DANVILLE — Mikale Stevenson had been held to 9 points on 4-of-14 shooting through the first 39 minutes of Friday’s second semifinal in the NJCAA Division II National Tournament.
The 6-foot-2 sophomore didn’t let that faze him, saving his best basketball for the final 60 seconds.
Stevenson scored the final seven points for Milwaukee Area Technical College as the Stormers advanced into the championship game with a 79-76 victory over the Orange County Colts at the Mary Miller Center.
“He continues to show up, continues to do things for his team,” said Milwaukee Area Technical College coach Randy Casey. “Down the stretch we really pulled it out.”
Mason Johnson led the Stormers with a double-double of 20 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, while Ke’Varius Taylor added 15 points and Tarek Abdel Kireem came off the bench to score 12.
Orange County was led by Romeo Aquino with 17 points and he also had a team-high 10 rebounds. Joining him in double figures was Keon Gill with 15, Darius Boben had 12 and Kevin Stein had 10 in the losing effort.
With the victory, Milwaukee Area Technical College will play Macomb Community College, a 69-67 winner in overtime against Danville Area Community College, in Saturday’s championship game at 7:30 p.m.
Had enough rain at your house yet? Now that spring is here, it’s time for the weather to warm up and fish to be caught, as well as mushrooms to be found and yet, next week has another bout of the same stuff scheduled for us.
Water temperatures throughout this area are hovering in the low 40s and I don’t expect them to rise much during the week to come. I’ve noticed that what I call spring seems to come on later then when I was young and the summers around here seem to last much deeper into the fall.
Back in the day when I used to catch a lot of big bass during the spring, I kept a lot of records; some on paper and some in my head. I used to go back over these records and calculations in the early spring; baits I used, lakes that produced good during the spring, and baits that were more productive than others in certain bodies of water. All this seemed to pay off well for me back then.
The one calculation that I looked at more frequently than others was the number of degree days. Degree days are a calculation of how cold or how warm a location on earth is at a particular time. Many farmers use degree days to figure when to plant their seeds for the year and when to apply pesticides. I used degree days to figure when I wanted to change to certain lures and when to put those lures away for the year.
Finding degree days today is very difficult but back in the day, degree days were listed daily with each weather report. When the degree days would reach a certain number, there was a guarantee, at least to me, that spring was ready to begin. I calculated that number to normally be reached about April 10th.
With that in mind, that date is when I would go to using spinner baits and plastic worms on a much more frequent basis as the activity of bass would pick up and I felt much more positive about using these baits.
Just think about this for a minute. When do we normally begin finding mushrooms in this area and when do the big stringers of crappies show up? Is there a key to these things and can it really be calculated?
April 10th is just two weeks away so we will see if spring has sprung by then. We definitely need water temperatures to rise and the ground to warm up before the really good fishing and mushroom hunting begins.
There is a lot of muddy water right now with a lot of debris floating so be careful when running your big boats and use common sense this spring while on the water. Many bad things can happen around cold water and they normally do this time of the year!
Sam Van Camp writes about the outdoors on Saturdays. Fax: 446-6648. E-mail: pamnsam70@aol.com
DANVILLE — The storybook ending was almost there for the Danville Area Community College Jaguars.
Freshman guard Ryan Caddell had a wide-open look in the final seconds of overtime but his 3-pointer was just short and the eighth-seeded Macomb Community College Monarchs escaped with a 69-67 victory in the first semifinal at the NJCAA Division II National Tournament on the Dick Shockey Court at the Mary Miller Center.
“That’s now the way I drew it up,’’ acknowledged DACC coach DaJuan Gouard. ‘But there was a reason why I put Ryan in that corner. I knew he could make that shot.’’
The shot was not only the first for Caddell in the contest, but his appearance in the game with 12 seconds left in overtime was also his first of the night.
“I told him after the game that it wasn’t his fault that he missed that shot, it was my fault,’’ Gouard said. “He didn’t play a minute all game and it was unfair of me to put him in there and expect him to make that shot.’’
While it was a busted play, Macomb coach Hassan Nizam admitted it nearly worked to perfection.
“If he would have made that shot, he would have deserved it,’’ Nizam said. “We pinched and they kicked it out.
“That was a thrilling game because of the great job that coach (Gouard) does. I have so much respect for the Danville community and this program.’’
Macomb (28-7) trailed for nearly the entire overtime period as DACC scored the first five points of the extra session.
The Monarchs trailing 67-66 in the final 30 seconds of overtime put the ball in the hands of freshman forward Aidan Rubio, who completed an old fashion three-point play, getting fouled on his drive to the basket with 14.8 seconds left.
With the victory, Macomb will play either Milwaukee Area Technical College or Orange County Community College in tonight’s championship game at 7:30 p.m. The second semifinal was still in progress when the Commercial-News went to press.
DANVILLE — Heart, soul, grit and determination were just a few of the adjectives used following the 83-78 victory for Danville Area Community College in the quarterfinals of the NJCAA Division II National Tournament against Waubonsee Community College.
Sophomore guards Ahmoni Weston and Dameriz Merriweather epitomized those terms, especially in the final moments as the Jaguars secured a spot in the Final Four for the first time since 2008.
