Artwork by Rebecca Holt

Hoop It Up, the nation’s largest three-on-three basketball tournament, is coming to Denver this summer. The nationally traveling tournament which is featured in more than 40 cities across the U.S. will be making a stop in Denver, at Civic Center Park, on June 12 and 13.

Free to spectators, the Hoop It Up tournament will showcase teams playing a bracket style three-on-three basketball tournament to decide who the best team in Denver is at each age division.
Every team in the tournament is allowed to have up to five people on the roster, which makes two subs on each team, while the three-on-three action takes place on the court. All of the teams are guaranteed at least three games, and after the first three games, the tournament directors seed the teams and set up a single elimination tournament based on the first three games.

The basketball tournament is set up to accommodate players of all ages throughout the city and the state. The teams will be split into divisions based on age and gender, and kids as young as eight years old are allowed to participate on a team. On the other side, for people who want to get a team together but think they might be too old, the tournament features a 30 and older division. There is even one player who is already registered on a team this year who is 52 years old.

Registration for the tournament will be open until June 7 at 5:00 p.m. on their website at hoopitup.com. All of the information about the tournament, including information about different fees for each team’s age group, along with all of the other registration information, can be found at their website as well. Directors from hoopitup.com are hoping to register between 200 and 300 teams this year for the Denver tournament alone, with participants coming from all around the state to show off their basketball skills.

In addition to the basketball tournament, there will be a three point contest and a slam dunk contest throughout the two days. All of the activities are taking place at civic center park for both days and, as aforementioned, all of the events are free to spectators. “We are expecting great things from this tournament,” said Regional Event Director for Hoop It Up, Jeremy Dingle. “There are going to be a lot of people having fun just watching, walking around Denver on those couple of days, and there is going to be a ton of exciting and competitive basketball, as well.”

Artwork by Rebecca Holt.

The talent is there: Tebow has a Heisman to prove that. People love his intangibles. Tebow is considered one of the greatest college football quarterbacks of all time.  He is a dynamic threat not only with his arm, but also with his legs. However, what many people question is not his heart, but his mechanics. That being said, I will dive into both the pros and cons of one Mr. Tim Tebow.

Pros: Not only is Tebow full of energy and passion for the game, he is also a hard worker. Tebow exemplifies the perfect player. In a year when many players have had character issues, (i.e. Dez Bryant and Earl Thomas), Tebow has always stayed within the law and out of trouble.  Plus, Tebow is considered a dual-threat quarterback, meaning that he can lead teams to victory with not only his arms, but also his legs. Tebow rushed for nearly 3,000 yards over his tenure at Florida.

Cons: Tebow has an awkward wind-up. Tebow’s throwing motion has been called into question by many experts, including many NFL teams’ higher management. Never before has such a popular, polarizing figure with a Heisman to his name fallen so far in a draft, especially when an argument can be made that upwards of six teams need a young QB around whom to build a team.

Conclusion: This pick was very odd to me. I see why Bronco Head Coach Josh McDaniels would like a hard worker, but at the same time…what gives? McDaniels had his greatest success when he had a stabilized pocket passer in Tom Brady. Now McDaniels has a quirky, awkward throwing left handed quarterback. But, intangibles are the name of the game in the NFL, and Tebow does have that.  His middle name should be “Clutch.” Also, coach has gone on the record as saying that he will alter his system to accommodate Tebow. Only time will tell how this will pan out. I can see Tebow being the face of this franchise, but I can also see Tebow really struggling to adjust to the NFL game.

Artwork by Rebecca Holt

The fatigue Pittsburgh’s Penguins will be facing headed into the next series will be prevalent if it drags on past four games and, trust me, it will. The Canadiens are potentially in the same boat for fatigue, but the momentum they carry behind them should help eradicate some of that. Upsetting Ovechkin’s Capitals the Montreal Canadiens have observed as net-minder Jaroslav Halak stepped up when they needed him most.

GOALTENDING:

Jaroslav “Stop Pucks A” Halak versus Marc “Snow” Andre-Fleury: does really much else need to be said? Jaroslav Halak showed his true colors this season and produced a lot of donuts at that: five shutouts at the end of the season. Marc-Andre Fleury is blessed with a high-powered offense and a team good at rallying late. Considering that he only posted a .905 save percentage with one shutout at the end of the season, in contrast to Halak’s five shutouts and .924 save percentage. If goalkeeping is any reflection of a series outcome, and it is, this one can go to the Canadiens.

