The Vista Feb. 21, 2012

Baseball

Tax Season

UCO will face off against Newman University for the first time this season today at 2 p.m.

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UCO finance students are offering assistance with taxes for students and faculty during tax filing season.

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FEB. 21, 2012 uco360.com twitter.com/uco360

THE VISTA

UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA’S student voice since 1903.

Education

ECUADORAN JOURNALIST ‘SKYPING’ IN FOR TALK ON FREEDOM OF THE PRESS

PRESIDENT OBAMA DETAILS 2013 BUDGET WITH EDUCATION GOALS

By Trevor Hultner / Staff Writer This week, Ecuadoran journalist and the editorin-chief of privately-run television station Ecuavisa, Allen Panchana Macay, will be speaking to UCO journalism students and the public about his work and viewpoints on journalism as a whole.

The event is part of a planned series of talks by journalists, hosted by professor Yvette Walker’s Press Freedom class.

“One of the things the class is doing is Skyping in journalists from around the world,” Walker said. “Macay was in Oklahoma visiting a friend, so we asked him to come speak.”

Macay will be showing a video about one of the big stories that happened in Ecuador in 2010 – a police uprising that resulted in the detainment of incumbent President Rafael Correa. He will also be talking about his thoughts on democracy and freedom of expression in the country.

“Many times, I have been beaten, threatened,” Macay said in an email interview. “I covered protests and several overthrows of presidents, in the midst of armed conflict.

I’ve also been a border reporter, and I had to go to the jungle, close to where armed guerrillas of the FARC were.

Ecuador shares borders with Colombia.”

Macay will speak on Wednesday, Feb. 22 in the Mass Communications building, room 120, from 11 a.m. to 11:50.

WEATHER TODAY

H 63° L 39°

TOMORROW H 72° L 43°

President Barack Obama speaks about the “Community College to Career Fund” and his 2013 budget at Monday, Feb. 13, 2012, Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale, Va. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) go to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. The

By Trevor Hultner / Staff Writer

In a campaign-style speech given at Northern Virginia Community College last week, President Obama detailed the 2013 fiscal year U.S. budget.

The Office of Management and Budget has allocated $3.7 trillion for the coming year, and has forecast a $901 billion deficit.

“We can settle for a country where a few people do really, really well, and everybody else struggles to get by,” Obama said. “Or we can restore an economy where everybody gets a fair shot, everybody does their fair share, everybody plays by the same set of rules – from Washington to Wall Street to Main Street.” $2.05 trillion in proposed budget funding will

remaining $1.65 trillion will be divided up among roughly 38 different departments.

Obama told the crowd that over the last 23 months, [the United States has] added 3.7 million new jobs, and that “American manufacturers are creating jobs for the first time since the 1990s.”

“At a time when our economy is growing and creating jobs at a faster clip, we’ve got to do everything in our power to keep this recovery on track,” he said.

One main point the President stressed in his speech to NOVA was making education affordable.

He ordered Congress to stop student loan interest rates from doubling in July, as well as make perma-

State

‘THE BIG EVENT’ STILL IN NEED OF VOLUNTEERS

nent a tuition tax credit that has been included in the last few budget proposals.

“We’re saying to Congress, now is not the time to make school more expensive for young people,” he said. “And they can act right now to make that change.”

The four largest sectors listed in the Budget are Health and Human Services (which is swallowing approximately $1.18 trillion in Medicare and Medicaid) the Social Security Administration ($875.5 billion towards Social Security), the $620 billion defense budget, which received cuts across the board and the Treasury, which holds $472 billion in interest on the public debt, up approximately five percent from last budget.

The education sector took a hit; federal student aid lost $6.8 billion in allotted funds and the Department of Education’s expected revenue for 2013 dropped by roughly $7.8 billion dollars.

Defense lost 4.46 percent of its previous budget, with most of the large cuts - $27 billion worth being made in discretionary spending areas. The Department of Homeland Security cut $1.8 billion in its budget projection for 2013. Other notable decreases include a predicted 58 percent drop in the Department of Labor’s income and a 52 percent cut in the Economic Development Administration’s budget.

