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News briefs

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Saddam may be a conniving crook and relentless mass murderer, but L&A doesn’t support war and the Beastie Boys agree: the NYC hip hop trio just recorded an anti-war protest track, “In A World Gone Mad.” Member Adam Horovitz notes that it isn’t a pro-Saddam or anti-patriotic song, but is instead an objection to what the group says is an unfounded war. Fans can download the tune for free at www.beastieboys.com.

If you lazy idiots never got to reading Homer’s complete narrative of the Trojan War and the Iliad, then you’ll be able to watch it on the big screen as of May 2004. Set to be directed by Wolfgang Petersen and written by David Benioff, Troy will attempt to span through the entire war, while emulating the mythical proportions of the battles. Brad Pitt, Peter O’Toole and Saffron Burrows are some of the actors, so you lethargic slugs don’t have to do any reading.

Here’s the heads up on the indie music scene: Superdrag, Television, The Faint and The Mercury Program are on tour. Go to www.pitchforkmedia.com for dates. Moreover, Saddle Creek Records’ 50th Anniversary album will hit stores as of April 8th and will feature tracks by Bright Eyes, Desaparecidos, The Good Life, Cursive and others. Lastly, those of you who want to read a real rock ‘n’ roll mag will be happy to know that Creem magazine is back. Check out www.creemmagazine.com for more info.

Your favorite mafia show, “The Sopranos,” almost didn’t make it to its fifth season, when salary feuds between the main actor, James Gandolfini, and HBO arose. The former was about to file a breach-of-contract lawsuit. The network accused him of blackmail, striking him with a $100 million countersuit, but, rest assured, differences were seemingly resolved. Expect to see the show back early ’04.

The Rapture bring NYC rock cred to WMC

The Miami Hurricane
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At their purest extremes, rock music is for ugly, blue-collar listeners and dance music is for beautiful, elite listeners (especially here in Vice City). Breeding the two is not taboo, but it is dysfunctional. The Rapture’s production team, the DFA, are the Neptunes of indie dance rock – but more killer and lowkey. Their raw production burns on confidence, drugs, and knowledgeable taste, while embracing New York musical anarchy and inhibition genocide. Masterminds behind the Rapture’s knockout single, “House of Jealous Lovers,” the DFA (James Murphy,
Tim Goldsworthy) capitalized on vocalist/guitarist Luke Jenners’ starved rock vocals and the band’s screeching post-punk sound by lacing the track with an irresistible dance beat. Ten years from now (alongside Rockstar Games and Vice magazine) people will remember it as the demarcation of ’00s lascivious DIY indulgence.

But wait a second, the Rapture are still in their early 20s, still sifting through a thick foam of neon hipster hype without a squeegee in sight. To the dismay of hater gatherers, the band’s four members, Vito, Luke, Matt, and Gabriel are confoundedly humble, especially considering that they’re cover-darlings in this month’s the Fader and repeatedly get shuffled in with the Williamsburg “deck.” The newest member of the band, saxophonist/percussionist Gabriel Andruzzi (also of D.C. band the ABCs) doesn’t pay the glossy buzz much attention.

“None of us wear trucker hats, and for the most part, none of us dress like hipsters…we’re pretty goofy dudes. As far as controlling our image, as soon as someone starts taking pictures of you don’t really have much, you just wear what you wear,” he says. “This band’s been around for a while, before we were in Vice or on the cover of the Fader. As a band we don’t have political leanings and it seems like we’re leaving, if we haven’t already left, the underground.”

Wafting around the upstairs of Soho Lounge on the Thursday night of Miami’s Winter Music Conference, awaiting a much belated sound check, they’re all sedated and beat – putting together equipment and lingering around the upper staircases. Hours later, after performances by peers Peaches and LCD Soundsystem, they’ll play to a crowded venue of scenesters, press, and visiting New Yorkers at the Return to New York bash, zipping through a rousing set spiced with cow-belling and deep sax notes courtesy of Andruzzi. When it ends, people will realize that it’s 5 a.m. but nobody will give a damn.

Awaiting the release of their second LP (their first with the DFA), Echoes, the Rapture are flirting with a major labels deal – likely to include their current record label, also called DFA. Meanwhile, an entire underground scene fluctuates between anticipating a rock gem that can quake the dance floor and a record that might not complement the thrill of a signature single – one that captured electric excess in music like a Polaroid photograph by Jim Jacoy.

