There are many things I enjoy about the privilege--and I do consider it a privilege--to be a member of the Demon Sports Network. Near the top of that list is that my mom is able to listen to me when certain games are carried on KSYR, the Shreveport affiliate of the Demon Sports Network.
Unfortunately, she hasn't been able to listen to many games this season.
Healthy for the vast majority of her 72 years, she has hit a rough spot the past few months. In and out of the hospital, she is in again.
For whatever reason, we can't get a radio to pick up the station's signal inside the hospital. So, she has relied on me calling her--which I do after each game I broadcast--to let her know what happened. She has become a Demon/Lady Demon fan in the two years I have been part of NSU's football/basketball/baseball broadcasts.
This time, her illness is much more serious than before. When I call the Lady Demons Saturday basketball game for first place against the University of Central Arkansas, I will be thinking of her. And on the way home, I will call her. But this call will mean a little more. There may not be many more calls left to make.
I hope I can tell her about a Lady Demons win.
I also hope you can make it to Prather Coliseum to cheer on your first place Lady Demons. But if you can't, I hope you join us on the Demon Sports Network (110.7 KZBL in Natchitoches, 92.1 KSYR in Shreveport, and here at nsudemons.com).
Tony Taglavore
Voice of the Lady Demons
Friday, January 29, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Lady Demon-Ladyjack tradition
The Lady Demon basketball team won an exciting game Wednesday night at Stephen F. Austin and afterward, associate SID Matt Bonnette got further confirmation that head coach Jennifer Graf and staff stress NSU tradition in their program.
The team was obviously excited leaving the floor and heading into the lockerroom. Matt goes in with the team postgame so he can help get Coach Graf back out in time for her Demon Sports Network radio interview with Tony Taglavore. The routine once they make it to the lockerroom is she speaks to the team, they say a prayer, and it's time for the interview and any newspaper or TV interviews.
Sometimes players speak up before Coach Graf "circles 'em up" for the prayer. One Lady Demon newcomer did, and asked, since NSU beat SFA, "does this mean we get to take (Chief Caddo) back home?"
As you probably know, the biggest trophy in sports goes to the winner of the NSU-SFA football game each year. So no, the Chief isn't at stake for hoops.
But there nearly was a similiar trophy in this fantastic Lady Demon-Ladyjack rivalry. When James Smith was early in his tenure as NSU's head coach, and Gary Blair was at his peak at SFA, and the two were fast friends, the games had extra fun.
They each would take a quarter and put them at the scorebook, with the half-dollar going to the coach who kept his jacket on the longest. It never took a lot of time to settle that bet.
Blair and Smith talked about creating a knockoff of Chief Caddo, a female equivalent, to further spice up the NSU-SFA women's hoops rivalry -- not that it needed any added intensity. The idea never took root, though.
The team was obviously excited leaving the floor and heading into the lockerroom. Matt goes in with the team postgame so he can help get Coach Graf back out in time for her Demon Sports Network radio interview with Tony Taglavore. The routine once they make it to the lockerroom is she speaks to the team, they say a prayer, and it's time for the interview and any newspaper or TV interviews.
Sometimes players speak up before Coach Graf "circles 'em up" for the prayer. One Lady Demon newcomer did, and asked, since NSU beat SFA, "does this mean we get to take (Chief Caddo) back home?"
As you probably know, the biggest trophy in sports goes to the winner of the NSU-SFA football game each year. So no, the Chief isn't at stake for hoops.
But there nearly was a similiar trophy in this fantastic Lady Demon-Ladyjack rivalry. When James Smith was early in his tenure as NSU's head coach, and Gary Blair was at his peak at SFA, and the two were fast friends, the games had extra fun.
They each would take a quarter and put them at the scorebook, with the half-dollar going to the coach who kept his jacket on the longest. It never took a lot of time to settle that bet.
Blair and Smith talked about creating a knockoff of Chief Caddo, a female equivalent, to further spice up the NSU-SFA women's hoops rivalry -- not that it needed any added intensity. The idea never took root, though.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
More Demons with the Saints
Defensive line coach Bill Johnson, the former NSU center and assistant coach from 1975-82, has a couple of Demons cheering him on in the press box for New Orleans Saints games.
One is an icon - Bobby Hebert, the Cajun Cannon, the only previous Saints QB to lead New Orleans to multiple playoff trips and double-digit wins in a single season. Bobby does pregame, halftime and postgame commentary on the Saints Radio Network.
The other is a familiar voice to NSU fans. Journalism graduate Brian Duval was the public address voice for NSU baseball and softball, and at times basketball and volleyball, during his days as an undergraduate. He's a statistician/engineer for the Saints Radio Network and has been on the team full time for the last two seasons.
Both are heading to Miami next week!
One is an icon - Bobby Hebert, the Cajun Cannon, the only previous Saints QB to lead New Orleans to multiple playoff trips and double-digit wins in a single season. Bobby does pregame, halftime and postgame commentary on the Saints Radio Network.
The other is a familiar voice to NSU fans. Journalism graduate Brian Duval was the public address voice for NSU baseball and softball, and at times basketball and volleyball, during his days as an undergraduate. He's a statistician/engineer for the Saints Radio Network and has been on the team full time for the last two seasons.
