I don’t even remember when I heard this. I don’t remember where it was. The longer I do this stuff, the more days, seasons, and years just blow past me. The one thing I do remember, though, was what I heard.
I cover high school sports when I’m not covering college sports. I tell every writer who asks for advice that they need to do the same. You meet great people. You learn how to craft a story. I would be a much lesser writer had I not gotten into preps.
Anyway, I digress.
I walked to the center of the field after a high school football game. I tend to hang around as the coach makes his postgame remarks while listening intently to see what he tells his kids. This helps me get the coach – and get him on the bus or back to his family – quicker. It also gives me an idea of a talking point or two he wants to hit.
On this night, the coach told his kids something I’ve probably heard 100 times from 100 different coaches. For whatever reason, though, the 101st time resonated with me.
“Leave it better than you found it.”
I made a fairly gut-wrenching – yet also rewarding – decision before the season to finally accept Jaden’s many overtures and come over here. It was easy because Jaden and I are, in many ways, the same dude. We've been friends for as long as I can recall, and our writing styles and basketball passions are nearly identical. It wasn’t easy because of what I left behind. I was the second person in the door at College Hoops Digest. Josh and I went through a lot over there. Eventually, though, life came for Josh, and he made the admirable choice to step aside for more time for family.
This brings me to another statement I’ve heard easily 100 times in which I no longer believe.
“Grow where you’re planted.”
I’m sure I believed this at some point. However, in both basketball and life, it becomes harder to grow if the soil isn’t tended. This is not to say anything negative about Jake and Will, who took over CHD and were a pleasure to work with, but I didn’t feel “tended” there. I won’t say anything further about that, other than to say that betting on myself has been validated many times over.
I did the same thing in my non-basketball life – for the same reasons. It paid off the same way.
This is not to say that one should make rash decisions or anything. I’ll simply quote a lyric from R.E.M.’s “Leaving New York”.
“It’s easier to leave / than to be left behind”
With the benefit of clear hindsight, I am where I need to be.
These things always take on a bit of a maudlin tone. After all, we live by the credo of Kyle Whelliston here. I don't mean to be a downer, but spoiler alert – remembering Kyle and The Mid-Majority, of course:
“It always ends in a loss.”
Before I write anything else about the season, know that. There’s a sadness in it, but we’re used to that by now. We’ll tell you about those losses, but first, some highlights.
I started yet another season – 12? 13? I’ve lost count – on a Homecoming afternoon at Winthrop with Drexel in town. The Eagles began what would be a season marked with inconsistent performances, running out to a huge lead over the Dragons before finally falling on a late jumper. Winthrop had it end in a loss for them sooner than most anticipated. More on that soon enough, though.
Year two of covering Queens and the ASUN started shortly thereafter, and it featured a contest against one of the teams from my regular conference “beat”. High Point moved on from coach G.G. Smith after last season, and most of their team followed either through graduation or the portal. The Panthers were picked to finish seventh – and would remind everyone of that for the rest of the season – and a November game at Queens would be my first chance to see the new-look Panthers under first-year coach Alan Huss.
Queens won the game, but we need to stop here to talk about both sides a little. Queens – despite losing star guard Kenny Dye and eventually forward Gavin Rains – expected a big year. The Royals grabbed some wins that are really impressive in retrospect – they took down the regular-season Big South champion Panthers and a MAAC juggernaut in Fairfield that won two CBI games before losing to eventual champion Seattle – but won just one of 17 on the road.
Granted, that one was huge – Queens knocked off eventual ASUN champion Stetson on its own deck – but getting 16 of your 19 losses on the road is tough when trying to string together winning streaks. More on the Royals in a bit, though.
Then there’s High Point – again, more on them later – but let’s again reiterate that the Panthers viewed that seventh-place projection as a chip on their shoulder. Considering what we knew – or, more accurately, didn’t know – about the Panthers, there’s an odd element of understandable outrage and false hustle.
There’s more to be said about High Point coming up later in this piece. First, though, let me quote a text I sent a coach on August 12. “I have no read on (High Point) at all,” I told that coach. I was wrong about High Point – and Alan – by picking them seventh, to be sure. However, as I just stated, I didn’t have a read on the Panthers. I still didn’t have a full read on them after the game at Queens. I would have a read on them soon enough, though.
I saw Winthrop in its first-ever MTE in Rock Hill. The Eagles swept the event, claiming wins over Holy Cross, IUPUI, and Elon. Some interesting things would eventually happen with those teams – Bo Montgomery would transfer away from Holy Cross, Matt Crenshaw’s “parting ways” with IUPUI would lead to three-quarters of the team departing, and Elon’s Maxx McKinnon would also eventually depart the Phoenix.
There were two obvious takeaways from that weekend. First, the Rock Hill Sports & Events Center proved itself to be a pretty solid venue. I wish that Winthrop would play more games at the building directly next to its campus instead of the cavernous Winthrop Coliseum, but I’ll lose that battle.
The bigger story was the legend of Noah Van Bibber. The Winthrop freshman went absolutely NBA Jam over the weekend, including a 22-point effort against Holy Cross on 6-for-8 from distance. Van Bibber would tally 38 of his 70 points on the season in that three-game run, hitting nine of his 16 made threes on the season. I didn’t get to talk to Van Bibber after any of those games, but he was clearly comfortable on the deck in downtown Rock Hill.
It was then back to Queens for me for a pair of games, with the first coming against friend of the outlet Jack Castleberry and FDU. Queens coach Grant Leonard talked to me after the game and reinforced one of the key messages he told his team all year – the little things matter. The Royals then took that 13-point decision into a home tilt with Gardner-Webb. BJ McLaurin won that one on a buzzer-beating three with inside of one second to play, putting the Royals above .500 on the season. Gardner-Webb would remain under .500 for quite a while, due to a hellacious non-league slate. More – much more – on Queens and Gardner-Webb to come, though.
Gardner-Webb would quickly turn around from that last-second defeat and grab a huge win over then-undefeated Western Carolina mere days later. This was my lone chance to see Catamounts star Vonterius Woolbright after speaking with his coach, Justin Gray, and writing about him in the Blue Ribbon Yearbook before the season. Woolbright was as advertised – he notched one of his many double-doubles on the campaign in scoring 35 points and snatching 14 boards – but the Runnin’ Bulldogs got their own double-double from Caleb Robinson (29 points, 13 boards) in turning away the Catamounts.
Winthrop would then beat Queens, turning a 10-point halftime deficit into a six-point victory in Rock Hill. Eagles coach Mark Prosser said something after the game that would prove both prescient and almost as a harbinger.
“We’ve just got to make sure our antennas are up against a team that pushes the ball and can shoot it the way they can,” Prosser said.
Remember that quote as we advance through our recap of the season.
I would then get to see my friends DK (App coach Dustin Kerns), Frank (Young), Brad (Fey), and App State for the first time in a couple years. I got to see them for three games in a row, starting with a contest at Queens. The Mountaineers won by 12 in front of a rather partisan black-and-gold crowd in Charlotte, buoyed by CJ Huntley’s 22 points in front of his home crowd in the Queen City. Next, it was off to Greensboro, where App squared off with Gardner-Webb. The Mountaineers trailed by two at the half – only to tear off 51 second-half points and run away from the Runnin’ Bulldogs.
