This was one of the best weeks in my life and I learned a lot in living it.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Ryen Russillo 2-27
Ryen Russillo from ESPN Radio joins us for what we hope will be the first of many visits. We discuss the NBA trade deadline, who you don't want to see in the playoffs, Steven's hometown Grizzlies, and the fastest player in college football.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Somebody Get Me A Kleenex!
I'm going to cry on Sunday. And I won't be the only one.
Why you ask?
Simply put, it's Senior Day for the Lady Raiders and it is the last time Alysha Clark, Chelsia Lymon, Brandi Brown, Jackie Pickel and Dana Garrett will ever put on an MTSU uniform at the Murphy Center.
The numbers this group have put up are astonishing.
Going into Wednesday's game against Troy, in 11,290 minutes, they have scored 4,667 points on 44.4% shooting, including 35.2% from behind the arc and 75% from the free throw line.
Think about that.
One of every three 3-point shots one of those five seniors has put up over four years, has gone in, as well as three of every four free throws.
They've also taken down 1,584 rebounds and dished out 871 assists, while committing only 810 turnovers. For a player to go 4 years and have a positive assist to turnover ratio is impressive, for 5 players to do it is unreal.
Overall they have won 98 games while only losing 27, and in conference they have won an unreal 91.2% of their games. 62-6, with only one of those losses (in four years!) coming at the Murphy Center.
They've won two Sun Belt regular season and conference tournament titles, winning both in 2007 and 2009, and have two top 10 wins, defeating Number 8 Georgia in 2006 and Number 8 LSU in 2007, not to mention playing number 1 and defending national champion Maryland to a 4 point game to open the 2006 season.
And as impressive as all these numbers are, they could have been even more impressive if Alysha Clark had been here all 4 years instead of spending her first two at Belmont.
Speaking of Clark, she leads the list of accolades for the Senior class. She is the only player in NCAA basketball history (men’s or women’s) to be named the Player of the Year in two different conferences (Atlantic Sun with Belmont in 2006-07 and Sun Belt last year with MTSU).
She is both school's 1,000 point club and her list of accomplishments continues to include a 50 point game at Troy (‘09), the Murphy Center record of 45 points last year versus Western Kentucky, over forty double doubles in a Middle Tennessee uniform, and a third-team All-America selection by the Associated Press as she lead the nation in scoring last season.
Clark's best friend, running mate, and partner in crime, Chelsia Lymon also isn't hurting in the trophy case. After taking over the starting point guard job midway through her sophomore year, Lymon has blossomed into a coach on the floor for Rick Insell, and is the reigning Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year. She also reigned in a Third-Team All-Conference honor.
Simply put, Lymon is a warrior. She is everything a coach could dream of in a leader. On top of teaching, running the team, and being the vocal leader, Lymon has shown her toughness all season by playing through a severe shoulder injury that will require surgery at season's end.
If Lymon doesn't lose her Defensive Player of the Year crown to Jackie Pickel at the end of the year everyone should start seriously worrying about the whole "2012 apocalypse" dealio. Pickel leads the conference and is fifth nationally in steals and has given elite players such as LSU's Allison Hightower and Tennessee's Angie Bjorklund fits.
On the offensive end Pickel is no slouch either. With an effortless stroke, she racks up 3 point baskets at a higher rate than anyone in the conference. She has also re-vamped her game, adding a mid-range game and the ability to get to the hoop after being known as a shooter her first three years.
Like Lymon, Pickel has the warrior mentality. She had played in every game of each of her 4 seasons (120 straight) until a knee injury kept her out against New Orleans (although she didn’t sit willingly, and could have played if the Raiders needed her). Over the past two years has played nearly every minute of those games, leading the team in minutes since the beginning of her junior year.
If not for Brandi Brown, Jackie might be headed for some of the school's 3 point shooting records, however MTSU’s newest member of the 1,000 point club is also the school’s all-time leading 3 point shooter. On top of her sweet outside stroke, Brown is a polished post player, making her a match-up nightmare for opposing coaches.
Just how good of a shooter is Brown? Through the first 6 games of the season she was shooting a putrid 23%. Now her number is up to 43%. That means since the Raiders came home from Cincinnatti following the loss to Xavier, Brandi Brown has shot 51% from behind the 3 point line.
Yet for all these numbers, statistics, wins, and accolades, the defining aspect of this Senior class is who they are as people, and that’s why there won’t be a dry eye in the glass house Sunday.
