Photo Courtesy NBC

“The Good Place,” NBC’s new fantasy sitcom about a deceased saleswoman from Arizona who enters the afterlife, premiered on Sept. 19. “The Good Place” is funny, clever and has just the right amount of wit that makes it perfect to air on NBC. Thankfully, there’s nothing like it on TV right now, which makes it refreshing and worth watching for at least the first episode.

The first episode introduces Eleanor Shellstrop, played by comedy gold Kristen Bell, in “the good place,” newly dead after being hit by runaway grocery carts and a truck with, hilariously, an erectile dysfunction ad on the side of it. Eleanor wakes up in the office of Michael, played by Ted Danson, and is informed that she has been placed in “the good place” for her good deeds of getting innocent people off death row. It’s not until she meets her eternal soul mate, Chidi, a Nigerian professor played by newcomer William Jackson Harper, that she confesses her secret: surprise, surprise, she is most definitely not supposed to be there.

Though Eleanor admits that she led a not-so-saintly life, the audience can see how “devilishly” (pun intended) bad she was through a few flashbacks – Eleanor ditching her friends at a bar to hook up with a hot bartender is just one of the foul actions she did while she was alive. Eleanor coaxes Chidi, who is ironically an ethics professor into helping her be “good” while keeping her secret. Chidi gives her a chance to redeem herself but, as expected, it doesn’t take one day for a person to erase years of bad behavior.

Episode one ends with Eleanor’s misbehavior manifesting into a nightmare-like chaos of shellfish and giraffes. Episode two further shows that Eleanor has a lot of work ahead of her to prove that she is worth being in “the good place.” NBC premiered both episodes in one night but cleverly left their biggest twist for the end of episode two: Eleanor received a note that read, “You don’t belong here.”

The cliffhanger was a nice addition to the end of episode two and added a little mystery while giving the audience a chance to discuss who could know Eleanor’s secret (the go-to guide, Janet, anyone?). “The Good Place” should be a success and that is mostly due to the writers. The writers play on what it means to truly be in “utopia” – endless frozen yogurt and your favorite animals but the people are still obnoxious and incredibly pretentious. Everybody believes they are in pure happiness yet there are still problems, albeit most of them are caused by Eleanor, but how long can Eleanor be blamed for something going wrong in “the good place?”

Kristen Bell embodies Eleanor so well because she makes her relatable, a character that is not at all good but an average person just trying to get through life. Surrounding Eleanor with these other “good” characters – Chidi, Michael and the wealthy British philanthropist Tahani – makes the audience evidently aware of their flaws. It would be interesting to see how far Eleanor can keep up this good persona and attempt to be satisfied with it. Let’s just hope NBC doesn’t make the mistake of canceling it before we find out.

The post “The Good Place” offers some good laughs appeared first on The Retriever.

Thousands of people came together in Washington D.C. to protest against president-elect, Donald Trump. Photo courtesy of Ted Eytan via Creative Commons.

Men and women screamed in front of Trump International Hotel in Washington D.C. last Thursday night, “Pussy grabs back!” As the sea of people grew in size and veracity, some of the feelings of loneliness and anger inside me found their resting place at the bottom of my stomach.

Two days before, I had sat on the concrete floor of UMBC’s Main Street, trying to get my roommate to look me in the eyes after CNN had called Virginia for Trump. She articulated her disbelief to no one in particular and fixed her gaze on the New York Times presidential likelihood barometer on her computer that is steadily falling into Trump territory.

Many of us did not take this election seriously. We have never had reason for hope.

But who are we to believe in hope? The gun violence has conditioned the youth of this country to not cry anymore when bad things happen. We are the youth that finds humor in the small parts of our lives unaffected by politics. We were the ones who believed that Trump could never become president.

On Thursday night, I decided to end this dearth of hope. I drove with my roommate and her cousin to Rite Aid to buy poster boards, and then drove to the United State’s Capitol where I stood outside and screamed.

I walked to the hotel owned by the very devil that has put me in this position of hopelessness and I found people like myself. Together, with these people I screamed at the top of my lungs, I cried and I mourned. Someone, I do not know who, yelled at the crowds to take to the streets and among screams of “Which way?”, I was pushed to my knees by the uncertain sway of the throng.

Unbelievably beautiful and powerful women, grabbed my arms and pulled me to my feet. They cupped my face in their hands and asked me if I was okay, and then I remembered that these are the women I want to become.

There were war cries of “Not my president!” and sirens as we chanted our way down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House. At that moment, I had hoped the president-elect was there to see that we were not going to giving up.

