Honda Campus All-Star Challenge

Broadcast Match Reviews


DISCLAIMER: Opinions expressed below are my own, and not those of any organization or group with which I may happen to be affiliated.

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© Thomas F. Michael

Last updated Friday, July 21, 2000 02:23:54 PM


Introduction

The Honda Campus All-Star Challenge (HCASC) is a College Bowl competition for historically black colleges and universities. It is sponsored by American Honda, which provides scholarship money rewards for all participating schools. From 1990 through 1995, the final eight matches were broadcast in the Summer and repeated in the Fall on the BET cable network. Starting in 1993, I began reviewing matches in posts to the alt.college.college-bowl newsgroup. Those reviews, and some other informational posts, are archived here. As is explained in the (yet to be published) coda, I have since acquired copies of all broadcast matches. Eventually I hope to review all of the matches, with particular emphasis on use of the broadcasts to teach various aspects of the Sport.

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1993 Matches


Match-up Results

Originally posted August 22, 1993

Yet more information on Honda Campus All-Star Challenge:

The eight teams that competed on television:

Quarter final losers (received $7,500)

Sojourner-Douglas College
Langston
Dillard
Norfolk State (defending champion)

Semi-final losers (received $15,000)

Florida A & M
North Carolina Central

The final between Morehouse and Tuskegee will be aired next Saturday.
Winner gets $50,000; (I think) loser gets $25,000. The other 56 schools
participating split $170,000 in grants. I wish College Bowl could find
a sponsor as generous. At least one person who appeared on TV in the '60's
should be in a position at some corporation where he could influence
such a commitment.

I've only managed to catch the show twice. I saw Morehouse beat Norfolk
State 230-120 in the quarterfinals. In the show broadcast today, Morehouse
beat N.C. Central in a good game. After jumping out to a 115-(-10) lead on
a Central interrupt and an early inadvertant buzz, Morehouse led 135-80
at the half. Two t/u into the second half, Central led 140-135. The lead
changed four times in the half before the game was tied at 230 with 30
seconds to go. Morehouse grabbed the t/u, and dragged the bonus out for as
long as possible. (But remember - NO STALLING :)) 9 seconds remained, and
Central went for the only chance they had and missed it.

I don't have scores for any of the other games. If someone else has caught
them, I would appreciate an email.

Many of the questions, particularly the audio-visual-tactile, were tried
out at the ACU-I NCT. CASC doesn't seem to be using quite as many a-v-t,
though; and they are playing 8 minute halves.

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1994 Matches


Participating Schools

Except for the 1989-90 season, HCASC has taken the first 64 qualifying schools. In 1994 teams played in Sectional qualifying tournaments, from which the top sixteen teams were invited to the National Championship, with eight appearing on television. All-stars selected from teams that did not appear on television may have appeared in the final all-star game. The 1994 Participants were:

ALABAMA
Alabama State University (Montgomery)
Jackson State University (Jackson)
Stillman College (Tuscaloosa)
Talladega College (Talladega)
Tuskegee University (Tuskegee)

ARKANSAS
University of Arkansas - Pine Bluff (Pine Bluff)
Philander Smith College (Little Rock)

DELAWARE
Delaware State College (Dover)

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
University of the District of Columbia
Howard University

FLORIDA
Bethune-Cookman College (Daytona Beach)
Edward Waters College (Jacksonville)
Florida A & M (Tallahassee)

GEORGIA
Albany State College (Albany)
Clark Atlanta University (Atlanta)
Fort Valley State College (Fort Valley)
Morehouse College (Atlanta)
Paine College (Augusta)
Savannah State College (Savannah)

KENTUCKY
Kentucky State University (Frankfort)

LOUISIANA
Dillard University (New Orleans)
Southern University at Baton Rouge (Baton Rouge)
Xavier University of Louisiana (New Orleans)

MARYLAND
Bowie State University (Bowie)
Coppin State College (Baltimore)
University of Maryland - Eastern Shore (Princess Anne)
Morgan State University (Baltimore)
Sojourner-Douglas College (Baltimore)

MISSISSIPPI
Alcorn State University (Lorman)
Mississippi Valley State (Itta Bene)
Rust College (Holy Springs)
Tougalou College (Tougalou)

MISSOURI
Harris-Stone State College (Saint Louis)
Lincoln University of Missouri (Jefferson City)

NORTH CAROLINA
Barber-Scotia College (Concord)
Elizabeth City State University (Elizabeth City)
Fayetteville State University (Fayetteville)
Johnson C. Smith University (Charlotte)
North Carolina A & T (Greensboro)
North Carolina Central (Durham)
Saint Augustine's College (Raleigh)
Shaw University (Raleigh)

OHIO
Central State University (Wilberforce)
Wilberforce University (Wilberforce)

OKLAHOMA
Langston University (Langston)

PENNSYLVANIA
Lincoln University (Lincoln University)

SOUTH CAROLINA
Benedict College (Columbia)
Claflin College (Orangeburg)
Morris College (Sumter)
South Carolina State University (Orangeburg)

TENNESSEE
Lane College (Jackson)
Lemoyne-Owen College (Memphis)
Tennessee State University (Nashville)

TEXAS
Huston-Tillotson College (Austin)
Jarvis Christian College (Hawkins)
Prairie View A & M (Prairie View)
Texas Southern University (Houston)
Wiley College (Marshall)

VIRGINIA
Hampton University (Hampton)
Norfolk State University (Norfolk)
Saint Paul's College (Lawrenceville)
Virginia State University (Petersburg)
Virginia Union University (Richmond)

WEST VIRGINIA
West Virginia State College (Institute)

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Norfolk State versus Morehouse

Originally posted June 11, 1994; reposted with additions September 15, 1994

Introduction:

These are reposts of reviews posted in the summer of '94 after each
game aired. The first four will show some significant variations in
style and approach; without a guide to play-by-play cb commentary I
was experimental. While I think the writing and analysis got better
with practice, I've resisted the (strong) temptation to rewrite the
first few games. With a few minor corrections and changes for
consistency of notation, they remain as originally posted. Comments
are appreciated. Endnotes to these posts will contain thoughts formed
in hindsight.

Honda Campus All-Star Challenge aired on Black Entertainment Television
originally broadcast at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Saturday, June 11, 1994;
rebroadcast September 10, 1994; thirty minutes ahead of the advertised
(June) schedule. Today's opponents:

Norfolk State University
Player Year Major
Tyrell Williams Graduate Student  
Joseph Boyd Junior History
Robert Jacks (C) Senior Marketing
Clarence Tucker Junior Kinesthesiology

Alternate: Maurice Hawkins, Jr.
Coach: Gwendolyn Farr

Morehouse College
Player Year Major
Shofaetiyah Watson Sophomore Psychology
Dwight Tory, Jr. (C) Senior Computer Science
Charles Hobbs, II Senior History
John Harkless Senior Math

Alternate :Kelvin Moses
Coach: Josslyn Jackson

(The spellings of the coach's and alternate's names may be way off, as
they were introduced by the moderator. The names of the players were
flashed on screen.) Conventions: t=toss-up, b= bonus, the exact answer
called for is indicated using the _underline_ convention. -5 can be a
noun or a verb.

The format is standard ACU-I/CBI College Bowl, with three exceptions.
The halves are eight minutes, audio/visual/tactile bonuses are used,
and a significant number of questions are on African-American Studies.

Norfolk State jumped out to a quick start when Tucker interrupted a
toss-up on George Washington _Carver_ attending Iowa State after
being refused admittance to another school. After a -5 on Norfolk
State that Morehouse couldn't convert, Tucker got _Kwanzaa_ from the
days of the festival. Morehouse got its first points when Harkless
identified _Social Security_, and on the bonus (which sounded familiar
to me) they successfully translated the names of two of three Seven
Dwarves from Latin. After four t's, the score stood 30-30. Norfolk
State then took off on a 4 t run of Tucker, Jacks, Jacks, and Boyd.
The toss-ups related to the singing group _SWV_, the _Great Barrier
Reef_, Marion _Anderson_, and the _Dallas Cowboys_. The first bonus of
the run was the only a/v/t bonus of the half, and involved naming
four African-Americans from stamps they had appeared on. The next
two b's involved the ordering of spinal nerve types, followed by the
_Pointer Sisters_ in a 30-20-10. As the fourth bonus of the run began,
1:15 remained in the half and Norfolk State led 115-30. Norfolk State
(foolishly, IMO) started to play a hurry-up game, and it cost them:
although they had the lead, they interrupted the *bonus* to answer
"James Earl Jones," just before the question turned to ask about some
JEJ films. This seemed to wake Morehouse up, and they, for whom the
strategy was sound, now started to play a hurry-up game. After Morehouse's
Tory identified Morrison's _Song of Solomon_ from a character list, the 30
bonus points from _Eldridge Cleaver_ and _Soul on Ice_ cut the Norfolk State
lead to 115-70. Hobbs identified John Wilkes _Booth_, and the half ended in
the middle of Morehouse's bonus, which dealt with triangle sides.

Halftime score: Norfolk State 115, Morehouse 90.

Norfolk State started off the second half hot when Jacks got _Curie_
from comments about her doctoral thesis and the two nobel prizes. The
bonus, about naming the 6 nations admitted last year to the UN, was
one I have heard this past year at some point. Hobbs then -5's for
Morehouse when he blanks after signalling, and Boyd of NSU converts by
answering _Jihad_. Their bonus is a two-part: identify _antediluvian_
from the definition, then spell it. An interesting coincidence with
the National Spelling Bee [broadcast just before this show originally
aired], but since HCASC was taped before the Bee, NSU couldn't benefit
from it and got no points on the bonus. Their low bonus conversion for
the game would now doom Norfolk State, as they didn't get another t for
the rest of the half. After Williams -5, Hobbs converted to start the
7 t Morehouse run. Norfolk would signal only one more time, when Jacks
-5 the last t. I'll spare the details of most of the questions, but they
followed the balance of the first half. Morehouse got two a/v/t bonuses
on the run: an audio bonus to identify the movie from hearing a song that
appeared in it, and a visual tactile bonus when they were asked to hold up
the appropriate flag after a nation had been named.

Final Score: Morehouse College 235, Norfolk State University 125.

Morehouse College will advance to play the winner of next week's
North Carolina Central v. Xavier game. Norfolk State University
will receive a $7,500.00 grant for making it to the championship
tournament.

Norfolk State's Tucker led his team with 3 t's, Hobbs of Morehouse
had 4 t's and 1 -5. 3 of the Norfolk State, and all of the Morehouse
players, got at least 2 correct t's.

10 t's were asked in the first half, and 9 in the second half. 18
were correctly answered, 8 by NSU and 10 by Morehouse. About half
the toss-ups and half the bonuses had some tie-in to African-American
history or culture, but the category spread seemed like a typical
CBI packet.

The set looked the same from last year. Interestingly, it was shot
at Hollywood Center Studios, which until this season had also been
the home of Jeopardy! The score and the time could be frequently
seen over moderator Clint Holmes' shoulder. The show also relied
on the same shot I recall seeing in the original College Bowl - the
split screen during the reading of the toss-up with one team viewed
above the other. Production values were generally high.

Next week: North Carolina Central University versus Xavier University
of Louisiana. A full schedule, and a list of all HCASC participants,
will be posted separately.

Endnotes:

Short but accurate. The remaining reviews got longer. This was partly a
function of the matches (this was the only real blow-out of the regular
tournament), and partly because the more demanding games forced a greater
effort on my part. Also, I think the writing got better with practice.

Norfolk State was National Champion in 1992. In 1993 they lost in the
first round to Morehouse by a score differing by only five points for
each team. Given the rivalry that naturally developed, it's dangerous
to judge Norfolk State by the results of this game. And, as shall be
seen, Morehouse, last year's runner-up, is a quite motivated and talented
team.

