CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Welcome to today's edition of Starting Blocks TV, hosted by Chuck Yarborough and Branson Wright. The Cleveland State University basketball team is 17-4 and 7-2 in the Horizon League. The Vikings are in a first place tie in the league. The Vikings play at Youngstown State on Saturday night. CSU coach Gary Waters is today's guest on SBTV. Coach...

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Welcome to today's edition of Starting Blocks TV, hosted by Chuck Yarborough and Branson Wright.

The Cleveland State University basketball team is 17-4 and 7-2 in the Horizon League. The Vikings are in a first place tie in the league. The Vikings play at Youngstown State on Saturday night.

CSU coach Gary Waters is today's guest on SBTV. Coach Waters talks about what hosting the Horizon League Tournament would mean for the school, what he thinks about freshman Anton Grady, and how Norris Cole is one of a kind.

Waters also answers today's poll.

SBTV will return on Monday.

Cavaliers rookie power forward Tristan Thompson is probable for Friday night's game against the New Jersey Nets at The Q after missing the past two games with a sprained left ankle

Tony Dejak, Associated PressTristan Thompson is expected to play tonight against the Nets.

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- Cavaliers rookie power forward Tristan Thompson is probable for Friday night's game against the New Jersey Nets at The Q after missing the past two games with a sprained left ankle.

"He went through everything today,'' Cavs coach Byron Scott said after the team's morning shootaround at the Cleveland Clinic Courts. "We've got to find out how he feels tonight. I don't know if there was any soreness today at all.''

Thompson injured the ankle late in Saturday's blowout loss at Atlanta.

Anticipating Thompson's return soon, the Cavs sent forward Luke Harangody to their D-League team in Canton on Thursday. Asked why they sent Harangody instead of undrafted rookie Mychel Thompson, who has not played at all, Scott said, "We've got enough bigs right now. We thought it would be good for Luke to go down there. We just want him to play.''

"I don't understand this. Wasn't Childress available last season, but we did not hire him. Shurmur said he would only give up play calling duties if he felt the next person could do a better job. If Childress wasn't a good option last year why is he this year? Is this a power move by Holmgren to allow Shurmur to be less involved in the offense and more involved in all phases of the team, especially special teams? This is very interesting development, I hope it works out." - ironman0583

View full sizeAP fileOne cleveland.com reader wonders why wasn't Brad Childress hired by the Browns last season if he is a good fit for this team.

"I don't understand this. Wasn't Childress available last season, but we did not hire him. Shurmur said he would only give up play calling duties if he felt the next person could do a better job. If Childress wasn't a good option last year why is he this year? Is this a power move by Holmgren to allow Shurmur to be less involved in the offense and more involved in all phases of the team, especially special teams? This is very interesting development, I hope it works out."

New Ohio State Buckeyes' head coach Urban Meyer has already made a huge splash since being hired, bringing on more than a handful of top high school recruits. And it looks like the impact will continue onto National Signing Day. Meyer has already taken three blue-chippers from Penn State, one from Michigan State, and another from Notre Dame. One top...

View full sizeLynn Ischay | The Plain DealerUrban Meyer has had a huge effect on recruiting since being hired at Ohio State. Nothing is expected to change on National Signing Day.

For more Cinesport video, go here.

Brad Childress is the new offensive coordinator of the Browns.

APFormer Minnesota Vikings coach Brad Childress will be the Browns offensive coordinator. season.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Brad Childress has been hired as the Browns new offensive coordinator, the Browns announced today.

The Browns had narrowed their choices to Childress and Mike Sherman, a league source told The Plain Dealer on Thursday. Sherman is expected to be named offensive coordinator of the Miami Dolphins.

Childress, the former head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, had been offensive coordinator in Philadelphia under head coach Andy Reid. Current Browns coach Pat Shurmur was also on that staff.

Childress, 55, served as the Eagles quarterbacks coach from 1999-2002 under Reid and was  offensive coordinator from 2003-2005, although Reid called the plays. Shurmur was quartebacks coach under Childress during those years.

Childress was head coach of the Vikings from 2006-2010, going 39-35 and 1-2 in postseason. He called plays for one of those Vikings seasons.

The Cavaliers are in town to face the New Jersey Nets tonight and look to build off their win against the New York Knicks Wednesday. Get Twitter updates from Tom Reed and Mary Schmitt Boyer @PDCavsInsider. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

The Cavaliers look to make it two in a row tonight as the New Jersey Nets come into town. Get Twitter updates from Tom Reed and Mary Schmitt Boyer @PDCavsInsider in the box below. Check out the in-game box score here. Read on for a game preview. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

View full sizeDeron Williams and the New Jersey Nets come into town tonight to take on the Cavaliers, who will be looking to make it two straight at home.

