Category Archives: Basketball

Art, Basketball, Candid Portrait, Dae Hee, Event, Flowers, Road Trip

Part Ballroom, Part Baller

January 8, 2020 Christopher D. Bennett

Last April I went up to Minneapolis to checkout all the hoopla that surrounds the Final Four. Dae Hee and I went downtown and checked everything out. I snapped a few pictures. Here are some of my favorites:

It appears to be a down season for the Cyclones this year. I can only imagine what this team would look like if THT would’ve come back instead of going to the NBA. That being said, there is still time for the current team to get it figured out, starting tonight against Kansas. Go Cyclones!

Basketball, Black & White, Derrick, Iowa State, Music, Still Life, WPC - Reminder

Not What I Appear to Be

December 13, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett

Happy Friday the 13th! May your night be Jason Voorhees free! Or, if you want, have the proper amount of Jason Voorhees. I have to confess that while I was on vacation I got sucked down a rabbit hole of watching the special features on about all of the discs in THE FRIDAY THE 13TH boxed set. I didn’t know if I would ever watch the movies when I picked up the boxed set for like $3 in a Wal-Mart bargain bin about 3 years ago. Turns out, I’m a sucker for documentaries and commentary tracks on terrible movies. You probably could have guessed that though.

Today’s collection of pictures is from August. Back when MUSIC was the theme for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. I visited Derrick at Rieman Music to take some photos. These are the ones I didn’t select:

If you have ANY music needs, you really should hop down to the Ames location of Rieman Music and talk to Derrick. The man knows everything there ever is to know about guitars.

+++++++

This is your reminder that this week’s WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE theme is SPORTS/GAMES:

SPORTS/GAMES

A SPORTS/GAMES photo is any photo that involves anything that surrounds SPORTS/GAMES.

Happy photo harvesting!

Andy, Angie, Basketball, Carla, Dawn, Drone, Iowa State, Kim, Micky, Shannon, Tamara, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 221 – HIGH PERSPECTIVE

December 9, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett

HIGH PERSPECTIVE proved to be a highly unpopular theme. That is the bad news. The good news is that by skin of its teeth, HIGH PERSPECTIVE had double digit submissions, to run the streak of double digit submission to eleven! Woot! Woot!

My best prognostication is that the streak will make it to fourteen, but that the 15th theme will be a soul crusher. It will be one of those weeks where we get like 3 submissions.

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates. You came to see the submissions:

Christopher D. Bennett

Andy Sharp

Carla Stensland

Angie DeWaard

Tamara Peterson

Shannon Bardole-Foley

Kim Barker

Dawn Krause

Micky Augustin

But enough dwelling on the past. Time to look to the future. We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives. And remember my friend, future events such as these will affect you in the future! This week’s theme:

SPORTS/GAMES

SPORTS/GAMES! What a great theme! But what is a SPORTS/GAMES image? A SPORTS/GAMES image is any image of a SPORT or a GAME. It doesn’t even have to involve a GAME or SPORT in progress. A picture of a basketball would work. A picture of a fantasy football trophy would work.

Of course SPORTS/GAMES have multiple meaning, so feel free to not be too literal if you don’t want to be.

I look forward to seeing your interpretations.

+++++++

HOUSEKEEPING

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 RULES DIVISION

The picture has to be taken the week of the theme. This isn’t a curate your pictures challenge. This is a get your butt off the couch (my personal experience) and put your camera in your hands challenge. Don’t send me a picture of you next to the Eiffel Tower, when I know you were in Iowa all week. I will point out that I have let that slide some in the past. I will not in the future. Since it is literally about the only rule.

Your submission needs to be emailed to bennett@photography139.com by 11 AM on the Monday of the challenge due date.

I now allow people to text me their submissions. In the past, I had made exceptions for a couple people that aren’t real computer savvy, even though it was an inconvenience for me and required at least 3 extra steps for me. I am now lifting that embargo because I have a streamline way of uploading photos. I’m not giving out my phone number, but if you have it, you can text me.

It should be pointed out that this blog auto-publishes at 12:01 on Mondays. So it wouldn’t hurt to get your picture in earlier.

