page 14, The Behrend Beacon, April 7,2000 \t .
™ National Sports
Michigan State beats
Florida for
by Andrew Bagnato
Chicago Tribune
April (G, 2000
INDIANAPOUS Mateen Cleat es
had come too far, worked too hard and
promised too much
An ankle injury was not going to
keep him out of the biggest game of
his life. No chance. Cleaves hobbled
off the floor midway through the sec
ond half of Monday night's NCAA
final, then limped back and helped
lead Michigan State to an 89-76 rout
of Florida in front of 4.1,116 in the
RCA Dome.
The triumph gave Michigan State
its first national title since 1979 and
the Big Ten's first since 1989, when
Michigan did it.
Michigan State was led by its three
star seniors: Morris Peterson led the
way with 21 points, A.J. Granger
added 19 and Cleaves had 18 points.
Cleaves was named Most Valuable
Player of the Final Four, just as his
friend Magic Johnson had been 20
years ago in Salt Lake City.
It was the perfect ending for
Cleaves, who last month vowed to
bring home the trophy.
"Michigan State answered the
promises," coach Tom Izzo told the
spectators in the RCA Dome.
"I'm not saying we’re the greatest
basketball team,but we've got some
of the toughest kids."
This was what Cleaves envisioned
when he returned for his senior year,
delaying a shot to play in the NBA.
“When I talked to Magic Johnson,
he said it would be a good idea to
come back because of the experiences
you gain in college,” Cleaves said.
Magic knew what he was talking
about. In the first half, Cleaves sup
plied superb leadership, guiding the
Spartans through the maze of Gator
defenders. The Gators had pressed
Duke and North Carolina into submis
sion. But junk defenses don’t rattle
Cleaves.
Michigan State’s mastery was
never more clearly demonstrated than
in the third minute of the game, when
Cleaves twice broke away for fast-
UConn’s Philadelphia
is NCAA title
story
by Ashley McGeachy
Knight-Ridder Tribune
April 03, 2000
PHILADELPHIA
phiu story is complete, with an end
ing no one, except maybe the coach
himself, anticipated. In the end, he was
right: Geno’s is better. Geno’s is the
champ.
In what was billed as a historic na
tional championship game between
the top two teams and the top two pro
grams in women’s college basketball,
Geno Auriemma’s Connecticut Hus
kies overwhelmed the Tennessee Vol
unteers, delivering their slick-haired,
street-smart coach his second national
title. His first, in 1995. also came on
April 2 and also was at Tennessee's
expense. But even that win wasn’t like
this.
That win capped an undefeated sea
son, but it was a close, hard-fought
game. Last night’s victory was a 71-
52 rout played before 20,060 fans at
the First Union Center.
When it was over, after the com
memorative early editions of the New
Haven Register proclaimed UConn
“Champs!” and Shea Ralph was
named the most outstanding player
and the nets were cut down, Auriemma
playfully suggested that he was too
busy to wait around for a call from the
President of the United States.
A White House aide tried to con
tact President Clinton, who was on Air
Force One en route to California.
When the aide told the coach he would
have to wait a few minutes for the call,
Auriemma replied, "I can run out and
get a cheesesteak if we don't know
what’s going to happen. Call me back
in 15 minutes, and we’ll stay for that
break layups. On the first, Cleaves
appeared to run a post pattern, gath
ering in a long pass from Charlie Bell
bar an east bucket.
But for one scary stretch of the sec
ond half, it looked as if Cleaves would
experience heartbreak N and perhaps
a broken ankle. Michigan State was
in the same predicament as it started
the season, with Cleaves sidelined
w ith an injury.
Flying toward the basket on a fast
break. Cleaves tangled with Florida
guard Teddy Dupay and twisted his
tinkle as he landed. Cleaves writhed
on the floor in agony.
Michigan State led 50-44 with 16
minutes 18 seconds remaining when
Cle aves limped to the dressing room,
In the RCA Dome grandstand, friends
consoled Cleaves' mother, Frances.
Down on the Ooor, the Spartans drew
themselves together and displayed
their trademark grit.
First Mike Chappell stepped out
and knocked down a three-point shot
from the top of the key to make it 53-
44. Then the Spartans swarmed
Florida s Mike Miller and ripped the
hall out of his hands. When Chappell
tipped in Jason Richardson's missed
layup. Michigan State had matched its
biggest lead, 55-44.
