Floyd Mayweather gets arrested and goes to jail today in Las Vegas.

Rick Bowmer / APFloyd Mayweather in happier times.

LAS VEGAS -- Police say boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. is in a Las Vegas jail after being arrested on a misdemeanor warrant alleging he poked a security guard in the face last month outside his home.

Police Officer Jacinto Rivera said Friday that Mayweather was arrested late Thursday at a Las Vegas-area casino and was being held without bail at the Clark County jail pending a Monday court appearance.

Mayweather's attorneys didn't immediately respond to messages.

The warrant for the 33-year-old Mayweather stems from a battery charge alleging he poked a 21-year-old security guard in the face during a Nov. 15 argument over parking tickets.

Mayweather had been free after posting bail on unrelated felony charges following his arrest in a September dispute with his children and their mother.

AP PhotoJoey Graham won't play tonight. INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana -- Final observations from the Cavs game against the Pacers on Friday night in Conseco Fieldhouse: It's getting harder and harder to meet with coach Byron Scott and the Cavaliers after these games. There aren't really any questions left to ask. True, the Cavs played better in the last two games of...

AP PhotoJoey Graham won't play tonight.

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana -- Final observations from the Cavs game against the Pacers on Friday night in Conseco Fieldhouse:

It's getting harder and harder to meet with coach Byron Scott and the Cavaliers after these games. There aren't really any questions left to ask. True, the Cavs played better in the last two games of this 10-game losing streak, but it seems once they go down by about 10 points, there's little chance of them coming back. Scott still is getting nothing from his bench _ J.J. Hickson did provide 11 points on Friday _ but unless he tries to play his starters all 48 minutes, I don't see where this losing streak ends. Logic tells you that the New York Knicks, who will visit The Q on Saturday night, could suffer a letdown in the wake of an emotional loss to visiting Miami on Friday night. But that's not how it has been working for the Cavs this season. The good news, I guess, is that the team does seem upbeat, so there has been some carryover from the strong performance in Miami. The question is: Will that last long enough for them to get a victory in the near future?

Final: Pacers 108, Cavs 99. Once again, the Cavaliers had no answer for Indiana's Danny Granger, who scored 30 points to lead the Pacers, who improved to 12-13.

Cleveland lost its 10 straight game to fall to 7-19. It's the Cavs longest losing streak since they lost 15 straight near the start of the 2002-03 season, the year before LeBron james arrived.

Mo Williams had 22 points and 11 assists for the Cavs, who threw in the towel early. Down 14 with 2:15 left, coach Byron Scott sent rookies Manny Harris and Samardo Samuels in with Jamario Moon.

Third quarter update: Pacers 84, Cavs 74. Unlike Wednesday night in Miami, when the Cavs hit key shots to stay close, they can't cut into Pacers lead, and they're not making free throws either (21 of 28.) Injuries and foul trouble are forcing coach Byron Scott's hand, and he's having to go deeper into his bench than he wanted to tonight. The Cavs are playing hard enough, but they seem to have lost the edge they had against the Heat. Probably not surprising, but disappointing if they're ever to end this losing streak.

Halftime update: Pacers 53, Cavs 48. After a close first half, the Pacers inched in front behind back-to-back 3-pointers by Mike Dunleavy and James Posey to close out the second quarter. For the most part, Cavs defense has kept Danny Granger in check, and he has 15 at halftime. That's an off night for him against the Cavs. Anthony Parker has made 4-of-4 3-pointers and has 15 points. He's also defending Granger. At least the Cavs are still in this, which couldn't be said in their last visit on Nov. 23.

First quarter update: Cavs 23, Pacers 19. It appears the Cavs brought their intensity and defense with them from Miami, as they limited the Pacers to 36.4 percent shooting in the first quarter. Of particular note is the fact that Cavs killer Danny Granger has just four points, thanks to some tough defense by Anthony Parker, who also leads the Cavs with six points _ on two 3-pointers.

Cavs starters: F Anthony Parker, F Antawn Jamison, C Anderson Varejao, G Daniel Gibson, G Mo Williams.

Pacers starters: F Danny Granger F Josh McRoberts, C Roy Hibbert, G Darren Collison, G Mike Dunleavy.

Injuries: Joey Graham (strained right quad) is out for Cavs. None for Pacers.

Inactives: Christian Eyenga, Graham, Leon Powe for Cavs. Paul George, A.J. Price, Lance Stephenson for Pacers.

Officials: Bill Kennedy, Nick Buchert, Leroy Richardson.

Three things to watch

1. Can the Cavs recapture the intensity they had at Miami on Wednesday and finally give the Pacers a game?

2. How will the loss of two of their most physical defenders _ Joey Graham (strained right quad) and Leon Powe (right middle finger gash) _ impact the Cavs?

3. Will Danny Granger dominate them again?

Forward Joey Graham will miss tonight's game against the Pacers in Conseco Fieldhouse with a right quad injury, coach Byron Scott said at Friday's shootaround.

Graham missed time during training camp with a similar injury and aggravated it when he tackled Dwyane Wade and the two fell into the stands during Wednesday's loss in Miami.

It's a bit of a setback for the Cavs, who could have used Graham's physical defense against Pacers forward Danny Granger, always a tough cover for Cleveland.

Scott, who has shortened his rotation to eight players as the Cavs try to snap their nine-game losing streak, said he still intended to play about eight players against the Pacers. Graham's minutes likely will go to Jawad Williams.

Meanwhile, Scott said Jamario Moon would be activated for the game. Moon has been inactive since Scott took him out of the starting lineup against Chicago on Dec. 8.

Updated at 6:48 p.m. with quotes from Malbasa CLEVELAND, Ohio - Ben Malbasa was a winning football coach at Elyria Catholic the past four seasons and he'll now have a chance to continue his success in Cuyahoga County.

New Benedictine football coach Ben Malbasa succeeds Art Bortnick, who announced his resignation in late October.

Updated at 6:48 p.m. with quotes from Malbasa

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Ben Malbasa was a winning football coach at Elyria Catholic the past four seasons and he'll now have a chance to continue his success in Cuyahoga County.

Malbasa, a University School graduate and Bratenahl resident, has been named as Benedictine's new football coach.

"I have mixed feelings," said Malbasa, 32, who compiled a 31-12 record at Elyria Catholic with three North Coast League White Division titles and two Division IV postseason appearances. "There's great administrators at Elyria Catholic but more importantly, the kids are great but this is a good opportunity.

"I'm going from one [football] program with a great tradition to another program with great tradition and, of course, Benedictine is closer to my home."

Malbasa was one of 62 people who applied for the position. That list was cut to 13, then seven before he was chosen from a pool of four finalists.

He leaves Elyria Catholic as the coed parochial school in Lorain County begins serving a three-year probation, with restrictions placed on a member of the football coaching staff.

The football program was recently found in violation of an Ohio High School Athletic Association recruiting rule (bylaw 4-9-3) when a member of the coaching staff spoke to two students while they were in the eighth grade. It was determined the contact was an attempt to get them to enroll at the school.

"That was part of our discussion with Ben during the interviewing process," said Benedictine principal Joe Gressock. "Ben was very forthcoming on the situation and when we looked at it, we found out he wasn't the one who committed the violation."

