It was bittersweet to see Texas-San Antonio win the State Farm Southland Conference Women's Basketball Tournament title today, beating Texas-Arlington in the championship game.
The Roadrunners will make their second straight NCAA Tournament trip. Yet I still think our Lady Demons are every bit as good. They're just not grown up yet. The veteran savvy saved UTSA from the tremendous run the Lady Demons mounted Friday, and it was obvious to see today when UTA closed within two points with five minutes left.
Congrats to UTSA for the title, and good luck in the tournament. There are a couple of former NSU staffers extra happy about it. Former NSU athletic business manager Ross Cobb is in the same post as an assistant AD at UTSA, and his wife is former Lady Demon track and field assistant coach Bridget Cobb. It's always a joy to see them on trips into the Alamo City.
Odd to not see the gracious AD at UTSA, Lynn Hickey, there to enjoy the tournament, one which is especially fun for UTSA fans since their sixth-seeded men's team is playing for the championshp tomorrow. Meanwhile, Hickey is in seclusion with the rest of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Selection Committee in Indianapolis, as the first woman ever involved in the committee. Her expertise as the longtime women's basketball coach at Texas A&M has to be helpful to the process. Her kindness a couple of years ago after coach Mike McConathy had one of his infrequent fainting spells at UTSA will not be forgotten, making it easier to root for her Roadrunners.
Doug Ireland, SID
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Friday, March 13, 2009
Down 53-40 with 5:16 to go
Lady Demons have struggled offensively much of the second half and UTSA has solved the NSU half-court defense and is now getting good shots and finishing them. Lady Demons again are having a bad game on 3-point shooting, usually a strength. They were 3-18 at UTSA in a five point loss on Feb. 25 and are 4-23 now.
NSU pep band is goooooood
That's proven again this year at the SLC Tournament. The faces may change, but the style does nothing but get better year after year. Not only with their music, the pep band members put on a show that even opposing teams and fans have to appreciate.
For live stats go to southland.org
Our web provider Jump TV has a problem with the link from the www.southland.org website to nsudemons.com, but the live stats on southland.org are working. Just go there. Lady Demons took a 34-33 lead but UTSA has scored the next seven points and it's 41-34 with 12:45 remaining.
Faces in the crowd
Here in Katy at the Merrell Center, some familiar faces on staff and in the crowd ... the tandem of Daucy Crizer and Erik Cox, both former NSU SID staffers. Crizer, one of the early graduates of the sport administration master's program at Northwestern and a former cover boy, along with Dr. Newton Wilkes, on the Alumni Columns, is assistant AD at Lamar and assisting with media operations at the tournament. Cox, who has two degrees from NSU and worked in the SID office as an undergraduate and grad student, runs the stat crew at the tournament. Wife MaryAlyce Walsh Cox is an attorney in the Greater Houston area.
In the stands, James Perry - father of 2008 football senior Justin Perry and upcoming junior defensive back Kevin Perry ... along with Mike Gallien, former Potpourri yearbook editor and now a junior high principal in the area. Mike is proudly watching his niece, Lady Demon junior guard Lyndzee Greene.
Those are just the ones I've visited with ...
In the stands, James Perry - father of 2008 football senior Justin Perry and upcoming junior defensive back Kevin Perry ... along with Mike Gallien, former Potpourri yearbook editor and now a junior high principal in the area. Mike is proudly watching his niece, Lady Demon junior guard Lyndzee Greene.
Those are just the ones I've visited with ...
Thursday, March 12, 2009
SportsCenter brings up the Demons
It never gets old, does it?
If you caught ESPN's SportsCenter last night, you probably noticed the Demons of Destiny being cited again.
It stemmed from the exciting end to a conference championship game that vaulted Division I newcomer North Dakota State into this year's NCAA Tournament field.
The studio hosts, report avid SportsCenter viewer Greg Burke, discussed NDSU's NCAA seeding and said the Bison were probably in the range of a 14 seed. That led to the point being made that a 14 seed -- our Demons -- had relatively recently beaten a 3 seed (Iowa), just three years ago.
St. Patrick's Day, 2006.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Drr10nbhx1E
If you caught ESPN's SportsCenter last night, you probably noticed the Demons of Destiny being cited again.