And Thursday’s victory was special for each one of them for different reasons.
For Weston, who made four straight free throws in the game’s final 30 seconds, the idea of even playing in the National Tournament didn’t seem possible two months ago when he laying in a hospital bed with a blood clot in his lung.
“In my dreams,” said Weston when asked if he thought about playing a key role in a National Tournament victory.
Actually, the 6-0 guard from Inkster, Mich., didn’t get cleared to play for Jaguars (26-4) until two weeks ago, just days before the Region 24 District Tournament.
“Ahmoni is the heart and soul of this team,” DACC coach DaJuan Gouard said. “He stayed here over the summer and made sure the guys got into our culture and doing things the right way.
“Tonight, he came in off the bench and got it done on both ends of the floor.”
That would also describe Merriweather’s game as he had 14 points off the bench, but it was his play on the defensive end that seemingly made a difference down the stretch.
Merriweather, who playing with a heavy heart after the death of his childhood friend Alex May earlier this week, came up with a go-ahead layup with 45 seconds left after his steal at mid-court and then he protected the lead with a blocked shot.
“I feel like the steal with the biggest play, because it gave us the lead and got everyone’s energy up,” said Merriweather, who acknowledged he was very emotional before Thursday’s game. “I broke down, but my teammates and my coaches picked me up. I don’t know if I could have playing without them by my side.
“Alex was my brother. I know he would want me to be here and be successful.”
Gouard said that Merriweather is all heart.
“The kid never gives up,” he added. “He didn’t make a lot of shots, but his toughness was there. He was defending at the highest level for us.
“I think being on the court tonight took his mind off some of his personal problems. I know that I will take that kid 10 out of 10 times.”
Weston, Merriweather along with Ramalle Arnold, who finished with 15 points, were part of a defensive rotation against Waubonsee sophomore guard Joey Niesman, who had 23 points in his team’s first-round victory against Iowa Lakes.
“We had to rotate defenders on him,” said Gouard. “Dameriz was the guy that we wanted on him in the final minutes. I think having the other guys wear him down put Dameriz in the position to get that steal in final minute.”
Niesman still scored a team-high 19 points, but the 6-foot-2 guard needed 19 shots to get his points and he was charged with four of his team’s 10 turnovers.
“They gave us all they had at the beginning, but I think our overall depth allowed us to wear them down,” Weston said.
Waubonsee (26-9) scored 14 of the game’s first 18 points and the Chiefs were a remarkable 9-of-13 from 3-point range in the first half and that improved to 11-of-15 early in the second half but they made just 1 more 3-pointer in the game’s final 16 minutes.
“We did everything we could to make them miss,” Gouard said. “To hold them to only three made 3-pointers in the second half show how tough we were on defense in the second half.”
Gouard acknowledged the big hometown crowd in the Mary Miller Center helped his Jaguars.
“That was huge for us, especially being down early, this crowd helped us gain some momentum, get back into the game and keep our confidence,” he said.
Kendall Taylor was the leading scorer for the Jaguars with 19 points.
DACC enjoyed a 34-10 advantage in scoring at the free-throw line, as Waubonsee made just 10-of-22 at the charity stripe.
“I thought they were aggressive and we were aggressive,” said Waubonsee coach Lance Robinson, whose team was also outrebounded 46-38. “We were up 1 and we turned the ball over and then we missed a shot. We just didn’t finish the job.”
DANVILLE — Waubonsee Community College had to beat the defending national champions South Suburban just to make the NJCAA Division II National Tournament at the Mary Miller Center.
The reward for the Chiefs was the No. 12 seed and a first-round matchup against the fifth-seeded Iowa Lakes Community College Lakers from the powerful Iowa Conference, which has won four of the last six national titles.
“Every day, we compares ourselves to South Suburban,’’ Waubonsee coach Lance Robinson said. “If we can beat them, we can beat anyone. That is our standard every year.’’
That proved to be true on Wednesday on the Dick Shockey Court as Waubonsee advanced into the quarterfinals with a 70-64 victory over Iowa Lakes.
Jaylyn Kelly scored seven of his 15 points in the game’s final minute to secure the victory for the Chiefs, who improved to 26-8 with the victory.
Kelly had only made 3-of-10 shots when he buried a 3-pointer with 33 seconds left as part of 13-3 run for Waubonsee in the final 2 minutes, 24 seconds.
“He shoots 43 percent from 3-point range and he is the best shooter in our region,’’ Robinson said. “He’s in the gym every day getting up 300 to 500 shots a day, so I’m not surprised that he hit that big 3.’’
Joey Niesman led the way for the Chiefs with a double-double of 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Brice Langford had a team-high 12 rebounds.
Iowa Lakes, which falls to 24-9, committed 18 turnovers in the contest and the Lakers shot just 37.7 percent (26-of-69) from the field. Isaiah Williams had a team-high 16 for Iowa Lakes, while Jeremiah Burke had a double-double with 15 points and 16 rebounds.
“We just weren’t ready to play, and that’s my fault,’’ said Iowa Lakes coach Troy Larson.
