Mount Hood

Refugees allowed to compete in 2016 Olympic Games

By: Jamal Smith
Sports Editor

Yusra Mardini, a 17-year old Syrian refugee, boarded an inflatable boat with 20 others and embarked on the perilous journey across the Mediterranean Sea. 35 days into the voyage, when the boat’s motor broke, Mardini, a competitive swimmer, jumped overboard and pulled the boat for three and a half hours until they safely reached the shore.

After boarding a train that zipped across Europe, Mardini finally made it to Berlin, Germany where she now calls home, at least temporarily. But the girl with no country or flag was given hope last week when the International Olympic Committee announced Mardini and other refugees could compete in the upcoming 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil.

Mardini is one of 43 athletes to be considered to represent a team made up exclusively of refugees, although the committee estimates as many as 10 athletes may make the cut. The committee stated that the nomination criteria include sporting level, official refugee status from the United Nations, and personal situation and background.

“We have all been touched by the magnitude of this refugee crisis,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said to reporters after a two-day executive board meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland. “By welcoming the team of Refugee Olympic Athletes to the Olympic Games in Rio 2016, we want to send a message of hope to all the refugees of the world.”

“Having no national team to belong to, having no flag to march behind, having no national anthem to be played, these refugee athletes will be welcomed to the Olympic Games with the Olympic flag and with the Olympic anthem,” said Bach.

Bach’s statement highlights the growing concern for the world’s refugee crisis. According to the latest statistics compiled by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, in 2014, the UN’s refugee agency estimated that there are 59.5 million refugees displaced around the world. Not since World War II have the numbers reached so high.

Because the refugee numbers continue to climb, the International Olympic Committee was obligated to make a statement, and they delivered, sending a message to the entire world.

Yolande Mabika couldn’t be happier at the committee’s announcement. Mabika, a refugee who fled the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo, is one of the 43 athletes to be considered for the team.

“I cannot fight for my country,” Mabika said in an interview with The Guardian. “I will fight for the Olympics, I will fight for all the refugees in the world. Judo is my life. It helped me escape war, to take another path.”

Contact that author at jwilson15@wou.edu or on Twitter @journalsportWOU

Wolves win GNAC tournament

By: Jamal Smith
Sports Editor

The men’s basketball team came into the GNAC tournament riding a wave of momentum from such a successful season. After winning the GNAC regular season title, the Wolves looked to keep the magic alive when they traveled to Lacey, Wash. last weekend, in a do-or-die scenario, and when the dust settled, the Wolves came out on top yet again.

Western’s first matchup on March 4 in the GNAC tournament semifinals pitted the Wolves against Seattle Pacific University, a team Western played and beat twice in the regular season. Both of those games went into overtime, and the Wolves found a way to escape with a victory.

The game didn’t take an overtime period for the Wolves to come away with the 58-57 victory, but it did take a clutch jumper from senior Julian Nichols (G) with just seven seconds left in the game to give Western the edge.

Nichols finished the game with 14 points, and senior Devon Alexander (G) led the Wolves in scoring with 19 points. Senior Andy Avgi (F), the 2015-16 GNAC Player of the Year, tallied 10 points, seven rebounds, and one block.

Western started the game sluggish, and Seattle took advantage, taking a 15-6 lead in the first seven minutes of the game. The Wolves fired back with hot shooting from Alexander and Nichols and tough team defense and got their first lead of the game at 21-19 off of an Alexander layup. The rest of the first half went back and forth, and the Wolves found themselves up 32-31 going into the break.

In the second half, the Falcons had the early advantage, but again the Wolves fought back and showed their never say die mentality they have had all season long. With 0:25 remaining in the game and SPU up 57-56, Nichols dribbled down the court and hit a jumper in the paint which all but sealed the Wolves’ semi-final tournament victory.

The Wolves’ amazing nail-biting victory propelled them into the tournament finals against the University of Alaska Fairbanks on Saturday, March 5. Earlier in the month, Fairbanks brought Western back to reality when they defeated them in Alaska 87-78, but the Wolves would have the last laugh, defeating the Nanooks 78-71 to take the GNAC tournament.

Alexander followed up his stellar performance on March 4 by dropping 16 points and battling for 10 rebounds. Senior Jordan Wiley (G) also had 16 points, redshirt sophomore Alex Roth (G) had 14 points, and Avgi had 12.

Fairbanks came out firing on all cylinders to start the game and had the lead for nearly the entire first half, but the Wolves never let the Nanooks advantage get above seven points. The first half ended with Alaska up 34-31.

The second half went back and forth with fifteen lead changes, but Western pulled away in the final minutes after Alexander nailed back to back three-pointers and Wiley and Nichols iced the game with free throws. Alexander’s consistent play in both games earned the senior the GNAC tournament MVP honors.

Because Western won the GNAC conference, the team earned an automatic bid into the NCAA West Regionals. Up next, the No. 1 seed Wolves will host the No. 6 seed Humboldt State today at 7:30 p.m. in the New P.E. Building.

