1.     My schedule this semester is pretty good. But it started out very rough though. As I registered for classes I was very happy about what classes I was going to have and felt very confident that things would go well. I was registered for a math class that would actually be two classes in one. It would be math 1010 and 1020. This class would fulfill all my math requirements and I would be done with math forever. My brain does not process science and math very well. I am much better at english and writing. So naturally I was very happy about this class. But as the first day approached, I was informed that all my classes would be dropped because I hadn't paid my tuition on time. So technically it was my own fault, but it was still very frustrating. So there I was on the first day of the semester with no classes, and also no idea what I was going to do and how I was going to fix the situation. But luckily I was able to figure it out. I have 13 credits and five classes. On Monday Wednesday Friday I have Geology, English, and History. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I have Biology and Basketball. I really like my basketball class. All we do I play.
     In basketball class there are some players who have developed rivalries against each other. It is always interesting to see how people try and avoid being on each others teams.

2.     I am a huge basketball fan and am very excited about what is going on in the NBA. After being away from America and the NBA for two years, coming back and seeing the changes that have taken place and the development of players in the league. The biggest change and thing I am most excited about is what is going in Salt Lake with the Utah Jazz. In the past few years the Jazz have been absolutely awful. After Jerry Sloan retired and Deron Williams was traded things really went downhill. Tyrone Corbin was head coach and lead the Jazz to zero playoff appearances and things were just a disaster. In the past offseason, the Jazz fired Ty Corbin, and hired longtime assistant coach Quin Snyder. Snyder played in college for Mike Krezyewski at Duke, and then started his NBA career. Along with hiring Snyder, the Jazz signed swingman Gordon Hayward to a max contract, matching the Charlotte Hornet's $63 Million contract offer. The Jazz also brought in outside shooter Steve Novak from Toronto and hustleman Trevor Booker from the Washington Wizards.
     Since the All-Star break, the Jazz have posted the best defense in the league (by a huge margin), and that play has been inspired and led by French center Rudy Gobert. Gobert was originally drafted late in the second round by the Denver Nuggets, and later dealt to Utah. Gobert is simply a game changer. He makes every player better - especially on the defensive side of the ball. The on ball defenders now have the ability to take more chances on the defensive side of the ball and be more agressive. Knowing that there is a 7'2'' elite shot blocker behind them gives them this luxury. Gobert brings a fire and grittiness to the floor that is contagious and the other Jazz players are elevating their play.
     Post All-Star break, the Jazz have beaten the Blazers, Spurs, Bucks, Grizzlies, Nets, Rockets, and Mavericks. All those teams are playoff teams and are being shut down by the Jazz. Other teams in the league are taking notice as well. My prediction for the Jazz next year is that they will win their division, and get the fourth seed in the western conference playoffs. Rudy Gobert will be named to the first team all NBA defensive team, and Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors, and Rudy Gobert will all be all stars. That is a very bold prediction but as long as the Jazz continue to develop their young players and make wise moves in the off season, that can happen. They will need big play from Rodney Hood and Trey Burke, who can both help contribute to a struggling Utah backcourt. If the Jazz can continue to improve next season could be very exciting and provide us fans with plenty to cheer about. After many years of poor play and post "stockton to malone depression", the Jazz are finally ready to break into the playoffs and put the league on notice.


3. Over the past four years, I have gotten to know an incredible girl named Emily Harman. As a high school senior, I had a gigantic crush on her and wanted to talk to her but didn't know how. After months of trying to muster up the courage to talk to her, I finally and did and we quickly became good friends. This friendship turned into a one way crush and I was desperate for things to move forward. However, as I said this was one way. The feelings I had were not mutual and definitely not reciprocated. But I was determined to not quit and continue to try. After I graduated, we began to spend every day of the summer together. Things were great until I was hit with terrible news: She was moving to Spokane, Washington. As I heard the news, I was devastated.
     Our friendship soon turned into a long distant one. We would call, text, and skype each other often just to stay in contact but things were different. Another factor which made things difficult was that I was going to Utah State University and was getting very busy with school and making new friends and it was hard for me to always find the time to skype with her and stay in touch. Months went by and we were always friends. It was just that sometimes we were closer and other times we were farther. The whole time I was hoping that there would be a way where we could get together and actually just spend time together. This time finally came as I was preparing to serve a full time mission in Austria and Germany for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints. She was coming down to see me a week before I left and it was a great week. We went on hikes, watched movies, and just enjoyed each others company.  The only downside to this whole situation was that I was still the only one who wanted to date. I was desperate to show her that I genuinely cared about her and I wanted to be together. But... she wasn't ready for that and I left on my two year mission without any kind of surety that we would be together or not.
     After two unforgettable long years in the alps, I finally came home to my family. I was so happy to see them all at the airport waiting to greet me and hug me. I vividly remember seeing my little brother standing there waiting to hug me. He had grown so much and was now as tall as I was. And as good as it was to see my family and friends, there was one person who I was most anxious to see. Emily was there to greet me and hug me after I had said hi to my whole family. She was down here going to school and was no longer living in Spokane. We soon started spending lots of time together and her feelings had changed. We began dating in August and things progressed from there. I couldn't believe what was happening. My high school crush had decided that I was okay and actually wanted to date. In late March, after knowing her for over four years, I asked her to marry me. I must have been persuasive enough because she said yes. We will be married on August 4th in the Salt Lake Temple. I can't wait to start my life with her!