With the victory on Wednesday, Waubonsee advances to play the host Danville Area Community College Jaguars in the quarterfinals tonight.
“They are very deep and athletic,’’ said Robinson. “It’s going to be a packed house.
“We are the best team in Waubonsee history with our win, now we are playing for the state championship.’’
Tonight’s quarterfinal contest is scheduled for an 8 p.m. tipoff.
Wednesday, March 22, 2023
A bill has been introduced in Rhode Island that would require most new construction in the state to include solar panels as part of the initial construction.
“Every time a new building is built without solar panels, I see it as a missed opportunity. With energy costs going up and the clock ticking on preventing the worst impacts of climate change, we need to get moving,” said bill sponsor Representative Jennifer Boylan (D-Dist. 66, Barrington, East Providence).
“We build new houses and schools and then a few years later we think to put solar panels on them. Homeowners, taxpayers and our environment would all benefit from doing things right the first time,” added Boylan.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE — SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST
According to Boylan, homes constructed with solar panels can save homeowners money on their monthly bills, even if the additional labor and equipment costs are factored into their mortgage. But contractors and developers often do not often consider future savings on electric bills when constructing new homes. Additionally, many architects and contractors don’t factor in solar when they design and build. This sometimes leads to decisions, such as placing HVAC equipment or chimneys on south-facing roofs, that prevents future owners from going solar as efficiently.
Legislation Details
Boylan’s bill (2023-H 5851) would require most new construction to include solar panels. It would instruct the Rhode Island Building Code Commission to create different regulations for single-family dwellings, multi-family dwellings, large commercial buildings and parking lots over 16,000 sq. ft. Developers could apply for an exemption if they can demonstrate solar would be impractical, if they provide alternative forms of renewable energy generation or if they are constructing affordable housing and don’t have sufficient funding.
In the bill introduction, Boylan noted that California passed a solar requirement for new home construction in 2018, and other states, including neighboring Massachusetts, are considering similar bills. As part of the Inflation Reduction Act, builders are eligible for a 30% tax rebate from the federal government to help pay for solar installation.
Advocates say requiring solar on new construction will help create jobs, add resiliency to the electrical grid and prevent forests from being cut down to make room for solar.
“We need to act fast to reach our clean energy targets,” said Amanda Baker, policy associate with the Green Energy Consumers Alliance. “Building efficiently with solar and electric vehicle readiness will save consumers time and money down the line. This bill will help us meet the Act on Climate targets, benefit consumers and create jobs.”
“Contractors, architects and builders have a lot to consider when building a house. This bill is about making sure renewable energy is a priority and not an afterthought,” said Boylan. “The person buying that house will pay more over their lifetime if you build a house that’s hard to retrofit for solar panels. And energy bills for everyone are going to keep going up if we don’t act. By requiring solar whenever practical, everyone will benefit.”
Related Articles
Enjoy this post? Share it with others.
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
NJCAA Division II National Tournament
At Mary Miller Complex
Danville Area Community College 67, Johnson County Community College 46
Johnson County (46) — Tymer Jackson 4-19 2-4 11, Josh Jordan 1-2 0-0 3, Desi Williams 4-12 2-2 10, Ryan Gordon 1-9 5-8 7, Kyler Mann 2-4 0-0 4, Kaleim Taylor 1-4 0-0 3, Seth Chargois 1-3 0-0 2, Xavier Kahube 3-11 0-1 6. Totals: 17-64 9-15 46.
DACC (67) — Tyshay Epps 0-2 0-0 0, Ramalle Arnold 4-12 4-4 13, Martez Rhodes 1-1 0-0 3, Yavouba Traore 1-3 0-2 2, Kendall Taylor 4-8 2-3 10, Dameriz Merriweather 3-9 1-2 8, Lewis Richards 2-5 0-1 5, Ahmoni Weston 1-1 0-0 3, Jameer Ajibade 2-4 0-0 6, Stephen Atkinson 3-5 1-2 7, Trevin Williams 0-0 0-0 0, Ryan Caddell 0-1 0-0 0, Terrence Ringo 5-7 0-0 10. Totals: 26-58 8-14 67.
Johnson Co.;19;27;—; 46
DACC;35;32;—; 67
3-point goals — Johnson County 3-19 (Jordan 1-2, Taylor 1-4, Jackson 1-7, Chargois 0-1, Weilliams 0-5); DACC 7-17 (Ajibade 2-3, Weston 1-1, Richards 1-1, Rhodes 1-1, Merrwieather 1-3, Arnold 1-4, Taylor 0-1, Caddell 0-1, Epps 0-2). Rebounds — Johnson County 35 (Gordon 8); DACC 53 (Merriweather 12). Assists — Johnson County 7 (Jackson, Williams 3); DACC 6 (Merriweather 4). Steals — Johnson County 7 (Williams 3); DACC 1 (Ajibade). Turnovers — Johnson County 11, DACC 19. Total fouls — Johnson County 17, DACC 14. Fouled out — None. Technical fouls — none.
