Pictured above: (from left) former players Korawn  Harris, Brandon Roberts,  Lloyd McCleave, Steven Ogg, Coach Webb Hatch.
Photographer: Unknown

          

             On Wednesday afternoon, October 26, 2011, our very own Frostburg Bobcats men’s basketball team had a scrimmage against Allegany Community College of Cumberland, Md. It was a good preview of what the 2011-2012 season has to come for the team and their loyal fans and supporters. The game was broken into two, twenty minutes halves as any other college basketball game, but the score restarted at the beginning of the second half unlike a normal game. For a pre-season scrimmage there was more fan support than one would expect. It created a great atmosphere for the game and you could tell by the player’s performance, as the game started very lopsided.

            Junior DeSean Antoine came out gunning as he hit a barrage of three pointers in the first half. He clearly established himself as a team leader in the beginning directing the offense and controlling the team’s tempo early on. Veteran shooting guard Troy Dockett had a slow start in the first half, but once he started going in the second half he was almost unstoppable. Senior Maurice Williams showed his ability to take control the frontcourt, just as he did last season. In the second half, we saw more of the newcomers on the team and returning sophomores on the court. The game play was a little loose and sloppy so Coach Webb Hatch went back to the starters to get the game under control. After the game I asked versatile big man, Kwambina Coker who was unable to play due to a broken hand, what did he think? He stated, “We played good, better than I expected. We are going to make some noise this year.”

            Frostburg won both halves by a good margin. Allegany did not look like their teams of the past, as the team was not as athletic or exciting as they once were. The team did not look like an actual team at all, as they played unorganized. Poor play form the backcourt affected them greatly because the offense rarely got a chance to set up. The highlight play of the scrimmage came in the second half from freshman, Tyler Logan, delivered a two-handed slam on one of his two fast break baskets. The crowd and the bench went crazy Gregory Champion, a junior here at Frostburg said, “This is only the second dunk I’ve seen in a game here in three years.”

            As many thought the game had ended after the second half there was an extra 10 minutes put onto the clock. The extra time was for newcomers, who are not expected to see much playing time this year. The crowd had lost interest by then and it did not help that they played poorly. “I wish Christian was able to play, he would take Frostburg to another level,” one bystander stated. The fan was referring transfer Christian Jackson. Jackson was unable to play because of an ankle injury. Jackson played at Manhattan College and Bowie State before landing here in Frostburg.

            The men’s basketball team has a lot of potential this year, even after losing a lot of leadership from last year’s team. I hope that they will live up to that potential and raise a banner for basketball that supporters have been waiting for over the last decade.

More Than Entertainment By Michael Monroe Jr. 336.002

  

There are a few people who seem to know everything about the entertainment world and I believe Neffetara Morris one of them. Neffetara, more commonly known as Neffe, came into this world on November 23, 1991. She is a native of Potomac, Maryland. She attended Winston Churchill High School and is now a junior here at FSU. When she was younger she was part of a handful of extracurricular activities which include: dance, ballet, running track and playing basketball while in middle school. She grew up a big Allen Iverson fan. When asked about Kobe Bryant she said that “he’s too arrogant,” which is the exact reason that makes him so great. As a mass communication major Neffe has dreams of becoming a host of nationally syndicated show such as Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood, or Inside Edition. Neffe has vast knowledge about everything in the entertainment world, it’s pretty amazing. I have no idea why, but she enjoys shows such as Jersey Shore and Basketball Wives, the same shows that are ruining television. She is a former member of the National Broadcasting Society (NBS), here at Frostburg State University.    

One major short term goal that Neffe has is to intern for a major network such as BET, Discovery Channel, or TV One. We share some of the same goals when it comes to networking and landing an internship this upcoming summer. Neffe also plans to network to achieve to achieve some long term goals like meeting media professionals so one day she can be in the position they are in one day. Neffe is very independent, which is a great characteristic that she carries. She is motivated to live a good life, but never become too materialistic in the process unlike most people.

Neffe’s best friend is her mother. She often has arguments with her mother, but that is just because they are just alike and there are no hard feelings afterwards. She stated that “You meet a lot of people, but you always come back to your family”. Having a good relationship with family is good when trying to achieve your dreams because they will never give up on you. Something unique about Neffe is that her full man, Neffetara, is derived from the Egyptian queen Nefertiti. Her original plans did not include attending Frostburg State, but like most students who go here cost became a major factor. Her first choice was Spelman or Howard. It may be goo d thing she didn’t go to Spelman because she “loves being home.”

Neffe is ambitious and has an undeniable passion about entertainment, which will take her a long way if she stays on track. She is determined to have a career in what she loves and I believe she will make it.