Demaryius Thomas is set to be inducted to the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame on Feb. 25. Thomas, a Montrose native, is most well-known for his time with the Jackets and Denver Broncos, being the number one receiver on both teams. Thomas first enrolled at Tech in 2006, where he sat out the season as a redshirt freshman.
The following year, Thomas burst onto the scene, becoming the Jackets’ number two target and accumulating 558 yards — just 30 yards less than the leading option, Greg Smith. After his strong freshman year, Thomas continued to strengthen and became the Jackets leader on offense where he ended up with 627 receiving yards.
In Thomas’ final season, he went out with a bang, successfully accumulating 1154 yards. His 25.1 yards per attempt during that season remains a school record. For his highlight 2009 season, Thomas gained both All-ACC and All-American Honors, as well as became a highly touted draft pick. In the 2010 NFL draft, Thomas was drafted by the Denver Broncos with the 22nd overall pick. Thomas’ first couple of seasons in the NFL were relatively quiet, gaining just over 800 yards.
In 2012, Thomas’ fortunes would change due to the arrival of quarterback Peyton Manning. For the rest of his time in Denver, Thomas would become Manning’s favorite target, and would subsequently make four Pro Bowls, in addition to winning the Super Bowl during the 2015 season.
After his time in Denver, Thomas would finish out his career with one season each on the Houston Texans and New York Jets.
Over the course of his Broncos career, he raked in 9,055 yards and 60 touchdowns, with both being the second most in franchise history. On June 28, 2021, Thomas announced his official retirement from the NFL.
On Dec. 9, 2021, Thomas died in his home due to complications from a seizure disorder at just 33 years old. While the seizures were originally attributed to a car accident he experienced in 2019, Thomas’ brain was posthumously studied by researchers at Boston University, who found his brain was positive for stage two chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. Thomas is still being honored today by the family of Peyton Manning, who established the Demaryius A. Thomas Scholarship Endowment. The endowment provides academic scholarships to incoming freshmen from Laurens County, Ga.
Alongside a scholarship in his name, Thomas has been inducted to the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in Denver, Colo. and will soon be inducted to the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in Macon, Ga. later this month.
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The University of Minnesota Environmental Student Association (ESA) and professors on campus are working together to create sustainable systems to help pollinators thrive on campus.
ESA held its first meeting of the semester on Jan. 23, discussed their plans for the semester and visited the Bee Lab on the St. Paul Campus.
ESA was created in 2013 with the mission to provide a productive space for environmentally conscious students to come together while focusing on fostering habits and initiatives to inform the community and provide long-term solutions for environmental issues, ESA President Louisa Brody said.
“We want this to be a space where people can be heard,” Brody said.
One solution ESA is working toward is creating an environment on campus that promotes biodiversity and sustains keystone species, Brody said. ESA is currently pushing for the University to use native plants, like wildflowers, to attract pollinators to maintain the campus’s natural ecosystem.
Due to plant life not being able to reproduce without pollination from insects, ESA has tried to spread awareness about the necessity of pollinators through door-knocking and letter campaigns.
“Often, insects are overlooked,” Brody said.
The “M” symbol on University Avenue and 15th Street is created using flowers that are ripped out and replanted each year, which hurts native pollinators’ ability to fight against invasive species due to population decreases, Brody said.
In an email to the Minnesota Daily, Tom Ritzer, assistant director of landcare in University Facilities Management, said the annual flowers won’t survive the winter months and are removed every fall to make room for the next year’s flowers.
“Because of this, neither leaving nor removing the flowers in the fall negatively impacts pollinators,” Ritzer said.
ESA members also drop “seed-bombs,” which are biodegradable bags filled with soil substrates and native seeds, around campus to support natural bee habitats and increase the population, Brody said.
Dan Cariveau, an associate professor for the entomology department who specializes in native bee ecology, conservation and restoration ecology, monitors Rusty Patched Bumblebees. This species was common in the eastern United States but experienced a widespread and steep population decline before being federally recognized as an endangered species in 2017.
Bees provide valuable pollination services to many flowering plants, such as the fruits and vegetables people consume daily, Cariveau said.
“There are many, many food crops you would not get if there were no bees,” said Department of Entomology Head Sujaya Rao.
Different bee species provide various benefits to the environment, Rao said. Honey bees are reared in hives, which can be placed in different fields to pollinate crops. By contrast, native bees have a smaller population and an annual cycle where they hibernate in winter and re-emerge in spring, she said.