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North Carolina Central versus Xavier-Louisiana

Honda Campus All-Star Challenge 1994 National Championship Tournament
Game 2, originally broadcast June 18, 1994 and rerun September 17,
1994, 1:00 p.m. Eastern.

Host: Clint Holmes
Announcer: Burton Richardson

North Carolina Central University v. Xavier University - Louisiana

North Carolina Central University
Player Year Major
Keisha Dobie Junior English Education
William Moore Junior English
Randy Johnson (C) Senior History
Roderick Allison Junior Political Science

Alternate: Tonisha Tootle
Coach: Shirley Harper

Xavier University - Louisiana
Player Year Major
Samuel Hunter Senior Political Science
Alisa Thomas (C) Senior Elementary Education
April Gilbert Sophomore Foreign Languages
Melita Phillips Junior Chemistry

Alternate: Brian Worthy
Coach: Aaron Morganown

The spelling of the names of the coach and alternate of each team
are my best guess. Player names are as they appeared on-screen.

Four teams from last year's Elite Eight made it back to the NCT.
Two, Morehouse and Norfolk State, played last week; and Tuskegee,
the defending national champion, will play next Saturday. Last
year North Carolina Central University defeated Dillard in the
quarter-finals before losing a squeaker 260-225 to eventual
runner-up Morehouse in the semi's. Moore, Johnson, and Allison
all returned from that team (although Johnson was listed as a
"senior" in both years).

The first half:

[Conventions: when discussing specific questions, the precise
correct answer will be noted with the usenet _underline_
convention. NCC=North Carolina Central, X=Xavier. -5 can be a
noun or a verb.]

"He gets up every day at 4:00 a.m., a relic of his 27 years in
prison" was interrupted at this point by NCC-Johnson, who knew
it was Nelson _Mandela_. No points were scored on the bonus,
which dealt with Autherine (sp?) Lucy Foster and the _U of
Alabama_. NCC-Johnson next got _Porgie and Bess_ from the premier
date and that it was recently televised for the first time. NCC
got all 30 on the bonus by knowing the two acids that carve
out caves. X-Thomas scored her team's first by knowing that any
point in the _Pentagon_ is no more than a seven minute walk from
any other, and a full 20 was gotten on the bonus from knowing
that the Greensboro lunchroom sit-in occurred at _Woolworth_.
After 3 t/u and 2:10 of play, NCC 50 - X 30.

X-Hunter -5 with the wrong boxer, but NCC-Allison identified
_Jack Johnson_ from a quote and a date. The 20 point bonus was
a video: film clips of pro athlete's movie appearances were
shown, and NCC was asked to id each movie for 5. In this week's
coincidence, the first clip was O. J. Simpson in _The Naked Gun_.
[The "white Bronco parade" had just occured before the orginal broadcast]
NCC got 3 for 15. X-Phillips grabbed the next toss-up by knowing
that the _brain_ was an organ difficult to treat with chemotherapy,
but X got nothing from the bonus because no one knew that IPO
meant _initial public offering_ to a stockbroker, so the score
stood at NCC 75 - X 35. NCC-Allison -5 by saying that "Zambia"
was last on an alphabetical list of nations, and X-Hunter knew
the answer was _Zimbabwe_. The bonus was visual: 5 stuffed
tropical birds mounted on a branch were brought out. Under each
bird was a letter, and you had to give the correct letter when
the common species name was given; X got 3 for 15. X-Phillips
next knew that _Jelly Roll Morton_ claimed to have invented
jazz - a natural question for a school from New Orleans to get.
The bonus was to identify the independent nations in Africa
when Dag Hammerskjold became U.N. Secretary General in 1953, and
X picked up 10 points. With 1:40 remaining in the half, X had
taken the lead 80-70.

NCC took the lead back when NCC-Johnson knew that the Indian
Supreme Court had ordered factories in Agra to shut down to avoid
polluting the _Taj Mahal_, and NCC picked up 15 on the bonus by
identifying and spelling hyperbole, and identifying (but not
correctly spelling) hyperglycemia (see below about score change).
After NCC-Johnson -5 on a quick buzz of "Nostradamus" after hearing
"He predicted the atomic bomb in 1912, and in 1933," X-Gilbert
snagged the final points of the half with _H. G. Wells_, time
running out on the bonus. This much of the bonus was read: "As an
African-American reared in segregated Virginia, she has al... ."
Anybody have an idea where this was going?

Score before commercial break: 90-all.
Score after commercial break: X-90, NCC-85.

It's only a guess, but I think X must have raised a "discrepancy"
about NCC's answer on _hyperglycemia_. At the time, it sounded
like Captain Johnson had responded with "hypoglycemia." On
replaying the tape, the incorrect pronunciation was confirmed for
me. The scoring change was announced at the start of the second
half, but no reason was given.

The second half:

He waited to very close to the end of the question to signal, but
NCC-Moore knew that riparian rights referred to _water_; and NCC
got 15 out of 30 in the bonus because they didn't know the name
of the _Perseid Shower_, but knew it occurred in _August_.
NCC 110, X 90. X-Gilbert waited until the question was complete,
and knew _Confucius_ from the several clues. The 30-20-10 bonus
was audio: name the artist from the musical selection; and X got
_Cab Callaway_ for 30 (the second coincidence of the game).
[Callaway had a stroke the week before the original boradcast.]
X scored again when neither team got _Sweden_ from the clue that it
was the African National Congress's largest single source of
financial aid, but X-Gilbert answered it from hearing that it was
a monarchy ruled by King Carl XVI Gustav; and X got the full 20
on the bonus from clues about Doug Wilder and Chuck Robb. X 160,
NCC 110 with about 5:30 to play.

NCC-Allison knew that _Wilma Rudolph_ won medals in 1962 for the
same events Florence Joyner won medals in 1988, and NCC got the
full 30 on the bonus about the second most common languages after
English spoken in _Alaska_ and _Hawaii_. X-160, NCC 150 with 4:55
remaining. NCC-Johnson next got "fingerprints" off of a list of
their features, and _Phyllis Wheatley_ was worth the full 25 on
the bonus. NCC 185, X-160 with 4:20 to go. X-Gilbert knew that
one of _Castro_'s titles was "Maximum Leader of the Revolution,"
and the bonus was visual: rough drawings of four constellations
were shown, and X had to match the drawing with the name given.
X got 2 of 3 for 20, and led 190-185 with 3:30 to go. X-Phillips
then -5 by thinking that liquid "mercury" flows up a container,
and NCC-Moore knew the answer was _helium_ after the full clue.
NCC got _marinara_ sauce after the description, but couldn't get
_pesto_, so with 15 out of 30 on the bonus, NCC 210 - X 185,
2:30 remaining.

After the clues that the author had been highly paid for his movie
scripts in the 1930's, and had used the money to pay for his wife
being in a sanitarium, and to buy time for writing his last novel,
which he died before finishing, NCC-Johnson -5 with the answer
"Ellison." The question was completed with the title "The Last
Tycoon," and X-Gilbert answered _Fitzgerald_. X got 10 of 30 on
the bonus by knowing that the two largest commodity markets were
in _Chicago_, but they did not know what the markets were named;
the score now 205-all. NCC-Johnson knew that _buffalo soldiers_
had been African-Americans in the 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments,
and NCC got the full 20 on the bonus for knowing that the Barbary
Apes of _Gibraltar_ are considered military personnel; score NCC
235, X 205 with 1:01 remaining. After the question mentioned the
Monterey Pop Festival, NCC-Allison -5 when he thought they were
going for "Jackie Wilson," and X-Hunter interrupted the question
as soon as he was sure the correct answer was _Jimi Hendrix_. X
also answered _Satchel Paige_ for a full 20 by playing hurry-up:
they conferred while the moderator was reading the question and
gave the answer the instant it was completed. With 0:26 remaining
the score stood X 235, NCC 230.

After hearing that "the Tyno (sp?) word for `framework of sticks'
now has come to be used for this popular American food," NCC-Moore
-5 with "stir fry." X-Gilbert answered _barbecue_ on the question's
completion, and time ran out on the bonus. Final score: Xavier 245,
North Carolina Central 225.

In the end, North Carolina Central was too fast for their own good.
They had 5 -5's to Xavier's 2, and 4 of those 5, IMO, were bad
jumps. (I'll give them the benefit of the doubt on "Jackie Wilson"
if he also debuted at Monterey.) Xavier played a steady game, led
by Gilbert's 6 toss-ups. Central's Johnson led his team with 5
toss-ups and 2 -5's for a net 40.

North Carolina Central University will receive $7,500 in educational
grants from Honda. Xavier advances to play Morehouse in the first
round of the semi-finals in three weeks.

Next week: defending champion Tuskegee meets the University of the
District of Columbia. 1:00 p.m. on Black Entertainment Television.

The broadcast of Honda Campus All-Star Challenge is copyright 1994
by College Bowl Co., Inc. Any names or trademarks associated with
the broadcast remain their property.

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Tuskegee University versus University of the District of Columbia

Honda Campus All-Star Challenge 1994 National Championship Tournament
Game 3, broadcast June 25, 1994, 1:00 p.m.; rerun September 24, 1994.

Tuskegee University v. University of the District of Columbia

Tuskegee University
Player Year Major
Yusef Johnson Junior Aerospace Engineering
Damon Ellis Senior History
Stephen Nurse-Findlay(C) Senior Biology
Martin Morgan Senior Chemical Engineering

Alternate: Eric Arrington
Coach: Peter Spears

University of the District of Columbia
Player Year Major
Jacain Butler Sophomore Computer Science
Edward Walker (C) Junior Pre-Pharmacy
Phyllis Yearwood Senior Urban Studies
James Mabson Junior Engineering Technology

Alternate: Tina Walton
Coach: Lisa Horton

The spelling of the names of the coach and alternate of each team
are my best guess. Player names are as they appeared on-screen.

[Conventions: when discussing specific questions, the precise
correct answer will be noted with the usenet _underline_
convention. T=Tuskegee, UDC=University of the District of Columbia,
t=toss-up, b=bonus. Also, "-5" can be a noun or a verb.]

Defending champ Tuskegee returned three members of last year's team:
Johnson, Morgan, and Nurse-Findlay. Tuskegee has been a Sweet Sixteen
team for the entire HCASC run, and has made the Elite Eight on tv the
last four years.

The first half:

Both teams got off to shaky starts. Neither had the first t after a
clue about how former slave Court Walker had won his freedom there in
1781, but UDC-Walker got _Massachusetts_ after hearing that it was a
New England commonwealth. Mabson was designated to answer the bonus,
and knew two of four "traditional" provinces of apartheid-era South
Africa, for 10 of 20. After hearing "First seen by Portuguese sailors,
and given a name from the Portuguese for 'stupid,'" T-Nurse-Findlay
thought the question was going to be about mermaids, and -5 with
"manatee;" after the question concluded by describing an extinct bird
from Mauritius, UDC couldn't id the _dodo_ - but Butler felt something
should be said and guessed "pygmy." T-Nurse-Findlay was able to name
CIA KGB-mole _Ames_ from the language of a note he saved from
his KGB handlers, and T was able to get all 20 on the b by translating
_let them eat cake_ from the French. After hearing [something _Klingon_]
meant "I don't understand" in an artificial language developed by Mark
Oran (sp?), T-Morgan -5 with "Esperanto;" after being told [something
else _Klingon_] meant "beam me aboard," UDC-Yearwood guessed that Morgan
had just mispronounced the answer, and buzzed-in with "Esperanza." After
4 t and with 5:18 remaining, score 20-all.