“The budget that we’re releasing today is a reflection of shared responsibility,” Obama said, “It says that if we’re serious about investing in our future and investing in community colleges, and investing in new energy technology, and investing in basic research, well, we’ve got to pay for it. And that means we’ve got to make some choices.”

Near the end of his speech, the president stepped into his campaign shoes, telling the audience, “Warren Buffett pays a lower tax rate than his secretary. That’s not fair. It doesn’t make sense at a time when we’ve got to pull together to get the country moving.”

It is unclear exactly when that is, as Congress has not announced a voting schedule for the proposal.

FRESHMAN ROYALTY CROWNED

By Kyle Schwab / Contributing Writer UCO’s largest day of service, The Big Event, is coming up and the Volunteer and Service Learning Center needs volunteers. This year The Big Event is being held on Saturday, March 10, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

UCO students, along with faculty and staff, will meet up to show their appreciation for the community. The group will be going to and assisting various nonprofit and community-based agencies and organizations in the Edmond and Oklahoma City areas.

Any students that have an interest in participating will need to sign up online at UCO’s website or in the Volunteer and Service Learning Center in room 212 of the Nigh University Center. Students wanting to assist will be allowed to sign up until the day of The Big Event but it is encouraged to sign up as soon as possible.

Types of volunteering jobs will include things like yard work, painting, light maintenance, and other things of that nature to help out the many Big Event sites involved.

For any questions concerning The Big Event email bsmith101@ uco.edu or call 974-2623 for help or more information.

State

OKLA. LAWMAKER SEEKS WELFARE DRUG TESTING

By Associated Press

More weather at www.uco360.com

DID YOU KNOW? Aerosmith’s song “Walk This Way” was inspired by the movie Young Frankenstein.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — An Oklahoma lawmaker is pushing a bill to require drug testing for certain welfare recipients.

A House subcommittee on Monday voted 6-2 for the bill that requires drug tests for recipients of Temporary Benefits for Needy Families.

Oklahoma City Republican Rep. Guy Liebmann sponsored the bill and says the recipient would pay for the test and then be reimbursed if they test negative for drugs. The bill was amended to require testing only after an applicant has been approved for benefits.

Under the bill, children whose parents fail a drug test would be able to receive their benefits through another family member or designate.

Liebmann says the bill is based on a Florida measure that is currently being challenged in federal court as unconstitutional.

Wes Watkins and Bree Sowell are crowned UCO Freshman King and Queen during the half-time show, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012. Photo by Cyn Sheng Ling, The Vista

OPINION

2

FEB. 21, 2012

THE VISTA 100 North University Drive Edmond, OK 73034 (405)974-5549 vistauco@gmail.com

The Vista is published as a newspaper and public forum by UCO students, semi-weekly during the academic year except exam and holiday periods, and only on Wednesdays during the summer, at the University of Central Oklahoma. The issue price is free for the first copy and $1 for each additional copy obtained.

What do you think of the proposed personhood bill working its way through the Oklahoma legislature?

JORDAN MCSPERRITT

MORGAN ROY

PARKER SHORE

English Education - Freshman

Elementary Education - Junior

Journalism - Junior

EDITORIALS Opinion columns, editorial cartoons, reviews and commentaries represent the views of the writer or artist and not necessarily the views of The Vista Editorial Board, the Department of Mass Communication, UCO or the Board of Regents of Oklahoma Colleges. The Vista is not an official medium of expression for the Regents or UCO. LETTERS The Vista encourages letters to the editor. Letters should address issues and ideas, not personalities. Letters must be typed, double-spaced, with a maximum of 150 words, and must include the author’s printed name, title, major, classification and phone number. Letters are subject to editing for libel, clarity and space, or to eliminate statements of questionable taste. The Vista reserves the right not to publish submitted letters.

Address letters to: Editor, The Vista, 100 N. University Dr., Edmond, OK 730345209, or deliver in person to the editor in the Communications Building, Room 131. Letters can be emailed to vistauco@gmail.com.

“I believe that you’re a person from conception.”

STAFF

Management

Editorial

Cody Bromley, Editor-In-Chief Christie Southern, Managing Editor Brittany Dalton, Copy Editor Bryan Trude, Sports Editor

Ben Luschen, Staff Writer Josh Hutton, Staff Writer Mervyn Chua, Staff Writer Trevor Hultner, Staff Writer Celia Brumfield, Staff Writer

“Yeah, I agree, because at that point you’re a human.”

