KFDM COOP

Could this happen to football in Texas?? Just think about it?

HS Basketball declining in Indiana. What about football in TX??? In Hoosier state, schools searching for more basketball fans By CHRIS MORRIS THE EVENING NEWS AND THE TRIBUNE (JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind.) NEW ALBANY, Ind. — In 1980, disgruntled New Albany basketball fans walked out of the school’s gymnasium shaking their heads. It was tournament time, and there were not enough sectional tickets to go around following the annual ticket draw. Fast forward 26 years later. The ticket draw lasts less than 30 minutes and there are more than enough tickets to go around. The 8,000 seat Scott Gymnasium at Seymour High School — home of the Class 4A sectional —is less than half full for a tournament which includes New Albany, Jeffersonville and Floyd Central. “It used to be you had to have a season ticket in order to get a sectional ticket,†said longtime Jeffersonville High School season ticket holder Tom Lindley. “Now, that is certainly not the case. Now, 10 minutes before tip-off you can walk up and buy a sectional ticket and get a great seat.†So, where have all the fans gone? Some say doing away with the one-class system took the excitement out of high school hoops. Others point to a loyal fan base which is dying off and no interest among current students. The numbers back up all three reasons. This season, New Albany sold 1,081 season tickets. Of that number, 378 are held by fans 60 or older and only 137 were purchased by students. Around 40 percent of season ticket holders are considered senior citizens. Other area schools’ ticket sales are similar. “It’s been like that for the nine years I’ve been athletic director,†New Albany’s Don Unruh said. Lindley said schools can no longer count on their senior citizen base. “For years and years, you had a built-in audience. All you had to do was roll out the ball and people would be there. But that generation is dying off,†he said. “How do you replace those people? That generation grew up following high school sports. It was primarily — if not the only — social outlet for a community besides church. It was something to do on Friday and Saturday nights.†Now there are other things to do ... especially for the younger generation. Floyd Central Athletic Director Bill Pierce estimates his school sold less than 75 season tickets to students this year. “We still get decent crowds for Friday games, but it’s hard to get kids to come back for Saturday night games,†Pierce said. “I don’t know if they work, go to the movies or what.†Jeffersonville Athletic Director Tony Branch said season ticket sales were a little less this year than last year, but didn’t have specific numbers. However, he said there seems to be more fan interest in the girls’ team this year. The Jeff High girls are ranked No. 2 in the Class 4A poll. “Last year there was a lot of buzz going around because we got off to a fast start and had a new coach,†Branch said of the boys’ team. Even at smaller schools, getting students to come to the games can be a challenge. “It’s a good following, but it’s not as good as it should be,†Providence Athletic Director Mickey Golembeski said of student support. “More and more, kids work today and there is a lot more for them to do. We’re in the computer age ... 25 years ago you didn’t have a lot of the things that are pulling kids away from games today. “There are so many computer gadgets for them and they would rather stay home and go on MySpace or play Nintendo.†Forty and 50 years ago, high school games were the big events of communities across the state. Now, there are malls to walk through and numerous clothing and fast food establishments to work at or visit. And, as Golembeski said, video and computer games to play. “I used to go to all of the games, but I have only been to one this year and that was the Floyd Central game,†New Albany senior Amanda Warren said. “I go to the big rivalry games, but I have a job now. A lot of kids work.†One Jeffersonville senior, however, still attends every game. Brittany Taylor plays in the school’s pep band and has to attend at least six home games a season. However, she attends them all — not only because she loves to play the trumpet in the band, but she also enjoys rooting for the Red Devils. “I play at all of them,†she said. But, she admits, others are not so loyal. “It depends on who we play,†she said. “If it’s a big rival, a lot of students come to the game. A lot of kids work on the weekend, want to have their weekends free or do homework. And some play other sports so they can’t come to the games.†While many students only attend the big games, the senior citizens — the students of yesterday — have remained loyal to their teams. Take New Albany fan Charles “Boots†Bensing, who has been attending games since the mid-1930s. He said he has missed only one football or basketball game in the past 30 years. “It’s my life,†Bensing, 85, said. “The students don’t go anymore. When I was a student, I would get all excited about the game. “Your (fan) base is predominately senior citizens today. We have a very good fan base compared to other schools.†Unruh agrees. “They have been so loyal to New Albany basketball through the years,†he said of the older fans. “I don’t think there is another school who gets the loyal and supportive backing like we get. There has really been a special connection between the community and the basketball program here.†Pierce said other factors also come into play when trying to attract young and old fans. He said area teams just aren’t as good as they used to be. “We may get an occasional big crowd if a good player comes in or if they want to see the new coach. I don’t think we’ll see consistent sellouts until another Damon Bailey (the state’s all-time leading scorer) comes along,†he said. Pierce said he is trying to schedule games with more local schools to help increase the crowds. Athletic directors all agree that boys’ basketball helps fund the other sports. They all depend on that revenue. “I think people are under the impression that we get money from the school corporation. They pay coaches and take care of the building, but other than that we are self supporting and basketball ticket sales help support all the programs,†Unruh said. Chris orris writes for The Tribune in New Albany, Ind.