"Gotta love the Spurs for planting the defensive seed into Gee's head...and the Wizards for not realizing that he is the type of player they needed. If Gee develops a little pull-up jumper to use when his drive isn't there, he could become a very useful offensive player. That one move could cut down on a lot of his turnovers. Working in tandem with Casspi the Cavs are actually pretty solid at SF right now. I can't see Gee becoming a good enough ball handler to play very much SG even if he can guard some of the bigger 'n badder players at that position." - rwbbowg

View full sizeLynne Sladky, Associated PressAlonzo Gee is quickly becoming an asset for the Cavaliers on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court.

"Gotta love the Spurs for planting the defensive seed into Gee's head...and the Wizards for not realizing that he is the type of player they needed. If Gee develops a little pull-up jumper to use when his drive isn't there, he could become a very useful offensive player. That one move could cut down on a lot of his turnovers. Working in tandem with Casspi the Cavs are actually pretty solid at SF right now. I can't see Gee becoming a good enough ball handler to play very much SG even if he can guard some of the bigger 'n badder players at that position."

"Duncan played a lot of 1B in the minors. He can play 1B and play OF. He ain't flashy, but will get the job done most of the time if they simply let him play. Thankfully he is out of options so they will be forced to either find him a place or send him on his way. He deserves a shot. Hopefully the slow action on 1B acquisitions reflects their dedication to trying Shelley out full time." - wahoorc

View full sizeChuck Crow/The Plain DealerOne cleveland.com reader stats that Shelley Duncan should get an opportunity to show he can be a full-time player for the Tribe.

"Duncan played a lot of 1B in the minors. He can play 1B and play OF. He ain't flashy, but will get the job done most of the time if they simply let him play. Thankfully he is out of options so they will be forced to either find him a place or send him on his way. He deserves a shot. Hopefully the slow action on 1B acquisitions reflects their dedication to trying Shelley out full time."

"Works for me! Pretty good coaching staff and management. Let's be optimisitc about having a staff with this much experience. Dick Jauron as DC and Brad Childress as OC for the Browns, awesome. We should anticipate some good free agency moves and another solid draft!" - Why

View full sizeMcKenna Ewen | Minneapolis Star Tribune | MCTBrad Childress has been hired offensive coordinator and some fans are optimistic of the hire.

"Works for me! Pretty good coaching staff and management. Let's be optimisitc about having a staff with this much experience. Dick Jauron as DC and Brad Childress as OC for the Browns, awesome. We should anticipate some good free agency moves and another solid draft!"

Cavs rookie power forward Tristan Thompson was activated for Friday's game against New Jersey at The Q after missing the previous two games with a sprained left ankle suffered late in Saturday's loss at Atlanta.

View full sizeMike Cardew, Akron Beacon Journal file photoCavaliers rookie Tristan Thompson.

Thompson's recovery was part of the reason the Cavs sent forward Luke Harangody to their D-League team in Canton on Thursday.

"We've got enough bigs right now," Cavs coach Byron Scott said. "I just thought it would be good for Luke to go down there. We want him to play. Obviously, if Tristan's coming back, there's very limited time for Luke."

Scott still is trying to find a rotation for those bigs. Thompson backs up Antawn Jamison, but Samardo Samuels and Ryan Hollins are vying to become the backup center behind Anderson Varejao. For the time being, those two have passed Semih Erden in the rotation.

Scott especially liked Hollins' athleticism and activity the previous two games, but he's amazed Hollins had zero rebounds in 23 minutes. He had two rebounds in seven minutes on Friday

"With that athleticism, that's shocking," Scott said.

Ideally, Scott would love somebody to step up and claim the position.

"It would be nice," he said. "Until they do, I'll keep throwing them in and out."

On guard: There's another reason the Cavs sent Harangody down instead of undrafted rookie Mychel Thompson, and also recalled swingman Christian Eyenga: 36-year-old Anthony Parker.

"As far as Mychel's concerned, the reason we brought Christian back up is because we needed more wings," Scott said. "With AP, I don't want to play him a ton of minutes, and I don't want to run him to death in practice either. That's the reason we kept [Thompson] up here."

Former Cav Manny Harris also is in Canton but does not appear to be in the Cavs' plans for the immediate future. He is averaging 18.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in eight games.

All-Star pitch: Scott always lavishes praise on Varejao and what he means to the Cavs, but the coach thinks Varejao merits All-Star consideration this season.

"When you look at the Eastern Conference, obviously, [Orlando's] Dwight Howard is going to be the No. 1 center in the East," Scott said. "But other than that, I don't know who's playing better."

