Western Courier| November 4th, 2019

Opinions: Taking a look at the history of No Shave November.

Sports: Women's basketball prepares for season opener against Mizzou.

AWARD-WINNING STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF WESTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY. SERVING MACOMB SINCE 1905.

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Monday, November 4, 2019 - Vol. 120 Issue 32

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"Our First Date" takes over Simpkins Theatre

By Tea Wheat courier staff This past weekend, the Western Illinois University Department of Theatre and Dance put on a stunning performance of “First Date.”

This Broadway musical comedy was originally written by Austin Winsberg, with music and lyrics by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner. The adaptation here at Western Illinois University was performed on Friday and Saturday in Simpkins Theatre.

The performance drew a sold out crowd on Saturday night.

“First Date” is a musical comedy about, as the advertisements for the production listed, “One date. Two people. And every single voice in their heads.” This performance was that and so, so

much more. The play fol- the two protagonists have lowed two characters, Aaron been set up on a blind date. and Casey, as they meet each other for the first time at a bar and restaurant. It soon becomes known to the audience that this is not your Our First Date average first date, or even a page 2 Tinder meet up, but rather

Macomb home catches fire, one casualty found

DEVON GREENE/ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

On November 2, 2019 at 4:39 am, The Macomb Fire Department was dispatched to the 100 block of N Campbell St regarding a single structure fire in progress. Upon further investigation it was determined that a victim was located on the second floor of the structure. The victim was given medical treatment but later died on scene. This is still an ongoing investigation with the Macomb Fire Department, Illinois Fire Marshal’s Office and Macomb Police Department. The person’s name is not being released until notification of family.

COURTESY OF MACOMB FIRE DEPARTMENT

2 NEWS

Monday, November 4, 2019

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Student Spotlight: Getting to know Brooke Barnes

By Tea Wheat courier staff

Brooke Barnes is a lot like a bumblebee: positive, pollinating the lives of those around her and somehow always wearing something yellow.

Barnes is an exceptional leader, scholar and individual, and her accomplishments throughout the month of October are indicative of that.

On top of being a Pre-Nursing major with a full load of classes, Brooke is a Resident Assistant (RA), a Peer Mentor for first-year students, a member of the National Residence Hall Honorary and on the executive board for the Resident Assistant Council (RAC). In addition to this, Barnes attends InterHall Council (IHC), is on the Host Conference Team for the Illinois Residence Hall Association (IRHA) 2020 conference and this month, she was the Co-Chair for Haunted Housing.

In the month of October alone, Barnes volunteered 26 hours of her time to Haunted Housing. Haunted Housing is a Haunted House that RAC puts on each year, that raises money for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Macomb.

In addition, this event helps to collect canned goods for the Western Illinois University Stuff the Bus Initiative which gives back to various non-profits in Macomb

WC Located on the third floor of the Heating Plant Annex on the south end of campus across from Sherman Hall.

Mail: 1 University Circle, WIU, Macomb, IL 61455 Phone: 309-298-1876 Fax: 309-298-2309 Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays E-mail: micour@wiu.edu Member: Illinois College Press Association, National Association College Press

such as the Western Illinois Regional Council (WIRC) in Macomb, the WIU Food Pantry on campus and the Salvation Army. Her efforts and work with Haunted Housing clearly made an impact, as the event raised about $1,000 and collected over 200 cans.

As a resident assistant, her efforts exceed what words could possibly explain.

When entering Barnes’ floor, immediately one is immersed in beautiful decorations, positive quotes, life tips and a general feeling of “home.” This extends far from the appearance of her floor, as she works tirelessly to make her floor home for every one of her residents.

In October, she hosted a Halloween Door Decorating contest, a Scary Movie event, a Cookie Baking event, a Pumpkin Painting event, a Jar-O-Lantern event and even a Halloween Floor Decorating event. Brooke took her residents’ interests into account with this, and even collaborated with other RAs to make these programs even more successful.

In addition to her work with RAC and as an RA, Barnes decided to apply to attend the GLACURH 2019 conference. She was accepted on to the delegation and has been such an amazing addition to the delegation. Barnes has helped tremendously with things such as creating a delegation shirt, writing

bids and creating the roll call video for Western’s delegation. Despite the fact that she had never done any of these things before, that did not stop her. She spent a lot of time and late nights working on all of these things for the GLACURH 2019 conference.

Her conference involvement doesn’t stop with GLACURH, as she is also on the conference host team board for the Illinois Residence Hall Association 2020 conference that Western will be hosting in March. Barnes is the Director of Programming for the conference, but she never hesitates to help with other things. This month, Barnes has worked diligently to solidify her previous ideas for what programs will look like for the IRHA 2020 conference. Brooke has helped a lot with making sure this conference will be as successful as possible!

Barnes is truly a buzzing bee, flying around and getting the job done. No matter who she interacts with, they can feel her positive energy and her passion. Barnes truly pollinates everything that she touches, improving it and adding new perspectives. From the organizations she is a part of, to the lives of those she interacts with, to the entire community at Western Illinois University. Brooke Barnes proves that one person can make a huge difference.

