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Announcements

The Rutgers Touchdown Club will be holding its annual Recruiting Tailgate Meeting on Wednesday night February 5th at 7:00 P.M. at the Rutgers Athletic Center (The RAC). Doors will open at 5:30 P.M. Coach Greg Schiano will review the 2003 recruiting class in this meeting. Subs and beverages will be served. Remember this meeting will not be at the Hale Center due to the large crowd expected.
If you are interested in joining the Touchdown Club you can join that night or you can visit our web-site at www.touchdownclub.rutgers.edu to learn more about the club and get an application form.

As Rutgers comes upon the rugged Big East Basketball schedule, they would like to invite you to join the Scarlet R in the Coaches' Huddle - a pre-game meal featuring Rutgers Athletics. The Huddle gives you an opportunity to gain an inside look at the opponent Rutgers will be facing that night with a brief scouting report by a member of the basketball coaching staff. Each Huddle will also showcase the coach of one of our 30 intercollegiate athletic programs. In addition, the event will provide a full buffet-style meal prepared by Rutgers Catering. The cost for each person is $10 - with and additional $5 for those who would like to have beer or wine with their meal.
To reserve your spot or to ask questions, please reply back to Keith Norton at directly.
For full schedule and further info, please visit -
Coaches Huddle

Please note that we are having problems with our old domain www.rutgersfootball.com. This also effects any e-mail going to Donald "Big Dog" Forbes at [e-mail]. Everyone that needs to e-mail me, please use .

As a result of the problems, the redirect or access to the URL is no longer working. Please inform anyone who might be having problems.
Thank you!!!

Football

Rutgers senior tight end L.J. Smith will be a member of the North squad in this year’s Senior Bowl college football all-star game, which takes place on Saturday, Jan. 18 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. (EST) and will be televised live on ESPN.
Smith, who was recently named to the ECAC’s Division I-A All-Star team, was the Scarlet Knights' leading receiver in 2002 despite playing with injuries throughout the season. Smith caught 32 passes for 384 yards and three touchdowns.
Smith in 2003 Senior Bowl

Women's Basketball

Help wanted
As Shalicia Hurns continues to get her game legs back - and prove her accolades as a Purdue freshman were no fluke -no Rutgers player seems particularly interested in being her backup.
Amber Petillon had been starting as Rutgers waited for Hurns' to become eligible under NCAA transfer guidelines, but that was largely a symbolic move in appreciation for her effort. The 6-foot-4 sophomore is averaging 2.6 points and 3.3 rebounds, but isn't as quick as some of Rutgers' other inside players.
Rutgers women's notebook

Men's Basketball

Road warriors
A year ago, the Louis Brown Athletic Center was an incredibly mystical place to play - the Scarlet Knights dropped just one regular-season game there, and that was to Sweet 16-bound Pittsburgh. On the road, meanwhile, Rutgers was horrific in winning just two measly games.
Second-year coach Gary Waters said this season could be different, that one of the league's traditionally worst road teams could become a good one.
Rutgers notebook

Rutgers is 8-5 on the season and has lost two consecutive games. The Scarlet Knights battled No. 5/6 Pittsburgh to the wire before dropping a 70-63 decision at home on Sunday, Jan. 12. It was the Scarlet Knights’ first BIG EAST conference game of the season.
The Knights are paced by Jerome Coleman, a Preseason Second-Team All-BIG EAST selection. Coleman leads the team in scoring at 17.9 ppg. The 6-2 senior tallied a career-high 34 points against Fordham on Dec. 11. Herve Lamizana, a 6-10 junior forward, has blocked 45 shots this season and is averaging 3.5 blocks per game, which is 2nd in the BIG EAST and 5th in the nation. Lamizana also leads the team in rebounding, averaging 6.5 per game. Sophomore 6-4 swingman Ricky Shields is second on the team in scoring (13.6 ppg.), while 6-2 junior point guard Mike Sherrod leads the team in assists (4.3), and is second in steals (2.2), while chipping in with 5.0 ppg. Senior Kareem Wright, at 6-9 and a slimmed down 270 pounds, checks in at 4.9 ppg. and 3.3 rpg. Wright is coming off a season-high 13-point outing vs. Pittsburgh.
RUTGERS (8-5, 0-1) at #5/#6 NOTRE DAME (13-2, 1-1)