They are the “big sisters” on the tightest team any of them say they have ever been on.
Particularly on a women’s athletic team, drama can be a real issue. This team has none. They truly love and care for each other.
In the community the girls are beloved as well. They can commonly be found at the men’s games, taking in the action with their young fans. They can be found after games talking to fans and signing autographs.
It starts at the top with Coach Insell, who, like his players, greets everyone with a warm smile and takes a genuine interest in how the people around him are doing.
That trickles down to his star player in Clark, who as humble a person that walks on planet earth.
Last year after the WKU game, when she set the Murphy Center record with 45 points, she had no idea what she had done. When MTTV sideline reporter Raye McDonald told her in a post-game interview, Clark’s eyes popped and her jaw dropped.
And when I asked Clark what makes her so successful before the season started, she gave all the credit to her coaches and teammates.
Absolutely no mention of her own work ethic which is second to none.
And when I asked Clark if she could trade any of her personal accolades for a single win in the NCAA tournament, not a championship, just a single win, she looked at me like I was absolutely insane. The answer was clearly yes.
Lymon, Pickel, and Brown are the same way. Humble beyond belief, all about the team, all driven to one goal: win. They’ve passed this down to the younger players and as Insell’s first recruiting class graduates and moves on to the next phase of their lives, the future of Middle Tennessee basketball is bright.
However before we move on there is business to take care of. There is a third conference title to win. There is the first NCAA tournament win for this group to harness, and there is the ultimate goal of San Antonio and the Final Four.
But before all of that there is Sunday. Senior day. There will be more emotions than anyone can describe, however no matter what you feel, soak it in. The girls certainly are.
After a recent game Pickel told me, “After the UALR loss, we kinda realized, this is it. We only have so many games left and so much time left with each other. We really started to soak everything in and enjoy it.”
Sunday will be no different. Because after the tears, a ball will be tossed in the air and a game will be played. And at least 5 girls will be having the times of their lives.
Why you ask?
Simply put, it's Senior Day for the Lady Raiders and it is the last time Alysha Clark, Chelsia Lymon, Brandi Brown, Jackie Pickel and Dana Garrett will ever put on an MTSU uniform at the Murphy Center.
The numbers this group have put up are astonishing.
Going into Wednesday's game against Troy, in 11,290 minutes, they have scored 4,667 points on 44.4% shooting, including 35.2% from behind the arc and 75% from the free throw line.
Think about that.
One of every three 3-point shots one of those five seniors has put up over four years, has gone in, as well as three of every four free throws.
They've also taken down 1,584 rebounds and dished out 871 assists, while committing only 810 turnovers. For a player to go 4 years and have a positive assist to turnover ratio is impressive, for 5 players to do it is unreal.
Overall they have won 98 games while only losing 27, and in conference they have won an unreal 91.2% of their games. 62-6, with only one of those losses (in four years!) coming at the Murphy Center.
They've won two Sun Belt regular season and conference tournament titles, winning both in 2007 and 2009, and have two top 10 wins, defeating Number 8 Georgia in 2006 and Number 8 LSU in 2007, not to mention playing number 1 and defending national champion Maryland to a 4 point game to open the 2006 season.
And as impressive as all these numbers are, they could have been even more impressive if Alysha Clark had been here all 4 years instead of spending her first two at Belmont.
Speaking of Clark, she leads the list of accolades for the Senior class. She is the only player in NCAA basketball history (men’s or women’s) to be named the Player of the Year in two different conferences (Atlantic Sun with Belmont in 2006-07 and Sun Belt last year with MTSU).
She is both school's 1,000 point club and her list of accomplishments continues to include a 50 point game at Troy (‘09), the Murphy Center record of 45 points last year versus Western Kentucky, over forty double doubles in a Middle Tennessee uniform, and a third-team All-America selection by the Associated Press as she lead the nation in scoring last season.
Clark's best friend, running mate, and partner in crime, Chelsia Lymon also isn't hurting in the trophy case. After taking over the starting point guard job midway through her sophomore year, Lymon has blossomed into a coach on the floor for Rick Insell, and is the reigning Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year. She also reigned in a Third-Team All-Conference honor.
Simply put, Lymon is a warrior. She is everything a coach could dream of in a leader. On top of teaching, running the team, and being the vocal leader, Lymon has shown her toughness all season by playing through a severe shoulder injury that will require surgery at season's end.
