1) As far as general hawk updates, still lookin forward to '07 football i think we will have a bounce back season and definitly surprise people with our success, the only question will be if jake christensen can be good or if someone else steps up during training camp at the QB spot, i am looking forward to the season and still working on the '06 football season and alamo bowl wrap-up since i attended that game. hawks didn't win the pontiac game-changing performance award for their goal line stand against syracuse, aubrun's blocked punt on florida took that one, but the hawk fans voted as fervently as always. hawkeye b-ball split their two big ten games this week, losing an intense, emotional battle at illinois and winning a scrappy game playing at carver hawkeye arena against the minnesota gophers. we haven't won at illinois in a long time, they are pretty dominate at home with those crazy student sections right on top of u, but they appeared to be having a down year this season starting off 0-2 in the big ten including a home blowout from ohio state. we shot well, played good defense, and contained their star warren carter in the 1st half and had a 1 point lead, but rich mcbride, their long range sharpshooter currently in a slump, apeared to be getting out of it and brian randle gave them a momentum booster with a dunk on kurt looby. the second half we played mostly the same intense, hard-nosed style and just fought back and forth, this was a truly a big ten battle and exemplified the physical thing that is big ten basketball. eventually the illini started to pull away though with back-to-back warren carter threes and an alley oop from the upperclassman, who was stepping it up when they needed him. just when it looked like it was over though we came alive again, scoring points and making defensive stops as illinois made stupid mnetal errors, and all this was capped off by a haluksa bomb that made it a one point game. unfortunately we couldnt get a shot off after they went 1-2 on free throws and we lost a heartbreaker 74-70, but the hawks played the most inspired i had seen them all season except maybe michigan state and i was impressed anyway, haluska made up for poor overall shooting in the 2nd half with a near flawless performance from the free throw stripe and big plays when it mattered while freeman and gorney gave us an offensive spark along with the usual exciting plays on both ends from our athletic phenom, tyler smith, but we need our big men to step it up on the boards, which has been our problem all year long and hurt us on both ends against illinois. i didnt get to watch the minnesota game, which we won 60-49, but from what i hear it was scrappy and defensive-minded, with a lot of missed shots and big plays and runs that dictated the game. the gophers are probably the worst team in the big ten but they can hang with anyone the way they play with heart so i wasn't too surprised. haluksa appeared to have another great performance from the free throw line and made some momentum changing shots to mkae up for another average shooting day, he simply forces too much. freeman gave us nice scoring and went after boards strong, something that looked better in this game because of a)cyrus tate stayed out of foul trouble and b) the gophers are undersized and undermanned inside big time, especially with their starting center hurt. tyler smith had 15 and mike henderson had a good game, i just wish he could get his confidence and swagger back from last season he is still playing well but it's just not the same mike after the surgery, but o well thats not gonna happen i guess greg brunner and jeff horner can make all the difference.

short update on houston, currently 25-13 and still among the west's elite. beat the lakers, nuggets, and kings and are looking very good right now, even with injuries and various shooting slumps we are still winning games and that's a testament to the team we have and the great defense we play, which gives us a chance against anyone and will make us dangerous in the playoffs, if or if not the big man is healthy. tmac had two poor shooting games against l.a. and denver, nabbing 8 and 12 points repectively, but he notched 12 and 13 assists in those games so he still makes a huge impact when he is not scoring a ton of points, superstars are superstars and tracy is simply a playmaker who knows the game. it also helps that juwan cannot miss his little midrange jumpshot or his little hook shot and that shane battier has been money from three point range when he gets his feet set. rafer has been in a horrid slump that's been agonizing to watch, but he has fought through it and for that i give him credit. luther head continues to bring energy off the bench with his long range shooting and speed, while john lucas provides instant scoring even though he doesn't get many minutes because of his lack of defense and size. the true story has been the amazing play of dikembe mutombo, who has turned back the clock and then some with his rebounding (his long arms and ability to tip the ball to himself and keep it above his head have been valuable on putbacks) and he has been blocking shots as well as he ever did in his career and surprsingly getting decent scoring numbers even though he can't get one inch off the ground, it amazes me how guys in the league still try to shoot on him. tracy bounced back with 37 points in a wildly entertaining back and forth physical battle with ron artest in that overtime win over sac-town, they traded shots and artest banged tracy up probably the most since he came back from back spasms but tracy made the big threes at the end in overtime (even with that crazy artest banker) and rafer finally got back on track in the big win. steve novak is incredibly one-dimensional in his ability so he has had trouble getting minutes, i don't see how he is ahead of the more well-rounded scott padgett on the depth chart. kirk snyder got some minutes on defense at the end of the sacremento game, it would be nice to get him back in the rotation so that was a positive step. i definitly see us trading bonzi before the deadline too, he has been too hurt and too lacksadasiscal in his rehab and he hasn't done a lot of the things van gundy likes when he is actually in so he is definitly not on coache's good side.

