The second Paul Hornung Award Banquet was held last night at the Galt House in Louisville, KY.

This year’s winner as the nation’s most versatile player was University of Georgia Senior Brandon Boykin. And like the award’s namesake, Boykin did a little bit of everything for the Bulldogs. Defensive Back was his main position, but he also was a top kick and punt returner and he added some receiver duties as well. Boykin was thrilled when he found out he was the winner.

Boykin is represented by Universal Sports & Entertainment Management.

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We are more than happy to announce our new client, Andrew Goudelock, rookie scoring sensation for the Los Angeles Lakers.

On Day One, we created an original skit on SportsCenter by connecting him with our other client, Neil Everett.

As a rookie, Andrew has received some crazy nicknames from his veteran teammates. On SportsCenter, Neil tries to help him find a nickname.

WATCH:

The very next day, Kobe Bryant dubs Andrew “Mini-Mamba”!

From the LA Times:

Another “Mamba” has slithered into Staples Center, and Kobe Bryant doesn’t seem to mind.

In fact, Bryant is all for it.

The self-described Black Mamba has bestowed a similar nickname upon Andrew Goudelock, calling the Lakers rookie guard “Mini-Mamba” because he is a fearless shooter similar to Bryant.

“It’s a very big compliment, especially coming from the real Mamba,” Goudelock said after scoring 12 points Tuesday in the Lakers’ 106-73 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats. “I hope it sticks.”

Goudelock has scored in double figures in three of four games since Coach Mike Brown decided to make him the primary backup to starting point guard Derek Fisher. Living up to his nickname, Goudelock has also taken seven or more shots in each game despite playing only between 15 and 25 minutes.

Goudelock’s strong play has potentially alleviated the need for the Lakers to take a serious look at free agent guard Gilbert Arenas, who was waived in December by the Orlando Magic via the so-called amnesty clause. Goudelock, who rarely played until the last week, has made the most of his opportunity.

“I think I was kind of in awe when I came out here playing with some of these guys,” Goudelock said. “I didn’t know where to fit in or how to do it. The talent has always been there, but I didn’t really know how to put it all together. These last few games, just running point guard, I think I’ve been more aggressive to simplify things, not trying to think too much and just play my game, and I think it’s working out for me.”

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We secured this exclusive feature of LaShawn Merritt with USA Today.

LaShawn Merritt is a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist with USA Track & Field and he gives an up close and personal look into his personal training for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games along with a look back on his gold medal wins at the Olympics in 2008.

WATCH LaShawn Merritt in this candid interview with USA Today:

Hits newsstands on Thursday, January 26th, 2012.

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Universal Sports & Entertainment Management client and 2012 NFL Draft prospect, Brandon Boykin speaks with ESPN.com’s David Ching of Dawg Nation right before the Senior Bowl.

Check out an excerpt from Brandon Boykin’s interview with ESPN.com:

Don’t bother asking Brandon Boykin for an opinion on where the latest mock NFL draft predicted him to be picked.

He hasn’t heard and doesn’t particularly care to know.

“I don’t pay attention to Mel Kiper and the mock drafts. I don’t pay attention to it at all,” said Boykin, who recently completed his career as an All-SEC cornerback at Georgia. “Ultimately your performance and what you do kind of dictates those big boards and where you go. I know that they kind of favor people who are in the spotlight whose teams might be winning.”

Brandon Boykin is poised to say goodbye to college life as a Dawg, and he plans to showcase his playmaking talents this week at the Senior Bowl.
For the record, Boykin’s standing in ESPN.com’s position rankings is not too shabby. He’s rated as the No. 6 cornerback and No. 56 overall, with several NFL draft projections slotting him to go in the second or third round.

Boykin should have little difficulty convincing scouts that he has the athleticism necessary to compete in the NFL. It’s his size and cornerback technique that they will scrutinize this week in Mobile and in tryouts between now and when the draft kicks off in late April.

That’s why his performance this week in practice and in Saturday’s game will be so valuable for the former Bulldog.

“I think a lot of people know that I’m a great player, but kind of haven’t seen me yet in an environment where I can just completely cover somebody one-on-one in the open field,” he said. “At Georgia, I played a lot of slot and was doing a lot of blitzing and stuff like that. My opportunity is to just show people my talent at corner, as well as how versatile I am in the return game and any other thing that I have to do on the field.”

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We connected I AM SPORTS client and New England Patriots RB, Kevin Faulk to an exclusive interview with the HuffingtonPost.com.

