Scheduling change:
We will not be airing the South-Hopkins game and possibly the Hopkins-Roosevelt game. This may also affect our plan to televise the Dick's Sporting Goods Holiday Tournament. My co-workers aren't pleased with this news. As a result, I will try to nail down the Lakeville North-South game at Becker next Saturday as a makeup. I will keep you posted.
On the game, I never felt more comfortable on a season premiere. I think the AAU, soccer and football games between season helped. I need to make sure I get names right, but that's an easy obstacle to clear compared how I was two years ago. Centennial won 68-56 with help from poor shooting on Central's end. Centennial has some ball control to work on, but it looks like their inside game is well-established. Bridget Schuneman led all players with 23 points.
However, it's still early. Central didn't appear to be outplayed. However, they need to work on finishing offensive rebounds and turning them into points. They won't last long otherwise.
At least this gives me time to start editing the Central-Centennial game. Look for it online.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Friday, November 28, 2008
Broadcast preview: Pat Paterson Tournament
A new season is almost upon us.
As expected, we will be broadcasting the Central vs. Centennial game set to tip off at 3:00 p.m., followed by the South vs. Hopkins game at 7:00 p.m. I can't say when the games will be ready to air, but the Central-Centennial game will be the first game I edit.
It's a little early for my quick hits, they will return for the Central vs. Cretin-Derham Hall game. However, I can tell you about one big change you'll see for Keystone Productions broadcasts. This will be our first year broadcasting games in widescreen format. With YouTube and everyone else offering widescreen broadcasts, it's only appropriate that we stay in the 21st century. What this means is more space on screen, so you can see more action.
For tomorrow's games, there will be one thing you will hear from coaches and myself: It's early. Championships aren't won in November. That's not to say the games will be good; Centennial was the team that ended Central's 34-game winning streak a year ago at this tournament, but what you'll see now will be very different than what you'll see in March.
I will call the first game solo, Brandon Jones will make his debut for the South-Hopkins game.
Wrap-up to come tomorrow night.
As expected, we will be broadcasting the Central vs. Centennial game set to tip off at 3:00 p.m., followed by the South vs. Hopkins game at 7:00 p.m. I can't say when the games will be ready to air, but the Central-Centennial game will be the first game I edit.
It's a little early for my quick hits, they will return for the Central vs. Cretin-Derham Hall game. However, I can tell you about one big change you'll see for Keystone Productions broadcasts. This will be our first year broadcasting games in widescreen format. With YouTube and everyone else offering widescreen broadcasts, it's only appropriate that we stay in the 21st century. What this means is more space on screen, so you can see more action.
For tomorrow's games, there will be one thing you will hear from coaches and myself: It's early. Championships aren't won in November. That's not to say the games will be good; Centennial was the team that ended Central's 34-game winning streak a year ago at this tournament, but what you'll see now will be very different than what you'll see in March.
I will call the first game solo, Brandon Jones will make his debut for the South-Hopkins game.
Wrap-up to come tomorrow night.
Monday, November 17, 2008
"Making her move"
I decided to write my profile assignment in my magazine writing class on Theairra Taylor, who committed to Iowa this November. This is the final, graded version. As before, the deck is in the larger Times font.
Several colleges are eyeing two-time state champion Theairra Taylor. This No
vember, she will make her biggest move in her basketball career.
On a recent visit to the University of Pittsburgh, 17-year-old Theairra Taylor was enjoying her time out east, expecting to have some small talk with the athletic staff. Instead, she felt pressured to commit to the school's basketball team immediately.
"I was at the dinner table almost shaking. I couldn't really speak," she says. "It was really difficult to leave that night. I don't really like that uncomfortable feeling."
The St. Paul Central standout hasn't faced another Pittsburgh-like scenario since, but her experience underscores a complex process that is now the norm for many high school players.
Taylor's 5-feet-10-inch body, three-point range and agility helped her land scholarship offers as a sophomore. Now a senior, Taylor will choose a college in November to play women's basketball. In the running are Big Ten schools Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin, along with Big East schools Marquette and Pittsburgh.
Before Taylor could visit any of those schools, she had to submit her ACT score and high school transcript. After that, her college visits were filled with administrative meetings and team outings designed to build chemistry with her potential teammates.
