february 9, 2012
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The February 9 issue of the HoustonianTRANSCRIPT
On one cold night David Clements was walking back to his dorm when he saw smoke billowing out of a historic campus building. Old Main was on fire.
The freshman called the fire department to report what he saw. Firefighters from surrounding cities had to be called in because of limited staff at the Huntsville station. The wood and brick framed building had already been engulfed in flame for 20 min. It was too late to save.
Thirty years ago, on Feb. 12, 1982, Old Main fell for good.
“I could see the fire from Fish Hatchery Road,” Huntsville Fire Chief Tom Grisham said. “I could see the glow in the sky. It was well on its way before we even got there.”
That didn’t stop the firefighters, many of whom were volunteers, from risking their health and sanity in the long hours that the fire burned.
“We were probably there close to 17 hours,” Grisham, then one of only two paid firefighters, said. “We had to get people from the city to bring us gas to refill the trucks.”
The longer the building was engulfed, the more students, faculty and citizens of the town gathered around to watch their beloved building slowly fall apart.
“I remember my dad brought us there when it was still smoldering,” LeeAn Muns, who was in third grade at the time, said. “Although, I remember that all I kept asking my mom and dad was, ‘Is Tripod’s grave still standing?’”
Muns, now the mass communication department broadcast operations manager, said as a seven-year-old Tripod was her main concern.
“When I got home that night, I remember my parents talking about how much of a loss it was…that all that beautiful stain glass was gone,” Muns said. “Tripod was still my main concern, even in the shadow of the loss of the historic building…the history of that dog still stood strong.”
Tripod was a three-legged dog that roamed the campus of SHSU that the community looked after. He died on Jan. 9, 1962 and the president of the university at that time, Harmon Lowman, Ph.D., gave his eulogy three days later.
His grave is located at the bottom of the hill Old Main rested on. When the walls of Old Main fell, the bricks fell around the grave, not even touching the headstone.
However, the 93 year-old wall that fell still made an impact.
“I remember one of the Old Main walls falling,” Grisham said. “It was like thunder, firefighters were running everywhere.”
Austin Hall, the historic landmark built in 1851 that sat adjacent to Old Main, also caught fire, however, officials were able to contain it before the problem was too severe.
“We were most proud of saving that building,” Grisham said. “We knew that if Old Main got as involved as it did we’d have to protect Austin Hall. That was our priority.”
By morning all that was left of the largest building on campus was piles of brick, shards and melted fragments of stain glass, and pieces of the structure remained.
Video from that day show students holding each other crying, while other students were gathering pieces of the building.
“It was like an old friend,” a student said in a news report that day. “When you couldn’t find anybody to talk to, [you would go sit] on the steps of old main. We would slide down the hill in the snow. We were all just here the other day with my kids and everybody just going down the hill. We’re really [going to] miss it.”
Elliot Bowers, Ph.D., then SHSU president, said echoed the student’s feelings.
“I think it’s the saddest thing that’s happened on this campus since I’ve been here, and that’s been several decades,” Bowers said. “It was priceless, and irreplaceable.”
Grisham said he and the other firefighters may have felt worse than the students.
“Many of the firefighters went to Sam,” Grisham said. “We were some of the saddest people there, because we were supposed to be the ones to save it, and we didn’t.”
University officials said that before the fire brought the building down, students formed lines inside the building to remove artifacts from the university’s history including instruments, photos, paintings, and a bust of Gen. Sam Houston. Most of the artifacts lie in storage today, according to university officials, but larger pieces like the Old Main organ are in the Peabody library.
Before it burned down, the building was used for music, journalism and lecture classes.
In the end, the ultimate irony was Bower’s announcement that members of the university were going to Austin the following week to attempt to declare the building a historical landmark, which would have secured funding to help restore parts of the building.
Now where once smoldering bricks, shattered glass and a mourning community stood, a small memorial statue stands in
STEPHEN GREENEditor-in-Chief
Vol 120 | Issue 7
Publishing since 1913 Independent Student Newspaper of Sam Houston State University
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Viewpoints ....... pg. 2News .................. pg. 3
A&E ................... pg. 4Sports................. pg. 5
INDEX
Visit us on Facebook: “The Houstonian SHSU”
Staff Grammy predictions, pg. 4
Miss Black and Gold Pageant winner and
photos, pg. 6
Looking back: 30 years laterWitnesses remember night of fire that burned Old Main
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Facebook.com/HoustonianSHSU | @TheHoustonian
THEN AND NOW. The hill that once looked on Old Main has had some renovation, including adding in new lamp posts. However, many of the trees that surrounded the building still stand and went largely untouched by the fire. On the of the fire, water from the fire trucks flowed down the staircase which was later aptly named the “Old Main waterfall” by many who saw it.
