Kritik und Anregungen » men begin Olympic play Sun

Rasul Douglas path to becoming the top defender on a Big 12 title contender included weekends at the bowling alley, a bus stop and sometimes only a dollar a day for food.And now hes one of the biggest reasons why West Virginia has emerged as a dark-horse hopeful for the College Football Playoff heading into a Saturday showdown with ninth-ranked Oklahoma (8 p.m. ET, ABC).Hes just a kid that keeps fighting, said West Virginia defensive coordinator Tony Gibson.On the field, as perhaps the Big 12s best defensive back on the leagues leading defense.And before that, off of it.Im actually doing what I came here to do, Douglas said. I always envisioned it.The struggle is paying off.One of seven siblings raised by his grandmother in East Orange, New Jersey, Douglas grew up where, as he puts it, kids are lost to the streets.Thankfully for Douglas, he had a strong-willed grandmother, a little league coach who saw something special in him and an innate passion to play sports.Mike Davis, a P.A. announcer for East Orange High School sports and a mentor for at-risk youth in the area, first met Douglas while coaching him in little league baseball. The two immediately hit it off.I was hard on him as a coach, Davis said. Because he was so competitive, he took a liking to that.Davis made it his mission to prevent this kid brimming with potential from falling into trouble on the streets.It was like a vehicle, Davis said. There was a lot of trouble around in that community. Unfortunately, a lot of young people there were getting involved in gangs. Sports offered him something else.He was the one who took me out of the streets, Douglas said. He made sure we did what we had to do.Davis kept Douglas focused on sports. All sports. Any sport. One time that was the Vince Carter basketball camp. Other times, it was taking Douglas and his brother to the bowling alley.Time spent playing those sports didnt just keep Douglas out of trouble; they provided him with a foundation, turning him into a terrific all-around athlete by the time he reached high school.Douglas had dreams of playing basketball at the next level. But at 6-foot-2, he didnt have the height to draw the attention of college recruiters. He did, however, have the size as a defensive back to catch the eye of Nassau (New York) Community College coach Curtis Guilliam.Coach Guilliam, he kept hitting me up, What is he going to do? said Douglas high school football coach, Marion Bell. At the last moment, I finally convinced Rasul to take a shot at it.Nassau didnt have dorms. Instead, Douglas had to find an apartment located eight miles from the Garden City, New York, campus. Douglas didnt have a car, so he had to take the bus every day to class and to practice. And because his grandmother still had to take care of his younger siblings, Douglas essentially was on his own financially.That was probably the hardest part of my life, for sure, said Douglas. It felt like nothing was going my way. I couldnt ask my family for money, because they needed it. I didnt have a lot. I was struggling to eat.Sometimes, Douglas would just wait until the evening to eat. Other times, he would go to McDonalds, order off the dollar menu, eat half of the meal and save the rest for dinner.Douglas, however, remained determined, despite being redshirted that first year.He did what he had to do, Guilliam said. He made sure he got to class. He did the work. Got to study hall. Did everything he was supposed to do. We call it the juco grind. But he never complained and just continued to work.That mentality carried over into the weight room and onto the field. And by his second year at Nassau, Douglas was primed to shine.Early in the season against Lackawanna College -- which produced former West Virginia All-American wideout Kevin White and his brothers KaRaun and Kyzir, both starters now for the Mountaineers -- Douglas delivered a breakout performance.He picked off a pass, and it was like, Oh, shoot, this guy is going to be a dude, Guilliam said. Then he laid a hit on a receiver, knocked him clean out, and you were like, This guy was going to be a thumper.By his third year at Nassau, Douglas had turned into one of the top junior college corners in the country. He garnered scholarship offers from the likes of Florida State and Louisville, but after visiting Morgantown for the Mountaineers game against TCU in 2014, he knew West Virginia was where he wanted to be.Due in large part to Douglas, West Virginia leads the Big 12 in scoring defense, despite losing several key defensive backs off last years team. He is tied for