STAFF MEMBERS editor-in-chief Devon Greene

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opinions editor Allison Young

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adviser Will Buss

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HALF

Beginning Monday, Nov. 4, a section of University Drive (from Brophy Hall to Western Avenue) and a section of Western Avenue (to University Drive) will have one lane closed for street repair. Construction will last approximately two weeks weather permitting.

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Monday, November 4, 2019

UNIVERSITY RELATIONS

Our First Date from front page Aaron works with Casey’s brother-in-law, and thinks that the two may just be perfect for each other. Though, as the date starts out, this does not seem to be the case at all. Aaron is nervous, very nervous. And Casey seems much more relaxed. It is soon revealed that this is Aaron’s first blind date and that Casey has been on many blind dates before, but none ever seem to turn into something real. Would this date be different?

While Casey and Aaron are both very different people, throughout the production we see them letting each other

in on many levels. Religion, past relationships and even

death are discussed between these two while on their first date. Right when the audience thinks things are going well, Casey banishes Aaron to “the friend zone” because he is not a bad boy like all of the men she has once been with before. Though, before the night is over, she finds herself regretting making that move so early on in the night, as she starts to wonder if she is really “into him.” After walking Casey home and saying goodbye, Aaron and Casey both realize how they truly feel, turn around and share their first kiss.

The audience was heavily invested in each and every

one of the characters on the stage. From cheering through the victories to falling silent during the hard times and laughing through the times that were humorous, they were all in it together, there, witnessing that first date.

This performance would not have been what it was without the cast. There were many talented individuals on the stage, musicians, singers, actors. Many actors and actresses played multiple parts with ease and had me convinced one moment they were someone, and the next someone else.

It was the mastery of their craft that made this show so successful, and so real for the entire audience.

NEWS 3

4

OPINIONS

Monday, November 4, 2019

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Hair today, gone December 1st: reviewing No-Shave November Although the end of Halloween often comes with a hint of sadness, it also comes with new excitement as the next month begins. And no, I’m not talking about Christmas (those people need to relax). I’m referring to No-Shave November!

The time of year where both men and women alike let their hair roam freely for an entire month. This non-grooming concept has been sweeping the nation for the past decade, with people showing off their lumberjack-esque transformations. But just exactly how did this phenomenon start, and what is the purpose? These are the questions I hope to ex-

plore with a fine-tooth comb (hair pun intended) within this article, with the hope of instilling a greater sense of purpose for you to participate in this fun event. So put your razors down, cause here we go!

The concept of growing out one’s hair in November actually began in 2003 by a couple of Australian men (Travis Garone and Luke Slattery) who were joking over a beer about bringing mustaches back into the fashion spotlight. Being inspired by a friend’s mother who was fundraising for breast cancer, they decided to associate their mustache challenge with

an issue surrounding men’s health. Settling on prostate cancer, they recruited 30 men for the initial challenge and charged each participant $10 to grow a mustache during the month of November. With the success of the initial challenge, the founders worked to expand their concept into a successful international non-profit organization: The Movember Foundation. Although there have been many changes for the organization over the years (size of the participants, amount of money raised, scope of the health issues supported), the concept behind the challenge remains the same: grow a mustache in November and use it to both inform others about and raise funds for men’s health.

In the United States, we are more familiar with the NoShave November concept that began back in 2009 by the

Chicagoland Hill family. After losing their father to colon cancer in November of 2007, the family decided to transform the concept of not shaving in November into a means for raising money and awareness for cancer-fighting organizations. The concept behind the U.S. No-Shave November is slightly different in that it doesn’t focus solely on growing mustaches. Rather, the goal is to not perform any hair grooming action during the month of November (shaving, trimming, styling, “manscaping”), with the intention of donating the funds saved to cancer-fighting organizations. The idea is to embrace the privilege of being able to grow out of your hair (as cancer patients receiving treatments are unable to). Since its inception, the organization has raised over $2 million for cancer prevention, education

and research efforts.

So, if you are up for the challenge, I encourage you to participate in the No-Shave November movement. But more importantly, I encourage you to participate in the way initially intended by the creators. Pick a cause that you would like to support (men’s health, cancer, really anything) and begin growing out your hair for it. When people ask you about the change in your appearance, use the opportunity to inform them about the cause you are supporting.

Finally, actually donate! It doesn’t have to be much (if you consider the costs of not using a razor or having a haircut for the month, it could be as little as $25), but any size donation can make an impact. So, grow it out, show it off and make a difference this year with No-Shave November!

As we evolve, so does television Television is a commodity that we have grown to almost expect to be in a room. Without it, the room almost seems empty or lifeless. A room without a TV is silent, ancient and weird, but at one point having one was a fad or a privilege. A TV was meant to entertain and inform viewers of the outside world. In a way, television was a way to escape from reality.

Needless to say, televisions were and still are a hit. At first, there were the mechanical and electrical TVs in black and white.

Eventually, electrical TVs gained more traction because of the ease of use and they were simply superior to mechanical disk operated TVs. Another advantage of electrical TVs was the ability to improve exponentially.

