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RICHPEDRONCELLI—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Warriors center Zaza Pachulia works against the Kings' DeMarcus Cousins during the second half of a game Sunday in Sacramento. ByJanieMcCauley TheAssociatedPress OAKLAND Zaza Pachulia heard all the negative noise from the home crowd, and he began tak- ing it personally. He was the new guy this season, the lone non-All-Star in Golden State's star-studded top five. He was no Andrew Bogut, the impos- ing big man he replaced. Fans got nasty with their frustration. Now, Pachulia constantly re- calls what coach Steve Kerr preaches: The only thing that matters is how the Warriors feel about each other, not what any- one outside thinks or says. Not that it was easy for Pachu- lia to ignore the scrutiny initially. "That was one of the biggest challenges I've had. I've never been in this situation," he said. "It's a lot of responsibility, I un- derstand it. It was very emotional for me at the beginning. I was kind of taking it very personal. But that's where mental tough- ness kicks in. "I'm fortunate I have friends who have been in this situation throughout the league, but most importantly, the biggest help came from my coaching staff." With Kerr's words on his mind, Pachulia made a conscious deci- sion to tune out the critics. Not that Kerr has noticed, aside from Pachulia's strong play of late. "That is a major issue from ev- ery NBA player these days but particularly our guys in the spot- light, the constant judgment and criticism," Kerr said Tuesday. "It's not easy to deal with and I think it's important for guys to put into perspective the way the world works these days. You have to be able to block stuff out and ignore NBA Pachuliablocksouthiscritics Contributed RED BLUFF Early morning snow flurries in the region did not dampen the mood at Saturday's Ride On Race Series cyclocross race at Dog Island and Samuel Ayers parks, in fact it seemed to add to the excitement. Nearly 40 riders braved the ele- ments and challenged the on and off road course laid out through the park. Spectators gathered mostly around the fire at the bar- becue pits, where the pop-up can- opies offered shelter from the mist that hung around for the day. Racers were split into three classes: A, which rode 60 min- utes; B, which rode 45 minutes and C, which rode 30 minutes. Most of the riders were in the B and C classes, with 13 riders in the A class. The top thee finishers of the C- Class were Tim Roberts of Red Bluff, Ray Branskey of Chico and Bill Weingart of Red Bluff. In B- Class, from Butte County, were Tom Embree, Weston Crumm and Michael Crumm. The A- Class went on for 10 laps with Butte County's Scott Heather and Richard Loewen leaving the field behind. Heather put the ham- mer down on the last lap to beat Loewen while Redding's Ryan Schuppert took third place. Also racing in the A-Class was the only women's racer of the day, Natalie Atoms, finishing with one more lap than a couple of the men. Riders started on the paved path near the horseshoe pits and raced to the east end of the open field area, where they looped out into the dirt, dipping and div- CYCLOCROSS RIDE ON RACE SERIES MAKES MUDDY DEBUT Riders battle mud and cold Saturday at Dog Island and Samuel Ayers parks. PHOTOS BY CHIP THOMPSON — DAILY NEWS The muddy slope in the northwest corner of Samuel Ayers Park was one of the trickier portions of Saturday's course. By Cam Inman Bay Area News Group Sean McDermott on Tuesday became the first defensive co- ordinator to interview for the 49ers' coaching vacancy. McDermott, 42, has been the Carolina Panthers' defensive co- ordinator since 2011, and he's al- ready interviewed for vacancies at the Buffalo Bills and San Di- ego Chargers. McDermott follows four of- fense-oriented coaches — An- thony Lynn, Kyle Shanahan, Josh McDaniels and Sean Mc- Vay — to meet with 49ers CEO Jed York. Also Tuesday, the 49ers inter- viewed their fifth potential gen- eral manager, Louis Riddick, an ESPN analyst who's worked in the NFL personnel departments in Washington and Philadel- phia. Riddick was a 1991 ninth- round draft pick of the 49ers, and he went on to a seven-year playing career elsewhere as a safety. With the Jacksonville Jaguars hiring Doug Marrone as coach on Monday, that leaves the 49ers coach-search competitors as the Bills, Chargers, Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Rams. Only the 49ers and Rams are believed to be pursuing McDaniels, whose only previous head-coaching gig was with the Broncos. Last year, McDermott in- terviewed with the Cleveland Browns and Tampa Bay Bucca- neers, who hired others while the Panthers marched on to Su- per Bowl 50, where they lost 24-10 to the Denver Broncos at Levi's Stadium. The Panthers perennially ranked among the league's top- 10 defenses in yards allowed from 2012-15, and they fell to 21st this season. Carolina al- lowed the 26th most points this season (25.1 points per game). NFL 49ers talk to Panthers' McDermott, ESPN's Riddick By Mark Long The Associated Press TAMPA,FLA. Standing on college football's biggest stage and hoist- ing its top prize, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney and dynamic quar- terback Deshaun Watson shared the ultimate hug and a few pri- vate words. A formidable pairing. An im- probable championship. An ideal ending. Swinney and Watson's finale together, a 35-31 upset victory against Alabama in the national title game Monday night, might just be a launching point for the Tigers (14-1). "You think this is the best of Clemson? Just wait the next five years," Watson said Tuesday. "It's going to be even more exciting, more awesome." The Tigers claimed their first national championship since 1981, ending a 35-year drought thanks to huge plays from Watson, his re- ceiving corps and a defense deter- mined to avenge last year's oh-so- close loss to the Crimson Tide in the title game. Although most expect Clemson to need a year or two to reload — the Tigers are losing a handful of offensive and defensive stars — Swinney believes his team will get another title shot in the not-too- distant future, certainly not an- other three-decade wait. "There's no doubt in my mind that the best is yet to come for us," Swinney said. "I mean, we're go- ing to continue to improve, con- tinue to get better. Winning na- tional championships are hard. I mean, it's very, very difficult to do. It's been 35 years at Clemson. ... It won't be 35 years before Clemson will do this again. "God willing, I'll be a part of it. But this program is built to last." Swinney clearly has Clemson rolling after consecutive trips to the title game. "We think that we have a great program to sell and we're very proud of that," he said. "The best is yet to come for us. This is not the end-all. It's a great moment, and it's something that we needed to get done. But you know, Thurs- day I'm going to have a team meeting with the 2017 team, and there will be a new group of se- niors sitting in the front row." COLLEGE FOOTBALL Cl em so n: Title won't be l as t on e for Tigers Roberts, Embree, Heather win classes CYCLOCROSS PAGE 2 In turn, Warriors center bolsters his mental toughness and embraces coach Kerr's philosophy of team unity PACHULIA PAGE 2 49ERS PAGE 2 Watson leaves coach Swinney, school on solid ground for future JOHN BAZEMORE — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Clemson coach Dabo Swinney hugs quarterback Deshaun Watson a er defeating Alabama in the national championship. SPORTS » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, January 11, 2017 MORE ATFACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS B1