They're not players, or coaches, but former Demons Kenny Lannou and Dr. Rocky Colavito are on opposite sides Saturday when Kansas State plays Butler for a berth in the NCAA Final Four.
Lannou was assistant SID at NSU in 2003 and is now the head man at K-State. Colavito was on the NSU English faculty for several years before taking a position at Butler last year, although remaining a staunch Demon basketball supporter.
Lannou is obviously in the thick of things for the Wildcats, while we're sure Rocky misses no Bulldogs home games and probably has gotten to know some of the Butler hoopsters.
ON that basis, we're pulling for K-State Saturday!
Friday, March 26, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Scrimmage Saturday in doubt
Right now the Demon football team has only six able-bodied offensive linemen. That puts a big question mark on plans to conduct an extended scrimmage, the first of spring practice, Saturday morning in Turpin Stadium.
Final decision will be made Friday morning, but in any case, the scrimmage or the team portion of practice will get going about 10:15 Saturday morning in Turpin.
Check nsudemons.com tomorrow after lunch for the update.
Final decision will be made Friday morning, but in any case, the scrimmage or the team portion of practice will get going about 10:15 Saturday morning in Turpin.
Check nsudemons.com tomorrow after lunch for the update.
Noteworthy from SLC softball this week
The same Sam Houston State team that NSU swept on Sunday turned around and exacted revenge on NSU's most prominent softball "alumnus." Baylor is coached by former Lady Demon assistant coach (1991-93) Glenn Moore, a former Demon tight end in football who married Lady Demon school high jump record setter Janice Miller.
Glenn's head softball coaching friend from his NSU days, Ricky McCalister, dropped by Thursday to visit and told us about the following upset. Here's the Southland Conference's recap:
Sam Houston State Upsets No. 23 Baylor
In game one of a doubleheader Tuesday, Sam Houston State upset the No. 23 ranked Baylor Bears. Senior Morgan Mikulin pitched a four-hit shutout to record her eighth win of the season. Mikulin had four strikeouts and did not allow a walk. She also contributed offensively driving in one of four RBI scored by the Bearkat offense.
Meanwhile, another indication of the high caliber of softball in the SLC took place a night later. Again, courtesy of the SLC, here's the scoop:
Texas State Stuns No. 15 Texas
Texas State senior Leah Boatright hit a three-run walk-off home run to upset the No. 15 ranked Texas Longhorns at Bobcat field Wednesday. The win ends a three year streak of losing to the Longhorns at home. Boatright went two-for-two with five RBI and two home runs.
Glenn's head softball coaching friend from his NSU days, Ricky McCalister, dropped by Thursday to visit and told us about the following upset. Here's the Southland Conference's recap:
Sam Houston State Upsets No. 23 Baylor
In game one of a doubleheader Tuesday, Sam Houston State upset the No. 23 ranked Baylor Bears. Senior Morgan Mikulin pitched a four-hit shutout to record her eighth win of the season. Mikulin had four strikeouts and did not allow a walk. She also contributed offensively driving in one of four RBI scored by the Bearkat offense.
Meanwhile, another indication of the high caliber of softball in the SLC took place a night later. Again, courtesy of the SLC, here's the scoop:
Texas State Stuns No. 15 Texas
Texas State senior Leah Boatright hit a three-run walk-off home run to upset the No. 15 ranked Texas Longhorns at Bobcat field Wednesday. The win ends a three year streak of losing to the Longhorns at home. Boatright went two-for-two with five RBI and two home runs.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Update on Terrence McGee
Picked up an update on Demon great Terrence McGee from a story posted on BuffaloBills.com yesterday:
McGee still shouldering load
By Chris Brown, Lead Journalist, buffalobills.com
Posted Mar 22, 2010
New England wide receiver Randy Moss is never going to be confused with a Mack truck when it comes to collisions on a football field. At 6’6” and 210 pounds he’s not exactly the picture of power. Tell that to Bills cornerback Terrence McGee, who in a freak Week 15 head on collision with Moss suffered a major shoulder injury that required surgery.
Almost four months removed from the procedure, McGee still has significant ground to cover as his shoulder rehab has put all of his other offseason training on hold.
“I was injured in December and right now I couldn’t do a push-up to save my life,” McGee told Buffalobills.com. “But I’ve been working hard doing rehab on it to get the range of motion on it, but it was way worse than it looked.”