Durant and young 'Horns head into Big 12 play AUSTIN — For Texas and its crew of talented freshmen, the last two months were a fun, sometimes frustrating, always exciting, introduction to the season. Now comes the hard part with the start of Big 12 Conference play. Kevin Durant and crew are about to learn what it takes to survive in a tough, physical league. The Longhorns (10-3), last season's Big 12 co-champs, open conference play Saturday at Colorado (4-6). "This is when it gets really intense. This is a different level of play," said sophomore guard A.J. Abrams, the old man in a starting lineup with four freshmen. "Last year there were a lot of veterans on the team. This year is going to be different." So far, the Longhorns have been a textbook study of the steps talented freshmen take in adjusting to the college game. The Longhorns lead the league in scoring but rank 11th in points allowed. They are undefeated at home with a tough win over old Southwest Conference rival Arkansas. They went to New York City and beat St. John's but lost to Michigan State. They went to Arizona and got blown out by then-No. 22 Gonzaga. They beat No. 14 LSU — the team that knocked the Longhorns out of the NCAA tournament last season — in Houston, but also blew a big lead in an overtime loss at Tennessee. For every step forward, the kids were forced to take a step back. Coach Rick Barnes said his team must be more physical to win the rugged Big 12. "Right now, it's on," Barnes said. "We know what conference play brings." Texas knew it would be an up-and-down season when freshmen would be expected to fill the rather large void left when P.J. Tucker, Daniel Gibson and LaMarcus Aldridge left school early for the NBA after last season. The Longhorns still opened the season at No. 21 thanks to a recruiting class that ranked among the best in the country, mostly because of Durant. Long and lean, the 6-foot-9, 225-pound Durant has been every bit as good as expected, showing the ability to score from just about anywhere on the court. He's been arguably the best freshman in the country, with team-leading averages of 21.5 points and 10.2 rebounds. No Texas freshman has led the team in scoring and rebounding for a season. He likely would have jumped straight from high school to the NBA if the league hadn't imposed a minimum age limit. Instead, he's been named the Big 12 rookie of the week four times in what figures to be his only season in burnt orange. D.J. Augustin has been dependable at point guard with flashes of brilliance. He scored 25 points against LSU and has given the Longhorns the solid play they sometimes lacked at that position last season. The Longhorns also start freshmen Damion James and Justin Mason. After playing Colorado, the Longhorns face Missouri and Oklahoma at home, then go on the road to Oklahoma State and their last nonconference game at Villanova. A rough January wraps up with Nebraska on the road and Baylor at home. "They'll find out," Barnes said. "This will be one of the hardest months they ever go through."

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Congrats to all the Winners!

