Quite a roster tonight

The guest list for the Demon basketball team's game at UT-Arlington tonight reads like an alumni reunion of former players for coach Mike McConathy:

Mike Edwards, Alann Polk, Michael Byars-Dawson, Chris Lynch, Kory Wilson, and Brentt Shropshire, all from the 2001 NCAA Tournament team ... and Judith Hawkins, mother of the NBA-D League All-Star Trey Gilder, who is coming home to Dallas next weekend to play during the NBA All-Star Weekend.

Also here: former Lady Demon softballer Brittany Card, and Shreveport native and veteran sportswriter Nico Van Thyn and his family. Nico works for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and comes to see Coach Mike when we play here.

Super experience

Brian Duval, the former NSU baseball/softball public address announcer now with the Saints Radio Network as an engineer, is having a mind-bending experience since arriving Thursday night in Miami.

He called Friday afternoon from the media center. As we were talking, the actor/comedian Adam Sandler walked by. Brian sent me a photo, which for some reason I can't extract, of him with comedian Chris Rock and actor/comedian David Spade.

Wonder if paparazzi work INSIDE a media center where credentials issued by the NFL are necessary? Doubtful. But surely they were camped outside.

Of all the stars, from the entertainment and sports worlds, that Duval encountered Friday, he had no doubt who had the biggest entourage -- the smallest celebrity he saw, and pound for pound no doubt the toughest: boxing champ Floyd Mayweather Jr., he said.

Or else.

Doug Ireland, SID

Noticed Wednesday...

... 2001 Demon All-America offensive tackle Gene Tennison, looking very fit, among those attending the Signing Day Luncheon at Prather Coliseum. Gene, who earned an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship after his Demon days, says he'll be coming around more frequently and that's great to hear we'll see more of the Texan chosen as part of the Top 100 Players in Demon Football History in the centennial season of NSU football (2007) ...

... 2006 Demons of Destiny basketball star Clifton Lee at the NSU-McNeese game Wednesday night. "Big Smooth" has a couple of weeks home, and then is heading back overseas to Asia to play pro ball. He had a successful season in Japan and now is going to the Philippines to play. Clifton visited with the current Demons before the game ...

... Beau Hebert, the youngest son of Demon legend Bobby Hebert, signed as a quarterback at Nicholls State yesterday. Bobby's younger brother played at Nicholls in the 1980s. It's near the family home in the Cut Off area and near where Dad lives in New Orleans. Beau was quite a basketball player as a young boy but is now a quarterback, and one with interesting potential, much like his dad had coming to Northwestern. Good luck to Beau in what will be a pass-heavy offense at Nicholls ...

Still pulling for their boy

Parents never stop supporting their kids. We got a sweet reminder of that early today on National Signing Day, when the fax machine in the office buzzes with the rapid-fire arrival of National Letters of Intent of new signees.

The first fax of the day came in at 7:25 a.m. and read:

"Good luck today fellows! I'd be sure to give your recruiting coordinator a big hug later today! He's a peach"

The recruiting coordinator is 27-year-old Matt Kubik, and he earned a healthy dose of praise for a brilliant job of coordinating efforts for NSU.

The fax came from "The Kubik's" ... probably a justifiably proud papa, based on the handwriting.

NSU well-represented at 2010 Krewe of Gemini Grand Bal

pictured: Jill Bankston, NSU Foundation; Jennifer Maggio and Dr. Chris Maggio, Dean of Students; NSU Capital Campaign Co-chair Lynne Manno; NSU Assoc. Director of Athletics Dr. William Broussard

On January 30th, I had the distinct pleasure of being an invited guest of John and Lynne Manno of Bossier City at the Krewe of Gemini Grand Ball at the Shreveport Convention Center. John and Lynne, devoted members of the NSU Athletic Association and co-chairs of the "Excellence: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow Capital Campaign" are past King and Queen of Krewe of Gemini. Added to that roll of honor this year were King and Queen Cliff (NSU Alum) and Donna Poimboeuf, Select 100 Athletic Association members, and joining in on the festivities were NSU Alums Jeff and Linda DeLaune, NSU Foundation development officer Jill Bankston and husband Jay, NSU WRAC wellness coordinator Kendra Broussard, Dean of Students Chris Maggio and wife Jennifer, retired NSU professor Cathy Seymour, NSU Foundation Accountant Janet Vienne, NSU Psychology professor Cynthia Lindsey, and NSU Athletic Association members Mike and Marti Vienne.

The 2010 Grand Bal and Tableau were quite a spectacle and the evening was made even more enjoyable by the friends and alumni of NSU in attendance.

Chilly Conway, Icy on ice

The Demon basketball team's trip to play at Central Arkansas included wintry weather. This group of staff members enjoyed the Friday night snowfall. By the time it ended Saturday morning, there were about 2-3 inches on the ground in Conway, making for some pretty scenes on the UCA campus. Up I-40 about 30 miles in Russellville, where former Demon assistant coach Steve Mullins is the AD/head football coach, wife Liz Mullins told Facebook friends they got about 5 inches.

Roads were OK but dodgy. As the Demons pulled onto I-40 east to head back, we got word of a jacknifed 18-wheeler a few miles ahead. Bus driver Bill Greer took a detour before we got caught in the logjam on the interstate, and we worked around the wreck.

Bill was the perfect driver for this trip, with more than a million miles experience, mostly with 18-wheelers. His skills and faith were tested just south of Little Rock, when it seemed as if we had passed all remaining ice until an 18-wheeler just ahead of us fishtailed while trying to avoid an erratic car.

That 18-wheeler driver did a magnificent job holding the road and Bill's skill gave us the best chance of avoiding any trouble.

Earlier, the Demon team was treated to a much funnier show thanks to the ice outside the entrance to our hotel. Radio voice Patrick Netherton and I eschewed the team bus trip to a nearby dining spot and decided to walk the 300 yards through the snow to a nearby Chili's. Getting out of the ice on the driveway was challenging ... and I was told entertaining for the team to watch me trying (successfully, I might add) to keep my balance sliding down a slight incline. Graceful? No. Effective? Thankfully.

That happened just after I snapped a picture of our own "Icy," senior guard Michael McConathy, in front of the hotel. I was sliding standing to take the picture. Michael has carried the "Icy" nickname since he arrived at NSU due to his pale skin. We hoped to find a nearby convenience store and have the "Icy with Icee on Ice" shot, but not much was open and even if it had been, it would have been inaccessible.

BTW, the Conway Log Cabin newspaper went to print with its Sunday edition at 1 Saturday afternoon due to the road conditions.

Doug Ireland, SID

Bobby Hebert in a dress - designed by his daughter

Saints fan and NSU supporter David West passed this along:

http://tinyurl.com/yek67u3

Cut and paste, and chuckle.

Who Dat!