As we inch closer to Finals Week and summer becomes more and more of a reality, let’s take a minute or so to reflect on the great athletic achievements that were accomplished this past season by Blue Streaks athletics before we wipe the slate clean this fall. With that being said, here are my end-of-the-year awards for Blue Streaks athletics:

Male Athlete of the Year: Corey Shontz, basketball. The senior point guard was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division III All-America Third Team after posting an impressive season. Shontz averaged 16 points and 4.7 assists en route to becoming the first Blue Streak basketball player to be named to an All-America team in 29 years. Honorable mention: Devin O’Brien (football), Mike Minjock (track and field), Terner Gott (wrestling).

Female Athlete of the Year: Brittany Danilov, softball. The senior stud finished the regular season with a 19-5 record in the circle and an impressive earned run average of 2.33. Danilov also held opponents to a lowly .233 batting average and led the OAC with 177 strikeouts, 66 more than the next best pitcher. Honorable mention: Colleen Harmon (soccer),  Missy Spahar (basketball), Emily Mapes (track and field).

Male Rookie of the Year: Terner Gott, wrestling. The freshman grappler finished with a 26-5 record on the year and was named to the D3Wrestle.com All-Freshman team as the top rookie in the 157-pound weight class. Gott also went 2-0 while winning the OAC title at 157 pounds, earning him a berth at the NCAA Championships in La Crosse, Wis.

Female Rookie of the Year: Emily Mapes, track and field. Mapes put together an extremely impressive year, competing in all three seasons of cross country and track and field. The freshman set the OAC meet record with a time of 11:00.24 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase – a mark 16 seconds better than the next finisher. She also posted the best mark of any Blue Streak in six different events throughout the outdoor and indoor track and field seasons en route to putting together an impressive year of accomplishments.

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And then Sunday came.

Traveling to Tiffin, Ohio on Sunday, April 29, the Blue Streaks couldn’t keep up with the Student Princes as they dropped consecutive road games against the home team, losing by scores of 7-1 and 10-9.

After an RBI single from senior Tom Hickey in the top of the first inning, the Blue Streaks held a narrow 1-0 lead early in game one of the doubleheader. However, the Student Princes dominated the game from there. Heidelberg responded by scoring two runs in the bottom of the first, claiming the lead for good in game one. The Student Princes tacked on their other five runs during the third, fourth and fifth innings en route to picking up a 7-1 win over the Blue Streaks at home.

Game two of the doubleheader between the Blue Streaks and Student Princes proved to be a much different, much closer contest – but ultimately ended with the same result.

The Blue and Gold again began the game with the offensive fireworks rolling, as they scored two runs in the top of the first to give themselves the early 2-0 lead. JCU then tacked on one more run in the second inning before the Student Princes responded with a run of their own, cutting the Blue Streaks’ lead to 3-1 after two innings. However, JCU responded once again with two more runs, giving themselves a healthy 5-1 lead after three innings of baseball.

Then the offense began to come alive for Heidelberg.

The Student Princes scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth and two more in the bottom of the fifth, claiming a 6-5 lead over JCU in the process.

In the top of the seventh inning, sophomore Jimmy Spagna belted a home run to tie the game at an even score of 6-6. Then, in the top of the eighth inning, a two-out rally proved to be just what the Blue Streaks needed.

With two outs in the inning, junior Joe Veltri walked to get the rally going for JCU. Sophomore Mitch Herringshaw then singled, putting runners on first and second for the Blue Streaks. Hickey then connected on a single, and an error from the Heidelberg left fielder allowed both Veltri and Herringshaw to round third base and score, giving JCU an 8-6 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth inning.

In the bottom half of the eighth, Heidelberg again proved how potent their offense could be as they rounded off four runs in the inning to take back the lead, 10-8, in the ball game.

In the top of the ninth inning, trailing by two runs, the Blue Streaks tried to put together one last offensive assault. Junior Aaron Miller singled to begin the inning and was followed by another single from junior Ryan Konsler. With runners on first and second, freshman Connor Marrero then sacrificed a bunt to advance each runner over one base. Pinch-hitting for freshman Bobby Sabatino, freshman David Lykens then grounded out to the shortstop but drove in a run in the process, cutting the lead to one for Heidelberg. However, a groundout to second base from sophomore Dan Potter ended the Blue Streaks’ rally, clinching the 10-9 win for the Student Princes over JCU.

The Blue and Gold will next play on Saturday, May 5 in Ada, Ohio as they take on the Ohio Northern Polar Bears in another OAC baseball doubleheader.

The Blue Streaks split their doubleheader with crosstown rival Baldwin-Wallace last Wednesday, taking game one, 5-0, and then dropping the nightcap, 9-8. Senior first baseman Ollie Mathews homered in both games for the Blue and Gold giving her her second and third home runs of the season, and senior pitcher Brittany Danilov’s complete game shutout in game one was her fifth of the season.

Then on Sunday, April 29, in the OAC regular season finale, their second place Blue Streaks were in need of just one victory against Heidelberg to clinch the second seed in the upcoming OAC postseason tournament.

The Blue and Gold rose above and beyond the call of duty as they not only clinched the second seed, but swept the ‘Berg on Senior Day in front of a packed house on a beautiful, sunny day at John Carroll’s Bracken Field.

In game one against the ‘Berg, the Blue Streaks emerged victorious by a final count of 4-2, as Brittany Danilov won her 18th game of the season in a complete game effort where she did not allow a single earned run. The Blue Streaks were led offensively by sophomores Morgan Robinson and Heather Hurley who each had two hits in the ballgame, including Hurley’s RBI double in the fifth that was part of a three-run inning.

Soon after, in game two, the Blue Streaks overcame a 5-2 Heidelberg lead to complete the sweep with a 7-5 victory. Down 5-2 entering the bottom of the fifth, the Blue Streaks’ bats came alive as Erin Riccardi drove in three with a double, and then advanced home following Hurley’s third home run of the season that gave the Blue and Gold an eventual game ending score of 7-5. Riccardi also connected on a homerun back in the first inning, her second of the season and 17th of her career.

Following the sweep of Heidelberg — the Blue and Gold’s fifth conference sweep of the season — John Carroll finished their regular season with an overall record of 27-13, 12-6 in conference play, which was good for a second place finish in the OAC standings behind first place Ohio Northern. The Blue Streaks will join Ohio Northern, Otterbein and Muskingum as the conference’s four representatives in this weekend’s OAC Tournament to play for the opportunity to become conference tournament champions.

For John Carroll’s senior class, which consists of Danilov, Riccardi, Mathews, Michelle Murphy and Elena Cotton, ending their respective careers as conference champions would be the most appropriate way to conclude their collegiate careers.

“It [winning an OAC title] would be essentially the best feeling in the world,” said Riccardi. “We’ve worked [so] hard all four years, and it would be the best payoff.”

“We’ve proved [over the last four seasons] that John Carroll can contend with the best the OAC has to offer,” said Danilov. “It’s a very exciting time for us seniors; we’ve worked so hard these past four years and going out with another OAC Tournament title would mean the world to us.”

The John Carroll class of 2012 concluded the regular season with an overall record of 107-53, and is the first senior class in program history to record four consecutive winning seasons. The senior class was also influential in helping the Blue Streaks softball program reach the top of the OAC mountain with the school’s first tournament championship in 2010, followed up by the program’s first regular season championship in 2011.

This upcoming Friday and Saturday in Ada, Ohio, the Blue and Gold will search for their second OAC Tournament championship in three seasons, and potentially a birth to the NCAA softball tournament.

Game times and complete Ohio Athletic Conference tournament information can be found at www.OAC.org, with postgame stories and stats available on www.jcusports.com.

[Written by Gabriella Kreuz]

In most seasons, men’s team scores of 76 and 73 for the John Carroll University track and field teams would be enough for  a top-five finish at the Ohio Athletic Conference Championships. Despite the efforts by the Blue Streaks, the men’s and women’s teams finished in sixth and eighth place, respectively, this past weekend at the OAC Championships in Wilmington, Ohio.

