Awesome AF Cavemen at Jordan Holiday Classic

Timp Sports Weekly

January 1, 2013

Publisher's Message

This week's issue looks at the Awesome American Fork Cavemen's adventure at the recent Jordan Holiday Classic, a preseason tournament that gave them the kind of experience that they needed to learn in order to survive in the state 5-A boys' basketball tournament. At that tournament, my Awesome Cavemen posted a 2-2 record. We will look at each of the four games that their varsity team played in. This issue will also feature an essay on what freshman college athletes should consider doing to cope with living in faraway college towns. Let's get to the stories of the tournament and the essay.

Dean Von Memmott

Publisher

magnamovelist@gmail.com

Awesome AF Cavemen Defeat Copper Hills Cubbies in Octafinal Action at Jordan Holiday Classic

By Dean Von Memmott

Timp Sports Weekly Publisher

Held at Jordan High, home of the Jordan Beetdiggers, AKA the Plowboys, the Fourth Annual Jordan Holiday Classic opened with the Awesome American Fork Cavemen defeating the Copper Hills Grizzlies, AKA the Cubbies, 48-39.

Having taken five days off after their trip to a preseason tournament down in St. George, home of Dixie State College, the best party school around, the Awesome Cavemen came out rusty in the opening quarter against the Cubbies. American Fork Coach Doug Meacham admitted, "We looked like we had done nothing for the past five day but play X-Box. We didn't play as good as we should have. We got up by 18 points in the fourth period, but we let them charge back within seven. When you're up by 18, you can't let up. Maybe we ought to drink some Red Bulls to maintain our intensity when we have wide leads."

During the first quarter, the Cubbies looked as though they would be able to take down the Awesome Cavemen like they had done the Lehi Pioneers, AKA the Froggies, in an overtime game at Lehi two weeks earlier. Early in the Dec. 27 contest, Cubbie Danny "Long Shot" Martinez opened scoring with a 17-foot jumper. A "distant cousin" of Hollywood starlet Ursula Andrus, Ryan Andrus produced a three--point to put the Awesome Cavemen ahead 3-2. A series of switches in the lead followed as the Awesome Cavemen attempted to battle to show that Copper Hills was going to take them down like it down the Froggies. Aided by a Chris Wells trey, Andrus improved an Awesome Caveman lead at 10-7. Mitch "Sing Along" Eyre hit a 10-foot, buzzer beater to put his Cubbies within 10-9 at the end of the period.

The second period opened with a Martinez trey putting the Cubbies out in front 12-10. The Awesome Cavemen answered that three-pointer by holding Copper Hills scoreless for the rest of the quarter. Meacham said, "All of their turnovers that quarter turned into baskets for us. We also got a lot of offensive rebounds in the second period." Andrus scored on one of those offensive rebounds seconds before the arrival of intermission.

While Quarter 2 ultimately proved fatal for the Cubbies, it enabled the Awesome Cavemen to pull away through the shooting of Well, Andrus, and ninth-grader Brendan Bailey, a "distant cousin" of comic character Beetle Bailey. By halftime, American Fork had created a 21-13 lead.

Efforts to recover from the second period proved frustrating for the Cubbies. After Andrus had laid in a hook shot, teammate Danny Nyman produced a three-point play that extended American Fork's lead to 26-13. Assisted by a Martinez three-pointer, Darius Maluia racked up four straight points to guide his Cubbies back within 26-20. A Wells trey unleashed a 14-2 scoring run that spilt over into the final period. 

It opened with Awesome Caveman Brayden Harris scoring on a fastbreak play that left his team owning a 40-22 lead. It could have convinced the Cubbies to throw up their paws and let the Awesome  Cavemen clobber them by 30 points or more. However, Martinez swished in two consecutive treys to open a big comeback for his Cubbies. Encouraged by an Austin "Super Duper Powers" McCombs trey, they battled back within seven points. When Maluia scored an offensive rebound to put Cooper Hills within 42-35, the Cubbies finally looked as though they would find recover from the second period. However, Bailey put a shot back in to reignite American Fork's offensive effort. Andrus and Ty Rawson pulled down some key defensive boards to clutch the game for the Awesome Cavemen. Meacham said, "Rawson pulled down seven boards for us and Andrus 10. Bailey posted two offensive rebounds for us."

Andrus said, "Through the game, they used  a box-and-one to try shutting me off. All it did was open the other guys on my team to receiving passes from me. I would kick it out to them, and they would sink shots."