The third of the trifecta took us to Hickory, N.C. – about an hour or so northwest of Charlotte, 45 minutes south of App’s campus in Boone, and just under two hours east of Asheville, for those unfamiliar with the area – for a regional battle between App and Asheville. A capacity – maybe over capacity, depending on who you ask – crowd saw an historic performance. That history, though, would not be what the Mountaineer faithful wanted to witness.
Asheville guard Josh Banks scorched the net at a ridiculous clip in the first half, dropping 30 points on 10 triples in 20 minutes on the deck of the Tarlton Complex at Catawba Valley Community College to turn in one of the better performances I would witness all season. Were that not enough, Drew Pember logged one of the two triple-doubles I would see him turn in this season. Asheville coach Mike Morrell – forever one of my favorite dudes in the world – said something about the performance I still find amusing.
“I told the guys that we got that because we got stops,” Morrell said. “We were able to transition to the other end. That was a really impressive first half.”
One of Mike’s dudes drops 30 in a half, and that was Mike’s comment. I hope he never changes.
It should also be noted that I had one of the great conversations Mike and I usually have after the recorder was turned off. I love those conversations. Mike was also very kind in his introduction of me to the wonderful Kassi Butcher, Asheville’s SID.
As for DK, he would say something Mike would say nearly three months later.
“We picked a bad night to have a bad night.”
At the risk of repeating myself, more on that later.
After a Winthrop dusting of Toccoa Falls that was completely non-noteworthy, other than my buddy Collins Janus getting a turn on the play-by-play call and Winthrop scoring more points in the paint than Toccoa Falls scored points period, I wandered out of an arena for the final time in 2023 and began to prepare for 2024.
Winthrop started the year and the conference slate with a contest that required 45 minutes to settle. The Eagles and Longwood Lancers did battle, heating up a rivalry that has gained steam ever since Griff got to Farmville. Winthrop made more free throws than Longwood tried that January day in Rock Hill, and overcame a double-digit deficit to work past the Lancers by eight in extra time.
Griff said something after that game that carried a lot of weight – especially considering what the Lancers would become just two months later.
“To be honest with you, the whole game, I thought we got out-competed. I didn’t think we played with great energy and urgency. I thought we just played with them. I thought they out-competed us, which is something within your control. You can handle that. That’s a disappointment.”
I saw UNCG for the first – and only – time this season on a cold, rainy day in the Gate City. The Greensboro Coliseum is a different place with the tarped upper tank and the students not around, but it was a good chance to see old friends Mike Jones, Donny Lind, and Randy Phillips, along with the Spartans. It was also interesting to watch first-year ETSU coach Brooks Savage on the opposing sideline.
UNCG won the game going away, with the Spartans maintaining the solid scoring offense they displayed all year. I saw something in that ETSU team that day, and said as much. I sometimes get one right, and maybe that was mine. The Bucs went on to play for a SoCon title, and though they didn’t win it, For an ETSU team that has seen its share of struggles since Steve Forbes left, last year was a much-needed turnaround. As for the Spartans, I think the future is bright for them, too. Great leadership makes all the difference, and they have it in Mike, Donny, Pop, and the rest of that staff.
Queens had an up-and-down week. The Royals first slipped past FGCU – despite Keeshawn Kellman nearly posting a double-double. Deyton Albury scored 27 and had a crazy SC Top 10 shot in the process. Two days later, Stetson steamrolled the Royals on their home deck in Charlotte. Grant was unhappy with his team’s effort in the contest – particularly on the boards. Rebounding and physicality would be storylines for Queens all season. Again, more on this later.
Winthrop then found itself in a bonus basketball battle – again – with Radford in Rock Hill. One bonus period would have been enough. Two would have been fine. Instead, we had three. I got to share press row with my buddy Mike Gleason as we watched a day of basketball that seemed unwilling to end. The Eagles finally outlasted the Highlanders after three overtime periods, and after it ended, I snuck down to my good friend Rick Watson’s seat to see what Highlander coach Darris Nichols would say after the game. His words seemed somewhat prescient for what would unfold for the rest of the season.
“I thought it was a good basketball game, if you had no strings attached,” Radford coach Darris Nichols said. “For us – you can go in there and you can shoot a thousand jump shots a day and make 500, but if you’re not a student of the game and don’t understand the attention to detail that goes into what we’re trying to do – scouting report, defense – then those thousand shots don’t mean anything.”
“Our next step of getting better is being students of the game. There were a lot of situations that we messed up that we could have cleaned up, and it could have been a different outcome.”
The Highlanders were just starting to see the struggles caused by injuries and inconsistent play. You can probably guess this, but I’ll have more on them later.
Asheville and Winthrop then renewed pleasantries on national TV on a mid-January Thursday. Drew Pember’s final trip to the Winthrop Coliseum proved memorable, as he recorded a 29-point, 13-board double-double in an Asheville victory. One of those boards came in traffic and led to his finding Banks for a triple that put the Bulldogs in the lead for good. Mike was incredibly respectful to Winthrop and coach Mark Prosser after the game. I wasn’t surprised.
I then made my first trip to High Point’s still-new Qubein Center. I had meant to get up there the year prior, but circumstances we won’t discuss here precluded me from doing so. Believe me when I tell you that the place is as advertised. It’s noisy, it’s a fun atmosphere, and it’s gorgeous. I got to catch up with my buddy William Robertson before the game, and after that, I got to see Saah Nimley coach for the same school for which I covered him as a player. We have lots to talk about with the situation at Charleston Southern, but there’s still time for that.
The Panthers eventually wore down the Bucs, but CSU continued to fight from beginning to end. High Point won by seven, gaining Huss’s respect.
“Hats off to Charleston Southern,” Huss said. “I thought we had a chance to really blow them out late in the first half, and they took our best shot there and really rebounded. They made things very difficult. They came back and took a couple leads. They’re gonna be a tough game for everybody in the league.”
He – mostly – wasn’t incorrect.
Queens “played angry” and took down Central Arkansas by 17. The Royals played with a purpose that was not as consistent as Grant would have preferred this season, Queens shot nearly 51 percent from the deck, producing an effort that had to prove both exciting and frustrating, knowing what the Royals were capable of when firing on all cylinders.
High Point and Winthrop then went at it in Rock Hill, and the Panthers turned in one of their best – though, again, more inconsistent – efforts of the year in a win. The homesteading Eagles led by as many as 17 points in the contest, with Huss being assessed a technical by Jeremy Mosier with his team down by 13. The technical clearly made a difference, as the Panthers outscored Winthrop, 46-31, from there.
Here’s my recap of the final sequence of that game:
Everyone in the Winthrop Coliseum knew how the final 14 seconds of Saturday’s game between High Point and Winthrop would unfold. It didn’t matter.
Panther point guard Kezza Giffa, who was a point away from equaling the season-high points total by a Big South scorer and had hit 10 of his team’s 23 made baskets, was going to get the ball with the game tied at 81. It would be up to Winthrop to stop him.
He did, and Winthrop couldn’t.