On the men’s side, junior Mike Minjock jumped a 2012 NCAA Division III-best 7.46 meters to win his first OAC title in the long jump event. Minjock also picked up third place finishes in both the triple jump and 100-meter dash events as well.

“I knew I was ready physically and mentally and I had my best performance of the season,” said Minjock. “My goal is to be the national champion. I feel great, and after the way conference went, I expect to perform even better at the national championships.”

Senior Steven Borowy earned All-OAC status by finishing in third place in the javelin throw event, with a personal best of 52.40 meters. In the pole vault, sophomore Cory Biro cleared 4.25 meters to lock in an eighth place finish.

In the lengthy 10,000-meter run, senior Jake Smith claimed first place while junior Nick Wojtasik came in at seventh place with respective times of 32:11 and 33:15.

“A conference championship had always been one of my goals,” said Smith on his first-ever OAC title. “As the season went on and I kept getting better, I was excited that I finally had the chance to win.”

In the 4×800-meter relay, the quartet of freshman John Cameron, junior Pat Burns, junior Anthony Colbert and sophomore Vadim Spasiuk took home a fifth-place finish with a time of 7:58.639, just .006 behind fourth.

Senior Will Rial stepped his game up in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, as he took third place with a finish time of 9:40.92, good enough to earn all-OAC status. He ran 9:40.92 for a third place finish for all-OAC status.

At the end of the two-day event,  the Blue Streaks finished in sixth place with 76 total team points. Powerhouse Mount Union came out on top with 143 points, while Baldwin- Wallace (115 points), Ohio Northern (112), Heidelberg (98) and Marietta (93) finished in second through fifth place, respectively.

Women’s Track and Field

[Written by Zach Mentz]

Despite only finishing in eighth place out of 10 teams this past weekend at the Ohio Athletic Conference Championships, the John Carroll University women’s track and field team put together numerous impressive performances, bringing a close to another exciting year for the Blue Streaks.

With the OAC Championships taking place in Wilmington, Ohio, the Blue Streaks were led by freshman Emily Mapes and sophomore Gabriella Kreuz. Mapes finished in first place in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with an impressive finish time of 11:00.24, while Kreuz also finished in first place in the 1,500-meter run and a final time of 4:40.83. Because of her performance, Kreuz was named the Dave Lehman Most Outstanding Distance Athlete Award winner.

“I didn’t really anticipate being honored with that kind of award so soon, especially at the OAC Championships,” said Kreuz. “It was just one of those occasions where my brain and body were on the same page, and I ran the way my coaches and teammates believed I could all along.”

In the 4×800-meter relay event, junior Maureen Creighton, freshman Haley Turner and sophomores Nicki Bohrer and Kreuz claimed first place with a time of 9:19.94, a mark eight seconds better than the next. The same quartet also finished in third place in the 4×400-meter relay with a time of 4:06.29

Senior Megan Lutz also reeled in more points for the Blue Streaks as she finished in fifth place in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 18:28.28.

“I always missed practice during its normal time and spent most of the season running at night by myself,” said Lutz. “But the coaches, especially [assistant coach] Kyle Basista, really worked with me to make my last season a possibility.

Mapes finished just behind Lutz, in sixth place, with a finish time of 18:19.27.

The University of Mount Union Purple Raiders won the OAC Championships with a collective 146 points, while Baldwin-Wallace (101 points) and Marietta took second and third place, respectively. JCU finished in eighth with a total of 73 points.

The Blue Streaks are still a young team and should have an exciting year again next spring.

The John Carroll University men’s tennis team has caught fire recently, ending the 2012 regular season by winning three of their final four matches. The Blue Streaks first defeated the Marietta Pioneers by a shutout score of 9-0 on Thursday, April 26 before also defeating the Heidelberg Student Princes by a score of 7-2 on Sunday, April 29.

Against Marietta, the highlight performance perhaps came in No. 1 doubles, when juniors Ryan Mullaney and Rico Certo paired up to defeat their opponents by a dominating score of 8-0. Mullaney also won his No. 1 singles match by a score of 6-0, 6-1.

Against Heidelberg, the Blue Streaks dropped two of the six singles matches before winning each of the three doubles matches, giving themselves an impressive 7-2 win over the Student Princes.

After winning three of their last four matches, the Blue Streaks earned the No. 5 seed in the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament. The Blue and Gold were set to take on the No. 4 seed Mount Union Purple Raiders on Tuesday, May 1.

Women’s Tennis

Winning has become contagious as of late for the John Carroll University women’s tennis team. Coming into last week with a five-match winning streak, the Blue Streaks (12-3, 7-1 OAC) continued their excellent play with consecutive wins over the Marietta Pioneers and the ‘Berg of Heidelberg University by identical scores of 8-1.

Taking on the Pioneers in Marietta, Ohio on Thursday, April 26, the Blue Streaks were dominant from start to finish. Senior Cassie Simmelink won her No. 1 singles match by a score of 8-1 before teaming with freshman Tracy Gibson to win their No. 1 doubles match by a score of 8-2.

Against the ‘Berg of Heidelberg on Saturday, April 28, the Blue Streaks ended their season with another win added to their tally as they defeated the visiting ‘Berg by a score of 8-1.

As the No. 2 seed in the OAC Tournament, the Blue Streaks were set to compete against the No. 7 seed Capital Crusaders at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 1.

Editors Note: The women’s team won 9-0 vs. Capital on Tuesday. For updates on the men’s tennis team, please go to www.jcusports.com

The over-used advice about college tells us that these years are few and are going to be the best of  our lives. The moments we remember aren’t going to be the ones spent studying or in classrooms. The true learning happens in times spent interacting with the real world. While all of these are most likely true, there seems to be a theme among these that is antiestablishment and opposes the structure of college.

My views notoriously call for the overhauling of our societal system. But, over the past few weeks, as I’ve reflected on the departure of the class of 2012 and my own, quickly approaching collegiate mortality, I’ve come to realize the necessity of the unifying aspect of a university.

I’ve spent three years with the current graduating class, obviously longer than any other before it. The closest relationships have been built from the exuberance and hardships of distance running via the JCU cross country and track teams.

Last autumn, the cross country team was of a skill level not approached in years. With this ability came lofty goals, unachievable without the collective effort of every runner. As we prepared for the conference and regional championships, hearing the final, inspirational words of the team’s seniors moved many of us close to tears.

Toeing the line for a race, a runner typically tries to clear the mind of everything to remove the influence of any conceivable negativity and unharness raw potential effort: a very individual and introverted action. Yet, the atmosphere prefacing these events was of something greater than the self. This sense is analogous to the hundreds of miles through treacherous waters which salmon swim during spawning season. They do this together for the continuation of their species.

This feeling was refreshed  before the 10,000 meter run at the OAC Championships this weekend. Before approaching the line, two juniors and two seniors huddled together, and the eldest reminded the others that when the going gets tough, to have fun; that’s why we run.

About 800 meters into the 5,000 meter race the following day, I was instructed to take the lead to help my teammates run faster. Their abilities, being better than mine, I expended all the pep left if my legs as the three of us held the top three positions, until my legs were spent a mile later. Despite my poor-resulting finish, in the end I can’t remember having more fun on the track.

In the past I have written about the freedom of simplicity and nothingness. Rabbi and philosopher Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote, “Freedom presupposes the capacity for sacrifice. Man’s true fulfillment cannot be reached by the isolated individual, and his true good depends on communion with, and participation in, that which transcends him.” The realizations I have had from the culmination of my running seasons and my friends’ college careers have altered my perspective. The things we do are not glorious or fulfilling because of the actions themselves, but rather because of those with whom they are shared.

Many of the most rewarding experience we have are bad ideas. Drinking too much, acting like an idiot and eating terrible food the following morning are all bad ideas. By themselves, they ruin the body and the reputation. Most normal people probably wouldn’t do these things alone. When one is with a group of friends, though, and later recounts the experiences, the camaraderie transcends rationality.