1) starting with the hawkeyes, coming up with the huge upset win 62-60 over michigan state at carver arena on thursday to open up big ten play. none of the announcers or experts were given us any love because they assumed our average record meant we were an average team, but we showed the world all that young talent we have. the funny thing is we won even though it wasn't a great game by our stars, but other guys stepped up and the hawks played great defense, and it took too long for their star point guard, drew neitzel, to start hitting shots. i have to give the scrappy spartans credit for making a big comeback, we didn't ice the game until mike henderson nailed some clutch free throws, because iowa dominated for most of the 1st half. but MSU dominated us on the boards (like every other team this season) and they hit big shots that they were not hitting at the beginning. adam haluska wasn't shooting very well but he's still our star and he carried us with scoring, hustle, defense, and leadership. tyler smith gave us a scoring spark and defensive energy with his speed and opportunistic playmaking but didnt get his usual scoring numbers. seth gorney was typically lacksadaisacal on the boards and defense but he gave us some good scoring, but the two dudes that stepped up were cyrus tate (mainly him) and kurt looby. tate was huge on putbacks and offensive boards and he made some big plays, while looby gave the hawks some momentum by coming in and blocking shots with a little scoring on the side. luckily the spartans hardly got any scoring production from their big men and neitzel was cold until the 2nd half, but some other young guys stepping into new roles for the spartans this year carried them with scoring and big plays and they just hung around for a while because neither team shot well. this win proves my point that we can play with anyone when we play at home, even though this is a down year for the depleted MSU squad, as this one makes it ten straight at home in conference play. this a big victory for the young players' mental game and confidence and it shows that they can win even when haluska is not getting 30 points. the main thing now for us is closing games and just showing some consistency, which will come with experience, and to just win some games on the road in the big ten, which has looked impossible this year. we go to champaign to play illinois on wednesday.

2)quick update on the rockets, who are 21-12 after splitting their last two games of the week. Tmac's prolific scoring stretch continued with a 44 point effort in a big win over utah, a team currently in the top 5 of the west. the jazz are an efficient team like always with some very underrated players and some breakout guys as well, you have to think if their stars like carlos boozer and andrei kirilenko would have been healthy in the past seasons that the jazz would have made the playoffs too. luckily they didn't shoot well against us and mcgrady was crazy and unstoppable, while the usual suspects juwan howard, shane battier, and dikembe mutombo continue to step up in yao's absence. juwan is still providing consistent scoring and surprising rebounding, while shane is our most reliable downtown threat and a fantastic defender and master of the "little things" and mutombo has been a beast on the boards, "turning back the clock" as bill worrell would say with 19 rebounds against the jazz. the timberwolves have been playing inspired ball of late, winning an overtime game on a last second shot by KG on friday and beating us in overtime on sunday. the rockets did not have a great shooting night at all and we didnt make the big plays when it mattered, cause it was a close game throughout. mcgrady still got his 31 but he didnt shoot well from downtown or the free throw line, while juwan gave us the scoring, battier the long-range shooting, and mutombo the boards. i really think rafer should have been benched this entire game, he could not make a shot and missed 12 straight yet continued to play, while john lucas and luther head both gave us sparks and momentum with their scoring but for the most part rode the bench. KG was draining shots and getting rebounds while mark blount shot exremly well and ricky davis gave them his usual scoring. mike james forced a lot of stuff to try and put on a show against houston, where he has a home and almost signed with in the offseason, but he had a bad game and did not shoot well at all, even though he had 10 assists. randy foye should really get more minutes for them, he plays smarter and better than mike james most of the time and has been a better scorer this year but i guess since the wolves signed him to that contract in the summer dwayne casey feels obligated to play him. Tmac looked a little slower in this game but im glad he has been playing up to his all-star rep and scoring so many points, and if he continues to play this way and the other mentioned players continue to step up we will win a lot of games and make the playoffs without yao, but we need the big guy back if we wanna make any noise once we get there.