Native bees are not used for pollinating crop fields because their colonies are so small and usually die during the winter. As a result, most native bees are pollinators of wildflowers and other plants.
Cariveau said conservation efforts are essential to maintaining natural systems, and to protect our environment, people should always ask, “Do we value species that are at risk of extinction?”
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After a big 197.975-196.350victory against No. 25 Washington, the No. 4 Red Rocks (6-1, 2-0 Pac-12) remain home to compete in a highly anticipated top-5 matchup against No. 5 UCLA. Utah and UCLA are two of three Pac-12 teams ranking in the top-10 nationally, with Cal falling in at No. 7.
The Red Rocks got started off on the vault, while UCLA started on the bars. From the beginning it was obvious that this meet would be a very competitive meet. Utah and UCLA combined for six total Olympians in the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Jaylene Gilstrap got it started for Utah, putting up a 9.800 on the vault. All of the Red Rocks would go on to score at least 9.800, and Grace McCallum scored Utah’s first 9.900 of the night. Jillian Hoffman came in at the anchor position with a nearly perfect 9.975, giving Utah a 49.375 on the vault.
Unfortunately, Utah closely trailed the Bruins after the first event, 49.375-49.400. But moving on to the bars, Amelie Morgan started the Red Rocks off with a big 9.875.
Maile O’Keefe posted a season-high 9.950 on the bars. Cristal Isa followed O’Keefe with a 9.950 of her own. McCallum came in as the anchor for the Red Rocks, contributing a 9.950 of her own to finish Utah’s bar routine with three straight scores of 9.950.
With their strong finish on the bars, the Red Rocks quickly claimed the lead. UCLA put up 49.150 on the vault, unable to keep up with Utah’s season-high 49.575 on the bars.
With Utah leading 98.950-98.550, both the Red Rocks and the Bruins moved on to their best events, with Utah ranking No. 1 on beam and UCLA ranking No. 2 on floor.
Morgan got it started for the Red Rocks, as she has the entire season, and posted a 9.875 for this top-ranked Utah beam team. McCallum followed with a near-perfect 9.975, tying her career-high.
Kara Eaker once again proved why she is one of the best in the nation on the beam, putting up a 9.975 for the Red Rocks. Cristal Isa followed with a 9.950 of her own, and O’Keefe followed at the anchor.
O’ Keefe scored her fifth career 10.0 and showed why this Red Rocks beam team truly is the best in the nation. The Red Rocks put up the nation’s highest beam score of the season, tying the school record with an incredible 49.775 and giving Utah the 148.725-147.875 lead.
With only floor to go, the Red Rocks looked to finish strong in this highly anticipated matchup. McCallum and O’Keefe were the highlights of floor, both scoring 9.925 and finishing the Red Rocks with 49.475 on the floor and the 198.200-197.450 victory.
McCallum finished the night with 39.750 all around, finishing just behind former Olympic teammate Jordan Chiles.
The Red Rocks also became just the third team in the nation to surpass 198.000, joining Michigan and Oklahoma.
The Red Rocks will now head to the Metroplex Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas where they will look to extend their winning streak before resuming Pac-12 competition. The Red Rocks will compete against Illinois State and No. 17 Georgia. The meet will take place on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 1:15 p.m. MST.
An atmosphere of excitement filled Chartway Arena on Thursday evening as the ODU men’s basketball team welcomed in-state rival James Madison for its first Royal Rivalry matchup after both schools joined the Sun Belt Conference. When it comes to men’s basketball, these two programs have a storied history that spans back to the early 70s, when the Monarchs led the all-time series 58-29. That evening, the Dukes gained the upper hand and defeated Old Dominion 78-73 in a matchup where they led the entire way.
Senior guard Tyreek Scott-Grayson nails the three-pointer and lets the crowd know. (Elena Harris )
In front of an exuberant crowd of almost 7,700, the Dukes struck the first blows in the contest, opening up with a 9-0 scoring run. The scoring drought didn’t end for ODU until senior guard Tyreek Scott-Grayson made a shot from beyond the arc. On the ensuing possession, JMU retaliated with a three-pointer of their own to extend their lead to 12-3. After a few minutes of no scoring, junior guard Mekhi Long found his way into the paint and earned a layup to cut the deficit to seven points.
