Mark Maloney on sports

Eastern Kentucky University announced the signing of two men’s basketball recruits Tuesday.

Spencer Perrin, a 6-foot-5 small forward, helped Boyle County to the 12th Region championship by averaging 21 points and 11 rebounds as a senior in 2007. He is now in his second season at Lake Land College in Mattoon, Ill.

Willie Cruz is a 6-4 guard, now a senior at L’Anse Creuse High School near Detroit. Cruz averaged 20.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists last season. He was named all-conference, second-team all-area and honorable mention all-state.

EKU (0-1) plays its home opener tonight at 7 against Winston-Salem.

From the men’s basketball gold-medal game at the Beijing Olympics, Sunday at Wukesong Olympic Basketball Gymnasium …

The United States held off a valiant effort by world-champion Spain to take the Olympic gold with a 118-107 victory.

Dwyane Wade led Team USA with 27 points. He made four of seven three-point attempts and also had four steals.

Kobe Bryant had 20 points and six assists. LeBron James added 14 points, six rebounds and three steals. Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony each scored 13, and Paul also handed out five assists. Chris Bosh led the team in rebounds with seven, and also scored eight points.

Former University of Kentucky standout Tayshaun Prince logged 8:25 of playing time. He made all three of his field-goal attempts, finishing with six points and two rebounds.

Rudy Fernandez made five of nine three-point attempts en route to a 22-point game for Spain. Pau Gasol had 21 points and six rebounds. Also scoring in double figures: Juan Carolos Navarro, 18; Carlos Jimenez, 12; Marc Gasol 11; and Felipe Reyes, 10 (plus seven rebounds).

Boy wonder point guard Ricky Rubio, 17, finished with six points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals.

* The U.S. lead over Spain is 111-104 with 2:02 left.

After Spain pulled to within 91-89 early in the quarter, Team USA scored 12 of the next 15 points to lead 103-92.

The lead was cut to four, 108-104, before Dwyane Wade hit a three-pointer for the seven-point edge.

* A Rudy Fernandez three-pointer has pulled Spain to within 91-89, the U.S. leading with 8:13 to play.

* Trailing 69-61 at halftime, Spain cut Team USA’s lead to four points several times during the third quarter but could get no closer. Heading into the final 10 minutes, the U.S. leads 91-82.

* The U.S. leads Spain 69-61 at halftime of a foul-fest.

Dwyane Wade has 21 points for Team USA and Chris Paul has 10. Former Kentucky Wildcat Tayshaun Prince has six points and two rebounds.

Rudy Fernandez has 13 points for Spain and Pau Gasol has nine.

Spain has three players with three fouls each and three more with two each as the Americans have made 17 of 20 free throws.

Team USA has six players with two fouls apiece. Spain has made 18 of 21 free throws.

Spain led by as many as five points in the first quarter, but the U.S. scored nine points in a row to take a 26-22 lead.

Team USA’s advantage reached 14 points, 58-44, when LeBron James knocked down a three-pointer.

Spain pulled to within six points, 67-61, in the final minute of the half.

* Team USA leads Spain 38-31 after one quarter.

The Spaniards led 22-17 before Team USA ran off nine consecutive points to take the lead.

LeBron James and Kobe Bryant spent most of the quarter on the bench, as each had two fouls within the first 5 1/2 minutes.

Dwyane Wade led the U.S. with 13 first-quarter points. Chris Paul added six and Tayshaun Prince had four.

Pao Gasol had seven points for Spain and Juan Carlos Navarro had six.

From semifinals of the Beijing Olympics men’s basketball tournament Wukesong Olympic Basketball Gymnasium …

The Redeem Team is in the gold-medal game.

Team USA dispatched defending champion Argentina 101-81 Friday night

So it’s USA vs. world-champion Spain for the gold, Sunday at 2:30 p.m. (a.m. EDT).

Carmelo Anthony, 13-for-13 at the free-throw line, led the U.S. with 21 points. LeBron James added 15. Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul each scored 12. Chris Bosh added 11 and Dwight Howard 10.

Tayshaun Prince, the former Kentucky standout, played only 3:52 and grabbed one rebound.

Luis Scola of the Houston Rockets led Argentina with 26 points and 11 rebounds. Carlos Delfino scored 19, Paolo Quinteros 12 and Andres Nocioni 10.

