Good and bad news from East Lansing


Hero of the Week

Ohio State senior safety Tyler Moeller missed last season because of brain surgery after he was punched in a Florida bar. He returned to preseason camp Thursday, Aug. 5. His attacker, Ralph Decker, was sentenced on the same day to two years’ probation. Decker paid $11,000 to cover the family’s out-of-pocket medical expenses. His mom, Amy, said, “today isn’t about the sentencing; it’s about Tyler being 100 percent and back as part of the team.”

Like most of our readers, I, too, look forward every Sunday to learn what’s on the sports mind of Brian Kollars. Unfortunately, he took his family on vacation, which included a trip to a Minnesota Twins game to “experience the magnificence of Target Field” (that’s how the Twins describe it). I just returned from 10 days of coaching and watching AAU basketball for the classes of 2011 and 2012 in Orlando, Fla., so here I go:

Calling the 517: That’s the area code for East Lansing, Mich., and the future destination for Wayne High School standout basketball player Travis Trice. On Wednesday, following a whirlwind tour of the campus led by the affable Tom Izzo, Trice verbally committed to the Spartans.

How close was he to committing to the Dayton Flyers and Brian Gregory? Hmmm. Prep school for a year with the hope of a UD scholarship in 2012, or come be a Spartan and compete to become starting point guard in 2011? Easy answer.

But Flyers fans should not fret, since they nabbed a major player from the same area code. LaDontae Henton of Lansing Eastern High School is a 6-foot-6 lefty, a three-time all-state player and double-double performer.

Just a few weeks ago, Flyers faithful were worried they might lose Gregory to MSU if Izzo bolted to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Consider the Henton/Trice commitments a wash and hope both players can live up to the huge expectations for their senior seasons and beyond.

Reality TV hits Canton: So I admit, unlike Marvin Lewis, I do watch the reality TV shows of Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens. But the real show begins tonight when the Cincinnati Bengals take on the Dallas Cowboys in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton. OK, so it’s preseason, and we should not expect them to play a lot. Let’s hope they perform much better as teammates and not become mirrors of their VH1 personalities.

We barely knew you: After their inaugural season, the Dayton Dutch Lions FC parted ways with their celebrated head coach and director of coaching Sonny Silooy last week.

While the team missed the playoffs by one spot, co-owner Mike Mossel said Silooy is not returning “due to a difference in soccer philosophy.”

With the team moving to a higher division in 2011, adding a women’s professional team and building a good fan base, we expect Mossel and his partners will look for a veteran coach to help the teams next season and beyond.

About the Author