Come to think of it, it's been a really long time since I've seen two
teams without a single Trekker between them. :)

T settled down at this point for a 3 t run. T-Nurse-Findlay got a quick
buzz on _Farrakhan_ after "While on the road with his calypso act in
1955 he converted;" and T got 10 from the 30-20-10 b by naming the group
_Sweet Honey in the Rock_. On the next t T-Johnson knew that Colosio
was assassinated while running for President of _Mexico_. The b was
visual; clips from 5 sitcoms were shown, and T had to identify them and
put them in chronological order from first air date. T got all 25 by
answering "_Family Matters_, _Fresh Prince_, _Martin_, _Living Single_,
_704 Hauser Street_." T-Johnson next grabbed _Beauty and the Beast_ from
a detailed description of the Broadway musical, and T got the full 20
on the b by naming _Woodward_ and _Bernstein_. With 2:25 remaining,
T 105 - UDC 20.

T-Morgan -5 with a quick jump by guessing "Titanic" after the clue had
only indicated that it was going for a shipwreck. UDC, down 100-20 with
about 2:00 to go wisely, IMO, went into a hurry-up offense, when
UDC-Mabson interrupted the t completion as soon as he was sure the
answer was _Lusitania_. UDC got nothing on the B; they didn't know that
there were more species in _coleoptera_ than in any other taxonomic
order, and the didn't know the order contained _beetles_. UDC-Yearwood
knew that the _Phillies_ had the NL record for last place finishes but
were first in 1993; and UDC got the full 25 on the b for knowing
_beta-carotene_ from a description. After hearing that the most common
religion of African slaves was monotheistic and originated in the 7th
century, UDC-Walker grabbed _Islam_. The b was tactile; several musical
instruments were brought out, and the team was asked to "play" the
instrument named. With the clock approaching zero, UDC tried hurriedly
to hold up a _cornet_ and missed, and the half ended with a score of
T 100, UDC 75.

The second half:

UDC-Walker continued the run to 4 t when he knew that _blue laws_ were
named for the color paper they were originally printed on, and were
statutes on moral behavior; and UDC got 10 of 20 on the b when the knew
that _Green Bay_ was the only NFL franchise with a smaller tv market
than Jacksonville, but didn't know that Jacksonville hosted the _Gator
Bowl_. T-Nurse-Findlay got _Mendeleev_ from a clue about his favorite
game being solitaire and "his 1869 Periodic Table;" T got nothing on
the b because they thought an 1831 Supreme Court case had involved the
"Seminoles" and "Florida" instead of _Cherokees_ and _Georgia_. With
the score now T 110, UDC 95, T began moving backwards on the
scoreboard. T-Johnson -5 when he thought that in 1865 the third largest
city in Louisiana was "Baton Rouge," but UDC couldn't capitalize on
the turnover as UDC-Walker signalled, was recognized, and had no answer.
No one else on his team knew the answer, and he probably went in hoping
the answer would come to him, and unfortunately it didn't. That was then
CBI coordinator Dan Stoffel's voice calling "time" on him. After hearing
that this entity had recently settled an ADA suit to allow wheelchairs
it's top, "some 1,250... ," T-Ellis -5 with "Washington Monument." Once
again, UDC couldn't capitalize on the turnover; after the t concluded
by asking you to name the building featured in the climax to "Sleepless
in Seattle," UDC-Walker guessed "the Seattle Point, the Needle Point"
and missed the _Empire State Building_. Not a bad guess if you haven't
seen the movie. After 14 t (four in this half) and with 5:25 to go, the
score was T 100, UDC 95.

T-Ellis knew that James _Brown_ had recorded 1962's "Live at the
Apollo. The b was to spell Bosnian cities; T got 10 of 20 by spelling
_Sarajevo_ correctly but getting the "z" and "d" reversed on _Gorazde_.
T 125, UDC 95 with 4:30 left. T-Ellis -5 by guessing that "Eisenhower"
had, in spite of his conservatism, led an administration that had
desegregated more Southern schools than any of his predecessors. While
his answer was true, it would also have been a true statement for one
other President, and UDC-Yearwood got _Nixon_ when the question was
completed by looking for the California-born President. UDC got a 30
point audio "either-or" b - I had hoped CBI had eliminated these,
but they keep creeping up. UDC had to listen to 6 song clips and tell
if they were "original" Motown or Motown "remakes;" they designated
Mabson and got 5 of 6 for 25. With 3:10 left, UDC had the lead 130 to
T 120.

T-Nurse-Findlay regained the lead for T and put the game away by
personally pulling a 3 t run. First, he identified "aside" from its
theatrical definition, and T got the full 30 on the b by knowing that
"BSI" meant _Baker Street Irregulars_ to a Sherlockian to give them
a 160-130 lead over UDC with 2:30 remaining. T-Nurse-Findlay next
identified _Japan_ from a list of its national holidays on a buzzer
race after the clue "Emperor Day," but T got nothing off the 30-20-10
b when they couldn't come up with the name of film director Oscar
_Micheaux_. T-Nurse-Findlay completed his run by getting
_cosmos_ after several clues, and T got the full 20 on the b by naming
the _Red Sea_ after a description. They ate the clock nicely on the
conferral, and led T 200, UDC 130 with 0:45 remaining. UDC could win
but it would need to play at something approaching light speed.
UDC-Yearwood got Michael _Moore_ after the names of left-handed boxers
who had lost to Ali in 1966 and 1976 - a good jump where she correctly
anticipated where the question was going. Once again, though, UDC got
a video B, and time ran out as they named two of the four gems shown
for 5 points each - they got _emerald_ and _sapphire_. The answers to
the other two weren't given; I think "A" was an amethyst, but didn't
recognize "C" myself.

Final score: T 200, UDC 150. University of the District of Columbia
will receive $7,500 in scholarship grants from Honda for their
participation. Tuskegee University advances to the semifinals to play
the winner of next week's Jackson State University - Fayetteville
State University match.

Both teams were well-disciplined on bonuses: answering precisely,
designating frequently, and pacing themselves to the time remaining.
Tuskegee had 5 -5's and UDC none. If Tuskegee can learn some patience
on the buzzer, they may be unstoppable next round. UDC had a "young"
team in terms of eligibility, and could be very strong next year.
UDC-Mabson is a non-traditional gray-haired undergraduate who helped
a lot on bonuses. They certainly are a team that would benefit from
the invitational circuit, and have an ideal geographical location to
do so.

In spite of the four t that neither team could answer, Moderator
Clint Holmes got through 10 t in each half. The missed t pushed
the audio/visual/tactile bonuses back so that they ended up at the
conclusion of each half. This was unfortunate for UDC, because they
could have tied the score with all 50 points of those bonuses.

Individual and team stats will be posted next week after the end of
the quarterfinals. The schedule will be reposted in mid-week as a
reminder for everyone to tune in. If you are a Nielsen family, or know
one, please encourage them to watch.

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Jackson State University versus Fayetteville State University

Honda Campus All-Star Challenge 1994 National Championship Tournament
Game 4, broadcast July 2, 1994, 1:00 p.m.; rerun October 1, 1994, 1:00 p.m.
on the Black Entertainment Channel/Urban Contemporary Television cable
network.

Jackson State University v. Fayetteville State University

Moderator: Clint Holmes
Announcer: Burton Richardson

Jackson State University
Player Year Major
Mike Jackson Sophomore English
Catina Scott Junior Psychology
Kenya Hudson (C) Senior History
Vicki Sanders Senior English

Alternate: Donald Shaffer
Coach: Cathy Patterson

Fayetteville State University
Player Year Major
Xaver Priest Freshman History
Timothy Jessie (C) Junior Biology
Gerald Battle Junior Business Administration
Clifton Cunningham Senior Political Science

Alternate: Dennis Ulman
Coach: Dean Kellaway

The spelling of the names of the coach and alternate of each team
are my best guess. Player names are as they appeared on-screen.

[Conventions: when discussing specific questions, the precise
correct answer will be noted with the usenet _underline_
convention. JSU= Jackson State, FSU=Fayetteville State, t=toss-up,
b=bonus. Also, "-5" can be a noun or a verb.]

The first half:

The final match of the quarterfinals was four words underway when
FSU-Jessie buzzed in after hearing "A number of sources." Moderator
Clint Holmes managed to get out the words "describe him as a black"
before stopping, and Jessie used the extra information to guess
"Methuselah" on the inadvertent buzz. The t continued by describing
an African slave whose Greek name derives from "Ethiop," and
JSU-Hudson rang-in with _Aesop_ before the question was completed.
(A discussion on the strategic propriety of interrupting on a
turnover will occur towards the end of the report.) On the b, JSU was
asked (for five points each) to name the four basic cloud types whose
latinate names meant "curled," "heaped," "violent rain," and
"layered;" they didn't need to get them in order and so got all 20
for answering _cumulus_, _nimbus_, _stratus_, _cirrus_.

After hearing that "its" first female law partner was Hilary Rodham,
FSU-Priest buzzed and blanked. It appeared to me that he may have
been the victim of a quick time call, which was made by the
moderator. Usually, some off-screen official (today it's Dan
Stoffel) makes that call. As will be seen, this was the first of a
few curious rulings and off-screen events. IMO, the officiating in
no way effected the outcome of the game, but this was the first game
so far in which the human factor in officiating was evident.
JSU-Hudson again interrupted the turnover after two of its other
partners were mentioned and got _Rose Law Firm_; on the b JSU was
given the last names of five members of the Congressional Black
Caucus who had been arrested in a White House protest in 1994, and
asked to name the state each represented. JSU knew that Dellums was
from _CA_ and Mfume from _MD_, but didn't know Collins was _MI_,
Owens _NY_, or Payne _NJ_. After two t's and two minutes of play,
JSU 50 to FSU -10.

FSU-Priest knew that the Marsh of Epidemics, Bay of Dues, Ocean of
Storms and Sea of Tranquility were on the _moon_; the b was to name
the three of the G7 nations who had experienced GNP growth in 1993.
FSU got _England_, but guessed "France" and "Germany" for _Canada_
and the _US_. FSU-Priest next got _root beer_ from hearing that in
the 1870's, Charles Hires had marketed a concoction of 16 roots and
berries as "Hires Herb Tea;" the b was audio: sound clips from five
singers or groups produced by L.A. Reed and Babyface were played,
and FSU was asked to name the artists. They began their list with
"Brown," were prompted (by Dan) to be more specific, hesitated,
answered _Bobby Brown_, and continued the list with _Johnny Gill_,
_Pebbles_, _Karen (sp?) White_, _Babyface_, and Whitney _Houston_.
After 4 t's and 4 minutes of play, score 50-all.

JSU-Sanders knew that Richard Wright and James Baldwin had spent
their later years in _France_; the b was a 30-20-10 name the country.
JSU got _Haiti_ on the 30 point clue that in the 72 years prior to US
intervention in 1915, it had had 102 civil wars, revolutions,
insurrections, and coups. After hearing "He hit .375 in the 19,"
_Jackson_ State-_Jackson_ -5 with "Johnson." When the question was
completed to discuss his lifetime batting average and that this White
Sox left fielder had been banned for life for throwing the 1919 World
Series, FSU-Jessie signalled with "White Shoes Johnson," drawing
laughter from the moderator and the crowd. FSU-Jessie grabbed the
next t when he knew that a _hummingbird_ could hover by tracing its
wing in a figure 8; FSU got all 25 on the b by knowing that _Hugo_
was the first name of author and editor Gernsback. Score 85-all with
1:58 left in the half.

