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sports
Thursday, March 12, 2015
www.obusignal.com
Dr. Wesley Kluck y Courtesy DENNIS NUTT, Tiger head basketball coach, coaches players during a timeout of a game against Henderson State during the season. Nutt coached the Tigers to a 20-6 record this season and a first regular season GAC championship.
Dr. Wesley Kluck y Courtesy TIRRELL BROWN goes up for a dunk against SW Okla. State in a game this season. Brown led the team in blocks, points per game, and free throws.
Nutt and Brown receive GAC honors By BRANDON SMITH Sports Information
Ouachita’s men’s basketball head coach Dennis Nutt was unanimously named the 201415 Great American Conference Coach of the Year at the GAC awards banquet in Bartlesville, Okla. Tirrell Brown took home GAC Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, and Colt Fason and Micah Delph also received All-GAC honors. In his four years as head coach, Nutt has compiled an overall record of 62-46, including a record of 20-5 this sea-
son. Behind Nutt’s coaching, the Tigers won their first GAC regular-season championship in program history this season, while leading the conference in scoring margin, free-throw percentage, rebounding defense, steals and turnover margin. The Tigers also finished with an undefeated record of 13-0 in Bill Vining Arena. Brown, a junior from Jacksonville, Ark., was a unanimous first-team selection. He is the first player from Ouachita to be named GAC Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year. Brown played in 23 games for the Tigers, leading
the team in points per game (17.6), blocks (25) and freethrows made (91). His fieldgoal percentage of 63.3 percent tied for first in the GAC. Fason, a senior from Conway, Ark., was also a first-team selection. Fason finished second on the team in points per game (13.8), and he led the Tigers in rebounds per game (7.9). For his career as a Tiger, Fason has never missed a game, playing in all 106 games since the 2011-2012 season. He has compiled 1,157 career points, ranking him 10th in Ouachita history and second in GAC history. Fason was also
named to the 2013-14 GAC Honorable Mention Team. Delph, a senior from Conway, Ark., was named to this year’s honorable mention team. Delph averaged 11.7 points, 3.8 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game during the regular season. He led the team with 67 three-pointers and 30.5 minutes per game. Delph also converted on 6066 free-throws, giving him a team-high 90.9 percent from the line. He finished sixth in the conference in assists and first in assist-to-turnover ratio. Delph is the GAC’s all-time leader in free-throw percent-
age (87.8%). On the season, Brown, Fason and Delph accounted for 53 percent of the team’s points and 35 percent of the team’s rebounds. When Brown was on the floor, he and the Tigers outscored their opponents by 166 points. The Tigers outscored their opponents by 207 points when Delph was in the game and outscored their opponents by 210 points when Fason was playing. The Tigers earned their first 20-win season since 2008, and the first 20-win season in Nutt’s coaching career. n
Tigers run-rule Southeastern Okla. State 11-0 By BRANDON SMITH Sports Information
Behind a complete-game shutout and six strikeouts from Connor Eller, the Ouachita Tigers defeated the Southeastern Oklahoma State Savage Storm on Saturday, 11-0. The Tigers are now 5-0 in Great American Conference play. The Tigers recorded 10 hits on the day, starting with a single to right center by Will Wallace in the bottom of the first inning. Justin Weigle scored from second on the play, giving Ouachita the first lead of the game. Wallace and Weigle contributed to the scoring again in the fourth inning, when Wallace reached first on an error and Weigle scored from second for the second time in the game. Later in the fourth, Preston Speers batted in two runs on a single up the middle to put the Tigers ahead 4-0. Speers singled home Wallace and Miller, who reached on a single through the left side. After a three-run fourth inning, Ouachita posted a seven-run fifth inning on six hits. Parker Norris led off the half-inning with a bunt-single, and
he and Weigle later scored on another single by Wallace. Jace Melby, who reached first on a bunt-single, scored two at-bats later when Matt Sinclair singled through right side. With the bases loaded, Speers picked up his third RBI on a walk. Drew Feuerbacher followed with two more runs batted in when he singled to right center. The Tigers scored their seventh run of the inning on a single by Norris, before the Savage Storm finally registered the second and third out. With an 11-0 lead, Eller recorded six outs on eight at bats to end the game in seven innings. Eller allowed only three hits and two walks to move to 4-0 on the season. Norris, Wallace and Feuerbacher led the Tigers with two hits each, and Wallace and Speers each recorded three RBI. Weigle finished with a team-high three runs and three walks. The Ouachita Tigers (9-5, 5-0 GAC), off to their best start since 2007, when the team started 8-0. They will host the Southern Arkansas Muleriders on Friday at 12 p.m. They will play a double header on Saturday begining at 12 p.m.. n
Dr. Wesley Kluck y Courtesy CONNOR ELLER throws a pitch against Southeastern Okla. State in an 11-0 win against the Savage Storm on Saturday.
