Tevez set to leave?

Carlos Tevez- Alfonso Jimenez / Flickr.com

Carlos Tevez is entering a critical point in his career. The 29-year-old Argentinian Manchester City Football Club striker is reaching the end of his contract in a year and has publically announced his desire to play for Boca Juniors. With the history of trouble he has amassed, this may become a reality.

During his time in England, Tevez has faced multiple charges affiliated with banned driving. Tevez was caught speeding while driving without a proper United Kingdom license and was suspended from driving for six months. On January 16, 2013, seven weeks after the start of his suspension, Tevez was found driving in the outskirts of Macclesfield. The huge pile of charges Tevez faces from all these events may lead to him being forced to take time away from the game.

His troubles with the police aren’t the only worries Tevez has faced in his career. In a Champions League game with MCFC against Bayern Munich on September 27, 2011, Tevez refused to play despite orders from his manager Roberto Mancini. "If I had my way he would be out of the club," said Mancini on Tevez after the incident in a Sportsmole article. Tevez’s conflicts with Mancini have brought him to the verge of retiring from soccer as he saw a major drop in playing time. Months after the incident, Tevez has changed. “I lack that hunger for goals; now I am thinking of supporting the move or providing the assist."

Despite his change in character, Tevez now has a desire to play for the Argentine club Boca. "I'm dying to wear the shirt of Boca again, but with the contract that I have here it's very difficult for me to leave.” What further complicates his departure, along with his contract, is the odd position that the MCFC team is in right now. The team sold their striker, Mario Balotelli, to AC Milan and is rumored to be parting with another striker Edin Dzeko next transfer window. If Mancini decides to sell Tevez, he will be left with Sergio Aguero as his only world-class striker.

With all of the trouble he faces in England, along with his expiring contract, Tevez must now reevaluate what he wants to do for the future of his career. Staying in England does not seem to be Tevez’s plan, but only time will tell if Mancini will be able to buy the striking force that will allow for Tevez to depart the club for Boca.


Contributed by Velid Mulić & Din Islam

How do the Cavs deal with Irving's injury?

Kyrie Irving - Wikimedia Commons

After the loss of superstar LeBron James, the Cleveland Cavaliers needed someone that could carry the team and they got exactly what they wanted in the 2011 Draft with point guard Kyrie Irving. For two seasons, he has been their go to scorer and overall leader. Despite this young guard’s talent, the biggest factor that has held him back is the endless string of injuries he has suffered. Whether its his sore knee, his sprained shoulder or even his broken toe, Irving has been plagued with injuries game after game.

It became obvious that the Cavs needed another role player when they went up against the Toronto Raptors, both on Feb.27 and March 10. When Irving played the Raptors on Feb.27 the Cavaliers won by nearly 10 points. However, during their rematch on March 10th he was taken out in the 3rd quarter and from there on the Cavs lost their nine point lead and eventually the game. The coach believes that Irving’s injuries are the result of his aggressive play style. "He's still very young and his body hasn't fully developed," said head coach Byron Scott in an ESPN interview.

Irving’s injury troubles has made the Cavaliers question his consistency. So far, Irving has missed 29 games in his two seasons due to injuries and his absence is felt in the teams 7-22 record. An unfillable gap is made when Irving isn’t on the court, but the Cavaliers need to find someone that can lead the team. ”We just have to wait and see what happens,” said coach Scott. Right now, the Cavaliers are at loss without a healthy Irving. Either the Cavs get lucky in the draft again or key players pick up what Irving leaves behind.

In the 2012 Draft, the Cavaliers drafted shooting guard Dion Waiters from Syracuse. In the 12 games that Waiters played, the Cavs went 7-5 and he added 15.8 points per game on 51.4 percent shooting. He is a great replacement for Irving because he is able to score well and works hard defensively. Another key player that must step up is seven year veteran shooting guard C.J. Miles. While Dion Waiters plays in the point guard position, Miles must put up points at the shooting guard position. In the past ten games, six of which Irving missed, he has averaged 12.4 points. The combination of Waiters and Miles will prove to be enough to fill the offensive gap that Irving leaves behind. In their last game on March 20 against the Miami Heat, without Waiters and Irving, Miles scored 10 points to give the Cavs a 27 point lead over the Heat. Although they lost, it is easy to see how good Miles is and how he can affect the offense when he plays.