Contact that author at jwilson15@wou.edu or on Twitter @journalsportWOU

Avgi and Shaw get highest GNAC honors

By: Jamal Smith
Sports Editor

Senior forward Andy Avgi can add another accomplishment to his collegiate career: the 2015-16 GNAC Player of the Year award.

On Tuesday, the conference passed out their honors for the season, and Avgi wasn’t the only Wolf to take home an award.

In his first year at the helm, head coach Jim Shaw was named the GNAC Coach of the Year. Senior Julian Nichols (G) and sophomore Tanner Omlid (G/F) also earned the All-GNAC second team honors and senior Jordan Wiley was named as an honorable mention.

The GNAC Player of the Year honor, voted on by the coaches in the conference, is Avgi’s second honor in as many years. This season, Avgi averaged 20.6 points per game, second best in the conference, and tallied 5.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in each outing.

“[Avgi] is our best player,” said Shaw. “He’s a hard worker and he’s got a great attitude, so he’s the definition of what you want out of your best player.”

What makes Avgi so dangerous to his opponents is his ability to hit shots from anywhere on the court. This season, the 6’5” forward hit 41 shots from distance, placing him 16th in the conference in three-pointers made and 16th in three-point percentage.

“I appreciate the honor, but it really comes down to my team,” said Avgi. “They honestly make me better. A lot of the stuff I can’t do by myself, and I know it’s an individual award, but to me it’s a team award.”

Speaking of team ball, Shaw’s Coach of the Year honor provides a testament to how he got his team to buy into his system in his first year as the Wolves’ head coach. Under Shaw’s leadership, the Wolves have remained in the top 25 rankings of Division II basketball for the entire season, peaking at No. 1 in the latter part of the season for the first time in school history.

To be recognized for their achievements is great for the players, but the Wolves want more: a shot at the Division II Championship.

Wolves bball hungry for more

WOUBasketballColor

By: Jamal Smith
Sports Editor

The Wolves have chewed up and spit out their competition, dominating almost everyone in their path. With cohesive team play throughout the season and stellar work from the 2015-16 GNAC Player of the Year, Andy Avgi, the men’s basketball team claimed the GNAC title and is salivating at the potential of a deep post-season run.

“Our guys have done an incredible job accomplishing a lot of historical things this year,” said head coach Jim Shaw. “I’m really amazed at the level of consistency that this group has showed.”

Western finished the season with a record of 25-3 and 18-2 in GNAC conference play. With the regular season in the books, Coach Shaw reflected on the team’s accomplishments of the season.

“We are the first team in the GNAC to win 18 conference games,” Shaw said. “We are the second school in the northwest ranked No. 1 in the country for Division I and Division II basketball, and we went undefeated at home for the first time since the 94-95 season.”

All season long, the Wolves remained consistent, playing great team ball and tough defense. Western led the league in steals per game, had the best turnover margin, and had the best assists to turnover ratio.

Aside from playing stifling defense all season long, WOU has had one of the most consistent seasons statistically in the history of the program. The Wolves rank in the top half of almost every team statistic, but more importantly, the Wolves have found ways to squeak out victories in close games.

“Our guys play with confidence,” said Shaw. “That’s one of the reasons we have been so successful this season.”

Because Western finished the regular season at the top of the conference, they earn the No. 1 seed going into the GNAC tournament. Today, Western will face Seattle Pacific University at the Marcus Pavilion on the campus of Saint Martin’s University in Lacey, Washington.

Contact the author at jsmith15@wou.edu or on Twitter @journalsportWOU

Portland Timbers host Columbus Crew in home opener

By: Jamal Smith
Sports Editor

It seemed like just yesterday that the Portland Timbers celebrated their 2015 MLS Championship victory, and a city starved for championship gold rejoiced. In the December rain, tens of thousands of Timber Army fanatics packed downtown Portland for the Timbers’ victory parade to celebrate with their team; they sang, they rejoiced, and they cried.

But that was last season. Now, just a short three months later, the Timbers have to start all over.

“I think the really simple mindset our group has is, ‘Last year is over,'” head coach Caleb Porter said in an interview with ESPN. “This is a new year. It has nothing to do with last year. Teams will be fighting it out with each other as always. There will be ups and downs. There will be wins and losses. It’s going to be a tough season like it is every single year for every single team.”

Fittingly enough, the Timbers’ first regular season matchup on Sunday pits the reigning champions against the same team they defeated 2-1 in the 2015 MLS Cup, the reigning Eastern Conference champs, Columbus Crew.

Sunday’s match will take place at Providence Park in Portland with a kickoff time of 1:30 p.m., and already days before the event, the city is buzzing with excitement.

While Portland kept most of their core players from last year’s championship team intact, they did lose 2015 starters Rodney Wallace and Jorge Villanfana as well as supporting players like fan-favorite Will Johnson and Spanish striker Maximiliano Urruti.

With Porter focusing on preparing his team for the home opener, Portland’s general manager, Gavin Wilkinson, has been wheeling and dealing in an attempt to add talent to the positional voids left from the departed players.