Willie Taylor, Central's head coach, has watched nine players continue playing basketball careers at NCAA Division One schools during his coaching career. Theairra, who is not related to the coach, will be his 10th. He'll be the first to say that he still learns new things when he gets calls from colleges looking to recruit his players.
"Theairra is the first kid that I coached who waited this long," he says. "It's a pain in the neck. Every school feels like they got to call me every day. You run out of things to talk about. But I'm willing to do whatever she needs to do to help her select the best school."
At the same time, colleges are doing whatever they can to convince Taylor their school is the best. When Taylor visited Minnesota Sept. 12, she was escorted to the Metrodome to watch Minnesota's football team in pregame exercises and was given a tour of the new football stadium. She even put on the hard hat, safety vest and goggles construction workers use while working.
When she wasn't touring schools, Taylor and her parents say the family was taken to restaurants where the cheapest selections were around $20. On one of their hotel stays, Taylor saw Diana Taurasi and her Phoenix Mercury teammates.
Taylor enjoyed the atmosphere and meeting new people, but the physical wear and time commitment eventually caught up.
"After a while, it kind of got tiring. I was starting to miss school, starting to not have weekends. I missed a few football games," she says.
The recruiting efforts weren't limited to school visits either.
"They had times where they can come visit your school," Taylor says, "I missed half of my math class, which happens to me my toughest subject, and my teacher wasn't so lenient at first."
Taylor is learning that time management will be an even bigger focus when she starts taking college courses. Her friends who play at Division One schools told her workout routines that took place once in a while in high school are now a daily part of the schedule.
"I told Theairra, being a student athlete, they expect a lot of you," says her mother Michelle Taylor. "Their days start at eight and they're back in their homes at eight and this repeats every day. That's not something you're used to in high school."
Michelle Taylor persistently dreams of her daughter finally committing to a college only to wake up and realize that hasn't happened yet.
"Everyone keeps telling us that you'll know, you'll have this feeling. But when you go and have a good experience, it just makes your decision even harder," she says. "Theairra said to me 'You know why you don't know? It's because I don't know.'"
The investment schools put into Taylor won't make the final decision any easier. Willie Taylor says every college Taylor is considering put in a lot of money to set up visits with her.
"She'll have to tell four schools no. It's scary to see how they're going to react to that no," he says.
Taylor could be feeling anxious right now with everything she has encountered in the last couple months. Instead, like everything else that comes into her life, she's relaxed about everything.
"I keep telling each coach there's not anything you need to do because it's basically just a decision I'll have to make upon myself," she says.
Taylor is looking for three things that will influence her school selection.
"The graduation rate of the team, if I feel like I fit into the scheme of the program, (and) the team itself. If I feel like I can't fit in, it's going to be a struggle," she says.
So what will happen when Taylor finally makes her choice to end this ongoing plot?
"I want to talk to her before she calls the school and get one last look, and then I'm going to be happy for her," Willie Taylor says. "Then we're going to celebrate."
Several colleges are eyeing two-time state champion Theairra Taylor. This No
vember, she will make her biggest move in her basketball career. On a recent visit to the University of Pittsburgh, 17-year-old Theairra Taylor was enjoying her time out east, expecting to have some small talk with the athletic staff. Instead, she felt pressured to commit to the school's basketball team immediately.
"I was at the dinner table almost shaking. I couldn't really speak," she says. "It was really difficult to leave that night. I don't really like that uncomfortable feeling."
The St. Paul Central standout hasn't faced another Pittsburgh-like scenario since, but her experience underscores a complex process that is now the norm for many high school players.
Taylor's 5-feet-10-inch body, three-point range and agility helped her land scholarship offers as a sophomore. Now a senior, Taylor will choose a college in November to play women's basketball. In the running are Big Ten schools Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin, along with Big East schools Marquette and Pittsburgh.
Before Taylor could visit any of those schools, she had to submit her ACT score and high school transcript. After that, her college visits were filled with administrative meetings and team outings designed to build chemistry with her potential teammates.
Willie Taylor, Central's head coach, has watched nine players continue playing basketball careers at NCAA Division One schools during his coaching career. Theairra, who is not related to the coach, will be his 10th. He'll be the first to say that he still learns new things when he gets calls from colleges looking to recruit his players.
"Theairra is the first kid that I coached who waited this long," he says. "It's a pain in the neck. Every school feels like they got to call me every day. You run out of things to talk about. But I'm willing to do whatever she needs to do to help her select the best school."