Foreign news crews and men in suits with amused looks on their faces took pictures of the fast moving crowd. Some people even jumped off of bar stools to join us, and others belted their disappointment at our choices.

At the end of the night, I pulled myself out of the crowd and sat with my roommate and her cousin on the curb outside of the FBI building.

I still felt like crying, I still felt like screaming, but my anger was no longer stagnant. I heard the chants in my head during the drive back to Baltimore; “Pussy grabs back! Black lives matter!” and for the first time in months I felt hope for my country.

The post Anti-Trump protests bring back lost hope appeared first on The Retriever.

A new era has dawned for UMBC men’s basketball as head coach Ryan Odom made his debut this month. The Retrievers made Odom’s debut a success this weekend, blowing out Hood College 92-61 and outlasting the University of Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks on Sunday 77-73.  Much like coach Odom’s previous coaching stop, the Retrievers (2-0) relied heavily on the three-point shot, but showed they could win without it.

Against Hood, the Retrievers tied the school record for three-pointers made in the victory (17). 43 of UMBC’s 67 field goal attempts came from downtown. In addition, the Retrievers shot the three with 40 percent efficiency. While it is still early in the season, it’s a welcome change from last year.

In the 2015-16 season, the Retrievers ranked near the bottom of the America East Conference (AEC) in three-point percentage (.331). “43 threes is a lot of threes,” Odom said. “We made a good amount of them and they were the right ones.”

Seniors Ben Grace and Will Darley led the charge in the three-point barrage against Hood. Darley shot 4-9 from long distance while Grace went 4-8. Grace had 12 points and three assists. Darley added 14 points and four dimes. Both men showed the ability to stretch the defense and provide space for teammates to attack the paint.

UMBC also moved the ball well against Hood. The team finished with 21 assists and nine players had at least one. “I think the most important thing for us is taking the right shots,” Odom said. “Our guys did a nice job of not settling and moving [the ball].”

The dominant win over Hood, a division III program, provided glimpses of what the Retrievers could do this season. UMBC dazzled the crowd with their great ball movement. Freshmen Mark Curran and Arkel Lamar both played well coming off the bench, and provided great energy.

Coach Odom spoke highly of the two underclassmen and their upside. “They’ve played better in practice then they played in [the Hood game],” Odom said. “We’re gonna need [Curran] and Arkel to play well.”

In the Hood game, UMBC exploited a slight size and athleticism advantage, and dominated the glass. The Retrievers out rebounded Hood 44-17, including a 23-6 edge on the offensive side. Additionally, UMBC outscored the Blazers in the paint 36-20. “It was a great effort by our guys,” Odom said. “Our rebounding was good, our shot selection was very good.”

Even with the slight size advantage, UMBC still struggled to defend inside. Hood was aggressive in attacking the basket, particularly in the second half. UMBC did not attempt a free throw until the 9:07 mark in the second half. “It’s a big concern,” Odom said. “We’ve gotta guard the basketball better, we’ve got to keep guys in front of us, and we’ve got to play without fouling.”

Jairus Lyles remains a vital part to the success of the team. The transfer from Virginia Commonwealth University scored 18 points against Hood, leading all scorers. Lyles also shot an efficient 8-14 from the field. Lyles made a couple of dazzling plays in transition, along with a couple of putbacks off of missed shots.

Lyles did not slow down in the win over the Hawks, scoring 23 points along with six rebounds and six assists. “I just wanted to go out there and get the win for my team,” Lyles said after the win over Hood. “I felt like we had a great team effort on offense, sharing the ball and getting everyone involved.”

Unlike the opener, the Retrievers did not bludgeon the Hawks with a barrage of threes– they took 25 compared to 43 against Hood. In fact, the Retrievers struggled to put the ball in the net throughout, shooting only 36 percent from the field and 32 percent from long range.

UMBC made up for the cold shooting with continuous trips to the foul line– a stark contrast to opening day against Hood. In the game against Hood, the Retrievers created plenty of open looks. Whenever a player drove the ball inside, they quickly kicked it out to an open man.

Against UMES, the Retrievers faced more of a man-to-man type defense, compared to Hood’s zone defense and exploited it. UMBC went 25-34 from the charity stripe which proved to be a big reason why they pulled out the win.

Against the Hawks (0-2), the size matchup was a bit more even. This showed up in the rebounding numbers, a 40-40 deadlock. The Retrievers did own a plus-five margin on the offensive glass.

The Retrievers defense played well throughout the weekend. UMBC held Hood to 42 percent shooting for the game. Only one Blazers player finished in double figures. The defense slipped a little against Eastern Shore. The Hawks shot 46 percent from the field and 40 percent from long distance. Last season, the Retrievers ranked near or at the bottom of the America East in field goal percentage allowed, three-point percentage allowed, and points allowed.