JSU-Hudson knew that the only mutually agreed-upon DMZ during the
American Civil War was an 18th C mansion overlooking the Potomac
called _Mount Vernon_. FSU got all 20 on the b by knowing that the
art pigment _vermillion_ was different from verdigris and veridian,
and that vermillion was closest to primary color _red_. JSU-Hudson
grabbed the next t by knowing that last survivor who had stood with
Chairman Mao when the PRC was proclaimed was _Deng Xiaoping_; the b
was video: given 5 clips, name the Whoopi Goldberg movie for 5 each.
Time was running down, so they began their answer while the last clip
was still showing, and got all 25 for _Goldie_ (? couldn't hear),
_Serafina_, _The Color Purple_, _Sister Act_, and _Jumping Jack Flash._
With about 3 seconds left, Clint Holmes began the 10th t, but only got
as far as "It is the Dalai Lama's favorite" when time was called.
JSU 150, FSU 85 at the half.

The second half:

The toss-up began, by saying that in 1994, F. W. de Klerk became the
first white South African President "to express any sympathy for the
protestors massacred at," when FSU-Jessie buzzed in with "Sharpsville."
Holmes repeats "Sharpsville" and ruled it correct. Dan interrupted and
said the answer is incorrect, -5. Although he seemed to say "Sharpsville"
rather than _Sharpeville_, Holmes said he had inadvertently given the
correct answer, and the next t would be for JSU only. On the next t,
Holmes read that a federal court and marshals had seized this $150
million 3.15 acre site in 1994, "for ten points name this trouble-plagued
ecological [buzz JSU-Hudson] experiment in Arizona." Holmes completed the
last few words of the question after the signal. JSU-Hudson was recognized,
and answered "Biosphere;" Dan prompted "more specific" and Hudson answered
"Biosphere 2000." The next time the score was shown, it revealed a -5
for JSU on the t. On the next t, FSU-Priest knew that the "ever faithful"
branch of the armed forces was the _Marine Corps_; on the b FSU was asked
to identify the Italian composer of "The Consul," "The Saint of Bleaker
Street," and "Amahl and the Night Visitors." FSU got nothing off the b,
answering "Fellini" instead of _Menotti_. JSU-Jackson knew that _Solomon_
had 700 wives, but only three of his children mentioned by name in the
Bible; the b was to spell _Manassas_, which they got for ten, and
_Appomattox_, for which they left out a "t." The score is shown behind
the moderator for the first time since -5 was deducted from JSU on the
_Biosphere 2_ question, and the -5 has appropriately been changed to a 0
for the answer as the score reads JSU 170, FSU 90 with 5:22 remaining.

JSU-Sanders knew that prisoner #24601 had been worn by Jean Valjean in
_Les Miserables_; and JSU got 20 of 30 on the b by knowing that, out
of a list of 5 cancers, _lung_ claims the most lives and _prostate_ has
the highest 5 year survival rate of the five - but didn't know that
_pancreatic_ has the lowest five year survival rate. JSU 200, FSU 90
with 4:17 remaining. FSU-Cunningham tried to pull his team back into
the game by grabbing the next two t's. First, he knew that full social
security benefits will begin at age _67_ for people born after 1960.
The b was video, FSU was shown one at a time maps of portions of the
world, and were asked to name the seas shown; they thought the _Black
Sea_ was the Mediterranean, the Sea of _Japan_ was the Sea of China,
but got the _Caspian_. for 5 of 20. They had discussed the _Caribbean_
during conferral, but Dan called a pause on their list before they got
it out. JSU-Scott -5 when she thought the founding OPEC member from
South America was "Panama," FSU-Cunningham got ten for _Venezuela_ by
interrupting the turnover. The b was to name the scholar, dancer,
anthropologist, and choreographer who founded the Negroes' Dance Group,
FSU guessed "Debby Allen" and got no points for Katherine _Dunham_.
Score JSU 195, FSU 115 with 2:25 remaining.

JSU-Hudson grabbed the next two t's to put the game away. First, she
knew Edward _Brook_ was a Massachusetts Attorney General who became the
first popularly elected black Senator in 1966. On the 30-20-10 name
the organization bonus, JSU got _CDC_ on the 20 point clue when they
didn't know Dr. David Satter was it's first black director, but knew it
from the "6000 scientists at its headquarters in northeast Atlanta."
JSU-Hudson next got _Schindler_ from the fact that after WWII he had to
be supported by the Jews he had saved. The b was tactile: five plants
were brought out. JSU was asked to hold up the _mother-in-law tongue_,
the _boston fern_, and the _philodendron_; and in the midst of some
arguing that got Holmes to prompt them "just hold up one" got the fern
right for 10. FSU-Cunningham -5 with a last second buzz to guess that
the clean-burning fuel used to light the Lillehammer Olympic Flame was
"methane." I have no idea what the answer is, and only the partial
formula "CH3 CH" was given out before time was called. Anyone knowing
the answer is encouraged to post.

Final score: Jackson State University 245, Fayetteville State University
110. Fayetteville State University will receive $7,500 in educational
grants from Honda. Jackson State University advances to play defending
national champion Tuskegee in the semifinals.

Like most schools that train, Virginia discourages interrupts on turnovers
except in specific tactical situations in timed rounds. We have a rather
rude name for such jumps, and discourage them in practice by ruling them
as incorrect answers if we are playing an untimed round, or if the player
who interrupts the turnover is on the team with the lead in a timed match.
From reading other posts here, I know that other schools similarly
discourage such jumps. As a result, when I see teams that interrupt
turnovers I usually conclude that they are inexperienced or untrained.
Interrupting a turnover when you have the time or the lead is usually not
worth the risk. Also, there is the psychological factor of making the
other team hear the full text of their mistake.

Of the four FSU -5's, time remained to turnover the t to JSU three times.
On each, they interrupted the turnover. This might have been a wise
strategic policy under the circumstances, if it was deliberate tactic
employed to try to get through more t's. Over four games played at varied
tempos, Clint Holmes has consistently read all or part of 20 t's per
game. A strong team may feel that it is less likely to be upset if more
questions are read, and that by playing in hurry-up mode the entire game
it might get more t's read. Although it didn't work in this case, if the
policy of interrupting turnovers was a deliberate strategy to have more
t's read, than it could be an idea with some merit. Of course, it could
also be the case that JSU doesn't realize the danger that such a policy
can create costly stupid mistakes. The point I'm trying to make is that
a risk/benefits analysis of the tactic indicates that it might work in
some situations, and that one performance isn't sufficient to tell of JSU
was interrupting deliberately, or just didn't know not to. FSU, on the
other hand, played according the more commonly accepted strategy.
Although they had a few early buzzes that were probably due to tv
nervousness, they played a constant tempo until they were behind in the
second half with time running out, where they went into hurry-up mode.

I'm curious as to the rationale behind the scoring on JSU's answer to
the _Biosphere 2_ t. Was the -5 removed because the judges discussed it
and decided Holmes had completed the question? Or, is a -5 even possible
under the circumstances? The rules state that only the first incorrect
interrupt on a t is penalized. This t was being read only for JSU
because Holmes thought he had inadvertently given the answer after FSU's
-5. In such a situation where another t must be _substituted_ to
complete for the other team, any interrupt may count as the second
interrupt, and thus not be penalized. I can't recall any other times
I've seen this situation and how it was ruled, but my thoughts on
this situation are that JSU should not be penalized for the interrupt on
the turnover, and the change in scoring seems to bear this out.

Next week: the first semifinal match! Xavier University of Louisiana v.
Morehouse University in what should be an exciting match between two
good teams. Quarterfinal team statistics will be posted next with the
individual statistics. The schedule will be reposted in mid-week,
just put "REPOST" in your killfiles if you don't need the reminder to
tune in. And if you can tune-in, please do because good ratings for
HCASC helps the entire Sport.

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Semifinal: Morehouse versus Xavier-Louisiana

Honda Campus All-Star Challenge 1994 National Championship Tournament
Game 5, broadcast July 9, 1994, 1:00 p.m. Eastern; rerun October 8,
1994, 1:00 p.m. Eastern on the Black Entertainment Television cable channel.

Semifinal match: Morehouse University v. Xavier University - Louisiana

Moderator: Clint Holmes
Announcer: Burton Richardson

Morehouse University
Player Year Home Town
John Harkless Senior Jackson, MS
Charles Hobbs II Senior Tallahassee, FL
Dwight Tory Jr. (C) Senior East Point, GA
Shofaetiyah Watson Sophomore Newport News, VA

Alternate: Elvin Moses
Coach: Joscelyn Jackson

Xavier University - Louisiana
Name Year Home Town
Samuel Hunter Senior Richmond, VA
Alisa Thomas Senior Grand Rapids, MI
April Gilbert Sophomore New Orleans, LA
Melita Phillips Junior Houston, TX

Alternate: Brian Worthy
Coach: Ferrum Mercadel

The spelling of the names of the coach and alternate of each team
are my best guess. Player names are as they appeared on-screen.

[Conventions: when discussing specific questions, the precise
correct answer will be noted with the usenet _underline_
convention. M=Morehouse University, X=Xavier University-Louisiana.
t=toss-up, b=bonus. Also, "-5" can be a noun or a verb.]

First half:

The players all had serious expressions on their face as they were
being introduced. Morehouse was an experienced squad, coming from
a program that had made the Sweet Sixteen all five years of HCASC.
Tory and Harkless had played together since 1991, when a freshman
captain Tory led Morehouse to a quarterfinal victory over Tuskegee,
which in turn was captained by a freshman named Nurse-Findlay. Tory
has shown well-developed captaining skills since that first game;
designating frequently to avoid transmission error, and using the
clock intelligently.

Xavier participated in HCASC last year, but never made it onto tv.
They play with a distinct disciplined style; the moment after one
of them gets a t correct all of their heads are pushed forward and
leaning towards the captain in a conferral pose, relaxing only while
taking notes during the video portion or after the bonus is over.

Clint Holmes began the first t with clues that African-Americans
hadn't been allowed into its audience until 1934, and that Basie,
Ellington, and someone with the first name of "Bessie" had made
their careers there when M-Watson -5 with "Cotton Club." The t
continued with Bessie's last name being Smith, and that it was an
historic Harlem Theater, and X-Thomas got _Apollo_. X got 10 of 20 on
the b when they thought that the two planets that switch places in
order of distance from the sun were _Pluto_ and "Uranus." X-Thomas
grabbed the next t on the clue that his Great Barrington, MA home
was an historical landmark by answering _DuBois_; X got nothing on
the b of identifying William Wells _Brown_ from a biography and
list of his works - they answered "Johnson." X-Thomas completed her
3 t run by knowing that Richard Nixon had made a _living will_; the b
was audio: soundclips from 5 Broadway musicals about African-Americans
were played, and X went 2 for five when they identified _Dreamgirls_
and _Jelly's Last Jam_, but missed _5 Guys Named Moe_, _Porgie and
Bess_, and _Ain't Misbehavin'_.

Upon hearing that this color had once meant "white" in Latin and
"yellow-white" in English but was now a shade of reddish brown,
X-Gilbert -5 with "Burgundy." When Clint continued the t by reading
that the color was often applied to hair, M-Watson guessed "brunette"
instead of _auburn_. I know I heard that t, and the next t about the
"nine letter word for a virgule that goes the other way" and
frequently followed a colon for computer users, in CBI matches this
year. X-Gilbert knew the answer was _backslash_, and on the b X was
expected to name the state it's in given the nuclear contaminated
site; they got 10 of 30 when they knew that Brookhaven National
Laboratory was in _NY_, but didn't know that the Hansford Site was in
_WA_ or the Rocky Flats Nuclear Plant in _CO_. At the end of 5 t's
with 4:05 remaining, X 65 to M -5.