* Team USA leads 78-64 through three quarters. Up nine at the half, the Americans matched their largest first-half lead of 21 points at 76-55. Argentina, with Manu Ginobili sidelined by injury, closed the quarter with a 9-2 run.

Carmelo Anthony had eight third-quarter points for the U.S. Dwight Howard had seven.

* Team USA leads Argentina 49-40 at halftime.

Argentina got only two points from Manu Ginobili, who left the game midway through the first quarter due to a leg injury and has not returned.

The U.S. used an 18-0 run to take a 21-4 lead and built the margin to 21 points a couple of times, the last at 34-13.

The Argentines outscored the U.S. 27-12 to pull to within six points, 46-40. Carmelo Anthony’s three free throws gave the U.S. a 49-46 lead.

Anthony leads U.S. scorers with 13. Kobe Bryant has 12 and Chris Paul has 11.

Luis Scola paces Argentina with 12 points and seven rebounds. Andres Nocioni has eight points.

* Argentina is on an 11-0 run midway through the second quarter, cutting the U.S. lead to 37-29.

The U.S. has led by as many as 21.

* An 18-0 run carried Team USA from a 4-3 deficit to a 21-4 lead over Argentina. Through one quarter, the U.S. leads 30-11.

Kobe Bryant led the 18-point surge by scoring seven. Chris Paul had five. Chris Bosh, Jason Kidd and LeBron James had two points each.

* Team USA leads Argentina 9-4 with 4:47 left in the first quarter. Kobe Bryant has four points.

* Pau Gasol scored 19 points and Rudy Fernandez had 18 as Spain rallied to defeat Lithuania 91-86 Friday night (a.m. in the U.S.).

Spain will face the winner of the U.S.-Argentina game for the gold medal Sunday. Lithuania will play the bronze-medal game for a fifth consecutive Olympics.

Spain trailed by as many as six points and was down 74-73 when it fired the decisive volley, an 8-0 run.

The Spaniards made 35 of 44 free throws. Lithuania was 22-for-26.

Felipe Reyes added 13 points for Spain. Carlos Jiminez had 11 points and seven rebounds.

Simas Jasaitis and Sarunas Jasikevicius had 19 points each for Lithuania. Robertas Javtokas added 15, Ksistof Lavrinovic 13 and Rimantas Kaukenas 11.

            BEIJING – The United States women’s basketball team moved on to the gold-medal game of the Beijing Olympics by upending Russia 67-52 Thursday night (morning U.S.) at Wukesong Olympic Basketball Gymnasium.

            World champion Australia dispatched China to gain Saturday’s finals. China and Russia will play for bronze.

             Team USA will seek a fourth consecutive Olympic gold. The Americans have won 32 consecutive games in Olympic play, including seven in Beijing.

             Russia gave the U.S. its toughest test of the tournament, but South Dakota native Becky Hammon was of little factor in opposing her native country.

             Hammon, who plays professional ball for CSKA Moscow, entered the game as Russia’s leading scorer, averaging 13.2 points a game. Thursday, Hammon was held scoreless until sinking a free throw with 9:30 left. She added a driving jumper to finish with three points in 24 minutes of action.

“It was a very physical game,” she said. “I thought we played well for about three quarters. Eventually their depth and their size just overpowers you. They have a very great team and we had to play perfectly, and we didn’t make some shots. It makes life difficult when you don’t hit shots.”

A six-point run to open the second half gave Russia a 38-33 lead.

Team USA finished the quarter with a 15-2 flurry and scored the first two points of the fourth quarter to grab a 50-40 lead. The Russians never came closer than nine points after that.

“We had to get lucky,” Hammon said. “We had to have the ball bounce our way and we had to make some shots, and things didn’t go our way. But you have to give credit to them.”

            Tina Thompson led the 17-2 run by scoring four points. Diana Taurasi, Sylvia Fowles and Katie Smith scored three each. Seimone Augustus and Lisa Leslie added two apiece.

Taurasi led U.S. scoring with 21 points, drilling five of eight three-pointers, and added nine rebounds. Thompson scored 15 points. Fowles added eight, plus a game-leading 10 rebounds.

Russia got 14 points from 6-foot-8 Maria Stepanova.

