and Illinois Wesleyan 13 of the14 times they have played, and the Lady Blues of Illinois College have gone 0-12 against the Bears. Still, Fahey has respect for each program.

“I respect every opponent,” she said. “I think that’s key. You need a sense of humility. We will go into every game with the confidence that we can win, but still knowing that we have to play well or we will lose.”

The lineup will look different for the Bears as they return 15 letter winners from last season, but only two starters. Laura Crowley is one of six players who have been lost to graduation. The guard was last season’s UAA Player of the Year.

However, the women’s roster still contains several conference standouts and a solid senior class.

Guard Kelly Manning, who earned first team All-Conference honors as a freshman last season, teams with forward Hallie Hutchens, who made second team All-UAA as a sophomore. Guards Leslie Berger, a junior, and Lesley Hawley, a senior and co-captain, also received honorable mentions in the conference.

“This weekend, I would like to see us play our own style of play, which is up-tempo,” Fahey said. “A lot of players who saw limited action last year have really stepped up [in practice].”

Hawley will be the sole returning starter in the backcourt. She shot just over 50 percent from the field last year, en route to 10 points per game. She also averaged over three rebounds a game and collected a team-high 42 steals.

Upperclassmen like Hawley know how to lead the team because of past success.

“The five seniors, our captains, have a variety of histories on how they have gotten to the point where they are,” Fahey said. “I tell them this is their legacy.”

Manning also averaged ten points and 3.5 rebounds per game last year. She led the squad in free throw shooting with a 81.2 percentage. The sophomore was a late addition to the team last year, as she had just transferred to the University. Fahey expects to see Manning’s impact grow this season as she settles into her role.

Look for Hutchens to continue her dominance in the frontcourt this season. She shot 54.8 percent from the field, and averaged 11.2 points and 6.8 boards for the Bears last winter.

The Bears like to run and focus on an inside-out approach to scoring. Hutchens is key to the running game, and junior Terri Lakowski is a pillar inside. Senior Suzy Digby is skilled in both scoring inside and contributing from the perimeter.

The Bears will open at home November 25, challenging cross-town rival Webster University.

“They press. They’re quick,” Fahey said. “When we play them it’s always exciting.”

This season conference play for the Bears begins January 10 when they take on the University of Chicago at home. The University will play conference rival Rochester University twice, including at home February 8. Rochester was the only conference team to rattle the Bears last season, as they defeated the red and green 82-73.

The regular season finale will be in Chicago as the Bears face off against the Maroons February 28.

After that the Bears will hope to take on the nation’s top teams yet again in the NCAA Div. III Tournament that begins March 3.

Bernell Dorrough

Go to the Elite Eight
When: Sat., Nov. 22 at 7 p.m.
Who: Ohio Northern University
Where: WU Field House

After winning their matches against Fontbonne University and Wartburg College last weekend, the second-ranked Washington University Bears’ volleyball team has advanced to the NCAA Division III Quarterfinals. They will face Ohio Northern this weekend in Saturday’s Elite Eight match at 7 p.m. at the Field House.

The Bears squared off against Ohio Northern earlier this season and came away with a 3-0 win over the Polar Bears. However, they are not anticipating an easy win in this quarterfinal match.

“This weekend, we’re playing a team that’s really hot right now,” said head coach Rich Luenemann. “Ohio Northern just came off of a huge win at Wittenberg. Wittenberg entered the match rated No. 5 in America and Ohio Northern beat them on their own court. They may have improved more in the last month of the season than anybody else in America.”

The Bears have been gearing up for this weekend’s competition. Instead of their usual three weekly team practices, the Bears scheduled four practices this week.

“Aside from Juniata, [Ohio Northern] is going to be the best team we’ve played because their players are extremely athletic and extremely scrappy,” said junior Ishi Ballew. “They’ve been the underdogs basically all through post-season. They’ll be really pumped to play.”

In order to prepare for this weekend’s match, the Bears are studying their opponent’s technique.

“We have some tapes coming in from teams that they’ve played in the last month,” said Luenemann. “We’re going to break those tapes down, watch for tendencies, and watch for things that they do that we can capitalize on.”

After last weekend’s tight match with Wartburg, the team realizes that it needs to buckle down if it wants to make it to the National Championship.

“We fell back a bit when we played Wartburg,” said Luenemann. “We had ten more service errors than they did, and we thought we had rectified that part of our game. [Although] we had 23 more kills than Wartburg, we had to look to see where they made up the difference.”

After last weekend’s match, the coaches sat down and discussed what they wanted to work on throughout the week.

“Outside hitters have to score more. That’s a huge priority for us,” said Luenemann. “It is essential that right-side attackers put up a firm block on the rightside. Our setter has to do an incredible job of dealing the ball to the correct people in the correct situations.”

During Monday’s practice, the team tweaked their serve-receive patterns.

“We changed serve-receive attack patterns somewhat to maximize the strengths of our players and the effectiveness of our attack,” said Luenemann. “We need to make sure that we work on shoring up where we make mistakes, particularly our serving game.”

This week’s practices have been very focused as the Bears prepare for the upcoming competition. The players have done an excellent job of maintaining momentum during matches and throughout their practices, according to Luenemann.

“Our energy has been great,” said Luenemann. “I really have to laud the bench. The bench has done an incredible job of keeping the team positive and enthusiastic. When the players have a multitude of things to worry about, sometimes one of the last things that they worry about is energy level. The energy and enthusiasm from the bench carries over into crowd participation and into our play.”

The players appreciate crowd support and recognize the importance of having energetic fans rooting for them.

“It’s not going to be an easy win,” said junior Colleen Winter. “It’s something we’re going to have to work for. You definitely can tell the difference the fans make. If you have people cheering for you, it adds to your game. We’re really excited that we’re home.”

“Ohio Northern is a team that is very emotional – they ride off of their fans. Their fans are loud and they’ll probably bring a large crowd.”

The Bears hope to meet and exceed the number of fans who attended last year’s home quarterfinal match against Hayward.

“Without a doubt, the crowd plays a very important part in the success of the Bears’ volleyball program,” said Luenemann. “That was evident last year in the quarterfinals match with Hayward. We’re hoping that that [the University] community and the greater St. Louis area will come out to support the Bears so we have 1,500 or 2,000 fans in the bleachers.”