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KPAY Sports Blog Archives for 2013-01

Chico High Mom Ponders Lawsuit while former Players and Parents Defend Coach

The parent of a Chico High School basketball player who recently quit the team is telling KPAY that her comments were misconstrued by a Chico Enterprise-Record story on January 20th. 

 

Nicole Roe is Derrek Gordon's mother. Gordon left the Chico High varsity team after the Panthers win over Las Plumas on January 11th.....According to the Chico-ER story, Gordon's mother felt her son was not wanted on the team anymore and "they" were looking for a reason to kick him off. Roe told KPAY she wanted to hold off on making a comprehensive statement NOW because of possible future litigation. She says she is still mulling over whether to file a lawsuit against Chico Unified but wants to make it clear her problems are with the Chico Unified School District; with the basketball team just PART of the problem......

 

Roe's son, Gordon was suspended for three days earlier this year after he took a picture at the Almond Bowl and posted it to his Facebook page. The photo included a school official. Roe told the Chico-ER that when her son was suspended the school didn't contact her.

 

Roe told KPAY that her problems extend well beyond the hoops court and that the Chico-ER story on January 20th mis-characterized her grievance. She says that she never called head coach Kirk Bruchler a racist, and that she never meant to infer that fellow players Trevon Reid and Eli Penick were leaving the team for the same reasons as her son. Chico-ER reporter Joseph Shufleberger says he stands by his story.

 

Reid, who was a stand-out football player at Chico High, contacted KPAY and felt it was unfair that he was made part of the story.  Now, Reid and several other former African-American players and parents are coming to Bruchler's defense as they believe the insinuations in the article need to be rebuffed. Reid quit the team on the same day Penick and Gordon left. But, he told KPAY that he left the team so he could focus on football and it had nothing to do with the perceived problems invoked by Roe and her son.

 

 

Reid says that he is only guilty of "bad timing" in quitting, since he wanted to focus on football and Penick wanted to train and get ready for the  track and field season. Reid added that he was surprised to learn that Roe even alluded to them in the article since his situation didn't have anything to do with  her son's situation.....

 

 

Reid says he would have liked more playing time but understood  why other players were getting time in front of him and felt like it was better to get a head-start on football for next season rather than play basketball. He says he has been the treated differently at school since the January 20th Chico-ER article tied him to the controversy.

 

Reid's mother, Crystal Johnson, said she was not happy to see her son's name tied to the accusations and feels that her son's situation was not clearly communicated in the initial article. Johnson said her son wanted to rest his shoulder which has been injuried numerous times in his high school football playing career. She says that Reid also wanted to focus on his wide receiver skills since he will be adapting to a new position when he plays at either Butte or a four-year school next season.

 

Former Chico High stand-out, Kenneth McMillan is now at Butte College. McMillan is having a great season for the Roadrunners and played two seasons for Bruchler.  He says his time with the coach was great....and feels the insinuations against Bruchler are not fair.....

 

 

McMillan and Sterling Smith were a dynamic one-two punch at Chico High. Smith is currently playing at Division I Coppin State.  He told KPAY he was mad when first hearing what was being written about  his former head coach....

 

 

Smith said Bruchler was more than fair to everyone on the team. He told KPAY that there were several different ethnicities on the squad and no one ever felt they were being treated differently.....

 

 

Smith added that Bruchler was more than a coach to him, adding that he was able to have real-life conversations that didn't center around basketball.

 

 

Renne Sacks-Smith is the mother of Sterling Smith. She says that the accusations sound nothing like the Kirk Bruchler she knows.....

 

 

Sacks-Smith says Bruchler was always fair. She says in her basketball crazy house-hold they didn't always agree with his coaching philosophy, but he was a good coach and a great teacher to her son....

 

 

Sacks-Smith says racism is real, but she believes, in this instance, it's far from the truth. She adds that many parents are afraid to step forward and support the coach because they don't want to get embroiled in the controversy. She says she felt such an injustice was being done to Bruchler that she had to step forward and defend him....

 

 

Chico High officials told the Chico-ER they can not speak on the allegations citing confidentiality guidelines. Chico High Principal Jim Hanlon says he has worked with Bruchler for 12 years and he has "unquestioned integrity."  Bruchler said he couldn't comment on the matter because its a student issue.