It stemmed from the exciting end to a conference championship game that vaulted Division I newcomer North Dakota State into this year's NCAA Tournament field.
The studio hosts, report avid SportsCenter viewer Greg Burke, discussed NDSU's NCAA seeding and said the Bison were probably in the range of a 14 seed. That led to the point being made that a 14 seed -- our Demons -- had relatively recently beaten a 3 seed (Iowa), just three years ago.
St. Patrick's Day, 2006.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Drr10nbhx1E
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Shead's undeniable smile
Nobody could deny Courtney Shead's ear-to-ear grin after NSU's 51-45 win over Southeastern Louisiana in the first round of the Southland Conference Tournament here at the Merrell Center in Katy, Texas on Wednesday.
You see, Courtney, playing her final games as a Lady Demon, injured her knee in the first half at Stephen F. Austin back on February 11. She's been sidelined ever since.
But on Wednesday, she made her return to the court, and it was a memorable one.
Expected to play around 20 minutes, Shead led all players with 33 minutes played, pulled down eight rebounds and scored four points. Her presence under the goal, without a doubt, was a factor in SLU's poor shooting.
“It was great being back out there,” said Shead with a huge smile and sitting behind her nameplate in the postgame press conference. “All this time, I’ve been sitting there trying to encourage my teammates. But today I was actually able to be out there and do my role. It was just a really good feeling.”
“It’s just the presence that Courtney brings,” said junior guard Anna Cate Williams. “It’s always great to have a 6-footer or taller in there to help rebound or block out. Anything she does benefits us. I told her that all she had to do was dress out and that would boost our confidence even more.”
With Shead in the lineup this season, NSU has racked up a 15-7 record. Without her, the Lady Demons are only 3-5.
One thing is for sure, there are more smiles around the Lady Demons today, and it's Courtney's that's gleaming the way.
Matthew Bonnette
Associate SID
You see, Courtney, playing her final games as a Lady Demon, injured her knee in the first half at Stephen F. Austin back on February 11. She's been sidelined ever since.
But on Wednesday, she made her return to the court, and it was a memorable one.
Expected to play around 20 minutes, Shead led all players with 33 minutes played, pulled down eight rebounds and scored four points. Her presence under the goal, without a doubt, was a factor in SLU's poor shooting.
“It was great being back out there,” said Shead with a huge smile and sitting behind her nameplate in the postgame press conference. “All this time, I’ve been sitting there trying to encourage my teammates. But today I was actually able to be out there and do my role. It was just a really good feeling.”
“It’s just the presence that Courtney brings,” said junior guard Anna Cate Williams. “It’s always great to have a 6-footer or taller in there to help rebound or block out. Anything she does benefits us. I told her that all she had to do was dress out and that would boost our confidence even more.”
With Shead in the lineup this season, NSU has racked up a 15-7 record. Without her, the Lady Demons are only 3-5.
One thing is for sure, there are more smiles around the Lady Demons today, and it's Courtney's that's gleaming the way.
Matthew Bonnette
Associate SID
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Homecoming
From left = Cheryl Sue Craft (Truitt Weldon’s sister-in-law), Marla Weldon (Truitt’s daughter), DeWayne Weldon (Truitt’s older brother), Norm Weldon (Truitt’s son), Norm Fletcher (close friend of Weldon family), Elizabeth Kile (Truitt’s mother-in-law), Dinah Weldon (Truitt’s daughter), Delma Weldon (Truitt’s sister-in-law/wife of Truitt’s deceased brother, Dennis), and Becky Weldon (DeWayne’s wife/Truitt’s sister-in-law).
The feeling I had when leaving Prather Coliseum this past Saturday was hard to describe.
At the annual NSU Men's Basketball Reunion, the Graduate N-Club posthumously inducted Truitt Weldon into its Hall of Fame. Weldon played for the Demons from 1958-62, was twice an All-Gulf State Conference player, and after almost 50 years is still the fourth leading rebounder in the history of the progam. And, oh by the way, he scored an official 82 points in a game while at Mt. Carmel High in nearby Sabine Parish and another unofficial report cited a game in which he scored 105 points. No doubt, Truitt Weldon is deserving to be permanently honored among the best of the best to ever wear a Demon basketball uniform.