Andrus led the Awesome Cavemen with 21 points while Wells added another 10. Martinez led his Cubbies with 14 points.

American Fork Falls to East High Red Kittens 85-74 in Dec. 28 Quarterfinals

By Dean Von Memmott

Timp Sports Weekly Publisher

At Jordan High Dec. 28, the Awesome American Fork Cavemen learned the hard way what they would have to do in a state playoff game against the East High Leopards, the Red Kittens. In a Jordan Holiday Classic quaterfinals, the Red Kittens scratched up the Awesome Cavemen 85-74.

American Fork Coach Doug Meacham said, "We helped [East's] Parker Van Dyke to hit open shots. He had a heyday on the court, and we didn't play really good defense against him. He got too many scoring opportunities. We have to learn how play good defense against guys like him." 

Having signed a letter of intent to play for the U of U, the world's only true university, Parker Van Dyke put on for spectators a performance as amazing as any show staged by his "distant cousin" Dick Van Dyke, a TV and movie star. That Red Kitten guard wowed fans with long shots, steals, and layups  that enabled him to become game's top scorer with 41 points.

Now the game unfolded with Awesome Caveman Chris Wells getting the tipoff and passing the ball to Ryan Andrus for a successful jump shot. Red Kitten Joe Hallman answered it with a go-ahead trey. Even though Andrus restored the lead to the Awesome Cavemen through sinking two foul shots, Preston Curtis hit a three-pointer that tipped his Red Kittens back ahead 5-4. Van Dyke then went on a shooting spree that left East owning a 22-9 lead at the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Wells, Andrus, Brayden Harris, and Ty Rawson attempted to open an Awesome Caveman comeback. However, American Fork continued letting Van Dyke dance his way to sinking easy layups while his teammate Mitch "Pitch" Grant, Connor Pardoe, Johnny Fakahafau, and Pa'a "Kettle" Montalbo dominated the boards. Pardo and Grant also did some damage with consistent inside scoring. With the Awesome Cavemen hurting their composure through drawing a mid-quarter technical foul, the Red Kittens had no trouble with creating a lead as wide as 45-41. American Fork trimmed it to 45-25 on two Andrus foul shots and a Rawson tip-in shot just before the buzzer.

In the third quarter, a Kyle Line trey opened a 20-8 scoring run led by Andrus and Danny Nyman. After the Awesome Caveman had clubbed their way back within 53-45, they looked as though they would pull off the greatest comeback in the history of the Jordan Holiday Classic as Andrus and Rawson pulled down key defensive boards for them. Despite efforts from Van Dyle, the Awesome Cavemen kept slashing away at the lead until they got within 56-50 in the third quarter's final minute. Suddenly, Pardoe dropped in a three-pointer, and Van Dyke hit two free throws to stretch the Red Kitten lead to 61-50. The period ended with Wells cutting the lead to 61-52.

In the early fourth period, Andrus guided the Awesome Cavemen within 61-54 and 63-56. However, a Van Dyke three-pointer pushed the Red Kitten lead back into double digits. Aided by Grant and Pardoe, Van Dyke kept the Red Kittens up by more than 10 points through the rest of the game. East's fourth-quarter lead got as wide as 80-66. Kyle Line scored five unanswered points to put the Awesome Cavemen within 85-74 at the end of the game.

Andrus led American Fork with 26 points while Rawson added another 16, Line 13, and Wells 12. Besides the 41 points that they got from Van Dyke, the Red Kittens also had Pardoe and Grant each contribute another 15 to the winning cause.

Layton Lancers Skewer Awesome AF Cavemen 62-45 in Dec. 29 Consolation Game
By Dean Von Memmott
Timp Sports Weekly Publisher

The Awesome American Fork Cavemen showed in their Dec. 29 game against the Layton Lancers, AKA the Stickers, that they hadn't recovered from the clobbering that the East High Red Kittens had dealt them the afternoon before. In the Dec. 29 consolation game, the Stickers skewered the Awesome Cavemen 62-45.

In the first quarter, the Stickers charged out to an early 4-0 lead on Marcus Kemp and Mikey Hibbert's shooting. Even though Ty Rawson cut the lead to 4-2, the Awesome Cavemen's performance turned out to be sluggish. When Layton had improved its lead at 8-2, it was safe to bet that American Fork would definitely get smoked well before halftime. Following a Ryan Andrus jump shot, comic strip character Beetle Bailey's "distant cousin" Brendan Bailey hit a trey that put American Fork within 14-7. A Kemp foul shot improved it at 15-7 just before the first quarter break.

