The University News (Irving, Tex.), Vol. 34, No. 18, Ed. 1 Wednesday, March 2, 2005 Page: 14 of 16
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14 March 2, 2005 The University News
Sports
Saweris explores wilderness of NBA hairstyles
Alan Saweris
Guest Columnist
I loved the flat top hairstyle.
I absolutely loved it. Since the
current trend in the NBA these
days is that of the throwback jer-
seys, why not have a throwback
flat top? (I also think that Pepsi
and Coke should come out with
throwback cans from previous
years, but that's a topic for another
day.)
Was there anything better than
buying a box of Raisin Bran and
seeing David Robinson sport-
ing the square head? Of course,
everybody in the NBA had a
flat top back then. Even Dennis
Rodman's craving for originality
couldn't resist the trend. Which
is why Rodman sported a blond
block of hair when he joined the
Spurs.
At my elementary school,
everybody imitated the flat top.
Even white kids tried to get flat
tops, but it never really worked
or looked right. White kids that
asked for a flat top ended up with
a lop-sided crew cut. It was just
spiked hair and once it grew a
little bit, the hair lay flat on their
heads, they lost the squareness and
could never get it to go higher and
higher, a la Kid N' Play.
Sadly, like all hairstyles, the flat
top trend faded. All the players
that once had flat tops began mov-
ing on to the new trend...bald.
Voluntary baldness: I don't get
it. It especially didn't look right
on perennial flat toppers such as
Scottie Pippen. I remember he
experimented with baldness, and
he had the Shane-Battier-ridged-
head thing going on. Not surpris-
ingly, he tried that only once.
Then there are the big, glisten-
ing, bald domes, the ones that
reflected light when their own-
ers shot free throws. I'm talking
about Barkley, Drexler, Olden
Polynice—these guys stuck with
baldness for the majority of their
careers. Maybe it wasn't voluntary
in their case, but it was very much
voluntary in others. For instance,
there was the 1998 Pacers squad
that agreed, as a team, to shave
their heads for the playoffs run.
Rik Smits looked absolutely hei-
nous. I preferred the out-of-con-
trol shag on the "Dunkin' Dutch-
man" over that bald head that
looked like kneaded bread dough.
The current hair trend is corn
rows and braids. Latrell Sprewell
and Allen Iverson have pioneered
this trend, as Jordan pioneered
the bald trend before them. I
had no idea how many possible
designs and patterns you could
make with these braids. I've seen
spider-webs, pig tails, you name
it. Still, I personally am ready
for this trend to die. It's not
cool to look at anymore. There
isn't much more you can do to
add more flare to this style, and
now everybody has started do-
ing it, even Charles Oakley and
Kendall Gill. It just isn't right.
I'm also a fan of the one-of-a-
kind hairstyles. Detlef Schrempf's.
It wasn't quite a crew cut, but it
had just enough length in the back
to prevent it from being a mullet.
I remember the hair in the back
getting so sweaty and seeing it drip
down the back of his jersey.
There was also the Bill Walton
"troll look." His face and hair
went in every direction in his
playing days. Sometimes, when
I see footage of him dunking the
basketball, I mistake it for a scene
from Teen Wolf.
I liked Christian Laettner's
butt-cut from his Timberwolves
days. Ditto for Rasheed Wallace's
spot. I also am intrigued by Larry
Bird's evolution from a blonde,
permed mullet with an equally
blonde Hitler mustache to a clean-
cut, clean-shaven,- "I'm an ambas-
sador to the game now" look.
And what about Scot Pol-
lard? Although most of his
methods of style-reinvention
end up making him look dim-
witted, I have to respect his
creativity in his ever-changing
facial hair and hair-style concepts.
You could say it is celebrities
who inspire players to adopt cer-
tain hairstyles. If there were no
Huxtables in the late 1980s and
early '90s, then there might not
have been a flat top emergence in
the NBA. And I'm not necessar-
ily talking about Theo Huxtable.
I'm talking about Vanessa and the
sky-high hair she sported circa
season six.
Celebrities continue to in-
fluence NBA hairstyles today.
Observe Kyle Korver's Ashton
Kutcher-ness and Jason Williams'
I
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a* fl
www,ece.uic,edu/~apatel/pi ppen.html
Fiat-toppers collide Bulls forward Scottie Pippen and Knicks
center Patrick Ewing were two leaders of the trend.
Marshall Mathers persona. While
I am a fan of contemporary styles
in the NBA, there is nothing I
would like more than to see a
nice flat top emerge—a fancy
one, too.