M-Hobbs got M on the plus side by knowing that _Blackmun_ had once
been considered a conservative justice and was recently retired; the
b sounded like a t converted into a b. M got no points on it because
they didn't know _Chan Ho Park_ (as the answer gave it) was the first
Korean to pitch in a major league game. M-Hobbs snagged the next t as
well, when he knew that Mary McLeod _Bethune_ was the Spingarn medal-
winner and civil rights activist buried on the campus of the school
she founded; the b was one officially called "practical" and I still call
"tactile:" replicas of five military medals were brought out, and for
10 points each they had to hold up the correct one as three, the
_Silver Star_, _Distinguished Service Cross_, and _Bronze Star_, were
called out. M showed good organization on this bonus: Harkless standing
up and leaning forward so he could participate in conferral most
effectively; and M got all 30. X 65, M 45 with 2:33 left in the half.

The next t began with "The Curse of Rocky Calavito" (sp?) chronicling
"a record of futility unmatched in a major U.S. sport," and being about
a baseball team that hadn't challenged for a pennant since 1959.
M-Hobbs -5 answering "Cubs," and the t continued by saying the team was
nicknamed "losers by the lake." X-Gilbert guessed "Dodgers" instead of
_Indians_, and Clint drew laughter from the crowd when he informed her
that "there are no lakes around here." The next t began with Pliny the
Elder attributing the discovery of something to sailors building a fire
on the beach, and X-Thomas -5 with "magnifying glass." Between the time
she must have decided the question was about how the fire was made
(rather than about what the fire was making) the clues "indeed, all
that you need to make it are sand" slipped out. These extra clues
that come out between the decision to signal with an answer and
the moment the moderator stops reading, I call "slippage." Quick-thinking
players who can concentrate on slippage while remembering what they
were going to answer (this is much harder than it sounds) can sometimes
change their response and grab the t. This is a technique that's only
developed with game practice and tournament experience. Thomas' response
was too specific: the extra word "magnifying" doomed her. The response
also may have had the benefit of confusing the other team. When the
question continued by saying that the ingredients needed were sand,
soda, lime, and a temperature of 2100 degrees; and that it was a common
and shiny material, M-Tory guessed "marble." Perhaps he thought _glass_
was ruled out because Thomas' answer was incorrect. Score after 9 t's
with 1:30 remaining: X 60, M 40.

When he heard that the advantage of this type of map was that a course
with a single compass bearing drawn on it would be a straight line,
M-Harkless knew it was a _mercator projection_. The b described the
incident where a black sailor on mess duty with no formal gun training
grabbed a machine gun and downed four enemy dive bombers in an American
naval battle in 1941, and asked for his name for ten points and the
name of the battle for ten more. M got the full 20 by answering _Doris
Miller_, _Pearl Harbor_. Perhaps the question editors felt that Miller
was such an obscure answer that it justified the giveaway of asking for
the 1941 American naval battle. While there were a few other clashes
between December 7 and December 31, 1941, the only one I would describe
as an "American Naval Battle" for that period seems really obvious. One
more thing about this question: an article on Miller I tracked down
through a database has him downing two planes. Well back to our story;
it's M taking the lead with 70, X 60 with 0:53 remaining.

On hearing that "the most expensive food in the world" was likened by
one critic as "lumps that look like coal," M-Tory -5 with "caviar."
When the t was completed to ask for the "Black Perigord" variety of
what fungus, X-Thomas guessed "mushroom" instead of _truffle_. The 12th
t of the game began by asking for the name of an Alliance that in 1994
had its first military clash when American F-16's shot down Serbian
jets, and X-Gilbert got _NATO_. The b defined _xerophyte_ in order to
ask for its spelling; X got nothing on the b because they began their
answer after the half ended, and started it with a "z" anyway.

Halftime score: X 70, M 65.

Halftime info:

The captains of each team narrated a film clip about their school during
each of the quarterfinal games. For the semifinals, Clint talked briefly
with each player and asked them a question that had obviously been
rehearsed. As a coach, I'm of two minds on rehearsing the question: it
has the advantage of easing anxiety players may have about the interview
segment, and the disadvantage of being a distraction, that must be
memorized, before the start of an important half. Both teams had some
interesting things to say.

For Morehouse, Harkless revealed that he had worked at the Kennedy Space
Center in Florida and the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. Hobbs may
have been speaking for all the seniors on the squad when he said that he
was missing his graduation ceremony in order to be there to play. He
said, "I have a commitment to the team, the college, and the program,
and love for the game; so I decided to come on back and play one more
time." Tory was asked to what he attributed Morehouse's success over
five years of HCASC. His response: "Our coach, our advisory committee,
and next year's national champion - the junior varsity squad." Watson
revealed that after graduation in 1996 he planned to study corporate law
at either NYU or Georgetown Law Schools. NYU and Georgetown take note:
you've got a grad prospect coming to one of you in 1996-97.

Xavier's Hunter told Clint he would like to get a Ph.D. in philosophy,
specializing in applied ethics and philosophy of law; and also get a law
degree. Thomas said she was committing her life to the early education of
African-American students. Gilbert revealed that she would be studying
language and literature next year in Russia. Clint advised her to take a
lot of food. Phillips said she was a pre-med major who chose Xavier
because it was number 2 in the nation in placing blacks in medical
school. She said she wanted to be a physician "just as the legendary
Imhotep."

Second half:

When the half began, "He was buried with full honors in Arlington
National Cemetery in 1963, and posthumously received" X-Gilbert -5 with
"John F. Kennedy" - not a bad guess at all. The t continued to the
posthumous 1963 Spingarn medal and Mississippi field secretary for the
NAACP, and M-Harkless knew _Evers_. M got all 20 on the b by knowing
that "fortessissimo" meant exceptionally _loud_ and "largissimo" meant
exceptionally _soft_. The first lead change of the half: M 95, X 65.
The lead changed again when X-Gilbert identified the _African Methodist
Episcopal Church_ (she answered with the abbreviated _AME_) from a list
of its famous churches; and X got the full 25 on the video bonus by
identifying 5 Wesley Snipes films - _The Waterdance_, _Major League_,
_Rising Sun_, _Demolition Man_, _Passenger 57_ - from brief film clips.
Score M 100, X 95 with 5:42 remaining. The lead changed a third time
when X-Phillips -5 by answering "Jurassic Park" after the clue "It's
not unusual for a film to spawn dolls, toys, and theme park rides, but
this film is unusual in that it spawned" - not a bad guess, just early;
and M-Harkless got _The Mighty Ducks_ after hearing the film had spawned
an NHL franchise. M got 10 of 20 on the b when they knew that in 1994-95
the NFL would start kickoffs at the _30 yard line_, but thought the
kickers would use a 2" tee instead of _1"_. M 115, X 95 with 4:54 left.

M added to their lead when X-Gilbert -5 by answering "Pasteur" after
hearing the name of the boy who would have suffered if the doctor had
been wrong about what the injections would do. M-Watson got _Jenner_
after hearing that the injections had been of cowpox and smallpox; M
took 10 of 20 on the b about words with double meanings - M couldn't
identify _bolt_ but knew _screen_. M 135, X 90 with 3:52 remaining.

X stormed back with the next two t's to create the fourth lead change
of the half. X-Hunter knew the "the board of governors of the _Federal
Reserve System_ from a list of those governors; the b was visual: photos
of 4 African-American women authors were shown, and X had to identify
the photo as the name was called. They confused Alice Walker for _Toni
Morrison_, but successfully identified _Maya Angelou_ and _Carrie
McMillan_ (sp?) for 20 of 30. X-Thomas next knew that "Arrangement in
Gray and Black" had been painted by _Whistler_. On the b, X was first
told that Edward Albee had "passed" Tennessee Williams' count when he
picked up a third Pulitzer Prize for drama. When asked to name the other
two authors with at least three Prizes for Drama each, M got _O'Neill_
but missed _Sherwood_. Perhaps unable to think of anyone else's name,
they guessed "Williams" for the second answer. With 2:13 remaining it's
X 145, M 135.

The t began, "Though he had said that two six-year terms as President
seemed a maximum," X-Gilbert -5 with "Washington." When the t continued
"when he took office in 1981" and talked about the president of Egypt,
M-Watson accomplished the fifth lead change of the half by answering
_Mubarek_. The b was name the river 30-20-10. After the first clue, that
its course had undergone 26 major shifts in the past 3500 years, M
guessed "Mississippi." M got 20 on the clue that it now emptied into the
Po Sea, but had emptied several hundred miles south into the east China
Sea in 1855, by answering _Yellow River_to take a 165-140 lead with 1:17
to go.

From a list of four that were uttered by Shakespeare's Romeo, X-Gilbert
got _oxymoron_. The b asked them to name the song composer, employee of
"Glamour" and "Vogue," photojournalist for "Life," tv documentary
director, film director, renaissance man and founder of "Essence," and
M designated Hunter to answer _Gordon Parks_ for the full 20. With 0:38
remaining, the sixth lead change of the half put X in front, 170-165.

"In Japanese, its name means `empty orchestra'" was answered _karaoke_
by M-Tory for the seventh lead change of the half and ninth of the game.
The b about the history and consumption of _corn_ was answered "hay."
With :03 on the clock, Clint started reading "Quote `young'" and the
whistle blew.

Final score: Morehouse 175, Xavier 170. There were audible groans from
the audience at the end. After the players shook hands, they all
gathered together and started smiling, M from the win and X from relief
that the game was over. As time had grown short in the half, the
applause from the audience had seemed to get louder. The tension could
be seen on the player's faces, and heard in their voices when they
answered.

For making it to the semifinals, Xavier-Louisiana will receive $15,000
in educational scholarships from Honda. Morehouse will advance to the
finals, where they will play the winner of next week's Tuskegee-Jackson
State matchup.

22 t's were read or started in the game, 12 in the first half. X was
led by Thomas with 4t's and 1 -5, Gilbert had 4 t's and 4 -5's. M
was led by Harkless with 3 t's. Overall, M had 8 t's and 3 -5's. M
converted 110 of a possible 180 bonus points. X had 9 t's and 6 -5's,
and converted 110 of 230 possible bonus points.

Ultimately, the greater experience of Morehouse provided the edge they
needed to win. Xavier had gotten some breaks - for instance, they had a
shot at 50 more bonus points then M even though they only had 1 t more.
IMO more playing experience would have reduced the number of -5's for
Xavier, and made a different outcome.

In addition to being an exciting match, this is a good game to dissect
as an example of a lot of basic elements of academic competition. Their
are clear examples of slippage, early interrupts, good organization on
bonuses, and different styles of play.

Next week: the second semifinal match. Can Jackson State prevent another
Tuskegee - Morehouse final?

This is a review of a broadcast program copyrighted by College Bowl, Co.,
Inc.

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Semifinal: Tuskegee versus Jackson State

Honda Campus All-Star Challenge 1994 National Championship Tournament
Game 6, broadcast July 16, 1994, 1:00 p.m. Eastern time; rerun October
15, 1994, 1:00 p.m. Eastern on Black Entertainment Television cable channel.

Semifinal match: Tuskegee University v. Jackson State University

Moderator: Clint Holmes
Announcer: Burton Richardson

Tuskegee University
Player Year Home Town
Yusef A. Johnson Junior New York, NY
Damon Ellis Senior Indianapolis, IN
Stephen Nurse-Findlay(C) Senior Granada Hills, CA
Martin Morgan Senior Chicago, IL

Alternate: Eric Arrington
Coach: Peter J. Spears

Jackson State University
Name Year Home Town
Vicki Sanders Senior Orangeburg, SC
Kenya Hudson (C) Senior Gulfport, MS
Catina Scott Junior Monticello, MS
Mike Jackson Sophomore Canton, MS

Alternate: Donald Shaffer
Coach: Cathy Patterson

The spelling of the names of the coach and alternate of each team
are my best guess. Player names are as they appeared on-screen.