ADVANTAGE: CANADIENS

DEFENSE:

This one is close seeing such stellar players from the Penguins as Sergei Gonchar and Brooks Orpik and Roman Hamrlik with Andrei Markov. When it all comes down to it though, the Penguins take the defensive crown between the two.  Why, you may ask? Experience, simply experience. Pittsburgh’s D-Men have traveled the post-season route before and know how strenuous it can be, as well as knowing what needs to be done to win the Cup. Sergei Gonchar is not only one of the top defensemen in the league, but he has two Stanley Cup trips under his belt with his current team, who can beat that?

ADVANTAGE: PITTSBURGH

FORWARDS:

As much as I may hate to say it, Sidney Crosby is all that needs to be said here. Mike Camalleri is stepping up though with eight goals and five assists in his longest post-season run to date. This is his first time making it past the first round and he is certainly making the most of it. Though Brian Gionta, Scott Gomez, and Mike Camalleri form a strong set of forwards, Sidney Crosby, Jordan Staal, and Evgeni Malkin again have the experience. Staal is looked to step up in big games, but his recent injury may cause some issues on the offensive line. Sidney Crosby has both the drive and the talent to single handedly win games, if his team goes under he will claw his way back to the top, no doubt about that.

ADVANTAGE: PITTSBURGH

SUMMARY:

The series is tied at one game each, and if Jaroslav Halak remains consistent, an upset could be seen. Realistically though, the Penguins’ experience, talent, and desire to win will overcome the underdogs in this matter.

CURRENT SERIES: Tied at one game each.

PREDICTION: Penguins in five games.

Boston’s Bruins led by monstrous 6’9” Captain Zdeno Chara and rookie goalie Tuuka Rask, took game 1 over the Philadelphia Flyers quite handily even though it went to over-time. Though it is not yet fair to count out the city of “Brotherly Love.” After slapping around the number two seeded New Jersey Devils, Brian Boucher just needs to get his head on straight and they can make this a contest.

GOALTENDING:

I know: he is only a rookie, these are his first set of big games, he will burn out eventually…as true as some of that may be, Tuuka Rask is the reason Boston has made it so far. Brian Boucher has played well, and has really stepped up in one of his first season’s as a first-string goalie, but Rask has all the potential and raw talent in his corner. Stepping into the shadows of formerly heroic goaltenders, Rask has performed admirably, and whether that play continues will be the deciding factor in the series.

ADVANTAGE: BOSTON

DEFENSE:

6’9” Zdeno Chara versus the battle-hardened Chris Pronger: that is a show I would always pay to see. Both veterans have considerable amounts of post-season experience and strong supporting casts to back them up. However, Boston’s looks to be a bit more physical and so if this series drags to more than a few games Boston’s physical play will pull out the win. On top of that, Boston’s defense has so far produced offensively to counteract their shortcomings on the defensive side (Dennis Wideman putting up eight points, one goal and seven assists).

ADVANTAGE: BOSTON

FORWARDS:

Danny Briere (4 goals, 5 assists) Mike Richards (4 goals, 8 assists) versus Miroslav Satan (4 goals, 5 assists) and game one’s come-back hero, Marc Savard (1 sweet game-winning goal) this is a close horse-race. Though, with the way they are producing at crunch-time right now, Boston has to take the cake. Though my heart goes out to Briere as he is an icon of playoff production, one man can’t take this series. If Boston’s top-notch lines continue their consistency and resist the temptation to slack off, this should be an easy rest of the series.

ADVANTAGE: BOSTON

SUMMARY:

This is the most exciting yet unsung series of the playoffs thus far. With electric finishes in both games, Game 1 and overtime winner from Marc Savard who had been side-lined since early March and Game 2 won in the last three minutes of the third. If this series goes past four games it will only remain exciting and enjoyable.

CURRENT SERIES: Boston up 2 games to none.

PREDICTION: Boston in 6 games.

