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2B Daily News – Thursday, December 22, 2011 GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — When Aaron Rodgers needs to rekindle the feelings that drove his rise from a junior college quarterback to Super Bowl MVP, he doesn't have to look too far. Rodgers is 2011 AP Male Athlete of Year Critical year for Kings build momentum. Rodgers held on to the many rejec- tion letters he received from marquee college programs as he was coming out of high school. Even today, he leaves a few of them sitting out at his house. ''I chose the couple that I thought were most demeaning to display in a space in my house that really nobody is able to see but myself,'' Rodgers said. ''It's something that I think is impor- tant to keep fresh on your mind. Maybe not every day, but once a week your eyes might pan across it and you have a little laugh about the journey you've been on — at the same time, remem- bering that there still are people out there that you can prove something to.'' Good luck finding those doubters now. Rodgers is the 2011 Male Athlete of the Year, chosen by members of The Associated Press, after he turned in an MVP performance in the Green Bay Packers' Super Bowl victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in February and then went on to lead his team on a long unbeaten run this season. Rodgers received 112 votes out of the 212 ballots submitted from U.S. news organizations that make up the AP's membership. Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander finished sec- ond with 50 votes, followed by tennis standout Novak Djokovic (21), Caroli- na Panthers rookie quarterback Cam Newton (6) and NASCAR champion Tony Stewart (5). Rodgers is one of three quarter- backs to receive the honor in the past five years. The New Orleans Saints' Drew Brees won in 2010 and the New England Patriots' Tom Brady won in 2007. Rodgers says it still feels ''surreal at times'' to be considered among the biggest names in sports. ''Those guys are household names, the best of the best,'' Rodgers said. ''(It's) special to win the award, and something I'll remember.'' Through 14 games this season, Rodgers has completed 68.1 percent of his passes for 4,360 yards with 40 touchdowns and six interceptions. The Packers are 13-1, and Rodgers' play is leaving people speechless — even his coach, Mike McCarthy. ''I'm running out of things to say about him,'' McCarthy said earlier this month, after Rodgers drove the Pack- ers into position for a last-second, game-winning field goal to beat the New York Giants. Green Bay's 19-game winning streak came to an end at Kansas City on Sunday, but the Packers remain a strong favorite to repeat as champions. That's thanks in large part to Rodgers' knack for making big plays without major mistakes. It has been a long and challenging journey out of obscurity for Rodgers, who wasn't offered a big-time scholar- ship out of high school and had to play a year in junior college. Then came his agonizing wait on draft day, three sea- sons on the bench behind Brett Favre and a tumultuous first year as a starter. If Rodgers' path to stardom had been smoother, he says he wouldn't be the player — or person — he is today. ''It's something that gives me per- spective all the time, knowing that the road I took was difficult. But it did shape my character and it shaped my game as well,'' Rodgers said. ''I try and keep that on my mind as a good per- spective, but also as a motivator, know- ing that it took a lot to get to where I am now and it's going to take a lot to stay where I'm at.'' Strangely, earning widespread respect throughout the sports world could become a challenge in and of itself for Rodgers, who draws motiva- tion from proving himself to his doubters and critics. Is that becoming more difficult? ''It would only be tougher if you stopped remembering or drawing or thinking about those things,'' Rodgers said. ''And I think a great competitor has to have at least some sort of chip on their shoulder, or at least the attitude that you have something to prove every time you take the (field).'' Unable to attract attention from a big-time college program, Rodgers played a year at Butte College in Oroville near his hometown of Chico. His play