Who would step up?
That question has been asked by so many ETSU men’s basketball die-hards in so many different situations that it is hard to keep count.
Before the season started, many assumed Mike Smith would lead an offensive attack that had to replace one of the most prolific scoring duos in A-Sun history. After an injury derailed his senior campaign, the burden fell to a whole collection of Bucs with several players putting together great stretches of games. Most recently, Tommy Hubbard and Isiah Brown shouldered the load in the last few weeks.
Trailing 33-31 with just over 14 minutes to play, head coach Murry Bartow glanced down his bench and took in a disappointing site … Brown sitting next to him, saddled with four fouls. Want more bad news? Hubbard was playing with three fouls of his own and the Bucs were going to need someone to be the aggressor.
Looks like Micah Williams has been listening. The junior from Manchester, Tenn., rescued the Bucs offensively, scoring a career-high 32 points in a 72-64 victory over No. 4 Campbell.
“With Micah we just want him to be aggressive,” commented Bartow in the post-game press conference. “We tell him everyday to be aggressive. He is a very talented player that can score a lot of points in a hurry. I tell him all the time that he can get 20 points every game.”
Williams scored 20 of those points after Brown picked up his fourth foul to launch the Bucs into their fourth consecutive semifinal appearance.
“I was just trying to be aggressive like coach wanted me to be,” reflected Williams. “Luckily, I was making shots and once they were going down I started to get in a groove.”
While they may not have a “Big Three” to lead them to an NCAA appearance like last season, this year’s Bucs will keep you guessing game-to-game. All told, eight different players have led the team in scoring this year and “Big Eight” isn’t nearly as catchy and is more known for Nebraska-Oklahoma football.
Who do you think had the best single-game performance in ETSU's illustrious post-season history?
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Mercer Golf Coach "Treds" Allegiances
For a head coach of any Atlantic Sun team, his loyalty should be unquestioned. However, when married to the daughter of a head coach of your closest rival, some concessions must be made.
So exists the conundrum for Mercer head men's golf coach Andrew Tredway. While he would never root against the school that signs his checks, this week's General Shale Brick Atlantic Sun Women's Basketball Championship allowed him to watch his father-in-law, Colby Tilley, the Kennesaw State head women's basketball coach patrol the sidelines in the Owls' first ever Division I postseason game. Unfortunately, his Owls suffered the same fate as the Mercer women of a night before, as they lost their quarterfinal game, 70-65, in overtime to Belmont.
"When Kennesaw State and Mercer play each other, I'll sit right on the middle of the floor and be impartial," Tredway said. "We've gone to Kennesaw four and five times and been able to cheer up there."
On Thursday, he sat isolated for much of the game and while still donning Mercer black and orange, he cheered every Owl basket as if it were one scored by Mercer’s Courtney Ford or LaToya Jackson.
His wife, Sarah, works as a first-grade school teacher thus could not attend the game. She was trying to follow on ASun.TV without her students noticing. A text from her describing her students chanting “Basketball game! Basketball game!” would lead one to believe that she couldn’t quite keep it a secret.
“We’ll spend most of our Thursday and Saturday nights watching his games on ASun.TV” Tredway said.
So exists the conundrum for Mercer head men's golf coach Andrew Tredway. While he would never root against the school that signs his checks, this week's General Shale Brick Atlantic Sun Women's Basketball Championship allowed him to watch his father-in-law, Colby Tilley, the Kennesaw State head women's basketball coach patrol the sidelines in the Owls' first ever Division I postseason game. Unfortunately, his Owls suffered the same fate as the Mercer women of a night before, as they lost their quarterfinal game, 70-65, in overtime to Belmont.
"When Kennesaw State and Mercer play each other, I'll sit right on the middle of the floor and be impartial," Tredway said. "We've gone to Kennesaw four and five times and been able to cheer up there."
On Thursday, he sat isolated for much of the game and while still donning Mercer black and orange, he cheered every Owl basket as if it were one scored by Mercer’s Courtney Ford or LaToya Jackson.
His wife, Sarah, works as a first-grade school teacher thus could not attend the game. She was trying to follow on ASun.TV without her students noticing. A text from her describing her students chanting “Basketball game! Basketball game!” would lead one to believe that she couldn’t quite keep it a secret.
“We’ll spend most of our Thursday and Saturday nights watching his games on ASun.TV” Tredway said.
