COLUMN
1. Mike Sielski, The Philadelphia Inquirer:
A heart-breaking story of the closing of St. Anthony High
School in Jersey City, told through the story of Sister
Mary Alan Barszczewski, who had dedicated her life to the
place. A textbook example of how to use a smaller story
to understand a larger one.
2. John Feinstein,
The Washington Post: The author of "Season
on the Brink" takes another look at Bobby Knight and
comes away shaking his head.
3. Jeff Eisenberg,
Yahoo Sports: One of the reasons people enjoy NCAA
sports is the athletes' emotion. This is a powerful look
at the emotion carried by Jordan Bell, Oregon's 6-9 forward.
4. Jesse Newell, The Kansas City Star:
Pointing out how, no matter how well-coached a team is,
the game often comes down to a split-second decision made
on the court by someone else.
5. Gary Parrish,
CBS Sports: Parrish examines his personal relationship
with Bob Huggins, one of college basketball's most complex
characters. |
GAME STORY/SPOT NEWS
1. Kevin Armstrong, New York Daily News:
Bob Hurley, who coached at St. Anthony's in Jersey City,
N.J., visits the gym that's not been turned into a music
hall. A creative storytelling device for an emotional story.
2. Luke Winn, SI.com: A look back at the
road Gonzaga took to the championship game. It started with
a midnight hike and could end up changing the basketball
program forever.
3. John Feinstein, Washington
Post: The plane for the Michigan traveling party
slide off the runway and into a ditch on its way to the
Big Ten tournament. But the real story is how they figured
it out.
4. Brian Hamilton, SI.com: Northwestern's
first NCAA tournament meant a lot to a lot of people.
5. Jason King, Bleacher Report: North Carolina's
championship win puts the shine back on one of the NCAA's
most successful programs. |
ENTERPRISE
1. Jesse Newell, The Kansas City Star:
Jessie Traylor, father of Kansas forward Jamari Traylor,
awaits a commutation of his life prison term on drug charges.
This piece, built on the petition placed before President
Obama, lets the letters, facts, and the effort tell the
powerful story.
2. Pete Thamel, Sports Illustrated:
Some good reporting with sources who sometimes don't want
to talk. While a recent NCAA investigation has hit recruiting
at the college basketball level, Thamel takes a look at
the high school level.
3. Luke Winn, SI.com:
A deep dive on Gonzaga's post game, which made the team
an NCAA title contender.
4. Tom Archdeacon, Dayton
Daily News: Three Chicago-born members of the University
of Dayton basketball team have all been touched by gun violence
and have all found a haven in Dayton.
5. Kevin
Armstrong, New York Daily News: The closing of
St. Anthony High School meant the end of its heralded basketball
program. |
MAGAZINE LENGTH FEATURE
1. Mirin Fader, Bleacher Report: "Mo'ne
Davis calls for the ball." This is the girl who captured
America's attention when she threw a shutout in the Little
League World Series. Now, she's playing basketball, the
sport that could be closest to her heart. Fader gives us
a well-written picture of a girl who, national attention
aside, just wants the ball.
2. Shawn Krest, WRAL
Sportsfan: A deep dive into how a Tar Heels tradition
played a role in the 2017 title.
3. Andrew Kahn,
espnW.com: Meet Sister Jean, the chaplain of the
men's basketball team at Loyola in a well-crafted feature.
4. Kevin Armstrong, New York Daily News:
A descriptive piece about Villanova's Jay Wright and the
program he thrives inside.
5. Jeff Eisenberg,
Yahoo Sports: Colorado's Derrick White uses the
back door to enter a Division I program and, perhaps, even
the NBA. |
MODERATE LENGTH FEATURE
1. John Feinstein, Washington Post: An
emotional piece about Towson's John Davis who was wounded
in a drive-by shooting and emerged with a powerful attitude
and outlook.
2. Kevin Armstrong, New York Daily
News: An observational piece about New York City
when, with the NCAA tournament approaching, it becomes the
center of the basketball world. Nice description.
3. Mike Sielski, Philadelphia Daily News:
A compelling feature on the St. Joseph's play-by-play voice
and his father, suffering from Parkinson's, and how they
treasure the time they have left together.
4.
Scott Gleeson, USA Today: One twin has cancer.
The other remains healthy. A well-told story about how the
two are helping each other.
5. Paul Doyle, Hartford
Courant: The secret to UConn's success? How Geno
Auriemma learns, then implements what he's learned. The
specific examples are what make the story work. |