there eventually got the atten- tion of Cal coach Jeff Tedford, and Rodgers transferred. Rodgers thrived at Cal and went into the 2005 NFL draft expecting to be taken early in the first round. But he didn't hear his name called until the Packers chose him with the 24th over- all pick. Once in Green Bay, Rodgers found himself backing up Favre, a revered Packer who didn't necessarily like the idea that the team had put his eventual successor in place. Favre kept fans and the franchise on their toes every offsea- son, flirting with the idea of retiring but always coming back. Then came the summer of 2008, when tension between Favre and the Packers' front office finally snapped after Favre retired, changed his mind and asked for his job back — or a chance to play elsewhere. Favre was traded to the New York Jets and Rodgers finally had his chance. Rodgers wasn't immediately embraced by a segment of fans who supported Favre. He even was booed at the team's ''Family Night'' scrim- mage. He stayed calm on the outside and played pretty well in his first year as a starter despite the team's 6-10 record. But he still had his doubts. ''I had a lot of confidence in my abilities,'' Rodgers said. ''But the doubts and worries are associated with, 'How am I going to be perceived by my teammates? How's my perfor- mance going to be scrutinized?' And you go through a point where you're reading your own clippings. You're 6- 10 your first season, and you're reading some of these (Internet) comment boards, in the back of your mind, that negative voice is telling you, 'You know, you're not going to live up to any expectations you put on yourself, and you're not as good as you think you are.' Those can mess with you a little bit, but you can also draw some motivation from those negative thoughts. And I did.'' Rodgers led the Packers to the play- offs in 2009 season — then won it all last February. ''I think a weight comes off your shoulders after you win a Super Bowl, and you realize that all those doubts and worries and successes and failures you had before then, a lot of those get wiped away and the slate almost goes clean,'' Rodgers said. ''Because you won the ultimate prize, and you had the chance to silence some of your critics, the challenges change, the way you're viewed changes. I think a lot of the things that you really worried about too much become very little in impor- tance.'' Warriors begin new era under Mark Jackson OAKLAND (AP) — It's easy to envision Mark Jackson's other life as a pastor. He is confident. He makes bold proclamations. He does things his way. Jackson wasted no time guaranteeing a playoff berth in his first season. He hardly cares that he has never coached an NBA game, or a game at any formal level for that mat- ter. He plans to be a win- ner right away leading the Golden State Warriors. ''I signed up to coach this basketball team and that's exactly what I told those guys,'' Jackson said. ''I'm thrilled to be in this position.'' The preacher's declara- tion that his Warriors will reach the postseason is a strong statement that goes along so well with all the high-profile moves this franchise made in shaking up the management team ahead of this season in hopes of finally turning things around for good. Golden State has reached the playoffs just once since 1994, a run to the second round in 2007. ''We're not going to make any excuses and we're going to get better every single day no matter what the situation is,'' Jackson said. ''I'm proud of my guys because I feel like we've done that.'' When the Warriors take the court for Jackson's debut against Chris Paul and the Los Angeles Clip- pers in Sunday night's nationally televised season opener, it will mark a new beginning for a franchise that has been overhauled from the top to bottom since last season. They hope point guard Stephen Curry's trouble- some, surgically repaired right ankle isn't seriously injured after he sprained it in Tuesday night's exhibi- tion loss at Sacramento. Warriors owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber hit their one-year anniversary running the team last month — and they have made a big splash. They replaced former coach Keith Smart with Jackson, with Lacob acknowledg- ing he wanted his own guy on the bench. Lacob