“It really infringes on women’s right. It violently infringes on women’s rights.”

CHANDRA MORACE

NICK BENTON

TIA WALLACE

Sociology/Psychology - Sophomore

English - Freshman

Sociology - Sophomore

Graphic Design Michael McMillian

Advertising

Photography

Kylee Turner Brittany Eddins

Garett Fisbeck, Photo Editor Kathleen Wells Cyn Sheng Ling

Circulation

Editorial Comic

Joseph Choi

Evan Oldham

Adviser Mr. Teddy Burch

Editorial

CAPITOL PUNISHMENT IS KILLING OKLAHOMA On the front page of Monday’s issue of The Oklahoman, state Corrections Department spokesman Jerry Massie said that Oklahoma is running low on one of the three chemicals used to perform lethal injections.

The chemical, pentobarbital, is the first in a cocktail of drugs and its function is to put the prisoner into an unconscious state. The $1800 drug is becoming harder to get because the company who produces pentobarbital has decided to not sell it to institutions who perform executions.

While there might be some outrage that the Corrections Department, and Oklahoma taxpayers, are paying dearly for this expensive sleeping serum, perhaps we would be better to consider those paying with their lives.

Only 16 states have moved to abolish the death penalty, the most recent being Illinois last year. With plenty of valid reasons to move away from the death penalty, why doesn’t Oklahoma?

A group called The Innocence Project, an organization that fights for prisoners to have a fair trial with fair evidence, has helped several prisoners beat the rap that might have led to their demise. Since 1989, 289 post-conviction DNA exonerations have been made in 35 states. Of those 289, 17 had spent time on death row. When we examine that statistic, are we 100 percent sure that we’ve never executed an innocent man or woman?

In the United States in 2010, 46 people were executed for their crimes. One was executed by firing squad in Utah and another in Virginia was given the electric chair. Comparatively, Oklahoma’s lethal injection just sounds mildly more inconvenient than a trip to the dentist.

As our supplies run low, maybe we should look at ourselves.

Oklahoma has been executing prisoners since 1915, but we’ve changed a lot since then. We have a far greater understanding of mental health and we also have more ways to rehabilitate and house prisoners. Besides, where in the dictionary does it say that justice means an even body count?

While we wait for a solution, Massie says the state Corrections Department has three doses left. Should the state see the light and move away from the death penalty after using the last three doses, you could call those last three prisoners the unluckiest Oklahomans in our state’s history.

“I think it’s bull crap. I am pro-life, but I do not think we should take women’s rights away.”

“I’m very much against it.

I don’t think it’s something the government should be deciding on.”

“I would say it’s the woman’s choice.”

The Vista invites and encourages letters to the editor.

Submitted letters are subject to editing for clarity, space and libel. Address your letters to : Editor, The Vista, 100 N. University Dr., Edmond, OK 73034-5209 Letters may also be e-mailed to vistauco@gmail.com or delivered to the Editor in person in Communications Building Room 131.

By Evan Oldham / Cartoonist

NEWS

FEB. 21, 2012 Campus

Opinion

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“Wake up!

We already woke up the sun.

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Attayou tc.loan, day from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and starting March 1, every e , s . p ti . , s not being a collective moron.

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FEB. 21, 2012

MLB

BASEBALL FAN DREAMING BIG WITH CONTEST

By Bryan Trude / Sports Editor For baseball fans, the annual Major League Baseball Fan Cave contest is an opportunity to live a dream. For one UCO employee, that dream is one step closer to reality.

Kyle Thompson, coordinator of student leadership training, a love of his St. Louis Cardinals and a video parody of The Lonely Island’s “Like a Boss” has landed him a spot in the top 50 finalists for the contest.

“MLB started the contest last year to up their social media presence,” Thompson said. “It’s a 1,500-square foot studio in Manhattan. They put you up in this studio with 16 flat screen TVs and you watch every single baseball game for the whole season.”

Last year, the MLB Fan Cave featured skits and talk shows featuring prominent players and celebrities.

“It’s like hosting your own show,”

Thompson said.

