Basketball rankings roundup
2/9/2010 3:23:02 PM
A quick roundup of high school basketball rankings, starting with the boys:
In the latest OKRankings.com poll, Muskogee moved down to No. 5 following a loss to Broken Arrow. In Class 5A, Booker T. Washington slipped a spot to No. 5. Verdigris is up a spot, coming in at No. 5 in 3A.
No area boys teams are nationally ranked by ESPN/RISE, but a few are close. Broken Arrow moved up two spots to No. 15 in the Southwest Region. Edmond Santa Fe also bumped up one spot, to No. 18.
Memorial and Muskogee are on the bubble of being regionally ranked.
On the girls' side, Jenks moved down a spot to No. 9 in the OKRankings.com poll, while Bixby dropped out of the top 20. Owasso jumped two spots (to No. 13), and Sand Springs fell two (to No. 14).
Booker T. Washington leapt two spots to No. 3 in Class 5A, while Memorial stays at No. 2, despite a loss Friday night to East Central. The Cardinals slipped a spot to No. 4. Coweta was the big winner in 5A, moving from 10th to a tie for sixth place (with McAlester).
In 4A, Oologah moved into the rankings, coming in at No. 20.
--Matt Baker
Girls basketball Class 5A: Who's No. 2?
2/8/2010 4:59:51 PM
Coaches viewed last week's East Central-Memorial matchup as a must-win to keep their hopes of hosting a regional alive. The Cardinals' 44-43 win will certainly boost their chances of doing so.
"This was a battle to see who was going to get the No. 1 seed on this side of the state," East Central coach Samy Mack said. "Hopefully the voters will notice and give us the No. 1 seed over here."
Out west, Midwest City Carl Albert is ranked first in the state and has a regional site wrapped up.
But the east side of the state is still uncertain. The Cardinals have a solid claim to hosting a regional, punctuated by Friday's thrilling win. No. 3 East Central's only two losses to Oklahoma teams were to Union and Booker T. Washington (44-37 in the Jenks-Union Invitational).
Three other area teams are also in the discussion. Second-ranked Memorial started strong but has lost twice to East Central and once to Booker T. Washington. Those losses might overpower three wins over Edison.
No. 5 Booker T. Washington has split its games with the Cardinals and have some very good losses (Jenks and Sapulpa). But the Hornets still have another big test Tuesday at Edison. A win there would be huge for the defending state champions.
And don't forget about Claremore. The fourth-ranked Zebras have perhaps the state's top player (Jordan Schultz) and some solid role players. But a 16-point loss to Coweta last week will be tough to overcome.
Playoff pairings in 5A and 6A are scheduled to be released Thursday.
--Matt Baker
Third-ranked Putnam West basketball boys forfeit five
2/8/2010 4:08:00 PM
Putnam West, ranked No. 3 in Class 6A, is forfeiting five wins from early in the season due to using an ineligible player. Those forfeits will drop Putnam West's record from 15-3 to 10-8.
The unidentified player was ruled by the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association to have played in nine games last season when he was not eligible. As a result, that player was ineligible for this season's first nine games and should not have played in those. That player will be eligible once he completes sitting out nine games, according to OSSAA executive secretary Ed Sheakley.
Putnam West forfeits wins to Putnam City, Choctaw, Yukon, Del City and Putnam North. The ineligible player also participated in wins over Bentonville (Ark.) and Enid, but Putnam West did not have to forfeit those games because the ineligible player was ruled not to have had a significant impact in those outcomes.
Putnam West also lost to Broken Arrow and Ardmore while using the ineligible player.
Seven football teams had to forfeit games in 2009, but Putnam West is the first basketball team to forfeit any games this season.
"That's a good thing that we haven't had any other situations like that," Sheakley said on Monday.
Putnam West's forfeit to Putnam North could impact Jenks' hopes of hosting a 6A East regional. Putnam North and Jenks appear to be battling to host a regional.
--Barry Lewis
Class A and B state tournament predictions
2/7/2010 2:02:00 PM
Playoff time is nearly here for teams in Classes A and B as boys district tournaments begin Friday. Girls district tournaments start Thursday.
Here are my predictions of the boys teams that will reach the state tournaments played in Oklahoma City on March 4-6.
