LeBron James aging impacts career

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LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers scores against Paul George of the Indiana Pacers during the second half of Game 3 in the National Basketball Assocation playoff series. The Pacers fell 119-114 to Cleveland on Thursday April 20. (Darron Cummings/AP Photo)

We have all witnessed the highs and lows of LeBron James’ career after he entered the National Basketball Association in 2003, when he was drafted No. 1 overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers.  

If we’ve ever seen a low point in James’ career—on the court—it was in his first year with the Miami Heat in 2010, or in the Eastern Conference finals, when James and the Heat faced off against the Boston Celtics in game five. 

The inhuman prodigy in his athletic prime, who averaged over 25 points per game that season, made only three shots in game five, as the Celtics would go on to cruise to a 120-88 victory in 2010. The Heat would continue on to defeat the Celtics and eventually lose to the Dallas Mavericks in six games in the NBA finals.

Speculation after these playoffs occurred due to the supernatural expectations of James, especially now that he was on this ‘super team.’  Was there an injury that we did not know about or some off the court distraction that James had endured? What if there was an easier explanation? What if James was just tired? 

The man who basically made the Cavalier organization relevant again, taking them to their first NBA finals in team history in 2006-07, may have just been tired. 

The fact was that after James chose to leave Cleveland, his own city, most of all of the sports world hated him. That would take a lot out of most people, but he dealt with it, going on to win two NBA championships with the Heat and once with the Cavs.  

And as the King gets older, currently at age 32, we have to ask the question again: does he have enough left in the tank? 

The Cavs bragged earlier this season about having a cutting-edge system that put players into various categories of fatigue, which we should believe was mainly for James.  It was supposed to be a way to manage his minutes and to keep him healthy so that come playoff time, he would be ready.

But as the Cavs dwindled in the East, James did everything but rest. Losing 15 of their last 26 regular season games, the team was on edge. By the end of the season, James led the NBA in minutes per game, the opposite of Cleveland’s stated goals. Not only does he play a high number of minutes, but also when he’s out there, it’s arguable that no team relies more on a player than the Cavs depend on James. The Cavs win with James and they lose with James.

Sure, they have Kyrie Irving, who is inevitably one of the best—if not the best—point guard in the NBA. They have knock-down shooters on the wing with Kyle Korver and J.R. Smith. And then they have Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson working low on the boards, both being able to step out of the perimeter and to knock down jumpers. 

When push comes to shove, if James doesn’t show up, the Cavs might be able to win a few games, but it is very unlikely that they will be able to win another NBA championship.

Knightline emphasizes talent, school spirit

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Senior chemistry major Jess Bataglia leads the way for her fellow dancers during their performance at Relay for Life. The Knightline crew has been asked to perform at a wide variety of campus events, allowing them to become more well-known among the students. (Annalee Bainnson/Assoc. Photo Editor)

The semester might be winding down, but the Geneseo Knightline crew is in full swing. 

Geneseo Knightline is a high-powered, energetic dance team that consists of approximately 28 women.  

The dance team does several performances on campus, including basketball games, hockey games and occasionally lacrosse games. The women generally perform during halftime at the varsity games, maintaining the crowd’s excitement. The team also performs at non-athletic events, such as Relay for Life, admission events and other events around campus.  

“We do jazz routines, fast upbeat fun stuff and a kick line … we’re basically the Rockettes,” junior co-captain Taylor Gerner said jokingly.

The team is a selected group of girls who must audition before joining. 

“We have tryouts at the beginning of every year,” junior co-captain Renee Katafiaz said. “Knightline is something that you need previous experience for.”  

Geneseo does not fund the team, so when it comes to uniforms and studio time, it is all on their own dime. Due to the lack of funds, the team rarely participates in tournaments or competitions. Since most of the competitions are out of state or far away, it is difficult for the team to get the funds to compete and participate in them. 

“We pay for everything,” Katafiaz said. “Uniforms are all us, and we have to book our own studio time.”  

But that does not stop the team from being dedicated and hard-working. They have practice twice a week on Sundays and Tuesdays, for which attendance is mandatory. Knightline is a selective group of girls; to have all 28 on the same page, they must practice together. 

The dedication to the program has helped it grow in popularity over the past few years. 