Famous recluse, Christopher McCandless, who abandoned his family and possessions to experience his idea of ultimate freedom by living alone in nature, is shown writing, “Happiness is not real unless shared,” as he is close to death in a film about his experiences. One can do many things alone. Knowledge, art, literature, adventure and normally unfulfilling experiences are greatly enhanced when one is sharing them with others.

There is a lot about college that many of us are not happy about. Without those with whom to share the misery, complaints and, at times, tears, this discontentment would be intolerable. Something that mustn’t be forgotten is that college brought us all together, through better and worse. The roughness caused by assignments and loss of motivation can distract us from the collective of people and experiences of which we are a part.

Without the tribulations, we would not reap rewards of their binding properties. Revel in them and the recognition that they’ve brought to you the most intimate, consistent and continuous string of paradoxical rewards you might experience for quite some time.

You are part of something bigger. Not necessarily a collective goal, but, indubitably, a collaborative sense of transcendent being.

But as I sit here at my desk in the newsroom and type this column, that first day also seems like an eternity ago. A lot has happened since the beginning of the school year, and some of it was stuff I never imagined or expected.

The late author Leo Buscaglia once said, “Change is the end result of all true learning.” Buscaglia sounds like a pretty smart guy.

I can confidently say I am not the same person I was in September. Actually, I think a lot of us can say that. In this very column space, I’ve written, “College is supposed to be an enlightening experience. We should try new things, go to different places, formulate deep questions and make new connections. A lot of us have done that, while some are just scratching the surface of college life.”

Next year, I’m going to take a class that’s not in my major or minor because I want to broaden my horizons and try my hand at something different. This past November, I traveled with one of my classes to Washington, D.C., a place I had never been before. And, if you’ve been reading this column lately, you know I recently went on Manresa 21, where I spent a lot of time thinking and forming new relationships.

I’m looking forward to senior year because of the great potential it holds. There’s so much more to learn, so many more questions to ask, plenty of places left to go and people to see. As this year was, next year will also be one with a lot of change. While we will all be in familiar surroundings – seeing the same people and going to class in the same buildings with professors we’re relatively comfortable with – the evolution will inevitably happen.

Businessman Nido Qubein is quoted saying, “Change brings opportunity.”

The class of 2012 is going to experience major change in a little over a week. For some of them, no longer will their days be devoted to classes and homework, but to actual employment. Some will continue with schooling, but at the graduate level. Others will devote their time to a year or two of service.

They are all going out into the “real” world – full of challenges and opportunities to make a difference. Here is where they can live out that Jesuit mission we’ve all heard in our time here at JCU: St. Ignatius Loyola’s quote, “Go forth and set the world on fire,” rings true.

So, to those of you graduating this spring, I wish you all nothing but the very best. Many of you I’ve come to know through long deadline nights in the newsroom, Student Union meetings, weekends socializing and classes. Use all of your experiences and knowledge to leave the world better than you found it.

For the rest of us left here, you’re in luck – you get to read more “Cooney Meets World” next year! But besides that, we all have opportunities and challenges left to explore, and more change to experience. Our core – where we come from, remembering who helped get us to this point and our values – should not change. But, in many other ways, we shouldn’t leave JCU as the same person from when we started.

Here’s hoping we all have a safe and happy summer, and we come back “changed” – ready to tackle another school year.

The email sent used the JCU logo and appeared to be an official email from the University.

Information Technology Services sent out several cautionary emails warning the campus about the scamming attempts.

To avoid the trouble brought about by submitting personal information to these phishing attempts, students should be sure to read all emails from ITS.

To prevent further attempts to hack into the campus network, all professors have been switched to the Gmail system which is more secure. ITS should continue to improve the security of the network. The likelihood that these sort of attempts would happen at all would decrease, which would also decrease the possibility that students could fall victim to the deceptiveness of the scamming emails. In addition to these emails, paper warnings should also be sent out as these could not be confused for another phishing attempt.

In the future, incoming JCU students should be educated about previous scam attempts and taught how to identify them.

It is designed to help maintain stability among the people. There are supposed to be no barriers according to the book. Everyone is eligible to be liable and no one, or case for that matter, can be overlooked. Of course, this may not always be the case for all of the world’s citizens. Just ask the African Americans in the South during the 1960s or Catholics of Northern Ireland. It was cases like these where the law chose to play favorites and treat these individuals with less respect. In University Heights, Ohio, while maybe not as extreme as my previous examples, there is a group that faces this same injustice: the attack on college kids.

Students experience interference with the University Heights Police Department 24/7. During the week, they zone in like vultures on the smallest of parking violations, slapping ridiculous fines on the struggling young scholars of John Carroll University. Their biggest prey is on the weekends. It is the time when we go for those lovely happy-go-lucky strolls on the streets in search of a little relief from our long weeks of unpaid work. Once again, they are there, stealthily waiting for the proper moment to strike. They are interested in the contents of your backpack, just assuming that these containers of learning material suddenly are cloaks for mischief. There is no need to discuss the legitimacy of UHPD’s accusations. What matters more is that they must realize what is important and stop singling out JCU students.

It is true, by Cuyahoga County standards, University Heights has a lower crime rate than other cities. But there is still other crime that must be given notice. For one example, I have noticed several adult drunk drivers out on the road on the weekend nights. The vast majority of these actions are given the blind eye, all because the police are in a big rush to catch the next house party. Another time, I remember a buddy of mine had his car broken into and was later mugged. Not only did the police fail to take action, but they also claimed that he was exaggerating the whole story. Of course, if a JCU student so much as stumbled on a sidewalk, they would rush to him and give him a Breathalyzer test.

The police may hold this notion that because it is a relatively safe suburban town, college parties are the biggest problem. Let it go! Who cares if the taxpayers yell at you for your minimal level of work? I have friends who go to a school almost identical to JCU in Connecticut, in a town that makes University Heights look like Detroit. However, the police there realize that they look pathetic spending their time harassing college students. Plus, it should be wise to remember, the more you tell kids to not do something, the more likely they will do it, far more recklessly as well. Leave us alone, and the trouble becomes far more contained.

All I can say is, I will be living in an off-campus house next year. Of course, there is the strong possibility that I will throw a few social gatherings every now and then. Likewise, my house-mates and I would be sure to keep our affairs contained inside our house. If this is successful, why would the cops opt to bring these activities to the neighborhood by raiding through and kicking everyone out?

All I am saying is, UHPD can start acting like real police and not overbearing parents to JCU students.

A few years ago, Sasaki Associates, Inc., the firm retained to do a space study on campus, recommended increased access to campus (which they thought looked uninviting) and streamlining of the driving route through the campus parking lots. Not long after this recommendation was received, campus access became even more restricted than it had been before. I do not know who made the policy decision to cut off access to campus through the Belvoir entrance for these specific restricted hours, but they cannot have considered the sustainability question.

Closing off the Belvoir entrance means that someone coming to the gym, chapel, bookstore or other area of the Recplex must drive just under two miles (1.93) to get to a parking spot near the Recplex, rather than the 50-100 yards they would have driven if the Belvoir entrance had been open. Is two miles such a big deal? Let’s assume that at least 100 people each weekday are rerouted to the Fairmount Circle entrance. That’s 1,000 miles each week, for 40 weeks of the year. Let’s also assume that the cars average 25 mpg. The reroute burns an extra 1,600 gallons of gas, with the attendant damaging fuel emissions, and costs the drivers $6,250 (not counting the wear-and-tear on the tires, etc.).

What does this reroute accomplish that is worth so much extra time, money and frustration on the part of those who come to our campus, and so much additional damage to the ozone layer?

Let’s not make our great-grandchildren have to live with the results of this decision. Don’t fence us out. Open the Belvoir entrance, all day, every day.

The students who graduate from this program have gone on to do great things and it’s wonderful that John Carroll has such an awesome program.

The program is great because it encourages more student creativity, and forms leaders for tomorrow. The independent development of new ideas provides them with the skill necessary to find new ways to help improve the world around them.

