Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Sports Horn Interviews Texas Tech Guard Luke Adams

Interview With Texas Tech Guard Luke Adams


The Texas Tech Red Raiders won just Big XII game during the 2011/2012 basketball season. They finished the year 8-23 overall, in fact. But as the season got underway this year, there was a player that caught my attention. A wiry, 5'9 150 pound kid who wore always seemed to be sporting a white UnderArmor headband during games. That kid was Luke Adams, a freshman guard for the Red Raiders. He was a prolific high school player, averaging almost 27 points a game as a senior for Big Springs High, but had few Division 1 offers to play basketball. Luke also has unique disposition on the basketball court: He was born deaf. In fact, he wears the headband during games to keep his cochlear implants in place so that he can hear the referees whistle, coaches plays, and teammates while on the court. Luke was kind enough to answer some questions for us recently that we sent him via facebook:


SPORTS HORN: Luke, first, tell us what it was like making the transition from high school to Division 1 basketball this year. You were obviously very prolific high school player!

LUKE: It was a big adjustment. I played a lot with Junior college players at howard junior college in Big Spring. I played with players such as Jae Crowder at Marquette so I have been around some great players.My dad Mark Adams is the coach there. That obviously helped but adjusting to the Big 12 is almost impossible to do. Obviously you have to work hard every single day. I scored alot in high school around 27pts a game. Half the games were box and 1 defenses. 16 to be exact. Scoring in high school helped but it still didnt get me many offers to play div 1 ball which was my dream. many coaches still said I am too small, not talented enough, or just couldnt play at this level especially the big 12. High school helped me a lot but mainly God helping and leading me through the doubts of everyone else. I knew that HAVE to be the most skilled player, smart and especially tough. I still have a long way to go and need to improve a lot. 

SPORTS HORN:  You seem like a very personable guy. One TV broadcaster said that you loved making new friends on facebook! Do you consider yourself to have an outgoing personality?

LUKE:   haha well I try to be outgoing as possible. I want to give back to the people who have supported me. I have been blessed to be where I am and hopefully motivate and change other peoples lives. 

SPORTS HORN:  Obviously, you play basketball with cochlear implants. Tell us what that experience is like. Do they hamper you at all while you are playing?

LUKE: My cochlear implants have changed my life. I was loseing hearing in my right ear. I am extremly blessed to get a cochlear. I was born deaf and the dr. told my parents at age 3 that I would never read above a second grade level, and they should ship me to a deaf school in austin texas to learn to sign and live in the deaf world. My parents never gave up and God helped them to stay strong. They are the reason why I am where I am. I am extremly blessed and grateful for that. Playing with it isn't so bad, I haven't really thought about. I do not have a choice. I try not to feel sorry for myself bc people don't really care. I know that sounds harsh. lol 

SPORTS HORN:  How do opposing players treat you? Do you feel like any guys were out there talking trash to you? Or were you mostly treated with respect during your first year?

LUKE:  I think opposing players treated me a little different because they knew and thought I didn't belong on the court and in reality I do not. But that is how my whole life has been so I can not control what they think. I did not hear much trash talking and if they did I probably did not hear them very well. lol

SPORTS HORN:  How do you feel about Texas Tech basketball moving forward with Billy Gillespie? Many people think he will turn that program around very quickly.

LUKE:  Gillespie is a great coach and his specialty is turning around programs. He works harder than anyone in the country and I have confidence he will make us a top 25 team in the years to come.

Sunday, April 8, 2012

My Definitive Star Rating System for Single Females

It's time to throw down the gauntlet. Guys have been trying to put numbers, or letters on girls they see in public for years. "Oh she's about an 8.5," or "A+ right there." Now, what I will be doing is creating a definitive rating system in which females can be fairly judged. This will be a star system, one very similar to the Rivals.com system of rating college athletic recruits. They base their stars (1 being the lowest, 5 being the highest) on many criteria. 40 times, size, speed, strength, statistics etc. So now, you will be able to fairly assign a star to the next chick you go on an awkard match.com date with. There are also different categories that must be employed in each situation to adequately find a rating.  So here it is:

Note: There is an obvious separate rating system based on looks alone. You obviously don't know how many kids the petit blonde has that you just saw from across the bar. Is she cute? Give her a rating. And do not throw out 5 star ratings quickly. That is reserved for the upper 10 percent of hot chicks out there only! Oh and married women are not involved in this rating system. The star system is set up to protray just how datable a chick is aside from just her looks so married women are out. Give them a star rating based on their looks and move on!