“My freshmen year was the first time we performed at hockey games,” Katafiaz said. “Before, it was always doing the basketball games and sometimes lacrosse games if the weather worked out and then that was it.”  

Not only have they grown in popularity in terms of the amount of events they perform, but more people on campus seem to recognize them. 

“How well we’re known on campus has grown,” Katafiaz said. “The amount of events we get invited to perform at has definitely increased a lot.”

What is unique about the team is that they create all of their own choreography, with no help from an instructor. Not only do they do their own choreography, the captains also do pretty much everything—analogous to being a quarterback for the team.

“Captains pretty much do everything,” Katafiaz said. “All the administrative stuff, booking studio time, choreography, running practices and running the performances.”  

“We have a faculty advisor,” Gerner said, “but they’re just there just so that we can be an organization.”

Because of the close-knit group, both captains said that the hardest part about the whole thing is staying focused while practicing with their best friends, where being authoritative can be a challenge.

Nevertheless, their hard work has shown to pay off, as the Knightline performances are something that students look forward to at any event. The women provide an extra sense of school spirit and positivity at all of the events they perform at.

Men’s club lacrosse attracts new players

The Geneseo men’s club lacrosse team has started the year out strong. In their first three games, they have gone 2-1, with two of those victories coming from SUNY Fredonia. Their only loss was against St. Bonaventure University.

With a successful 2016 season and a good start to their spring season, junior accounting major Mel Ackley is content with where the team is at right now—especially since the team is still relatively new.

“We’re pretty happy with the 2-1 record,” Ackley said. “We’ve come a long way since we really picked up the team last fall.”

Formerly known as the Geneseo Lumberjacks, the club lacrosse team has recently changed their name to the Geneseo Land Sharks. The Land Sharks have been expanding their roster as the campus grows more aware of their league.    

“The interest level has really spiked … we’ve had a lot more guys being vocal about it,” Ackley said.  “Over the past year and a half we’ve seen a lot of growth, and it’s amazing to see.”

Though they may only be a club sport, the team is here to compete. With two hour practices two days a week, the men want to make sure that they have ample time to get everyone ready for the games. Despite students’ busy schedules, come game time, everyone is supporting each other. 

“We really do want to compete,” Ackley said. “Sometimes it is tough to get everyone to come out [for practice] because it’s a tough school—they’re busy. But a lot of the time we do have a good showing at practice, and when it comes to the games we’re all there supporting each other.”

The team has about 35 active members, including some who have never played lacrosse until this year—but that does not mean that they do not get playing time.  

“We do have guys that have never played before,” Ackley said. “We’ve got a couple guys that started about a year and a half ago when we first started, and they’ve been playing since then. They’ve really started to pick the game up.”  

The team has been fortunate enough to gain a few players from the varsity team who wanted a more relaxed lacrosse environment. The wide variety of skill level that makes up the Land Sharks results in a fun, yet competitive learning experience for the men.

Since the team is a club sport, they do not have a coach; rather, the team captains and more advanced players take initiative and act as the coaches. Even with the number of players on the team, the players are able to keep a good foundation, which is led by their team leaders and captains, according to Ackley.

Alongside the club’s president senior midfielder Pat Vullo, Ackley also described junior goaltender Connor O’Shell as a big part of the team’s success.  

“He’s a big leader out there,” Ackley said. “He’s very good and he knows the game really well, so we’re glad to have him.”

Looking forward this year, the team is trying to host a tournament on the Geneseo campus. Their aim is to gather 10 other teams from around the area to compete in the tournament, which would be an exciting experience for both new and seasoned players. The Land Sharks aspire to use this as a great opportunity to show off their hard work to their peers.

Women’s basketball earns “Together We R” award

It was a record-breaking season for the Geneseo women’s basketball program, and it was recently capped off with a much-deserved team award.  

The team was honored with the “Together We R” award, given out by Russell Athletic and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. The award is given out to a team that overcomes unforeseen barriers during the current season and finishes the year with accomplishments that exceed expectations.  

The team must exemplify strong commitment to core values of togetherness, courage, unparalleled work ethic and heart, and must personify the “Together We R” belief that teams are stronger than individuals.  

