OSU wins Big 12 men’s golf
Oklahoma State clinched the 2009 Big 12 Men’s Golf Championship on the final day at the Prairie Dunes Golf Club in Hutchinson, Kan. The Cowboys (+29) finished the event 14 strokes ahead of Colorado (+43).
Morgan Hoffmann took medalist honors with a 72-hole score of 276 after shooting the lowest round of the championship on the final day (66). He is the second consecutive Cowboy freshman to win the individual title, following Rickie Fowler in 2008.
The win marks the third-straight and seventh overall crown for OSU in league history. The Cowboys’ 14-stroke margin of victory is the second-largest at the event, as they set the record of +20 last year. Colorado’s runner-up finish is its best showing in Big 12 championships. Texas A&M finished in third (+47) while Kansas State (+50) tied its best team finish with a fourth place showing. Baylor (+54) rounded out the top-five.
Despite Bill Allcorn (Baylor) holding the lead through the first three rounds, it was Hoffmann who moved ahead of the standings and claimed medalist honors for the first time in his career. The freshman was four-under thru 17 holes in the second round, and consistently improved his play through the last 38 holes of the event for a final score of 276.
“Yesterday’s round was really when I started playing better,” said Hoffman about his overall performance. “Because of the weather (severe storms overnight), most of the pins were the same as Tuesday, so that certainly played a part and it made the greens play softer. But overall it was just the consistency in my play that carried over to today that played the biggest factor.”
Joining Hoffman and Allcorn on the All-Tournament Team were Robert Streb (KSU), Bronson Burgoon (TAMU), Rickie Fowler (OSU), Pat Grady (CU), Derek Tolan (CU), Andrea Pavan (TAMU), Peter Uihlein (OSU), and Zach Pederson (KU).
Team Leaders_
1. Oklahoma State 293-288-287-281 = 1149 (+29)
2. Colorado 298-283-290-292 = 1163 (+43)
3. Texas A&M 301-284-296-286 = 1167 (+47)
4. Kansas State 304-301-289-276 = 1170 (+50)
5. Baylor 297-293-293-291 = 1174 (+54)
6. Texas Tech 295-304-300-289 = 1188 (+68)
7. Kansas 298-306-290-297 = 1191 (+54)
8. Texas 303-305-306-280 = 1194 (+74)
9. Missouri 310-307-290-297 = 1204 (+84)
10. Oklahoma 310-301-306-288 = 1205 (+85)
11. Nebraska 319-293-300-294 = 1206 (+86)
12. Iowa State 306-308-295-301 = 1210 (+90)
Individual Leaders (All-Tournament Team)
1. Morgan Hoffmann, OSU 71-71-68-66 = 276 (-4)
2. Bill Allcorn, BU 68-71-70-70 = 279 (-1)
3. Robert Streb, KSU 69-75-67-69 = 280 (0)
4. Bronson Burgoon, TAMU 72-68-72-70 = 282 (+2)
5. Rickie Fowler, OSU 74-71-72-69 = 286 (+6)
6. Pat Grady, CU 71-71-70-75 = 287 (+7)
7. Derek Tolan, CU 71-68-74-75 = 288 (+8)
8. Andrea Pavan, TAMU 78-68-73-73 = 292 (+12)
9. Peter Uihlein, OSU 72-71-75-75 = 293 (+13)
10. Zach Pederson, KU 71-76-73-74 = 294 (+14)
Eagle Bank Bowl taps C-USA
The EagleBank Bowl and the DC Sports and Entertainment Commission announced that the 2009 EagleBank Bowl will be December 29 at RFK Stadium starting at 3:30 p.m. The game will be televised live nationally on ESPN for the second straight year.
In just its second year of existence, the EagleBank Bowl will feature Army against the eighth selection from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), a move-up of one selection from last year’s inaugural game. If Army is not bowl-eligible, a team from Conference USA will be selected as the ACC opponent, as mutually agreed upon by bowl organizers and Conference USA. “We sought to build on the success of last year’s game and our plans are moving along as projected,” said Steve Beck, Executive Director of the EagleBank Bowl. “Moving the date of the game after Christmas maximizes our opportunities in attracting top quality teams and ensures that families and football fans can enjoy the game during the holiday season.”
The ACC sent an NCAA record 10 teams to bowl games in 2008 and since becoming a 12-team league in 2005, the league has sent more teams bowling than any other conference.
During the last two seasons, Conference USA sent six teams to bowl games, winning a league-record four in 2008.