Malbasa, who teaches English, has a bachelor's degree from John Carroll, a master's degree from St. John's College in Annapolis and a law degree from Case Western Reserve. He will join Benedictine's faculty in June after his contract expires at Elyria Catholic.

"We don't know what Ben will teach right now, but he will be on staff," said Gressock.

Malbasa succeeds Art Bortnick, who announced his resignation in late October. Bortnick posted a 65-61 record in 11 seasons, including Division III state titles in 2003 and 2004. However, the Bengals have struggled since the most recent title, logging six straight losing seasons.

In five seasons as Akron's coach, Porter has a career record of 90-13-10 and one national title.

Scott Shaw / The Plain DealerCaleb Porter, coach of the NCAA champion Akron Zips, has signed a 10-year contract extension with the school.

With success comes rewards. The University of Akron made that clear on Friday when it announced a contract extension through 2020 for Caleb Porter, coach of the NCAA champion men's soccer team.

The Zips defeated Louisville, 1-0, on Sunday in Santa Barbara, Calif., to capture their national championship in any sport. The win marked the third national championship in any sport for a Mid-American Conference school.

Porter's name has been on the lips of nearly every college soccer fan and several athletic directors across the country, as well as professional teams.

But Porter made it clear in a release issued by the univeristy that Akron is home sweet home, as he thanked UA president Luis Proenza and others on the board of trustees.

"With their unwavering support, we were able to achieve our goal of winning the national championship," Porter said. "There are plenty of places to have a coaching career and raise a family, but the University of Akron and this community are truly unique and special.

"I am loyal to Akron and I want to leave a legacy for Akron soccer. I am proud of our program and the success we have had. Over the last five years, the friendships I have made and the support we have received from our alumni, fans and the AK-Rowdies brings meaning to what we do. I look forward to building on our tradition of excellence for many years to come."

In five seasons as Akron's coach, Porter has a career record of 90-13-10 (.841). The Zips have advanced to the NCAA Tournament every year of his tenure and to the national championship game each of the last two seasons, finishing as runner-up in 2009. Their back-to-back title game appearances were the first in Division I men's soccer since Indiana in 2003 and 2004.

Fans have responded to the Zips' success. Akron was seventh nationally in attendance in 2009. This season, they drew an average of 3,213 fans to Lee Jackson Field, the second-highest attendance in the country and an increase of more than 1,000 from last season.

Akron has produced a finalist for the Hermann Trophy -- soccer's version of football's Heisman Trophy -- in each of the last three years. In 2009, the Zips' Teal Bunbury because the first player in school history to win the award. Also, the Zips have had five players drafted by Major League Soccer during Porter's tenure.

Porter is the winningest active coach in Division I men's soccer. He has been named Mid-American Conference Coach of the year four times and national coach of the year once.

"I'm very pleased that the University will have coach Porter for 10 more years," Proenza said in the statement. "I think it's important that we not only reward Caleb for the job he's done, but also give him the support and stability he needs to keep our men's soccer program a successful and nationally respected program for many years to come."

SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio - It did not take Jarvis Gibson long to get football back into his life. Gibson, 38, was named as the new football coach at Shaker Heights on Friday. He coached the past two seasons at St. Peter Chanel, but resigned in November following a 2-7 season, citing internal challenges. Gibson's team went 4-5 in 2009.

Jarvis Gibson coached the past two season at St. Peter Chanel and led now-closed Cleveland South to its only playoff appearance in 2007.

SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio - It did not take Jarvis Gibson long to get football back into his life.

Gibson, 38, was named as the new football coach at Shaker Heights on Friday. He coached the past two seasons at St. Peter Chanel, but resigned in November following a 2-7 season, citing internal challenges. Gibson's team went 4-5 in 2009.

At that time Gibson said he was not actively seeking another coaching position, but was open to offers. He said informal talks with Shaker Heights Athletic Director Don Readance eventually turned serious.

"We sat down and talked, and one thing led to another," said Gibson. "I wasn't going to do anything but do things around the house. I knew one day I'd get back into coaching. Things just fell in place."

Gibson coached five seasons at now-closed Cleveland South, leading the Flyers to their only playoff appearance in 2007. His record was 30-14 at South.

Gibson will replace Anthony Watkins, who has been with the Shaker Heights football program for 18 years. He served as head coach the past three seasons, going 9-21.

Watkins has been the boys track coach for 10 years and will remain in that post, as well as working as an assistant football coach under Gibson.

"The dynamics of being a dual head coach becomes overwhelming," said Watkins, 46, who will coach the linebackers. "Win or lose, coaching has a lot of demands. I'm going to take a step back."

Readance also announced former Benedictine coach Art Bortnick and one-time Chanel coach Bill Powers have been hired as the defensive and offensive coordinators, respectively.

Shaker Heights has been to the playoffs eight times, mostly recently in 2005.

Powe joins forward Joey Graham on the inactive list for Friday night's game against the Pacers, costing the Cavs two of their more physical defenders.

View full sizePaul Battaglia / Associated PressCavaliers forward Leon Powe (44) is sidelined at the moment because of an injured finger.

Powe joined forward Joey Graham (strained right quad) on the inactive list for Friday night's game against the Pacers, costing the Cavs two of their more physical defenders. 

Powe wasn't exactly sure how he opened the two-inch gash on his finger. The good news is that he didn't injure any tendons or ligaments. He's not getting stitches, but will let it heal naturally. 

"I tried to dunk it, hit the rim and grabbed the net," he said. "I think it was the net. I got it caught in the net when I was falling. It wasn't bleeding, so I didn't know what to think. Everybody told me to get up. I was like, 'Hold on. I don't know what to make of this right now.' " 

Powe said it could take a couple of weeks to heal fully, but he figured he wouldn't be out of action that long. 

"It depends on how much [pain] I can tolerate with it wrapped," he said. "Right now it's real tender because it's fresh. So when I tried to go out there, and it was real tender and sore. When I try to shoot the ball or pass the ball, I couldn't be real accurate with it. 

"I'll do something. I'll wrap it up. I'll find a way. I'm just trying to wait until it's not so tender." 

Graham missed time during training camp with a similar quad injury and aggravated it when he tackled Dwyane Wade and the two fell into the stands during Wednesday's loss in Miami. 

"I don't think this one is as bad as the one in training camp, so hopefully it doesn't keep him out that long," Cavs coach Byron Scott said. 

View full sizePD fileJoe Tait

Meanwhile, Scott said Jamario Moon would be activated for the game. Moon has been inactive since Scott took him out of the starting lineup against Chicago on Dec. 8. 

Tait replay: While legendary Cavs broadcaster Joe Tait awaits heart surgery in the new year, WTAM will air Tait's call of what he considers the greatest regular-season game in team history -- a 154-153 quadruple overtime victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Jan. 29, 1980. WTAM will air this Cavaliers Classic presented by Time Warner Cable in its entirety at 8 p.m. Tuesday. 

"That is the one game I remember most fondly," Tait said in a news release announcing the broadcast. "The Lakers were in championship mode. We had Bill Willoughby, who came out of high school directly to the NBA. Bill was guarding Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] in the fourth overtime. In spite of it, we won the game, 154-153." 