In the second quarter, Hibbert, Dallin Johnson, Josh Harrop, and Jarrisse Blackmon had an easy time in pushing the Stickers' lead into double figures. In outscoring the Awesome Cavemen 17-12 in the second period, the Stickers had no trouble with keeping the point spread in double digits, despite good inside shooting from Andrus, a "distant relative" of Hollywood legend Ursula Andrus. The closest that the Awesome Cavemen could get to Layton during Quarter 2 was 27-17.

In the second half, Bailey scored two treys and two inside shots to help the Awesome Cavemen get within 42-33. Hibbert swished in a set shot, and the Sticker led never fell below the 10-point mark, despite rebounding efforts by Rawson, Andurs, Bailey, Chris Wells, Dallin Childs, and Kyle Line.

Awesome Caveman Coach Doug Meacham said, "We're still playing soft. We need to be more aggressive on the floor. We're letting shots dictate how we're going to defend. We can't be doing that at state."

Andrus led American Fork with 19 points while Bailey added another 13. Hibbert paced the Stickers with 26 points while Johnson added another 10.

AF Finishes 7th at Jordan Holiday Classic Via Winning 60-45 Over the Bonneville Sinkers Dec. 31
By Dean Von Memmott
Timp Sports Weekly Publisher

The Awesome American Fork Cavemen celebrated New Year's Eve by defeating the Bonneville Lakers, AKA the Sinkers, 62-45 to take seventh at the Jordan Holiday Classic, hosted by the Jordan Beetdiggers, AKA the Plowboys.

The first half of the game went down as a repeat of the East and Layton games. Led by Mason Rich, the Sinkers sailed out to a 13-7 lead in the first quarter. Aided by Jared Ford and Dakota "Handsome Sioux" Buckway, Mason guided Bonneville in maintaining a narrow lead in the second quarter. However, Ryan Andrus and Brendan Bailey guided the Awesome Cavemen in making a comeback. By halftime, they reached within 26-24.

In the third quarter, they tied the game four times, only to see the Sinkers sneak ahead of them on Ford and Carson Smith's shots. A Ford trey extended the Sinker lead to 31-26. Andrus scored five straight points to tie the game at 31. Ford swished in a second straight trey to put the Sinkers ahead 34-31. With a Brendan Bailey trey tying the game at 34, the Awesome Cavemen became increasingly confident that they would eventually pull ahead. They finally did when Chris Wells swished in a three-pointer to put them ahead 41-40. An Andrus bucket tightened American Fork's hold on the lead. Although a Buckway three--pointer tied the game at 43, the Sinkers couldn't retake the lead. Taking a pass from Wells, Brayden Harris sank a tie-breaking three-pointer. A Rawson foul shot left the Awesome Cavemen owning a 47-43 lead at the end of the third period.

Aided by Dallin Childs' rebounding, Bailey led a 6-2 scoring run that gave American Fork a 53-45 lead. The Sinkers pulled down some key defensive rebounds that fueled a 7-0 scoring run for them. They almost tied the game at 53, but Rawson pulled down a defensive board, and Andrus hit a short jumper that kept the Awesome Cavemen narrowly ahead. They managed to stretch their lead as wide as 59-53. Buckway hit a three-pointer that almost led to the game going into overtime. An Andrus free throw and a Rawson steal clutched the game for American Fork.

Meacham said, "I think our guys are realizing that our three-point shots can only do so much for us. Our bigs will have to pass to our shorts, and then slipped inside into the paint to receive passes for layups. This tournament has taught us what we will need to do to survive at state."

While Bailey got named Playmaker of the Bonneville game, Andrus received a spot on the Jordan Holdiday's Classic's All-Tournament Team.

Andrus led American Fork 23 points while Wells added another 13. Rich led the Sinkers with 15 points while Buckway added another 12 and Ford 11.

Publisher's Column
By Dean Von Memmott
Timp Sports Weekly Publisher

In the middle of last week, I learned that former Awesome American Fork Caveman basketball sensation Quincy Bair had quit the Utah State Aggie team. He had received only small amounts of playing time in every non-league contest that he had played in.

Of course, I had wondered whether he would last long at the Logan-based university. His dad, Dalton, had told me at the Magna 7-11 store often frequented, "Quincy doesn't like it in Logan. There's not much for him to do up there."