“I hope it’s not overly anticipated. If someone is expecting a full album that sounds like “House of Jealous Lovers,” that’s totally cool. I should probably just say that’s what they’re going to get, so they can expect it and not get it, but it’s a little bit of a ride, and we’re really proud of it,” Andruzzi explains.

Either way the reception of Echoes will have little effect on the band’s relationship; the two founding members, Vito Roccoforte (drums) and Luke Jenner (vocals, guitar), go all the way back to their pre-teens in California, and Matt Safer (bass, vocals) and Andruzzi were boys back in the D.C. punk scene. On stage at Soho, the group begins their set in a huddle, all smiles, with hands on keyboards. Back home in New York, they regularly hangout at Plant Bar spinning records, while Jenner (who, with an Afro and lanky build, incidentally looks like a ’70s Robert Plant) works the bar. For the Rapture, there’s no urge to get rushed into bigger waters, it’s more like a casual, if well publicized swim.
For more info, visit www.dfarecords.com.

Hunter Stephenson can be reached at HurricaneAccent@hotmail.com.

ONE SINGULAR SENSATION:

The Miami Hurricane
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UM’s Quantum Productions has done it again. The student-run arts and media production group is putting on the classic musical “A Chorus Line” through Mar. 29 at the Hillel Theater.
The musical is a show within a show, taking the audience on a journey through the process of making a Broadway show; it begins with an audition for the musical and ends in a flashy dance number.
Throughout the show, the production staff encountered several difficulties, including finding the 26 dancers needed for the show and constructing a stage big enough to accommodate the cast.
“A Chorus Line has quickly become Quantum’s biggest challenge,” Mike McCormick, vice president of Quantum’s creative affairs said. “With a mass cast of required dancers, we’ve had to expand our talent pool and also work our master carpenter to death. He’s had to build an extensive addition to the stage.”
However, McCormick says the master carpenter wasn’t the only one who was over-worked.
“The show’s director [Zach Lezberg] is superman,” McCormick said. “He’s directing the show, virtually producing it, and also starring in it- I don’t know how he’s doing it.”
The cast went through several personnel changes before the final cast was chosen.
“One problem that arose was people dropping the show after weeks of rehearsal. The reasons are still unknown, at least to myself, but we have recast those parts, and the new cast members have done an amazing job,” Brian Shaw, musical director, said.
According to students, Quantum not only provides UM with diverse entertainment, from theater musicals to films, but also provides students and faculty with unique opportunities to direct, perform, and generally participate in all aspects of the entertainment industry.
“Quantum has again expanded its horizons with A Chorus Line,” McCormick said. “We’ve given actors a chance to become dancers, dancers a chance to become actors, and singers, actors and dancers a chance to perfect their craft by teaching others their talents.”
The show, usually set in the 70s, has been given a new spin by Quantum by placing it in 2002. Their intention is that the new angle will interest the UM audience.
Cast members feel confident that UM students will not only like the show, but will also relate to it in a meaningful way, as it deals with modern issues like racism and homosexuality.
“I think the young audience will enjoy our version of A Chorus Line because we have modernized it to match their lifestyle,” Jose Candelaria, who plays Richie in the show, said. “Not to mention putting it in 2002 makes it easier for us as actors to perform. The experiences we depict are often our own.”
A Chorus Line will run through Saturday evening with nightly performances at 8:00 p.m., except for Friday.
Tickets can be purchased at the door, or by calling the box office at 786-426-3095.

Jaclyn Lisenby can be contacted at j.lisenby@umiami.edu.

In The LINE: (pictures 2 and 3) Ashley Turner, Nikki McDonald, and Marcos Sanchez don vests and top hats for the glitzy final number, which features 18 dancers. The show’s carpenter had to build an extension on the stage to accommodate the large cast. (picture 4) Shana Del Toro and Zach Lezberg comfort Manny E.A.F., whose character reinjures his knee during an audition to be in the line. Lezberg acted in the production and also directed it.

