Charlotte 49ers senior forward Shamari Spears has been suspended indefinitely by head coach Alan Major for a violation of team rules, a team spokesperson announced before Charlotte's game against Radford.
This is Spears' second suspension of the season as he also missed the season opener for a violation of team rules. Spears was also suspended for the season opener last season. He was a preseason second team All-A-10 player.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Thursday, November 25, 2010
My turkeys of the year in sports
There were a lot of great sporting accomplishments in 2010. However, there were also some turkeys in the wide world of sports. Here's a small list I've formulated in no particular order.
Jim Joyce: Joyce robbed the sports world of one of its most exciting moments. Joyce cost Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga a perfect game when he called Jason Donald safe at first on what would have been the 27th out. A full-time major league umpire for more than 20 years, Joyce was the biggest turkey in baseball in 2010. "I just cost that kid a perfect game," he said. "I thought he beat the throw. I was convinced he beat the throw, until I saw the replay. It was the biggest call of my career."
New Jersey Devils front office: The Devils gave Ilya Kovalchuk a 15-year contract worth $102 million. How does Kovalchuk repay the Devils? He's on pace for a smashing 39 points this season. Set to be paid $6.666 million this season, Kovalchuk would be paid $170,940.16 per point if he reaches the 39-point plateau. Yep, that contract looks well worth it so far.
Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens: Batman and Robin have taken Cincinnati by storm by piling up an AFC-worst 2-8 record and a league-high seven-game losing streak. On a lighter note, the two receivers have combined for 12 touchdowns and landed a TV show on the king of all sports networks; Versus.
Brett Favre: Need I say anything more?
Tiger Woods: Everyone remembers where they were when Tiger had his car accident last Black Friday. A year later, Tiger's been through the worst year of his professional career. In one foul swoop, he lost his kids, his wife and his golf game. Countless mistresses emerged and Woods admitted to having a one-night stand with his neighbor's 21-year-old daughter, whom he had known since she was 14. Tiger's divorce with his wife Elin became official on Aug. 23.
LeBron James: Last but not least, The King--of all turkeys. The Decision, as it was called on ESPN was one of the biggest jokes in recent memory and led to one of the most overused quotes of all time. “In this fall, this is very tough, in this fall I’m going to take my talents to South Beach and join the Miami Heat." James' "Decision" locked up the No. 1 spot on my turkey list. The negative energy LeBron created has followed him to Miami, where the 8-7 Heat have lost three straight and look pretty average. His betrayal of Cleveland is second only to Art Modell's relocation of the Browns to Baltimore and has made him one of the most hated men in sports.
Some honorable mentions:
1. Lane Kiffin for skipping out on Tennessee in the middle of the night.
2. Tony Parker cheating on Eva Longoria--really?
3. Reggie Bush became the first player to ever return the Heisman Trophy.
4. Roger Goodell--These fines are getting out of hand. And oh by the way, a lockout is looming.
5. Bruce Pearl--Apparently the cheating in Knoxville doesn't stop at football.
Who do you think should be on the list? Did I leave anyone out? Comments welcome.
Jim Joyce: Joyce robbed the sports world of one of its most exciting moments. Joyce cost Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga a perfect game when he called Jason Donald safe at first on what would have been the 27th out. A full-time major league umpire for more than 20 years, Joyce was the biggest turkey in baseball in 2010. "I just cost that kid a perfect game," he said. "I thought he beat the throw. I was convinced he beat the throw, until I saw the replay. It was the biggest call of my career."
New Jersey Devils front office: The Devils gave Ilya Kovalchuk a 15-year contract worth $102 million. How does Kovalchuk repay the Devils? He's on pace for a smashing 39 points this season. Set to be paid $6.666 million this season, Kovalchuk would be paid $170,940.16 per point if he reaches the 39-point plateau. Yep, that contract looks well worth it so far.
Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens: Batman and Robin have taken Cincinnati by storm by piling up an AFC-worst 2-8 record and a league-high seven-game losing streak. On a lighter note, the two receivers have combined for 12 touchdowns and landed a TV show on the king of all sports networks; Versus.
Brett Favre: Need I say anything more?
Tiger Woods: Everyone remembers where they were when Tiger had his car accident last Black Friday. A year later, Tiger's been through the worst year of his professional career. In one foul swoop, he lost his kids, his wife and his golf game. Countless mistresses emerged and Woods admitted to having a one-night stand with his neighbor's 21-year-old daughter, whom he had known since she was 14. Tiger's divorce with his wife Elin became official on Aug. 23.