Although it goes against the cautious conventional wisdom of the game in limiting starting pitchers' work, Major League Baseball should consider creating the Bob Feller Award for league leaders in strikeouts.

Major League Baseball has introduced only one significant new award in the past 30 years. The Hank Aaron Award, presented to each league's best hitter annually, began in 1999.

It is now time to start another one in honor of Bob Feller, the great Indians pitcher who died Wednesday at age 92. Anything awarded in the name of "Rapid Robert" would have to go to the two league leaders in strikeouts. In some ways, it is the heart of the game, this matchup of pitcher's speed vs. batter's power. The award would reward hard throwing because it's called hardball, and you can't hit what you can't see.

An objection might be that Nolan Ryan holds the career record in strikeouts, but he didn't miss 31/2 years in his prime because he volunteered for active duty in World War II. Feller wasn't on the mound stateside in the early 1940s, racking up soft stats against 4-F's in the war years. He was over there, in the North Atlantic on convoy runs, in the Pacific, in the flight pattern of kamikazes, as a gunner's mate on an anti-aircraft battery on the USS Alabama. He made sacrifices without even being close to a batter's box.

Feller's baseball life was full of amazing statistics, such as leading the American League in strikeouts every full year he pitched from 1939-47 and sending a career-high 348 batters back to the pine without making contact in 1946, in his first full season after the war.

He was part of the game's power mystique, which ran from Walter Johnson, the "Big Train," through Feller to Ryan and Roger Clemens. He wasn't particularly eager to expand the club. When asked how good Washington Nationals fireballer Stephen Strasburg could become after he stifled the Indians last summer, Feller said, "Check back with me when he's won 100 games."

That was part of what he was about, too. The "Heater from Van Meter" was flashy with the strikeouts. But he wasn't a flash in the pan. Durability was part of the equation when it came to piling up the K's.

Many baseball people will shudder at the very thought of a Feller award for strikeouts. This is an era of restrictive pitch counts and of treating arms the way museums treat delicate vases. Feller, and for that matter, Ryan, now the Texas Rangers president, never believed in pitch counts. Strasburg was monitored as closely as a complicated and hazardous experiment in physics and still blew out his arm, undergoing ligament transplant surgery before his rookie season was over.

Feller had a high leg kick that hid the ball and must have made it explode into a hitter's face like the projectile that gave him one of his nicknames, "Bullet Bob." But he believed his power also came from his joints, wrists and fingers. He thought hard work on the family farm built up his joints and hours of playing catch behind the barn with his father, Bill, built up his arm. You could never throw enough, according to Feller.

The mistake was to think Feller was a "thrower," whose answer to trouble was simply to throw harder. Every pitcher needs an off-speed pitch to disrupt hitters' timing, or else they can "sit" on the fastball. Feller had one of the game's most devastating curveballs, which he threw straight overhand, with a motion that he likened to "pulling down a window shade." He could almost snap hitters in half with the pitch, as they tried to check the ferocious swings they had already begun in an effort to catch up to his fastball.

Most mere mortals would, of course, bounce that pitch in the dirt, five feet in front of the batter. With Feller, it became an out pitch.

The Feller award for strikeouts would, admittedly, lead some pitchers to overthrow. The answer to that is to develop a complementary pitch, although one as effective as his window shade curve is probably beyond most pitchers.

The Bob Feller Award also might lead pitchers to throw more pitches, work more innings, and stop handing the game off to the bullpen in the middle innings. Furthermore, it goes against trends in the game and in society today. In Bob Feller's day, a man was expected to finish what he started.

Cecil Shorts III called from the bus. The star receiver from Collinwood was making his last 400-some-mile trip from Mount Union's campus in Alliance to Salem, Va. That's where the Purple Raiders will face Wisconsin-Whitewater for the Division III national title in the Stagg Bowl on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The team will stop at the Tamarack rest stop...

Cecil Shorts III called from the bus. The star receiver from Collinwood was making his last 400-some-mile trip from Mount Union's campus in Alliance to Salem, Va. That's where the Purple Raiders will face Wisconsin-Whitewater for the Division III national title in the Stagg Bowl on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

The team will stop at the Tamarack rest stop on the West Virginia Turnpike for sandwiches, then it's back to the bus. It's a Purple Raiders tradition -- one that Shorts will always remember.

"I keep thinking about how this has gone by so fast," said Shorts, who was named to the Associated Press Little All-America First Team on Friday as an all-purpose player. "I have one game and four quarters left. I want them to count. When you go to Mount Union, you do that with the intention of winning national championships."

Notice that Shorts said championships . . . as in more than one.

Shorts came to Mount as a quarterback and soon discovered that the school had lots of quarterbacks. There were quarterbacks who already had won national titles, quarterbacks who were destined to win titles in the future.

"At the time, I didn't see it as a good thing for me," he said. "This was the first time that I was on a team that really didn't need me. They won lots of titles before I got there . . . and their view was they'd win more . . . no matter if you played."

Shorts called it humbling, much the same way it was a bit deflating when Division I programs passed over a chance to recruit him after being a star for his father, Cecil Shorts Jr., at Collinwood.

"A lot of my friends never heard of Mount Union," said Shorts.

But his father had, and he liked the disciplined-and-successful program run by Larry Kehres.

"Mr. Kehres was very straight with us," said Shorts Jr. "We felt let down because it seemed at least three schools, some of them in the [Mid-American Conference], were going to offer us a scholarship. But when they didn't, I liked how Mount Union is pure football. They promised Cecil a degree and a [championship] ring if he stayed with the program."

Shorts Jr. believes: "Mr. Kehres was sincere about Cecil being a quarterback. He even was a backup his first year, but they had Greg Micheli, and they wanted to get Cecil on the field."

Micheli was the Division III Player of the Year in 2008. He completed 74 percent of his passes for his career, with 79 touchdowns compared to only nine interceptions. It made no sense for Shorts to sit, especially when the Mount coaches believed he could be an impact receiver.

Shorts didn't like the idea. He also had no clue that it was exactly what he needed to become a pro prospect.

"Now, I can see it was the best thing that happened to me," he said.

Shorts Jr. said his son has been invited to the East/West Shrine Bowl and the Senior Bowl. There is an excellent chance that he also will take part in the NFL Combine, where college prospects are evaluated by the pros.

"I know that happened because I changed positions, and also because of Pierre," Shorts said.

He meant Pierre Gar on, the Mount Union receiver who became a sixth-round pick by Indianapolis in 2008 and is the second-leading receiver for the Colts this season.

"I know that paved the way for me," said Shorts, who has broken nearly all of Gar on's school records.

Kehres raves about how Shorts has evolved into a team leader, "He has real charisma, people on campus are attracted to him."

This season, Shorts has 17 touchdown catches in 11 games. He also has run back two kicks and a punt for touchdowns. His 62 career touchdown receptions are No. 2 all-time in Division III.

The Mount coaches believe Shorts' quarterback experience has helped him read defenses and become a very astute receiver. He doesn't simply sprint past safeties, he runs precise routes.