If Chris Thomas were to put together a best and worst highlight tape of his brief career at Notre Dame, chances are both Rutgers games would be included.
After all, the best doesn't get much better than the 32-point, 11-assist performance Thomas turned in against the Knights last season at Notre Dame. The Big East's eventual Rookie of the Year was 7-of-9 from 3-point range in the Irish's 17-point romp.
Key is to lock up Thomas

Site Information

We have been bringing a lot of articles on-line over the last month. For those who are having problems accessing the archives, please click this link: Story Archive.

Please visit our Message Board. We will provide updates and information. We also like to start some interesting discussion.
Message Board

For those high school players who would like to get their tapes on-line, you can mail your tape to:

Mike and the Big Dog LLC
P.O. Box 431
Plainsboro, New Jersey 08536

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE TAPE WILL NOT BE RETURNED. Please send HIGHLIGHTS or your best game. WE WILL SELECT THE CLIPS TO BRING ON-LINE.
NOT ALL TAPES WILL BE BROUGHT ON-LINE.

High School Prospects

When he attended a wrestling camp at the University of Iowa between his freshman and sophomore years, Paulsboro High's Isaac Redman said he hated being at the Big Ten school.
"I couldn't wait to get home," he said yesterday.
Yet, guess where Redman plans to play football the next four years?
Yep. Iowa.
Redman picks Iowa

Around the Big East

The Syracuse University football staff is investigating new quarterback recruits in the wake of Joe Dailey's 11th-hour decision to bolt for Nebraska.
At least two quarterbacks from Texas and one from Canada have emerged as candidates after Dailey reneged on his commitment to SU last week.
The prospects are Chase Wasson of Carroll High School in Southlake, Texas; Drew Tate of Lee High School in Baytown, Texas; and Matt Hale of W.F. Herman High School in Windsor, Ontario.
Orange in hunt for QBs

Not even a devastating injury could stop Willis McGahee from turning pro.
McGahee, who tore two knee ligaments in the Fiesta Bowl, said in a statement released by his uncle Monday that he had decided to forgo his final two seasons at the University of Miami and enter the NFL draft in April.
McGahee limps to NFL

Donovan McNabb is one. Mike Vick another.
Their list is a long one. Jeremy Shockey, Warren Sapp, Marvin Harrison, Jerry Porter, Curtis Martin, Amos Zereoue, Kevin Johnson, Bill Romanowski, Bubba Franks, and on and on.
Players from Big East Football Conference schools who made it into the NFL playoffs this season.
All 12 qualifiers had one on its roster. In fact, every team except Green Bay had at least four. Cleveland, maybe because former Miami Hurricane coach Butch Davis is calling the shots, had a dozen.
Big East football breeds many stars for the NFL

Around the nation

Mike Price's dramatic flair is better than his sense of timing.
When Alabama's new coach met the team last week, he bopped into the meeting tossing sugar packets at his players. Sugar, as in the bowl where all SEC champions usually get to strut their stuff. Get it? One problem: As part of its NCAA penalties, Alabama won't be bowling for the second consecutive season in 2003.
Why let facts get in the way of a first impression?
Price already finds Alabama, recruiting sweet

Nebraska football fans who have been clamoring for a more wide-open offense might just see that with Barney Cotton running the show.
Cotton, the Cornhuskers' new offensive coordinator, was among four new assistant coaches introduced Monday at a news conference that punctuated the biggest coaching shake-up on the Nebraska staff since 1962.
Cotton, apparently wise to the criticism of the Huskers' run-oriented offense, noted in his initial remarks that his New Mexico State offense passed on first down 35% of the time last season.
Solich names four new assistants

Interesting Article

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Donald "Big Dog" Forbes:
Mike and the Big Dog LLC