I was ready to join the throng of angry hawkeyes demanding steve alford's head after the drake game, but after a couple confidence boosting blowouts of pernennial patsies at carver hawkeye arena we are looking good again and i think we are ready to be dangerous and surprise some people when big ten play begins on jan. 4th. we are such a young and inconsistent squad that it's hard to tell what kind of production we are going to get game in and game out, but those wins against georgia state, texas southern, and cornell are very valuable for building the young guys' confidence. that inconsistency is what you have to take when you have the kind of talent the hawks have this year, this is the most athletic iowa squad i have seen in a while, more than last year, but it will take a while before this squad surpasses last year's in quality. adam haluska has had 1 or 2 games when his shot has been off but his reliable scoring and three point shooting has carried us and he is the unquestioned leader of the team, while tyler smith has been a pleasant surprise with his ability to score with either hand and his boosts of athleticism. the return of mike henderson has been important in solidifying the point guard position, as he brings a tight handle and a veteran playmaker's calm to the point that noone else has on the roster. tony freeman has been a big disappointment so far, especially with shot selection, but he is a talented scorer no doubt. newcomer justin johnson has shown an impressive stroke from 3-point range, whle cyrus state has shown toughness, athleticism, and a willingness to bang, but he doesn't have much offensive skill and he can be a hack. the center position is our main problem and the major reason that we have such trouble rebounding the ball. seth gorney has good touch and can finish but his game is rooted to the ground and he is slow as molasses for a D1 center, while kurt looby has athleticism and long arms, but he is extremly skinny and gets pushed around quite a bit. as far as our positioning for the unofficial state championship we didn't do so well once again like last year, we beat iowa state pretty easily but lost a heartbreaker to northern iowa and got embarassed in that infamous drake game. iowa state is not very good this year, they don't play much defense, don't have an inside presence, or much of a go-to scorer, they just jack up shots. northern iowa was supposed to have a down year this season with the graduating of their big time scorer ben jacobsen but they have rode their post presence erik coleman to some big victories, with the main ones coming against MVC power witchita state and that come from behind victory over my hawks. drake is still playing the way all tom davis teams do, running up and down the court and pressuring like crazy, subbing in a new starting 5 every timeout, and we came out with no energy, no shots falling, and no efffort on the boards or on defense and we just couldn't keep up with their pace. i will be back with updates after the big michigan state big ten opener at home.

Haven't given much of an update on my NBA squad lately, i thought i might have to give up on them after the sickening yao injury but the fantastic return of tmac from his back spasms along with serious step-your-game-ups from juwan howard, luther head, and shane battier have kept us afloat and kept the team looking good. Current record is a very nice 19-12, good for third in our southwest division, where we have whupped the mavs and spurs and beat the lowly grizz twice. Mcgrady is playin like the old tmac again and it's fantastic to watch. i think all he really needed was a mental boost and a reassertion that he is the team's go-to-guy. he seems to have found his perimeter stroke again and he is driving and finishing (and dishing) with his phenomenal athleticism once again. very positive signs, but i still have to hold my breath whenever he takes the court because back spasms can come back anytime. juwan has played like the fab 5 juwan once again, providing consistent scoring with his automatic midrange shot and surprisingly hitting the boards pretty hard. luther head has been pouring in threes at a dizzying rate and making plays with his speed, while shane has stepped up his scoring and is shooting more threes and dikembe has done the best of abilties, grabbing boards and blocking shots. if our guys can continue to play this way and tmac stays healthy we should be able to stay afloat in the west, but unless yao returns on time and works his way back to dominant form before the playoffs i don't see us advancing too far in the postseason. i'm also sick of watching houston blow big leads, it started to show big time after losing to the lakers in multiple overtimes 2 weeks ago and it showed against the grizzlies last nite (we won) when we failed to put the game away by giving them threes and not making defensive stops. i could definitly see bonzi wells getting traded soon too, he has struggled to stay in shape and stay healthy and has stayed in van gundy's doghouse. he has gotten more technicals than anyone on the rockets so far and his defensive effort has been questionable, but he has shown flashes of the versatile inside scorer he can be. if he can't stay on the court though i see him getting traded. kirk snyder should also be back soon and inject the squad with some energy thanks to his driving.