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ACC Tournament 2005: Virginia Tech

By Pratik Bhandari | March 9, 2005, midnight | In Print »

Team record: 15-12, 8-8 conference Coach: Seth Greenberg (227-183) One of the true surprises of the ACC season was the wonderful play of Virginia Tech. They were the "new kid on the block" who would crumble under the enormous pressure of the hectic ACC schedule. Instead, Tech handed out some punishment of it's own, beating up on such heavyweights as Duke and Georgia Tech on their way to the fourth seed in the ACC tournament.

First SCO Photo Contest winner

By Danny Scheer | March 9, 2005, midnight | In Print »

After weeks of discussion, the first Silver Chips Online photo contest winner has been selected. Junior Katie Frank who got the inspiration for her untitled winning photo from one of her regular photo class assignments. "Our assignment was 'spinning,'" Frank explains. "I had an idea of clothes in a dryer, but I decided, 'This is boring.' So I asked my brother to get in the dryer." The result is SCO's first official photo contest winner.

ACC Tournament 2005: North Carolina

By Adith Sekaran | March 9, 2005, midnight | In Print »

Team record: 26-3, 14-2 conference Coach: Roy Williams The Tar Heels have dominated the ACC and most of the country for the entire season finishing with a record of 26-3. The team has matured in their second year under coaching great Roy Williams and is a favorite to advance far in the ACC and NCAA tournament.

ACC Tournament 2005: Clemson

By Michael Bushnell | March 9, 2005, midnight | In Print »

Team record: 5-14, 5-11 conference Coach: Oliver Purnell Second year coach Oliver Purnell has the usually dreadful Clemson Tigers headed towards an NIT berth. Consistently the worst team in the ACC over the last five seasons prior, Clemson was still bad this year, Purnell lead an underclassmen-laden squad to ninth place in the league. The Tigers are anchored by Suitland, Md.'s Sherrod Ford, who led the team in points (15.6) and rebounds (8.3). Clemson, buoyed by a light non-conference schedule, started the season 7-1, but were 1-7 in ACC play before stunning then-No. 24 Maryland on Feb. 1. Including the win over the Terrapins, Clemson finished the second half of conference action with a solid 4-4 record, including a three-game winning streak. They swept Maryland this season, and also beat in-state rival South Carolina.

Full cast list

By | March 9, 2005, midnight | In Plays »

Learning to wrestle across the world

By Diana Frey | March 9, 2005, midnight | In Print »

The typical wrestler with his muscles bursting out of skin-tight suits is not what one sees when looking at junior Monica Maher, Blair's single dedicated female wrestler, who weighs in at a mere 109 pounds.

Girls lacrosse has high hopes

By Erik Kojola | March 9, 2005, midnight | In Print »

The 2005 girls lacrosse team has high hopes for its upcoming season as they look to build on last years 6-7 season with the help of a strong core of returning players and young players full of potential. Blair expects to compete with the top teams in the county and establish Blair as a dangerous program in the county.

ACC Tournament 2005: Georgia Tech

By Michael Bushnell | March 9, 2005, midnight | In Print »

Team record: 17-10, 8-8 conference Coach: Paul Hewitt The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are on the NCAA Tournament bubble, but their season ending win at home against Clemson moved them to .500 in the ACC and likely in to the Big Dance. The Jackets, who made it to the National Championship game last season, before losing to UConn, struggled mightily through the first half of conference play, losing four games out of five at one point, with their only victory in that span a 102-101 win over Wake Forest at home. The team that started the year 10-2 and ranked in the Top Ten nationally was 11-5 and hurting, figuratively and literally. The team went 4-5 without B.J. Elder at guard. But the Jackets, coached by Paul Hewitt, managed to cajole a turnaround that should be enough to earn them a face-saving NCAA bid. They went 6-5 in their final 11 ACC games, with ever win during that span being followed by a loss, and vice-versa. Teams that finish .500 or better in the ACC have gotten into the Big Dance 94% of the time, so their prospects look bright at least for this year. But next year could be a struggle, as the team will lose five seniors and perhaps Jarrett Jack, a junior, who may decide to declare himself eligible for the NBA Draft. Jack led the team in points (15.9) and assists (4.6) per game, but the second, third fourth and fifth leading scorers (B.J. Elder, Will Bynum, Luke Schenscher, Isma'il Muhammad) all departing after this year. In the NCAA Tournament, where they will likely be a seven or eight seed, they could pose a very real threat to a top seed in the second round.

ACC Tournament 2005: Wake Forest

By Michael Bushnell | March 9, 2005, midnight | In Print »

Wake Forest: Team record: 26-4, 13-3 conference Coach: Skip Prosser The Wake Forest Demon Deacons have the second longest name in the ACC and the second best team in the league as well. The Deacons were ranked in the top five most of the year, and started the year 15-1, rising as high as No. 2 nationally in the Associated Press and ESPN polls. They are currently ranked third in the nation, ending the regular season last Sunday with a buzzer-beating win at N.C. State. Until their loss on Jan. 18 at Florida State, their only loss was at Illinois, who finished the season 29-1. Wake Forest was 14-0 at home in Winston-Salem, N.C. this year. They are likely to get a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament if they go deep in the ACC Tournament this weekend. They have the second seed in Washington this week. The team will lose four seniors this year, but their three leading scorers- Justin Gray, Chris Paul, and Eric Williams- all have at least one year of eligibility left. Whether Paul, a sophomore who averaged 16.3 points per game this year, leaves for the NBA this summer is yet to be seen. The trio combined for over 47 points per game this year, and Williams led the team with 7.7 rebounds each night. The Deacons only shot 69% from the foul line this season, but more than made up for their mediocrity there by shooting over 40% on three point attempts, with Paul making half the threes he put up. Paul will miss the first game of the ACC Tourney against either N.C. State or Florida State, eating the suspension after he punched the Wolfpack's Julius Hodge below the belt in the Wake win last Sunday.

