Parent/Child Camp at NSU is something special

Friday night, the Northwestern State men's basketball team cranked up its annual Parent/Child Basketball Camp, and it's something that's more special than just learning about basketball from the brilliant minds of the NSU coaches, staff, and players.

Fathers with sons, grandfathers with granddaughters... it's a special bonding time between the distant generations that makes this camp so special.  I have the privilege of taking part with my 8-year old daughter, Haley.

The kids wide-eyed attention on ball-handling drills, how to do bounce passes, and correct ways to shoot layups, just to name a few, quickly became barrels of laughter when the adults made their attempt to imitate the instructors.

Assistant coaches Mark Slessinger, Jeff Moore, and Bob Austin, combined with the teaching from graduate assistants Patrick Self and Jacob Spielbaur, put on a routine that would match up to any Laurel and Hardy skit... all for the kids.  And there's nothing greater in the world than watching kids laugh.

Then, head coach Mike McConathy talked to the adults away from the little dribblers, giving a brief insight on the day-to-day operations of the Demon basketball program.  And in his usual charming fashion, explained the important things in life, and how to stay the course on everything you do, because once you start doubting yourself, others will follow.

The camp concludes on Saturday, but one thing is for sure, the little time spent at the parent/child camp will live with me for a lifetime.

What a great Father's Day gift!

Matthew Bonnette

Assistant Sports Information Director

Brian Lawrence back in action

It's been a long wait but former Demon pitching great Brian Lawrence is back on a track that could return him to the big leagues.

He has signed a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves organization and will report to their Triple A team in Richmond. With a few good outings, it's reasonable to think the Bravos might bring him up to chew up some innings, especially with the season-ending injury to John Smoltz.

Brian hasn't gotten a lot of chances to return to the bigs since recovering from the 2006 shoulder surgery that foiled his biggest breakthrough contract with the Washington Nationals. Since then, he's been the property of the Colorado Rockies in 2007 spring training, then the New York Mets in June and July of 2007, after impressing everybody with his outings at their Triple-A affiliate (New Orleans). After 3 very good to solid outings with the Mets, he had a couple rough ones and was sent back down. This year he began with Kansas City on a minor league deal, but was cut loose and was looking for a chance when the Braves signed him Monday.

Thanks to Jason Pugh, the eagle-eyed baseball writer for the Shreveport Times, for passing this breaking news along.

SEC's Brown-Stroud Division

Demon fans will understand the reason the Southeastern Conference West Division could be renamed to honor the tidal wave of Northwestern coaching influence on that part of the college baseball world.

Alabama - head coach Jim Wells (NSU alumnus, NSU head coach 1990-1994); assistant head coach Mitch Gaspard (NSU assistant coach 1993-94, NSU head coach 2002-2007)

Arkansas - head coach Dave Van Horn (NSU head coach 1995-97)

Mississippi State - head coach John Cohen (NSU head coach 1998-2001)

Ole Miss - head coach Mike Bianco (NSU assistant coach 1991-92)

BTW, nobody who knows Cohen was surprised at the grace with which he handled the difficult situation with retired coach Ron Polk at Cohen's introductory press conferences Saturday at Mississippi State. Polk was vehemently upset that his hand-picked successor, assistant coach and former player Tommy Razzo, was passed over in favor of Cohen. Said Polk Saturday, "I told John I loved him, but ..." on the heels of a rant Friday in which he said he wanted his name removed from State's field, he was taking State out of his will and he was going to undermine the Bulldogs' new athletic director.

Cohen took the high road and had nothing but praise for Polk, his former coach at State.