 

Roe tells KPAY that this is a bigger issue than basketball and says she believes there is unfair treatment at the Chico Unified School District with "racial undertones." She adds she is still exploring her options and a lawsuit is a possibility. In the meantime, her son is still attending classes at Chico High School.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

49ers Bowl Bound...Curry lights up Clippers and Wildcat Wrap-up

 

JIM AND JOHN HARBAUGH HAVE LED THEIR TEAMS TO FOOTBALL'S ULTIMATE GAME

 

(AP) — These days, Jack Harbaugh stays away from game-planning chatter or strategy sessions with his Super Bowl-bound coaching sons.

Baltimore's John Harbaugh and little brother, Jim, of the San Francisco 49ers, have been doing this long enough now to no longer need dad's input.

Yet, the father does offer one basic mantra: "Get ahead, stay ahead." And the boys still call home regularly to check in with the man who turned both on to the coaching profession years ago, and the mother who has handled everything behind the scenes for decades in a highly competitive, sports-crazed family — with all the routine sports clichés to show for it. 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh hopes the players can be the focus, not the coaches...

 

 

The Harbaugh brothers will become the first siblings to square off from opposite sidelines when their teams play for the NFL championship Feb. 3 at the New Orleans Superdome.

 

 

WARRIORS' STEPH CURRY BURIES FOUR THREE-POINTERS AS GOLDEN STATE TAKES SEASON SERIES FROM THE LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS WITH A 106-99 WIN AT THE ORACLE ON MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY

 

(AP) — Jarrett Jack had 18 points and 10 assists, Stephen (STEH'-fihn) Curry made four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and Golden State rallied from seven points down in the final 11 minutes to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 106-99 on Monday.

Curry finished with 28 points, Klay Thompson added 18 and David Lee had 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Warriors, who have beaten the Pacific Division-leading Clippers three out of the four games between the two teams this season.

There were five lead changes in the fourth quarter, but Los Angeles managed only two baskets over the final 3:40 while Golden State closed on a 14-4 run.

Blake Griffin had 26 points and 13 rebounds for the Clippers.

Jamal Crawford added 24 points off the bench.

 

(AP) — Ryan Anderson scored 27 points and the New Orleans Hornets survived a second half without Anthony Davis in a 114-105 victory over Sacramento on Monday.

Anderson scored 17 points in the second quarter, making 5 of 8 3-point attempts, when the Hornets raced to a 64-39 halftime lead.

Greivis Vasquez added 19 points and Eric Gordon had 16 points for the Hornets, who have won three of four.

Davis sat out the second half with a left ankle sprain. It is the same ankle he injured earlier in the year that sidelined him for 11 games.

DeMarcus Cousins led the Kings with 29 points and 13 rebounds. Isaiah Thomas scored 20 points, and Tyreke (ty-REEK') Evans had 16 on the day the NBA announced the team's owners had a deal to potentially move the franchise to Seattle.

 

CHICO STATE WILDCATS HOOPS RECAP

 

The Chico State women continued their amazing run through the CCAA with a couple of big road wins in Southern California. The Wildcat women gutted out a 73-67 win over second-place Cal State Los Angeles on Friday night. The Cats got 16 points from Hannah Womack, including four three-pointers as the Cats beat their closest pursuers in the CCAA.

 

The Wildcats made several hustle plays that led to victory including this sequence late in the game....

 

 

This three-pointer from Womack on an in-bounds play underneath the Chico bucket would be the dagger Chico needed....

 

 

Chico would bounce back the next night and take on a solid and improving Cal State Dominguez Hills program. Former Chico State coach Molly Goodenbauer had her freshman laden team coming at Chico. The Wildcats led by 17 in the first half but saw the Toros whittle that lead to one late in the game. Chico got this big bucket from Jazmine Miller to go up three with under three minutes to play....

 

 

Chico would beat the Toros 70-63 and now sit at 13-1 overall and 9-1 in the CCAA. Wildcat senior Monnie Davidson-Mays would be named the CCAA Player of the Week after her strong offensive and defensive efforts for the Cats. The Cats have a two-game lead in the CCAA over Cal State Los Angeles and Cal Poly Pomona. The Cats will play Monterey Bay and Cal State East Bay coming up this weekend at Acker Gym. The women will play at 5:30 on both nights with our pre-game on Newstalk 1290 KPAY at 5:06pm both nights.

 

It was not a great weekend for the Chico State men as they dropped a pair of road games in tough venues in LA. The Cats suffered their most debilitating loss both physically and mentally on Friday night losing to Cal State Los Angeles 54-53. The Cats not only lost the game, but they lost two starters in the final 5-plus minutes. Jason Conrad was hit hard going for a dunk and suffered a concussion and Amir Carraway pulled his hamstring.

