The SAU Basketball Tournament tipped off Monday in Magnolia. The girls field includes Parkers Chapel along with Camden Fairview and Magnolia. It's not too bad.
But, I just can't bring myself to make that 35-minute drive.
El Dorado's football team is gearing up for its state championship game on Saturday. Obviously, that's one reason I'm not really into basketball mode, yet. Another is simply, the SAU Tournament is dead.
Perhaps dead is too strong of a word, especially since it's actually alive with games being played and everything. But, the atmosphere is more electric in a funeral home. There's no crowd, no warmth, no hospitality.
In high school tournaments, you at least get the feeling the folks are happy to have you, after all, the more butts in the seats, the more dollars in the piggy bank. But, at the SAU Tournament, the hosts treat you as if you're a nuisance in their way.
At least, that was my last experience over there. I don't plan on having another experience over there again.
One tournament I would love to drive 35 minutes to get to will unfortunately be about five hours away.
El Dorado's girls are in the Greene County Tech Tournament over the holiday. The tournament begins Dec. 20 in Paragould. The top half of the bracket features Greene County Tech, DesArc, Hughes and West Memphis. But, it's the bottom half that intrigues me.
El Dorado plays Prairie Grove in the first round. With a win, the Lady Wildcats would meet the winner between Forrest City and Little Rock Christian.
That's quite a Lady Cat basketball connection there. Former El Dorado coach Brad Slatton left Union County to take the job at Prairie Grove. He's since moved on to Texas. Coach Bobby Harris, who replaced Slatton, took over the program at Forrest City. El Dorado's seniors were in junior high when Harris left.
It doesn't mean much but I found it interesting.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Lady Cats beat Fairview
El Dorado showed it can still flip the switch when it has to. The Lady Wildcats turned a close game into a blowout with a 19-2 run in the final five minutes Tuesday in a 58-44 win over a good Camden Fairview squad.
Trailing 42-39 with six minutes left to play, El Dorado outscored the Lady Cardinals 19-2 the rest of the way with 15 unanswered points to end the game.
As strong as the team finished, Coach Stephen Harshaw was more concerned with its start. The Lady Wildcats trailed 32-22 at the half and 36-24 midway in the third.
"We just have to come out as a group. It starts at the top with me and then it starts with our senior leaders to get them focused to come out with a mindset ready to absolutely take charge from the tip," said Harshaw.
"The thing is the team has to come out ready to play. We had a 27-point turnaround in 14 minutes. If we come out ready to play instead of winning by 14, we win by 40 and we really make a statement. That’s what we need to do. We don’t need to do what we did last year which is turn it on and win by 15. We need to make statements this year.”
Fairview managed just 12 points in the second half.
Seniors Whitney Frazier and Kanedria Andrews, El Dorado’s Lady Techster Twosome, combined for 34 points, 15 rebounds and eight steals. Frazier scored nine of her 19 points in the fourth quarter and added eight rebounds.
Andrews scored 15 points with seven rebounds and six steals. Sophomore Marchelle Lockhart scored 10 while Bria Snowden added eight.
Marva Graves led Fairview (1-1) with 18 points, but only four in the second half and none in the fourth quarter. Frazier took it upon herself to match up with Fairview's standout senior.
“I did take that personally. I just made up my mind in the second half, she wasn’t gonna get the ball. I had to shut her down," said Frazier. "First half was hers. The second was mine. That’s how I feel.”
Harshaw felt his seniors led the way. Frazier, Andrews, Snowden and Emily Sinclair combined to score all of the team's final 15 points.
“Emily did a good job in the second half, taking care of the ball. Bria is becoming a basketball player, not just a shooter. She made some very good plays offensively, passing the ball, taking care of it," said Harshaw, who also got big minutes from Lockhart and junior Charlotte Bradley.
“Charlotte came in and played real well, had some big rebounds. I also thought Marchelle Lockhart had a very good game, got some good post play out of her. It’s really good to have that junior and that sophomore playing the way they did. I think all of them did some good things."
Trailing 42-39 with six minutes left to play, El Dorado outscored the Lady Cardinals 19-2 the rest of the way with 15 unanswered points to end the game.