Scott, who played for the Los Angeles Lakers for most of his career, was never an All-Star, so he knows how tough it can be to crack that elite level.

"It is very difficult," Scott said. "One thing that has a lot to do with is how your team is doing. . . . [But] right now, I really don't see anybody in the Eastern Conference who's playing better than him besides Dwight."

Pair apparent: Former Cavs coach Mike Fratello, one of the Nets' television broadcasters, was wearing a spiffy pair of dove gray Converse sneakers for Friday's game as part of the Coaches vs. Cancer program. Naturally, they were personalized with "The Czar" -- his nickname -- written on them.

The last word: From New Jersey coach Avery Johnson, on the difference he sees in Cavs rookie point guard Kyrie Irving from the first meeting between these teams on Jan. 1: "His confidence. You can tell that the veterans trust him and that he has a rapport with Byron."

UPDATED: Irving scores 21 of his career-high 32 points in the fourth quarter but it is not enough for the Cavaliers to save themselves from a loss to the Nets.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — One good quarter -- actually, one good half of a quarter -- cannot make up for three bad ones.

Rookie Kyrie Irving scored 21 of his career-high 32 points in the fourth quarter -- 17 in the final three minutes -- but it was not enough for the Cavaliers to save themselves from a 99-96 loss to the New Jersey Nets on Friday night at The Q.

Irving's outburst helped the Cavs cut a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit to three. The problem was falling behind by 17 in the first place.

"Obviously not happy with how the game went, and it started from the beginning of the game," Cavs coach Byron Scott said as his team slipped to 7-11. "I didn't think that we came out with the energy that we needed. The last quarter we played with tremendous energy -- six or seven minutes left in the game. But we can't play that way. That's way too late. If we don't come out and play aggressively and with that type of energy from the start to the finish, we're going to keep having these up-and-down-type games."

Asked if he was impressed with Irving's late scoring surge, Scott looked puzzled at the question.

"We lost the game, period," he said. "So, no."

Irving wasn't accepting congratulations either.

"I would trade this performance for a win any day," said the rookie, who admitted he took plays off the previous three quarters.

"There was a lack of energy on the offensive end, and I really wasn't asserting myself throughout the game," Irving said. "I felt like I was taking some plays off and not being as aggressive as I normally am."

He clearly struggled defensively against New Jersey veteran point guard Deron Williams, who had 27 points and 10 assists for the Nets (7-13). Anthony Morrow added 22 points, and always-troublesome Kris Humphries had 18 points and 11 rebounds.

In fact, after Williams picked up 10 points and five assists in the first quarter, Scott took Irving out and assigned Anthony Parker to guard Williams.

"You've got a guy in Deron Williams who sees a rookie point guard and he's going to go at his throat," Scott said. "Deron Williams is a quiet assassin. He's one of those point guards who's going to come at you and if you don't accept the challenge, he's going to tear you up. He was good tonight."

The Cavs made him look even better. Cleveland looked disorganized offensively for three quarters and disinterested defensively. They wound up shooting 46.9 percent, but they had to make 13 of 20 shots in the fourth quarter (65 percent) to get there. They even struggled from the free-throw line, making just 14 of 24 shots.

For whatever reason, the Cavs didn't wake up until the Nets took an 85-68 lead with 6:37 left in the game. From that point on, they outscored the Nets, 28-14.

Big deal, Scott said.

"They played harder than we did for a longer period of time, bottom line," he said. "We got what we deserved."

Irving agreed, and at least it sounded as if the rookie learned something.

"If we play with the same assertiveness that we did in the last seven minutes throughout the whole game, it would have been a totally different turnout for us," Irving said. "We gave this game away.

"We needed this loss, honestly. It definitely showed us what we need to do going forward."

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

On Twitter: @pdcavsinsider

Eagles coach Andy Reid had both new Browns offensive coordinator Brad Childress and coach Pat Shurmur on his staff for seven years in Philadelphia, and he knows they will be a great combo -- regardless of who calls the plays.

View full sizeBradley C. Bower, AP file photoEagles coach Andy Reid, left, with Brad Childress in 2004.

"Pat's a heck of a play-caller, and Brad's a heck of a play-caller, and I think that's a heck of a combination," Reid told The Plain Dealer. "Both of them can bounce things off of each other. That's what Brad did here with me, and that's what Pat did here with me. So, whether I was calling the plays or they were calling the plays, we had an open communication where we could talk and make the best of whatever situation there was."

Childress, a former Minnesota Vikings head coach, was hired by the Browns on Friday to be the first offensive coordinator under Shurmur, who called his own plays last season. Shurmur and Childress spent seven years together under Reid in Philadelphia, going 70-42 in those years with four trips to the NFC Championship Game and one appearance in the Super Bowl, a loss to New England.