Thompson’s video was one of 50 selected out of 22,000 applicants, and he is the only finalist from Oklahoma. Currently, viewers can vote for the videos online. Finalists are also judged on their ability to create media buzz, including getting on television and radio shows as well as using social media.

“MLB is going to narrow the field down to their top 30, and those 30 are going to go to Arizona for spring training,” Thompson said. “For three or four days they’ll evaluate your talents and abilities, get you in front of players and see how you interact.”

Out of that group, MLB will then select which finalists are sent to New York to live in the fan cave.

Those chosen for the fan cave will live in New York, with the winner staying for the entire season, with competitors will be periodically kicked off.

“The best I can describe it as is that

it’s like a cross of ‘The Apprentice’ and ‘American Idol,’” Thompson said. “You have these contests and competitions periodically, and there will be some sort of voting to keep certain people in the fan cave.”

Although Thompson has not determined how the program would affect his employment at UCO should he be selected, that has not affected the influx of support from his coworkers.

“My coworkers have been incredibly supportive,” Thompson said. “The people here know how I feel about baseball and about sports in general. They know this is a good fit, such an awesome opportunity. It will look great if a UCO employee and native Oklahoman winds up in New York City for the fan cave.”

Voting on Thompson’s video will be open until Wednesday. Voters can vote as many times as they like on www.mlbfancave.com.

How To Vote in the Fan Cave Competition Kyle Thompson, coordinator of student leadership training is one of 50 finalists vying for a spot in Major Leage Baseball’s Fan Cave. Voting for the next cut ends Wednesday. Photo by Cody Bromley, The Vista

1. Go to MLBFanCave.com

3. Click on the video

2. Scroll down to a video

4. Click vote

Black History Month

PHI BETA SIGMA TO HOST FREEDOM WRITING

By Christina Dickens-Zitzow / Contributing Writer UCO will be hosting a Freedom Writers event as a part of its celebration of Black History Month on Feb. 23 in room 326 of the Nigh University Center.

Hosted by UCO’s chapter of the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity, the event is intended to showcase student poetry and essays about the “Black Experience.”

Students are getting excited about the Freedom Writers event and other related events

on campus over the course of the month.

“I think it’s important to celebrate Black History Month on campus,” Hannah Miller, a sophomore kinesiology major, said. “It is good to represent and commemorate all the different types of people attending the university, and it is enjoyable to have fun relative events to attend.”

The festivities included a Keynote Address hosted by the African American Faculty Staff Association, the UCO Black Student Association, and the Division of Enrollment Management, where FBI agent James E. Finch spoke

to students about Black History Month on Feb. 15.

Another successful event as part of Black History Month included “Black Girls Rock,” a night to recognize and honor influential African American women who serve as good role models. This event was hosted by the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority on Feb. 6.

Other events have included the Black Student Association Spelling Bee and Black History Month Jeopardy. There will be a few more upcoming events to wrap up the festivities this week.

All students, faculty, and staff are welcome to attend the Freedom Writers event, along with Neo Soul Night on Feb. 21 at 7:30 p.m. in NUC 421, and Gospel Night, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. in NUC 326.

“I plan to attend one if not more than one of these events,” Miller said. “I think it’s great to have a celebration and representation of the diversity on the UCO campus, not only with Black History Month, but other events throughout the year that celebrate the variety of students we see at UCO.”

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NEWS

FEB. 21, 2012

5

TOUCH THE FUTURE This Feb. 15, 2012 photo shows a Playstation PSVita. In an age where “Angry Birds” and “Words With Friends” dominates people’s on-the-go play time, Sony is making a push into the world of handheld gaming with a gadget aimed at loyal gamers and fans of the PlayStation. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

By Bryan Trude / Sports Editor Gamers worldwide are preparing for this Wednesday, Feb. 22, when Sony Computer Entertainment will release their latest handheld videogame system, the PlayStation Vita.

The Vita, the second handheld of the PlayStation family of systems, is the successor to the company’s much-maligned PlayStation Portable (PSP) system.

Sony hopes the Vita will allow the company to break into a lucrative handheld market dominated

by Nintendo, banking on what the company calls their “biggest and best launch lineup across the history of PlayStation platforms,” according to a Dec. 22, 2011 press release.