From the Beijing Olympics at Wukesong Basketball Gymnasium, quarterfinal play  …

The United States advanced to Friday’s semifinals by whipping Australia 116-85.

The U.S. will meet the winner of the Argentina-Greece contest, which is now in progress.

Kobe Bryant led five Americans who scored in double figures. He hit four of seven three-point attempts en route to 25 points. Lebron James added 16 points, nine rebounds and four steals, while Carmelo Anthony had 15 points.

Deron Williams and Chris Bosh scored 10 each.

Former University of Kentucky standout Tayshaun Prince had nine points, a rebound and a steal in 13:21 of action. He hit two of three three-point attempts, his only two-point try (a dunk) and one of two free throws.

The U.S. shot 57percent from the field and finished with a 57-28 advantage in rebounds.

Patrick Mills paced Australia with 20 points. Glen Saville added 13, Joe Ingles 11 and Brad Newley 10.

* The 14-0 run to start the second half blew the game open and the United States leads 89-61 heading into the fourth quarter.

Kobe Bryant had nine of those 14 points. Carmelo Anthony added a three-pointer and Jason Kidd had two points.

Tayshaun Prince entered the game with 3:27 left, adding a three-pointer and a thunderous dunk.

*A 14-0 run to open the third quarter has pushed Team USA’s lead to 69-43.

* The U.S. has opened a 55-43 halftime lead.

Rebounding has been big — the Americans have a 31-14 advantage. That has helped make up for poor free-throw shooting (10-for-20) and three-point shooting (3-for-13)

LeBron James has seven rebounds and Dwyane Wade has six.

James and Carmelo Anthony have 12 points each to lead the U.S. Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard have eight apiece.

Former University of Kentucky standout Tayshaun Prince entered the game late in the half and made one of two free throws. He also had a rebound and steal.

Patrick Mills and Brad Newley each have eight points for Australia. Chris Anstey has seven points and four rebounds.

The Aussies are 7-for-11 at the free-throw line and 4-for-11 from three-point range.

* Team USA leads Australia 25-24 after one quarter.

The U.S. scored the first five points and led by nine points several times, the last at 15-6.

Australia battled back to tie at 21 but has not led.

The U.S. is 4-of-11 at the free-throw line.

Dwight Howard leads all scoreres with eight.

Wow!

Friday’s opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics were hot. Literally and figuratively.

The 90-degree heat felt hotter, thanks to a packed stadium of 91,000, Beijing’s ever-present smog and a lack of wind.

Interestingly, organizers were prepared for the lack of wind. The Chinese and Olympic flags fluttered steadily, thanks to a fan-powered flag pole.

Tracking local athletes, Tyson Gay and Tayshaun Prince were easy to spot. Lexington Legends coach Stubby Clapp said he would march; he probably did, but I didn’t spot him. Elaine Breeden skipped the festivities in order to be ready for her first race on Saturday.

The Beijing Games theme of “One World, One Dream” played out well. Of course, China drew the biggest response when the athletes marched into the Bird’s Nest. Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong were next. South Korea drew polite applause, while North Korea drew a louder response.

The United States also drew one of the bigger ovations, and more cheers came when President George Bush was shown on the stadium video board.

While the U.S. had Lopez Lomong, other prominent flag-bearers included Jamaican sprinter Veronica Campbell-Brown, Swiss tennis star Roger Federer and NBA stars Andrey Kirilenko (Russia), Dirk Nowitzki (Germany) and Yao Ming (China).

Now, it’s time to play.

Aha! I’m back.

Blogging from Beijing has not been a simple task. Finally, though, my co-workers in Lexington have figured a way to circumvent what apparently is government-blocked access to this site. Thanks, Deedra and staff!

With opening ceremonies about 5 1/2 hours away, excitement is high.

Had a chance to talk with Tayshaun Prince today (Friday), along with several hundred other reporters and many autograph seekers (mostly volunteer workers).

Just before the men’s basketball team arrived for the press conference, players and staff met with Lopez Lomong, the Sudanese refugee who will carry the American flag. After hearing a first-person account of Lomong’s story, Prince said his reaction was “pretty much self-explanatory. … It’s got to be a tremendous thrill for him. But it is for us as well because there’s a lot of people who go through tough challenges and obstacles in life, and he probably told us (only) half those stories. I’m pretty sure there were a lot of other things that went on as well.”