That is it, them’s the rules.

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION DIVISION

Nobody showed class, taste, and sophistication this week by signing up for a Photography 139 email subscription. I’ll try and do better next week.

+++++++

That’s all I got for today, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will commune right here again next Monday. Hopefully it will be a very sporty Monday!

Basketball, Candid Portrait, Iowa State, Johnathan, Mom

GOAT II (No Actual Goats in this Post)

November 27, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett

In the 2018 backlog, I found another collection of pictures I took at an Iowa State women’s basketball game. I decided to post them, to make sure, all of you understand that Bridget Carleton is the GOAT.

Bridge Carleton also:

#1 & #5 Scoring Seasons – 760 + 594
#1 & #4 Scoring Average Seasons – 21.7 + 19.2
#2 Free throws made in a season – 180
#1 Free throw percentage in a season – .939
#1 Field goals made – 254
#4 Rebounds – 302

Here are some pictures from a victory over Arkansas:

I haven’t made it to a basketball game yet this season, but hopefully that changes on Friday.

Basketball, Iowa State, WPC - Alternate

GOAT

November 26, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett

Hitting up the the 2018 backlog with some pictures I took of the Iowa State-Drake women’s basketball game. I think I took these pictures for a SPORTS theme week for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE.

I’m glad that I did, because I got some pictures of probably the best player in Iowa State history, Bridget Carleton.

Bridget Carleton finished in Iowa State’s career record book:

#2 Points Scored – 2,142
#1 Scoring Average – 17.3
#3 Field Goals Made – 713
#6 3 Point Goals Made – 255
#2 Free Throws Made – 461
#3 Free Throw Percentage – .857
#7 Rebounds – 863
#10 Assists =- 349
#3 Steals – 211
#3 Blocked Shots – 124

I was also able to get pictures of a couple of my other favorite Cyclones of all-time in Meredith Burkhall and Alexa Midleton.

While I think that the Cyclones will still be good this year with returning players like Ashley Joens, Kristin Scott, Madison Wise, Rae Johnson, and with Jade Thurmon taking a big step forwards and with newcomer Maggie Espenmiller-McGraw. But it definitely isn’t easy when you have to replace the GOAT!

She is only a sophomore, but Ashley Joens is well on her way to being the next GOAT. She just put up 30 points and 20 rebounds in a game. The biggest mistake Iowa ever made was not recruiting an Iowa City kid with 2 younger sisters that are also great players. One of her sisters has already committed to play at Iowa State next year. I can’t wait to watch the Iowa State women’s basketball team in the next few years. It is going to be a very exciting time!

Basketball, Black & White, Formal Portrait, Shannon

2009-05-06

August 17, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett

The pictures in the folder 2009-05-06 are of Shannon paying off a wager that she lost… to me.

I feel bad calling it a wager, because she didn’t really stand much of a chance of winning. Well she had one chance when I think about it.

We wagered on the outcome of a basketball game between the Iowa State Cyclones and the Northern Iowa Purple Hawks.

I know… I know… why would anybody be foolish enough to put up anything of value at stack, in the vain belief that the Purple Hawks would actually best the Cyclones.

What UNI had going for them was that Iowa State was in the middle of its worst run of basketball in its modern history. This was still a couple years before Fred Hoiberg rode in and saved Iowa State basketball. Iowa State was still being coached by a former Purple Hawk by the name of Greg McDermott. In his defense he had coached okay when he was a Purple Hawk but coming up to the big leagues proved too be too big of a step for him and he failed miserably in Ames.

Fortunately Iowa State got bailed out when some parochial school in Omaha (I think that is in Montana) took him off our hands. A miracle that has repeated itself twice. Once when Auburn took Gene Chizik off our hands and then again when Auburn (seriously thank you Auburn) took James Bond villain and terrible administrator Steven Leath off our hands. Auburn has since fired both of them. I think McDermott still coaches at the parochial school.

But to the results of the wager, the obvious happened. The Cyclones strode into whatever middle school gym the Purple Hawks play in and mercilessly pounded UNI 71-66 in overtime.