If Lymon doesn't lose her Defensive Player of the Year crown to Jackie Pickel at the end of the year everyone should start seriously worrying about the whole "2012 apocalypse" dealio. Pickel leads the conference and is fifth nationally in steals and has given elite players such as LSU's Allison Hightower and Tennessee's Angie Bjorklund fits.
On the offensive end Pickel is no slouch either. With an effortless stroke, she racks up 3 point baskets at a higher rate than anyone in the conference. She has also re-vamped her game, adding a mid-range game and the ability to get to the hoop after being known as a shooter her first three years.
Like Lymon, Pickel has the warrior mentality. She had played in every game of each of her 4 seasons (120 straight) until a knee injury kept her out against New Orleans (although she didn’t sit willingly, and could have played if the Raiders needed her). Over the past two years has played nearly every minute of those games, leading the team in minutes since the beginning of her junior year.
If not for Brandi Brown, Jackie might be headed for some of the school's 3 point shooting records, however MTSU’s newest member of the 1,000 point club is also the school’s all-time leading 3 point shooter. On top of her sweet outside stroke, Brown is a polished post player, making her a match-up nightmare for opposing coaches.
Just how good of a shooter is Brown? Through the first 6 games of the season she was shooting a putrid 23%. Now her number is up to 43%. That means since the Raiders came home from Cincinnatti following the loss to Xavier, Brandi Brown has shot 51% from behind the 3 point line.
Yet for all these numbers, statistics, wins, and accolades, the defining aspect of this Senior class is who they are as people, and that’s why there won’t be a dry eye in the glass house Sunday.
They are the “big sisters” on the tightest team any of them say they have ever been on.
Particularly on a women’s athletic team, drama can be a real issue. This team has none. They truly love and care for each other.
In the community the girls are beloved as well. They can commonly be found at the men’s games, taking in the action with their young fans. They can be found after games talking to fans and signing autographs.
It starts at the top with Coach Insell, who, like his players, greets everyone with a warm smile and takes a genuine interest in how the people around him are doing.
That trickles down to his star player in Clark, who as humble a person that walks on planet earth.
Last year after the WKU game, when she set the Murphy Center record with 45 points, she had no idea what she had done. When MTTV sideline reporter Raye McDonald told her in a post-game interview, Clark’s eyes popped and her jaw dropped.
And when I asked Clark what makes her so successful before the season started, she gave all the credit to her coaches and teammates.
Absolutely no mention of her own work ethic which is second to none.
And when I asked Clark if she could trade any of her personal accolades for a single win in the NCAA tournament, not a championship, just a single win, she looked at me like I was absolutely insane. The answer was clearly yes.
Lymon, Pickel, and Brown are the same way. Humble beyond belief, all about the team, all driven to one goal: win. They’ve passed this down to the younger players and as Insell’s first recruiting class graduates and moves on to the next phase of their lives, the future of Middle Tennessee basketball is bright.
However before we move on there is business to take care of. There is a third conference title to win. There is the first NCAA tournament win for this group to harness, and there is the ultimate goal of San Antonio and the Final Four.
But before all of that there is Sunday. Senior day. There will be more emotions than anyone can describe, however no matter what you feel, soak it in. The girls certainly are.
After a recent game Pickel told me, “After the UALR loss, we kinda realized, this is it. We only have so many games left and so much time left with each other. We really started to soak everything in and enjoy it.”
Sunday will be no different. Because after the tears, a ball will be tossed in the air and a game will be played. And at least 5 girls will be having the times of their lives.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Winning By Numbers (It's like color by number, with a basketball!)
Shhhhhhhhh!!!!!! I'm not supposed to be doing this!!!! But I'm simul-posting.
Simul-whaaaat?!?
Simul-posting.
When I submit a blog or particularly a column for Sidelines, I'm not really supposed to post it here as well. However Sidelines' editors have me a bit peeved because apparently they can't handle my whit, humor, and occasional use of first person, and since a can't play whack-a-mole with them, I'm simply getting my revenge this way. So ha!
Thus here is Monday's column, uncut, unedited: full of whit, humor, and the occasional word "I" (scandalous!!!!).
Winning By Numbers
As the famed poet, Sean Carter says in his epic, “Reminder”:
"Men lie. Women lie. Numbers don’t."
Ok, so Sean Carter is actually Jay-Z, meaning he’s a multi-platinum recording artist not a famed poet, but the point should be taken.
The numbers the Lady Raiders are putting up recently are sending a reminder of why they were ranked in the top 25 to start the year and the overwhelming favorites to win the Sun Belt Conference.