Number 2 and Number 3 battling for momentum, Vancouver’s Canucks and Chicago’s Blackhawks are two of the most intense teams to watch. Roberto Luongo is also arguably the best goalie in the league today; he sure is overly confident with that opinion, at that. To counter that, Patrick Kane and Johnathan Toews are two of the NHL’s young, electrifying stars that can produce well in the clutch. Each team, led by veteran coaches and players, desirse this series win and it should drag out to at least six games.

GOALTENDING:

Chicago has for the past month or so faced the most unstable goalie situation in the league, if Achilles has a heel this is it. Roberto Luongo again is one of the league’s top netminders and so Vancouver takes this decision hands down. He has always played well under pressure, this year’s Olympics can prove as much, so if he is allowed to get his game back on completely Vancouver will take the series easily.

ADVANTAGE: VANCOUVER

DEFENSE:

Offensive defense, defensive offense, defensive defense, any way you slice it defense runs the game and Chicago can play defense. Brent Seabrook, Brian Campbell, and Duncan Keith form three of the league’s hottest and most productive defensemen all on one Blackhawk squad. On the other side of the ice we see Kevin Bieska and Sami Salo, strong defenders in their own right but against Chicago’s hotter forwards do they really stand a chance? I think not. Chicago takes this decision like Luongo took the goaltending, hands down.

ADVANTAGE: CHICAGO

FORWARDS:

Okay, okay, Henrik Sedin DID lead the league in points and assists with 93, but I am going to rule in favor of Chicago’s young guns here. Patrick Kane, Johnathan Toews, and Kris Versteeg all have constantly surprised us NHL fans, and I don’t think they are anywhere near done surprising us this year either. If they can come together to produce like they did in Game 2, working with veterans Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa, they should easily tip the odds of the ice in their favor.

ADVANTAGE: CHICAGO

SUMMARY:

Both teams want it, both teams could take it; it has really come down to a mental battle between Chicago’s shooters and Roberto Luongo, Vancouver’s Goaltender. If they continue to pester him in the following games they will be able to reign victorious in the next few contests to advance. utT, if Luongo is allowed even the slightest bit of time to gather his thoughts and get back on his game, Chicago will potentially face blowouts until they are knocked out.

CURRENT SERIES: Tied at 1 game a piece.

PREDICTION: Chicago takes it in 6.

San Jose and Detroit: some of us could have seen another upset due to San Jose’s previous playoff woes, though it looks like this year the boys in the sun are taking it seriously. Up 2-0 the series goes back to Detroit tonight with hopes of Detroit being able to keep their hopes alive with a win. Joe Pavelski has really picked it up of late scoring big goals in both contests to douse Detroit’s alleged fire. This is the year folks, San Jose is finally gonna hit the Western Conference Finals and maybe even the Stanley Cup final.

GOALTENDING:

Evgeni Nabokov was good, Jimmy Howard is good, that is really all that needs to be said on the matter. The rookie Howard has been a dominating presence in net and pulled out all the big wins to get the much loathed wings to where they are currently. Nabokov is much like Pittsburgh’s Marc Andre-Fleury, and is lucky to have a strong offense producing up front. Howard will be groomed to become quite the wall in net in future seasons, and though he wins this battle, he will not be the dividing factor in who wins this series.

ADVANTAGE: DETROIT

DEFENSE:

San Jose’s Dan Boyle and Rob Blake opposite the wily Detroit veterans Nicklas Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski compose the two best defensive units in the Playoffs right now. Dan Boyle has put all of his previous playoff woes behind him, after scoring Colorado’s game-winner in overtime in game one off of a rebounded shot by Ryan O’Reilly, and has really begun to pick it up. Rob Blake has and always will be a man after my own heart after his seasons with Roy and the fabled Colorado Avalanche of those days. Opposite Detroit’s powerful offensive defenders in the two vets, this is possibly the only tie we will see in this playoff prediction competition.

ADVANTAGE: TIE!

FORWARDS:

Dany Heatley, Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, and Danny Setoguchi versus Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, and David Cleary? Four on three may seem a little unfair, but those three can do their fair share of damage against any team. Still, Joe Pavelski has won this battle for the Sharks this time in his strong play presented in the first two games. Coming up big, the young Shark has really shown he can play in the post-season and he deserves to be here. Continued production from him and the other three can only provide a ticket to the Western Conference Finals early for San Jose’s frozen Sharks.