Macomb Community College 72, Chesapeake College 59
Chesapeake (59) — Lamont Powell 8-16 2-2 19, Ezekiel Edwards 2-7 0-0 4, Izaiah Credle 2-8 2-3 7, DJ Earl 2-12 0-0 4, JayShayn Freeman 4-12 0-0 9, Justin DeMaria 6-14 0-0 16, TaQuan Courtney 0-0 0 0, Azim Sana 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 24-70 4-5 59.
Macomb (72) — Linden Holder 2-6 0-1 6, Aidan Rubio 10-16 3-4 25, Tamario Aciley 3-5 0-0 6, Kareem Abrurashed 3-6 0-0 7, Tymias Williams 3-7 1-2 7, Kyle Millender 0-0 0-0 0, Cameron McEvans 4-9 2-3 11, Jaylen Daughtery 5-6 0-0 10, Juwan Mazey 0-0 0-0 0, Tom McNelis 0-0 0-0 0, Shawn Brown 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 30-55 6-10 72.
Chesapeake;23;36;—;59
Macomb;33;39;—;72
3-point goals — Chesapeake 7-27 (DeMaria 4-9, Powell 1-3, Credle 1-3, Freeman 1-6, Edwards 0-1, Earl 0-5); Macomb 6-20 (Rubio 2-5, Holder 2-6, Aburashed 1-2, McEvans 1-4, Aciley 0-1, Williams 0-2). Rebounds — Chesapeake 33 (Edwards 7); Macomb 42 (Daughtery 9). Assists — Chesapeake 9 (Powell 3); Macomb 12 (Holder, Williams 3). Steals — Chesapeake 6 (Sana 2); Macomb 2 (Aciley, Williams). Turnovers — Chesapeake 7, Macomb 12. Total fouls — Chesapeake 11, Macomb 10. Fouled out — None. Technical fouls — none.
Henry Ford College 83, Arkansas State Mid-South 74
Arkansas State Mid-South (74) — Braxtyn McCurien 7-10 1-4 17, OJ Marrs 6-11 0-0 12, Jailen Anderson 1-7 0-0 3, Jesse Washington 5-16 0-0 12, Christian Thompson 6-8 4-4 16, Kyrin Dock 1-2 0-0 2, Chris Martin 2-7 0-0 6, TJ Steward 1-2 0-0 2, Je’Marion Westbrook 2-2 0-0 4. Totals: 23-55 17-23 66.
Henry Ford (83) — Curtis Jackson 2-7 1-3 6, Tyler Mack 7-15 0-2 20, D’Quarion Cole 4-10 0-0 11, D’Juan Seal 11-15 4-4 26, Tyrhe Fortney 0-2 0-0 0, Mike Robinson 3-3 0-0 7, Caleb Bates 3-9 4-4 10, Marcus Gibbs 1-1 0-0 3. Totals: 31-62 9-13 83.
ASMS;39;35;—; 74
Henry Ford;44;39;—; 83
3-point goals — ASMS 7-21 (McCurien 2-4, Martin 2-5, Washington 2-8, Anderson 1-3, Thompson 0-1); Henry Ford 12-30 (Mack 6-14, Cole 3-9, Robinson 1-1, Gibbs 1-1, Seal 0-1, Bates 0-2). Rebounds — ASMS 37 (Washington 8); Henry Ford 32 (Seal 8). Assists — ASMS 13 (McCurien 4); Henry Ford 16 (Jackson 8). Steals — ASMS 2 (Anderson, Dock); Henry Ford 9 (Jackson 4). Turnovers — ASMS 17, Henry Ford 8. Total fouls — ASMS 12, Henry Ford 16. Fouled out — None. Technical fouls — none.
Davidson-Davie Community College 83, Florida Gateway College 77
Florida Gateway (77) — Jeremiah Barze 3-11 4-8 10, Eric Canavan 4-8 0-3 8, Maurice Campbell 5-12 1-2 12, Antewan Webber 4-9 4-4 14, Ty’darius Gulley 0-3 0-0 0, Jeremy Young 1-3 0-0 2, Nathaniel Mobley 0-3 0-0 0, Riley Kilgore 0-1 2-2 2, Amayoaah Phillips 11-17 4-4 27, Demorian Valmyr 1-3 0-2 2. Totals: 29-70 15-25 77.
Davidson-Davie (83) — Jarvis Tillman 0-2 0-0 0, Jonathan Foust 2-5 1-2 7, Jaheim Taylor 9-17 1-5 21, Aaron Ross 2-6 5-6 9, Chase Mebane 6-9 5-5 18, Zyhir Sims 0-0 0-0 0, Raymond Bellamy 2-4 2-6 6, Jordan McNeill 1-2 0-0 2, Keith Reese Jr. 0-0 2-2 2, Trey Fields 0-1 0-1 0, Jahlen King 2-7 4-6 9, Elan Muniz 3-4 0-0 9, Nygie Stroman 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 27-57 20-33 83.