I don’t know what would’ve happened if I would’ve lost the bet, but it seems pretty irrelevant. Shannon had to dawn a piece of Cyclone clothing and pose for a photo session.

Here are the results of that session:

It doesn’t appear that I have ever published these pictures. It might have been part of the wager that the pictures were to never become public. I figure either the statue of limitations have run out on that deal or what does it matter? I’m sure they’ll be closing UNI down in the next couple of years and it will be just a footnote in history like Des Moines University or Highland Park College or Sioux Empire College or Iowa Wesleyan… Oh wait, they decided to keep Iowa Wesleyan open.

Next Saturday’s walk down memory lane will involve a Mother’s Day barbecue.

Angie, Animals, Basketball, Bill, Boone FUMC, Drone, Frank, Geri, Iowa State, Jay, Mom, Naima, Nature, Night, Politics, Self-Portrait, Self-Portrait Project, Shannon

Selfie Project – March

April 24, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett

It has been awhile since we checked in with THE SELFIE PROJECT. I figured today was as good of a day as any to check out March before April is over.

I’m not sure I did more interesting things in March than I did in February or January where it felt like I never left the house. I think I’ve continued that in April. I actually even left the state in April!

Here are my favorites from March:

March 1

March 2

March 3

March 4

March 6

March 7

March 8

March 9

March 10

March 12

March 14

March 16

March 17

March 19

March 21

March 22

March 23

March 24

March 26

March 28

March 29

March 31

No doubt you already excited to see my April “adventures”.

Angie, Baier, Basketball, Becky, Bill, Brandon, Dawn, Derrick, Faust, Flat Earth Joe, Frank, Iowa State, Jason, Jesse, Jorge, Laura, Linda, Lowell, Micky, Pastor Sarah, Robert, Russell, Shannon, Teresa, Tim, Toby, Willy

Roundball Oracles – Year 15 Final Results

April 14, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

6 days ago another college basketball season sadly came to an end. While it was one of the most exciting tournaments in history, it was bittersweet as the Cyclones were eliminated in the 1st Round.

Now anybody that watched Iowa State’s mercurial season knew that there was a good chance that would happen. When I saw they were playing Ohio State, I was 95% that they would lose in the 1st Round. Ohio State was a completely garbage team that didn’t even belong in the tournament. Iowa State struggled all season with garbage teams.

Despite that, I still picked Iowa State to win it all in my bracket because I don’t pick against my rooting interests.

I don’t pick Iowa State to lose.
I don’t pick Duke to win the National Championship.
I don’t pick Michigan State to win the National Championship.
I don’t pick Liberty to win a single game.

When the overtime was over in Minneapolis on Monday night, the Virginia Cavaliers were the National Champions and Becky Parmelee won her first ever Roundball Oracles crown. Russell Kennerly won his first ever The Sara for last place adult.

Becky’s name has been added to the List of Immortals:

2019 – Becky Parmelee
2018 – Paul Golden
2017 – Paul Golden
2016 – Michelle Haupt
2015 – Derek Dohrman
2014 – Brandon Kahler
2013 – William McAlpine
2012 – Lowell Davis
2011 – Carrie Baier
2010 – Mark Wolfram
2009 – Mark Wolfram
2008 – Mark Wolfram
2007 – Tim Peterson
2006 – William McAlpine
2005 – William McAlpine

Paul Golden’s iron grip on the throne has been released.

On the other end of the spectrum, Russell Kennerly adds his name to past “The Sara” winners:

The Sara
2019 – Russell Kennerly
2018 – Robert Henning
2017 – Shannon Bardole
2016 – Laura Priest
2015 – Derrick Gorshe
2014 – Sara Lockner

The trophies will be in their possession shortly.

