Justin Curry, & Angela Szesciorka
news editors
Curren reflects on
breaking record
by Kevin Fiorenzo
sports editor
It would have been just another win
for the men’s basketball team on January
10 against Penn State Altoona if not for
the unique accomplishment of one of its
players.
After four years of stellar play and
numerous achievements, senior center
James Curren earned perhaps his greatest
individual accomplishment when he
broke former Lion Rick Demski’s career
scoring record of 1,466 points on
Saturday.
The record-breaker came on a layup
with 2:30 left in the first half. Curren
finished the game with 22 points and 14
rebounds. His current all-time point total
following the game was 1,500.
“It’s nice to have the record, but if it
wasn’t for my teammates 1 wouldn’t
have been able to do it,” said Curren.
Along with his teammates, Curren is
also grateful for the support he got from
his family and friends.
“There was a lot more support than I
expected. My family is at every game
and everyone has just been great,”
Curren said.
to become Behrend’s all-time scoring leader witha current total of 1,500
points in January.
Science building overflows
by Daniel J. Stasiewski
managing editor
Students with classes in the Science Building
were pleasantly surprised when a burst water pipe
led to the cancellation of classes.
According to John Reem, director of
operations, the water pipe was part of the
sprinkler system.
In a routine patrol, officers from Police
Services discovered water on the floor of the
Science Building. Further inspection led to the
discovery of 5 feet 2 inches of water in the
Science Building basement.
Brookside Volunteer Fire Department was
called in to help pump the water from the
basement.
Reem said that the damage to the first floor of
Science was minimal, but electricity was shut off
to the building in order to let the boilers dry out.
Four transformers also needed replacing.
The Science Building reopened later in the
week, and returned to its previous conditions a
The record is another remarkable feat
for the 6 foot-6 inch center. In his career
at Behrend, Curren made the all-AMCC
team three times and is the defending
AMCC player of the year. It's very
possible that Curren could repeat that
achievement if the season continues on
its current path.
Along with co-captains David
Hairston, Casey Ponsoll and Mike
Schodt, Curren has helped lead the Lions
to a 10-1 overall record. Their sole loss
so far this season came against Skidmore
at Daytona Beach over Christmas break.
Since the loss, the team has won all four
of its games by double digit margins.
The Lions are also 2-0 in the AMCC.
At this point in the season, Curren is
averaging 16.5 points and is tied for the
AMCC lead in rebounds with 8.4.
Statistics cannot be the only thing to
judge a great player on, and Head Coach
Dave Niland acknowledges that it is
Curren’s other talents that make him
unique
“What makes James unique is his
work ethic. He works harder than
probably any player I’ve coached,” said
Niland.
Curren was recruited by some
few weeks later
Even with the damages to the building, the
students who got out of their classes were very
excited
“I was thrilled,” said Shirelle Evans, FNC 04.
“I had an exam, so I didn’t care.”
Evans said she used the time off to do some
extra studying. “It was a heaven sent.”
Lindsay Snyder, MRKTG 06, also missed an
accounting exam. While she didn’t use the day
off for studying, Snyder seemed happy to have
an extra 50 minutes for “goofing around.”
Not all students were thrilled by simply having
a day off. Bill Cutter, EETO6, who didn’t have a
class in Science was more concerned with the
safety of the building.
Cutter was extremely concerned with the
amount of water that accumulated before the
break was discovered.
Because the break was part of the sprinkler
system, Cutter questioned the safety of the fire
alarm system in Science.
Maintenance is currently waiting to install a
new fire alarm system.
Friday, April 30, 2004
Division II colleges his senior year at
Warren Area High School, but eventually
decided that Behrend was the best fit.
“I started out being recruited by a few
D-II schools, but that tapered off and at
Behrend I had the opportunity to play
right away,” said Curren.
Niland immediately recognized
Curren’s abilities as a player.
Niland said, “What struck me was that
he was a high school player coming into
the college level and was already
physically and mentally mature.”
That ability has allowed Curren to
become a leader on the Behrend squad,
and both he and his coach agree that he
has improved much of his game since
arriving at Behrend.
Curren said, “I think I’ve become a
better passer and I have a more extended
shooting range.”
“His physical conditioning has
improved the most. It was always good,
but he kept working at it constantly,” said
Niland.
That work ethic that Curren possesses
can often be a good and bad thing for a
player.