Class A: No. 1 Garber, No. 2 Okarche, No. 3 Cheyenne, No. 5 Hydro, No. 7 Stratford, No. 8 Texhoma, No. 10 Summit Christian and unranked Chattanooga.
Class B: No. 1 Roff, No. 2 Forgan, No. 3 Red Oak, No. 4 Big Pasture, No. 8 New Lima, No. 9 Hammon, No. 11 Timberlake and No. 13 Frontier.
Class A's defending champion Preston has moved up to 2A. Red Oak is the defending champion in Class B.
My pick to come away with the gold ball in Class A is Garber, which was the runner-up in Class B last year. Garber enters the postseason as a strong favorite. Class B is wide open, but I give the edge to Roff.
--Barry Lewis
Progress continues at ONEOK Field
2/5/2010 5:37:00 PM
Construction is going very well at ONEOK Field, the new home of the Tulsa Drillers as well as the site for this year's Class 6A and 5A state baseball title games.
"We've still got some work to do, but we're in really good shape," Drillers owner Chuck Lamson said on Friday. "(Texas League president) Tom Kayser tells me that we're ahead of schedule compared to where Springdale and (North) Little Rock were when they were building their new ballparks."
The ballparks in North Little Rock in 2007 and Springdale in 2008 were ready in time for the season openers. And ONEOK Field should be ready for baseball far in advance of the Drillers' opener that is set for April 8. The high school title games are scheduled May 15. ONEOK Field also will host six high school regular-season games in April.
One of the many things that impressed me during a tour Friday was how good the new grass field looked despite all the winter weather that has struck Tulsa recently.
Field dimensions from home plate will be 330 feet to left field, 381 to left-center, 400 to center, 371 to right-center and 307 to right field.
Drillers manager Ron Gideon will get his first look at ONEOK Field since last summer when he visits Tulsa in mid-February en route to spring training in Arizona.
--Barry Lewis
The top recruits for 2011 are...
2/5/2010 4:04:00 PM
National Signing Day 2010 is over, and the top talents in the area have picked their colleges.
That means it's only, what, 363 days until Signing Day 2011? Here's a quick look at what area players could be next year's Demarco Cobbs or Calvin Barnett:
Zack Langer (RB, Jenks): The 6-foot tailback was among the top rushers in the state last year, racking up more than 2,400 yards and 38 touchdowns. He runs with power, is patient enough to find holes and is dangerous in the open field. He's already drawn interest from Oklahoma State and Tulsa, and I expect his stock to rise in the coming months.
Derrick Alexander (LB, Booker T. Washington): The 6-foot-1, 250-pounder recorded 79 tackles and 3 sacks for the Hornets last year and was part of a solid defense. He's drawn interest from Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and TU, according to Rivals.com and was invited to the U.S. Army All-American combine.
Austin Beck (OL, Nowata): Coaches told me during the season that the 6-foot-8, 292-pound monster has drawn interest from several major schools, including Oklahoma. He's obviously got the size to compete at the next level, but will playing at small school affect how recruiters see him?
Archie Bradley (QB, Broken Arrow): Bradley has a cannon for an arm, and opposing coaches marveled at his ability to launch deep passes off of one foot. He found playing time fairly quickly with the Tigers, even though he was still learning their system. He's got the arm to play football at the next level, but does he want to? He's got the potential to be a high MLB draft pick, so he could decline D-I football offers to play baseball.
Garrett Stafford (OL, Memorial) and Savon Germany (TE, Memorial): The Chargers pair was also invited to the U.S. Army All-American combine and have drawn attention from Arkansas and OU. A big senior season could help them continue to attract colleges.
Isaac Maselera (DB, Glenpool): The hard-hitter has already committed to OSU. He tackles well and made a few punishing hits when I saw him in the regular-season finale against OKC Star Spencer.
Garrett Powell (WR, Bartlesville): He was among the area's top receivers (1,071 yards, 13 touchdowns) and has the size and speed to be a D-I recruit. Powell is also versatile – he hardly left the field, playing receiver, defensive back, punter and the holder on field goals and extra points.
Sawyer Kollmorgen (QB, Jenks): The 6-foot-1 prospect passed for more than 2,600 yards and 24 touchdowns for the Trojans, but he's also got the intangibles to play in college. He's a great leader who handles pressure well and has stood up to adversity. He was poised and collected when I talked to him after the loss in the state title game – not easy for a high school player.
Who do you think next year's top recruits are?