Florida Gateway;34;43;—;77
Davidson-Davie;25;58;—;83
3-point goals — Florida Gateway 4-11 (Webber 2-4, Campbell 1-3, Phillips 1-1, Kilgore 0-1, Barze 0-2); Davidson-Davie 9-25 (Muniz 3-4, Foust 2-4, Taylor 2-6, Mebane 1-1, King 1-5, Ross 0-1, McNeill 0-1, Fields 0-1, Tillman 0-2). Rebounds — Florida Gateway 41 (Campbell 7); Davidson-Davie 43 (Tillman 1-2). Assists — Florida Gateway 7 (Phillips 4); Davidson-Davie 11 (McNeill 3). Steals — Florida Gateway 16 (Campbell 5); Davidson-Davie 8 (Taylor, Ross 2). Turnovers — Florida Gateway 19, Davidson-Davie 22. Total fouls — Florida Gateway 26, Davidson-Davie 20. Fouled out — None. Technical fouls — Davidson-Davie 1
Niagara County Community College 72, Central Community College-Columbus 70
Central (70) — Derek Merwick 2-6 1-3 5, Josh Baker 0-1 2-2 2, Trey Deveaux 6-13 5-5 20, Jayden Byabato 4-11 0-0 11, Blake Daberkow 4-9 2-2 12, PJ Davis 5-9 6-6 18, Preston Thomas 0-3 2-2 2, Aidan Graham 0-3 0-0 0. Totals: 21-55 18-20 70.
Niagara (72) — LaMarquis Merchant Jr. 1-3 3-4 5, Lamar Lovelace 4-12 2-4 10, Allen Fordham 3-5 1-3 9, Fenley Jean-Baptiste 2-7 3-4 7, Taylor Sanders 4-7 0-1 8, Oumaru Hydara 4-5 4-5 12, JaVaughn Jones 5-9 0-0 11, Julian Cunningham 1-3 0-0 3, Jalen Franklin 2-3 0-2 5, Noreon Williams 0-3 0-0 0, Jaral Farmer 1-2 0-0 2, Finn Mohl 0-2 0-0 0. Totals: 27-61 13-23 72.
Central;34;36;—; 70
Niagara;32;40;—; 72
3-point goals — Central 10-34 (Byabato 3-7, Deveaux 3-9, Davis 2-5, Daberkow 2-7, Merwick 0-1, Baker 0-1, Graham 0-1, Thomas 0-3); Niagara 5-15 (Fordham 2-2, Franklin 1-1, Jones 1-2, Cunningham 1-2, Merchant 0-1, Sanders 0-1, Williams 0-2, Lovelace 0-4). Rebounds — Central 38 (Merwick 7); Niagara 35 (Jean-Baptiste 8). Assists — Central 10 (Merwick, Baker 3); Niagara 4 (Merchant, Lovelace, Fordham, Jones). Steals — Central 3 (Merwick, Byabato, Davis); Niagara 6 (Fordham 2). Turnovers — Central 15, Niagara 9. Total fouls — Central 16, Niagara 19. Fouled out — None. Technical fouls — Central 1.
Milwaukee Area Technical College 83, Mott Community College 68
Mott (68) — Nate Brown 4-11 3-4 11, Mehki Ellison 7-18 1-2 16, Terrance Jones 2-6 0-0 5, Damarcies Moore 8-13 7-9 24, Vincent Mayes 1-3 0-0 2, Zavion McClendon 0-5 1-2 1, Phoenix Marble 0-0 0-0 0, Trucel Singleton 1-4 0-0 2, Tylan Osborn 2-2 0-0 4, Duriel Mask 1-2 0-0 3. Totals: 26-64 12-17 68.
Milwaukee Area (83) — Mikale Stevenson 3-8 5-6 11, DeMarco Clayton 5-10 2-2 13, Ke’Varius Taylor 3-5 0-2 6, Shelton Williams 5-8 0-2 10, Mason Johnson 12-17 2-2 26, Staishaun Kelley 0-1 0-1 0, Jermayn Baxter 0-0 0-0 0, Brionne Williams 0-2 0-0 0, Richard Warren 2-6 1-2 5, George Lee 0-1 0-0 0, Oluwamayowa Aknsipe 1-2 0-0 2, Tarek Abdel Kireem 3-7 3-4 10. Totals: 34-67 13-21 83.
Mott;37;31;—; 68
Milwaukee Area;48;35;—; 83
3-point goals — Mott 4-15 (Moore 1-1, Mask 1-2, Jones 1-2, Ellison 1-3, Brown 0-3, McClendon 0-4); Milwaukee Area 2-7 (Abdel kireem 1-3, Clayton 1-4). Rebounds — Mott 35 (Moore 13); Milwaukee Area 42 (Williams 9). Assists — Mott 7 (Ellison 2, Jones 2, McClendon 2); Milwaukee Area 12 (Stevenson 6). Steals — Mott 4 (Jones, Moore, McClendon, Singleton); Milwaukee Area 5 (Taylor 3). Turnovers — Mott 11, Milwaukee Area 8. Total fouls — Mott 19, Milwaukee Area 13. Fouled out — None. Technical fouls — none.
DANVILLE — Making the most of the basketball game experience at Danville Area Community College for those participating, fans in the stands and those at home watching this week’s National Junior College Athletic Association’s (NJCAA) Division II Men’s Basketball Tournament is what motivates the media team.
