Brunswick sports are “Winning”

Article By: Brent Bartchak

BRUNSWICK, OH- - When you think of Brunswick High School one of the first thoughts that come mind are the sports. Sports are the backbone of the high school and also the community. Not only do the sports bring in revenue for the school, they also provide the athletes with lifelong lessons that they learn through participating in sports and sporting events give the student body a fun place to hang out.

Boy’s basketball head coach Joe Mackey summed up the definition of Brunswick sports with one word, “Tradition.” He went onto say, “There is a lot of Tradition here at Brunswick. It’s a football base community, but the other sports represent the community well.” The tradition that Mackey enjoys the most is “Winning.” The students and the community would have to agree with coach Mackey on this one because the athletes don’t settle for losing.

The sports programs would not be as good as they are today without the great kids and the support of the administration according to Mackey. “The athletes are good kids who are coachable. You don’t always get that, you have kids who want to be coached and learn.”

From a player’s perspective, the sports are extremely important and they seem to have the same viewpoint on what defines Brunswick sports as the coaches do. Star football athlete and basketball player Ray J Brown defined a Brunswick athlete as a “Hardworking kid that just loves the game he plays.” He said “They love being in the action and with their teammates.”

The players like Brown represent our community in a positive way and set a great example for the younger generation of Brunswick athletes that look up to high school players. Even though the high school athletes might not know it sometimes, the younger kids look up to them and go and watch them play just hoping someday they can be as good as them. The coaches and players organize camps and events to get the younger kids involved in the Brunswick sports programs. This helps pass on the traditions and winning ways to ensure a bright future for the athletics.

Another great way the sports programs provide a great service is through their charity work. A great example of this is the new tradition of VOFT Charity Night at one basketball game a year. VOFT puts on this great event by selling t-shirts to raise money that get you into the basketball game. This is a fantastic way to use sports to help out people in need. This year’s games proceeds went to help out our soldiers overseas fighting in Iraq. The football team also does great charity work by participating in Relay for Life each year. It is great to see the athletes help out the community and donate to tremendous charities.

Whether you’re a student or fan in the community you have most likely enjoyed watching the fantastic athletes at Brunswick participate in a sporting event. Brunswick is a special place to live and the sports give the school and the community something to be proud of. With the combination of great coaching and hardworking athletes, Brunswick high school will continue to have a winning program.

In The Nick of Time....Cavs Win the NBA Lottery

After the announcement that the Cavs had the fourth pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, 14 year old Nick Gilbert pounded his fist into the desk in frustration. The next announcement involving the Cavs saw Gilbert holding up his hand in triumph having found out that the Number 1 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft will be selected by Cleveland much to the dismay of the representatives from Utah and Minnesota.

Fans all over the world viewed the Cleveland conglomerate celebrate the Cavs first lottery win since 2003. Nick Gilbert was the shining star as the official representative for the proceedings. In the crowd was Nick's brother and father, who most of us know as owner Dan Gilbert. Among others in the crowd was Browns legend Bernie Kosar and current stars Josh Cribbs and adopted favorite son Joe Haden.

The scene was electric in the Cleveland area where bars and restaurants celebrated. Dan Gilbert took the time given to him to tell the world that the Cleveland fans had been through so much over the past year with the team. Gilbert told the world that Cleveland fans are second-to-none, and they deserve this opportunity to build the team with the best player available. It was vindication for what was now no longer a "lost" season. The losses, the trades, and the roster moves were all pointed to this one chance.

The trades ended up as the biggest contribution. When the Cavs sent All-Star point guard Mo Williams and Jamario Moon over to the Los Angeles Clippers, they received overpaid, aging Baron Davis and their unprotected #1 pick in this year's draft. With both teams in the lottery, the Cavs chances improved with the addition of the Clippers pick. As fate would have it, it was the Clippers pick that had won the lottery and sent the Cavs to the podium to make the first selection.

After having to endure what we saw last year, was this worth it? Was the inconsistent, lackadasical, and downright morbid play partnered with injuries galore and a changing roster vindicated by winning the Lottery? Watching the Cavs last year was sometimes excruciating, as the 26-game losing streak would attest. They also were sometimes unstoppable, taking down Boston, Los Angeles, and Miami.

Cavs General Manager Chris Grant is the most important person the Cavs organization now. He's got the keys to this operation. We'll have four draft picks this year. Expiring contracts and the $14.5M trade exception to work with. Veterans that were injured last season will return. It's up to Grant to make the right moves. This opportunity for the Cavs and Grant came in the Nick of time.

