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Conor's Blog: Friday's practice
3/14/2008
Blog 2
(Blogging as I watch UNC, my favorite college team, take on Florida State in the first round of the ACC Tournament).
We came to the Texan Inn at the edge of Stephenville. The NCAA sets up team’s hotel based on seeding and since Fort Hays is the No. 6 seed, they are on the low-end for hotels. The Texan Inn’s entrance had several animals, a gravel road and is only one story. There was also a mix up on rooms, but that was straightened up.
My room- though through a straw poll, I appear to be the only one- had several creepy crawlers when I woke up at 8 am this morning. I call them silverfish, but they look like crickets. I saw at least four, but there could have been more. I just tried to limit my movements in the room and they would disappear.
But above all else, let’s state some very clear positives: There is a good Internet connection (huge), the beds are long enough for 6-foot-5 people (like me and most of the players) and hey, Fort Hays is in the NCAA Tournament and we’re covering it. That’s a pretty big plus.
Plus, Stephenville, for its large, spread out city, has some superb food. The players went to Chili’s on Thursday night, while SID Ryan Prickett, play-by-play man Gerard Wellbrock, Coach Johnson and myself headed to a barbecue place that was terrific. I’ve had Gates and Arthur Bryants’ and this wasn’t quite in their class (few is), but this place was really high on my list. Excellent beef brisket and ribs.
This morning, the players had a shootaround at Tarleton State University, the host school. Tarleton's gym, in a way, looks like a bigger version of Felten Gym (and I like Felten). Double-deckered with bleachers on the second level, good sight lines, close to everything. Fort Hays ran through their offense, shot free throws and did shooting drills in a short, crisp practice.
Senior guard Jake Sims, a Div. I transfer from Gardner-Webb and whom Tyrone Evans calls “coach” was one of several players who led the team with encouragement in shooting drills and sprints. Sims, who has the ultimate respect of Johnson and the players, for his solid all-around game and cerebral thinking on the court, is the only player to start every Tiger game this season.
Nine players have started at least six games for the depth-laden Tigers this season.
Fort Hays leaders in starts:
1. Sims 29
2. Shawn Emerick 23
3. LaTravis Turner 22
4. Tyrone Evans 19
5. Charles Robinson 18
6. Terry Jeffries 11
7. Corbin Kuntzsch 10
8. Tim Peintner 7
6. Ryan Herrman 6
Johnson had the team run a shooting drill at the end of practice when he announced "you're down nine, two minutes to go." The team was divided into two groups and the group that included Sims, Emerick, Evans, Peintner, Herrman and Robinson, hit 19-of-33 shots from beyond the arc, and for the post players, bank shots. Not bad shooting.
We (Ryan, Gerard, me) checked out the Tarleton football field, which is slightly bigger than Lewis Field in Hays. The facilities were excellent, but we are in Texas, which means many, many high school facilities are still better than most colleges.
Permian High School in Odessa, famous for “Friday Night Lights” and its famous 20,000-seat Ratliff Stadium is only a few hours away. (“Friday Night Lights” is my vote for greatest sports book ever, though I have bought, though not read yet, Ball Four).
The players will run through a short practice this afternoon.
| Scoreboard | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | Date | Opponent | Score |
| BB | 5/11 | Central Missouri | L 4-2 |
| BB | 5/10 | Missouri Western | W 4-3 |
| BB | 5/09 | Emporia State | L 6-5 |
| BB | 5/04 | Pittsburg State | W 17-5 |
| BB | 5/04 | Pittsburg State | L 4-3 |
| BB | 5/03 | Pittsburg State | L 15-7 |
| BB | 5/03 | Pittsburg State | L 5-4 |
| SB | 5/02 | Central Missouri | L 3-1 |
| SB | 5/02 | Missouri Western | W 3-2 |
| SB | 5/01 | Pittsburg State | W 6-0 |