The Lady Raiders last loss was on January 9th at University of Arkansas-Little Rock. It was an ugly game for Big Blue in which they didn’t hit a 3 point basket for the first time ever under Head Coach Rick Insell, and Chastity Reed controlled the game completely with her passing to the tune of 10 assists.
Apparently that was the wake-up call the Lady Raiders needed.
Since that point, the Raiders are on a 9 game winning streak, and that’s the least impressive number. Simply put, the stats put up in this winning streak are staggering.
Remember how the girls didn’t hit a three in Little Rock? They’ve hit at least 9 in every game since, and are averaging 12.2 triples per game. For those of you that struggle with math, that’s on average 36 points per game from the great beyond.
Which brings us to the next number which is nearly three times that: 91. That would be the Lady Raiders scoring average over the 9 wins.
Typically in conference play, games get closer because the opponents are familiar. However because the Raiders played such a difficult non-conference schedule (including three top ten teams, and the defending national runner up), conference games have seemed easier for the team.
In the words of freshman point guard Kortni Jones “We’re rolling right now.”
But she’s a person. So she could be lying. So let’s have some more numbers!
On top of scoring oodles and oodles of points, the Raiders daunted full court press is working its magic.
Teams can’t get the ball across half-court and when they do they can’t score.
The Raiders are turning teams over 30.3 times per game. There isn’t a way to quantify how absurdly large that number is, so for comparison just know the Raiders are only turning it over 15.1 times per game.
Once again for those of you that struggle with math, that is indeed less than half as many times.
The key to the Raiders’ success with their press is that a large percentage of those 30+ turnovers are “live-ball” turnovers, meaning blocks or steals, so the Raiders can get out in transition as opposed to “dead-ball” turnovers (ball knocked out-of-bounds, charges, etc) where the ball is taken out of bounds.
The teams that are able to hold on to the magic bean haven’t been able to score it. The ladies are only giving up 60.4 points per game.
This means their average margin of victory is a whopping 30.6 points per game. Simply put, that’s insane!
MTSU hits the road for a game at Troy Wednesday, before returning home for the final home game of the season Sunday.
On top of it being the annual “Pink-Zone” game to raise money and awareness for breast cancer research, it will be senior night, and there won’t be a dry eye in the glass house, including Coach Insell’s, the players’, and yes, mine.
To have a team with a consensus First-Team All-American (Alysha Clark), the reigning conference Defensive Player of the Year (Chelsia Lymon), the player who should be this year’s recipient of that award (Jackie Pickel, if she doesn’t win it it’s a complete crock), and the school’s all-time leading three point shooter (Brandi Brown) just doesn’t happen very often.
However that’s another article for another day (and that day would be Thursday!), so for now simply enjoy this team one more time in the Murphy Center, and bask in the numbers that they are putting up.
In the meantime I’m going to take a nap. My head’s spinning. Math and I don’t get along.
Craig Hoffman is a sophomore EMC-Journalism major. He can be heard on the Weekend Sports Bash on 88.3 WMTS and WMTS.org Fridays 8-10 pm and Saturdays 8-10 am. (And since it's my blog you can find my YouTube channel here and the radio show archive here or you can just subscribe to the radio show archive via iTunes (fancy!) here)
Simul-whaaaat?!?
Simul-posting.
When I submit a blog or particularly a column for Sidelines, I'm not really supposed to post it here as well. However Sidelines' editors have me a bit peeved because apparently they can't handle my whit, humor, and occasional use of first person, and since a can't play whack-a-mole with them, I'm simply getting my revenge this way. So ha!
Thus here is Monday's column, uncut, unedited: full of whit, humor, and the occasional word "I" (scandalous!!!!).
Winning By Numbers
As the famed poet, Sean Carter says in his epic, “Reminder”:
"Men lie. Women lie. Numbers don’t."
Ok, so Sean Carter is actually Jay-Z, meaning he’s a multi-platinum recording artist not a famed poet, but the point should be taken.
The numbers the Lady Raiders are putting up recently are sending a reminder of why they were ranked in the top 25 to start the year and the overwhelming favorites to win the Sun Belt Conference.
The Lady Raiders last loss was on January 9th at University of Arkansas-Little Rock. It was an ugly game for Big Blue in which they didn’t hit a 3 point basket for the first time ever under Head Coach Rick Insell, and Chastity Reed controlled the game completely with her passing to the tune of 10 assists.
Apparently that was the wake-up call the Lady Raiders needed.