As part of its overall mission and in tribute to the nation’s capital and military, the EagleBank Bowl seeks to include a service academy in the game. Navy and Army will alternate years with the third year as a bye for both programs. In the inaugural game, Wake Forest upended Navy, 29-19, on December 20, 2008. The Demon Deacons were led by Butkus Award winner Aaron Curry and quarterback Riley Skinner, the most valuable player of the game.
For more information, visit www.EagleBankBowl.org.
Gene Bartow to Hall of Fame
Legendary UAB coach Gene Bartow has been selected for induction into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. He is among seven members who will be honored in the 2009 class. The induction ceremony will be Nov. 22 at the College Basketball Experience in Kansas City, Mo.
“It’s awfully nice of the committee to honor me in this way,” Bartow said. “I am humbled and very appreciative of this honor. I am grateful to all the people who made this happen. I appreciate all my ex-players and coaches. Without them, this honor would not have been possible.”
Bartow is one of the top college basketball coaches of all time. By the time he retired from collegiate coaching in 1996, he had led teams for 34 years at six universities (Central Missouri State, Valparaiso, Memphis State, Illinois, UCLA and UAB), compiling 647 wins and 12 NCAA Tournament appearances, including two Final Four appearances. In fact, he still ranks in the top 20 among winningest NCAA D-I basketball coaches.
Bartow was at the helm of the UAB men’s basketball program for 18 seasons, compiling a record of 366-203 (.643) during his tenure. He led the Blazers to the NIT in the program’s second year of existence, and followed that up with seven straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including trips to the Sweet 16 in 1981 and the Elite Eight in 1982. In all, he led UAB to 14 postseason appearances, 10 of which were NCAA Tournaments.
Bartow is considered by many as the “founding father” of UAB athletics. As the UAB Director of Athletics from 1977 until his retirement in 2000, Bartow grew an intercollegiate sports program there from its infancy into one that featured 17 sports.
The Browning, Mo. native retired from coaching in 1996, and in 1997, UAB renamed its basketball venue, Bartow Arena, in his honor. The 1989 Alabama Sports Hall of Fame inductee, Bartow was voted as one of the top 10 most influential figures in Alabama sports for the past century by The Birmingham News. He serves as the president of the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies. Bartow is one of two coaches to be inducted in the ‘09 class and is joined by former Michigan State head coach Jud Heathcote. Four players will also be honored by the hall. Michigan State’s Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Indiana State’s Larry Bird, Oklahoma’s Wayman Tisdale and Kentucky State’s Travis “Machine Gun” Grant. Bird and Johnson were previously honored in the inaugural class in 2006.
ORU adds Juco basketball recruit
Javier Nasarre of Barbastro, Spain, has signed a National Letter-of-Intent to play basketball at Oral Roberts University, ORU head coach Scott Sutton announced.
Nasarre, a 6-10, 225-pound forward/center, is the third member of ORU’s 2009 recruiting class. He joins the Golden Eagles after spending the past two seasons at Northern Oklahoma College in Tonkawa, where he helped lead Brett Weiberg’s Mavericks to a 19-11 record and a berth in the Region II playoffs.
“We’re really excited about Javier,” said Sutton. “He has a great combination of size and skill. He’s your typical European big man who can step out and shoot from the perimeter, and that’s something we haven’t had in a while. But he also has good post moves and can finish around the basket.”
Nasarre averaged 8.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.1 blocked shots in 30 games as a sophomore last season. He shot 55.6 percent from the field, including 8-of-25 from three-point range, and 70.3 percent from the free throw line.
Nasarre scored a season-high 23 points in a November victory over Eastern Oklahoma, and finished his season by averaging 16.0 points in the Mavericks’ final three games. As a freshman Nasarre averaged 1.4 points and 1.5 rebounds in 29 games.
“Javier made great strides in junior college,” said Sutton. “He spent two years learning under a coaching staff I really respect. He hasn’t been playing basketball for very long, but he’s proven to be a fast learner. Javier has a chance to be even better once he gets in our program, improves his strength and gets comfortable with our system.”
Nasarre will become the first European to play at ORU since England’s Andy Mathurin (2001-03). Nasarre chose ORU over Central Arkansas, Mercer and Ole Miss.
Oral Roberts 2009-10 Men’s Basketball Signees
• Damen Bell-Holter, 6-10, 245, F/C, Hydaburg, Alaska
• Hunter McClintock, 6-2, 180, G, Durham, N.C.
• Javier Nasarre, 6-10, 225, F/C, Barbastro, Spain