Northern Kentucky Sports Chronicle

(This story was originally published on Feb. 26, 2020) Are you searching for the ultimate irony of sports justice inside the wishy-washy, leaning-tower-of-jello world called the NCAA? Look no further. It’s on full display simultaneously at Northern Kentucky University and the University of Houston. All you need to do is peer through the NCAA eyepiece nicknamed “betterment of the student-athlete” and you’ll see the contradictory view. But it’s easier to locate Alpha Centauri with a hand-held magnifying glass than to find common sense through the NCAA’s flawed administrative telescope.   Unfortunately for NKU senior basketball standout Tyler Sharpe, the NCAA’s logic-challenged focus is on the 11 total minutes he played as a freshman walk-on at the University of Louisville. And those seven games — virtually all in mop-up roles — will cost Sharpe a year of eligibility. Meanwhile, Houston quarterback D’Eriq King — a full scholarship recipient — throws for 663 yards and six touchdow...

___________________ (This story was originally published on Feb. 22, 1990) HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. — Hitting a last-second shot to beat an undefeated opponent is a basketball player's dream. Northern Kentucky University’s Valerie Gaerke lived out that dream on Thursday night in Regents Hall. “I knew time was running down, and it was either going into overtime or we would get the last shot and win the game,” Gaerke said of her short jumper with one second remaining that gave the Lady Norse a heart-stopping 82-80 win over previously unbeaten St. Joseph’s. “I didn't want to make another pass, so I drove in, put it up and luckily, it went in.” In doing so, the 5-foot-10 sophomore from Ft. Recovery, Ohio, ended the Lady Pumas’ 24-game winning-streak and boosted Northern's record to 17-7, 10-5 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. St. Joseph’s dropped to 24-1, 14-1 in the GLVC. Gaerke finished the game with only five points, but the sophomore wasn't 100 percent, either. “We wer...

A s we look forward to the upcoming prep basketball season, it’s also time to peek back at the greatest game in 9th Region Tournament history — the epic clash in 1977 between Holmes and Newport in the championship game. The intensity of the crowd that evening is beyond description. The noise was deafening. Neither team ever pulled away. And it all came down to several game-changing plays — and a couple of life-altering moments — that enabled Holmes to pull out a 77-76 victory over Newport. Former Holmes star Doug Schloemer offers his insights on that game, and then-Newport assistant coach Jack Patterson talks about the impact of that championship contest. The original story is in PDF format below with photos included.  https://online.fliphtml5.com/hfocp/qjow/#goo

W hat do I remember about Dec. 8, 2011? I recall it was actually sunny outside. I remember seeing television trucks and other media vehicles pulling up in the circle outside The Bank of Kentucky Center. I’ll never forget the press conference and the announcement that NKU was making the jump to NCAA Division I and joining the Atlantic Sun Conference. And I’ll always remember the crowd that cheered the news later in the afternoon at the public announcement. Here’s a look at that day, with plenty of awesome photos taken by Jeff McCurry, when NKU moved its athletics program to NCAA Division I. The publication NKU produced that day is also linked below in a PDF document. --------------------