Both teams traded baskets on the ensuing possessions as the score remained 14-7 in favor of JMU, but it was a 7-0 scoring run that broke the game wide open by bringing the advantage to 14 points. The Monarchs were paying the price for their sluggish start as the Dukes made their presence felt on the court. James Madison dominated throughout the first half, but as the Dukes led 31-20, sophomore guard Imo Essien tallied back-to-back jump shots for the Monarchs to cut the score to 31-24. JMU tallied another four points in the half before Scott-Grayson brought the crowd to its feet with a buzzer-beating three to end the half. The Dukes led 35-27 at the break.
Although ODU got their teeth kicked in at the start of the game, they returned the favor at the beginning of the second half. Freshman guard Bryce Baker got things started for the Monarchs when he drained a three-pointer, but Long made it a one-possession ballgame after converting the layup. JMU added a pair of free throws to maintain a 37-32 advantage, but sophomore guard Chaunce Jenkins drained the jump shot to cut the deficit to three. On the next ODU possession after the JMU layup, Long brought a roar out of the arena after nailing the three-pointer to bring the game within two.
Sophomore guard Chaunce Jenkins throws up the long jump shot. (Elena Harris )
As the Dukes led 42-38 with 15 minutes left to play, Long sank another shot from beyond the arc to bring the game within one, which was the closest the Monarchs would come to taking the lead. The Monarchs kept pace with JMU throughout the first part of the second half, but in a span of four possessions for the Dukes, James Madison busted the game open again with three successful three-pointers to make it 60-53. Essien returned the favor on the ensuing ODU possession to cut the game to within four, but James Madison maintained their distance with a quick 5-0 scoring run. Jenkins drained a three-pointer and a pair of free throws to keep the Monarchs within reach as time dwindled down.
In the later stages of the game, ODU decided to go with a full-court press on the defensive side, but they wound up giving easy breakaway baskets that gave the Dukes the edge. James Madison led 75-69 with just 20 seconds to play when Jenkins tallied two more baskets for the Monarchs to cut the lead to 76-73. With only three seconds to play, JMU inbounded the ball successfully and went to the foul line to add a pair of free throws, ending the game at 78-73.
In 36 minutes on the court, Jenkins led the way for the Monarchs with 19 points and five assists while Long knotted himself a double-double with 14 points and ten rebounds in 35 minutes. Both Scott-Grayson and Essien tied for 19 points and four assists coming off the bench.
Junior forward Derricko Williams comes to his feet to throw up the three signal after the Monarchs nailed the shot from beyond the arc. (Elena Harris )
After the game, head coach Jeff Jones shared his thoughts on the outcome and acknowledged that the Dukes were the better team. He mentioned that the sluggish start to the game played a pivotal role in the defeat when the opposition was draining their shots.
“My hats off to James Madison. They just played better than us tonight,” Jones stated. “They came out and established themselves as the aggressor and we didn’t really have much of a response. The problem is, when you get down to a good team, a veteran team, and a team that exhibited shot-making the way they did tonight, you know, it’s hard to climb up that mountain.”
With the defeat, the Monarchs fell to 13-10 (5-6 Sun Belt) on the season as the Dukes improved their record to 16-8 (7-4 Sun Belt). There are only seven regular season games left to play as Old Dominion shifts their focus to Georgia Southern, who they’ll meet this evening for Alumni Night. The team will sport their Hudson Blue uniforms against the Eagles as they look to bounce back into the win column. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m..
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Months ago, one of us wrote an article about how a wave of anti-trans legislation was set to hit the U.S. next legislative season. Well, it’s here. In Utah, this year’s legislative session has introduced five anti-trans bills that, if approved, would majorly impact trans people in the state. Anti-trans legislation like S.B. 100 and S.B. 16 strips trans youth’s right to privacy, bodily autonomy and basic health care.
What’s Happening
This session looks incredibly bleak. On Jan. 24, children, families and advocacy groups gathered in protest of this year’s anti-trans legislation. Despite emotional testimonies and an outpouring of love, the Utah State Legislature callously chose to pass S.B. 16. This inhumane bill, sponsored by Sen. Michael S. Kennedy and Rep. Katy Hall, bans life-saving gender-affirming healthcare, including hormones, puberty blockers and surgeries.
S.B. 100, sponsored by Sen. Todd D. Weiler and Rep. Stephanie Gricius, is a watered-down version of Florida’s notorious “Don’t Say Gay” bill. In essence, this bill seeks to forcibly out any trans child who wishes to change their name or preferred pronouns in school by requiring parental consent. All S.B. 100 does is put queer youth at more risk.
Removing access to gender-affirming care at any age is incredibly harmful to trans people. The ability to access gender-affirming care like puberty blockers decreases suicidality in trans youth by 73%. For a Congressperson to pass a bill as detrimental as S.B. 16 is an irresponsible abuse of power. To sign S.B. 16 into law is to knowingly sentence trans kids to death.