Staying True to the Blue, Kirkland Leads UNF to Upset
MACON, GA. – UNF has survived the toughest of conference foes. The first day of play at the 2010 General Shale Brick Atlantic Sun Women’s Basketball Championship is no different. UNF entertained fans with one of the more stunning spectacles of day one, the No. 7 Osprey’s upset of the No. 2 Bears. The game marked the first time that a No. 7 team won a game during A-Sun tournament play.
The season stands as the inaugural postseason experience for the Ospreys since reclassifying to Div. I. Brittany Kirkland led a UNF army through the unchartered waters at the University Center on Wednesday. The Ospreys controlled the pace early in the game, holding the Bears scoreless for more than 6:30, in addition to 6-for-26 shooting and just 16 points before the half.
Kirkland, a Second-Team All-Conference performer, led all players with a game-high 25 points, including hitting 9-of-10 from the charity stripe. The sophomore teamed with junior post Juliemay Syquio to hold Mercer's pair of All-Conference performers in check. Senior guards Courtney Ford and LaToya Jackson struggled throughout the night, connecting on only 8-of-31 from the floor in combining for 23 points.
The Monroe, Ga. native put UNF’s first points on the board with a layup and helped open a 10-0 run against Mercer. Kirkland also stymied all hopes for a Mercer comeback in the final two minutes of the second half, as she started a 7-0 run to seal the win for UNF.
As UNF’s leading scorer, Kirkland has the responsibility of pacing the team, but she knows she has a lot of support from her team, friends and family.
“One of the things I was pushing on is that it’s a basketball game in a sense. I felt like it’s good for a No. 7 team to win and go on. But we want to go to the championships. I feel like when you think it’s more than what it is you get nervous or you tend to do stuff that’s outside of the box. I felt like it was another game. It was another game where I had to do my job. I had to keep my head on straight. I had to keep my teammates in the game, and we came out on top!”
Even in just her sophomore season of collegiate play, Kirkland has already made a strong impact on the court for the Ospreys.
“Coach says I have a lot of impact,” Kirkland said. “When my attitude is not at the level it needs to be, we tend not to do well. When my attitude is going well, I think that the team plays really well, so when we lose, I think it’s my fault. Coach always said when you step on the floor you should give your teammates your best effort. I knew I had to do that in order for us to go on.”
This strong work ethic propelled the sophomore guard to pick up All-Conference honors after starting in all of UNF’s 27 games. Kirkland leads the Ospreys and ranks fifth in the A-Sun in scoring with 14.6 points per game. In league games, the Monroe, Ga. native has tallied an average of 14.4 points per game, scoring in double digits on 22 occasions this season, including tallying 20 or more points on eight occasions.
The Ospreys have also exceeded preseason expectations during the season, beating league-favorite FGCU on Feb. 13. The squad strives for a strong defense in order to drive them to big wins.
“Defense is what we are,” Kirkland said. “I don’t think anybody in the conference plays defense as well as we do. That works to our advantage really, really well. You’re shot is not always going to fall but if you can play defense you’ll be good.”
Next, UNF will face the winner of No. 3 Campbell/No. 6 Jacksonville on Friday at 6:30 p.m. Tickets to all Championship games are available at MercerBears.com.
The season stands as the inaugural postseason experience for the Ospreys since reclassifying to Div. I. Brittany Kirkland led a UNF army through the unchartered waters at the University Center on Wednesday. The Ospreys controlled the pace early in the game, holding the Bears scoreless for more than 6:30, in addition to 6-for-26 shooting and just 16 points before the half.
Kirkland, a Second-Team All-Conference performer, led all players with a game-high 25 points, including hitting 9-of-10 from the charity stripe. The sophomore teamed with junior post Juliemay Syquio to hold Mercer's pair of All-Conference performers in check. Senior guards Courtney Ford and LaToya Jackson struggled throughout the night, connecting on only 8-of-31 from the floor in combining for 23 points.
The Monroe, Ga. native put UNF’s first points on the board with a layup and helped open a 10-0 run against Mercer. Kirkland also stymied all hopes for a Mercer comeback in the final two minutes of the second half, as she started a 7-0 run to seal the win for UNF.
As UNF’s leading scorer, Kirkland has the responsibility of pacing the team, but she knows she has a lot of support from her team, friends and family.
“One of the things I was pushing on is that it’s a basketball game in a sense. I felt like it’s good for a No. 7 team to win and go on. But we want to go to the championships. I feel like when you think it’s more than what it is you get nervous or you tend to do stuff that’s outside of the box. I felt like it was another game. It was another game where I had to do my job. I had to keep my head on straight. I had to keep my teammates in the game, and we came out on top!”
