Lola Dardar
July 27, 2010
Senator Circle residents oppose duplex donation
July 29, 2010Hornets hire Demps to be general manager
Just a week after announcing former general manager Jeff Bower’s resignation, the Hornets announced Dell Demps would now hold the position.
“From the moment I spoke to Hugh and Monty [Williams] about this opportunity, I could tell something special was building within the organization,” Demps said at his introductory press conference. “The Hornets are a great organization with a lot of positive pieces.”
Prior to joining the Hornets, the 40-year-old Demps spent five years in the front office for the San Antonio Spurs.
That experience in a winning organization made Demps the man for the job, according to Hornets’ President Hugh Weber.
“Dell shined through as a rising star from a program in San Antonio that has a tremendous history of building a franchise into a championship contender,” Weber said.
Hornets’ Paul requests to be traded
After weeks of speculation, Hornets guard Chris Paul officially requested to be traded this week, according to multiple reports.
The reports state Paul met with Hornets’ management Monday and discussed his intentions with coach Monty Williams and new general manager Dell Demps.
According to Associated Press reports, Paul’s preferred destinations are the New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers or Portland Trail Blazers.
Paul has two years remaining on his current contract – a 4-year, $68 million contract he signed in 2008 after the team advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals.
But since that time, the team has regressed, including last season’s failure to reach the playoffs.
Paul averaged 19 points and 10 assists per game last season. Those numbers are down from the 22 points and 11 assists per game he averaged in 2008-09.
What could make the guard more expendable is that his backup, Darren Collison averaged 19 points and nine assists in 37 starts last season when Paul was out of the lineup.
Saints re-sign McCray
A month after his shocking release, the New Orleans Saints announced Thursday they have re-signed defensive end Bobby McCray to a one-year contract.
McCray spent the past two seasons with the Black and Gold, having recorded 41 tackles and seven and a half sacks in the two seasons.
But the former Florida Gator’s brightest moment came when the games mattered the most – the postseason.
McCray started all three of the Saints’ playoff games last season, en route to the Super Bowl Championship.
The defensive end will provide depth to a thin Saints’ defensive line that is already going to be without Charles Grant, whom the team released in the offseason.
Ellender wide receiver commits to Memphis
Ellender wide receiver Jermaine Johnson ended speculation about his future this week when he committed to the University of Memphis.
The 6-foot-3-inch standout is currently a three-star prospect, according to recruiting website Rivals.com.
Johnson is the No. 34 prospect in Louisiana’s stacked 2011 recruiting class.
The receiver chose Memphis over scholarship offers from Kansas, Louisiana Tech and Tulsa.
Johnson’s commitment marks the fourth Louisiana player the Tigers have a pledge from for the 2011 season.
The Houma native recorded 43 catches for 905 yards and nine touchdowns in his junior season with the Patriots.
Media picks LSU to finish fourth in SEC West
A group of 177 media members from all across the Southeast picked the LSU football team to finish fourth in the Southeastern Conference’s Western Division this season.
Defending national champion Alabama was picked to win the conference after receiving 157 of 177 first place votes.
Arkansas and Auburn were forecast to finish No. 2 and No. 3 in the Western Division, respectively.
In addition to the ranking, two LSU players were named to the Preseason All-SEC team.
Linebacker Kelvin Sheppard was named to the First Team on defense after recording 110 tackles as a junior last season.
Sheppard’s defensive counterpart, cornerback Patrick Peterson was also named to the first team.
LSU kicks off their season Sept. 4 against North Carolina.
Nicholls unveils 2010 soccer schedule
The Nicholls soccer team unveiled its 2010 soccer schedule last Wednesday.
The Colonels will be road warriors to begin the season, playing seven of their first eight games away from Thibodaux.
But when the season reaches its climax, the Colonels will enjoy the comforts of home and five of the team’s seven final Southland Conference games will be home.
Opening the season away from home was something Nicholls soccer coach Dylan Harrison said he wanted for his team.
“If we want to make the conference touranment, we have to play better on the road this year,” Harrison said. “Last year we played some of the top teams in the conference at home, and we played them very well. The way the schedule is set up with that first weekend on the road, we’ll find out early on how we handle the whole travel situation, and that should help us prepare for that final stretch of games at home.”
Nicholls’ first game will be Aug. 20 when they take on Prairie View A&M.
