Despite dark past in Rwanda, student makes light through football, education

Jean-Luc Nshimiyimana left the war-stricken Rwanda when he was 8.

No offense to Don Cheadle, but forget everything you saw in the 2004 movie Hotel Rwanda. University of Texas at Arlington senior Jean-Luc Nshimiyimana is the epitome of what Hotel Rwanda is really about.

Nshimiyimana was born in Rwanda. His father worked for the government in Rwanda. In 1997, his father was assassinated. 

 Nshimiyimana said the movie's representation of the war is weak.

“Back in 1992-93, before the war, it was a beautiful country,” he said. “We had plantations, good agriculture. Back in that time it was peaceful and everything was so nice. And then the war came. It’s nothing like the movie.”

Nshimiyimana said the war was between Tutsi and the Hutu tribes.

Amidst the war and the assassination of his father, Nshimiyimana played soccer as a pastime and a way to ignore the chaos around him. He started playing when he was 7. He played for his first soccer club in the eighth grade.

Nshimiyimana and his family moved to America Sept. 20, 2005. He played soccer till the end of his sophomore year.

He never knew what American football was till he started attending the home games at Abilene Christian high school. He thought the games were comical, how players hardly used their feet even though it’s called football.

“I saw how it was very animated,” he said. “The physique and the hitting and everything, I was like ‘OK, I got to try this for myself one day.’” 

Nshimiyimana tried out for the team during the off season. He said the workouts were like being in a militia. He made the team as a wide receiver.

“I sat down for almost a week, wishing I never joined the team,” he said. “For the first practice of the off season, I didn’t go to school for the next three days. I was so sore; I couldn’t feel any part of my body.”

While Nshimiyimana was getting adjusted to the American sport, his mother almost took him out it.

“She didn’t like it,” he said. “When she went to the first game, she actually tried to pull me off the team the same day she went to the first game. But after a while, she got used to it.”

For the short time that Nshimiyimana was playing football, he was getting letters from universities. The college he wanted to go to was the University of Texas at Austin. That dream never became a reality after he broke his ankle during a volleyball game his senior year.

“I jumped so I could spike the ball, and when I landed, I twisted my ankle and it cracked,” he said. That was the end of sports for me. I got letters from Alabama, Oklahoma but that was too far from home for me. I was looking forward to UT Austin.”

Nshimiyimana hasn’t visited Rwanda in 14 years. He and his family have planned a visit. He said the politics of his country are the main reasons of him not returning.

“I will go back once the system changes,” he said.

Nshimiyimana’s last football game was in 2007. And while he didn’t last long in the sport, the memories last forever.

“Playing receiver there was [phew]… it makes me feel like a king,” he said.

UTA coach goes pro, opportunity overseas

Candice Champion, middle, takes a few pictures with her teammates in Weatherford, Texas.  

She has a great smile and walks with a strut such that at first glance, many would think Candice Champion is a model.

Her name describes her well. During the summer, she’s a head coach for the University of Texas at Arlington’s Upward Bound basketball team. In her third year coaching, Champion’s team has won back-to-back championships in 2010 and 2011. When she’s not coaching, she plays pro women’s basketball overseas.

In 2009, Champion played for a team in Portugal and played for a Polish team in 2010. Champion’s experience overseas was a lifestyle adjustment, from seeing chickens cooked live to ordering sneakers from catalogs.

“The way of living was odd,” she said. “From milk in the fridge to milk on the shelf, a whole chicken processed to a furry chicken being cooked in front of you. I couldn’t buy shoes. I had to order all my stuff from Eastbay.”

Champion had a late start in basketball. Though she started playing in the seventh grade, she didn’t pursue basketball full time till the ninth grade at University High School in Waco, Texas. Champion’s first sports were track and volleyball. She said Lisa Leslie inspired her to play basketball. In her collegiate career, she played four years at UTA. In her senior year, she hired an agent. 

“[In the 9^th grade] I got huge,” she said. “So I took a risk and went to basketball. I played some AAU and got a full ride, and they told me I had a chance to play overseas.”

Being tall and African-American conveyed more attention than Champion expected. She said it was a culture shock for her and the people of Portugal.

“I’m tall and black and they look at you funny,” she said. “After a month they get used to you. My Portugal coach could speak some English so it was cool. But in Poland, I had a translator.”