Niland said, “If James has any
weakness it’s that he’s too hard on
himself sometimes in trying to improve
his game. That’s also a sign of a great
player too in that he’s never satisfied.”
Now that Curren has set the scoring
mark and has achieved essentially every
individual accolade a player can receive,
he is now focusing hard on the one
achievement that has eluded him so far:
a conference championship.
“We’re a veteran group so anything
less than a championship this season is
disappointing. It’s definitely our main
goal,” said Curren.
Though basketball obviously takes up
a huge chunk of time for Curren,
especially in season, he is still able to
maintain a typical college life.
“I like to play video games, hang out
with my friends and goof around just
like a lot of other students,” said Curren.
After the season has concluded this
year, graduation will be looming soon
after and Curren is settling his plans for
after he leaves Behrend. He is majoring
in Business Management and plans on
attending graduate school. Basketball
will definitely be a big part of his life,
though.
“I’m looking at basketball as a career
for myself. I think I would like to be
involved as a coach.”
After four years of great play, Curren
is now looking back on his career fondly
and sees being a part of a basketball
team as a unique experience.
“I like basketball because you need all
five guys working together to succeed.
I love being a part of a team,” said
Curren
Now with the achievements and
records he’s accumulated, Curren will
surely be remembered as one of
Behrend’s great athletes.
Curren said, “I hope I’m remembered
as someone who worked as hard as I
could and was a good teammate.”
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After a water pipe burst in the basement of the Otto Behrend Science building, over five
feet of water filled the building. The flood caused classes held in Science to be canceled
for one day.
Ice storm
blasts Erie
by Lauren Packer
editor in chief
Students and faculty alike awoke on
the morning of Tuesday, January 27 to
a painful reminder of what happens
when Mother Nature and Old Man
Winter combine forces.
A complex weather system assaulting
much of the Midwest states, in addition
to a southern band of precipitation, were
to blame for the formidable weather,
according to the Weather Channel.
And according to reports, at least 44
deaths from Kansas to the Carolinas
were linked to the two-day winter mix
of snow, sleet, rain and freezing rain.
Two deaths occurred in Pennsylvania
because of traffic accidents linked to the
Tom Atkins, meteorologist for
WJET-TV and instructor of
meteorology at Behrend, explained why
the weather was rain and not snow.
“What happened on Tuesday was a
result of a warm layer of air called a
loft,” Atkins said. “The rain actually
starts as snow, but then it meets the
warm air and changes to rain.”
“Even though the temperature was
barely at 32 degrees, we had six days
of subfreezing temperatures that froze
the ground. And when the rain met the
ground it froze instantly.”
Tuesday’s snowfall totaled only 2
inches, but almost a half-inch of rain
fell on the roadways first, creating a
slick base for pedestrians and motorists.
Local school systems and business
throughout the Erie area operated on
two-hour delays, followed by
cancellations. However, nearly every
school district, including Edinboro
University, made the decision to cancel
classes for the remainder of the day.
During a freak snow storm in late January, students braved the weather
and near freezing temperatures as they made their way to class. The
college operated under a two-hour delay, as the Erie School District and
Edinboro Universi ' suf classes for the day.
The Behrend Beacon
Erie area schools last closed in 2000.
according to the Erie-Times News.
Penn State Behrend remained open
after an altered schedule, with classes
beginning at 10 a.m. and the child care
center closed entirely. Behrend last
canceled class because of a snowstorm
in November 2000.
The National Weather Service placed
Erie County under a winter storm
warning, stating that “freezing rain and
sleet will continue into the early
afternoon. Some additional ice
accumulation will be likely. This amount
of icing will make driving very
hazardous and may bring down tree
limbs and power lines."
Ice and snow began tailing early in the
morning and changed to snow by mid
afternoon. The ice draped ears,
walkways, pathways and railways and
left the campus looking more like a
skating rink than a series of roadways
and pathways.
“I almost fell several times," said
Samantha Cibula, COMBA ob. “My
friend cut her leg on the ice .”
Commuters had mixed emotions
“I live by the mall and Interstate 90
and it was horrible," Carolyn Tellers,
ENGL 08, said. "If the universitv had
regards for our safety, they would have
canceled class.
Tom Szymanowski. COMBA 08,
disagrees. "I saw it as no challenge."
Szymanowski said. "I could see where
others would have a problem. Concern
for safety should be a priority by the
university. I didn’t think Tuesday was
the worst. I think last I riday was the
worst.”
-The Associated Tress < -ontribilled to this
report
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