SUMMARY:

Though the series is 2-0, the story on the ice tells itself much differently. Detroit has displayed its hard-fought desire to win as it always does, but San Jose consistently bats them back with timely goals and incredible shut-down comebacks. Joe Pavelski is the moving force in this series, if only he could have played so well in the Olympics.

CURRENT SERIES: San Jose leads 2-0.

PREDICTION: San Jose wins it in 6.

Artwork by Rebecca Holt

Floyd Little has finally earned what he deserved: an induction into the Hall of Fame. His on-field explosiveness and charisma made his remarkable career a standout.

Floyd Douglas Little was born July 4th, 1942. Bronco fans are thankful for that, to say the least. His running back career started at Syracuse University, following in the footsteps of many other great running backs, including Jim Brown and Ernie Davis. Little was an All American with the Orange, and in the spring of 1967 he became the first ever draft pick of the then AFL Denver Broncos. Many people called him “the franchise” for saving the team from certain relocation due to lack of talent and poor ticket sales. His presence started a string of sell-outs, the likes of which still last today. Little impressively led the NFL in rushing yards for six straight years, from 1968-1973. Though his extreme amount of talent should have brought wins, it didn’t, and he unfortunately never came home with a championship trophy. Other awards he received, though, include being elected to the AFL all-star game twice, and also the NFL pro bowl three times. His former coach, Lou Saban, stated that Little was “…one of the most explosive running-backs he has ever seen.”

In 1984 Little was made a charter member of the Broncos’ Ring of Fame. He was the first Bronco to ever win the rushing title in 1970 with 901 yards, and then the following year he became the first Bronco to rush for more than 1000 yards in a season with a total of 1133 yards, leading the entire NFL. Little had an unusually small frame, only 5’10” and weighed a mere 195 pounds, which made him the smallest back to lead the entire league in rushing since World War II. He was one of the league’s most exciting players. “ I loved to watch him play; he had such quickness I sometimes held back blinking when he had the ball,” said Chip Warren, who had season tickets for the 70-71 season. In 1967-68 Little was the only player to return a punt for a touchdown, something that now commonly happens in the NFL. Despite Little playing for a team that lacked any distinguished talent, he was by far one of the most explosive offensive threats of all time.

Little retired becoming the 7th leading rusher in the history of the NFL after only eight seasons. After waiting for years, Little was finally nominated to be inducted into the NFL hall of fame in the summer of 2009, and was eventually voted in on February 6th, 2010. He was the first Denver Bronco to have his jersey “44” retired. Little was finally rewarded for his spectacular career, and will go down as one of the best running backs in Bronco history. “I was elated, but at the same time a little disappointed that it took so long … there was a lot of pain over the years; that doesn’t wash away completely,” Exclaimed Floyd in a recent Denver Post interview.

Little now owns his own law-firm, and also owns automobile dealerships in Denver, Santa Barbara and Seattle.

The Denver Nuggets are no doubt one of the top teams in the NBA and are currently in third place in the Western Conference.  Though the Nuggets play great against teams like the Lakers and Cavilers, they struggle to win against teams with a winning percentage under .500.

Denver is a high paced high scoring team that brings its A game night in and night out.  But why is it that the nuggets are 27-11 against teams with winning records above .500, yet they are 15-10 against teams under.  The Nuggets are ranked third in the entire NBA with scoring per game with 107 ppg, behind the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors.  They are one of the top ranked teams at home with a record of 42-21, and can even compete with out All Star Carmelo Anthony, as they are 7-3 without him.  Leading the Nuggets is All Star Chauncey Billups, who is from Denver Colorado.  Billups has a winning mentality with championships from the Detroit Pistons, and backing Billups up is a very young, athletic Ty Lawson.  A supporting cast doesn’t phase the nuggets as they have players like JR Smith, Kenyon Martin, Chris Anderson (Birdman), Neñe, and upcoming star Arron Afflalo.  Denver seems to have everything going for them, plus they are able to beat the most competitive teams in the league. But why do the Nuggets struggle against weaker teams?