The concept of technological growth can be defined by Moore’s law which states that the number of transistors in a dense integrated circuit doubles every two years. In

layman’s terms, the amount we can do with technology improves exponentially because the knowledge we gain and the amount of space we need to complete a task shrinks. Smaller components with the same technological output allow us to create more powerful and efficient technologies.

TV, as mentioned earlier, is ever evolving in design and content.

Currently, what is popular is reality television whether it be celebrities or shows like shark tank. This should come as no surprise due to the way social media allows us to spy on others 24/7. It should be obvious that companies would want to profit on the lives of others since people tune in on other platforms anyways.

I think that this is not healthy to gage into others personal lives and act as evasive as reality TV can and typically does. Again, TV is always meant for entertainment, so regardless of what you are watching, the

director’s job is to try to stimulate the viewer to keep their attention.

Something reality TV is notorious for is drama. Why, you may ask?

Because it is the simplest way to catch people’s attention.

When viewers see any type of conflict or drama, the viewer typically takes a side and this is only natural.

So, once the drama erupts and the characters in the show are at each other’s necks, the viewer will be cheering on one of the characters.

Sometimes the viewer may just be enjoying the “train wreck” or asinine choices or viewpoints of the characters.

Although it is entertainment, some viewers cannot or do not discern the actions of the reality stars from “real-life.” People tarnish their image very easy just by appearing on reality TV because there is a stigma that comes with it. When dealing with reality TV, the viewer must take the actions and opinions of the characters with a grain of salt.

This can be imperative when referring to celebrities because they will be scrutinized just because they have fame. If you want to watch reality TV, go ahead and think about how “real” the show is compared to the life you live in reality.

Television is one of the best forms of entertainment.

PIXABAY.COM

Insatiable, a notable teen-drama on Netflix, caught a lot of controversy for its first season. Well, now the second season has been released, and critics and fans alike are in an uproar. The second season of Insatiable was released on Oct. 11, 2019, just a little over a year after the first season debuted in August of 2018.

Layout by: Jimy Pierson

CONT. E.2

Written by: Tea Wheat

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Monday, November 4, 2019

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“Insatiable” releases second season The first season of this show followed main protagonist Patty Bladell, played by Debby Ryan, as she goes through a court hearing against her for assaulting a homeless man. In an unfortunate chain of events, the homeless man punches Patty in the face, breaking her jaw. Due to this, she is on a liquid only diet for a while, and loses a significant amount of weight. Patty then goes from being “Fatty Patty” to being a thinner version of herself. Her weight loss catches the attention of many that did not care to pay attention to her when she was heavier.

Patty soon decides to begin doing pageants. This season follows Patty through her pageant pursuits; all of the ups and downs,

and then some.

The second season continues to follow Patty’s pursuits and much more. The storyline of this season takes a dark twist, but still contains a delightful amount of humor for viewers to enjoy. In this season, there is a serial killer nicknamed “The Pageant Killer” that has been murdering pageant stars. Through unlikely circumstances, Patty is a suspect for these murders. It seems as though whenever a murder takes place, it benefits Patty. For example, when Patty was first runner-up, the pageant winner was found murdered in her dressing room. The pageant killings hit such an extreme that at one point that even Miss American Lady was can-

celled. This season also hits hard about eating disorders and how dangerous they can be, which was something that I enjoyed in particular about this season.

As a fan of the first season of the show, I enjoyed the second season just the same. While this show is extremely dramatic and far-fetched, it is also engrossing.

Viewers are sucked into the drama of the life of the main character Bladell. I often find myself binge-watching this show as the drama is capturing. There are many critics that do not enjoy the show at all, describing it as outlandish and nonsensical. It is important to note that not everyone feels that way about the show, I most definitely do not, but it is an opinion that is floating around the Internet in regard to Insatiable.

If you love drama, humor and a bit of scandal, then Insatiable would be an excellent series for you to binge in these upcoming weeks!

IMDB.COM

This pagaent queen and coach do whatever it takes to win.

FLICKR.COM

FLICKR.COM

Debby Ryan stars as Patty Bladell, who starts off as "Fatty Patty" until her life completely changes due to a jaw injury.

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Monday, November 4, 2019

WesternCourier.com

Benioff and Weiss drop out of Star Wars trilogy

With Star Wars fans buzzing about Star Wars: The Rise of the Skywalker, news broke the other day that Emmywinning directors David Benioff and D.B Weiss are no longer working on the next trilogy for the saga.

This announcement comes just a little under a year from when it was announced in February 2018 that the pair would be leading in the next era of Star Wars. Instead of continuing on with that path,

they decided to pull an ObiWan and said, “The Force will be with you. Always.” and left the historic franchise.

Benioff and Weiss, otherwise known as D and D, are most known for their work with the HBO’s Game of Thrones.

The pair were the executive producers for the show and also wrote the episodes. They were considered some of the greatest modern day producers and were loved highly by fans, until the last season

of the show. Many fans were disappointed with how they decided to end the series and have received a lot of backlash since then because of it.

D and D cited having too much on their schedule to continue working on the next trilogy. This comes after it was announced back in August that the duo signed a nine-figure deal with Netflix.

With D and D working hard, they felt that it wouldn’t be fair for either of their projects to suffer because of time on the other.