Shurmur will retain play-calling duties for now, but the two will have plenty of discussions about that, and nothing has been finalized yet, an NFL source said. Shurmur said during his season-ending news conference that he'd relinquish the play-calling duties if the right person came along.

"They were a great combo for me here, and we sure won a lot of games with those two at the helm of my offense here, and so I wouldn't expect anything different," said Reid, who ran the same West Coast offense the Browns have in place. "They work very well together, and it's a great fit. The Cleveland Browns are getting a great person, No. 1, and a tremendous football coach. He's got a great football mind, and he has a great relationship with Pat. It's a win-win all the way around."

Reid cited the tremendous job Childress and Shurmur did with quarterback Donovan McNabb, who went to three Pro Bowls with Childress as quarterbacks coach and three more with Shurmur in that capacity.

"They did a phenomenal job with Donovan," said Reid. "Brad had Donovan when he was young, and Pat had him when he was a little older, and Brad never lost his relationship with Donovan when he became the coordinator. The two of them developed him very well. He was a great player, but they did a heck of a job with him."

Reid is confident they'll have the same impact on quarterback Colt McCoy, if the Browns decide to stick with him.

"Both of them understand it takes four years for a quarterback to fully mature or get close to full maturing in the NFL," said Reid. "It's not a bang-bang thing that happens overnight. They understand how to go through that process and how to teach quarterbacks and when to be a little tough on them and when you need to back off. They both have a great feel for that."

Reid said he was lucky to work with both Shurmur and Childress and that the Browns are in good hands.

"You hire guys that are driven and smart, and both of them fall under that category," he said. "Both of them have a great work ethic, and they understand the game, and they have a whole lot of football smarts. They're smart guys away from the football field, too, but they really know the game."

The Browns were unavailable for comment Friday, but a source told The Plain Dealer on Thursday that the team had narrowed its choices to Childress and former Green Bay Packers coach Mike Sherman, who was named Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Friday night. Both men are clients of agent Bob LaMonte, who also represents Browns President Mike Holmgren, GM Tom Heckert and Shurmur.

Childress, 55, and Sherman, 57, also both interviewed for the Tampa Bay head coach job, which went to Rutgers coach Greg Schiano.

Despite his four seasons as a coordinator and four-plus as a head coach, Childress has called plays for only one season -- his first as Vikings head coach in 2006. That year, the Vikings finished 23rd in yards and 26th in points, and Childress handed the play-calling duties over to offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell.

The Vikings went on to improve steadily under Childress, winning consecutive division titles in 2008 and 2009, and reaching the NFC Championship Game in 2009 behind a fabulous year by quarterback Brett Favre, who led the team to a 12-4 mark with his 33 touchdown passes.

But it all unraveled in 2010 when Favre struggled and the Vikings lost three of their first four games. Things got ugly after Childress criticized Favre's decision-making, and receiver Randy Moss later criticized Childress. Childress ultimately released Moss without consulting owner Zygi Wilf, which contributed to his demise.

Childress sat out of football last year and wasn't interviewed for the Browns' offensive coordinator position. In Philadelphia, he was quarterbacks coach from 1999 to 2001 and coordinator from 2002 to '05. Shurmur was Eagles tight ends/offensive line coach from 1999 to 2001 and quarterbacks coach from 2002 to '08.

At his season-ending news conference Jan. 3, he said of Childress: "I know Brad very well. He and I worked together for a long time. I think he's a terrific coach."

Childress takes over an offense that finished 29th in total yards last season (288.8) and 30th in points per game (13.6). The Browns, with Shurmur as play-caller and the Browns down to their fourth and fifth running backs, scored 218 points -- one more than the expansion Browns of 1999.

Childress will help the Browns make key decisions such as whether or not McCoy can be their starter, whether or not to re-sign Peyton Hillis and what to do with the No. 4 and No. 22 picks in the first round. He'll be critical in the evaluation of quarterback prospects such as Baylor's Robert Griffin III and Texas A&M's Ryan Tannehill, who was coached by Sherman in college.

Childress has 33 years' coaching experience at the college and pro levels, including 13 in the NFL. His hiring gives the Browns two coordinators, including defensive coordinator Dick Jauron, with head coaching experience.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — John F. Kennedy boys basketball coach William Marrow leaned against the stage in the school gymnasium and fought with his emotions. His team took a giant step on the road to recovery Friday when it defeated visiting East Tech, 68-60, to wrap up the Senate Athletic League regular-season championship.