A new media suite on the second floor of Mary Miller Gymnasium is allowing that to happen even more so this year.
Technology has advanced a lot too since DACC has hosted the tournament 30 years now.
Chuck Jones, special grants coordinator, Vermilion County Works, said they were asked to come up with a wish list about a year ago of things they wanted.
Mark Barnes, chief information technology officer, said when they got the Jumbotron last year, they needed a place to permanently mount the equipment. They didn’t want to keep moving around equipment on a mobile cart.
Construction started on the new media booth and suite around Thanksgiving last year and finished just prior to the Vermilion County Basketball Tournament in January.
A wall was put up in a large classroom space for the suite that now holds video production, monitors and other equipment to record games and computer controls for the Jumbotron and other technology.
“They cut a big hole here (overlooking the basketball court) so you can get views…,” Barnes said about the second floor gym space. “It looks just like a professional media booth at a sports venue.”
The suite/booth includes areas for announcers, radio and visiting media representatives to do audio streams, and audio and video integration and controls for the Jumbotron. Jones can sit at one of the seats to give video direction. A Mac does their streaming.
During the tournament they will use the NJCAA site.
There is a mixer to mix audio in, to pick up sounds on the court and from the announcers. They can blend it all together and with music too to make it sound good, Barnes said.
Another station in the suite is where they mix graphics and video. There is a box to integrate the scoreboard, and they can grab shots for a game’s highlights video. On another Mac they can monitor the stream to make sure it’s good and clean.
A cabinet holds computer equipment showing the Channel 5 feed, Jumbotron and replays for the tournament.
There’s also different communications equipment. Jones will wear a headset to communicate to the camera operators from the booth. He will pull shots from the camera operators to feed into the broadcast.
“I’m basically deciding what goes out on the broadcast,” he said.
He said he has three operators who control the cameras with joysticks.
“It looks something like out of an arcade game,” he said of the joystick controllers. The three mounted cameras are located out on the floor.
The pictures get fed to a video mixer. Jones said he can say, “Camera 1 grab a shot of this,” or, “Camera 3 get a shot of that.”
“They do that through our headphone communication and feed it back to me so I can pick their pictures and put them on TV,” Jones said.
Barnes said it might seem weird to have headphones so close together in the booth, but it gets really loud in the gym.
Jones said they also have a remote camera that they can have someone on the floor get shots for the broadcast and Jumbotron. This can be for a “Kiss Cam” shot, interviews and crowd shots.
“It’s really cool what we can do,” Jones said.
Senior Director of Community Engagement Laura Hensgen said they started using the Jumbotron at last year’s tournament.
Before the team’s practice time at the start of the week’s tournament, DACC staff are taking all the athlete’s pictures so they can use them on the Jumbotron for stat highlights, starting lineups and other uses.
“So, the kids will be able to see themselves on the Jumbotron,” Hensgen said.
DACC officials said the new camera angles, Jumbotron and other features really enhance the experience for the players, fans and at-home viewers.
Jones said it’s a little crazy the week of the NJCAA tournament. They are there from about 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. each day.
Hensgen said they basically put in more than an 80-hour work week this week during the tournament.
“We live in this space right here,” Barnes said of the suite.
Before they had the media suite, Barnes and Jones would be in a small closet-type space to operate the equipment.
Hensgen was on a platform in the bleachers last year putting content on the Jumbotron. The platform would shake when people walked around the bleachers.
She’s glad for the changes since last year.
Maintenance workers love this too. They would spend a week prior to the tournament setting up the gymnasium with platforms.
Now with the permanent suite/booth, everyone can just show up.
Hensgen said it also creates extra space for fans.
The media team transmits all home games on DACC’s website.
“They are to me, a professional-quality stream,” Barnes said.
For the NJCAA they do a little more camera action because of the intensity of the tournament action, Barnes said. There also is a national audience’s expectations.
The NJCAA games are broadcast locally on Channel 5 on Comcast Xfinity in SD (standard definition), not HD (high definition).
“What’s great is we use our own local announcers for the livestream,” Hensgen said.
High school and college students have helped too with running cameras and operations.
Barnes said they get better at this every year.
“We’re upgrading or doing something different every year. It’s just a continual process,” Jones said.
During the NJCAA, there will be people all over the country watching.
They’ve had people watch from Poland, France, Spain and elsewhere, with several players being from overseas. That’s how the players have friends and family watch the games.
Four-year college scouts and recruits watch the games too.
“We shoot for as big of an audience as we can obviously,” Jones said.
On average they see about 200-plus viewers during the regular season, Barnes said.
During NJCAA week, a lot of the schools have watch parties for their teams.
The DACC media team encourages the public to come out and watch the games and cheer on DACC.
Barnes said it’s a good night of entertainment and fun.
“It is good basketball for a good price,” Jones said, adding that a lot of the talent seen here can be seen elsewhere in four-year universities. A lot go on to those universities.
“Everybody loves a nice big audience to cheer on their team,” Barnes said.
“It’s a fun time. There’s halftime entertainment. There’s all sorts of things going on. It makes it a fun experience,” Jones added. “It’s a great time. So, we love to see the gym full of people.”