Photo courtesy University Archives, Jessica Gomez | The Houstonian
EYE OF THE FIRE. Firefighters could be seen standing stunned staring at the flames as it overpowered the more than 100 firefighters from 17 cities.
Photo courtesy University Archives.
Photo courtesy University Archives.
S T A I N E D W I N D O WS . Many artifacts in the fire that d e s t r o y e d the Old Main buildingwere irreplacable, but the windows that r e p r e s e n t e d the history of not only Texas, but SHSU...were the most m e m o r a b l e .They included this window of the university motto, as well as, it’s alma matter.
the “Old Main pit.” Just as before when the
university and surrounding community stood on the steps of the Old Main building to
socialize, even if they don’t know the history of the grounds they stand on, they now gather in its shadow, in a haunting reminder of that cold, February night.
Page 2Thursday, February 9, 2012Viewpoints
houstonianonline.com/viewpoints
The individual opinions on the Viewpoints page are not necessarily affiliated with the view of The Houstonian or SHSU. The Houstonian is published semi-weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It is a news publication of Sam Houston State University, a member of the Texas State University system, and is produced by students. It is self-supporting and welcomes all advertisers. Those interested in placing ads or classifieds should call 936-294-1495. The Houstonian is a member of the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association.
n January the Pennsylvania House of Representatives voted unanimously to declare 2012 the “Year of the Bible”.
In Indiana last week, a bill was passed by the state Senate to allow the teaching of Creationism in science class.
In Texas high schools, health textbooks describe the emotional trauma of sexual activity, yet do not mention contraception.
In multiple states there are concerted attacks on women’s health and reproductive rights.
Forty-one states have either constitutional amendments or state laws that ban same-sex marriage.
The Defense of Marriage Act has a provision that allows states to deny recognition of another state’s marriage license.
There are seven states that have laws prohibiting atheists from
serving in an elected office. In the current Congress, made of 535 members, not one is an open atheist, while 483 identify as some Christian sect.
And yet, the religious right has the audacity to claim that they are victims of persecution in the United States.
This claim has all of the validity of a bully who vilifies, harasses, physically intimidates and assaults their target, then, when their victim dares to fight back, screams about how awful the other person is and demands the mantle of victimhood.
Take, for example, the current case of Jessica Alquist.
This last month Jessica won a court case in Rhode Island, where her public high school was forced to take down an overtly Christian prayer, displayed in their school. In the immediate aftermath of the ruling, this 16-year-old female
student received threats of rape and murder, in addition to the harassment from the Christian community in her school.
Even a Rhode Island state
Representative got in on the action and referred to Jessica as an “evil little thing”.
She had to have a police escort through the halls of her school.
Conservative Christians will cite cases, such as Jessica’s, as evidence for their claim of persecution.
They would add into this mix the ban on government sponsored prayer in school, the gay agenda for equality, abortion rights, sex education, and the limiting of religious exemptions from certain types of discrimination when religious groups contract with the government.
Yet none of these are an attack on religious freedoms; they are a retraction of inappropriate and illegal privilege that conservative Christians now feel they are entitled to.
Does it sometimes smart when your extraordinary privilege is chipped away, in order to ensure
equality under the law? Sure, but that does not mean
there is any persecution under way.
As BioWare’s David Gaider put it when his company dared allow same-sex relationships in their games, “They’re so used to being catered to that they see the lack of catering as an imbalance.”
This imbalance is now being addressed by our government, which is on its way to seeing Christianity as just one religion amongst many, or none, in this country.
Every Christian, be they Baptist, Methodist, Mormon, Seven-Day Adventist, Jehovah’s Witness, will have the same rights as every Hindu, Muslim, Pagan, Buddhist, etc.
Even those of us without a belief in a higher power will be fairly and equitably treated by our government.