As strong as the team finished, Coach Stephen Harshaw was more concerned with its start. The Lady Wildcats trailed 32-22 at the half and 36-24 midway in the third.
"We just have to come out as a group. It starts at the top with me and then it starts with our senior leaders to get them focused to come out with a mindset ready to absolutely take charge from the tip," said Harshaw.
"The thing is the team has to come out ready to play. We had a 27-point turnaround in 14 minutes. If we come out ready to play instead of winning by 14, we win by 40 and we really make a statement. That’s what we need to do. We don’t need to do what we did last year which is turn it on and win by 15. We need to make statements this year.”
Fairview managed just 12 points in the second half.
Seniors Whitney Frazier and Kanedria Andrews, El Dorado’s Lady Techster Twosome, combined for 34 points, 15 rebounds and eight steals. Frazier scored nine of her 19 points in the fourth quarter and added eight rebounds.
Andrews scored 15 points with seven rebounds and six steals. Sophomore Marchelle Lockhart scored 10 while Bria Snowden added eight.
Marva Graves led Fairview (1-1) with 18 points, but only four in the second half and none in the fourth quarter. Frazier took it upon herself to match up with Fairview's standout senior.
“I did take that personally. I just made up my mind in the second half, she wasn’t gonna get the ball. I had to shut her down," said Frazier. "First half was hers. The second was mine. That’s how I feel.”
Harshaw felt his seniors led the way. Frazier, Andrews, Snowden and Emily Sinclair combined to score all of the team's final 15 points.
“Emily did a good job in the second half, taking care of the ball. Bria is becoming a basketball player, not just a shooter. She made some very good plays offensively, passing the ball, taking care of it," said Harshaw, who also got big minutes from Lockhart and junior Charlotte Bradley.
“Charlotte came in and played real well, had some big rebounds. I also thought Marchelle Lockhart had a very good game, got some good post play out of her. It’s really good to have that junior and that sophomore playing the way they did. I think all of them did some good things."
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Better late than never
Parkers Chapel senior Savanna Langston let out a sigh of relief Wednesday. When she signed her basketball letter-of-intent with Louisiana Tech, it ended months of agonizing over the biggest decision of her life so far.
“The recruiting process was really overwhelming," she said. "I mean, it was fun but it was also stressful and overwhelming. It’s just nice to get that out of the way so I can get on with my season and school.”
Langston originally gave a verbal committment to Arkansas-Little Rock. She decided to go ahead and take other visits before she signed and fell in love with Louisiana Tech.
Going back on her word was difficult but Langston said UALR, though disappointed, made her feel better about visiting other schools.
"They told me they didn't want me there if I didn't want to be there," she said. "That made it easier for me."
In the end, the only person's happiness that counts in this situation is Langston's. It's the next four or five years of her life that's on the line. The most important thing is that she made the right decision - not the fast decision or the nice decision.
The smile on Langston's face Wednesday sure looked as though she made the choice that's best for her. As for Louisiana Tech coach Teresa Weatherspoon, it's better to be thought of late than not at all.
“Once she thought maybe she had made a quick decision and she still wanted to make her visits, we were thankful," said Weatherspoon. "We were thankful she was still giving us an opportunity to recruit her and show her what we were all about here at Louisiana Tech and what we could do to make her a better basketball player and, more importantly, a better person. She gave us that opportunity and we showed her what our family was like here at Louisiana Tech. We’re just thankful she chose us to be a Lady Techster for life.”
“The recruiting process was really overwhelming," she said. "I mean, it was fun but it was also stressful and overwhelming. It’s just nice to get that out of the way so I can get on with my season and school.”
Langston originally gave a verbal committment to Arkansas-Little Rock. She decided to go ahead and take other visits before she signed and fell in love with Louisiana Tech.
Going back on her word was difficult but Langston said UALR, though disappointed, made her feel better about visiting other schools.
"They told me they didn't want me there if I didn't want to be there," she said. "That made it easier for me."
In the end, the only person's happiness that counts in this situation is Langston's. It's the next four or five years of her life that's on the line. The most important thing is that she made the right decision - not the fast decision or the nice decision.
