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Representing Dunbar High with a maroon suit and maroon tie, Tavon Austin strolled into Radio City Music Hall around 7 p.m. Thursday night to see his lifelong dream fulfilled. At 7:34 p.m., he and 22 other top prospects were introduced to the crowd. Each towered over him. Austin then retreated to the green room, downed a bag of potato chips and watched the draft unfold, his legs shaking the whole time, with a group of family and friends, including his mother, Cathy Green, and grandmother, Louann Green.

General manager Ozzie Newsome said last week that there were so many good safeties in the draft that there would be one who the Ravens could take in all seven rounds. However, the Ravens showed on the first night of the 2013 NFL draft just how much adding to the position was a priority as they used the 32nd and final pick of the first round on Matt Elam, a hard-hitting and playmaking safety out of the University of Florida. “Even though he was a position of need, believe it or not, he was the highest-rated player on our board,” said Newsome, who acknowledged that the Ravens considered moving back in the draft but they never got any calls while they were on the clock.

Three months after winning their first Super Bowl in 1983, the Washington Redskins received another reward. With the 28th and final selection in the first round of the 1983 NFL draft, and one pick after the Miami Dolphins grabbed a strong-armed quarterback from Pittsburgh named Dan Marino, the Redskins settled on an undersized but lightning-quick cornerback out of Texas A&M-Kingsville. Darrell Green played 20 seasons with the Redskins, earned two Super Bowl rings, appeared in seven Pro Bowls and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008.

A little over a month ago, the Maryland men's lacrosse team had the most high-powered offense in the country, a perfect record and the No. 1 ranking. But a strength has turned into their major weakness, and as the Terps prepare to welcome No. 14 Yale to Byrd Stadium in College Park on Saturday, they have been questioning everything about their floundering attack. After averaging 15 goals in its first six contests, Maryland is averaging 8.0 goals and has reached double digits in just one of its past four games.

Rob Moore had just watched Missouri open up a 14-3 first quarter lead on the Syracuse football team, and the wide receivers coach knew the Orange was in desperate need of a spark. So he pulled Alec Lemon aside and implored the senior wideout to will the team back into the game. "'You're going to have to take over,'" Lemon recalled Moore telling him. "'If we're going to win this, we're going to need you to step up.'" That's exactly what he did. Lemon caught 12 passes for a career-high 244 yards and two touchdowns - including a game-winning 17-yard score with 20 seconds remaining - to lead Syracuse to a 31-27 win over the Tigers on Nov. 17. For Lemon, it was nothing new. Ever since his freshman year at Arundel, the Crofton native has been a player who performs best when the game is on the line.

Johns Hopkins' 7-4 victory over Maryland not only snapped a stretch in which the team had lost three of its last four games, but it also moved the program into the top 20 of the most recent Rating Percentage Index list - also known as RPI - released by the NCAA on Tuesday morning. The Blue Jays (7-4) climbed to No. 16 from No. 22 as they added the win over the Terps (8-2), who dropped from No. 4 to No. 8. Johns Hopkins, which has victories over No. 23 Virginia (5-7) and No. 28 Towson (7-6)

The NCAA released its first Rating Percentage Index - also known as RPI - and Maryland opens the list at No. 4. The Terps (8-1) have two top 10 wins (based on RPI) against No. 6 Duke (9-4) and No. 10 Loyola (9-2). Maryland trails only No. 1 Notre Dame (9-3), No. 2 Denver (9-2) and No. 3 Penn (6-3). The Fighting Irish have two top five victories over Denver and No. 5 North Carolina, three more top 10 wins against Duke, No. 8 Penn State and No. 9 Ohio State, and one more top 20 victory over No. 19 Hofstra.

Baltimore police Maj. Melissa Hyatt, commander of police's Central District, was accepted into a three-week United Nations training program in Sweden with other law enforcement officials from across the world. Hyatt, 37, said she is the only American participating in this year's United Nations Police Commanders Course, which takes place April 8 - 26, with police officers from around the world. The course, directed by the Swedish National Bureau of Investigation and the Swedish Armed Forces International Centre, focuses on “intercultural leadership” using many of the same training UN military officers undergo, according to a course description.

Towson is more than a college town. Towson Tavern gets that. The restaurant opened on New Year's Eve 2011 on York Road, near the Towson Circle. The area is well-known for bars and pubs, but Towson Tavern stands out from the pack: Instead of catering to college students, it's geared toward adults. At Towson Tavern, that maturity manifests in an interesting selection of cocktails, a sophisticated menu and sharp service. Executive Chef Tyson Spangler was at The Capital Grille prior to running the kitchen at Towson Tavern; General Manager Michael Velleggia was part of the Capital Grille team, as well.

Five Baltimore area boys basketball players were recently selected to participate in the U.S. Elite Select Basketball Tour in Italy this week. St. Frances senior forward Tevon Saddler , The Baltimore Sun's All-Metro Player of the Year, will be joined by Glenelg Country junior forward Chancellor Barnard , St. Vincent Pallotti junior center Tariq Owens , Calvert Hall sophomore guard Drew Edwards and Mount St. Joseph sophomore guard-forward...