Extra innings are Miami’s best friend

The Miami Hurricane
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While most UM students were on vacation last week, it was business as usual for the Miami baseball team. Over the break, the team posted a 6-1 record with sweeps of Tennessee and South Florida before splitting a two game series with Rutgers last weekend.
An eight game winning streak was literally washed away on Saturday night as the second game of the Rutgers series was rained out. Miami ended up losing Sunday 8-7 in 12 innings despite a valiant comeback effort.
“We made a lot of mistakes,” head coach Jim Morris said. “They capitalized on our errors and were able to win the ballgame.”
It was a bittersweet night for Miami third baseman Ryan Braun who committed what turned out to be the fatal error for the Hurricanes in the top of the twelfth inning. Braun followed up with a leadoff solo home run in the bottom of the inning but it wasn’t enough as Miami stranded runners on base to end the game.
“You just have to go out there the next day and get right back on it,” Braun said. “We could easily be 19-0 right now but mistakes are made and you have to go out there and keep playing.”
On Tuesday night, Miami played St. Peter’s College. The game was added to the schedule as a result of a Miami-Florida rainout in Gainesville earlier this year.
The Hurricanes rebounded from their Sunday afternoon loss in a big way by crushing the Peacocks 16-2 in front of a sparse crowd at Mark Light Field.
Brandon Camardese improved to 4-0 on the season while Miami right fielder Richard Giannotti had a break through night at the plate going 4-4 and tying a career high with three RBIs.
On Wednesday, the Hurricanes continued on their winning ways against the Stony Brook Seawolves.
After a sea-saw affair, the Canes finally pulled it out for the 9-8 victory in the bottom of the 10th inning when Paco Figueroa scored on an RBI single by Braun.
Hurricane closer George Huguet picked up his second win of the season after coming into the ball game with the score tied in the ninth inning.
“Being the closer is a tough job because you don’t get any rest and you have to be ready to go every day,” Huguet said.
With the win, Miami improves to 17-4 on the year. The Seawolves drop to 4-5.
UM starting pitcher Ryan Dixon received a nice cushion early when a Seawolves error with two outs led to four unearned runs for the Hurricanes.
The first earned runs of the game came when Stony Brook DH David Wood hit a 2-run blast over the right- center field fence to bring the score to 5-3 at that point.
Miami appeared to have the game well in hand until the Seawolves tied the contest at 6-6 in the top of the fifth when Dixon appeared to fatigue. Miami reliever Marcelo Albir put a stop to the inning without any further scoring. The game remained an up and down affair throughout until Braun put an end to the night.
Despite the win Morris was not pleased with his team’s level of play.
“It was a bad game played and a bad game to watch,” Morris said. “We had no intensity in this game. We have to step it up.”
This weekend the Hurricanes will face Boston College in a three game series at Mark Light Stadium. Game times will be 7pm tonight and tomorrow night and 1pm on Sunday afternoon.

-Ryan Ellis can be reached at msgnyc@yahoo.com

Schwartz maakes her mark in pool

The Miami Hurricane
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The University of Miami swimming team is in the midst of one of its more successful seasons in recent years. Much of this success is a result of senior Elaine Schwartz’s presence on the team.
Recently at the Big East Championships, Schwartz recorded two top-five finishes, including a third-place standing in the 400 IM with a time of 4:17:02.
The elementary education major hails from Mt. Laurel, N.J. and is modest when it comes to talking about her accomplishments.
“I never expected to even make the 400 IM, but that’s what I made,” Schwartz said.
The two-time high school All-American was also heavily recruited by Illinois and the University of the Pacific. A couple of factors led Schwartz to making Miami her choice.
“I really liked head coach James Sweeney a lot,” Schwartz said. “When I came down on my recruiting trip I had a good time with the girls on the team and they were a close knit group which is what I was looking for.”
When mentioning the word Olympics around any athlete, their eyes immediately light up. Elaine’s eyes lit up like the best of them.
“The Olympics have always been a dream since I was little, but right now I am not sure,” Schwartz said.
The coaching staff makes sure Elaine and the rest of the girls keep in great shape as they are on a rigid training schedule. A typical workout is very demanding.
“We usually workout two-two and a half hours a day,” Schwartz said. “Monday, Wednesday, and Friday we workout in the morning for two hours and then in the afternoon we swim and lift for an hour a piece.”
The intense workouts are one of the reasons why Elaine is heading to the NCAA championships this weekend, which are being held on the Auburn University campus.
The Auburn Tigers are the defending National Champions and Elaine hopes that the faster water surface will help her times in one of her final competitions.
“Many people tell me there isn’t a lot to do out at Auburn, but others tell me it’s a great place to be, so we’ll see this weekend,” Schwartz added.