“PS Vita will offer the most popular franchises in gaming along with entirely new titles – all built from the ground up to take advantage of PS Vita and the unique ways it enables gamers to play,” Sony stated.

Unlike the system’s direct compe-

tition, the Nintendo 3DS, the Vita does not feature a three-dimensional display. Instead, the Vita features a five-inch capacitive touch screen in addition to a touch surface on the back of the device.

“Together with the front touch screen and the rear touch pad, PS Vita offers new game play experiences never before seen on any device, allowing users to interact directly with games in three dimension-like motion, through ‘touch, grab, trace, push and pull’ finger motions,” Sony stated in a June 7, 2011 press release.

In addition to the dual touch surfaces, the Vita also features dual analog nubs, a feature adopters of the PSP clamored for since the devices’ original release in March 2005.

Other features include front and rear-facing cameras and optional 3G networking support, exclusively available through AT&T. Although not officially launching until Wednesday, people who

In this video game image released by Sony Computer Entertainment America, a scene from “Escape Plan,” is shown. (AP Photo/Sony Computer Entertainment America)

In this video game image released by Sony Computer Entertainment America, a scene is shown from “Little Deviants.” (AP Photo/Sony Computer Entertainment America)

pre-ordered the 3G-enabled Vita through vendors such as GameStop were entitled to a bonus, receiving their handhelds a week early on Feb. 15.

The Vita will have a lot of work to do as a replacement for the PSP. While reviewed favorably by critics on release, sales of the handheld languished against the Nintendo DS. One of the handheld’s big launch features, movies on Sony’s proprietary UMD media, were quietly phased out as users found no use for the easily damaged miniature discs, which were only compatible with the PSP units itself.

Sony’s October 2009 release of the PSP Go, a miniaturized version of the PSP that utilized a different

memory format and was incompatible with UMD versions of PSP games, did little to stem the tide against the DS. It was criticized for its high price point and dependency on downloadable content.

Despite this earlier failed foray into portable gaming, Sony is confident that Vita (Latin for “life”) will turn the tide. “’Vita’… was chosen as the most appropriate name for the next generation portable entertainment system as it enables a revolutionary combination of rich gaming and social connectivity within a real world context,” Sony stated in their June release. “SCE is aiming to transform every aspect of user’s daily life into an entertainment experience.”

The Vita will retail for $249, while 3G-enabled versions will retail for $299.

“PlayStation Vita is the ultimate portable gaming device, offering all of the interface, controls and social connectivity that gamers have been dreaming about to deliver unsurpassed entertainment and completely new ways to play,” Jack Tretton, president and CEO of SCE America, said in the December release. “PS Vita features the most extensive launch lineup in PlayStation’s history, and there are more than 100 games in development, ensuring that PS Vita gamers will always have a steady stream of amazing titles at their fingertips.”

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FEB. 21, 2012 CROSSWORDS

EMPLOYMENT

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Part-time jobs. Senior Services of Oklahoma is looking for students to 3 Locations now hirfill part-time positions ing bus drivers and FT/ Monday-Friday. We pay PT teachers.

We promote a very posi- $10/hour for energetic tive and fun atmosphere! phone work. No experience is needed, we will Please call for specific train. Business is locatopenings: ed at 1417 N.W. 150th Edmond-749-2262 St. in Edmond. Call Quail-254-5222 879-1888 to set up inDeer Creek- 562-1315 terview. Ask for Megan Parris.

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Comet Cleaners Full and Part-time positions. Apply in person at Comet Cleaners. Flexible Schedules. 1401 S. Kelly Ave. Call 359-5958.

A FineShine Window cleaning company needs window cleaners. Will Train. $9-11/hour.

Email resume and/or cover letter to Roger at afineshine@hotmail. com.

Advertise with The Vista Contact Kylie at 405-974-5913 or email your questions to vistamedia@ yahoo.com for rates.

FACTS The online dating industry generates $1.8 billion per year and the matchmaker/ dating coach business generates $260 million per year in the United States.

JFK was the first Roman Catholic to be president, the first Boy Scout to become president, and the first president to be born in the twentieth century.