Giffa dribbled high, drove left, drew contact, and finished with a floating jumper that gave him the league’s season-high of 37 points and his Panthers the 83-81 road victory before a crowd of 2,440 at Winthrop Coliseum.
Nobody would eclipse that season-high scoring mark, and few people would slow High Point – for the most part.
The season’s penultimate – hi, Jaden! – month arrived both quickly and glacially, as Queens welcomed Eastern Kentucky. The Colonels were undefeated in league play, and clearly not expecting what was about to happen. The Royals pummeled EKU, scoring 94 points to dish out the Colonels’ first league loss.
The hot streak would continue for Queens, as it knocked off Bellarmine at home two days later. The Knights led just twice in the game – both very early on – as the Royals turned away the pair of Kentucky visitors in a 48-hour span.
Winthrop trounced Charleston Southern in a game probably best left to history. A few days – and a few hundred miles – later, I made my first visit to Longwood’s Joan Perry Brock Center to watch the Lancers host Winthrop. The building is an architectural marvel – it fits in wonderfully with the center of the campus in which it is located. I had a tour of the building when it was in the final construction stages, and seeing things finished was quite amazing in comparison.
After the far-too-kind Sam Hovan showed me around and we inadvertently ran into Griff, assistant – and my guy – Ronnie Thomas, and digital storyteller extraordinaire Will Johnson, it was time for me to settle in for my annual day of self-hatred that features my covering two games in one day hundreds of miles from home – oh, and with an hour’s drive between them. Longwood continued its slow-but-steady turnaround from a disappointing start to league play, overcoming the loss of team leader Walyn Napper to foul trouble and putting together a total team win that really seemed to energize Griff. He’s always happy to see me – or puts on a good act, but I’d prefer the former – but that game seemed to set the stage for what would take place in a month.
After taking a ton of photos, I ventured out into the cold Southside afternoon and hit US Highway 460 west for the drive to Lynchburg. I arrived at Liberty Arena – a bit later than I’d hoped, thanks to the endless stream of stoppages in Farmville – and prepared for the Flames and Louisiana Tech.
The Flames led for roughly one-tenth of the game, but held the lead that mattered for one tenth plus two seconds. Kaden Metheny drained a wild, last-second bucket almost directly in front of his coach, Ritchie McKay, giving Liberty a 65-62 result before a raucous crowd in Lynchburg.
Ritchie gave a perfectly Ritchie answer when asked about his vantage point of the bucket.
“He was really close to me,” Liberty coach Ritchie McKay added of Metheny’s game-winner. “When it left his hand, I thought, ‘Man, he’s really far out there.’ I heard the reaction. I didn’t see it go through the net.”
I feel as if I’ve said this a million times, but more on Ritchie in a bit. It ended in a loss for Liberty, too, as the Flames bowed out in the CUSA tournament and did not participate in the postseason. Expect that to be the exception, not the rule.
North Florida annihilated Queens in a game that saw Grant as animated as I’ve ever seen him. His quote to me after the game was succinctly phrased.
“If we’re going to get our butt whipped on the glass, it’s not going to matter much,” Leonard said. “Giving them 14 offensive rebounds and 20-plus second-chance points – we’re never going to win like that. That’s not a team that should do that to us. That was the difference in the game.”
Queens bounced back a couple nights later, getting Jaxon Pollard’s first career double-double in a win over Jacksonville. Jaxon is a smart guy and has already accomplished a lot in life, even though his future is just beginning. His grit and determination will take him far in life. A quote he gave me after the game outlines that.
“It’s been hard at times,” Pollard said. “(Leonard) just gives me more confidence than anyone you could ever imagine. He just tells me to play hard every day. Sometimes I airball threes or make dumb turnovers. He calls me Maverick sometimes. He just tells me to play hard. He trusts me, he loves me, and I really appreciate that. It helps me to keep my head on straight.”
I then saw a 30-point half for the second time this season, as High Point’s Kimani Hamilton went off against Radford on a frigid Saturday night in the Triad. Hamilton snapped his career-high of 29 before the final first-half media, scoring just over one-third of his team’s 99 points. I’ve said before that I was wrong about High Point, even if unintentionally so.
The bigger story would come when I rounded the corner after post-game press and saw Radford coach Darris Nichols, sitting on a folding chair in the hall and talking to Rick. I’m going to reveal what you likely already know – I respect Nice so immensely and hold him in high regard. His choices might not be mine – and they don’t have to be – but the veneer of media guy and coach falls pretty quickly when we see each other and the recorder light is off.
Nice seemed down that night. I get it – the Highlanders had a bunch of challenges this year and were undermanned against the league’s regular-season champs – but the sight of him and the conversation we had stuck with me. I stopped off shortly along the way home and sent him a message – what I said is between him and me – to try to encourage him however I could. I don’t know if any of it worked, but it needed to be done.
Presbyterian then hammered Winthrop in a game that was never really close. The Blue Hose shot the lights out and turned in arguably their best performance of the season in the 23-point decision. I remember talking to Mike (Gleason) after that game and he told me he hoped he would get to call a PC game in the conference tournament. He would get his wish – but again, we’re getting ahead of ourselves.
Winthrop bounced back three days later, never trailing in a home win against Upstate. The Spartans challenged, but never enough to strike fear. Upstate took an uncharacteristic 32 threes, which coach Dave Dickerson referenced in his post-game comments. Winthrop forward Micheal Anumba emphasized after the game how seriously the Eagles took the challenge of responding following the Presbyterian loss, and they clearly did so.
And then there was March.
The month tailor-made for hoops junkies would bring to a close another whirlwind season, beginning on the first day of the month with an eerily prescient piece. I ventured over to see Longwood play a nationally-televised game against Gardner-Webb – I’ve tried to let Jake cover most of the games over there – and ended up writing a feature to accompany Jake’s game story.
I would share the prescient part with you now, but I’ll wait. You’ll see why I made that choice.
The next night, I visited Queens for the final time this season. The Royals claimed a much-needed win over Kennesaw State and sent out AJ McKee, BJ McLaurin, and Kalib Mathews with a 91-point effort in which five scorers recorded double digits. Grant paid tribute to his seniors in comments he made to me after the game.
“They’ve meant so much,” Leonard said. “AJ has been here five years, Kalib four, and BJ three, with multiple degrees between them. More importantly, the way they handle themselves on campus and how they represent the institution and our team – it’s been amazing.”
“I’m proud of those guys for all they’ve accomplished – the 30-win seasons, the conference championships, all the firsts in Division I. What they’ve really done for all the student-athletes here is shown they can compete at this level.”
It ended in a loss for Queens shortly thereafter, as they fell to Stetson in the ASUN tournament on the Hatters’ home deck after knocking off FGCU in the opening round. AJ ended up at Milwaukee with Bart Lundy, his original head coach at Queens. That’s a cool, full-circle moment for him. Deyton is still in the transfer portal, as are several other Royals.
The regular season ended for me the following day with a renewal of the regional rivalry between Gardner-Webb and Winthrop. I’ve seen nearly every installment of this rivalry for well over a decade now, and this – as always – didn’t disappoint.
