more people with varsity sports experience in the review process, sa | Forum
miaowang123
Jan 26 '18
OKLAHOMA CITY -- The San Antonio Spurs never believed Serge Ibaka was out for the Western Conference finals, even after the Thunder said they expected him to miss the rest of the playoffs with a calf injury. Antonio Brown Jersey . Looks like the Spurs might have been on to something. The Thunder said Friday that their defensive standout now is day-to-day after his strained left calf showed improved movement and stability and a significant decrease in swelling. The Thunder have missed Ibaka badly as San Antonio has raced to a 2-0 lead in the series, and his possible return gives the Thunder hope as they prepare for Game 3 on Sunday in Oklahoma City. "His progress in the last several days has been surprising," Thunder general manager Sam Presti said. "I dont think any of us thought wed be standing here talking about this. Were grateful that we are." Well, maybe no one with the Thunder expected it. The Spurs certainly did. "We knew he would be back, and thats good," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "Nobody would wish that on anybody to miss a playoff. Weve had guys miss playoffs before. Its obviously a downer. If he gets back in -- and Im sure he will, as Ive said from the beginning -- I think its great." Ibaka was injured in Game 6 against the Los Angeles Clippers, a Western Conference semifinals series-clinching win on May 15. He is averaging 12.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in the playoffs while shooting 62 per cent from the field. Presti did not say if Ibaka would be available for Game 3, just that he could not be ruled out. Presti said he felt it best to be forthcoming with the change in the situation. "It would be convenient to not provide the information, and if he were ever healthy enough to play in a game, to release that an hour before the game," he said. "But in this case, we dont think that was the way to handle it, because previously, we had deemed him out. And we cant deem him out." Ibaka, a 6-foot-10 forward, led the league in blocked shots during the regular season and erased many of Oklahoma Citys defensive mistakes. Without having to deal with Oklahoma Citys primary rim protector, San Antonio scored 66 points in the paint on 67 per cent shooting in a 122-105 win in Game 1. The Spurs followed up with 54 points in the paint on 66 per cent shooting in a 112-77 blowout in Game 2. Ibaka also provides balance for Oklahoma Citys offence with his mid-range jumper and an ability to finish close to the hoop when defences focus on Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. "Big difference," Spurs guard Danny Green said. "Obviously, one of the best defensive players in the league. Alters everything around the basket, rebounds, and also, of course, he can knock down shots. So youve got to respect him. Hopefully, if he does come back hes not as fresh, hes a little rusty." San Antonio said it will not make adjustments based on the news. "Were going to try to do the same thing," Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said. "Its not like were going to change the game plan for him. For sure, hes going to give them another big body that can be a presence in the paint, block shots and make some jumpers, but our idea will be the same." Presti said Oklahoma Citys medical staff would like to see Ibaka go through game-like conditions before allowing him to return. So far, he has done low-impact training -- light drills and light shooting. Conditioning could be an issue and even if he returns its unclear how much he would play. "Were still focusing on trying to beat the Spurs without him playing," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "That has not changed. I know hes listed as day-to-day, but he is out until Im told differently." Thunder centre Kendrick Perkins said Ibaka could not have erased all the defensive mistakes the Thunder made in Game 2. The Spurs shot 50 per cent from the field and made 9 of 23 3-pointers. "Hes a key guy, but at the end of the day, we shouldnt be getting beat this bad," Perkins said. "In my opinion, even if we would have Serge the last game, the way we played, we still would have lost." Artie Burns Jersey . -- Aaron Rodgers looked fine on the practice field Thursday. Eli Rogers Jersey . Finlands Kari Lehtonen made 26 saves to lead Dallas over the Phoenix Coyotes 2-1 Saturday night. He received plenty of help from the Stars defence and got goals from Ray Whitney and Russias Valeri Nichushkin.VANCOUVER -- Milan Dragicevic is determined not to go down without a fight. Dragicevic, coach of the University of British Columbia varsity mens hockey team, is on a mission to keep his program going as its future remained in doubt Tuesday. The school announced 16 teams, from the current 29, that will play next season -- but mens hockey wasnt among those approved. "It was really disappointing, obviously -- disappointing for the players, disappointing for the program, disappointing for the alumni -- and all the hard work thats (been done) for this program for the last 100 years," said Dragicevic. "And for (university administrators) to even consider putting this program as a non-varsity (program), its a slap in