Men's Basketball Tops Frostburg State
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By JONATHAN SPEES
As the men’s basketball team took the court on Saturday afternoon, they were greeted by a gym full of students wearing white. The Eagles were set to tip off against conference rivals Frostburg State University and improve their conference record to 2 and 0. Coming off of a win against Stevenson the previous Wednesday, Mary Washington looked to continue their five-game win streak.
The two teams began the game by trading baskets and although the score was even through the first 10 minutes, Mary Washington appeared to be the dominant team. They were faster and seemed more ready to play from tip off, however they struggled to make their shots in the beginning, making the game appear closer than it was.
Despite their relatively slow start towards the end of the first half, the Eagles were able to find their groove and the shots started falling.
At halftime the score line read Eagles 34, Bobcats 19, and the game appeared to be heavily in favor of the home team.
As the second half began the Eagles kept shooting well, however Frostburg made a valiant attempt to try and get back into the game.
With just 40 seconds left, Frostburg was able to cut the lead to four points only, and the game looked in danger of going into overtime.
Following the Frostburg three-pointer, sophomore point guard Walt Smith was able to find fellow sophomore E.J. Wallis for a game-sealing dunk that really got the crowd involved. Willis was the high scorer for the Eagles, finishing with a total of 20 points including his game-ending dunk.
Senior Henry Brisibe, who finished the game with nine points and a team high twelve rebounds, commented following the game, “Frostburg is a good team but we fought hard all forty minutes and were able to keep our streak alive. Right now after winning six straight we feel like there is no team that can beat us.
Our team chemistry is as good as it’s been in a long time. We all work well together and are really playing well as a team. The fan support has been great at home and that is always good to see and be a part of. I feel like the student body is really getting behind us so we’re going to keep trying to show our appreciation by getting wins.”
Senior shooting guard Ryan Farrar, who was unfortunately sidelined due to a hand injury, said about the game, “It’s always difficult when you have to sit on the sideline and can’t play, but I’m incredibly proud of my team for getting the win without me. They really played well and despite a slow start they never lost hope and fought well the entire game. As much as I hate not playing it is good to know that the team can play well with or without me.”
The Eagles fought off a strong Frostburg team to improve their overall record to 6 and 1 and their conference record to 2-0.
They have currently won six games straight and have started to receive votes for the NCAA top 25 teams in division three nationally.
They faced off against Newport News Apprentice on Dec. 6 where they fell 76-74 to end their streak. The Eagles take on conference rival Marymount tomorrow in Arlington.
While there have been many books about the problems cesuad by the Bush administration, there has been less said about the weakness in the democratic process it has exploited. Mr. Gore links the printing press and 2 way public communication with the historic end of feudalism and the rebirth of democracy in the US. He describes another product of technological change television as a one way communication source which has changed how citizens consume information. As television ownership is increasingly concentrated in the hands of wealthy owners, however, wealth and information are reunited again as in feudal times, suggests Gore.He uses the Bush administration to demonstrate how these preconditions can be used by extremists who have no concept of the public interest to degrade public discussion. Politics hides behind religious symbols. Fear imagery is used to reduce rational discussion over alternatives. Conservative Talk Radio becomes a fifth column in which hatred of liberals serves as entertainment. The result, says Gore, is that voters can be ignored because their opinion can be shaped by mass marketing techniques unchecked by open public discourse.This is a thoughtful and insightful analysis of a development more pernicious than many of the policies espoused by the current administration. While conservatives may not agree with Gore’s examples, hopefully they may be concerned over the disdain being shown for reason itself and the danger to democracy from selfish interests operating in a changed communications paradigm.Unfortunately, with a problem this large and this long in developing, solutions may be difficult to come by. Gore puts immense faith in the 2 way communication of the internet, the explosion of wikis and the magic of net neutrality combined with true public financing of elections. As Gore recounts, however, Americans have moved from the printed word to 4 hours of television consumption a day. He does not tell us why they will move in lockstep to a more active life on the Web. I also have concerns about the level of truth found in the unmediated and unedited paths of the internet. The creation of public knowledge in a new marketplace of ideas will not be as easy a task as Gore describes especially if economic forces that have controlled events for past years fight to retain their gains.In any case, this is a strong analysis of a subject that has not been discussed enough. Gore, more as a thinker than a politician, has provided an important service in writing this.