SPORTSTHEGRANDRAPIDSPRESS

SECTION

TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2011

CLASSIFIED ADS, C7-C10

HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS C2-C3COLLEGE SPORTS C4

NBA, NHL C5

C

IN BRIEFCOLLEGE BASKETBALL

Pat Knight firedby Texas Tech

Pat Knight sat in the TexasTech locker room and laudedhis bosses for the waythey let him go after threedisappointing seasons. Itwas, after all, different fromthe way his famous father

was ousted atIndiana morethan a decadeago. “It’s not anugly situation,”Knight said. “Imean, we left ongood terms. I’mglad it ended likethat, especially

after being part of the dealat Indiana. That was tough.But this is different. It’sbusiness.” Texas Tech firedKnight on Monday, endinga disappointing tenure for acoach who failed to lead theRed Raiders to the NCAAtournament after taking overfor his father in February2008. He will coach the RedRaiders at this week’s Big 12tournament, then step down.Knight is 50-60 in his firstDivision I coaching job.

NFL

Labor talks ongoingThe NFL and the players’union negotiated for fourhours Monday before callingit a day. NFL CommissionerRoger Goodell, NFLPAexecutive director DeMauriceSmith and members of thetwo negotiating teams areexpected to reconvene todaybefore a federal mediator. Thecurrent collective bargainingagreement was set to expirelast Thursday, but twoextensions have pushed thecutoff to the end of Friday.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

White, Carr on ballotThe late Derrick Thomas ofAlabama, quarterback TommieFrazier of Nebraska and tailbackLorenzo White of MichiganState are among the collegefootball stars making their firstappearance on the CollegeFootball Hall of Fame ballot.Michigan’s Lloyd Carr is one ofnine coaches on the ballot. Theclass will be announced in May.

NHL

Player back after cutThe stubbly beard of ColoradoAvalanche defenseman RyanO’Byrne attempts to concealthe pinkish cut that required100 stitches to close. O’Byrnewas caught flush in the faceby the skate of Edmonton’sTaylor Hall early in a gametwo weeks ago, causing agash that begins just abovethe left side of his mouthand snakes downward fromthere. He considers himselffortunate. The skate narrowlyavoided a nerve in his faceand completely missed his eyeor neck. He said after practiceMonday “it could have beenworse, for sure.” O’Byrne willreturn to the ice tonight inMinnesota, wearing a cagedhelmet to provide protection.

SNOWBOARDING

Surgery for WhiteTwo-time Olympic halfpipegold medalist ShaunWhite needs surgery onhis foot and will miss thisweekend’s U.S. SnowboardingChampionships. An e-mailfrom White’s publicist saidWhite will have “minor” surgery.

HORSE RACING

Top horse to be momRachel Alexandra, the 2009Horse of the Year, is in foalwith an expected due date ofFeb. 1, 2012. Stonestreet Farmannounced the pregnancyMonday, two weeks after the2009 Preakness winner wasbred to two-time Horse of theYear winner Curlin.

—Press wire services

BY DAVID MAYO

THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS

EASTLANSING—CoachTomIzzopublicly chafes at the perception theBig Ten tournament doesn’t mat-ter to him, even if Michigan State’sperformances in it hardly match whatthe Spartans often do later in March.

But this time, the right to play in theNCAA tournament is at stake.“The regular season’s important,

the Big Ten tournament’s impor-tant — please, all of you out therethat don’t think it is, it is — and theNCAA tournament’s important,” Izzosaid Monday. “It just happens we’restarting ours (NCAA tournament) alittle earlier. We’re starting ours onThursday.”The Spartans (17-13) play Iowa in a

Big Ten tournament first-round gameat approximately 5 p.m. Thursday inIndianapolis, with the winner to facePurdue on Friday.To what degree the Spartans may

have de-emphasized the conferenceSEE MSU, C4

BY MICHAEL ROTHSTEIN

PRESS NEWS SERVICE

ANN ARBOR — Michigan coachJohn Beilein deflected and dismissedquestions about the NCAA tourna-ment worthiness of the U-M basket-ball team for much ofthe season.At best, he would

mention “a day whereyou are judged at theend of the season,”as he did Dec. 18after Michigan beatOakland.As the Wolverines maneuvered

through the Big Ten — starting1-6 and rallying to finish at 9-9 —Beilein opened up about peeking atother teams on the bubble and gaug-ing where his team stood.Now, with Selection Sunday less

than a week away and Michigancoming off a 70-63 victory againstMichigan State to conclude theregular season, Beilein is ready to

SEE U-M, C4

ON THE AIRBig Ten tournament: Michigan State vs.ÊIowa, 5 p.m. Thursday on ESPN2

AP PHOTO

Getting ready: MSU coach TomIzzo says tournament time startsThursday for the Spartans.