BUFFALO — After playing for the Miami Dolphins last season, Danville native Trent Sherfield will be staying in the AFC East.
Sherfield signed a one-year deal with the Buffalo Bills to join a team that has gone to at least the divisional round of the AFC playoffs the last three years.
Sherfield had 30 catches for 417 yards and two touchdowns last season for the Dolphins, which was his best season statistically.
PREP BASEBALL
Westville 8, Paris 6
PARIS — Westville scored four runs in the top of the sixth to get win the battle of the Tigers.
Drew Wichtowski had two hits with a home run and three RBIs for Westville, while Cade Schaumburg had two RBIs and Ethan McMasters had three hits and a RBI.
The Tigers will play Unity today.
St. Thomas More 8, Hoopeston Area 3
HOOPESTON — The Cornjerkers lost out to the Sabers on Monday.
Keygan Field had a RBI for Hoopeston Area, while Grant Morgan had two stolen bases.
Oakwood 6, Unity 6
OAKWOOD — The Comets scored two runs in each of the sixth and seventh innings, but could only salvage a tie with the Rockets.
Dalton Hobick had three hits and a RBI for Oakwood, while Josh Ruch had two RBIs and Gabe Powell and Brody Taflinger each had one RBI.
The Comets will host Danville today.
PREP SOFTBALL
Westville 16, Heritage 0
BROADLANDS — Abby Sabalaskey pitched a three-inning perfect game as the Tigers cruised to a win.
Lilly Kiesel had a home run and four RBIs for Westville, while Madison Jones and Karma Chism each had three RBIs, Ariel Clarkston and Mia Lane each had two RBIs and Laney Cook and McKynze Carico each had one RBI.
Salt Fork 19, Oakwood 1
OAKWOOD — Karlie McGee got the win in her first start as the Storm beat the Comets.
Kailey Frischkorn had four RBIs for Salt Fork, whiel McGee, Kendyl Hurt and Alexa Jamison each had three RBIs and Karlie Cain each had two RBIs.
Gracie Enos had the lone RBI for Oakwood.
The Storm will play Tri-County on Wednesday, while the Comets will play Fisher on Wednesday.
Hoopeston Area 13, Donovan 2
Alexa Bailey had four RBIs as the Cornjerkers cruised past Donovan.
Macy Warner had three hits and two RBIs for Hoopeston Area, while Jersey Cundiff had two hits and two RBIs.
PREP TRACK
Local teams compete at Armer
CHAMPAIGN — The Danville boys and girls track teams each finished in the top 10 in Saturday’s Gene Armer Invitational.
The boys team was fifth as Matthew Thomas broke a school record in the pole vault with a vault of 4.53m to win the event and also won the 60 meter hurdles in 8.45 seconds.
Davari Boyd was fourth in the long jump (6.31m) and fifth in the triple jump (12.52m) for the Vikings, while O’Shawn Jones-Winslow was fourth in the high jump (1.84m), Antuan Lee was seventh in the 60 meter dash (7.16) and Kaden Young was eighth in the 200 (23.71).
Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin’s Michael Hackman was second in the 200 (22.67) and fifth in the 60 dash (7.11) while the 800 relay team of Hackman, Damien Allison, Gavin High and Murphy McCool was fifth (1:35.28).
Salt Fork was also in the meet with Garrett Taylor taking third at 16.95m.
In the girls meet, the Vikings were sixth as Nickiya Shields won the triple jump (11.01m) and was second in the 60 hurdles (9.36), Allison Thompson was fifth in the 1,600 (5:40), Neveah Jones was sixth in the high jump (1.47) and Chazari Cooks was eighth in the 60 dash (8.33). The 800 relay team of Shields, Cooks, Aniyah Reynolds and Da’Sani Lewis was second (1:51.85)
Macie Russell was third in the 800 for Salt Fork (2:28.16) and teammate Callaway Cox was fourth in the long jump (4.45m). Georgetown-Ridge Farm/Chrisman’s Haley Carlton was third in the pole Vault (2.90) and Westville’s Maddison Appl was eighth in the triple jump (9.31m) and Lilly Meeker was ninth in the shot put (9.04m).
TODAY
Prep Baseball
Danville at Oakwood, 4:30 p.m.
Watseka at Salt Fork, 4:30 p.m.
Heritage at Armstrong-Potomac, 4:30 p.m.
Unity at Westville, 4:30 p.m.
Prep Softball
Paris at Danville, 4:30 p.m.
St. Joseph-Ogden at Westville, 4:30 p.m.
Milford at Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin, 4:30 p.m.
Men’s College Basketball
NJCAA Division II National Tournament at the Mary Miller Center: Macomb (Mich.) vs. Chesapeake (Md.), 9 a.m.
NJCAA Division II National Tournament at the Mary Miller Center: Henry Ford (Mich) vs. ASU Mid-South (Ark.), 11 a.m.
NJCAA Division II National Tournament at the Mary Miller Center: Davidson-Davie (N.C.) vs. Florida Gateway, 1 pm.
NJCAA Division II National Tournament at the Mary Miller Center: Niagara County (N.Y.) vs. Central (Neb.), 3 p.m.