-Doug Kroll can be reached at DStorm13@aol.com

Sports Briefs

The Miami Hurricane
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Women’s track and field
Sophomore Lauryn Williams, senior Sharianne Lawson, senior Gina Harris and the Miami 4×400-meter relay all earned All-America honors to lead the University of Miami to a 14th-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Fayetteville, AR.
Williams, the 2003 Big East 60-meter champion, repeated as an indoor All-American with a fourth-place finish in the 60-meters with a time of 7.29 seconds. Williams earned All-America honors last season in the 60-meters (indoors) and the 100-meters (outdoors). Williams broke her own school-record in the preliminaries recording a time of 7.22.
Lawson, who recorded the second-fastest time of the 60-meter hurdle preliminaries, finished fourth in the final with a time of 8.13 seconds. Lawson recorded a person-best time of 8.12 in the preliminaries.
The All-America honor is the first of Lawson’s career and continues a long-standing tradition of hurdling excellence at the University of Miami. Miami hurdlers have earned 19 All-America honors and six national championships over the last 12 seasons.
Harris, the 2003 Big East indoor long jump champion to earn All-America honors for the second consecutive season. Harris, who recorded a mark of 6.15 meters (20-02.25), is the first Hurricane long jumper to earn All-America honors in consecutive seasons.
The University of Miami will host the Hurricane Invitational tomorrow at Cobb Stadium. Field events will begin at 9 a.m. with running events starting at noon. Tickets for the event are $5 for adults and $3 for children 12 and under. UM students will receive free admission with their Cane Card.
Thirteen schools will be competing including host Miami, Southern Connecticut State, Syracuse, Florida International, Connecticut, Princeton, Grinnell, North Dakota, NYU, Kentucky, Rutgers, Florida Memorial and Florida Atlantic.
The Hurricane Invitational is the first of two home meets for Miami this season. Miami will also host the Miami Gatorade Track and Field Classic on April 12.

Women’s rowing
The University of Miami women’s rowing team competed in a scrimmage against Yale University Sunday morning in Sarasota, FL.
The UM Varsity Eight raced two Yale Eights comprising two even boats of their Varsity and JV rowers. The workout consisted of four 3-minute pieces at ratings ranging from 24 -28 strokes per minute. The faster of the two Yale boats won every piece by a boat length. UM finished anywhere from a seat up to even to down by open water on the slower of the Yale boats.
The UM JV Eight raced the 3rd Varsity Eight from Yale. They did five 3-minute pieces with ratings from 24 – 32. UM won three of the five races by a seat or two. Yale was up several seats on the other two pieces.
UM’s Novice Eight and 2nd Novice Eight competed with Yale’s freshmen eight for three 3-minute pieces and one 2-minute piece at 22, 24, and 26 strokes-per-minute. Yale’s crew finished ahead on all pieces. UM’s best showing occurred in the 3rd piece at a 26 stroke rating when the Novice Eight finished bow-to-stern with Yale. In 2002, Yale’s Novice Eight was undefeated until the EAWRC Championship. In 2002, UM’s Novice Eight finished 6th at the Big East Championships in Worcester, MA.
The Hurricanes will go head-to-head with UConn in their first spring home event in Miami Beach Saturday March 22. Look for the results on hurricanesports.com.

Intramural Scores

The Miami Hurricane
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Intramural Reminders
Don’t forget about the Hoops For Hunger 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament! The deadline to enter is today by 3pm and the tournament will be run tomorrow at the Wellness Center. It is only $25 per team and you will have a chance to win some great prizes if you win the tournament or even other chances to win prizes with various activities throughout the day.