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RANDOM QUOTE A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is braver five minutes longer.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

SPORTS

FEB. 21, 2012

7

Baseball

BOX SCORES Hockey Fri, Feb. 17, LaHaye Ice Center, Lynchburg, VA

UCO Bronchos Liberty Flames

By Blake Colston / Contributing Writer

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Sat, Feb. 18, LaHaye Ice Center, Lynchburg, VA

UCO Bronchos Liberty Flames

1 8

Men’s Basketball Thur, Feb. 16, Hamilton Fieldhouse

Lindenwood Lions UCO Bronchos

56 68

Sat, Feb. 18, D.L. Ligon Coliseum, Wichita Falls, Texas

UCO Bronchos Midwestern State Mustangs

BRONCHOS TO SQUARE OFF AGAINST NEWMAN TODAY

48 69

Continued from Page 8

THE BEN ZONE David Stern, if you’re reading this somewhere in this world through the magic of the Internet, I beg of you not to give up on the Slam Dunk Contest. I know fans and analysts alike have been complaining that the quality of the event has been dropping in the last decade, but this is not the way to fix the problem.

The Slam Dunk contest needs star power. It needs charisma.

I’m not necessarily asking for LeBron James here, but I’m definitely not requesting Chase Budinger. It doesn’t matter how spectacular a dunk it, if the fan doesn’t recognize the player or have a rooting interest he or she won’t really care.

The Slam Dunk contest is about showmanship, rootability and superstar status. These are things we will never get watching Paul George.

The UCO baseball team will return to Wendell Simmons field today at 2 p.m. to face Newman University.

The matchup will mark the Bronchos’ fifth game in five days.

UCO completed a four game sweep of Northwest Missouri State last weekend, clinching the series win with a 3-1 victory in the first game of a doubleheader Sunday and earning the sweep in the second game by a score of 9-8.

Head coach Dax Leone was pleased with the effort of his bullpen throughout the weekend.

“I thought our relief pitching was about as good as it gets. Jake Tuck and Ryan Wagner really showed some poise coming in and facing some tight jams,” Leone said. “We’re still walking a few too many, but overall I thought we pitched with a lot of confidence.”

Senior Kevin Blue belted a two-out walkoff homerun in the bottom of the 12th to send the Bronchos home with the win.

“Baseball is a game of streaks and right now he’s in a good one. We’ll hope he stays in one,” Leone said.

Through 10 games Blue leads the team in average, (.548) RBI, (19) homeruns (4) and runs scored (15).

Newman enters the contest with a record of 5-4. The Jets are fresh off a three game sweep of Oklahoma Panhandle State.

The Jets bring in a team batting average of .175 on the season and a staff ERA 0f 3.33.

UCO and Newman met last season at Newman for a three-game series.with UCO winning two games to one.

Leone expects senior Danny Cartwright to start against Newman but expects to use a variety of arms during the

SUBS SO

FAST

YOU’LL FREAK!

FREAKY FAST

DELIVERY! ©2011 JIMMY JOHN’S FRANCHISE, LLC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

UCO’s Josh Rolan (40) pitches during a game between UCO and Northwest Missouri State in Edmond, Friday, Feb. 17, 2012. Photo by Garett Fisbeck, The Vista.

contest.

After the single game with Newman, UCO will travel to Kingsville, Texas, to

face Texas A&M-Kingsville in two games on Friday, Feb. 24 and Saturday, Feb. 25.

8

SPORTS

FEB. 21, 2012 Women’s Basketball

Opinion

THE BEN ZONE

By Ben Luschen

STREAKING BRONCHOS SMOTHER BEARCATS

Vista Columnist

CROP OF SLAM DUNK ALL-STARS NOT QUITE RIPE YET The NBA’s storied fraternity of All-Star Weekend Slam Dunk Contest participants has many distinguished alumni.

Michael Jordan, Julius Irving, Dominique Wilkins, Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard are all current or likely future Hall of Famers.

This year’s Pledge Class, however, will be fortunate even to produce a single All-Star.

Every year I look forward to finding out who will be participating in the All-Star festivities, the greatest of which being the Slam Dunk Contest. Therefore, you can imagine my disappointment after a recent Google search revealed the identities of this year’s lackluster crop of jammers.

Could the casual basketball fan identify the names of Derrick Williams, Iman Shumpert or Chase Budinger? Oh, and Paul George. You can’t forget Paul George. I hope John and Ringo will be joining him.

