Buffalo TV, ESPN in on the D-Bell coverage

Viewers around north and central Louisiana should be able to watch their local NBC stations (KTAL in Shreveport, KALB in Alexandria) sportscasts this weekend for a feature story done by Buffalo's WGRZ-TV on Demetrius Bell.

The story will focus on Bell's amazing transition from a basketball player to an NFL Draft pick in two years. WGRZ reporter Matt Pearl requested a set of action photos of Bell on the basketball court.

Also provided were shots of Bell, then a redshirt, at the Demon basketball team's NCAA Tournament win over Iowa. Due to NCAA rules, there wasn't enough room behind the NSU bench to allow the redshirted players (Bell, Michael McConathy, Keithan Hancock) to be on the court, so they were given tickets to sit in the Demon fan section across the court from the bench.

If you look at the shots above, you can see an early indication of the agility that has the Bills excited.

Bell is in a black warmup, with a red shirt and a credential hanging from his neck, in the classic Doug Daniels photo of Jermaine Wallace's game-winning shot.

In the dogpile photo, that's Bell, in the black warmup, on top of Wallace a few seconds later at midcourt. To get there, D-Bell had to evade security (maybe they saw his pass, which allowed him access; retired NFL lineman and Demon great Marcus Spears didn't have a credential but none of the security had the guts to stop him from taking the court!) and slice through the photographers on the baseline to get out to midcourt.

In the final celebration photo, that's Bell hugging Wallace and laughing.

Pearl also asked for phone numbers for Demon football coach Scott Stoker and basketball coach Mike McConathy.

So the WGRZ package should be interesting. Pearl interviewed Bell after his first NFL workout Friday morning at rookie mini-camp and was very impressed with our hero. Bell is among 28 rookies, including 17 free agents (three offensive linemen) in camp this weekend.

NFL rules which prohibit TV stations from posting video shot at NFL training sites on their websites will prohibit the package from being available on the WGRZ website. Pearl said he is anchoring the weekend sportscasts and will contact our local NBC stations and ship them the story.

We also had a call from an ESPN reporter who wants to profile Bell. No word on how quickly this will air or what the story angle will be.

Doug Ireland, SID

Sporting News exposure for D-Bell

Pick up this week's edition (dated April 28) of the Sporting News to enjoy a nice splash of coverage of Buffalo Bills rookie offensive tackle and NSU Demon All-American Demetrius Bell.

The edition has Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Prince Fielder on the cover.

On page 4, there's a two-page spread on SN's "To Know List" of "The pot of gold at the end of the draft." Four draft prospects are spotlighted. The text is downright inspiring to those of us who believe that not only will D-Bell make the NFL, he will prosper there for a long time, the good Lord willing.

The article begins: "These guys will be stars. Remember their names. They will be disrespected in this weekend's NFL Draft. None will be drafted on Day 1...."

Nebraska cornerback Zackary Bowman, Iowa defensive end Bryan Mattison and San Diego State quarterback are the other three underdogs spotlighted.

But it's Bell who is featured, with a photo taken of him running a drill at the NFL Scouting Combine in February. (We'll see if we can get our friends at the magazine to share the photo with us.)

"His ability jumps off the videotape ... give him two years to develop, put him at left tackle and your quarterback's blind side will be safe for 10 years," the paragraph analysis by SN writer Clifton Brown says.

Verrrrrrrryyy cool, and we believe, prescient.

'98 Demon baseball champions feted

Left to right - 2008 Demon head baseball coach J.P. Davis, 1998 Demons Tom Batson, Ryan Anholt, Courtney Cowart, Brad Fontenot, Derek Nunn and Pete Wardell; and director of athletics (and author of this blog entry) Greg Burke.

How well I do remember the 1998 NSU baseball season......or actually it was the time prior to the season that sticks out in my mind the most. When Dave Van Horn left for a "can't turn down" opportunity to be the head coach at Nebraska on January 10 of that year, the Demons were 24 days away from playing their season opener. The reputation of NSU baseball which had been established under previous coach Jim Wells, and was then carried on by Van Horn, created a firestorm of interest in the job....even at that late date (an almost overnight list of 75 candidates for the position was compiled). Four interviews and slew of phone calls later, then Missouri assistant John Cohen accepted the offer to replace Van Horn exactly one week after Van Horn had departed and the rest, as they say, is history.

