you'll find all sorts of creatures in this place without "have to." the silly you, the proud you. you may even meet the curious you. it's tickling me. you! you! you! announcer: ask your parents to o take you to this not so far away place. come to the forest. where the other you lives. but first, stop by discovertheforest.org. and ricky mcphee, two points away from his career high of 15, 13 points in the first half. ricky had been defending well in the first three games. not scoring the ball. they need him to score the ball and he did that in the first 20 minutes tonight. litterial: he shot the ball well. it's good to see him playing with confidence. he'll have a career game. he'll pick up where he left off in the first half. matt: comes from inside. he has a team high 17 against u.a.b. litterial: doing a little overpassing in there. matt: travis leslie with the basket now with 11 points. three bulldogs now in double figures already. litterial: leslie really playing well. he's very, very athletic and it's good to see all of these georgia players really playing with confidence. matt: sean smith, we started the night talking about how he needed to hit his shot and he's still struggling. smith is 1-4 from the floor in this ballgame. litterial: he shot a good shot. he's a little hesitant. matt: thompkins keeping it alive and off the hands. thompkins did everything right except get that thing to go down. litterial: it was just good to see him playing aggressive. that's what coach fox wants to see. they want him to have that killer instinct. matt: he was the only returning bulldog with a positive ratio. georgia as a team has not been positive on assisted turnovers. mcphee now has a new career high with a three-pointer. litterial: i really believed he was going to pick up where he left off in the first half and he's just beaming with confidence. you know, he just seems like the rim is an ocean. no shot he's shooting does he feel he can miss. matt: on the defensive end as well, but he grabs the rebound. six points for ricky mcphee out of the locker room. litterial: he is on fire! he is on fire! matt: new career high of 18 points for the young man, inspired as we said earlier by the performance of his former teammate against north carolina last night. matt: 18 is 18. litterial: good to get out of the slump. i've been there. you go out and get the extra shot, you do all the little things and still you go out and you just can't over that hump. and when you do, it feels so good. i know he's feeling good. matt: primm got the rebound. smith tries the three ball. consecutive three-pointers missed. and leslie has the rebound to georgia. lithic see what coach biedenbach is talking about in shoot around today. you can get the guys open but can't make the shot for them. that's not coaching. in his ability and trusting the stroke. and asheville just -- it's like there's a lid on the rim. matt: ricky mcphee has been waiting for a night like this after two of 11 on his three-pointers to start the season, four shots behind the arc tonight and he's going to have a much different season than he did a year ago. he came out last year as a walk-on red shirt from gardener webb. litterial: that's a great story. not many walk-ons get an opportunity to play in a major program. matt: a program where you have a significant role to walk on where you had no word at all. ware with the reverse layup. hit by barnes. rolled off the iron. litterial: this is what asheville is going to have to do if they get back off the game. they have to get some easy baskets. they have to run in transition. you can't run unless you're rebounding the basketball and not doing a good job at stopping georgia from getting second shots. matt: got to feel for asheville right now. they are in a tough patch. basket by cunningham. litterial: it's going to pay dividends for them. it's going to pay dividends for them when you're playing against majors like this and guys that you're matched up against that's better than you. it only helps nu the long run. matt: they're bringing their money game for them. unfortunately, those games are not money games. they're facing some teams that are off to great starts this year. campbell. there's mcphee with the lay-in. pour a bucket of water on him, he's on fire! litterial: he's still in it. he's still in it. he's playing hard, aggressive and having fun out there. matt: ware knocks it in. leslie got fouled on the way to the hoop. ricky mcphee, a new career high and mounting. off the glass. 20 on the night. shaking hear that? that's the sound of people saving. saving money, saving time, and saving for the future. regions makes it simple - starting with lifegreen checking and savings - featuring free convenient e-services, up to a $250 annual savings account bonus and a free personal savings review. so make the switch today - and get into the rhythm of saving. regions - proud to be the official bank of the sec. in 1977, in johannesburg, south africa, an 8-year-old boy picked up the game of golf from his father. by the age of 9, he was already outplaying him. the odds of this gentle lad winning the junior world golf championships at the age of 14? 1 in 16 million. the odds of that same boy then making it to the u.s. and european pro-golf tours? 1 in 7 million. the odds of the "big easy" winning the open championship once and the u.s. open championship twice? 1 in 780 million. the odds of this professional golfer having a child diagnosed with autism? 1 in 150. ernie els encourages you to learn the signs of autism at autismspeaks.org. early diagnosis can make a lifetime of difference. matt: ricky mcphee goes to the bench with a new career high. he's been on the other side before when he was at gardener webb. in his first ever college basketball game, he hit 21 against north carolina and he opened his sophomore season by scoring 22 against texas tech. litterial: i'll tell you what, if he continues to play like this all season long, his role is really going to increase and who will benefit it from the most will be trey thompkins and jeremy price. if you have a guy that can knock down outside jump shots like he's been knocking them down tonight, it will only open up the interior and trey thompkins and price will have a field day. matt: so leslie at the line. you see, 17 against wofford and 10e against u.a.v. and georgia now with a 26 point lead. litterial: watch out! oh, my gosh. matt: he brought that thing back. litterial: he really -- i didn't know he could lead the floor like that. he slammed it home. litterial: georgia has momentum right now. that put the nail in the coffin here early. you know, they're playing well. matt: remember, we told you earlier, the basket and he goes to the line for the three point play. litterial: they have momentum. and i was looking for mcphee out there. the coach would find a way to extinguish you. i know coach will get on me but mcphee is just hot. he can't miss. put him back in the game. put him back. matt: like the old saying goes, the only guy -- litterial: don't sit him on the bench? matt: thompkins is 6-9 from the floor and five rebounds. litterial: trey thompkins, his ability is unmatched. this guy truly can play with a double-double every night. he can have his double figures and rebounds and points easy. it's just up to him to come out and have that killer instinct. matt: he's averaging a double-double right now. and georgia with a 31 point lead. price with that rebound. way ahead and there's price. look at behind his head. asheville is shooting good shots. they're just not knocking them down. and it's so frustrating it has to be frustrating for coach biedenbach. matt: it is frustrating and the road doesn't come easier. they have furman friday night, a team that's off to a very good start. unbeaten so far and they have to play in louisville against kentucky on monday. litterial: wow, wow. like you said, they have the money game and it's only going to help them and looking for some -- licking their chops for that game and they get in conference play, they're going to be tough to deal with. matt: they were picked second in the conference behind the overwhelming favorite radford, the team to win it. radford got 23 of the 24 first place votes in the preseason balloting and radford is a team that maxed them out in the tournament a year ago. got to the semifinals for a third straight year and he gets the three. litterial: excellent patience for georgia. you would expect them to come out and really playing reckless but they are, you know, really playing patient basketball and they don't have the transition baskets. matt: williams got the rebound. williams is a big part of the puzzle. and we have georgia in the paint. litterial: the thing about having the flu and having a virus. it