“The determination and perseverance the players, coaches and families showed is a perfect demonstration of what we can endure when working together as a team,” said Russell Athletic Vice President of Marketing Matt Murphy.  

The “Together We R” award is a national honor—any team in any division is eligible to receive it. The Knights share the honor with the Northwestern University’s women’s basketball program. This is the second time in just 11 months that the Geneseo women’s basketball program has received this award.  

“Everyone associated with these programs came together to ensure they had the support needed to continue,” Murphy said. “Russell Athletic is proud to recognize SUNY Geneseo and Northwestern University with the ‘Together We R Award.’”

In terms of wins, the program saw its best season in school history. The Knights finished 25-0 in the regular season and earned a No. 1 seed in the SUNYAC Tournament.  

The girls went on to lose a hard-fought battle in the SUNYAC championship game to SUNY New Paltz, 58-57.

The Knights bounced back in the NCAA Tournament, beating Muhlenberg College in the first round, 65-53, and then beating the University of Rochester in the second round, 78-72. The Knights reached their second sweet 16 berth in three years before falling to Ohio Northern University, 72-55.

The women earned their highest national ranking in 20 years at the end of the year. The Knights were selected 13 in the Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Association NCAA Division III Top 25 and 14 in the D3hoops.com Top 25 poll.

Their previous best was in the 1994-95 season when they finished 15 in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association and 16 in the D3hoops.com Top 25.  

Head coach Scott Hemer, who just finished his 10th season as the Knights’ head coach, led the Knights. The two-time SUNYAC coach of the year was also named the Rochester Area Coach of the Year. 

“Scott Hemer and Joe McKeown [Northwestern’s head coach] have demonstrated exemplary leadership … Scott and Joe’s commitment to their student-athletes and their families are a testament to the power of their calling as coaches,” WBCA Executive Director Danielle Donehew said.

On top of that, senior guards Kara Houppert and Katie Durand earned first-team selections on the Rochester Chapter of the United States Basketball Writers’ Association Division II and III teams. Houppert was also selected as a D3hoops.com All-Region second teamer.  

The Knights hope to keep the momentum going as they look to next year and strive for another great season.

United States wins World Baseball Classic Championship

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The eagle statue, which represents the United States, is placed on the pitcher’s mound to celebrate the U.S. victory over Puerto Rico in the final for the World Baseball Classic. The 8-0 victory for the U.S.  marked their first World Baseball Classic Championship. (Mark J. Terrill/AP Photo)

The World Baseball Classic finished up its fourth running on March 22 with a United States victory. The U.S.’ 8-0 victory over Puerto Rico in the championship game gave the U.S. their first World Baseball Classic championship.

For the first time, the total attendance at the WBC rose to over 1 million attendees this year. The final between the U.S. and Puerto Rico—and its 2.3 million viewers—was the second most watched telecast on Major League Baseball Network ever. It was also streaming on ESPN2 in Spanish, which drew about 800,000 viewers, making a total of roughly 3.1 million viewers.  

The last final in 2013 between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic only drew about 1.1 million viewers. 

We have now seen four World Baseball Classics since its debut in 2006—each one being better than the last. Just looking at its television rankings can prove this. Hosted all around the world in cities like Seoul, Tokyo and Miami, the tournament provided a great foundation for baseball to reach an international scale that anyone can enjoy.

When many thought that this year might be the last WBC due to its low viewers and low ratings, the world of baseball turned it around with what turned out to be a great tournament for all who participated and watched. Thus, it’s hard to believe that there won’t be another until 2021.

Focusing on this year and not the future, however, the U.S. started off with wins in two of their first three games in group play. This included victories against Colombia and Canada. In that span, they also lost to defending champions, the D.R.  

The U.S. followed up with the same record in the next round. With a victory over Venezuela to start off the round, the U.S. then lost to Puerto Rico 6-5—making their next game against the D.R. a must-win to get into the single elimination championship rounds.

The U.S. came from behind against the D.R. and in the bottom of the fourth took a lead they would not relinquish. The 6-3 victory over the D.R. was capped off with an impeccable catch by U.S. outfielder Adam Jones to rob D.R. infielder Manny Machado of a homerun.  

The win secured the U.S. a spot in the semifinals and a matchup against powerhouse Japan.  