How Nike, Inc. has built a marketing monopoly
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nybody have any idea where Eugene, Oregon is? Didn’t think so. And neither do most recruits before they visit there. You want to know what they do know? Nike, Inc. Nike, Inc. is the single largest brand in sports, earning $7.4 billion last quarter and completely shattering the competition by well over a couple billion dollars. Nike, based in Beaverton, Oregon, boasts an exclusive and, quite frankly, lucrative contract with Oregon football via Phil Knight, who was a major donor in the $90 million stadium in which Oregon currently plays on Saturdays. The individual ventilated lockers that each player dresses out in is estimated ar $26,000 a piece, all conveniently located in the $3.2 million athletic complex. Knight, the current CEO of Nike, was recently nicknamed
By DIXON LAND Sports Editor
the “Godfather of Oregon Football” by Business Insider reporter Andrew Sharp. And while current players may be drawn to the run and gun offense that they run, the national championship appearances they’ve made or the uniform combinations that they can feature on Saturdays, make no mistake about it: this football program succeeds because of
money. But that’s not to say that the uniform designs aren’t cool. Sandy Hooper, a sports reporter for USA Today, recently reported that Oregon could wear a different uniform from now until 3344. And what makes that even more appealing to recruits: current players designed them. But, this isn’t the first time we have seen Nike strong-arm sports. Michael Jordan, while an incredible player, is a living legend simply because of good marketing. Jordan was not the role model citizen that we saw when he helped the Tunes Squad defeat the big, bad Monstars. He used to bully teammates. One report said that he threatened to break teammate Bill Cartwright’s legs for playing so poorly on a given night. And let’s not forget that
without Pippen, Jordan would not have been nearly as successful, as evidenced by his zero championships in the 80’s. Remember, he lost to the Detroit Pistons three straight times from 1987-1990. Bill Russell has eleven championships; Larry Bird dominated the 80’s; Kareem AbdulJabbar has an equal number of championships rings and leads in all-time scoring. So why is Michael Jordan a living legend? Nike. While not released, close speculation estimates that Jordan received over $60 million in revenue from Nike sales. The Air Jordan series is a main reason. Jordan has sold 28 different shoes, with the latest one coming on the market at a suggested retail price of $250. It’s Nike, man. They protect their kind. Similar to when they stuck with Tiger Woods
following his sex scandal in 2009. He came back. Why? Nike stayed with him. They renewed his brand. So Nike continues to push for more and more and continues to back its players. Nike loves sports. And at the rate that they are going, they are starting to be able to perceive and manage public opinion for their players. Oregon, a team that didn’t have much before Phil Knight joined in, is becoming the prominent program in college football due to an incredible increase in funding over the past 20 years. So for the time being, Nike will continue to dominate the sports branding industry. $7.4 million is a long, long way from the $35 that Phill Knight spent to buy the design of the swoosh, the symbol of sports dominance. n