UMBC looked impressive through two games. In the process, they showed the ability to overwhelm teams with the three and pull out wins when the shots are not falling. However, all their games won’t be against division III schools, nor teams that went 10-22 like Eastern Shore. Still, the Retrievers’ pristine start gives fans reason for early jubilation.

The post The Ryan Odom era begins with a 2-0 start for men’s basketball appeared first on The Retriever.

Free Zipcar membership plus $20 in driving credit

In support of our continued campus sustainability initiatives, Zipcar is offering all faculty, staff, and student employees a free Zipcar membership plus $20 in driving credit!

To redeem your special free membership, join www.zipcar.com/UMBCpartner and be sure to use your UMBC email to sign up. Zipcar will automatically add $20 in driving credit to your account. Note: Gas, insurance, and 180 miles/day are included with membership. Hourly rates start at $8.25/hour or $74/day.

As a member, feel free to share Zipcar's $5 driving credit promo code "UMBCLife" with friends and colleagues. Also, be sure to also check out Zipcar's deals for special membership promotions on discounted driving and all of the member benefits with local partners.

If you have any questions, please contact Zipcar of Baltimore, BalMarketing@zipcar.com.

The UMBC women’s basketball team began their 2016-2017 season with a win over the Columbia University Lions, 67-56 in Manhattan, N.Y. on Friday, Nov. 11. Senior Taylor McCarley led the team with 34 points, tying her career record set in 2014, while fellow senior Pandora Wilson also tallied 12 points and two rebounds.

Thanks to the pair effort, the Retrievers held a considerable advantage in field goal percentage (45.1 percent to Columbia’s 34.9 percent), while the Retrievers also maintained five fewer turnovers than Columbia.

The Retrievers’ expectations were large going into the new season, being polled as the second best team heading into the season.  Coach Phil Stern acknowledged the honor of being ranked so high prior to the game. 

“We embrace being picked high in the preseason poll because it means we did something right the previous year,” Stern said. “But, our players know that we have a lot of work to do and that this conference is very competitive.”

The hard work paid off as UMBC came out on top with a win in the Big Apple. The Lions didn’t go down without a fight however, as power-packed offenses for both teams led to a long, hard-fought match.

The Lions came out strong in the first quarter with help from junior Camille Zimmerman who put Columbia in the lead 5-2 by the eighth minute. UMBC quickly battled back with McCarley knocking back consecutive baskets to bring the Retrievers back on top 11-7. Freshman Te’yJah Oliver strengthened the attack sinking a jump-shot to conclude the quarter, giving them a 14-11 lead they would not look back on.

Stellar defensive play by UMBC held the Lions to only nine points in the second quarter, giving them a dominant 32-20 lead at the half. In addition, on the defensive effort, freshman Allison McGrath knocked back a three-pointer, collecting the first basket of her college career to help the Retrievers extend their lead in the first half.

The Lions shone in the third quarter as they cut their deficit to only five points. Solid defense by Columbia only let McCarley score one three-pointer for the Retrievers for the 10-minute quarter. Lion’s sophomore, Emily Surloff, entered the game and gave the Lions nine points off of three-pointers. She finished the night with 15 points, going 5-9 from the three-point line, contributing to Columbia’s 25 bench points.

The fourth quarter proved to be the difference for the Retrievers, with junior Lakiah Sims records two baskets and McCarley draining four free throws. UMBC went on a 13-0 run to close out the game and remain victorious.

This is the second straight season where the Retrievers have opened their season against Columbia. Last year, Columbia squeaked out a 70-68 overtime win over UMBC at RAC Arena to kick off the 2015-16 campaign. In the overall series, UMBC holds a 3-1 lead over Columbia.

On Nov. 11., the Retrievers next took down Gettysburg College 71-51 to extend their record to 2-0. Sims record an impressive stat line in the Retrievers second game, leading the team in points (18) and assists (four), while also tallying up two steals.

The Retrievers continue their homestand at the RAC Arena where they will first face-off against the University of Maryland Eastern Shore on Saturday, Nov. 19 on Alumni Day. Tip-off is at 1 p.m.

The post Women’s basketball wins season opener against Columbia appeared first on The Retriever.

Over the last eight seasons, UMBC men’s basketball fans sat through a lot of bad basketball. Year by year, the team struggled to crack double digits in the win column, let alone a winning record. Many in the America East conference felt the same level of dread, predicting the Retrievers to finish sixth. As of Nov. 20, UMBC is the only team in the conference that is undefeated. It may just be four games into the season, but so far, this team is fun to watch.