However, this could really shake things up in the galaxy. Lucasfilm has Star Wars projects approaching fast with Rise of the Skywalker in December, The Mandalorian

coming up in eight days when Disney+ gets released and an Obi-Wan Kenobi series starring Ewan McGregor getting underway. The exit of D and D might possibly have come at the worst possible moment.

Personally, I was really upset with the announcement of D and D leaving Star Wars.

While I didn’t like how they ended Game of Thrones, I really enjoyed the series as a whole and could tell that they have a gift for writing. The type of gift that might help to fix some of the mistakes in the writing from the last couple of Star Wars films. I understand that a lot of people in their position like to follow the money, but they have already achieved great success

and made plenty of money with Game of Thrones. Why wouldn’t they have decided to join one of the most historic film franchises of all time?

At the end of the day, Disney and Lucasfilm can’t delay their plans for Star Wars for too long. They understand that they have the demand and they need to supply that demand. Without D and D, the new trilogy might not be as good. But, as long as there are Star Wars fans around the world, the trilogy will still be watched. The only questions that remain are who they will get to replace D and D and how long it will take Lucasfilm to fill the hole. Hopefully it doesn’t take too long, so that nothing gets delayed.

WIKIMEDIA.ORG

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is the end to the new trilogy.

WIKIMEDIA.ORG

David Benioff and D.B. Weiss speak at an HBO event.

FLICKR.COM

Game of Thrones was one of the top television shows in the country during its runtime.

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Monday, November 4, 2019

WesternCourier.com

“Jumanji” comes back to the big screen

This past summer, a movie trailer was released for a sequel to Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.

On Halloween, they released a final trailer for it and I will admit, I have mixed feelings about it so let’s break it down.

The trailer starts with the video game version of the characters in a desert, and the thing I like about how this trailer begins is you can’t really tell yet that things are going to be different. We are then introduced to a couple new characters Danny DeVito and Danny Glover. It’s good to see that the main cast from the first sequel of Jumanji are still friends. Somehow the video game Jumanji found its way back in to their hands and Spencer (the main character from the previous movie) has been sucked into the game.

They get sucked into the game and hilarity ensues as a few of the characters are put

into different video game avatars than previously. DeVito is The Rock’s character and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson appears to play DeVito’s character perfectly. Fridge is now in Jack Black’s body, which I guess is fine. They kind of milked all the jokes about a girl being in Black’s body and a tall guy being a short guy, so this could be an interesting change. Glover is playing Kevin Hart’s character and you know Hart and The Rock work well together, so you know it will be comedy gold. We find out that Spencer (who had gone into the game earlier) and Bethany (who went in with the rest of the group) are missing.

We then get another funny trope that we saw in the previous film where a character is talking then gets randomly eaten by a creature; this time it happened to be an anaconda.

Right away we see that this film appears to be more in

depth than the previous as they are in more than just the jungle; we also see a snowy world and a desert.

We then get another hilarious dialogue between Hart (Glover ’s character) and The Rock (DeVito’s character), “I haven’t looked like this since. Never you looked like this never.” “I think my eyes are a different color.” “All of you is a different color.” A funny thing about this movie and the previous film is the strengths and weaknesses of each character which leads to even more laughs. This movie looks like it will be action packed as it transitions to reveal that Bethany became a horse. At the end of the trailer, Bethany somehow returns to Black’s body.

It’s always hard to judge how good a movie is going to be based on a trailer, but the previous one was so good with action and comedy and this one seems no different with a star-studded cast of DeVito, Glover, Black, Johnson, Hart and Karen Gillian (Doctor Who, Marvel Cinematic Universe).

Jumanji: Next Level will be released on Dec. 13, which could make for a great movie to unwind from the stress of finals.

The Next Level will hit theatres in December.

IMDB.COM

FLICKR.COM

Once again, this powerhouse cast has been sucked into the video game world of "Jumanji".

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Monday, November 4, 2019

OPINIONS 5

Have you had your emissions checked?

Recently, I was ordered to get an emissions test on my Subaru Outback. I could not get my license plate sticker renewed before completing this process.

But, there were three major problems to this government stated demand: information, location and need.

To start, the first problem was that the formal address of the demand was sent to my address back home. My parents had to inform me of completing the order from the Illinois government by calling me and telling me to do so. The addition ‘bonus’ was that I needed to complete this before I was able to reregister my car for the year and get a new sticker. Even if the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) was informed of my change of address to Macomb from Gurnee, IL, they still did not send me the necessary information I needed to do so.

After my parents informed me of the future pain that would be-

come my problem, it was time to find a location near me that serviced this problem; but, fun fact, there is no place within a 220.1 mileage (Macomb to Naperville) range for me to do so. I called every single service automobile company within the Macomb limits to see if they were qualified or had the tools to fulfill what I needed, but ‘shockingly’ they did not. I needed to drive over three hours back home to complete this government ordered task.

Finally, I am trying to understand why I needed to do this. This comes from telling my friends, co-workers and other people about the fact I needed to drive home for a day to complete this.

Everyone was confused about this. Multiple times I was asked, “What is that?” or “I have driven for so many years and never needed to do that? Why do you have to do something like that?”