Both are heading to Miami next week!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Early Season Battle for First Place
Yes, it is just the fifth game in a 16-game conference season.
Yes, it will only count as one win, or one loss.
No, it isn't too early to get excited about a showdown for first place.
Wednesday night, surrounded by the piney woods of East Texas, Northwestern will battle old rival Stephen F. Austin. The winner will walk off the court in first place in the SLC's Eastern Division.
If NSU wins, the Lady Demons will take a ton of confidence into the rest of their schedule. If NSU comes up short, it won't be the end of the world. There will still be plenty of time to catch up with the LadyJacks. Remember, these two teams will meet again in Nathcitoches February 10th.
But there is something about the excitement of playing for first place. If you can't make the trip to Nacogdoches, I hope you will tune in to the Demon Sports Network, including 100.7 KZBL in Natchitoches, 92.1 KSYR in Shreveport, and here at nsudemons.com. I look forward to--along with Matt Bonnette--calling the action for you.
And please excuse me if I sound excited. After all, it's one game--for first place!
Tony Taglavore
Voice of the Lady Demons
Yes, it will only count as one win, or one loss.
No, it isn't too early to get excited about a showdown for first place.
Wednesday night, surrounded by the piney woods of East Texas, Northwestern will battle old rival Stephen F. Austin. The winner will walk off the court in first place in the SLC's Eastern Division.
If NSU wins, the Lady Demons will take a ton of confidence into the rest of their schedule. If NSU comes up short, it won't be the end of the world. There will still be plenty of time to catch up with the LadyJacks. Remember, these two teams will meet again in Nathcitoches February 10th.
But there is something about the excitement of playing for first place. If you can't make the trip to Nacogdoches, I hope you will tune in to the Demon Sports Network, including 100.7 KZBL in Natchitoches, 92.1 KSYR in Shreveport, and here at nsudemons.com. I look forward to--along with Matt Bonnette--calling the action for you.
And please excuse me if I sound excited. After all, it's one game--for first place!
Tony Taglavore
Voice of the Lady Demons
Monday, January 25, 2010
Record breaking performance
What do you say when you've seen your name knocked out of the record book?
Especially when it was a player from the other team who did it?
Demons coach Mike McConathy was full of praise for Nicholls junior guard Anatoly Bose after Saturday's classic double overtime game at Prather Coliseum.
Bose scored 46 points against the McConathy-coached Demons. As a player himself, McConathy, lining up in his college days for Louisiana Tech, scored 45 points against the Demons on Dec. 11, 1976.
An Austrailian, the 6-foot-6 Bose played all 50 minutes Saturday night. He connected on 11 of 21 shots from the field, including 5 of 10 free throws, and 19 of 24 free throws. He posted 11 points at halftime, 19 in the second half, and 16 more working overtime. Bose scored every one of Nicholls' 9 points in the second overtime.
McConathy took time to specially congratulate Bose after the game, posing for a photo (above) suggested by Demons' athletic director Greg Burke. Since Gary Hardamon never stays around after the game's end, Burke found a substitute photogapher in Kendra Broussard, wife of associate AD William Broussard. Sports information student worker Hunter Bower printed out a large "46" on a sheet of paper and ...joila! Photo time.
Meanwhile, McConathy was sharing his thoughts with Alexandria Town Talk sports editor Randy Benson and me about Bose's feat.
“This is something that I’d never considered when I think about how fortunate I am to be the coach here. I really feel graced to have watched Anatoly’s performance today,” McConathy said. “He’s not a flashy player, he’s a very solid player and a great competitor. He got his points in the flow of the game, for the good of the team. He plays hard and has a great work ethic. He plays the game the way I hope I did. If the record had to fall, I’m honored it was a young man who shows his respect for the game by the way he plays it.”
Coach Mike passed along the same sentiments when posing for the photo with Anatoly, a modest young man. He did tell Bose there weren't any 3-pointers back in the day, and remembered he went 15 of 25 from the floor and 15 of 16 on free throws in the 45-point performance.
Bose was very surprised about the lack of 3-point baskets. He's never seen the game played any differently. It was a neat slice of life moment after a tremendous battle between two fiercely competitive teams.
Doug Ireland, SID
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Sorting it out
Myranda Hill never imagined she'd be in the midst of such excitement Saturday and neither did I.
But our SLC TV timeout coordinator, whose real job is assistant Lady Demon soccer coach (see the previous blog entry), got a lot of air time as officials tried to sort out the activity in an altercation on court with 7:32 left in what turned out to be regulation of the Demons' 99-98 double overtime win over Nicholls.
She also had a front row seat as officals and scorers worked through a question about the score late in the second OT.
First, the most important fact: the final score is correct, and the score was correct on the board when the situation unfolded with the board showing the Demons ahead 98-96 with 34 seconds left.
Somehow, Nicholls got a point it shouldn't have gotten on the TV screens. The point was added, and you see it clear as day, just as Nicholls Anatoly Bose takes a pass and is about to unleash a 3-pointer with 1:24 to go. The score moves from 96-90 to 96-91, and then after the basket, 96-94 -- a point too many.
