Doing it right

Received the following e-mail early this morning. It requires no setup except to say the NSU Demon basketball team played at Stephen F. Austin Wednesday night.

"I would like you to congratulate Coach Mike McConathy on the character of his team.

They were all standing and giving respect to the National Anthem. They all had their hand over their heart and looking at the flag.

There are some teams where the coaches may not observe any respect themselves and the players may be talking and joking around.

This respect is a result of your coaches true goal to teach young men about life and being a good God loving American and preparing them for the future.

My Father-In-Law (Ted Jefferies) was a football coach here at SFA during the late 40's and 50's and would have known coach Turpin. He always had his players dress up when they travelled. He said if you look nice you are more apt to act nice.

I see Walter Ledet and his wife here at church with his son and family.

Please pass this on to Coach McConathy and his players so they know that people notice how young people behave and these guys are a blessing.

God Bless You


Roland Muckleroy
SFA Grad 1956

Refreshing Honesty

I was a bit nervous as Lady Demons Head Coach Jennifer Graf settled into the chair next to me for her post-game radio interview Wednesday night. After all, the Lady Demons had just lost by 18 points to conference rival Stephen F. Austin--after trailing by as many as 35 points.

When you interview a coach on the short end of a score--especially one as lopsided as this one--you never know what you are going to get. Except with Coach Graf. You always get honesty. And that's refreshing.

She didn't try to sugarcoat anything. She told it like it was. Coach Graf said her team got a good 'ol fashioned whippin'. She questioned her team's heart. She questioned her team's effort. She questioned her team's desire.

Those are things you wouldn't hear from most coaches. But Coach Graf is as honest as the day is long. She also has too much respect for the fans to think she could pull the wool over their eyes. The Lady Demons' performance was not up to the high standards set by previous NSU teams. Coach Graf knew it, and it's a pretty good bet the players knew it also. If they didn't, I'm sure they got the message in the locker room after the game.

In victory, Coach Graf is humble, giving all the credit to her players and assistant coaches. In defeat, Coach Graf tells it like it is.

In sports, and in life, it would be nice if we were all more like Coach Graf.

Tune in for the all the action Saturday afternoon, as the Lady Demons regroup against Eastern Division leader Central Arkansas. Tip-off from what is sure to be a snowy Conway, Arkansas, is 2pm. Matt Bonnette and I (road conditions permitting) will be on the air with the Lady Demons pre-game show at 1:45 on 100.7 FM (KZBL) and the Demon Sports Network.

Tony Taglavore
Voice of the Lady Demons

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 ...