End of Era as Marauders Athletic Architect Al Bortke Set to Retire ismarck, ND ? After 36 years, longtime athletic director, men's Basketball coach and hall of famer Al Bortke will officially grace the halls and playing floors of the McDowell Activity Center for the final time on June 30 as Bortke begins
HBO Hung episode guide for July that tells the story of a well-endowed former high school legend turned struggling middle-aged high school teacher and basketball coach, who figures out a way to use his best asset. The series stars Thomas Jane, Jane Adams, Anne Heche, Sianoa Smit-McPhee
Sarah Palin resigns as Alaska governor dollars, go down the drain.? A former sports journalist known as ?Sarah Barracuda? when she played high school basketball, Palin said it was ?time to pass the ball for victory.? In leaving her post before the end of her first term, Palin, the
Sarah Palin to resign as Alaska governor this month full-court press right now on the national level picking apart a good point guard,' Palin said, using a basketball analogy. Palin complained during the unsuccessful 2008 campaign about having her comments 'filtered' by the mainstream media. Visit
Los Angeles officials brace for Michael Jackson memorial Friday urged fans who do not win a ticket in a random drawing to stay away from the basketball arena where the singer will be memorialized. Organizers have set aside a total of 17,500 tickets through an Internet-based lottery for the televised service at
Kentucky's Calipari Is the New King of the Court When it Comes to Salaries work?In May, the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics recommended a cap on salaries of Division I men's basketball and football coaches to curtail the spiraling spending of college athletic departments. The Knight Commission pointed out that
Palin to Resign as Governor of Alaska ends in 2010. Palin, 45, did not take questions after her announcement, but compared herself to a good basketball point guard facing 'a full court press from the national level.' 'She knows exactly when to pass the ball so that a team can win,' Palin
WSU Gets 6-foot-10 Recruit Bjornstad Bjornstad, a two-time All-State forward from Columbia River High School in Vancouver, Wash., called Bone to accept a basketball scholarship at Washington State. I called him this morning, Bjornstad said. He said, Have you made your decision? I said,
Pistons fire Curry Auburn Hills, MI (Sports Network) - Detroit Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars did an about face Tuesday and fired head coach Michael Curry. 'This was a difficult decision to make,' Dumars said in a statement released by the team
Young amputee at home recovering (1503) is gone, there is a lot of stuff I will be able to do, Watson said. Cheerleading, volleyball, basketball and softball. And, I will be able to go swimming. That will be a while from now though, Amanda Watson added. The highlight of Watsons one-week stay
Top Recruits Like Greg Oden Show They're Prime-Time Players
Greg Oden, Conley and Gordon impress on national TV
By Jeff Rabjohns
After his past two nationally televised games, Greg Oden admitted to being a little nervous at the start, in part because of the disruption such a situation causes. Previously, he was ushered through television interviews the afternoon of a game, sitting in front of a bank of lights with reporters he didn't know and technicians running to and fro.
Prior to Thursday's game at North Central telecast on ESPN2, there was none of that. And there was no stopping Greg Oden.
With a dozen family members in attendance from his hometown of Buffalo , N.Y. , the 7-foot center scored 23 of his game-high 33 points in the first half as Lawrence North built a huge lead and held off the Panthers 78-59 in front of a frenzied, sold-out crowd at the 3,200-seat North Central gymnasium.
In the best of his three national television appearances, Greg Oden also had 12 rebounds, four blocked shots and three assists. He shot 13-for-18 from the field and 7-for-8 from the line. He hit a jumper and a mini-hook on a spin move, but most of the time he was able to get position on the low block for layups and dunks.
"My teammates were getting me the ball," Greg Oden said. "They did a great job of taking their man's pressure off me and that got me one on one. When I'm one on one, the coaches ask for me to shoot the ball."
The two-time defending Class 4A state champions also got 18 points from senior point guard Mike Conley.
