Troy University Athletics
A Week of Ups and Downs
2/3/2009 6:00:00 AM | Basketball (M)
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Boy, am I glad to be here: sitting in Trojan Arena waiting for practice to begin. I've not had that phrase come out of my mouth many times, but today, I am glad to be here rather than where I was the last time the Men of Troy were practicing. I'm not a big fan of scary movies, but let's just say that on Sunday while they were in the gym, I vaguely resembled the little girl from Poltergeist. Yet another unconfirmed case of cholera ran through the city of Troy and I fell a disparaging victim.
To all those that came to the game Saturday against Denver, especially if it was your first time to Trojan Arena to see the men's basketball team play, I am not always the pale, lifeless being I was on the end of the Trojan bench you saw that night. I am usually full of vigor, appropriately and tactfully vocal, and hustling to make things happen on the bench during time outs.
Saturday was not the case, as late in the game I resorted to sitting on the bench during time outs while my student athletic trainers did all the work. The only court appearance I made was at the end of regulation to offer the kind officials some liquid refreshment before the overtime. Luckily for us, I poured on enough charm to get them through the last five minutes. Best of all, we came out with a win and pushed the streak to six in a row!
Denver was a tough opponent, and in my untrained eyes, they beat us. We might have won the game according to the scoreboard, but they had us beat. The guys chipped away at the points, slowly but surely, and we pulled it off. I still can't believe it!
Denver is a unique member of the Sunbelt conference. First of all, I don't think they're technically located in the SUN-belt geographically, if there even is such a thing. Second of all, they are in Colorado! They have lacrosse, gymnastics, and hockey as intercollegiate sports at Denver.
How many of you have ever seen a hockey game in person? I have: Birmingham Bulls against Tallahassee Tiger Sharks in some sort of play-offs in 1995. And, I've seen it at Denver University, too, when we've been there for pre-game shoot around and they were practicing. The Denver Pioneers basketball teams play on top of a hockey arena for goodness sakes. And it's cold in there!
Add all those things to the fact they play fundamentally sound basketball - someone mentioned the Princeton Offense but I don't know what that is - and you can see they're a force to reckon with on their home court. Unfortunately, I think all that also adds up to the reasons they don't win very much on the road. And by 'very much' I mean 41 straight road losses (if you don't count a win earlier this season at a neutral site, which I don't think they do). Game over. Thank our lucky stars. TROY wins...on to the next one.
But before we go to the next one, I must tell you of our trip to Denton, Texas. I am most proud of the fact that we made the entire trip with NO U-TURNS! You heard me correctly. From rental car pick-up to rental car return with construction and detours and a fill up at the gas station ...NO U-TURNS! I was one happy chic on the shuttle back to the terminal after we dropped off our rentals. It may be a first!
Oh yeah, that and we won at the Super Pit! That was a first as well. I credit the win to the combo of Bryan and Laing. Bryan, being Taylor Bryan from Media Relations, was also mistaken as my son at dinner Saturday night. But that's another story! Bryan at pencil pusher, radio color announcer, reinforced by Christian Laing at dry erase board-carrier, laundry-washer was too much for the Mean Green to handle. We stunned everybody in Denton, myself included, and pulled out a well-deserved win.
I don't want to give away the secret recipe to the Powerade we've been making in the deep, dark bowels of Sartain AKA Trojan Arena, but I'll give you my perspective on the streak of luck we seem to be experiencing. I'll call on some very wise philosophy from one of my most favorite movies, Bull Durham, with one of my most favorite and very talented actors, Kevin Costner who played Crash Davis beautifully: "You have to respect the streak because they don't happen very often."
Just as in football, where I had my routines and specifics of game day, I have the same quirks pertaining to basketball. I can't share all of them, or any of them for that matter, because it could adversely affect the streak and that would be BAD. So, until then...I'll be streaking along with the rest of the team! (Figuratively, not literally, anyway...what they do on their own time is their own business!)
If winning isn't enough to get you in the seats at Trojan Arena, I don't know what will get you there. The women play Wednesday night (I'll be there) and then the men on Thursday at 7 p.m., both against Arkansas State, to see if the way I part my hair, or the clothes I wear, or my pre-game ritual can keep the streak alive...
(Not that any of those things have anything to do with my superstitions...)
Until next time in Trojan Arena!
GO TROJANS!
ASteed
P.S. In keeping with things I've done lately, I've included a picture or two from the trip to North Texas.
P.P.S. (on Wednesday 2/4/09) HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO TOM JERVIS! I couldn't resist adding this since his mug shot was on the front page of the blog!