At the same time, colleges are doing whatever they can to convince Taylor their school is the best. When Taylor visited Minnesota Sept. 12, she was escorted to the Metrodome to watch Minnesota's football team in pregame exercises and was given a tour of the new football stadium. She even put on the hard hat, safety vest and goggles construction workers use while working.
When she wasn't touring schools, Taylor and her parents say the family was taken to restaurants where the cheapest selections were around $20. On one of their hotel stays, Taylor saw Diana Taurasi and her Phoenix Mercury teammates.
Taylor enjoyed the atmosphere and meeting new people, but the physical wear and time commitment eventually caught up.
"After a while, it kind of got tiring. I was starting to miss school, starting to not have weekends. I missed a few football games," she says.
The recruiting efforts weren't limited to school visits either.
"They had times where they can come visit your school," Taylor says, "I missed half of my math class, which happens to me my toughest subject, and my teacher wasn't so lenient at first."
Taylor is learning that time management will be an even bigger focus when she starts taking college courses. Her friends who play at Division One schools told her workout routines that took place once in a while in high school are now a daily part of the schedule.
"I told Theairra, being a student athlete, they expect a lot of you," says her mother Michelle Taylor. "Their days start at eight and they're back in their homes at eight and this repeats every day. That's not something you're used to in high school."
Michelle Taylor persistently dreams of her daughter finally committing to a college only to wake up and realize that hasn't happened yet.
"Everyone keeps telling us that you'll know, you'll have this feeling. But when you go and have a good experience, it just makes your decision even harder," she says. "Theairra said to me 'You know why you don't know? It's because I don't know.'"
The investment schools put into Taylor won't make the final decision any easier. Willie Taylor says every college Taylor is considering put in a lot of money to set up visits with her.
"She'll have to tell four schools no. It's scary to see how they're going to react to that no," he says.
Taylor could be feeling anxious right now with everything she has encountered in the last couple months. Instead, like everything else that comes into her life, she's relaxed about everything.
"I keep telling each coach there's not anything you need to do because it's basically just a decision I'll have to make upon myself," she says.
Taylor is looking for three things that will influence her school selection.
"The graduation rate of the team, if I feel like I fit into the scheme of the program, (and) the team itself. If I feel like I can't fit in, it's going to be a struggle," she says.
So what will happen when Taylor finally makes her choice to end this ongoing plot?
"I want to talk to her before she calls the school and get one last look, and then I'm going to be happy for her," Willie Taylor says. "Then we're going to celebrate."
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
2008-09 TV schedule
I've connected with several coaches and conferred with a few analysts to develop the 2008-09 high school girls basketball TV schedule. My schedule lightens up next semester with one less class, so my afternoons and evenings will be generally free.
All games will be uploaded to YouTube, although the delay between the game date and broadcast date will vary as I will be editing all these games. As I mentioned earlier, I will be following NBC's Sunday Night Football "Flex pick" model, so all games are subject to change. I'll provide updates if they do. Reasons may include current status of the teams playing (there isn't a lot of parity within many conferences in our coverage area), and funding (if we get a sponsored game versus a non-sponsored one. This stuff isn't free to produce). I also included reasons for the games I selected below.
If you or an organization you work for would like to sponsor any of these games, send an e-mail to sportsbrain2005@aol.com and I will connect you with my co-worker, who takes care of sponsorships. I linked a recent game I televised to give you an idea of how I would acknowledge your contributions.
Sponsorship recognition
Saturday, Nov. 29th
Pat Paterson Tournament - Hamline University
The first tournament may produce a potential Central/Centennial match followed by South/Hopkins as they begin their journey for a state title. Central's never won three in a row, by the way. The teams that won their brackets last year were knocked out in the section finals, so an early win may not be a good omen.
Tuesday, Dec. 16th
Cretin-Derham Hall vs. St. Paul Central - Central High School, 7:00 p.m.
This is usually Central's barometer game; what they use here may be a model for the rest of the season.
Friday, Dec. 19th
Hopkins vs. Minneapolis Roosevelt - Roosevelt High School, 7:00 p.m.
I'm on winter break here, which frees my schedule up. This could be Shakila Boler's first game back from an MCL/ACL injury she suffered this summer and the first opportunity to see Roosevelt at full strength.
Wednesday, Dec. 31st
Dick's Sporting Goods Holiday Classic, Championship Game - Lindbergh Center, Hopkins, 6:00 p.m.
