Uefa Champions League 2004-05 Crack | Checked
Edel Dieringer
Loaded NIU Wrestling Squad Armed And Ready For 2004-05 Campaign
DeKalb, IL - The loss of a national runner-up can oftentimes send shock waves through the typical collegiate wrestling program. Northern Illinois University head coach Dave Grant has built the Huskies into something far more than "typical" as they enter the 2004-05 season ranked among the nation's elite programs, while being tabbed the "co-favorite" to bring home the Mid-American Conference crown this winter.
Simply put, the Huskies are loaded. Setting out in search of their first outright MAC title in 20 seasons (1984-85), Grant's squad is bolstered by the return of eight starters including a pair of two-time NCAA National Championship qualifiers.
All-Americans have called the Northern Illinois campus home each of the past four seasons, a streak that looks to remain intact with the return of two-time NCAA participants Sam Hiatt and Josh Wooton. Last season, Hiatt came within one win of earning his first All-America honor after racing to his second straight MAC title at 133 pounds. On pace to become a career 100-match winner, Hiatt has dominated the MAC's 133-pound division and looks to join Ben Heizer and Scott Owen as three-time league champions. Although Wooton fell one win shy of his first MAC championship, consider the fact that the Urbana, OH, native jumped up to the 149-pound division after finishing second at 141 pounds as a freshman. Wooton had little trouble adjusting to the upper division, winning all five of his regular-season matches before earning another runner-up finish at the MAC summit.
While Hiatt and Wooton have a lock on the 133 and 149-pound classes, sophomore Andy Hiatt shouldn't be overlooked at 141 pounds. A 20-match winner as a redshirt freshman, Hiatt enters the year the favorite at his weight to bring home his first conference title. Hiatt finished second at 141 last season and was on the "bubble" for an at-large berth to the NCAA's.
Zach Berman is set to begin his varsity career this season and opens the year the Mid-American Conference's No. 4-ranked grappler at 125 pounds. Replacing one of two departed starters from the 2003-04 club (Dave Aranda), Berman is a former National High School Coaches Association All-American and already totes an impressive collegiate resume that includes a win over Kent State's Drew Opfer, the MAC runner-up at 125 pounds, at last season's Michigan State Open. Competing with Berman for time at 125 pounds include Chad Vandiver, who went 5-4 last season as a redshirt and Gralan Early competed in one Mid-American Conference match-up against Kent State, while racking up a 6-5 ledger.
With the Hiatt brothers and Wooton carrying the banner at 133, 141 and 149, NIU rounds out its strength in the lower weight classes with Joe Henning and Alex Nelson at 157 pounds. An unknown quantity for the Huskies at the start of last season, Henning became a solid contributor and finished fourth at the MAC Championships after accumulating a 15-17 overall mark. Nelson moves down a division after finishing third at the league meet at 165 pounds last year. Nelson went 10-11 at that class and could pose problems at 157 because of his size. Four-time IHSA place-winner Tony Catour and Aaron Owen round off a balanced class for the Huskies at 157, while Mike Grimes, Kalen Knull and Justin Metcalfe, comprise a talented group to add depth at 149.
Another new face for NIU will be at 165 pounds, where sophomore Johnny Galloway is slated to be the Huskie starter. An NAIA All-American at Lindenwood College as a freshman, Galloway redshirted the 2003-04 season and is anxious to begin his Northern Illinois career. In addition to finishing second at the NAIA Championships, the Waterloo, IA, native brings an impressive prep resume to DeKalb, IL, that includes three Iowa State High School Championships.
Depth is again the operative word when talking about the Huskies' at 174 pounds. Motivation won't be a problem for co-captain George Kirgan as he looks to rebound from an abrupt ending to his junior season. The team leader with six pins, including two in MAC action, Kirgan suffered a season-ending back injury prior to NIU's Mid-Am showdown with Central Michigan that not only hindered the Huskies a chance at the MAC title, but cost Kirgan his season. Although he missed the final two-weeks of the year, the Granite City, IL, native won 15 matches and enters his final campaign ranked No. 4 in the division. With Kirgan forced to the sidelines, sophomore Danny Burk earned valuable experience and represented the Huskies at the MAC Championships.
Another new starter for the Huskies will come at 184 pounds where a group of three talented performers look to fill the shoes of two-time All-America and 2004 NCAA runner-up Ben Heizer. While it will undoubtedly be difficult to replace an NIU legend, Tyler Bruesewitz, Brandon Check and Derek Lalowski, are all anxious to give it a shot, as they headline Northern Illinois' top contenders in the weight class. The lone participant with varsity experience, Check competed primarily at 197 last season and was 1-6 overall. Bruesewitz and Lalowski both had great redshirt campaigns, going 9-7 and 4-3 respectively. Bruesewitz' top performance came at the Missouri Open where he finished second, while Lalowski earned a fifth-place finish at Mizzou with a 3-2 overall mark.
