PSU
Sports
@a
Glance
By Christian Torres
Sports Editor
cgtlll@psu.edu
The NCAA Women's Tournament
is a familiar place for the Penn
State Lady Lions. This year
should be no different, with an
already impressive 18-9 record
and an equally impressive 12-0
record at home. But like previous
years, these Lions still have a
lot of work to do to get to the
promised land of an NCAA title.
Year after year, the Lady Lions
get close but never close the
deal. This year, the Lions hope to
turn that tide of disappointment. It
all starts with the two players that
should not need an introduction.
Tanisha Wright continues to
lead the Lady Lions with her
tremendous play. The 5'11"
senior guard is leading the team
in points and is among the team
leaders in steals and assists. Not
far behind Wright is Jess Strom.
Strom is second on the team in
scoring and leads the team in
assists and steals.
The remainder of the team is a
good mix of young and veteran
players. There are some solid
forwards and guards up and down
the lineup. And Amanda Brown is
filling the position of center and
while she is only averaging seven
points a game, Brown leads the
team in rebounds and blocks.
And let us not forget the solid
coaching. Rene Portland has
been at the helm of the Lady
Lions for 25 years. Her success
is unquestioned even without an
NCAA title.
But one issue for these Lady
Lions to address on their way to
the tournament is their record.
In particular, their record on the
road leaves more to be desired.
The Lions may shine at home at
the Bryce Jordan Center, but 6-9
on the road has got to improve.
Especially with postseason play
approaching, playing well in
hostile territory becomes crucial.
And then there is the issue of
whether this team can hang with
some of the better teams in the
league. Just recently, the team
lost a big game against Big Ten
rival Ohio State. Earlier in the
season, the Lady Lions were
dropped by top-ten ranked Duke.
So until the Lions can start beating
the better teams in the league,
there will still be questions as to
whether they can win.
Speaking of those other teams,
here are the top five teams the
Lions will have to watch for during
the postseason.
1. Ohio State- This team is not
only ranked sixth in the country,
but is also in the Big Ten. The
Lady Lions are 1-1 so far against
Ohio State this season. It is
expected that both teams will
meet in the Big Ten Tournament.
2. Tennessee- Just for the
simple fact that this team is
constantly good. Once again
this season, the Lady Vols are
nationally ranked and poised for
another title.
3. Michigan State- Another Big
Ten foe. In their only meeting this
season, the Lions beat the Lady
Spartans fairly handily with a 73-
56 score. Anything can happen
in the postseason and they could
square off once again in the Big
Ten Tournament.
4. Duke- Not only do the Duke
men know how to play, but the
ladies are not that far behind.
The Lady Blue Devils have an
impressive 25-2 record and
defeated the Lady Lions earlier
this season.
5. Baylor- Not much is known
about Baylor, but they are a good
team. The Lady Lions found that
out firsthand after a 21-point loss
to Baylor in December.
Expand your 'Horizon'
By Christian Torres
Sports Editor
cgtlllgpsu.edu
The prospect of watching a
professional basketball team
play would probably mean going
to Philadelphia or Washington.
Yes, basketball does exist around
this area, but is the professional
level something this area is
too small for? Not at all. In fact,
professional basketball is literally
just around the corner and it is
actually played on this campus.
Meet the Harrisburg Horizon.
They may not have the household
players like Kobe Bryant or Allen
Iverson, but they put on quite a
show on Saturday nights inside
the Capital Union Building.
They are comprised of a men's
and women's team. The men
have been playing now for
eight years. The women this
season celebrated their third
anniversary.
Both teams play in the Eastern
Basketball Alliance (EBA). So far
this season, both teams have
shown they can play. At the time
this story was written, the men
had a record of 6-2, while the
ladies were a perfect 7-0.
But success is something this
organization is used to. The
men are coming off back-to-
Herb counts down
By Herb Smith
Staff Reporter
hjsl3s@psu.edu
5) Greg Maddux
4) Steve Caton
3) Nolan Ryan
2) Sandy Koufax
1) Roger Clemens
This countdown was probably
the hardest to name a number
one. I thought I'd make it easy
on myself by limiting it to pitchers
just from the last 50 years. I had
every intention of naming Sandy
Koufax number one, except that
in doing research, I discovered
something. While Koufax was at
his best in the early 19605, he
was really only a great pitcher
for about a six-year span. Even
though during those years he was
close to un-hittable, when doing a
countdown of the greatest of all
time, longevity has to be a factor.
So Roger Clemens, about to start
With a blazin g fastball that approached 100 mph and a work ethic
like no other, Nolan Ryan holds a record 5,714 strikeouts.