Decision may depend on the final two teams, but the bracket features four of last year's class AAAA state tournament participants (Central, Eastview, Osseo, South) and host Hopkins. The most anticipated tournament in the non-conference portion of the schedule.
Saturday, Jan. 10th
Jordan vs. Minneapolis South - South High School, 1:00 p.m.
Jordan makes their first of two Minneapolis visits, bringing returning stars Brittany Chambers and Leah Dietel to face you know who.
Tuesday, Jan. 13th
Johnson vs. St. Paul Central - Central High School, 7:00 p.m.
This may be Johnson's best chance to pull off an upset against the St. Paul City Conference favorite. Central is still ranked, but considerably weaker in the proven talent department.
Monday, Feb. 2nd
Jordan vs. Minneapolis Roosevelt - Roosevelt High School, 7:00 p.m.
Chambers and Dietel vs. Boler and Maguirre. Jordan's second visit to Minneapolis. Roosevelt plans to debut their alternate uniforms at this game, but more importantly, it could be a preview of the class AA, section four final. Jordan beat Roosevelt to qualify for last year's state tournament.
Friday, Feb. 6th
(Doubleheader) St. Paul Academy vs. Mounds Park Academy - Lansing Sports Center, Mounds Park Academy, 6:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Two Tri-Metro rivals in a girls/boys doubleheader. The S.P.A. girls team features the O'Brien sisters and Niambi Mitchell, while the boys rivalry is usually close. If this doesn't work out, the date below would be a makeup.
Saturday, Feb. 14th or Tuesday, Feb. 17th
Minnehaha Academy vs. DeLaSalle, 6:00 p.m. OR Minneapolis Roosevelt vs. Minneapolis South, 7:00 p.m.
Either a snapshot of the Tri-Metro's premiere teams before the state tournament, where DeLaSalle beat Minnehaha Academy in last year's AAA semifinal, or a potential battle between Roosevelt and South for the Minneapolis City Conference title and right to the Twin Cities game
Saturday, Feb. 28th
Twin Cities Championship - Minneapolis site
The last tune-up opportunity before playoffs begin
All games will be uploaded to YouTube, although the delay between the game date and broadcast date will vary as I will be editing all these games. As I mentioned earlier, I will be following NBC's Sunday Night Football "Flex pick" model, so all games are subject to change. I'll provide updates if they do. Reasons may include current status of the teams playing (there isn't a lot of parity within many conferences in our coverage area), and funding (if we get a sponsored game versus a non-sponsored one. This stuff isn't free to produce). I also included reasons for the games I selected below.
If you or an organization you work for would like to sponsor any of these games, send an e-mail to sportsbrain2005@aol.com and I will connect you with my co-worker, who takes care of sponsorships. I linked a recent game I televised to give you an idea of how I would acknowledge your contributions.
Sponsorship recognition
Saturday, Nov. 29th
Pat Paterson Tournament - Hamline University
The first tournament may produce a potential Central/Centennial match followed by South/Hopkins as they begin their journey for a state title. Central's never won three in a row, by the way. The teams that won their brackets last year were knocked out in the section finals, so an early win may not be a good omen.
Tuesday, Dec. 16th
Cretin-Derham Hall vs. St. Paul Central - Central High School, 7:00 p.m.
This is usually Central's barometer game; what they use here may be a model for the rest of the season.
Friday, Dec. 19th
Hopkins vs. Minneapolis Roosevelt - Roosevelt High School, 7:00 p.m.
I'm on winter break here, which frees my schedule up. This could be Shakila Boler's first game back from an MCL/ACL injury she suffered this summer and the first opportunity to see Roosevelt at full strength.
Wednesday, Dec. 31st
Dick's Sporting Goods Holiday Classic, Championship Game - Lindbergh Center, Hopkins, 6:00 p.m.
Decision may depend on the final two teams, but the bracket features four of last year's class AAAA state tournament participants (Central, Eastview, Osseo, South) and host Hopkins. The most anticipated tournament in the non-conference portion of the schedule.
Saturday, Jan. 10th
Jordan vs. Minneapolis South - South High School, 1:00 p.m.
Jordan makes their first of two Minneapolis visits, bringing returning stars Brittany Chambers and Leah Dietel to face you know who.
