The College Basketball Experience

KANSAS CITY, Mo., — This town can be a bit boring if you don't know what to do, and I don't know what to do. So I explored "The College Basketball Experience" again, and then spent a good while making a little multimedia presentation.
This way, you too can experience the College Basketball Experience.

Texas Cheerleaders Cheering Well

KANSAS CITY, Mo., — I'm courtside at the Sprint Center, and since the writers from school papersdon't get primo seats, I'm stuck in the corner, just caddycorner from Texas' cheerleaders and dancers.
Texas is putting the finishing touches on OU during the semifinal game — it's 77-49 right now with 2:47 left — and the pom-pom wavers have to get some credit. (FYI, my tongue is firmly planted in my cheek.)
They've taken to calling out individual opposing players by number and picking them apart. Blake Griffin is a favorite target of theirs, and they keep telling him to quit looking at them. It's hilarious.
When they first started with him, he ended up with possession under the basket — and promptly got called for a 3-second violation. He hasn't been the same since.
The Nebraska writer on my right commended them for their passion, and I do too.

And the game is over... Texas advances.

Texas downs Cowboys at Big 12 Tourney

KANSAS CITY, Mo., -- Texas beat Oklahoma State 66-59 at the Sprint Center to advance to the Semifinal round of the Big 12 Tournament.
Damion James came up huge with 11 points and 23 points while D.J. Augustin led the team with 24 points.










By Stephen Durda

Return to my roots

This blog was born in Kansas City, MO during Big 12 Media Days for the 200 football season. Back then, Matt Mosley hadn't caught on to blogging yet, and this was the one and only Hash Marks blog.
Oh well, we can't all be as clever and original as me.
Anyway, I'll be back there on Thursday to cover the Big 12 tournament, and I'll try to update regularly.

Quick recap of Texas basketball awards and recognitions so far:
Rick Barnes: NABC Distict 9 Coach of the Year, All-Big 12 Coach of the Year
D.J. Augustin: ESPN The Magazine First Team Academic All-American, First Team Sporting News All-American, First Team All-Big 12, USBWA All-District VII Team
A.J. Abrams: USBWA All-District VII Team, Second Team All-Big 12
Damion James: USBWA All-District VII Team, Second Team All-Big 12
Justin Mason: All-Big 12 Defensive Team

Thorpe Prediction - Mini Feature

San Antonio—Another year, another Big 12 corner predicting he'll win the Thorpe Award. Aqib Talib from Kansas is this year's culprit.
"I see myself keeping it in the Big 12, taking it from Aaron Ross. I think he'd appreciate that," Talib said.
Talib, who says the Jayhawks gave away four games last year, and should have been 10-2, also said that 9 wins and a berth in the Big 12 title game was a reasonable projection for this year's team. Last year, he said, was a warm up season. 2007 is the real thing.

Dwain Crawford might be the most likeable football player you've never heard of. That probably has something to do with the fact that he's a Baylor Bear, and as a defensive back, he was overshadowed by C.J. Wilson (another Thorpe Award self-nominee) and Anthony Airline.
Unlike Rhett Bomar, it's pretty safe to assume he actually worked at his summer job. The junior works as a rancher, feeding cattle and putting out hay in the Texas sun near Waco.
"That's what I'm used to doing," says the Giddings native, who started working on an oil field at 15.
This is Crawford's second summer on the job. Before that, he was clearing a lot for a realtor. But swinging an ax in the heat of the summer wasn't for him.
"It sucked," he says.
So now he's home on the ranch.
Crawford says he doesn't necessarily need the money; he's just accustomed to holding down a job. But, with a truck to keep running, the money comes in handy.
"It's costing me like 75 bucks to fill it up," he says.

Notes and News

Eight teams will be in Omaha, Neb., this weekend for the College World Series, and not only will Texas be absent for the second consecutive year, but the Big 12 conference isn't sending a single representative.
Texas A&M lost in their Super Regional to Rice, and Oklahoma State was beaten 20-2 by Louisville.
UC Irvine, who eliminated Texas by beating them twice, extended their season for another weekend by sweeping Wichita State.

The Houston Chronicle's Joseph Duarte reports that Texas sophomore safety Robert Joseph will be transferring shortly after being arrested and charged with burglary of a vehicle.
It's hard to say why this keeps happening at Texas, but it's easy to see why they're trying harder and harder to recruit guys that will stay out of trouble. This rash of arrests and incidents should pass soon. If not, Texas will be the new U.

A total of 11 Texas players and six recruits were taken in the draft.
Quick rundown:
RF Kyle Russell — 4th Round (Cardinals)
3B Bradley Suttle — 4th Round (Yankees)
P Randy Boone — 7th Round (Blue Jays)
P Adrian Alaniz — 8th Round (Nationals)
P James Russell — 14th Round (Cubs)
P Joseph Krebs — 14th Round (Reds)
1B Chance Wheeless — 17th Round (Diamondbacks)
CF Nick Peoples — 19th Round (Cardinals)
C Preston Clark — 33rd Round (Cubs)
P Kenn Kasparek — 34th Round (Nationals)
IF Clay Van Hook — 45th Round (Mariners)

The six recruits:
P Brandon Workman — 3rd Round (Phillies)
OF Taylor Grote — 8th Round (Yankees)
OF Runey Davis — 11th Round (Pirates)
OF Kevin Keyes — 26th Round (Rangers)
P Garrett Clyde — 43rd Round (Cubs)
C Cameron Rupp — 43rd Round (Pirates)

It seems odd that the Rangers and Astros combined to draft only of them, Keyes by the Rangers. I think there's something to be said for nabbing the talent in your own backyard, but what do I know.

Oh, if you haven't noticed, Daniel Gibson is the man.