"I wouldn't be surprised if Cecil is drafted," said Kehres. "We have scouts at most of our practices and games. They have been checking and cross-checking him. They have talked to me about Cecil's family -- and he has a great one. He is an outstanding young man."

For now, Shorts is thinking about one more game, one more chance to win a championship ring. For the sixth year in a row, Mount Union is facing Wisconsin-Whitewater in the final. The Purple Raiders lost in 2007 and 2009, winning in 2005, 2006 and 2008.

This is Shorts' fifth season with the program; he redshirted a year because of an ankle injury.

"Mount helped me grow as a man and a football player," said Shorts. "I was 155 pounds when I came here, and now I'm 195. I've been a part of championship teams, and I've learned how you need to work 365 days a year toward getting back to a championship game. It teaches you a lot about discipline and being unselfish. Those things you take with you for the rest of your life."

Sources say Browns President Mike Holmgren likes Mangini and wants to see him succeed. But if Holmgren decides he wants to start over with his own people and with a West Coast system, a Browns losing record would be the perfect excuse to do it.

View full sizeJoshua Gunter / The Plain DealerThe Browns are 10-19 in coach Eric Mangini's one-plus seasons.

The Browns would like to see Mangini beat the Bengals -- who have lost 10 straight -- and then have solid outings at home against the Ravens and Steelers. But Browns President Mike Holmgren hasn't given him the exact number of victories he needs to survive.

"No, we haven't talked like that at all," Mangini said. "I don't expect to have those conversations. It's not how we're going to operate as a staff or as a group. It's: 'Win this game, deal with the next game, deal with the next game and then deal with whatever the situation is when the time comes.' "

NFL Network's Jason La Canfora reported Thursday night that "it will likely take a strong finish for Mangini to keep his job and that evaluations are ongoing." He also reported that league sources identified two potential candidates to replace Mangini as ESPN analyst Jon Gruden and current Panthers coach John Fox, who is in the midst of a 1-12 season.

A Browns spokesman declined to comment on the report, saying that Holmgren will not address the topic until after the season. Holmgren said after the bye week that he will evaluate Mangini after the season and then make a decision. He said wins and losses would not be the sole criteria.

View full sizePDBrowns President Mike Holmgren.

Sources say Holmgren likes Mangini and wants to see him succeed. But if Holmgren decides he wants to start over with his own people and with a West Coast system, a Browns losing record would be the perfect excuse to do it. The top brass didn't look happy after the loss in Buffalo last week, where the Browns lost, 13-6, to the Bills, who entered the game 2-10. Nor did they look pleased after the Browns lost, 24-20, in Jacksonville despite six takeaways by the defense.

"Sometimes [change] happens, where it's not necessarily right or wrong, it's just different," Mangini said. "The great thing about this situation is that the end goal with Mike [Holmgren], [GM] Tom [Heckert] and myself is exactly the same. It's to win, to build an organization that's special, to build an organization that Cleveland deserves and has been waiting for. How you get to the goal, there are a lot of different paths."

The Browns likely will shake up the offensive coaching staff (the Browns are averaging 18.1 points per game, 30th in the league). It won't necessarily have to be a West Coast system, just something more effective than the 2010 edition. Good games from rookie quarterback Colt McCoy against three AFC North foes could help maintain the status quo.

"Believe me, in a perfect world, you want to have one quarterback that's there every single week," Mangini said.

Mangini said he doesn't know if the Browns have shown enough progress this season for Holmgren to keep him around. At one point this season, the Browns were one of the hotter teams in football, beating the Saints, Patriots and almost knocking off the Jets. Since then, the Saints (6-0) and Patriots (5-0) have gone undefeated.

"I feel good about the things that we've done and the direction of the team," Mangini said. "There are steps that you go through in any growth process, and we've taken a lot of those steps, but we need to continue to take that next step, which is winning consistently. When you're trying to build it for the long term, you have to do it the right way. I think we've made a lot of good strides there."

Mangini said he's relished the input he's received this season from Holmgren and Heckert.

"That's been tremendous for me personally," Mangini said. "I've really been a part of one family tree for a long time, and it's kind of like when you get married. You get exposed to all of your wife's customs, family and traditions and it's like, 'Oh, OK. I'll celebrate that holiday. That's cool.' "

Can the blended family continue to co-exist?

"Yes, it's like the Brady Bunch," Mangini said with a laugh.

Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan said he's not worried about his future.

"I like it here in Cleveland," Ryan said. "We don't want to move. We shouldn't have to if we go out here and take care of business like we should. However it comes out, I'll be great with it. When I first got in the league I'd be scared [senseless], but not now. Now it's like, 'Please, there is nobody better.' I don't care. I'm going to coach my [tail] off, I'm going to prepare our team. I'm going to prepare it better than anybody else does on Sunday. I've been doing that all year now; we can look that up; that's documented."

He said it's obvious the Browns are much-improved and on the right track.

"I think this is a different team now from when we first got here," he said. "There weren't a whole lot of believers other than me and a couple other guys probably. I'm usually pretty optimistic. I think it's obvious, our team is a good football team."

See a photo gallery from the game here. MENTOR, Ohio — Benedictine is going to cause a lot of problems for opponents this basketball season. The Bengals did just that for three quarters Friday night at Mentor.

Mentor's Cole Krizancic shoots over Benedictine's Gary Williams during the fourth quarter Friday at Mentor High School. - (Joshua Gunter / PD)

See a photo gallery from the game here.

MENTOR, Ohio — Benedictine is going to cause a lot of problems for opponents this basketball season. The Bengals did just that for three quarters Friday night at Mentor.

But the Cardinals, ranked No. 1 in The Plain Dealer Top 25, showed how tough they are already by pulling away down the stretch to secure the nonleague victory, 85-74. Benedictine (2-3) came in No. 10 in The Plain Dealer poll.

The Cardinals (4-0) showed they can beat you in a lot of different ways. They connected on 13 3-pointers for the fourth straight game, getting a nice boost from their bench. They also showed the ability to go inside, with junior captain Justin Fritts scoring a game-high 26 points on a variety of moves.

"I probably missed 13 3s myself," said Fritts, who managed two baskets beyond the arc. "I think Danny [Wallack] and Jeff [Foreman] played really well. How about a sophomore coming in and Danny covering [Desmond] Ridenour?"

Trailing, 36-34, at the half, Mentor got a huge contribution from sophomore Foreman as he hit on his first three 3-pointers, the last one putting the Cardinals in front, 54-52. Mentor never gave up the lead after that.

"Don't give me too much credit," said Foreman, who had all his points in the third quarter. "Our philosophy is take shots if they are open. We are shooters. Yeah, I made some."

Wallack, a junior, made one 3-pointer in each quarter for his 12 points. He also had to work against Benedictine junior Ridenour, who led his club with 22 points -- 14 in the first half.

"It's up to me and Jeff to help this team," said Wallack, whose last 3-pointer put the Cardinals up, 65-60.

It was at that juncture that Fritts took over by scoring nine straight points. His 3-pointer capped a 12-0 run that gave Mentor a comfortable 74-60 advantage with 5:15 to play

"In the fourth quarter it was the little things," said Benedictine coach Rob Stircula, who started three juniors and two sophomores. "Our goal was to hold them to nine 3s. We played hard, but that two minutes in the fourth was too much."

