Troy University Athletics
Catching Up After a Hectic Week
10/21/2008 5:00:00 AM | Football
October 21
There are certain times of the athletic year when things seem to be more hectic than normal. Last week on the Troy University campus was one of those weeks.
Mid-October and late February-early March are overlap times on the sports calendar. Obviously, fall sports are going strong in late October, but traditional spring sports are also active. Throw in the start of basketball practice and you have a full slate of activities, just like we had last week.
From a Media Relations standpoint, there is no way for our office to function during a busy time like this without our students. My office, which consists of myself and assistant director Travis Jarome, leans heavily on all of the students who work for us.
Last week started with Travis on the road in Hot Springs, Ark., at the Sun Belt Conference Basketball Media Days. While he was out of town things were fairly calm, with much of the focus on getting ready for the coming flood of events.
Graduate assistant Jason Wright has done a great job of editing the football game programs, and he also produced the flip card for the football game as well as a flip card for Sunday's baseball exhibition double-header. Since he completed his playing career after the 2006 season, he has been a valuable member of my staff and, when he graduates in December, he will leave a large void.
Student assistants Taylor Bryan, Jamie Dickerson, Dan Ensey, Brynna Waters, Jarrod Johnson, Kayla Kyser, Matt Mays, Sommer Tate, David Breed, Jessica Wilkins, Ivy Carter and Rayne Rubio all chipped in to help with coverage of volleyball, rodeo, cross country and soccer.
This week everyone gets to take a deep breath. Football, soccer and volleyball are all on the road this weekend, so the only thing happening on campus is practice. Both basketball teams have started preparation for the season, which will be here before you know it.
Next week, Coach Matt Terry's women's golf team will host the Troy University Invitational at Arrowhead Country Club in Montgomery. It is the only home event of the year for the Trojan ladies and is a great opportunity for Troy fans in Montgomery to go out and support Troy University student-athletes in competition.
While that event goes on, the men's golf team will venture to Hattiesburg, Miss., for the Sam H. Hall Intercollegiate. The Troy men will host a spring tournament this year, playing at Heritage Plantation Golf Club in Crestview, Fla., Feb. 27-March 1.
We'll wrap up the month of October with home volleyball the weekend of October 31. The Trojans will host Middle Tennessee on Halloween and Western Kentucky on November 1.
News and Notes
I've had several items pile up on my list to pass along, so I want to take this opportunity to share a few things.
First and foremost, congratulations to Benjy and Emily Parker on the birth of their first child, Mary Haysten, last Wednesday in Tupelo, Miss. Both mother and daughter and doing fine, and dad made it back to Troy in time for the game on Saturday.
Also get-well wishes to former Troy player and coach Brian Turner, who was in the hospital in Mobile last week. Several members of the South Alabama athletics staff were at Movie Gallery Stadium on Saturday to observe our home game operations, and Assistant AD Hal Williams mentioned that Brian had been ill.
Some on the field football notes ...
Phil Steele's Publications released its mid-season All-Sun Belt team and the Trojans were fairly well represented. Linebackers Bear Woods and Boris Lee, along with safety Sherrod Martin, were on the first team defense. Despite having the second ranked offense in the league, Troy did not have a player on the first team offense.
The Trojans did have two players, receiver Jerrel Jernigan and lineman Dion Small, on the second team offense. Another lineman, Tyler Clark, was on the third team offense. Defensive linemen Dion Gales and Brandon Lang were on the second team defense and kicker Sam Glusman was also second team.
Speaking of Jernigan, he was named Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week for his performance last Saturday against FIU. He is just the third Trojan to earn a Sun Belt honor this season, joining Glusman and Martin, who were Special Teams and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively, for their performances against Alcorn State.
Some former Troy players have also made headlines lately. Dallas Cowboys All-Pro linebacker DeMarcus Ware tied an NFL record on Sunday by recording a sack in his 10th straight game. Unfortunately, the Cowboys lost to the Rams.
Another former Trojan, Brannon Condren, was signed by his third team this season. Condren started training camp with the Indianapolis Colts, who drafted him in the fourth round following the 2006 season. He got caught in a numbers game there and was released, but signed immediately with the Rams. He was released by the Rams 10 days ago and then signed with the Miami Dolphins, who he suited up and played for this past Sunday.
Of course, most everyone has seen Osi Umenyiora's television commercial for that five-hour energy drink, and everyone has seen Ware's Chunky Soup commercials, but most Troy fans probably haven't seen former Trojan Leodis McKelvin's debut as a television pitch man, of sorts. He is in a funny commercial for Dave and Adam's Card World in western New York. You can see the spot here.
There are also a couple of former Trojan hoopsters who are making their marks in the European Leagues. O'Darien Bassett is playing for the teckpro Braves in Kaiserslautern, Germany, which is in the southwestern part of the country, near the border with France. He has averaged 13 points per game in his first three outings.
Another former Trojan, Bobby Dixon, had been playing for a team in Poland, but, according to assistant coach Michael Curry, he just made a move to the Italian A League. I haven't been able to track down any stats on Dixon yet, but I am looking.
One final thought for the day, with all due respect to Matt Mayotte, a die-hard Boston Red Sox fan, it sure has been fun to watch the Tampa Bay Rays in their run through the playoffs. They have eight guys on their roster who played in Montgomery in the last couple of years and another, relief pitcher Chad Bradford, who pitched at Southern Miss in the 1990s when I was there.
Here's hoping the Rays can complete the miracle and win it all.
RH