The smile on Langston's face Wednesday sure looked as though she made the choice that's best for her. As for Louisiana Tech coach Teresa Weatherspoon, it's better to be thought of late than not at all.
“Once she thought maybe she had made a quick decision and she still wanted to make her visits, we were thankful," said Weatherspoon. "We were thankful she was still giving us an opportunity to recruit her and show her what we were all about here at Louisiana Tech and what we could do to make her a better basketball player and, more importantly, a better person. She gave us that opportunity and we showed her what our family was like here at Louisiana Tech. We’re just thankful she chose us to be a Lady Techster for life.”
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Who can't kick a ball?
El Dorado's 34-26 win over Pine Bluff on Thursday was one of the best games I've seen in a long time. Defensive coordinator John Panter described it as a two heavyweight fighters.
It's actually a good thing it wasn't a boxing match because after those 12 rounds, the Zebras might've won on the judges' scorecards.
Pine Bluff had more yards than the Wildcats because the Zebras were on the field for a whopping 71 offensive snaps. Thank God Pine Bluff tried to throw the ball seven times or the game would've likely had a different outcome.
El Dorado caught three of the Zebras' seven passes.
Perhaps an even bigger factor was Pine Bluff's lack of a kicking game. In addition to muffing a punt, which the Wildcats recovered, the Zebras had no kicker, so they went for two after each touchdown.
That was the difference in the game.
It's funny because we were talking in the sports staff a couple of weeks ago about how unacceptable it is for any school in this day and age to not have a kicker. We were talking specifically about Strong but it's even more unacceptable for a big school.
If I'm not mistaken, Pine Bluff even has a fledgling soccer program. How can you have soccer and not have a kicker?
The thing is, even a school the size of Strong should be able to find somebody who can kick among the student body. I say that because the talent pool includes both genders. There are girls who can and have kicked 40-yard field goals. You mean to tell me you can't find somebody who can boot an extra point?
I don't understand why a coach can't have tryouts and open it up to boys and girls. Find one or two who have decent form and let them work on it during the off-season. Work on it during the summer and have someone teach them the technique.
That can be their job. That's it. No blocking. No tackling. No knowledge of the game.
What position do you play? I kick the ball.
I don't mean to be insulting to kickers. I know it takes a lot of skill to kick a football accurately from 35 to 40 yards out. It takes a lot of work.
It would take a lot of work to find a boy or girl who could make extra points, too. But, I don't know why it couldn't be done. As Pine Bluff found out last week, that work could pay off big-time down the line.
It's actually a good thing it wasn't a boxing match because after those 12 rounds, the Zebras might've won on the judges' scorecards.
Pine Bluff had more yards than the Wildcats because the Zebras were on the field for a whopping 71 offensive snaps. Thank God Pine Bluff tried to throw the ball seven times or the game would've likely had a different outcome.
El Dorado caught three of the Zebras' seven passes.
Perhaps an even bigger factor was Pine Bluff's lack of a kicking game. In addition to muffing a punt, which the Wildcats recovered, the Zebras had no kicker, so they went for two after each touchdown.
That was the difference in the game.
It's funny because we were talking in the sports staff a couple of weeks ago about how unacceptable it is for any school in this day and age to not have a kicker. We were talking specifically about Strong but it's even more unacceptable for a big school.
If I'm not mistaken, Pine Bluff even has a fledgling soccer program. How can you have soccer and not have a kicker?
The thing is, even a school the size of Strong should be able to find somebody who can kick among the student body. I say that because the talent pool includes both genders. There are girls who can and have kicked 40-yard field goals. You mean to tell me you can't find somebody who can boot an extra point?
I don't understand why a coach can't have tryouts and open it up to boys and girls. Find one or two who have decent form and let them work on it during the off-season. Work on it during the summer and have someone teach them the technique.
That can be their job. That's it. No blocking. No tackling. No knowledge of the game.
What position do you play? I kick the ball.
I don't mean to be insulting to kickers. I know it takes a lot of skill to kick a football accurately from 35 to 40 yards out. It takes a lot of work.
It would take a lot of work to find a boy or girl who could make extra points, too. But, I don't know why it couldn't be done. As Pine Bluff found out last week, that work could pay off big-time down the line.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Mickey D knows talent
Congratulations are in order to a pair of Union County's top athletes.
