Brandon Knight spent his one-minute-and-24-second-long opening statement thanking everybody. The media for showing up, coaches for making him better, family for supporting him, teammates for always having his back. By the end of it, at least four media members had a “Brandon Knight is going to the NBA” tweet loaded and ready to send. But the words, the actual words of departure, never came. It led to an awkward and bemusing first question: “Umm. So, does that mean you’re going?”

Yes. He was. He might have just forgotten to say it, but it seemed more likely he couldn’t quite bring himself to formally state his exit. He’s not the kind to disappoint, and even though pretty much everyone knew he was going, he was still announcing the termination of his UK career.

The one-year career was a deviation from what came before him, but was no less successful. He broke the freshman scoring record, set one year earlier, despite not being the first (or second) player on this year’s team to break the freshman single-game scoring record. He wasn’t a true point guard in the Chris Paul sense, but that’s not what this team needed. He went from stumbling his way around Maui to sinking two game-winners in the Tournament. At the beginning of the year, Knight would run over to Calipari and ask the coach to get on someone for not executing. Quickly, however, Knight had no troubles asserting himself vocally on the floor. His professional attitude was perfect for a team that went through its struggles but didn’t lose confidence, couldn’t lose confidence, in itself.

Constantly improving was the ultimatum for Knight, the entire year. I remember him and Terrence Jones hanging back after the students-only practice at the very beginning of the year to shoot extra. I remember trying to catch him before practice for a quick interview after the rest of the media had finished up, but he had already sprinted onto the floor to start getting his shots up. “See, Brandon?” A UK Athletics staffer called. “Two minutes isn’t all that bad.” But two minutes spent giving quotes to the media was two minutes not spent practicing a floater in the lane, or the pull-up jumper that would eventually win the game against Ohio State, or shooting threes from going over a pick-and-roll.

He was self-driven. As Calipari said, Knight would be the one shooting extra at 6 a.m. before heading to class. (He was that way until the end, too. When he told the UK Athletics staff he was going to need a press conference to go pro, they wanted to work on possible questions and answers. He declined, telling them to just send him a list. He worked on them himself Thursday night, and the staff had to prod him into giving them some heads-up on what his opening statement would be.)

Every point guard has progressed as a basketball player under Calipari. Knight was no different; he gradually learned how to run a team from the point guard position while simultaneously being the team’s most efficient offensive option. He didn’t end up perfect, of course. There always seemed to be at least one ill-advised three-pointer a game, but in totality, Knight finished the year close enough to being a point guard that NBA personnel have told him that’s what his position will be on the next level.

But as a person, Knight progressed infinitely more, providing a mutualistic relationship for himself, his teammates, and UK as a whole. His work ethic was more developed than customary freshmen, and that inevitably rubbed off on his teammates. His work garnered his teammates respect, and ultimately enabled Knight to be the unquestioned taker of last-second shots because he had put in the time.

His teammates helped balance him out, though, too. While his increased maturity was the driving force behind his, and UK’s, consistent improvement throughout the year, he also needed to let loose a little more. His one-track mind kept him coming into the gym early while still getting a 4.0, but it also separated him from the typical college freshmen around him. Steve Jones, who follows recruiting for the UK Rivals site, recalled Knight essentially keeping to himself during the McDonald’s All-American game and the week surrounding it. A point guard must not only share the ball but share his time off the court.

Terrence Jones, Doron Lamb and Stacey Poole let Knight tap into the side of himself a 19-year-old typically possesses. He became unafraid to act goofy at times. At the beginning of the year, Knight showed little of that, at least publicly; during the postseason run, however, Knight was more comfortable. Once, he was searching for a particular word in an interview. He couldn’t find what his mind was looking for. “4.0 (GPA) my ass,” said a reporter, and Knight laughed. Not a courtesy laugh, either. A genuine one.

After the Ohio State win, as UK SID DeWayne Peevy tried to corral Knight for a post-game interview, Knight jokingly gave him a juke and spin move before relenting to explaining how he hit a pull-up game-winner with a hand in his face. It was a fusion of all he had become – UK’s best player, but also a great person.

Benjamin Haas, communication studies graduate student, will burn an American flag tomorrow at noon on the Parade Ground as part of a peaceful protest, according to Cody Wells, Student Government president.

Wells said Haas is exercising his First Amendment right to burn the flag. The burning comes nearly a week after Isaac Eslava was taken into custody after cutting down and burning the American flag flying over the War Memorial and stealing the University flag.