--Matt Baker
February opens with fantastic finishes
2/4/2010 5:44:03 PM
February's opening week has already included a few fantastic finishes.
On Tuesday, Catoosa edged Coweta 56-54 as Brandon Haynes drove for a winning layup with three-tenths of a second remaining.
"We had lost some close ones, so it was a real good win for us," said Catoosa coach Rodd Beer, whose team improved to 5-11.
Holland Hall (16-4) snapped a two-game losing streak as it defeated rival Casady 51-48 in Oklahoma City. Kwame Sexton sank the winning trey as time expired in overtime.
And, Muskogee edged Union 46-45 as a last-second Union shot narrowly missed. Breon Powell scored the winning basket with 1:13 remaining.
Muskogee played without leading scorer, Devante Wilson, who is sidelined with a broken rib and expected to miss Friday's showdown at Broken Arrow.
--Barry Lewis
What happened with Jarrett Lake?
2/4/2010 3:40:00 PM
One of the biggest surprises at signing day yesterday was Jarrett Lake switching from Oklahoma to Arkansas. The former Jenks receiver who sat out the 2009 season because the OSSAA ruled him ineligible had been an OU commit since July. Here's a summary of what happened with Lake's eligibility from back in October.
But today, let's look at a rough timeline of what happened with Lake, the Sooners and the Razorbacks over the last few months, leading up to him wearing an Arkansas hat yesterday instead of an OU one. I share this because it sheds insight into the recruiting process as a whole as well as the path of one local recruit.
Spring/summer 2009: Lake works out with Arkansas, and the Razorbacks like what they see. "They offered him on the spot," said Tyrone Lynn, whom Lake considers a father. OU later sees Lake, and they offer him a scholarship. He accepts in July, in part to be with Lynn's son, Gabe, who plays for the Sooners, Lynn said.
July 30, 2009: In a letter to Jenks, the OSSAA rules Lake ineligible. Jenks appeals the decision, but it's later upheld, meaning Lake would have to sit out his senior season. OU's scholarship offer remains. Lake focused on his academics to become eligible with the NCAA and worked out with a downtown trainer and Tyrone Lynn, "so I've been able to stay in shape," Lake said yesterday.
December, 2009: OU and Lake reach "a mutual decision between the two of us that we weren't going to proceed any further and Jarrett pursued some other options," Sooners coach Bob Stoops told my colleague, John Hoover, yesterday. Stoops said that happened around Christmas, which would be after the first academic semester.
Neither Lake nor Lynn mentioned this yesterday, but Stoops said there was plenty of communication between the school and Lake during the entire process: "(In) the end, there was communication between us and the family, coach (Brent) Venables, many times. I don't want to detail what the reasons are, but in the end, there's issues that we were concerned about, and he understood those. So we chose — and let them know that — that we probably need to look at some other options. Because there's still some unresolved issues there that we, in the end, weren't comfortable with."
(about) Feb. 1, 2010: OU becomes concerned with Lake's grades and ACT, Lynn said. According to Lynn, OU thought Lake hadn't taken the ACT, when he had in fact done so and gotten a 20, which would make him academically eligible. "They had some information that he wasn’t doing well in school, and the reality of it is he was," Lynn said.
Said Stoops: "Up until (Tuesday) night, we still didn't have the transcripts from a couple of schools that are necessary to figure through all this. It isn't anyone's fault. It's just how it worked out. … In the end, there was still too much material that we need that we didn't have. "
OU didn't offer him a letter of intent. Lynn said that's because they weren't sure if he would qualify academically.
"If they start thinking a kid is not going to qualify, then of course they have to protect their interests," Lynn said. "When that opened up, I have to look out for Jarrett and see what else is out there, and in the end it all kind of came together. (OU) realized he would be qualified, and at that point he had already committed to Arkansas, so he had to keep his word on that."
Lynn said Lake handed the situation "wonderfully." Lake referred questions on the recruiting process to Lynn.
Feb. 3, 2010: Lake wears an Arkansas hat and shirt into the Frank Herald Gymnasium and signs with the Razorbacks. He said it was "pretty much a last-second decision" to sign with Arkansas.
"I got along great with the coaching staff," Lake said. "I really liked them having me play linebacker. I just felt real comfortable. …
"It was kind of tough, but at the end of the day, I see it as a blessing in disguise. I'm qualified. I'm 100 percent. I don't have any injuries, so that's how I look at it."