Jordan Schultz writes:

After beating Houston 20-13 in the Divisional round, Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed proclaimed that “we’re coming and they know it,” in reference to the AFC Championship game Sunday at New England. Without question, Reed and his teammates will take solace in the fact that just two years ago, they went into Foxborough and destroyed the Patriots 33-14. In that game, Tom Brady threw for 154 yards, had a passer rating of 49.1 and the Ravens ran for 234 yards. “Their era is not over,” Ray Rice said afterwards. “We’ll always remember this win.”

While the 2012 Ravens still feature many of the same players that pulled off that upset, the Patriots’ personnel is rather different…

With Wes Welker injured, the only other Patriots to catch a pass that day were Randy Moss, Sammy Morris, Julian Edelman (who plays more defense than offense now), Sam Aiken and Kevin Faulk.

Perhaps no player has been through more with the New England franchise than Faulk. Drafted out of LSU in 1999, the running back has spent his entire career as a Patriot. He has been both a starter and deep reserve. He has also won three Super Bowls and while two years may not seem like a long time, it feels light years away to him.

“There is a lot of turnover on our roster from 2010,” Faulk told The Huffington Post.

“We have the resilience and will to keep playing no matter what goes on through the course of the game, but you can’t judge this team based on what we’ve done so far.”

Second-year man Hernandez has receiver-like quickness, great run-after-catch ability and — as witnessed in the Denver game (five carries for 61 yards) — is now a threat running the ball out of the backfield as well.

“He is a very diverse player and can do a lot of different things,” Faulk says. “That was something that we have worked on for a couple weeks.”

Click here for the full story, Tom Brady, Patriots Offense Look To Continue Scoring Assault Against Ravens.

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Here is Neil Everett and Stan Verrett’s new commercial for the all-new Audi A6 Quattro for SportsCenter:

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We connected I AM SPORTS client and Los Angeles Clippers star, Caron Butler to a one-on-one interview with The Huffington Post.

In this exclusive interview, Caron talks Chris Paul and the Clippers defense and compares playing for the Clippers versus his former Championship team, the Dallas Mavericks.

(Caron Butler, far right)
Excerpt from Caron Butler’s interview with The Huffington Post:

[Chris] Paul is a maestro on the open floor and the catalyst to “Lob City.” As expected, his connection with Blake Griffin has been nearly flawless, but perhaps even more impressive has been his ability to integrate DeAndre Jordan into the mix.

But it’s his defensive energy — he’s second in the league in blocks — that teammate Caron Butler believes has made the most dramatic impact.

“He’s been unbelievable,” Butler told The Huffington Post. “He has a presence inside the paint, in terms of being that guy who can anchor the defense, and keep the defense on a string.”

Butler, who in December signed a three-year, $24 million deal with the Clippers, played in just 29 games for the world champion Mavericks last season before rupturing the patellar tendon in his right knee.

He believes that time will only help this team unite even more and improve on rebounding and defense, two elements where the Clippers rank a poor 27th and 20th, respectively.

Head coach Vinny Del Negro wants his team to play a physical brand of defense — by depending on fast rotations, bumping cutters and an increased effort — in order to overcome a lack of athleticism and quickness on the perimeter. Relying on the shot-blocking prowess of Jordan is vital, he said, but they should not rely on it too much to cover up problems on the wing.

“We feel like we should and will be a better rebounding team and get better defensively,” Butler said.

In their first two benchmark victories of the young season against the Heat and Lakers, the 7-4 Clippers vastly improved on defense. Normally a scoring juggernaut, Miami scored a mere 89 points on 99 possessions. The Lakers meanwhile, were held to 94 points, mostly thanks to the Herculean, 42-point effort of Kobe. Neither foe ever established a consistent rhythm, and both were coerced into contested jump shots during critical junctures.

Paul — whom Butler praises as the linchpin to the Clippers’ success — was terrific against Miami with 27 points and 11 assists, and even better against the Lakers, registering a season-high 33 points.

With the truncated 66-game season, integrating a marquee player into the flow is challenging enough. When that player happens to be a point guard, it is even harder. Paul though, is such a cerebral player and natural floor leader that he has assumed the role with ease.

“The reason why everyone plays off of each other so well is because of Chris Paul,” Butler said.

After losing three of its first four games, the Clippers have rattled off seven of nine, with signature wins over the Lakers and Heat before being trounced in Utah without Paul. With Griffin becoming a reliable post option and not just a dunker, he is scoring on the block and consistently warranting double-teams. Despite the loss of Eric Gordon in the CP3 trade, the Clippers have a cadre of shooters to spread the floor as kick-out options in veterans Chauncey Billups, Mo Williams and Butler.

Even still, this team is likely another year or two away from being a real contender in the Western Conference. Winning four out of seven against the likes of Dallas, Oklahoma City and the Lakers is not the same as winning in January. Just don’t tell that to Butler, who knows first hand what it takes to capture a title.