takes a minute for you to get back to where you were before you have that. he's going to work through it. he's a very good athlete. coach biedenbach has a lot of confidence in him and he'll be ok. it will take a few games for him to get back in the rhythm. matt: did not even play against charlotte and a blocking foul on georgia and williams. litterial: i'm very happy to see sean smith continuing to attack the rim, continue to shoot his jump shot. he's a guy that you know has had to make some success. when you see a guy continuing to shoot the basketball and you're not making it, he knows he has that ability so it's good to see him continue to be in attack mode. matt: he's fifth on asheville's all time three point list with 134 when the night started. smith comes back to get it. litterial: price has been quiet tonight on the offensive end but the defensive end, he's been very active. matt: bounce pass inside deflected away. litterial: they're expecting big things out of primm in conference play. he led the team last year in percentage from the three-point line. if he can put two or three games together and get his confidence going, he's going to be really tough to deal with in the big south conference. matt: if they're going to live up to that expectation of number two in the big south, smith has got to hit some shots and dickey and primm have to play well for them and williams has got to get going. wi williams averaged 14 points a game in conference action. litterial: they have to have balance going in order to get a win. they have ability. they have the tools, they have the guides. they have to go out there and play with confidence. matt: and jackson gets the basket underneath and georgia has a 34 point lead. litterial: good to see him back and active. he will be a very important part of georgia having success this year because he has such a pro's body. he has a man child. matt: mark fox calls a timeout. georgia has a 30 point lead on their home floor. looking to celebrate thanksgiving early. matt: the georgia bulldogs will be 2-2. you see mark fox's first year in nevada 25-7 and they got to the sweet 16, knocked off michigan state and gonzaga along the way. he feels like this georgia job not unlike what he and the head coach and he was the assistant took over when trent johnson is now at lsu, not unlike nevada 10 years ago, only that the opportunity at georgia is greater than it was at nevada. litterial: he's happy with the move. for a guy that averaged 21 wins a season at the athletic conference, for a coach that averaged 21 wins the nevada you would expect him to stay there and be coach. but he just loves the possibility of where he could be in georgia. matt: 11:12 to play with this one. georgia with a 28 point lead on their home court. t f1 c2 tst f1 c1 matt: georgia with the big lead on asheville but the asheville bulldogs have had success against the sec in the past. just a few years ago, went on the home floor of dave odom and the south carolina gamecocks and upset carolina at the colonial center with this 7'7" kenny george on the team. many of you may wonder what happened to kenny george. it's an unfortunate store. contacted mrsa and had to have his foot amputated as a result. the bacteria that causes infections in different parts of the body. it's tough to treat because it's resistant to commonly used antibiotics and unfortunate story. kenny george at 7'7" was likely headed to a career in the national basketball association. litterial: so unfortunate. he was truly going to be a very, very wealthy man. even in the mind of george murison, he used to play for the washington wizards. matt: williams. litterial: he's very athletic. he will not give up and the team embodies coach biedenbach's spirit. you know, no matter how far down they are, they'll play all the way until the clock reads 0:00. matt: you see asheville, 5-18 shooting in the second half. eddie fine player in his own right at n.c. state. went on and played in the -- played pro basketball himself. litterial: i got a chance to start reading up on coach biedenbach when he coached me here at georgia, i didn't know he had the resume that he had. matt: like any basketball player, didn't know there was basketball actually played before you were born. litterial: unreal. unreal at u.c. state. one of the greatest players in north carolina history. matt: spent most of his career coaching basketball in his home state. in fact, the only time in his career outside of the state of north carolina in the eight years he was assistant coach here at georgia and he was a head coach at davidson. coached for n.c. state as an assistant and there's the jam. litterial: trying to get some basketball back from the bulldogs and funny to see the 6'10" and 6'11" guys leading the break. i teased coach biedenbach earlier today. i followed him and i know his season and he was there. i didn't know that they were excellent coaches like they were, well, they produced a lot of good players as well. matt: asheville trying to turn up the pressure here and climb back in this ballgame. such a fine athletic play by john williams. litterial: coach biedenbach is really high on williams. he needs him to come out in the big south conference and play with a vengeance. he's one of those guys that is versatile, can play inside or out. so he's going to pay dividends for him in conference play. matt: and slowed by that virus. six of his eight points and there's a hook shot by williams. came in late in the ballgame and he's just working himself back in after he was sidelined but a year ago, averaged 13 points per game. as i mentioned earlier, 13.4 in conference. shot 60% from the floor and had 76 walks, number thrshots, numb conference. litterial: he's an athlete. he's an athlete. he's going to be good in that conference. so much time in the middle. matt: georgia has some players on the floor getting their first action of the season. tyler whatley, number 25 down underneath the basket right now. having his hands on the ball now. litterial: it's good for georgia to get some minutes here. they're going to need them. i mean, it's going to take a total team effort because they are thin and they don't have a lot of depth so it's good to get these guys experience. the senior on the team and he's confident in his ability. it's good to see him continue to play hard. matt: zlovaric. litterial: confidence booster for georgia. they need this. they really got to hait handed them at u.a.b. it hurts your confidence. to come back and get a win, i don't care who you're playing with, it builds confidence and he especially for a young team like this. matt: albert jackson. albert jackson picks up his first foul. just got a cast off. he has been playing with a broken right hand. while he did not make any practices, he couldn't get in the flow of things because he can't pass and he can't shoot in practice. he just kind of watched and walking through things. really can't get in the true speed and form of the practice. litterial: yeah, practice speed is totally different from game speed. he couldn't even practice. get your rhythm back, it's going to take several games but he's a big body and takes up a lot of space so he's going to help these bulldogs out. matt: that was demario mayfield with his hands on the ball and the pass to his teammate. he's from a small high school so he's getting acclimated to the whole collegiate theme. blocked by williams. you saw how he got up there to get that thing. litterial: unbelievable athlete. great athletic play by williams. matt: and you can see glimpses although they've been overwhelmed here by georgia tonight, you can see how asheville is going to be a factor in the big south conference. litterial: yeah, they show glimpses here and there and they really are going to be a tough team in their conference. this is only going to help them get better, you know. got knocked down. to be able to get knocked down here earlier in the season as they play against a lot of majors. matt: they've been knocked down quite a bit. they're going to be 0-4 after tonight. 