 

The Cats got off to a great start jumping out to a 13-0 lead on LA. This Rashad Parker three made it look like it might be an easy night for the Cats.....

 

 

Defense led to some offense for the Cats late in the first half as the Wildcats would grab a nine-point lead right before the break...

 

 

But, Cal State LA would clamp down as it turned into the defensive struggle one would expect from two of the best defensive teams in the country. The Wildcats would have the lead, but seven missed free throws in the second half doomed the Wildcats as they found themselves in a tie game in the waning moments....

 

 

Chico had one last chance, but couldn't take advantage of it as the clock expired.....

 

 

On Saturday the Wildcats would be missing three starters and it showed as they scored 3 points in the first 10 minutes of the game and were routed by Dominguez Hills 67-41. With the losses the Cats fall to 8-6 overall and 5-5 in the CCAA and fell into sixth place. The Cats welcome Cal State Monterey Bay and Cal State East Bay to Acker Gym this weekend. Game time for the men is 7:30 on both Friday and Saturday nights.

 

BUTTE COLLEGE

 

The Butte College men were victorious on Saturday with a 61-59 win over College of the Redwoods. Kenny McMillan led the way with 23 points including 15 points from the free-throw line. The Roadrunner men are now 8-10 overall and 2-1 in the Golden Valley Conference.

 

The Butte College women were 55-43 winners over College of the Redwoods. Amyah Clark led the Runners with 14 points as Butte used a 14-1 break before halftime to put the game away. Butte is now 5-12 overall and 1-2 in the GVC. Both the men and women will take on College of Siskiyous at Cowan Gym on Thursday night with the women at 5:30 and the men at 7:30pm

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chico State Hoops Rescues weekend....Warriors Fall Flat in 4th

 

Nothing like a happy flight home after playing Cal State San Bernardino in college basketball. But, that is exactly what the Chico State men's and women's basketball teams got to experience on Sunday morning as they basked in the glow of victory after salvaging weekend splits with wins at a tough place to play in Cousoulis Arena.

 

The 9th ranked Chico State women (11-1) lost for the first time this year 71-65 to UC San Diego on Friday night. They shot a blistering 67 percent in the first half 18-of-27 only to struggle with a 7-for-28 shooting performance in the second half. The Cats were also dismal from the free throw line shooting 12-for-21. But, with Saturday's gut check 62-56 win over the Coyotes on Saturday, they showed toughness and grit and grinding out a win on the second night of back-to-back on the road. Chico State clamped down defensively in the final four minutes, forcing San Bernardino into bad shots and running set plays and getting good shots on the offensive end.

 

The Chico State men were upended by UC San Diego on Friday as well. Falling to the Tritons 65-62. The Cats were even worse from the free throw line going 16-of-27. It was an oddity since the Cats were one of the best free throw shooting teams in the country at better than 76 percent coming into the game. But, Chico found a way on Saturday and primarily doing it with their stingy nationally ranked defense.

 

Chico State used a 15-4 run at the tail end of the first half to go in at the half tied at 30. Chico would build a 10-point lead in the half number two, but the Coyotes would counter with a run. The game came down to set plays and the Wildcats would run the pick-and-roll to perfection to set up this Jason Conrad dunk....

 

 

The Wildcats saw their lead whittled to one 62-61, but Amir Carraway and Damario Sims would connect on this big bucket to extend the margin....

 

 

With under a minute to go Chico State had a 67-65 lead but San Bernardino had the ball and a chance to tie or take the lead, but once again the Wildcats defense and smarts would prove to be key.....

 

 

Jordan Barton corraled the ball on the floor and it was Jordan Semple who alertly called timeout for Chico right in front of an official before San Bernardino could tie up Barton for the jump ball. The Coyotes had the possession arrow so it was a possession saving and possibly game winning play by Semple who had 14 points 12 rebounds and five block shots in Chico's win.

 

The Wildcat women are now 11-1 overall and 7-1 and in first place in the CCAA. The Chico State men are now 8-4 overall and 5-3 in the CCAA sitting alone in 4th place in conference. The Cats sit one game behind both San Francisco State and Cal State San Bernardino, teams they have beaten. They are now two full games behind Cal Poly Pomona.