Even in just her sophomore season of collegiate play, Kirkland has already made a strong impact on the court for the Ospreys.
“Coach says I have a lot of impact,” Kirkland said. “When my attitude is not at the level it needs to be, we tend not to do well. When my attitude is going well, I think that the team plays really well, so when we lose, I think it’s my fault. Coach always said when you step on the floor you should give your teammates your best effort. I knew I had to do that in order for us to go on.”
This strong work ethic propelled the sophomore guard to pick up All-Conference honors after starting in all of UNF’s 27 games. Kirkland leads the Ospreys and ranks fifth in the A-Sun in scoring with 14.6 points per game. In league games, the Monroe, Ga. native has tallied an average of 14.4 points per game, scoring in double digits on 22 occasions this season, including tallying 20 or more points on eight occasions.
The Ospreys have also exceeded preseason expectations during the season, beating league-favorite FGCU on Feb. 13. The squad strives for a strong defense in order to drive them to big wins.
“Defense is what we are,” Kirkland said. “I don’t think anybody in the conference plays defense as well as we do. That works to our advantage really, really well. You’re shot is not always going to fall but if you can play defense you’ll be good.”
Next, UNF will face the winner of No. 3 Campbell/No. 6 Jacksonville on Friday at 6:30 p.m. Tickets to all Championship games are available at MercerBears.com.
Relocated Rumble Still Favors JU
Whether it is in Veterans Memorial Arena, Swisher Gymnasium, or UNF Arena, Jacksonville holds the upper hand in the River City Rumble versus intra-city rival North Florida. A change of location and relevance did not matter either as the Dolphins defeated the Ospreys in the quarterfinals of the General Shale Brick Atlantic Sun Championship at the University Center in Macon, Ga.
JU now owns an 11-1 advantage in the all-time series, but they know that the win over UNF was a huge first step in achieving their 2010 goals.
UNF has made huge strides in its first season as a full member of Division I. The Ospreys won 13 games which is the most since they joined the A-Sun and fell just two wins shy of matching the school record for wins. So, first-year head coach Matthew Driscoll seems to have them headed in the right direction.
However, none of that mattered on Wednesday. The Dolphins used a smothering defensive effort to limit a team that is built to win on defense themselves. UNF worked itself back into the game once in the first half and late in the game, but JU’s experience showed as the team hit 13-of-16 free throws in the final two minutes.
Head Coach Cliff Warren has led JU to back-to-back tournament finals, but is still looking for that break-through win to vault the program back to the NCAA Tournament. Maybe a win over their next door neighbor will be the catalyst that starts the charge.
JU now owns an 11-1 advantage in the all-time series, but they know that the win over UNF was a huge first step in achieving their 2010 goals.
UNF has made huge strides in its first season as a full member of Division I. The Ospreys won 13 games which is the most since they joined the A-Sun and fell just two wins shy of matching the school record for wins. So, first-year head coach Matthew Driscoll seems to have them headed in the right direction.
However, none of that mattered on Wednesday. The Dolphins used a smothering defensive effort to limit a team that is built to win on defense themselves. UNF worked itself back into the game once in the first half and late in the game, but JU’s experience showed as the team hit 13-of-16 free throws in the final two minutes.
Head Coach Cliff Warren has led JU to back-to-back tournament finals, but is still looking for that break-through win to vault the program back to the NCAA Tournament. Maybe a win over their next door neighbor will be the catalyst that starts the charge.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
ETSU Battles on in Honor of Injured Teammate
MACON, Ga. - Over the past few season ETSU women’s basketball has been about winning, Championships and Latisha Belcher, Siarre Evans, and TaRonda Wiles
The three have been a huge part to the success over the past three years in Johnson City with their solid scoring talents. Evans ranks fifth all-time in points, while Wiles became the 17th player in Lady Buccaneer history to score over 1,000 points in her career. She joined the group following her 26-point performance at Arkansas Nov. 22.
But following that game, Wiles and every Lady Buc would find in hard to celebrate. After spending the last seven and a half months rehabbing from extensive knee surgery (left knee), senior post Latisha Belcher made her season debut at Arkansas but the return was short lived. Belcher, 2008-09 Atlantic Sun Defensive Player of the Year, went down with a season-ending ACL injury in her right knee early in the second half against the Razorbacks.