6:58 to play and georgia with a 65-38 lead. and he says he's dizzy comedian: stroke's no joke. matt: georgia leading asheville 65-38. more georgia basketball coming up on wednesday night as they take on st. louis, albert jackson having a big night. six points, four rebounds and a block for big al in his most extensive action of the season. litterial: he's playing within himself. this is how he's going to help the georgia basketball team. rebounding, blocking shots, playing good defense. albert is doing a good job especially coming off the broken hand. matt: albert jackson getting rest over on the bench. mcphee back in the ballgame with his georgia career high of 20 points. litterial: i think coach cooled him down a little bit. let's see, i think he's going to come out and try one. coach cooled him down. he was truly on fire. matt: the bulldog starters are back out on the floor with 6:54 to play. this will be the final run. they have a few more minutes here and they'll take him out, no doubt. georgia's next opponent coming up on friday night. litterial: georgia looking for a run on every opportunity. you know this is what's going to be their calling card. they're not going to execute in the half court every time down the court throughout the sec season. you know, they don't have much depth so they'll have to get out and run and see what they can get in transition. matt: the issues against georgia, they can do this against asheville but can they do it against the other 11 teams? litterial: that's the question. they're young and winning gives confidence. hopefully they can build off of this. this is a two or three project. they're rebuilding. and the fans and the administration are going to be patient with them. matt: foul back on the other end. this time, he commits a foul on the defensive side. litterial: he's playing well, playing aggressive. he's having a good game tonight and it's going to only help him as we see him progress the way he's played. matt: sean smith. 4-9 on the free-throw line. uncharacteristic of him. he does have 12 points now with that free throw. it has been a struggle for asheville on the offensive end and defensive end. litterial: again, i know i'm overemphasizing it but to see a 6'10", 6'11" guy handle the ball in transition, not turn it over, make the right pass, keeps playing the right way. he's just an outstanding prospect. matt: georgia loses it out of bounds and mark fox wasn't happy with georgia's sloppy play in that play and there go the starters. that was the one of the georgia starters i was talking about. they got a minute and they go to the bench. litterial: they called it. and i was looking at barn as he was going to the sideline and he hadn't had a chance to get going and he was really frustrated. you have to allow everybody to get some quality minutes here when you're up by such a large margin. matt: georgia will be 2-2 after tonight's action and part of it, you touched on it is that georgia is in this losing culture and mark fox has play counselor as well, the confidence of the team, they've been beaten down. litterial: when you train to have a good team, you know, you have this new mentality, it's hard for them. it's a vicious cycle. he wants to get it out there and get this team to play with confidence and believe in themselves. matt: albert jackson with eight points. that's a welcome sign for the bulldogs. albert jackson is finally playing some healthy basketball. litterial: it will only help him in the long run. jackson is a hard worker. he plays really hard. he's challenged in a few areas but you can't tell it by his efforts. matt: shot blocked. litterial: stayed with it, though. williams is so active. he's just a tremendous athlete. matt: and albert jackson very nimble underneath. litterial: there you see the big guy stay with it. he's doing everything tonight. matt: dickey, long rebound, knocked away. approaching four minutes to play. georgia by 30. and a foul on georgia. albett albert jackson is the biggest guy on the floor. he was like a ballerina. litterial: look at the bulldogs and what they've done tonight. trey thompkins, two points over his average. leslie, six above his. mcphee, 14 over his and albert jackson, nine above his career high. litterial: maybe coach fox and other coaches they have to be pleased with their efforts and the balanced scoring he's gotten out of his guys tonight. matt: j.p. primm at the foul line. six point for him tonight, six rebounds. and a time-out called by eddie biedenbach. free throws by primm, the young man he refers to as their emotional leader. so this is a welcomed sign for mark fox because saturday night in birmingham, of course, a game he'd like to forget, they came out and hit the first three and u.a.b. went out and rattled off the eight points. crawford had 21 and georgia was never closer than double digits in the second half. litterial: good quality win for u.a.b. u.a.b. has an up and coming team. for georgia to go in there and play again especially with the youth of georgia and with them not having much depth. matt: and georgia with 71 points tonight. 11 points above their season average. litterial: a welcome sign by coach fox. i mean, you know, you're playing against asheville, a team that, you know, doesn't have the manpower that you have, but just to see georgia come out here and play well, play with confidence, run their offense, you know, be efficient in their offense is really, really good for coach fox and this team. matt: the georgia bulldogs may end the night with as many three-pointers as they had in the first three games combined. litterial: to consistently knock down that shot. they have to trust their stroke, get out and practice and go over and over again. and it will pay dividends for you if you continue to work at it. matt: stephenson and jackson tried to save the ball. and a time-out with three minutes and 25 seconds to play. georgia will head off to thanks giving with a big win in their back pockets. 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[overlapping] is it me? i'm lonely. holla back. holla back. let's try something new. nude pics. send me some. text me. matt: 71-43, georgia has been in command from the opening tip and they'll be back in action here at the stegeman coliseum next wednesday night as the bulldogs play coach rick majerus and the st. louis pelicans at 7:00 eastern at the stegeman coliseum. albert jackson, 10 points tonight, six rebounds. 5-6 from the floor and mark fox says, you know, really, one of his problems in the past was that offensesively, he was really unsure of what he was supposed to do. they feel like once he gets comfortable, he looks pretty comfortable tonight. he'll be a big scorer. it's hard to call him little. litterial: he's still trying to find his identity. find the way he's going to fit in to really help this georgia basketball team and just the little things, you know, just doing what a big guy is supposed to do is what i see, you know, somebody that can play good defense. truly have some big guys there and he can rebound. he can be an enforcer and he's showing all of that tonight. matt: well, u.n.c. asheville trying to finish strong here and go out with a fight, feeling a lot of pressure on the georgia bulldo bulldogs. they'll be 0-4 after tonight. they got another game coming up monday night but they look forward to the big south where they can hopefully, they're hoping that they can end their run of semifinals, three consecutive and get to the finals and maybe earn that ncaa tournament bid. litterial: you can tell that coach biedenbach is one of the winningest coaches in the big south conference. he's on his knees right now coaching as hard as he would be if he was up by one or two points so he's really an excellent coach, great motivator and asheville has to be very proud to have a coach like that leading them. matt: and eddie biedenbach, the longest senior coach in big south history. i asked if 14 years ago he envisioned that happening. he said you know what? i never envisioned being this old. litterial: he's a character. and you just got to be happy for a guy like that. somebody that will be able to retire in an institution, a basketball program, you just don't see coaches being able to retire like that. matt: the rebuilding process, will be 2-22 after tonight and mark fox and the jam! he was a heck of a linebacker. litterial: he's a stud. good looking freshman prospect here. he's going to do well for the coach. matt: ball nearly tipped away and got it back. and get the basket. what i was saying about georgia now that they're 2-2, you know, when you're in that rebuilding process every game is a rest, it's good when you can go through the game and show a winning game. not all can be of the hard knocks variety. litterial: exactly. exactly. it's good to have a game like this so when you're coming off two tough opponents and, you know, you got beat pretty good, u.a.b., get a good win and they're still a very young team. they have some guys that got a little experience last year but again, that losing mentality, not understanding what success is. you know, it's a process but a good, good game for both georgia and u.n.c. asheville. matt: he was here last year but left after suffering a stress fracture in his left leg. litterial: it is unfortunate. injuries are a part of game. he's a red shirt freshman. he has four more to go. matt: primm saved the ball to dickey. he's very active. litterial: he is. he's going to -- he's