Wells said Haas went through University procedure to host tomorrow’s protest, and he also went through the procedure to organize a “peaceful assembly in response to recent flag burnings.”

“We’re going to respect his First Amendment right to burn our American flag,” Wells said.

He added he and others will then “exercise our own First Amendment rights” by holding their own ceremony.

Tomorrow at 1 p.m., Wells is organizing a ceremony to say the pledge of allegiance and sing the national anthem. Wells said he has a trumpet player lined up for the ceremony and he hopes he will have cadets there.

Though Wells is the SG president, he said his assembly is not related to or sponsored by SG, but by him “as an individual.”

After four seasons as Texas A&M’s men’s basketball head coach, Mark Turgeon accepted a contract offer from Maryland.

Turgeon met with the Aggies Monday night to tell them he was leaving after ESPN reported his likely departure amidst rumors of Maryland’s extensive coaching search. He will replace longtime Head Coach Gary Williams.

“It wasn’t easy,” Turgeon told ESPN. “But I just felt like it was a great opportunity. Maryland has a tremendous amount of tradition, is in a great area for players, and it’s in a great league with a lot of tradition. I know you can be successful there if you work hard and get lucky.”

Arizona’s Sean Miller, Notre Dame’s Mike Brey and Butler’s Brad Stevens were among the reported candidates who decided to remain at their current positions.

Replacing former Head Coach Billy Gillispie in 2007, Turgeon led the Aggies to four consecutive NCAA tournament appearances while compiling a 97-40 record during his tenure.

Bill Byrne, Texas A&M athletic director, issued a statement expressing his gratitude for Turgeon’s contributions and commented on the program’s next move.

“I’m confident we’re going to have someone come in who will represent the values of Texas A&M, make sure the kids have a good experience and graduate,” Byrne said. “We’ll make sure they have a great experience here because I’m excited about the future of this basketball team coming up.”

With Turgeon gone, A&M will need to fill the position after finishing 24-9 last season and No. 24 in the polls.

Maryland had been searching for a new head coach since 66-year old Gary Williams retired last season.  Williams, who led the Terrapins to 14 NCAA tournament appearances, won a National Championship in 2002, making the job an alluring position.

Iowa is set to receive more funding for high-speed rail equipment as part of $268 million in federal grants for train travel in Midwestern states.

The money will go toward purchasing 48 passenger rail cars and seven locomotives — all capable of traveling at 125 miles per hour — in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, and Missouri.

But despite the extra funds, the future of the proposed Iowa City-Chicago rail line is still in question.

Some officials hope that the continued interest in Iowa rail travel as a whole will positively influence public and governmental support for the proposed line.

Gov. Terry Branstad deemed the rail line fiscally irresponsible, fearing low ridership. Officials said the rail could cost $3 million a year. Tim Albrecht, a spokesman for Branstad, said the chief executive would continue to monitor the situation and the Legislature’s decision.

“Ultimately, the responsibility lies with [the Legislature] and whether or not it decides to fund this project,” Albrecht said.

Sen. Bob Dvorsky, D-Coralville, the head of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said the recent federal funds require a $20 million match from the state over the next three or four years. The Senate hopes to include $6.5 million in the budget for fiscal 2013, he said.

The state needs the money to show the federal government it is interested in the match program, the senator said. And Dvorsky said he hopes the federal offering would help promote passenger rail in Iowa.

“I just hope it shows some momentum, that there is some support for passenger rail in Iowa,” he said.

It’s not yet clear how much of the funding will go to each state.

Rep. Dave Loebsack, D-Iowa, said passenger rail service from Iowa City to the Quad Cities or Chicago would ease travel for students, businesses, and families. The funding could go to areas hit by the economic downturn, the congressman said.

“I hope this funding, which provides a necessary investment in new locomotives and passenger cars, will help improve the Chicago-Quad Cities-Iowa City passenger rail corridor and spur ridership,” Loebsack said in a statement.

The grant is a fraction of $2 billion awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation to improve high-speed rail travel in the Northeast, the Midwest, and California. The funds, originally earmarked for a high-speed rail line in Florida, became available after Florida Gov. Rick Scott rejected the federal funds.

In total, the Midwest is scheduled to receive $404.1 million to expand high-speed rail service, the press release said.

The Department of Transportation has provided $230 million for a new Amtrak route connecting Chicago, the Quad Cities, and Iowa City in October 2010.

