College Coaches

At Arkansas, Penn State Teddy Greenstein Chicago Tribune I'll point to two — for totally different reasons. Arkansas' John L. Smith needs to win. Now. His contract runs a mere 10 months. In replacing the disgraced Bobby Petrino, Smith will have to hit it big with a Razorbacks team primed to compete for an SEC title because of studs Knile Davis and Tyler Wilson and a favorable schedule (Alabama and LSU at home). The public won't expect much out of Penn State, but alums will be restless if Bill O'Brien can't win more than five or six games.

Jason Collins' coming out received large media fanfare. Brittney Griner's was met with something close to a yawn. The debate over what caused the difference has been pretty public, with some pointing to sexism , others to the way heterosexual men react to gay men and one commentator noting that society doesn't perceive lesbian athletes to be playing against type in the same way it views gay male athletes. Addressed in all three perspectives is the widespread perception that lesbian athletes have an easier time being open about their sexuality on the court and in the locker room.

As you watch Ryan Conrad zip around the lacrosse field, dodging defenders and pounding the net with an endless variety of shots, it's easy to forget his age. Talk to him on the phone, however, and the Loyola High sophomore sounds like, well, a high school sophomore. A great many things in his life are summed up by the catchall adjective "amazing!" Young players such as Conrad - equal parts precocious and normal teenager - stand at the center of a debate raging across the lacrosse landscape.

Last May, Washington College ended a three-year drought from the NCAA tournament, but dropped a 5-4 decision to Goucher in a first-round game at Roy Kirby, Jr. Stadium in Chestertown. That quick exit has lingered around the program, and coach Jeff Shirk said the players are using it as motivation for Wednesday's first-round home game against Colorado College (13-4). “The big thing is, I think the guys believe they deserve to be there,” Shirk said Monday. “So we're not wide-eyed.

It's one-stop shopping for dozens of college recruiters at the 19th annual Columbia Invitational Soccer Tournament this weekend.Seventy-three college coaches are registered to check out the talent at the three-day event that concludes tomorrow with championship matches in 11 boys and nine girls age groups at the Fort Meade Parade Grounds. Tourney publicity and field coordinator Mike Curry said at least another 20 to 30 coaches would arrive unannounced.There's no day at the beach for serious youth soccer players this holiday weekend.

DEAR CAL -- We're starting to fill out college baseball recruiting questionnaires for our son, who's a great contact hit- ter who rarely strikes out. However, last year he went through a streak during which he was hitting the ball, but right at the other team. It really affected his batting average. On the questionnaires, there's no place to indicate how few times he struck out. Do you think I should contact the coaches to explain that? It doesn't seem that the average tells the whole story.

Considered by many to be among the country's most elite high school basketball players, 7-foot-1 center Kosta Koufos somehow managed to irritate the very college coaches who have been trying desperately to recruit him. Turns out it was a technical glitch. "I had all these coaches complaining that they were sending me text messages and I couldn't respond to them," said Koufos, a high school junior from Canton, Ohio. At the coaches' behest, he went out and bought a new cell phone at a discounted rate of $100 - one capable of receiving their mini messages.

As the rain subsided and the summer heat began to sizzle yesterday on the last day of the Elite 300 lacrosse camp, girls were scrimmaging, shooting at goals, but mostly hoping to score the eye of a college coach. With every ground ball, save and shot, each athlete envisioned herself one step closer to a college scholarship. As the girls raised their sticks in celebrations after scrimmage victories, college coaches were making mental notes on the incoming high school juniors and seniors, searching for recruits for their teams.

The reflexes required for the digs are impressive. The skills needed by the setters can be underrated. But those making the biggest impression in high school volleyball are the hitters. And among those who have noticed are college coaches, who are doing some hitting of their own in this area in pursuit of prospects. "I think the hitting and players in general have gotten better because the number of club teams has grown," said Dave Trumbo, who coached Liberty to its first state title last year and was named The Sun's Coach of the Year.

St. Maria Goretti coach Cokie Robertson's idea turned into reality and a huge success yesterday in the first Baltimore Catholic League Preseason Basketball Showcase. Nearly 70 college coaches were among the crowd that nearly filled Archbishop Spalding's capacity of 850 to watch the BCL's top players participate in an exhibition doubleheader. "It was not the greatest game to watch, but something like this can help kids get opportunities," said Loyola's Jerry Savage, the dean and only coach still in the BCL since it began 31 years ago. Team scores and individual statistics were secondary to what amounted to player auditions in front of such schools as Penn State, Holy Cross, Providence, West Virginia, Wake Forest, South Carolina, La Salle, Princeton, Wake Forest, Loyola, Towson and UMBC.