“We all got the urge of winning,” he said. “There are a lot of similarities in this locker room [compared to Dallas]. Guys genuinely care about each other. That’s something that I saw early on in Dallas, and I see a lot of that going on right now.”

Click here for the full story, Chris Paul Addition Transforms Los Angeles Clippers Overnight, by Jordan Schultz.

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We connected Universal Sports & Entertainment Management client and former University of Georgia CB, Brandon Boykin to an exclusive one-on-one interview with FOX Sports South.

Boykin discussed everything from his senior year with UGA football, his amazing performance at the Outback Bowl, training for the NFL Combine, 2012 NFL Draft preparation and more.

LISTEN by clicking on the image:

More about Brandon Boykin’s 2011 season with UGA:

*Paul Hornung Award Finalist and semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award.
*Fourth Team All-American by Phil Steele.
*All-SEC Second Team by Phil Steele and SEC Coaches.
*Elected as one of the team’s defensive captains.
*One of two recipients of the team’s Leon Farmer Award for dedication to the strength and conditioning program and one of two defensive players to receive a Coaches Leadership Award.
*Started all 13 games recording 48 tackles including 9.0 TFL, three INTs, nine PBUs and two forced fumbles while returning 34 kickoffs for 780 yards and 13 punts for 88 yards; Also rushed five times for 95 yards and a TD and caught four passes for 58 yards and a TD.
*Named to the Paul Hornung Weekly Honor Roll eight times.
*Recorded a season-high six tackles three times: vs. New Mexico St., vs. Miss. St. and vs. No. 5 Boise St.
*Notched interceptions vs. UK, at Vanderbilt and vs. No. 12 S. Carolina.
*Scored first receiving TD of his career on a 42-yard catch vs. New Mexico St.
*Returned a school-record seven kickoffs for 184 yards vs. No. 12 S. Carolina.
*Selected to watch lists for Bednarik Award, Nagurski Award, Jim Thorpe Award, Paul Hornung Award, CFPA Defensive Back Trophy and CFPA Kickoff Returner Trophy.
*Tabbed the nation’s third-best all-purpose player by Lindy’s.
*As a kick returner, named preseason All-SEC First Team by Lindy’s, SEC Coaches and SEC Media.
*Defensively, named All-SEC Second Team by Lindy’s, SEC Coaches and SEC Media and Third Team byAthlon Sports and Phil Steele.
*Tabbed Birmingham News’ “next” best kick returner in the SEC.
*UGA Academic Roundtable honoree at UGA Student-Athlete Awards Banquet in April.
*Earned one of team’s True Grit Award for defense at conclusion of spring practice.
*Recipient of the Vincent J. and Barbara Dooley Scholarship.

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We connected Universal Sports & Entertainment Management client and NFL Safety, Morgan Burnett of the Green Bay Packers to an exclusive one-on-one interview with SB Nation’s Green Bay Packers blog:

Was this like a second rookie season for you since you were only able to play in four games in 2010?

Honestly this will be my first full season so I got a lot out of the season. I still got a long way to go. I’m looking forward to every week as a moment to improve myself and get better.

Has it been great getting all this game experience this year?

It’s been a real good learning experience. Last year, only playing four games, the time I sat out gave me a lot of appreciation for the game. So now I enjoy every moment that I can out on the field and I cherish that moment.

What’s the weather like up in Green Bay? Is the cold going to be a factor this weekend?

Right now it’s about high 30s, low 40s, so that’s a good day in Green Bay. I’m not for sure what the weather’s going to be like on Sunday, but it’s playoff time so the cold won’t really affect anything. Everyone’s going to be excited to be out there.

How’s your hand doing [he broke his right hand in October]?

My hand’s fine. I’m at 100%.

Is that going to help you? It’s been a while since you’ve been able to grab an interception. Are you getting anxious?

I know the interceptions will come. Play your role on the defense, do your job, and your share of plays will come to you. I have to be accountable to my teammates, and do my job to the best of my ability.

Since you’ve already played the Giants once this season, does that help you to prepare now?

It helps out because you can go back and watch the film from the previous game. And maybe get your mistakes corrected. Going into the playoff game, we’re going to stick to the same preparation that we do any other week and apply it to the game. We really get started on everything tomorrow morning [Wednesday].

You’re playing in the last game of the playoff weekend. Does that make you more anxious? Would you rather be the first game of the weekend?

No, it doesn’t really matter. As long as your out there playing is the main thing. A lot of guys are just excited and ready to get out there.

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We joined forces with Team USA aka the US Olympic Committee for a cross-publicity opportunity for our client, two-time 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist, LaShawn Merritt.

LaShawn participated in a LIVE “Athlete Chat” and took questions from fans.

WATCH:

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