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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.

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.

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.

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.

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: 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.

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?

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: staff picture- eic Vivek

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

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: ACC Tournament Special

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

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."

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.

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.

Photo: staff picture- Shannon Egan

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.

War, Peace and Fun in "The Pacifier"

By Joanna Pinto-Coelho | March 8, 2005, midnight | In Print »

In an upscale Bethesda, Maryland neighborhood, brilliant and burly Navy S.E.A.L. Lt. Shane Wolfe (Vin Diesel) is protecting a government secret. As he changes diapers, totes five children to Costco in a minivan and serves as a little girls' scout troop leader, Shane Wolfe is serving his country. Though accused of "babysitting" by the high school wrestling coach (hairy and hilarious Brad Garrett), Wolfe is on active military duty while wearing a tool belt packed with juice boxes and warm milk bottles. Wolfe is on a mission"to protect the Plummer children from deadly foreign agents trying to steal a military program that their murdered scientist father created and hid inside their home.

Photo: w team huddle

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

Maher participates in a team huddle during a practice.

Photo: Security guard featured in Washington Post

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

Blair security Cedric Boatman and his family were featured in the sports section of The Washinton Post on Tuesday, March 1.

NFTY National Convention '05: A long trip for five great days

By Alexander Gold | March 8, 2005, midnight | In Print »

Shabbat services have just ended at the national convention of the North American Federation of Temple Youth (NFTY, pronounced like nifty). Everyone is dressed in their best dress clothes to celebrate the holiday. As the last few notes of the soft, melodic Shabbat melodies die out, I grab my folding chair along with 1,300 other NFTY kids and shove it into a massive pile.

Photo: Junior Olympic Fencing Championships

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

Senior Max Czapanskiy, right, in the 128th round of the Junior Olympic Fencing Championships. Czapanskiy placed 18th overall in the national competition, which was held from Feb. 18 to 21 in Arlington, Texas.

Photo courtesy of Max Czapanskiy

Photo: Vietnam map

By | March 7, 2005, midnight | In ‎Latest »

Photo: Long

By | March 7, 2005, midnight | In ‎Latest »