El Dorado's Whitney Frazier and Parkers Chapel's Savanna Langston were both, reportedly, named to the preliminary list of contenders for McDonald's Girls Basketball All-American.
Langston, a 6-2 post, was named second team All-Arkansas by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette while Frazier, a 5-10 forward, was named third team All-Arkansas.
Both players have verbally committed to play basketball at Louisiana Tech.
El Dorado's Whitney Frazier and Parkers Chapel's Savanna Langston were both, reportedly, named to the preliminary list of contenders for McDonald's Girls Basketball All-American.
Langston, a 6-2 post, was named second team All-Arkansas by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette while Frazier, a 5-10 forward, was named third team All-Arkansas.
Both players have verbally committed to play basketball at Louisiana Tech.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Butler Didits
So, about 20 or so years ago, a young sports writer named Rick Butler gave me an ultimatum.
"If you send me to cover girls basketball, I will not go to the game. I'll just stay in the office and take call-ins."
That's what he told me when we were discussing assignments that season.
Rather than force Rick to cover girls sports, I split the assignments with me taking girls and letting him handle all the boys sports. It's been that way ever since at the News-Times.
Fast forward to Monday and here's the same Rick Butler - a little heavier and perhaps a lot wiser. I say wiser because he has become a tennis dad ... to his daughter.
Rick and April's 10th grade daughter Arielle won two matches Monday and is now in the semifinals of the 6A State Tennis Tournament.
Rick Butler, who at one time wouldn't go to a girls game if you paid him, suddenly is heavily involved in girls sports. He travels across the state and region watching girls tennis. I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks.
He still refuses to watch the WNBA, though. But, I haven't lost faith in him. He has an even younger daughter named Addison. If she falls in love with basketball, I'm might personally take his picture when he takes her to a WNBA event.
That is, if I can keep the camera from shaking from me laughing so hard.
"If you send me to cover girls basketball, I will not go to the game. I'll just stay in the office and take call-ins."
That's what he told me when we were discussing assignments that season.
Rather than force Rick to cover girls sports, I split the assignments with me taking girls and letting him handle all the boys sports. It's been that way ever since at the News-Times.
Fast forward to Monday and here's the same Rick Butler - a little heavier and perhaps a lot wiser. I say wiser because he has become a tennis dad ... to his daughter.
Rick and April's 10th grade daughter Arielle won two matches Monday and is now in the semifinals of the 6A State Tennis Tournament.
Rick Butler, who at one time wouldn't go to a girls game if you paid him, suddenly is heavily involved in girls sports. He travels across the state and region watching girls tennis. I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks.
He still refuses to watch the WNBA, though. But, I haven't lost faith in him. He has an even younger daughter named Addison. If she falls in love with basketball, I'm might personally take his picture when he takes her to a WNBA event.
That is, if I can keep the camera from shaking from me laughing so hard.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Run for it
I called Parkers Chapel athletic director Clancie Laymon last week to inquire about the school's cross country program. PC introduced cross country as a sport two years ago when Lexie Howell and her family moved to Arkansas from Utah.
Howell and volunteer coach Mark Hardenbrook got the program started and headed in a positive direction. She finished in the top 10 last year, earning All-State honors. Kyle Coke did the same thing on the boys team.
Even more impressive was the slew of young runners who were developing at the school. Hardenbrook said at least two and maybe three eighth grade girls had the potential to be as good or better than Lexie.
It was exciting to hear.
But, Lexie and her family moved to the New Orleans area at the end of the school year. Hardenbrook also moved to another job.
That's why I wanted to see how the program was doing this year.
My heart sank when Coach Laymon basically said the program has died. None of the kids are interested anymore. The eighth grade girls who had so much promise are playing tennis.
"But, they can play tennis and run cross country?" I said to Coach Laymon, who replied they just weren't interested in running.
Like I said, it's heart breaking.
Tennis is a great sport but there are so many opportunities in running. El Dorado's Irene Jadic was a great tennis player, 6A State champion last year and one of the top three or four girls in the state, period.
But, she's running cross country and track at the University of Pennsylvania. She ended up having a lot more college opportunities as a runner than as a tennis player.