LeBron James: Last but not least, The King--of all turkeys. The Decision, as it was called on ESPN was one of the biggest jokes in recent memory and led to one of the most overused quotes of all time. “In this fall, this is very tough, in this fall I’m going to take my talents to South Beach and join the Miami Heat." James' "Decision" locked up the No. 1 spot on my turkey list. The negative energy LeBron created has followed him to Miami, where the 8-7 Heat have lost three straight and look pretty average. His betrayal of Cleveland is second only to Art Modell's relocation of the Browns to Baltimore and has made him one of the most hated men in sports.
Some honorable mentions:
1. Lane Kiffin for skipping out on Tennessee in the middle of the night.
2. Tony Parker cheating on Eva Longoria--really?
3. Reggie Bush became the first player to ever return the Heisman Trophy.
4. Roger Goodell--These fines are getting out of hand. And oh by the way, a lockout is looming.
5. Bruce Pearl--Apparently the cheating in Knoxville doesn't stop at football.
Who do you think should be on the list? Did I leave anyone out? Comments welcome.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
A few things to watch against Oregon State
The Charlotte 49ers have had a rough start to the season, Now, the task won't get any easier as the 49ers head out to Corvallis to face the Oregon State Beavers tonight at 10 p.m. Here are a few things to watch in tonight's match-up.
Zone Defense: Oregon State head coach Craig Robinson runs a tenacious 1-3-1 zone defense--something Charlotte should be familiar with. After Charlotte built a 14-point lead in the first half on Sunday against Coastal Carolina, the Chanticleers switched to a 1-3-1 zone late in the first half. Coastal went on a mini-run to close the half and eventually beat Charlotte in double overtime.
Green's Slow Start: Charlotte 2 guard Derrio Green has struggled early on this season. Green assist-to-turnover ratio isn't terrible at 1.44 but he's struggling in the scoring column. Green is shooting just 32 percent from the field and 23 percent from behind the arc. He's also just 68 percent from the foul line through five games. I expect Green to step it up against an Oregon State back court that has struggled early this season.
Long Trip: This game may provide more of a mental challenge than anything. Oregon State doesn't look great on paper; losing to Seattle and Texas Southern, but any cross-country trip presents a tall challenge. These players know what they're signing up for, but playing a game in a different time zone and the day before Thanksgiving will make tonight's game that much more difficult.
Zone Defense: Oregon State head coach Craig Robinson runs a tenacious 1-3-1 zone defense--something Charlotte should be familiar with. After Charlotte built a 14-point lead in the first half on Sunday against Coastal Carolina, the Chanticleers switched to a 1-3-1 zone late in the first half. Coastal went on a mini-run to close the half and eventually beat Charlotte in double overtime.
Green's Slow Start: Charlotte 2 guard Derrio Green has struggled early on this season. Green assist-to-turnover ratio isn't terrible at 1.44 but he's struggling in the scoring column. Green is shooting just 32 percent from the field and 23 percent from behind the arc. He's also just 68 percent from the foul line through five games. I expect Green to step it up against an Oregon State back court that has struggled early this season.
Long Trip: This game may provide more of a mental challenge than anything. Oregon State doesn't look great on paper; losing to Seattle and Texas Southern, but any cross-country trip presents a tall challenge. These players know what they're signing up for, but playing a game in a different time zone and the day before Thanksgiving will make tonight's game that much more difficult.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Charlotte dumps Iona 72-40
The Charlotte 49ers women's basketball squad kicked off its regular season with an impressive 72-40 win over the Gaels of Iona in the first round of the Women's NIT. Charlotte will play a road game at Florida--who beat UCF 77-67--in the second round on Monday.
Charlotte got off to a hot start and never looked back. Following an opening 3-pointer by Iona's Anda Ivkovic, Charlotte went on a 13-0 run, powered by four points from Paige McCallum. The 49ers used a suffocating man defense to thwart any chance Iona had offensively and crashed the offensive boards early and often. Charlotte was out rebounded 18-16 in the first half but used 10 steals to take a 33-22 lead into the halftime break.
Building on its 11-point halftime lead, Charlotte used a 16-4 run to start the second half to push the margin to 23 at 49-26.
Prior to the season, Karen Aston noted that the biggest difference between this last season's squad and this one was the depth she had in the front court. That difference was made evident on Saturday as Charlotte outscored Iona 20-8 in the paint in the first half and 32-18 for the game.