As for Arkansas, head coach Bobby Petrino credited former OU quarterback Garrick McGee with being persistent with Lake.
"(Lake) was committed to Oklahoma and Coach McGee did a great job of staying on him and turning him around," Petrino told reporters. "We were on the phone with him all through the night (Tuesday)."
--Matt Baker
What NCAA coaches are saying about area recruits
2/4/2010 2:21:32 PM
Until players sign their letters of intent, college coaches aren't allowed to discuss recruits because of NCAA rules.
Well, that happened yesterday. Here's a quick rundown of what some coaches said about area players headed outside the state. If you can find other quotes or transcripts, let me know, and I'll update accordingly.
Texas coach Mack Brown on Central standout Demarco Cobbs, from Brown's Web site: "(We) do feel like when you look at Demarco, he can play safety, he could play outside linebacker, I think he's about 215 [pounds], he could play wide receiver, he could play in the flex position inside or he could play tailback. There are so many things he can do. What I honestly told him, because he's a quarterback, is just trust me and when you come in we'll let you play a couple of different spots when you start. He wants to play next year, so I'll try my best to find a place where he can get on the field and help us."
Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino on Booker T. Washington DT Calvin Barnett (all Arkansas quotes via the school's Web site): "He's a guy that we competed hard for and it came down to the last day. We're very happy to have Calvin with us."
Petrino on BTW athlete Eric Bennett: "He's a true winner; he has a state championship under his belt. He was a great leader on that team. For us, he's either going to play cornerback or wide receiver. We were fortunate to have him in camp and he did an excellent job at both of those positions. We kind of have him penciled in at corner, but don't rule out the possibility of him playing a little wide receiver. He's also a guy you look at and say he can be a great returner for us. He's really exciting with the ball in his hand."
Petrino on Fort Gibson LB Courtney Gaston: "He's a big guy that can really run, with very, very strong hands, very strong arms. He's a guy that has endless potential. I think he has the ability to read, run downhill, tackle and cover. … He was also a rodeo guy. I don't know if he won the state championship, but he is a very good rodeo guy."
Petrino on Jenks' Jarrett Lake: "Kind of an interesting story, we watched him play as a wide receiver, run around, catch the ball, elevate, jump, catch touchdown passes. We brought him into camp last summer and we said 'hey we would like to see you play linebacker'. He jumped right in there and was a natural …."
--Matt Baker
Lincoln Christian's Wilson selects Princeton
2/3/2010 10:48:00 PM
A busy National Signing Day was capped off locally late Wednesday night when Lincoln Christian wideout Roman Wilson announced he was headed for Princeton.
Wilson, who helped Lincoln Christian win the Class 2A state title in 2009, was the state's leading receiver over the past two seasons with 160 catches.
Wilson also was was one of the five finalists for the Tulsa World's Metro player of the year award in 2009 and a World All-State receiver.
Wilson considered several Ivy League schools and also took an official visit to Tulsa.
--Barry Lewis
3 quick midday Signing Day thoughts
2/3/2010 12:35:00 PM
A few quick lunchtime thoughts on what's already been a crazy National Signing Day:
1. I'm not too surprised about Calvin Barnett's switch from Oklahoma State to Arkansas. Barnett and Booker T. Washington teammate Eric Bennett are close, and Bennett was solid with the Razorbacks and recruiter Garrick McGee. Barnett became eerily quiet as Signing Day approached, and that let rumors swirl about a change of school.
After the Booker T. Washington eligibility scandal broke, people claiming to be Bennett or Barnett were commenting on our Web site about switching schools. That was more than three months ago, and it's finally come true.
2. Thomas Roberson switching from Oklahoma State to Tulsa was another reminder that nothing's official until the papers are signed and the forms are sent in. I wasn't at Union today, so I don't know why the star wide receiver had two late changes. But I hope OSU and TU fans treat him well and remember that it's a big decision for a young man. He changed his mind within the limits of NCAA rules – it's not like he broke the law or anything.
3. Arkansas continues to recruit eastern Oklahoma well, signing Barnett, Bennett and Jenks tight end (and former Oklahoma commit) Jarrett Lake today. Lake's switch was a big surprise to me. Lake wasn't on a list of Jenks players to sign that I received from the district yesterday, so I e-mailed interim coach Loren Montgomery about it. Montgomery said he expected Lake to sign with OU today. Well, that didn't happen. I'm not sure why, but we're trying to find out.