Some factors contributing to the struggle is that basketball is a team sport that requires a team effort in order to win.  When the nuggets are down a player or two for some games, it throws off the team chemistry.  It puts the young, inexperienced players in higher positions that they are not used to being in.  So when players like Melo, Birdman, Martin, and Billups are injured, other players must step up to fulfill those star-player roles.  The Nuggets are in fact an old team, with the leader of the team, Billups, being 34 years old.  Being a basketball player myself, I can tell you that the game is hard on the human body, no matter how great of shape you are in.  So for the veterans of the team, sometimes they aren’t playing to the best of their abilities, which again forces the younger inexperienced players to step up.

In addition to these problems, playing on the road this season has been a struggle for the Nuggets as they are 14-16 thus far, which is bad.  For teams playing on the road it can be difficult because your playing in a different hostile environment, which makes players feel uncomfortable and not as focused.  For the teams that play at home, they are in their comfort zone with the crowd on their side cheering them on, while making the other team not feel welcomed.  Some ways the Nuggets can perform better on the road are to stay as focused as possible and play as a team.

The only explanation to this odd winning pattern of the Nuggets is that there isn’t one.  Basketball is a game where anything can happen, and a team can sometimes have a terrible game where nothing seems to go their way.  It has been demonstrated through history with every kind of sport.  Like when the Golden State Warriors beat the Dallas Mavericks in the playoffs when they were the 8th seed, and Dallas was the 1st seed.  Even here at TJ it has been demonstrated when the basketball team lost to Denver North last year.  Basketball is a game where anything can happen.  A team can be the greatest, but still loose to the worst.  There is a fifty fifty chance of winning or losing for every sport, and that won’t ever change.

So what does this mean for the Denver Nuggets?  It doesn’t mean anything.  All Denver can do is keep competing hard like they’ve been doing.  The Nuggets still have the same chance as everybody else to make it to the playoffs and win the NBA finals.  Not to mention, basketball is a season with 82 games, so a lot of things may still happen. I personally believe that the Nuggets are more than capable of going to the NBA finals this season, but there’s still a lot of basketball to be played.

Artwork by Anna Becker

This article is just the beginning of a series of editorials which will highlight the sixth man, the guys who make under a million, the guys under the radar, the guys who deserve credit for their potential. These men are the leftovers of the league, the ones who take up space on the bench and can only imagine the impact they could make if given the chance.

Meet J.J. Redick, born July 24th, 1984 in Cookeville, Tennessee. He is a professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic. Even though now he spends a large amount of time on the sideline, he had a sensational career as a collegiate athlete. Redick attended Cave Springs High School in Virginia, where he averaged an astonishing 36 points as a senior, leading his team to the state championship and taking the title. These stats and his strong leadership earned him a scholarship at the highly acclaimed Duke University where he served as a captain all four years. Redick was a pure scorer, leading his team in points scored in each of his seasons. He was also an excellent free throw shooter, even setting a record for the most consecutive free throws made in the ACC with 54. He was also one of the most consistent shooters of all time, finishing his career with an NCAA record 457 three-point field goals. Redick even managed to become one of Duke’s most storied players, by becoming the college’s all time leading scorer by putting up 30 against Miami on February 19th 2006, earning him a total of 2557 points breaking Dickie Hermic’s 51-year-old record of 2587 points.

Due to Redick’s complete domination of college basketball, opposing fans became infuriated with his skill and he was the target of much abuse. Travis Clay of CBS Sportsline even called him the “most hated current athlete in America.” He was often a target of obscenity-laced tirades from fans, even though on February 4th, 2007, Redick’s #4 jersey was retired at Cameron Indoor Stadium at a special halftime ceremony.

It was clear to many scouts that Redick was going to be a success in the league with his spectacular stats, which lead him to being taken 11th overall in the 2006 draft by the Orlando Magic.

In an interview with the Charlotte observer, Redick said, “ I think I’ll be a role player like 80 percent of the players are in the league. I don’t expect to be a star.” This, of course, was true, as in his first season a combination of limited play time and mediocre play led many critics to place the title of “bust” on Redick.

The title of “bust” is given to glorifies college athletes who end up having less than mediocre NBA career’s. This, though, does not apply to J.J. Redick who is a spectacular shooter, and who has range for days. He can pull up from four or even five feet behind the three point line and sink it, which poses a great threat to defenses as it opens up defenses and makes game planning difficult for opposing coaches, which also compliments Orlando’s star player Dwight Howard, standing at 7’ feet tall. Redick can score, and is a strong proven athlete who can guard some of the league’s greatest shooting guards like Kobe and Dwayne Wade.