[Conventions: when discussing specific questions, the precise
correct answer will be noted with the usenet _underline_
convention. T=Tuskegee University, J=Jackson State University.
t=toss-up, b=bonus, t/o=turnover. Also, "-5" can be a noun or a
verb.]

This second semifinal match pitted two strong teams against each
other. T had the most experience, returning Johnson, Morgan, and
Nurse-Findlay from the 1993 national championship team. Nurse-
Findlay has shown himself to be an excellent captain and player
since his television debut in the 1991 NCT. In a first round loss
to Morehouse he signalled on 12 t's, getting 7 correct with 3 -5's
and two guesses. T is characterized by an aggressive, disciplined,
and choreographed style of play.

That same 1991 NCT featured the television debut of J. They made a
good show of themselves, in spite of falling to Howard 405-190.
That team included a freshman Kenya Hudson, who got 1 t correct,
had 1 -5, and was designated to answer on a b. In her first
televised match Hudson listed her home town as Hampton, Virginia -
I wouldn't be at all surprised to learn that she had played in
Tidewater Challenge, that area's high school competition. Hudson
was now back as captain, and as an important part of J's scoring
power. J is a disciplined team; they're also aggressive and less
prone to -5 than T.

First half:

The first t looked for a "she" forced to wear a wig after losing
her hair due to cyanide poisoning by the Nazis. When the t
specified that she was a black American entertainer, T-Morgan
answered _Baker_; the first b of the game was a video: clips of
five films featuring performances by Ruby Dee were shown. T got 20
of 25 by answering _Do the Right Thing_, _Cop and a Half_, _Jungle
Fever_, and _Raisin in the Sun_; the fifth was _I Know Why the
Caged Bird Sings_. The next t sought the first medical school for
African-Americans. After the clue said that it opened in 1868, "and
by the 1970's graduated nearly half..." T-Ellis -5 with "Meharry."
The t continued that it had graduated nearly half of all black U.S.
physicians, and was part of an HBCU, and J-Scott answered _Howard_.
The b said that this composer's first opera, "Guest of Honor," was
lost and that his second, "Treemonisha," debuted in 1972; 55 years
after the composer's death and four years before a special Pulitzer
Prize. J guessed "Stills" instead of _Joplin_, so after 2 t's and
with 5:58 left in the half, T 25 to J 10.

"The latest movie version of this literary classic takes on a happy
ending" in which Dimmesdale and Hester ride off together was
interrupted by J-Hudson with _The Scarlet Letter_. The b was 30-20-
10, name the song. 30 point clue: written in 1908, its little-heard
stanzas are about one Katy Casey (sp?); J guessed "Happy Birthday
to You." 20: it begins "Katy Casey was baseball mad, had the fever
and had it bad;" J guessed "Casey at the Bat." 10: its refrain,
from whence the title comes, includes "root, root, root for the
home team;" and J got 10 with _Take Me Out to the Ball Game_ to
take a 30 to 25 lead. The next t was about a cartoonist who met a
deadline in 1918 by illustrating some odd sports clips he had
compiled, and become a "compiler of incredible facts;" T-Morgan
recaptured the lead with _Ripley_. The b was to identify from the
definition, and then spell, _dendrochronology_; and T got all 20.
The 5th t of the game began, "10 years ago he first sought the
nomination for President of the U.S., ftp name this minister" and
J-Scott knew it was _Jackson_. The b noted that the Russian Tsars
had their Winter Palace on the Gulf of Finland and their "leading"
summer palace along the Black Sea, and asked for 15 points each in
what two cities these are now found. J got nothing on the b,
answering "Vostov and Leningrad" for _St. Petersburg_ and _Yalta_.
The next t began, "Its varieties include Yukon Gold and Purple
Peruvian," ftp name this tuber "whose common varieties include
Idaho;" and was interrupted at that point by J-Hudson with
_potato_. The b was visual: pictures of four African-Americans were
shown at the same time, and J was asked to name the pan-africanist,
the two abolitionists, and the orator; J got 15 of 20 by naming
_DuBois_, _Sojourner Truth_, and _Douglass_, but missing _Tubman_.
With 2:38 left in the half J had regained the lead 65 to 55.

The next t was one I'm sure I heard at either the CB RCT or NCT. It
asked for the name of a man whose name is on more film credits and
cassette tapes than anyone else in history. When the clue got to
him being an inventor, T-Ellis snagged _Dolby_. T got the full 20
on the b by knowing that the Carolina Panthers would play their
first season at _Clemson_ before moving to a stadium being built
for them in _Charlotte_; T had retaken the lead 85-65 with 1:58
left. T now embarked on a 3 -5 skid. The next t asked for the first
U.S. President born in a northern state who was elected to a second
term, and T-Nurse-Findlay -5 with "Adams." The t continued that the
President was a Republican born in Ohio in 1822, and J-Hudson got
_Grant_. The b was about science fiction writers who had been
stationed at the Philadelphia Naval Air Experimental Station during
WW II. For the author of "Rocket Ship Galileo" and "Stranger in a
Strange Land" J guessed "Asimov" instead of _Heinlein_; for the
author of "I Robot" and "The Robots of Dawn" they got _Asimov_ for
15 to take the lead 90 to 80 with 0:55 left in the half.

The next t began, "Perhaps because he is a likely pick in the 1994
NBA draft, no team picked him" when T-Johnson -5 with "Grant Hill."
When the t continued that he had not been picked in the NFL draft,
J-Jackson interrupted the t/o to answer _Ward_. IMO, this was good
strategy on Jackson's part. J had the lead, and there were about 30
seconds to go in the first half when he signalled. A b can take up
20 seconds or last up to a minute (or more) to complete. By
interrupting the t/o, Jackson made sure that J would have at least
30 seconds on the b. Once J realized that the b would be a short
one, they went into a "four corners" strategy to eat as much clock
time as they could. The b was about how only females could be the
true type of this feline coloration caused by two X chromosomes
carrying different pigment genes. J knew that this black and yellow
cat named for a type of cotton cloth was _calico_ for 20, but they
discussed it and waited for the prompt before answering. This
strategy has the objective of protecting the lead going into the
half. 0:14 remained, with the t beginning, "The last French troops
departed this city in March of 1994. Russian, British, and U.S.
troops will be gone by the end of August, 1994. All gone, ftp, from
what once infamously... ." (Something tells me this ended with
"divided city.") With the clock down to about 0:02, T-Ellis -5 with
"Mogadishu." The whistle blew to end the half.

Halftime score: J 120, T 70.

Halftime info:

Each HCASC broadcast includes clips of players talking about their
schools, HBCU's, and/or what HCASC has meant to them. I'll discuss
these clips, and a few other things about how CBI-style games work
on television, in a wrap-up post. For the quarterfinals, each match
also included at the half a promotional clip on each school,
narrated by the respective team captains. In the semifinals,
moderator Clint Holmes talked to each player during the half.

Yusef Johnson is a two-sport athlete - in addition to HCASC he
plays on the T football team. He tore his knee ligaments in a
practice in November, and had surgery two weeks later. He hopes to
play football next year, and credits his doctor and trainer for the
recovery.

Damon Ellis recently graduated. He has applied to seven law
schools, been accepted at five, and wait-listed at the other two.

Stephen Nurse-Findlay will spend his summer doing research on an
experimental model of animal encephalitis. He'll be working in
Seattle.

Martin Morgan recently graduated. He plans to get a Masters in
chemical engineering, and then work in industry. Eventually, he
hopes to get a Ph.D. and teach at an HBCU.

Vicki Sanders talked about her commitment to multiculturalism. She
believes that learning about other races combats racism.

Kenya Hudson has a family tradition at J. Her mother attended
there, and her brother attends there now.

Catina Scott was encouraged to participate in HCASC by her brother.
He was part of the J team in 1990 and 1991. (Indeed. Robert Scott
did a credible job captaining the 1991 team.)

Mike Jackson is in the Honors College at J. It's an academic
program for advanced studying in individualized courses.

Second half:

"It won the 1952 National Book Award" was all T-Nurse-Findlay
needed to get _Invisible Man_ and a fast start to the half. The b
was tactile: an apple, a banana, an orange, a peach, and a pear
were brought out, and T was asked to hold up the appropriate fruit
as the genus and species name were given for 5 each and a 5 point
bonus for all four correct. Johnson stood up and moved to behind
Morgan and Nurse-Findlay, and Ellis raised himself up and leaned in
so that all four were close to the basket. They knew that Prunus
persica was the _peach_ and Citrus sinensis the _orange_; they
guessed "pear" for both Musa sapiunsis (sp?) and Malus silvestis
(sp?) instead of banana and apple, to get 10 on the b. The next t
was looking for a word: "It has quite different uses when modifying
`art,' `gold,' `cutting edge,' and `hair.' As a noun, it can mean
`French brandy,' a musical conclusion, and a sum of money paid as
a punishment." T-Nurse-Findlay knew it was _fine_; the b was 30-20-
10, name the writer. 30 point clue: his 1938 "A New Song" was his
only work comprised entirely of social protest poems; T guessed
"Johnson." 20: he also wrote "Jim Crow's Last Stand," "Lament for
Black Peoples," "Montage of a Dream Deferred;" and T knew it was
_Hughes_ to tie the game at 120-all with 5:59 remaining.

"FQTP, `till earth and heaven ring' is the second line of what
anthem by..." was grabbed by J-Hudson as _Lift Every Voice and
Sing_. The b was that Norman Mailer had coined this term to mean
some bit of information that had no prior existence before
appearing in the press, and that in spite of the dictionary
definition of "lie" or "half-truth," CNN uses this two-syllable
term to label arcane trivia. J guessed "tidbit" instead of
_factoid_ for no points. The next t began with somethings that had
a combined weight of one pound, but co-opt as much of the blood
supply as 100 lbs. of muscle in the human body, and T-Nurse-Findlay
-5 with "red and white blood cells." The t continued to ask for the
organs "serviced by the short thick renal arteries," and J-Hudson
seized _kidneys_. The b was audio: for five points listen to a clip
of a song with "love" in the title and name the artist; and J got
all 25 by identifying the _Shirelles_, Percy _Sledge_, Toni
_Braxton_, Barry _White_, and _L.L. Cool J_. With 4:12 left in the
game, J 165 to T 115.

The next t was that when Christ said "love thy neighbor" he was
quoting the Torah, specifically the 3rd book of the Pentateuch, and
T-Nurse-Findlay got _Leviticus_. The b was that these cells
interest cancer researchers because they divide throughout life,
and give rise to 90% of human cancers. Their name comes from a word
meaning "on the nipple," and this class of cells forms the skin,
and the lining of the colon and lungs. T guessed "peritoneum" for
_epithelium_ and got no points. The next t was also used at a CB
tourney this past season. "The U.S. has been compared to a tenant
who sets the rent, controls the lease, and ignores the landlord;
who in turn has refused for 35 years to cash the rent checks, ftp,
for what U.S. naval base in Cuba?" was taken by T-Johnson. The b
was for 15 points each to give the European cities that are the
settings for the operas Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro" and Bizet's
"Carmen." T guessed "Florence" for the first and "Barcelona" for
the second; the answer to both was _Seville_. J 165, T 135 with
2:30 remaining.

