NCAA One and Done Working?
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
When a team makes it to their first Final Four in school history, defeating the 2,3, and 4 seeds to get there, it seems pretty obvious that’s what you should write about.
South Carolina will have plenty of stories documenting their improbable run that will be much more succinct than anything I could say, so I’m going in a little different route today.
With both Duke and Kentucky missing the Final Four, the talk concerning them ultimately turns to one and done players. More specifically, is it working?
Braves SunTrust Park Preview
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
On Saturday March 25, the Braves opened up SunTrust Park to a few thousand fans to get a first look at the new stadium before the games start on the 31st with an exhibition game against the Yankees.
I was one of the happy few who was admitted. Stakes are high for the Braves with their brand-new complex – one that not only includes their new ballpark but also contains The Battery Atlanta, a mixed-use development of shopping, dining, office buildings and apartments.
Falcons Sign Dontari Poe
By: Drayton Hogarth
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
NFL free agency is still ongoing, but the Atlanta Falcons have likely completed their shopping in the market after the big move of reeling in Dontari Poe.
McIntosh County Academy Hires New Coach
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Not even one year ago, the McIntosh County Buccaneers were in the third quarter of a state title game in Atlanta; poised to score the go-ahead touchdown.
However, that was not meant to be as a fumble derailed that opportunity and then the floodgates opened in the fourth. Macon County sent the Buccaneers home with the runner-up trophy.
Much has changed in the span of four months. The Bucs will go into the 2018 campaign with a new Head Coach and Athletic Director.
North Carolina To Win NCAA Tourney
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It is that special time of the year again. It is March Madness, and my buddies are going to think I have gone quite mad because I am picking North Carolina to win the National Championship. Folks who know me well know I don’t care much for Carolina Basketball and never much have.
Georgia Bulldogs Thin At QB
By: Drayton Hogarth
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Georgia Bulldogs will not be kicking off their spring practice for another couple of weeks, but that does not stop the news from coming out of Athens.
Georgia lost not one, but two players that decided to transfer from the program as graduates. One was defensive back, Reggie Wilkerson, and the other was Camden County’s own, quarterback Brice Ramsey.
NCAA Tournament Story Lines
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news service
You can have the Super Bowl and the 800 billion people that tune in each year to watch.
I’ll give you the College Football Playoffs and the weekly rankings that seem to start before the season has even begun.
I’ll even let you have the World Series, America’s favorite past time, although I would put a little more emphasis on the “past” part.
For me, none of those beat March Madness and the excitement that ensues over the Bree weekends it encompasses.
So, in honor of my favorite sports time of the year, here are a few games/storylines I’m excited about possibly seeing.
1)Lavar Ball. The farther UCLA makes in the tournament, how outrageous will his proclamations about his son’s talent become? He’s already compared him to Stephen Curry.
How long will it be until he compares him to Jordan? Does a Final Four appearance equal the next coming of Christ?
2)Duke vs. Marquette. This potential matchup intrigues me for a couple reasons, but none more so than floor slaps. I envision this game ending with both teams meeting at center court and having a “floor slap off”, ala Michael Jackson’s Beat It video.
3)John Calipari. The Kentucky coach is the master of self marketing. With his very own 30 for 30 airing on ESPN after the tournament ends, will he steal a page out of Nascar’s playbook and have advertisements for the show stitched on his suits?
How many people will have to tune in for THAT to become the greatest day in Kentucky basketball history?
4)Oregon Ducks. I hate what happened to the Ducks Chris Boucher (ACL tear). By all accounts he’s a good kid and was a lot of fun to watch last year.
Since Oregon is going to need an enforcer down low now that Boucher is out, is it too late for them to bring in Bobby Boucher? Having seen the last few Adam Sandler movies, I’m sure he’s available.
5)Northwestern. After finally bringing the Wildcats to their first ever NCAA Tournament appearance, will Chris Collins be replaced by his father, Doug, for this tournament run?
6)Dayton vs. Wichita State. I actually read this on Twitter, so I can’t take credit for it but, with both of these teams’ coaches at the top NC State head coaching wish list, should the loser be forced to become the next Wolfpack head coach?
7)Virginia Tech. What are the odds on the Hokies not showing up for their first tournament game in 10 years because they just automatically assumed they were in the NIT?
8)East Tennessee State. Their normal colors are Navy Blue and Gold; not too far off from Vanderbilt’s Black and Gold. After Florida finished 0-3 against Vanderbilt this season, does ETSU go to a darker shade of navy blue just to mess with the Gators? Couldn’t hurt, right?