The University should consider incorporating some of the tactics used in entrepreneurship to other academic programs. The value of the skills taught are not exclusive to business pursuits.

Since the program is fairly new to campus, a lot of students do not know about it. The program should find ways to involve the entire campus community in the work being done by students with the minor. The collective effort of the University can help promote the success of current students and alumni.

That being said, let me launch into a great display of my self-proclaimed nerdiness.

Being a reader of many books, I have read about some of the most fantastic wizards of all time. The list boils down to a main six.

So, my big question is: Who would be the ultimate victor in a “great wizards of literature” battle?

Each of our contenders has pros and cons. Each one has a different strength. All of them have a weakness. Most of them have really intense beards.

We begin with Gandalf the Grey. Hailing from Middle Earth, you most likely recognize him from the books “The Hobbit” or “The Fellowship of the Ring.” His pros include:  those gigantic eyebrows (though I’m not sure how much good they would do him in a fight), his smoke-ring-making ability, his defeat of the Balrog in the Mines of Moria and his utterance of the immortal line, “You shall not pass.” Also, he is never late; he always arrives precisely when he means to.

His cons include the fact that he probably has contracted the black lung and he couldn’t defeat Saruman. Also, he got totally wiped out after his defeat of the Balrog and returned to Middle Earth as Gandalf the White, who just so happens to be our second contender.

Gandalf the White’s most obvious pro is that he is Gandalf the Grey re-incarnate and more powerful. Another thing that he has going for him is that he defeated Saruman, who is no doubt a very powerful (but corrupt) wizard.

Gandalf the White is not only good at magic, but he is a physical powerhouse. He has mastered the art of wrecking everyone with his staff. He also employs Shadowfax (his horse) more so than Gandalf the Grey did.

Gandalf the White really only has one con: he has a lot of plans that need to be implemented through other people. Although, if we’re going to count that as one of his cons, then it has to be one of Dumbledore’s cons too.

And Dumbledore just so happens to be the next on our list. Perhaps the greatest wizard of his time, he comes from somewhere deep in the Scottish Highlands; but you probably know him best from Harry Potter. Dumbledore has several pros, including the aforementioned “the greatest wizard of his time.” He also defeated the wizard Grindelwald and is the only wizard that Voldemort fears. He is also pretty great at spells and the like, and he also has a pet phoenix.

Dumbledore, however, does have a bit going against him. He never really happens to be around when you need him, and then he always shows up just in the nick of time. He also may have killed his younger sister, which is never a positive thing. He does not have a particularly intimidating name, either.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, we find Voldemort, who does have a rather intimidating name (a combination of the French words ‘vole de mort’ meaning ‘stealer of death’). Voldemort is the most evil wizard on our list and his pros are that he is merciless, ruthless and ugly enough to scare you to death. He is also immortal until you destroy his horcruxes.

Yet, his horcruxes were destroyed by a 17-year-old who eventually defeated him, which is a major con. Also, he has no beard. He also rushes into the duel of his life before taking the time to learn the whole story and is thus defeated.

Merlin is the original wizard, which is a major benefit for him. He also must be good, since he is employed by a king. He also is a big help in Arthur’s rise to power, which spurred on years of British folklore in which it is said that he has the power to shape-shift (although that’s disputed). Cons? Well, he was eventually imprisoned in a tree (although in some legends it’s a cave, or a tower or a large rock). Bet you didn’t see that one coming.

The great and powerful Wizard of Oz is the final wizard. Coming to us from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, he definitely has the intimidation factor going for him, but that seems to be about it. As we all know, he is really just a man behind a curtain who is really good with smoke and mirrors. Also the fact that he is a con is a huge con.

My mother is convinced that The Wizard of Oz would win because he makes you believe in yourself and “that is the most powerful magic of all.” I’m not so convinced. What do you think? Nerds everywhere, I would like your feedback. Who would win? Who would get offed first? Who would end up crying in a corner? I would honestly like to know.

However, when I graduated and they did not change the slogan, I was disappointed to say the least. If the best is still yet to come, doesn’t that imply that I was not the best? Hmph.

Well, over 15 classes and 10,000 people have graduated in the time that this has been the slogan, and I’m starting to believe the ‘best’ just simply isn’t coming. So where does that leave us?

With graduation looming right around the corner and all the seniors scrambling to get their lives together, I would like to offer a different message to everyone at JCU: The best is here right now.

For those of you graduating, good luck in the real world. It’s true – we’ve got this awesome little bubble in the UH, and nothing will pop it faster than your diploma. Fortunately, if you have taken advantage of all of the opportunities at JCU, then nobody could be more prepared to face reality than you.

For the rest of us, we have a duty to live the dream during the rest of our time in college. We can all be a part of a brighter future, but our job starts now.

Since I was born in the 1990s, I have a natural tendency to be nostalgic.

So, I found a picture of little Brian Bayer heading off to his first day of kindergarten back in 1997 (you can check it out on my Facebook profile pics if you so desire). I had a black pair of jean shorts, knee-high socks and a red T-shirt that said “Prowler” with a tiger on it.

Ever since then, I like to think I have attacked life with that prowler attitude. You gotta get after your dreams and make them happen. You gotta be that tiger (in knee-high socks if that’s your thing) who tries to tackle the problems of the world and work towards a better tomorrow.

That first day of kindergarten, my biggest challenge was making a Froot Loop necklace and building a castle out of cardboard blocks. By second grade, I had expanded my search for meaning to multiplication tables (still working on those actually). By ninth grade, I had developed my own denim-based jean jacket swag. By the time I was a senior, I was positive I had all the answers. After all, I was a prowler, that badass tiger I so proudly sported on my first-ever day of school just 13 years before.

And now that I am a junior, I have learned that nobody really has all the answers, but we do have something that very few people are blessed with: an atmosphere that allows us to freely search for them. And that’s really what college is all about.

As for what I have learned, I would say two major themes stand out above everything else: live and grow.

There is no value in “I haven’t.” Tremendous talent is worth nothing if it is left unrealized. But realizing it is only half the battle – growing into the person you want to be is the other half.

Every year, I make a list of goals I want to accomplish. I evaluate these throughout the year to see how I am doing. Sometimes I achieve them; sometimes I fall short. That’s part of being human. But this year, I only made one goal: To grow as a person.

Granted, this is a very open-ended goal, but it really says it all. If you can figure out what you are passionate about and pursue that with your whole heart and grow into the person that you want to be, then you are, by all accounts, a successful person.

The JCU fight song offers a great message for all of us:

“Onward, On John Carroll, For we’re here to see you win, Gold and Blue;

Onward, On John Carroll, Onto greater goals and vict’ries new;

Onward, On John Carroll, For our faith in you is boundless and true;

Dear Alma Mater, we’re all for you, And for the Gold and Blue.”

As proud Blue Streaks, we are each a part of this victory-bound population of winners. If you are graduating, now is your time to move “onto greater goals and vict’ries new.”

And if you have more time at JCU, treasure it, because I am positive that the best is already right here and now. It’s just a matter of proving to the world that it is our turn to take the reigns and prowl our way to an even better best.

Rawr.

Throughout the past week, and continuing until Saturday, April 28, students on the committees have been partaking in various activities to increase awareness of environmental issues on campus.

An estimated 10 to 15 students were involved in the planning and execution of the week’s activities. The committee itself is fairly new, and Green Streak Week is one of its first major events.

Chris Razek, a freshman who helped coordinate the events, said that it has been a success. Anyone who has been on campus this week has probably seen the string of bottles surrounding the main Quad. “We did the water bottle display out on the Quad, and I think it got people talking,” Razek said.

Caitlyn Falasco, a senior and president of the Environmental Issues Group, also had a significant role in this week’s activities. She too, noted the bottle visual as one of the highlights of the initiative.

“It forces you to confront issues that you don’t really confront in your everyday life,” she said. “You throw away your plastic bottle and expect to never see it again, and here it is back from the dead on your campus. And this is only one day’s worth [of trash].”

The purpose of the trash audit on Tuesday was to demonstrate how many things people throw away on campus that should be recycled.