The 17th t described an author's estate that in 1994, 10 years
after the author's death, set up a trust and award to be managed by
Stanford University and the University of Iowa. When she heard that
the trust was announced to the media during a breakfast at
Tiffany's, J-Sanders knew they were going for _Capote_. The b dealt
with the only Caribbean island that yielded both Arawak artifacts
and 15th C. Spanish trade goods, was once called Watling Island,
and had recently changed its name to the one that Columbus gave it.
J guessed "Bahamas" instead of _San Salvador_ to increase their
lead to 175-135 with 1:43 left. Adding a small amount of
boron to molten glass makes a trademarked glass used in cookware
and test tubes, and T-Nurse-Findlay knew this to grab _pyrex_.
Behind and with time ticking down, T played hurry-up on the b. When
they heard that the first N.Y. Knick to score 15,000 career points
did so in 1994, T shouted _Ewing_ as soon as they had the answer.
For the second part, T was asked for the hall-of-famer named
"Clyde" who previously held the Knicks career-point record, and T
quickly got _Frazier_ for a full 30. Score 175-all with 1:08 to go.

The "oddball" planet that can be lit by sunlight from almost any
direction relative to its equator was identified by T-Johnson as
_Uranus_. The b said that Spanish explorers first encountering this
plant in the West Indies had called it "pimento" because they
thought it was a pepper, but the plant had an English name more
descriptive of its taste. The taste is reminiscent of cinnamon,
nutmeg, and cloves; and the plant has a pungent seed. T guessed
"tumeric" instead of _allspice_. T 185, J 175 with 0:31 left. "It
had a hydraulic system so that it could be flooded for aquatic
events, and a tarpaulin could be unfurled to shade its 50,000
occupants." It's not a modern multi-purpose arena, but ftp what 1st
C. A.D. Roman structure? T-Ellis knew it was the _Coliseum_. There were
audible cheers from the audience. The b asked for a type of paper: the
Gutenberg bible was printed on a fine parchment made of animal skin, and
the name of this parchment is used today for paper resembling it. With the
clock at 0:01 Johnson shouted "sheepskin" instead of _vellum_, but the
whistle blew and it was over. Instantly, the four T players got in a close
huddle with their arms around each other.

Final score: T 195, J 175. For making the semifinals, J will
receive $15,000 in scholarship grants from Honda. T will advance to
compete for the $50,000 top prize against Morehouse in a rematch of
last year's final.

Every player scored this game. Hudson led all scorers with 5 t's,
Scott had 2. Overall, J got 9 t's and no -5's. They averaged 19.4
points/toss-up in spite of converting 85 of 220 possible bonus
points. For T, Nurse-Findlay had 4 t's and 2 -5's. T got 10 t's and
5 -5's, averaging 19.5 points/toss-up. T converted 120 of 245
possible bonus points.

This exciting match could have gone either way. A little better
luck on the draw of one or two b's would have given J the win.

Semifinal statistics will be posted next. A preview of the final will
follow as well.

This is a review of a broadcast that was copyrighted 1994 by College
Bowl Co., Inc.

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Prelude to a Grudge Match

Prelude to a Grudge Match

The teams from Morehouse University and Tuskegee University have
had plenty of chances to meet. Of the 32 "Charter Members" of HCASC
in the inaugural 1989-90 season, only these two have made it to all
five NCT's; each making the Elite 8 and appearing on tv four times.

I don't know a whole lot about those early years. At the 1990 NCT,
the sixteen teams seemed to play a single game, with the eight
winners advancing to the televised tournament. The only game I have
from that season, the all-star game, suggests that Morehouse beat
Texas Southern to advance to tv while Tuskegee fell to Alcorn
State. I don't even know which team won that year. Eric Reid of
Morehouse captained the East all-star team, and Aubrey Johnson of
Tuskegee played on the west. Morehouse Coach Jackson coached one of
the all-star teams.

Starting in 1991, the Sweet Sixteen teams played several games to
determine who advanced to the televised tournament. (This practice
continued until 1994, when budget cutbacks forced the advancing
teams to be determined at the sectional level so that only eight
teams were brought out to California.) Morehouse and Tuskegee met
that year in the quarterfinals. Morehouse was captained by Dwight
Tory, and also included John Harkless, Randall Biggers, and Jabari
Jackson. Tuskegee was captained by Stephen Nurse-Findlay, and
included Martin Morgan, Darnell Edwards, and Spencer Thomas Jr.
Tuskegee jumped out to an early 55-(-5) lead. The lead then see-
sawed with Morehouse taking it 65-50, Tuskegee going on top 80-65,
and Morehouse taking a 130-100 lead into the half.

Morehouse started the second half with a 5 t run that included 2
Tuskegee t/o's to take a 265-90 lead with 3:46 left to play, but
Tuskegee wasn't dead yet. T-Nurse-Findlay nailed the next 3 t's
with quick interrupts to cut the gap to 265 M, 165 T. After M-
Jackson grabbed the next t but Morehouse couldn't convert the b, it
was 275-160 with 1:15 left. T-Nurse-Findlay grabbed the next 2 t's,
and Tuskegee got the full 20 on both b's, but it wasn't enough as
Morehouse won 275-220. Nurse-Findlay's valiant comeback effort
helped him lead all scorers with 7 t's and 2 -5's; the scoring for
Morehouse was more balanced with Biggers, Jackson, and Tory each
taking 3 t's and Harkless taking 2. Morehouse went on to lose to
Florida A & M 370-110 in the semifinals. (I don't have the finals
for the 1991 NCT on tape, but I recall Florida A & M beating
Melford Reed's West Virginia State team in the championship.)

Morehouse didn't make it to the Elite 8 in 1992. Tuskegee did, but
lost to Langston in the quarterfinals. Langston in turn was
defeated by Norfolk State in the championship. Norfolk State,
Morehouse, and Tuskegee are the only three teams to each play on
television during the 1992, '93, and '94 seasons.

Which brings us to 1993. Tuskegee beat Langston in their
quarterfinal match, advancing to meet Florida A & M, who in turn
had defeated Sojourner-Douglass College. In the third quarterfinal
match, North Carolina Central defeated Dillard. Morehouse played
defending champ Norfolk State in the last game of the
quarterfinals, defeating them 230-120. Tuskegee beat Florida A & M,
I don't have the score; and Morehouse defeated N.C. Central 260-225
to set up the final.

Tuskegee returned Nurse-Findlay captaining Morgan and Thomas; only
Johnson hadn't been on the 1991 team. Morehouse returned Harkless
and Tory from that year, but Tory was no longer captain. John
Gaines was captain, and Hobbs completed the team.

The first half quickly got to a 50-all tie, and the teams swapped
leads on the 10 t's read until Tuskegee landed on top 110-100 at
the half. Two things of note happened that half. First, Nurse-
Findlay may have let his eyes roam onto Thomas' scratch pad during
a math t, and got called for conferring. Luckily for Tuskegee,
Morehouse wasn't able to convert the t/o. The other thing worth
mentioning is the kitten b - an a/v/t Tuskegee got after t #3. A
box was brought out and set on the table. The lid was removed, and
the kittens in the box started moving around and trying to get out.
Tuskegee had to hold up the Persian, Abyssinian, and Himalayan
kittens up, and got the last two correct for 20 of 30 while Nurse-
Findlay tried to concentrate on the b and keeping the kittens from
getting out onto the table. This may be the ultimate tactile b;
perhaps the only way to top it would be to do something similar
along the lines of "hold up the snake as its name is called."

The second half opened with Morehouse grabbing the first t but
getting nothing off the b, leaving the game tied at 110. Tuskegee
took the next 2 t's to lead 150-110 with 5:22 remaining.
Morehouse came back with consecutive t's to edge Tuskegee 155-150
at 3:30 to go. Tuskegee recaptured the lead 190-155, but then -5
and Morehouse tied the game at 185-all on the t/o with 1:42 on the
clock. Morehouse and Tuskegee then swapped t's to tie the game for
the last time at 215-all. The clock had ticked down to 0:30.

"Members of Congress, Supreme Court Justices, or Presidents? FTP,
which group has historically had a far lower life expectancy than
the other two?"

[buzz] "Morehouse, Hobbs."

"Members of Congress."

"I'm sorry, can you take it Tuskegee?"

[buzz] "Tuskegee, Nurse-Findlay."

"Presidents."

"Correct."

Not the best toss-up on which to decide a national championship.

Clint Holmes started reading a list for the b. 0:10 was on the
clock, and Tuskegee let it run. Tuskegee 225, Morehouse 215.

The Tuskegee players started joining hands, and Nurse-Findlay was
openly celebrating. Clint began to say "We will verify the score
and be back after this," when suddenly the Tuskegee alternate walked
on camera in front of the Tuskegee table. Off-screen, he had run up
on stage and seized the trophy. The alternate (the names weren't
given last year) stood in the center, gesturing at the trophy.
Behind him, Nurse-Findlay stood up and turned his back to the
camera. Johnson slumped in his chair with his face in his hands, his
back leaning into Thomas. The camera pulled back for a view of both
teams, and Morehouse wass sitting still and applauding.

I don't know how long Tuskegee's celebration lasted on stage, but
it went on for 1:40 on the broadcast. There are shots of Nurse-
Findlay and the alternate hugging each other and the trophy;
Johnson and Thomas sunk in their chairs, eyes shut and clasping the
microphones as if in prayer; the alternate holding up a stuffed
tiger mascot and waving it at the camera. When the show came back
from commercial, Clint made a comment about how they didn't need to
present Tuskegee the trophy because they had already taken it.

One can only speculate what effect all this had on Morehouse. When
they are shown during this sequence, they are politely applauding;
though Hobbs at point sat looking dejected with his chin in his
hand. As I've said before, I'm quite skeptical about many of the
"predictions" posted on a.c.c-b; but I think one can be certain that
Morehouse's Coach Jackson didn't need to worry about motivating
her players this year.

Morehouse returns three players from last year's tournament to
Saturday's final. Tory is once again captain, and as captain beat
Tuskegee in 1991. Morehouse is motivated. One key for them will be
to avoid being drawn into Tuskegee's highly aggressive rhythm. If
Morehouse can avoid stupid mistakes on t's, Tuskegee may beat
themselves with their tendency to -5. Of course, Jackson State
played an aggressive game against Tuskegee without a -5 for JSU in
the semi's, and the b's fell Tuskegee's way to make the difference.

Tuskegee returns Nurse-Findlay, Johnson, and Morgan from last
year's team. Nurse-Findlay is a very good captain, and Morgan has
shown a lot of leadership - after the semi's, for instance, Morgan
was first up from the table to get the team into a huddle. If the
veterans can recapture the mindset from last year, they can model
the game and psychologically be ready to repeat. And IMO, if
Tuskegee ever figures out how to reduce the -5's without taking the
edge off their game, this line-up would be a force to be reckoned
with in any league.

HCASC 1994 NCT Final: Saturday, October 22nd, 1:00 p.m. Eastern on
BET/Urban Contemporary [cable] Channel.

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Final: Tuskegee versus Morehouse

Honda Campus All-Star Challenge 1994 National Championship Tournament
Game 7, broadcast July 23, 1994, 1:00 p.m. Eastern time; rerun
October 22, 1994, 1:00 p.m. Eastern on BET/Urban Contemporary Channel.

Championship match: Morehouse University v. Tuskegee University

Moderator: Clint Holmes
Announcer: Burton Richardson

Morehouse University
Player Year Major Home Town
John Harkless Senior Mathematics  Jackson, MS
Charles Hobbs II Senior History Tallahassee, FL
Dwight Tory Jr. (C) Senior Computer Science East Point, GA
Shofaetiyah Watson Sophomore Psychology Newport News, VA

Alternate: Elvin Moses
Coach: Jocelyn W. Jackson, Director of Honors Programs

Tuskegee University
Player Year Major Home Town
Martin Morgan Senior Chemical Engineering Chicago, IL
Stephen Nurse-Findlay (C) Senior Biology Granada Hills, CA
Damon Ellis Senior History Indianapolis, IN
Yusef Johnson Junior Aerospace Engineering New York, NY

Alternate: Eric Arrington
Coach: Peter J. Spears, Assistant Director Student Life and Development

The spelling of the names of the coach and alternate of each team
are my best guess. (Hey, CBI! The coach and alternate have
families. The shot of the coach and alternate shows them standing
beside Clint. To the left of Clint is the large monitor that shows
the score, the time, and the video b's. During the shot of the
coach and alternate, this monitor is showing the school logo. It
wouldn't be too much trouble to superimpose the coach's and the
alternate's names as they're being introduced.) Player names are as
they appeared on-screen.