and Guber bought the Warriors for a record $450 million in July 2010 from longtime owner Chris Cohan and immediately went to work putting their mark on the organization. In April, Lacob gave general manager Larry Riley a new contract to stay in his current position as GM and executive vice president of basketball operations. Former sports agent Bob Myers was hired as the team's assis- tant GM and vice presi- dent of basketball opera- tions to serve as Riley's right-hand man and con- tract expert. Hall of Famer Jerry West came aboard to serve in an advisory role for the front office. Former Phoenix Suns executive Rick Welts was hired as the Warriors' new presi- dent and chief operating officer in late September. Jackson has demanded defense since Day 1 of practice on Dec. 9, saying of last season's efforts on that end: ''That wasn't defense.'' ''I think we all have it in us,'' said star guard Monta Ellis, who was hit with a sexual harassment lawsuit Wednesday from a former team employee. ''That's what he's bringing this year, for us to really talk more and be as one, not everybody on their own.'' Before training camp, Jackson visited a practice by the San Francisco 49ers to observe how fellow first-year coach Jim Har- baugh is making it work after a lockout-shortened offseason. Jackson has said he hopes to drop by and see first-year Oakland Raiders coach Hue Jack- son at some point, too. Again this summer, Ellis heard his name as one on the trading block. He's used to it by now. The team's leading scorer aver- aged 21.1 points and 3.5 assists per game last sea- son. ''Every year I go through that. I was just another summer of rumors. I'm here now, so I'm just glad that's behind me,'' Ellis said. ''I want to be a Golden State Warrior. I love it here.'' The Warriors didn't land the elite big man they'd hoped to acquire — and seem set to give 7- footer Andris Biedrins every chance to make a comeback at center. Biedrins — bulked up by 15 pounds to a muscu- lar 256 — believes he can get back to being that dou- ble-double force he used to be, and Golden State is counting on that to make the Warriors that much better in the paint. The 25-year-old Biedrins, the 11th overall pick in the first round of the 2004 draft, has aver- aged only 5.0 points and just more than seven rebounds per game the past two years. He missed 23 games last season with a sprained left ankle, including the final 14. He will be pushed by second-year player Ekpe Udoh. ''Now is my chance. The last two years were horrible for me. I know that and everybody knows that,'' said Biedrins, who is approaching this season as a fresh start. ''(Jackson) was basically saying we're starting from the begin- ning and he will be open to everybody. I think all the guys understand him real- ly well.'' Rookie first-round draft pick Klay Thompson is expected to make an immediate impact — as long as he plays defense in Jackson's system. Lacob already has set a high stan- dard by saying he figures Thompson to be in the running for NBA Rookie of the Year. ''I'm really humbled they would make a state- ment like that,'' Thompson said. ''I think I have the perfect opportunity to win that award and that's my ultimate goal for the sea- son, individual goal that is.'' These Warriors are accustomed to the chal- lenges of beginning anew under a new coach. Jack- son will face the task of improving a team that went 36-46 last season for a 10-game improvement under Smart in his lone season after being promot- ed as a last-minute replacement for NBA career wins leader Don Nelson. Smart quickly landed as an assistant with the Kings for this season. ''It's a business,'' Ellis said. ''I've been around seven years and for seven years there's been some- thing new. You've just got to come in and adjust to whatever adjustments you need to do. This is a posi- tive because it is a new beginning.'' NCAA Top 25 Schedule Wednesday's results No. 5 North Carolina 82, Texas 63 No. 22 Murray State 78, Tenn-Martin 54 No. 24 Virginia at Seattle, late Today's games No. 1 Syracuse vs. Tulane, 4 p.m. No. 2 Ohio St. vs.Miami (Ohio), 5:30 p.m. No. 3 Kentucky vs. Loyola (Md.), 10 a.m. No. 16 Georgetown vs. Memphis, 4 p.m. No. 6 Baylor vs. Saint Mary's at Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, 