“Most of the reason why people don’t recycle is either ignorance or the facilities are not available,” said Falasco. “If recycling bins outnumbered trash cans then people would be forced to recycle.”

The group feels that JCU has a long way to go to become a truly sustainable, “green” campus. “We don’t think that John Carroll is doing enough to promote recycling and to give sustainability issues a level head,” said Razek. “We want to bring the sustainability issue and environmental protection to the student body.”

Falasco agreed that the University needs an extra push in its environmental awareness and efforts. “John Carroll is marketing itself as becoming greener, and so we want them to hold true to that promise and we want the students to identify with it as part of John Carroll’s values,” she said.

Since the group is still in its initial stages, the goal of this year’s Green Streak Week is awareness. Esther D’Mello, a junior who helped coordinate the week, said, “We’re just trying to be more sustainable on campus. I feel like there’s so much more we can do and this is just our first step to make people aware of being more sustainable and being more green.” The next step is to get the JCU community to start taking action, she said.

The week kicked off with an Earth Day Lunch in the Schott Dining Hall and an environmental documentary on Monday night. Tuesday, the group participated in a waste audit on the Quad, during which they picked through trash bags from around campus and sorted it into different recycling bins.

On “Water Wednesday,” they distributed free reusable water bottles in the LSC Atrium and hosted a water tasting. The activities continue with today’s information fair and Friday’s Tremco tour in Beachwood, as well as pop can lamp making. The week’s events will end with Saturday’s Jesuit Day of Service that will include JCU students, alumni, staff and faculty.

Aside from continuing their efforts to promote recycling on campus, the Sustainaiblity and Recycling committees are starting a bike co-op on campus that students can use to rent bikes for a day with the goal of reducing the pollution created by car use. Razek said that he hopes the group will grow and start holding even more events in the future.

“Hopefully we’ll hit the ground running in August or September next year and do some events in the next semester,” he said.

At a forum held last Monday, April 23, Lauren Bowen, associate academic vice president for academic programs and faculty diversity, said, “There’s not going to be one strategy or one solution [to intolerance]. We need to better embed conversations on what it means to be inclusive into the curriculum. We need to create more opportunities for students to share their experiences and to discuss similarities and differences. We need to be more explicit in saying that some students don’t just feel excluded, they feel hatred; and we need to be more proactive about that.”

Bowen facilitated an open discussion with students and faculty about diversity at JCU. Attendees shared stories and talked about methods of inclusion they have seen work and not work. They also brought up suggestions on how to make the campus more accepting. According to the president of the African American Alliance, junior Curtis Walker, this forum was a sequel to a forum the school had earlier in the year.

“It was following up from a forum we had in the fall that was sparked by various incidents that happened on campus. We had some chalking and posters going up that were acts of intolerance that we felt had been ignored. Those events sparked the first forum, and this forum was to follow up to that one and to make sure that everyone was still on board,” said Walker.

Walker and Bowen are both heavily involved in “Stop Bias.” Walker is the student representative on the Diversity Steering Committee, and Bowen is a member of the bias reporting team, as well as chair of the committee. The campaign was created to give students and faculty an opportunity to report acts of intolerance and have something done about them.

“The campaign was created by the diversity committee to challenge us all to stop bias when we see it and to be more welcoming and inclusive. We used the word bias to include those acts that are unintentional that we all commit and those that are very much intentional,” said Bowen.

In addition to student involvement, there is also a diversity task force made up of faculty members. According to Director of Human Resources Bud Stuppy, the task force has really tried to speak out for the JCU community.

“The diversity task force has helped create a direction for the University. [President,] the Rev. Robert Niehoff, S.J. came too, and said he really wanted us to create something actionable. From the task force has come a steering committee that has helped guide the recommendations of the University. It has all really created an effort to train people to be aware of diversity and inclusion and what it means to be a part of the community at John Carroll,” Stuppy said.

While efforts to make the University more accepting have been made, more work needs to be done, according to members of these groups and forums.

“The University needs to host more events and have things that indirectly address diversity and inclusion. [These include] events where students can unite, have fun and let conversation flow naturally, and [issues of diversity] will come up,” said Walker.

The “Cedar Center North Redevelopment Project,” according to South Euclid Community Services Director Keith Benjamin, was a revitalization assignment that has been several years in the making. The property was purchased by South Euclid in 1996 at a time in which 40 percent of the plaza was vacant.

“For many years the plaza had deteriorated to the point where some of the buildings were declared nuisances,” said Benjamin. “There was an old movie theater that had been vacant for well over a decade, and the roof was caving in. The purpose was to create a new destination of restaurants and retail and a gathering place for our community.”

Thus far, mainly restaurants have been announced on the real estate release, including Panera Bread and Bakery, Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches, Chipotle Mexican Grill and China Gate Chinese Restaurant, many of which will have outdoor dining.

The current Starbucks that resides on the corner of Cedar and Warrensville Center will be reconstructed in the new plaza with a drive-thru window. The two tenants currently open in the plaza include Bob Evans and GFS Foods.
The renovated area will also be home to an Italian restaurant chain found only in Columbus.

Known as Piada Italian Street Food, this restaurant will be new to residents of the greater Cleveland area and follows the same concept as Chipotle, according to Benjamin.

“It’s an Italian street food concept from the creators of the Bravo and Brio restaurant chain,” he said. “The food is served on Italian flatbread, and there are a lot of choices of chicken, salmon, beef and veggies, and they have pastas and salads as well.”

PetSmart is one of the several retail stores that will find their place in the plaza in the late summer/early fall. It expects to be joined by other national and local retailers that have yet to be announced. Once completed, Benjamin believes the new center will draw JCU students, as well as students from Notre Dame College and surrounding residents of South Euclid, Cleveland Heights and University Heights.

“There will be a community gathering green space where we will be able to have band concerts, arts and crafts festivals and movie nights where residents and college students will be able to go out and enjoy the nice weather and hopefully eat food, relax and have a good time,” he said.

Now, as the program looks toward the upcoming fall 2012 semester, they will have to plan the students’ favorite events with a smaller budget at hand.

In the fall of 2011, SUPB had a budget of $312,000, which was followed up with another $309,000 this semester. That number will change dramatically this fall when their allotted budget will drop to just $297,000, about $12,000 less than this spring.

“The budget cuts aren’t a bad thing, [as] they are allowing for other allocations such as Late Night Programming and Diversity & Inclusion to receive more funding,” said Charlie Trouba, the Student Union vice president for business affairs. “We also took into consideration the revised spring concert series, which used to cost $65,000. It is a safe presumption that the new model for the spring concert will significantly reduce costs in the tune of $15,000 or more. In all actuality, this budget proposal is likely to increase student functions around campus next year.”

Trouba was sure to express the budget cuts seemed like a positive and necessary thing to do, something Student Union President Greg Petsche also emulated. “After discussing the allocation reduction with Taylor Horen and Charlie Trouba, I am confident that this was the right decision. The SAFAC [Student Activity Fee Allocation Commitee] members have conducted a diligent and thorough process to determine the best allocation of the Student Activity Fee in a manner that suits the current needs of students. I completely stand behind the decision,” Petsche said.

Among the members of SUPB and the Student Union there was a general agreement and understanding in regards to the cuts as well. Taylor Horen, the vice president for programming shared her view of the cuts.
She said, “I am understanding as to why our budget has been cut in order to allocate more funding to other departments or organizations on campus.”

Students can rest easy, knowing the cut from the Student Union Programming Board’s budget will not go to waste, as it will be allocated in the other areas of campus.

As for SUPB itself, they have high expectations for their future events and activities.

“I don’t believe that these budget cuts will be visible in the quality of our programming. We try to focus on having more quality events rather than having a higher quantity of events because that is what the students want,” Horen said.

Petsche said, “SUPB is essential to the quality of student life at JCU. Providing weekly events free of cost to the student body means that there will always be something stress free and fun to do on campus for all students. Due to this, I have complete faith that SUPB, under the leadership of Vice President Horen, will be able to continue to improve the quality and success of the programs they plan in this coming fiscal year, even with a four percent reduction in their budgetary allocation.”