Meanwhile, Alexander “Sasha” Artemev has been named to replace Morgan Hamm on the U.S. men’s gymnastics squad. Hamm withdrew Thursday due to an ankle injury. His twin brother, Paul, withdrew earlier due to a hand injury.

Dennis McIntyre, director for men’s programs at USA Gymnastics, said in a press release: “Both Alex and David Durante (the USA’s alternates) have done an incredible job of maintaining their readiness and being prepared to step in on a moment’s notice if called upon. The role of the alternate athlete is very difficult and both of these athletes have demonstrated their commitment to our Olympic team by staying well prepared. In this situation, we believe Alex is best suited to help the U.S. men’s team pursue a team medal.  We appreciate the dedication of both men and the fact they have maintained their competitive readiness.”

“It’s an honor to be on this team, but it’s a shame that it had to happen this way with Morgan getting hurt,” Artemev said. “He’s a tremendous loss to this team. I’m ready to step in because that was my job as an alternate. It’s a tough position to be in, but Dave and I worked really hard. We pushed each other because we have to stay in shape. I’ll definitely be ready on time. It’s just an honor to be on this team and to be chosen.”

 Artemev won the pommel horse in the weighted combined rankings from the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Gymnastics and Visa Championships.  He also finished fifth in the all-around.   

Aloha!

A week of vacation in Maui has me revitalized for the Olympics. Leaving for Beijing on Tuesday.

Glad to hear that Tyson Gay (Lexington, Lafayette H.S.) says his rehab is going well.

Also saw were Stubby Clapp (Lexington Legends) walked, stole second and then scoring the winning run in Canada’s win over the U.S. baseball team over the weekend.

Will be catching up on more Kentuckians as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, here’s what organizers in Beijing had to say Monday about the torch relay:

(BEIJING, August 5) — Details on the final stretch of the Olympic torch relay were revealed during a press conference this morning. The Beijing relay, which will last for 3 days from August 6-8, will take the flame through all 18 Beijing districts and along all 19 roads in the newly expanded Beijing Economic and Technological District. The entire relay will cover 40km of ground, and the torch will pass through the hands of 841 torch bearers, taking close to 9 hours to complete.

On Wednesday, the Beijing relay will begin at the Forbidden City. Over 4 hours, 16km, and 433 torch bearers later, the torch will make its final stop of the day at another historical Beijing landmark, the Temple of Heaven.

The following day, the torch will travel another 14km, starting outside Beijing at the famous Badaling section of the Great Wall and ending back within city limits, in Ditan Park.

On the morning of the Opening Ceremony, the torch will appear in front of the Peking Man Museum and pass through the hands of 140 torch bearers over the 8km route to Beijing’s 101 District Middle School, where the torch will then be transported to the National Stadium for the Opening Ceremony later that night.

Of the 841 torchbearers represented in the 3 day torch relay, 232 are members of the Beijing Olympic Committee, 90 are members of the National Olympic Committee, 60 are members of the International Olympic Committee, and 170 are associated with sponsor companies. The remaining 289 torchbearers were handpicked by the Beijing city government.

Among those chosen are NBA basketball superstar Yao Ming, Turin Olympics 500m. speed skating gold medalist, Wang Meng, and China’s first gold medalist Xu Haifeng. Some of China’s most famous actors and performers will also join the torch-bearing ranks. Comedian Feng Gong, actress Song Dandan, and opera singer Dai Yuqiang, are some of the better known stars that will participate in the Beijing relay. Other Chinese note-worthies include China’s first astronaut Yang Liwei, designer of the Beijing mascots Han Meiling, and TV personality David. Teachers, students, factory workers, police officers, artists, and handicapped bearers will join their more famous counterparts in the Olympic torch relay.

In addition to hundreds of local participants, there are 64 foreigners and 3 Hong Kong residents participating in the final Beijing relay. The oldest torchbearer is 85, and the youngest, only 14.

Had the chance to speak with Tayshaun Prince on the opening day of his youth camp in Lexington last week, and again this week after a Team USA practice in Las Vegas. From those discussions, you’ll see a Herald-Leader story Aug. 8 (opening date of the Olympics), part of a preview of “Kentucky connections” headed to Beijing.

Meanwhile, here is some of what the Detroit Pistons and former University of Kentucky player had to say.