With a great all around pitching effort, the U.S. secured a 2-1 victory over Japan and advanced to the finals, where they faced unbeaten Puerto Rico.  

There, the U.S. showcased a stellar performance by Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Marcus Stroman, who pitched a no-hitter into the seventh inning, struck out three and only walked one hitter. Stroman—who decided to pitch for the U.S. instead of Puerto Rico—led the U.S. to the WBC championship and was named tournament MVP.  

The 8-0 win gave the U.S. its first WBC championship. It is not only a stepping-stone for baseball in general, but also for baseball in the U.S.

Club baseball excited for spring season

 With spring just around the corner, America’s pastime is in full swing. Coming off a 6-3 2016 season, Geneseo’s club baseball team, the Mudcats, are looking to build off their success. With series scheduled against St. Bonaventure University and Niagara University to start off the season, the men are excited to get back into the swing of things.

“We’re excited to have everyone back from last season as well as a new incoming freshmen class this year,” senior co-captain Adam Murray said in an email interview.

And with club baseball being such a large team and organization, Murray describes the upperclassmen as having an essential role in making sure the club runs smoothly. 

“We have a core group of upperclassmen that will be graduating this year,” he said.  “These guys have really kept the team together and have developed it into what it is today.”

These upperclassmen and co-captains have had a significant part in picking which players are to play in the games. Roster construction tends to be a difficult process because of the amount of players participating—but they do their best to pick a fair roster that can compete, according to Murray.

“With so many players on the team, it can be difficult to make sure that everyone is able to get in a fair amount of playing time,” Murray said. “We generally prioritize players that attend practices frequently, as well as put forth a considerable amount of effort. At the end of the day, if you show us that you want to be here and want to play hard, that speaks volumes to our coaching staff.”

Even though baseball is a club sport, the Mudcats are here to compete. Over thewinter months, the team is able to pick time slots in the Kuhl Gym for practices to prepare them for the upcoming season. When the season shifts to spring and warm weather ensues, the team likes to take advantage of the weather by practicing outside as soon as possible.  

“Although the weather in Geneseo doesn’t generally lend itself to an early spring season for baseball, we make the best of it,” Murray said.  

The one thing that is unfavorable for the baseball team is that Geneseo’s campus does not have a full-size regulation baseball field. The team tends to hold outside practices at Highland Park on what Murray described as, “less than adequate facilities.”  

Not having a regulation-sized field prompts the team to play their home games at Livonia High School as their adopted home field. Nonetheless, the team is looking forward to a great season no matter where they are playing, especially for the seniors and upperclassmen.  

“For a handful of us, this semester will be the last time we step on the diamond while playing competitive baseball,” Murray said.  “The time and commitment that these gentlemen put forth is encouraging, and I look forward to seeing this trend of growth continue for years to come.”

Men’s basketball falls to Oneonta in SUNYACs

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Senior guard Jonathan Cohen rushes past SUNY Cortland in search of an open teammate. The men advanced in the SUNYAC Tournament where they lost to SUNY Oneonta 89-73. (Ash Dean/Photo Editor)

The Geneseo men’s basketball team had an inconsistent weekend, claiming one win and one loss. The Knights played SUNY Oswego on Friday Feb. 17 and SUNY Cortland on Saturday Feb. 18. 

The Knights fell short to Oswego 80-75 and despite the short time between games, defeated Cortland 75-73 the next day. Oswego sits atop the division, while Cortland sits at the No. 4 seed in the division. 

In the Oswego game the Knights were only down by one, entering the half 35-34.  Oswego, however, opened the second half on a 26-12 run, which gave them their largest lead of the game at 14. The Knights fought back and chipped away for the entire game, cutting Oswego’s lead to five with 2:16 remaining, but the Knights comeback campaign was not enough after Oswego made four of six free throws down the line. 

The next day, however, was the game that the Knights were looking for. A victory over Cortland on Saturday gave the Knights the 6th and last spot in the SUNYAC Tournament.  

The Knights battled the entire game, squeaking out a two-point 75-73 triumph despite Cortland having a chance to win with a shot at the end of the game. Senior guard Justin Ringen netted a team high of 20 points, while junior guard Kevin Crockett scored the Knights last seven points to secure the victory. 