With the positive attitudes exemplified by all in regards to the budget cuts on SUPB, it is safe to say that students will have a lot of entertaining events to look forward to this upcoming fall. “SUPB serves both the student body of present and is important to our future JCU community of students,” Petsche said.

“I had already been through other presidential searches where boards are tempted essentially to make a selection, and then to try to make it appear as if there’s a choice,” Niehoff said in an interview with The Carroll News last Wednesday.

Despite receiving three calls from members of the University’s presidential search committee during the 2004-2005 school year, when the search took place, Niehoff believed “this search wanted me as window dressing, and I wasn’t going to do that again.”

Finally, after yet another call from someone on the search committee, Niehoff agreed to fly to Cleveland. “My intention was to come out and say, ‘You’re really not serious about this so why are you bothering?’” he said.
But Niehoff was impressed by the quality of JCU alumni on the search committee, which convinced him the position was worth looking into.

“Both of us, both the search committee and I, were intrigued about each other at that stage, and so we con
tinued to have conversation,” he said. “I got more excited, as they did, [the more] we got to know each other.”

Niehoff was tabbed as JCU’s 24th president on April 7, 2005 and officially inaugurated on October 11 of that same year. He replaced the Rev. Edward Glynn, S.J., who retired after serving as president since 1998. When Niehoff arrived, the University’s board of directors gave him the task of getting alumni to be more supportive.

“That means I have to be with alumni, many of whom are not here, on a regular basis,” he said. And that means he travels frequently.

Niehoff explained that he has done this, along with giving JCU a greater presence among the 27 other Jesuit universities and in the national conversation around higher education. All of these things take time, he said.

“Every million dollars that we raise probably takes about a week’s worth of work away from here,” Niehoff said. “[The time is spent traveling and meeting with alumni] because you don’t ask someone for a million dollars the first time you meet them, probably not even the second time.”

Half of Niehoff’s time, he estimated, is spent on campus planning with senior University officials or doing work in his office, while the other half is on the road meeting with alumni, presidents of other universities and boards to which he belongs. Niehoff admitted that from the other boards he sits on, they “actually give me great ideas about what John Carroll can be doing.”

“So I’m doing those things instead of, unfortunately, hanging out with our students, which would be more fun,” he said. “I’m not around our faculty or staff, either.”

Niehoff described his schedule during a recent week. On the afternoon of April 11, he greeted Beth Mooney, the chairman and CEO of KeyCorp, before she spoke as part of the Boler School of Business’s Spring 2012 Mellen Series.

He couldn’t stay for the talk, however, as he had to travel to Detroit for the inauguration of the new president at University of Detroit Mercy, Antoine Garibaldi. Niehoff said he felt the need to go because he knows Garibaldi and not many other presidents of Jesuit universities were going. He then returned to attend a Sunday morning event for 25-year employees of JCU.

“I think of the theory of being more visible on campus, but I don’t know how a person does it. And I was confident that what John Carroll needed of this president was that national visibility, [making connections with] the alumni and the fundraising, and that’s what we’ve been successful at,” Niehoff said. “So I was telling someone what that means is, there are lots of things that go on on this campus that I would love to do, be a part of or go listen to, but I can’t. I appreciate the concerns. I understand why I’m not personally known to many students, but I’m doing the work that they need me to do.”

Lazenby, the author of more than five dozen sports books, has covered the NBA for many years and has written numerous books on the Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Jerry West and Phil Jackson. Lazenby also was also given the 1997 Sports Book of the Year for his work in “Bull Run!”, the story of the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls. Also a current staff member at the Virginia Tech Department of Communication, Lazenby is a writer that knows the ins and outs of the sport of basketball.

While there are plenty of basketball pundits to give you opinions and feed you information, none may be more interesting or intelligent than that of Lazenby.

With the 2012 NBA playoffs set to begin this coming Sunday,  April 29, there’s no better time than now to gain some insight and perspective on the current hot topics in the NBA with one of the wittiest minds around. Lazenby’s knowledge and insight on the sport of basketball is something that every basketball fan should be aware of.

The following interview took place on Saturday, April 21.

The Carroll News: It’s been a season full of drama for the Lakers, from losing head coach Phil Jackson, hiring Mike Brown, the failed Chris Paul deal, Lamar Odom being traded, Pau Gasol trade rumors and Derek Fisher being traded and all of the hoopla that surrounds the LA circus. Despite all of that drama, is this still a team that can contend for a title?

Roland Lazenby: Yes, I think so. I don’t think they’re favored to any great degree, but they certainly have a recent history of playoff success. I think they’re at least a viable contender. Things change so dramatically when you get into the playoffs. The rotation shortens, so some of their problems with depth and some of the things that plagued them, the turmoil and certainly all of the transition from the things you mentioned – all of those things are less of a factor now. I think the coaches have a little more experience with this set of players. I thought there would be a little more adjustment with the change at point guard, but it’s worked well.

CN: With Kobe having missed seven games with injury before recently returning to the lineup, Andrew Bynum had to take more of a leadership role on the team and his maturity is something that has been a hot topic this season. Do you think that Bynum’s maturity is crucial to the Lakers’ playoff run?

RL: Yes, but I think that’s an instrumental thing. He’s making progress, he has relapses, but that’s why it’s maturity. Sometimes it takes time. Some people are more mature than others and he did come into the league at an awfully young age. A lot of players have come into the league at a young age and sort of gotten lost. That didn’t happen with him. He’s had a lot of support with the Lakers and he’s survived being a young, young player coming into the league. I think he’ll have a good playoff [run].

CN: The dealing of Lamar Odom to the Dallas Mavericks is also something that has been a popular topic this season. He’s had a disastrous season there after winning the Sixth Man of the Year award just a year ago with the Lakers. With Odom now deactivated from the team, who’s to blame in this situation between him and Mavericks owner Mark Cuban?

RL: I think that probably the Mavericks did what they had to do to move forward. They took time with him, obviously he has a big upside. I think he has a number of issues, some on the court, a lot of them off the court, and he just wasn’t able to make the transition after the trade. It’s difficult because Odom has been a player that a lot of people have admired for a long time. Whether you’re a Lakers fan or not, considering all of the difficult things over the course of the years that Lamar has been through, you have to hope that he finds some peace of mind and is able to move forward and maybe keep playing basketball.

CN: Odom’s team, the Mavericks, are the defending champions, but have struggled at times this season, as they are currently only the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference with a record of 36-28 right now. Despite not having the same regular season success they did a year ago, can the Mavericks still contend for a title this year?

RL: I don’t think so. I think the loss of Tyson Chandler was a big loss for them, and I was really surprised at that. Maybe they can. You never know when injuries or other things will occur with other teams, but I don’t really see the Mavericks as a team that can win it all.

CN: What are your thoughts on the drama between Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic this season, considering the latest reports that he’s receiving back surgery and refusing to play for head coach Stan Van Gundy?

RL: It’s a player’s game. He has a lot of power. Some of that power is legitimate, some of it is the power of being in the tour and being so important to [Orlando’s] hopes. Unfortunately, whether his back is bad or not, backs are always areas that are difficult to diagnose. It does seem to me that this diagnosis is pretty clear. He has a herniated disk and there’s not much he can do. In some ways, I think the circumstances have become so insufferable, it brought a reprieve for NBA fans. They’ve sort of grown weary of all the noise out in Orlando.

CN: Do you expect Dwight Howard to be in Orlando come the start of next NBA season?

RL: It could well be. With something like a back injury or back surgery, it’s always a questionable thing. With the situation he’s in, depending on what Orlando wants for him, he’s going to have to play some to establish that he’s ready to go. If they don’t want a lot, that may not be a case. Someone will take a flyer on him without him having to play first. But I think he’ll play for Orlando more next fall unless they get a fabulous deal this summer.

CN: So Dwight will be in Orlando unless a team really blows away the Magic with a deal on the table?