Since that point, the Raiders are on a 9 game winning streak, and that’s the least impressive number. Simply put, the stats put up in this winning streak are staggering.
Remember how the girls didn’t hit a three in Little Rock? They’ve hit at least 9 in every game since, and are averaging 12.2 triples per game. For those of you that struggle with math, that’s on average 36 points per game from the great beyond.
Which brings us to the next number which is nearly three times that: 91. That would be the Lady Raiders scoring average over the 9 wins.
Typically in conference play, games get closer because the opponents are familiar. However because the Raiders played such a difficult non-conference schedule (including three top ten teams, and the defending national runner up), conference games have seemed easier for the team.
In the words of freshman point guard Kortni Jones “We’re rolling right now.”
But she’s a person. So she could be lying. So let’s have some more numbers!
On top of scoring oodles and oodles of points, the Raiders daunted full court press is working its magic.
Teams can’t get the ball across half-court and when they do they can’t score.
The Raiders are turning teams over 30.3 times per game. There isn’t a way to quantify how absurdly large that number is, so for comparison just know the Raiders are only turning it over 15.1 times per game.
Once again for those of you that struggle with math, that is indeed less than half as many times.
The key to the Raiders’ success with their press is that a large percentage of those 30+ turnovers are “live-ball” turnovers, meaning blocks or steals, so the Raiders can get out in transition as opposed to “dead-ball” turnovers (ball knocked out-of-bounds, charges, etc) where the ball is taken out of bounds.
The teams that are able to hold on to the magic bean haven’t been able to score it. The ladies are only giving up 60.4 points per game.
This means their average margin of victory is a whopping 30.6 points per game. Simply put, that’s insane!
MTSU hits the road for a game at Troy Wednesday, before returning home for the final home game of the season Sunday.
On top of it being the annual “Pink-Zone” game to raise money and awareness for breast cancer research, it will be senior night, and there won’t be a dry eye in the glass house, including Coach Insell’s, the players’, and yes, mine.
To have a team with a consensus First-Team All-American (Alysha Clark), the reigning conference Defensive Player of the Year (Chelsia Lymon), the player who should be this year’s recipient of that award (Jackie Pickel, if she doesn’t win it it’s a complete crock), and the school’s all-time leading three point shooter (Brandi Brown) just doesn’t happen very often.
However that’s another article for another day (and that day would be Thursday!), so for now simply enjoy this team one more time in the Murphy Center, and bask in the numbers that they are putting up.
In the meantime I’m going to take a nap. My head’s spinning. Math and I don’t get along.
Craig Hoffman is a sophomore EMC-Journalism major. He can be heard on the Weekend Sports Bash on 88.3 WMTS and WMTS.org Fridays 8-10 pm and Saturdays 8-10 am. (And since it's my blog you can find my YouTube channel here and the radio show archive here or you can just subscribe to the radio show archive via iTunes (fancy!) here)
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Confessions of a Basketball Junkie
As usual this blog is starting with an idea, or better yet ideas. There are things I know. I'm not sure how they're connected other than a little round ball, 94 feet of wood, and a passion that runs as deep inside me as any passion I've ever had.
I've got a disease. It's called basketball-itis. Actually I don't have a clue what the hell it's called but it's not a simple addiction. It's not a deal where I have to watch basketball or I go nuts.
Believe it or not I'm not one to watch a random Montana St vs Wyoming A&M game just because it's on. I have this thing called a life that says go do something else.
That being said, for the teams I have an investment in, specifically both MTSU teams that have my school written across their chest, I cannot put into words how much each game effects me. However if I don't try the blog would end here. So here it goes.
First let's get this out of the way: there are more important things than basketball. If I have something else going on or am with someone to whom the games don't matter I won't let my internal (and at times external) strife effect them. That's not fair to them. However because of the dates and times of basketball games, the times that I actually have something to do after a game are rare. Thus here is what usually happens.
The best way I can describe how I feel is a mix between a fan and a coach. After a win, I'm going to be in a good mood, but never too high (unless it's following a championship, see New Orleans Bowl). I'm able to go, OK, we won, but here's what we need to work on. But at the same time I'm excited for the win and I usually have a pretty good idea of how much a particular win means. For instance I was much more excited (ok, I was straight giddy) after both Western Kentucky wins, while I was happy but tame after the win against New Orleans.
Losses however are quite the different story.
Forget the fan-side. I take losses like a coach.