Tuesday, Jan. 13th
Johnson vs. St. Paul Central - Central High School, 7:00 p.m.
This may be Johnson's best chance to pull off an upset against the St. Paul City Conference favorite. Central is still ranked, but considerably weaker in the proven talent department.
Monday, Feb. 2nd
Jordan vs. Minneapolis Roosevelt - Roosevelt High School, 7:00 p.m.
Chambers and Dietel vs. Boler and Maguirre. Jordan's second visit to Minneapolis. Roosevelt plans to debut their alternate uniforms at this game, but more importantly, it could be a preview of the class AA, section four final. Jordan beat Roosevelt to qualify for last year's state tournament.
Friday, Feb. 6th
(Doubleheader) St. Paul Academy vs. Mounds Park Academy - Lansing Sports Center, Mounds Park Academy, 6:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Two Tri-Metro rivals in a girls/boys doubleheader. The S.P.A. girls team features the O'Brien sisters and Niambi Mitchell, while the boys rivalry is usually close. If this doesn't work out, the date below would be a makeup.
Saturday, Feb. 14th or Tuesday, Feb. 17th
Minnehaha Academy vs. DeLaSalle, 6:00 p.m. OR Minneapolis Roosevelt vs. Minneapolis South, 7:00 p.m.
Either a snapshot of the Tri-Metro's premiere teams before the state tournament, where DeLaSalle beat Minnehaha Academy in last year's AAA semifinal, or a potential battle between Roosevelt and South for the Minneapolis City Conference title and right to the Twin Cities game
Saturday, Feb. 28th
Twin Cities Championship - Minneapolis site
The last tune-up opportunity before playoffs begin
Friday, October 31, 2008
Flashback: Kiara Buford profile
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Here's an article I wrote for my news reporting class last year on Kiara Buford, before she started her senior season at Central. How time flies...
The high school girls basketball season has yet to start, but the University of Minnesota is already banking on a top player who has yet to complete her senior year.
Kiara Buford, 18, has played in the state tournament every year for Central High School in St. Paul and can play at the point guard, shooting guard and post positions. She was a contributing factor for last year’s Central girls basketball team that won the class AAAA state championship while setting an all-time record for most wins in a single season, finishing with a 32-0 record.
While Buford averaged only 12.3 points per game last season, down from 20.8 points per game in her sophomore season, people close to her said her skills outweigh the numbers.
“She can be as good as any player in the country at her position,” said Willie Taylor, head coach of the Central girls basketball team.
“She can dribble down the court and score. She’s also really good at being part of a team,” said Megan Howard, Buford’s teammate since eighth grade.
The University of Minnesota appears to agree with those remarks. Buford signed her letter of intent to play for the women’s basketball team Wednesday and verbally committed to play as a Golden Gopher her junior year.
“It’s close to home and I can play for the people that I grew up playing for,” Buford said.
Buford is also excited that she will don the maroon and gold with former Central teammate Ashley Ellis-Milan, as Buford said both she and Ellis-Milan are good friends.
Buford will be the third Central graduate in the school’s history to play at Minnesota, a list that features Monica Brown and Ellis-Milan.
Taylor is thrilled that Buford will be playing close to her high school.
“I can tell people ‘You know what, look at all the Central players at the U,’” Taylor said.
Her parents and extended relatives are also happy; they come to watch Buford play almost every game.
“She’s always been a leader. Just to see her grow so much in that role and really work hard to push herself is amazing, both on the court and academically,” said Tracy Buford, her mother.
Tracy can speak from more than a parent’s perspective; she played high school basketball at Highland Park Senior High School in St. Paul and continued at Grand View College in Des Moines, Iowa.
“Everything that she has been able to accomplish just gives me so much pride to watch her play,” Tracy Buford said.
As Buford continues to cement her status as one of Minnesota’s top high school players, she said that basketball has taught her other things that she can apply to her life outside the sport.
Beyond motivation for school, Buford said that basketball has helped her with communication and her social interaction with people outside the Central basketball team, assets that prove valuable when she is working at Old Country Buffet in Roseville.
Buford has two more reasons to serve as motivation, a 12-year-old brother and a 7-year-old sister. Tracy Buford said both of Buford’s siblings watch everything that she does.
“(Buford) is very mature for her age and she’s very responsible,” Tracy Buford said, “She has done a great job teaching them how hard she’s had to work to get to where she is,”
That hard work paid off on the court throughout last season.
