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Former San Joaquin Memorial High star Robin Lopez, now the starting center for the Phoenix Suns, went one-on-one with a young hoops fan twice - on the court, and in the March Madness NCAA Basketball Tournament "survey."
Robin and the kid filled out their brackets - who will win?
I'm going with the local guy.
Our CBS affiliate in Phoenix (KPHO) did the story. Here's the link:
http://www.kpho.com/video/22864287/index.html
-GT
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Is this the look of a basketball assassin?
Clovis West point guard Brianna Orlich is literally a teenage Barbie in basketball shoes. Her performance in Saturday's Southern Section Semifinal against Santa Monica was one of the most impressive performances I have ever witnessed, guy or gal. In the Eagles win, Orlich netted a career high 39 points to go along with 13 rebounds. She accounted for 64 percent of her team's points. Not only that, she blocked shots. She stole the ball. She grabbed offensive rebounds, intimidated, and single handedly sent CW into the Southern Section Final against powerhouse Long Beach Poly March 20th at USC's Galen Center. tipoff is set for 6 p.m.
You do not want to mess with this young lady on the court. Off of it, she's a completely different person. On it, forget it. Orlich is a handful. Just ask Santa Monica.
Orlich will be attending Columbia University in New York in the fall. But before that, she'd love to win a state title. That goal is just two wins away from becoming reality. Don't tell Orlich it can't be done. She may give you the coldest stare you've ever seen.
But she'd have to be on the court to do it.
-GT
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John Baxter is the last of Pat Hill's original members of his coaching staff to leave the program. Baxter, the Bulldogs special teams and associate head coach for 13 seasons, will now assume the same titles at USC under former Bulldog quarterback and graduate assistant Lane Kiffin.
Hiring John Baxter is something that I thought could probably never happen, so this is a great day for USC," said Kiffin. "Having him here will be huge for our team on and off the field. He put together a 13-year run of special teams at Fresno State that were better than any in the country. We're very excited to welcome him to the Trojan Family."
And to think Baxter turned Trojan Nation down three times before accepting the job.
Lucky guy, that Kiffin is. Not only does he get a coach with a sound pedigree, he's also getting an NCAA insurance policy. Baxter will bring his Academic Gameplan program with him, the same study skills program Fresno State is thriving under.
Part of Kiffin's recruitment of Baxter was showing him his original Academic Gameplan binder, which left an impression. Thanks to Academic Gameplan, Kiffin's grade point average was above a 3.0 for the first time.
I guess Kiffin kept that binder for a reason - it paid off handsomely for him today.
-GT
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The Fresno State women's basketball team continues to make school history, winning the WAC with a perfect 16-0 regular season conference record. They're on a 17 game win streak (best ever in program history) and their 25 wins is also a new program record.
All that success, all that dominance, and the Bulldogs have yet to crack the Top 25 polls. This week, Fresno State receiveed 22 votes in the Associated Press poll and 7 votes in the coaches poll.
I know the WAC isn't known as a strong basketball conference. I also know that a 17 game win streak and a 25-5 record should at the very least get you ranked 25th in the nation. The Bulldogs haven't defeated any of the powerhouses on their schedule (Stanford, West Virginia), but that's to be expected - for now at least.
Head coach Adrian Wiggins is building a powerhouse on the west coast not named Stanford or Cal. Let's hope he sticks around long enough to see the fruits of his labors get a win over teams like that in the near future. And with USC, Oklahoma and Stanford on next year's schedule, that may come sooner rather than later.
-GT
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Former Fresno State basketball star Dominic McGuire was traded from the Washington Wizards to the Sacramento Kings last week, and is making solid contributions for his new team.
McGuire, known for his lock-down defense and high-flying dunks, wasn't getting much playing time in Washington this year, after starting for them in 57 of the 79 games he played in for the Wizards last year.
I hope McGuire gets a shot with the Kings. He's played in 2 of their 3 games since the trade, and is making quite an impression on defense, shutting down Suns sharpshooter Jason Richardson Sunday. Wait until he gets an opportunity to slam one home - he'll make some new fans pretty quickly!
-GT
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All-Star closer Brian Fuentes is a Merced native, and did something very generous with his money this offseason. Check out the release:
ANGELS PITCHER BRIAN FUENTES MAKES HEAVENLY GIFT
BRIAN & BARBARA FUENTES-FAMILY MOTHER BABY SURGERY CENTER
Merced native and four-time Major League All-Star, Brian Fuentes and his wife Barbara have given back to the Merced community with a gracious donation to the Mercy Medical Center Merced Foundation. Inside the Mercy Family Birthing Center will be the new Brian and Barbara Fuentes Family Mother Baby Surgery Center, especially designed for state-of-the-art Cesarean Section deliveries.