going to play all around the game. he's a go getter. he's a tough guy. you want a guy like that with you when you have a basketball team. you're going to do whatever it takes to help you get a victory. matt: 6'4", and the game against the major conference team but in the conference, for the position. litterial: i mean the rebound and blocked shots so even though he's 6'4", he plays big. matt: one minute to go. litterial: biedenbach has to be happy with the way his team is finishing the game. litterial: we have a fan favorite here. the crowd always loves the underdog. matt: and bucklin checking in for the ballgame. he played four minutes all of last season out of marietta, georgia and pope high school. litterial: bucklin has been inspired by mcphee. he's a testimony for where a walk-on can come from a major program and get major minutes. matt: tyler whatley, first basket of the season for tyler whatley with a jam. litterial: they have to see that over and over again. he better enjoy this. matt: that was a struggle. litterial: good, tough play by whatley. he saw that there was no defender back there and he just made a good, headsy play. matt: whatley started his career at wofford and transferred back to his home state to play for the bulldogs. just committed the foul. you know, something kind of came up when tennessee had a victory over u.n.c. asheville and there was a lot that said he -- you can't tell yourself to go in there and play half just because they have a big lead. they want to get out there and play as hard as they can because they want playing time by working hard in practice. litterial: yeah, you have to take the bitter with the sweet. you know, it's an unfortunate situation. you know, that he was in. and coach biedenbach really stepped up for him. and took a lot of heat off them and a lot of people really felt like he -- matt: and the alley-oop pass got deflected. coming up on friday night, host robbie timmons and should be a fine ballgame. coming off a loss last night with purdue in the finals of the paradise jam. litterial: wow. that's a guy that's barely 6'4". i don't want to give him a good 6'4" but he is an athlete. matt: going to walk out of here with a 21-point victory that really wasn't as close as the final score will indicate. georgia led from the opening tip. bulldogs were very strong. very prophetic when he said the opening six or seven minutes will be very telling for his ballclub. they were tonight as georgia comes out to a big lead in the first six and seven minutes and ran away with it. litterial: they led from start to finish. they really came out of the gate. they were determined to get off to a good start. you have to be proud of your club if you're coach fox and his staff. they really responded well to the loss that they had at u.a.b. good win. expect georgia to continue to feed off this victory. matt: albert jackson and the georgia bulldogs a 21 point winner. we'll come back and wrap things up in a moment. matt: georgia had been concerned about their offensive rolls, averaging only 60 points per game. tonight they put 79 on the board in a 21 point victory over u.n.c. asheville. ricky mcphee with a new georgia bulldog high of 20 points and trey thompkins added 16 as the bulldogs are now 2-2 heading into thanksgiving. >> coach mark fox, what do you take away from this victory tonight? >> well, we played better. i think we played better offensively. we shot the ball much better. but we made some steps maturity wise and defended a little better. we overall from top to bottom, better in the paint tonight. >> you talked about how you wanted the team to get off to a good start. are you happy with the start you got? >> we played well all night. that's so much easier for playing from behind. we were much better to start the game than we have been early on in the year and hopefully we can continue that trend. >> what do you tell the guys in the locker room after a big win like this? >> well, you know, asheville played hard. we were a little deepbigger tha them and deeper than them. >> good win, coach. >> thank you. we have to go to mcphee right now. >> all right, we have mcphee right here. you had a career night. tell me, what did you do to keep the ball like you shot it? >> first of all, i have to thank you because before shoot around, litterial green gave me some pointers on my shot and i just kind of focused on the goal and got some confidence out there and i knocked down some shots. so thank you. litterial: you're welcome. i give you that. tell me this, i know you struggle. however, you know, you really shot it with confidence, you know, just tell me what was going through your mind as you, you know, entered into tonight's ballgame. >> i was real happy how it started off. my first couple shots went down so that gave me some confidence and started rolling out there and i mean, i'm really happy we got the win and, getting prepared for friday. litterial: well, keep playing with confidence and good win tonight. >> thank you. litterial: we have the big fella here, trey thompkins. good win tonight. >> thank you, sir. thank you. litterial: tell me, as you guys beat a team that was undersized, how do you feel you played with a team that didn't have -- couldn't match up with you guys on the inside? >> well, i feel that we played pretty good. our game plan was to come inside and we had a couple of possessions where we decided to pass it up for a better shot. but for most part, we got the ball inside. shot to the basket. it opened up the post a little bit more so they weren't able to trap down on us which made it easier for us. >> they will >> tell me about this summer. you had a good summer in the league. tell us where you are right now. >> made me so much better as a competitor and a guy that knows how to win. our u.s.a. team was a great team and with my team, i was force the to play the blind spot which taught me how to play inside strictly. and i carried that over into my college career. hope fully it's going to start showing. litterial: good work tonight. back to you. matt: thank you, trey thompkins 16. four bulldogs in double figures as they win it by 21. matt: georgia 79-58 winner tonight over asheville to improve to 2-2 on the season. here's a look at the final stats, georgia 52% from the floor. 19 turnovers but they also had 19 assists and they scored 27 points off of those turnovers by asheville. >> coach is happy with all those statistics other than the turnovers. for the year, georgia has had a turnover to assist margin is really, really still not that good. however, you know, he'll take this win any kind of way he gets it. he's just so happy that the guys came out tonight and competed right from the start. this is what he needed. this is the confidence booster for his team. >> other scores, vanderbilt a winner in hawaii. kentucky a big winner over cleveland state. florida leading florida state by 18 in the second half. mississippi state leading texas pan am by nine at the half. elsewhere, west virginia a big lead on the citadel. cincinnati over maryland by 13 in the second half, virginia and stanford tied at 45. wake forest has a 14 point lead in the second half as well. georgia 79-58 winner over u.n.c. asheville. 2-2 as they welcome jacksonville state to the stegeman coliseum on friday night. coming up next, the virginia-clemson football replay. tigers clinch a spot in the acc title game followed by "sports night" at 11:00 eastern. and now from our partners and our producer/director mike jones and the entire crew, i'm matt stewart. stewart. good night from the stegema oh! blue! time! time out. i touched it. i touched the ball before it went out, coach. come on, alex, the ref did not call that! you gotta be kidding me, alex! it's the championship game! talk to him, coach. i touched, it's their ball. don't foul them when they inbound. team on 'three.' one, two, three. nice going, alex. sorry coach. alex! good call. good call. honey... the credit fairy... doesn't exist. what? it's make-believe. nobody left anything under your pillow. if there's no credit fairy then who will make our credit score go up? we will. by doing things like paying our bills on time. announcer: there's no magic to improving your credit. but there's help and it's free. go to creditfairy.org what? sometimes you're going to make a miss a shot, but i'm saying if you disgrail with me, challenge he, but challenge me on the merit of the idea. >> find out how kevin johnson, now sacramento's first african- american mayor is making the difference in in his own home town. and it's not just johnson making an impact, we'll profile several former athletes now making the political rounds. and you're the biggest hockey fan on the planet, right? but where do you draw the line between the casual