His Brother Chris Stump.

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If anyone is going to this game please PM me for my cell number for updates.Thanks

Looks good.

Who ever goes to this game i need updates. PM me for my cell..Thanks

Stats would be great, thanks.

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Goalie gets Aeros start Two players have left the Texas Wildcatters hockey team since New Year's Day, but Wildcatters coach Malcolm Cameron expects one of them to return today. Goalie Miroslav Kopriva made his first start this season Thursday with the Houston Aeros and is the fourth Wildcatters player within the last two weeks to play for an American Hockey League team. Cameron said he expects Kopriva to return to the Wildcatters in time for the first game of the team's three-game series against Columbia that starts tonight at Ford Arena. Also gone is rookie forward Casey Lee, who left the Wildcatters to return to school, Cameron said Thursday. Lee will attend the University of Saskatchewan, where he will play hockey. Rules in Canada give hockey players until Dec. 31 of their first professional season to decide if they want to return to school without losing amateur status. After Dec. 31, a player can regain amateur status by sitting out a year. Lee, 21, had a goal and two assists in 19 games. The Wildcatters have played the last five games without J.F. David and Marco Rosa and one game without Kevin Baker. All three are high-scoring players and are with AHL clubs. Kopriva has a professional contract with the National Hockey League's Minnesota Wild organization. The Aeros are the Wild's AHL affiliate. Kopriva has been called up to Houston several times this season but never played until Saturday, when he had 10 saves in 25 minutes. He returned to Beaumont earlier this week but was sent to Houston for Thursday's game. Kopriva played 12 games with Houston last season. With Kopriva, the Wildcatters have 18 active players on its roster.

[Hidden Content] EC vs. Kountze a measuring stick Ben West had to sit and listen to it. He had no choice if he wanted his hair cut on Thursday. The Kountze boys basketball assistant coach had to constantly defend the Lions while men, that included his own barber, gave their reasons why East Chambers had the better team. It was the price he had to pay - along with a few dollars - for getting a hair cut in his current hometown of Winnie. "It gets crazy in the barber shop," said West. "Everyone in there has something to say about who is going to win the game, but it's just something I have to deal with." Kountze plays East Chambers at 7:30 p.m. today in Winnie. It will be the first match up between the schools this season. "It's going to be a good game," West said. "We (Kountze) want to get the win, but we don't focus on just this game." West, who is a 1993 East Chambers graduate, is even related to a member of the Bucs squad. West and Bucs guard Preston Guillory are cousins. "I have to hear about Kountze and East Chambers playing on a daily basis," West said. "We don't knock the coaches or any of the faculty at East Chambers, but we handle each game one at a time. We treat every game like a playoff game. We look at it as if you lose you go home. Our goal is to win every game that we play." The roots of the current competition between Kountze and East Chambers date back to 2005 when the Lions dropped from Class 3A to 2A. Kountze was fresh off a Class 3A state championship, so most expected the Lions would run circles around their 2A competition. But East Chambers gave Kountze a big reality check when the Bucs beat the Lions 78-76 in their first district meeting that year. East Chambers won only one of four meetings, but the interest among fans still grew with each game. The schools' district playoff game drew nearly 6,000 fans to the Montagne Center that year. "I think the fact that we beat them the very first time we played cracked some emotion for the community," said East Chambers coach Hank Hargraves. "We showed Southeast Texas that we could play with the best of them. And even though we haven't beaten them since, we still have that win, and we know that it can always be done again." While some say the schools are developing a rivalry, both coaches believe it's too early to be called one. But both agree it's a highly anticipated game. "Some people are making it into a rivalry," said Kountze coach Duane Joubert. "I know their community is making a big deal about it, but it's just another game for us. When you worry about one team too much you can slip up and someone else can beat you. I don't look past anybody." Hargraves prefers to take it one game at a time, as well. But Hargraves admits his team is looking forward to playing Kountze. "This is definitely a game our kids are excited about playing," Hargraves said. "Kountze is No. 1 in the state and they are in the same region, so we consider it more of a measuring stick to see where we are. Both state champions from the last two years came from our region." Since East Chambers' victory in 2005, Kountze has won the last five meetings. The most notable victory came later in 2005 when Kountze beat the Bucs 92-77 in the Class 2A, Region III finals. The Lions went on to win their second consecutive state title. "I think from Day 1 when you get a ranking in the state everyone will be gunning for you," Joubert said. "I think if East Chambers can beat us it is a move in the right direction for them." East Chambers enters the contest 15-6 overall and 2-0 in district. Kountze is 15-4 and 1-0. "It's going to be a good game," Joubert said. "They've got a good basketball club and so do we. We both want to win, so it's going to be a fight until the end."