Gardner-Webb trailed, 64-62, late in the game. They eschewed a time out, raced up the floor, and hoisted a somewhat wild try, then found Lucas Stieber in the right place at the right time – as he almost always was – to bang a wide-open triple and win the game.
Pross summed up the game pretty succinctly.
“It came down to one ball. They got it and we didn’t.”
Tim was very animated after that game – maybe as animated as I’ve seen him in a long time.
Just over one week later, the unexpected happened.
And now, the bittersweet part.
I went back to High Point for the Big South tournament, which is where the way we started this piece also becomes where it ends. It always ends in a loss.
It first ended in a loss for eighth-seeded Upstate, as the Spartans fell to ninth-seeded Radford in the opening-round game. Radford struggled in most facets, but won the game where it counted. The Highlanders boarded a staggering 51 misses in the game, creating numerous second-chance opportunities in a 67-60 win. 21 of those were offensive caroms.
Nice seemed a lot happier after the game than he was the last time I encountered him in High Point, so that was a good thing.
Then, I stayed around to talk to Upstate coach Dave Dickerson. Little did I know it would likely be the last time.
Dave left shortly after the season to go be the associate head coach at Ohio State. Quite frankly, I’m kind of amazed it didn’t happen before then. It was rumored that Dave may be leaving for a similar role the year prior, but he chose to coach one more year. His son, Dave III (D3), having one more year of eligibility likely influenced that plan.
Dave and I have had a lot of off-the-record conversations to go along with what made it to print, and I’m here to tell you that I always felt enriched every time we talked. Dave lost his beloved wife – we’ve talked about that in a prior epilogue – which was obviously heartbreaking for him and everyone who knew them. Dave showed a class and perseverance through all of the challenges at Upstate, and he got to fulfill the goals of coaching at home and coaching his son.
Drake assistant Marty Richter will take over for Dave, and I’m anxious to meet and get to know him. I’m confident he’ll do well in Spartanburg. I’ll miss Dave more than he’ll ever realize, though.
Friday’s quarterfinals arrived, where Radford first battled regular-season champ High Point. It ended in a loss for the Highlanders that afternoon, as the Panthers bounced back from a torrid Radford start and gave the sold-out crowd a reason to celebrate, claiming a 77-63 victory.
Nice provided one of the quotes of the year after the game. Every so often during these seasons that feel all too transactional at times, something will knock you on your heels. This was one of those things.
“A lot of times – especially when you have adversity, and I had an adverse situation, obviously – you want to come back and write your own story. Sometimes it doesn’t go like that. You’ve just got to keep working and keep fighting, and that’s what I’ve challenged these guys to do.”
However Nice’s story ends, I’m confident that he has already made a tremendous impact on the world, and there’s more to come.
It then ended in a loss for Winthrop, as Longwood – who just days prior had secured the fifth seed in a frenetic sequence in Farmville in which Napper hit a game-winner adjacent to the horn – dispatched the Eagles by 13. Winthrop endured an inconsistent season and suffered another early exit in the tournament. Mark Prosser summed it up in his post-game remarks.
“That was obviously not the conversation we were planning to have going in (to the game),” Prosser said. “It’s happening too much in our program over the last couple years, to have such a short stay in this tournament. They made the game-winning plays that decided that game. We tip our cap to them. [...] When that happens at this time of year, it’s abrupt. When the season ends, it ends extremely abruptly,”
The Eagles got a bit of good news, though, as star forward Kelton Talford announced as I was compiling this that he would return for his final year of eligibility. I’ve known and covered KT since he was a high schooler – he played basketball and football at nearby Great Falls High School – and have written many words about him here and in newspapers. He’s a fantastic kid from a wonderful family, and I’m excited to see his final chapter.
It then ended in a loss for Charleston Southern. The Bucs fell, 60-55, to Asheville in the tournament quarterfinals. It ended in a loss – and a win – for CSU many months earlier, however.
Long-time CSU coach Barclay Radebaugh stepped aside early in the season – “mutually agreed to part ways” is the language everyone seems to use these days – and left behind a legacy as the Bucs’ leader. Many point to his record, which is fine, but I’ll remember Barclay for the lives he changed. The people he impacted. The conversations we had.
I’ll remember Cortez Mitchell being unable to continue an answer to a question in a press conference in Asheville and Barclay stepping in, telling us the story of how he would be the first person in his family to graduate from college. Cortez is now a coach. I’ll remember his stepping in to tell us Arlon Harper’s story in Conway after a tournament game years ago. Harp went on to be a coach himself and has made quite the success story. I’ll remember his constant compliments of me – whether or not I felt I earned them.
I’ll also remember his guidance of the man who eventually replaced him. Saah Nimley was a guy that a lot of people overlooked because of his size – until they saw him play. Saah was an absolute menace on the court. He played a foot taller and a hundred pounds heavier than he was. He always wanted the ball when it mattered. He epitomized Charleston Southern – an undersized underdog who never stopped fighting. He’s already the same way as a coach. I’m glad he got the opportunity – though, believe me, there was no shortage of interest in that job.
It ended in a loss for Presbyterian, too – though not on that quarterfinal night. We thought it might after Gardner-Webb knocked off the Blue Hose on two late free throws. I’m glad it wasn’t the end – after all, that PC team had really come together toward the end of the year. I know Q’s record coaching Presbyterian hasn’t been stellar, but considering everything he’s had to deal with, I have to give him an immense amount of credit.
I also got a chance to have a conversation with Blue Hose wing Trevon Reddish-Rhone at Media Day in October, and I came away tremendously impressed with him as a person and a leader. He gave me an amazing answer when I asked him to recap his time at PC. For those unaware, I wanted to reshare his thoughts. The emotion comes through in his words, but it was palpable in the room.
“It got hard. Some have left. I’ve been one of the ones who have stayed. Me and Coach have stayed, trying to build a foundation and build a culture. We were just trying to make history, man. We were just trying to put PC on the map. That’s something I’ve always tried to do. I don’t want PC to be looked at as just a school that you run through. PC’s home to me. It will always be home to me.”
It ended in a loss for the Blue Hose in the CBI. Presbyterian lost to Montana in overtime and put up a tremendous fight, despite missing star Marquis Barnett. Quis is in the portal as I write this.
One day later, it ended in a loss for two more teams.
Top-seeded High Point was the first to fall, The whole scenario completely defied explanation – Longwood trailed by 15 points at the under-12 and the only drama remaining seemed to be the final margin. The Lancers chipped and chipped, before finally taking the lead in front of one of the most stunned crowds I saw all season. The sides went extra time and Longwood trailed – again – before finally overcoming the Panthers and leaving everybody in the building speechless.
Alan blamed himself. He shouldn’t have, of course, but he revealed what anyone who has ever coached knows. When the team wins, the players get the credit. When the team loses, the coach shoulders the blame.
“I don’t want to take anything away from Longwood,” Huss said. “They came in here in a really hostile environment. Our fans did their part. Everybody but Coach Huss did their part.”
It would end in a loss for High Point in the CBI final. Seattle took down the Panthers in Daytona, using a late 8-0 run to create an insurmountable 10-point margin. Star Panther guard Duke Miles is in the portal as I write this, but I wouldn’t shed too many tears for High Point. They have a great, young coaching staff, a good core of returners, and a lot of resources to lure in potential stars.
