Comfort signs rookie contract with Sparks

Lady’s a pro.

Temple women’s basketball senior Lady Comfort signed a one-year rookie contract with the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks today to become the third Owl in three years to join the 11-year-old league’s ranks. Candice Dupree of the Chicago Sky and Kamesha Hairston of the Connecticut Sun were drafted in 2006 and 2007, respectively.

The 6-foot-2 center will compete for a spot on the Sparks roster with the team’s three 2008 draft picks including the No. 1 overall selection, Candace Parker.

Comfort, a Pensacola, Fl. native who is Temple’s all-time leader in career field goal percentage (53 percent), averaged 9.4 points and a career-high 8.4 rebounds while shooting 46 percent from the floor during her senior campaign. She was named to the Atlantic Ten Conference’s Second Team and All-Tournament team at the end of the season.

In her four seasons at Temple, Comfort averaged 7.9 points and six rebounds per game. She was voted the 2007 A-10 Most Improved Player after averaging a career-high 12.7 points as a junior.

As reported by The Temple News, Comfort said she spoke to Sparks coaches when she attended a two-day WNBA pre-draft camp in Tampa, Fl. earlier this month. She said playing with Dupree and Hairston and under coach Dawn Staley, a former WNBA player herself, helped her “get to where I am now.”

“[I’m] just following in their footsteps,” she said while at the camp.

One of the WNBA’s eight original teams, the Sparks won league championships in 2001 and 2002. The squad, which is coached by Michael Cooper, includes three-time league MVP Lisa Leslie and six-time all-star Taj McWilliams-Franklin.

A WNBA rookie contract is worth $34,500 per season, according to the league’s collective bargaining agreement.

Tyson McCloud can be reached at Tyson@temple.edu.

Also read: “Comfort gets shot at WNBA-camp invitation”

Photo courtesy of TTN Archives.

‘Palestine Week’ marks Israel’s anniversary

Sixty years ago, modern Israel was established by the United Nations, creating an ethnically Jewish state in the heart of the Arab world.Temple’s Students for Justice in Palestine marked the 60th anniversary by hosting a week of events to promote awareness of the ongoing humanitarian crisis that has plagued the region.

In response to the anniversary, the group hosted “Palestine Week,” a series of presentations and discussions intended to educate students about the millions of Palestinian refugees that have been displaced since the creation of Israel in 1948.

“Our main goal is to educate and mobilize the Temple community to be supportive of the Palestinian people in their pursuit of peace and justice,” said Jacob Winterstein, a leader of SJP.

Tensions usually run high when conversation turns to Israeli-Palestinian relations. Members of SJP said they hope that the week’s events will help improve understanding of the issue while moving past the cultural and political divisions that have made progress elusive.

Hannah Mermelstein spoke to students as part of Palestine Week. She is the co-founder and director of Birthright Unplugged, an organization that facilitates trips to Israel for North Americans primarily of Jewish backgrounds.

The organization usually takes about 40 students every year, making two trips in the summer and two in winter, Mermelstein said.

The organization also runs the Replugged program, which takes Palestinian children living in refugee camps into Palestine to visit the sites of their grandparents’ former villages, a trip they will not be permitted to make after they turn 16.

Adult Palestinians living outside the Gaza Strip and the West Bank are not allowed to enter without special permits. This keeps millions of people from visiting lands that their ancestors had occupied for hundreds of years, Mermelstein said.

Palestinian children aren’t issued identification cards until they are 16, and until then are permitted to pass through Israeli checkpoints with the Mermelstein and the Replugged organizers.

“We, as foreigners, are able to chaperone them, to facilitate this trip that their parents and grandparents should be able to do but aren’t allowed,” Mermelstein said.

Each child is given a digital camera to document the trip, allowing them to share photos of the experience with relatives back in refugee camps who are legally barred from visiting the area.

Mermelstein said this restriction is a violation of international law, which grants all displaced refugees the right of return to their homeland.