9)Danny Manning. Manning has done a great job bringing the Demon Deacons back to field of 68, but I’m more interested in his wardrobe. He wore this glorious gold colored suit the other week in a win over Louisville. I can only hope he’s superstitious and will wear it again for their game against Kansas State. Like any true clothing superstition, the suit will have to be unwashed of course.
10)Louisville vs Jacksonville St. The Cardinals are the two seed, so obviously, they are playing the number fifteen seed. For anyone who has paid any attention to Rick Pitino’s colorful past, you are well aware of his brief relationship with the number 15.
Fair Weather Fans
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Atlanta is a terrible sports town. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Atlantans simply don’t show up for their pro teams unless they are winning, and consistently.
Partially it’s because the south belongs to college football, and partially it’s because of a lack of championships and probably some other things factor in as well. It’s the way of things here, and I doubt it will change any time soon.
So how is it that the NFC Championship, the final game at the Georgia Dome for the Atlanta Falcons, was packed full of loud, screaming southerners? Why were tickets for Suntrust Park’s debut game so hard to come by when they went on sale?
Fair weather fans.
The Falcons were good, and they were on their way to the Super Bowl. Suntrust Park is sparkly and new, and there is excitement abound for the Braves this year; but mark my words, if the Falcons can’t win football games at a high clip in their own brand new stadium, Mercedes Benz Stadium won’t be seeing sellouts in November.
If the Braves don’t stay competitive, then Suntrust Park will be just as vacant as Turner Field was in August last year; because those fair weather fans will stop caring and that’s okay.
Look, it can be frustrating for die hard fans to cope with the sudden attention their team gets from people that would otherwise fail to show up. Die harders experience the lows that fair weather fans will never know; because they don’t subject themselves to it. So, what right do they have to experience the highs?
I saw it and heard it all over Atlanta while the Falcons were in the playoffs: remarks about fans coming out of the woodwork just because the team was good. It was certainly true – but warranted. They WERE good!
As I am a die hard Braves fan, I find myself occasionally annoyed by fair weather fans too but if I take a step back I realize that not only are they not committing any egregious crimes, they are benefitting the team they’ve suddenly come out to support.
Think about it: if the Braves miraculously made it to the World Series this year, fair weather fans would show up in droves to the ballpark and sports bars to watch them play.
Irksome as they may seem (this has been MY TEAM for years!), would I truly rather they didn’t bother to pay attention? Do I want my team to take the field to a stadium half full of fans while they battle for a championship? Of course not.
A roaring crowd can tip the scales in some cases and I want my team to have that. They should take the field or court or gridiron to a packed house of supporters. It doesn’t matter if the fans have earned the right to celebrate – the team has earned the right to fans.
Plus, not every die hard fan was raised to be a die hard fan. Everyone has to start somewhere. I, for one, am a die hard Braves fanatic not because my parents were, but because I watched John Smoltz strike out three batters out in 2003 to close out a win. They were good, and they hooked me.
What if the Giants had come back and won that game? Would I have come back to the Braves? I’d like to think so, but I’m not so sure. Good teams breed new fans. Just think about how many Georgian eyes were on the Super Bowl in February. If they had held on and won, how many of those eyes would have been converted into die harders?
So, next time your beloved team, wherever they are, starts winning don’t scorn those who haven’t suffered the losses with you. Instead, embrace them. Your team deserves them.
SEC Tournament Preview
By: Drayton Hogarth
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
One of the most anticipated weekends of the college basketball season has arrived, and that is the conference tournament weekend.
The stakes are high for everyone as every conference’s automatic national tournament bid is on the line. So, a team can have a poor regular season, get hot for one weekend, and will be invited to the Big Dance.
Locally, most eyes will be on the Southeastern Conference tournament being played in Nashville. Let’s take a look at who are the favorites to cut down the nets, who may be a dark horse, and who has no chance to win the tourney.
SEC basketball practically starts and ends with the Kentucky Wildcats. Kentucky has 47 conference titles; for comparison’s sake combine the next eight teams to have won the most conference titles and the total is…are you ready? 47.
Coach Calipari appears to have this year’s crop of freshmen peaking at the right time. The Cats are led by shooting guard Malik Monk and big man Bam Adebayo. However, keep an eye on sophomore Isaiah Briscoe, Briscoe seems to be the glue that keep the team together and focused on the floor.
If there is a team that can take down the Wildcats, it very well could be the Florida Gators. The Gators have had a bit of a resurgence under second year coach Mike White.
Coach White has maximized his roster, and gotten strong seasons from KeVaughn Allen and Charleston graduate transfer Canyon Barry, son of former NBA Hall of Famer Rick Barry.