It would also end – in more ways than one – for Gardner-Webb that day. The Runnin’ Bulldogs fought tooth-and-nail with Asheville before finally falling in overtime. Drew Pember did what Drew Pember does, only on a higher level. Pember notched a triple-double in the tilt, further cementing his legacy as one of the biggest stars this league has seen in recent memory. More on Drew in a second, though.
It ended in a monstrous loss for Gardner-Webb, and for everyone who has come to know that program as it stands. There were rumors all season that Gardner-Webb may want to move on from coach Tim Craft, and though we’ll never know how true those rumors were or were not, he just seemed…different that day. He seemed tired. Maybe it was just my perception. Something just felt…off.
We would need just a few days to find out what may have inspired part of that feeling. Craft was announced as the new head coach at Western Carolina following Justin Gray’s departure for Coastal Carolina, bringing to a close a decade-plus of unquestioned success in Boiling Springs. I don’t think anyone expected to ever see Tim coaching anywhere other than GWU – he had apparently turned down several opportunities before – and he would suddenly be wearing purple and gold.
My time covering the Big South largely overlaps with Tim’s time in Boiling Springs. He took over for Chris Holtmann and set a standard for consistency. His teams never won fewer than nine conference games in a season. They never went under .500 in league play. The Runnin’ Bulldogs won the 2019 Big South championship. Through it all, they did it with class. Tim was – is – a leader of men. He and Jess are unwaveringly kind people. They have given so much to that university and community that could never be quantified.
I’ll probably always remember that Big South championship team, just because it was so much a bolt from the blue. The ‘Dogs were the fourth seed, falling to that spot by virtue of a second tiebreaker with fellow 10-6 squad Winthrop. GWU went through High Point and top-seeded Campbell in Buies Creek, before hitting the road to Radford and taking down the Highlanders. Craft’s side would then go to the NCAA regionals in Columbia, giving eventual national champion Virginia an absolute fight.
I’ll never forget the prayer circle the team formed while waiting to receive their league champion trophy. I’ll never forget the time spent talking to Tim in the halls, in his office, and anywhere else we could just catch up. I’ll keep with me the absolute exhilaration of his club winning that 2019 title, and the exhaustion and heartbreak following his club’s 2017 loss on Winthrop’s home floor in an extra-time semifinal that is still the best game I’ve ever covered.
The school made the only move it could have made to replace Tim, elevating associate head coach Jeremy Luther to the top chair. Jeremy has been Tim’s right-hand man for the entire run, providing a steady hand and incredible recruiting prowess that helped set up a pipeline from the northeast – and beyond – to Boiling Springs. However long it took GWU’s administration to make the right decision, credit them for making it. I respect Jeremy as I do Tim, and I’m excited to see him get a chance to run his own club. Just please forgive me if I don’t feel a bit of a loss when I look over next season and don’t see Tim there.
The Big South tournament closed the following day, with the High Point Invitational, as it was dubbed by several people to me in “unofficial” capacities, featuring the two most recent league champions squaring off on national TV. Longwood looked to play the role of the irresistible object, while Asheville played the immovable force. We all expected a heavyweight fight. What we got was a first-round TKO.
Longwood – whether playing with emotion from forward Elijah Tucker who missed the game with an injury and was in a hospital bed or just riding the wave of the last week-plus – rolled Asheville. The game was never close. Not even for a second. There’s little I can say about the game that I didn’t already cover in my stories from both the winning and losing sides, but I’ll add this.
Griff and Walyn had their share of challenges. Griff exhibited one of the most important qualities a leader can show – he saw what Walyn could be, even when Walyn might not have seen it himself. The two shared an embrace in front of the bench that seemed to sum up all of the emotions the two had shared since Napper arrived on campus. Napper said one thing that I’ll always keep with me, though. It perfectly summed up the season, his two years in Farmville, and maybe life in general.
“The bad things don’t make you.”
I’ve chronicled Griff’s and my relationship in several epilogues. Whether it was being accused of favoring Griff and his team, his offering me counsel in a time I needed it most, my apologizing to his lovely wife Julie for keeping him after a game for an interview, or myriad other things, it’s well established that I greatly like and respect Griff. It would end in a loss for Longwood in the NCAA tournament, as the Lancers fell to Houston in a game best left unmentioned.
I greatly like and respect Mike, too, and I knew some wisdom was coming from him after that game, too. I wasn’t disappointed.
“(The season finished) 22-12 for us this year, which is – my first year, I don’t know that I really would have ever imagined that we’d get there, but to be disappointed, the way we feel right now, having 22 wins, I guess you’ve kind of got to put it in perspective, but it still sucks. Today was a tough day.”
Mike jokes about the occasional disagreements we have. I’ve told him – and I should reiterate – that I see his points, even if we don’t agree. He’s also very self-deprecating with his humor, but there’s always something he says that I take with me. This year’s edition came after the semifinal win.
“I just really value failure. You’re just not getting here without it,” Morrell said. “You’ve got two ways to look at defeat and failure – woe is me or grit your teeth a little bit. That’s how I was raised. You don’t do it alone. Winning is through the support of people around you. In basketball, the most important thing with winning is players.”
It ended with a loss that day for anyone who loves Big South basketball. It was the final time we would see Drew Pember in an Asheville uniform. I’ve written so many words about Drew and the amazingly high esteem in which I hold him that anything I say here feels repetitive, but this needs to be said.
I asked Drew what it was like to play in the NCAA tournament, and he described it as a “living hell”. I can’t recap the entire answer here, but it was as Drew is – introspective, eloquent, and full of thought. He’s a wonderful player, sure, but he’s a better person. He comes from an amazing family, which Mike constantly mentions. I’ve seen it first-hand. Mike is correct.
The answer Drew gave me about what he hopes will be his legacy bears repeating.
“It’s not about statistics, I’ll tell you that,” Pember said. “The relationship that I have with the community and with my teammates, coaches, teachers, counselors, janitors, and everybody – that’s really the impact that it’s left on my heart. For me, Asheville means a lot, but it’s not everything. It’s not what my identity’s in. My identity is in Christ, and that’s where I’ll stay. That’s where my heart’s at.”
“It’s obviously not fun to lose, especially in this fashion. I hate it for my teammates. I hate it for the fans that drove out. Asheville means a lot to me. It’s my second home and always will be. My legacy – I don’t want it to be about basketball. I want it to be about how I was as a brother, friend, teammate, son, and things like that. My legacy at Asheville, I don’t want it to be about basketball, necessarily.”
I try not to be a fan of people I cover, for obvious reasons. Now that I’m not covering him anymore, I can say without hesitation that I am a Drew Pember fan. You should be, too.
I wrapped up the season by covering another NCAA tournament in Charlotte. I pinch-hit on coverage of three of the teams this outlet regularly covers. It was an honor, but also a lot of pressure.
Two of those teams we cover faced each other, as North Carolina beat up on Wagner, to little surprise. The Seahawks were undermanned and battled foul trouble, mostly putting the writing on the wall from the time the ball was tipped. Still, Wagner took home a win – a “unit”, as the cool kids say – in Dayton before meeting its eventual end. I came away incredibly impressed with Wagner coach Donald Copeland.
