Life In The DPC!

Marcelus Kemp has decided to return for his senior year at Nevada, his sixth season overall due to injury, and Ramon Sessions has decided to stay in the NBA Draft after a positive showing at the NBA’s Pre Draft Camp in Orlando. Sessions decision has raised some eyebrows, mainly mine,due to his uncertain draft status and the popular word is that he’ll end up in the second round at best.

There is the possibility of four Nevada alumnus in the NBA next season:

1. Kirk Snyder
   
2. Kevinn Pinkney
3. Nick Fazekas
4. Ramon Sessions

Of the four players mentioned only Snyder has a guaranteed contract but Fazekas will likely be a first rounder. Pinkney’s future is a bit uncertain but he had a positive showing in his brief time with the Celtics and Sessions, as previously mentioned, is in limbo but he seems to be gaining a lot of momentum .

I absolutely tanked by picking the Cleveland Cavaliers over the Spurs in six. In reality I have had a bad run of luck in my latest wagers:

• Nevada to go to the Sweet Sixteen and they were eliminated in the second round by Memphis
  
• Chicago Bears over the Colts and I watched the horror of Peyton’s first championship
  

These last three picks have shown me once again that I need to use my head as opposed to my heart to place wagers. But in my defense I really thought the Bears could knock off the Colts. Any who, as we begin a quiet period for sports championships I can lick my wounds and reflect on how I can avoid these mistakes in the coming years.

Despite my recent defeats in wagering I had a pretty good before this drought:

• Florida over Ohio State in the BCS
• Arizona Cardinals over the 49ers (twice)
• Miami over Nevada (not a real shock

(Note: I don’t count my inability to judge NFL talent. David Klingler, Andre Ware and Jeff George were not flops. They were drafted by the wrong teams)
Even with my misguided gambling I have recently felt the need to break into the stock market. Truthfully I have no idea where this notion came from but on a random weekday at 6:45 am I became a member of Bank Of America’s investing branch. I think the wheels were set in motion by chatting about investments, or my lack of any retirement cash, with English Sarah from work. Apparently she realized that the future can be a bit better if you have some cash to live on but I had managed to ignore this notion for 29 years.

Due to fiscal realities I have budgeted myself to $50.00 per week in stock trades, including the various fees tacked onto each trade. With drastic budget restraints I find myself doing more research and trying to arbitrarily decipher the winners and losers. At this early stage I have only acquired a pair of stocks:

1. Viral Genetics (VRAL.OB) 200 shares at $.04 each. Viral Genetics, Inc. is a biotechnology company that discovers and develops immune-based therapies for HIV and AIDS using its thymus nuclear protein compound. This compound may have other potential applications for other infectious, autoimmune, and immunological deficiency diseases that the company intends to study in the future. Viral Genetics believes that VGV-1 represents a significant and unique approach to treating HIV due to the apparently novel mechanism, low toxicity profile, simple dosing regimen, and short-course of treatment.
2. Ask Me Now, INC (AKMN.OB) 20 shares at $.71. AskMeNow is committed to keeping you in the know while on the go. Through our groundbreaking technology, you can get quick and easy access to 411 listings, Weather, Movie Times, Sports Scores, Directions, Horoscopes, Travel Information, Stock Quotes and more — all from your cell phone within moments. We have all the answers

So far I have made 40 cents…

The NBA Finals begin tonight, San Antonio Spurs vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, and I am envisioning the Cavs in six. This prediction is conspiracy based. The NBA is on an upswing with new talent like LeBron, D Wade, etc., but teams like the Spurs and the Pistons have minimal crossover appeal. Die hards like solid team play, like the Spurs or Pistons, but marginal fans prefer stars and/or high scoring. Tim Duncan is a star but robotic, while LeBron is a star in the purest sense.

Based upon the needs of the NBA I foresee the Cavs winning in the same way D Wade and the Heat pulled it off last year with King James shooting a disproportional amount of free throws. Conspiracy for the young king? Sorta because his triumph benefits the NBA in a greater way than the Spurs’ fourth title in 9 years. The Spurs are legit but they’re boring and their greatest contribution is their point guard’s wife.

The last time I spoke of the University of Nevada basketball squad it was shortly after the Memphis Tigers knocked them out of NCAA Tournament in a lackluster showing by the Pack. In a little over a month the Pack faced the normal happenings of any squad when seniors Nick Fazekas, Kyle Shiloh and Dennis Ikovlev played their final game and needed their spots filled by up and comers. Championships are won in the off season, specifically a 5th straight WAC title, but its been a vacation of discontent for Nevada.