Here are the final standings:

RANK	TEAM NAME	SCORE	CORRECT	BEST SCORE	BEST CORRECT	CHAMPION
STANDINGS
1	Becky Perky	281	45	281	45	Virginia (112)
2	Linda Bennett	265	45	265	45	Virginia (93)
3	Michelle Haupt	242	40	242	40	Gonzaga (150)
4	Lowell Davis	242	45	242	45	Duke (148)
5	Angie DeWaard	242	41	242	41	Virginia (183)
6	Dawn Krause	239	42	239	42	N. Carolina (146)
7	Sean Clubine	237	44	237	44	Duke (152)
8	Paul Golden	237	43	237	43	Duke (135)
9	Rachel Gildersleeve	237	42	237	42	Iowa St. (125)
10	Jason Baier	236	41	236	41	Duke (159)
11	Jesse Howard	231	42	231	42	Duke (143)
12	Michael Augustin	230	43	230	43	Gonzaga (165)
13	Corey Faust	225	39	225	39	Duke (153)
14	Derek Dohrman	224	43	224	43	Duke (160)
15	Shannon Bardole	224	39	224	39	Gonzaga (138)
16	Cathie Raley	223	41	223	41	Duke (137)
17	Jordan Toot	221	40	221	40	N. Carolina (128)
18	Robert Henning	220	39	220	39	Duke (150)
19	FHMeiners	219	42	219	42	Duke (182)
20	Brandon Kahler	210	40	210	40	Duke (125)
21	Jackson Faust	209	38	209	38	Kentucky (126)
22	Which Mascot Would Win in a Fight	202	34	202	34	Iowa St. (150)
23	Bill Wentworth	202	40	202	40	Duke (105)
24	Ben Baier	201	36	201	36	Iowa St. (173)
25	Derrick Gorshe	201	38	201	38	Duke (128)
26	Christopher Bennett	198	40	198	40	Iowa St. (158)
27	Elizabeth Nordeen	196	41	196	41	Iowa St. (149)
28	Jason Stensland	195	39	195	39	N. Carolina (167)
29	Olivia Baier	195	32	195	32	Yale (155)
30	tim peterson	193	39	193	39	Duke (160)
31	William McAlpine	192	36	192	36	N. Carolina (165)
32	Jorge Rios	189	36	189	36	Iowa St. (150)
33	Sarah Duffel	189	34	189	34	Michigan St. (112)
34	Toby Sebring	185	36	185	36	Duke (144)
35	Joseph Lynch	181	38	181	38	Iowa St. (167)
36	Teresa Kahler	181	35	181	35	Iowa St. (124)
37	Will Baier	177	33	177	33	Duke (164)
38	Jon DeWaard	173	36	173	36	Duke (148)
39	Carrie Baier	170	34	170	34	Michigan St. (177)
40	Laura Priest	166	36	166	36	N. Carolina (155)
41	Sean Gildersleeve	161	31	161	31	Iowa St. (125)
42	Russell Kennerly	160	34	160	34	Villanova (145)
43	JJ Baier	150	25	150	25	Seton Hall (181)

If you are wondering, JJ Baier is 7 years old and isn’t eligible for “The Sara”.

Now that is behind us, it isn’t too early to start looking at what kind of team Iowa State will have next year.

Next year could be a potential step back for the Cyclones. They lose 3 seniors, including their starting point guard in Babb and leading scorer in Shayok. They are also losing Wigginton and THT to the NBA. Talented post Lard has also left the team and intends to transfer.

Iowa State has currently signed 3 players for the upcoming class. Currently, none of the freshman they have signed are highly ranked, but they all have the potential to be solid contributors. 2 in particular will be interesting to watch.

Marcedus Leech is perhaps the most intriguing. He was formerly a 5 star guy and one of the most recruited players in the country. 2 years ago he had a gruesome leg injury similar to the one Paul George suffered. Almost every school backed off, except Iowa State. Leech rewarded the Cyclones for their loyalty. If he gets back to what he was, he will be the steal of the recruiting class.

Tre Jackson is another interesting player. He was under recruited and didn’t really get many major offers until last summer. He is a shooter and a good athlete that recently dominated the Carolinas Classic by scoring 38 points and hitting eight 3 pointers. With so many guards leaving, Jackson will have a shot at getting some playing time.