After the Retrievers 93-85 victory over Kennesaw State University, the school is off to a 4-0 start, their best start since 2000-01. The Retrievers finished 18-11 that year, good enough for a third place in the old Northeast Conference.

The Retrievers began their brief two-game homestand on Wednesday with a 90-68 mauling of Delaware State University. UMBC held decisive advantages in field goal percentage, three-pointers and points in the paint.

“I think it’s the smoothest we’ve played offensively,” sophomore center Nolan Gerrity said on Wednesday. “Once we were able to score inside, it opened things on the perimeter.”

On Nov. 19, UMBC held off a 31 point effort from senior guard Kendrick Ray to defeat the Owls. For the second time this season, UMBC overcame a rough day shooting the three (25 percent) by attacking the rim (50-30 points in the paint) and getting to the foul line (21-30 FT’s). UMBC trailed Kennesaw State for a good portion of the first half, but ultimately outscored the Owls 57-47 after intermission.

Junior Jairus Lyles continued to show why the America East Conference (AEC) named him to their preseason all-conference first team. Lyles led the team with 24 points coming off the bench against Delaware State. In his return to the starting lineup against Kennesaw State, Lyles scored 29 points on 11-19 shooting. In addition, Lyles recorded three rebounds, three assists and two steals.

The Virginia Commonwealth Universty transfer ranks 26th in the country in points per game (23.5) as of Nov. 19. Additionally, Lyles has an efficient .547/.421/.727 shooting line and a player efficiency rating (PER) of 33 (15 is average). Lyles also leads the team in assists per game (3.8).

Aside from Lyles, UMBC has three other players averaging double figures in scoring. Fellow transfer guard, K.J. Maura, averages 13 points per game while shooting 50 percent from deep. The San Juan, Puerto Rico native is also averaging three assists per game and plays with great pace and control. In his home debut against Delaware State, Maura finished with 19 points, 6 assists and two steals.

Senior forward Will Darley averages 13.5 points per game. Darley is shooting 50 percent from three-point range this season, stretching opposing defenses and giving the guards room to attack the tin. Sophomore forward Joe Sherburne averages 10.8 PPG with a .457/.333/.667 shooting line. The UMBC bench has been impressive as well. In particular, freshmen Arkel Lamar (8.0 PPG, 5.8 RPG), Mark Curran (3.8 PPG, 2.8 RPG) and junior guard Jourdan Grant (6.7 PPG, 2.7 RPG).

As a team, the Retrievers are lighting up the scoreboard. The offense does an excellent job feeding off the home fans. UMBC’s three highest scoring performances all came at home. As of Nov. 19., the Retrievers rank 40th out of 347 Division I schools in points per game (88). UMBC also ranks 21st in the nation in points per 100 possessions (125.2). In regard to their efficiency, UMBC ranks 60th in field goal percentage (49.4) while shooting an impressive 37 percent from three-point range. On average, the Retrievers have a plus-16.3 margin of victory, good for 60th in the country.

The Retrievers defense looks much improved as well, even with a small sample size. They have given up less per game (71.8 PPG allowed compared to 80.6 last year). Their field goal percentage defense is better (43 percent compared to 50) as is the three point defense (33 percent compared to 38). Thus far, the biggest question mark has made the biggest statement.

The schedule gives the biggest area of skepticism. After all, UMBC isn’t beating up on national title contenders. Only one of the Retrievers opponents finished with a winning record last year. The school in question, Hood College, is a Division III program. On the other hand, UMBC is doing what good teams theoretically do, beat the teams they should.

The true test for the Retrievers comes in December prior to conference play. They begin a brief two-game road trip on Wednesday to face the Naval Academy and Dusquene University. Both teams blew out the Retrievers last season, holding them to 62 PPG. After another matchup against a Division III school, Messiah College, the schedule toughens up.

Road games against the University of Richmond, James Madison University, Mount Saint Mary’s University and Virginia Tech. Home games against The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina and rival Towson University. Of those teams, only The Citadel finished with a losing record. This year they’re off to a 3-1 start and scoring over 100 points a game, albeit against questionable competition. The Retrievers won’t be huge underdogs in any of those matchups, but we will find out how good they are.

In the meantime, enjoy this team right now while you can. They are playing good basketball and giving fans plenty to cheer about. “We understand it’s very early,” Odom said after the win over Delaware State. “We’re gonna learn a lot about ourselves during this non-conference season.”

The post UMBC men’s hoops remains perfect, but for how long? appeared first on The Retriever.