The project is scheduled to be completed in 2015, according to a statement from Rep. Bruce Braley.
Kelly McCann, director of communications for the Iowa City Chamber of Commerce — whose members have long supported the project — said the Chamber is “delighted” the federal government is investing in Midwest passenger rail.

“This is another step in the right direction for the Iowa City to Chicago passenger rail route,” McCann said.

Cindy Patrick would tan for about one to two months per year while at the University of Kansas, even though she said she knew that she was endangering her health.

Patrick, a KU graduate, said she had fair skin and felt pressure from friends to be tan.

“I knew tanning could cause cancer, but I didn’t really care,” Patrick said. “For me, having a tan at that particular moment far outweighed the risk of cancer.”

Then one day about five years ago, Patrick found a suspicious mole. It turned out to be melanoma. The mole was successfully removed and since then, Patrick has had 34 moles removed. She said that she was now a strong advocate against tanning beds and wears sunscreen, large hats and long sleeves for protection whenever she is outdoors.

“It has been a true change of lifestyle,” Patrick said.

A recent study from The American Academy of Pediatrics stated that melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer, had increased 3 percent per year since 1992 in women ages 15 to 39 years, and it was the second most common cancer found in women in their 20s.

Patricia M. Denning, chief of staff at the University of Kansas Student Health Services, said that she believed the use of tanning beds had contributed to this rise in skin cancer.

“They may say that tanning beds are now filtering out bad rays,” Denning said. “But I’m doubtful of that.”

In December, Reuters News reported survey results from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis stating that one in three women ages 18 to 24 used tanning beds, despite the risks involved.

Many customers who frequent tanning salons believe that tanning has health benefits because of the increased vitamin D intake from UV-exposure. However, Denning said this was just a marketing tool.

“You only need about 10 or 15 minutes of sunlight a day to get the necessary amount of vitamin D,” Denning said. “You do not need to be sunbathing.”

Justine Brown, a junior from Kearney, Neb., did not worry about the risks of tanning beds until she had a wake-up call two years ago. Brown, who has a naturally pale complexion, discovered two suspicious-looking moles. She said that her doctor examined the moles and determined that they should be removed. However, the moles did not end up being cancerous, but Brown said that her doctor said that they could have easily developed into cancer in the future.

Now, Brown said that she tried to make protecting her skin from the sun a daily priority. She said that she used a daily facial moisturizer with SPF 15, and knew that she needed to use sunscreen when she was outside for extended periods of time in order to prevent getting sunburned.

“I’m always religiously applying sunscreen in the summer,” Brown said.

Although Brown takes necessary precautions, she uses tanning beds for two weeks before special occasions.

“If everybody is tanning, then there is a standard of how tan you should be,” Brown said. “There should be some sort of limit because it’s just not good for your skin.”

The AAP encouraged doctors to educate their patients about the importance of protecting their skin from the sun to prevent skin cancer. Brown said tanning salons should educate customers on how to tan more safely by wearing goggles.

Employees at the Student Health Services value the importance of educating students about sun protection. Denning said students should stay away from tanning beds, limit sun exposure, wear proper clothing, and use at least SPF 30 on a daily basis. She also said that she encouraged students to be proactive and start taking care of their skin now to protect it in the future.

“If you have a family history of melanoma or skin cancer, or if you have a suspicious lesion, come talk to us,” Denning said. “We’ll help you get into the care of a dermatologist.”

Mohamed Soltan loves football and drinks coffee in the morning. He says he’s as American as anyone, but some tend to disagree because he identifies himself as a Muslim.

His car was vandalized and his house was egged. His tires were slashed and his mailbox was broken. He is almost always, coincidentally of course, randomly stopped at airport security, and almost every time he hosts a party with his group of male, Muslim friends, he notices others staring.

“All of my neighbors think I’m a terrorist,” he said. “It looks like my house is this base for terrorism.”

Soltan was born in Egypt and moved to the U.S. when he was 10 or 11 years old, he said.

Now a fifth-year in economics, Soltan said he was relieved to learn of Osama bin Laden’s death on May 1 and thinks it is going to be a safer world.

“It’s a glorious, momentous day that he’s gone and we’ve finally cut off the head of the snake,” he said. “Now we have to work together to defeat terrorism.”

Soltan does not consider bin Laden a Muslim leader. Instead, he agrees with President Barack Obama, and considers him a mass murderer of Muslims.

Although some in the world associate all Muslims with the terrorist, it’s not an accurate depiction, he said.