“It’s not just Palestinian refugees. All refugees in the world have this right guaranteed by international law to be able to go back to where they are from,” she said.

The United Nations estimates the number of Palestinian refugees at more than 4 million. They live in camps spread across the region, primarily in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Many have also fled to the neighboring nations of Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan.

Two-thirds of the Palestinian population is classified as refugees. The camps were originally thought to be a temporary situation, but, 60 years later, remain the permanent home to three generations of displaced Palestinians.

Michael Price can be reached at mikeyprice@temple.edu.

Ted Turner visits Temple

What began as Ted Turner’s presentation on sustainability in the restaurant business quickly became a fierce criticism of the media mogul’s business practices and personal ideas last Tuesday.In 2002, the chairman of Turner Enterprises, Inc. joined forces with George McKerrow, Jr. and founded their eco-friendly restaurant chain, Ted’s Montana Grill. The two were brought to Temple’s Great Court in Mitten Hall by the School of Tourism and Hospitality Management to answer questions about their continued efforts to reduce and maintain the amount of waste from their restaurants.

Both described the different aspects of the restaurant business that they have attempted to make more environmentally friendly while maintaining a classic American dining experience.

McKerrow, president and CEO of their restaurant chain, said they have made efforts to improve the environment through the introduction of paper straws into their restaurants. The chain began buying the straws from a small company in New Jersey whose business has significantly increased due to their partnership which has allowed the company to expand with a factory in Indiana.

“As a child, I was fascinated by the natural world,” Turner said as he discussed the roots of his environmentalism.

“Global warming is the greatest threat to humanity besides nuclear weapons,” Turner said.

The presentation’s tone turned when a handful of students criticized some of Turner’s personal actions.

When asked about his ownership of almost “2 million acres in 12 states” of the United States, Turner said that those acres are cared for through thoughtful, environmentally friendly practices. Another student questioned Turner’s attitude toward sustainability of the human population. Turner, who supports a decrease in the size of the average U.S. family, has a total of five children himself.

If he had known the population would be what it is today, Turner said he would have “only had one or two” children.

The questioning student, Phillip Figueiredo, said he was displeased with Turner’s response.

“It shows how he really feels about the ideals of this country,” said Figueiredo, a sophomore liberal arts major. “It is easy to see how he really feels about this country and humanity in general.”

Chelsea Calhoun can be reached at chelsea.calhoun@temple.edu.

Photo by Ethan Sterner

Temple students test-run voting machines

Most people don’t consider voter machine inspection to be part of political advocacy, but a group of Temple students inspected voting machines to ensure the integrity of the machines that are going to be used in Philadelphia for the upcoming election.The students’ participation in the event was set up by associate political science professor Robin Kolodny and was held at the city’s voting machine warehouse at 4700 Wissahickon Ave.

“If the word gets out that a group of citizens tested out the machines, it would give voters confidence that votes would be counted accurately.” Kolodny said.

All of the machines passed inspection. Their only complication was with the write-in portion of the ballot on a few machines.

Students were instructed on the inspections by Committee of Seventy’s Election Program Coordinator Jonathan David, a 2007 Temple graduate. Students started testing the machines by filling the ballot as many times as necessary to make sure all the candidates’ buttons were pushed. The students tested out about 120 machines, totaling about two machines from every city distinct.

On hand to watch over the event was the executive director of the Committee of Seventy, Frederick Voight, several candidates and a few technicians who helped the students with the machines. Volunteers from the campaigns of Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama were also in attendance, but did not comment.

Electronic voting machines have been source of controversy because people are afraid their votes would not be counted and the possibility that the machines could be hacked.

“You have a fear of electronics,” Voight said. “People have their computers hacked. People forget that the great revolution of last century was to get rid of paper ballots. They had to be hand-counted by human beings, who easily be corrupted.”

Voight added that “hacking” the machines is almost impossible.

