Welsh-Ryan Arena for a whileWelsh-Ryan Arena for a while | Forum

RIO DE JANEIRO -- When Doaa Elghobashy made her debut at the Copacabana venue on Sunday night, she was proud to represent Egypt as part of the nations first Olympic beach volleyball team. Cheap Carlos Zambrano Jersey .As for the hijab that covered her head and the long sleeves on her arms and legs, she never gave that a thought.I have worn the hijab for 10 years, she said after a 21-12, 21-15 loss to Germany. It doesnt keep me away from the things I love to do, and beach volleyball is one of them.Elghobashy and partner Nada Meawad qualified for the Summer Games through a regional competition designed to open the Olympic field to countries beyond the Brazilians, Americans and Europeans who dominate the international pro tour.And when the Egyptians took the court wearing long pants and sleeves, they were the beneficiaries of uniform regulations that were relaxed by the international volleyball federation before the London Games so as not to exclude cultures that might be turned off by the standard bikinis and boardshorts.It was to open it up culturally, FIVB spokesman Richard Baker said on Sunday night as the Egyptians played in their opening match of the Rio Games. The goal was to allow more people to play the sport of volleyball.By one measure, its worked. Baker said there were 169 different countries involved in the Continental Cup qualifying process for the 2016 Olympic, compared to 143 for London.Egypt had never qualified for either the mens or womens beach volleyball tournament at the Olympics.Im proud to be seen raising the Egyptian flag in a carnival with so many nations, Elghobashy said. Cheap Mark Grace Jersey . -- Charline Labonte couldnt have asked for a better homecoming. Cheap Greg Maddux Jersey . Brad Jacobs and his Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., team took control of the game early. http://www.cheapcubsjerseysshop.com/?tag=cheap-kerry-wood-jersey . -- Chicago Bears cornerback Tim Jennings was selected Monday to his second straight Pro Bowl, while guard Kyle Long made it after a solid rookie season. EVANSTON, Ill. -- Bryant McIntosh sees the progress.The star point guard endured a losing season as a freshman and was a big reason why Northwestern set a school regular-season record with 20 wins a year ago.Now as he enters his junior season, McIntosh sees no reason why the Wildcats cant continue their climb.The experiences that Ive gone through the past two years, it keeps telling me its our time, its my time, McIntosh said.The Wildcats are counting on McIntosh to help them continue the progress they have made under coach Chris Collins and maybe -- at long last -- lead them to their first NCAA Tournament. Northwestern went 20-12 overall and 8-10 in conference play to finish ninth in the Big Ten a year ago.In McIntosh , the Wildcats boast one of the Big Tens top point guards.He set a school record with 213 assists and ranked second in the Big Ten -- ninth nationally -- at 6.7 per game last season. McIntosh is also the teams top returning scorer after averaging 13.8 points.I wouldnt trade Bryant for any other guard in college basketball, Collins said. I love the kid. Hes been with me since day one. He committed to us and has been there, and weve given him the ball as a freshman. Hes done nothing but get better and better every year.Here are some things to look for from the Wildcats:STEADY PROGRESSNorthwestern appears to be headed in the right direction, going from 14-19 to 15-17 to 20-12 in Collins three seasons. But the question remains. Can Northwestern, the host of the first Final Four in 1939 -- reach the NCAA tourney?I think you cant let your mind wander to March, Collins said. I think you have to understand the games in November and December are just as important as the ones in late February and early March. Cheap MLB Jerseys. Collins thought the Wildcats were in good position to challenge the NCAA drought last year. Losing forward Vic Law for the season to a shoulder injury and center Alex Olah (foot) missing time damaged their chances.PARDON HIMNorthwestern planned to redshirt center Dererk Pardon as a freshman last season. Olahs injury changed that.Pardon wound up averaging 6.7 points and 4.2 rebounds in 20 games. Now that Olah is gone, Northwestern is counting on bigger things from him.I think hes ready to take that role on. Alex Olah has been such a constant in our program the last four years, three with me, Collins said.LAW RETURNSNorthwesterns NCAA hopes in some ways hinge on Law.The 6-foot-7 forward brings the athleticism and all-around game that could go a long way toward determining how far the Wildcats go. A highly touted recruit, Law averaged 7 points, 4.8 rebounds and shot 35.5 percent on 3-pointers as freshman in 2014-15.TWO TIMENorthwestern needs to find a scoring threat to pair with McIntosh in the backcourt, now that last years leading scorer Tre Demps is gone. That could be up to junior Scottie Lindsey, who shot just under 41 percent on 3-pointers last season. Law might also be a possibility.OVERHAUL COMINGSay goodbye to Welsh-Ryan Arena for a while.The 63-year-old facility is in for a $110 million renovation after this season, with chair-back seats replacing wooden bleachers, premium seating, wider concourses and updated audio and video systems. While the arena gets a makeover, the Wildcats will play home games during the 2017-18 season at Allstate Arena in Rosemont. ' ' '