That, however, still does not fully explain why I felt the way I did. You see, Truitt Weldon died at the very young age of 31 - back in 1971 - and there has been minimal contact between his family and NSU since that time. The closest thing to contact with the Weldon family came through former NSU radio man Norm Fletcher, who was privileged to call games during Truitt's playing days and remained a close friend of the family. In fact, the oldest of three Weldon children - Norman Gene - was named after Mr. Fletcher and Truitt's college roomate, Gene Wright.
That level of "minimal contact," after close to 40 years, came to an end this past weekend when Truitt's three children - son, Norm, and daughters Marla and Dinah - traveled to Natchitoches for the N-Club induction ceremony. How much did this ceremony mean to them? Both Norm and Dinah traveled to Louisiana from their homes in Salt Lake City, UT, and Marla from Houston. Other family members in attendance included Truitt's older brother, DeWayne, and his wife Becky; Cheryl Sue Craft, sister to Truitt's wife; Elizabeth Kile, Truitt's mother-in-law; and Delma Weldon, wife of Truitt's late brother, Dennis.
Talking to members of the Weldon family and listening to Norm's moving acceptance speech reinforced how special this day was for them. Put yourselves in their shoes. Norm was 10 when his father died and his two sisters were younger than that. How touching it must have been for them to visit about their Dad with some of his former teammates such as Phillip Haley and Jim Adkins. How meaningful must it have been to be able to share a significant moment for him - even in his absence. How proud they must be to know that the father they did not get to know nearly as well as most people get to know their own fathers was an outstanding basketball player but, more importantly, was a solid, well-liked, and respected gentlemen.
Knowing that the Weldon family felt good about the day and about how Truitt was honored made me feel good in a way that is hard to explain. I guess one just had to be there to truly understand but mark my words, it was special.
At the annual NSU Men's Basketball Reunion, the Graduate N-Club posthumously inducted Truitt Weldon into its Hall of Fame. Weldon played for the Demons from 1958-62, was twice an All-Gulf State Conference player, and after almost 50 years is still the fourth leading rebounder in the history of the progam. And, oh by the way, he scored an official 82 points in a game while at Mt. Carmel High in nearby Sabine Parish and another unofficial report cited a game in which he scored 105 points. No doubt, Truitt Weldon is deserving to be permanently honored among the best of the best to ever wear a Demon basketball uniform.
That, however, still does not fully explain why I felt the way I did. You see, Truitt Weldon died at the very young age of 31 - back in 1971 - and there has been minimal contact between his family and NSU since that time. The closest thing to contact with the Weldon family came through former NSU radio man Norm Fletcher, who was privileged to call games during Truitt's playing days and remained a close friend of the family. In fact, the oldest of three Weldon children - Norman Gene - was named after Mr. Fletcher and Truitt's college roomate, Gene Wright.
That level of "minimal contact," after close to 40 years, came to an end this past weekend when Truitt's three children - son, Norm, and daughters Marla and Dinah - traveled to Natchitoches for the N-Club induction ceremony. How much did this ceremony mean to them? Both Norm and Dinah traveled to Louisiana from their homes in Salt Lake City, UT, and Marla from Houston. Other family members in attendance included Truitt's older brother, DeWayne, and his wife Becky; Cheryl Sue Craft, sister to Truitt's wife; Elizabeth Kile, Truitt's mother-in-law; and Delma Weldon, wife of Truitt's late brother, Dennis.
Talking to members of the Weldon family and listening to Norm's moving acceptance speech reinforced how special this day was for them. Put yourselves in their shoes. Norm was 10 when his father died and his two sisters were younger than that. How touching it must have been for them to visit about their Dad with some of his former teammates such as Phillip Haley and Jim Adkins. How meaningful must it have been to be able to share a significant moment for him - even in his absence. How proud they must be to know that the father they did not get to know nearly as well as most people get to know their own fathers was an outstanding basketball player but, more importantly, was a solid, well-liked, and respected gentlemen.
Knowing that the Weldon family felt good about the day and about how Truitt was honored made me feel good in a way that is hard to explain. I guess one just had to be there to truly understand but mark my words, it was special.
Greg Burke, Athletics Director
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