After falling behind, 9-0, the Bengals ran off 14 straight points and held a 22-20 lead after the first quarter. With some good size in 6-8 sophomore Mark Williams and 6-6 junior Mike Roberts, Benedictine was hoping to slow down the contest to its liking.

But the Cardinals used their pressure tactics for turnovers and transition baskets to never let matters get out of hand.

"The third quarter was huge for us," said Mentor coach Bob Krizancic, whose club went 13-for-35 on 3-pointers. "We never gave up the lead after we got it. We aren't as good a team in the halfcourt as we are in transition. Our guys off the bench did a great job."

Senior guard Cole Krizancic had 14 points for the Cardinals, with senior Colin Barth adding nine points.

Benedictine's Williams scored 19 points, 11 in the second half. Junior Winston Grays had 10 points and Roberts finished with nine.

The Bengals did not take a 3-pointer until the fourth quarter, finishing 1-for-5 from the distance.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:jmaxse@plaind.com, 216-999-5168

This is the longest Cavs losing streak since the team lost 15 straight early in the 2002-03 season before LeBron James arrived.

Mary Schmitt Boyer / Plain Dealer Reporter

INDIANAPOLIS — Daniel Gibson was having a little trouble Friday night at Conseco Fieldhouse.

After he scored just four points in a 108-99 loss that extended the Cleveland Cavaliers' losing streak to 10 games, he was trying to tell reporters that he and his teammates continued to remain optimistic.

"I forget the saying," he said. "I was trying to test it out the other day about seeing the glass half ... full, or something like that."

He can be excused. After all, he has never in his life lost 10 straight of anything. This is the longest Cavs losing streak since the team lost 15 straight early in the 2002-03 season before LeBron James arrived.

But Gibson is right. The Cavs remain relatively upbeat, considering. Friday's showing wasn't as strong as Wednesday's at Miami, but the Cavs were hampered by injuries and foul trouble.

Guard Mike Dunleavy and forward James Posey hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Pacers a 53-48 lead at halftime, and Indiana just steadily pulled away in the second half as the Cavs never mounted anything close to a comeback.

"The silver lining is two straight games of us playing hard and competing," coach Byron Scott said as his squad dropped to 7-19. "But our margin of error is kind of small. When we make mistakes, we seem to pay for it."

Like leaving Danny Granger open. The Pacers forward came into the game averaging 29 points in the first two victories over the Cavs this season. He had 30 on Friday, including 4 3-pointers, plus 12 rebounds.

"I went through a stretch there where I wasn't shooting the ball well," he said. "And, in short, I might say I was coasting a little bit."

All he needed was to see the Cavs walk onto the court and that fixed everything. Cleveland certainly could have used its toughest two defenders, forwards Joey Graham and Leon Powe, both of whom missed the game with leg and finger injuries, respectively.

And it could have used more offense from Gibson, who was coming off a season-high 26-points at Miami. But he clearly was bothered by the length of the Pacers defenders -- from the 6-9 Dunleavy to the 6-8 Granger.

"That's something I'm going to have to watch tape on, because I think that'll be something teams will try to do -- put a longer guy on me," Gibson said. "I'll sit down with coach [Chris] Jent and we'll watch tape and we'll figure out what I need to do to get open out there and get movement out there."

Cavs guard Mo Williams had 22 points and 11 assists, while guard Anthony Parker and forward Antawn Jamison had 17 each. Once again, four of the five starters played at least 35 minutes, with Williams playing 39:31. Foul trouble limited forward Anderson Varejao to 30 minutes. Forward J.J. Hickson made just 2 of 8 shots, but 7 of 10 free throws, in 20 minutes.

"We don't have the equipment right now to get ourselves down and come back," Scott said. "We're playing so hard and with the rotation being cut short, it's hard for those guys to keep playing, 35, 36, 37, 38 minutes. I know that. But it also gives us our best chance to win basketball games. It's a fine line. As long as they continue to play hard like that, we'll break through."

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: mschmitt@plaind.com, 216-999-4668

MEDINA, Ohio — Pat Forsythe nearly had a triple double for Brunswick on Friday night. The 6-10 center had 13 points, 10 rebounds and eight blocked shots. Unfortunately for the visiting Blue Devils, Forsythe couldn't block everything Medina tossed up as the Bees cruised to a 61-37 victory in a Northeast Ohio Conference boys basketball game.

MEDINA, Ohio — Pat Forsythe nearly had a triple double for Brunswick on Friday night. The 6-10 center had 13 points, 10 rebounds and eight blocked shots.

Unfortunately for the visiting Blue Devils, Forsythe couldn't block everything Medina tossed up as the Bees cruised to a 61-37 victory in a Northeast Ohio Conference boys basketball game.

Other than Forsythe's shot-blocking, Medina, ranked No. 17 in The Plain Dealer's Top 25, dominated every aspect of the game, improving to 2-0 and 1-0 in the conference's Valley Division. No. 18 Brunswick slipped to 2-2 and 0-1.

"I think this is the best team game we played in years," Medina senior forward Kenny Kaminski said. "We went out and tried to pressure their guards. They're young and everything. We got some steals in the backcourt, and that changed everything."

Kaminski, who led the Bees with 13 points, set the tone early with a steal and a slam dunk for a 7-0 lead in the opening minutes.

Brunswick chipped away at the deficit with a 3-pointer and driving layup by Alex Hartill, but the Bees responded with a 6-0 run to finish the first quarter and led, 16-5.

Forsythe was scoreless in the first quarter. He got rolling with two consecutive baskets early in the second quarter. When Matt Dunning followed with a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 18-12, it looked as though the Blue Devils were going to make a game of it.

But it was as close as they would get.

A layup by John Hudak and a pull-up jumper by Billy Geschke started a 13-2 run to finish the first half and gave Medina a 31-14 lead.

The Bees continued to expand the lead in the third quarter. A driving layup by Logan Winkler gave Medina a 42-20 lead midway through the quarter.

Brunswick committed 18 turnovers to eight for Medina. The Bees won the rebounding battle, 38-25.

"Our guys just did a great job of executing the game plan," Medina coach Jody Peters said. "We felt we really had to go out and pressure their guards. They have some young guards who in time are going to be very good players, but we felt that was something we really needed to try to exploit."

Hartill scored 10 points for Brunswick.

"I'm glad it's over," Brunswick coach Joe Mackey said. "It's one of those games early in the year you just put behind you and try to learn from it. We'll bounce back."

Bob Migra is a freelance writer in Westlake.

AKRON, Ohio — St. Edward's defense turned St. Vincent-St. Mary's boys basketball team inside out. Kyle Pisco, Delbert Love and Myles Hamilton tied the Irish in knots. Add it up, and the Eagles put themselves in the win column for the first time this season in a convincing 110-92 road win Friday.

AKRON, Ohio — St. Edward's defense turned St. Vincent-St. Mary's boys basketball team inside out. Kyle Pisco, Delbert Love and Myles Hamilton tied the Irish in knots.

Add it up, and the Eagles put themselves in the win column for the first time this season in a convincing 110-92 road win Friday.

Using an 11-man rotation during an incredible first half, St. Edward came out in a full-court press and never let up.