Luke Anderson is the final commit. He will be a stretch 4 or 5. Even with the loss of Lard, Iowa State is still fairly stocked in the post with Jacobson and Conditt playing big roles this season and with Solomon Young coming back from an injury that sidelined him for a year and a half. That will give Anderson time to add some bulk to his body.

Another newcomer that I anticipate starting for the Cyclones next season is Prentiss Nixon. He sat out last season after transferring from Colorado State. The 6-2 point guard averaged over 16 points a game with the Rams. I anticipate he will be the starting point guard. He might not have Babb’s overall game, but he will be more of a scoring threat from the point.

Adding proven college players in Nixon and Young back to a returning nucleus of Halliburton, Jacobson, and Conditt, the Cyclones will still be pretty decent next season. How good they can be will depend on what a couple players buried on the bench last season are able to bring. Both Zion Griffin and Terrence Lewis were highly regarded coming out of high school. Zion was slowed at the beginning of last season with an injury and never really broke into the rotation. Lewis showed flashes, but got buried on the bench after Lard and Wigginton returned from injuries and suspension. Both could take great leaps next season if they can show some consistency. The potential is there.

The other unknown variable for next season is Iowa State currently has 3 scholarships open for next season.

I expect Iowa State to add 1 more freshman. Possibly Caleb Grill from Wichita. 1 sit out transfer. 1 graduate transfer.

Another possibility would be to leave one of those scholarships open for the 2020 class. As it sits now, Iowa State will only have 2 seniors on next year’s squad in Nixon and Jacobson.

The 2020 class is loaded and Iowa State is sitting in a good spot with a few very highly regarded recruits in Xavier Foster, Dudley Blackwell, and Ben Carlson.

Either way, I can’t wait for college basketball season to start again.

Animals, Automobiles, Basketball, Candid Portrait, Commercial, Formal Portrait, Iowa State, Jeff Daniel, Monica, Night, Ruins, Schmidt, Self-Portrait, Shannon, Still Life, Yin

12December2008

April 6, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett 4 Comments

Sometime in late 2008 my organizational process of my photos went all FUBAR. The result is that it appears that I have actually lost several images from late 2008 and early 2009.

None of the lost pictures are of much consequence, but it is annoying nonetheless.

Part of this breakdown in the system was that it seems that rather than breaking images into folders by date, I just dumped a ton of pictures into the December folder.

Fortunately for you, I don’t usually take a ton of pictures in December. However, this still potentially might be one long journal entry.

There are pictures from Iowa State at night, Toys for Tots, an American Legion event in Roland, Iowa State basketball, Shannon dressed nice for once, a night with the Daniels, and crayfish that took home from a Chinese buffet.

Here we go:

Looking at those pictures something that struck me is that I had forgotten how badly Greg McDermott had destroyed Iowa State’s basketball program. Thank you Creighton for taking him off of our hands! It is a debt that can never be repaid!

All those pictures added to the Photography 139 Gallery enabled me to restore the following historic “An Artist’s Notebook” journal entries to their original glory:

Thelma and Louise

Boone Taxi Driver

Saturday Night

Toys for Tots

Burying the Lead

Muskrat Carcass

Beavers

Plus Five

Roland, Iowa

Next Saturday’s walk down memory lane will involve hanging around the ACTORS Studio.

Andree, Baier, Basketball, Becky, Bill, Brandon, Cathie, Dawn, Faust, Frank, Jesse, Laura, Linda, Lowell, Micky, Nader, Nate, Robert, Russell, Sara, Shannon, Tim, Willy

Roundball Oracles – Year 15

March 17, 2019 Christopher D. Bennett 4 Comments

It is time once again for the greatest sporting event of year. It is that time known as March Madness. The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

Once again, I will be sponsoring a pool. There is not cost to enter the pool, except for pride.

The winner gets a trophy. The dead last place person gets a trophy known as The Sara.

