Offtopic/fun » do on the floor, Ehsan said. H

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Jordan Burroughs used his gold-medal moment at the 2012 Olympics in London to emerge as one of wrestlings biggest stars.A year later, the worlds oldest sport turned to Burroughs to help save its future.They needed someone who was consistent, who was marketable, who was eloquent enough in their speech and articulate enough to engage with the media, and who was interested in engaging with the fans via social media, Burroughs said. It was amazing timing for me.Burroughs charismatic personality, electric wrestling style and savvy use of social media has made him the face of the sport and one of the biggest stars the U.S. will send to next months Rio Games.In fact, hes become the rare wrestler to transcend a sport that in the past often closed itself off to outsiders.Burroughs has even garnered media attention and endorsements typically reserved for gymnasts, swimmers and track stars -- just three years after wrestling briefly was booted from future Olympic games by the IOC in part because it was seen as unappealing to modern viewers.Burroughs is indeed a whiz online, with over 230,000 followers on Instagram, 170,000 on Facebook and over 140,000 on Twitter attracted in part to his family-friendly persona. The fact that Burroughs always seems to be smiling in a sport where intimidating stares are ubiquitous has only added to his appeal.Hes especially popular in wrestling-mad Iran, which sent him a traditional Persian blanket after the recent birth of his second child -- even though Iranian Hassan Yazdani is one of Burroughs biggest rivals.Its a gift that Burroughs keeps on the mantle of his fireplace in his home in Lincoln, Nebraska.We respect his personality, and thats just as important as his athletic skills, United World Wrestling president Nenad Lalovic said. He became a superstar. Hes a great fighter, and he deserves all the plaudits that he gets.While Burroughs persona made him a hit outside of wrestling, those within the sport have long been drawn to his perseverance and grit.Burroughs was a classic underdog, a scrawny high schooler from New Jersey who signed with Nebraska after being overlooked by bigger-name programs.It took a few years for Burroughs to grow into his body and refine a style highlighted by his double-leg takedown, akin to a sack in football.As a junior, Burroughs hit his stride and cruised to his first NCAA title. He returned two years later, following a serious knee injury, as the best wrestler in the country, going 36-0 while earning universal respect from a wrestling community with a soft spot for kids who emerge from less traditional powers.Burroughs earned the worlds respect just six months later by winning a world championship in his first try.In 2012, the Olympic spotlight allowed Burroughs personality to emerge.He adopted the Twitter handle (at)alliseeisgold, a cocky moniker more suited for a boxer. But Burroughs backed it up, later joking that hed double-leg the Queen after winning gold in London.Burroughs budding popularity proved crucial during the sports biggest crisis.Burroughs learned that the IOC had dropped wrestling from the Olympic program starting in 2020 while in an airport in Germany. He took to Facebook that day to share his thoughts in a post that soon helped crystallize the hastily-assembled Save Olympic Wrestling movement.If wrestling is axed, it will be tough to look kids in the eye for the rest of my life and tell them that they cant follow their dreams anymore, theyre no longer Olympic hopefuls. Theyve lost to an opponent that theyve never had a shot against, Burroughs wrote.The movement brought the international wrestling community together like never before. It worked: The IOC reinstated wrestling seven months later.Still, the near-Olympic death sentence forced the sport to confront some problems that werent easy to solve, chief among them a lack of marketable athletes.Burroughs, whos as popular on Instagram in Tehran and Moscow as he is in New York City, was clearly the guy who could change all that.But the newly-married star knew he had to keep winning, even though having two kids between London and Rio forced him to cut down his travel schedule and re-work his training routines.Burroughs only got better. He won world championships in 2013 and 2015 and earned his spot on the U.S. team with a brilliant two-match performance at the Olympic Team Trials in April.Whenever you do something special with a burden on your shoulders, theres never an excuse again, Burroughs said.For both Burroughs and his sport, losing doesnt seem like much of an acceptable excuse in Rio.Anything short of a gold medal would be a disappointment for a sport looking to expand its reach. For Burroughs, another gold would define his legacy as not only the most popular wrestler in U.S. history, but one of its best.The pressure doesnt seem to faze Burroughs. He plans to bring his gold from London to Rio so he can wear both to his news