One of the team's four seniors, Greg Reardon, will lead a deep squad at 197 pounds. The MAC's No. 2 wrestler in the preseason rankings, Reardon battled through injuries as a junior to earn a fourth-place finish at the 2004 MAC Championships. A starting nod won't come easy for the incumbent, however, as Reardon is expected to be pushed by a pair of talented redshirts, Dave Herrera and Derick Hunsinger. Herrera is the most experienced of the two freshmen, racking up a 4-2 mark last year highlighted by a runner-up finish at the Missouri Open. Hunsinger went 1-2 in his three appearances.
One of two true freshmen to see time last season, Joe Sapp made an immediate impact in his rookie campaign at heavyweight, winning 15 matches and finishing third at the Mid-American Conference Championships. Little known around the MAC heading into a key showdown with Ohio, Sapp defeated No. 19 Jeremiah Beltran to not only earn MAC Wrestler of the Week honors, but hand the Huskies a 19-17 come-from-behind, upset win in Athens, OH. Sapp is expected to be pushed by redshirt freshman Murphy Mahalik, who went 4-4 with one pin last season.
Although the Huskies are loaded with returning talent, a successful group of prep wrestlers enters the program as well, with four-time South Dakota State Champion and NHSCA All-American Nick Smith leading the way. Add Smith with Indiana State Champion Chris Miller and Illinois High School Association place-winners Jean-Pierre Akouri, Nick Blackshaw, Jeff Burdorf, Nick McClone, John Weinert and Brad Wisowaty, you can see why Grant is excited about his program's future.
The 2004-05 season gets underway on Nov. 4 with the Huskie "Wrestle-Off" in Victor E. Court. Starting positions at each weight class will be up for grabs in this public showcase that is scheduled to begin at 7:05 p.m. The regular season begins Nov. 13 when NIU travels to the Wisconsin-Stevens Point Open and fans need to circle the 2004 "Showcase Meet" on their calendars, a Nov. 28 battle with the Wisconsin Badgers at the Convocation Center. That contest with Wisconsin is slated to begin at 2:05 p.m. Another schedule highlight leading into the Mid-American Conference schedule is the NIU Duals on Dec. 12 in which the Huskies will face Loras College and the Purdue Boilermakers in Lyons Township High School in LaGrange, IL. The NIU Duals begin at Noon.
Dr. Mahmoud Nourayi, PhD, CPA, CMA, CFM is the Paul Grosch Professor of Accounting at Loyola Marymount University. He earned this distinct honor by dedicating more than 25 years to LMU teaching various accounting courses at the undergraduate and graduate level. He was named Outstanding Accounting Educator by the California Society of Certified Public Accountants. He regularly presents at U.S. and international academic conferences and has served at various times as Accounting Department Chair, Associate Dean of the College of Business Administration, and as facilitator for the LMU Accounting Society.
The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of rule changes by the National Basketball Association on pace, scoring, physicality, and shot selection in professional basketball games. Method: We use regression analysis to examine the trend of various game indicators about the speed and flow, physical plays, shooting accuracy, and shot selection over time. Results: Our findings showed an upward trend in the number of possessions, Points, and Field Goal Attempts in line with the expectation of the NBA league administrators. We also observed a downward trend in the number of Personal Foul calls, Free Throws Attempts, and Free Throws Made after the rule changes and our findings further indicated an increase in relative number of 3-point shots as well as increased shooting precision in 2-point shots. Based on our hypothetical scoring of the games and analysis, about 10.3% of the wins and 6.5% of losses were attributable to 3-point shots. Conclusion: Our analyses indicate that the 2-point shooting percentage (2P%), on average, improved more than that for 3-point shots over time, and the number of personal foul calls, free throw attempts and free throws made declined under new rules over time. Application in Sports: While 3-point shots did not seem to impact the game outcome for most games, it appears that the involvement of the more skilled and agile players has made the game faster. However, shot selection decision by the teams must be based on game conditions and managed by coaches on a game by game basis, perhaps even quarter by quarter, and player by player.
Major rule changes by the Select Committee included the elimination of the illegal defense, effectively allowing the zone defense instead of man-to-man defense. Additionally, the defensive 3-second rule, disallowing the big men camping in the painted area, opened up that area. Teams were allowed 8 seconds to cross the midcourt, down from 10 seconds thereby increasing the speed of the game. At the beginning of 2004-05 season, the league introduced penalties for hand/body checks to further curb excessive physical plays and protect the offensive players.
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