The injury stopped Belcher from helping ETSU on the court against Stetson in it first round win at the 2010 General Shale Brick Atlantic Sun Women’s Basketball Championship but her teammate still had her leadership and her voice on the bench. The Martinsville, Va. native marched out of the ETSU locker room, knee brace and all to support her teammate. Belcher, one of only three ETSU players to collect 200 or more steals, had not forgotten the team motto.
She wore it plain on her ETSU women’s basketball T-Shirt “One Team, One Goal”. Belcher talked in team huddles cheered during and once or twice even look like she wanted to jump and cheer. Until her knee stopped but even an ACL injury could not keep Belcher from getting up at each timeout to high-five each of her fellow Lady Bucs as they came off the floor.
Belcher is scheduled to receive her degree this May and still has a red-shirt season available however, it is unclear if she will use the option. One thing that remain clear, Belcher will not forget one team one goal.
The three have been a huge part to the success over the past three years in Johnson City with their solid scoring talents. Evans ranks fifth all-time in points, while Wiles became the 17th player in Lady Buccaneer history to score over 1,000 points in her career. She joined the group following her 26-point performance at Arkansas Nov. 22.
But following that game, Wiles and every Lady Buc would find in hard to celebrate. After spending the last seven and a half months rehabbing from extensive knee surgery (left knee), senior post Latisha Belcher made her season debut at Arkansas but the return was short lived. Belcher, 2008-09 Atlantic Sun Defensive Player of the Year, went down with a season-ending ACL injury in her right knee early in the second half against the Razorbacks.
The injury stopped Belcher from helping ETSU on the court against Stetson in it first round win at the 2010 General Shale Brick Atlantic Sun Women’s Basketball Championship but her teammate still had her leadership and her voice on the bench. The Martinsville, Va. native marched out of the ETSU locker room, knee brace and all to support her teammate. Belcher, one of only three ETSU players to collect 200 or more steals, had not forgotten the team motto.
She wore it plain on her ETSU women’s basketball T-Shirt “One Team, One Goal”. Belcher talked in team huddles cheered during and once or twice even look like she wanted to jump and cheer. Until her knee stopped but even an ACL injury could not keep Belcher from getting up at each timeout to high-five each of her fellow Lady Bucs as they came off the floor.
Belcher is scheduled to receive her degree this May and still has a red-shirt season available however, it is unclear if she will use the option. One thing that remain clear, Belcher will not forget one team one goal.
Owls Provide Early Energy to Championships
A men's championship promising to deliver excitement wasted little time as Kennesaw State, playing in its first postseason game ever as a Division I school, upset the top seeded Lipscomb Bisons, 72-69.
The men's championship had turned predictable recently as the top two seeds had faced off in each of the last six title games. A one seed had not dropped its first game since 2000 and no second seed has been bitten by the upset bug of the seventh seed since 2003. Now with the Owls' defeat of the Bisons, the draw that already features four co-champions truly opened up to the field.
Do not confuse this win with one of the all-timers. In December, the Owls hit on 19 3-point fields in scoring a 97-91 win at home against the Bisons. While they did not need 19 3-pointers, the shot played a key role in the victory as Kurtis Woods and Kelvin McConnell combined to hit 9-of-11 on their 3-point tries. The rest of the team combined to shoot just 2-for-16 from beyond the arc.
The outside game served as the perfect answer to the question, how does one offset the production of Lipscomb's Adnan Hodzic and Josh Slater? The only squad to boast a pair of First-Team All-Atlantic Sun performers and the Player of the Year in Hodzic did not disappoint as Hodzic controlled every inch of the paint, scoring 29 points and grabbing 16 rebounds - both schools records for a Championship single game and Slater deftly weaved through the Owl defense for 15 points - until a costly turnover inside the final 10 seconds denied Lipscomb a shot when trailing by a point.
The only disappointment appeared in facial expressions of the pair of juniors when they sat down in the postgame interview - both clearly unable to grasp the realization that their stay in Macon would be just one night.
Not surprisingly, the attitude of the victorious Owls' press conference stood in direct contrast to that of the Bisons. They entered the season, their first as a full-fledged Division I member, predicted not to even make the field of eight - as they were picked 11th in the preseason polls. However, an infusion of talent - Markeith Cummings, LaDaris Green and Matt Heramb chief among them - helped the Owls double their win total from last season, six, with the 12th they earned on Wednesday afternoon.
