Blog | Sports: The Hot Corner

Brentwood native Andrew Jean-Baptiste, 19, was selected in the first round of the MLS Draft by the Portland Timbers on Thursday.

“I couldn’t fall asleep until 3 or 4 in the morning because I was so anxious,” Jean-Baptiste said about the night before the draft. “With me as an addition to the team there is going to be a lot of beautiful football playing in that stadium.”

He played two seasons at Connecticut, leading the Huskies to the Big East finals and the semifinals in the 2011 NCAA tournament.

Jean-Baptiste was named the Big East Conference Defensive Player of the Year, received Soccer America second-team MVP honors and earned a spot on the NSCAA All-Northeast Region first team. He was a member of the U.S. U-20 National Team player pool in 2010.

At Brentwood he was Newsday’s Player of the Year in 2009.

“We had identified the players we were after,” said Timbers General Manager Gavin Wilkinson, on the Timbers’ website. “With our No. 8 pick, we definitely wanted to add a quality piece, and I think we got that with Andrew. He was a player that we identified and a player that we wanted. It was good that he fell to the No. 8 spot and we were able to acquire him.”

To see video of Jean-Baptiste talk about his new team, click here.

Stony Brook senior Brock Jackolski has been named to the College Sporting News Fabulous Fifty All-America Team, according to the university. Jackolski, who was named as the team’s all-purpose back, has picked up his fourth postseason honor of the year.

Jackolski has also been honored as an All-American by the AFCA FCS Coaches, Associated Press and Phil Steele.

Jackolski’s 2011 season will be remembered as one of the best in school and Big South history. He rushed for 1,418 yards, had 114 receiving yards, 55 punt return yards and 854 kick return yards, totaling 20 touchdowns. The 2,441 all-purpose yards and 20 touchdowns are Big South single-season records.

He recorded six games with more than 100 rushing yards and tallied more than 150 all-purpose yards in 11 of 13 games. Jackolski set a conference record with five touchdowns in a 76-28 win over Gardner-Webb.

He’s one of five players in Big South history with more than 4,000 all-purpose yards, accomplishing the feat in just two years. Including two seasons at Hofstra, Jackolski totaled 6,394 all-purpose yards, which ranks 16th in FCS history.

From the blue and gold colors to the No. 22 jersey, Charles Jenkins looks at home playing with Golden State.

The 6-foot-3 guard, who was selected in the second round (44th overall) in last year’s NBA Draft, has played in seven games so far, including a 97-90 loss against California rival Los Angeles on Friday night. The Warriors, feeling their way under new leadership with a young roster, are 2-5 to start the 2011-12 season.

Jenkins has scored 14 points in seven games and is averaging 8 minutes per game.

Mike Tice’s NFL resume continues to grow. The Central Islip, N.Y. native was named the new offensive coordinator with the Chicago Bears Friday afternoon. Tice, who was with the organization as an offensive line coach, replaces former coordinator Mike Martz, who parted ways with the franchise.

“I’m excited to have Mike move into our offensive coordinator role,” Bears coach Lovie Smith said on ChicagoBears.com. “He has been a valuable member of our staff over the past two years and has an excellent track record in the NFL. He was very impressive in his job interview yesterday and shares the same vision I have for our offense moving forward. We want to be a strong running team with a big-play pass attack.

“Mike will call plays for us and continue to have an active role with our offensive line. To complete our staff we will be hiring a passing coordinator who will work with our quarterbacks and an offensive line coach.”
Tice has been around the NFL for 30 years. He played 14 seasons and has coached for the last 16, including a stint as the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings from 2001-2005.

“Lovie and I share a similar mindset of what the Bears offense should look and feel like,” Tice said in an interview with ChicagoBears.com. “There will be a toughness about us. We are going to be a powerful run team and we’re going to be able to mix in explosive pass plays.

“It will be important for us to utilize the talents of our players and exploit match-ups each Sunday. We have athletes we can build with. I feel fortunate Lovie has placed the trust in me to help move us forward to a championship.”

The Long Island Press announced this week that QuackerJack has been named “Best Long Island Mascot” as part of this year’s “Best of Long Island 2012” awards. This is the second consecutive year that QuackerJack has received the honor in online voting conducted by the Long Island Press.

The lovable mascot takes home the award after beating out second place finisher Wolfie from Stony Brook University and third place winner Sparky of the New York Islanders in the voting. From leading fans in “Let’s Go Ducks” chants to racing young fans around the bases all season long, “QJ” continues to put smiles on the faces of Long Islanders.

In addition, Ducks infielder Ray Navarrete has been named “Best Long Island Duck.” Navarrete, who just completed his sixth season with the Flock, became the franchise’s all-time hits leader in 2011, surpassing Justin Davies. The 2009 Atlantic League MVP also led the team with 27 home runs and 122 games played while adding 79 RBI, 86 runs, and 20 doubles.