RL: Yes, I don’t think they’ll be in a rush to trade him. I think they will probably trade him unless they find another coach, which is not out of the question. It’s a players game.

CN: Do you think there is any way that both Stan Van Gundy and Dwight Howard are with the Orlando Magic come the start of next season?

RL: They have some history. People have mended their ways before. This is not the Middle East, it’s not something that goes back a thousand years. It can be resolved, I think.

CN: Since March 1, the Heat are only 17-10 after getting off to a 28-7 start. As of late, they’ve been playing more mediocre basketball, if you will. Should there be a cause for concern in Miami as we get closer and closer to the postseason?

RL: Oh, sure. I think not just a cause for concern, there’s plenty of the real stuff itself. [LeBron James and Dwyane Wade] still have not done enough work convincing people that they know how to play together. These things are complicated because they involve personalities, and as [former NBA coach] Chuck Daly told me many years ago, “the games are simple, the people are complicated.” It certainly looks like the Heat are carrying their share of complications.

CN: Anyone that reads your Twitter feed, even occasionally, would know that [longtime Bulls and Lakers assistant coach] Tex Winter was an influential person in your life. What was the best piece of advice that Tex gave you?

RL: He just gave me 1,000 daily lessons about things. I think there was sort of an open-mindedness about every aspect of the game. What’s best about Tex Winter is he was a guy who was long used to living with the results. You have to see what happens to be a realist. Hopes are things that are pretty cumbersome in basketball. You have to just rely on what happens on the floor, and a lot of people are unwilling to do that. The best of basketball has always come from people who embrace that kind of honesty. Tex had no agenda but competing. It wasn’t about anyone’s reputation, even his own reputation, and that’s hard to achieve, to get to that state of mind. He was an older coach and he certainly never ran from the truth as long as I’ve known him. He would turn his assessments on himself, too. He had players that he liked as people, but he was always very frank about what they were able to do.

CN: Referencing back to the Lakers, give me an overall assessment of how head coach Mike Brown has done this season in his first year in Los Angeles, while having to deal with all of the complications that come with being the coach of the Lakers.

RL: Well, there are all of those complications as they’re Hollywood’s team. There’s no football team in town, so you have all of these people obsessed with the Lakers. They’ve had huge amounts of success. He’s following Phil Jackson, the most unconventional but successful coach in NBA history, who had been brought to the Lakers because they knew he possessed huge amounts of charm towards the public. Mike Brown has the prospects of an aging star, a transition in ownership and all kinds of conflict. He also had his own demons to deal with in terms of offensive basketball and organization. So if you stack all of that up, it seems like a huge mountain to climb, but I think you have to be fair. I think Mike Brown has made huge progress this season. It hasn’t been pretty at times, but I’d have to rate it as a success. Obviously, what happens in the playoffs will color this first year to a large degree, but in advance of that, all things considered, he’s done a pretty good job.

CN: Who is your regular season MVP and what’s your NBA Finals prediction?

RL: It’s tough, I think the whole thing is up in the air. There are a couple of teams that can win it, and I think that the team that probably will win it is Oklahoma City. They’re a young team, they’re not tremendously solid defensively, but they really have some decent depth and I think Derek Fisher helps a lot. It’s so much a guess with a year like this, the shortened season and so many other things, but they seem as solid as anyone to come out of the West. Chicago has a chance, but I still think that Miami will probably survive them and meet Oklahoma City in the championship. That match-up is a toss-up for me, but I would give the edge to Oklahoma. [As far as MVP], I think probably Kevin Durant, who, in my mind, has been the most consistent factor. I think what Kobe has done is pretty remarkable, so I’d probably bring him in there at No. 2.

With another regular season of NBA playoff basketball officially in the books, now comes the beginning of the 2012 NBA playoffs. Many questions surround each team, some more than others, but there’s no doubt that this year’s 2012 NBA playoffs is a wide open race for the championship.

After a shortened, 66-game NBA regular season following a lengthy lockout towards the end of 2011, the 2012 NBA playoffs are finally here. In a matter of only a few short weeks, another NBA champion will be crowned.

For more basketball insight and knowledge from Roland Lazenby, you can follow him on Twitter @lazenby.

The playoffs start this Sunday, and for me, the NBA playoffs is like Christmas has come early this year, despite being just a few short months ago. After a truncated, 66-game NBA season, the playoffs are finally upon us. Many people, including myself, did not even think that an NBA season would happen after a very public, very ugly NBA lockout towards the end of 2011. Now that the playoffs are here though, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

As is the case with every year’s NBA playoffs, there’s once again a multitude of storylines and headlines that will be the hotly debated topics among NBA pundits in the coming weeks.

First off, can the superstar trio of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh finally win a championship together after coming so close one season ago?

Can Derrick Rose put the city of Chicago on his shoulders and lead the Bulls to their first Finals appearance since the Michael Jordan era?

Is now the time for Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder to finally make a statement and win a title?

Can the San Antonio Spurs bounce back from a first round elimination last season and make one last push for a championship?

Are the Boston Celtics capable of pulling off a miraculous Finals run against a difficult gauntlet of Eastern Conference opponents?

Does Kobe Bryant have enough left in the tank to lead the Lakers to the NBA Finals once again, this time searching for his sixth champonship ring to tie the immortal MJ?

With so many questions at hand, there’s only one way to answer them: Let the games begin. What has happened in the regular season since Dec. 25 is meaningless now, and all that matters is the present.

The quest for the 2012 NBA Championship is a wide open race, and I couldn’t be more excited to watch.

Pull up a lawn chair. Crack open a nice, cold … you know. Enjoy the NBA playoffs on your TV screen. Hey, it beats studying for upcoming final exams, right?

Follow @ZachMentz on Twitter or email him at 

Traveling to Marietta, Ohio to take on the No. 1 ranked team in all of DIII baseball, the Blue Streaks knew that the Pioneers would be no easy opponent. After being outscored 26-2 in three losses to the Pioneers’ last season, the Blue and Gold had revenge on their mind while also aiming to stay on their current hot streak, having won five consecutive games before taking on Marietta.

In game one of the doubleheader, sophomore ace Jimmy Spagna took the mound for JCU. Spagna tossed 5.1 innings of spectacular pitching, keeping the Pioneers offense at bay by allowing only two earned runs and two hits. Freshman Tyler Ferretti then came in to relieve Spagna on the mound, and he picked up right where Spagna left off. Ferretti allowed only one hit in 4.1 innings of work, but was also responsible for the game-winning run scored by Marietta. With the score tied at two in the bottom of the 10th inning, Ferretti began the inning by forcing a fly-out. Ferretti then walked the next batter and allowed that same runner to advance to second base on a wild pitch, putting himself in a bit of a jam. With a runner on second and one out, Ferretti then forced an easy groundout to record the second out of the inning while the runner on second advanced to third base. Sophomore Kevin Rosinski then came into the game looking to record the final out of the inning, but eventually ended up allowing the game-winning RBI single, giving Marietta the 3-2 win in extra innings of game one.

Game two would turn out to be quite a different story for both sides, however. The Blue Streaks’ bats came to life early, as JCU scored one run in the second inning before scoring two runs in both the third and fourth innings, giving themselves a 5-0 lead headed into the fifth inning. After tacking on three more runs in the top of the sixth inning, JCU found themselves leading the Pioneers by a score of 8-0. As the two teams were only playing seven innings in the second game of this doubleheader, Marietta could only plate two runs in the bottom of the seventh en route to a loss to the Blue Streaks by a score of 8-2.

“That win was very important to keep us in the running for the upcoming OAC Tournament,” said sophomore shortstop Mark Huddle. “Game one was a tough loss, but we weren’t going to get down on ourselves. We knew if we kept our heads in the game, we would have a shot at beating them in game two. We came out with another great pitching performance and the bats stayed hot.”

The Blue Streaks (16-14, 8-6) have now won six of their last seven games and seem to be peaking at the right time.