John F. Kennedy basketball coach William Marrow. - (Gus Chan, PD)

CLEVELAND, Ohio — John F. Kennedy boys basketball coach William Marrow leaned against the stage in the school gymnasium and fought with his emotions.

His team took a giant step on the road to recovery Friday when it defeated visiting East Tech, 68-60, to wrap up the Senate Athletic League regular-season championship.

That means the Eagles (12-1, 9-0) will host a semifinal playoff game, probably against fourth-place finisher John Hay on Feb. 8, with the championship game set for Feb. 10. Marrow said it will be the first time JFK has been able to host a first-round game.

"We're a good basketball team, and we just beat another good team, and we'll probably see them again," said Marrow, in his 13th season. "Our kids have worked hard for four years; they've worked extra hard this year."

At this point, Marrow paused for about six seconds to compose himself.

"They've worked hard to get us to where we are today," he finished with a shaky voice.

Few things were shaky in the Eagles' performance as they broke a first-place tie with the Scarabs (11-5, 8-1) by getting an early lead and staying in control. They made 24 of 58 field-goal attempts, went 15-of-24 at the foul line and had a 31-29 edge in rebounds.

Marrow's son, Jordan, was the high scorer with 26 points but he was backed by an evenly balanced offense as guard Donte Lindsay scored 12 points, Anthony Howard had 11, Saivon Jefferson finished with 10 and Ra'mond Bell had nine. Jefferson led the Eagles with six rebounds, and Marrow and Bell had six each.

Tech seniors Ramon Sheffield and Jimmy Morton each scored 14 points, and Kyauta Taylor had 10 but the Scarabs only made 5 of 9 free throws. Sheffield (6-6) led with 11 rebounds.

JFK, ranked 12th in The Plain Dealer Top 25, had a nine-point lead at the end of the first quarter as the Scarabs made just 5 of 16 shots. The lead eventually shrunk to three points, but the Eagles scored the final seven points to close out the half ahead, 37-27. An 11-6 spurt midway through the third quarter built the lead to 15 points, and the closest the Scarabs could get after that was 10 points with four minutes to play.

"It was very important for us to answer their first run and counter back," Jordan Marrow said. "If they get too much momentum, it might be a wrap after that, and they just hit and hit, and heads might get down. We knew we had to keep our composure."

Tech coach Brett Moore, whose team will face Glenville in the Senate playoffs, said JFK had a big edge in one certain area.

"The biggest thing with those guys is their chemistry," he said, "That's the intangible. You have to account for it, and it's real delicate, but those guys have it. They've been together a long time."

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: trogers@plaind.com, 216-999-5169

On Twitter:@TimRogersPD

ELYRIA, Ohio — Valley Forge is not the biggest team in Northeast Ohio. The Patriots could just about qualify for a 6-foot-and-under league. But what they lack in size, they more than make up for in shooting and passing skills and unselfish play. For 3 1/2 quarters it looked as if that might be enough to pull out a...

ELYRIA, Ohio — Valley Forge is not the biggest team in Northeast Ohio. The Patriots could just about qualify for a 6-foot-and-under league.

But what they lack in size, they more than make up for in shooting and passing skills and unselfish play. For 3 1/2 quarters it looked as if that might be enough to pull out a win on the road against Elyria.

But in the end, Elyria's aggressive play inside and an unlikely 3-point shooting spree by Dustin Stolarski helped the Pioneers pull away for a 68-56 victory Friday night.

Valley Forge, ranked No. 22 in The Plain Dealer, drew even in the back-and-forth game on consecutive 3-point shots by Matthew Budzik, Nik Postoloski and Justin Griffin. Griffin's shot, with 3:18 left in the fourth quarter, made it 54-54.

No. 21 Elyria then went on a 12-0 run to put the game away. Kody Bender hit all four of his foul shots as well as a jump shot during the run, while Stolarski swished two 3-point shots. Stolarski finished with a career-high 13 points, while going 3-for-3 on 3-pointers.

"Dustin was a big factor," Elyria forward Demetrius Walton said. "He was just feeling it. He was hot, and we just kept feeding him to hit the 3."

Another big factor was Elyria's offensive rebounding, especially in the third quarter. Anthoni Horton scored three times off offensive rebounds and Walton twice, as the Pioneers broke out of a first-half funk to score 22 points in the quarter.

"Demetrius and Anthoni, we told both of them we were real upset at halftime because we thought every miss we should go get," Elyria coach Brett Larrick said. "They took that to heart. That's what we need, for those two to be aggressive and attack."

Horton led a group of four Pioneers in double figures with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Bender had 14 points and Walton scored 10.

"Coming out in the second half, we decided to get more physical and give them a battle," Horton said. "They're a good shooting team. We just needed to come out and play."