The Spartans were doing exactly
w hat they did when Cleaves fractured
his foot before the season: surviving.
Their defense smothered the Gators
and kept them off the board for the
nearly four minutes.
When the big-screen television high
above the floor showed Cleaves limp
ing out of the dressing room, a buzz
swept through the RCA Dome crowd.
As the television cameras followed
Cleaves down a long hallway, a roar
began to swell. By the time Cleaves
limped onto the bench, the building
erupted. It was as if Spartan alum Kirk
Gibson, who was supposed to attend
this game, were staggering up to the
plate to face Dennis Eckersley with a
World Series game in the balance.
Some teams might have buckled at
the sight of their emotional leader
being led off the door. But Izzo has
instilled an unusual toughness in the
long. And I don’t mean to be rude, but
then we have to have an answer.”
Undoubtedly, he would have run to
Geno’s for a cheesesteak. On Satur
day, he facetiously declared Geno’s
better than Pat’s, but the proclamation
proved truejast night. With precision,
unmatched intensity and a pressing,
trapping defense that completely be
fuddled the Volunteers, UConn embar
rassed Pat Summitt’s second-ranked
His Philadel
The record book proves it.
Tennessee’s 52 points were the third
lowest total in school history and
third-lowest scoring performance in
an NCAA title game. The Vols’ 16
field goals tied for fewest in a cham
pionship game, their 26 turnovers
were the most, and their 31.4 shoot
ing percentage was the second-worst
team performance of the season. Af
ter the first 13 minutes, when the Hus
kies built a 21-6 lead, the game was
virtually decided.
Tennessee never seemed to recover
from what happened yesterday morn
ing. During a non-contact walk
through at the First Union Center,
Kristen “Ace” Clement went for a ca
sual, routine lay up and came down
on teammate Michelle Snow’s foot.
Clement, a Broomall native, sprained
her right ankle and was unable to play.
The Vols could have used her
scrappy delense and veteran leader
ship. Freshman point guard Kara
Lawson lost her poise early and never
regained it, missing 11 of 13 shots to
finish with six points. Connecticut
hounded Tarnika Catchings, who got
oil only six shots but scored 16 points.
She was the only Volunteer to score
in double figures.
Meanwhile, everything the Huskies
j WEEK IN SPORTS j
NCAA title
... 1.. - ...IS PHOTO
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, along with his team, hoists the
NCAA men's basketball championship trophy after the Spartans
beat Florida 89-76, Monday, at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis,
Ind.
Spartans. They don't look for excuses.
Problems become opportunities.
Cleaves, who has the ugliest jump
shot of any star in Division I, has per
sonified this attitude for four seasons.
“He wears his heart on his sleeve,”
Bell said before the game. "He moti
vates us like coach Izzo, but in a dif
ferent way. He plays with passion and
gives it his all."
With a bulky black brace on his
ankle, Cleaves checked back into the
game with 11:51 to play. He had
missed 4 minutes and the Spartans had
expanded their lead to nine points
from six.
Cleaves’ return ignited the Spar
tans, who closed the game on another
rush. They had buried Syracuse 17-0
at the end of a game and ran lowa
State off the floor with a 20-3 burst.
did was perfect. Their passes into the
post were crisp. Their hands were
quick, making 12 steals and blocking
1 1 shots, including nine by Kelly
Schumacher. They shot a solid 44.1
percent from the field in the first half
and a spectacular 59.3 percent in the
second half to protect the lead they had
from the very beginning.
Ralph was outstanding, making 7 of
8 shots to score 15 points. She also
had 7 assists, 6 steals, 1 block and just
1 turnover. Svetlana Abrosimova
added 14 points and Asjha Jackson
had 12 points off the bench. Both
joined Ralph on the all-tournament
team, which included Connecticut
guard Sue Bird and Catchings.
“This was a great team tonight,”
Tennessee coach Pat Sumnutt said.
“There’s no question about it, they
were awesome.... l/BBut 3/8 we are
not going away. I am not as old as
Geno thinks 1 am, and I’m certainly
not on my way out. We’ll be back here,
hopefully again, next year.”
Unprecedented hype surrounded the
game. It was billed as a landmark mo
ment in women’s athletics, compa
rable to the World Cup soccer frenzy
of last summer. On Friday, Bird faked
pulling her shirt over her head a la
Brandi Chastain, but Bird knew the
images of last night would be indel
ibly etched on the national sports land
scape.