I'm talking about one with
three horizontal lines shaved into
the sides that reach back and make
a "V" on the back of the head,
with the optional braided rat-tail.
Give me Pippen's, A.C. Green's,
and Cedric Ceballos'. Give me
the high and tight. Give me the
pencil eraser resemblance. Give
me the flat top.
Hoggies defeat exas State 17- 0, bid farewell to five seniors
Chris Botto
Contributing Writer
For nearly 40 years, the
Groundhog seniors have taken
to the pitch with desire in their
hearts and fury in their eyes. Last
Saturday was no different. The
Hoggies lined up opposite the
Texas State University Raiders in
the final match of the season. Ei-
ther a win or loss would leave the
Hoggies out of playoff contention,
making this a game purely of pride
and honor for the boys in blue.
The rain fell. The whistle shrieked
with excitement. The game was
underway in San Marcos.
The first half was one of pos-
session and territory. Dallas pres-
sured the Raiders half for almost
the full 40 minutes. A sloppy
field and wet ball led to numerous
knock-ons and scrummages. The
Hoggies' back line played impec-
cable defense, coming up quickly
and containing the fleet-footed
Raider wings. Texas State turned
to a forward-centric offense once
the backs were squashed. But this
strategy met with crushing tackles
by the smaller, but fitter Ground-
hog men. The Raiders could not
find a single hole in Dallas' high-
intensity defense. Wearing down
the Raider side with their defense,
UD turned to an offensive attack
in the second halt.
From the opening of the sec-
ond half the Groundhogs were in
control. Senior Dennis Makus
took the kick-off beautifully,
running through four Raider de-
fenders before setting the ball for
second-phase play.
Texas State had the fortune of
taking a Hoggies turnover but
made the mistake of going wide.
The Groundhogs' defense proved
too fast for the Raider attack. Se-
nior Nick Wittich crashed down
on the outside center, causing a
high, off-target pass to the winger.
Senior Stefan Syski tipped the ball
in the air, and, for a moment,
silence ensued as the ball hung
motionless. Syski plucked the ball
from the hands of the attacking
Raider winger, outran the entire
Texas State side, and took the ball
over for a 70-meter try. Brilliant
defense from Wittich had led to
a Hoggies try from the swift feet
of Syski. UD was up 5-0.
Around the 70-minute mark,
the Groundhogs chased a kick
down and pinned Texas State deep
in their own territory. UD then
stole the ball from the Raider ruck
and sent it out wide to sophomore
Nick Wignall. Wignall made an
uncharacteristic pass to workhorse
Makus. Makus could smell the
try-zone 5-meters away. He
lowered his shoulders and bull-
rushed a Raider defense that was
no match for Makus' strength
and speed. The Hoggies went
up 10-0.
With five minutes to play, the
15 members on the Groundhog
side had one goal in mind—nail
the coffin shut. After battling
back into Raider territory, the
Hoggies forced a Texas State
knock-on, giving Dallas a scrum
from 30-meters out.
Junior Nathan Rizzo grabbed a
wildly hooked ball from the strong
side of the scrum, Rizzo hesitated,
pinning the flanker on his heels,
and then he broke right, push-
ing the fly-half aside. Rizzo ran
straight for the Raider full-back.
He drew the fullback in, took the
tackle, and popped the ball in the
air for his support.
Senior Chris Botto took the
pass, ran five meters, and made
one cut, leaving a Raider defender
confused and broken as Botto
took the ball over for the last play
of the game. Freshman Vince
Brunno successfully kicked the
conversion, giving the Hoggies the
win with a final score of 17-0.
U.D.R.F.C. (University of
Dallas Rugby Football Club) says
goodbye to five brothers, seniors
Michael Nkwocha, Stefan Syski,
Nick Wittich, Dennis Makus,
and captain Chris Botto. These
men stepped onto the rugby pitch
four years ago as individuals; they
spilled their blood, sweat, and
tears representing the university
to the best of their capabilities.
They exit the pitch as brothers
for life.
'D
Y
U
Thursday, March 17, 2005
9:00 PM- 1:00 AM
The Rathskeller
Erin «
Braugn!
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March 17p«s Dlrkner
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Dickens, Jodi. The University News (Irving, Tex.), Vol. 34, No. 18, Ed. 1 Wednesday, March 2, 2005, newspaper, March 2, 2005; Irving, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth201403/m1/14/: accessed August 15, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting University of Dallas.