Redick has been a key component to the Magic’s success of late, who were in the 2009 NBA finals, but sadly lost. There is no way Redick can be stereotyped as a “bust” as his skill, composure, confidence and leadership will develop throughout the next few years. Look for him to be one of the league’s future stars and a valuable asset to any team.

Photo by Rebecca Holt

Steve Thomas has coached for 30 years now and has done a lot throughout the decades.  He has coached Chauncey Billups, who is a current NBA star that plays for the Denver Nuggets, was part of winning two state titles at George Washington High School, has coached both boys and girls basketball, and is a big part of why current head coach of the boys varsity basketball team, Grant Laman, is the head coach.  Thomas currently is coaching the girls’ varsity basketball at TJ.

In 1978, Thomas attended George Washington High School, and says he was an average academic student who played as a receiver for the football team, and a point guard for the basketball team.  Growing up, Thomas said he did not have the necessary priorities to maintain a college level status, attending Arapahoe Community College from 1979-1980.  “Growing up I never put my academics first, and I had my priorities messed up.  I was more concerned about being a basketball player rather than being a student,” said Thomas.

Thomas began coaching in 1981 at George Washington High School.  “My old high school basketball and football coaches asked me to help them out after I graduated, and I did because I wanted to stay around athletics. I competed for both of them when I was in high school, so that also played a part to why I helped out.  I couldn’t compete in athletics at the college level due to knee injuries in high school, so what better to do than to coach?” said Thomas. “I continue to coach because I want to help mold young people by teaching leadership, hard work, sportsmanship, and counting on one another to achieve goals,” said Thomas, who also said that he enjoys watching young people develop from their freshman year in high school to their senior year, and watching the maturity of the individuals develop into team concepts.

Thomas has coached both football and basketball at the varsity level.  “Football was my favorite sport to coach because it was the first sport that I coached, but over the years basketball won my heart,” said Thomas, who has coached at many different high schools (Wheat Ridge, Adams City, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson). “I have coached at different high schools, but the most interesting experience came from when I coached football and track at Wheat Ridge for seven years.  The school was different; it was nothing like a DPS school where the schools are culturally diverse,” said Thomas.

What brought Thomas to TJ in 1990 was when Albert Gale, who was the current JV coach at Montbello, had just accepted the head coach title at TJ.  He went to watch one of Coach Thomas’s practices at Montbello High School.  Thomas was not coaching the Montbello basketball team, but a recreational team that sometimes used Montbello’s gym to conduct practices.  “I was coaching an 8th grade team, that had Chauncey Billups (7th grader) on it, and the Montbello Basketball team was having their end of the year banquet. Gale happened to walk into the gym just to see how the team looked, and of course to look at Chauncey Billups.  I knew Albert from when I coached at George, and he was coaching at Montbello, and he offered me the JV coaching job for the boys’ basketball team at TJ.  I decided to take the opportunity because it was better than coaching recreational teams.  It was a great decision for me, and could have been better if I would have succeeded in persuading Chauncey to attend TJ,” said Thomas.

People often wonder why Thomas decided to coach girls’ basketball.  When Principal Anne Bailey replaced Thomas as the boys’ varsity coach, Thomas considered retiring; however, the girls’ varsity coach was about to retire.  “I wasn’t ready to stop coaching, nor did I want to coach anywhere else because TJ felt like home to me. The students and staff respected me and I like the direction that TJ as a school was heading in.  So Coach Kathryn Kendal and I sat down and worked out a compromise so that I could take over the girls’ basketball team.  I had to get interviewed by Lani Nobles, and I had passed that interview as the girls head varsity coach, and here we are today,” said Thomas.

Thomas first coached at TJ in 1990, which also happened to be current head coach of the boys’ varsity team, Grant Laman’s senior year of high school.  At TJ, Thomas has coached boys’ junior varsity basketball, boys’ varsity basketball, girls’ basketball as an assistant coach, and has been the girls’ varsity head coach now for 6 years at TJ, and plans to retire from coaching in 2013, but still isn’t sure if he’ll leave TJ at the time or not.  “I’m not that old, and as long as TJ still wants me, then I will continue to work at the school.  I will continue to watch high school basketball games, and possibly help or give advise to young athletes,” said Thomas, who also said that when he finally does retire he will be playing a lot of golf, and hopes to travel the world.