“The machines are independent of each other and of any other system. There is no way for anybody to hack into the machines directly,” Voight said. “The connection the machines have to outside world is the power backup, connected into the wall. There is no internet or online connection. The places where the votes are counted, the regional and central counting centers are connected by secure T1 lines.”

Temple students also had their opinions on the event.

“I’m here to make sure the machines are working for a fair election,” said Bob Orloski, a freshman international business major.

Charles Archie, a technician who has worked on voting machines since 1976, said that voting machines rarely cause problems in election results.

“The machines are never the cause of the problem of elections,” Archie said. “It is always the provincial and absentee ballots.”

Anthony Myers can be reached at anthony.myers@temple.edu

Photo by Nic Lukehart

Sports Rewind for 4/15

Football
Bone marrow drive

In conjunction with the Fox Chase and Temple Cancer Centers, the Owls will conduct their first bone marrow drive Wednesday in room 200 of the Howard Gittis Student Center from noon to 5 p.m.

Participants must be 18 to register for the drive, which consists of a cheek swab test and no blood or needles. The registration and test process should take no more than 20 minutes according to the press release on the Temple Athletics Web site.

Interested donors can contact Ryan McNamee, the assistant director of football operations, at 215-204-0859, or by e-mail at football@temple.edu. Walk-ins are also welcome.

You’re the coach Now, fan
Two fans will have the chance to serve as guest offensive and defensive coordinators during the third quarter of Saturday’s game.
The Owls will hold a raffle to select the winners with all proceeds going to the Academic Support Center for Football student-athletes. Chances will be sold Thursday from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Edberg-Olson Hall during the team’s free student barbeque. Chances are $10 each or four chances for $20.

The winners, who will wear a live headset during the third quarter, will be announced at halftime and take pictures with coach Al Golden, defensive coordinator Mark D’Onofrio and offensive coordinator Matt Rhule.

Free food, giveaways and football

A student barbeque will be held Thursday from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the football team’s practice facility, Edberg-Olson Hall on 11th and Diamond Streets. Students with an Owl Card will be permitted into the event for free.

The first 1,000 students will receive a Temple-Connecticut game-day T-shirt. The Owls will face UConn in their home season opener on Sept. 6 at Lincoln Financial Field.

Men’s Golf
Coming off a sixth-place performance at last week’s Yale Spring Opener in New Haven, Conn., the golf team finished sixth overall once again at the Princeton Invitational this weekend. In three rounds, the Owls shot 290-296-292 to finish with a total of 878 — 26 strokes above par.

Junior Paul Amess finished third out of a field of more than 70 golfers, shooting a 71-73-68 to finish with a 212 (-1).  His score was the fifth-lowest 54-hole score in program history.

Temple returns to action at the Mount St. Mary’s Invitational in Littlestown, Pa. next weekend.

Crew
The men’s Varsity 8 successfully defended their Knecht Cup title as they climbed from last place in a come-from-behind victory Sunday afternoon on the Cooper River in Collingswood, N.J.

Composed of senior coxswain Rory Roberts and sophomore stroker Tom Masterson, the Owls moved into first place 400 meters into the race while holding on for the victory in a fast time of 5:49.10.

Like the Varsity 8, the Second Varsity 8 also took home the gold medal behind the efforts of junior coxswain Thomas Goldner and senior stroke Sam Cunningham. The Owls led from start to finish, defeating Colgate by a length and a half. ”

Temple returns to competition next Saturday in the SIRA Regatta in Oak Ridge, Tenn., an event in which many of the top ranked teams are scheduled to compete. ”

The women’s Varsity 8 placed fifth at the Knecht Cup. They will remain in Collingswood for this weekend’s Atlantic Ten Conference Championship.

- Joe Polinsky

Momentum slowed by few April matches

In January, the women’s tennis team opened their regular season with a pair of losses to Penn and Princeton. A week later, the Owls (12-4) picked up a 7-0 win against Binghamton.

That victory initiated a winning streak that lasted 11 matches through to the end of March. The run was blown at the end of the month with a loss at Penn State.

