Stan Beck

The

Daily Citizen FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2011

SPORTS

AUTHOR TAKES IN HARDING TRADITION

SECTION B Sports Editor Kyle Troutman 501-268-8621 ktroutman@thedailycitizen.com

Basketball Roundup Searcy 8th, 9th grade boys win Searcy’s eighth grade boys basketball team improved to 4-0 Thursday night with a 36-34 win over Russellville East.

Jeremiah Tipton led the Cubs with 10 points.

Searcy’s ninth grade boys basketball team also picked up a win over Russellville East Thursday night, 34-24. James Wade led the scoring for the Cubs with 14 points.

The eighth and ninth grade boys host Greenbrier Monday with games starting at 4 p.m.

Ramblers stay undefeated with tourney win Rose Bud’s varsity boys basketball team, 5-0, kept its win streak alive Thursday afternoon with a 60-49 win over Shirley in the Nemo Vista Tournament.

Head Coach Rob Welch said the Ramblers were down after the first quarter, but went on a run before halftime to take a 32-24 lead, which they extended to 52-37 by the end of the third quarter. Welch said the second-half play was key in Rose Bud’s win.

Dillon Reesnes led the Ramblers with 19 points. Tyler Mercer put up 12 in the contest and Nick Cartwright added 10.

Rose Bud’s travels to Mount Vernon tonight with games starting at 5:30.

Pangburn girls reach tourney final Pangburn’s varsity girls basketball team reached the final of the White County Invitational Tournament with a 52-30 win over Concord Thursday night.

Head Coach Christi Rolland said the Lady Tigers were only up 22-21 at halftime, and made some defensive adjustments in the second half that paid off. She said the team’s clampdown on defense led to easy baskets and, ultimately, the win.

Morgan Gregg led Pangburn with 12 points, and Windy Watts put up 11 points.

Pangburn will play Buffalo Island Central in the White County Invitational championship game Saturday at 6 p.m.

Riverview girls fall to Newport, 48-36

Ashel Parsons/Special to The Daily Citizen

Georgia author Stan Beck speaks to Harding University Sports Information Director Scott Goode for a radio interview at halftime of the Bisons’ contest against Champion Baptist Thursday evening. Beck attended the game to observe Harding’s tradition of the a capella National Anthem and plans to write about it in an upcoming book.

Stan Beck to include a capella anthem in book

BY KYLE TROUTMAN ktroutman@thedailycitizen.com

From the parachuted game ball at the Army football games, to Taylor University’s silent night to the Williams College homecoming win head-shaving, author Stan Beck has a taste for tradition.

A graduate of the University

of Georgia who earned a master’s degree from Harvard, Beck has been a sports fan for 40 years and has attended thousands of major and minor sporting events across the world.

Thursday night, Beck was excited to attend one of his favorite college traditions —

Harding University’s a capella singing of the national anthem at the first Bisons home game.

“Harding’s a capella national anthem is one of my favorite traditions so far,” he said.

“The patriotism affects me, Please see BECK | 3B

Searcy boys fall at home, girls win

Riverview’s varsity girls basketball team, 0-4, fell to Newport Thursday afternoon in the Newport Tournament, 48-36.

Head Coach Ryan Smith said the Lady Raiders were down by seven points at halftime, and an 8-0 run by Newport in the beginning of the second half was too much to overcome.

Smith also said Riverview did well shooting from the free throw line, and has been cutting down on turnovers.

Dymond Smith led the Lady Raiders with 13 points, while Meg Meachum and Aryana Watson each recorded 8 points.

Riverview’s next regular season matchup will be Dec. 9 at Lonoke with games starting at 4 p.m.

Rose Bud varsity girls fall to Wonderview, 51-47 Rose Bud’s varsity girls basketball team, 6-1, fell for the first time this season to Wonderview, 51-47, in the Nemo Vista Tournament Thursday afternoon.

Head Coach Mandy Goodwin said the Lady Ramblers had a tough shooting night, and Wonderview shot well from the free-throw line while Rose Bud did not.

Sara Sartin and Tori Lemieux led the Lady Ramblers with 10 points each.

Rose Bud’s travels to Mount Vernon tonight with games starting at 5:30.

Hogs waiting for bowl invitation

BY ROBBIE NEISWANGER Arkansas News Bureau

Kyle Troutman/ktroutman@thedailycitizen.com Kyle Troutman/ktroutman@thedailycitizen.com

Searcy freshman bowler Jed Stracenor unleashes a spinning ball during the Lions’ matchup against Riverview at Super Bowl Thursday afternoon. Stracenor shot a 189 and a 168, leading Searcy’s scorers, but the Lions fell to the Raiders, 7-6.

Riverview sophomore bowler Sarah Thompson takes a shot during the Lady Raiders’ matchup against Searcy at Super Bowl Thursday afternoon. The Lady Raiders fell to the Lady Lions, 13-0. Leading scorers for Searcy included Katherine Jimerson with a 185 and Brittany Bailey with a 181.