[Conventions: when discussing specific questions, the precise
correct answer will be noted with the usenet _underline_
convention. M=Morehouse University, T=Tuskegee University.
t=toss-up, b=bonus, t/o=turnover. ftp=for ten points, f(x)p=for (x)
points. Also, "-5" can be a noun or a verb.]

Introduction

The final match of a national tournament is unlike any other that
has gone on before. Certainly it is when two teams are playing for
a $50,000 prize for their schools. Particularly it is when the
importance of doing well is so great that the seniors on one team
are missing the ceremony honoring four years of hard work and
accomplishment, their commencement ceremony, to be there.
Inevitably it is when the two teams involved have a history.
Superstitions that provoked quiet chuckles on the plane out are now
observed with ceremonial reverence, and mascots and tokens are
guarded with vigilance. Each player prepares in his own way, but
each silently (or not so silently) vows to play his best. 

Both teams had saved their best performance for this game. Those
who saw it caught a superb match.

The first half:

T got off to a fast start with a 4-1 run. The first t, about a
Baptist minister who turned to Islam in 1934 and established over
150 temples was interrupted by T-Nurse-Findlay with _Elijah
Muhammad_. The b was about a man of color who "probably could have
passed for white," but in an act of civil disobedience sat in a
whites-only New Orleans railroad car in 1892 and started a case
that went to the Supreme Court; and T got 20 for _Plessy_. The next
t began by telling how, in 1993, people lit candles to celebrate
the 60th birthday of King Bhumibol, the world's longest reigning
living monarch. When the t turned to say this king ruled a country
bordered by Myanmar (which moderator Clint Holmes pronounced
"Minimar" - a rare slip-up for him) and Laos, T-Johnson interrupted
with _Thailand_. The b was 30-20-10, name the baseball great: 30:
When the Yankees brought him up from the Class C Jocelyn (sp?)
club, Casey Stengel said, "He has more speed than any slugger, and
more slug than any speedster." T got _Mantle_ for the full 30.

"It has one of the highest mortality rates of any endangered
species. 60% of those born in captivity die within one month, and
of the 43 survivors of the captive breeding" was -5 by T-Johnson
with "California condor." The question continued with "...of the 43
survivors of the captive breeding experiments, 37 are in China.
FTP" when M-Watson interrupted the t/o with _panda_. IMO, in this
case it would have been a better strategy to wait until the
question was over before signalling. M was behind 70-0, but the
game had just started. The few seconds left until the end of the t
would minimize the risk of the question shifting to another answer.
Also, T likes to play at a fast pace, and slowing the game down
after T has grabbed 2 quick t's in order to set a new tempo is a
strategy worth trying. The b asked for the name of a solid with six
faces, each of which is a parallelogram. During conferral, Harkless
called for the shot with a finger movement, and Tory designated him
to answer _parallelipiped_ for 20. After 3 t's T 65, M 30 with 5:40
to go in the half.

"Pierre Chambrin and his staff were politely fired in 1994 for
refusing to cook low-fat American-style meals" was nailed by T-
Johnson with _White House_. The b was visual; pictures of Count
_Basie_, Fats _Waller_, John _Coltrane_, and Miles Davis were shown
on the monitor, and T identified the three named FTP each. The next
t began, "Her real maiden name is Chloe Anthony [buzz] Wofford,"
and T-Morgan responded Toni _Morrison_. The b discussed
Massachusetts' Patriots Day holiday, and asked which two battles
fought on the same date in April, 1775 it commemorated; and Morgan
was designated to answer _Lexington_ and _Concord_. After 5 t's and
with 4:25 remaining in the half, T led 135-30.

M now responded to T with a 4-0-1 run of their own to end the half.
The 6th t noted that a river meeting the Mississippi River at
Vicksburg provides the Mississippi delta with an alternate name,
and at the t's end Jackson, MS resident M-Harkless answered
_Yazoo_. The b sounded familiar: it mentioned that the Milky Way
was in the process of acquiring another galaxy, and that this dwarf
galaxy was named for the sign of the Zodiac known as the Archer. M
answered _Sagittarius_ for 10, and designated Watson to spell it
for another 10. The next t began, "It was Dr. Livingston's response
to Henry Stanley's famous... ," and T-Nurse-Findlay -5 with "Yes I
am." The t continued "... `Dr. Livingston, I presume?,' and it was
also Molly Bloom's final word in her soliloquy that closes Joyce's
"Ulysses." FTP, what is this three-letter word?," and was gotten by
M-Harkless with _yes_. The b stated that in addition to the
Spingarn Medal, the NAACP gives out an award for "contributions to
the cause" that is named for the NAACP Executive Director from 1931
to 1955, and was first awarded to Hubert Humphrey in 1978; and
Hobbs was designated to answer _Walter White_. Score is now T 130,
M 95; 2:48 left. "Britain and Russia invaded this ancient nation in
1941, occupying it with U.S. help until 1946. FTP," was -5 by T-
Johnson with "Greece." The question completed to describe an oil-
rich neighbor of Turkey and Pakistan, and M-Watson guessed
"Ottoman" not _Iran_.

t#9 began with 1:57 left: "Since her husband's death, she has
earned her Ph.D. in education, and has been working at Medgar Evers
College in Brooklyn" and was seized by M-Hobbs with an emphatically
delivered _Betty Shabazz_. The b was video: clips from two films
made since 1987 about South Africa were shown, and M was asked to
identify the actor, the role he was playing and the movie title for
5 points each. M got _Glover_ and _Mandela_ on the first clip, but
forgot to give the character as _Nelson Mandela_; and on the second
clip got _Washington_, _Biko_, and _Cry Freedom_ for 25 of 30. With
0:47 left, M had taken the lead 130-125. The last T of the half
began, "In the original version, its largest character eats a
detective, a dentist, a burglar, a hooker, and it's protector;" and
was answered _Little Shop of Horrors_ by M-Tory. The b was Periodic
Table Spelling: given a series of elements, respond with the word
their symbols spell ftp each. Harkless spelled the first word out
on his scratch pad, showed it to Tory, and called for the shot with
his thumb; and Tory designated Harkless, who answered _TaCK_ for
"tantalum, carbon, potassium" and _WArY_ for "tungsten, argon,
yttrium;" but missed _BaNaNa_ for "barium, sodium, sodium" by
answering "bass."

The whistle blew, and M took a 160-125 lead into the half. M was
visibly happy. They had to feel good at the half: they had beaten
T to the buzzer on several quick jumps, had gotten 5 t's to T's 4,
and converted well on the b's. While M was relaxed and applauding,
T had gotten into a huddle. After Clint Holmes made some
announcements about the schools participating in HCASC, how HCASC
was run, and the scholarships the teams were competing for, a full
minute had past since the teams were last on-screen: as the camera
pulled back, M was applauding and T remained locked in their huddle
while the shot faded to commercial.

The second half:

"It has at least as many Rembrandts as the Louvre; and has strong
holdings of Picasso, whose Party membership endeared him to Soviet
authorities. FTP, name this museum begun with the art collection of
Catherine the Great." M-Watson guessed "Kremlin," and when the t
was turned-over T sat silently, so no points were scored for
_Hermitage_. "Spyglass Hill is a feature of a fictitious location,
whose other landmarks include Mizzenmast Hill, Skeleton Island, and
Rum Cove" - this familiar-sounding t was answered by T-Nurse-
Findlay with _Treasure Island_. The b was a 20 point single-answer:
"W.E.B. DuBois called him `the most dangerous enemy of the Negro
people,' while Dr. King called him `the first man of color in the
history of the U.S. to give millions of Negroes a sense of
dignity.' F20P, who was this Jamaican whose prison term for fraud
was commuted by President Coolidge?," and T got the full 20 for
_Garvey_. T had crept within 5 to M 160, T 155, 7:01 left.

M kept their lead, and added to it with a 4-0 run. "In 1921, a
judge deprived the Bayer Company of its exclusive rights to this
then trademarked name" was answered _aspirin_ by M-Tory. The b was
30-20-10, name the tv show from members of its cast. 30: Marcus
Houston, M guessed "Hangin' with Mr. Cooper." 20: Tia and Tamera
Mowry, and M got _Sister, Sister_. The next t dealt with a Fellow
at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons later
awarded an honorary Doctor of Sciences for his work with blood
plasma, and M-Tory knew the t was going for _Drew_. The b began,
"Its fictional author was burned at the stake for his writing the
book." Its actual author, Thornton Wilder, won the 1927 Pulitzer
Prize, f20p, for what book narrated by the Friar Brother Juniper?
Watson was designated to answer, and said "The Bridge at Saint
(sic) Luis Rey." An off-screen voice ruled the answer unacceptable, 
and the game moved on without explanation to the audience. M 200,
T 155 with 5:36 to go.

"In 1814 it followed Britain and abolished the slave trade, but
colonists with roots in this European monarchy had other ideas, and
kept their slaves when Britain declared emancipation in Cape
Colony. FTP, [buzz]" and T-Nurse-Findlay -5 with "South Africa."
Looking at the question, it's easy to see how he got lost, though
the t is, IMO, worded fairly. The t continued to ask them to name
this nation on the North Sea, and M-Hobbs snagged _Holland_. The b
was audio: clips of songs with names of cities or states in the
title were played, and M was asked to identify the city or state.
M got 4 of 5 for 20 by answering _Tennessee_, _California_,
_Indiana_, Pennsylvania (instead of _Philadelphia_), and _Georgia_.
(The artists I recognized were Arrested Development and Gladys
Knight & the Pips.) t#16 began, "A sitting one is vulnerable, a
dead one [buzz] is a goner," and M-Tory answered _duck_. The b
asked M to name the first black governor since reconstruction, and
the first African-American Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
both of whom took office in 1989; and Hobbs was designated to
answer "Douglas _Wilder_, Colin _Powell_." With just 3:55
remaining, M had increased their led to 260-150.

Down >100 points with less than 4 minutes to go is a situation in
which Stephen Nurse-Findlay seems to excel. The next t gave clues
about the city that in 1860 became the first capital of the united
Kingdom of Italy, and when the t said that the city had long vied
with Rome as an intellectual center, T-Nurse-Findlay was all over
it with _Florence_. Needing to play hurry-up, T kept the conferral
to the necessary minimum to get the b right. The b was on Nolan
Ryan trivia, and asked for the exact number of career no-hitters
pitched, _7_; within 1000, the number of his career strikeouts, T
answered 5000 for _5714_; and within 25, the number of his career
victories - Johnson was designated for this part and answered "330"
which was close enough to _324_ for full points on the b. M 260, T
190 @ 3:04 to play.

The 18th t began, "Marvin Minsky is considered the founding father
of this field, a discipline devoted to the proposition that
computers can be taught to think [buzz] like the human brain," and
M-Harkless -5 with a guess of "cybernetics." Aware that time was
flowing past T, T-Nurse-Findlay interrupted the t/o as soon as he
knew it, but he might have gotten real lucky: the t continued "FTP,
name this field, abbreviated i [buzz] ... a.i." The last two
letters of correction had begun with the buzz, and are probably
a good attempt by Clint Holmes to make sure his error in reading
didn't affect the game. I suspect that Nurse-Findlay was
going in with his answer _artificial intelligence_ just