I
Brian PetersenRecurring Columnist
Slouching toward BethlehemBrian Petersen: religious equality doesn’t equal bullying
Stephen Green - "The internet is always Greener" -About national and state politics, social issues, and the media
Molly Waddell - "Gleek-Out" -Personal review of each week's Glee epi-sodes and thoughts on its future.
Karmen King - "WouldRatherTweet" -Blog about Twitter and other social media issues
Zach Birdsong- "College Sports Soundoff" - Updates on the latest in national college sports.
Matt Frazier - "Crtl+Alt+Escapist" - Video game reviews.
Cody Lewis - "Cody Lewis Sports" - Personal reviews of the behavior and actions about Major League sporting events.
Misti Jones - "Celebritize Me Cap'n" - Opinion on recent celebrity events.
Megan Laurie- "IMAGE(s)" -Discussion of personal and other artists' artwork.
Jessica Gomez- "The beat will steal you" -Photography blog
Allison McMath- "Let's button up" - Blog about crafts that made using mainly buttons, but occasionally other things.
George Mattingly- “RealityCheck” - A blog about Reality Shows
For more information and links to these blogs go to www.houstonianonline.com and click the “Blogs” tab.
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Through the looking glassCody Lewis thinks the Dallas-Houston rivalry
needs to be more cordial
I don’t know why, but I feel that children in Houston are taught to hate people from Dallas growing up. At least that is how it seems to
me. I am constantly scrutinized for
wearing a Dallas Cowboys shirt or a Texas Rangers hat. I think this hatred is stemmed from jealousy. I mean, who wouldn’t be jealous of a franchise that has won five championships and is labeled “America’s Team,” or of a team that has gone to back-to-back World Series? And when the Astros come to the American League West, where the Texas Rangers reside, I feel that the hatred will only increase.
But this hatred extends beyond sports. It seems to me that people from Houston see Dallas as some sort of white-collar, snobby place where everyone drives a Mercedes or a BMW; however, this is not true. Every city has snobs, including Houston.
According to Dallasnews.com, Dallas has approximately 5,750 homeless people and the percentage has risen in the past year. You can hardly go anywhere in Dallas without seeing a homeless person. A homeless man once grabbed my shirt begging for money at a McDonald’s in
Dallas. And yes, Houstonians can make the argument that Houston has more homeless than Dallas, but that is because it is home to 689,000 more people than Dallas.
I also always hear about how Houston is so much bigger than Dallas, and it’s true. According to Yahoo’s Healthy Living, Houston is the sixth fattest city in the United States. Dallas doesn’t even rank in the top 25.
Most Houston natives cringe when they even hear the word Dallas, but aren’t we all from Texas? I don’t ever recall criticizing someone in Dallas for wearing some sort of Houston gear, or discriminating against him or her
for being from there.Last semester, I was walking
to the dining hall on a Sunday afternoon wearing a Cowboys jersey. I hadn’t even crossed Sam Houston Avenue before I was yelled at. Someone actually went through the trouble of rolling down their window and screaming, “*@#$ the Cowboys!” from the other side of the street.
Since I’ve lived in Huntsville, I have learned that Dallas has a negative connotation. I even heard someone call it one of the meanest cities in America, but from what I have experienced down here, I think Houston should be somewhere on that list.
Getting yelled at by a strangers and people making jokes about the city I was born in isn’t going to make me like Houston and it definitely won’t get me to cheer for the Texans or the Astros.
Personally, I think what Houston feels towards Dallas is a bad case of little brother syndrome, but I think we, as Texas natives, should find common ground, and understand that people from different cities are going to be different. This playground rivalry will probably never end, so let’s just agree to disagree on which city is “better.”
Cody LewisSports Reporter
The Editorial Staff of The Houstonian would like to give a “Paws Down” to our Editor-in-Chief Stephen Green. At The Houstonian we are used to being the only people left in the building. As such, we are constantly reminded to turn the restroom lights off when we leave. Yesterday, out of habit, Stephen turned out the light in the middle of the day. When he did such, someone else was still in the other stall. The proper thing to do would have been to turn the light back on and apologize. However, Stephen instead turned tail and ran back to the office. He didn’t even turn the light back on. Much hilarity ensued in the newsroom as the tale was told again and again. For this, we apologize to the mystery restroom guest and award Stephen with a massive “PAWS DOWN.”
wallhazard.com
The Theta Mu Alphas had their 2012 Miss Black & Gold pageant on Feb. 7th, crowning Winifred Illeso as their new queen.