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kogt.com Bridge City Little League has been given permission from Little League, Inc. to offer Little League Softball to all the girls in Orange County. Registration will be held at Hatton Elementary, located on West Roundbunch, from 10-3 on January 13th and 20th. All girls’ ages 5-12 can play Softball this year in the Bridge City Little League. Your age, on December 31st, 2006 determines your League age. Please contact Brigg Patterson, League President at 697-1440, or Brad Thibodaux at 792-0393 for more information.

kogt.com McNeese State’s defending Southland Conference champion baseball team has been ranked 47th in Collegiate Baseball’s pre-season poll for 2007. A year ago the Cowboys posted a 35-20 overall record and won the SLC title with a 22-8 mark. The Cowboys lost only a few players from last year’s team and have the bulk of the starters returning including Danny Davis who was named the SLC’s pitcher of the year in 2006. Among the other players returning are outfielder Charlie Kingrey who led the team in RBIs and home runs last season, infielder Bryan Cartie who topped the team in batting average, infielder Shon Landry (LCM) who was tops in stolen bases and pitchers Derek Blacksher (BC), Chris Denton and Sam English. Landry and Blacksher landed on the All-SLC second team. Landry was also named to a freshman all-America squad. The Cowboys open their schedule Feb. 9 in the UT Pan American tournament where they will play Cal-State Northridge, Oklahoma State and the host team.

Entire team is on sticky above.

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'Stangs Scott sporting stellar senior season Gabriel Pruett The Orange Leader WEST ORANGE — It is hard to believe for West Orange-Stark’s Brittney Scott this year is her fourth season playing basketball for the Lady Mustangs. “B. Scott†has been around so long, this reporter has left the Orange Leader and come back lucky enough to find Scott still terrorizing other opponents in ways sometimes unseen in girl’s basketball. Over in Livingston last weekend Scott, who sports the No. 11 on her jersey, poured in 134 points in four games. That included 42 in a loss to Kirbyville and another 33 in a win against Channelview. In a double overtime loss to District 21-3A front-runner Silsbee, Scott was out of her mind with 43 points. “I call her All-World,†West Orange-Stark Coach Callie Orebo said. “She does not care what defense the opponent is in, she passes them right up. She does not care.†Maybe one of the major points driving Scott this year in her final campaign for the Lady Mustangs is 2006-07 is the first year WO-S is her team. Scott shared the load with Brittany James the first three years she was on varsity but James graduated last year and moved on to the University of North Texas. Now Scott has the ball in her hands and has the entire spotlight on her own shoulders. “I love the challenge of being the main leader,†Scott said. “I like seeing teams get in a Box-and-1, even Silsbee did it, and I like being the person who gets past it and scores. You have to have that kind of attitude to be successful.†The Lady Mustangs are sitting at 2-2 in the district loop with a surprising opening game loss to Hamshire-Fannett and the loss to Silsbee. After tonight’s home tilt against Jasper, the road stays tough for WO-S as they travel to Orangefield next Tuesday and then are back home for Bridge City next Friday. “We have definitely lost a few games we should have won,†Scott said. “There are still plenty of district games left on the schedule to get things moving in the right direction. This is a very tough district. On Wednesday we practiced for three hours and today (Thursday) we are going for four hours. This is the week we will get it together.†Scott has shown the strength and ability through the first of the season to score in any manner needed. She can hit the three, drive for a lay up, stop and shoot a mid-range jumper or get to the free throw line and drain a few from the charity stripe. Also in her arsenal of tricks is a nice passing game that gets any of her teammates involved, which is just the way Scott likes to cap her night off. “My No. 1 goal this season was to get my teammates more involved,†Scott said. “That means I needed to pass out more assists and just become a better overall leader. Now as a team we have to become more focused and start taking instructions better. If we start to do those two things, we will be unstoppable.†Orebo has been impressed with the way Scott has performed this season with so much attention being paid to her when having the ball in her hands. “She makes everyone a better player,†Orebo explained. “She has the ability to create for the team and for herself. I know she could score even more if she wanted to. They said at the first of the year she could not do it by herself, well she has done a pretty nice job so far. Of course she misses James and a few others from the past years but Scott has been determined to prove she can do it without them.†Starting tonight, Scott will have 10 more district games to shine for the Lady Mustangs and get WO-S back into the playoffs before getting ready to pack for the University of Houston.