Illinois-bound North Central junior guard Eric Gordon scored 23 of his 27 points in the second half. In his first game on national television, Gordon shot 10-for-25 from the field, including 2-for-9 from 3-point range. He was 2-for-11 in the first half as North Central fell behind 38-19. He did have a spectacular blocked shot of an alley-oop to Brandon McDonald.
With three of the nation's top-ranked players on the court in Greg Oden, Conley and Gordon, the game drew plenty of famous faces.
Ohio State coach Thad Matta, who gets Greg Oden and Conley next year, and Illinois coach Bruce Weber were part of a crowd that also included five members of the Colts -- Tarik Glenn, David Thornton, Larry Tripplett, Aaron Moorehead and Troy Walters.
Greg Oden's father, Greg Sr., and the rest of his family contingent from Buffalo sported baseball caps they had made with "Oden 50" in Lawrence North colors.
Gordon spent most of the night being chased by McDonald, a 6-2 guard.
"Brandon McDonald doesn't get as much credit as he should," Greg Oden said.
"He played great defense. (Gordon's) a great player, and he's going to get his. But Brandon was out there chasing him, and in the first half you had great help. I give Brandon all the credit for this game."
Greg Oden was unstoppable in the first half with 23 points on 9-for-10 shooting and 11 rebounds.
The top-ranked Wildcats, who improved to 14-0 and pushed their winning streak to 30 games, led by as many as 23 points early in the third quarter. No North Central player other than Gordon scored more than seven points.
"We knew that defense was going to control the game," Conley said.
"We knew if we played good defense, the offense would take care of itself."
Behind Gordon, who also guarded Conley in the second half, Class 4A No. 6 North Central (11-3) went on a furious rally, getting within 58-49 a minute into the fourth quarter. Gordon had 13 points in the third quarter and hit 5-of-6 shots during one stretch, but the Panthers suffered the same fate as Saturday, an 80-66 defeat to Lawrence North in the final of the Marion County Tournament.
"We just got so far behind," Gordon said. "We had a little run in the second half, but it's tough to come back on a team like that. It's hard to score inside with Greg in the paint. We lacked intensity at the start, and that hurt us."
Turkoglu to join Blazers Portland a huge front-line going into the 2009-10 season as he would join 7-foot-1 Joel Przybilla or 7-foot Greg Oden at center, and 6-foot-11 LaMarcus Aldridge at the power forward spot
Turkoglu to join Blazers Portland a huge front-line going into the 2009-10 season as he would join 7-foot-1 Joel Przybilla or 7-foot Greg Oden at center, and 6-foot-11 LaMarcus Aldridge at the power forward spot. Copyright 2009 The Sports Network
Turkoglu To Join Blazers Portland a huge front-line going into the 2009-10 season as he would join 7-foot-1 Joel Przybilla or 7-foot Greg Oden at center, and 6-foot-11 LaMarcus Aldridge at the power forward spot
Turkoglu to join Blazers Portland a huge front-line going into the 2009-10 season as he would join 7-foot-1 Joel Przybilla or 7-foot Greg Oden at center, and 6-foot-11 LaMarcus Aldridge at the power forward spot
Turkoglu To Join Blazers Portland a huge front-line going into the 2009-10 season as he would join 7-foot-1 Joel Przybilla or 7-foot Greg Oden at center, and 6-foot-11 LaMarcus Aldridge at the power forward spot
Turkoglu to join Blazers Portland a huge front-line going into the 2009-10 season as he would join 7-foot-1 Joel Przybilla or 7-foot Greg Oden at center, and 6-foot-11 LaMarcus Aldridge at the power forward spot
Turkoglu to join Blazers Portland a huge front-line going into the 2009-10 season as he would join 7-foot-1 Joel Przybilla or 7-foot Greg Oden at center, and 6-foot-11 LaMarcus Aldridge at the power forward spot
Turkoglu to join Blazers Portland a huge front-line going into the 2009-10 season as he would join 7-foot-1 Joel Przybilla or 7-foot Greg Oden at center, and 6-foot-11 LaMarcus Aldridge at the power forward spot