The reasoning comes from where my car is registered. I originally live within the northern part of

the Chicagoland area, about 45 minutes from the city center. Because there is around 2.5 million within the city plus the over then 1 million with around the region, there is a growing need to make sure the air is clean enough for people to breathe. I totally support this demand, but do not believe that I need to follow this when I live most of the time outside of this area.

When there are people within the Macomb community that have never completed this government demand task, then why should I? Why do I need to complete a service demanded from our government where no one from here has needed to do the same thing?

Around here we do not have the populous where car emissions are an air problem, but people who are from the Chicagoland area need to? If we inform the DMV of these actions of being moved into a region that does not have the same rules for more than half the year, why do we have to be a victim of this? Or simplify, why does Macomb not have these services for us? When will this be brought up? When will FLICKR.COM people understand this? When Getting your emissions is supposed to help better the environment. will this change?

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The editorial views of the Western Courier shall be confined to this editorial and are to be separate from news coverage otherwise noted. The editorial presented is based on the ideas and views of the WC editorial board.Columns are the opinions of the columnists alone and should not be construed as the opinions and beliefs of the WC staff as a whole.

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2019 Fall Semester Editorial Board

Edge Editor - Rachel Greene Editor-in-Chief - Devon Greene Opinions Editor - Allison Young

6

Monday, November 4, 2019

SPORTS

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Football picks up first win of season against South Dakota

By Christopher Gibson courier staff This week, the Leathernecks stayed home to play the South Dakota Coyotes. The Leathernecks banded together and, for the first time this season, managed to play tough enough to win a game. In a game that came down to the wire, the Leathernecks won by a score of 38-34. This win snapped their 10-game losing streak.

Coming into the game, the Coyotes were sitting in the middle of the pack in the Missouri Valley Conference with a record of 2-2 in the conference.

They won their first two games in the conference but were coming off of a two-game losing streak and were hungry for a win that would not only help them in the Missouri Valley Conference, but a win they desperately needed if they wanted any chance at making the playoffs.

Meanwhile, the Leathernecks were headed into the game with a winless season, and their chances at the playoffs were out the door. They were hungry for a win and they ended up finding one.

The Leathernecks started out the gates when redshirt-freshman DeShon Gavin broke off a 20-yard run, putting the Leathernecks on the board with 12:39 still left in the first quarter.

Their lead didn't last for too long, as the Coyotes scored towards the end of the first quarter off of a 22-yard pass.

The second quarter saw the Coyotes take command. After a little under three minutes ticked off the clock, South Dakota converted a 33-yard field

BECCA LANGYS / PHOTO EDITOR

Connor Sampson scans the field for an open teammate.

goal attempt, giving them a 10-7 lead. A few drives later, the Coyotes would increase their lead even more with a 25-yard pass for a touchdown. After the extra point was in, the score was 17-7.

Western was looking for something to go their way, but it didn’t happen right away at the beginning of the new half. South Dakota converted another field goal attempt at the beginning of the third quarter to grow the lead to 20-7. Knowing they needed something on their next drive in order to keep them in the game, the Leathernecks marched down the field and converted their own field goal attempt. It was good and cut the lead down to 20-10. After a turnover on downs by the defense, the Leatherneck offense took the field on their own 32 yard line. After some key rushes on the drive, the Leathernecks were able to score a touchdown off a little shovel pass for three yards to junior Clint Ratkovich, making the game 20-17.

The game was close heading into the fourth quarter with Western keeping the gap small. Their offense scored early in the fourth when junior Connor Sampson dropped a 26-yard dime to his junior receiver Tony Tate. Western had taken their first lead in the game since the first quarter. It wouldn’t stand for long, however, as of the next South Dakota drive, the Coyotes marched right down the field and scored a touchdown of their own, gaining the lead back by a score of 27-24.

After both teams turned the ball over on downs, the Leathernecks found their way back to the endzone when Sampson once again hit a man downfield, this time to graduate student George Wahee for a 51-yard bomb that put the Leathernecks up 31-27. However,

BECCA LANGYS / PHOTO EDITOR

Tony Tate runs towards the end zone to make a catch.

South Dakota wasn’t done just yet. With 1:24 left on the clock, the Coyotes scored another touchdown, seemingly for the win. The Leathernecks, down 34-31, didn't give in.

They knew they had to work quickly and efficiently on their next drive. They had come close in some of their earlier games in the season, but this one was different. The offense knew what they had to do when they took the field, and they went to work.

After a couple of passes from Sampson to a couple of different wide-outs for good yards, Ratkovich decided that enough was enough. Ratkovich took the ball and ran it straight into the endzone for a Leatherneck touchdown, giving them the lead 38-34. The Coyotes still had a chance with 34 seconds left on the clock. South Dakota had two big plays through the air to start their drive. But, after a timeout, they thought they would try one more play through the air. Senior Eric Carrera intercepted that fateful pass on the goal line, sealing the win for the Leathernecks.

This season hasn’t gone as planned for Western, but they managed to pull off one of the best games of the season, and not just because they won. Sampson threw for 368 yards and three touchdowns, while the run game was equally as impressive, totaling 124 yards and two touchdowns. The defense was also impressive with three tackles for a loss, one fumble and the game-winning interception.

