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Western Carolinian Volume 73 Number 03

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  • April 1, 2008 : Western Carolinian SPORTS Page 12 Moose Returns to Carolina Jason Lineberger Sports Writer As an array of off-season , moves are made in the National Foot- ball League, the Carolina Panthers are in the middle of it all. Teams are taking a look at last years season and what players they should keep or let,go to better their | franchise. Its the unpredictable world F of free agency where teams try to find newly released talent and do asome re- leasing of their own, One player, quarterback Da- vid Carr, did not make the cut. Carr, who came in for injured quarterback Jake Delhomme last season, struggled greatly as the Panthers stumbled to a 7-9 record last season. Carr, a highly touted rookie out of college, spent five seasons in Houston as a starter. His term there was marked by an array of sacks and interceptions, much like his short tenure with Carolina. With Jake Delhomme looking to make his come- back next season, Carolina felt it best to send Carr packing. Though Carolina begins getting rid of past talent, they are also looking to other free agents that can better help their team. One marquee player is for- mer Panther Muhsin Moose Muham- Moose on the field. Photographed by: Jason Lineberger mad who was drafted by Carolina in 1996. Moose spent nine seasons with the panthers and helped them go to the Super Bowl in the 2003 season. Devel- oping himself one of the top receivers in the league at the time, Muhammad set standards becoming the Panthers all time leader in receptions with 578, and receiving yards with 7,751. He is also tied for first in touchdown recep- tions with 44. After his stint in Carolina, Mu- hammad was signed by the Chicago Bears where in three seasons compiled ~ just twelve touchdowns and did not make the impact he did in Carolina. Muhammad didnt adapt quite as well in Chicago, failing to reach a thousand yard season, something he did three times while in Carolina. The Panthers took full advan- tage of his release, feeling that Muhsin, being familiar with former coaches, players, and schemes, can help the Pan- thers rebound from a tough season and get them back on the right track. Being used to a teams mentality and leader- ship can be key when forming team chemistry and cohesiveness. In other NFL news, receiver Randy Moss who had a remarkable 2007 season in New England, resigned with the Patriots after some speculation he may find a home elsewhere. Finally, legendary quarterback Brett Favre announced his retirement after seventeen seasons and establish- ing himself one of the greatest players in the history of the league. Bretts de- cision to retire left some shocked after nearly reaching the Super Bowl with the Packers last season. As free agency takes its toil, the NFL draft is also quickly approach- ing, leading teams to decide what holes need to be filled and what top college talent is awaiting. The draft is sched- uled for April 26-27. - Keith Hoping for Strong Postseason Tournament Run her final season with the Cata- mounts, Chavon Keith is aiming Jor a strong run in the postseason tournament Ryan Sarda Sports Writer The Catamount womens bas- ketball team made a strong run in the Southern Conference Tournament, but came up just short of winning the championship when they fell to the Chattanooga Mocs 71-59. It was the final Southern Confer- ence Tournament for seniors Monique Dawson, Ashley Pellom, Jessika John- son, and Chevon Keith. Keith really wanted to win the SoCon Tournament Championship so that the graduating class could play in the NCAA Tourna- ment in their final year, much like they did in their first year. It was a great feeling to play in the championship game again. Its what our team had worked hard for throughout the entire season and it was just disappointing to have the same outcome as last season. We wanted this game so bad, but sometimes things just don't work out the way you want them to, said Keith, who pulled down eight points and snagged seven rebounds in her final SoCon Tournament appear- ance for the Cats. _ If the Catamounts had won the SoCon Tournament Championship, then they would have been a lock for an NCAA Tournament berth. Now, they have to play the waiting game to see if they have enough wins to make it to the NCAA or if they will be playing in their second consecutive Womens National Invitational Tournament. This season, Keith was the only Lady Catamount to play and start in all 33 games and averaged 8.2 points and led the team in rebounding with an average of 8.7 per contest. She also was third on the team in assists (2.4 per game) and steals (1.4 per game). Despite her impressive num- bers, Keith is never satisfied with her performance because she always sees something that she could improve on. She believes that there were times when she felt that she could have stepped up and done more for the Lady Cats. As a senior, I think I could've been a better leader for our team and could have also been more aggressive on the court. I'm never satisfied with my performance, so I'll always think of something I could've done better. I can say that I did put my heart and soul into _every single game, said Keith. The Catamounts currently hold a 25-8 overall record and only time will tell whether or not the 25 victo- ries are enough for the Cats to get into the