Not only will the ban on affirming care greatly impact all trans kids in Utah, but the addition of S.B. 100 will also strip them of their right to privacy and disclosure on their own terms. In 2022, fewer than one in three trans or nonbinary kids lived in gender-affirming homes. Transgender youth are more likely to experience physical, psychological and sexual abuse than their cis counterparts. For safety reasons, not everyone can come out to their parents for fear of rising tensions at home, increased abuse and even homelessness. LGBTQ youth are already at an increased risk of homelessness, but trans youth experience it at much higher rates: 38% of trans women/girls and 39% of trans men/boys have experienced homelessness at some point, compared to 23% of cisgender LGBTQ youth.
Not every household is going to be accepting of their trans child. This new round of legislation is not only anti-trans, but anti-child. By passing these bills, lawmakers make the conscious decision to put a group of children at risk just because they need different care than their cis-counterparts. Their lack of compassion is setting Utah backwards on its road to becoming a safe and equitable place for all to live.
We are tired of legislators trying to absolve themselves with weak arguments and excuses. When interviewed on S.B. 100, Sen. Weiler said, “There’s nothing in my bill that requires the school to notify the parents unless they’re changing their records.” This, however, means the child would have to continue being misidentified daily and living every day as a battle to ensure teachers and peers respect their identity. It puts trans children at an impasse where they have to choose between feeling safe at home or at school. That’s a decision no child should ever have to make.
Trans people experience barriers to receiving health care that many cis people will never have to experience. Now, trans people are in danger of having their rights to privacy and safety stripped as well. Trans bodies get demonized just to make cis people feel better about themselves, and that’s disgusting. These bills introduced this session are not the last time trans rights will be on the ballot. Care bans on trans children only pave the way for restrictions on care for trans adults. We already see this happening in Oklahoma, where a proposed bill would ban gender-affirming care for anyone under the age of 26. This incessant need to police trans bodies does nothing but put trans people at risk and provides an excuse for the increased incidents of violence against trans people.
Life as a trans youth is already hard enough. This new legislation seeks to make life unlivable. But no amount of legislation will erase trans people. As protestors at the Capitol put it, trans people have always been here and they will always be here. It’s time the legislature lets that sink in.
The Associated Students of Colorado State University convened Feb. 1 for the 17th meeting of the 52nd senate.
The session began with a thorough presentation from Larimer County Commissioner John Kefalas, who addressed pressing Fort Collins City Council matters such as community mental health programs, evolving criminal justice strategies, developing plans for a new Larimer County garbage transfer facility and ongoing affordable housing initiatives in the middle of the controversial U+2 residency policy.
“We need diversity of housing options,” Kefalas said. “That is something we’re working on to make sure there are enough units so people with housing vouchers and disabilities can access housing.”
Kefalas also encouraged ASCSU senate members and the rest of the Colorado State University student body to become more involved in Larimer County politics, stressing the important role CSU students play in making change in the Fort Collins community.
Bill 5211, “ASCSU Signature on the Indian Child Welfare Act” was then heard after being moved to the top of the agenda.
The bill seeks an official ASCSU signature declaring the legislative body’s support for the ICWA, which, in November 2022, was brought before the United States Supreme Court for reevaluation concerning its constitutionality.
The act, first passed in 1978, has worked to ensure the safety and security of Native American children on Indigenous reservations by limiting the federal government’s ability to place Indigenous children in federal institutions.
“Here we have a chance to do legitimate action that could directly benefit the student body and our constituents,” Senator Nora Aslan said. “I think we would be negligent if we didn’t fully consider this bill because it is that important to hundreds of people across campus.”
The bill passed with unanimous consent.
Senate then heard from Chief of Staff Haydyn Deason, Chief of State Jasen Wahler, Director of Traditions and Programs Reed Vega and Director of Governmental Affairs Evan Welch on matters such as the success of the recent ASCSU Blood Drive event, ongoing Rocky Mountain Student Media contract negotiations, the design contest for the 2023 For-Ever-Green T-shirt distributed among incoming first-year students and upcoming mental health tabling on The Plaza.
Chief Justice Marcus Zacarias and Deputy Chief Justice Kelley Dungan also provided updates on matters including the continuance of the Rams Know Their Rights program, another “Coffee with the Court” event Feb. 17 and an upcoming cannabis educational event in March.