It also was billed as a landmark mo
ment in women’s college basketball.
It was No. 1 vs. No. 2, UConn vs. Ten
nessee. The Huskies had held the top
ranking all 19 weeks of this season,
the first team to go wire to wire at No.
1 since the Vols in 1997-98. Between
the two schools, there were eight high
school all-Americans in the starting
In a little less than seven minutes,
Michigan State's lead ballooned from
38-50 to 82-62 as Cleaves staggered
around the court. Let’s face it: they
would have had to amputate to keep
Cleaves out.
As he prepared for his last colle
giate game. Cleaves said: "I know that
after this game, I have to hang up the
Michigan State jersey. But I'd rather
hang it up with a national champion
ship than without one. I want this last
game to be as special as possible.
We’ve had a great time this year.
When the buzzer sounded, Cleaves
met Peterson at center court. As
Peterson hoisted his friend, Cleaves
didn't need to walk any more. Nei
ther did Michigan State. It had taken
the final step.
lineups, this year's Naismith player of
the year, and four Kodak all-Ameri
cans, all of whom were named Thurs
day.
Moreover, the game was held in the
town that for years has been synony
mous with women’s college basket
ball Philadelphia, the town that
gave the world lmmaculata, Cathy
Rush, Marianne Stanley, Theresa
Grentz and Dawn Staley. If there was
any doubt, Auriemma, a former
Norristown resident, has solidified his
spot in the Philadelphia hoops annals.
In 15 seasons in Storrs, Conn., he has
built a powerhouse program, his side
line soliloquies notwithstanding. His
393-95 record gives him the third-best
winning percentage among active Di
vision I coaches, and his five consecu
tive 30-plus winning seasons are a first
in basketball history, men’s or
women s.
He is also king in Storrs again. The
scoreboard reads: “Auriemma, two
titles; Jim Calhoun, one.”
"1 don’t want to share what I antici
pated,” Auriemma said, "because it
will make me look as something other
than the way 1 want to be»perceived. I
just anticipated a great game, I really
did.”
It capped a great weekend in Phila
delphia. On Saturday night, Auriemma
hosted a party for a couple of hundred
of his closest friends at local restau
rant Finnegan's Wake. Last night’s
plans were more intimate: a small cel
ebration with his family and a few
friends.
“I’ll just kind of reflect back on all
that’s happened and try to make sense
of some of it.”
Then tomorrow, maybe a
cheesesteak from Geno’s.
NFL panel urges better
policing of players
by Mike Bruton
Knight-Ridder Tribune
March 30, 2000
PALM BEACH, Fla - The NFL
meetings drew to a close on Wednes
day with the league's owners, execu
tives and coaches vowing to focus
more attention on curtailing off-the
field violence by players.
In a discussion that was described
as very candid, the NFL’s leadership
grappled with this thorny problem that
was inflamed this season when two
active players were charged with mur
der.
The homicide charges against Bal
timore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis
and Carolina Panthers wide receiver
Rae Carruth sparked unprecedented
criticism of a so-called criminal ele
ment in the NFL and the names were
fanned by incidents of burglary, do-
mestic violence, players being named
in alcohol- and drug-related situations
and a bar fight.
Though no resolution was passed to
alter the league's current anti-crime
programs, NFL commissioner Paul
Tagliabue said that along with continu
ing conversations with the NFL play
ers union, a concerted effort to find
league-wide solutions would continue.
The anti-crime issue, said Tagliabue,
will be addressed again at the league
meetings on May 23-24 in Baltimore.
In the meantime, the focus is being
put on individual teams to police their
own players using a combination of
preventive measures, education and
discipline.
"It's the obligation of every club,"
said Seattle Seahawks coach Mike
Holmgren, who sat on a six-man panel
that led the anti-crime discussion in the
coaches/owners session. "A certain
amount of support staff has always
been a priority with me. There are too
many sad stories. We've got to do
something about it."
There were talks of better screening
of college players who are likely to be
drafted and possibly even instituting a
probation period for those who are
considered at-risk players because of
criminal or violent incidents in their
past.
Strengthening of positive peer pres
sure in the form of support groups
composed primarily of veteran play
ers was roundly endorsed and the en
forcement of disciplinary action when
players violate rules was something
that was supported by the players
union and the league.