“These guys feel they belong here,” Wagner coach Donald Copeland said after the game. “I think they worked to put themselves in this position. “I’m glad (for) the way we played.”
He’s correct. They belonged. The challenges of the Wagners of the world playing North Carolina are best left for chewing up column inches somewhere else. Carolina was a huge favorite, and played that way. Wagner played like the scrappy, never-say-die side it was.
It then ended in a loss for Saint Peter’s. The Peacocks were unable to recreate their magical run of a couple years prior, as Tennessee flummoxed Bashir Mason’s club all day long. Bash can coach. He’s a wise dude. Though many of the questions after the game – quickly, let me pause and apologize to the legendary Jerry Carino for his having to ask so many of them, as he simultaneously hit every question I wanted to ask – focused on that run and comparing with this season, Bash provided some good stuff, too.
“As I was walking down here, I was just quickly reflecting on the game and just also thinking about the history of Saint Peter's, the run here, reflecting on who they beat to make it to the Elite Eight,” Mason said. “Then you think about what our game was like tonight, that run we did two, three years ago, that was impressive. That was really impressive for that to happen for a small school in Jersey City.”
We may never see a run like that again – especially not in today’s transfer portal landscape. That press conference – and the realization that lightning may never be again found in an NCAA bottle – was incredibly bittersweet.
Carolina moved on to Saturday, where Michigan State hit 11 of its first 17 shots and had the Tar Heels firmly on the ropes. Hubert Davis’ club responded by scoring 23 of the final 26 first-half points, leaving the Spartans staggered and eventually seeing it end in a loss for them that afternoon. UNC won by 16 and choked out the Spartans, a fact not lost on MSU forward Malik Hall.
“I think we were just talking about it in the second half. We had cut it pretty close, and then we just had some mistakes, offensive rebounds. They made some tough shots. Then after that, we couldn't get anything to go on offense, I don't think really. That's just kind of where I felt like it went.”
Carolina owned the final 32 minutes of the game, looking as if it would vanquish the demons from a lost 2022-23 campaign. It looked the same in the first half of their Sweet 16 tilt against Alabama, with the Tar Heels booking 54 first-half points. The Crimson Tide flipped the script in the second half, however, limiting UNC to just 33 points, as RJ Davis and Armando Bacot struggled, a questionable Jae’Lyn Withers triple harmlessly fell away, and Mark Sears and Grant Nelson took over. It ended in a loss in Los Angeles for the Tar Heels, as Alabama dispatched them, 89-87.
Finally, it ended in a loss for a team I didn’t even cover this year. There’s definitely a connection, though. Let me explain.
It ended in a loss for Charleston – twice. It ended in an NCAA tournament defeat. A couple weeks later, it ended with another loss, as Pat Kelsey departed the Holy City to take over the program at Louisville.
Kels and I had/have/whatever an interesting relationship. One cannot cover a coach for 10 years and not have an interesting relationship. I like him, though. I respect him. I always have, even if we had an occasional row.
He’ll now head off to the ACC, a destination that most of us realized he would almost assuredly reach when he took the Winthrop job. It’s a great spot for him, too, as he will be closer to Cincinnati, the town that made him. He’s also a born marketer, a hype man, and someone who will bring life back to that program. He’ll engage the students. He’ll be visible on campus. If he wins – especially quickly – they’ll love everything about him.
I mentioned when the hire was made that it would either be an absolute hit or an absolute miss. There’s not a lot of room for in-between. I tend to think it’ll be more in the hit category. I’m not alone.
I asked a sitting D1 coach – I won’t name him – for his thoughts. He thinks Kels will be a star there.
“He’s built for it.”
I hope he succeeds – for his sake, for the Derby City’s sake, and for basketball’s sake.
There’s also another reason I’m fired up about this move, but I can’t share it. Not yet. Maybe someday.
I don’t know what got me into doing citrus alliterations before tips of games. Just another random detail that somehow eluded me over the course of a long season. I unfortunately became the victim of my own gimmick, as it got me more “engagement” (cringe) online and in person than just about anything I did. I went back and compiled them all, because I love you and hate myself.
There are 32 in total. I repeated a verb or two and a citrus or two, but I don’t think I repeated a full combination. They all came off the top of my head without a running list – until now. Enjoy.
Queens took the tangerine. Winthrop manhandled the mandarin. Charleston Southern collected the clementine. Queens snatched the satsuma. Winthrop volleyed the Valencia. Eastern Kentucky kneaded the kumquat. Bellarmine nabbed the navel. Winthrop corralled the clementine. Longwood caressed the Cara Cara. Louisiana Tech balanced the bergamot.
North Florida juggled the jaffa. Queens snuggled the Seville. High Point landed the Lima. Winthrop nuzzled the naranja. Winthrop wrested the Wekiva. Kennesaw State kneaded the Kishus. Winthrop snared the Sumo. Radford tapped the Tarocco. Radford claimed the Chinotto.
Longwood tapped the tangelo. Charleston Southern procured the Parson Brown. Gardner-Webb caressed the clementine. Longwood snagged the Salustiana. Longwood nuzzled the Navelina. Asheville obtained the Ovale. Asheville manhandled the Moro. Asheville batted the Byeonggyul. Mississippi State balanced the blood orange. Carolina palmed the pomelo. Texas tipped the tangelo. Tennessee wrested the Washington navel. Carolina clawed the clementine.
I’m glad you liked those. They were fun. I think we’ve fully squeezed the idea, though.
What can we do next season? Hit me up with your ideas.
I should thank people before I close it out with my thoughts on the season.
As always, I have to start by thanking my friends at the Big South Conference. Sherika Montgomery took over for Kyle Kallander atop the league this season, and it was wonderful to see a welcoming and familiar face. Sherika and I had a wonderful conversation at Media Day, where she laid out her vision for the league. She’s kind, smart, and a wonderful leader. I’m happy that she’s here.
My great friends Mark Simpson and Jordan Parry hold things down on the communications side. They continue to take care of all of us ink-stained wretches who cover the league while being far kinder to me than I deserve. Whether slipping me notes about possible broken records, asking me questions, or leaving marshmallows at my seat – this is the best running inside joke ever, by the way – I so greatly value them both. I also got to see them both at the NCAA regionals in Charlotte, which was a wonderful way to close the year.
The awesome Stephen Dolan continued to hold it down as the postgame press conference moderator, along with many other contributions. It got a little like herding cats this season, as some of my brethren ignored his directive to get his attention instead of just shouting questions. There were also some questions that were inappropriate for the setting, but he handled it with professionalism and class, as always. I also seem to run into Stephen in really random places. This year, the first time I saw him was backstage between floor entrances as he was about to FaceTime with his family.
There’s also Mark Bryant from the league office, who is essentially the voice of the league. Mark hosts interview segments with coaches, does a lot of video and audio work, and asks questions in pressers once I finally shut my dumb mouth. Mark has a great sense of humor and is someone I always love to see, even if he might not always say the same of me.