As a result, SVSM (2-3) found itself down, 57-37, at intermission in what could be viewed as a near-pristine first half by the Eagles (1-1), The Plain Dealer's No. 4 team.

St. Edward forced 15 turnovers in the opening 16 minutes -- resulting in 20 points -- and shot a blistering 50 percent (13-of-26) from the field.

Most of that came from an inside-out attack as Pisco hit five first-half 3-pointers to account for 18 of the team's 57 points at the break.

"On the road and coming off a loss, that's as good as we can play offensively and defensively," St. Edward coach Eric Flannery said. "It's such a big factor to get off to a good start. This is a young team. We play off confidence."

All the confidence the squad needed came in a 13-2 run in the second quarter that essentially iced the game long before the final buzzer.

A crowd that included former Cavaliers coach Mike Brown, Akron Zips basketball coach Keith Dambrot and former SVSM player and current Brewster Academy (R.I.) senior JaKarr Sampson, saw the Irish simply go cold.

"I was outcoached, we were outplayed and they kicked our butts from the beginning," SVSM coach Dru Joyce said.

When Pisco wasn't having a huge 15-point second quarter, Love was keeping the No. 6 Irish at bay with a 15-point second half -- he finished with 26. Hamilton chipped in 17 points and added a team-high 10 rebounds and four assists.

"That felt great," Love said. "When we play like we did in all facets of the game and do things like that, we're going to be tough to beat."

The win gives the Eagles some much-needed momentum as it readies for games against Villa-Angela St. Joseph and Strongsville before heading to play in the Max Preps Holiday Classic in San Diego.

"This was a huge team win," Flannery said. "It was good to get off the schneid and get a win on the road."

Ricky Johnson led SVSM with 26 points -- 16 in the final quarter -- while DJ Blanks added 16 and Davonte' Beard had 15.

Brad Bournival is a freelance writer in North Royalton.

AURORA, Ohio — It's been a while since the Aurora girls have won a conference championship in basketball -- try 83 years. In fact, in the entire existence of Aurora High School, the girls have won only three basketball championships -- in 1924, 1925 and 1927. It seems difficult to imagine, but there are banners hanging in the gym...

AURORA, Ohio — It's been a while since the Aurora girls have won a conference championship in basketball -- try 83 years.

In fact, in the entire existence of Aurora High School, the girls have won only three basketball championships -- in 1924, 1925 and 1927. It seems difficult to imagine, but there are banners hanging in the gym to prove it.

Yet here the Greenmen are at 6-0, 3-0 in the competitive Chagrin Division of the Chagrin Valley Conference, following Friday's thrilling come-from-behind 58-56 victory over previously unbeaten Perry.

"Every day when we walk out of the gym, we look up and see that 1927," said Aurora senior Heather Schroeder, who contributed to a balanced effort with 13 points. She was matched by sophomore Allison Howard with 13 points, behind another 10th-grader, Camilla Brown, who had 17 points.

It was yet another sophomore, an unlikely hero, who hit the game-winning shot -- Christina Graham. Used mostly as a defensive stopper on Perry's red-hot Elisse Sailors, who was the high scorer with 25 points, Graham found herself with the ball in her hands and the clock winding down.

"I heard, 'Shoot,' so I shot it," Graham said.

The ball swished through the net with three seconds to play, breaking the only tie since the game began, and Perry failed to inbound the ball before the clock ran out.

Aurora, ranked 25th in The Plain Dealer's Top 25, led for the game's first 4:16 and then the final three seconds.

The Greenmen trailed by 14 points in the first half as Sailors hit four 3-pointers on her way to 16 points at intermission. Sailors was held to nine points in the second half, as Graham, Allison Blackley and Anne Quaranto turned up the heat on the Perry junior.

"We decided to face-guard her the rest of the game," Aurora coach Erika Schultz said. "That was huge."

The Greenmen gradually worked their way back into the game, scoring on offensive rebounds after missed free throws.

It all came down to a midcourt inbounds play that Aurora ran with six seconds to play. The ball was supposed to be lobbed to Schroeder, who was cutting backdoor off a high screen, but the ball was tipped and was headed out of bounds. Schroeder grabbed the ball and saved it to Graham for the game-winning shot.

"We've had that play for about two years, and it's never worked," Schultz said. "I thought it would be perfect, so I told them, 'We're going to run Florida, and we're going to score.' It didn't work perfectly, but somehow we managed to pull it out."

Perry, which falls to 6-1 and 3-1, got 10 points from Meghan Blaha and seven from Emily Kahoun.

Joe Magill is a freelance writer in Cleveland.

The Cavaliers feed off the energy of Anderson Varejao and finally end a 10-game losing streak, topping the Knicks 109-102 in overtime.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Tough times call for harsh words and desperate actions, and Saturday it meant the owner of the Cavaliers appealed to the masses to stay true to their team, while the team itself dug deep to find the heart that has been missing for weeks while losses have mounted.

Led by the emotional fire of the team sparkplug, forward Anderson Varejao, and the steady hand of guard Mo Williams, the Cavaliers finally rediscovered the will to win in a 109-102 overtime victory over the New York Knicks. The win snapped the Cavaliers; 10-game losing streak and sent the Knicks on a losing streak of their own that now totals three straight.

The first sign the Cavaliers had endured enough of the losing arrived before the ball was even tipped off between at The Q, when owner Dan Gilbert made his presence felt via the Internet, though he wasn't watching the game courtside.

"CavsFans are the best fans on the planet," Gilbert wrote from his Twitter account just before tipoff. "Your support in this challenging time is more than appreciated. We will get this right. Stay tuned."

It didn't come in Comic Sans this time, but it was a declaration, nonetheless. The Cavaliers' 10-game losing streak was being monitored from the top. Opponents had been shooting 50.6 percent against the Cavaliers in 10 losses.

A team that needed heart turned to the player who displays an excess of it nightly: Varejao. The Cavaliers' springy-haired center was asked to defend the Knicks' All-Star big man, Amar'e Stoudemire, solo. Varejao would have no help in slowing down the 6-10 Stoudemire, who averages 26.6 points per game.

Varejao defended Stoudemire it the way he typically does: with lots of energy, lots of physical play and lots of hair flying in all directions.

And it worked. Stoudemire had just six points at halftime on 2-for-5 shooting. And though he finished with 23 points on 8-for-19 shooting, he also had eight turnovers and was, in general, harassed from start to finish.

"He brings a different element to the game when he plays," Cavaliers coach Byron Scott said. "It's almost that never-say-die attitude; every time he steps on the floor you know you're going to get 110 percent from him. Other guys see that and they feed off that. He's our emotional leader."

It was the kind of effort that energized his teammates, when they were down by nine early, down, 52-49, at half, and down, 93-89, with 52.9 seconds remaining.

From there, the Cavaliers dug deep as forward Antawn Jamison knocked in a driving layup after a timeout, Varejao grabbed a rebound on a Danilo Gallinari missed jumper, and Williams sank the tying jumper with 3.7 seconds left.

"I just wanted to make sure I had a good angle. I wanted to get it to the rim as soft as I could," Williams said.

