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Thursday, May 8, 2014.
Day 1 is possible for Demarcus Lawrence—Day 2 is more likely for the former Boise State star in the NFL Draft. The first round will be unveiled tonight in New York. What a climb into prominence it has been for Lawrence. Boise State rarely dipped into the junior college ranks when they recruited him in the fall of 2011, but with Shea McClellin, Tyrone Crawford and Jarrell Root finishing their careers, the Broncos needed an impact player. They got one out of Butler Community College in Kansas, Lawrence, who also had offers from Clemson, Kansas State, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Tennessee, had three years of eligibility remaining. Of course, he only used two. Lawrence has parlayed 20 sacks, 34 tackles for loss, seven forced fumbles, one fumble recovery for a touchdown, and one interception into a life-changing opportunity.
The New England Patriots are an intriguing possibility for Lawrence. As part of his “10 Perfect Patriots” feature, Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com speculates that the Pats could maneuver to get Lawrence if they’re not soured by his off-field issues at Boise State. Writes Reiss: “Lawrence has the physical tools to be considered at (overall pick) 29 but the Patriots, assuming there are no deal-breakers with the suspensions, would probably feel more comfortable with him in the second round. Given the premium placed on pass rushers in today's pass-first game, Lawrence probably wouldn't be there at (pick number) 62. So if the Patriots trade back from 29 into the early to middle parts of the second round, Lawrence is a prospect we'll be keeping an eye on for them.”
Boise State’s other realistic draft hopefuls are Charles Leno Jr. and Matt Paradis. Leno is a good bet to go late on Day 3. Paradis acknowledged yesterday on KTIK’s Idaho SportsTalk that he’s on the bubble, but he has talked to numerous organizations. “A lot of NFL teams hold their cards pretty close to their chest,” said Paradis. “So you really don’t know—I’m just ready for whatever happens.” The former Council Lumberjack said he’s open to switching to guard, but clubs have only talked to him about playing center. “If they could dream up the size guard they wanted, it would be like 325 or 330, and I’m about 20 pounds less than that,” Paradis said. “And that’s fine for a center.”
I talked earlier this week (and on Sunday Sports Extra) about Boise State’s recent success in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft. As for the entire draft, the Broncos have led all non-BCS schools for total picks over the last three years. They’ve had 10 players chosen since 2011, including the school-record six players that were selected in 2012. Boise State is tied for 21st among all FBS schools during that period.
Under normal circumstances, the Idaho Steelheads wouldn’t be relishing a trip to Anchorage to play the Alaska Aces. But that’s all the Steelheads have left to hope for now after being dominated 4-2 by the Aces last night in Game 4 of the ECHL Western Conference semifinals. There are two things that have punctuated these Kelly Cup Playoffs for Alaska. One is first period dominance, and after a four-goal blitz last night, the Aces have outscored opponents 16-4 in the first 20 minutes. The other is Alaska keeping the puck away from its goaltender. The Aces have allowed the fewest shots on goal of any team in the playoffs, and last night the Steelies managed just 20 attempts—and only 10 through the first two periods—while Alaska was putting up 45.
Man did things go south for the usually-reliable Josh Robinson last night. Remember those 205 scoreless minutes between the pipes last week? Last night Robinson was pulled by coach Brad Ralph after yielding the four first-period goals. Game 5 is set for tonight in CenturyLink Arena, with Alaska leading the series three games-to-one. The Steelheads would love to be hopping a plane tomorrow for a long trip north, but that’s not going to happen if they don’t win this one.
The Las Vegas Wranglers could cause the Western chunk of the ECHL some major grief in the coming months. According to the Plaza Hotel & Casino in downtown Vegas, the Wranglers have elected not to build the cozy new arena they proposed on top of the hotel, calling it too costly. The question now is: where will the Wranglers play next season, if at all? Their lease was not renewed at Orleans Arena, where they have played since their inception. With the San Francisco Bulls folding in late January, the Western Conference would be left with just seven teams should the Wranglers disappear.
Graham DeLaet’s next big stage awaits today as he tees off at The Players Championship. Golf’s “fifth major” features 46 of the top 50 players in the current World Golf Rankings, and DeLaet is one of them (No. 31). The former Boise State star is looking forward to the challenge of the TPC Sawgrass Players Stadium Course, having been through the ringer last month at the Masters. The first round will be intriguing—DeLaet shot an 80 on the first day at Augusta. Also, at the final PGA Tour Canada Q-School event in British Columbia, former Boise State golfer Scott Loewen shot a four-over 76 in the second round yesterday and dropped into a tie for 75th. Moscow’s Chris Williams is tied for 10th after firing his second consecutive 70 and is in good shape to earn a Canadian tour card.
The Boise State women’s softball team controls its own destiny this week as it ventures into the final series of the regular season. The Broncos open a three-game set at San Diego State tonight and can win the Mountain West with a sweep. They’re tied for first place right now with Fresno State and hold the tiebreaker advantage over the Bulldogs. Boise State has won eight straight games and 12 of the last 13. More importantly, the Broncos have a school-record seven-game road winning streak.
Boise State’s football and women’s golf teams have earned Public Recognition Awards from the NCAA for having multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores in the top 10 percent of their respective sports. The Broncos football squad has earned the award for the fourth straight year—it’s the seventh straight year it has led its conference in APR. The Boise State women golfers are receiving the NCAA award for the first time. On the wrestling side, the Broncos’ J.T. Felix and Jake Swartz have been named Division I Academic All-Americans.
This Day In Sports…brought to you by HARMON TRAVEL…the art of travel—perfected.
May 8, 2011: Phil Jackson’s 20-year coaching career ends on an ignominious note, as the L.A. Lakers are pummeled 122-86 by the Dallas Mavericks to complete a sweep in the second round of the NBA Playoffs. The ending couldn’t diminish Jackson’s body of work, though. He was arguably the best coach in NBA history, winning 11 NBA championships with the Lakers and Chicago Bulls while partnering with superstars like Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. Jackson posted 1,640 regular season victories with a winning percentage of .704.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment Sunday nights at 10:30PM on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra and anchors five sports segments each weekday on 93.1 The Ticket. He also served as color commentator on KTVB’s telecasts of Boise State football for 14 seasons.)
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