The NBA has upset fans with some poor Slam Dunk lineups in the past, but this is a new low. The participants average both 21 years of age and less than two seasons of prior league experience. Two of the players, Budinger and Williams, average less than 10 points per game. George is the highest scoring player in the contest, and he averages only 12 points.

The most infuriating part of this year’s contest is not even its lack of star power, but the new set of rules that are being put into place.

In the past, the field of four dunkers was narrowed down to two after an opening round that consisted of two dunks.

This year, there will be only a single round with each participant dunking four times. Also, the panel of judges used in previous years to help determine the winner are now either a thing of the past or completely irrelevant, as the Slam Dunk champion will be determined entirely by fans voting by text and Twitter.

Why must everything be interactive these days? Without relevant judges or a field that narrows itself down, the Slam Dunk Contest has devolved from a competition of creativity and athleticism to something more akin to selecting the Homecoming King and Queen.

But why stop here? Aren’t there some more competitions we can put up to a fan vote?

Maybe the Olympics would like it if we decided to vote for all the medal-winners this year. Maybe we should give out Nobel Prizes to whoever can get the most retweets on Twitter. Maybe we should start electing the nation’s most popular or good-looking politician instead of the best political visionary. Oh wait, we already do that.

Continued on page 7

Courtney Harper (12) during a game between UCO and Lindenwood in Edmond, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012. Photo by Cyn Sheng Ling, The Vista

By Chris Brannick / Contributing Writer The UCO Bronchos women’s basketball team won their Saturday afternoon matchup vs. McKendree University 8368.

Savannah Hamilton, who had already nabbed a Player of the Week honor earlier this season, made a strong case for another award this weekend. Hamilton sank all three of her three-pointers including a significant one with 35 seconds to go.

“Shuffle post, Savannah’s side,” head coach Guy Hardaker shouted.

“It was specifically for her,” he said in the postgame interview. “We knew she had 27 and we could go for 30. Her girl usually helps off of the screen so she would be open. She sank that shot twice tonight.”

The three netted Hamilton her careerbest 30 points.

Sophomore Jill Bryan was another key contributor adding 18 points, including four three-pointers. Bryan also grabbed a team high 10 rebounds and dished out five assists. It was her defense that earned praise from Hardaker, though.

When asked about her leadership and offensive performance, Hardaker quickly said, “She’s turning into one of the best defenders on this team.”

The Bronchos got more help from Autumn Huffman, who added 12 points.

Chelsea Robinson helped out with an eight point, five assist, and four rebound game. Scoring six points for the Bronchos were Paige Locke and Rachel New, and Chelsi Dennis finished with three.

The game got off to a hot start for Bryan, who sank her first three-pointer only 10 seconds into the contest. Her second and third basket from behind the arc had gone through just five minutes into the game and the Bronchos were off to the start they hoped for.

The Bearcats from Lebanon, Ill. evened things out shortly after and the remainder of the first half stayed that way. The teams went to the locker room at halftime with the Bronchos holding a small three-point lead.

“They got inside and if you let teams shoot three times they are going to make some,” Hardaker said. A combination of fouls and the Bearcats five offensive rebounds kept them in the game.

McKendree never led in the first half but came out firing after the break. A 6-0 run put them ahead and the Bronchos started by missing their first four shots.

The Bearcats gained a small three-point lead with 17:43 remaining when Hamilton knocked down her first three-pointer. The game was tied at 47.

After a brief back-and-forth battle, Hamilton and Bryan took over and pulled the Bronchos out in front by as

much as 13. Their largest lead of the game came with 1:24 left, when a Bryan layup put the Bronchos up by 18 points.

The Lady Bronchos improved to 16-9 on the season and 7-0 at home with the win. They will have a chance to finish off their season with a perfect home record when they host their in-state rival Riverhawks from Northeastern State.

After falling by 19 to NSU in Tahlequah earlier this season, the Bronchos avenged that loss at home by knocking off the then sixth-ranked Riverhawks. NSU won battle number three, also in Tahlequah, on Feb. 11. NSU is 20-3 and currently ranked number 12.

The game is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. at Hamilton Fieldhouse.

Catch all things Vista Sports online at

UCO360.COM

goo.gl/6u1MR