1. Fazekas left school early, about three weeks before the semester ended, to prepare for the NBA Draft. Draftexpress.com has Fazekas getting drafted with the last pick of the 1st round and NBAdraft.net has him going 41st.

2. Ramon Sessions and Marcelus Kemp are entering the NBA Draft. Both players just finished their junior seasons and have not hired agents and return for their senior season if they withdraw by June 18. NBAdraft.net has Kemp going in the 2nd round, of the 2008 draft at 41st while Sessions goes at 19th in 2008

3. Coach Mark Fox is the part of many rumors as the coaching carousel turns but is staying at Nevada.  ”But it gets old answering the same question: `Are you going to be back?’ If your team is good, you’re going to have that question … But I’m just worried about keeping the job I have,” Coach Fox said.

4. Kevinn Pinkney made the NBA as a member of the Boston Celtics. Pinkney averaged 5.2 ppg and 2.5 rpg after signing a ten-day contract at the end of the season.  He had a memorable pro debut with 15-points after being brought in from the Bakersfield Jam of the NBDL.

The Nature Boy Ric Flair was invited by University of Florida Gators head coach Billy Donovan for a pep talk before their victory over Butler in the NCAA Tournament.  Flair is the 19-time world champion, 16 by the WWE, and according to my brother is likely the greatest wrestler of all time but is third in popularity behind Hulk Hogan and Stone Cold Steve Austin. I’ll take his word for it because he is a wrestling fan and I haven’t really watched it since all the Von Erichs were alive, including the modern Greek Tragedy Kerry. But on a related note we saw Flair and Arn Anderson get out of a cab in Oakland. We were waiting in line to go see an NWA show and that was our brush with greatness.

Flairs random appearance at a college basketball game brought up the issue between my brother and I on who are the greatest athletes from North Carolina. I maintained it was Michael Jordan, Dale Earnhardt Sr., Richard Petty and Ric Flair. His assertion was Jordan, Flair and Earnhardt. This simple debate, via text messages, brings up the issue of what an athlete is. By most accounts pro wrestlers are entertainers and NASCAR drivers turn left for four straight hours but this is short sighted.

Flair for the most always seemed to be out of shape when competing but managed to get 19 championship belts by a combination of guile and experience. He never seemed to dominate a match but usually cheated or outsmarted his opponent and got them in a figure four leglock and won by submission. I give pro wrestlers the credit of being athletes because they abuse the crap out of themselves and don’t have an off season to heal.

Earnhardt and Petty are the considered two of the best stock car has seen and their respective legacy’s still cast over the modern Nextel cirsuit. I give drivers credit for being athletes due to the fact that the interior of their cars are over 100 degrees and it takes a certain amount of concentration to drive 180 mph with another car 18 inches in front of you.

Sports Illustrated produced a list of the top 50 athletes from North Carolina. Jordan was first, Petty was second and Earnhardt was sixth. Flair was not mentioned and was apparently beaten out Meadowlark Lemon of the Harlem Globetrotters(41st) and Wimpy Lassiter(31st). It’s bad enough when you’re not considered to  be an athlete compared to a Harlem Globetrotter but to be shot down by a pool player named Wimpy, well that is true injustice.

Nevada lost to Memphis in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, 78-62. The score seems to indicate that it was a blow out and yet it wasn’t. The Wolf Pack trailed by four at the half but were outscored 14-1 in the final 6:17 after getting within three points of the Tigers.

In all honesty the game was never close, even though the Pack always seemed to be within two or three possesions of taking the lead. They were out of sync, flawed and looked like about as bad any squad could. But still they were in the game because Memphis wasn’t playing particularly well either. While watching the defeat you sort of knew that Memphis would win no matter what Nevada threw at them. I’ve watched a lot of basketball, specifically The Pack, over the years and you always get a sense when a team is in control and will ultimately win despite any bumps in the road. Memphis was in control and toyed with Nevada.

The 2007 NCAA Tournament was supposed to be both revenge for last season’s early exit and the absolute vindication of Nick Fazekas against all of his naysayers. Yet all the doubts about Nevada team were proven right: A big fish in a small pond that will fall to ‘real’ Top 25 squads.  Fazekas can dominate the Idaho Vandals but line him up next to a legit big man and lets see what happens…

I had heard all these anti-Nevada notions before and blew them off as hyperbole from journalists that were unfamiliar with a team hidden in the Sierras but they were right all along. Nevada dominated a weak conference. They fell to any team on their level or greater, with the exception of Gonzaga, and for the most part Fazekas disappeared when his team needed him to step up and prove that he truly belongs aside the upper echelon players in America. There was little fire in Fazekas as the final minutes of his career dwindled away.