FAYETTEVILLE — Steve Hogan, the chief executive officer of Florida Citrus Sports, said the Capital One Bowl is in an unusual position this week.

The Orlando-based game has long been first in the Southeastern Conference’s bowl pecking order outside of Bowl Championship Series. So getting a team with an impressive resume to play in its bowl game is normal.

But the prospects of choosing between three 10-win teams from the SEC in Arkansas, South Carolina and Georgia is different.

“This year is a little unique,” Hogan said Wednesday. “It’s pretty crazy. But there has been a lot of success in the SEC this year for sure.”

The numerous possibilities has left the SEC bowl picture — at least at the top — a little fuzzy as the final full weekend of the season nears.

Arkansas does know this: it will land in either the Capital One Bowl or Cotton Bowl.

But Hogan said the Capital One Bowl won’t be ready to announce its SEC representative until after LSU and Georgia play in the SEC Championship Game on Saturday. If

the Bulldogs win, Georgia will secure a spot in a BCS game.

“Some of those years you almost have a little bit clearer picture at this point,” Hogan said. “It’s a decisive type thing. But this year it just feels like it’s a little unique.

Everybody’s got plusses and minuses, whether it’s the way they closed out their season or how they played in rivalry games or somebody is a division winner or the overall records are similar or head-tohead wins.”

Arkansas hasn’t played in the Capital One Bowl since the 2006 season, when it lost to Wisconsin 17-14. Michigan beat Arkansas 45-31 in Jan. 1999, the Razorbacks’ only other Orlando appearance.

South Carolina and Georgia, if it loses to LSU, wouldn’t have to travel as far to play in Orlando. But Hogan stressed the bowl has “no allegiances” Please see HOGS | 3B

The Daily Citizen

Friday, December 2, 2011 • Page 3B

SPORTS

Grizzlies eager to sign Gasol Mavs ready to defend NBA title

BY ADRIAN SAINZ Associated Press

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Resigning center Marc Gasol is the Memphis Grizzlies’ top priority right now as the franchise attempts to maintain the momentum created during last season’s playoff run, general manager Chris Wallace said Thursday.

Wallace told reporters at the FedExForum that he has spoken with Gasol’s agent Arn Tellem about securing the 7-foot center and keeping intact a nucleus that carried the Grizzlies to being within one win from the Western Conference finals.

The players and the NBA reached a tentative agree-

ment on the framework of a new collective bargaining agreement last weekend, but the lockout is technically not over. Teams can’t sign players yet, but the league is allowing teams to open their arenas for voluntary player workouts ahead of training camps starting Dec. 9. The regular season is expected to begin Dec. 25.

Gasol is a restricted free agent, and the Grizzlies would have a chance to match any offer Gasol receives. He averaged 11.7 points and seven rebounds per game last season and could command an annual salary of $10 million or more.

During the playoffs, Ga-

sol’s averages increased to 15 points and 11 rebounds. Memphis lost to Oklahoma City in the 7th game of the second round of the Western Conference playoffs.

Gasol’s return would cement a starting lineup that is expected to include forward Zach Randolph, point guard Mike Conley and forward Rudy Gay — all of whom have long term deals.

“That certainly is priority number one for our organization at this point,” Wallace said about signing Gasol.

Wallace also said he has contacted the agents for forward Shane Battier and center Hamed Haddadi.

BECK: Many traditions have sparked fond memories CONTINUED FROM 1B

and the thing about Harding’s a capella anthem is that it comes from the heart.”

Harding Sports Information Director Scott Goode said Beck’s presence is exciting.

“Obviously, we love the publicity,” Goode said, “But we’re very excited to have Stan here and we want to show our tradition, but be as normal as possible. We want to do it the same as we have every other night.”

Although the tradition has flourished in recent years, Goode said there is a controversy over how it officially started.

“In 2003, we were playing the anthem over the PA and we had some technical difficulties, but the students began singing the anthem and it spread around the arena,” Goode said. “Others believe the tradition began in the fall of 2005, when Dee Carson and Kay Gowen were asked to sing the national anthem. They were terrified and Carson asked everyone to “sing along with us,” and by the end, you couldn’t even tell Dee and Kay were leading. I think 2003 was the first time it happened, and then 2005 was a continuation of the new tradition.”

Deciding last year to write a book about college sports traditions, Beck has since been taking in traditions at schools across the nation, “from the largest of the large to the smallest of the small,” he said.

“The motto for this book is: Every school, every sport, every tradition,” Beck said. “I’m more fascinated with the unique traditions that have continued for 50100 years. There’s a quote that, ‘tradition without heart is just a habit,’ and I enjoy traditions schools do because it is are the

right thing to do.”

Beck said his favorite tradition is the Army and Navy football game, where the Army parachutes in the game ball, but his book will describe traditions during each part of a sporting event, such as pregame traditions, cool entrances, after-each-score traditions, during-the-game traditions and postgame traditions.

“I’ll be at Taylor College in Indiana next week for silent night,” Beck said.

