Victory • The
49er men’s volleyball celebrate after
beating Ohio State 3-0. The men are ranked
No. 6 in the nation with an overall record
of 17-7 and 10-6 in MPSF conference play. The
men’s volleyball team plays at 7 p.m.
Friday at UCLA. LBSU travels to UC Irvine Saturday
for the Black and Blue rivalry series. UCI
beat LBSU earlier in the season on Feb. 24
in Long Beach. The 49ers are up against the
No. 1-ranked Anteaters who carry a 21-3 overall
record. The advantage may be in favor of LBSU
because they have been 7-3 at home this season.
Senior Robert Tarr ranks No. 5 in kills per
game at 5.07 and senior Tyler Hildebrand ranks
No. 2 nationally for assists with 13.76 per
game. Senior Duncan Budinger is ranked No.
14 all-time for kills at LBSU. The last four
home games will be played against BYU, Pacific
and Stanford. The MPSF Quarterfinals begin
April 22. Tracey Roman / Online Forty-Niner
Most Valuable Player in the future for Kobe
Patrick Hodgson
It’s a sold out crowd of over 19,000 in attendance at the Staples Center
with the shot clock running down as the Lakers are up by two points. All you
can hear are loud chants of MVP, MVP throughout the arena with the ball in No.8’s
hand. With three defenders draped over him, a 20-foot fade away shot is sunk
in the basket and Kobe Bryant has just put the dagger in the heart of the opposing
team, propelling the Lakers to victory. This is a familiar scenario Laker fans
have seen over the last decade.
As the NBA regular season finds itself rapidly coming to an end, questions remain
such as can the Lakers hold on to the seventh seed and disprove critics by making
it to the playoffs and maybe Bryant’s individual statistics can be enough
to be recompensed with his first Most Valuable Player trophy.
The Lakers are 38-34 and are currently on a four-game winning streak. In addition,
they have already passed last season’s win total of 35 with 10 games remaining.
With efficacious victories over the cream of the crop in the NBA such the Pistons,
Spurs, Mavericks and Heat, one would think the issue would be less of a perplexed
question and more of a moot point, however the team has fallen to mediocre teams
such as the Bobcats, the Blazers and the Celtics.
Although it appears the Lakers lack consistency, they have been consistent in
nearly every game they have played this season having over 30 games decided by
six points or less.
Bryant is the league-leading scorer, averaging just under 35 points a game and
has done everything from score 81 points in a game to shutting down All-Star
players such as Tracy McGrady to 11 points, and hitting off-balanced game winning
shots over MVP candidates such as Lebron James. But despite the play that continues
to draw comparisons to Michael Jordan, Bryant said he just wants to get his team
back to championship contention, which first has to start off with making the
playoffs.
“ I think we’ll be in the playoffs if we keep executing,” Bryant
said. “We just have to keep playing well, particularly on the defensive
end.”
One promising thing has been Lamar Odom’s increased aggressiveness and
Kwame Brown’s reputation.
Odom has been solid since the second half of the season started and has had solid
performances such as his 24 points and 10 assist performance over the Pistons
earlier this month. Brown has been impressive averaging 16 points and 10 rebounds
his last four games.
As the season ends, the sports world will find out if Bryant’s heroics
will be enough to get his team into the postseason and to see if his individual
success will give him the MVP. Until then we’ll just have to watch No.8
doing what he does best.
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