The new 286,000 square foot Mercy Medical Center is a state-of-the-art facility designed to serve the Merced community for many years to come. “We are very excited to see a new medical center being built for our community,” said Brian Fuentes. Barbara and I feel it’s important that all people, no matter what economic background, get the care they so richly deserve, especially when a parent needs care for their child. We are grateful that we are able to be a part of this vision that has become a reality.
The new Birthing Center will feature nine labor-delivery and recovery rooms, two operating rooms for Cesarean Section deliveries, 17 post-partum rooms and a nursery with 16 bassinets. The Birthing Center will have available two ante-partum and two triage beds to handle emergencies. Families giving birth will continue to have the assurance that, if needed, Mercy’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, operated by Children’s Hospital of Central California is there to care for their newborn in a new advanced eight-bed neonatal intensive care unit.
Brian C. Fuentes was born in Merced, CA and attended Merced High School and Merced Community College where he played baseball for the Blue Devils. Upon graduation from Merced College in 1996, Fuentes signed with the Seattle Mariners and made his Major League Baseball debut on June 2, 2001. He later played for the Colorado Rockies and is currently a relief pitcher for the Anaheim Angels. During the off-season Brian, Barbara and their four children reside in Merced.
The new Mercy Medical Center is scheduled to open on May 2, 2010 at the corner of Mercy Ave and G Street.
The gift that keeps on giving. Way to go, Brian!
-GT
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Ebahn Feathers is now a 'former' Fresno State quarterback, simply because he's changing positions.
Feathers is now working out at running back, something he confirmed to me Monday, saying "We're going to give it a shot." When I asked him if he could start, he replied, "Yeah that's the plan."
Ebahn has tremendous quickness, expecially when he can turn the corner down the sideline. He'll have to bulk up a little bit, but it's an intriguing move for sure.
The Bulldogs have hardly any experience at running back. Robbie Rouse will be a sophomore this upcoming season and he has the longest resume. Then there's Feathers, redshirts A.J. Ellis and Michael Harris, and incoming recruits E.J. Schexnayder and Leslie Rogers.
Just last season, Fresno State had seniors Lonyae Miller and Anthony Harding, and junior Ryan Mathews roaming the backfield.
Oh, what a difference a year makes.
-GT
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Congratulations to Fresno's Joelle DeJesus, a Bullard High School alum who saw his Doritos commercial 'House Rules' win him $25-thousand dollars in a nationwide contest. 'House Rules' was the second most popular Doritos ad that aired during the Super Bowl, according to a survey.
DeJesus could have won as much as 1-million dollars if his ad was the top vote-getter. Second prize was 600-thousand smackers, 3rd place 400-thousand.
Too bad Twitter wasn't the company giving out the big bucks. If that was the case Joelle would be a millionaire! Check this out:
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/doritos-had-the-most-talked,1153903.shtml
And here's the commercial:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rsEnwKrsvc
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Diamond Leung of espn.com wrote an excellent piece on former San Joaquin Memorial High School star Quincy Pondexter (now with the Washington Huskies). It talks about his upbringing in Fresno and struggles at UW. Pondexter will surely be an NBA draft pick this summer. Here's the link:
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4886339
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Like a kid on Christmas morning, Fresno State head football coach Pat Hill revealed his 2010 recruiting class to the media today, complete with video of every recruit, except for Mariposa tight end Cody Wichman, who Hill called his 'secret weapon.'
If Wichman turns out to be even half as good as another former Mariposa High alum that played at Fresno State, it will be a steal for Hill and his staff for sure:
The complete list of players along with their bios are on gobulldogs.com. Follow this link:
http://www.gobulldogs.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/020310aaa.html
-GT
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Former Clovis High school star Zack Follett's pair of Super Bowl tickets sold for $3,425 dollars, with all the proceeds going to the relief effort in Haiti. Follett included his game used gloves and a sweet wood carving of the Super Bowl logo in the deal.
It's guys like Zack that are the reason why I love covering sports in the valley. He's just one of many around here who go above and beyond on and off the field. He'll have a much bigger role with the Lions in 2010. Can't wait to see it!
-GT
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Bullard High School alum Joelle De Jesus is one of six finalists in a contest that could net him 1 million dollars.
DeJesus created a commercial called "House Rules" for Doritos. If his spot finishes in the top three, it will air during the Super Bowl (aired right here on CBS 47). Every commercial aired during the Super Bowl is judged. The grand prize: 1 million dollars. Second prize is 600-thousand bucks, and third place gets 400-thousand smackeroos.
Joelle will be in Miami for the Super Bowl. You can vote for him and watch his commercial here:
http://www.crashthesuperbowl.com/#/finalists
Voting ends January 31st. Help him out!
-GT
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