fan and the hockey obsessed? net impact starts right now. and hello, everyone, and welcome to this edition of net impact, i'm art finell. you know, there's a long list of former professional athletes who later segued into a life of politics, guys like bill bradry, j.c. watts, steve largent, just to name a few. they've all made valuable contributions in the political arena for sure, but you canned a kevin johnson's name to that list. he was called k.j. on the court, and he was a huck of a point bard for the phoenix suns, made the all stars several times, but now he's called his honor, as the first african-american mayor of his hometown sacramento. we look at a day in the life of kevin johnson. >> reporter: it's 5:00 a.m., the city sleeps, but kevin johnson has traded in his comfortable bed for a pair of running shoes. moonlit pavement. and the biggest day of his young political career lies before him. >> for me, it's about staying in good shape, mental, physical, spiritual, and running allows that happen. when you get up at 4:30 to run, there's no distraction, it's quiet out. it allow use tow think and reflect, and a chance to certainly get the right perspective and early in the morning allows that really take place, because once the hustle and butle of the regular day starts, it's very, very difficult to have a private moment and get a peace of mind. >> reporter: with his workout behind him, the mayor begins what promises to be a very long day. even a quick car ride to a local television station is an opportunity to conduct business. >> this is kevin johnson calling, the mayor of sacramento, is the congresswoman ready? yes, ma'am, how are you doing this morning? i'm doing very well. yes, ma'am, i just finished a run and a workout. yes, indeed. >> on my desk, there's a gavel that my brother gave me on christmas day of december of 2007. i announced my canadacy on march of 2008, so my brother was the first one to kind of somehow have this vision that i should run for mayor of the city of sacramento. the next thing i know, i'm throwing my hat in the ring. >> reporter: the ride to sacramento's state of the city address is a familiar one. >> when i was growing up, everything that impacted me was in this two-mile radius. i do remember this growing up, that in my neighborhood, which was a poor are in city community, didn't have sidewalks. now as mayor, i know how to make sure to there's no equality across neighborhoods, not just the nice neighborhoods get things that others don't. >> reporter: he may have the home court advantage, but johnson is no longer in his comfort zone. in a matter of hours, the eyes of his hometown will be on him. the clock is ticking. >> good morning. >> how are you? first and foremost, i would like to report on the state of our city the economic crisis comes opportunity. can you go back? isn't this letter size here different than what we just had? >> yeah, that's the way it came to me. >> this will also help us in our goal to decrease crime and improve public safety. in terms of education, it's the first time we've brought together superintendents of the city to discuss the challenges that we are facing in our city. people's livelihoods hang in the balance. i can't read and talk. i'm not good at both. that's my weakness when i try to read and do that. >> ladies and gentlemen, join me in giving a rock and roll welcome for the 55th mayor of the city of sacramento, mr. kevin johnson. >> i'm not asking you to always follow everything i say. as i said earlier, sometimes i'm gonna be wrong, sometimes i'm gonna miss a shot, but what i am asking you is, if you disagree with me, challenge me, but challenge me on the merit of the idea, not because it flies in the face of the way things have been done in the past. our attitude and our perspective is going to to be the difference on how we navigate through all of these challenges. it is our ability to give back, to serve, especially for those who are less fortunate than ourselves. thank you very much for your time, and god bless each and every one of you. (applause) >> really a great job. >> thank you. >> at some point did your heart take over that speech? >> yeah, you know, early on, i was trying to just get my thank yous and my formalities out of the way, but i started off by saying i'm living a dream. i love this. there is nothing else i would rather do, and somewhere through the speech, you know, it just became the kid from sacramento talking to people in his city and saying, look, i want to do all i can, and i need your help and we can collectively get through this, but we're going to need everybody to be on the same page. and you did great. >> hey, thanks. we also wants to actage the special guests who are with us this evening. mayor kevin johnson, the mayor of the city of sacramento. >> i want you to put your hands together for mr. jim brown. (applause) >> governor arnold schwarzenegger! >> (applause) >> thank you very much karen for the wonderful introduction. also thank you for inviting me to be part of this great operation here. tonight it's about honoring those who break down the barriers and to promote social justice. tonight's heros have excelled in all walks of life. i think that each and every one of those honorees are also, at the same time, a great inspiration to millions and millions of people. and i will say especially for the young people, because that's the important thing. they need this extra push to know that the american dream is also there for them,. that they can reach whatever dream that they have, and so this is why we have inspired them to show them that there's more out there than just gangs and violence and drugs and alcohol and those things. there are positive alternatives. >> i have felt very strongly that athletes have a responsibility, whether they like it or not, or whether we like it or not, to be role models. those who had the biggest impact on us as kids growing up are the people we came in contact with every day. >> i would like to thank the governor for his remarks, and speaker bass for hernandez, and the legislative black caucus for being here today. i do want to poke fun at a couple of people really quickly. one of our honorees joe morgan. joe, raise your hand. and i saw joe morgan few minutes ago and said how are you doing? and he said i want you to know that even though i don't live in sacramento, i voted for you, so thanks joe. (laughter) >> i get a chance to spend a little time with our governor here, and i don't know if you know this, the governor has a little rhythm, got some dance moves. i think we might have to think about inducting him next year as an honor airy african- american. thank you very much. (laster and applause). >> reporter: a day of accomplishment here is concluded. but there is still time to reflect on the magnitude of what has happen, and what is still to come. >> even in a day among days, that has to be a big highlight. >> like i said, i'm living a dream. effect i get to do is somehow beyond my wildest expectations. jim brown. i couldn't even mess with him, that's too emotional. >> at some point, you realize there's not enough people that are doing good work in elected office, and i shouldn't stand on the sidelines and complain. if not now than when the? all of those things led me to saying i need to get in the ring and do my part to not just make sure the neighborhood i grew up in, but the city i'm so proud of, reaches its potential. >> thanks, matt for that report. by the way, you saw govern toker schwarzenegger featured in that piece, as well. but this generation may not even realize that in 1970, at the age of 23, schwarzenegger became the youngest person to be named mr. olympia. he would go on to win that competition six straight years. of course schwarzenegger was elected governor of california in 2003. you may also remember former nfl quarterback heath schuller who is now making his rounds in the u.s. capital. he was the third overall pack in the 1994 draft by the washington redskins. he played just three short seasons before finally retiring in 1997 because of a foot injury. well, he is now congressman schuller, and he represents north carolina's 11th district. still to come on net impact, one athlete recall as vivid memories of war as a youngster in war-torn bosnia. >> they kidnapped us and took to us where my dad was staying, which, and we just kind of hid there for a couple of months. >> now that same athlete is living his dreams out on the soccer field right here in the united states. and the husband saving his wife's life, but they say the philadelphia phillies played a major role in her recovery. we'll tell you how that happened, and you'll hear her amazing story. you're watching net impact on here is another tidbit for you. former president