It fell, and once the Cavaliers were in overtime, they never trailed. Williams had six points in the extra period, finishing with 23 points and 14 assists. Varejao had four points in overtime, capping a 14-point, 17-rebound performance. Varejao also added four blocks, two assists and two steals.

All five Cavaliers starters scored in double-digits, finally displaying the heart that has been missing for so long during their 10-game losing streak.

Inspired by Varejao? It's not far-fetched to believe the Cavaliers stole some of his heart for one night.

"You don't want to get shown up because you see this guy giving his body, energy and just playing the game the way it's supposed to be played," Jamison said. "As an opponent it's frustrating as I don't know what, but as a teammate you admire that and it makes you want to go out and do the same thing as well."

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: jvalade@plaind.com, 216-999-4654

Hiram wins big over Case Western Reserve, but John Carroll and Baldwin-Wallace both fall.

Ethan Bradshaw scored 22, Jimmy Kerrigan (Midpark) added 18 and Lake Erie (2-6, 0-4 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) led by 20 in the first half, but the Storm could not hold off the Northwood, Mich., (4-8, 3-3), eventually falling, 82-77, in Painesville in a Division II men's basketball game. Bobby Lewis scored 22 for Northwood.

Division III

Hiram 103, Case Western Reserve 69 Aaron Stefanov was 6-for-6 on 3-pointers and scored his 20 points in the first half as Hiram (7-4) downed CWRU (2-6). Tom Summers scored 16 for the Spartans.

Otterbein 86, John Carroll 83 Joe Meyer (Mentor) had 20 points, but the Blue Streaks (6-3, 2-2 Ohio Athletic Conference) lost to the host Cardinals (3-5, 1-3).

Muskingum 71, Baldwin-Wallace 68 Promis Cabbil (Elyria) scored 20 points, but the host Yellow Jackets (3-6, 2-3 OAC) lost to the Muskies (3-5, 2-2).

Mount Union 75, Wilmington 73 Ben Hodkinson hit a 3-pointer with two seconds to play, and Dave Pellerite (Olmsted Falls) scored 22 for the Purple Raiders (3-6, 2-2 OAC) against the host Quakers (3-5, 0-4).

Division II

Northwood (Mich.) 68, Lake Erie 60 Stephanie Rogers (Mentor) had 13 points and eight rebounds, but the host Storm (2-5, 1-3 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) fell to the Timberwolves (3-7, 1-5). Rachel Church scored 25 for Northwood.

Division III

John Carroll 67, Otterbein 66 Lee Jennings (Stow) scored 20 points, and Missy Spahar (Lake Catholic) added 18 as the Blue Streaks (6-3, 2-2 Ohio Athletic Conference) downed the host Cardinals (2-7, 0-4).

Centre (Ky.) 77, Baldwin-Wallace 76 Amanda Schroeder had 19 points and six rebounds, but the Yellow Jackets (7-2) lost to the Colonels (6-3) at the Transylvania Classic in Lexington, Ky.

Maggie Prewitt scored 27 points and Lauren Huter 26 for Centre, which held on after leading by eight with 3:19 to play.

Mount Union 79, Wilmington 61 Katie Crider (Brunswick) had 16 points and Rosa LaMattina (Westlake) 14 as the Purple Raiders (7-1, 3-1 OAC) downed the host Quakers (3-6, 1-3).

Joey Graham's strained right quad will keep him out two to three weeks, according to coach Byron Scott. But Graham expects to be back sooner and not disrupt Scott's eight-man rotation.

View full sizeLonnie Timmons III / The Plain DealerThe Cavaliers' Joey Graham says he doesn't expect to be out long because of an injured quadriceps.

Minutes before that proclamation, however, Cavaliers coach Byron Scott revealed that the strained right quad injury Graham suffered in the Cleveland loss to Miami on Wednesday will keep the power forward out two to three weeks.

"It feels fine," Graham said. "But the MRI says something different."

Graham admitted that his inability to feel the pain might have more to do with his positive outlook than the actual injury he suffered. The quad injury came when he collided with Heat guard Dwyane Wade and both tumbled into the stands.

"It's a mind-set," Graham said. "Pain is just relative."

Still, the injury is enough that Scott will have to slightly alter his plan to use an eight-man rotation. Graham played 15 minutes in Oklahoma City and 16 minutes in Miami, and was one of the Cavaliers' stronger defensive players.

Without Graham, Scott said Jawad Williams and Jamario Moon will earn more time in the rotation. Moon, who was a starter in the season-opener, has slipped out of favor almost entirely, logging only two minutes in the past five games as he was inactive for four of those contests.

"It doesn't change what I want to do as far as the rotation goes," Scott said. "Obviously, it changes as far as the player who's playing in that eighth spot. But other than that, I still want to stick to that eight-man rotation."

View full sizePDJamario Moon

Graham said he expects to be back soon.

"My body is a fast-healing body," he said. "I'll be back before you know it."

Home cooking? Saturday marked the Cavaliers' first game in Cleveland since Dec. 8 against Chicago. Returning from a four-game road trip, the Cavaliers have played seven of their past eight games on the road.

One would think the Cavaliers would be eager to return to The Q, but they haven't exactly fared any better at home than they have on the road. Entering Saturday, the Cavs were 4-7 in Cleveland compared to 3-12 on the road, and actually shoot marginally better on the road -- .428 on the road, .420 at home. Thanks to some better 3-point accuracy on the road (.368 compared to .313 at home), the Cavaliers are averaging nearly five more points per game on the road -- 95.7 to 90.5.

The Cavaliers play four of their next five games at home, and Scott is hoping his team can find some comfort at home.

"We've just got to embrace the home crowd, embrace being home and embrace being back from the road trip where we didn't have a lot of success and look to try to get back on our feet," he said.

Dribbles: Leon Powe will be out for about a week with a right finger abrasion, Scott said. . . . Fox Sports Ohio will broadcast an All Access Night on Monday when the Cavaliers host Utah. The telecast offers fans a behind-the-scenes view of the game with more access to players, coaches and fans -- including Scott wearing a microphone during the game. Fans can interact with broadcasters Austin Carr and Fred McLeod by visiting foxsportsohio.com and clicking on "Cavaliers All Access" to log into "Cover It Live." Once logged in, fans can submit questions for both Carr and McLeod to be answered during the telecast.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: jvalade@plaind.com, 216-999-4654

Huggins has some nice things to say about the Vikings after his team's victory on Saturday.

View full sizeAPWest Virginia coach Bob Huggins.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- West Virginia coach Bob Huggins and his Mountaineers gave Cleveland State its first loss of the season, but he was still impressed with the now 12-1 Vikings.

"I like their team," Huggins said after WVU notched a 74-63 win on its home court. "I think they've got a great bench. Gary [Waters] can go to a bunch of people. I think [Joe] Latas really hurt us. I like them a lot."

Latas, the 6-11, 280-pound junior, played 16 minutes against the Mountaineers and grabbed five offensive rebounds and delivered two points.

By the numbers: Going into Saturday's game, only one team this season had scored 70 or more points against the Vikings. . . Only three teams entering Saturday had shot better than 40 percent against Cleveland State: Bryant shot 47.8 percent in the opener, Sam Houston State shot 46.2 percent and Green Bay shot 43.9 percent. West Virginia scored 73 on 47.4 percent shooting.