“We got a good win against a good Cortland team … it was a game that we had to win to get into the playoffs,” head coach Steve Minton said. “We’re obviously very thrilled about that and happy to get to be practicing yesterday and today.”  

While the Knights did shoot 50 percent from the field and hit 17 three-pointers—which was just one shy of their season high—it was the defense that Minton was most proud of.  

“We were better defensively than we have been in the last several games,” Minton said. “I was really happy with our defense, happy how we executed some new things that we put in this week.”

The Knights have had a fluctuating season overall. Going into the SUNYAC Tournament, they held a record of 14-11 and had the No. 6 seed in the conference and in the tournament.  

Out of their 11 losses, seven of those have come with a loss margin of six points or less, two of which have come from the hands of SUNY Oneonta—their opponent on Tuesday Feb. 21 in the first round of the SUNYAC Tournament.  

But despite all of the close losses, the Knights have remained optimistic and positive throughout the entire season. 

“We’ve got some pretty good leadership at the top—guys who are motivated and love to be able to compete,” Minton said. “I think our guys can appreciate where they were and what opportunities they had in each of those games.”

The Knights fell to Oneonta, however, on Tuesday Feb. 21, knocking them out of the SUNYAC Tournament and ending their season with an overall record of 14-12.  

Senior guards Ringen, John Decker, Jack Eisenberg and Jonathan Cohen played their final game and will be missed next season.  As the team looks forward to next season, key contributors like Crockett, freshman guard Tommy Eastman and sophomore guard CJ Burke look to build on this year’s 14-12 record.

Track & field sets records at Valentine Invitational

It was a historic and record-setting weekend for the Geneseo men’s and women’s track and field teams at the Valentine Invitational hosted by Boston University. The Knights competed in a large competitive field filled with a wide variety of top athletes from Division III, II and I. 

There were many Knights that stood out at the meet in Boston, including junior distance runner Isaac Garcia-Cassani, who finished the mile run with a time of 4:05.39.  It is the second fastest time in the mile in Division III this season. 

Among the entire field, which consisted of 270 athletes—ranging from pro to Division II—he finished 15th. On top of that, Garica-Cassani’s time is now the fastest mile ever run by a Geneseo male athlete by four seconds. 

Senior sprinter Connor Christian finished the 400-meter with a personal best of 49.37, which is also good for a program record—he finished 41st overall. 

Other records were being set on the women’s side as well. Senior jumper Alexa Wandy had a personal best while setting the school record in the triple jump with a jump of 40 feet and 2 1/4 inches, which is the second best triple jump this season in Division III. Wandy’s jump landed her a 5th place finish.

Wandy was also a part of the women’s 4x400-meter relay team consisting of junior jumper Camille Wutz, junior sprinter Lauren Bamford and senior mid-distance runner Mackenzie Ross—also breaking a program record with a time of 3:55.10. 

On top of the relay record, Wutz and Bamford made their own imprint within the Geneseo track program’s record books. 

Wutz previously held the program record for the 60-meter, but broke her own record, finishing with a time of 7.93, which was good for 21st overall. In the 400-meter run, Bamford finished with a time of 58.41, which meant yet another Geneseo program record.  

Overall, there were six program records set over the weekend in Boston making for a successful week.  

The track team now sets their sights on the Brockport Invitational starting on Feb. 24. 

“A big part of this upcoming weekend at Brockport is giving those who need one more opportunity to qualify the best chance to do that,” head coach Chris Popovici said. “Since we’re perusing a team title, the more people we get to the SUNYAC’s, the better opportunities there are to score points.” 

Coming into the final stretch of the winter season, Popovici said he is satisfied to know that the atmosphere around the athletes is beneficial. The team often looks to their upperclassmen to set an example and to be leaders, especially late in the season.  

“We’ve seen this sort of family-like atmosphere develop,” Popovici said, “Everyone who’s an upperclassman and passed through the program sort of takes on the idea of leaving it better than they found it.”

Track invitationals act as prequel for SUNYACs

The Geneseo men and women’s indoor track and field teams had another busy week.  Both the men and women sent athletes to the Rochester Institute of Technology Tiger Invitational in Rochester and the Tufts Cupid Challenge in Boston, as well as the Ithaca Bomber Invitational.   