The Leathernecks have three games remaining with one more home game in two weeks. Next week they take on North Dakota State on the road.

Hopefully, the team can end the season as strong as their performance was on Saturday.

Clint Ratkovich makes a leaping catch.

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LARGE STUDENT RENTALS 5 and 6 Bedroom Homes are still available!! Ask for our $1000.00 Discount program! First come first serve for the last large homes that are open for the fall.

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Semester leases offered. Call 309 837 4369 and leave your phone number if not there. Email: MandKhousing@gmail.com

Submit a classifieds ad to Micour@wiu.edu

Westen Investments has only two 4-Bedroom brich houses available. Call our office at 309-833-5995 to schedule a showing! We will show to 2-3 person groups as well!

Small 1BR apt near campus and downtown. All utilities included. (Electric, Water, DISH, Garbage) $500/month, $300 deposit. Available immediately. Also have 2BR, you pay electric. $600/month, $350 deposit available September 1st. Please contact 309-255-4367 for a showing.

STC Investments now leasing for the 18/19 school year. We have 1-6 bedroom apartments/houses ready for you to call home! Check out our selection at www.stcinvestments.com.

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Westen Investments has just one 3-Bedroom ALL UTILITIES INCLUDED (Water, Sewer, Trash, Gas, Electric, and Internet) Apartment left! That’s right you just pay for rent, and the rest of it is on us! Call our office at 309-833-5995 to check it out.

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Monday, November 4, 2019

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Sports 7

Should the Bulls retire Derrick Rose’s jersey? josh purnell courier staff

On Nov. 1, 2019, the Chicago Bulls hosted the Detroit Pistons, playing their second home game of the season. Bulls star player Zach LaVine scored 26 points while pulling down five rebounds. Trailing by one in the closing minute, LaVine put Chicago ahead hitting back-toback three-pointers and adding four free throws in the final 11.5 seconds. The Bulls went on to beat the Pistons 112-106.

You’d think that was the story for the night and LaVine would be the one getting all the praise.

Well no, it did not go that way, unfortunately. Derrick Rose, a former player of the Chicago Bulls, had the spotlight on him Friday night. Rose put on an impressive performance in front of his lovely Chicago fans scoring 23 points and ditching seven assists. In the first quarter when Rose entered the game, he received a loud ovation from the crowd as the Chicago fans were chanting “MVP, MVP, MVP.” A kid from the south side of Chicago coming out of Memphis University was drafted by the Bulls with the number one overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft.

Rose won Rookie of the Year averaging 16.8 points per game, 6.3 assists and 3.9 rebounds.

There have only been two other players to win Rookie of the Year in Bulls history: Michael Jordan and Elton Brand.

The Bulls finished the season seventh in the Eastern Conference. In the playoff, Chicago faced the Boston Celtics and Rose put on a magnificent performance the first game of the series. Rose’s stat line in that game was 36 points, 11 assists and four rebounds. The Bulls beat the Celtics in overtime 105-103. Unfortunately, Chicago lost the series in seven games. Although, the Bulls did not move on to the next round, their front office and their fans knew they had their very own franchise player.

Since his rookie year, he’s been

a three time All-Star, 2011 AllNBA First Team and 2011 Most valuable Player. The most prominent season since the 1998 Bulls season was the 2011 season when the Bulls finished the season 62-20. They were No. 1 in their division and first in the Eastern Conference. Head Coach Tom Thibodeau was awarded Head Coach of the Year and Rose was

wonder how he did that.

Rose was completely unstoppable and hard to contain. His speed, quickness and ability to attack the hole was something to see. Like the great commentator of the Chicago Bulls Stacey King said every night, “Too big, too strong, too fast, too good.”

He took pride in playing hard on the defensive side of the ball and that came from head coach at the time Thibodeau.

Thibodeau was a hard coach. He was hard on his players because he wants the best out of them.

You can’t deny that Thibodeau’s tough coaching got the Bulls to

SPORTHUB.COM

Derrick Rose stares into the crowd.

awarded Most Valuable Player.

Anyone can make a case that either Kobe Bryant or LeBron James should’ve won the award that year, but let's be serious, Rose deserved that award. The Bulls had the best record in the entire league. Everyone knew the offense ran through him and he still could not be stopped.

Night after night, Chicago fans got the opportunity to see Rose put on an amazing performance, and the fun part about it was that no one knew what he was going to do every game night.

You knew Rose had a trick play up his sleeve that made you

season with a 50-16 record. In the first game of the playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers, Rose went down with a leg injury. Come to find out after the game, Rose tore his ACL in his left knee. He was out for the remainder of the playoffs and during the 2013 season, Rose was absent for most of the year again. During the 2014 season, on Nov. 22, Rose injured his right knee against the Portland Trail Blazers. It was confirmed that Rose tore his right knee meniscus and required surgery.

By then, you could tell people were slowly giving up on Rose.

the playoffs.

Chicago flew past the Indiana Pacers and the Atlanta Hawks meeting the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Bulls lost the series 4-1.