Izzo: Tourney startsearly forMichigan State

AP PHOTO

Listen up: Michigan coach JohnBeilein believes the Wolverines arein line for an NCAA bid.

ON THE AIRBig Ten tournament: Michigan vs. Illinois,Ê

2:30 p.m. Friday on ESPN

Beilein believes U-Mhas look of NCAA team

MOREPurdue’sÊ

Johnson namedBig Ten playerof year, C4

GREGJOHNSON

BASKETBALL

HOLLAND — Theykept score, and itmattered because

it always matters andit was the start of thestate tournament and all.Fennville won 65-54.For Fennville’s fans and its team,

though, it was more about startingto recover from the sledgehammerof grief that slammed into thecommunity when itsshining star athlete,Wes Leonard, diedin the most surrealway imaginable fivedays ago.And for

Lawrence, itwas more aboutrecognizing thatgrief, relating toit and becoming a remarkableand honorable tribute itself tosportsmanship and the young manwho lost his life.The game showed us good Class

C basketball played in front of aloud, respectful and passionatecrowd of 3,472 Monday night atHope College, but also that a lost16-year-old life lends perspective inall parts of our lives, including thegames our kids play.It was a lot more than another

tournament game.Not playing was considered in

Fennville, especially early in thegrief, and why not? Call the 20-0

SEE JOHNSON, C3

BY DEAN HOLZWARTH

THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS

HOLLAND — Basketball wasthe last thing on the minds of theFennville boys basketball team afterthe tragic loss of their star player,junior point guard Wes Leonard.

But theBlackhawksgatheredenoughstrength to play in Monday’s Class Cdistrict opener and defeated Lawrence65-54 before a crowd of 3,472 at HopeCollege’s DeVos Fieldhouse.Fennville improved to 21-0 in its

first game without Leonard, whocollapsed last Thursday night afterscoring the game-winning basketagainst Bridgman and later died ofcardiac arrest caused by an enlargedheart.

Fennville will meet Bangor inWednesday’s district semifinals atBloomingdale High School.

It’s unknownwhether the gamewillbe moved to a bigger site.“There’s no doubt his eyes were on

us, and this was a game hewould haveloved to watch,” Fennville coach RyanKlingler said. “He was watching us,and that was a battle he would haveloved to fight right there.“I’m proud of the way we handled

things, and the effort by both teamstonight was how it should be. Weswould have been proud of us all.”Fennville’s Pete Alfaro drained a

3-pointer from the corner to openthe game, but the lead went back andforth throughout the first quarter.

SEE GAME, C3

‘HIS EYES WERE ON US’Team, townshow bondruns deep

Going up: Fennville’s Adam Siegelputs up a shot over Lawrence’sJosh Gendron in Monday’s game.Siegel led all scorers with 22 points.

PRESS PHOTOS/EMILY ZOLADZ

Standing together: Fennville fans, left, and players, above, show theirlove for star player Wes Leonard, who died after a game last week.Leonard’s brother, Mitchell (wearing white shirt), joined the team.

MOREBo KimbleÊ

shows support forFennville, C3

Boys districtÊcoverage, C2-C3

“Wes would have wanted to win, so I wanted to win.”— Fennville player Adam Siegel after Blackhawks beat Lawrence in state tournament

PRESS PHOTOS/EMILY ZOLADZ

March sadness: Players shared in tears and hugs, like Fennville’s Adam Siegel and Lawrence’s Andres Robles,after Monday’s game at Hope College. Fennville upped its record to 21-0 with a 65-54 victory.

Undefeated Fennvilleplays onwithout star