Both teams saw their records go to 9-4 overall after the Northeast Ohio Conference cross-division game.

"They're a tough team," Larrick said. "They were 9-3 [coming in] for a reason. They've got some skilled guys that can shoot the ball. For the most part, I thought our defense was pretty good. We did a great job on Nick [Ho] to hold him to four points when he's their all-time leading scorer."

Griffin led Valley Forge with 15 points. Budzik scored 13.

"We have a couple strengths that we really try to optimize," Valley Forge coach John Ugan said. "We're fairly quick and we're fairly good shooters. You know what you have, and you know what you have to defend. Sometimes it works, and sometimes you get the whupping."

Bob Migra is a freelance writer in Westlake.

Cavaliers coach Byron Scott believes players are responsible for getting themselves ready to start a game.

View full sizeAPCavs coach Byron Scott.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cavaliers coach Byron Scott saved his rhetoric for after the game this time.

Whereas Scott used a fiery halftime speech to prod his team to a victory over the New Jersey Nets on Jan. 1, on Friday night he said he was mellow at halftime (really?) but vocal after those same Nets beat the Cavs, 99-96, on Friday night at The Q in a game that really wasn't that close.

"I was real enthusiastic in my end-of-game speech,'' Scott said.

Obviously, that was too late, but it brings up a fundamental difference between Scott and plenty of other NBA coaches.

For most of his career, Scott was a great player on a great team -- the Showtime Los Angeles Lakers. Surrounded by pros like Magic Johnson, James Worthy and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, he took it upon himself to be ready for each and every game, just as the rest of his teammates did. They did not look to coach Pat Riley to get them ready for a game. They came to the arena ready.

Scott does not see it as part of his job to get his players ''up'' for a game. Prepared, yes. Obviously, he presents his team with game plans and scouting reports. But when his players show up flat like the Cavs did for 3 1/2 quarters on Friday, Scott thinks that's on them.

You can argue the point, of course. Should it be part of his job? Especially with a mostly young, inexperienced team? It's a question of philosophy, with no right-or-wrong answer. It came up often last year, when the Cavs repeatedly started games slowly.

Scott has admitted he's not not a rah-rah, pep-talk kind of guy, and he's not about to change. So these young Cavs had better learn how to get themselves up for a game because their coach is not going to do it for them. What's more, he will call them out when they don't do it.

Perhaps that should be their motivation.

See a photo gallery from the game here. ROCKY RIVER, Ohio — Rocky River was not going to relinquish bragging rights to its West Shore Conference basketball title without a ruckus. As has been the case in recent meetings, the Pirates intended to give league-leading Midview their best shot when the Middies came calling Friday night.

Midview's Eddie Brezina and Rocky River's Jonathan Lihani battle for the ball. - (Lonnie Timmons III, PD)

See a photo gallery from the game here.

ROCKY RIVER, Ohio — Rocky River was not going to relinquish bragging rights to its West Shore Conference basketball title without a ruckus. As has been the case in recent meetings, the Pirates intended to give league-leading Midview their best shot when the Middies came calling Friday night.

But the top shot fell to Midview's Justin Morris as the senior forward managed to get off an acrobatic one-hander at the buzzer to scuttle the Pirates, 47-45, and extend the Middies' winning streak to 12 games.

"That was the first time to win like that," said Morris, who came up with a loose ball in the frantic final seconds. "D.J. [Johnson] got the tip to me and I just put it up. Everybody was yelling."

It was a reversal of fortune in this series as the host Pirates won in similar fashion a year ago on a last-second basket. Midview, ranked No. 23 by The Plain Dealer, won the first meeting this year, 39-33.

"This is their senior year," said Midview coach Troy DiFranco, whose club improved to 13-2 and 8-1 in the league. "We have guys who have been together for two and three years. They were composed. There was no panic. They keep on believing."

That faith was tested, especially in the third quarter, when the Pirates (9-6, 6-3) asserted themselves to build a 35-27 lead. Capitalizing on two 3-pointers from senior Cory Almady, the home club entered the final period with a 35-30 advantage.

Forcing the ball inside, the Middies got a three-point play from senior forward Riley Moore, a put-back basket by senior guard Eddie Brezina and a Moore tip-in to take the lead, 43-41.

"I got that tip-in and it was huge," said Moore, who finished with eight points. "They are one of the few teams that has size like us. We had to keep moving the ball around."

The Pirates answered with baskets by seniors Michael Pavlik and Joey Kinsley, the latter giving Rocky River the lead, 45-43, with 33 seconds left.

Morris, who had seven points, tied it up off an inbounds pass from Brezina with :25 to play.