At TJ, Thomas is the Pass Room Supervisor.  His job is to look after students who have been disruptive in their classes, and as a consequence, they serve detention in the pass room for one class period.  “I make sure that the students get their work done and turn it into their teachers,” said Thomas, who is also in charge of restorative justice, which is a program designed to help students deal with conflict and anger management problems.

During Thomas’ first year of coaching, he was the assistant coach for the varsity team, and had the opportunity to coach Laman.  “During my senior year we had a new coaching staff, and Steve was the JV coach.  At the time, we as a team looked to Steve in order to guide us through our season.  Even though he was the JV coach, he eventually took over the varsity practices and it was at that point when we became a better team.  He is a great coach and I appreciate everything that he did for our team,” said Laman, who said he got his head-coaching job because of Thomas.  “I coached at Lakewood High School for three years, and things weren’t going so well at Lakewood.  When I left Lakewood, Steve hired me as the JV coach here at TJ, but I still worked with him on the varsity level.  I was excited to be coaching here because I love TJ.  I graduated from here and it was just great to have the opportunity to coach here.  When I heard that Steve could possibly be replaced, I thought about going to a different school because I wanted to be a head coach.  But when I found out that he was just going to be coaching the girls, Lani Nobles decided to give me the head coaching job for the boys’ varsity basketball team,” said Laman.

Thomas says his coaching philosophy is to help develop character in young student athletes, and to implement the development into the girls’ basketball program by helping student athletes realize any and all college bound opportunities in athletics.  “Through my experience in high school, and not having the necessary priorities to maintain a college level status, I want to make sure that student athletes do have the necessary priorities to attend college.  I could not care less about winning; I care more about the development of character in the students.  Basketball is just a tool to help people get to college; but after that, people need something else to fall back on,” said Thomas.

photo courtesy New York Times

For those of you who do not know the Nuggets’ J.R. Smith, he is Denver’s most athletic player on the team. One would even argue that behind Carmelo Anthony, Smith is the most dynamic and talented player on their roster. Smith can drive, Smith can shoot, and when he applies himself, Smith can even play defense.

But, alas, Smith must go.

The New Orleans Hornets originally drafted J.R. with the 18th overall pick in the2004 NBA Draft. Smith came straight out of high school, backing out from a letter of intent that he signed to play at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, one of the most prestigious basketball schools in the entire nation.

In case you don’t know, J.R. Smith is also the player who was part of the famous Nuggets-Knicks brawl, as he was suspended 10 games for his part in the fight. Smith also was benched during the fifth game of the Nuggets 06-07 playoff run for, “poor decision-making,” including Smith shooting wild shots and creating many stupid turnovers. Smith was also criticized by Head Coach George Karl for taking a long three-pointer with eight seconds to go in the game, when the play was originally designed to go to either Anthony, or former Nugget Allen Iverson. Smith drove Karl, who is considered by many to be a player’s coach, to say, “I just love the dignity of the game being insulted right in front of me.”

Many stated that that was just Smith showing his immaturity, as he was only 22 at the time of that defeat. However, here we are nearly three years later, and Smith is up to his old tricks. Most recently, J.R. walked off the court in a contest against his former team the New Orleans Hornets when Karl subbed him out. Smith strolled into the locker room and did not return for the rest of the game.

Think that’s bad? That is just Smith on the court; imagine him off of it. This is the same man who spent 24 days in a prison after running through a stop sign, which ultimately killed his best friend Andre Bell. J.R. then elected to cancel his twitter account upon being accused of writing in a way that reflected the Bloods gang, specifically replacing c’s with k’s.

What the Nuggets must do with Smith is trade him. This makes both basketball sense and business sense. The way I see it, Smith is a bad apple and the Nuggets can never win an NBA Championship with him if he continues to do stupid things. However, Smith is a dynamic scorer and when he is on top of his game he is unstoppable. If the Nuggets can not find a way to make him change his ways, then he must go. This is a team built to win now, with such old players and expiring contracts like` Kenyon Martin and Chauncey Billups, we do not have time to wait a few more years for Smith to grow up. The Nuggets would improve their chances if they were to deal him for a serviceable big man.

