Hoop scoop

A handful of notes from the basketball courts ....

... Lady Demon guard Akilah Givens was part of the cast for the recent stage production, "Cane River Women," put on by the Cane River Repertory Theatre in Natchitoches. She is shown in the background of a photo that ran in the Natchitoches Times. Cane River Repertory Theatre offers professional outlets for NSU's students and faculty to work together in professional venues to prepare theatre majors for future opportunities.

Akilah can sing (often doing the National Anthem before home games), she can act, she can shoot, she makes good grades, can we buy stock?

... Keegan Bell, who we remember as a joyful preschooler bounding around Prather Coliseum when his dad Dan Bell was the Demons' basketball coach from 1988-94, is a very good college basketball player now. He played extensively as a true freshman at nationally-ranked Vanderbilt, but decided to transfer and has picked Tennessee-Chattanooga as his new college home. It's not a long drive from his hometown of Huntsville, Ala., where his dad was his high school coach ....

... Demons sophomore guard Logan McConathy is headed to Europe in a week on a missionary trip to Bulgaria ....

... Look for a new floor design at Prather Coliseum this season. The 3-point line for men's basketball moves back a foot, while the women's arc stays at 19-9. The Prather court was due for a refinishing anyway, so the basketball coaching staffs have been collaborating on design concepts. The players for both teams really like the unique flames leaping off the baselines, and the staple of the court design by former Lady Demon Nikki Vernon will be retained.

Manning Passing Academy Demon connections

This morning, on the final day of the Louisiana Sports Writers Association Convention in Kenner, we traveled to Thibodaux to observe the massive Manning Passing Academy, a four-day camp for prep quarterbacks and receivers hosted at Nicholls State.

We were treated to a press conference involving all three Manning QBs - dad Archie and sons and Super Bowl MVPs Peyton and Eli. They were as nice and funny and insightful and frank as you would expect. Interestingly, they all were in awe of Bret Farve's NFL record for consecutive games played and said in their eyes it's the greatest record in pro sports.

On the camp staff, which serves nearly 1,000 campers from 47 states during the four-day academy, were two Demons:

1993-95 All-Southland Conference outfielder, 1993 and 1995 Academic All-American and 1995 SLC Player of the Year Terry Joseph, who after a long minor league baseball career is now a college football coach at Louisiana Tech;

And current Demon running backs coach Matt Kubik, no doubt keeping his eyes open on prospects for 2009 recruiting and beyond.

Saint-sational

Bobby Hebert and Ed "Be-Be" Orgeron. They were high school teammates at South Lafourche and college teammates at Northwestern. They are among the Top 100 Players in Demon Football History named last year. They also have a strong presence in the New Orleans Saints football facility that we visited Wednesday evening while attending the Louisiana Sports Writers Convention in Kenner.

Led on a complete tour of the facility by Saints general manager Mickey Loomis, the LSWA group feasted on Drago's Seafood before walking a bit of the dinner off while visiting the indoor practice field (it's 100 yards), the golf-course like outdoor fields, the Saints locker room (lots of the young ladies took pictures of Kim Kardashian's photo in Reggie Bush's locker); the training and weightroom facilities and the defensive line meeting room that is now occupied by Orgeron, the former Ole Miss head coach in his first year as Saints defensive line coach.

Loomis was full of praise for Orgeron, who he says has struck some fear into the hearts of the Saints' D-line at times with his passionate approach to the game. As the LSWA group crowded into the room, it was ironic that former Demon teammate Britt Brittain was among us; Britt is an honorary LSWA member in appreciation of his service as a legal advisor for the organization. Loomis was intrigued to know Britt was a college teammate of Orgeron's and Hebert's.

Hebert is featured on what is the Saints' Wall of Honor just outside the positional meeting rooms and the team locker room. His action photo is right next to Archie Manning's. Britt couldn't resist mugging for a photo next to his buddy's photo.

Also joining the tour as a guest was former Lady Demon softball standout Margaret Patterson, now in the hotel industry in her hometown.

Loomis was quite frank and revealing in his comments in a question and answer session in the team meeting room. The fact that he and team exec Greg Bensel took more than two hours in the evening to be with the LSWA was quite impressive with training camp just two weeks away.

Doug Ireland, SID

No better way to get back into the groove

...than to acknowledge the memory of one of our greatest, Joe Delaney.

http://www.ktbs.com/news/A-hero-on-the-field-and-off-is-honored-13827/#

Parent/Child Camp at NSU is something special

Friday night, the Northwestern State men's basketball team cranked up its annual Parent/Child Basketball Camp, and it's something that's more special than just learning about basketball from the brilliant minds of the NSU coaches, staff, and players.

Fathers with sons, grandfathers with granddaughters... it's a special bonding time between the distant generations that makes this camp so special.  I have the privilege of taking part with my 8-year old daughter, Haley.

The kids wide-eyed attention on ball-handling drills, how to do bounce passes, and correct ways to shoot layups, just to name a few, quickly became barrels of laughter when the adults made their attempt to imitate the instructors.

Assistant coaches Mark Slessinger, Jeff Moore, and Bob Austin, combined with the teaching from graduate assistants Patrick Self and Jacob Spielbaur, put on a routine that would match up to any Laurel and Hardy skit... all for the kids.  And there's nothing greater in the world than watching kids laugh.

Then, head coach Mike McConathy talked to the adults away from the little dribblers, giving a brief insight on the day-to-day operations of the Demon basketball program.  And in his usual charming fashion, explained the important things in life, and how to stay the course on everything you do, because once you start doubting yourself, others will follow.

The camp concludes on Saturday, but one thing is for sure, the little time spent at the parent/child camp will live with me for a lifetime.

What a great Father's Day gift!

Matthew Bonnette

Assistant Sports Information Director