Illeso is a sophmore Kinesiology major and member of Sam Houston State University’s track team. Not only did she win the pageant, but she also won an award for “Miss Industrious”, the girl who raised the most money during pageant preparation.
“Honestly it’s such a relief [to win] because I’ve been doing so much, balancing this and track meets but all this hard work just paid off,” Illeso said.
Along with winning a $1250 scholarship, as the new Miss Black & Gold, Illeso must prepare for the regional competition next week and help the five Huntsville Essence pageant contestants prepare for their own pageant.
“I will help them with their confidence and help them to be calm and
collected and let them know to put their best effort in at every practice, because every practice counts,” Illeso said.
The former SHSU and National Miss Black & Gold Felicia Hatchett, who also served as one of the judges, offered a piece of advice to the new Miss Black & Gold.
“Just do what you feel like…whatever you feel like Miss Black & Gold is, just exemplify that to the highest of your ability,” Hatchett said.
Though Illeso ultimately emerged as the star of the evening, she was not the only sight worth seeing that night.
The other five contestants, Kishana Stultz, Alexandra Morgan, J’meka Allen, Joqueleana Feliciano, and Paris Kent, were tough competition, capturing the attention of the audience from the energetic opening number performed to “Run the World” by Beyonce to powerful introduction speeches to the alluring “Modern Cleopatra” section, sassy swimwear,
intriguing talents, gorgeous evening gowns, and intellectual Q&A.
“I like how they aren’t objectifying the women, especially by having the girls wear [flesh toned] stockings beneath their swimsuits,” Kendrick Lattimore said. “I thought that was clever of them to do that.”
As the girls executed all segments of the show, behind them stood a stage decorated to resemble an inner room of an Egyptian palace. This design was created by Senior Ashley Poyer.
Alpha Phi Alpha member and pageant coordinator Jasean Slusher felt the pageant was a success.
“It was outstanding…the girls really performed and I think the winner was deserving,” Slusher said.
Other winners include: Miss Gold-J’meka Allen, Miss Black-Kishana Stultz, Miss Congeniality-Kishana Stultz.
J’meka Allen will receive a $700 scholarship, and Kishana Stultz will receive a $500 scholarship.
Page 3Thursday, February 9, 2012 News
houstonianonline.com/news
JASMINE BROWNContributing Reporter
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QUESTIONS. One of the pageant contestants answers questions in the next round of the scholarship
Rana Banks | The Houstonian
GLITS AND GLAM. The Theta Mu Alphas show off their dresses during the anual Miss Black and Gold Pageant.
Rana Banks | The Houstonian
Student Government Association led its meeting with high spirits on Tuesday night while discussing important business such as the organization’s budget and new resolutions for the student body.
President Tyler Eberhart began by thanking the Senate for their handwork and welcoming newcomers. Eberhart announced he will be meeting with the Board of Regents on Feb. 16 and Feb. 17 to discuss four main topics: tobacco policy, scheduling, facilities/infrastructure and community service.
Eberhart encouraged members to think of ideas to present at a future SGA meeting in order to make strides to improve the parking problems.
Treasurer Jimmy Williams handed the Senate SGA’s running budget for
the spring semester. He stated that not much has changed but provided detailed descriptions of what the organization pays for. Williams noted that each SGA committee must have an approved quote amount from Dean of Students, John Yarabek, or President Dana Gibson before entering into a contract or project with a company/organization.
Chief Kendall Scudder described the progress of Bearkat All Paws In as a great success so far:
“We have a lot of fantastic people that are gung-ho and working their tail-ends off,” he said. “We now have plenty of volunteer locations, but of course, we could always use more volunteers. We don’t expect a lot of people/groups to confirm until closer to the deadline.”
Resolution unanimously accepted support of a petition to legalize alcohol
sales in more areas of Huntsville. Scudder said the petition can be signed by any registered voter within the city of Huntsville by calling his cell phone or meeting up with him. He is willing to talk with any student or citizen about ways to move the community forward.
The Energy Audit has been requested to analyze the use of energy throughout the SHSU campus and how to eliminate excess usage. No update has been confirmed on the audit. Hand-in-hand, the Mall Area Lights issue states that the lights are too dim at night near the LSC to secure safety to all students.
