Guard

GREENSBURG, Kan. -- Anxiety mounted here yesterday as rescue teams continued combing through the ruins of this country town in a long-shot search for survivors, two days after a violent tornado took nine lives and leveled nearly everything. As more than 40 searchers scanned the heaps of bricks and wooden beams for signs of life, National Guard troops and state law enforcement officers barred families from returning to their former homes, frustrating many survivors eager to reclaim old scrapbooks and other priceless mementos.

Ret. Army Lt. Gen. Francis Greenlief,78, chief of the National Guard from 1970 to 1974, died at home Saturday in Oakton, Va. The decorated combat veteran was appointed to the National Guard post by President Richard M. Nixon.Pub Date: 12/24/99

Pilots from the Maryland Air National Guard -- endearingly referred to as "Warthog Warriors" -- left the friendly skies of their home state early yesterday for the more uncertain and dangerous environs over Iraq.Aviators and maintenance personnel from the 104th Fighter Squadron of the guard's 175th Wing, some with families waving goodbye before sunrise yesterday, departed from Martin State Airport in Middle River for a 90-day deployment to help enforce the United Nations "no-fly" zone over southern Iraq.

Capt. Scott Lageman of the Maryland Air National Guard pats the flank of his Maverick missile, checks the safety pins on his BDU-33 bombs and climbs into a titanium bathtub with a 30 mm Gatling gun protruding from its belly.After climbing into the cockpit of his A-10 "Warthog" tank-killing fighter-bomber, Lageman taxis down the runway and lifts the lumbering jet into a steel-gray sky piled with clouds.Lageman and 1,700 other members of the Guard's 175th Wing, based at Martin State Airport in Middle River, are training for the possibility that President Clinton will send them to the Balkans to bomb Yugoslav troops.

The weekend warriors were already making their New Year's Eve plans yesterday, but that didn't mean stocking up on bubbly and brewski. It meant cranking up a bunch of telescoping antennae throughout Baltimore and beyond.The warriors are members of Company B, 129th Signal Battalion, of the Maryland National Guard. They occupied sites like the soccer field at Sudbrook Magnet Middle School in Baltimore County and the badly eroded baseball diamond next to Lake Ashburton in West Baltimore.Those skinny antennae poking up in the sky will be a crucial part of the communications system employed as 1999 turns into 2000.

WASHINGTON -- Washington Wizards center Jahidi White had just wheeled in the lane and backed his 290-pound body against Michael Smith, who was sent sprawling onto the practice court at MCI Center."

CHICAGO -- For Western Michigan, the hope was that its three-guard offense would help negate the post play of third-seeded Stanford.And Detroit had the same thoughts, figuring that high-scoring guard Derrick Hayes leading its three-guard attack would be able to keep the Titans in their game against second-seeded Purdue.The lesson learned by the upset-minded teams yesterday at the United Center: Size matters.Stanford used a dominant performance from its front line in its 83-65 win over Western Michigan, helping the Cardinal advance to the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive season.

Maryland will get Steve Francis' signature on a national letter of intent, but he dreams of wearing a uniform in a league higher than the Atlantic Coast Conference next season.A highly sought sophomore guard at Allegany Community College, Francis committed to the Terps yesterday morning over Clemson. He heard late recruiting pitches from NCAA champion Kentucky and other Top 25 programs, but he is still exploring his viability in the NBA draft.The spring signing period for letters of intent begins today.

Coach of the Year: Terry Leverett, Southwestern2 Player of the Year: Mark Karcher, St. FrancesFirst teamName, School, Year, PositionDemon Brown, Randallstown, Junior, GuardJuan Dixon, Calvert Hall, Senior, GuardShawn Hampton, St. Frances, Junior, CenterAaron Herbert, Calvert Hall, Senior, GuardMark Karcher, St. Frances, Senior, ForwardMichael King, Lake Clifton, Senior, ForwardTim Lyles, Dunbar, Sophomore, GuardCornelius McMurray, Southwestern, Junior, GuardTony...

Col. Alberto J. Jimenez became commander of the Maryland Army National Guard's 29th Infantry Division Aviation Brigade yesterday. Col. Joseph A. Goode Jr. passed the unit's red and blue flag to his successor during ceremonies at Aberdeen Proving Ground.Jimenez, 49, of Churchville was the brigade's executive officer for two years. Goode will become director of Ground Tactical Safety at Maryland National Guard headquarters in Baltimore.Friends and brigade members described both men as compassionate and professional leaders.