dwight eisenhower, gerald ford, and ron at reagan all reached the highest office in our land, but before they were president, they were each standout athletes in college. wow. now this. what a year it's been for this next athlete. his name is bofgio. the chicago fire welcomed the rookie mid-fielder to her roster, and being all to play in front of his own hometown has been. a a dream come true, especially when you consider that his journey began in another country where his memories of death and destruction still remain a big part of him. josh mora has gee or geo's story. >> i spent a lot of time playing with my family, so that's really basically it, that i remember, is just playing around with my cousins, running in the wood, and that sort of thing. >> reporter: peaceful life. >> yeah, very nice, very peaceful. >> reporter: until he was 7 years old, he lived an idealic life in bosnia with his parents and older brother. his family owned land and had money, but wars a all around them. >> it's war, you see people dead. i lost my brother to, you know, yes, i lost my brother. yes, a lot of people dead, you can see it right there, bombed everything, you know, it's war. >> there are stores like they held up father, you know, rained the mom and just kind of left the kids. >> reporter: they left behind their family, their money, their home, their lives. >> had worked in the office 17 and a half years, she worked in the office, too, and war come, and we lost everything. and how she say, we left august 20, '94. just take a couple of bags in car and we stop at the border. >> my dad paid off a soldier, or i think he gave him our car to let my dad come across, and he stayed with his niece, who was located in croatia. so my mom told me and my brother to fake that i had a ear ache, and my brother had an eye problem. so when they let us come across, because, i mean, there was no way we could get across, you know. i remember they would read off names for like nurses to come take and you bring you in, and wire kind of in the middle of the line, they & they read our names off, and they wouldn't allow us -- you know, other people were in line, had been waiting there for days, you know, just like everyone else, and i remember the guards shooting, like, guns in the air, and they kind of ran away, and the guards came and grabbed me and my mom and my brother and took us across, and while we were there, a soldier who my dad paid off to, like -- he kidnapped us, and, like, took us to where my dad was staying, and we just kind of hid there for a couple of months, you know, and it was like we were, like, we had nothing. >> reporter: for a short time, germany accepted bosnian refugees. >> it was pretty hard. there was a lot of racism going on. we were an easy target for a lot of the kids. we were all put together with nothing, you know. you know, you could tell the way we dressed and everything, we had nothing. and we were made fun of so much, i mean i was fighting every day after school. three years later, the german government ended its program for families who didn't have visas, so the husidics had a choice, go back to boss the kneia, or end up in the united states. they went to chicago. >> that's when i finally felt like you can enjoy life now, we've made it. you can relax now. you know, it's yours, so, you know, i always, like, wanted to have a house i could have friends over and stuff, and every day, like, since we had the house, i always have people over, there's not like one day where my mom is not cooking for everyone. but in bosnia, it's just like that. you always have family over, friends over, you're grilling. >> reporter: and from there, life was good. boggio starred in soccer, and now he's getting plenty of playing time for the fire. >> i can't really describe like how you feel, like -- because you, like, you remember, when you go back, it all comes back to you like everything happened yesterday, and its just like, you know, it's -- you try to make it happy where you get to see your family again, but as soon as like that goes away, like, wow, like i left all of this behind. what if i didn't have this sort of future? >> reporter: and so you can understand when the practices get long and the guys get sweaty and the work seems difficult that boggio doesn't seem to find site hard. he is living a life that years ago simply didn't eve exist for him, not even in his dreams. >> when we played columbus, it was like a pretty packed house, and starting in that game, i it was like the best feeling work like such a big feeling of accomplishment, like everything my family and i have been through. >> you watch him after 15 years behind, i will show you he was involved, unbelievable. not just one, almost two guys, you know, oh, feel good. >> it has been a pretty good year for the chicago fire, they may have had in the playoffs, and the team is hoping for bigger things in their future. now let's talk baseball. what a season it was for the philadelphia phillies. one of the things that always feeds the philadelphia phillies is their fan support, which is always off the chart. by the way, they had more than 50 sellouts at sipsens bank park this past season, but this next story takes fan support you might say to a whole new level. as sportsnet philadelphia reports, one couple's love of the phillies truly became a matter of life and death. >> reporter: don has seen hundreds of phillies games, but it's the one he didn't see that he'll always remember. don and his wife sandy had tickets to see the phillies play the angels last june in what turned out to be a forgettable 7-1 loss. the events that drains spired that night, however, they will never forget. >> i went upstairs to get ready, and i got a splitting headache like i've never had before. i mean, this was the most intense pain i've ever had. he came upstairs and found me rolled into a fetal position on our bed, and all he could decipher from what i was saying was bad pain, hurts bad. >> i was just totally -- you know, company can see your life just flash in front of you. i took her into the hospital, they took her in for a cat scan, the doctor came out and said we have a helicopter dispatched from the university of pennsylvania coming down to pick her up, and this was, like, three hours after this first when i came home that this happened. it's, like, what is going on here? the skull is full of blood, it's a bleed, we have to get her up there immediately. she came in between annal and a 9 and 10 is fatal, and usually they don't make the flight, but they said we have her stabilized, next morning they twenty in and operated on her, and long, long road to recovery, and 50% of then people don't make this, they told me. >> reporter: if he was not at home to find his wife, it she likely would have not survived what turned out for a brain aneurysm. with that, they believe the phillies saved her life. >> don came home from work three hours early. the only time don comes home from work is when he's going to a phillies game. otherwiseny stays the rig rather time >> if it wasn't for me going to watch the phillies game that night, she would. >> reporter: be here for this interview. >> reporter: a speech and language therapist by trade, she's had to deal with the harsh irony of struggling with basic communication. under normal circumstances, degrees may have completely ravaged their lives, but a phillies title drive proved to have therapeutic powers. >> she followed the phillies games through the playoffs, light late in the year, and he was able in the hospital bed to to watch that, the world series. her sister came down and watched her for game four, which i winter up to see, and she weighed in the hospital bed in our house, and she watched the whole game there, and it just played out that the phillies won that world series that year, and it was almost like, you know, somebody was watching up above there. >> one of the things that they would do is every day they would come in asking what day it was, you know, what's the next holiday, things like that, to see if my brain was functioning. so when the phillies were there in the playoffs, they would come in every day and ask me, okay, who won last night? so i would have to remember who won, what the score of the game was, because they knew i was watching the phillies. so it was a big part of my recovery watching the games during the playoffs. >> and you can't blame them for believing that the greatest save in fills hist -- phillies history didn't take part of the field. >> they were just a major part of her recovery, and for sure part of my recovery. >> my neurosurgical team knows what they did to save my life. the phillies have no idea what what they did to save my life, but i consider them my heros now inspect >> and we certainly wish her the best on her recovery and for the philly, be a speedy return to the world series. coming up next, there are hockey fans who take obsession to a whole new level. we'll explain. south africa, an 8-year-old boy picked up the game of golf from his father. by the age of 9, he was already outplaying him. the odds of this gentle lad winning the junior world golf championships at the age of 14? 