Basketball Playoffs are over! By the time you read this, the 2003 playoffs will be finished and we have crowned our Co-Rec champion, Women’s champion, and our men’s champion. Here are the teams that were still alive as of Wednesday:
Co-Rec: The Team = Champions
Women: Wahine vs. Delta Phi Epsilon for the Women’s Championship
Greek: Pi Kappa Alpha vs. Alpha Epsilon Pi for the Greek Championship
Men: Team Cubano vs. Diaper Dandies for the Men’s Independent Championship

Here are the players that have been named to the All-Star teams that will compete against FIU on April 10 here at the Wellness Center:

Men’s: Hilton Napoleon, Sean O’Neill, Gary Pinnock, Craig Thompson, Che Scott, Jason Esteves, Robert Bolden, Mike Turino, Michael Whitehead, Keaton Copeland, Lee Butler, Gerard Wise, Jay Devore, Clifford Carter

Greek: Jeff Pon, Ray Guthrie, Marc Schuster, Jason Cammerota, Brett McCullough, Dax Pedraza, Ruben Rivera, Lee Sutta, Reid Heidenry, Jordan Kaplan, Kevin McConnell, Chris Moore, Dan McBride, Fred Daves

Women’s: Maisa Kiala, Dwon Higgins, Chelsea Brewer, Mariko Minamoto, Erin Farmer, Kerry Dunn, Rachel Basford, Amy Omae, Kim Greene, Lauren Diaz, Cristina Abboud, Jennifer Clemente

Basketball Playoffs:
Team Cubano – 57
Relentless – 56

Surs Flow – 60
Walsh 7 – 33

Diaper Dandies – 53
Complete – 39

Midwest Connex – 50
Get Money – 36

Team Cubano – 60
Surs Flow – 41

Diaper Dandies – 41
Midwest Connex – 38

Pi Kappa Alpha – 46
Alpha Sigma Phi – 38

Sigma Phi Epsilon – 50
Alpha Epsilon Pi – 42

Delta Phi Epsilon – 54
Kappa Kappa Gamma – 11

The Team – 33 (Champions)
And 1 Ballers – 31

Volleyball:
The Intimidators – 2
The Dirty Kneepads – 0

Da Kine – 2
Wild Sets – 1

Delta Phi Epsilon – 2
Delta Gamma – 0

Lambda Chi Alpha – 2
Kappa Sigma – 0

Phi Delta Theta – 2
Sigma Alpha Mu – 0

Sigma Phi Epsilon – 2
Sigma Alpha Epsilon – 0

Armed and dagerous for the 2003 season

The Miami Hurricane
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Battle begins on gridiron
While America readied for the War on Iraq, a war of different sorts began to unfold during the first day of spring football practice Tuesday afternoon at the University of Miami’s Greentree Practice Field.
Junior quarterbacks Brock Berlin and Derrick Crudup, along with redshirt freshman Mark Guillon, and true freshman Kyle Wright began a battle over who will replace Ken Dorsey at the helm of the ‘Canes offense.
Crudup, who played behind Dorsey for the last two years, started the day with the first team offense, but as of now the coaches have not named a definitive No. 1 quarterback.
“I feel like its my job,” Crudup said after Tuesday’s practice. “I think I’ve been here long enough and I think I’ve worked hard enough.”
Despite Crudup’s confidence, Berlin has emerged as the fan favorite for the job. Berlin, who transferred to UM from the University of Florida after his sophomore season, spent the last year learning the system while working with Miami’ scout team.
Berlin came out of high school as the Gatorade National Player of the Year and decided to become a ‘Cane after failing to beat out Rex Grossman for the starting job in Gainesville.
Guillon, who attended the same high school as Dorsey, briefly played in two games last season, throwing for a touchdown against Florida A&M and completing two of three passes against Connecticut. Despite playing in those games, Guillon received a medical redshirt due to a lingering shoulder injury he suffered in high school.
Wright, the youngest of the quarterback quartet, graduated high school a semester early in order to attend Miami this spring, and have a shot at replacing Dorsey. Wright was widely considered to be the number one quarterback in this year’s recruiting class.
“We’re going to get all four of the guys some work with the [first team],” head coach Larry Coker said. “We’ll try to narrow it down because we’ve got to get somebody ready to play, and get somebody that these guys can rally around.”