Resolution 5206, “ASCSU Stance on the Colorado Board of Governors Proposed Tuition Increase” was then heard.
The legislation seeks an official ASCSU response to the student tuition increase proposed by the Board of Governors, which would see a 3% increase in annual tuition for in-state students and 4% for out-of-state students.
Petitions have already begun to circulate around campus and across social media denouncing the proposed tuition increase, but Speaker of the Senate and co-author of the resolution Nick DeSalvo said an official ASCSU stance would carry more weight and have a greater impact in affecting the Board of Governors’ decision.
“Students are not (the administration’s) piggy bank,” DeSalvo said. “When the economy is bad and money is low, you have to do what families and businesses have to do, and that means you tighten the belt, cut the fat and find money elsewhere in the budget.”
The resolution will be sent to the University and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Affairs Committees.
Bill 5212, “Addressing Anti-Semitism Act” was then discussed.
The bill aims to address recent examples of antisemitism on the CSU campus, reaffirm ASCSU’s commitment to denouncing antisemitic rhetoric and continue working to strengthen the Jewish community on campus through educational events led by the Advisory Council on Jewish Inclusion.
The bill will be sent to the Internal, University and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion affairs committees.
Lex 5205, “Collaboration and Diversity Amendment” was also considered.
The lex aims to garner increased cooperation and participation between senate members by mandating additional requirements for discussion and debate of legislation, ideally decreasing the level of polarization that has been prevalent in senate in recent months.
The lex will be sent to the Internal and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion affairs committees.
To end the session, Lex 5206, “Constitution Caucus Constitutional Amendments” was decided.
The legislation aims to update the ASCSU constitution to reflect recent procedural changes to the Constitution Caucus as previously voted on and decided.
The lex will be sent to the Internal, University, Budgetary and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion affairs committees.
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s Red, Orange, Green and Haverhill Commuter Rail lines will experience service changes and shutdowns throughout February.
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Hundreds of people in need from the local community receive a tote bag filled with free healthy groceries — carrots, potatoes, tortillas, chicken and more — every Wednesday. (Anthony Fu | Daily Trojan)
This article is the first in the Daily Trojan news section’s expansion into coverage of South L.A. The Daily Trojan has not, in the past, dedicated coverage to news from the neighborhoods surrounding USC’s University Park Campus. We are making this change to better serve the greater community in which USC is situated and to inform USC community members about issues that extend past USC’s gates.
The interior of the South LA Cafe is divided in half by a towering painting of Nipsey Hussle, the late rapper, entrepreneur and activist. On one side, customers order house-made coffee, pastries and avocado toast; On the other side, volunteers prepare dozens of tote bags filled with free groceries to give to the local community each Wednesday.
The South LA Cafe is a Black-owned cafe that opened in December 2019. Its founders, husband and wife duo Joe and Celia Ward-Wallace, created the cafe to address racial, social, economic and food inequity by selling food at affordable prices and creating job opportunities to invest back into the community.
Joe Ward-Wallace is an administrator for the Los Angeles Fire Department, entrepreneur and real estate agent. Anita Lopez, who has been receiving free groceries from the cafe for two years, said that Ward-Wallace has a kindness with which he receives visitors to the cafe.
“[Joe] has a very kind heart,” Lopez said. “I’ve seen people come in here and they get mad and they have an attitude. And he’s able to talk to them. He doesn’t yell … and I feel that not a lot of people have that gift.”
Celia Ward-Wallace is a business consultant, entrepreneur and longtime social justice advocate. She brought her own experience with racial justice to the cafe — passed on from her parents, both lifelong political advocates — along with her expertise in building businesses with an impact.
“Celia definitely drops gems every day,” said Petra McMoore, a South LA Cafe employee, about the mentorship that Ward-Wallace provides for staff members.
The cafe’s mission is to address food insecurity — the inaccessibility of healthy, fresh food — which is a major issue in South Central that disproportionately affects marginalized groups. A 2022 study, jointly conducted by the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and the Keck School of Medicine, found that 24.3% of L.A. County residents were food insecure in 2022, the majority of which identified as Hispanic or Latine. With a lack of affordable, healthy food options, people who experience food insecurity are forced to choose fast food and other cheaper, yet less healthy options, according to a study published by the L.A. County Department of Public Health. Often, this results in diet-related chronic conditions such as obesity, high blood pressure and heart disease, among others, according to the same study.
I’ve been to other food banks and it’s not the same. Other places are like, “OK, you’re just here, in and out, bye.” But not [at the South LA Cafe]: They don’t make you feel ashamed that you’re coming here because you’re less fortunate or you don’t have the funds to have the food on your table.