April has not been as kind to the Owls. They began the month with a 4-5 loss to Atlantic Ten Conference rival Massachusetts. And their game against George Washington the next day was cancelled.

The A-10 Championship begins Friday and the Owls have only played two matches this month.

The Owls finished second in the A-10 last year, losing 4-0 to Richmond in the championship match. The Owls, who finished 2007 with a 16-4 record, were the top seeded team in the tournament.

This year, the team was slated to finish third in a field of 14 according to the conference’s preseason coaches poll. Richmond was picked to finish first, with Charlotte right behind. The Owls beat Richmond, 4-3, earlier this season.

The Owls’ roster is nine-deep, with four freshmen, three sophomores and two juniors. More than half of the team has experience playing in last year’s A-10 tournament matches.

Junior Dina Senkina was named the OwlSports.com Athlete of the Month in February. She was also named the A-10 Player of the Week on Feb. 16.

She won 14 consecutive matches and led her team to victory against Richmond in February. Her play also helped the Owls to string the 11-game winning streak.

Senkina played in the A-10 Championship last season and will look to help her team play in and win that match this year.

The tournament starts Friday at the Club 4 Life in Monroeville, Pa. The championship matches will take place on Sunday.

Melissa DiPento can be reached at mdipento@temple.edu.

Blowout marks three-loss week

Although the baseball team is currently tied for third place in the Atlantic Ten Conference standings, they were on the losing end of an embarrassing defeat this weekend.

The Owls (16-16, 8-4 A-10) suffered a tumultuous 23-0 loss to visiting Richmond Friday at Skip Wilson Field in Ambler. The squad, which won two of five games last week, committed a season-high six errors and produced only six hits, the second fewest this season. The Spiders’ 23 runs came on 21 hits — 10 of which went for extra bases — at the expense of five Owls’ pitchers.

Despite the loss, the Owls still won the three-game series, notching a 6-2 victory on Saturday and an 11-1 decision Sunday.

On Saturday, junior right-hander Matt Mongiardini went seven innings, allowing two earned runs, to improve his record to 5-2. He leads the team in wins, innings pitched (48.2) and strikeouts (25).

“Matt pitched great,” coach Rob Valli told Owlsports.com, the Temple Athletics Web site. “We challenged him to give us a great outing and he gave us just that.”

The next day, it was Matt’s older brother, senior Mike Mongiardini, who took the hill for the Owls and led them to a victory.
Mike Mongiardini (2-2) threw 5 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing just three hits. He got to pitch with a lead thanks to the Owls’ three runs on five hits in the first inning.

Earlier in the week, the Owls lost to No. 22 Saint John’s, 3-2. That marked the fourth straight game against a ranked opponent, as they dropped two of three to then-No. 18 Charlotte prior to the St. John’s game.

Freshman pitcher Steve Nikorak made his collegiate debut against the Red Storm. He went seven innings in the defeat.

“You lose a 3-2 game to one of the top teams in the country, I don’t think there’s any shame in that,” Valli said to Owlsports.com. “Every time we go out there, we go out to win. But today, we were probably one play away from winning the game.”

In their only road game last week, the Owls lost to Towson, 9-5, Wednesday.

After an off day yesterday, the Owls will return to the diamond this afternoon against Delaware at 3 p.m. From there, the next eight games will be played from the confines of Skip Wilson Field. The Owls are in the midst of a 12-game home stretch.

The Owls are 6-8 at home this season. Eighteen of the Owls’ 20 games in April are scheduled to be played at home.

Todd Miller can be reached at todd.miller@temple.edu.

‘Scootie’ seeks to be in the mix next year

As the Temple men’s basketball team made its surprising run to the NCAA Tournament last month, thoughts raced through Andrew “Scootie” Randall’s head.

“They played pretty good and they could’ve made it further in the tournament,” Randall said, referring to the Owls opening round loss to No. 5 Michigan State. “I feel as though I can be a part of that next year.”
He’ll have the opportunity.