Chicago couldn’t pull out a series win against the big three; James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. Although the Bulls lost, it was okay because everyone knew they were going to be back.

In December 2011, Rose signed a five-year contract extension with the Bulls for $94.8 million.

Rose carried the Bulls to the playoffs, finishing the lockout

After the 2016 season, the Bulls moved on from Rose. He has played for the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves and now the Detroit Pistons. Since leaving the Bulls, he's had some good games, but none were like the one in Minnesota. Last year, on Oct. 31 against the Utah Jazz, Rose scored a career high 50 points. It was an emotional game for him. During the post game, he talked about how no one believes in him and everyone doubted him. It was something to see for the NBA fans and most certainly his fans in Chicago.

So, whenever Rose visits Chicago, understand that the people of Chicago will forever welcome him. Chicago fans have seen some of the best moments in his career. He is Chicago’s very own and the city loves him.

After the Bulls and Pistons game was over, during postgame, Rose was asked about the Bulls retiring his jersey.

“I’m a product of the city. I’m a son of the city in some way,” Rose said. “Everybody looks at me as their child, or cousin or family member. That’s all I’ve been hearing the last couple of years. It’s not up to me, it’s up to the franchise and up to Jerry and them to decide what they want to do. But who wouldn’t want to be in the rafters? Up there with MJ, Love and all the other guys.

I would love it but it’s not my decision.”

Should the Bulls retire Rose’s jersey? No question about it, they should. Those who would not agree would say he did not play with the Bulls long enough, he did not produce enough, he did not win a championship.

All those statements are correct but there will never be another player like Rose. The Bulls organization and Bulls fans were fortunate to have him. You can argue that when he was healthy, the Bulls without question were a top five team in the league.

Who knows what the Bulls could’ve been if Rose never got hurt? Who knows what Rose could’ve done more of if he never got hurt? No one will ever know, but what we do know is that Rose did something that no other player after him has done; win Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player, selected All-Star three consecutive times, go to four consecutive playoffs and lead his team with the best record in the league. To do that in a four year span, I think that is amazing and it’s not fair to say he doesn't deserve a jersey retirement ceremony because of an injury that he can’t control.

The Bulls have not drafted a potential superstar since 2016, that alone should say why Rose’s jersey should be retired.

He is a once in a lifetime type of player.

Women’s basketball open season against Missouri University Tigers

By Alex Staab courier staff

With the calendars having turned to November, it’s time to officially tip off the basketball season.

The Western Illinois Leathernecks will begin their 2019-2020 regular season with an exciting road matchup, traveling to a power five program in the form of the Missouri Tigers.

Tuesday will mark the second consecutive time that both the Leathernecks and Tigers have tipped off their regular seasons against each other. Western Illinois has not defeated the Tigers since Dec. 7, 2013, their lone win in the all-time 10 game series that began back in 2005. Mizzou won the previous meeting, 89-64, inside Western Hall last season. The last time these two programs squared off in Columbia, Western Illinois nearly won the game, falling 71-68.

The Tigers are fresh off a season that saw them going 24-11 behind the efforts of one Sophie Cunningham, the since-graduated guard who played in the WNBA this past season with legends like Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner on the Phoenix Mercury.

Missouri would go 10-6 in a highly competitive SEC, including teams like Dawn Staley’s South Carolina Gamecocks and the Tennessee Lady Vols, now coached by former Missouri State Head Coach Kellie (Jolly) Harper, but coached by Holly Warlick at the time.

Flash forward to this season, and the Tigers have a recruiting class that’s been highly touted by Western Illinois’ JD Gravina.

“They have the best recruiting class I think they’ve ever had. That’s kind of what I hoped losing Sophie (Cunningham) would really affect them, Aijha Blackwell is a top 10 recruit in the nation. Hayley Frank is a really good player. Both of them have played well.”

Now, despite losing a player like the aforementioned Cunningham, Mizzou hasn’t missed a beat, scoring 215 points in their two exhibition games for an average of 107.5 points per game.

The Tigers do bring back their second-leading scorer in Amber Smith, who averaged 12.4 points per game in the

18-19 season. Smith was also the team’s leading rebounder at 6.9 boards per game.

Mizzou losing Sophie Cunningham can be somewhat lined up with Western Illinois losing Taylor Higginbotham.

They’re both players that have left impressions that they’re irreplaceable, but you can fill in those shoes in bits and pieces, and that’s just what the Tigers have done, with the exception of maybe the three-point shooting, as Amber Smith (who finished third on the team) is the highest on the leaderboard among returning players at 39-106 and 36.8 percent from downtown.

Gravina is hopeful that having the edge in experience can cause problems for the Tigers, with one specific aspect of the Leathernecks’ game in mind.

“They’ll have to play against our matchup zone with some freshmen that we hope we can get a little rattled,” Gravina said.

Western Illinois, like the Tigers, is coming off a pair of exhibition game wins: 78-61 over Maryville and 85-54 over Quincy University.

When Gravina spoke to the media following the win over Maryville, he referred to the Quincy game as a “tryout” of sorts, in terms of the minute’s load and rotations for this new season. He said that came away with good and bad news, and the bad news could really be spun as a good problem to have.