The Senate nominated and inducted Chaston Pruitt as the newly appointed Senator.
Fine Arts and Mass Communication Senator Ronell Walker was appointed Student Affairs chief.
Chair Cody Hatcher
stated that some students cannot attend events such as seminars, workshops, and guest speakers that their student fees pays for. A resolution passed to record videos of those events so that they may be accessed by students through the SHSU website.
Senator Kolby Flowers announced that the SGA website is now online and updated. Also, SGA reiterated that it will not hand over its duties of Homecoming. It will continue to be involved until further notice.
Vice President Jason Tilton discussed the need for four more caucus chairs, while Eberhart asked for current caucus chairs to work with senators to create new ideas for new business for upcoming meetings.
SGA will meet next Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in LSC 320 to discuss upcoming events and students are encouraged to attend.
MISTI JONESSenior Reporter
UPD UpdateFebruary 5, 2012
At 12:22 a.m, a male Huntsville resident was arrested in the 2500 block of Sam Houston Avenue after interfering with the officer while he spoke with a female. While attempting to take the male into custody, he became combative. After a struggle, the male was taken into custody and charged with the following offenses: the Class Misdemeanor B Misdemeanor Offense of Interference with the Public Duties of a Peace Officer; and the Class A Misdemeanor Offense of Resisting Arrest.
February 3, 2012
At 4:15 p.m., officer responded to the 5000 block of Sam Houston Avenue to assist the Huntsville Police Department in reference to a burglary report. Upon arrival the officer was able to detain a suspect involved in the burglary. The Huntsville Police Department is continuing with the investigation.
Night of black and gold with Theta Mu AlphasNew queen crowned at pageant
SGA passes resolution in support of ‘wet’ petition
Page 4Thursday February 9, 2012Arts & Entertainment
houstonianonline.com/a-e
Thesis to explore race, womenThe suffering and objectification
of black women will be explored through dance and spoken word in the latest Thesis Dance Concert titled “The Monologues of My Nappy Hair” on Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m.
The concert, held in the Performing Arts Center Dance Theater, is the brainchild of graduate student LaNita Joseph, who researched several topics relating to black women and dance including the history of black hair, the Civil Rights Movement and the relationship of women through the male eye.
“Black women are a double minority being black and females,” Joseph said. “They have been silenced throughout history and their stories need to be told.”
Seven dances, set to spoken word, classical and R&B music, will feature African American
dance style and Afro-American fusion, a new style that combines modern dance with the African American aesthetic, according to Joseph.
In addition to dance, the concert will also feature a collection of monologues written by Joseph and performed by theater students, and video projections that will highlight her message about black women.
The concert will tell the stories of different black women, while the main character, who is also a lesbian, will have “thread throughout the show” Joseph said.
The challenges with creating the show had more to deal with getting the dancers comfortable with the ideas behind it than the dance movement, according to Joseph.
“I had to break them away from their own notions of white supremacy,” she said. “It’s hard for black people to admit they’ve been exploited and objectified. It changes how you view life.”
Although the dance faculty supports the show, the topic of the concert has stirred up controversy in the dance department for those who did not agree with the ideas Joseph said.
Joseph said she has heard some students call the show “anti-white”, “reversed racism” and “inappropriate”, and disagreed with the gay component of the show, while the dance faculty fully supports the show.
Despite the negative reactions, Joseph said she hopes the audience will watch and be informed about the history of black women and apply the message to all cultures and races.
“I want it [the concert] to speak out about black issues and tell the truth about what has happened through dance.”
The performance is free to everyone. For more information, contact the dance department at 936-294-1875.
GEORGE MATTINGLYArts & Entertainment Editor
GEORGE MATTINGLYArts & Entertainment Editor
A week full of art and culture will head to town next week as Huntsville celebrates Latin America in the second Latin American Festival from Feb. 13-18.
The events will highlight and celebrate Hispanic and Latin American culture that will include granite sculpting, tango dance classes and live music and dance performances.
Most of the activities will take place at the Wynne Home Arts Center in Huntsville, which provides cultural programs for
the community. There will also be music concerts performed by SHSU professors on Tuesday in the Performing Arts Center.
