Spring Break
The UMKC women's basketball team looked to shrug off a six-game losing streak on Saturday, Feb. 23, but a season-high 30 turnovers cost the Kangaroos a conference win on the road against Oral Roberts University (ORU) 65-56. At the Mabee Center in Tulsa, Okla.
Young Alumni Unite It's always surprising how much one can learn just walking into someone's office and sitting down to shoot the breeze. One such conversation developed for this writer a couple weeks ago. The office of reference was the one occupied by Associate Athletics Director for Advancement Steve Stroud, affectionately called my "brother" in some Athletics department offices.
The weather outside Swinney Recreation Center may have been frightful, but that did not prevent the North Dakota State University (NDSU) Bison from a hot shooting night, as they ran through the Roos 94-81. The UMKC women's basketball team put together one of its most complete performances of the year, but the Bison shot the lights out, connecting on 57 percent of their shots.
Playing inspired basketball in the last three minutes of regulation and throughout all five minutes of overtime, UMKC freshman guard Reggie Hamilton scored 17 of the last 20 points recorded by the Kangaroos in a 75-65 overtime victory over Centenary College (CC).
Though it is a rare thing for sure, there was something to be said for youth over experience last Thursday night in Tulsa, Okla. While UMKC did not muster up a win against Oral Roberts University (ORU), the game turned out to be one for the record books.
Though a trip to Southern Maid Donuts might have been on the agenda, the UMKC women's golf team traveled into Cajun country over the weekend focused to put an intent face on the spring golf season at the 2008 Centenary Ladies Spring Invitational in Haughton, La.
The Kangaroos' indoor track and field squad spent Saturday afternoon in the Little Apple at the Kansas State Open and came away with positives all around. The event, held in Manhattan, Kan., had a field of eight different schools, including Big XII power and host Kansas State University and Wichita State University of the Missouri Valley Conference.
Senior guard Tim Blackwell acknowledges his basketball career started early in life, and by most accounts, the leader of this year's Kangaroo squad plans on it going late. Blackwell was only 4 years old when he started playing basketball and joined his first league at the YMCA in kindergarten.
Junior forward Krystal VanHook's selflessness seems to habitually appear both on and off the court. While VanHook is currently a sociology major, she hopes to go to graduate school and focus on social work. "I love kids and I feel like that's [social work] a good way to give back," VanHook said.