After her first tour in Portugal, she was sent to a team in Poland. Champion’s experience with the Polish team was a low point. The relationship with her teammates in and out the locker room was dreadful.

“They loved me in Portugal, but Poland I felt displeased, depressed, mentally down,” she said. “Whenever we lost, I was blamed and it was always my fault. The girls would call me a ball hog. I’d have to score over 25 [Points] a game just to have a chance for us to win.”

Chad Jordan, who’s a second year shooting guard for the summer team, said coach Champion is easy to work with.

“There’s no pressure when I work with her,” he said. “It’s real calm. She’ll get on me, but it’s not like there’s any pressure on me.”

Fellow teammate Carl Watson said Champion has helped him expand his guard skills. He credits Champion for improving his court vision and foot work.

“She’s taught me to keep my head up [When taking the ball up the court] and keep good court vision,” he said. “She always pushes us to the next level.”

Champion is going back to Portugal in September. She said she enjoyed her first experience there and the money was good.

Champion plans to get her master’s in business. She wants to open a recreation center after her playing days are done.

“It’s going to be like a Boys & Girls type of rec center,” she said.

North Carolina alumni reps Tar Heels, reveals secret obsession with Duke

Vicki Sapp in her office grading papers. While her father attended and played basketball
at Duke, Sapp went to rival school, North Carolina. 

Everyone has secrets, and Vicki Sapp was no different.

Sapp, an associate professor of English at Tarrant County College, grew up in Durham, North Carolina, home of the Duke Blue Devils. Her father Carl Sapp, attended the university and played basketball there in the 40's.

When it was time for Sapp to go college, she assumed she'd go to Duke but instead went to North Carolina, rival school to the Blue Devils.

She grew up a Blue Devils fan, so when basketball season started, she couldn't tell no one or even show a bit of emotion that she was a Blue Devil at heart.

"The idea of Carolina was just repulsive to me because they were the biggest rival," she said. "Funny isn't it that I ended up graduating from there twice."

Sapp's father Carl, standing outside Duke holding her brother's basketball who died at 13.

 Duke basketball was religion-like in her household. Her family was so invested in the team, she recalled her father being an emotional train wreck every time Duke was eliminated from the tournament.

"We worshiped Duke," she said. "We had a big photo of the chapel in our dining room. I use to joke that we'd have to genuflect in the direction of the chapel five times a day.

"The only time I ever saw my father cry was when Duke lost to, I forgot who, Georgia Tech or something in triple overtime. And he held on to the curtain in the living room and leaned against it and just sobbed."

In what many college hoop fans would consider an act of treason, Sapp became a Tar Heel. For financial reasons, Sapp had to attend the rival university. It was hard adjusting to the university that she loathed for so long.

"Well daddy put it best," she said. "He said, 'Honey, there's Duke in my heart but there's Carolina in my wallet.' Most of my friends went there but it was weird."

Most of Sapp's prejudice ideas at Carolina were gone when she attended the campus. Students called the university "blue heaven." She described Duke's campus being gothic and the students were snooty.

But falling in love with the university wasn't enough for her to root for the Tar Heels. She still had to keep her secret from friends.

"I just don't talk about it," she said. "It's like a civil war is fought every March. You're on one side or the other. I didn't go to any of the basketball games at Carolina. I didn't care about their sports. Duke sports always had my heart."

Sapp has a picture in her office of her father holding a basketball in front of the Duke chapel. The basketball her father is holding belonged to her brother before he died at 13. Sapp said she doesn't like to bring up the subject of her brother's passing.

Before playing ball at Duke, her father served four years in the military during World War II. He had a full basketball scholarship to play for Wake Forest but left to serve in the military as a naval pilot and moved up to Navy officer at 20.

He returned to the U.S. at 23, and was offered a scholarship to play for Duke along with his GI bill.

"He got home from Japan and like two days later his old coach from Broughton high school called him and said 'Carl, what you doing tomorrow?'" she said. "Daddy said 'Nothing.' The coach asked him to come to Duke and scrimmage a little.

"Well after that scrimmage they asked him to come by tomorrow and take an admissions test. Well after he took the test they called him and said 'They offered you a full scholarship to play basketball at Duke.' Daddy had thought he'd go back to Wake Forest but this was Duke."