Other Position Battles
The Hurricanes lost more than just their starting quarterback after last season.
Coaches will have to find replacements for running back Willis McGahee, receiver Andre Johnson, offensive linemen Brett Romberg and Sherko Haji-Rasouli, and theentire defensive line.
Frank Gore, who has gained ten pounds of muscle since last season, has the inside track over Jarrett Payton for the starting running back position. Gore showed flashes of brilliance in 2001 as a back up for current NFL running back Clinton Portis. Last spring, Gore tore his ACL and missed the entire 2002 season while recovering.
“I feel like I’m ready, and I’m not scared of nothing,” Gore said. “I sat out a whole year and it was kinda hard, but it helped me and I’m hungry.”
Senior Jason Geathers is the favorite to replace Andre Johnson as the number one receiver, but heavy competition will come from sophomores Roscoe Parrish and Aikeem Jolla, as well as redshirt freshman Ryan Moore, and true freshman Darnell Jenkins.
Junior Joel Rodriguez seems to lead in the race to replace Romberg at center and senior Joe McGrath played with the first team offensive line at the guard position.
Junior Vince Wilfork will start at one of the defensive tackle positions, while junior Santonio Thomas and sophomore Orien Harris will battle for the other opening. Junior college transfer Alton Wright may snag one of the defensive end positions, with redshirt freshman John Wood pushing hard to earn the remaining spot.

Position Changes and Injuries
Two ‘Canes who played tight end last season have changed positions.
Sophomore Eric Winston has gained a considerable amount of weight in the off-season and will try his hand at the left tackle position. If Winston earns the starting left tackle position, senior Carlos Joseph could move to right tackle, and senior Vernon Carey could move to right guard.
Ex-tight end David Williams will now try to compete for playing time at defensive end.
A number of players will not participate in contact drills this spring because of various injuries.
Notably, senior strong safety Maurice Sikes, junior full back Kyle Cobia, senior wide receiver Kevin Beard, and junior linebacker Carl Walker will stay on the sidelines in order to heal.

Nate Johnson can be reached at NPJ44@aol.com

Turnaround needed

The Miami Hurricane
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A failed season on every level
The UM men’s basketball program has gone from a Big East contender to the cellar in just one season. A season that many will choose to forget. The question now is whether or not the ‘Canes will improve next year or continue its unexpected and intolerable regression.
UM finished the 2002-03 campaign with an embarrassing 67-52 defeat to Seton Hall in the first round of the Big East Tournament. The ‘Canes lost seven of their last eight contests, finishing the season with an 11-17 season and a 4-14 mark in the conference.
UM’s losing record marks the first time since 1995-96 that it will not play in the NCAA or National Invitation tournaments.
I will come out and say that this team by no means should have won the Big East and improved upon last season’s record. However, coming off a season in which the ‘Canes won a school-record 24 games and a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament should not be followed by a campaign that saw UM struggle to even earn a spot in this year’s Big East Tournament.
Entering the season, I saw a young team surrounded by two very good veterans in James Jones and Darius Rice. With the graduation of starting point guard John Salmons and starting center Elton Tyler, I expected UM to be competitive in the league, and at least earn an NIT berth.
The inconsistency of the ‘Canes this season only enhances my argument.
The ‘Canes proved they can compete with some of the top teams in the country. On Dec. 21, the ‘Canes lost to UF (A No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament) 94-93 in double overtime. UM beat a red-hot team in UNC (A NIT team) in the grand opening of the Convocation Center. UM defeated then ranked UCONN (A No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament) on a Rice buzzer beater, and only lost to Syracuse (A No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament) by five points a week later.
Now comes the ugly.
After beginning the season 5-0, UM inexcusably lost to FAU for the first time in its 16 meetings. On Jan. 18, the ‘Canes got humiliated at Seton Hall with a 76-53 defeat.
Then the ‘Canes seemed to give up on the season, losing seven of their last eight, with the win coming at the hands of the only team worse than UM in the Big East, Virginia Tech.
The question now is whom do we blame?
First, I look at the players who played the last couple of weeks of the season without any emotion or fight. They did not seem to be bothered by the close defeats that resulted in their first losing season in seven years. I closely observed the team down the stretch and noticed a lack of camaraderie, most notably during timeouts. The bench players would not even join the team in the huddle, and a certain senior guard on the bench was seen numerous times waving and laughing with friends in the crowd during stoppages of play of the Georgetown game. What he should have been laughing at was his team’s performance on the court.
With this said, I also must ultimately place blame on head coach Perry Clark. He clearly lost control of his team in the second half of the season. A constant juggling of lineups and playing time kept players unsure of what their role on the team was. Freshman point guard Armondo Surratt would start one game and play 35 minutes, and then barely get 15 minutes in another. Another freshman guard, Robert Hite, began the season as a starter, and appeared to be the third scorer that this team desperately needed. His playing time was sporadic towards the end of the season.
I am fully aware that Hite’s defense was poor, but he proved he can score, and if the team was losing, I don’t see why you wouldn’t sacrifice playing poor defense for 15 points or so a game. I believe the young players should have played more, over the likes of senior guards Michael Simmons and Paulo Coelho, who are average at best. This was necessary in order to give them more experience for the roles they will play next season.
In addition to being criticized for not developing talent, Clark also seemed to struggle in his game management. Eleven of UM’s 17 defeats were by five points or less.
As for next season, the ‘Canes, who clearly underachieved this season, could be even worse.
Miami will lose two senior starters – team leader Jones and Simmons. In addition, if Rice is projected as a first-round pick he will most likely declare himself eligible for the NBA draft. That will leave the ‘Canes without any veterans in its rebuilding process.
If the ‘Canes struggle next season, it may cost Clark, who is 22-26 in Big East play since he took over in 2000, his job at UM. Yet, Clark has the support of Athletic Director Paul Dee and does have three years left on his contract.
However, Clark does have some factors that help his case. In his defense, Clark was forced to dismiss starting shooting guard Marcus Barnes due to disciplinary reasons before the season started. In addition, UM lost projected starting forward/center Will Frisby for the season with a broken foot.
Even with the loss of Barnes and Frisby, I still expected the team to finish over .500.
Whether Rice stays or not, a lot of pressure will be put on three quality incoming recruits: junior college power forward Leonard Harden of Detroit, small forward Karron Clark from Brooklyn, N.Y., and Guillermo Diaz of Miami Christian. All will be forced into the mix, especially if Rice opts to go to the NBA. Rice has yet to comment on the issue and has until May 12 to apply to the draft.
The University of Miami has a successful athletic tradition and this is why I demand production from the men’s basketball team. Ask the athletic department, the players and fans how pleased they are that the women’s team has overshadowed the men’s squad this season.