ACC Tournament 2005: Virginia

By Michael Bushnell | March 9, 2005, midnight | In Print »

Team record: 13-14, 4-12 conference Coach: Pete Gillen The Virginia Cavaliers enter the ACC Tournament dead last in the conference. The same team that started 6-0, including a win in November over 10th ranked Arizona bottomed out, losing their last five games of the regular season to finish with and under .500 record. Seniors Devin Smith and Elton Brown combined this year to average over points per game. But the team was plagued by poor play at the end of games, none more emblematic than their 92-89 home loss to Maryland last month, where they shot 42% from the free throw line. Head Coach Pete Gillen has not led the Cavs to the NCAA Tournament since 2001, and after yet another deeply disappointing season, his days as head coach at Virginia may be very near the end. That said, the team will return all but three players next season, including starting point guard Sean Singletary, who will be just a sophomore next year. He averaged over 10 points per game this season.

ACC Tournament 2005: NC State

By Adith Sekaran | March 9, 2005, midnight | In Print »

Team record: 17-12, 7-9 conference Coach: Herb Sendek The North Carolina State Wolfpack are the third North Carolina team in the ACC. The Wolfpack are the only North Carolina team that might not advance the NCAA tournament.

ACC Tournament 2005: Miami

By Pratik Bhandari | March 9, 2005, midnight | In Print »

Team record: 16-11, 7-9 conference Coach: Frank Haith (16-11) One of two new additions to the ACC this year, Miami has proved to be a pleasant surprise with wins over then No. 18 Florida and No. 24 Maryland, earning a very respectable sixth seed in the ACC Tournament, ahead of more heralded teams like Maryland.

ACC Tournament 2005: Duke

By Adith Sekaran | March 9, 2005, midnight | In Print »

Team record: 22-5, 11-5 conference Coach: Mike Krzyzewski The Duke Blue Devils are always favorites to win the ACC tournament because they do it with such consistency. The Blue Devils are out to show that last year's loss in the finals to Maryland was an aberration as before that they won five straight.

ACC Tournament 2005: Florida State

By Adith Sekaran | March 9, 2005, midnight | In Print »

Team record: 12-18, 4-12 conference Coach: Leonard Hamilton The Florida State Seminoles are one of the two teams that have joined the ACC this season. The Seminoles are more of a football power and basketball is not supposed to be their primary sport. They were not a pleasant surprise like Miami, Florida State finished tied with Virginia with the worst record in the ACC at 4-12.

ACC Tournament 2005: Maryland

By Pratik Bhandari | March 9, 2005, midnight | In Print »

Team record: 16-11, 7-9 conference Coach: Gary Willaims (538-303) Maryland has had an extremely disappointing season. After winning the ACC Tournament last year and returning most of their starters, most fans thought that Maryland had a legitimate chance to go to the Sweet Sixteen and maybe even to the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament. Now, the Terps will be lucky just to get in after being swept by Clemson and NC State, not to mention losing their final regular season game to Virginia Tech, where a win would have almost guaranteed them a spot in the big dance.

Photo: "Their Eyes Were Watching God" book cover

By | March 9, 2005, midnight | In ‎Latest »

"Their Eyes Were Watching God," by Zora Neale Hurston, published in 1937.

Photo: "Their Eyes Were Watching God" movie pic

By | March 9, 2005, midnight | In ‎Latest »

Halle Berry and Michael Ealy during a scene in Oprah Winfrey's rendition of "Their Eyes Were Watching God."

Photo: ACC Tournament Special

By Eric Hysen | March 9, 2005, midnight | In ‎Latest »

Letter to the editor: MCPS responds to food editorial

By | March 9, 2005, midnight | In Op/Ed »

MCPS Food Service Supervisor Marla R. Caplon wrote this letter to the editor in response to the Silver Chips article The inside scoop on school meals.

A moldy "Jacket"

By Grace Harter | March 9, 2005, midnight | In Print »

In "The Jacket," Adrien Brody stumbles around, confused and dazed. "I don't know why I'm here," he says pitifully. Audience members ask themselves the same question. Brody, an Academy Award winner highly praised for his work in "The Pianist" deserves better. What is such a gifted actor doing in a poorly developed piece of fluff?

Oprah Winfrey's "Their Eyes Were Watching God" receives mixed reviews

By Zahra Gordon, Feza Kikaya | March 9, 2005, midnight | In Print »

The highly anticipated Oprah Winfrey presentation of Zora Neale Hurston's "Their Eyes Were Watching God" aired on Sunday, March 6, at 9 p.m. on ABC and received mixed reviews from Blair staff and students.

Photo: staff picture- Shannon Egan

By | March 9, 2005, midnight | In ‎Latest »

Photo: staff picture- eic Vivek

By | March 9, 2005, midnight | In ‎Latest »

Photo: femalewrestler2

By Diana Frey | March 8, 2005, midnight | In ‎Latest »

Maher works hard at practice.

Photo: Female wrestler

By Diana Frey | March 8, 2005, midnight | In ‎Latest »

Blair's female wrestler, junior Monica Maher is already pumped for next year's wrestling season.