One of the more sticky issues in
volved cultural considerations, such as
the need to keep players away from
people and venues that increase their
chances of being involved in a violent
NBC joins World
Wrestling Federation for
new football league
by Barry Jackson
Knight-Ridder Tribune
March 30, 2000
NBC announced Wednesday it will
enter into a business partnership with
the XFL, the World Wrestling
Federation’s new football league, and
plans to televise 10 of the league’s
regular-season games in prime time on
Saturday nights.
The NBC exposure is expected to
bolster the success of the XFL, which
will launch next February in Miami
and seven other cities.
NBC will not pay a rights fee. In
stead, the network and the WWF will
be 50-50 partners and split revenue
and costs.
WWF Chairman Vince McMahon
said he expects the XFL to be profit
able by the start of its third season.
NBC will not televise any wrestling
as part of the deal.
“The objective is to get young males
to the television set,” NBC sports
chairman Dick Ebersol said. “Fans
crave a much more wide-open brand
of football than they are seeing today.
There will be no committees voting
to ban on-field celebrations. There will
be cameras on the field, on the play
ers, in the huddle, on the sidelines and
in the locker-room.
“There are no fair catches, much
faster play clocks, a 10-minute half
time, and it will clearly fit in a three
hour time period. The four teams that
or criminal act.
In both the Carruth and Lewis cases
there were other people who allegedly
contributed to the problem.
"Most of our players are African
American," said league executive
Harold Henderson. "Many of our play
ers come from single-parent families,
they come from deprived back
grounds. They come from communi
ties where standards of conduct are
different from standards we hold in the
NFL."
Suddenly these young men have
enormous amounts of money,
Henderson explained, and others from
the same impoverished neighbor
hoods, friends and relatives, compete
wdth several other forces that try to get
the players attention.
The league cannot dictate whom the
players can spend their time with yet.
"There are limitations morally, ethi-
cally and legally," said Ravens coach
Brian Billick, "as to what a coach can
do and dictate to a player."
Henderson added: "Even if you had
the power, I don't think it would work.
The break away from their communi
ties is a difficult one for the players to
handle."
This is the area where positive peer
pressure should be applied, said Tampa
Bay assistant coach Herman Edwards,
one of the panelists.
"You have to educate players that it's
really not their right to play in the Na
tional Football League," said Edwards,
a former Eagles defensive back. "It's a
privilege and with that comes the hard,
cold fact that you're looked upon as a
leader whether you like it or not."
Then there is the temptation to go
easier on star players because if they
are suspended it could cause the team
to lose games.
Part of the discussion centered on
the fact that too many players arrive
on the NFL's doorstep predisposed to
preferential treatment because they've
been given it both in high school and
college.
"I think there is probably a natural
inclination to do that in whatever po
sition of authority you're in," said anti
crime panelist Tony Dungy, who is
Tampa Bay's head coach, "whether
you're a coach, the police department,
the district attorney or the president of
the United States. You have to make a
conscious decision to treat everybody
the same."
Dungy also said it would probably
be a good idea if the league specified
which punishments would be admin
istered for certain infractions.
"I like limitations and letting people
know this is what you can expect," he
added. "I personally would be for that
league-wide."
win each week will receive a cash bo
nus. We can’t in prime time just be
doing traditional dramas and sitcoms.”
NBC said XFL games should gen
erate ratings similar to those produced
by entertainment programming on
Saturday nights, which is traditionally
a weak night for TV viewing. NBC
has not televised pro football since
losing the NFL in 1998.
NBC also purchased 2.3 million
shares (at $l3 a share) in the World
Wrestling Federation’s, a public com
pany. WWF shares rose 6 cents Tues
day to $17.38.
The XFL will schedule four games
each weekend of its 10-week season.
NBC will regionally televise two
games each week.
The XFL will seek a cable partner
to televise at least one of the two other
games each week, which will be
played on Sundays.
The inaugural season will start Feb.
3 and end with the April 21 champi
onship on NBC. Miami’s team will
play at the Orange Bowl.
New York, Washington D.C., Or
lando, San Francisco and Los Ange
les also have been awarded teams.
Two other cities will be named at a
later date.
Rosters will be stocked mostly with
ex-college players who are not in the
National Football League. The XFL
does not plan to bid for high-priced
NFL players.