COLLEGE PARK - Mark Turgeon used to drive the identical route to the arena before every home game. The Maryland men's basketball coach would put on his tie at precisely the same time before his team took the floor. When he recruited players, he had a strategy for just where he needed to sit during home visits. Were these merely regimens? Rituals? Somewhere along Turgeon's long and largely successful basketball road, the line between habit and superstition became blurred. That's the way it goes for many college coaches - and especially Turgeon - who are full of attempts to manipulate fortune.

The second annual Detroit Tigers & St. Frances Academy Youth Baseball Clinic will take place on Feb. 16 in the school's gymnasium from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Former Detroit Tigers outfielder Willie Horton will be the special guest for the clinic, which is open to coaches and players of all ages. It is free for children 17 years old and under and adults are asked to donate $25. During the two-hour event, several topics will be discussed by Horton, Brian Boles (former St. Frances baseball coach and current Tigers scout)

Sunny Odogwu made a big impression on St. Frances' football team during the fall of 2011, but it was his first year of organized football and the Nigeria native needed a little more time to develop his skills before heading into a top-notch college program. After graduating from St. Frances, Odogwu spent last fall at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va., honing his skills and drawing more and more attention from college coaches. At 6 feet 9, 315 pounds, the offensive tackle had more than 30 offers.

Mark Turgeon and Bino Ranson were two of many college coaches in East Baltimore last night to see No. 1 St. Frances beat No. 2 Mount St. Joseph. The Maryland men's basketball head coach and assistant were courtside during the Panthers' 58-57 win, presumably to scout two players with Terps offers: St. Frances small forward Dwayne Morgan and Mount St. Joseph combo guard Phil Booth . Morgan was St. Frances' third-leading scorer (13 points) behind UNC-Greensboro signee Tevon Saddler (19 points)

Chip Kelly attractive Dan Pompei Chicago Tribune The college coach who is the best bet to make the jump to the pros is Chip Kelly. He came close a year ago when he was being wooed by the Bucs, but he decided to stay at Oregon. It is likely he will have multiple suitors because he is an even more attractive NFL head coaching prospect than he was a year ago. And some team probably will make him an offer he finds irresistible. Brian Kelly might attract some interest from the pros, but the Notre Dame coach is happy where he is. It would be a stunner if he left just as he got the Fighting Irish back on top. Nick Saban is a wild card.

College football Navy LB Wetzel chosen as FBS Independent Player of the Week Navy senior linebacker Keegan Wetzel was named Football Bowl Subdivision Independent Player of the Week for games played Nov. 24 to Dec. 8. Wetzel set a career high with 11 tackles Saturday, including 1.5 tackles for loss, helping the Midshipmen to a 17-13 win over Army at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia to clinch the Commander in Chief's Trophy....

Most youth sports these days offer competition for high-skill players that ends with some claim to annual national honors. Soccer has State Cup tournaments. Baseball has a variety of "world series," depending on a league's affiliation. In football, it's Pop Warner play. For basketball players, it's Amateur Athletic Union ball, a competition that is national in scope and that begins locally this weekend, scheduled to avoid high school play. AAU ball is played in a tournament format that college scouts often attend and that, by early August, will produce national boys and girls titlists in various age groups.

Ten county basketball players, including 1990-1991 Anne Arundel County Sun Player of the Year Rob Wooster of Annapolis, are going to get a unique opportunity for exposure the last weekend in September.The 6-foot-6 Wooster, who averaged 14.1 points per game for the 4A state finalist Panthers last year, will join nine other county cagers inthe first Charlie Weber Maryland Invitational at Cole Field House, the University of Maryland at College Park, Sept. 27-29.The 17-and-under tournament involves 12 teams from Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee, Washington and Virginia which will compete before a host of college scouts and coaches.

As you watch Ryan Conrad zip around the lacrosse field, dodging defenders and pounding the net with an endless variety of shots, it's easy to forget his age. Talk to him on the phone, however, and the Loyola High sophomore sounds like, well, a high school sophomore. A great many things in his life are summed up by the catchall adjective "amazing!" Young players such as Conrad - equal parts precocious and normal teenager - stand at the center of a debate raging across the lacrosse landscape.