* (1 star) Obviously a 1 star single chick is going to have some problems, guys. Starting in the looks department, most likely going to be subpar. But guess what, 1 star prospects sometimes wind up walking on to college football teams (football analogies will be prevalent) and playing a little bit! So if you get at least one star you have something to offer the world. A 1 star prospect will probably have at least 2 kids and you can count on some drama with her ex's. She's going to be the type that has "all guy friends" and claims to "hate drama" but actually lives for it.

** (2 star) Ok, a 2 star has a little bit of potential here. Afterall, ex Mizzou receiver Danario Alexander was a 2 star recruit and is now in the NFL after breaking several receiving records! But unfortunately for a two star talent, that is the exception not the rule. In the looks department, there are going to have to be a few flaws but she can be up to about  a 4 in the looks department. What drags down a 2 star is going to be an excess of children, typically different fathers, a bad personality, no sense of humor, etc. a 4 star chick in the looks department that possesses all the necessary baggage, yep probably going to drop her to a 2 star rating.

*** (3 star) This is going to be the vast majority of females in the dating world. Status quo. Most collegiate prospects are 3 star recruits for a reason. They have a lot of potential, but as of yet, they are not superstars. Basically, if you can snag a solid 3 star your doing pretty well for yourself. A 3 star can still have kids, but is not involved physically with all of their fathers still. She is doing well for herself career wise, or going to school so ambition has to be shown. A 3 star can still jerk you around a little bit, probably will flirt with guys on facebook. Won't tell guys to stop texting her, etc,  Although she could even be a 5 star in the looks department and possibly dragged down by any number of other issues.

**** (4 star) Now we're talking. If you can nab one of these, you better do it. A 4 star most likely has to have 0 kids. If she does it has to be one, and she has to be an amazing mother and she can have no drama with childs dad or other ex's. She has a full time job (or, again, goes to school) and likes to do fun things and can adapt easily to any environment. Likes to hang out with your friends and family and in general. Very hard to come across a 4 star talent because most of them are married. She most likely will turn away guys who try to flirt with her on fb or via text, and probably has to be at least as hot as any of the girls from Bret Michaels "Rock of Love" Although you have to be careful because with a 4 star, expectations are high! They are expected to produce, and it can be devastating if they let you down in certain ways.

***** (5 star) The rarest of the rare. You will most likely never come across a 5 star talent. If you do, marry her tomorrow. This is going to be an insanely hot girl, who has her stuff together, doesn't have kids, is ambitious, funny, talented...So...you know any chicks like that? Me either. You would have to scour the united states with a magnifying glass to come across a 5 star who is available to date you. It would have to be literally the Kelly Kapowski character from Saved By the Bell walking into your life and blowing you away. Good luck with that. Most likely, the only way a 5 star is single is if she is a college student (over 21 of course), or has been locked in someones basement all their lives until the moment they meet you.

So there you have it, start assigning stars right away and always feel free to contact me with more ideas on how to improve the ratings system. Below listed are all categories which must be taken into account (if the info is available) when rating a female.

Looks- Obvious.

Personality- Typically what drags a girl down, but in some cases, can help notch a less-good-looking chick up another star level. Is she witty? or is she bascially mad at the world all the time?

Children- How many does she have? Is she partying every night with them in her care, or is she a good mom who is looking to do the right thing for her and the child. Very key to differentiate early when trying to date a woman with a child.

Ambition- Does she have a job? Does she have interests/hobbies? If watching the "bad girls club" is the only thing this chick likes to do, your going to have to give her a low ambition rating.

history of guy friends- Does this girl seem to have a lot of scruffy looking guys commenting all over her facebook, being passive aggressive and flirty? Does the girl just crave attention from any guy who will give it to her? Or is she good at deflecting them? Better find out!

Drama- A very broad topic which certainly takes into account may things including some of the categories listed. But in the drama department focus on a few things: Does she make batty facebook posts constantly? Things like "the cops are here, i'm safe now, i never want to see Dan again!" Yeah thats going to get you a very low star in the drama category.  Does her ex still stalk her? Is she involved in a custody battle? Does she go out at night with her friends and lose her phone, debit card? If she is realitively drama free give her a good rating here and its going to up her overall rating for sure.