Photo by Rebecca Holt

An aspiring state champ five years in the making, are but a few words to describe TJ’s own Peter Taylor. Peter’s entire senior winter season is dedicated to the drive to the top with Head Coach Mike Laurita’s Spartan Wrestling squad.

Starting earlier than some Spartans, Peter met his first chance to wrestle in eighth grade. “My brother and sister started wrestling when I was in seventh grade. My mom looked at them both having so much fun and decided that she would push me into it. I have not looked back since,” Taylor reflects.

Taking his start initially from Cherry Creek’s middle school to high school feeder team, Peter learned the fundamentals there before honing them for TJ’s team. “It is awesome to see this new generation of wrestlers coming in. For instance, my first wrestling partner was Bennett Rodriguez, and he is now a freshman wrestling 152’s on varsity for us!” said Taylor.

Peter finds that out of his five years of wrestling that his favorite memory came relatively early on. “The summer immediately before my sophomore year here at TJ, we traveled as a team to Missouri. We were going there for a camp, as well as a tournament. This has, so far, been the most memorable experience of my wrestling career,” Peter states.

Now the expectations Head Coach Mike Laurita and his coaching staff hold for Peter are on a completely different level. “Peter has the technique to win; to be great, even. I only expect him to continue working on his mental toughness. He goes into matches scared of kids, but ends up beating them. Why? Easy, because he is better than them,” said Laurita.

The team motto for this season is “No Place to Hide.” Peter interprets this to mean many things. Having been the league champions for the past two seasons, Peter takes some of his drive from this. “I am – we are, as a team – planning on being the league champs for a third year straight this season,” said Peter. “We bring a whole new level of toughness and desire to the mat when we are facing our opponents because of this fact,” Taylor states. “That is where I find my confidence in our motto. Opponents to our cause have absolutely No Place to Hide!”

Peter started off the year by demonstrating his love for the sport with something permanent and, to him, of the utmost importance, by having the Colorado Wrestling Association emblem tattooed on his leg, as a reminder to him-as well as others-that he competes to win. “I have spent the past five years of my life doing this, and I want to remember this for the rest of my life,” Peter says.  “By making it permanent it will also let everyone else know that I wrestle, and I wrestle to win.” Peter has even higher aspirations for himself this season, following a stellar last season where he set a new take-down record for any TJ wrestler, with 90 take-downs in a season. He was also the winner of two 24-7 Wrestler awards, which shows Taylor’s raw dedication to the sport.

The team has high hopes for Peter as he starts another season strong, to hopefully compete at the next level in college. Considering himself a team-player, Senior Cody DeLaBaar had this much to say about Peter: “Peter is a fun asset to have on the team. He is a cute kid, but he does not let that fool anybody. When he goes onto the mat it is either a great day for him or it is a loss, and he goes out there every time looking to have an even better day by winning the match.”

As Laurita watches Taylor begin to step out of TJ’s halls he offered this advice: “Peter – in order to wrestle in college – just needs to keep a good head on his shoulders. If he does that I know there is more than one way he will excel.” Peter’s still here, though, and this wrestling season looks to be his best as he engages in the march for his very own state title.

Photo by Rebecca Holt

For the second consecutive year, Spartan Senior Linebacker Billy Sprague was named a Class 5A All State Player.  “This is a great honor, especially with all of the other linebackers that we faced this year.” Sprague said.

Sprague was the leading tackler for the Spartans, racking up 70 total tackles on the season. However, due to taking the SAT on top of an injury, Sprague was only limited to playing 9 of the Spartans total 11 games. But his coaches know that Sprague is the best there is in the league.  “As my first year as Defensive Coordinator, Billy is that kind of player that you have to game plan around. Every other team that we played this whole year had to plan for Sprague, healthy or not,” said Assistant Head Coach Matt Nicolo. “He always knew where the ball was going to be. Billy will be sorely sorely missed,” Nicolo added.

As far as where he will play next year, Sprague has signed with the Colorado School of Mines. “Upon my visit, I got a good community feel just like TJ’s, and I liked the academics offered as well as their great football program.“