The Highlander Newspaper
The following articles are just a few that I wrote during my four years working for UCR's student-led campus newspaper.
When UC Riverside’s women’s basketball assistant coach Giuliana Mendiola was informed on Monday, July 22 that her contract would not be renewed for the 2019-2020 season, it sent shockwaves throughout the women’s basketball program and their alumni.
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Although the official reason for why Mendiola will not be brought back remains unknown, former players with knowledge of the situation have heard it was due to “poor coaching skills” and, more specifically, “a month of bad coaching. “That doesn’t make any sense,” said a former women’s basketball player from the class of 2017. “She was there for seven years.”
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The decision to dismiss Mendiola was made during an outside independent investigation regarding alleged unethical behavior of Head Coach John Margaritis. As a result of the investigation, Margiritis was initially going to be suspended for 20 days without pay for being in violation of a university policy. While the athletics department did not provide details on the specific violation, multiple sources with knowledge of the investigation said that it was focused on the alleged mental and verbal abuse of student-athletes by Margaritis. The former players also said they didn’t understand why they weren’t asked to participate in the investigation.
The No. 3 seeded UCR women’s basketball team (17-14, 10-6) defeated the No. 7 seed Long Beach State 49ers (9-22, 5-11) 67-50 in the conference quarterfinals on March 13 to advance to the semifinals of the Big West Tournament. Although the Highlanders entered the game with the higher seed, Long Beach State went 1-1 against Riverside in the regular season and UCR also played the game without their top scorer, redshirt junior guard Jannon Otto who is out due to injury. Riverside was able to step up collectively and earn the hard-fought win nonetheless.
Head Coach John Margaritis attributed the team’s win to their joint effort and execution, saying, “It was a team effort. Looking at the stats, having 15, 13, 13, 10 and 14 points it’s a team effort. The team executed well. They played with no fear.”
Around 200-plus excited baseball fans filled the University Lecture Hall on Monday, Feb. 4 for the ASPB sponsored event, Around the Mound with Joe Kelly. Kelly spoke about his experience playing in the World Series, what he enjoys doing in his free time and his time at UCR.
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Kelly was a vital part in the Boston Red Sox defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series last year. After winning his first ring, Kelly decided to return to Southern California and play for the Dodgers, the team he just beat in the World Series, which sparked ASPB’s interest in bringing him to campus.
Around the Mound with Joe Kelly started with Interim Fraternity and Sorority Coordinator Ekpeju Ed Nunu conducting an interview with Kelly.
“The time, place and manner gave UCR Athletics a black eye that has complicated efforts of the boosters and alumni to raise funds for the department.” That is booster Kim Devlin’s opinion on the manner in which current UCR Athletic Director Tamica Smith-Jones fired former men’s basketball Head Coach Dennis Cutts and how it will impact future spending by the boosters.
The story on Cutts’ firing is that it was done in a parking lot after the team returned home from a road trip to Seattle, first thing in the morning on New Year’s Eve, which Devlin cited as just one of many instances where Smith-Jones has been unprofessional.
The women’s golf team traveled to Palm Desert to take part in the Wyoming Cowgirl Desert Intercollegiate from Sept. 29 through the 30. The Highlanders led by senior Jakeishya Le, who won the individual tournament, played well enough as a team to earn second place. This is the second time in Le’s career that she has won a tournament’s individual honors.
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Head Coach Mary Ritchie explained Le’s impact on the team saying, “She’s been a team leader both on the golf course and in the classroom. She was a Big West Scholar Athlete last year and she sets her goals high and she works really hard.”
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Le recognizes as a senior that this is her final season to make an impact for this Riverside program and Ritchie has noticed her senior taking the “last chance for romance,” phrase that her coach uses often to heart, but with a bit of a twist. Ritchie shared that Le actually uses the phrase “balls to the wall,” to express her desire to leave it all on the course in her final campaign with the Highlanders.