On whether an Olympic gold medal would be as sweet as an NCAA or NBA championship: “It definitely ranks up at the top. When you talk about a national championship or an NBA championship, it definitely ranks up there above that. The reason why I say that is because you’re talking about representing your country, your family, your friends. You’re playing against the best in the world, not just the country. And when you talk about playing against the best in the world and getting an Olympic gold medal, or trying to achieve that, it’s something that’s very special. So I definitely think that ranks up there at the top and, hopefully, it’ll come true.”

On preference for/against particular international and/or NBA rules: “It just kind of depends. Because even last year where there were some different rules that were involved in the international game, once you get to playing and going up and down and getting in the heat of battle, sooner or later the game is kind of the same. I think it just depends on what type of officials you have. … See how they’re calling things early in the game to determine if things are going to be different or not. Because some referees call things tight, some referees don’t. So even though they have different rules, things are still kind of the same. There might be a different rule here or there, but it just kind of depends what refs you have because some are lenient and some are not. So you’ve just got to go with the flow and see how things are going throughout the game.”

On whether sacrificing his off-season caused any second thoughts about agreeing to play for Team USA: “When you look at what I’ve done throughout my six-year career with the Pistons, pretty much playing into the month of June, summers have been short for me all the time. So when you’re talking about making a sacrifice to represent your country, that’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing. I know people kind of wonder if this is a situation where you’ll be fatigued when your season rolls around. All I’d say is this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be on an Olympic team, where you’re trying to achieve a gold medal, so I’ll take the opportunity.”

On playing under Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski: “It’s fun. I know a lot of people would want to know how would it work or how would it gel with a college coach coaching NBA players in the Olympics. It’s been a great opportunity. I’m pretty sure that he’s learning stuff from us but, at the same time, we’re learning things from him. We’ve got other good coaches here as well, college and NBA, that getls together. And when you have a chemistry and you put it together for a few years, I think that’s what makes it better.”

Lexington’s Tyson Gay is the U.S. Olympic Committee’s choice for Men’s June Athlete of the Month.

Hyleas Fountain, also from track and field, took top women’s honors, while the USA women’s wheelchair basketball squad captured the team award.

Gay, out of Lafayette High School and the University of Arkansas, won the U.S. Olympic Trials with the fastest 100-meter dash of all time under any conditions. His time of 9.68 seconds does not count as a world record because it was wind-aided, but the result gave Gay a berth on the U.S. Olympic team. Gay did get a record in the quarterfinals, with a calmer wind, racing to an American-record 9.77.

A strained left hamstring knocked him out of the 200-meter quarterfinals, but Gay expects to be ready to run the 100 and the 4-by-100 relay at the Beijing Olympics. Although the Games open Aug. 8, track and field competition won’t start until Aug. 15.

Fountain, a former University of Georgia standout from Dayton, Ohio, won the Olympic Trials heptathlon with a personal-best and world-leading 6,667 points. Within the multi-event competition, Fountain won the 100-meter hurdles (American-record 12.65), shot put (personal-best 44-10 1/4) and 200 meters (personal-best 23.1) on Day One, also placing second in the high jump (5-11 1/4). On Day Two, Fountain won the long jump (22-7) and javelin (158-0), placing 13th in the 800 (2:27.69).

The Women’s Wheelchair hoopsters won the Joseph F. Lyttle World Basketball Challenge at Warm Springs, Ga., as well as the North American Cup at Birmingham, Ala. The team went 6-0 at Georgia, defeating Japan, Mexico, Germany, Great Britian, Canada and, in the finals, Germany (56-50). At Birmingham, the Americans went 5-0 with victories over Germany, Canada and Australia, then Canada again in the semifinals and Germany in the finals (50-37). Stephanie Wheeler of Tuscaloosa, Ala., earned all-tournament honors and Jen Ruddell of Champaign, Ill, was named MVP. 

The roster also included Emily Hoskins, a Murray State student by way of Mascoutah, Ill.

The top three in each USOC Award category for June:

MEN — 1. Tyson Gay, track and field; David Boudia, diving; Vincent Hancock, shooting.

WOMEN — 1. Hyleas Fountain, track and field; Jennie Finch, softball; Laura Wilkinson, diving.

TEAMS — 1. USA Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team; (only team considered).