High school basketball: Friday night fast break
<span class="subhead">Four Quarters</p><p></span>Olathe Northwest senior Shavon Shields is following in his father’s footsteps, heading to college next fall at Nebraska. Shields, whose dad, Will, played football and had a 14-year career with the Chiefs, but Shavon will join the Cornhuskers’ basketball team. In the meantime, he and the Ravens, 14-1 and ranked No. 3 in The Star’s big-class poll, have a few goals to try to check off. That’s why we asked Shields, a 6-foot-5 guard, to go four quarters with The Star.</p><p> <span class="intro_bold_italic">Q.</span> 1. Describe your haircut, man.</p><p> <span class="page_topic_leadin">A.</span> “My haircut (laughs). It’s just a Mohawk. I wanted to do something different, so I faded it into a Mohawk a little bit. It is actually a faux ’hawk I guess, because the sides of my head aren’t shaved, but I like being different, and it was different. I didn’t lose a bet or anything.”</p><p> <span class="intro_bold_italic">Q.</span> 2. What was your reaction to the NFL’s shameful decision not to vote your dad, Will, into the Hall of Fame last weekend?</p><p> <span class="page_topic_leadin">A.</span> “I was disappointed. I think he’s deserving of it, but I can’t control what the voters did or said. He deserves it, though, and, of course, he will get in eventually. But obviously I’m biased. He went to 12 straight Pro Bowls and made the All-Pro team nine times. I didn’t see anybody else on the list with those kinds of credentials.”</p><p> <span class="intro_bold_italic">Q.</span> 3. Back to basketball: How important is it for the Ravens to get to state for the first time this season?</p><p> <span class="page_topic_leadin">A.</span> “That has been our goal for a while now. … Making state would be incredible, and that’s definitely how I want to end my career.”</p><p> <span class="intro_bold_italic">Q.</span> 4. Can Perry Ellis and Wichita Heights, which have won 58 consecutive games, be beaten or are they invincible?</p><p> <span class="page_topic_leadin">A.</span> “Until they get beat, they’re invincible. I hope we get a shot at them down the road. That’s for sure. But there are a lot of good teams in this area that we have to go through first. I feel like we’re in one of the toughest substate groups in the state with the Olathe schools, the Lawrence schools and Leavenworth.”</p><p><span class="subhead">By the numbers</p><p></span>4:45 p.m. The earliest fans should plan to arrive Tuesday for the Valentine’s Day showdown when BV Northwest seeks revenge at Blue Valley North in a de facto East Kansas League title tilt. Gates will open at 5 p.m. and administrators are hoping to avoid the mob scene that greeted the first meeting at BV Northwest.</p><p>8 Margin of victory for Olathe East in last season’s substate final against Olathe Northwest. No doubt the Ravens, 14-1, remember the Hawks’ nine three-pointers and will be eager for a measure of revenge tonight against East, 11-4, in the Hawks’ own nest.</p><p>17 Years since the Fort Osage boys last beat Raytown South — until Tuesday night’s 48-43 win. Fort Osage coach Josh Wilson said it was likely just the second time in school history that Fort Osage had topped Raytown South.</p><p>51 Total points for St. Pius senior Lexi Oak during the Northland Classic last week. Oak, who will run track at Nebraska, averaged 17 points and eight rebounds per game.</p><p><span class="subhead">Games to watch</span></p><p>• <span class="leadin">Bishop Miege at BV Northwest boys:</span> The host Huskies would be wise not to look ahead to Tuesday’s rematch with BV North lest the Stags play spoiler. Miege already picked off Blue Valley North as it was coming off its last-second win against Blue Valley Northwest and the sizzling Stags would love to crimp the Huskies’ style too. The game will be decided by the inside-outside duos of Montell Cozart and Richard Smith for Miege against Clay Custer and Conner Erickson for BV Northwest.</p><p>• <span class="leadin">Mill Valley at Bonner Springs girls:</span> The closest call all season for the host Braves, who are 15-0 and a game up on the Jaguars in the Kaw Valley League standings, came Dec. 13 — a 38-37 win at Mill Valley, 12-3, which has won 12 straight games since. Anna Deegan leads Bonner Springs, which is The Star’s top-ranked small-class team, against a Jags squad led by junior Tanner Tripp.</p><p>• <span class="leadin">University Academy at St. James Academy boys:</span> If you’re looking for pure scorers, you won’t find many more aggressive than University Academy’s Martez Harrison, who had averaged 34.3 points over three games before missing Wednesday’s game against Cristo Rey. One of those games was a 34-point performance in a 69-54 win over St. James on Jan. 31. Now comes the rematch, and don’t be deceived by St. James’ 9-9 record. The Thunder, led by senior Clint McCullough and Ben Maskus, started 0-5 against a tough schedule. </p><p>• <span class="leadin">Blue Valley North at Gardner Edgerton girls:</span> Another rematch. Blue Valley North, 12-3, knocked off Gardner Edgerton 49-43 on Jan. 3. But the Trailblazers, 12-3, can even the score in a matchup with EKL-title implications. Both teams feature deep and balanced rotations. Kiley Reindl-Boden, Dani Plank and Shelbe Vandeberghe can all score. But if the Mustangs are knocking down shots and sophomore Bria Pierce is active on the glass, they are a tough team to beat.</p><p> <span class="tagline_contrib">The Star’s Tod Palmer and Rustin Dodd contributed to this report.</span>
Donning the style for a year now, he was asked by a friend to give him the same haircut. Soon word got around, and more and more guys, from businessmen, to fashion people to athletes, were coming to the salon for the cut. “The Mohawk can be a flexible
It's unbelievable what pundits can read into one's haircut alone. Last week, the New York Times ran an article devoted to the shellacked perfection of Callista Gingrich's platinum bob. Gingrich is wife of Newt, the Republican presidential hopeful.
But sometimes you get stuck in the same routine of the daily grind. Sure. You still shave, although not everyday. And, manage to still look sharp in a suit. But, let's face it, in your comfortable day-to-day-life you just let minor aspects slip.