March 18, 2009

Lauren Biggers' View From Press Row:

It is Monday morning at the office. Yes, THAT Monday morning. (OK, maybe more like mid-morning, but that’s beside the point.)

The office is eerily quiet. Like spring-break quiet magnified by 100, and it’s more than possible that I’m the only one downstairs.

But before long, associate head coach Matt Matheny wanders in. Grabs the paper. Sits down. We chat a little. He reads the paper. Glances at the TV.

“How do you feel about the NIT?”

“Honestly, I’ve never been to the NIT. So I don’t know. How do you feel about it?”

About the situation, I feel like everyone else around the program. Sad, disappointed, sad, and angry, but mostly, sad.

After last year’s run, the expectations on this team were great. We know now, and some of us probably always, too great.

I believed until the Selection Show was over. Mourned. Moved On.

If the ‘Cats can do the same, what I feel about them is pretty good.

A few hours later, we get the draw: at South Carolina.

A few days later, we are at South Carolina. In the NIT.

Which is different from the NCAA Tournament in a lot of ways. There are no charter flights. No scheduled practice sessions. There is no pre-game press conference. No need. No one carrying a microphone reporter to reporter, waiting to be acknowledged by a moderator insisting that you identify yourself before asking a question. No one making you pour your can of soda into a cup with the right sponsor on it. (Which, come to think of, is nice actually.)

But there are similarities, too. Fans, buses and ticketing questions. Mascots and cheerleaders. Credentials and name cards.

And it’s still win or go home.

And Tuesday night, it was pretty clear pretty early these Wildcats were going to win. The game was misleadingly close in the first half, and when the Gamecocks attacked, the ‘Cats answered every time.

They surrendered the lead just once, but from around the 10-minute mark in the second half, it felt like a win. And you know what, it felt good.

In the shadow of last season, it’s tough to say if it felt as good. I think we’d all rather be dancing.

And yet, there is MAX doing a little dance after forcing a T.O. late in the game. There is the WL doing a little dance on the bench (to be fair, who doesn’t love Sir-Mix-A-Lot’s Jump On It).

There stands The One the Tournament will Miss, icing another game at the free throw line to the too predictable chants. Standing there, he looks so little like the one who inspired the baby-faced, curfew thoughts of old and much more like the one who routinely drops 30 to the crowd's delight. And when it's over, he still looks like the one who enjoys it.

These Wildcats look like they want to survive and advance.

And afterwards, I can’t help but think about Gonzaga. The energy, the emotion that cannot be matched here. Those magical moments in the locker room. In the post-game. In the hotel.

But there is Matt Matheny, on the phone in the tunnel, with a simple fist pump and head nod.

And yes, coach, I think I could like the NIT.

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Jan. 31, 2009

16point8.blogspot.com:

Watched the game down here this weekend.

Some quick thoughts:

*** Those boys from Samford like to play in the 50s. They win in the 50s. This was the game they wanted to play. AND they got help from Davidson. Foul issues, all kinds of shots missed that almost always are shots made, etc. And Davidson won.

*** McKillop and Matheny and the rest of the staff have these literally thick files on all the teams in the Southern Conference. What they do. What works against them. What doesn’t. Longevity has its perks. So much institutional knowledge. So many little bits of earned and accrued wisdom and tricks. Samford’s the new kid. The Samford file’s not as thick.

*** League play is hard. No matter the league. Losses happen. They just haven’t for Davidson for two years and 11 days. And counting. Which is totally insane. Really. It’s preposterous.

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More from March 24, 2008

Stan Brown on DavidsonCats.com:

Our players are great kids. I know that isn’t news, but I thought I’d share this story.

When I decided to try to get tickets for Raleigh on line, I asked my kids if they wanted to go. About a 400-mile drive, watch game, drive back. We’d done Duke (270) and Chattanooga (100 and midnight when we got home) and the Furman game at Davidson (255) as day trips this year.

Older son, Madison (14), had just gotten back from a school bus trip to NYC. He had no interest in any more miles for a while. No. 2 son was in. Wife insisted that we get a hotel room and drive over Thursday evening rather than leave in the middle of the night.

As we were saying our goodbyes on Thursday, No. 1 son says “Hey, Dad, tell Thomas Sander I said hi.” I asked him if he thought Thomas would know who he was. “Sure, I’m the kid in the Davidson shirt who always wore the Tennessee Vol hat. He’ll know me.”

Hmmmmmmmmm.

We had waited in the lobby after the Duke game, so my boys could see the players and No. 2 son could get some autographs. Thomas was one of the first players to come out. After he had spoken to his folks, we approached him. He was so nice to my sons. They really liked him. They couldn’t believe how tall he is. He thanked us for coming to support the team. Class kid. We chatted briefly about his AAU teammate from Cincy, UT player Ryan Childress, who was William's camp counselor last summer (who’d said to say hi to Sander when we went to see Davidson play).