Central’s roster featured four high-caliber players who transferred from other St. Paul schools, adding talent to a team that included Buford and Howard, who were not transfer students. With all that talent, Central consistently won by large margins, including an 18-point victory in the state championship game. Central’s dominance sparked criticism that the team did not win the state title legitimately.
Their undefeated season was also speculated to be the trigger in a rule enacted by the Minnesota State High School League in March, making transfer students ineligible to participate in any league-sanctioned varsity activities for one year.
The media scrutiny helped bring the team together and had little impact on the team’s effort to win a state title.
“You got to play as a team and know what it takes to win,” Buford said about her experience from the tournament.
“The media are going to say stuff, but you can’t really listen to them,” Howard said.
As Buford gears for her senior season and a run for back-to-back state championships, Taylor said that she will have to take a role as a player and coach with a bench that is not as deep as last season.
Buford hopes to continue her winning ways at Central as preparation for her collegiate career.
“My goals are to make it back to the state tournament and take a leadership role, since I’m a senior,” she said.
Leader or not, Buford will have plenty of fans supporting her next year.
“I’ll definitely be cheering her on,” Howard said.
Should Central qualify for the state tournament this season, Buford, along with Howard and Cyonna West, would become the only Central players to play in the state tournament in all four years of high school.
Here's an article I wrote for my news reporting class last year on Kiara Buford, before she started her senior season at Central. How time flies...
The high school girls basketball season has yet to start, but the University of Minnesota is already banking on a top player who has yet to complete her senior year.
Kiara Buford, 18, has played in the state tournament every year for Central High School in St. Paul and can play at the point guard, shooting guard and post positions. She was a contributing factor for last year’s Central girls basketball team that won the class AAAA state championship while setting an all-time record for most wins in a single season, finishing with a 32-0 record.
While Buford averaged only 12.3 points per game last season, down from 20.8 points per game in her sophomore season, people close to her said her skills outweigh the numbers.
“She can be as good as any player in the country at her position,” said Willie Taylor, head coach of the Central girls basketball team.
“She can dribble down the court and score. She’s also really good at being part of a team,” said Megan Howard, Buford’s teammate since eighth grade.
The University of Minnesota appears to agree with those remarks. Buford signed her letter of intent to play for the women’s basketball team Wednesday and verbally committed to play as a Golden Gopher her junior year.
“It’s close to home and I can play for the people that I grew up playing for,” Buford said.
Buford is also excited that she will don the maroon and gold with former Central teammate Ashley Ellis-Milan, as Buford said both she and Ellis-Milan are good friends.
Buford will be the third Central graduate in the school’s history to play at Minnesota, a list that features Monica Brown and Ellis-Milan.
Taylor is thrilled that Buford will be playing close to her high school.
“I can tell people ‘You know what, look at all the Central players at the U,’” Taylor said.
Her parents and extended relatives are also happy; they come to watch Buford play almost every game.
“She’s always been a leader. Just to see her grow so much in that role and really work hard to push herself is amazing, both on the court and academically,” said Tracy Buford, her mother.
Tracy can speak from more than a parent’s perspective; she played high school basketball at Highland Park Senior High School in St. Paul and continued at Grand View College in Des Moines, Iowa.
“Everything that she has been able to accomplish just gives me so much pride to watch her play,” Tracy Buford said.
As Buford continues to cement her status as one of Minnesota’s top high school players, she said that basketball has taught her other things that she can apply to her life outside the sport.
Beyond motivation for school, Buford said that basketball has helped her with communication and her social interaction with people outside the Central basketball team, assets that prove valuable when she is working at Old Country Buffet in Roseville.
Buford has two more reasons to serve as motivation, a 12-year-old brother and a 7-year-old sister. Tracy Buford said both of Buford’s siblings watch everything that she does.
“(Buford) is very mature for her age and she’s very responsible,” Tracy Buford said, “She has done a great job teaching them how hard she’s had to work to get to where she is,”
That hard work paid off on the court throughout last season.
Central’s roster featured four high-caliber players who transferred from other St. Paul schools, adding talent to a team that included Buford and Howard, who were not transfer students. With all that talent, Central consistently won by large margins, including an 18-point victory in the state championship game. Central’s dominance sparked criticism that the team did not win the state title legitimately.