4.    "The month of March brings out a madness you didn't know was in ya". - Paul Brogan.
I am a HUGE college basketball fan. Some of my earliest childhood memories are going to BYU basketball games with my dad. I still remember specific games I saw as a very young child. I remember players like Terrell Lyday, and Mekeli Wesley in the early 2000's playing under coach Steve Cleveland. I remember the hiring of current head coach Dave Rose. I was fully invested in Jimmer-mania, and couldn't get enough of it. At the end of the current Tyler Haws era, I have been there every step along the way. I love college basketball, and to put it simply, it has played a big role in my growing up.
     While BYU basketball is my favorite, there are obviously other teams in the country who compete. That competition is brought to a climax each March as the NCAA tournament is played out and each team competes for a spot in the final four. This years bracket is full of potential upsets and should provide us all with plenty of memories.
     The favorite this march is perennial powerhouse Kentucky. The Wildcats are entering the tournament with an undefeated regular season and SEC tournament. They have had some close calls along the way but have weathered each storm and look posed to capture the title. By so doing, they would be the first undefeated champions since the Bobby Knight led Indiana Hoosiers did so in 1976. But Kentucky is not the only team that has a good chance of winning it all. The Duke Blue devils once again are a top seed and will be looking for the fifth championship in school history. Head Mike Krezyewszky will have his Dookies ready for another final four run. Wisconsin also poses a threat to the Wildcats. The Badgers have only lost two games all season and are led by Player of the year candidate Frank Kaminsky. Frank is a senior center who not only looks NBA ready, but final four ready as well.
    My predictions for the final four are the Kentucky wildcats, Arizona Wildcats, Michigan state spartans, and duke blue devils. The spartans are my real 'cinderella story' of the tournament. They enter as a 7 seed, but are coached by one of the game's best: Tom Izzo. Izzo has more wins a a lower seed in NCAA tournament history than any other coach. Ever. He will prepare his players to win each game they face, until they play devils in the final four. However, the cinderella story will end there, and they will lose to duke. In the other side of the bracket, arizona will lose to kentucky in what I have as the game of the year. Two days later in the final game, Duke will fight valiantly but lose to kentucky. Kentucky is too talented and has too many options. The talent will be too much and Kentucky will win it's second championship in five years under coach John Calipari. They will complete the undefeated season and go down in history as one of the best teams ever.


5.     Just about every entry I have on this blog is about sports. I apologize. But in my defense, I am hoping to one day become a sports journalist. So think of this blog as my practice field, my weight room (even though I love going to the gym. Never think that I would replace working out with the computer), and my training grounds. While I know that as a sports writer, anchor, or radio host, I will definitely have to be impartial and hold back my public opinions, I am not under the same obligation as a student at UVU writing a blog for his english class. That said, let me offer my opinion on one of the Universities in the state, I hate the University of Utah.
     Growing fifteen minutes away from BYU campus in Utah valley, I was raised in a family where BYU sports played a major role. Every Saturday in football season my dad and I were either at Lavell Edwards Stadium, or in our home watching the games. Either way, there was always two mandatory activities that had do be done on that day: mowing the lawn, and watching the game. That said, there was another part of Saturdays that had less importance, but it was something that I became obsessed with: Watching the University of Utah play and hoping they lose. I invested almost as much energy and time into obsessing over the Utes did than I did into the Cougars winning.
     I have seen the good and the bad. My first memory of the two playing was on a very cold, and dark November night in Provo. It was 2001 and the Cougars came into the game undefeated behind the talents of Brandon Doman and Luke Staley. The game looked to be over in favor for the Utes when a late game interception saved the day for BYU. I watched in 2004 as Utah destroyed BYU in Salt Lake on their way to a perfect season and a fiesta bowl victory over Pitt. In 2008, I witnessed my only "where were you in sports" moments. A moment where I remember perfectly where I was, how I felt, and what I saw. John Beck found Johnny Harline alone in the end zone for the winning touchdown with no time left on the clock. Since then, things haven't been going so great for BYU in head to head match ups, but I still bleed blue.
     The rivalry isn't only in football. I have witnessed many college basketball games between the two. One of my earliest memories with my father is being in the Marriott center and watching BYU pull of a miraculous 20+ point comeback that took the entire second half. I also remember Jimmer lighting it up in the Huntsman center. But who doesn't?