R andall, a 6-foot-6, 200-pound forward who led Communications Tech High School to a Public League Championship in February, has verbally committed to play for the Owls next season. Along with fellow Temple recruit, 6-3 guard T.J. DiLeo of Cinnaminson High School in New Jersey, Randall can officially join the Owls roster tomorrow, the first day National Letters of Intent can be signed.
Randall, the recipient of both the Public League and PIAA Class AAA Player of the Year awards, after averaging 21.2 points per game as a senior, has kept busy of late.

He scored 21 points and pulled down six rebounds at the All Star Labor Classic at Saint Joesph’s Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse Sunday. Earlier in the week, Randall participated in two games in the Albert C. D’Onofrio Classic, a single-elimination tournament held in Conshohocken.
What do these post-season exhibitions mean to Randall?

“It means just coming out here and working on what I need to work on to be better at the next level,” he said.

Randall got a glimpse of what the next level looks like when he scored 16 points to lead Communications Tech over Frankford, 77-73, in double overtime of the Public League title game, which was held at the Liacouras Center, on Feb. 24. The three-year-old Southwest Philadelphia school lost to Simon Gratz in the Public League title game in 2006 and fell in the AAA final in 2007.

“[Our] run came from ’06,” Randall said. “We went there, we didn’t come out with a win, but we knew we had to work harder, put more time in the gym, put in more effort and that’s what we did. We have a Public League Championship and I’m proud of that.”
Although Randall led his team in scoring, he seems to prefer allowing the game to come to him on the offensive end, rather then taking over a contest by himself.

At the All-Star Labor Classic, Randall got the chance to bring the ball up the court several times and play facilitator, setting up his teammates for shots. It’s an aspect of his game he’s focused on improving, he said, noting that he wants to strengthen his “basketball awareness” and his ball-handling skills during the offseason.

In terms of what he can bring to the Owls, Randall said he hopes his passing and rebounding abilities can supplement the team’s needs, especially with Senior guard Mark Tyndale, one of the better all-around players on the squad, who is graduating.

Randall said he recognized that Tyndale filled a lot of different holes for the Owls and that’s why he’s working on improving his overall repertoire, including his ball handling.

“Since Mark Tyndale left … A lot of people can bring the ball up but I’m just hoping I can go in there and show the best of my abilities and be able to be on the floor next year,” he said.

Like Randall, Temple sophomore guard Ryan Brooks also played in the All-Star Labor Classic in 2006. Last year’s game featured freshmen forward Lavoy Allen, guard Ramone Moore and center Michael Eric, who sat out last season after he was deemed academically ineligible.

Academics might play a major factor in just how soon Randall can log minutes for the Owls.

Alongside coach Fran Dunphy, Randall is working to ensure that he can qualify for freshman eligibility next season.

“Everything is going well,” Randall said. “I’m taking SAT classes and doing about 15 hours of school a day and Saturday school. Basically, I’m doing what I’m supposed to do.”

Tyson McCloud can be reached at tyson@temple.edu.

Norene breaks home run record

With a perfectly timed stroke and the ringing of aluminum through the air, junior Courtney Norene did something no Temple softball player has ever done.

On Friday, in Kingston, R.I., Norene cranked out her record-breaking 22nd career home run, passing Adrienne Repsher’s mark of 21, to become the Owls all-time home run leader. The indelible blast also vaulted the Owls to a 1-0 win over the Rams.

“I didn’t really set up to achieve [the record], it just kind of happened,” said Norene, who leads the team and the Atlantic Ten Conference with 10 home runs this season. “But it all happened so fast, I don’t know, I haven’t really had it all set in. I’m really happy that it happened on a win. I’m just excited to do more after this.”

While it took only three seasons for Norene to break Repsher’s record, the previous long ball queen, who played for Temple from 2004-2007, had only praise for her successor.