I can't tell you when the coliseum scoreboard got off course. I do know that with 48 seconds left, Bose drove for a layup and was fouled. It was a circus shot, one of the best I've ever seen anywhere, worthy of any ESPN Top 10 Plays of the Day. It went in. The referee did not signal to the scorer that the basket was good as he signaled the foul and the impending free throw try. The scorer didn't mark down the basket, accordingly, and the scoreboard didn't show it.
The stat crew realized this almost immediately, but after the free throw was made the ball was in play. The game couldn't be stopped until the next dead ball. That's when the elongated discussion unfolded, and we were able to show officials the play-by-play sheet that helped confirm the correct score. Meanwhile, Myranda called me over and I had to explain to the TV producer that despite what his scoreboard said, we had the accurate scoring on record and there wasn't going to be an extra point given to Nicholls to make the score 98-97.
As to the altercation: it happened after very aggressive foul by a Nicholls player chased Shamir Davis going in for a layup. Referees immediately ruled it intentional but at the same time Davis, feeling it was a dirty play (and it looked it, although TV replays I saw later left room for doubt), got up and challenged the defender. Players from both teams got involved in the confrontation. NO punches were thrown.
After coaches from both teams and the game officials did a marvelous job of keeping the altercation from escalating, the sitaution calmed as the referees tried to see if any ejections or technical fouls were warranted. They went to Myranda, who was at the replay monitor next to the game clock, and went to work reviewing the TV footage.
Game officials Gary Vaughn and Brent Sherrod did a masterful job of carefully looking at the tape, and rightfully assessed a conduct technical foul to Davis, who shouldn't have confronted the Nicholls defender, Chris Isles. It was a hard foul, it was intentional, and it may have been flagrant, although that's open to debate.
The referees also were correct in not penalizing anyone else. The players involved in the altercation were all in the game at the time. If a player leaves the bench and becomes involved in such a situation, he is ejected. That didn't happen.
Give both teams credit for gathering themselves and refocusing on the game, which turned out to be a classic.
Suffice to say, Myranda's pretty face got an unusual amount of TV time, and she had a lot of inside stories to share with friends!
Doug Ireland, SID
But our SLC TV timeout coordinator, whose real job is assistant Lady Demon soccer coach (see the previous blog entry), got a lot of air time as officials tried to sort out the activity in an altercation on court with 7:32 left in what turned out to be regulation of the Demons' 99-98 double overtime win over Nicholls.
She also had a front row seat as officals and scorers worked through a question about the score late in the second OT.
First, the most important fact: the final score is correct, and the score was correct on the board when the situation unfolded with the board showing the Demons ahead 98-96 with 34 seconds left.
Somehow, Nicholls got a point it shouldn't have gotten on the TV screens. The point was added, and you see it clear as day, just as Nicholls Anatoly Bose takes a pass and is about to unleash a 3-pointer with 1:24 to go. The score moves from 96-90 to 96-91, and then after the basket, 96-94 -- a point too many.
I can't tell you when the coliseum scoreboard got off course. I do know that with 48 seconds left, Bose drove for a layup and was fouled. It was a circus shot, one of the best I've ever seen anywhere, worthy of any ESPN Top 10 Plays of the Day. It went in. The referee did not signal to the scorer that the basket was good as he signaled the foul and the impending free throw try. The scorer didn't mark down the basket, accordingly, and the scoreboard didn't show it.
The stat crew realized this almost immediately, but after the free throw was made the ball was in play. The game couldn't be stopped until the next dead ball. That's when the elongated discussion unfolded, and we were able to show officials the play-by-play sheet that helped confirm the correct score. Meanwhile, Myranda called me over and I had to explain to the TV producer that despite what his scoreboard said, we had the accurate scoring on record and there wasn't going to be an extra point given to Nicholls to make the score 98-97.
As to the altercation: it happened after very aggressive foul by a Nicholls player chased Shamir Davis going in for a layup. Referees immediately ruled it intentional but at the same time Davis, feeling it was a dirty play (and it looked it, although TV replays I saw later left room for doubt), got up and challenged the defender. Players from both teams got involved in the confrontation. NO punches were thrown.
After coaches from both teams and the game officials did a marvelous job of keeping the altercation from escalating, the sitaution calmed as the referees tried to see if any ejections or technical fouls were warranted. They went to Myranda, who was at the replay monitor next to the game clock, and went to work reviewing the TV footage.
Game officials Gary Vaughn and Brent Sherrod did a masterful job of carefully looking at the tape, and rightfully assessed a conduct technical foul to Davis, who shouldn't have confronted the Nicholls defender, Chris Isles. It was a hard foul, it was intentional, and it may have been flagrant, although that's open to debate.
The referees also were correct in not penalizing anyone else. The players involved in the altercation were all in the game at the time. If a player leaves the bench and becomes involved in such a situation, he is ejected. That didn't happen.
Give both teams credit for gathering themselves and refocusing on the game, which turned out to be a classic.
Suffice to say, Myranda's pretty face got an unusual amount of TV time, and she had a lot of inside stories to share with friends!
Doug Ireland, SID
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