second in the country with six interceptions, including one last weekend in West Virginias 24-20 win at Texas.Saturday, hell face off against Oklahoma wideout Dede Westbrook in what figures to be the premier matchup of the game. Westbrook has emerged as a Heisman contender after a scorching past two months. But Westbrook hasnt faced a corner in the Big 12 the caliber of Douglas, either.Im glad weve got him, said West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen. Right now, hes our best defensive football player. Hes continuously gotten better. Hes making big plays that have a big outcome on the game.I couldnt be happier or prouder of what Rasul has done.Though hes come far, Douglas hasnt forgotten the path he traveled or the people who helped him along.On Thanksgiving a few years ago, Davis was in the middle of calling the P.A. for an East Orange football game when he got a text that still touches him.It was Rasul just thanking me for keeping him on course, Davis said. Im in the middle of this game, and Im in tears.Ive been blessed to have been part of his life. Its been a wonderful privilege. Jerseys For Sale . Bryant, who signed a five-year, $34 million contract as a free agent with Cleveland in March, reported symptoms on Monday morning, a team spokesman said. China Jerseys For Sale . Wall made the comment in a speech to a Regina business crowd that included Lesnar. 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RIO DE JANEIRO -- The U.S. men and womens basketball teams arrived in Rio, spent some time on their luxury cruise ship that will house them for the next 20 days and then the ladies went to work.The boatel, a laughing Diana Taurasi said Wednesday. Theres so many different restaurants and places for us to hang out. Its big, but not too big.Both teams have spent the last few weeks crisscrossing the country on pre-Olympic exhibition tours. They piled up easy victories in those contests, but the travel was starting to get to them.When you spend eight nights in five different hotels its tough to get into a routine, Auriemma said. Now were in the same place for a while and can focus on our goal.The U.S. women had a light practice before speaking to the media Wednesday evening while the mens team had an optional shootaround after arriving on a charter flight from Houston. They will have their first news conference in Rio on Thursday.Its the second time both teams will be housed on a cruise ship during the Olympics. Taurasi, Sue Bird, Tamika Catchings and Carmelo Anthony -- all four-time Olympians -- were on those squads.Ive never been on a cruise, Taurasi joked. The last time I was on a boat was in 2004 in Athens when we stayed on the Queen Mary. So this has kind of almost been like normal for my Olympic experience.Winning gold medals has been normal for the American women, who will be trying for a sixth consecutive one in Rio. Theyve won 41 straight Olympic contests.We never take it for granted when we come to the Olympics, three-time gold medalist Sue Bird said.The men will be attempting to win a third straight gold medal. Thhey went 5-0 on their exhibition tour, averaging 102.dddddddddddd point and overwhelming their opponents by 43 per game. The road to Rio was easy, but before the team left the U.S., coach Mike Krzyzewski cautioned that it wont be easy when the Olympics tip off.The competition is going to get better. I mean, really good, Krzyzewski said.The men play their first game Saturday against China and the women begin Olympic play Sunday versus Senegal.Well have a chance to get a few days of consistent practice now, said first time Olympian Elena Delle Donne, who made a few headlines when she talked openly about her fiancee Amanda Clifton in an upcoming story in Vogue magazine. It was great to get some shots up and get our legs under us.To the reigning WNBA MVP it was no big deal discussing her relationship in the magazine during an interview she said was done several months ago.It was just one of those articles where they came into my home, spent a couple days with me and Amanda is a huge part of my life, the reigning WNBA MVP said. So to leave her out wouldnt have made any sense. Its not a coming out article or anything. Ive been with her for a very long time now and people who are close to me know that.Delle Donne said she and Clifton got engaged on June 2.I dont plan on having our relationship out in the public and all this media on it, Delle Donne said, but obviously theres excitement right now because people see it for the first time.---AP Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney contributed to this story. ' ' '