Regardless, it's a sign of how well Arkansas has fared in this area, thanks in large part to former OU quarterback Garrick McGee. The Razorbacks already have five players from eastern Oklahoma on their roster: David Gordon (East Central), Terrell Williams (Union), Mitchell Bailey (Broken Bow), Alvin Bailey (Broken Arrow) and Cameron Craig (Bishop Kelley). Arkansas has developed a strong presence here, and I expect that to continue in the coming years.
--Matt Baker
National Signing Day: What to watch for
2/2/2010 2:04:00 PM
We've said all year long in our recruiting stories that nothing is official until a player signs.
Tomorrow, it becomes official.
National Signing Day can be filled with surprises as players change their mind at the last minute or problems arise. Here's a quick guide on what to watch for in the Tulsa area tomorrow:
What happens at Booker T. Washington?: Quarterback Eric Bennett has committed to Arkansas, and he told me last week that he's excited to be a Razorback. But is his teammate, lineman Calvin Barnett?
Barnett is an Oklahoma State commitment and has said in the past that he's been solid with OSU since he pledged to go there in the summer. But Cowboy fans have been worried about a recent visit Barnett took to Arkansas – and the fact that he told the Tulsa World recently that he has "something different and a little flashy" planned for Signing Day.
Lastly, defensive end Ray Stovall Jr. recently committed to his third college, Louisiana-Monroe (after Wyoming and UNLV). He was excited about going there when I talked to him last week, but will he still be ready to head south tomorrow?
Where will Thomas Roberson end up? The Union wide receiver has been in the middle of the biggest recruiting battle in the state over the past week or two. Roberson had been committed to Tulsa since the summer but got an offer from OSU last week. Today's news is that he has accepted the Cowboys' offer. Will things change again tomorrow?
Will Central standout Demarco Cobbs switch again? The state's top recruit originally made his commitment to Tennessee in a TV appearance. Then, after Texas began pursuing him heavily, he switched to the Longhorns. Cobbs, a five-star athlete, remains solid in his commitment. "Yea," he replied in a text message when I asked him if he was still good with the Horns. I don't expect him to switch again.
Will there be any surprises at Jenks? Defensive lineman David Lore has recently committed to Air Force, coach Loren Montgomery wrote in an e-mail today, while Tyler Ott (Harvard), Jake Alexander (TU), Bob Graham (Iowa State) and Chris King (Central Oklahoma) are unchanged. There are a few other notable players who could sign, including Devin Pugh and Cory Jones. We'll see if there are any big changes from Jenks.
What about Union's Cole Way and Deonte Morris? Way, the Union kicker and brother of Oklahoma's Tress Way has reportedly committed to TU, but he also is thinking about pursuing baseball or OU or OSU. Morris, a Redskins tight end, took a recent visit to NEO, my colleague, Eric Bailey, reports. If he were to sign with NEO tomorrow, the Union-Tulsa pipeline would get a lot smaller.
You can follow me on Twitter @MattBakerTW for any breaking news, and check TulsaWorld.com regularly on Signing Day for coverage from around the area.
--Matt Baker
How has the Internet changed football recruiting?
2/2/2010 12:02:12 PM
The Internet has given fans more insight into college football recruiting than they've ever had before.
I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.
Rivals.com has a countdown clock (18 hours, 9 minutes, 37 seconds!) to National Signing Day. Rivals and Scout.com have the details of 18-year-old kids' latest change of heart. That also means reporters from every team hounding recruits about their upcoming visits and possible positions at the next level. You can see highlights of players from across the country at the click of a button, and you can get 40-yard dash times and bench-press data until your eyes glaze over.
When I was at the Cotton Bowl, I asked Oklahoma State and Ole Miss coaches how Rivals and Scout have changed their jobs.
"It's 150 percent different than it was a few years ago," OSU defensive coordinator Bill Young.
"I think there's good and bad, no question about it. You get some parents who can handle those situations, and I think you get some players who can handle it. Then you get others, and it's how many scholarship offers can I get, and this, that and the other, and it becomes a negative."