“All the students and fans wear their pajamas to the game, and nobody says a word through the beginning of the game or after the first points are scored. But, when Taylor scores its 10th point, the place goes nuts. You’d think they won the Super Bowl. Then, after the game, the students all go to the cafeteria for snacks and [refreshments], and the president and his wife read ‘A Christmas Story’ to all the students.”

Another tradition Beck is fond of occurs at Williams College in Massachusetts.

“When Williams beats its homecoming opponent, they have what’s called the Williams Walk,” he said. “All the students and fans walk to the barbershop and shave their heads.”

Beck has also witnessed a number of traditions revolving around food, such as Brigham Young University and Hawaii.

“If the team score 100 points and wins,” Beck said, “All the people at the game get free ice cream.

Opposing coaches are aware of the tradition, too, and will hold the ball while the fans chant, ‘Ice cream, ice cream.’ What’s fascinating is by the time they get close to 100 points they have the scrubs in, so it always comes down to a second or third string player on the free-throw line under pressure. If he makes it, he’ll be the hero for the week.”

Beck said the traditions speak volumes of a school’s culture.

“When you think about tradition and move up a level, they really reflect the culture of an institution,” Beck said. “The cultural aspects reflect life, and you can tell the university has good values.”

Beck is a member of the Sport Marketing Association, the North American Society for Sport Management, the Atlanta Sports Council, and is a contributor to the NAIA’s Champions of Character Program. He has attended sporting events across the world and plans to publish his book in the fall of 2012.

Associated Press

DALLAS — Just last week, the lockout was sapping Jason Terry’s usual optimism.

This was the first fall since he was in fifth grade, more than 20 years ago, that he wasn’t part of a basketball team.

It was especially agonizing because it was his most anticipated season yet. Months after winning his first NBA championship, and the first for the

Dallas Mavericks, he was supposed to be on the court with Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd, trying to defend their title.

As the Mavs’ player representative, Terry had been part of several high-level meetings. So he knew just how dire things were. When his brother went to play in Japan two weeks ago, Terry was so distraught that he considered joining him.

Standing on the Mavericks’ practice court Thursday morning, Terry was sure glad he didn’t. A deal is so close to being done that teams were allowed to let players return to the facility, and the smiling shooting guard was the first one through the door.

“I’m glad my card worked so I can get into the gym,” he said. “I was a little nervous out there at the front gate.”

HOGS: Cotton Bowl would be easier trip for fans CONTINUED FROM 1B

to the SEC East and is simply looking for the “right fit” and the “best team” for its game.

Arkansas, which is No. 8 in the BCS, should finish higher than South Carolina (No. 12) and Georgia (No. 14). The Capital One Bowl has hosted an SEC West team in five of the past seven years.

“We’re very high on Arkansas and always have been,” Hogan said. “We’ve been lucky enough to host them here in Orlando a couple of times in the recent era and have always been very impressed with them and their fans.

They’re a fantastic brand and they’ve had a great season.”

There’s no doubt the Cotton Bowl would be an easier trip for Arkansas fans.

It’s a familiar one, too, considering Arkansas has played Texas A&M in Cowboys Stadium in each of the past three seasons. The Razorbacks have played in the Cotton Bowl 11 times. The last appearance was a 38-7 loss to Missouri in Jan. 2008.

A lot has changed with the bowl since then.

The game has moved from the Cotton Bowl into Cowboys Stadium, eliminating the threat of a cold-weather game. It also has moved out of its New Year’s Day morning time slot and into primetime.

This season’s game is set for Jan. 6 at 7 p.m.

Mark Buffalo/Arkansas News Bureau

Arkansas running back Dennis Johnson explodes past the block of teammate Joe Adams during the Razorbacks’ 41-17 loss to LSU on Friday at Tige Stadium.

“It’s really in the spotlight of college football because there is nobody else playing college football on that day,” said Rick Baker, the president of the Cotton Bowl.

Baker said the Razorbacks are “like family” and the bowl would be thrilled to have them again.

But, like Hogan, Baker said the Cotton Bowl has the three 10-win teams on its radar. If Georgia does lose to LSU, the three teams will be divided among the Capital One, Cotton and Outback bowls.

“All of us are going to turn out pretty good,” Baker said. “The SEC tends to be like that.

They always have some pretty good teams at the top.”

The Cotton Bowl is likely invite Oklahoma State (10-1), Oklahoma

(9-2) or Kansas State (9-2), depending on the BCS selections, as its Big 12 representative. It means the game could have its first matchup between 10-win teams since 1994.

The Capital One Bowl is in a similar position with Michigan State (102), Wisconsin (10-2) and Michigan (10-2) in consideration.

Nebraska, which is 9-3, is also on the Capital One Bowl’s radar.

So Hogan and Baker are confident the Razorbacks, whether they land in Orlando or Arlington for the holidays, will be part of intriguing matchups.

“You’re either playing the No. 1 pick post-BCS in the Big 12 or the No. 1 pick post-BCS in the Big Ten,” Hogan said. “A lot of cases it’s a whale of a game and a top paying, very prestigious game.”

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