Latest NBA All Star Ballots NEW YORK, Jan. 4, 2007 – Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets and Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers lead the Western Conference, while LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat lead the Eastern Conference in votes received after the third returns of 2007 NBA All-Star Balloting presented by T-Mobile. Through the 2007 NBA All-Star Balloting program, NBA fans from around the globe are responsible for voting in the starters for the 56th NBA All-Star Game, which will be played in Las Vegas on Sunday, Feb. 18. The game will air live on TNT, ESPN Radio and in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. Yao leads all players with 1,629,832 votes. The Minnesota Timberwolves’ Kevin Garnett leads all Western Conference forwards with 947,040 votes, followed by San Antonio’s Tim Duncan (852,827). Bryant (1,386,477) and the Houston Rockets’ Tracy McGrady (1,205,510) lead all Western Conference guards. Currently in third place among Western Conference guards is Allen Iverson (1,157,031), who was acquired by the Denver Nuggets from the Philadelphia 76ers on Dec. 19. Since Iverson was traded to a Western Conference team after the All-Star ballot was unveiled, his Eastern Conference votes will be applied to the conference in which he now plays. James leads all Eastern Conference players with 1,587,738 votes, followed by Wade (1,191,403). The Toronto Raptors’ Chris Bosh (589,829) is second to James among Eastern Conference forwards. The New Jersey Nets’ Vince Carter (867,437) is second to Wade among Eastern Conference guards. Miami’s Shaquille O’Neal leads all Eastern Conference centers with 1,013,747 votes, followed by the Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard (789,950). Fans have the opportunity to vote at all NBA arenas, in 20 languages on NBA.com, on AOL.com/nba, at 1,250 T-Mobile-owned retail locations and at t-zones using T-Mobile service or wap.nba.com for any wireless carrier. Fans will be able to vote at several locations in Las Vegas, the host city of NBA All-Star 2007, including the Las Vegas Convention Center, Fremont Street and the Thomas & Mack Center. For the first time, 13 NBA team arenas will also carry a Spanish-language version of the ballot. T-Mobile is the presenting partner of 2007 NBA All-Star Balloting program. This year’s other All-Star Balloting partners include 2K Sports, AOL.com, XBOX, GameStop & EB Games. NBA All-Star 2007 is a week-long celebration that enables fans to experience the thrill of the world’s greatest athletes playing the game they love and features a full slate of community-enhancing activities and fan festivals such as NBA All-Star Jam Session. The 2007 NBA All-Star Balloting program continues through Jan. 15, 2007 for paper balloting and Jan. 21, 2007 for online balloting. Updated results for the Eastern and Western Conferences will be issued regularly leading up to the announcement of the