That 1998 team went on to win 40 games and NSU's sixth SLC title in eight seasons, and then ended up having its bubble burst by the NCAA selection committee for an at-large NCAA berth. A year later, the NCAA baseball tournament field was expanded from 48 to 64 - a year too late for the '98 Demons, who with a pitching squad that featured four draftees were custom built for NCAA Regional competition.

Six members of that 1998 title team returned to Brown-Stroud Field this past weekend to commemorate the 10th anniversary of that championship season. I wish more could have attended but between family obligations, work-related duties (i.e pitcher Harvey McIntyre coaches at Blinn Junior College), distance, and other conflicts, we were happy to welcome back pitchers Pete Wardell and Courtney Cowart, along with third baseman Tom Batson, first baseman/outfielder Derek Nunn, outfielder Brad Fontenot, and one of the best to ever wear the NSU purple in shortstop Ryan Anholt.

Derek and Brad, who was joined by his wife and fellow State Farm agent, Jamie, were in attendance at the Friday night game. Derek said that he and his family actually made an overnight stop in Natchitoches last summer while en route back from a Florida vacation to their home in Muskegee, OK (his hometown). They were impressed with the changes around campus.

On Saturday, the rest of the '98 alumni rolled in. Tom Batson, who I had enjoyed catching up with last June at an NSU alumni gathering in Houston, reminisced about the great '98 season and how fate deprived the team of an NCAA berth based on the size of the field. "TB" is in the home construction business in south Houston and was quick to tell Coach J.P. Davis that there is talent to be recruited in his hometown (to be more specific, Tom is from Alvin). NSU play by play announcer Patrick Netherton was pleased to finally meet Anholt after saying his name so many times on the radio (i.e. "That record is still held by former Demon Ryan Anholt"). In tow with Ryan was three and a half year old son, Colby. Staying at home with Mother Anholt/former NSU women's soccer standout Kelly was the couple's other son, 14-month Caden. Both of those young guys would certainly look great in purple in another 15-20 years or so! It's got to be in the genes between both parents!! Last but not least came the two pitchers - Wardell and Cowart - with wives and children complete with strollers. The Cowart's actually stayed with the Wardell's at their Natchitoches residence.

While the pre-game on-field recognition and between games (played a doubleheader Saturday) meal was nice for these guys, they might be the first to say that what they enjoyed most about this reunion was the opportunity to reminisce and visit. Once teammates, always teammates.....the beauty of intercollegiate athletics.

Greg Burke, Athletic Director

Starting early

Some great names from the past in Demon baseball history were in the stands and on the hillside at Brown-Stroud Field Saturday.

I'll leave it to athletic director Greg Burke and/or others to tell you all about the reunion of the 1998 Demons. I missed that gathering while playing golf in my first-ever Chris Roper Memorial tournament at the Demon Hills Golf Course (that, too, is another story for another blog entry).

But I did get to the park midway through the second game of Saturday's doubleheader, which resulted from the high threat of a rain-soaked Sunday (the rain never came, BTW).

While the game wasn't a happy one for the Demons, who already had an impressive series win over UTA to their credit, it was a great afternoon behind the backstop.

It was a special one for lots of former Demons, none more so that the Alarios, whose deep ties to Demon baseball have been previously covered on www.nsudemons.com on the Demon Dust feature (see this link: http://www.nsudemons.com/SportSelect.dbml?SPID=12624&DB_OEM_ID=20000&SPSID=102191&ATCLID=1345719 ) from September 2005.

Terry Sr., and Terry Jr., both played first base and wore No. 22. Dad (1966-69) played for Coach Jack Clayton on the 1967 team that reached the NCAA playoffs. Son played (1993-94) for Jim Wells on two straight Southland Conference championship teams, including the 1994 NCAA Midwest Regional team.

The next Alario in the Demon line made his first visit to Brown-Stroud Field Saturday. Terry Jr.'s 3-year-old son played ball with his dad on top of the hill, was envious of the specially designed shoes his dad and grandad were sporting (complete with purple laces and No. 22 inset behind the heels), and made his debut on the field after the second game, running the bases about as fast as his dad used to!

Nobody loves Northwestern more than those Crescent City Demons do.

Doug Ireland, SID