Customer Service Place an Ad Become a Carrier Contact Us About Us Mobile Edition E-Mail Updates Report Cancellation Submit Milestone
| Subscribe Now Customer Service Place an Ad Become a Carrier Contact Us About Us Mobile Edition E-Mail Updates Report Cancellation Submit Milestone
|
 |
 |
|
Weather  Calendar Obituaries Classifieds Jobs Autos Homes Rentals Coupons Ad Center Gift Finder |
Bloomington-Normal, Illinois
|
Home News Sports
Free Time Life Money Nation/World Opinion Blogs/Columns Archives Site Map |
| SportsFriday, October 19, 2007 11:15 PM CDT |
 Comments (6) |  E-mail this page |  Print this page |  Enlarge type |  Reduce type |  Search archives |  RSS feeds |  Add to My Yahoo! |
Kindred: BHS grad Hughes is a reminder of good in college sports
It is easy to get jaded by the sleaze in college athletics, from overzealous boosters to crooked coaches to players on police blotters. You cringe at how routinely ethics are compromised and opportunities wasted, wondering where it went so wrong. Yet, bleak as it is on occasion, the real danger is in losing sight of the big picture, becoming blind to the positives. They may not grab headlines like improper benefits or dorm room break-ins, but they exist. You just have to dig a little. You’ll find athletes who appreciate the position they are in, on the field and in the classroom. You’ll run across players determined to maximize their potential, and to have fun doing it. You’ll find a breath of fresh air. You’ll find Brandon Hughes. One of eight children, Hughes grew up on Bloomington’s west side, and had to fight for everything he got while developing into a football and track standout at Bloomington High School. He could have been jealous or bitter. He smiled. The speedy receiver/cornerback committed to a football scholarship at Oregon State in May of his senior year, but didn’t find out until August that he had been approved academically by the NCAA Clearinghouse. He could have been frustrated. He smiled, hopping a plane on a Monday and opening practice in Corvallis, Ore., the next morning. Recruited as a receiver, Hughes was redshirted that first year, and the following spring, was asked by his coaches to switch to cornerback. He could have been selfish and said no. He smiled and said yes … but had a little fun first. “I thought about it for maybe a day,” Hughes said later. “I knew I was going to do it. I just wanted to keep them in suspense a little bit.” By the fifth game of his redshirt freshman season, Hughes was a starting cornerback in the Pac-10 Conference. He has been starting ever since, and had seven tackles Saturday night in a 31-28 victory over then-No. 2 ranked Cal at Berkeley, Calif. “Nobody outside of us believed we could do it,” Hughes said. The 5-foot-11, 178-pound junior has blossomed into one of the Pac-10’s best “lockdown” corners. He ranks among the league leaders in passes defended, breaking up six and intercepting two. He has not allowed a touchdown pass all season. Not bad for a guy who says, “I officially have bad knees.” That is, Hughes has tendinitis in his knees, but has not missed a game for the 4-3 Beavers. “I’ve lost a step since I came here,” he said. “But it’s not a big ordeal. Corner is all about closing speed and angles. As long as you understand geometry, you’re all right.” Count me out. Hughes has a good handle on it, and understands communication as well. He is on pace to graduate with a degree in speech communication and a minor in writing. But while his Oregon State bio states he writes for the student newspaper, The Daily Barometer, Hughes said, “I’m not doing that this year.” “I was just trying to test the waters, seeing if I wanted to go into journalism,” he added. “I don’t mean any disrespect to your profession, but it’s not for me.” None taken. Hughes will have other options, possibly professional football or, as he said, “I might become a preacher, you never know.” For now, he is enjoying a bye week and the upset of Cal, which his mother, Ceneta Brooks of Bloomington, caught on television. She called Hughes on Monday to congratulate him, among other things. “She said I looked fat,” Hughes said, laughing. “Actually, she said I looked healthy. I’m putting on some good weight. I came out here at 159 and I’m 178 now. I’ve put on muscle mass so I can tangle with the receivers in the Pac-10.” That has become easier each year, an improvement Hughes attributes mostly to experience. He said starting for three seasons has enabled him to “see things faster, and that puts you in position to make plays.” “I’m making my share … plays I need to make,” he said. “But I’m nowhere near complete. I have to continue to strive for excellence.” No doubt he will, and he’ll have fun doing it. There is still a lot of good in college athletics. Five minutes with Hughes will tell you that. Randy Kindred is a Pantagraph columnist. To leave him a voice mail, call 820-3402. By e-mail: rkindred@pantagraph.com. The Randy Kindred Blog is at www.pantagraph.com/blogs Get area high school sports scores and statistics at Varsity Sports. E-mail this story | Print this story | Search archives | RSS Show comments |  Hide comments | Hide comments on all stories |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
Top of Page | Home | News | Sports | Free Time | Life | Money | Nation/World | Opinion | Blogs/Columns | Archives | Site Map | RSS
Customer Service | 301 W. Washington St., PO Box 2907, Bloomington, IL 61701-2907 | Ph. 309-829-9000 | 800-747-7323
Copyright © 2009, Pantagraph Publishing Co. and Lee Enterprises. All rights reserved. | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy
|
Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.
Sarge wrote on Oct 19, 2007 9:21 AM:
Hard work pays off wrote on Oct 19, 2007 9:16 AM:
Success wrote on Oct 19, 2007 7:55 AM:
J Byrd wrote on Oct 19, 2007 7:30 AM:
BHS Grad wrote on Oct 19, 2007 12:31 AM:
Nice wrote on Oct 18, 2007 9:52 PM:
Please read the rules before posting comments.
You must be logged in to leave comments.
If you don't have a member ID, please register.