I can relate to what Quincy went through clear up to when he called it quits with the Aggie basketball program. Back in October 1996, I moved up to Evanston, Wyoming, to work for the Uinta County Herald, a semi-weekly newspaper. With having only one former high school acquaintance and no relatives up there, I had a devil of a time with trying to adjust to living up there. After my first week there, I was already wishing that I was back in Utah covering sports for the American Fork Citizen again. Because I had signed a six-month lease for an upstairs apartment at a duplex, which used to be a family home, returning to Utah was out of the question. So I had to struggle with trying to adjust to life as an E-Towner.

Within three weeks after I had moved to Evanston, I finally decided that my relocation to that community was not worth when my then managing editor Shawn Hubbell gave the responsibilities of laying out the sports section to news reporter Jason Wood. Before he had hired me, Shawn had promised me that I would be involved with laying out sports pages. Instead of keeping his word, he continued laying the sports section himself until he taught Jason how to do that job.

Shawn's broken promise made me so mad that I wanted to quit in May 1997. When I complained to Mom about the broken pledge, she said, "Dean, just ask if you can do layouts." I disregarded her advice, because I thought Shawn would tell me no. I stayed angry about the broken promise for the next 10 months. That anger made the rest of my time in Evanston miserable for me.

I will say that an overwhelming majority of the people of Evanston were really nice to me, especially Jason Wood. However, my anger at Shawn caused me to become unwilling to do anything to assimilate into the Southwestern Wyoming city. All I wanted to think about was securing another journalism job in May 1997, the month when I would no longer be required to keep living at the duplex.

In the meantime, Shawn had falling out with Herald publisher Mike Jensen over a silly argument about why a photo scanner didn't work. Because of the falling-out, Shawn resigned, and he moved away to Boulder, Colorado, to pursue a career as a Lieutenant in the US Army Reserve. Jason, meanwhile, became the new managing editor. I should have given him a chance to correct the wrong that Shawn had done to me, but I didn't. I stayed mad at Shawn, vowing to quit my job as a way to get even with him. Finally in August 1997, I secretly made arrangements with Citizen managing editor Marc Haddock for me to get my old job back. I then gave Jason two weeks' notice.

Jason had me meet with Mike Jensen to find out why I had decided to resign. When I told the publisher the reason, he raised raised his brows in surprise and asked, "Why didn't you say so?" I didn't answer that question.

I had soon learned that the reason for my resignation had become something moot, for the responsibility of laying out the sports pages got transferred from Jason to the Herald's new sports editor, Don Lund, whom Mike had hired without my knowledge.

I moved back to Utah, and tried to reliving the kind of life that I had known before my move to Evanston. That attempt, unfortunately, brought me a long list of terrible consequences that I won't go into. What I will say is that the worst of consequences was the loss of my sports writing job when the Provo Daily Herald dropped the sports section as the first step towards eliminating the northern Utah County weeklies that it had bought from Brett Bezzant and Brent Sumner.

Looking back, I now wish I listened to Mom's advice about asking at the Uinta County Herald if I could do layouts. Furthermore, I also wish that I had done things to assimilate into the E-Towners' community like move-ins Mike Jensen, Don Lund, and Jason Wood had done when they were living in Evanston.

My advice to high school athletes anticipating to play collegiate sports in distant communities is for them to learn everything they can about those towns before moving away to them. Those young people should also seek to do things to assimilate into the communities where they'll be attending college. Freshman athletes can volunteer to work as coaches in youth sports programs or helpers at community recreation centers. It is absolutely important that they establish ties with the residents of the communities where they will be living for the next four years of their lives. Otherwise, they will feel really lonely during their time away at college.

By the way, Shawn finally did keep his promise to me. On the week of the first anniversary of my departure from the Uinta County Herald, I called him at his work and had him give me an eight-minute lesson on how to lay out a sports section. Of course, during the course of that telephone conversation, he would tell me, "Dean, I'm in a different line of work." I kept blowing that comment off and kept asking him questions about doing layouts. Though I doubt that experience taught him to keep promises from thereon out, it was still great getting him to finally keep his word.

It would have also been great if I become willing to assimilate into the culture of Evanston instead of staying mad at Shawn for the 11 months that I spent in that small city. Quitting can yield unpleasant consequences. I hope that doesn't prove to be the case for Quincy.