Why? It's just a matter of competition. There are more girls playing tennis and soccer and softball than are running cross country. Cross country is a difficult sport. I've said it over and over. It takes a lot of heart and guts to be a distance runner. It's not a lot of fun. It's a lot of work.
One of my all-time favorite athletes - El Dorado's Kayla Waldrup - was faced with the dilemma of choosing soccer or cross country in high school. She loved soccer. Cross country? Not so much.
But, she made a business decision and never looked back, moving on to Arkansas Tech and now to a career.
"Soccer is my first love while cross country is my second," she said. "Looking back onto why I chose cross country over soccer, I realize that it was not because I was bad at soccer or did not want to be in that environment or did not have friends into soccer. I chose cross country over soccer mainly because cross country opened SO MANY doors of opportunity compared to soccer. I received a cross country scholarship for college, learned that I had a bigger family in cross country and on top of that, the more I learned about running and progressed in the sport, both in high school and college, the more I started liking it! I still pick up a soccer ball today whenever I get the chance but cross country has become my life."
Kayla Waldrup is a success story. She gave running a try and never looked back.
I hope the administrators at Parkers Chapel and other schools will emphasize cross country as a major sport. There are so many opportunities in that sport, especially for girls, but boys as well. It's not an easy sport. It takes heart and guts and hard work. But, the rewards are there.
Again, I'm not trying to sway anyone away from tennis or soccer or any other sport. The most important thing is - play something. But, if you have a child who has a talent for running, it would be in their best interest to at least give cross country a try.
Howell and volunteer coach Mark Hardenbrook got the program started and headed in a positive direction. She finished in the top 10 last year, earning All-State honors. Kyle Coke did the same thing on the boys team.
Even more impressive was the slew of young runners who were developing at the school. Hardenbrook said at least two and maybe three eighth grade girls had the potential to be as good or better than Lexie.
It was exciting to hear.
But, Lexie and her family moved to the New Orleans area at the end of the school year. Hardenbrook also moved to another job.
That's why I wanted to see how the program was doing this year.
My heart sank when Coach Laymon basically said the program has died. None of the kids are interested anymore. The eighth grade girls who had so much promise are playing tennis.
"But, they can play tennis and run cross country?" I said to Coach Laymon, who replied they just weren't interested in running.
Like I said, it's heart breaking.
Tennis is a great sport but there are so many opportunities in running. El Dorado's Irene Jadic was a great tennis player, 6A State champion last year and one of the top three or four girls in the state, period.
But, she's running cross country and track at the University of Pennsylvania. She ended up having a lot more college opportunities as a runner than as a tennis player.
Why? It's just a matter of competition. There are more girls playing tennis and soccer and softball than are running cross country. Cross country is a difficult sport. I've said it over and over. It takes a lot of heart and guts to be a distance runner. It's not a lot of fun. It's a lot of work.
One of my all-time favorite athletes - El Dorado's Kayla Waldrup - was faced with the dilemma of choosing soccer or cross country in high school. She loved soccer. Cross country? Not so much.
But, she made a business decision and never looked back, moving on to Arkansas Tech and now to a career.
"Soccer is my first love while cross country is my second," she said. "Looking back onto why I chose cross country over soccer, I realize that it was not because I was bad at soccer or did not want to be in that environment or did not have friends into soccer. I chose cross country over soccer mainly because cross country opened SO MANY doors of opportunity compared to soccer. I received a cross country scholarship for college, learned that I had a bigger family in cross country and on top of that, the more I learned about running and progressed in the sport, both in high school and college, the more I started liking it! I still pick up a soccer ball today whenever I get the chance but cross country has become my life."
Kayla Waldrup is a success story. She gave running a try and never looked back.
I hope the administrators at Parkers Chapel and other schools will emphasize cross country as a major sport. There are so many opportunities in that sport, especially for girls, but boys as well. It's not an easy sport. It takes heart and guts and hard work. But, the rewards are there.
Again, I'm not trying to sway anyone away from tennis or soccer or any other sport. The most important thing is - play something. But, if you have a child who has a talent for running, it would be in their best interest to at least give cross country a try.
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