Charlotte was led offensively by the sister duo of McCallum and her older sister, Shannon. Paige contributed 13 points while Shannon added 21 of her own.
Charlotte returns to action on Monday when they play Florida in the second round. Time for the game has yet to be announced.
Charlotte got off to a hot start and never looked back. Following an opening 3-pointer by Iona's Anda Ivkovic, Charlotte went on a 13-0 run, powered by four points from Paige McCallum. The 49ers used a suffocating man defense to thwart any chance Iona had offensively and crashed the offensive boards early and often. Charlotte was out rebounded 18-16 in the first half but used 10 steals to take a 33-22 lead into the halftime break.
Building on its 11-point halftime lead, Charlotte used a 16-4 run to start the second half to push the margin to 23 at 49-26.
Prior to the season, Karen Aston noted that the biggest difference between this last season's squad and this one was the depth she had in the front court. That difference was made evident on Saturday as Charlotte outscored Iona 20-8 in the paint in the first half and 32-18 for the game.
Charlotte was led offensively by the sister duo of McCallum and her older sister, Shannon. Paige contributed 13 points while Shannon added 21 of her own.
Charlotte returns to action on Monday when they play Florida in the second round. Time for the game has yet to be announced.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Breaking down Gardner-Webb
Two men will be making their head coaching debuts on Friday at Halton Arena. Most notably, Charlotte coach Alan Major. But Gardner-Webb will also begin a new era under seasoned veteran Chris Holtmann, who is just a year removed from helping Ohio University to an upset NCAA Tournament win over Georgetown. After 12 years of calling the shots from the bench—5 years at Gardner-Webb—he’ll finally get a chance to be the man running things.
Holtmann might have a bit of a problem in his first game at the helm when he faces Charlotte. The Bulldogs return three starters from last year’s 8-21 team, but only one of those three averaged more than five points per game a season ago and just one averaged more than four rebounds.
The Bulldogs’ most notable returner will be 6-4 senior wing Jonathan Moore (10.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg), who worked his way up from a walk-on to earning 17 starts a year ago.
Nailing down the point guard spot for the Bulldogs will probably be freshman Luke Davis (11.6 ppg, 6.0 apg at Ravencroft School in Raleigh). He was rated just outside of ESPN.com’s top 100 point guards and was very productive in the same league that produced Washington Wizards rookie John Wall.
Helping Davis out in the backcourt will be junior transfer Laron Buggs. The 6-2 combo guard is strong on the defensive end and transferred from Murray State College where he averaged 4.3 points per game and earned all-region honors.
The Bulldogs’ frontcourt will see a size improvement with the addition of 6-foot-10-inch, 230 pound freshman center Mike Byron, who averaged 10.0 ppg and 7.0 rpg at Churchill High School in San Antonio. Byron was ranked as the No. 105 center prospect by ESPN.com and will provide a big body in the middle for the Bulldogs.
With suspension rumors circulating, Byron could prove to be a match up problem depending on which players sit out.
Rounding out the starting lineup for Gardner-Webb will be 6-foot-6-inch small forward Stefon Johnson. Johnson provides some athleticism for the Bulldogs and came on late last season, scoring in double figures in two of the final four games. He scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a road game against Winthrop.
The most experienced player returning for the Bulldogs will be 6-3 junior power forward Josh Henley (4.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg), who will be the Big South’s second leading returning rebounder from a year ago.
Charlotte lacked some defensive intensity near the end of last season, so expect Major to implement a suffocating man-to-man defense. Expect the turnover rate to be high for a young Bulldog squad and look for Charlotte to capitalize on transition opportunities.
This game has match-up problems written all over it for Gardner-Webb. Charlotte has the upper hand based purely on experience and size, but that size advantage could be diminished depending on suspensions. Even with the possibility of Charlotte losing some starting members of the frontcourt, I expect them to take care of business against a young, inexperienced Gardner-Webb team.
Holtmann might have a bit of a problem in his first game at the helm when he faces Charlotte. The Bulldogs return three starters from last year’s 8-21 team, but only one of those three averaged more than five points per game a season ago and just one averaged more than four rebounds.
The Bulldogs’ most notable returner will be 6-4 senior wing Jonathan Moore (10.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg), who worked his way up from a walk-on to earning 17 starts a year ago.