Wilkinson’s efforts have paid off and this year’s squad, at least on paper, looks stronger than last years with the additions of league veterans Ned Grabavoy, Chris Klute, Jack McInerney and Jermaine Taylor.

“We replaced everyone we lost,” Wilkinson said to ESPN. “We had identified the likely players that we were losing, and we had a depth chart in every position of who we wanted to go after. We knew what we had to spend and what profiles we were looking for. Our focus was to get MLS-proven players.”

The new players have had limited opportunities to play with the team in the preseason, and the biggest question going into opening night is how they will fit into the team, who last year had a special chemistry.

“They’ve proven they can win it — they now have the blueprint to do it,” Porter said to ESPN. “That means when you get in that position in the playoffs the next time, there’s a positive psychology that helps you to do it again.”

Can the Timbers repeat? After the offseason moves, are they more or less talented than they were last year? Will the team still have the special chemistry that they had last year? Hopefully we will find some answers Sunday.

Contact the author at jsmith15@wou.edu or on Twitter @journalsportWOU

Blazer come away on top at trade deadline

By: Jamal Smith 
Sports Editor

For the past few years, the NBA trade deadline has come and gone without any notable moves for the Portland Trail Blazers. This trade deadline was much different as Neil Olshey, the Blazer’s general manager, made a few moves that have left Blazer fans scratching their heads.

Fans who had hoped that the Blazers would add a marquee name or a crafty veteran to the roster might have been disappointed, but in the grand scheme of things, the moves the Blazer’s front office made were brilliant.

Here’s what went down: the Blazers negotiated a three team trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Orlando Magic in which Portland traded a 2020 second-round draft pick for Cleveland’s Anderson Varejao and a future 2018 first-round draft pick (protected 1-10).

Then, later in the day, it was announced that the Blazer’s acquired backup point guard Brian Roberts and a future second-round draft pick from the Miami Heat in exchange for cash considerations. To make room for Roberts, Portland had to waive backup point guard Tim Frazier.

“We went into the trade deadline trying to be opportunistic. We wanted to gather assets,” said Olshey to reporters after the two trades. “Clearly this group is really overachieving. There’s a lot of young guys that have a future. We wanted to make sure we were giving them a chance to win. We didn’t want to touch that core group of guys that have exceeded expectations.”

Just an hour after the Trail Blazers acquired 33 year-old Varejao, the team immediately waived him and his $9.6 million dollar salary. Portland was able to dump his contract because the team was so far under the salary cap minimum. Essentially, the Blazers gave up money to get a future first-round draft pick.

“Go back and look at the transaction record of other teams and look at what level of player they had to give up to acquire a first-round pick,” Olshey added. “We gave up cap room. I think it’s really sexy.”

The young Blazers have defied most sports analysts pre-season predictions and are currently in the sixth spot in the Western Conference with a record of 30-27. While the team arguably didn’t get much better now, the future draft picks provide hope for the future.

This was possibly the best trade deadline move in the history of the Blazers franchise. Portland kept its young core of players together, acquired future assets, and most importantly sent a message to all the Blazer fans: “We want to win.” Bravo.

Contact the author at jsmith15@wou.edu or on Twitter @journalsportWOU

Wolves shine with 4 wins

By: Jamal Smith 
Sports Editor

The change in the season from winter to spring, marks the beginning of softball season, and for the Wolves, the beginning of the season has been a flurry of activity.

WOU entered the West Texas A&M Lady Buff Invite Tournament on Friday, Feb. 19 with a record of 3-6, playing four games the first weekend and five the next.

The West Texas Tournament was by far the biggest test for Western in their young season; which required the Wolves to play two games on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday against different opponents.

The first double header pitted the Wolves against Newman University. Western swept the Jets, winning 2-0 in their first game and 4-3 in their second. Junior Destiny Kuehl (3B) scored both of Western’s runs in the first game, batting a perfect 3-for-3. In the second game, junior Kelsie Gardner (2B) scored the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning to clinch the victory.

On the second day of the West Texas Invite, the Wolves played against the home team: West Texas A&M. Western dropped their first game against the Buffs by a score of 9-1 and also loss their second game of the double header 6-7.

WOU got back on track on Sunday with a dominating performance in their double header against Lincoln University of Missouri. The Wolves won their first game against the Blue Tigers with a score of 9-1 and finished the second up 10-1. In the first game, freshman pitcher Haley Fabian, had a brilliant five inning performance, only allowing one hit while striking out three.

In the second game against the Blue Tigers, Gardner had three hits and Kuehl had three RBIs, but the entire team either had a hit, scored or had an RBI.

When the dust settled from the flurry of six games in three days, the Wolves found themselves with a 4-2 record in the tournament and improved their overall record to 7-8.

Western begins their GNAC conference schedule on March 5 with a double header against Saint Martin’s University. The first game starts 12 p.m. and the second is at 2 p.m. at the WOU Softball Field.

Contact the author at jsmith15@wou.edu or on Twitter @journalsports