The Cavaliers need to change their offense so that it does not revolve around Irving. While Irving may be their team leader, they have players are capable of filling his role in his absence. The team can prosper if they use these key players to both help Irving and replace him when he is injured.

Contributed to by Alex Long

Should J.R. Smith take the last shot?

J.R. Smith - Keith Allison / Flickr

Although J.R. Smith made some highlight reel plays this season, his risky buzzer beaters have not always won games. With Smith’s inconsistent shooting, the New York Knicks have to decide who should have the ball in their hands near the end of the fourth quarter. If Smith can’t be trusted to take the last second shots in crucial moments, then should the Knicks put the ball in Carmelo Anthony’s hand once he gets back from his knee injury?

In the Knicks’ game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on March 7, Smith carried them without Anthony, by scoring 36 points with three steals and three rebounds. He shot 14-29 from the field with the majority of his misses occurring during the most crucial parts of the game. When it came down to the last minutes, Smith was an awful shooter, finishing the fourth quarter 2-9. “My jumper was pretty much good all night except for the fourth quarter and just didn’t go in,” Smith said in an interview with CBS. Games like these question Smith’s consistency and reliability to shoot the ball in the last minutes of the game.

Smith’s crazy shots make Knicks fans excited one moment and a few minutes later, he will frustrate them with his poor decisions. “One minute, he's a chucker who throws up three-point shots willy-nilly. The next minute he's either mixing up his game or slamming home a key dunk,” said Josh Benjamin of Bleacher Report.

In the most important part of the games Smith stepped up to take the shots for the Knicks and failed them. He should not be trusted with the ball in the last minute. With Anthony coming back from injury, the ball should be in his hands during crunch time. As the Knicks leading scorer he should take the clutch shots instead of Smith.

Contributed by Nasif Chowdhury

The Dominican Republic strides through the World Baseball Classic

Taken by Rabbethan

The Dominican Republic team made their way to the top of the 2013 World Baseball Classic. Focused on winning, they gave it their all in every game. Their victories came from the talent of the team and their pride for the Dominican Republic.

After failing to get to the final in either of the first two editions of the World Baseball Classic, the Dominicans made this one their own. They won the championship by beating Puerto Rico, 3 - 0, becoming the first team to go undefeated in the tournament.

They were able to assemble all of their star players to compete in the tournament and go aggressively at the championship. Their starting lineup features Robinson Cano, Hanley Ramirez, Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Reyes and Carlos Santana and with their combination of speed, power and skills makes them an incredible team.

Going undefeated, the team’s pride is shown by everyone, “The first thing going through my mind, I need to put not just my team but the whole Dominican Republic in front of me,” said Jose Reyes in an interview with The Washington Post.

If the Dominican team treats the Caribbean Series as they did in the World Baseball Classic, this team shows great promise for future victories.

The Celtics succeeding without Rondo

Rajon Rondo - Mark Runyon / Flickr

On January 27, 2013, the Boston Celtics announced that their star player Rajon Rondo would be out for the rest of the season because of an injury he sustained during their game aaingst the Atlanta Hawks two days earlier. After Rondo’s absence the team was able to go on a seven game winning streak. The players came together and were able to develop both their defense and offense in order to produce a team that is a contender in the race to playoffs.

Without Rondo, members of the Boston Celtics had to step up and work harder in order to fill his spot. Paul Pierce, Avery Bradley and Jeff Green are a few of the players who have improved to compensate for Rondo’s absence. “It’s giving guys an opportunity to step up, being able to elevate their play, and it’s showing,” said Paul Pierce to the Boston Globe.   

The Celtics focused on coming together and developing a game plan that did not include Rondo. “You have all those injuries, you usually go the other way. I just think our guys kind of came together and realized we don’t have a margin of error anymore,” said Celtics coach Doc Rivers to the Boston Globe.

The team worked on their skills and together they were able to developed good plays. The Celtics had a few days in between games, which allowed them to have more time to practice. As a result, the Boston Celtics won games against many strong teams.

Even though many people called the season over for the Celtics, they are still going strong, holding a 13-6 record without Rondo. The team has continuously worked on their skills and they have even allowed players who aren’t starters to play during most games. They will need to continue to progress without Rondo to ensure the team a spot in the playoffs. 