All-Star starters on Thursday Jan. 25 prior to a TNT doubleheader. Following the completion of fan voting and the starting line-up announcement, the head coaches in each conference will vote to determine the remaining All-Stars in their respective conference, which will be announced Thursday, Feb. 1 prior to a TNT doubleheader. In conjunction with All-Star Balloting, 2K Sports will give fans the chance to live out their Las Vegas hoop dreams by entering the Official Balloting NBA 2K7 All-Star Sweepstakes for a chance to win a trip to NBA All-Star 2007 and play 2K Sports NBA 2K7 on XBOX 360 against an NBA player. In addition, T-Mobile will promote their Fave 5 Sweepstakes by offering fans a chance to bring their favorite five friends to the 2007 NBA All-Star Game. 2007 NBA ALL-STAR BALLOTING EASTERN CONFERENCE Forwards: LeBron James (Clev) 1,587,738; Chris Bosh (Tor) 589,829; Jermaine O’Neal (Ind) 531,531; Paul Pierce (Bos) 382,287; Grant Hill (Orl) 331,931; Rasheed Wallace (Det) 299,296; Andre Iguodala (Phi) 260,993; Tayshaun Prince (Det) 200,065; Emeka Okafor (Char) 186,445; Chris Webber (Phi) 173,572. Guards: Dwyane Wade (Mia) 1,191,403; Vince Carter (NJ) 867,437; Gilbert Arenas (Wash) 647,281; Jason Kidd (NJ) 490,622; Stephon Marbury (NY) 347,994; Chauncey Billups (Det) 244,236; Michael Redd (Mil) 192,280; Joe Johnson (Atl) 160,280; Steve Francis (NY) 155,676; Richard Hamilton (Det) 136,946. Centers: Shaquille O'Neal (Mia) 1,013,747; Dwight Howard (Orl) 789,950; Ben Wallace (Chi) 451,575; Alonzo Mourning (Mia) 155,605; Zaza Pachulia (Atl) 130,301; Andrew Bogut (Mil) 108,321; Zydrunas Ilgauskas (Clev) 88,979; Nazr Mohammed (Det) 73,139; Eddy Curry (NY) 68,445; Nenad Krstic (NJ) 62,550. 2007 NBA ALL-STAR BALLOTING WESTERN CONFERENCE Forwards: Kevin Garnett (Minn) 947,040; Tim Duncan (SA) 852,827; Dirk Nowitzki (Dal) 794,581; Carmelo Anthony (Den) 769,491; Shane Battier (Hou) 539,714; Shawn Marion (Pho) 283,766; Lamar Odom (LAL) 275,327; Josh Howard (Dal) 256,409; Carlos Boozer (Utah) 217,872; Pau Gasol (Mem) 198,075. Guards: Kobe Bryant (LAL) 1,386,477; Tracy McGrady (Hou) 1,205,510; Allen Iverson (Den) 1,157,031*; Steve Nash (Pho) 869,645; Chris Paul (NOK) 276,477; Jason Terry (Dal) 267,698; Manu Ginobili (SA) 256,362; Tony Parker (SA) 242,929; Ray Allen (Sea) 221,003; Jerry Stackhouse (Dal) 220,385. Centers: Yao Ming (Hou) 1,629,832; Amaré Stoudemire (Pho) 610,444; Erick Dampier (Dal) 246,918; Mehmet Okur (Utah) 189,778; Marcus Camby (Den) 154,712; Brad Miller (Sac) 81,424; Francisco Elson (SA) 71,114; Tyson Chandler (NOK) 69,851; Chris Mihm (LAL) 69,840; Chris Kaman (LAC) 67,430. * The Philadelphia – Denver trade involving Allen Iverson was completed after the media panel’s deadline for selecting the ballot and therefore Iverson is listed on the ballot as a member of his prior team. For tabulation purposes, Iverson’s votes will be counted towards the Western Conference totals.

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