Their undefeated season was also speculated to be the trigger in a rule enacted by the Minnesota State High School League in March, making transfer students ineligible to participate in any league-sanctioned varsity activities for one year.
The media scrutiny helped bring the team together and had little impact on the team’s effort to win a state title.
“You got to play as a team and know what it takes to win,” Buford said about her experience from the tournament.
“The media are going to say stuff, but you can’t really listen to them,” Howard said.
As Buford gears for her senior season and a run for back-to-back state championships, Taylor said that she will have to take a role as a player and coach with a bench that is not as deep as last season.
Buford hopes to continue her winning ways at Central as preparation for her collegiate career.
“My goals are to make it back to the state tournament and take a leadership role, since I’m a senior,” she said.
Leader or not, Buford will have plenty of fans supporting her next year.
“I’ll definitely be cheering her on,” Howard said.
Should Central qualify for the state tournament this season, Buford, along with Howard and Cyonna West, would become the only Central players to play in the state tournament in all four years of high school.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
"All Shook Up"
This article was written for an assignment in my magazine writing class. However, since I feel stories shouldn't go to waste, I will post the graded versions of this and a profile of Theairra Taylor to the site. The articles will appear in a different font than my regular posts.
Photo: Boler suited up during her playing days at Bloomington-Kennedy.
Shakila Boler is on the fast track to help her new team do big things this year, but her team will have to wait a while.
Shakila Boler is hoping to make history this season, but it has nothing to do with performance yet.
The Minneapolis Roosevelt guard tore her ACL and MCL this summer, an injury that normally forces players to sit out a year to heal. Boler is going through an intense rehab program to buck that trend.
"Doctors are saying that she will be ready in January to start playing," says coach Tim Williams. "She's way ahead of schedule."
Boler averaged 16.2 points per game last year with former school Bloomington-Kennedy. Although she will miss the first half of this season, Boler will add experience and shooting skills to a strengthening Roosevelt team.
With or without her, Williams says his team is ready to take on the toughest foe in the Minneapolis City Conference.
"We will be a great team and compete for the conference championship with South," he says.
When Boler returns to the court, Williams will look to shake up South's dominance in the conference and bring his team to the class AA state tournament, something he has never done as coach.
"With her, we will have four solid guards that could start on any team all on one team, and that means serious matchup problems for opponents," Williams says.
Photo: Boler suited up during her playing days at Bloomington-Kennedy.
Shakila Boler is on the fast track to help her new team do big things this year, but her team will have to wait a while.
Shakila Boler is hoping to make history this season, but it has nothing to do with performance yet.
The Minneapolis Roosevelt guard tore her ACL and MCL this summer, an injury that normally forces players to sit out a year to heal. Boler is going through an intense rehab program to buck that trend.
"Doctors are saying that she will be ready in January to start playing," says coach Tim Williams. "She's way ahead of schedule."
Boler averaged 16.2 points per game last year with former school Bloomington-Kennedy. Although she will miss the first half of this season, Boler will add experience and shooting skills to a strengthening Roosevelt team.
With or without her, Williams says his team is ready to take on the toughest foe in the Minneapolis City Conference.
"We will be a great team and compete for the conference championship with South," he says.
When Boler returns to the court, Williams will look to shake up South's dominance in the conference and bring his team to the class AA state tournament, something he has never done as coach.
"With her, we will have four solid guards that could start on any team all on one team, and that means serious matchup problems for opponents," Williams says.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Additional graphics
Here are more of the redesigned graphics for the upcoming season. One feature I hope to add this year is an in-game box score that better details who is providing the points for both teams, versus the leading scorers, where the top three are listed. If I can get a statistician, I'd like to add additional information on screen.
Graphics preview
The snapshots below are the new graphics I will use for the 2008-09 season. I took the graphics shown on this year's Olympics (Not NBC's red and gold design) and modified a few things. To compare them with last year's graphics package, visit my YouTube page where every game I televised from the 2007-08 season can be found. I'll show the others later, but feel free to comment.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Basketball coming soon!
I wish there was more activity to report on this blog, but I have to keep up with my schoolwork too. It's business as usual there; I'm not struggling in any classes, although I feel I may come up short again of making the dean's list. The key, as always, is to turn in your assignments on time. I've reported on a number of interesting topics in my journalism classes. I also have completed two sports stories for my magazine writing class and will post them on my Blogspot page since they won't be published in any written magazine. I will also post an assignment from last year to keep folks interested until the start of the new basketball season.