Contributed by Anya Batista

A tough season for HSMSE boys’ basketball team

HSME Dragons / T. Henning

The boys varsity basketball team at the High School for Math Science and Engineering battled hard this season, losing some close games, and finishing 3-9. Although they had a losing record, they gained valuable experience in the process.

This season the team played twice against Chelsea Career and Technical Education splitting the two meetings. The first time HSMSE beat Chelsea by 29 points, but the second game they had a difficult loss, losing by four points. “I was disappointed the first time we played them we blew them out, the second time we played them they had a guy that they didn’t have the first time,” said Kavan Edwards, the team’s captain.

Edwards played a critical role, leading the team in scoring in all of their games. Unfortunately he is a senior at HSMSE, making his shoes that much harder to fill for next season. “Dionys Gutierrez , Kofi Kordie and Maxwell Drogin has [sic] to step up big time next season,” said Edwards.

This season six freshman made the team, which is nearly a third of the team. In the past the team was mainly made up of mostly upperclassmen . “In the past five years, we’ve never had more than one freshman on the boys' varsity basketball team. The skill level varies widely,” said Coach Richard Epstein “There has been tremendous growth and development for all of this year’s freshmen.”

The team is going to have a massive change to their roster next season. With the graduation of the seniors all  the other players will have to improve. “[Their] willingness to learn and to work hard is terrific,” said Epstein.

Shawn Watts
Justin Wu

Leading Dragons anchor their teams

Kavan Edwards / T. Henning

No team is complete without veteran players. There’s always one player that is there to teach the newer players the basics, and someone who can take a double team and make a shot with seconds left in the fourth quarter. Leah Cabrera and Kavan Edwards are the essential anchors to their respective basketball teams at the High School for Math, Science and Engineering..

Leah Cabrera, senior co-captain of the HSMSE girls’ basketball team, has been a part of the team since her freshmen year of high school. She uses her experience to guide the younger players into organized basketball. Cabrera helped the newcomers understand and improve in the sport. When people think of team leaders they think of people like Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan, players that could make every basket when it counts. Cabrera is a social leader that helps the team come together even after disappointing losses. Even after those disappointing games what mattered was self-confidence, “[I was] making sure everyone was doing well,” said Cabrera.

The quality of leadership demonstrated in the HSMSE girls’ basketball team is also seen in the boys’ basketball team by their leading scorer Kavan Edwards. He is their captain; a senior who has played since his sophomore year. Throughout his high school basketball career, Edwards has been crucial to the team’s offense. He has averaged 19.8 ppg over the three years he played.

Leah Cabrera (Right) / K. Marlowe

This being the last season for both players, puts into question how the team’s performance will be in the following season. Both leaders have suggested that the current juniors can possibly keep their team together. It is up to the current juniors to step up and take leadership next season. “As a senior you have to let the under classmen know how serious the team is,” said Edwards.

Contributed By Sadeon Martin

Leading the Lady Dragons

Donna Fintzi / Thomas Henning

Despite the High School for Math Science and Engineering girls basketball teams’ losing record, their junior point guard Donna Fintzi has demonstrated the necessary ability to lead the team. During this 2012-2013 season, she scored a consistent 5.8 points per game, earning her the title of leading scorer. While this season may not have been the best for HSMSE, there is still another year for Fintzi to improve and truly carry the team to more wins.

One athlete can only do so much to pick up their team’s record. With the help of junior forward Mikaela Bloch, these two are able to provide a strong presence on the court. Leading the team in rebounds, Bloch showed pride in her ability to secure the ball both offensively and defensively. “I think I was a good contributor [to] help us get back the ball.“

The duo demonstrated what they were really capable of in the Lady Dragons’ November 29th game against Bread and Roses High School. Fintzi put up 15 points while Bloch managed to contribute another seven. In addition to this outstanding performance, both athletes also managed to grab five rebounds. “We [just] know where we can pass to each other,” Bloch explained about her chemistry with Fintzi. Despite the relentless efforts of the Lady Dragons to obtain an early lead, Bread and Roses High School came back in the fourth quarter with the win. “We played really hard,” Fintzi said. “We only lost by three or four, [and] I just played my hardest.”