“The good news is, I thought everyone across the board played well. The bad news is, that doesn’t really help my problem of trying to figure out who to play and when,” Gravina said.

Western Illinois had a slow start against Maryville back on Oct. 24, but there were noted improvements against Quincy this past Tuesday. Gravina still sees room for improvement, though.

“I thought still, the first quarter, it took us a little while to get going. We still seemed a little jittery, which is why you want to play exhibition games. I thought that the group that came off the bench did a phenomenal job of getting us going,” Gravina said.

Notable performances from both of those games include Danni Nichols (22 points) and Olivia Kaufmann (20 points)

combining for 42 points against Maryville, and Kyra Washington’s four threes against Quincy, something a Leatherneck hadn’t done since a 94-85 loss to Denver back on February 28th, 2019. Washington was joined by Olivia Kaufmann (14 points) and Annabel Graettinger (11 points), to round out the list of players in double figures.

The Leathernecks head into the game in Missouri on Tuesday with some excitement, no doubt. Gravina says that this is a team he’s “looking forward to.”

“When you look at Mizzou, I mean, their exhibition score against Truman State scared me a little bit, because Truman’s a quality team. They’ll pressure us a lot more, they’ll use their physicality a lot more.

That will be a challenge,” Gravina said.

Gravina also acknowledges that beating a highly competitive SEC team is a tall task, and is prepared for both a bestcase and worst-case scenario.

“It’s one of those games where you don’t have a lot to lose. I’d love to go down there and give them a heck of a game. If it’s not, then we use it as a learning experience and move on,” Gravina said.

Another factor on Tuesday night will be the crowd. In last year’s home opener for the Tigers against Missouri State, the game drew 4,111 fans, and that wasn’t even their largestattended game. Mizzou averaged 4,669 fans per home game in 2018-2019. Just for some perspective, that’s essentially the listed capacity of Western Hall, with the upper foyer stands pulled out as well. Coach Gravina agrees that it will be a hostile environment and is anxious to see how it plays out.

“It’ll be one of the bigger crowds of the year that we’ll play against,” Gravina said. “We’re on SEC Network+, so it’ll be a real quality broadcast. It’s good exposure for our team.

We’ve gone down there and got beat by 30, we’ve gone down there and had a heck of a chance to win and end up losing by three. You see the opportunity in it, without a lot of risks,” Gravina said.

Fans can also look forward to this Friday, Nov. 8, when the Leathernecks officially tip off the home portion of the schedule with a 5:30 p.m. tip against the Culver-Stockton Wildcats.

Men’s hoops take on Indiana University Hoosiers in season-opener

By Christopher Bean assistant sports editor

The Western Illinois University men’s basketball team starts their season tomorrow night on the road against the Hoosiers of Indiana University.

After a disappointing 9-20 regular season, the Leathernecks snuck into The Summit League tournament with a 4-12 Summit League record.

They faced three-time defending Summit League Conference Champions and the No. 1 seed, the South Dakota State Jackrabbits. The Leathernecks played their best game of the year and upset SDSU 79-76, ending the Jackrabbits hopes for a fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance. Not only was it Western’s best upset of all-time, but it was the biggest upset in Summit League history. It was the first time ever that a No. 8 seed defeated the No. 1 seed in Summit League Tournament history. The Leathernecks went on to lose 76-73 to eventually Summit League winners, North Dakota State. Even though the Leathernecks finished 10-21, they enter the season with a lot of momentum.

The Purple and Gold have eight players returning from last years roster, including five players who started games last year, and bring in three new freshmen and four transfers. One of the returning starters is junior Kobe Webster. He enters his third year as a starter and was selected to the Preseason All-Summit League First Team. He led the team in points, assists and minutes last year, and hopefully looks to become the best player in The Summit

League. Seniors C.J. Duff and Jeremiah Usiosefe are two of three seniors on this year’s team. Duff has been a starter the last years, while Usiosefe started his sophomore year, but an injury ended his season earlier, and he became a role player off the bench last year. The other senior is James Claar, who is a nice replacement to Brandon Gilbeck. Gilbeck is the only starter they lost, but is a big one because he helped the nation in blocks last year and was Summit League Defensive Player of the Year. Claar fit nicely at his role last year as a backup, and will look to improve as a starter in his senior year.

Head coach Billy Wright will lead the Leathernecks in his year as head coach since he took over the program in April of 2014. He is 48-94 and has 20 losing seasons. However, in year six, Wright has arguably his best teams he’s had as a head coach.

For the Hoosiers, Archie Miller enters his third year as the head coach at Indiana. Like Wright, he is looking for his first appearance to the NCAA Tournament with his current team, however he made it to the Elite 8 with his former team, the Dayton Flyers, back in 2014.

Western looks to get their highly anticipated season off to a good start on the road against the Indiana Hoosiers of the Big 10. The Leathernecks struggled on the road last year, only winning two of their 16 games on the road. They only play 12 road games, but if they can figure out how to win on the road this year, expect them to compete for The Summit League title.

Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. tomorrow night.

Kobe Webster guards a player on the opposing team.

MYANNA PERDUE