Weber State Men’s Basketball | Dusty Baker
When the Weber State men’s basketball team took the long ride up to Anchorage for the Great Alaska Shootout, it was anybody’s guess who would stand out for the team.
After the tournament, it was clear that junior Dusty Baker was in command and would do everything he could to lead the team. In the first game of the tournament, Weber State faced UC Davis and emerged with a decisive victory.
En route to the 86–58 victory, Baker paced the team in points, scoring a career high 21 points. In that game, he made seven of his eight shots from the field. He scored the bulk of his points from behind the arc, making five out of six of his 3-point shots.
While Weber State lost both of their next two tournament games, Baker kept up his shooting hot streak. Against Iona College, he led the team in scoring with 12 points, while making both of his 3-point attempts.
For their final game of the tournament, the Wildcats squared off against the University of Buffalo, and Baker would not be denied. He scored 12 points, this time making all three of his shots from 3-point territory.
In the end, Baker was fouled while shooting a 3-point attempt. Ultimately, he made just one of the free throws. After Buffalo recovered the final rebound, they were able to hold on for the victory.
Throughout the tournament Baker averaged 15 points per game and set a new tournament record for three pointer percentage, with 90.9%.
Oakland Raiders | Quarterback Derek Carr
In Derek Carr’s football career, there have always been expectations. His older brother, David Carr, was the first overall pick in the 2003 draft to the expansion franchise Houston Texans.
When the elder Carr had a less-than-stellar career, there were talks that the family did not have the “it” factor. He even attended Fresno State, the same university his brother attended a decade earlier.
Once he made it to the NFL, Carr became the second round pick of the Oakland Raiders. Historically, the Raiders have been a running punchline in the NFL, but Carr has helped change that image.
With the best season of his three-year career underway, Carr has the Raiders in the playoff hunt and in real championship contention. In this past week, Carr has been praised for his toughness for his on-field heroics mid-way through his game against the Carolina Panthers.
While taking a snap in the third quarter, the ball bounced off of Carr’s right pinkie and dislocated the finger in two places.
Carr was determined to get back into the game. He threw a glove on his injured throwing hand and trotted back onto the field, missing only one series. In the end, it was Carr’s touchdown pass to Clive Walford which gave the Raiders a nail biting victory.
When questioned after the game, and after subsequent practices, Carr only had one thing to say to the reporters asking about his finger:
“My finger’s doing great, thanks for asking.”