When the Ravens break training camp Saturday morning, they will have spent 27 days at McDaniel College in Westminster trying to figure out this team. They've learned quite a lot, and certainly they know more than when they started in late July. Because of their overall depth, the Ravens seem ready to make a second consecutive run deep into the postseason. Team chemistry is at an all-time high, except for the second half of the 2000 season, when the Ravens won the Super Bowl. But before NFL commissioner Roger Goodell hands owner Steve Bisciotti the Lombardi Trophy, the Ravens still have some major holes to fill.

Maryland seniors Marissa Coleman and Kristi Toliver headlined the All-Atlantic Coast Conference first team announced yesterday. Joining them on the first team were Virginia forward Lyndra Littles, Virginia guard Monica Wright and Duke center Chante Black. Toliver, a guard, was the only repeat selection, and her 18-point average ranks second in the ACC. Coleman, a guard-forward, ranks fourth in the ACC with 17 points per game and seventh with nearly eight rebounds per game. Loyola:: Sophomore guard Jamal Barney (Southwestern)

COLLEGE PARK - As he trudged to the Comcast Center locker room after last season's game against American, Maryland forward Landon Milbourne heard an unfamiliar noise. "When we walked off the court I heard some people booing. I had never experienced that before, especially not on a home court," Milbourne said. Maryland's 67-59 loss to American a year ago was a disquieting experience for Milbourne - "I was stunned," the junior said - and one that provides ample motivation for the Terrapins (7-2)

Asya Bussie Seton Keough, center * Headed for West Virginia, the two-time All-Metro pick can control the paint on both ends of the floor. The 6-foot-5 senior could end her career with more than 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds. Cassie Cooke Winters Mill, guard * With skills surpassed only by her determination, the 5-8 All-Metro senior can post up, hit from long range or find an open teammate. Rhode Island-bound, she averaged 13.4 points, 9.5 rebounds and 6.9 assists. Simone Egwu Arundel, center * The 6-3 All-Metro senior is tough to stop offensively, and if you try, you could be in trouble.

A is for the anterior cruciate ligament that Kansas star Brandon Rush tore up in May, a week before he was scheduled to audition at an NBA pre-draft camp. The injury scuttled any plans he had of going pro (he had not yet signed with an agent) and guaranteed his return to the Jayhawks. B is for Brian Butch, the Wisconsin forward who took this most unusual step out of high school. After playing in the 2003 McDonald's All-American Game against an East team that featured LeBron James, who would go on to immediate pro fame, he chose to redshirt his freshman year with the Badgers.

Class 1A Digital Harbor (19-6) vs. Pocomoke (25-1) (All games at RAC Arena, UMBC) When -- Today, 3 p.m. Outlook -- The Rams are celebrating the first trip to states in school history. Even before the school was converted from Southern to Digital Harbor, the girls had never been to the state tournament. Pocomoke, however, is a regular at the tournament, making its sixth straight trip, but the Warriors have yet to win a title. Along with their tournament experience, the Warriors have overall experience; two seniors and a junior are among their top four players.

1. Mount St. Joseph Last season: 25-8, ranked No. 2 The Gaels graduated three seniors from last year's team and return Georgetown-bound Henry Sims, 6 feet 11, in the middle. He is flanked by guards Justin McCoy and Eric Atkins and a host of other outstanding players. Mount St. Joseph went 69-5 the past two seasons. 2. Towson Catholic Last season: 32-5, No. 1 Despite losing a combined 38 points a game due to the graduation of Player of the Year Malcolm Delaney and Donte Greene, the Owls will still be a force.

Chris Chester won't be consumed by what he eats. Chester, who gained 60 pounds in five years at Oklahoma by eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, has been maintaining 305 pounds on his 6-foot-3 frame by downing nutrition shakes and eating small meals four to five times a day. But Chester, who has become the starting right guard for the Ravens in his second year in the NFL, isn't obsessed with adding bulk. "It all depends on how you gain weight," he said. "If you try to do it overnight, you're going to be out of shape, and it'll be totally unhealthy and it'll affect your play.

As wildfires, floods and tornadoes batter the nation, the readiness of the National Guard to deal with those disasters, as well as any attacks, is so depleted by deployments to foreign wars and equipment shortfalls that Congress is considering moves to curtail the president's powers over the Guard and require the Defense Department to analyze how prepared the country is for domestic emergencies. The debate over the state of the National Guard has been intensifying for several years, but a powerful tornado in Kansas early this month has spun the topic back into the spotlight.

GREENSBURG, Kan. -- Anxiety mounted here yesterday as rescue teams continued combing through the ruins of this country town in a long-shot search for survivors, two days after a violent tornado took nine lives and leveled nearly everything. As more than 40 searchers scanned the heaps of bricks and wooden beams for signs of life, National Guard troops and state law enforcement officers barred families from returning to their former homes, frustrating many survivors eager to reclaim old scrapbooks and other priceless mementos.