McGee had a severe shoulder separation along with a bicep tear and damage to his rotator cuff and labrum. Surgery has fixed all of the problems, but rehab has been a slow and steady process. Doing anything slow when it comes to football doesn’t sit well with McGee.
“I feel like Homer Simpson because I can’t work out or anything,” he said. “I can’t do a whole lot of anything right now in terms of maintaining a fitness level. The only thing I’ve really been doing is working on getting my range of motion back.”
The Bills cornerback had his shoulder in a sling for two months before he began his range of motion exercises. All of the inactivity has cost him muscle mass as McGee had to buy some new clothes that were not hanging off his body.
“I put on one of those tank top undershirts and I’m not filling it out like I had been,” he said.
McGee is anxious to train and prepare his entire body for the rigors of a regular season, but he knows that his recovering shoulder is the priority.
“It’s definitely annoying because by this time in the offseason I’m working out regularly and doing cardio work and getting ready for the offseason program,” said McGee. “But all I’m allowed to do right now is work with the arm band on range of motion. It’s definitely different from what I’m used to doing at this point in the offseason.”
His hope is that he can begin lifting weights in May. McGee is not worried about regaining his speed and endurance. Where his concern lies is knocking the rust off of his technique following this extended down time in the offseason.
“As far as trying to jam receivers and things like that will be the biggest thing that sets me back in terms of the OTAs and minicamps coming up,” he said. “So obviously the summer is going to be critical for me to go full blast and catch up on a lot of stuff.”
That can be a nerve racking process, even for a proven veteran player like McGee, especially with a new coaching staff on board. Fortunately for him his position coach is unchanged as defensive backs coach George Catavolos was retained by head coach Chan Gailey.
“You definitely want to get out there in practice and show the new staff what you can do,” said McGee. “They’ve seen you on film, but it’s important to show them in person that you can play. So having George still on the staff is a bit reassuring for me. The first time I met the coaches George introduced me and he was hyping me up a little bit so that felt good. But you definitely want the opportunity to impress the new coaches and show them what you’ve got.”
But that in all likelihood will have to wait for McGee. Nevertheless, the veteran cornerback believes if he can begin training in a couple of months he’ll have enough time to be fully prepared for training camp.
“I’ve never had an injury that’s kept me out of OTAs,” he said. “So this is way different for me. I feel like the rehab is going pretty good. I might not see progress every day, but I am seeing a difference in what I can do week by week. So everything looks to be on schedule. That’s why I’m targeting May to really start doing some stuff and catch up with the other guys. If I can start working out in May I should be fine.”
McGee still shouldering load
By Chris Brown, Lead Journalist, buffalobills.com
Posted Mar 22, 2010
New England wide receiver Randy Moss is never going to be confused with a Mack truck when it comes to collisions on a football field. At 6’6” and 210 pounds he’s not exactly the picture of power. Tell that to Bills cornerback Terrence McGee, who in a freak Week 15 head on collision with Moss suffered a major shoulder injury that required surgery.
Almost four months removed from the procedure, McGee still has significant ground to cover as his shoulder rehab has put all of his other offseason training on hold.
“I was injured in December and right now I couldn’t do a push-up to save my life,” McGee told Buffalobills.com. “But I’ve been working hard doing rehab on it to get the range of motion on it, but it was way worse than it looked.”
McGee had a severe shoulder separation along with a bicep tear and damage to his rotator cuff and labrum. Surgery has fixed all of the problems, but rehab has been a slow and steady process. Doing anything slow when it comes to football doesn’t sit well with McGee.
“I feel like Homer Simpson because I can’t work out or anything,” he said. “I can’t do a whole lot of anything right now in terms of maintaining a fitness level. The only thing I’ve really been doing is working on getting my range of motion back.”
The Bills cornerback had his shoulder in a sling for two months before he began his range of motion exercises. All of the inactivity has cost him muscle mass as McGee had to buy some new clothes that were not hanging off his body.
“I put on one of those tank top undershirts and I’m not filling it out like I had been,” he said.
McGee is anxious to train and prepare his entire body for the rigors of a regular season, but he knows that his recovering shoulder is the priority.