Carl Sapp played with the former Pittsburgh Pirate shortstop and now a color commentator for the Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team Dick Groat at Duke.

At 6 feet 4 inches, he's listed as a guard/small forward but said he could do anything on the court.

"I could play post, I could shoot and I could play guard," he said. "Back then, most players shot with both hands. I could do it all when they needed me to."

Carl Sapp doesn't follow the NBA like he did when he was younger. He'll pick up a newspaper to see the standings in the NBA but his heart still pumps blue blood.

When asked about his thoughts on the game today, he quickly says that Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest players ever and said he admires Lebron James. He said players play a more physical game today and said the game during his time was more about finesse.

His blood boils when asked about the one-and-done trend that currently runs college hoops.

"I'm glad that John Wall didn't go to Duke," he said. "He got all this attention and he only stayed at Kentucky for a year. At Duke, you really get to learn the game under coach K and get a fine education. I get a little full of the pros."

Sapp reminisced about some of his most competitive games. He said New York University once had a good basketball team. He felt blessed to play with the multi-talented Groat.

"Back then we rode the train to our away games," he said. "I remember when we played NYU in Madison Square Garden. At that time, Dick led the nation in scoring his senior year."

Sapp took a sip from his cocktail and smirked. The former Blue Devil went to war in Japan, came home and went to war with the Tar Heels. He said he wouldn't have it any other way.

"We just eight miles apart," he said. "Amazing rivalry."

            

Players try to escape the Barkley Zone

Jordan's Bulls sent Barkley's Suns home in the 1993 Finals.

 It's the 2011 playoffs and we're in what I like to call, "The Barkley zone."

The Barkley zone is for players who've either won an MVP award, played in multiple all-star games and earned various accolades but never won a championship.


Why is it called the Barkley zone? Why not?


When Barkley was drafted to the Sixers, he was on a talented but older team. Julius Irving was 34 when Barkley was a rookie. He was traded to the Suns in 1992 and played Michael Jordan's Bulls in the 1993 Finals and lost. By the time he was traded to Houston, Barkley and Hakeem Olajuwon were out of their prime.


Fantastic player, but could never get the big one.

Two players who can get out of the Barkley zone right now are Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd. Kidd and Nowitzki combined, have been to three NBA Finals. They've dethrone the Lakers and will either face the Thunder or the Grizzlies in the Western Conference Finals.

If Nowitzki can get back to the Finals and get 2006-2007 meltdown out of his mind, he'll finally shed the "soft" and choke-artist labels that's so undeserved.

Players in the Barkley Zone: Asterisk is for those currently playing.


Reggie Miller-Lost to the Lakers in the 2000 Finals in six games.


*Dirk Nowitzki-Lost to the Miami Heat in the 2006 Finals in six games.


*Jason Kidd-Lost to the Lakers in the 2002 Finals in four and lost to the Spurs in the 2003 finals in six games.


Karl Malone-Lost to the Chicago Bulls in the 1998 Finals in six games.


Allen Iverson-Lost to the Lakers in the 2001 Finals in five games.


*LeBron James-Lost to the Spurs in four games in the 2007 Finals.


*Dwight Howard-Lost to the Lakers in five games in the 2009 Finals.


Patrick Ewing-Lost to the Rockets in the 1994 Finals in seven games and lost to the Spurs in the 1999 Finals in five games.

Players given bad contracts plague Stern, NBA, will cause 2011-2012 league lockout

To David Stern and the league owners. Want to avoid future lock outs? Stop overpaying players like Eddy Curry.

Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Dirk Nowitzki signed for less money to stay with their respectable teams. Lebron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh took pay cuts to play together.

The way the Heat has played lately, they’d have been better off not signing Bosh. A down-and-dirty player like Luis Scola or Shane Battier would have been a better fit and Miami would still have cap space. Bosh still seems unadjusted to his new team and Wade and James are still trying to learn how to play off each other, despite their season sweep of the Lakers.

It’s hard to trust this Heat team. 
Mike Bibby is washed up, Bosh is a small forward in a power forwards body, they don’t rebound and can’t close out games. They’re 15-19 against teams who are .500 or better. But the Heat could be in the Finals.