You can reach Brian Poliakoff at b.poliakoff@umiami.edu.

Invitation to dance

The Miami Hurricane
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‘Canes begin play tommorow night
The Hurricane women’s basketball team learned Sunday night that they were headed to New Mexico for the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The announcement surprised everybody but themselves.
The ‘Canes were considered a bubble team despite advancing to the semifinals of the Big East Tournament in Piscataway, New Jersey, where they lost to eventual conference champion Villanova.
The players and coaches, however, felt that their performance in the tournament clinched a spot in the field of 64.
“We were pretty confident after finishing well in the tournament,” guard Hutashi Wilson said. “We all knew that we deserved to be in the field.”
The ‘Canes are seeded 11th in the west region and take on sixth seeded New Mexico tomorrow night in Albuquerque. The team will have to work with what they actually know about the Lobos, which is not very much at all.
“We haven’t seen any film yet,” Wilson said. “We do know that they are a strong team in the post and are very disciplined.”
The Lobos certainly have the home-court advantage. The potential hostile environment, though, is something that doesn’t concern Miami.
“We feel that we actually play better on the road,” Wilson said. “We had to deal with big crowds against Notre Dame and Rutgers and we were able to win those games. We tend to put more pressure on ourselves when we play at home.”
With war looming on the horizon, the chairmen of the NCAA were forced to ponder the idea of postponing tournament games if the United States attacks Iraq this week. This could affect both the men’s and women’s games and would be the first time the tournament has ever been postponed.
If the U.S. does indeed go to war, the ‘Canes might have to deal with staying in New Mexico for as long as a week. This would force players to miss classes and other responsibilities, and could lead to travel problems for all of the teams involved.
Throughout this week, coaches and team representatives have been preparing the team for the prospect of missing more than a week of school.
“We will be prepared for whatever happens during the tournament,” Wilson said. “We have to deal with it because we could be stuck in New Mexico for a while.”
A different event that caught the attention of the women’s basketball nation was the shocking upset of the University of Connecticut by Villanova in the Big East finals. The loss snapped a 70 game win streak for the Huskies.
The ‘Canes players feel that the game will give more teams confidence going into the tournament.
“I think many teams like us felt that we could beat UConn, but when it came down to actually doing it nobody was able to,” Wilson said. “This year teams kept coming close and then finally Villanova, who we almost beat, came through.”
In a very busy week for the ‘Canes, the players are making sure they do not stray from their main objective of beating New Mexico and making a run in the NCAA Tournament.
“We feel that we match up well with New Mexico,” Wilson said. “We’re very confident that we belong in this tournament and that we can do some damage.”