The week of events will kick off at the Wynne Home on Monday with a Granite Sculpting workshop with Master sculptor Jesús Moroles and a Piñata workshop each from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., a back strap weaving workshop from 1 to 4 p.m. and the opening of Moroles’ exhibit at 5 p.m.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, there will be a granite sculpting workshop from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. and back strap weaving workshop from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Wynne Home.
Students can take a Tango master class from world renown dancers Sergei Tumas and Daniela Arcuri from 11 a.m.to 12:30 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center as a part of Tuesday’s events on campus. The class will be open to the public from 1 to 3 p.m.
There will also be a Valentine buffet reception at 6:30 p.m. with music and dance performances at 7:30 p.m.
The concert will feature the music of Latin American composer Astor Piazzolla with performances by SHSU professors Scott Plugge ,Ph.D., Illonka Rus, Ph.D., with Rebeca Geabou on piano.
“Latin American music has
elements of dance in it,” Plugge said.
“The rythms are a lot more syncopated and dance oriented. The music [of Piazzolla] has lots of audience appeal because it is very melodic with dance rhythms.”
Also scheduled to perform that night are Corozon Folklorico de Huntsville, Ballet Folklorico de Huntsville, Compania Folkórica Alegria Mexicana Ballet and Argentine tango dancers. Tickets for the reception and performances are $20.
Thursday and Friday’s events will include granite sculpting from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and children’s workshops from 4 to 7 p.m. at the
Wynne Home. The festival will conclude with
a question and answer session with Moroles at 11 a.m. and a Family Festival from 12 to 4 p.m. that will feature food, games and music.
“It’s a very entertaining opportunity for students to expand their horizons,” Plugge said.
“They get to see art, music and dance all together.”
Admission to all workshops is free and tickets for the reception performances can be purchased in the PAC box office at 936-294-2339.
For more information about the festival, visit www.wynnehome.com.
Festival to celebrate Latin American culture, expose studentsSPEAKING OUT: ‘Monologues’ will combine dance, spoken word, acting and video into performances to tell the stories of struggling black women.
Megan Laurie | The Houstonian
Record of the YearRolling in the Deep (6 votes)
Album of the Year21-Adele (7 votes)
Song of the YearRolling in the Deep-Adele (6 votes)
Best New ArtistBon Iver (4 votes)
Best Pop Solo PerformanceSomone Like You-Adele (3 votes) You and I (3 votes)
Best Rock AlbumWasting Light-FooFighters (5 votes)
Best R&B AlbumF.A.M.E.- Chris Brown (6 votes)
Best Rap AlbumPink Friday-Nicki Minaj (3 votes)
Watch the Throne-Jay-Z and Kanye West (3 votes)
Best Country AlbumOwn the Night-Lady Antebellum (3 votes)
Speak Now-Taylor Swift (3 votes)
Tune in on Feb. 12 at 8 p.m. for the 2012 Grammys-
Votes out of 8
Houstonian staff casts votes for 2012 Grammys
Most high school football recruits have dreams of playing at top tier universities such as the University of Texas and Texas A&M.
But one high school recruit wanted to go somewhere where he felt right at home.
For Zachary Stevens, a senior at Cy-Fair High School, that place was Sam Houston State University.
Though Stevens had interest in other schools such as the Air Force Academy and WestPoint Academy, he felt he would be better off staying closer to his family in Cypress, Texas.
When he visited SHSU, Stevens said he got the family sense. After meeting with SHSU head football coach Willie Fritz, Stevens knew that he wanted to play football for him.
“Whenever I met Fritz, he was a real family guy,” Stevens said. “I felt like he could be my second dad. It felt like a family up there. He really sold it.”
Last week on National Signing Day, a day where high school football recruits sign a letter of intent to play collegiate football, Stevens made it official and signed on to play football for the Bearkats in 2012.
In his senior season at Cy-Fair, Stevens leaves his high school with an impressive resume. In his final season, he helped lead his team to a district title and the team made it to the 5A Division I regional finals.
Listed at 6-foot-1-inch tall, Stevens is classified as undersized for the center position. However, Stevens has uses that to his advantage, playing with a chip on his shoulder.
His aggressive play got him recognition and at the end of the 2011 season, Stevens was selected as a finalist for the Houston Touchdown Club’s offensive “Most Valuable Player” of the year award. The intention of the club is to recognize outstanding football players in the Houston area.
At the awards banquet, Stevens said he began questioning himself why he was up there.