7:30 p.m. No. 8 UConn vs. Fairfield, 4 p.m. No. 9 Missouri vs. No. 25 Illinois, 6 p.m. No. 10 Marquette vs. Milwaukee, 6 p.m. No. 11 Florida vs. Florida State, 4 p.m. No. 12 Kansas at Southern Cal, 8 p.m. No. 14 Xavier vs. Long Beach State at Honolulu, 8 p.m. No. 17 Indiana vs. UMBC, 3 p.m. No. 18 Miss. St. vs. Northwestern St., 5 p.m. No. 19 Michigan State vs. Lehigh, 6 p.m. No. 20 Michigan vs. Bradley, 3:30 p.m. No. 22 Murray State vs. UT-Martin, 5 p.m. No. 23 Creighton vs. Northwestern, 5:05 p.m. Friday's Games No. 4 Louisville vs.Western Kentucky, 4 p.m. No. 6 Baylor vs.West Virginia at Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, 6 p.m. No. 13 Wisconsin vs. MVSU, 2:30 p.m. No. 14 Xavier vs.TBD at Honolulu, 8 p.m. or 10:30 9.m. No. 15 Pittsburgh vs.Wagner, 5 p.m. No. 21 UNLV vs. California, 2 p.m. Sunday's games No. 14 Xavier vs.TBD at Honolulu, TBA SACRAMENTO (AP) — Paul Westphal glanced around the Sacramento Kings practice facility on the first day of training camp, smiling with his eyes wide open in awe of his sur- roundings. ''It just feels great to be back,'' he said. ''It's hard to believe that we're even here, but we're here.'' Westphal was referring to the NBA lockout being lifted and the season start- ing. Of course, the coach's words also might describe the past and present situa- tion of the franchise. On the verge of moving to Anaheim last summer for a fancier arena, the Kings are back in California's cap- ital city — for now — and ready for one of the most important seasons in team history. There is newfound optimism with an emerging roster of young and athletic playmakers and around the city that the 2011-12 cam- paign will be the start of Sacramento's return to glory. ''I think it's going to be an interesting season,'' said point guard Tyreke Evans, the 2009-10 NBA Rookie of the Year. ''We're going to try to run teams out of the gym.'' Maybe even start the process to move into a new gym, too. The focus will be as much off the court as on the court this season. City efforts to help finance a new arena are on pace to meet NBA Commissioner David Stern's March 1 deadline, or at the very least show enough progress for an extension before the Kings again explore relocation. The Sacramento City Council has approved sever- al preliminary measures for an arena project led by Mayor Kevin Johnson, a former NBA All-Star. A final vote is not expected until at least February on the entire financing plan that will ultimately decide the fate of the town's only major professional sports franchise. ''We're optimistic guys, always have been. We look at the positive parts,'' Kings co-owner Joe Maloof said. ''We think as long as the mayor continues on with his ideas, we'll see if they can come to fruition.'' Until that time, Kings players will do their part to NHL NFL AFC West WL T Pct PF PA Denver 8 6 0 .571 292 343 RAIDERS 77 0 .500 317 382 Chargers 7 7 0 .500 358 313 Kansas City 6 8 0 .429 192 319 East WL T Pct PF PA y-N. Eng. 11 3 0 .786 437 297 N.Y. Jets 8 6 0 .571 346 315 Miami 5 9 0 .357 286 269 Buffalo 5 9 0 .357 311 371 South WL T Pct PF PA y-Houston 10 4 0 .714 343 236 Tennessee 7 7 0 .500 279 278 Jacksonville 4 10 0 .286 207 293 Indianapolis 1 13 0 .071 211 395 North WL T Pct PF PA x-Baltimore 10 4 0 .714 334 236 x-Pittsburgh 10 4 0 .714 285 218 Cincinnati 8 6 0 .571 305 283 Cleveland 4 10 0 .286 195 274 NFC West WL T Pct PF PA y-49ERS 11 3 0 .786 327 185 Seattle 7 7 0 .500 284 273 Arizona 7 7 0 .500 273 305 St. Louis 2 12 0 .143 166 346 East Dallas WL T Pct PF PA 8 6 0 .571 348 296 N.Y. Giants 7 7 0 .500 334 372 Philadelphia 6 8 0 .429 342 311 Washington 5 9 0 .357 252 300 South WL T Pct PF PA x-N. Orleans11 3 0 .786 457 306 Atlanta 9 5 0 .643 341 281 Carolina 5 9 0 .357 341 368 Tampa Bay 4 10 0 .286 247 401 North y-Green Bay 13 1 0 .929 480 297 Detroit Chicago 7 7 0 .500 315 293 Minnesota 2 12 0 .143 294 406 x-clinched division y-clinched division —————————————————— Today's game Houston at Indianapolis, 5:20 p.m. Saturday's games Oakland at Kansas City, 10 a.m. San Francisco at Seattle, 1:15 p.m. Arizona at Cincinnati, 10 a.m. Cleveland at Baltimore, 10 a.m. Denver at Buffalo, 10 a.m. Jacksonville at Tennessee, 10 a.m. Miami at New England, 10 a.m. Minnesota at Washington, 10 a.m. N.Y. Giants