Finally, there is the beautiful, sweet, and funny Ellen Harrington, who actually represents Van Wagner, but is regularly a part of Big South events. Hilarity often follows Ellen because of her personality, and there was a really funny bit this year when she discovered who Nick Lorensen of Mid-Major Madness was. We made jokes about that for three days afterward – much to her likely chagrin. Ellen lights up every room she enters and I can’t say enough how much I love her company. She may never talk to me again after this year’s joke, though.
I saw fewer athletics administrators this season, but I need to thank them here. I frequently saw Queens president Dan Lugo and athletics director Cherie Swarthout at Royals games, and I appreciate their kindness and support of what we’re doing. Winthrop athletics director Chuck Rey is one of my favorite people, going back to my telling the story of his Big South champion volleyball team several years ago. Chuck always treats me as if I’m part of the family there, which I greatly appreciate. There’s also Charleston Southern’s Jeff Barber, USC Upstate’s Lenny Mathis – I didn’t see you enough this year, Lenny! – and Matt Martin, Rich Behan from Saint Peter’s, Cory Durand from Radford, and the others I surely omitted, for which I apologize.
There are also the coaches. I couldn’t do what I do without the coaches, and I’ve already mentioned several of them I hold in such high esteem. Tim and Dave will be so terribly missed, though I hope I’ll get to see Tim from time to time. Let’s just go in alphabetical order in the Big South.
There’s Mike at Asheville. He and I occasionally give each other grief about anything and everything, but I hope Mike knows how much I respect him. He’s been incredibly kind to me in a lot of settings. Saah is an absolute joy to cover at CSU, even if I do feel a little older having covered him as a player. I’ve already mentioned the relationship I have with Jeremy at Gardner-Webb. It’s going to be fun to watch him finally lead his own team. I’ve mentioned my getting to know Alan at High Point, but I also need to shout out Flynn and Martynas. Every guy on that Panther staff should have their own program someday – and soon.
It’s been established how I view Griff, but Ronnie is also one of my favorite people. I saw him on the floor after Longwood won the title and got to shake his hand and talk to him for a bit. He’s the best. I’ve also talked about Q at Presbyterian and Nice at Radford. I always feel as though they teach me something about life, basketball, or both. I also got to say hey to my guys Shane and James from Radford’s staff multiple times this year. I need to go get a chicken sandwich with them sometime. Finally, there’s Pross, Rack, Mitch, Ben, and the guys from Winthrop. They see far more of me than they would likely prefer, but I appreciate them.
I’ve mentioned Grant about 80 times in this piece, but I appreciate him for putting up with my ceaseless questions after games. I’m always amused when I get a text citing one of my tweets asking me to explain myself. I got to talk to Bobby more this year after several Queens games, which I enjoyed. I’ll miss seeing Charlie and Sean, and I wish them the best.
It was great to finally catch up with DK again during a trio of App games. I so greatly respect him, Frank, Brad, Tanner, and that staff up in Boone. They got a well-deserved extension after the season, which was great news. I still have a personal letter DK sent me in a frame in my office. It’s one of my most prized possessions. I’m still curious about the context in which my name comes up in their coaches’ office, as I was told it does. I’ll find out more on that later.
I got to see Ritchie after multiple Liberty games this season. I always treasure my time talking to Ritchie. He gives me playful grief just like Mike does, but there are truly few better people in the profession – or anywhere – than Ritchie. I just need to figure out a way to keep him from calling me out in pressers to try to goad me into asking questions. He’ll have the Flames back where they belong soon enough.
I also got to see and talk to lots of people in the business that I greatly respect, including Jack Castleberry from FDU, Mike, Donny, and Pop from UNCG, Wes Long from Middle – I need to get up there to Lynchburg and see them when they’re up there next – and many others. I missed out on seeing my good friend Ben Thompson from Emory & Henry this year, because I didn’t get to a D2 game this year. That’s my fault. We did go to lunch before the season, and talked on the phone on occasion. There’s a lot of cool stuff around the corner for Ben and his growing young family, and I know many blessings are in the offing for them.
There are also my good friends on press row. I didn’t get to see my friend – and former boss – Michael Burgess as much as I’d like this season, but he always came equipped with at least one stat that would make me shake my head. I mentioned Mike Gleason from ESPN+, and it is always a joy to sit with him and talk basketball, music, or whatever other craziness we bring into the conversation. There’s another Mike from Winthrop – TV and radio star Mike Pacheco. Mike is a stellar guy and such a talent on the mic. I also got to meet Rocco Miller this year – finally! – and it was so incredibly fun to share a press table with him for a game. That guy knows his stuff, and is kind, to boot. There were also the people I rarely get to see, like Daron Vaught and Reggie Walker up at High Point. Daron’s adding more and more responsibilities, which keeps our paths from crossing as much, but he’s so talented that it’s not surprising.
I also got to see Rick Watson from Radford a lot more than usual this year, which was great for me – even if he did undeservedly dub me some sort of celebrity. Rick and I are kindred spirits and it is such a pleasure to just shoot the breeze with him. In the same breath, I should mention the absolutely legendary Mike Ashley. Mike and I became fast friends years ago, and he’s far kinder to me than I merit. He got me connected with Chris Dortch at Blue Ribbon and was responsible for my getting bylines there. What an honor that was – and is. Mike and I see life and the business the same in many ways, which probably has to confuse anyone who happens to overhear our conversations. Mike’s taking some time for himself in future years, which he richly deserves. I better continue to see him around at games, though…
I guess I can put my guy Nick Lorensen in this group, even though he’s gone to the “dark side” of coaching. Nick is a star. Great stuff is ahead for him. I wish we could have made a podcast out of the stuff we talked about off the record, though that would probably have been a bad idea for both of us. I also met Sam Federman through Nick – and this outlet – and when I talk about future stars, that’s another one. Sam works like crazy and truly knows the business.
There are also friends of mine with whom I crossed paths again this year. Long-time Liberty beat writer Damien Sordelett shifted over to cover some Radford stuff for the Roanoke Times this year, and I got to see him at High Point for the tournament. Dame and I always seem to pick up where we left off, as well. He deserves every bit of success coming to him. Speaking of that, I saw my good friend, former boss, and former podcast co-host Alex Zietlow at the NCAA regionals in Charlotte. Alex is killing it at the Observer, which I love to see. He and I had a lot of talks in nearly-empty parking lots at Winthrop, and those days seem far in the rear-view mirror.
There are also the denizens of this outlet. I’ve mentioned Jaden, but it was also great to catch up with Jacob Conley and Justin Mathis from our “southern bureau” whenever we had the chance this season. I’ve tried to cover the league without stepping on them too much, but we got to say hello from time to time. There’s also Jordan Ferrell, who’s a friend of the site – and maybe a fellow writer next year, if Jaden can recruit him out of the portal. I also need to actually share press row with Jaden sometime, instead of virtually doing so. That said, I'm a pretty annoying person with whom to watch a game, so that should also be said. I have references.
Nobody who ever does this job can do it without the help of sports information professionals. We had a tremendous loss before the season, as one of the greatest friends I or anyone in this business could claim, Marc Rabb, left the business after a storied career at Gardner-Webb to go work in marketing. I miss Rabb. Whether it was a funny story, a crazy stat, or a Coke Zero he wasn’t supposed to bring me at courtside, I always loved our time. I hear he’s doing well, and I’m glad for that.