Toughing out a winless season, Coach Nick Diunte emphasized the importance of both Fintzi and Bloch's role on the court. By being what may be the best duo on the Lady Dragons, Fintzi and Bloch have taken the role and the pressure of leading the team. “Donna has a lot of responsibility as a point guard,” Diunte said. “Usually she has the responsibility to defend the other team’s best ball handler [and] Mikaela has to rebound against folks much bigger than her as well as contributing offensively.”

Fintzi played a huge role off the court as well by assisting the younger members on the team. “I think in practice she works hard helps to encourage the other players and the team.” Diunte explained. “She is more quick to give pointers to the newer players on the team without me asking her to do so.”

Despite the sluggish development of the Lady Dragons, Fintzi is confident in their abilities. “[We have to] be more fluid with our plays. I think everyone can just improve generally.” Despite the team’s disappointment in their record, they are determined to grab more wins for HSMSE next year.

Contributed by Alex Long and Velid Mulic

The new faces of the HSMSE Dragons

Evan Heus / T. Henning

The High School for Math, Science and Engineering Dragons had a surprisingly competitive basketball season despite the loss of many seniors due to graduation. Their replacements were freshmen who contributed greatly this season off the bench. Although they were not even sure if they would make the team, freshmen Evan Heus and William Herman played almost as much as the starters.

“Coming to high school I had no clue what was going to happen and what the team was going to be like,” said Herman. “I just wanted to make the team; I wasn't sure if I would.” Both athletes had experience prior to high school since they played basketball for their middle school teams.

Coach Richard Epstein recruited six freshmen, the most in the last three years. The large turnover of players greatly affected the team this season. “It was a huge loss,” said Epstein. “We lost 12 players to graduation last June, including our experienced players, our biggest players, our best guards and ball handlers.” The two promising freshmen, Heus and Herman, both stepped up and took the place of the seniors. They played in 11 out of the 12 games. “This year we each got a fair amount of playing time,” said Heus. “We were up there with the starters; next year at least one of us will start.”

Next season they will be losing one of the top players in HSMSE history, Kavan Edwards. “It is a tremendous loss. Kavan is one of the best, if not the best player to ever play at this school. His loss will be impossible to replace,” said Epstein. It is up to the underclassmen to step up and take his place. They need to work hard and gain more experience in order for them to have a good season next year.

William Herman / T. Henning

The freshmen felt they improved immensely due to the intense practices. “Dribbling a basketball and shooting four days a week improves a player,” said Herman. If the players work on their basketball skills all year round they will improve emphatically. By doing so, it will determine who the top players will be next year. “The underclassmen need to work and get more experience. It is in the offseason that players improve,” said Epstein.

The Dragons are in for a huge transformation as a team. “We’ll see who steps up and becomes the new stars of the future,” said Epstein. The team needs several people to break through and step in for those who will be leaving. “Honestly I think losing the seniors will help because more people would get more shots,” said Heus. “Kavan was our go-to guy in tough situations; now several people will have to step up and take his place.”

Contributed by Kian Zadeh and Sahar Saedi

Lady Dragons struggle through a tough season

Lady Dragons / Thomas Henning

The High School of Math Science and Engineering’s girls’ basketball team had a tough 2012 season. Even though the team was unable to win any games throughout the season, they were able to develop their skills and gain confidence in their capabilities.

The team compensated for their loss of seniors from last season by recruiting new players. Compared to last season, there were a record number of students trying out for the girls’ basketball team, “About 22 girls tried out for the team,” said the coach Nick Diunte.

Though vast in number, the players struggled with their positions on the court. “The team got nervous during games, dribbling, driving, and taking shots,” said team captain Leah Cabrera.

Towards the end of the season, the players showed that they were getting out of their shells and had increased their confidence. “They became more comfortable as the season went on because they had a greater idea of what to expect on the court,” said Diunte.

Despite their rough season, the players showed great promise. The team is developing chemistry; they cheer each other on and they are not afraid to make mistakes in order to improve and help each other grow. “The team needs to continue to improve their confidence and that will help with everything else,” said junior Mikaela Bloch.

Navigating their way through a losing season, the team was still able to further their skills, build strong bonds and gain confidence. Even though the girls did not win any games they created memorable moments and had fun playing. The team will need to continue to work on their skills and motivate each other in order to do better next season.

Contributed by : Dionys Gutierrez