It was a long weekend for both sides of the team, but according to head coach Chris Popovici, it was extremely beneficial.  

“We were really happy to get all of those opportunities,” he said. “Some of the meets had better competition for certain event groups than others and different types of facilities.” 

The majority of both teams competed in the RIT Invitational. At Ithaca, the team brought their multi athletes who compete in the heptathlon and the pentathlon, which combine both field and track events. The team also brought a few of their long jumpers to Ithaca as well.  At the Tufts Challenge, the team brought their top long distance runners. 

The track team’s performance was highlighted by sophomore distance-runner Elise Ramirez, who ran the 5,000-meter with a time of 17:16.48, which was enough to name her Female Athlete of the Week at Geneseo. The run also put her at the sixth fastest time in the country this year, as well as the third fastest time in program history. 

Behind Ramirez were senior runners Marissa Cossaro, who finished fourth with a time of 17:25.32, and Sara Rosenzweig, who finished sixth with a time of 17:47.44.  

Other notable performances include senior jumper Alexa Wandy and junior jumper Camille Wutz, who finished first and second in the long jump at the Ithaca Invitational, respectively. Wandy came in first with a score of 18 feet 6 inches and Wutz—who came in second—jumped 18 feet and 2.5 inches. Both women have competed at nationals before and are looking for the opportunity to compete on the same stage again.  

In the same meet, sophomore multi-event athlete Shayna Held came in first place in the women’s pentathlon with a score of 3,034 points, which is a personal best. Held also had personal bests in the long jump and the 800-meter during the pentathlon and tied her personal best in the high jump.

On the men’s side, junior distance-runner Isaac Garcia-Cassani finished first in the mile with a time of 4:10:04. Garcia-Cassani won the race by nearly eight seconds and finished with the third fastest time in Division III this year. 

Looking forward, the men and women are both preparing for the upcoming SUNYAC Championship and then the NCAA Division III Championship.  

“The number one thing is getting everyone fresh physically and excited and focused mentally,” Popovici said.  “That’s a goal of ours as a program—that we go to that meet [SUNYAC Championship] expecting to have our best performances of the year individually and if we do that … we put ourselves in a winning position.”

Super Bowl Predictions: Patriots vs. Falcons

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Quarterback Tom Brady of the New England Patriots answers questions during a press conference for the National Football League Super Bowl 51 on Monday Jan. 30. (David Phillip/AP Photo)

Déjà vu comes quite frequently when discussing the New England Patriots and the Super Bowl. Sunday Feb. 5 will mark the ninth time the Patriots will play in the Super Bowl in their franchise’s history—a National Football League record.  It is also the seventh appearance for starting quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick, an NFL record in both positions, respectively. 

The Patriots were tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Seattle Seahawks for the odds on favorite to win the Super Bowl at 8-1 before the beginning of the 2016-17 season, according to the Westgate SuperBook in Vegas. 

With veteran starters on both the defensive and offensive sides—like cornerback Malcolm Butler and wide receiver Julian Edelman—and with the key offseason pickups of important contributors—like tight end Martellus Bennett and wide receiver Chris Hogan—the Patriots were poised for another long playoff push.  

What has really driven the Patriots this year, however, is the “next man up” policy.  Of course, while most teams say that they have it, no team embodies the concept more than New England. When Brady was suspended for the first four games of the season, the Patriots went 3-1 during his absence. 

Their biggest and most popular target—tight end Rob Gronkowski—went down earlier this season with an injury and was declared out for the season. So during the American Football Conference championship game, Hogan—who only averaged over 17 yards per game receiving this year with only four touchdowns—served to help the team by breaking out with a stellar performance, netting 180 yards receiving and two touchdowns. 

The Patriots know how to win and they’ve been doing it for years. And on top of all their success, Brady now can potentially have commissioner Roger Goodell—the man who suspended Brady for the four games in the first place—hand him the Lombardi Trophy.  

This may provide an extra asset for the Patriots, for if we’ve learned anything from Rex Ryan’s antics against New England over the years, it’s that you don’t give Brady and Belichick any extra motivation to win a football game. Most of the time, they’ll take advantage of it.