Makes sense. Recruiters only have so much time, so they want to devote their limited resources to players where they have a chance of getting a return on their investment. It doesn't do them any good if they're spending 10 minutes on the phone with a kid who just wants to add "OSU" to his list of scholarship offers. That's 10 wasted minutes they're not using to recruit someone else.
Those sites also have an advantage to them for coaches. They can find under-the-radar prospects they might have missed otherwise. If, say, Air Force offers a kid in Bartlesville a scholarship, then Tulsa or OSU could find out about it. Maybe they'll give that kid in Bartlesville another look.
Still, former Ole Miss offensive coordinator (and new Cornell head coach) Kent Austin said the Internet has completely changed the recruiting game.
"It's not even the same animal," Austin said. "I was coaching in the pros before I got to Ole Miss last year. That was an environment that I was shocked to see, to be honest with you."
--Matt Baker
Broken Arrow down in regional rankings
2/2/2010 9:45:28 AM
Broken Arrow's boys basketball team is down one spot in ESPN/RISE's Southwest Regional rankings. The tigers are the top-ranked team on the site, coming in at 17th in the region.
Edmond Santa Fe is 19th, and Memorial and Muskogee are on the bubble.
Also today, OKRankings.com's latest polls were released. A few highlights from the boys' side: Memorial overtook Edison for No. 1 in Class 5A. Bixby moved up a spot in Class 6A to No. 16.
In the girls basketball rankings, Union slipped a spot to No. 6, and Owasso and Sapulpa flip-flopped (moving the Rams up to No. 15), and Bixby entered the poll at No. 20.
Memorial fell from No. 1 in 5A, dropping to second. Coweta rose a spot to No. 10.
--Matt Baker
Football recruiting: Does race matter?
2/1/2010 2:33:00 PM
As part of our project on which states and cities produce the most Football Bowl Subdivision players per capita, I gave three factors why the South churns out more players than other regions: weather, kids looking for a way out of poverty and a football-crazed culture. Those ideas came from the many experts I talked to, including those from Scout.com and Rivals.com. Some commenters thought I missed one other possibility: race.
Let's take a look.
Here are some of the cities on our list. The first number is where that metro area ranks in producing players per capita. The second number is the percentage of that metro area's population that is white, according to the U.S. Census. I selected the top 15 or so and some from down the list, for comparison purposes.
1. Honolulu (23.0 percent)
2. New Orleans (60.2)
3. Birmingham, Ala. (68.7)
4. Dallas-Fort Worth (69.6)
5. Miami (72.9)
6. Jacksonville, Fla. (71.4)
7. Youngstown, Ohio (86.5)
8. Baton Rouge, La. (61.0)
9. Atlanta (57.8)
10. Lakeland, Fla. (79.6)
11. Dayton, Ohio (81.5)
12. Memphis, Tenn. (50.3)
13. Tulsa (75.9)
16. Cleveland, Ohio (76.0)
17. Tampa, Fla. (82.4)
20. Pittsburgh (88.6)
21. Orlando (72.7)
28. Omaha, Neb. (84.7)
39. Washington, D.C. (57.8)
50. Los Angeles (54.9)
55. Detroit (70.7)
67. Chicago (66.3)
Let's take out Honolulu, because it's a clear outlier (most of its population is Pacific Islander, for obvious reasons). Of the other 21 cities above, the average city was 70.9 percent white. Of the top 10 (again, excluding Honolulu, but adding 11th-ranked Dayton in its place), that percentage was 76 percent – higher than those outside the top 10. In the top five, that number is down to 68.6.
This quick analysis wasn't scientific because it's not random or large enough, but I think it illustrates a point: Race isn't everything, when it comes to recruiting. If it were, Des Moines (89 percent white) wouldn't be 44th on the list, and it certainly wouldn't be above Chicago (66.3 percent, 67th on the list). If race were everything, D.C. would probably be higher, and Youngstown, Ohio wouldn't crack the top 20 (nor, most likely, would Tulsa (75.9 percent, 13th).
I'm not arguing that race doesn’t play a role in recruiting, because it most likely does. I'm saying that there are other factors at play in what our data found. In Chicago or New York City (61 percent white, 90th per capita), elite athletes (some, but not all, of whom are black) might play basketball or baseball because of the weather or the culture. In New Orleans, those same athletes probably play football. That's why New Orleans produces eight times as many FBS players as New York does, despite similar demographics.
--Matt Baker
|