“That’s the way I’ve always been, win or lose. I just stay levelheaded,” said Fazekas. “I’m not the type of guy who gets vocal. I keep it the same.”

Throughout the game there was no spirit or fire for Nevada. Fazekas needed to be the take charge player that he should be and yet the team languished in a display of mediocrity that tarnished what could have been a truly memorable season. At this point Fazekas will likley be remebered as the greatest player in the history of The University of Nevada and his numbers prove it:at least 20.4 ppg the last three season to go along with at least 9.4 rpg, three straight All WAC Team and of course three straight WAC Player of the Year awards. But he will also be remebered as the guy that could not lead his team past the second round of the NCAA Tournament. It his harsh to make him the axis for all Nevada’s post season flops but he is the leader and face of the team and blame always starts at the top.   At this point I will maintain that Kirk Snyder is the best Nevada has ever had but also keep in mind I might have Kevinn Pinkney ahead of Fazekas because he seemed to take every loss personal and he stepped up when the Pack needed him.

This season was a failure because The Pack did not play upto their potential. The talent was there. The team was anchored by upper classmen and yet they will likely be remebered as a potentially great team that never came to fruition.

Don’t measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability. -John Wooden

Nevada survived their first round matchup against Creighton with a 77-71 win in overtime. Marcelus Kemp led the Wolf Pack with 27 points, including nine in OT. All American Nick Fazekas seemed out of sync the whole time and fouled with 3:06 left in OT but as they have done before the Pack won without their star.

“He’s a great player and an All-American, but this team is more than just Nick,” Kemp said. “He would say that himself.”  

At this point one must wonder if Nevada is falling prey to the Ewing Theory. The Ewing Theory is from ESPN.com’s Bill Simmons:

What’s the Ewing Theory? Where did it come from?
The theory was created in the mid-’90s by Dave Cirilli, a friend of mine who was convinced that Patrick Ewing’s teams (both at Georgetown and with New York) inexplicably played better when Ewing was either injured or missing extended stretches because of foul trouble.

Dave introduced me to the Ewing Theory three years ago, and we’ve been tinkering with it like Voltaire and Thoreau ever since. Eventually, we decided that two crucial elements needed to be in place for any situation to qualify for “Ewing” status:  

1. A star athlete receives an inordinate amount of media attention and fan interest, and yet his teams never win anything substantial with him (other than maybe some early-round playoff series).  
2. That same athlete leaves his team (either by injury, trade, graduation, free agency or retirement) — and both the media and fans immediately write off the team for the following season.

When those elements collide, you have the Ewing Theory.

The Creighton game showed that Nevada can play for extended stretches without Fazekas and still triumph because of their backcourt of Kemp and Ramon Sessions. But Creighton is a true Mid Major and fell prey to Nevada because of their lack of depth and the Pack’s 2nd Round matchup against the Memphis Tigers will not be as easy. Memphis comes in as a 2nd seed with a 23 game winning streak. Going into Sunday’s game the Tigers are a 5 point favorite.

“It’s definitely another opportunity for us,” Fazekas said. “For them to be fifth in the country doesn’t mean a whole lot right now. What does mean something is they’re a two seed. They’re definitely a team to be reckoned with. There’s no doubt. They’re a very good team. They’re very athletic. Their record says how good they are.”

Memphis is beatable. Like the Wolf Pack, Calipari’s Tigers, are big fish in a small but unlike the Wolf Pack they are respected by the media. Both squads are the dominant teams in weak conferences. For Memphis they ran the table in Conference USA and were the only team to earn an NCAA bid from a conference that includes such powerhouses as East Carolina and SMU.

I readliy acknowledge that the WAC is not a powerful conference but they sent two squads to The Big Dance. At this point I consider Nevada and Memphis near equals because neither team had challenging schedules and their respective conferences were less than stellar. The Tigers earned a higher seed and national recognition because of their high profile coach John Calipari.

For Nevada to win they need a big game from Fazekas. The Pack struggled against Creighton as Fazekas went 5-13 with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Kemp saved the day and another first round exit with clutch free throw shooting and timely buckets. The Tigers are a different beast but they’re beatable if the Pack can execute to their potential and cut down on their turnovers, 19 against Creighton.