What may hurt Florida will be the loss of John Egbunu to injury. The Gators have had a dozen or so games to adjust to life without the big man, and may be the only team with enough firepower to knock off the Cats.
Surprisingly, the Vanderbilt Commodores are in the category of favorites heading into conference tournament play. The ‘Dores’ record is not stellar, but it is the strength of schedule that is virtually assuring them of a national tournament invite.
Vandy, under first year head coach, Bryce Drew, has really hit their stride, winning five of their last six. Led by sharp shooting big man, Luke Kornet, look for Vanderbilt to have the second most fan support given that they are playing in their home city of Nashville, but no school will be represented more than Kentucky.
Looking to play spoiler this weekend will be the Georgia Bulldogs, Georgia coach Mark Fox had multiple reports that Georgia was inquiring with other coaches about their interest in the basketball job in Athens.
Apparently, the reports were erroneous or at least premature, as the UGA Athletic Director Greg McGarity quickly dispelled any rumors.
On the court, the Bulldogs will be getting one of the best big men in the conference back from injury in Yante Maten. If JJ Frazier can continue his hot play, and Maten can provide scoring down low, the Dawgs may be able to play their way back into the national tournament.
Teams that don’t have much of a chance this weekend, despite solid records, Arkansas and South Carolina.
First, Arkansas, the Razorbacks have a shiny record of 23-8, but it is fool’s gold. The Hogs best win is over Mount Saint Marys; a really good team but not elite.
South Carolina, under Frank Martin are following an eerily similar pattern to last season. The Gamecocks have started out looking like a lock, but just completely fall apart down the stretch.
The Cocks are a really scrappy bunch, play tough defense, and even have likely conference player of the year in Sindarius Thornwell, but it won’t be enough to bring home the SEC title.
When it is all said and done, look for the Kentucky Wildcats to bring yet another trophy home to the Blue Grass state. It’s just what they do.
ACC Awards
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Now that the college basketball regular season has come to an end it’s time for some of those in the media to start handing out individual awards, and for those of us who don’t have a vote, to second guess them. With that in mind, the ACC is off to a terrific start.
During the first half of the Duke/Carolina game the other night one of my closest friends, whom I’ve known since I was two and is a huge UNC fan, sent me a text that said if Luke Kennard or John Collins didn’t win Player of the Year in the ACC it’d be a travesty.
Throw in a few well placed expletives that Samuel L. Jackson would be proud of and you’ll understand the manner in which the text was sent. Too bad my buddy doesn’t have a vote, since neither of them won.
I like Justin Jackson a lot as a player and believe he is more than deserving of being on the All ACC 1st team. I can even understand the argument as to why he is the Player of the Year, I just don’t agree with it.
To me, nobody deserved it more than John Collins. Besides the “eye test” which he obviously passed, Collins finished the conference schedule 3rd in scoring, 2nd in rebounds, 4th in blocks, and 1st in field goal percentage- beating out Jackson in every single category.
Wake finished at 9-9 and looks to be headed to the NCAA tournament, so the whole argument about not giving the award to a player on an awful team, ala TJ Warren from a few years back, isn’t necessarily valid.
When all is said and done, I don’t agree with Jackson winning, but I understand it. I can’t say the same when it comes to the Coach of the Year.
Josh Pastner has done a terrific job with Georgia Tech, but there’s no way he should have won Coach Of the Year over Roy Williams. And this is coming from a someone who despises UNC so much that had my wife not stopped me I would’ve named my daughter Matt Doherty Lanier just so I would never have to forget his tenure at Carolina. As much as I hate to say it, and believe me I do, Roy should’ve won this award going away.
Carolina just won the regular season by two games over Florida State, in what a majority of people have said is the most competitive season in ACC history. They not only accomplished this with lesser NBA talent than a lot of the teams below them, but they also had a rash of injuries they’ve been dealing with. This may actually be one of Roy’s better coaching jobs.
Instead, the award is given to Pastner because, and let’s just be honest here, he stated that when he initially took the job the Athletic Director told him they wouldn’t win a conference game the entire year.
Except, just the other day Georgia Tech’s A.D. went on record that he never said it. In a world where #fakenews has become a part of our everyday vernacular, Pastner has been doing his best Sean Spicer.
Did the Yellow Jackets exceed expectations? Yes. Did they still finish 8-10? Sure. Did Pastner win because the media misjudged how much talent was actually on that team? Absolutely.
It’s almost as if these awards are given, not based on anyone’s actual performance, but rather how badly the media misjudged them before the season even starts. “Congratulations for not sucking as bad as we thought you would…..now here’s an award.”