Nailing down the point guard spot for the Bulldogs will probably be freshman Luke Davis (11.6 ppg, 6.0 apg at Ravencroft School in Raleigh). He was rated just outside of ESPN.com’s top 100 point guards and was very productive in the same league that produced Washington Wizards rookie John Wall.
Helping Davis out in the backcourt will be junior transfer Laron Buggs. The 6-2 combo guard is strong on the defensive end and transferred from Murray State College where he averaged 4.3 points per game and earned all-region honors.
The Bulldogs’ frontcourt will see a size improvement with the addition of 6-foot-10-inch, 230 pound freshman center Mike Byron, who averaged 10.0 ppg and 7.0 rpg at Churchill High School in San Antonio. Byron was ranked as the No. 105 center prospect by ESPN.com and will provide a big body in the middle for the Bulldogs.
With suspension rumors circulating, Byron could prove to be a match up problem depending on which players sit out.
Rounding out the starting lineup for Gardner-Webb will be 6-foot-6-inch small forward Stefon Johnson. Johnson provides some athleticism for the Bulldogs and came on late last season, scoring in double figures in two of the final four games. He scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a road game against Winthrop.
The most experienced player returning for the Bulldogs will be 6-3 junior power forward Josh Henley (4.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg), who will be the Big South’s second leading returning rebounder from a year ago.
Charlotte lacked some defensive intensity near the end of last season, so expect Major to implement a suffocating man-to-man defense. Expect the turnover rate to be high for a young Bulldog squad and look for Charlotte to capitalize on transition opportunities.
This game has match-up problems written all over it for Gardner-Webb. Charlotte has the upper hand based purely on experience and size, but that size advantage could be diminished depending on suspensions. Even with the possibility of Charlotte losing some starting members of the frontcourt, I expect them to take care of business against a young, inexperienced Gardner-Webb team.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Brewster guard picks up offer
Brewster (NH) guard Eli Carter has picked up an offer from South Florida and is now considering them. A 2011 point guard, Carter is also considering Charlotte, Seton Hall, Oregon State and now the Bulls.
Carter went on an official visit to Oregon State and was visited at Brewster by Charlotte coach Alan Major on Wednesday. Seton Hall visited Carter Thursday while Oregon State was in the house today.
Carter originally committed to St. Bonaventure last year but has since re-opened his recruitment.
Carter went on an official visit to Oregon State and was visited at Brewster by Charlotte coach Alan Major on Wednesday. Seton Hall visited Carter Thursday while Oregon State was in the house today.
Carter originally committed to St. Bonaventure last year but has since re-opened his recruitment.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
"Secret" scrimmage happening Saturday
Charlotte will be playing Virginia Tech in a "secret" scrimmage on Saturday in Blacksburg, VA. A number of teams from around the NCAA participate in these scrimmages with some teams playing in more than one.
Seth Greenburg's Hokies paid a visit to Halton Arena last season. The Hokies are ranked 21st in the AP poll and 23rd in the coaches poll.
Here's a list of other secret scrimmages from around the A-10:
Oct. 30:
Fordham at Villanova
George Mason at Richmond
Kent State at St. Bonaventure
VCU at La Salle
Oct. 31
UMass at Harvard
Temple at Penn State
Nov. 5
St. Peter’s at Fordham
Nov. 6
Charlotte at Virginia Tech
Drexel at Temple
Seth Greenburg's Hokies paid a visit to Halton Arena last season. The Hokies are ranked 21st in the AP poll and 23rd in the coaches poll.
Here's a list of other secret scrimmages from around the A-10:
Oct. 30:
Fordham at Villanova
George Mason at Richmond
Kent State at St. Bonaventure
VCU at La Salle
Oct. 31
UMass at Harvard
Temple at Penn State
Nov. 5
St. Peter’s at Fordham
Nov. 6
Charlotte at Virginia Tech
Drexel at Temple
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Voncina ineligible
Charlotte 49ers freshman point guard Luka Voncina has been ruled ineligible by the NCAA for tonight's exhibition game against Queens.
Voncina, who has been cleared by the NCAA to practice, will remain ineligible pending a possible review of documentation.
Voncina was expected to play second fiddle to starting point guard Jamar Briscoe. Expect to see some additional minutes for Derrio Green and Briscoe in tonight's match-up.
Voncina, who has been cleared by the NCAA to practice, will remain ineligible pending a possible review of documentation.
Voncina was expected to play second fiddle to starting point guard Jamar Briscoe. Expect to see some additional minutes for Derrio Green and Briscoe in tonight's match-up.
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