Kemp has proven to be a big game player. In his two games in the NCAA Tournament he has been Nevada’s leading scorer with 30.5 ppg. Fazekas’ scoring average has dropped to 13.7 ppg when the lights shine brighter at The Big Dance. Fazekas has never averaged less than 20.7 ppg in the last three seasons.

Cliff and me were chatting after the Creighton game and we surmised that these tournament are essentially job interviews for Fazekas.  Fazekas tanked against Montana in the Pack’s first round dismissal and accordingly his draft stock fell to the point where he went from sure first rounder to an after thought in second round uncertainty. If he can come up large on a national stage and Nevada wins he has a guaranteed paycheck from the NBA. Kirk Snyder did it in when the Pack ran wild to the Sweet 16 and he was their star.

This season will be a failure for Fazekas and Nevada unless they make it to the Sweet 16. The Pack have been ranked all season, and as high as 10th, and Fazekas is everyone’s All American but a loss to Memphis will show that Fazekas can’t raise his game when neccesary and that Nevada was overrated all season. A Nevada win proves that the high rankings in the national polls weren’t a fluke and that Fazekas belongs next to Kevin Durant on all of the post season all star teams.

I heard a male voice using loud, boisterous and profane language toward the official. I looked back and saw that it was the coach from Nevada whom I know as Mr.Fox. As Mr. Fox continued to curse and be abusive toward the officials he continued to close distance. I placed my hand on the back of the last official and tried to hurry him up the ramp. Fox was about two feet away and I slowed down and put my hand out across his chest to prevent him from getting any closer to the official. Mr. Fox raised his voice and said “Don’t put your fucking hands told Mr. Fox to back off and again pushed against him to keep him from the officials. The behavior by Mr. Fox toward me was in a rude and insolent manner and I believed Mr. Fox was going to touch or apply force to the officials or myself.  - Officer Quent Pirtle of the NMSU Police Department

The New Mexico State University Police Department released their report involving Nevada Head Coach Fox verbal altercation last Friday after they fell to Utah State in The WAC Tournament. Initial reports had Fox in an verbal altercation with the referees after the game. The slanted version in the aforementioned police report show Fox as a maniacal 6′4″ vindictive coach vexed by defeat.  No charges were pressed by the NMSU PD but Fax was allegedly looking at Assault on A Peace Officer and a single count of assault towards the referee. The manner is being handled by the WAC.

University of Nevada’s Assistant Chief of Police, Todd Renwick, who accompanied Fox after the game paints a different picture of the incident.

“It appeared to me Coach Fox was emotional because of the outcome of the game, but not violent,” Renwick’s letter said. “I have seen way worse during my tenure at the collegiate sports level.”

I’m a Nevada guy and I am going to side with Renwick’s version. It seems highly unlikely that a coach would assault a cop while trying to get to a ref. Yelling, screaming and vulgarity? No doubt. Nevada had just gotten knocked out of the WAC Tournament and were looking overrated after dropping two games to the Aggies in a week. But Fox did have a legitimite beef when the refs took the games into their own hands and denied the players the opportunity to decide the contest.

In my former role as University of Nevada Intercollegiate Athletics Media Services Student Intern I often found myself bumming around Legacy Hall trying to kill time on my shift. (Note: unpaid internships for mandatory college credit are not much differenet then being on parole) Anywho my various encounters with Fox were always cordial and for the most part he seemed to his best to say hi to everyone. This of course is the exact opposite of Chris Ault but that’s another subject for another time.

This little storm could be a distraction for the Pack as they head to New Orleans for the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Creighton on Friday afternoon. Hopefully this little run in and the subsequent hyperbole from Los Cruces can put the fear of God into the Missouri Valley Conference Champs.

 A police report says Nevada coach Mark Fox is abusive and profane. That sort of behavior will make a team of fresh-faced Nebraskan Jesuits wet their pants. - DJ Gallo, ESPN Page 2

John Amaechi is now the first openly gay male athlete to sign an endorsement deal with a major company. Amaechi is now the face of Headblade a razor designed specifically to shave heads.

“I found out about the product almost six years ago,” Amaechi said in a press release. ”and have been using it ever since. Whether you’re black, white, straight or gay, a shaved head is a shaved head, and it requires specialized maintenance.”

Amaechi follows in the foot steps of Martina Navratilova. In 2000 the tennis star became the first openly homosexual sposkeman for a major company when Subaru brought her aboard.