And if not, they’re stuck with Bosh and James.

Owners have to know how to make their money work for them.

Here are five teams that are stuck in the hole.

#5 The Atlanta Hawks are good, but with Joe Johnson locked in till 2015-2016, they’ll have a hard time being great. Johnson will make over $100 million in guaranteed money. The Hawks need a point guard and depth on the bench. When will they learn? Never pay shooters superstar money. Ever! 
With Johnson, the Hawks will be competitive but never contenders.

#4 Another over paid guard on a good but not great team. Rudy Gay will make over $80 million with a player option in 2014-2015, his final year in the contract. Gay isn’t good defensively. He’s a mediocre shooter from the three point line and a decent rebounder. He’s 23, but with averages of 19 points and 6 rebounds this is as good as it gets. 
He’s Shareef Abdur-Rahim at best.

#3 I feel bad for John Wall. His rookie season has been out shined nightly with Blake Griffin highlights. The Wizards are 1-29 on the road. The Cavaliers have a better road record than the Wizards. But when Wall has teammates like Josh Howard and Rashard Lewis, who is a shell of his former self, it’s going to get worse before it gets bad for Wall. The Wizards are stuck with Lewis till 2012-2013, who is due to make over $60 million by then. Lewis doesn't play defense, he’s not going to make Wall or anyone else better on that team and ailing injuries have hindered his scoring. No team is going to want to take on Lewis’ contract.

#2 Dwight Howard has two years left before his contract expires in 2013. Those two years are crucial for the Magic. Earlier in the season, the Magic made a mega trade, sending Vince Carter and Marcin Gortat to Phoenix, Lewis to D.C., in return getting Gilbert Arenas, Jason Richardson and Hedo Turkoglu.On one end, Orlando got rid of Lewis and his bad contract. 
Good for them. 
On the other end, Orlando lost a key big man and will have to play small ball come playoff time. Now Orlando has Arenas’ bad contract, his encyclopedia of knee injuries and the guns-in-the-locker room incident that’s going to be attached to his name for the rest of his career. Arenas is due to make $78 million by 2014. We’re never going to see Agent 0 Arenas. Instead we’ll get Gran Torino Arenas. A grumpy player who’s too old and worn down to provide a spark. Orlando better figure what do soon before Howard does like James and makes his decision.

#1 Bosh and James are due to make over $60 million by 2014. They both have an early termination option by 2015 and a player option by 2016. Too much money for a power forward who’s getting less than eight rebounds a game. And while it’s hard to adjust playing with James and Wade, two guys who need the ball to create, Bosh isn’t doing the little things for the Heat to be consider contenders in June this season. Bosh is like Memphis Pau Gasol, an excellent player but not a leader. Looking for Bosh? He can be seen on the perimeter. For the majority of the season, Bosh has been playing like a small forward.
 Bosh had moments when he’s played like a forward. He was abundant against the Lakers. This Heat team still has a lot of issues but can fix one of them if Bosh takes less 17-footers and plays on the block more. It’s early to tell if Bosh is right for this team but for a third option guy who signed for the max, Miami could have made their money stretch. Battier, who’s contract expires after this season, would have been a nice pick up for the Heat. This team needs more rebounding, they need a point guard and their bench needs to be more accountable.

It’s the middle of March, but the Heat is turning up.

The NBA's hypothetical tweets list

Charlie Villanueva let his followers know how he felt. 

LeBron James, Shaq, Chris Bosh, and Charlie Villanueva all use Twitter. Magic Johnson recently made an account. Social media has taken over locker rooms in the NBA, the NFL, college hoops and other sports venues.

Some athletes use Twitter as a way to connect with their fans while others use it to trash talk their colleagues.

Villanueva called out Kevin Garnett on Twitter, saying KG called him a “cancer patient.” 

Does Twitter bring trash talking to another level? What if Twitter was around in the 80’s and 90’s? For about two weeks I pondered this. Would Shaq air-out his beef with Kobe? Would Michael Jordan, who is a well-known trash talker, be too tempted to smack tweet before and after games? This idea turned into a list of 30 players and situations from different eras. But to keep it brief, I left it at 10 with Twitter names. Here’s the NBA’s hypothetical tweet list in a 140 characters or less.