1 in 16 million. the odds of that same boy then making it to the u.s. and european pro-golf tours? 1 in 7 million. the odds of the "big easy" winning the open championship once and the u.s. open championship twice? 1 in 780 million. the odds of this professional golfer having a child diagnosed with autism? 1 in 150. ernie els encourages you to learn the signs of autism at autismspeaks.org. early diagnosis can make a lifetime of difference. finally, you know their names, crews by, ovechkin, preair. they are among the les of the top selling jerseys in the national hockey lead, but as chuck found out, blackhawk fans take their passion for hockey jerseys to a whole new obsession. >> reporter: blackhawk fans love their jerseys. how many blackhawk jerseys do you have? >> i have about probably 20. >> reporter: 20 jerseys? >> at least. >> reporter: from pure hockey passion to borderline addiction. you have your own separate closet for them? >> i actually do. >> reporter: that's sick. >> it's very sick, and i'm horribly embarrassed right now. >> reporter: so if you can't actually be them, you might as well ware them, even if you can't spell them. put you on the spot, how do you spell -- >> how do i spell it the american way or the right way? >> reporter: the way it's on the back of your jersey. >> byful -- let's see here, byfug -- >> oh, okay. du. >> reporter: no, no,llu. ien. but hawks fans really remember those special ones from the past. >> this is signed by bobby hull, 1983, the year got in as a hall of famer. >> reporter: and who on the back? >> stan mckeithia, number 21. >> that's awesome. >> if i could get him to sign it, that would pretty much take the cake. >> dennis hull, you're the only person i've ever seen besides dennis hull to wear a dale earnhardt this hull jersey. why dennis hull jersey, why is that? >> to be different. >> reporter: i'm looking here, there's a kane number 14. i hate to say this, but past 88 what happened here? >> no, i'm 14, i'm pat kane, the real pat kane. >> reporter: you were born on the 14th? >> exactly. >> reporter: you were born april 14th, 1960? >> yeah, exactly. >> reporter: do you have your driver's license? let me see this. i need more on that within sense of license. your plummer's license. that says pat kane. okay -- think i'm gonna believe him. but then you might not believe this. you show up showing whose jersey? >> eric, my favorite. >> reporter: and he happens to be here. >> he happens to be here, i came here with my three nephews, they government me the jersey, and he hannans to be here. it's awesome. >> reporter: have you ever seen a fan wear one of your jerseys? >> no, it's the first one, i'm serious. >> i figured what better way to honor him than to get his jersey. that's the way to go. >> reporter: why were you named after hem? >> my dad's favorite player on the blackhawks. he said he was the best on the pk, swooping up and down the ice. >> reporter: ask and here you are today, and he's right over there, the guy you were named after is signing autographs right over there. >> what better way to come in here and get an autograph, and i added some research to do. i asked him if he tipped in bobby's 50th. so i heard it from the horse's mouth. >> reporter: what did he say? >> absolutely. >> reporter: so at your next hawks game, remember, everybody can be somebody, and we mean anybody. >> i don't normally ask people this, but can i have of have your autograph? >> sure. >> reporter: i really appreciate this. >> where do you watch me to sign? >> caller: just sign my sweater. thank you, i appreciate pit. >> and that will do it for another edition of net impact. i'm art fennell, thanks for joining us. coming up next months on net impact as the year comes to an end, we'll take a look back at some of our top sports stories that shaped 2009. and to find net impact in your area and for the law enforcementest breaking local suffering. lifting travel restriction would directly provide tourist dollars to the marxist regime in order to fund its tools of oppression. there is no free market in cuba, just a giant money laundering machine for soviet era policies that otherwise met their demise with the fall of the berlin wall 20 years ago. we must maintain travel restrictions to prevent the regime from using tourists dollars to further oppress the cuban people. thank you mr. chairman. i yield back the balance of my time. >> the time of the gentleman has expired. the gentlelady from california, ms. lee. >> cuba is then the only nation in the world where americans are forbidden to-- traveling to afghanistan, or burma. americans are travel-- free to travel to and the island and our president just completed a very successful visit to a communist country, china. by any objective standard our current policy toward cuba just has not work. it is clear to me when i travel to cuba in the mid '70s as a congressional staffer and it is even clearer to me over three decades later earlier this year and led a congressional delegation to cuba. we believe there are new opportunities to rethink u.s. policy with their nearest caribbean neighbor. americans should not be denied the right to travel to cuba. americans have become isolated. we should be free to be part of the global community. it is their democratic right to travel to cuba. we don't want to deny our citizens they are free democratic rights based on what regime or what government is in place. >> the time of the gentlelady has expired. >> thank you mr. chairman. >> the gentlelady from nevada. >> thank you mr. chairman. i would like to thank and applaud and incorporates by reference the eloquent statements of the ranking member ileana ros-lehtinen. i believe her comments were spot on. i'm opposed to lifting the travel restrictions to cuba unless and until castro passmore cuba at the least reforms its behavior and that the very most changes its regime and i am a little baffled by mr. flake's comments. i don't think anybody here was acting like a travel agent but if i could capitalize on what ileana said, if you have a great desire to go somewhere, let me suggest you don't go to florida you come to las vegas instead of cuba. >> the gentlelady, the leader of the tourism caucus has expired. [laughter] the gentleman from indiana, mr. pence is recognized for one minute. >> thank you mr. chairman. i find myself in one of the rare moments where i disagree with my colleague from arizonan. we are usually pressed hard against the railing on the right together, but on this one we will agree to disagree. but i do so respectfully and not at state travel agent. as we all know travel to cuba is not banned for colbert actually 18 categories for which travel to cuba is permitted. what is restricted and what this hearing primarily boils down to his tourists travel. i am not talking about opening cuba's free and open tourist industry. there is no such thing. what we are talking about tilson services that they into the pockets of cuba's government in military. the average cuban citizen can't even approach these exclusive hotels. those were permitted to be there for work are not paid adequately and are required to restrict party lines. those who argue for lifting the travel restriction say that cuba will end up democratically. >> the time of the doesn't has expired. >> i ask unanimous consent to submit my entire statement for the record. >> we will be coming back for the question period. the gentleman from new york, mr. meeks is recognized for one minute. >> it just seems to me we fight for freedom in this country and therefore it seems that with this hearing is simply about the freedom of the american people being able to choose where they want to go. this is the only country with the americans have placed upon ourselves a ban of travel. i hear a number of members talk about some of these other countries that are so bad yet we don't have these other countries as we have on cuba, so it seems to me that the only place where there's even a tourists trap ban in the world that the place on ourselves is in cuba but yet we have some of these other governments that are communist and i hear members talking about how bad the place is but yet they have visited these places. leave it up to the american people. those who don't want to go won't. those who do well but leave that up to the american people to make the choice because that is what