College basketball is the ultimate what-if sport because you're dealing with players who are 18-22 years old.
What if a player had played been aggressive in the second half like he was in the first.
What if a player who was on fire in the first half hadn't been completely silent in the second?
Especially in the Sun Belt, where the officiating is a bigger joke than Paris Hilton's singing career, what if the refs knew a difference between a block and a charge?
The list of what-if's goes on and on but that's only the start of it.
Fans ask what if? Coaches ask why?
That's where my dilemma lies, I want to, no have to, know why. I'm writing this less than an hour after MTSU dropped a game it easily could have had at home against Troy. If the Blue Raiders won that game they would have been in the driver's seat in their division.
Instead they played a game reminiscent of their early season form where they were up and down and paying attention to details here and there would have completely changed the game.
Instead they had multiple mental lapses and lost by 3.
There will be another blog soon (like tomorrow) with the list of things that could have changed, but I'm not there yet and that's not this blog. What happens to me now?
First I write things down. That's done for two reasons.
1) When things are down on paper, they're no longer swirling in my head.
2) I can remember what was swirling in my head when I try to talk about it on radio.
Then I try to sleep.
Keyword try. I'm restless. And when I finally do sleep I literally sleep basketball. Plays are re-running in my head. I wake up, try to go back to sleep, finally do, and fall right back into the game.
I wake up in the morning and basketball is still there. Does it wear off eventually? Sure.
Thursday games are easier because the girls play Saturday and with the way they're playing right now they can instantly put me in a good mood.
I have a disease. I don't know what it's called. But it's serious. And I don't know what to do about it. And I don't really care.
I've got a disease. It's called basketball-itis. Actually I don't have a clue what the hell it's called but it's not a simple addiction. It's not a deal where I have to watch basketball or I go nuts.
Believe it or not I'm not one to watch a random Montana St vs Wyoming A&M game just because it's on. I have this thing called a life that says go do something else.
That being said, for the teams I have an investment in, specifically both MTSU teams that have my school written across their chest, I cannot put into words how much each game effects me. However if I don't try the blog would end here. So here it goes.
First let's get this out of the way: there are more important things than basketball. If I have something else going on or am with someone to whom the games don't matter I won't let my internal (and at times external) strife effect them. That's not fair to them. However because of the dates and times of basketball games, the times that I actually have something to do after a game are rare. Thus here is what usually happens.
The best way I can describe how I feel is a mix between a fan and a coach. After a win, I'm going to be in a good mood, but never too high (unless it's following a championship, see New Orleans Bowl). I'm able to go, OK, we won, but here's what we need to work on. But at the same time I'm excited for the win and I usually have a pretty good idea of how much a particular win means. For instance I was much more excited (ok, I was straight giddy) after both Western Kentucky wins, while I was happy but tame after the win against New Orleans.
Losses however are quite the different story.
Forget the fan-side. I take losses like a coach.
College basketball is the ultimate what-if sport because you're dealing with players who are 18-22 years old.
What if a player had played been aggressive in the second half like he was in the first.
What if a player who was on fire in the first half hadn't been completely silent in the second?
Especially in the Sun Belt, where the officiating is a bigger joke than Paris Hilton's singing career, what if the refs knew a difference between a block and a charge?
The list of what-if's goes on and on but that's only the start of it.
Fans ask what if? Coaches ask why?
That's where my dilemma lies, I want to, no have to, know why. I'm writing this less than an hour after MTSU dropped a game it easily could have had at home against Troy. If the Blue Raiders won that game they would have been in the driver's seat in their division.
Instead they played a game reminiscent of their early season form where they were up and down and paying attention to details here and there would have completely changed the game.
Instead they had multiple mental lapses and lost by 3.
There will be another blog soon (like tomorrow) with the list of things that could have changed, but I'm not there yet and that's not this blog. What happens to me now?
First I write things down. That's done for two reasons.
1) When things are down on paper, they're no longer swirling in my head.
2) I can remember what was swirling in my head when I try to talk about it on radio.
Then I try to sleep.
Keyword try. I'm restless. And when I finally do sleep I literally sleep basketball. Plays are re-running in my head. I wake up, try to go back to sleep, finally do, and fall right back into the game.
I wake up in the morning and basketball is still there. Does it wear off eventually? Sure.
Thursday games are easier because the girls play Saturday and with the way they're playing right now they can instantly put me in a good mood.
I have a disease. I don't know what it's called. But it's serious. And I don't know what to do about it. And I don't really care.
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