NCAA Tournament. After finishing as the runner-up in the SoCon Tour- nament, the Cats did earn an at large bid to the WNIT. Keith believes that the teams chances of making it to the NCAA Tournament are slim to none, but is content with making another WNIT appearance. We are looking forward to. playing in the WNIT, said Keith, It's very disappointing for us to not play in the NCAA, but we are going to hold our heads up high and do our best in the WNIT. I think that we have a very good chance to win the whole WNIT because we have a great team. Keith has been through it all during her four years with the Cata- mounts, and has played a pivotal role in the teams success. In her freshman season, she witnessed what it was like to win a Southern Conference Tourna- ment, and what the NCAA Tournament atmosphere was like as she led the team in scoring with nine points and eight boards against the top seeded Tennes- see Volunteers. During her junior campaign, the Catamounts shared the SoCon Reg- ular Season title with Chattanooga, and the Cats won their first round game of the WNIT. In her senior season, Keith won the 2008 SoCon Defensive Player of the Year award and was named to the All-SoCon team. She has also etched her name into the Catamount record books in points and rebounding. She has scored over 1,000 points in her ca- reer and has pulled down 940 total re- bounds, putting her in second place on the schools all-time list for rebound- ing. It's a great accomplishment for me, especially since it is my senior year, said Keith, a native of Ivanhoe, North Carolina, I was never aware of my points or rebounds until one of the coaches mentioned it to me. I really don't look at stats for myself; I just try to do whats best for the team in order for us to win. But, I couldn't have ac- complished any of this without my coaches and teammates. After her last game at Western Carolina and after graduation, Keith wants to continue her basketball career by playing professionally overseas. I hope to continue my basket- ball career after college. I plan to tryout for a few camps to go overseas. Hope- fully, everything will go right and I'll get my chance to continue doing what I love to do and thats playing basket- ball, said Keith. Her accolades and accomplish- ments in her four years with the Lady Catamounts, along with her determina- tion to succeed, and her nonstop positive attitude will make Keith a tremendous asset for any team at the professional level. WCU Sports Grumble Joel Gerber Sports Editor The Western Carolina Uni- versity womens basketball team deserved an at-large bid for in the NCAA tournament. Womens basketball is far and away one of my favorite sports to watch at Western. The games ex- citing featuring precision passes, in- tense defense, and players that for the most part cant rely on a game plan of give the ball to the tallest player. This, more than the mens version of the game, is a team driven sport where no star sticks out. One player will never take 40 shots a game, no showboating dunks, and rarely will a womens basketball players get tech- nical fouls for arguing with the ref. Womens basketball replaces attitude with hustle and showcases a more disciplined style of game play. That said, on to why WCU womens basketball is on of the most excited sports our school offers. First, most obviously, and most important- ly these girls win. This years squad went 25-8. This record beat out lest years record by one game for the best ever at Western. At one point during the 07-08 season, the Lady Cats won 15 of 16, including nine in a row in the month of February. Now with a season like this, in all logic, it would appear that West- erm would be a Shoo-in for a chance to play for the national title. How- ever, since we play in the Southern Conference, and:didnt win our tour- nament championship, we may not get in. The NCAA has a long history of only allowing the big conferences a shot, but this year we deserve ours, and heres why. The selection committee ba- sically looks at three things in decid- ing who plays for the Championship: record in conference play, record overall, and strength of schedule. As already mentioned, we went 25-8 overall and 15-3 in conference. What strength of schedule means is -a combination of how many schools the team plays that have winning records and the competition those teams face. Western has some key out of conference wins over big schools like Clemson, Hawaii, Oregon State, and Tennessee Tech. The Lady cats. also played to within three points of both NCSU and Wake Forest. If Selection Sunday werent confusing enough, we have to thrown in At-Large bids into the tourna- ment. These are a set number of spots in the tournament not determined by the winner of a conference tourna- ment who automatically advances. Usually these go to big con- ference schools, considered better because they played harder teams, not necessarily beating any of them. Pll end with some facts to further my point. WCU basketball has a better record than all but two teams in the ACC, and those two are ranked nationally going into the tournament. We have a better record than all but two in the SEC, national powerhouses Tennessee and LSU. We have a better record than every- one in the Big Ten. So when selection Sunday rolls around, committee, do the right thing. Friends dont let friends vote Western out of the NCAA tournament
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