“At that point, I didn’t have any scholarships to go to college,” Stevens said. “Every single guy that I was nominated with on the offensive side of the board was going to a big D-1 college. I think there were five guys who were going to Texas A&M, two guys going to Boise State and some other great schools. I felt out of place.”
Soon after the banquet though, Stevens received his first scholarship to play college football.
As his senior season ended, the
Bearkats were competing in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoffs. Stevens admits that he watched the team play and was impressed at what he saw and thought they would have success in the future.
The night before SHSU took on Montana, Stevens said he got a call from an assistant coach inviting him to the game.
A couple of weeks later, Stevens got an offer from the university to play football for the Bearkats.
During a press conference last week on Signing Day to introduce new recruits, assistant football coach Anthony Johnson mentioned that he was excited about Stevens joining the squad and described him as a “very high energy and mean player,” which he says is perfect for an offensive lineman.
Though he still has to graduate high-school, Stevens is excited to come play football for the university.
“I want to go up there and contribute to the team as much I can,” Stevens said. ”I’m going to fight for my position and I’m not going to let up. I plan on helping the team get back to where they were this year, and on winning the game. I just want to be as best as I can and be as good as I can be for the team and I just want to win a national championship.”
Shortly after ending a four game losing streak, the Sam Houston State men’s basketball team took a 75-63 loss to the UT-Arlington Mavericks last night in Johnson Coliseum.
This gave the Mavericks a season sweep over the Bearkats and another conference win making them undefeated in the Southland Conference.
During halftime, the Sam Houston State football team was honored for their memorable 2011 season.
Marcus James was the leading scorer for the Bearkats, scoring 24 points and getting 13 boards. He and Konner Tucker, who scored 17, were the only players who scored in the double digits.
“Tonight was a rough night,” Marcus James said. “Their defense was really physical and they played tough.”
Sam Houston (9-15, 3-7) shot 41 percent from the floor and a measly 24 percent from the three-point line. Sam Houston simply could not get anything going as the Mavericks held a 12-point lead for a good part of the second half.
UT-Arlington (18-5, 10-0) shot 51 percent from the field, 48 percent from the three-point line and 79 percent from the free throw line.
It also seemed as though the
Mavericks could make a three pointer from almost anywhere on the court.
The Mavericks played excellent defense as well, scoring 20 points off of turnovers and holding the Bearkats to such low shooting percentages. They are number one in the conference for field goal defense.
The Mavericks came into this game with the third-longest winning streak in the country. They have not lost a game since Dec 20.
They also only lost to Baylor,
who is ranked number ten in the BCS standings, by 10. The Bearkats were able to stay with them for most of the first half and they made a serious run at the beginning of the second half.
The Bearkats came out in the second half and went on a 6-0 thanks to two consecutive threes by Konner Tucker.
Tucker made three of seven attempts from beyond the arch in the game and scored nine of his 17 points in the second half.
Three consecutive three point shots by UT-Arlington’s Bo
Ingram, who scored 21 points, ended this run. A technical foul by Marcus James also slowed the Bearkats down.
“You have to give [The Mavericks] credit,” Head Coach Jason Hooten said. “They bent tonight but they didn’t break and that’s what good teams do.”
As the season winds down, the Bearkats are still looking to get into the Southland Conference tournament and finish strong. Senior Marcus James is doing his best to motivate younger players.
“[I want] to show them the
will to never give up,” James said. “Showing a young group to go out and give it your all every night keeps them motivated to get better every day.”
The Bearkats travel to Corpus Christi to play the Islanders on Saturday. The last time these teams met, a last second jumper by Corpus Christi’s Hameed Ali giving them a one-point victory decided the game. Tip-off will be at 2 p.m.
For more information about the Bearkats mens basketball team, visit gobearkats.com.
Page 5Thursday, February 9, 2012
Sportshoustonianonline.com/sports twitter.com/HoustonianSport
CODY LEWISSports Reporter
Mens team falls to first place UTA at home
Kats get bucked by Mavs, 75-63
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FACING SOME TOUGH COMPETITION. Junior forward Steven Werner (14) goes up for a shot against the University of Texas-Arlington Mavericks on Wednesday. As a team, the Bearkats shot just 41 percent from the floor in a 75-63 loss to the Mavericks. The Kats have dropped five out of their last six games.
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