Mavs Man teaches Parker Stephens how to spin a basketball on his finger during a visit to Armstrong Elementary.

Keeping up with our weekly obsession of all things basketball, Mavs Man stopped by Armstrong Elementary recently to show the kids some sweet moves, all while never revealing his true identity: University Park Mayor Dick Davis.

I’m sorry you had to find out this way, but it’s true. Davis moonlights as Mavs Man.

(I threw in a bonus link to make it look better. See if you can spot it. It’s SFW, unless your boss hates wranglin’ and wrastlin’.)

Highland Park's boys and girls basketball teams celebrate after the Lady Scots' dramatic win on Tuesday. (Staff photo: Chris McGathey)

Kaitlyn Read, who was held scoreless in the first half, made a bucket at the buzzer to secure a 40-39 victory for Highland Park over McKinney North on Tuesday night in Frisco.

The win sends the Lady Scots (25-7) to the regional tournament to face West Mesquite (30-7) in the semifinals at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Highland Park beat McKinney North four times this season.

Rockwall and Bryan Rudder will square off in the other regional semifinal at 6 p.m. Friday. The winners will meet at 3:30 p.m. Saturday with a state tournament berth on the line.

Highland Park's Derek Cahn shoots over Newman Smith's Darion Brown. (Staff photo: Chris McGathey)

Even with leading scorer David Allen suspended for disciplinary reasons, Highland Park’s boys basketball team cruised to a 46-34 bi-district win over Carrollton Newman Smith Tuesday night in Prosper.

The Scots (28-2) will face Kimball (27-5) at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Lancaster. Allen will also miss that game in accordance with the district’s extracurricular policy on the illegal consumption of alcohol.

Chase Fletcher led the way in scoring for the Scots with 18 points. Highland Park has won 15 straight games.

David Matthew Allen was arrested for alleged DWI in University Park Saturday night, police reports indicate.

The 18-year-old was allegedly driving his black 2005 Chevy Tahoe in the 6300 block of Hillcrest Avenue when he struck a white 2007 BMW 325i, then fled the scene. After fielding a call from a resident who witnessed the incident, University Park police pulled Allen over in the 3800 block of Greenbrier. An officer allegedly smelled alcohol on the teen’s breath, and found vehicle damage consistent with the witness’ report.

Allen blew .115 and .122 in Intoxilyzer tests, a police affidavit states.

Allen averages 22 points for the Scots this year, and was ready to lead the team against Newman Smith tonight.

HPISD spokeswoman Helen Williams confirmed the report, then stated that the district’s extracurricular code of conduct would not allow “the player” to play in a game tonight. When discussing the school-sanctioned consequences for a DWI, Williams, citing the district’s privacy regulations, would not mention Allen specifically.

For the illegal consumption of alcohol (first offense), the code of conduct reads:

Suspension from current or nearest competitive season or activity for a minimum
of one week or 10% of the season, whichever is greater, up to a maximum of 3
weeks or 30% of the season, whichever is greater.

If the Scots win tonight without Allen, he would also be suspended for Friday’s game against the winner of tonight’s Kimball-Hillcrest game, per the policy. Allen was also charged with duty on striking an unattended vehicle.

Andrew Vaughan and the rest of the Scots open the state playoffs tonight. (Staff photo: Chris McGathey)

Both Highland Park basketball teams will be in Class 4A state playoff action tonight up north.

The Lady Scots (24-7) will face District 10-4A rival McKinney North (21-12) in the Region II quarterfinals at 7:30 p.m. at Frisco Wakeland. Highland Park beat the Lady Bulldogs three times in as many tries in the regular season.

The winner moves on to take on West Mesquite (30-7) in the regional semifinals in Garland on Friday.

Meanwhile, the Scots (27-2) carry a 14-game winning steak into their bi-district game against Newman Smith (16-14) at 6 p.m. at Prosper High School.

The winner of tonight’s game will face the Hillcrest-Kimball winner in area later this week.

I was driving on Lovers Lane yesterday afternoon when I spotted this bumper sticker. It’s for the 2012 Highland Park track team.

I see these stickers a lot, for every HP team. And I think they’re cool; I really do. I just have a few logistical questions.

Read More…

Commenters keep asking, “Where’s Merritt?” Simple answer: She’s watching Big Rich Texas.

Like the Stars? Want to go to Sunday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks?

If you buy your tickets through the University Park Public Library’s website, 40 percent of the ticket price will go back to the library. Tickets are limited.

For questions or group sales of 10 or more, contact John Higgins at (214) 387-5670 or JHiggins@DallasStars.com.

I spent the better half of my Saturday afternoon at NorthPark, though, to be honest, it was my fault. I got my fiancee a birthday present, and it didn’t fit. Probably should’ve done some more reconnoissance.

While we were there, we saw one of the greatest cross-sections of humanity I’ve ever encountered, save for a Jimmy Buffett concert.

They included:

- The man on the couch in JCrew using a woman’s hair claw (from an in-store display) to comb his own hair. He was also wearing pink pants.

- The man standing in the restroom, combing his hair (this is a common theme), while eating a large pile of the free bread from La Madeleine. He was well-dressed (read: not homeless).

- The woman wearing a surgical mask. I understand people may rag on me for this one, but you have to admit it’s a bit jarring when you see it. She had a very Contagion feel.

- Two men, freestyling in the courtyard, in the rain. They weren’t terrible, but needed all the practice time they could get.

Because Highland Park’s varsity hoops teams both have playoff games tomorrow night, I’m going to cover high school basketball for the first time since 1998. While sports editor Chuck Cox follows the Scots all the way to Prosper, I’ll be with the Lady Scots in Frisco. I did two things over the weekend to prepare for this assignment.

First, I attended the Lady Scots’ win over Carter — barely. Sorely underestimating the speed of a high school girls game, my sons and I walked into the gym 45 minutes after the tip. There were only 2.5 minutes left in the game. From the Koller family’s perspective, the highlight was running around on the court after the final buzzer.

Second, as part of our new “Little Big Leagues” series, I covered a Spring Valley Athletic Association game featuring the Spartans, a team of Park Cities fourth-graders. Assuming high school girls move faster than elementary school boys, I’ll have my work cut out for me tomorrow. Pick up a copy of Friday’s paper to see how I do.