Wednesday, March 22, 2006
I once read a quote about journalists that said, "The overwhelming odds are that at some point someone has opened up the paper and referred to you as 'That idiot.' "
I thought of this a couple months back after covering Hubbard's upset win over Liberty in boys basketball. One of the cardinals rules of journalism is that if you print quotes from a coach named Tom King, you should probably make sure (and I know I'm being a stickler here) Tom King is still the coach.
And, as most people know, he's not. Rick Fox is.
The next day a couple readers contacted me to say:
* Hey, stupid, Tom King isn't the coach anymore.
* Rick Fox is.
* Boy are you stupid.
And you know what? They're absolutely right.
Need more proof? Early in the season, I wrote a story about Ursuline senior named Jerome James. Problem is, Jerome JAMES plays for the New York Knicks. Jerome JONES plays for Ursuline. I also wrote that Ursuline senior Tyra Grant's mom is former YSU standout Wanda Grant, which is absolutely 100 percent true except for the fact that she's actually her aunt.
Why do I mention this? Well, because I needed an opening to this column. But also because I want people to know that this stuff really does bug me. (The mistakes, not the letters.) And because it reminds me of another quote about journalism, "Doctors bury their mistakes. We deliver them to your door."
Individual awardsfrom this season
(As always, these awards are limited to teams I've seen.)
Five favorite boys players to watch: Ursuline junior D'Aundray Brown (fearless going to the hoop), Liberty junior Mychal Doblanski (terrific basketball IQ), Campbell senior Terrance Phillips (nobody's better at getting off a good shot in traffic), Warren Harding sophomore Damian Eargle (arguably the best boys player in the area already) and Warren JFK freshman Desmar Jackson (you might remember his father, Omar Provitt, who had a pretty decent football career at Harding).
Five favorite girls players to watch: Ursuline senior Tyra Grant (I don't really need to write anything here), Boardman sophomore Courtney Schiffauer (the best of a terrific sophomore class), Rayen sophomore Brittney Taylor (doesn't play like an underclassman), Youngstown Christian sophomore Kara Cooper (ditto) and Ursuline senior Tiffani Miller (probably the best defensive player I saw this year).
Players of the year: Grant, Salem senior Tom Jesko.
Coach of the year: Salem's Jeff Brink, who, in his first year, led the Quakers to their first tournament victory in a decade. Two years later, they're district champs. That doesn't happen by accident. Honorable mention: Boardman's Jared Cardillo and Niles' Ron Price. Both did a terrific job. Also, Debra Mann has done a wonderful job with Howland swimming the past few years.
Favorite players to interview: Hubbard sophomore Marc Kanetsky, Brookfield sophomore Morgan Bonekovic, Mineral Ridge senior Wade Campbell, Boardman senior Dave Shilling and Salem sophomore Kelly Roelen.
Favorite coaches to interview: Boardman swimming coach Terry O'Halloran (terrific ambassador for swimming in our area), Canfield's Andrea Linnelli (ditto), Ursuline girls basketball coach Sean Durkin, Campbell boys coach Brian Danilov (also one of the most entertaining to watch) and Boardman girls coach Ron Moschella, who is 10 wins away from 500 for his career.
Best name: Campbell senior Lefty Hazimihalis. Honorable mention: Berlin Hiland assistant coach Chester Mullet.
A few othernotable awards
Favorite place to watch a game: Chevy Centre. Let's play more games here, guys. The worst place is the Canton Civic Center, which charges $5 for parking and has all the ambiance of a cave.
Best game I saw this year: Campbell's regular season boys basketball win over Ursuline, which was terrific from start to finish. (And I got a free pepperoni roll from my new friends Jim and Monica Bellavia, who really do make these things from scratch.)
Best halftime show: Warren Harding's dance team "2 Deep Reloaded".
Best cheerleaders: Rayen. No one else is close.
Five quotesI love the most
"These kids were still thinking about Christmas," said Lowellville boys coach Mike Mangine following a 56-50 loss to Leetonia. "And that's right where they were -- back in Lowellville thinking about Christmas. It's that simple."
After Howland senior Dario Hadzovic scored 38 points in a 63-53 loss to Campbell, Brian Danilov said, "We got him into college tonight. All they have to do is send in this highlight film and he should be in."
Waterloo senior Eric Schiele averaged 42 points this season, prompting Warren JFK coach Shawn Pompelia to say, "He's a freak of nature. He can flat out shoot. I don't care where he is, you better be on him. If he comes out of the restroom you better be there because he'll put it up from there."
"Our guys kept looking for calls, but I thought it was a well-officiated game," said Windham coach Marty Hill, following his team's win over Mineral Ridge in the regional semifinals. This doesn't get said enough. (Danilov doesn't usually complain about the officiating after the game, but he says a lot during the game. My favorite line came when he squatted down next to the press table and said, "I've got three blind mice out here.")
And, finally, in a state-wide conference call, Ursuline girls coach Sean Durkin was asked if, after scouting South Euclid Regina extensively, he was disappointed his team didn't get to face them in the regional final.
"Were we disappointed we didn't play them? I can't say that," he said. "We were surprised. But disappointed isn't the word I'd use."
Ah, honesty. It's a wonderful thing.
Joe Scalzo is a sportswriter for The Vindicator. Write him at scalzo@vindy.com.