Speaking of basketball, I will return as a commentator starting with the Pat Paterson tournament at Hamline University during Thanksgiving break. Right now, I plan to broadcast a doubleheader with a potential Central/Centennial and South/Hopkins match-up for November 29th. Other tentative games include Cretin-Derham Hall/Central on December 16th. Many teams haven't submitted their schedules yet, so it's still a wait-and-see game.
I redesigned the graphics and will show you a preview of what they will look like on my next post. If you're not familiar to my broadcasts, I follow the "flex-pick" model NBC uses for Sunday Night Football; I pick games featuring top teams in Minneapolis and St. Paul or teams relatively close to each other on paper. In other words, you won't see a Central/Harding or a South/Henry type game.
In the meantime, you can vote in my "fun" poll before things get serious soon. I'll provide updates as tipoff draws closer.
Speaking of basketball, I will return as a commentator starting with the Pat Paterson tournament at Hamline University during Thanksgiving break. Right now, I plan to broadcast a doubleheader with a potential Central/Centennial and South/Hopkins match-up for November 29th. Other tentative games include Cretin-Derham Hall/Central on December 16th. Many teams haven't submitted their schedules yet, so it's still a wait-and-see game.
I redesigned the graphics and will show you a preview of what they will look like on my next post. If you're not familiar to my broadcasts, I follow the "flex-pick" model NBC uses for Sunday Night Football; I pick games featuring top teams in Minneapolis and St. Paul or teams relatively close to each other on paper. In other words, you won't see a Central/Harding or a South/Henry type game.
In the meantime, you can vote in my "fun" poll before things get serious soon. I'll provide updates as tipoff draws closer.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Broadcast wrap-up: Johnson vs. Como Park
As I expected, I came in not feeling too intimidated about having my every word recorded for television Friday. Broderick and I have found our chemistry and it can lead to some humorous conversations. You could say we mix summary and bar talk. One of my co-workers thought I came down too harsh on one of the Como Park coaches after he was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct (he was arguing a poor choice by the referee to allow a Johnson punt return for a touchdown after a penalty was called for an illegal block, something I saw on the replay). I call things as I see them, but am working on the balance between judgmental and constructive criticism. On that note, I do appreciate feedback, even if no one thinks I did anything wrong. I got used to play-by-play after a while, but always want to improve.
There were several new crew members and it showed in the production from what I saw on the monitor. The replay transitions were choppy and the camerawork wasn't on par at times. I understand SPNN is trying to spread the opportunities to people, but I feel sports crews should at least have some familiarity with the sport they're televising. That way, if they are learning a new skill, they don't have to try and remember how the game works and work the equipment at the same time. It's very difficult to pluck people at random and hope the program will turn out.
For the record, Johnson won the game 35-6. The botched call turned out not to make any difference in the game, although it's not a good sign when controversy dominates the game recap. Central lost last weekend, so Johnson looks like they will re-establish themselves as the team to beat in St. Paul, but there's still a few games to go. Johnson's running game is their strength; five backs carried the ball against Como. Their passing game needs work, they followed a 148-yard passing game the previous week with two interceptions against Como and lost the turnover battle. One-dimensional offenses are always at risk of being shut down easily, but Johnson's depth at running back is a plus.
Todd and Coley take the helm this week with the Harding-Arlington game.
There were several new crew members and it showed in the production from what I saw on the monitor. The replay transitions were choppy and the camerawork wasn't on par at times. I understand SPNN is trying to spread the opportunities to people, but I feel sports crews should at least have some familiarity with the sport they're televising. That way, if they are learning a new skill, they don't have to try and remember how the game works and work the equipment at the same time. It's very difficult to pluck people at random and hope the program will turn out.
For the record, Johnson won the game 35-6. The botched call turned out not to make any difference in the game, although it's not a good sign when controversy dominates the game recap. Central lost last weekend, so Johnson looks like they will re-establish themselves as the team to beat in St. Paul, but there's still a few games to go. Johnson's running game is their strength; five backs carried the ball against Como. Their passing game needs work, they followed a 148-yard passing game the previous week with two interceptions against Como and lost the turnover battle. One-dimensional offenses are always at risk of being shut down easily, but Johnson's depth at running back is a plus.
Todd and Coley take the helm this week with the Harding-Arlington game.
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