“If someone were to break my records, I would want it to be someone like Courtney,” Repsher said in an e-mail. “When I had that memorable season last year, I broke some of Lynsey Grace’s records, and she told me that records are meant to be broken.  I agree with that statement, and couldn’t be happier for Courtney’s continued success on and off the field.”

The two sluggers have remained in contact even after Repsher’s tenure ended.

In support of her former teammate, Repsher attended recent games at Skip Wilson Field, as well as making a weekend trip to Massachusetts for the Owls doubleheader.

“I didn’t get a chance to talk with her, but she’s been a really good friend of mine and I’ve kept in touch with her,” Norene said, “so I know I’ll talk to her sometime this week.”

Entering the season, Norene ranked in a distant tie for second on the career home run list with 12. But the chase quickly began after she belted two homers in her first four games. Currently, she boasts a .314 batting average and leads the team in RBIs with 20. She also leads the A-10 with a .786 slugging percentage.

With 12 games remaining, and a season’s worth of swings still at her disposal, Norene anticipates many more fence clearing bombs to come.

“I hope to get at least 10 more,” Norene said. “If I can hit 10 this season — this season obviously isn’t over with so I don’t know what will happen — but I think 10 is definitely at least in my range. It’s really cool to just be a junior and have accomplished this goal.”

Norene’s record-in-progress continues on Wednesday in a doubleheader against Saint Joseph’s. But with the pressure of reaching the 21-homer plateau behind her, Norene can now narrow her focus towards getting the Owls a few more wins this season.

Anthony Stipa can be reached at  anthony.stipa@temple.edu.

Efficient shooters aid squad’s performance

She shoots and she scores.

It’s a familiar phrase these days for the women’s lacrosse team, which, through Sunday, is converting 50 percent of its shots — up from 36.1 percent a season ago — to lead the Atlantic Ten Conference.

“I think the tempo of our game leads to taking smarter, easier placement shots as opposed to last year, when we were more run-and-gun it,” sophomore midfielder Chelsea Rosiek said.  “This year, there’s maturity and people are willing to be patient, settle it down, and feed off each other.”

Rosiek and senior attacker Nicole Caniglia are doing just that for the Owls (9-4, 6-1 A-10).

Building on last year’s numbers, when they put up .545 and .483 shooting percentages, respectively, Rosiek and Caniglia have converted 58.8 and 63.4 percent of their opportunities this season, good for the two highest spots on the team based on 30 or more shot attempts.

“Nicole has arguably the best shot on the team,” coach Bonnie Rosen said.  “She has a great ability to place the ball with power when she has time and space. So when she has a free look at the goal, it goes in.”

“And Chelsea’s done a really nice job this year of knowing where she scores from,” she said.  “It’s been the combination of them doing what they can do well and teammates recognizing when to get them the ball.”

That recognition comes not only through spending extended periods of time together on the field, but also from pouring over pregame scouting reports on defenses and goalkeepers.

“We go over goalies’ tendencies before the games and figure out where their weak points are and where they’re more prone to getting shots put by them,” Rosiek said.  “We think of that first when it comes to our shot selection.  And then we’re not going to shoot if someone’s in front of us defender-wise. Then there’s knowing your strengths and weaknesses as a shooter.  If it’s not your strength, it’s probably someone else’s.”

Rosen said it’s that ‘unselfish’ attitude of the players that is most responsible for the Owls’ shooting and overall offensive success.

“We recognize that a lot of people can score,” Rosen said.  “Anybody can shoot. We’ve learned that not all shots are good shots.  And so we’re willing to work to have people understand their roles to know who can do things at different times.”

Maintaining that chemistry is just one of the “little things” the Owls need to do to continue their winning ways.

“Really, it ’s the behind-the-scenes things that have led to that shooting percentage – our ability to come up with draw controls, make the stops defensively, possess the ball into our attacking end to give ourselves a chance to work a patient offense,” Rosen said.  “It’s not the fact that we shoot that well, it’s that everything else is going well to enable us to shoot.”

Jennifer Reardon can be reached at jennifer.reardon@temple.edu.

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