 

Both the men and women head to Southern California for the second straight weekend as they will take on the Cal State Los Angeles Golden Eagles and the Dominguez Hills Toros on Friday and Saturday nights. Game time for the women is 5:30 and the men 7:30 both nights with our pre-game shows on Newstalk 1290 KPAY at 5:06pm

 

 

STEPH CURRY'S 29 POINTS WAS NOT ENOUGH AS THE DUBS FALL IN DENVER

 

On Sunday night the Golden State Warriors played great basketball for 36 minutes in Denver. Sadly the final 12 minutes were disaster as the Denver Nuggets rallied for a 116-105 win over the Warriors. Steph Curry led Golden State with 29 but the Warriors couldn't hold the Nuggets, who were seemingly running a lay-up drill in the 4th quarter at the Warriors expense. Curry said turnovers buried the Warriors....

 

 

The Warriors will take on the World Champion Miami Heat on Wednesday at The Oracle. The Warriors are looking for the season sweep against the Heat after beating them in Miami in mid-December.

 

 

Warriors make statement against Clippers, Kings get rare road win

 

 

CURRY HITS SIX THREES AND GOES FOR 31 IN GOLDEN STATE'S TROUNCING OF THE CLIPPERS

 

(AP) — Stephen Curry scored 25 of his 31 points in the first half, David Lee finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds and the Golden State Warriors coasted past the ailing Los Angeles Clippers 115-94 on Wednesday night. Lee says the Warriors wanted to take the fight to the Clippers...

 

 

Harrison Barnes had 13 points and nine rebounds, and Curry added eight assists and six rebounds to pace Golden State's 26-8 spurt to start the game. The Warriors handed the Pacific Division-leading Clippers their second loss in two nights after winning a franchise-record 17 straight games. Warriors head coach Mark Jackson says his team is not surprising him at all.....

 

 

Jamal Crawford scored 24 points off the bench and Chris Paul had 23 points and six rebounds for the Clippers, playing with heavy hearts after learning of the death of owner Donald Sterling's son earlier in the day.  Starting small forward Caron Butler also wasn't with Los Angeles because of personal reasons. The Warriors are now 22-10 and are off to their best start since the 1991-92 season. They will travel to Staples Center and take on the Clippers in LA on Saturday night.

 

(AP) — Jason Thompson scored 19 points and DeMarcus Cousins added 18 points Wednesday night, leading the Sacramento Kings to their second road win of the season, 97-94 over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

     John Salmons' 3-pointer from the corner with 52.9 seconds remaining gave Sacramento the lead for good, 92-90. The win broke a seven-game losing streak away from home for the Kings, who are 2-13 on the road and played without injured guards Tyreke Evans and Marcus Thornton, their second and third leading scorers.

     Kyrie Irving scored 22 points to lead Cleveland, which has lost nine of 11 and is 3-11 at Quicken Loans Arena, where it has dropped five straight. Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao, the league's leading rebounder, missed his seventh straight game with a bruised right knee.

 

     The Sugar Bowl goes to the upstart Louisville Cardinals as they stun the Florida Gators 33-23 in New Orleans. Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater  was 20-32 for 266 yards and two touchdowns. The Gators were 14-point favorites but were never really in the game as the Cardinals defense discouraged and confused Florida all night. It's the biggest upset of the bowl season so far.

 

     Tonight the Oregon Ducks take on the Kansas State Wildcats in the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe. This could the final game for Oregon coach Chip Kelly as he is being courted by several NFL franchises.

Stanford comes up Roses

 

STANFORD HEAD COACH DAVID SHAW HAPPILY CELEBRATING THE CARDINAL'S ROSE BOWL WIN

 

(AP) — Stepfan Taylor rushed for 89 yards and an early touchdown, Kevin Hogan passed for 123 yards, and No. 8 Stanford's dominant defense shut out Wisconsin in the second half of a 20-14 victory in the 99th Rose Bowl on Tuesday night.

Usua Amanam made the decisive interception near midfield with 2:30 to play as the Pac-12 champion Cardinal (12-2) won their first Rose Bowl since 1972.

Stanford didn't score many style points, but the Big Ten champion Badgers (8-6) couldn't score many points at all while losing the Granddaddy of Them All in heartbreaking fashion for the third consecutive season.

Wisconsin still stayed in position for an upset in the one-game return of Hall of Fame coach Barry Alvarez, who returned to the Wisconsin sideline for one game after hanging up his whistle.

Montee Ball rushed for 100 yards and his FBS-record 83rd touchdown for the Badgers, who managed 82 yards after halftime.