By winning, you get your name etched on the list of immortals:

PAST ROUNDBALL ORACLE CHAMPIONS

Past Roundball Oracle Champions:

2018 – Paul Golden
2017 – Paul Golden
2016 – Michelle Haupt
2015 – Derek Dohrman
2014 – Brandon Kahler
2013 – William McAlpine
2012 – Lowell Davis
2011 – Carrie Baier
2010 – Mark Wolfram
2009 – Mark Wolfram
2008 – Mark Wolfram
2007 – Tim Peterson
2006 – William McAlpine
2005 – William McAlpine

Paul’s repeat championship definitely puts a target square on his back.

But I said that there are 2 trophies. The 2nd trophy, The Sara, goes to the adult that finishes dead last, while trying. A person can not tank on purpose and win The Sara. The reason The Sara winner has to be an adult is that I don’t want to mock children, to their face. Probably a better rule would be that to “win” The Sara, you have to be at least a teenager. I have no problem mocking teenagers to their face. I do it pretty much every Wednesday night at Youth Group.

Past “The Sara” Winners:

The Sara

2018 – Robert Henning
2017 – Shannon Bardole – now Bardole-Foley
2016 – Laura Priest – now Miller
2015 – Derrick Gorshe
2014 – Sara Lockner

The Sara doesn’t have the long storied history of the championship trophy, but it will get there. I have no doubts.

Last year, 35 combatants threw their hats into the ring. Here are the standings from last year:

2018 STANDINGS
RANK	TEAM NAME	SCORE	CORRECT	BEST SCORE	BEST CORRECT	CHAMPION
1	Paul Golden	248	40	248	40	Duke (175)
2	Dawn Krause	243	38	243	38	Villanova (132)
3	Christopher Bennett	243	37	243	37	Villanova (153)
4	tim peterson	232	41	232	41	Michigan St. (165)
5	Michelle Haupt	232	35	232	35	Villanova (182)
6	Nate Miller	230	37	230	37	Villanova (159)
7	Jordan Toot	224	33	224	33	Villanova (108)
8	Corey Faust	223	34	223	34	Villanova (153)
9	Angie DeWaard	221	34	221	34	Villanova (201)
10	Rachel Johnson	219	39	219	39	Kansas (178)
11	Lowell Davis	215	38	215	38	Virginia (152)
12	Benjamin Baier	213	33	213	33	Virginia (112)
13	Derek Dohrman	205	36	205	36	Virginia (155)
14	Cathie Raley	204	35	204	35	Virginia (138)
15	Bill Wentworth	200	34	200	34	N. Carolina (97)
16	Sean Gildersleeve	198	35	198	35	Michigan St. (145)
17	Linda Bennett	195	36	195	36	Kansas (145)
18	Jesse Howard	195	35	195	35	Duke (146)
19	Olivia Baier	188	33	188	33	Virginia (133)
20	Toby Sebring	185	32	185	32	Arizona (148)
21	Russell Kennerly	184	33	184	33	Virginia (161)
22	Jackson Faust	182	32	182	32	Auburn (124)
23	Sean Clubine	173	33	173	33	N. Carolina (151)
24	Jason Baier	173	30	173	30	Virginia (159)
25	Michael Augustin	167	31	167	31	Virginia (186)
26	Brandon Kahler	166	33	166	33	Kansas (133)
27	Nader Parsaei	166	33	166	33	St. Bona. (170)
28	Andree Jauhari	165	32	165	32	Virginia (145)
29	Elizabeth Nordeen	165	32	165	32	N. Carolina (173)
30	Carrie Baier	162	31	162	31	Gonzaga (144)
31	Laura Priest	158	32	158	32	Duke (125)
32	FHMeiners	156	31	156	31	Kansas (167)
33	Becky Perky	152	32	152	32	Kansas (168)
34	Will Baier	148	25	148	25	Marshall (113)
35	Robert Henning	141	28	141	28	Kansas (156)

The rules are as follows:

Round 1 = 1 point + seed

Round 2 = 2 points + seed

Round 3 = 4 points + seed

Round 4 = 8 points + seed

Round 5 = 16 points + seed

Rounds 6 = 32 points + seed

I can tell that you are already sold and just want to know how to get into this competition, so that you can battle it out and possibly get your name on “The List of Immortals”. It is easy enough, just click on the link below:

Roundball Oracles – Year 15

Good luck! I know you will fare well!