“Osama bin Laden represents one billion Muslims, and I don’t think he shared the views of 0.1 percent,” Soltan said.

Jana Al-Akhras, a Muslim and first-year in international studies, was born in the U.S. but considers herself Palestinian. She agrees that many Americans have an inaccurate perception of bin Laden’s association with Muslims.

People should be smart enough to separate one man from an entire place, she said.

“I don’t consider him the face of the Middle East, the religions there or the people,” she said. “There is such a miniscule minority that believes in what he has said.”

Al-Akhras felt mixed emotions over the announcement, she said. While she said she doesn’t feel comfortable celebrating death, she is relieved that someone who hijacked the country is dead.

She said she hopes his capture and death will be an incentive for the U.S. to step out of Afghanistan.

“People have suffered enough,” she said. “This is one of the longest and most costly wars.”

The Afghan people have especially suffered, she added. Although Americans have been affected, thousands of Afghans continue to endure violence.

“They’re in constant fear and their economy is shot,” she said.

Lina Al-Khatib, a Muslim and first-year in journalism, has also lived in the U.S. her entire life and was born to Palestinian parents, she said. While she shared the sentiment of relief over bin Laden’s death, she said it’s important to think about what’s next.

“He was just a figurehead,” she said. “He wasn’t the whole war on terrorism. There’s more to it.”

Thousands of people came to the University of Minnesota to hear the Dalai Lama speak Sunday. In his first visit in 10 years, the Dalai Lama addressed a wide variety Tibetan and non-Tibetan community members speaking on wide variety of topics beginning with a healing ceremony and ending the day with a public address on individual well-being.

To begin the morning Tibetan spiritual and cultural ceremony, “Medicine Buddha Empowerment,” the Dalai Lama prayed at a small altar before addressing the crowd from his throne.

He began the ceremony with a less than one-quarter full Mariucci Arena, but by the time he finished the ceremony, the audience had doubled.

The maximum capacity was capped at 8,600 seats and approximately 6,500 were sold for the morning, but fewer than that attended.

One official said it was puzzling why there were so few people in attendance, crediting Mother’s Day or the possible long lines to get through security.

The Dalai Lama, who spoke mostly in Tibetan with his translator seated nearby, discussed the concept of continuity of consciousness and how it existed before the current body. He said dreams were an indication of the different levels of consciousness, which is reflective of previous lives.

A few minutes into his speech, he put on his well-known matching visor to combat stadium-style lighting. He talked about the teachings of Buddhism, examining the roots of unhappiness.

“The ultimate source of suffering is within ourself. Our mental attitude really makes a difference,” he said.

He continued by saying the “secret method” of overcoming suffering is through altruism.

Between the morning and afternoon events, the Dalai Lama went to lunch with a number of University and Minnesota officials, including President Bob Bruininks, Board of Regents Chairman Clyde Allen and representatives Keith Ellison, Betty McCollum and Tim Walz.

Tibetan dancers entertained the crowd in between the morning and afternoon sessions wearing traditional Tibetan garb.

The afternoon session, “Peace Through Inner Peace,” began with Bruininks and Allen presenting an honorary doctorate of humane letters to the Dalai Lama. Bruininks placed both the white graduation collar around the Dalai Lama’s neck and placed the maroon University visor on his head.

“We are going to give him a very special visor from the University of Minnesota, that celebrates the proud traditions of the Minnesota Gophers,” Bruininks said prior to the event. “He is really dressed for the occasion, he’s wearing maroon and gold and I think the visor we give … will certainly fit with his other attire.”

The Dalai Lama briefly joked about wearing a hat without a cover to show off his shiny bald head before beginning his speech. Beginning with the importance of pairing a traditional education with a moral education as well, echoing remarks he made yesterday at the press conference.

He encouraged open-heartedness, something that is learned from the warmth of our mothers. Recounting a story of riding on his mother’s shoulders, pulling her ears to direct her and kicking his legs and crying when she didn’t follow, the audience laughed.

“First we learn from mother,” he said. “So therefore these values, these moral principals itself is not based on religious faith.”

From Minneapolis, the Dalai Lama will head to Dallas to give a keynote address at the Southern Methodist University.

Four out of Five Stars

In Thor, Marvel’s latest comic superhero saga, Australian actor Chris Hemsworth takes on the title role.

Hemsworth, who revisits the fan base he established with 2009’s “Star Trek,” perfects his portrayal as the God of Thunder.