#10 Who can forget Spike Lee and Reggie Miller’s rivalry? What if Lee took his Cheryl Miller chant from Madison Square Garden to Twitter? 

Mars Blackmon Spike Lee

@MilllerTime Hey Reggie, you’ll never be better than #CherylMiller, never. Cheryl! Cheryl! Cheryl! Cheryl! Cheryl!

#9 Doug Christie had to be the most whipped NBA husband ever. Christie’s wife, Jackie is known to hoop fans as the cynical-psycho woman who attends every game that her husband is playing in.

Maybe Doug could give his wife a tweet location.

Doug Christie Doug

@JackieChristie You’ll always know where to find me and my heart. I don’t care what people say about our relationship. They’ll never understand us.

#8 Most players have a hobby. Jordan likes to gamble and play golf, Chris Paul likes bowling and Karl Malone likes driving 18-wheel trucks. Malone grew up in Summerfield, La and thought he’d have a career in truck driving before playing basketball for a living. Malone tweeting before a long-summer road trip is funny as much as it is predictable.

TheMailMan Karl Malone

Going to take a ride in my diesel fueled-18 wheeler. Now that’s a vacation.  

#7 Could you see Larry Brown leaving inspirational-life tweets using basketball as a metaphor?

CoachBrown Larry Brown

Life will be OK, if you play the right way.

#6 Allen Iverson and practice is like oil and water, they don’t mix.

TheAnswer Allen Iverson

I just broke #Jordan’sankles and we’re still talking about practice.

#5 The rivalry between Wilt Chamberlin and Bill Russell is arguably the greatest player rivalry in sports. Chamberlin is a two-time World Champion and four-time MVP and a well-known womanizer. Russell is an 11-time champion.

BillRussell#6 Bill Russell

@BillRulssell#6 I got more women in my hotel than an all-girls catholic school.

@WilttheStilt Yeah and I got more rings on my fingers than a jeweler from Jared.

#4 I can’t remember how many times Dennis Rodman gave his hair a makeover.

D-Rodman Dennis Rodman

Too all my fans, I need some help picking a color for my hair for tonight’s’ game. Let’s see, black and red, blue and red, black and white or blue and green?

#3 Shaq and Kobe Bryant were two of the biggest drama queens ever known in almost any sport. Who knows how many rings these guys would have had if they’d put their beef aside? From Bryant calling out Shaq for his adultery, to Shaq giving Bryant taste tips, here’s an idea of what these two would tweet to each other.

TherealShaq Shaq

@blackmamba Hey, Kobe tell me how my ass tastes? I’m the most dominate ever, in basketball and in scrabble.

Blackmamba Kobe Bryant

@TheRealShaq Yeah, about as dominant as your movie career.

#2 Michael Jordan may not have had much more to prove after his first retirement in October, 1993. He was a three-time champion and his father was killed, so he was probably emotionally drained. But have we ever known Jordan to be a humble man? I think not.

JumpMan23 Michael Jordan

I’m done, I’m retiring. I kicked Magic, Clyde and Barkley’s asses and kicked ass overseas. How much more ass could I kick?

#1 Jordan’s come back had to be the top hypothetical tweet.  Once Jordan figure out that he himself was the biggest competition that he could face, there wasn’t any turning back. Jordan returned to league in 1994 and won another three championships and retired in 1998. But then Jordan returned in in 2001 as a Wizard.

I didn’t come back for another ring but to get @riphamilton and @kwamebrown asses in gear. I’m 40-years old and I’m whipping these young bucks butt up and down D.C. 

Minnesota's best man gets no love, votes

Kevin Love is averaging 21 points, 15 rebounds and is shooting 45 percent from three-point range. 

Let’s Play the love game, play the love game, do you want love or you want fame? Put Kevin Love in the All-Star game.

The Western Conference starters were announced. Congrats to Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant and Yao Ming. Wait, Yao Ming? This is the unfortunate side of letting fans vote for the All-Star game. Yao Ming has seen about as much action as Steve Carell in The 40-year-old Virgin.

While the reserves haven’t been announced yet, Love should get an opportunity. Some argue that the All-Star game is for the best players from winning teams but last I’ve checked the Houston Rockets are 22-26.