“It’s definitely annoying because by this time in the offseason I’m working out regularly and doing cardio work and getting ready for the offseason program,” said McGee. “But all I’m allowed to do right now is work with the arm band on range of motion. It’s definitely different from what I’m used to doing at this point in the offseason.”
His hope is that he can begin lifting weights in May. McGee is not worried about regaining his speed and endurance. Where his concern lies is knocking the rust off of his technique following this extended down time in the offseason.
“As far as trying to jam receivers and things like that will be the biggest thing that sets me back in terms of the OTAs and minicamps coming up,” he said. “So obviously the summer is going to be critical for me to go full blast and catch up on a lot of stuff.”
That can be a nerve racking process, even for a proven veteran player like McGee, especially with a new coaching staff on board. Fortunately for him his position coach is unchanged as defensive backs coach George Catavolos was retained by head coach Chan Gailey.
“You definitely want to get out there in practice and show the new staff what you can do,” said McGee. “They’ve seen you on film, but it’s important to show them in person that you can play. So having George still on the staff is a bit reassuring for me. The first time I met the coaches George introduced me and he was hyping me up a little bit so that felt good. But you definitely want the opportunity to impress the new coaches and show them what you’ve got.”
But that in all likelihood will have to wait for McGee. Nevertheless, the veteran cornerback believes if he can begin training in a couple of months he’ll have enough time to be fully prepared for training camp.
“I’ve never had an injury that’s kept me out of OTAs,” he said. “So this is way different for me. I feel like the rehab is going pretty good. I might not see progress every day, but I am seeing a difference in what I can do week by week. So everything looks to be on schedule. That’s why I’m targeting May to really start doing some stuff and catch up with the other guys. If I can start working out in May I should be fine.”
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Great news for Wendy
Former Lady Demon assistant (1992-2000) Wendy Luebbers Schuller got a nice reward Tuesday on the heels of her Big Sky Coach of the Year honor last week. Eastern Washington extended her contract for four years! Read all about it in this EWU press release:
Eastern Washington University’s Wendy Schuller has been given a four-year extension to her contract to remain as head coach of the women’s basketball program at EWU, athletics director Bill Chaves has announced.
Schuller is in her ninth season as head coach, and led the Eagles to a 19-11 record overall and a 12-4 finish in the Big Sky Conference. Under her direction, EWU won its first-ever regular season Big Sky Conference title this season, and hosted the league tournament for the first time in school history.
She was selected as the Big Sky Coach of the Year as the Eagles advanced to the Women's National Invitation Tournament. The appearance in the WNIT was the first national postseason appearance for the Eagles since the 1987 season.
“We look forward to Coach Schuller continuing to lead our women's basketball program,” said Chaves. "Wendy has been able to balance our student-athlete's academic success with success on the court, and we are excited for this to continue for the next four years.”
“I am honored to be the women’s basketball coach at Eastern Washington University, and I am looking forward to the opportunity to remain as such for the future,” Schuller said. “Our future is exciting -- we have an excellent nucleus of players returning and some incoming prospects who will help us continue to move forward. We have had outstanding success in the classroom over the past several years and I am proud of the recent strides we have made on the court. I want to thank our fans and administration for their support and patience as we have worked to build the program to a Big Sky champion.”
Schuller has now collected 113 wins in nine seasons at the helm -- the second-most victories in school history -- with a 56-78 conference record. In her first five seasons, the Eagles qualified for the Big Sky Tournament and have now made Big Sky Championship appearances in six of her nine years at the helm of the program.
Over the past eight campaigns, the team has been ranked amongst the top 10 squads on the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Academic Top 25 Honor Roll, something only achieved by one other team (Indiana State). The Eagle squad of 2003-04 placed first nationally with a 3.63 grade point average.
A native of Redlands, Calif., Schuller and her husband, Mark, have an 9-year-old son, Rory (born Oct. 16, 2000), and a 6-year-old daughter, Megan (born July 15, 2003). The family resides in Cheney, Wash.
“Cheney is a city that our family loves, and Mark and I are happy that we will get to continue to raise our kids in such an outstanding community,” she added. “I am blessed with a wonderful, hard working staff and a group of committed players who have continued to believe in the foundations of our program.”