After the game at Chattanooga, we waited down on the floor for the players to come out after showering and changing. A couple players came back to the bench area on the floor, but not many. I realized that most of the guys didn’t have any family to check with and had likely headed straight for the bus from the locker room.

We hustled out through the tunnel and found the bus almost full. Coach McKillop was still standing outside it. We approached him and I asked if he would autograph William’s shirt. He did and asked if William had Steph’s. No? He asked one of the managers to check and see if Steph was already on the bus. He was. Why don’t you go in the bus and get Steph’s? William was a little nervous, but big brother encouraged him and said he’d go with him. The boys spent a few minutes in the back of the bus talking with the players and getting some autographs on William's shirt (I was bending poor Matt Matheny’s ear up front).

When we got in the car, it was a series of “Andrew Lovedale is really nice.” “Is Ben Allison a good player? I talked with him, where is he from? He’s nice. He sounds different.” “Steph Curry is nice.” And on and on.

As we were driving home, Madison asked why we haven’t taken a road trip to a game at Davidson. So we did the Furman game. Afterward, we saw Aaron Bond near the cafeteria and had a nice chat. We stopped by the Brick House. Some of the players were there, including Sander. We spoke to him briefly. I bent poor Matt’s ear some more and we left for home.

And based on that limited experience, my elder son was sure that Thomas would remember him (and that he was my son).

I tried to explain to him that an NCAA tourney game might be a little different from a SoCon game. With press interviews and another game following, we wouldn't be hanging out around the court waiting for the players to come out from the locker room. And even if we were able to see him and as nice as Thomas was to him, we really shouldn't expect him to remember all the kids who ask him for autographs or shake his hand.

Madison just shrugged. Thomas was a great person and very nice. He’d remember the tall 14-year-old with the UT hat. He was sure of it.

William and I didn’t see any of the players on our Raleigh excursion Friday. But I was struck by the fact that our players in general, and Thomas specifically, had made such an impression on my boys that they felt like the Davidson players were their friends.

The guys in red and black are special people.

Comments?

Later that night ...

Me, at the bar, on Cats.com:

Full disclosure right up front: This is coming from the bar downstairs at the Sheraton, otherwise known as Brickhouse South, where it’s crowded, where it’s going to be more crowded, hopefully for a good long while. Anyway. Ready. Set. Drink. I mean blog.

So the Wildcats played 23 Southern Conference games this year and won all 23 of them and won their three tournament games by a combined 79 points. But tonight was HARD. Hard hard hard. Scratches on the arms hard.

But know what? It’s SUPPOSED to be hard.

Question. Real question. Legitimate question. How did that team lose 11 games in the league?

Cheering from the lobby. The bus has arrived.

Teams playing Davidson must feel like they dodge bullets when Steph misses looks that are anything close to open. But then he doesn’t stop shooting. He never stops shooting. He shoots with what I’d called earned audacity.

But his biggest play tonight? THE biggest play tonight? That rebound he got with just under three minutes to go. Up nine, had just been FIVE, and the ball comes off the rim and Steph has two taller guys all over him and somehow HE is the guy who comes away with the ball. And he ripped it away. With a sneer. Steph Curry, sophomore sensation, star shooter -- getting the biggest damn rebound of a Southern Conference championship game.

Will Bryan’s now at the bar and has a relay from McKillop’s speech out in the lobby. “He comes in and talks about family. Talks about how important everyone here is to the way they’ve done this. Talks about the importance of seeing all the players and their extended families here with them. And then he said I want everybody to say a little prayer for us. We’re blessed. We’re blessed with the opportunities we’ve had. God doesn’t stand over the rim and knock some balls in and some balls out. He just gives us opportunities. I know there’s pressure right now. But we’re not crawling on our bellies in Ramadi or Fallujah. I want you to pray that we continue to do this the right way. We represent something here.”

Will: “I need to get me a drink.”

Me, too, by the way.

At the end of the first half Jason found Andrew for a layup and the ball went through the hoop to give the Wildcats an eight-point lead and there was still like 2-point-something seconds left and Rossiter (oopsy) kicked (daisy) kicked (was that me?) the ball out of bounds and the last couple of seconds ticked off and the Wildcats ran off the floor.

Little things.

Little things.

Little things.

Text from Bro Krift up in Pittsburgh: “Never in doubt. Just kidding. FYI we will win in the NCAA tourney. At least once.”

Another text from Bro: “We are good. George Mason good. Gonzaga good. Stan Heath Kent State good.”

The boys are going to be in class tomorrow I’m told. Nice.

Team is out in the lobby. Steph’s signing backs of shirts. Jason’s got the net around his neck. Barr’s talking to some ladies.

This poor bartender.

Matheny is in the house.

According to Matheny, the Southern Conference tournament has been going on for 75 years, and over the last three days the Wildcats set a heck of a record: fewest field allowed in the history of the event.

Comments?