As heir to the throne of Asgard, Thor is set to inherit all of the power and responsibility carried out by his father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins). In an ancient battle, the Asgardian warriors defeat their enemy race, the Frost Giants of Jotunheim, and seize the source of their power, the Casket of Ancient Winters.

On the day Thor is to become king, the Frost Giants attempt to steal back the Casket. Thor sees this as a threat to his leadership, and against his father’s will, travels to their land to wage war against them. Thor is extremely outnumbered, and Odin comes to his son’s rescue. But because of his disobedience, Thor is stripped of his power and banished to Earth, crash landing in rural New Mexico, where he is discovered by a Scooby-Doo-style gang of scientists led by Jane Foster (Natalie Portman).

Director Kenneth Branagh is best known for his cinematic adaptations of classic literature, most notably the work of William Shakespeare. Branagh’s expertise elevates the story rich with overt classic Shakespearean tragedy themes of power, family, hubris and betrayal.

“Thor” is a film that works well on every level. It is visually superb. The special effects, Dutch camera angles and bold color palette break the mold of the typical action film. Hemsworth and Portman have an undeniable chemistry, and English actor Tom Hinddleston is a standout as Loki, Thor’s jealous younger brother.

The story combines government conspiracy, Greek tragedy and even a love story for good measure while still adhering to the superhero genre. With a sequel-ready ending and a post-credit sequence featuring Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) with an “Iron Man” tie-in, it’s quite clear that we’ve only seen  the beginning of Thor’s wrath.

Junior forward John Shurna withdrew his name from consideration for the 2011 NBA Draft after initially declaring for the draft on April 19.

Shurna, who did not hire an  agent when he declared to give himself the option of returning to Northwestern, worked out for NBA teams but was unlikely to be selected in the first round.

“This was a great opportunity for me to receive feedback on the areas of my game that I need to improve upon,”Shurna said in a statement. “In the end, it’s in my best interest to return to Northwestern for my senior year.”

The junior averaged 16.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game this past season, earning him a third-team All-Big Ten nod. Shurna compiled 23.3 points per game through the Wildcats’ first 10 games of the season before suffering an ankle injury that continued to hinder him throughout the rest of the season. He was named to the All-Big Ten second team in his sophomore season when he set a school record for points in a season with 619.

“We’re obviously excited to have John return for his senior season,” coach Bill Carmody said in a statement. “We would have supported him no matter what decision he made. He received a lot of positive feedback from the NBA programs and the whole process was a good experience for him.”

Shurna’s return to Welsh-Ryan Arena will be a major boost to NU’s prospects in the 2011-12 season as the Cats will need Shurna to assume an even larger role with the departure of guard Michael Thompson.

Sony announced Tuesday that its PlayStation data center, which supports its online gaming network, experienced a massive cyberattack. Intruders gained access to the personal data of an estimated 77 million PlayStation users. Sony began investigating unusual activity April 19 and shut down the network April 20.

“This is one of the biggest data heists we have ever seen, both in terms of the number of people affected and the wide variety of data that appears to have been compromised,” said Fred Cate, director of the IU Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research. “Even if it turns out credit card data wasn’t stolen, the consequences of this
attack are huge.”

Sony’s online network is one of its most lucrative services. In its official blog, Sony announced that the disruption was caused by an “external intrusion.”

It is unknown who is responsible for the heist, and so far no hacker group has come forward to claim responsibility for the attack. The company suggested that the rogue hacker group Anonymous might be responsible.

Anonymous has entered the system before in retribution for Sony’s legal action against one of their hackers, but that attack only brought down the service for a very short time. However, Anonymous reported on its site, “While it could be the case that other Anons have acted by themselves, AnonOps was not related to this incident and does not take responsibility for whatever has happened.”

Sony is currently working with the FBI, other authorities and forensic firms to investigate the cyber attacks.

During the first attack, the intruders obtained personal information on some 77 million players. While Sony was investigating the breach, it discovered that up to 24 million more accounts were hacked.

In this intrusion, it has been shown that about 23,400 financial records from an outdated 2007 database involving players outside the U.S. may have been stolen.

It is still unclear whether or not intruders obtained credit card information.
PlayStation spokesman Patrick Seybold also said that while user passwords had not been encrypted, they were transformed using a simpler function called a hash that did not leave them exposed as clear text.

“Password data is very revealing,” Cate said. “Many people reuse the same passwords and reset-questions across most, if not all, sites they use.”