Picked to finish seventh in the league by both the coaches and media, EWU's run to the conference regular season title was sparked by winning its first seven conference games. Eastern placed two players on the 2009-10 All-Conference Team in juniors Julie Piper and Kyla Evans. Piper was named to the first team, while Evans was named to the second team. Sophomore Brianne Ryan received the honor of being named the league’s Co-Defensive Player of the Year with Montana State’s Sarah Strand.
Piper earned regular-season MVP honors and was a unanimous first team selection. She became the program’s first-ever league MVP, and had earned honorable mention All-Big Sky honors as a sophomore. The Eagles haven’t had a first team All-BSC selection since Julie Page was honored in 2006.
Prior to arriving at Eastern, Schuller began her coaching career at Northwestern State University in Louisiana. In 1992, she started coaching as a graduate assistant for the Lady Demons while earning a master's degree in sports administration. Following graduation, she became a full-time assistant, and in 1997, she was promoted to associate head coach.
Schuller earned her bachelor's degree in business in 1992 from Fresno Pacific University after playing for the Sunbirds as a shooting guard.
Eastern Washington University’s Wendy Schuller has been given a four-year extension to her contract to remain as head coach of the women’s basketball program at EWU, athletics director Bill Chaves has announced.
Schuller is in her ninth season as head coach, and led the Eagles to a 19-11 record overall and a 12-4 finish in the Big Sky Conference. Under her direction, EWU won its first-ever regular season Big Sky Conference title this season, and hosted the league tournament for the first time in school history.
She was selected as the Big Sky Coach of the Year as the Eagles advanced to the Women's National Invitation Tournament. The appearance in the WNIT was the first national postseason appearance for the Eagles since the 1987 season.
“We look forward to Coach Schuller continuing to lead our women's basketball program,” said Chaves. "Wendy has been able to balance our student-athlete's academic success with success on the court, and we are excited for this to continue for the next four years.”
“I am honored to be the women’s basketball coach at Eastern Washington University, and I am looking forward to the opportunity to remain as such for the future,” Schuller said. “Our future is exciting -- we have an excellent nucleus of players returning and some incoming prospects who will help us continue to move forward. We have had outstanding success in the classroom over the past several years and I am proud of the recent strides we have made on the court. I want to thank our fans and administration for their support and patience as we have worked to build the program to a Big Sky champion.”
Schuller has now collected 113 wins in nine seasons at the helm -- the second-most victories in school history -- with a 56-78 conference record. In her first five seasons, the Eagles qualified for the Big Sky Tournament and have now made Big Sky Championship appearances in six of her nine years at the helm of the program.
Over the past eight campaigns, the team has been ranked amongst the top 10 squads on the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Academic Top 25 Honor Roll, something only achieved by one other team (Indiana State). The Eagle squad of 2003-04 placed first nationally with a 3.63 grade point average.
A native of Redlands, Calif., Schuller and her husband, Mark, have an 9-year-old son, Rory (born Oct. 16, 2000), and a 6-year-old daughter, Megan (born July 15, 2003). The family resides in Cheney, Wash.
“Cheney is a city that our family loves, and Mark and I are happy that we will get to continue to raise our kids in such an outstanding community,” she added. “I am blessed with a wonderful, hard working staff and a group of committed players who have continued to believe in the foundations of our program.”
Picked to finish seventh in the league by both the coaches and media, EWU's run to the conference regular season title was sparked by winning its first seven conference games. Eastern placed two players on the 2009-10 All-Conference Team in juniors Julie Piper and Kyla Evans. Piper was named to the first team, while Evans was named to the second team. Sophomore Brianne Ryan received the honor of being named the league’s Co-Defensive Player of the Year with Montana State’s Sarah Strand.
Piper earned regular-season MVP honors and was a unanimous first team selection. She became the program’s first-ever league MVP, and had earned honorable mention All-Big Sky honors as a sophomore. The Eagles haven’t had a first team All-BSC selection since Julie Page was honored in 2006.
Prior to arriving at Eastern, Schuller began her coaching career at Northwestern State University in Louisiana. In 1992, she started coaching as a graduate assistant for the Lady Demons while earning a master's degree in sports administration. Following graduation, she became a full-time assistant, and in 1997, she was promoted to associate head coach.
Schuller earned her bachelor's degree in business in 1992 from Fresno Pacific University after playing for the Sunbirds as a shooting guard.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)