Jug Of News (05.03.12)

Welcome to our humble abode. Pull up a seat and grab a glass for a sip from todays Jug of News. Hit the jump for a “Docs versus Jocks” kickball game, an exciting non-conference basketball game, another NCAA tournament appearance for one of K-State’s tennis athlete’s, a new Big 12 Commissioner, and one of the most touching sports stories I’ve heard in awhile.

Several Wildcat athletes faced off against local doctors at kickball. The event–labeled as “Docs versus Jocks”–was held to benefit the Flint Hills Community Clinic. The “Jocks” squared off against the “Docs” that volunteer their time at the clinic. K-State tennis player Petra Niedermayerova was likely not one of those “jocks”, as she was pretty busy being one of 64 athletes selected to play in the NCAA Singles Championship.

Four members of the 2011-12 football team were named to the 2012 Hampshire Honor Society: Tysyn Hartman, Alex Hrebec, Payton Kirk and Jordan Voelker. To be considered, student-athletes must maintain a GPA of 3.2 or higher for their entire college career. This is only one of many academic awards won by these young men, including Academic All Big 12 and Academic All-District Honors.

Bruce Weber’s basketball program is close to adding a marquee non-conference game. Barring any last-minute snags, the Cats will play two neutral court non-conference games against Gonzanga over the next two years. The first game will be next season in Seattle, Washington, with Gonzaga making a return trip to either Kansas City or Wichita during the 2013-14 season.

The Big 12 might have found their new commissioner. Apparently, the job has been offered to Stanford athletic director Bob Bowlsby, and he is expected to  accept the position. Chuck Neinas has served as interim commissioner since the Big 12 fired Dan Beebe in the fall of 2011.

Finally, if you’re not touched by what Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach, Greg Schiano, did for Eric LeGrand, you may not have a soul. In case you don’t remember, when Schiano was head coach at Rutgers, LeGrand was paralyzed from the neck down as a result of a violent hit on a special teams play. Earlier this week, Schiano fulfilled a lifelong dream of LeGrand’s when he used his new position with the Bucs to offer a free agent contract to LeGrand, so that he could “retire” from the NFL and become a broadcaster. Fred Goodall’s story is well worth the read.