at N.Y. Jets, 10 a.m. St. Louis at Pittsburgh, 10 a.m. Tampa Bay at Carolina, 10 a.m. San Diego at Detroit, 1:05 p.m. Philadelphia at Dallas, 1:15 p.m. Sunday's game Chicago at Green Bay, 5:20 p.m. Monday's game Atlanta at New Orleans, 5:30 p.m. WL T Pct PF PA 9 5 0 .643 395 332 WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division WL OT Pts GF GA Dallas 19 13 1 39 86 93 Phoenix 18 13 3 39 90 89 SHARKS 17 10 3 37 86 74 Kings Ducks 15 14 4 34 72 81 9 19 5 23 78 110 Central Division WL OT Pts GF GA Chicago 22 9 4 48 118 102 Detroit 21 10 1 43 107 71 St. Louis 19 9 4 42 82 69 Nashville 17 12 4 38 86 88 Columbus 9 20 4 22 80 111 Northwest Division WL OT Pts GF GA Minnesota 20 10 5 45 85 78 Vancouver 20 11 2 42 110 80 Calgary 15 15 4 34 84 95 Colorado 16 17 1 33 91 102 Edmonton 14 16 3 31 89 90 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division WL OT Pts GF GA Philadelphia21 8 4 46 116 95 N.Y. Rangers19 8 4 42 91 68 Pittsburgh 19 11 4 42 110 90 New Jersey 18 14 1 37 91 96 N.Y. Islanders11 14 6 28 72 99 Northeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Boston 22 9 1 45 111 63 Toronto 16 13 4 36 102 108 Ottawa 16 14 4 36 106 117 Buffalo 16 14 3 35 90 98 Montreal 13 15 7 33 88 97 Southeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Florida 18 10 6 42 91 86 Washington 17 14 1 35 95 97 Winnipeg 15 13 5 35 91 100 Tampa Bay 14 16 2 30 87 107 Carolina 10 19 6 26 89 120 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. —————————————————— Wednesday's results Tampa Bay at San Jose, late Chicago 5, Montreal 1 Philadelphia 4, Dallas 1 Phoenix 4, Carolina 3 Detroit at Vancouver, late St. Louis at Colorado, late Today's games Buffalo at Toronto, 4 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at N.Y. Rangers, 4 p.m. Florida at Ottawa, 4:30 p.m. Columbus at Nashville, 5 p.m. Montreal at Winnipeg, 5:30 p.m. Detroit at Calgary, 6:30 p.m. Minnesota at Edmonton, 6:30 p.m. Anaheim at Los Angeles, 7 p.m. Friday's games Los Angeles at San Jose, 7:30 p.m. Florida at Boston, 4 p.m. Ottawa at Carolina, 4 p.m. Philadelphia at N.Y. Rangers, 4 p.m. Toronto at N.Y. Islanders, 4 p.m. Washington at New Jersey, 4 p.m. Nashville at Dallas, 5:30 p.m. Pittsburgh at Winnipeg, 5:30 p.m. St. Louis at Phoenix, 6 p.m. Tampa Bay at Colorado, 6 p.m. Calgary at Vancouver, 7 p.m. The Kings were horrible for most of last season, owning the Western Confer- ence's worst record for a few weeks and finishing 24- 58. Evans missed 25 games with plantar fasciitis in his left foot, and he often looked injured when he played. A late-season surge behind a healthy Evans gave hope that the Kings might not be that far off from returning to the playoffs. Sacramento should certain- ly be better this season, if for no other reason than it's hard to be any worse, and a winning record is not out of the question if the Kings can overcome a stretch of hav- ing 22 of their first 33 games on the road. Only time will tell whether they're ready to make a major leap. ''Pretty much everybody has improved, so we've got to try to jump over several of those teams. And we think we can,'' Westphal said. ''I know we're going to be better, but who are we going to jump over? That's why they play the games. We'll find out.'' The roster has only matured since last season. Evans and second-year center DeMarcus Cousins anchor a talented core that is still searching for consisten- cy in the professional ranks. The Kings re-signed scorer Marcus Thornton and rook- ie Jimmer Fredette has daz- zled in training camp in the fashion that turned him into a BYU sensation. The Kings believe the 6- foot-2 Fredette will work well in a backcourt with Evans and Thornton, although the rotation is still unclear, Fredette will likely come off the bench and see starter's minutes. The 6- foot-6 Evans has the ability to match up with bigger guards defensively and move to shooting guard, where he might be an even stronger scoring threat. Sacramento also added veteran forwards John Salmons and Travis Outlaw, and rookies Isaiah Thomas and Tyler Honeycutt will also be expected to con- tribute. With nothing guar- anteed next season, the Kings are all-in for 2011-12. ''We know this is the year we got to get it,'' Cousins said. ''You're going to see a big difference this year.''