NJCAA Division II National Tournament at the Mary Miller Center: Danville Area Community College vs. Johnson County (Kan.), 6:30 p.m.
NJCAA Division II National Tournament at the Mary Miller Center: Milwaukee Area Tech (Wis.) vs. Mott (Mich.), 8:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
Prep Baseball
Danville at Mount Zion, 4:30 p.m.
Schlarman Academy at Rantoul, 4:30 p.m.
Oakwood at Fisher, 4:30 p.m.
Casey-Westfield at Westville, 4:30 p.m.
St. Joseph-Ogden at Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin, 4:30 p.m.
Prep Softball
Danville at LeRoy, 4:30 p.m.
Salt Fork at Tri-County, 4:30 p.m.
Oakwood at Fisher, 4:30 p.m.
Paris at Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin, 4:30 p.m.
College Baseball
Olney Central College at Danville Area Community College, 3 p.m.
Men’s College Basketball
NJCAA Division II National Tournament at the Mary Miller Center: Orange County (N.Y.) vs. Scottsdale (Ariz), 11 a.m.
NJCAA Division II National Tournament at the Mary Miller Center: Iowa Lakes vs. Waubonsee (Ill.), 1 p.m.
NJCAA Division II National Tournament at the Mary Miller Center: Game 1 loser (Macomb or Chesapeake) vs. Game 3 loser (Davidson-Davie or Florida Gateway), 3 p.m.
NJCAA Division II National Tournament at the Mary Miller Center: Game 1 winner (Macomb or Chesapeake) vs. Game 3 winner (Davidson-Davie or Florida Gateway), 6 p.m.
NJCAA Division II National Tournament at the Mary Miller Center: Game 4 winner (Niagara or Central) vs. Game 6 winner (Milwaukee Area Tech or Mott), 8 p.m.
Women’s College Basketball
NJCAA Division II National Tournament at Port Huron, Mich.: Danville Area Community College vs. Harcum College (Pa.), 1 p.m.
College Softball
Danville Area Community College at Illinois Central College (2), 3 p.m.
ON THE AIR
TODAY
Men’s College Basketball
NJCAA Division II National Tournament at the Mary Miller Center: Macomb (Mich.) vs. Chesapeake (Md.), WDAN-AM 1490, 9 a.m.
NJCAA Division II National Tournament at the Mary Miller Center: Henry Ford (Mich) vs. ASU Mid-South (Ark.), WDAN-AM 1490, 11 a.m.
NJCAA Division II National Tournament at the Mary Miller Center: Davidson-Davie (N.C.) vs. Florida Gateway, WDAN-AM 1490, 1 p.m.
NJCAA Division II National Tournament at the Mary Miller Center: Niagara County (N.Y.) vs. Central (Neb.), WDAN-AM 1490, 3 p.m.
NJCAA Division II National Tournament at the Mary Miller Center: Danville Area Community College vs. Johnson County (Kan.), WDAN-AM 1490, 6:30 p.m.
NJCAA Division II National Tournament at the Mary Miller Center: Milwaukee Area Tech (Wis.) vs. Mott (Mich.), WDAN-AM 1490, 8:30 p.m.
Major League Baseball
Exhibition: Washington Nationals at St. Louis Cardinals, Bally Sports Midwest, noon
National Hockey League
Detroit Red Wings at St. Louis Blues, Bally Sports Midwest, 7 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
Men’s College Basketball
NJCAA Division II National Tournament at the Mary Miller Center: Orange County (N.Y.) vs. Scottsdale (Ariz), WDAN-AM 1490, 11 a.m.
NJCAA Division II National Tournament at the Mary Miller Center: Iowa Lakes vs. Waubonsee (Ill.), WDAN-AM 1490, 1 p.m.
NJCAA Division II National Tournament at the Mary Miller Center: Game 1 loser (Macomb or Chesapeake) vs. Game 3 loser (Davidson-Davie or Florida Gateway), WDAN-AM 1490, 3 p.m.
NJCAA Division II National Tournament at the Mary Miller Center: Game 1 winner (Macomb or Chesapeake) vs. Game 3 winner (Davidson-Davie or Florida Gateway), WDAN-AM 1490, 6 p.m.
NJCAA Division II National Tournament at the Mary Miller Center: Game 4 winner (Niagara or Central) vs. Game 6 winner (Milwaukee Area Tech or Mott), WDAN-AM 1490, 8 p.m.
Golf
WGC Technologies Match Play, GOLF, 1 p.m.
Major League Baseball
Exhibition: St. Louis Cardinals at Miami Marlins, Bally Sports Midwest, noon
Exhibition: Chicago Cubs at Oakland Athletics, Marquee Sports Network,3 p.m.
National Basketball Association
Philadelphia 76ers at Chicago Bulls, NBC Sports Chicago 7 p.m.
Note — some events are subject to blackout rules and regulations
CONTACT US
Editor: Chad Dare (217) 477-5151
Reporter: Marvin Holman:(217) 477-5210
E-mail: sports@dancomnews.com
Note — The Commercial-News sports desk is staff Monday through Friday from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m. All results and information should be reported during those times.