The Capital Times, March 21
p
The Harrisburg Horizon, central Pennsylvania's professional basketball team, has completed its seventh
season in the Eastern Basketball Alliance.
back championship seasons.
The women won their first
championship last season in only
their second year of existence.
It is also nice to know that both
teams are getting significant help
his 21st season, jumped ahead
of Koufax.
"The Rocket" entered the
league in 1984 with the Boston
Red Sox. Though it seems like it
had been forever that he played
for Beantown; those five seasons
in pinstripes certainly did help
us all forget. Clemens' first few
seasons were impressive for a
young pitcher, but were only a
sign of things to come. In his first
two seasons, Clemens started a
total of 35 games; it wasn't until
his third season that he would
spend the whole year in the
starting rotation.
Starting 33 games in 1986,
Clemens went 24-4 with a 2.48
ERA. Those outstanding numbers
earned the "Rocket" his first Cy
Young award. Clemens would
win the award again the following
season, winning 20 games with
an ERA under 3.00.
After winning one more Cy
Young with the Red Sox, Clemens
Photo courtesy of www.e-cool.com
from ex-Penn State players.
Jonathan Branam is helping
the men get a possible third
straight title. Meanwhile Marissa
Hoover, former Lady Lion and
current employee at Penn State
baseball's greatest pitchers
Roger Clemens, "The Rocket," has won a total of seven Cy Young awards, and can still throw 94-96 mph
with ease.
moved onto the Toronto Blue
Jays. He stayed in Toronto only
two seasons, but in those two
years, he put together two 20-win
seasons and earned two more
Cy Youngs for his trophy case.
Winning Cy Youngs would
become a recurring theme
throughout Clemens' career. The
"Rocket" has won a total of seven
over his Hall of Fame career.
His success has continued
throughout his career, as he
won those Cy Youngs in three
different decades, including last
season as a 42-year-old with the
Houston Astros.
Clemens' longevity can be
attributed to his work ethic. His
training regimen is very intense.
There is a story that while with
the Yankees, Clemens was out
in the field with his trainer about
Photo courtesy of harrisburghorizon.com
Harrisburg, is helping the women
possibly get a second straight
championship.
It doesn't look like anything right
now is standing in both teams'
ways. The women's closest team
to go through his daily workout. A
young rookie came out and said
if a 40-year-old man can do this
workout, it can't be that hard. So
Clemens invited his teammate to
join in his workout. By the end,
the rookie had lost his lunch on
the field and Clemens had the
last laugh.
Moving on from Toronto, Clemens
joined the New York Yankees.
Five successful seasons in the
Big Apple, yet another Cy Young
in 2001, and finally the elusive
World Series championships in
1999 and 2000, seemed to bring
closure to his career. After all but
actually saying he was headed
for retirement in 2003, Clemens
changed his mind and joined
his hometown Houston Astros.
Last season, Clemens was as
dominant as ever, winning 18
, 2005 7
in the standings is Delaware,
which has a record of 4-3.
It gets a little tougher when talking
about the men. Delaware is the
only team with a better record
than the guys, and they recently
lost in overtime to Delaware. The
guys had one more shot as they
faced Delaware on March 19.
That game could be critical in
deciding this year's champion.
Both teams may be about what
happens on the court, but there
is also a lot that happens off
the court. Both teams offer free
basketball clinics, have outreach
programs, and also lend their
players for special appearances.
So in their brief existence, the
Harrisburg Horizon have made
a quite a name for themselves.
With the exception of intramural
athletics, sports are almost
non-existent here at Penn
State Harrisburg. The Horizon
has not only provided sporting
entertainment for many people,
but they have been successful in
doing so.
The season will be ending soon
for both teams. The last home
games were played on March
19. A playoff season will probably
follow and home games will once
again be played at the Capital
Union Building here at Penn
State Harrisburg.
Photo by Matt York/AP
games, an ERA under 3.00 and
earning that seventh Cy Young,
his first in the National League.
Of course, a few dark clouds have
hung around Clemens from time
to time. There was the saga with
Mike Piazza in which on separate
occasions, Clemens hit Piazza in
the head with a fastball and threw
a broken bat at the Mets catcher
as he ran up the first base line.
Those incidents dampened the
aura around Clemens for only a
moment however, as the numbers
and awards continue to speak for
themselves.
His seven Cy Young awards are
the most in baseball history. The
"Rocket" has dominated baseball
for over three different decades
and has proven that he is the
greatest pitcher in the last 50
years.