I feel as if I’ve known Winthrop’s Brett Redden for 25 years, and I think we’ve talked about nearly every subject at this point. Brett is a great friend and a consummate pro. I appreciate him. I’ve known Brent Stastny at Presbyterian for about as long, and it was great to see him as often as I did this year. He also had the privilege of telling the story of PC’s women’s basketball team, who had a wonderful season. I frequently saw many of the comms pros I so greatly value this year, including Phil, Kellan, and Mojo from Gardner-Webb – and Mojo will someday stop giving me hell about how frequently he sees me at Queens, but today is not that day. Phil also gives me endless crap about everything from Queens to taking care of his friends, but I love him for it. I also got to have a lot more “off-the-record” conversations with Austin from Queens and Ryan from Upstate this year, which were highlights of my season. I appreciate Austin for always making me feel welcome at Queens, and some of the stuff Ryan said to me still cracks me up over a month later. So funny.
I’ll give Bill Smith from Liberty his own mention, both because I love getting to catch up with him and because he was responsible for one of my more memorable exchanges of the year.
Bill, after a game: “(Ritchie) really seems to like having you around, so…”
Me, immediately: “I pay him well.”
I also met wonderful people this year in Asheville’s Kassi Butcher, High Point’s Kadie Snipes, and App’s Jacob Plecker. They’re still relatively “young” in the business, but they are so professional and helpful that it feels as if they have been in their roles forever. I look forward to watching the success that assuredly awaits them.
Finally, I have to give Sam Hovan from Longwood his own section, since he fits in all of them. Sam does radio, heads up the sports information department, teaches, and probably is responsible for personally making all of the concessions items at the Joan Perry Brock Center. Sam welcomed me on my first visit to the JPB and punished himself by seating me next to him for what seemed like the longest game of the year.
I got a bunch of random texts from Sam while he watched games, which made the experience much more fun for me. Sam has such a fun perspective on the game – he’s done everything from officiating to pulling cables – that he makes me think, laugh, and feel smarter all at the same time.
Sam got to experience a second NCAA tournament in three seasons this year, and we had another of our great conversations after that championship game. I always love being around Sam. I hope Longwood realizes how truly blessed they are to have him.
As always, I have to thank all of you. Each of these seasons simultaneously get longer and shorter, and it’s only natural to wonder if anyone is truly reading. I’ve had many of you introduce yourselves to me and say hello in person, which I love – even as an introvert. I’m a functioning introvert.
More of you interact with me on Twitter/X, which I always enjoy. Whether it’s a question, a DM, an insult, or whatever, I read it all. I try to interact in return however and whenever I can. I still laugh a bit thinking of the suggestion from my buddy Trey Wilson – who does Longwood TV with the equally great Kion Brown – that I resurrect my podcast that focuses on Big South basketball and other stuff I cover. I love the idea, but I need him to find me another 40 hours in each week.
If you ever see me at a game, please say hello. I love shaking hands, having conversations, and the like. I know you all love this stuff as much as I do, and what I do is an absolute privilege. I’ll even autograph your signs heckling me, as long as they’re creative.
And finally, there’s me. This hasn’t seemed as much of a downer as last year’s edition – until, of course, possibly right now.
There comes a time in everything where you realize you’re closer to the finish line than the starting gate. I think I’ve reached that point. I’m not immediately hanging it up – much to the celebration of tens of people – but that expiration date on my doing this is now an eventual thing. As a self-described underdog advocate, the window for someone like me is rapidly closing because of the way the sport has changed. I don’t want to be preachy or whiny, but that needs to be acknowledged.
I also need to learn how to say “no” at some point. All these cool things have appeared in my life over the last 12 months or so – the partnership with Jaden, writing for Blue Ribbon, and much more – but even I have my point where I have to close the laptop and just walk away for a bit. That point is coming quicker and quicker these days.
(If we’re being real, I’d also like to get more value in return for what I provide, but I think we can all say that. Maybe one day I’ll share my PayPal or something, in case anyone wants to throw me a dollar or two. I’m not a paywall guy.)
I’m a music person, as you all know. I listen to music driving to and from games, while I write, and seemingly every other second of every day. Last year’s selection was much more depressing. I found myself at much more of a crossroads then, and though I do still have a bit of that going on, there’s another song lyric that seemed to repeatedly scream at me this season. The year of betting on myself – even to my detriment – was best summed up this way:
For every path you follow there’s another left behind
Every door you don’t kick open there’s a million more to try
And for everything you’ve taught me here’s the one I’ve learned the best
There is nothing but the moment
Don’t you waste it on regret
Toad the Wet Sprocket, “The Moment”
We are – and I am – easily consumed by life. We doubt ourselves. We feel “less than”. We struggle with loneliness, depression, and every other emotion imaginable. I’ve stayed in a lot of situations – mostly professional, but some otherwise – where I wasn’t living up to my potential just because I felt comfortable. I chose the guard rails of the known instead of the limitless possibility of the unknown.
I know the question any of you may ask before undergoing a huge life change.
“What if I fail?”
What if you don’t? What if you realize that the promotion you went for, the new city to which you moved, the toxic relationship from which you finally moved on freed you up to be so much more than what you were? I could have gotten here and Jaden could have said after a year that it didn’t work out as he hoped and told me to kick rocks. I’d have been sad and I don’t know what would have been next, but there would be something.
You are enough. Trust yourself. Believe in yourself. Bet on yourself.
And so ends another season. I’ve honestly lost count of which one this is, Truth be told, it probably doesn’t matter. It’s either 12 or 13. Whichever it is, Tim Craft’s words at the Big South tournament summed it up well.
“It’s always hard when it’s over.”
It’s hard because of all the work that went into another five-month chapter of our lives. It’s hard because we realize we will have seen some people we have come to value and appreciate for the last time. It’s hard because of so many reasons.
It’s also easy for many of those same reasons. I’ll be sad, exhausted, reflective – and especially thankful – for a while. I’ll file this, close my laptop, and not want to write again for months.
Then, come June, I’ll go back to the well one more time. I’ll start contacting SIDs to set up interviews. I’ll turn those conversations into season previews that will, in many cases, be outdated as soon as I file them. Still others will use their predicted finish as motivation. The ball will bounce, the horn will sound, and we’ll meet right back here to do this all over again.
Our little outlet that could covered over 200 games this year. We saw multiple triple-doubles. We told stories of heartbreak and triumph. We covered another national champion. I’ve honestly lost count of how many of those stories we’ve told here. I’ve gotten to tell a few myself.
I say all of this to say that if we can reach these heights, so can you. I hope you’ll try for something you’ve always thought would elude you and let me know how it goes.
Again, thank you – for everything. You asked me questions, gave me answers, told me jokes, lovingly teased me, challenged me, and validated me. I didn’t realize until after last season how much I needed it.
As always, I’ll leave you by paying tribute to my good friend Andy Masur from WGN Radio in Chicago.
So many faces in and out of my life
Some will last, some will just be now and then
Life is a series of hellos and goodbyes
I’m afraid it’s time for goodbye again
Billy Joel, “Say Goodbye to Hollywood”
-30-
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