Anita Lopez, groceries recipient at South LA Cafe
Jennifer Johns, a local musician, food justice advocate and daily patron of the South LA Cafe, said she believes access to healthy food is critical in addressing challenges like the school-to-prison pipeline — a national trend in which harsh school policies, such as zero-tolerance discipline, leads students into the criminal justice system which disproportionately affects Black students, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
“One of the major components to education, or the ability to retain information and education, is about nutrition or your access to real nutrition,” Johns said. “If we’re looking at how we want to stop the cycle of violence in our communities, and we want to stop the cycle of sending people to prison … access to real food is absolutely the very first step.”
Though the South LA Cafe began as a cafe, it soon expanded its operations to host open mic nights, live events, podcast recording sessions and much more support the local community. The Ward-Wallaces also launched an affordable grocery store called the South LA Market.
The South LA Cafe opened a second location at Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Hills Crenshaw in October and recently announced a partnership to contribute to catering, a new cafe and a new restaurant for the L.A. Natural History Museum.
The presence of a community-led, community-driven business in South Central becomes increasingly important as more longtime residents are priced-out of the region and the makeup of the community continues to change due to gentrification. A study by the UCLA Urban Displacement Project found that the number of gentrified census tracts in L.A. County increased by 16% between 1990 and 2015, and the trend shows little signs of stopping.
The cafe opened a second location at Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Hills Crenshaw and a restaurant at the L.A. National History Museum. (Anthony Fu | Daily Trojan)
“[South LA Cafe] became the heartbeat of this particular thoroughfare because there’s a Starbucks pretty much within a mile of where we are. And if you go towards USC, there’s literally three Starbucks in between a quarter mile,” said Damon Turner, founder of Trap Heals — a company focused on investment in the community through arts and culture — and daily patron of the cafe. “So, to be able to have a community-led, community-driven cafe right here in the middle of Western and King, I think it just really opened up an opportunity not only to be able to hire locally, but for folks who buy coffee to get some really good coffee.”
By the time the coronavirus pandemic began spreading in early 2020, the South LA Cafe changed once again, introducing Grocery Giveaways. Each Wednesday, hundreds of people in need from the local community receive a tote bag filled with free healthy groceries — carrots, potatoes, tortillas, chicken and much more.
After losing two loved ones during the pandemic and suffering from a decreased income, the grocery giveaways meant everything to Lopez, but she said the impact extends beyond having food on the table.
“I’ve been to other food banks and it’s not the same,” Lopez said. “Other places are like, ‘OK, you’re just here, in and out, bye.’ But not [at the South LA Cafe]: They don’t make you feel ashamed that you’re coming here because you’re less fortunate or you don’t have the funds to have the food on your table.”
Johns and Turner said they visited the South LA Cafe each day for almost an entire year, partially to satisfy Johns’ “chai addiction,” but to enjoy the community as well.
“It’s like Cheers; everybody knows your name,” Johns said. “If I come in here without [Turner], they’re asking about him. If he comes in here without me, they’re asking about me. It’s a community.”
Jamal Shead scored 13 points and dished out seven assists in No. 3 UH’s win over Wichita State on Thursday night. | Sean Thomas/The Cougar
A Jarace Walker banked-in 3 from the top of the key was the spark Houston needed.
After falling behind by seven after Wichita State strung together a 10-0 run early into the second half, Walker’s 3-pointer cut the deficit to three.
Minutes later, the freshman forward tied the game at 54 with another triple. But Walker wasn’t done as he hit a corner 3 to give the Cougars their first lead since the opening minutes of the second half.
The Cougars stretched the lead to 62-55 as Jamal Shead made a layup and Tramon Mark hit a big-time 3.
“When it game winning time, I think our DNA kicked in,” said UH head coach Kelvin Sampson. “We know how to win”
UH (21-2, 9-1 AAC) rolled from there as the third-ranked Cougars defeated the Shockers 70-61 on Thursday night at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kan.
Walker finished with 15 points.
Marcus Sasser, who did not make a field goal until the 19:01 mark in the second half, also ended the night with 15 points.
Wichita State’s Jaykwon Walton led all scorers with 24 points.
Shead was in attack mode from the jump, scoring nine of the Cougars’ first 14 points of the night. Shead finished with 13 points and dished out seven assists.
Mark scored 13 and J’Wan Roberts added 10 points to round out the scoring as all five UH starters finished in double-digits scoring.