Yes, the Minnesota Timberwolves are awful. Yes, I can’t blame Ricky Rubio for avoiding a state that’s considered Frosty the Snow Man’s vacation spot. But give the fans in Minnesota something to cheer for.

Love plays basketball with an old soul. It’s like watching Robert Parish, Kevin McHale and Bill Laimbeer reincarnated into Kevin Love. Love was the first player in 28 years to post 30 points and 30 rebounds since Moses freaking Malone. Chris Bosh needs to take notes.

Fans may not want to watch Love in the All-Star game but they can at least smell like him. 

The Golden Globes player nominations

Ricky Gervais was the host at the Golden Globes

“The Social Network,” ”Glee,” “Black Swan,” “Board Walk Empire,” “The Fighter” and oh, Ricky Gervais, were some of the winners and surprises at last weekend’s 2011 Golden Globes.

Watching the Golden Globes had me thinking, ‘what if the NBA had a Golden Globe-like ceremony for its players?’ Maybe Charles Barkley could be the host. There’s been plenty of drama, surprises and action in a league that may face a lockout next season if David Stern and league owners don’t come to an agreement soon. Here are the nominees.

Best Drama: Carmelo Anthony is still a Denver Nugget and Mike “The Situation” still has a career. Anthony watches Lebron James take his talents to South Beach in his free-agent year and now it’s Anthony’s turn. Anthony, who’s from New York, sees the Knicks and thinks ‘I could see myself in the orange and blue.’ Denver offers him a three-year-$65 million deal and he leaves it on the table. Then for months, the Nets try to make a deal with the Nuggets but want assurance from Anthony that he will sign an extension. Anthony refuses to talk to Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov and he says the deal is off. This has to be the most non-verbal trade demand in the history of the NBA. Will Anthony be traded before the trade deadline? Will he be a Knick or will Anthony change his mind and sign the extension? The saga continues.

Best supporting actor: Lebron James goes from the two-time-MVP-hometown hero to the south beach villain. James was once the beloved kid from Akron to the narcissistic superstar. Are we witnessing the real James? The Miami Heat have dominated the sports headlines. James has changed the Heat into the most hated team in the league on a team that is considered Dwayne Wade’s. Perhaps James is the Marlo Stanfield of the NBA, hoping to one day to have all eyes on him. 

Best Director: I almost gave this to Greg Popovich but this one goes to the Zen Master, Phil Jackson. When you’re coaching a team that has Ron Artest, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and a player who’s married to a Khole Kardashian, you have your work cut out for you.

Best Actor: Amare Stoudemire is like the Adam Sandler of the NBA. Critics say he can’t act until he does “Punch-Drunk Love” and then critics love him. Stoudemire spent eight seasons playing with Steve Nash and has since blossomed in New York. No James, no problem. 

Rose vs. Rondo debate needs to end

Rajon Rondo claims to be the best point guard in the league. Derrick  Rose said he should be the MVP this season. 

One says he’s the best point guard in the league, the other says he should be the MVP.

Rajon Rondo and Derrick Rose both make valid points. Rondo broke Bob Cousy’s assist record in the first month of the season and Rose is ranked in the top 10 for points and assists.

While it’s early to tell who’s the MVP neither player is the best point guard in the league, that honor goes to Deron Williams. But which guard runs the Eastern Conference?

Rondo’s style of play is like Jason Kidd but faster. He rebounds, takes chances on defense and looks to pass first. Rose’s game is about getting to the hoop. He scores first, passes later. Rose is arguably the fastest player in the league. Try staying in front of Rose and he’ll burn you for a layup. Just ask Tyreke Evans.

While neither player are great shooters, Rose has improved his three-point shooting at 38 percent. Rondo still struggles with his jump shot and is shooting 41 percent from the free throw line. Defensively, Rondo is a better player. Rondo may aggravate Doc Rivers whenever he takes a swipe at opposing guards for a steal but he’s 3rd in the league in that category. For my money, I’d say Rondo is the best point guard in the East. He leads the league in assist and may be the most cerebral guard in the league. Besides not being a great shooter, he seems to always know where his other four teammates are on the court.

Rose looks to score first and set his guys up throughout the game. He’s also one of the top closers in the game.

Yeah, Rondo’s the best point in the East but just don’t take my word for it.