If knocking out No. 1 wasn't enough for Kennesaw State, up next awaits either the reigning champs, ETSU, or another one of this year's co-champs, Campbell. Either way, the odyssey continues Friday at 2:30.
The men's championship had turned predictable recently as the top two seeds had faced off in each of the last six title games. A one seed had not dropped its first game since 2000 and no second seed has been bitten by the upset bug of the seventh seed since 2003. Now with the Owls' defeat of the Bisons, the draw that already features four co-champions truly opened up to the field.
Do not confuse this win with one of the all-timers. In December, the Owls hit on 19 3-point fields in scoring a 97-91 win at home against the Bisons. While they did not need 19 3-pointers, the shot played a key role in the victory as Kurtis Woods and Kelvin McConnell combined to hit 9-of-11 on their 3-point tries. The rest of the team combined to shoot just 2-for-16 from beyond the arc.
The outside game served as the perfect answer to the question, how does one offset the production of Lipscomb's Adnan Hodzic and Josh Slater? The only squad to boast a pair of First-Team All-Atlantic Sun performers and the Player of the Year in Hodzic did not disappoint as Hodzic controlled every inch of the paint, scoring 29 points and grabbing 16 rebounds - both schools records for a Championship single game and Slater deftly weaved through the Owl defense for 15 points - until a costly turnover inside the final 10 seconds denied Lipscomb a shot when trailing by a point.
The only disappointment appeared in facial expressions of the pair of juniors when they sat down in the postgame interview - both clearly unable to grasp the realization that their stay in Macon would be just one night.
Not surprisingly, the attitude of the victorious Owls' press conference stood in direct contrast to that of the Bisons. They entered the season, their first as a full-fledged Division I member, predicted not to even make the field of eight - as they were picked 11th in the preseason polls. However, an infusion of talent - Markeith Cummings, LaDaris Green and Matt Heramb chief among them - helped the Owls double their win total from last season, six, with the 12th they earned on Wednesday afternoon.
If knocking out No. 1 wasn't enough for Kennesaw State, up next awaits either the reigning champs, ETSU, or another one of this year's co-champs, Campbell. Either way, the odyssey continues Friday at 2:30.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Sponsor Spotlight: General Shale Brick
On Wednesday, the Atlantic Sun's signature event, the Men's and Women's Basketball Championships, will tip off from Mercer's University Center. For the fifth consecutive year, General Shale Brick has lent its name as the event's title sponsor. For some insight as to the relationship forged between the Johnson City, Tennessee-based company and the Atlantic Sun, Bob Propes, Director of Marketing for General Shale Brick recently spoke of the partnership.Q: Why was it important for General Shale Brick to partner with the Atlantic Sun in sponsoring its premiere event?
A: There were a couple of reasons. First was it's a good fit marketing wise. The geography of the Atlantic Sun covers a lot of important markets for us, so it gave us an opportunity to get our name out in front of a lot of customers and potential customers. On the other hand, it gave us a a way to give back to a lot of excellent schools in those markets in one broad brush stroke.
Q: Have you seen the desired effects in those markets over the five years?
A: Yes - people see us, especially on the television broadcasts and remember us and it has given us a way to get out name out there in a repeating way, just over and over again. It's been pretty strong for us.
Q: Since the tournament moved from Johnson City, first to Nashville and now the Macon, talk about the the desire to remain affiliated with the A-Sun Basketball Championship.
A: Nashville has been a very strong market for us - we had a number of customers who came to us and wanted tickets for the tournament and we we glad to oblige them. I think the same will be true in Georgia. Even though we're headquartered in Johnson City, Tenn., these markets are very important to us. The Atlantic Sun got excellent schools and high academics, so from a corporate perspective, it's easy for us to support that kind of organization. In one broad stroke, we can support a lot of really excellent schools by supporting the conference and the tournament.
Q: How has the relationship between the Atlantic Sun and General Shale Brick grown over these five years?
A: We got off to a great start with the first championship, at ETSU, when we began our involvement and from that point, this situation has really been a good one. We've made a long-term commitment and its been an excellent working relationship with the conference and with the schools. The schools have been very gracious as hosts of the tournament. They provide good venues for the spectators. It's just been a good matchup for us.
Q: What led you to choosing a basketball tournament as your initial venture into college athletics?
A: In this part of the country and throughout the Atlantic Sun geography, basketball is a super popular sport. You don't have to be a huge university to have good, competitive basketball. I think the A-Sun's tournament winners have really represented the conference well at the NCAA Tournament and it really speaks highly of the conference.
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