After several timeouts, the Pirates were inbounding with 8.2 seconds to go, but the ball got away and Morris sank his shot while falling backwards just inside the free-throw line.

"We played defense longer in the fourth quarter than they did," said Rocky River coach Michael Murray. "It was a tough game. We had our chance to win it there."

The Middies did not have anyone find double figures, as Brezina tied Moore for scoring honors with eight points. Senior Patrick Linn had seven points and Johnson six.

The Pirates got 10 points from Almady, nine from Kinsley and eight from Pavlik. Rocky River went 4-for-18 on 3-pointers, while Midview made 2 of 7 from beyond the arc.

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

On Twitter:@JoeMaxse

Chardon graduate Erin Hollinger has 19 points for the Spartans.

Women

CWRU 61, Brandeis 54 Erin Hollinger (Chardon) scored 19 points and teammate Evy Iacono scored 18, and the Spartans (9-8, 2-4 UAA) defeated Brandeis (7-10, 0-6) in Waltham, Mass. CWRU ended the first half on a 9-0 run with five points from freshman guard Rachel Beaty.

Men

Brandeis 78, CWRU 74 (OT) The Judges (10-7, 4-2 University Athletic Association) scored six straight points in overtime and defeated the visiting Spartans (8-9, 0-6). Forward Tom Summers led CWRU with 20 points, and he also grabbed 10 rebounds.

Kent State's men's team travels to Toledo and Akron travels to Central Michigan in Mid-American Conference contests.

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Men

Kent State at Toledo

Tipoff: 7 p.m. at Savage Hall, Toledo.

Radio: WNIR FM/100.1.

Notable: Kent State (13-6, 3-3) is at the defining point of its conference season and is in desperate need of a road win to keep hopes alive for defending its regular season Mid-American Conference title. Toledo (10-10, 2-4) also wants to define its season as a program on the rise by knocking the defending champs off their stride. In league play entering the week, Kent was averaging 73.6 ppg but giving up 78.2. Toledo was averaging 59.6 ppg and allowing 62.2. This is the first of two straight on the road for Kent.

Next for KSU: Tuesday at Central Michigan, 7 p.m.

Akron at Central Michigan

Tipoff: 2 p.m. at McGuirk Arena, Mt. Pleasant, Mich.

Radio: WARF AM/1350.

Notable: Akron (13-7, 5-1 MAC) has won six of its past seven games overall, now that injuries and suspensions have been dealt with, and is in the rocking chair portion of its schedule -- MAC West opponents. Central Michigan (7-12, 2-4) has not jelled into the team most expected, even with high-scoring 6-5 guard Trey Zeigler. CMU has been one of the worst defensive teams in league play, allowing 67.2 points per game with teams shooting 48 percent against them.

Next for Akron: Wednesday vs. Toledo, 7 p.m.

Women

Cleveland State vs. Detroit

Tipoff: 2 p.m. at Wolstein Center.

Notable: Cleveland State (8-11, 3-5 Horizon League) got a four-game homestand off to a poor start with a loss, but looks to reverse that trend against Detroit (9-11, 5-3). Tickets are $1 to "Pack the House."

Next for CSU: Thursday vs. Butler, 5 p.m.

Akron at Eastern Michigan

Tipoff: 2 p.m. at Convocation Center, Ypsilanti, Mich.

Radio: WARF AM/1350.

Notable: Akron (9-12, 3-4 MAC) has struggled since losing leading scorer Rachel Tecca and now must regroup on the road against Eastern Michigan (13-7, 5-2).

Next for Akron: Wednesday at Toledo, 7 p.m.

Kent State at Northern Illinois

Tipoff: 3:30 p.m. Alumni Center, DeKalb, Ill.

Notable: Kent State (5-12, 4-3 MAC) is looking for just its second road win of the season, but its fourth straight victory overall. Northern Illinois is 8-11, 2-5.

Next for KSU: Wednesday vs. Ball State, 7 p.m.

-- Elton Alexander

Chael Sonnen says he doesn't think Silva will fight again, but UFC President Dana White says if Sonnen wins tonight, he will face Silva.

View full sizeAnderson Silva, left, fought Chael Sonnen in August 2010. Silva won the bout, and Sonnen tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone afterward.

UFC on Fox 1 in November saw heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez knocked out by Junior dos Santos a little over one minute into the fight. Sounds disappointing, right?

Well, not really. The show was the most watched MMA event in U.S. television history, averaging 5.7 million viewers over the course of the night, with nearly 9 million sets tuned to Fox for the short main event.

That night's undercard was somewhat weak, especially compared to tonight's fights. Evans (21-1-1) and Davis (9-0-0) are fighting for a chance to take on light heavyweight title holder Jon Jones. Sonnen (27-11-1) and Bisping (23-3-0) would be first in line to battle middleweight champ Anderson Silva.

