Looking Back (Feb. 15) | Western conference 146, Eastern conference 119
The Western Conference defeated the Eastern Conference 146-119 during the NBA All-Star game in Phoenix, Ariz. on Sunday afternoon. Despite the game's disappointing lack of competitiveness, there was at least one major storyline: the pairing of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant as teammates for the first time since Shaq was dealt to Miami during the summer of 2004. The two players, who won three consecutive championships together from 2000 to 2002 as members of the Lakers, received co-MVP awards.
O'Neal, back for his 15th All-Star appearance and his first since his streak of 14 straight was ended last season, was in vintage form. Displaying his classic mix of playful energy and brute force, O'Neal dominated the game and dazzled the crowd. He went 8-for-9 from the field, pouring in 17 points and hauling in five rebounds during his 11 minutes of playing time. Shaq, a big man who's made no secret of his admiration for guard play, thrilled everyone watching with his deft ball-handling and passing skills.
Kobe turned in a more workman-like performance on Sunday night, leading all scorers with 27 points on 12 of 23 shooting. Bryant, arguably the most effortless scorer in the NBA, seemed to be in good spirits.
With Lakers center Andrew Bynum out with a torn MCL, rumors have surfaced that the Lakers may make a run at Shaq in advance of today's trade deadline. One can dream.
Looking Ahead (Feb. 20-21) | New England Div. III Championships
The men's and women's track and field teams will compete in their most important meet thus far on Friday and Saturday, as they both will attend the New England Div. III Championships looking to defend their first-place titles from last year.
Coach Ethan Barron's men's team will be led in the distance events by junior co-captain Nick Welch and classmate Jesse Faller, who is a two-time All-American in cross country. Both have met national qualifying marks in the 5,000-meter run, registering the 11th- and 12th-best Div. III times in the country, respectively. The Jumbos also will look for big performances from senior quad-captain James Bradley, who currently owns the fourth-best high jump mark in the country, and junior Jared Engelking, who met the provisional qualifying mark for Nationals in the pentathlon.
For coach Kristin Morwick's women's team, the keys to success this weekend will be in the hands of several athletes, including senior tri-captain Paula Dormon, who owns the mark for the second-best weight throw in Tufts history, and junior Logan Crane, who recently missed out on the school record in the 200-meter dash by a mere tenth of a second. In the distance events, the team will count on sophomore Stephanie McNamara, who has qualified for Nationals in both the mile and the 5,000-meter run, while freshmen Nakeisha Jones, Dayorsha Collins and Heather Theiss, who have had outstanding debut seasons with the Jumbos in the triple jump, high jump and pole vault, respectively, will also be expected to contribute.