conference after the Olympic tournament.These people are watching. They want to see something incredible. How do you want to be remembered? Burroughs said.George Blanda Youth Jersey . -- Ryan Getzlaf grabbed the three pucks wrapped in tape and held them up to his chest in the Anaheim Ducks dressing room for a celebration nine seasons in the making. Hunter Renfrow Youth Jersey . Jon Montgomerys gold medal in skeleton at the Whistler Sliding Centre and his subsequent auctioning off of a pitcher of beer in the village square elevated him to folk-hero status. https://www.raiderssportsgoods.com/Womens-Charles-Woodson-Inverted-Jersey/ . The 17-year-old native of Marystown, N.L., pulled out of Skate Canada International last month in Saint John, N.B., with the same problem. Dave Casper Youth Jersey .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Jim Otto Womens Jersey . -- Patrick Reed got an early start in golf.KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Josh Jackson has been huddling with the Kansas coaching staff since the start of the season, and the message has been the same: If you quit fouling so much, you would say on the floor more.The sensational freshman must have finally listened.Jackson poured in 22 points, many of them on highlight-worthy dunks, while backcourt mates Frank Mason III and Devonte Graham helped carry the load as fifth-ranked Kansas routed Alabama-Birmingham 83-63 on Monday night in the semifinals of the CBE Classic.Me committing silly fouls take me out of the game, and dont allow me to play as much as Id like, said Jackson, who also had seven rebounds and three assists. It worked out today.Mason finished with 20 points and Graham had 16 for the Jayhawks (3-1), who advanced to play Georgia for the title on Tuesday night. The Bulldogs beat George Washington 81-73 in the other semifinal.Kansas raced to a big early lead, weathered several runs by UAB, then relied on their backcourt of Jackson, Mason and Graham to pull away from the Blazers down the stretch.Theyre very good. Theyre obviously one of the best teams in the country, UAB coach Robert Ehsan said. When they shoot it like that, theyre very hard to beat.Dirk Williams led the Blazers (2-2) with 13 points. Tyler Madison had 12.The Blazers got off to what looked like it would be a catastrophic start, turning the ball over seven times and missing their first 11 field-goal attempts. Their only points over the first 10 minutes came on foul shots, and by the time they finally hit the Jayhawks led 23-3.They started off really shooting it bad, and we defended pretty well, Kansas coach Bill Self said, but I didnt think our defense was very good the last 30 minutes. I thought it was average at best.The Blazers took advantage with a run of their own.They ripped off a 17-2 run over the next 6 minutes as the Jayhawks missed seven straight shots of their own, and they quieted a partisan crowd by getting within 27-20 late in the half.If that didnt make Self irate, the way Kansas ended it did. Graham hit a 3-pointer with 5 seconds to go, but UAB went coast-to-coast for a buzzer-beating basket to deflate the Jayhawks.dddddddddddd.We were exciting going into halftime, Ehsan said. I thought if we could make a run in the second half, we would have a shot. But theyre Kansas for a reason.The teams resumed trading runs early in the second half before the Jayhawks began pulling, and four 3-pointers by Svi Mykhailiuk -- who finished with 15 points -- helped put the game out of reach.We played really well. I think everybodys mind was right, Graham said. We came in focused, just trying to do the little things weve been watching on film that we hadnt been doing well.Jackson added an exclamation mark with just over four minutes left, taking a pass in the open floor and throwing down a windmill dunk while getting fouled for a three-point play.Hes an extremely talented player. His versatility is what Ive been surprised with, how many things he can do on the floor, Ehsan said. Hes a tremendous player.CHARITY STRIPESelf was plenty unhappy with the foul line at both ends of the floor. Kansas sent UAB there 26 times while going just 9 of 19 at its own end. We have to figure out a way to get to the free-throw line, he said, and when we do, itd be nice when we made some every now and then. Were putting people on the line too much and giving people too many free points.BIG PICTUREUAB showed some moxie in rallying from its big early hole, even the Jayhawks never led by fewer than five the rest of the way. It had to be encouraging for first-year coach Robert Ehsan, who is trying to get the Blazers back into the NCAA Tournament this year.Kansas looked tired at times from a brutal start to the season. The Jayhawks played Indiana in Hawaii, Duke in New York and Siena at home on Friday night. The grind continues with the CBE Classic title game before another home game against UNC-Asheville on Friday night.UP NEXTUAB plays in the consolation game Tuesday night.Kansas plays the Bulldogs for the tournament ' ' '