Quick Hitters: Browns Draft, Indian Fever and More

Sports fans, the NFL Draft has come and gone. Thanks to the legal process, the NFL is back on a lockout with no activity scheduled for the immediate future. Free agents are left on their own, even moreso with rookie free agents who cannot contact prospective teams. The NFL Draft took on a different role for teams and players who were involved. Teams who usually look to free agency to fill a hole or two before the draft no longer had that luxury. Players who were marginal 7th round picks and would normally be signed as a free agent right after the draft were left in the cold. That being said, let's take a quick look at the Browns draft:

First Round - 21st Overall Pick

Phil Taylor from Baylor - Defensive Tackle. Big fan of this pick. We need defensive linemen to field the four down linemen front that D Coordinator Dick Jauron will employ. Phil Taylor from Baylor will team up with Athyba Rubin to plug the holes and shore up the run defense.

Second Round - 37th Overall Pick

Jaball Sheard from Pittsburgh - Defensive End. I'll say this was a safer pick than Da'Quan Bowers from Clemson because Sheard is healthy. Sheard was the Big East Defensive Player of the year as a pass-rushing, agile, and quick DE. Another linemen and another need filled by the Browns. Look for Sheard to make an immediate impact.

Second Round - 59th Overall Pick

Greg Little from North Carolina - Wide Receiver. Little is extremely athletic and has a tremendous upside. Sat out last season due to team violations. He's a big physical receiver who can break tackles after the catch, which is imperative in the West Coast Offense the Browns are going to employ. I'm keeping a close eye on him in training camp to see how he adjusts to the speed of the game after being out a season.

Fourth Round - 102nd Overall Pick

Jordan Cameron from USC - Tight End. Basketball player turned tight end, following the Tony Gonzalez and former Kent State basketball star Antonio Gates into the NFL. He had only 16 catches last season, but was seen as another player with a great upside. He'll have Ben Watson and Evan Moore to mentor him. I see him being about a year out before making a big splash.

Fourth Round - 124th Overall Pick

Owen Marecic from Stanford - Fullback/Linebacker. That's right, a full-time two way player at the D1 Level. He once scored an offensive TD on a carry, then intercepted a pass on the next play from scrimmage and scored a defensive TD. Two TDs on two sides of the ball in 13 seconds. Starting out, this guy has special teams written all over him with his offensive and defensive acumen. He doesn't come off the field and can understand two different gameplans. I like this pick because he is a true ironman and a pure football player.

Fifth Round - 137th Overall Pick

Buster Skrine from UT-Chattanooga - Cornerback. Fast as lightning, he clocked a 4.22 40-yrd dash. He can contribute right away on special teams, but he'll be a year away from contributing defensively. His lack of height (5' 9'') could be a concern, but his speed can cover for his mishaps.

Fifth Round - 150th Overall Pick

Jason Pinkston from Pittsburgh - Offensive Tackle. He'll compete for a spot on the right side of the line with Tony Pashos, Floyd Womack and Shaun Lauvao. Reports on him stay he's got an abundance of athleticism, but may lack in work ethic and effort. Here's hoping that's not the case.
Seventh Round - 248th Overall Pick

Eric Haag from Nebraska - Safety. A ball-hawk, he can come in and challenge for the free safety position, possibly freeing up TJ Ward to take the strong saftey. Haag is good in coverage and above-average athletically. Here's hoping he sticks, as I don't want to see us draft two low-round safeties from Nebraska who don't pan out.

Overall, a pretty good draft. We have an extra two picks in next year's draft, including a first rounder. We filled some needs on the defensive line. I would have like us to take a pure linebacker (not that Owen Marecic can't play there) , but we can address that through free agency when it returns. I thought it was a bit of a reach for Jordan Cameron as a TE because the Browns already have two good platers. But with Evan Moore's health questions, this may turn out to be a steal. I'm looking real forward to seeing how Greg Little will mesh with the current QB/WR corps, and seeing how he recovers from a full year off. Anything we can get out of the 5th through 7th picks is a bonus, and if they can make the team and ride out this year maybe we'll see them in a more involved capacity next season.

Lastly, I'd say this this year's draft was a hybrid of 2009 and 2010, with the Browns giving up picks to move down. The 2010 picks are doing well through the first year. Hopefully that can carry that over into this season and beyond. We will be able to get a better measurement of last year and this year's draft in a few seasons.