Of course, the last isn't going to happen, at least according to the fighter whose reputation for trash-talking and getting into trouble is at least as great as his reputation for grappling. He's been suspended for the use of testosterone, and in January 2011 avoided jail in California by pleading guilty to one count of money laundering in a wire fraud scheme, surrendering his real estate license and paying a $10,000 fine.

Sonnen doesn't talk about that now. And he told reporters in a conference call that even if he wins, he won't face Silva in the octagon. As a matter of fact, Sonnen said he doubted if Silva would ever fight again.

"I can guarantee you Anderson and I will never cross paths again," Sonnen said of the man who submitted him in August 2010 at UFC 117. It was after that fight that he tested positive for the steroid, a mistake he blamed on a manager he's since fired.

"I know Anderson's not going to fight," said Sonnen. "The folks at UFC know he's not going to fight. I'm all for promoting and marketing and all that good stuff. I don't want to throw water on a perfectly hot flame, but Anderson Silva is not going to fight anybody."

Don't believe it.

UFC President Dana White, in a separate news conference Thursday, had this to say:

"He will fight Anderson Silva if he wins. He will not fight for the heavyweight championship or Jon 'Bones' Jones. I have to have a separate press conference to stop all the stuff that Chael Sonnen says."

Sonnen is a good fighter, and his mouth makes for good entertainment. He most likely will win the fight and will face Brazilian Silva on Silva's home turf.

The other key fight will be Evans vs. Davis. That's going to be a tough battle. Davis was an NCAA champion wrestler at Penn State and is young and hungry. Sherdog ranks him as the No. 6 contender in the division.

"I've worked on my standup [fighting]," Davis told reporters, "but I've kind of worked on my overall MMA game. . . . I don't want to turn into just a standup fighter. I've worked on everything and blended it all together, and that's more or less what you'll see this fight."

Still, he remains the underdog, so much so that Evans was asked if there was any danger of looking past

this fight to any battle with Jones.

"No," he said, as you'd expect. "Honestly, what it comes down to is that this is my title fight right now. All the Jon Jones talk and what could potentially happen if I win this fight . . . doesn't really matter."

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: cyarborough@plaind.com, 216-999-4534

CSU enters the game alone in first place, but a loss to the Penguins would put the Vikings into a tie for first with YSU and whoever wins the Valparaiso-Milwaukee game.

View full sizeAndy Colwell, Associated PressYoungstown State senior Ashen Ward, who went to high school at Villa Angela-St. Joseph, says beating CSU twice in a season "would give us confidence going into the rest of the season."

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cleveland State, a team used to playing in big games, has a major test tonight against Youngstown State. But for the first time in a long time, the game may be even bigger for the Penguins.

"It would mean a lot, Cleveland State [17-4, 7-2 Horizon League] being ahead of us right now in the standings," YSU senior swingman Ashen Ward said. "To beat them twice would be huge and would give us confidence going into the rest of the season."

The Penguins upset the Vikings, 73-67, earlier this season.

"If we can win this game and it gives us momentum for the rest of the season, then I'm all for it," Ward said.

CSU enters the game alone in first place. But a loss to the Penguins (11-8, 6-3) would put the Vikings into a tie for first with YSU and whoever wins tonight's Valparaiso-Milwaukee game. More importantly, Youngstown State would hold a tiebreaking sweep against CSU. It was just such a scenario last season that forced the Vikings to play through the field in the league tournament. They lost out on a first-place tiebreaker with Butler and Milwaukee that was worth a bye to the semifinals for the top two seeds.

Clearly, no player is looking forward to this game as much as Ward. The 6-3 product of Villa Angela-St. Joseph High has lived through three seasons of losing at YSU. He has played 30 games more than any other player on the team, which is comparable to an entire season.

So winning now is . . . kind of nice.

"It feels good to have the target on your back instead of always being the underdog," Ward said.

YSU is in uncharted territory. In four of the past six seasons, the Penguins have won nine games or fewer and haven't had a winning season in the six-year tenure of head coach Jerry Slocum. As for Ward, one more win would give him more notches on his belt than the 11 victories earned as a freshman.

YSU's most recent winning season was 19-11 in 2000-2001 under former coach John Robic. In the 10 years since, eight have ended with nine wins or fewer.

So to be in the league championship race at midseason, to have already eclipsed 10 wins and to have a solid shot at a winning season puts a smile on Ward's face. Youngstown was the first of several Ohio schools to recruit him out of high school, and the special-education major said, "It was the perfect fit."

"Now to be winning more games than we have lost is a great experience, trust me," he added.

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