the face, I think." UBC has played a key role in Canadas national hockey development. The late Father David Bauer and former UBC athletic director Bob Hindmarch established the first Canadian national team on campus in 1963. The universitys sport review advisory team is in the midst of examining the athletics department and determining which teams should stay at the varsity level. The fate of the 13 other teams will be decided at the end of February, giving Dragicevic and the programs supporters about six weeks to save the mens hockey program. Teams receiving a passing grade include: womens ice hockey and womens field hockey, mens and womens basketball, mens football, mens rugby and womens volleyball. "Mens hockey is gonna stay," said Dragicevic. "I have a feeling that its going to stay. Im very confident, and as I told all the players today, our alumni group is a very powerful group. They support our program. It doesnt matter about wins and losses. Its all about player development and development for life afterward." Administrators contend the varsity teams annual budget, which has been raised by $200,000 to $6.4 million, is insufficient for so many high-performance teams. "We simply could not have gone on with 29 varsity teams," said Louise Cowin, UBCs vice-president of students, during a news conference. "And, its not just a question of financial resources." Cowin added that UBCs athletics program was on "an unsustainable path" and other Canadian universities have been struggling with the same issues. She pointed to the University of Toronto, Queens, Carlton, University of New Brunswick, Trent and Brock as examples of post-secondary institutions where the number of varsity teams has been reduced. But Dragicevic called his teams omission from the approved list "shocking" given hockeys popularity and rich history in Canada. "Its Canadas national sport," said Dragicevic. "Weve been around for a long time. It kind of blows your mind that they would consider this, when you look at the tradition and the community involvement that we have. At the end of the day, I believe theyre gonna say hockey is a no-brainer to keep at the varsity level." The approvals came after teams submitted reasons why their programs should coontinue. Robert Golden Jersey. The mens field hockey team is also determined to retain its varsity status after missing out in the first stage. "I thought we fit the criteria very well," said Arif Virjee, a player who with the team who also sits on UBCs athletes council. He cited players strong academics, national team representatives and the teams long history as factors in its favour. "Weve had national team players stretching back to the 1950s," he said. Virjee, who is in his last year at UBC, feels mostly for young players who hope to continue with the program. "This is my last year at the university," he said. "I think its more disappointing for first and second-year players. They made choices in coming here. They have to make some decisions going forward." Other notable omissions from the approved list include womens soccer, even though UBC is a national soccer training centre that Canadian womens team coach John Herdman has pledged to use for training and player development, mens and womens golf and mens baseball. The baseball team has supplied a number of players, including pitcher Jeff Francis, to the major leagues and Canadas Olympic team. Varsity teams are being graded on a number of criteria set out by the university, including success in competition, coaching strength, history, alumni support and even attendance, which is traditionally low for most sports on campus. Cowin and Ashley Howard, UBCs managing director of athletics and recreation, were surprised that 16 teams passed the first stage of the review. They had expected fewer teams to qualify. Howard said the approved teams made the based on their current situations and decisions were not based on new alumni funding support. But, she said, new funding programs will be considered for teams seeking to be approved as part of the second stage. The review process has generated strong opposition from some alumni and current donors with many concerned some teams are being unfairly targeted for their high cost and lack of recent success. Derek Swain, head of an alumni group who has been battling to keep programs alive, was not impressed with what he heard at the news conference, contending that administrators have not been as transparent as they claim to be. He said the administrations plan has been "highly flawed" while the review has "an unnecessary and divisive process." "Im hopeful though that they got the message that varsity athletics are very important and theyre very important to the community at large," said Swain, a former UBC basketball player. Swain said alumni groups are planning to withhold donations to the university if teams lose their varsity status. He said its important to recognize that former varsity athletes contribute more to the universitys general coffers than other graduates. But Swain, who criticized administrators for not including more people with varsity sports experience in the review process, said hes hopeful that some programs can be saved. 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