Hands (almost) off: Last season, Cleveland State's 6-9, 275-pound Aaron Pogue fouled out of eight games and had four fouls in 15 others. Before the West Virginia game, the junior center had fouled out of only two games (Kent State, Green Bay) but was whistled for four fouls in six others. At that pace, over a 36-game season, Pogue would foul out of six games and have four fouls in 18.

A big plus keeping Pogue around has been the emergence of Latas off the bench. Latas is averaging 10.6 minutes per game, by far the most of his career. He has fouled out of two games this season and has four fouls in one other game. And Saturday? Pogue fouled out while Latas committed two fouls.

Anybody home? Cleveland State will play back-to-back games against Big East teams as South Florida visits the Wolstein Center on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. tipoff.

The Vikings haven't drawn a crowd of more than 3,000 this season. Through seven home games, CSU is averaging 1,899 fans per game. The highest attendance was the third game of the season against Kent State (2,805).

Wednesday's game will be a matchup between two former Kent State head coaches, Gary Waters and Stan Heath, and both have already played KSU this season. CSU defeated the Golden Flashes, 69-66, at home while Heath lost to KSU on the road, 56-51.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: ealexander@plaind.com, 216-999-4253

Shorts finds himself back at his original position after Mount Union coach Larry Kehres makes the change while trying to find a spark during Saturday's loss.

View full sizeAmy Sancetta / Associated PressMount Union wide receiver Cecil Shorts III was 5-of-7 for 56 yards at quarterback on Saturday.

SALEM, Va. — Cecil Shorts III last completed a pass for Mount Union in 2007.

But the Purple Raiders' offense was struggling in the second half of Saturday's Stagg Bowl, which Mount Union lost to Wisconsin-Whitewater, 31-21, and needed to find some kind of spark.

So Shorts was back taking snaps and throwing passes.

In his last game with Mount Union, Shorts showed he still had the quarterback instincts he brought with him when he used to serve as a backup. He completed 5 of 7 passes for 56 yards and rushed for 19 yards.

"Cecil's a good passer," Raiders coach Larry Kehres said. "He came to Mount Union as a quarterback, and had he concentrated on playing quarterback throughout his career, he'd be a great quarterback now -- and I've had great quarterbacks. "I felt [in the fourth quarter] that if he had been able complete some passes, that might open up the running."

The first phase of the plan worked well. Shorts' passing did create running lanes.

In fact, Shorts took a snap from the Whitewater 49 with under seven minutes to play and the Raiders trailing, 24-21, and he was on his way for a big gain -- until he was stripped by Whitewater's Steve McCollom, who then recovered the fumble.

"It was a good play by the defense," Shorts said. "I should have had the ball high and tight, but I was carrying it kind of loosely. That was my fault, but they saw it and made a good play."

Review time: Like last year, referees could review decisions made on the field. The first came on Levell Coppage's 11-yard TD run with 2:46 to play in the first half when Coppage dove for the pylon in the left corner of the end zone. After review, the play stood.

What a run: Since Mount Union's current run of Stagg Bowl appearances began in 2005, the Purple Raiders have an 86-4 record. Three of those losses came at the hands of Whitewater in the Stagg Bowl. The fourth loss was in October 2005 to Ohio Northern.

Back to work: When asked about the current run of success being enjoyed by Whitewater -- which has won three of the past four Stagg Bowls, Kehres had a tongue-in-cheek response.

"They're kind of ticking me off," Kehres said. "I'm going to have to kick myself into gear so maybe we can win the next three out of four."

Steve Hemphill is sports editor at the Roanoke (Va.) Times.

Some guys (Dwyane Wade, for one) don't have the best form, but they still know how to get the ball into the hoop.

View full sizeHarry E. Walker / MCTDwyane Wade's shooting form might not be technically perfect, but it works well for the Miami Heat star.

When it comes to shooting jump shots, do you prefer cookies or BEEF?

When Mo Williams was a young player, perfecting that beautiful rainbow jumper of his, he was taught to flick his wrist at the end of his follow-through.

"I always was taught to get the cookie out of the cookie jar," he said, demonstrating how that wrist motion would put him in perfect position to raid the cookie jar.

But Daniel Gibson loved hamburgers, so when his dad was teaching him how to shoot, he used the acronym BEEF: Batter's Eye on the rim, Elbow in, Follow through.

Now Dwyane Wade is another story altogether.

"D-Wade is considered more of a slasher, a scorer instead of a shooter," Williams explained. "His shot is not textbook. He makes it work, just because he's so good."

As the Cavaliers saw in Wednesday's loss in Miami -- and many times over the years -- his jumper has no trajectory whatsoever. It's like a bullet that drops through the hoop so fast you could put a radar gun on it.

"We call that a flat jumper," Williams said.

"It's more like shooting darts," Gibson added.

Or daggers. How many of those shots has Wade hit against the Cavs -- or every other NBA team -- just when the Heat seems to need them most?

They're not pretty, but they are deadly.

"Once he gets going, it's almost like he can throw up anything and it'll go in," Williams said. "That's why he's so good. In a 3-point-shooting contest, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't win. But overall, he does so many other things. Players like that, if he was a pure shooter, he'd be the greatest ever."

Lots of teams feature great scorers as well as great shooters. Miami's shooting counterpart to Wade is Mike Miller. In Cleveland, Antawn Jamison is a scorer. But, take your pick -- Williams, Gibson and Anthony Parker are great shooters. Back in the day, Ron Harper was a scorer, while Mark Price was a shooter.

Williams and Gibson admitted there are guys in the NBA whose jumpers are so ugly, other players make fun of them. (Dallas' Shawn Marion comes to mind.)

But Cavs coach Byron Scott disagrees.

"You don't make fun of anybody's shot that goes in," said Scott, a great shooter in his day who still will challenge his players to shooting contests at practice. "It might not be textbook. It might not be the prettiest looking jump shot in the league. But if it goes in. . . .

"I had a coach say to me all the time, 'I don't care where you shoot it from, if it's going in on a consistent basis, you keep shooting it that way.' "

Like many young players are taught, Scott's follow-through was referred to as a ducktail or gooseneck -- the position of his arm and wrist at the end of his shot. (Remember the popular "goosey" or "goose eye" Cavs players made after a 3-pointer the past couple years?)

Now when the coach is teaching youngsters to shoot at his basketball camps, he tells them seven things have to be correctly aligned for the shot to go in: feet, knees, belly button, waist, elbow, wrist and confidence.

The thing about a great shooter is that the rim will forgive him, unlike Wade, whose misses bounce away hard.

"It's either in or it's not," Scott said. "There's no in between. Whereas Boobie or Mo -- guys who put a lot more arc on the ball -- sometimes it hits on the rim and it will bounce around and have a chance to go in. With DWade, if it doesn't go in, it's not going to bounce around the rim and go in. It will hit and probably be at the free-throw line somewhere."

Cavs legend Austin Carr walked by during this discussion about shooters and scorers, cookies, BEEF and ducktails and snorted.

"I just shot the ball," he said. "We didn't have terms back then."

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: mschmitt@plaind.com, 216-999-4668