-Eric Kalis can be reached at elk777bc@hotmail.com

Dear Avril Lavigne: This isn’t a complicated issue

The Miami Hurricane
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I can’t believe what type of culture we live in now. During the Vietnam War, all the songs were dedicated to human love and antiwar. But now we have songs on articles of clothing and the people who don the fashions. Apparently, it’s preppy clothes and skater attire. Can someone please explain to me why we need to put up with this?
If you don’t like the way people act based on the group they may or may not be trying to impress, how could this possibly affect your plan in life? Is life so hard that you cannot disassociate with a person or group you don’t like? It’s not like an abusive father. It’s a person with clothes on.
Why did four million copies of this CD sell when I could tell you for free that you should stop caring what other people think? Avril Lavigne thinks she’s a hero because she has to cope with preps. She thinks that if she can write songs about her version of why life sucks, then she can make everyone’s life is better off. I think it’s self-centered to expect people should act the way you think they should act.
If people are insecure and desperately want to mesh with a group of people, fine. You have to let people be whom they want to emulate. If they want to be preps, fine. If they want to Goths, sk8ers, drag queens, or whatever, who cares? I don’t think that we need to pour twenty bucks that came from a struggling economy to let Avril Lavigne make money on an issue that can be solved over time.
If you skaters hate preps that much, ignore them! It’s easy. I have a three-step plan that will put you out of harm’s way. First, realize the problem and realize that you cannot associate with these people in a just way. Second, make a plan of what you want to do about a person or group of people you don’t like. And third, carry out that plan and you will find ways to cope with people who make life difficult.
You see that? It’s not that hard. And if someone really is making life inconvenient, then realize that guys don’t want to be called (a synonym for cat) and girls don’t want to be called sluts.
Avril, why are you making this so complicated?

Seth Bleicher can be contacted at sethbleicher@yahoo.com.

India’s bid for a seat on the U.N. Security Council

The Miami Hurricane
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On 26 February 2003, Rep. Frank Pallone introduced legislation (H.R. 108) expressing support for India’s bid for permanent membership on the United Nations Security Council. Members of this august body assume responsibility for promoting international peace and security, which is why I think procreation is a bad idea.
According to Human Rights Watch, an altercation on 27 February 2002 between a trainload of Hindu nationalists and Muslim vendors in the Indian state of Gujarat led to the massacre of 58 nationalists. State authorities responded by facilitating the slaughter of Muslim civilians throughout Gujarat. Survivors of the carnage describe how police stood by as mobs torched homes, gang-raped girls, and burned men alive. One widower describes the manner in which he lost his pregnant wife: “Her womb was cut open with a sharp weapon and the unborn baby was taken out and both mother and the child were burned dead.”
According to Human Rights Watch, Narendra Modi, the chief minister of Gujarat, explained away the murders of nearly a thousand Muslim civilians by reasoning that “every action has an equal and opposite reaction.” Ominously, Modi handily defeated his opponents in a recent election by exploiting the sentiments of his fiercely nationalistic constituents, many of whom remain free a year after slaking their thirst for innocent blood.
There is a chilling similarity between the Gujarat massacre and the massacre of roughly 3000 Sikhs in November 1984. In the week following the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by two Sikh bodyguards, police throughout India did nothing as marauders systematically massacred Sikh civilians. Local authorities supplied mobs with iron rods, kerosene, and the addresses of Sikh homes and businesses. Sikhs were removed from their homes, beaten with iron rods, doused with kerosene and burned alive.
Soon after handily defeating his opponents in national elections in December 1984, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi explained away the killing of Sikhs by reasoning that “when a big tree falls, the earth shakes.” As of 2002, Human Rights Watch still exhorts the Indian government to “prosecute and punish those found responsible for serious offenses during the anti-Sikh violence in 1984.”
This is the tip of the iceberg. India has enacted draconian laws that give authorities the power to jail and torture dissidents without trial. India has consistently shown utter disregard for the human rights of its citizens, particularly minorities. I’m sure India would do a fine job promoting international peace over at the Security Council.

R.S. Jolly is a senior majoring in philosophy.

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