“Our team confidence is great,” said Huddle, who finished Sunday with two runs scored and an RBI as well. “Now we just have to come out one game at a time and play the same, if not harder, and try not to miss a beat. If we do that, we’ll be able to compete with any team in the OAC.”

With only limited games left in the regular season, the Blue Streaks will compete next on Saturday, April 28 when they travel to Tiffin, Ohio to take on the Heidelberg University Student Princes in another Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader.

The Blue and Gold hit a team record five home runs in game one en route to their two run victory.

Down 3-0 in the bottom of the first, Blue Streaks junior catcher Mackenzie Griffin hit a home run that scored shortstop Sam Becker, who led off the inning with a double.  Four hitters later, following a Heather Hurley two-out walk, Ollie Mathews connected on her first home run of the season extending the Blue and Gold’s lead to 4-3 heading into the seventh.

Back came the Pioneers, however, as they took a 7-4 lead off four second inning hits, while the Blue Streaks were held silent in the second and third innings.

Then came the fourth inning.

Sophomore right fielder Colleen Brady led off the fourth frame with a solo home run which served as John Carroll’s third home run of the day.  Then, five batters later with the bases loaded, senior third baseman Erin Riccardi connected on her first home run of the season, as her grand slam gave the Blue and Gold their first lead since the first inning, 9-7.

Nine runs is all the Blue Streaks would have needed to win the ballgame, as Marietta only managed to score one more time in the sixth.  However, Griffin matched the Pioneers sixth inning run when she belted her second home run of the day, extending the John Carroll lead to 10-8.

Griffin’s home run was the fifth of the game for the Blue Streaks, an all-time team record, and also served as her fourth home run of the season. It was also her third home run in her last four games.

Senior Brittany Danilov threw her 15th complete game, improving to 15-4 on the season.  Through seven innings she allowed six earned runs and struck out 11.

Marietta freshman Alexis O’Hair was credited with the loss as she fell to 11-6 on the year.

In game two, freshman Rachel Byrnes made her second career start at pitcher for the Blue and Gold pitching two innings and allowing three runs on five hits before Danilov was brought into relief in the third inning.

Following the Pioneers three-run third, which was climaxed by Michelle Sayre’s three-run home run, the Blue and Gold stormed right back by sending 12 batters to the plate the next inning. While doing so, JCU put up eight runs in the third inning off four hits.  Sophomore left fielder Morgan Robinson had much to do with the eight-run rally as she connected on her second home run of the season, a three-run shot, which put the Blue Streaks up 8-3 heading into the fourth.

Marietta would respond in the fourth with three runs, narrowing John Carroll’s lead to two.  Two innings later, the lead would be cut to only one, following Jessa Ott’s two out RBI single.

Then in the bottom half of the sixth inning, up 8-7, the Blue Streaks would strike for four runs of insurance summited by three consecutive RBI base hits by Robinson, Becker and Griffin, which gave the Blue and Gold an eventual final score lead of 12-7.

Danilov was credited with the win following the Blue Streaks 12-7 victory — her second of the day — improving to 16-4 overall.  Danilov finished the game, allowing only four earned runs on six hits in five innings of work.

Marietta’s Ayla Spoljar fell to 0-1 on the season allowing 11 earned runs on 13 hits in six innings.

John Carroll improves to 24-12 overall on the season, 9-5 OAC.  With the Blue and Gold’s two victories this past weekend, they now move into sole possession of second place in the conference standings.

Marietta falls to 18-16 overall, 6-9 in conference play.

With only two games left before OAC Tournament, the Blue Streaks will conclude the 2012 regular season this Saturday, April 28 as they play host to the visiting Heidelberg University ‘Berg in another Saturday doubleheader at Bracken Field as they continue to fight for positioning in the OAC Tournament.

On the men’s side of action, the Blue Streaks, junior Mike Minjock got the ball rolling for JCU early. Minjock won the 200-meter dash with a finish time of 22.29 seconds. Minjock also was a member of the JCU quartet that claimed first place in the 4×100-meter relay event, as he partnered with juniors Anthony Colbert and Bill Zaccardelli as well as freshman Nick D’Amico to record an impressive finish time of 43.46 seconds. Sophomore Cory Biro picked up a first place finish of his own in the 400-meter high hurdles as he finished in 58.17 seconds to pick up the win. Junior DaQuan Grobsmith nailed a distance of 6.65 meters in the long jump event to also pick up a first-place finish for the Blue Streaks. Freshman David Contento rounded out the day for the Blue and Gold by winning the javelin throw event with a final distance of 45.96 meters, more than two meters better than the next finisher.

For the women, success was also contagious as numerous top performers excelled for the Blue Streaks. Sophomore Nicki Bohrer dominated in the 800-meter dash, winning the event by a margin of nearly six seconds with a finish time of 2:18.84. Bohrer also partnered with sophomore Gabriella Kreuz, Shanelle Mosley and junior Maureen Creighton to claim first in the 4×400-meter relay event with a time of 4:10.02. Mosley also picked up a second place finish in the 200-meter dash (26.82) while Kreuz finished in second in the 400-meter dash (1:00.18). Freshman Emily Mapes finished second in the 1,500-meter run as well with a time of 4:51.63. Rounding out the day for the Blue Streaks, sophomore Caroline Kapela claimed second place in the 5,000-meter run with an impressive time of 19:18.96.

Both teams will now shift their focus to the upcoming Ohio Athletic Conference Championships this weekend at Wilmington College. Competition is set to take place on both Friday, April 27 and Saturday, April 28 with events beginning at 12 p.m. and 10 a.m., respectively.

As the seasons come to a close for both JCU men’s and women’s tennis teams, each team looks to finish out their respective season strong.

After defeating Muskingum by a whopping score of 9-0 on Thursday, April 18, the Blue Streaks men’s team now has only two matches left in the regular season. After squaring off against Baldwin-Wallace on Tuesday,  April 24, the Blue Streaks only have two matches following Baldwin-Wallace as they will take on conference rivals Marietta College (4/26) and Heidelberg University (4/28) in a busy week. While the lone Blue Streaks senior Michael Hulseman looks to close out his collegiate tennis career on a good note, the rest of the team is also focused on turning up their performances.

“Win or we’re done. We have to win or we won’t make it down to Cincinnatti,” said sophomore Sean Graham, referencing the OAC Tournament at the end of the season.

This has been the motivation for the Blue Streaks all season long, as the OAC Tournament is right around the corner.

“[I have to] give it my all and enjoy my last couple of matches. After this, there is no more collegiate tennis,” said Hulseman.

The Blue Streaks women’s team looks to end the season on a seven-game win streak  heading into OAC Tournament play as they have three matches left as well after winning four consecutive matches. The team has already clinched a berth in the OAC Tournament, but are now fighting for the top seed. Each teammate must continue to work hard in order to further their chances at winning the OAC championship.

Three Blue Streaks seniors continue to strive for the best from their teammates as each one wants to bring home the ultimate prize in their final collegiate season – an OAC title.

With limited matches remaining, both the men’s and women’s teams look to finish their respective seasons strong. The desire to complete a task at hand is what motivates athletes to work hard and be successful. Both teams are currently in different situations, but both will nonetheless be competing for the OAC championship at the end of the season in pursuit of another success story.

The budget cuts could inhibit SUPB’s possibilities for future programming, but the money is not going to go to waste. It will be redistributed to programs like Late Night Programming and Diversity & Inclusion and will also be put towards the Corbo Weight and Cardiovascular Room.

The budget cuts have caused SUPB to use its funds more efficiently. The Spring Concert typically costs $65,000 and the new model for the concert reduces costs by about $15,000. The new concert series also will increase participation from the student body with the low-cost variety and intrigue of student bands.

While budget cuts of this size could cause worry, it is important to note that SUPB will now be concentrating on quality, rather than quantity. They may have fewer on campus events, but the ones scheduled will get more participation from students.

Since the budget comes from student’s tuition, it is important that they take advantage of and attend the programming events.

If the budget cuts do not result in higher quality programming in the future, students should voice their concerns to Student Union.