freedom really is about. >> the time of the gentleman has expired. the gentleman from georgia, mr. scott. >> i think i've listened to both sides of the argument here and i think that we have an excellent opportunity. where we have been is we are at a stalemate, no question about the violation of human rights and no question about where we have gone in terms of our gains in economic exchange with cuba but doing nothing keeps us where we are. why not use this opportunity to get something out of it? i say yes, let us open up and let us travel. we have got to understand that ban does not stop the travel. what the band does it stop the money, the finances from going there. this is a multibillion-dollar deal and we need to go to the kester brothers and say let's make a deal. we will open up this band and stop this and bring the tourists in, bring the billions of dollars in debt you have got to do this. you have got to release the prisoners. you have got to do something about the human rights and let us remember i believe having more americans on the streets in cuba will help us to move quicker to a democracy in cuba. >> the time of the gentleman has expired and the gentleman from florida is recognized. >> thank you mr. chairman. thank you for allowing me to speak to an important issue to ourself for the commission. i have always supported a common-sense cuba travel policy in that believe family members should not be separated so i did support president obama's changes to u.s. policy which allowed for limit, lifting of restrictions on travel and remittances for americans with family members in cuba. the goal is to ensure that cuban-americans are able to move freely to visit their families. this is a large step and the cuban government should not squander this new willingness and this opportunity that has been presented. now that the u.s. has made changes to some of its longstanding policies toward cuba i believe it is time for the cuban government to respond in kind. before permitting free travel the cuban government must respond to the plans asserted by u.s. citizens for many years. it is imperative these be dealt with promptly and i think of the chairman. >> the time of the gentleman has expired in now our final the witnesses, the gentlelady from texas, ms. sheila jackson-lee is recognized. >> thank you very much and thanks to the ranking member for the cooperation of this hearing. some years ago i was involved in the tragedy of ileana gonzalez, the loss of his mother and family members that wanted to raise him. i indicated in my preference after meeting the grandmothers who lived in cuba that he should be returned to family. as i did that i did not ignore the family members who were here and united states and i frankly believe he could have the benefit of all family members so i think it is important we open the door of opportunity and that we recognize that as we have opened the doors to china, that is not perfect. we open the doors to cuba and our intervention and involvement is critical. at the same time we asked for concessions, interaction with the cuban government and if we do that, we make america the greater country and we work together with the cuban people. led this left the embargo. >> the time of the gentlelady has expired. all time for one minute questions has expired. we are now going to turn to our expert panel of witnesses one who will be with us by videoconference. first, i will introduce all of the witnesses. general very mccaffrey is president of his own consulting firm based in arlington va. he is an adjunct professor of international affairs of the united states military academy at west point and serves as a national security and terrorism analyst for nbc news. from 1996 to 2001 general mccaffrey served as the director of the white house office of national drug control policy. prior to that general mccaffrey served as the commander-in-chief of the u.s. armed forces southern command coordinating national-security operations in latin america. ambassador james cason is currently president of the center for free cuba. he is a retired career foreign service officer with 30 seconds-- 30 years varients. it just seemed like 30 seconds. [laughter] he was nominated by president bush to be u.s. ambassador to paraguay and confirmed by the senate prior to this posting in paraguay. ambassadors cason was chief of mission at the united states intersection of cuba from september 10th, 2002 until september 10, 2005. ambassadors cason retired from the foreign service in 2008. by videoconference miriam leiva has been a human rights activist and independent journalist since 1995. in 2003, she was one of the founders of the ladies-- a woman organization that advocates for cuban prisoners of conscience. in september 2008 she left the movement to focus on journalism and direct aid to cuban prisoners of conscience and their families. a former cuban diplomat, be laid low was expelled in september 1992 for lack of political confidence and when she refused to divorce her husband and, independent journalist and economist oscar espinosa. after he was accused of being a counterrevolutionary. ms. leiva will testify by videoconference from the united states intersection in havana q but and there is a 42nd delay in the transmission of what she will be saying. ignacio sosa is a board member of friends of bright siskel bata, a nonprofit organization that raises aid for the only non-governmental humanitarian organization with a national reteaching cuba. he is a former executive board member of the cuba study group. mr. sosa has been active in seeking and into the isolation of cuba and testified previously before the international operations and human rights subcommittee on lifting traveling remittance restrictions for cuban-americans. burt the antunez is the cuban citizen who is an active in human rights in cuba. ever since she became aware of abuses committed against our unjustly imprisoned brother, jorge luis garcia perez she came together with a group of other key men mothers in defense of prisoners' rights. in the early 1990's she helped create the national movement for civic resistance, pedro luis cordell, to fight to harassment against their relatives in prison. her movement has been active venturing prisoners rights and publicizing human rights abuses against political prisoners. our last witness is philip peters vice president of the lettington institute. he served in the state department's latin american bureau during the reagan and george h.w. bush administration. he has reported on cuban economic topics and analyzed u.s. policy towards cuba for more than a decade and rights the blogged, the cuban triangle. thank you all very much for being with us and general mccaffrey why don't you start. >> mr. chairman thank you and congressman ros-lehtinen for the opportunity to be here to join this distinguished panel. i think it is inappropriate time to address this issue. let me if i may add, i provided most of you with a copy of some of the work i've done particularly an op-ed i submitted to the "miami herald" a few months back dealing with this issue. a couple of thoughts. in january i will be back in cuba again to, as an adjunct professor in international affairs to listen to the situation on the ground to try to learn how we can move forward in the coming years to bring back into the community of nations the cuban people from which they have been isolated while under the control of the totalitarian regime for the better part of 50 years. i take great sympathy with every remark made dealing with the suffering of the cuban people both economic and political. in january i will also be the head of the delegation from the vietnam veterans memorial fund where we will again visit vietnam, a place i fought on three combat tours where we suffered 58,000 killed in action, over 300,000 wounded were the vietnam veterans, 3.5 million have reached out to the vietnam people. i mention that just to put in parallel a viewpoint that i find our current policy toward cuba both in terms of the tourism ban as well as the economic embargo to not make sense. it doesn't work and more importantly we have got mr. castro with 1 foot in the grave and the transition to power looming in front of us in the coming few years and i would argue we want to engage with these people and try and bring them back into the rule of law in the coalition of the democratic states. again i would understand the oppressive nature of the regime. i bumping tourism in and of itself is going to blow away this mansell of oppression but i do think it will allow the freedom of the american people to directly engage with the cubans. i think our interests are served by lifting this tourism van. i might add, and i say this as sort of a hard-nosed national