AROUND THE HORNS BLOG News and Notes from Around the World of VCU Athletics
Friday, Nov. 20, 2009
• Things are a little nutty up in these parts. Our boy, Mitchell Moore, is basking in the sun, sipping pina coladas with his new bride in Cancun, so we're a man down. Plus, Scottie Day went and deep-sixed his laptop, so we've got that going for us, which is nice. Not really. Anyway, you may have heard, big game tomorrow. No. 17 Oklahoma is in the house. Also, we' just got word that the game is a sellout. About two hours ago, there were literally 23 tickets left, but those went in a hurry.
• Speaking of Oklahoma, this will be Jeff Capel's return to Richmond. You can read all about it here. In addition, Paul Woody of the Richmond Times-Dispatch also has a column on Capel running today. But I know you guys like like me. It's cool.
• To say this game has star power would be a bit of an understatement. OU's Willie Warren is a legitimate National Player of the Year candidate. In addition, Larry Sanders is garnering serious attention from NBA scouts. As many as 18 NBA scouts are expected tomorrow, including Detroit Pistons prez Joe Dumars. The maximum number of scouts to come to a game at the Siegel Center the last two years was five. There's so many scouts, that we legitimately had to come up with extra seating for them. That has never happened before.
• Fun with audio. Speaking of Jeff Capel, here's a clip from one of his postgame press conference's after a particularly ugly loss. A lot of Ram fans should remember. I believe it was a game in 2003, when VCU got absolutely spanked by UNC Wilmington, 81-50, at the Siegel Center. Thanks to John Tatum for the audio link.
• Women's basketball senior D'Andra Moss returned to the VCU lineup on Monday after her second ACL surgery. Moss had seven points and six rebounds in the Rams' 72-58 win over Virginia Tech. VCU expects her to be a big part of their success this season.
Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009
• A quick note before we get started. As of early this afternoon, there were only about 50 tickets left for Saturday's VCU men's basketball game with 17th-ranked Oklahoma. Get them while they last! Operators are standing by! Sort of. Just call 828-RAMS and get down to the Siegel Center for what promises to be a rockin' atmosphere.
• Got a bit of late start this morning. I was trying to get over the feeling of dread that last night's basketball game washed over me. If you haven't seen, the Rams shot an abysmal 26 percent in the second half and lost at Western Michigan, 83-67. Yuck. That's my in-depth analysis. Yuck, yucko, yick, blah. I feel like somebody just slapped me with a catfish. As bad as last night was, history tells us that we need to move forward. Remember the debacle at Hampton a couple of years ago? VCU comes back the very next game to beat Maryland. What about the inexplicable, I-would-believe-it-if-I-didn't-see-it-with-my-own-two-eyes, 81-72 loss to UNC Wilmington last season? You want to talk about quiet bus rides? I felt like any audible noise would be met with certain death. A couple of nights later, the Rams hammered William & Mary. Basketball season is long and is full of peaks and valleys. Let's be honest. Joey Rodriguez isn't going to shoot 2-of-16 again. Larry Sanders won't always have four fouls (hopefully). The Rams won't go 1-of-14 from 3-point range. Burn the tapes, forget it, move forward.
• VCU Volleyball Coach James Finley will be on "Hardly Workin" on 950 AM with Greg Burton today at 4:10 p.m.
• Field Hockey freshman Kelsey Scherrer was named Second Team All-South Region today. She's the first Ram to earn All-Region accolades since 2004. It's particularly significant, considering that the South Region basically consists of two of the best leagues in the country, in the ACC and CAA. Scherrer, who is a flat-out burner, scored 11 goals this season and was named Second Team All-CAA.
• Ronnie Price of the Utah Jazz may want to have his sprained big toe amputated or something, because at this rate, it's going to be like Mikey's wishing well speach in the Goonies. "The next time you see sky, it'll be over another different town. The next time you take a test, it'll be in another school." Eric Maynor scored 15 points, including 10 during the fourth quarter, to help the Jazz pull away from Toronto last night, 104-91. Maynor has averaged 17.3 points in Utah's last three games.
Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009
• Gameday, woot. The VCU men's basketball team is up in Kalamazoo, Mich. to face Western Michigan tonight at 7 p.m. Other than WMU guard David Kool having one of the best (coolest?) names the Rams will face this year, I have little else to add. Be sure to listen in at 104.7, WBBT on on the interwebs. You can access that broadcast, as well as live stats, live blog and other goodies here.
• The word on the street is that Mulligan's in The Fan will be carrying the internet broadcast of the game tonight. Might be worth a look.
• I'll remind you tomorrow too, but VCU Volleyball Coach James Finley will be on "Hardly Workin'" tomorrow with Greg Burton at around 4:10 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009
• Nice win by the women's basketball team last night, 72-58, over Virginia Tech. Also, great crowd last night! I've really been impressed with the fan support at both the men's and women's basketball games. From an attendance standpoint, the men's crowds have been great for a couple of years, but the participation of the student section has increased exponentially in my five seasons. Last night, the crowd was 1,200+ and was into the game at every phase, even when things got ridiculous ugly in a couple of stretches. Let's keep it up.
• An important development in last night's game was the level of play of some faces fans might not be as familiar with. I'm speaking of players like Courtney Hurt, Stephanie Solomon and Ebony Patterson. In fact, I wrote an Around The Horns column on it. Go figure.
• Obligatory Eric Maynor news of the day. In this video from Jazz practice yesterday, Eric discusses his starts last weekend and his outlook moving forward. In other news, Deron Williams has returned to the team, which means Maynor's stint as Utah's starting point guard are over for now. Williams had missed the last two games to deal with a family health issue.
• Other goings-on... Working on a feature on men's basketball strength coach Daniel Roose for the gameday program... Also going to try and shoot a video package on women's basketball's D'Andra Moss today or tomorrow. 'D' is returning from a torn ACL, and is key to the Rams' hopes this season. Not sure when that will hit the web yet. Probably late this week or early next... Scott Day in the office next to me, working furiously to get ready for the men's basketball trip to Kalamazoo, Mich., where VCU will face Western Michigan tomorrow night. The Rams are chartering this trip, and will hit the friendly skies this afternoon after practice. Chartering is the only way to fly, let me add. If you charter once, you'll hate flying commercial more than you ever did. Bus straight to the tarmak, drop luggage, board plane, fly, land, get on bus. You literally save HOURS.
• We're trying to get VCU Volleyball Coach James Finley on Greg Burton's show, "Hardly Workin'" sometime this week. Looks like it might happen tomorrow, but we'll keep you posted. Holler.
• Here's a look at the types of basketball fans you'll encounter this season. How many of your friends can you spot here?
Monday, Nov. 16, 2009
• The Sporting News recently ran a Q&A with Joey Rodriguez. Have a look.
• Holler. Tonight, the VCU Women's Basketball team opens its 2009-2010 season against Virginia Tech at 7 p.m. at the Siegel Center. The Rams are coming off the best season in school history, a 26-7 mark and an NCAA bid. VCU has not faced the Hokies since the 1996-97 season, but has won two straight in the series. VCU WBB Gameday.
• I'll also be blogging from tonight's game. Make sure to stop by the Rams Blog and see us.
• VCU Volleyball locked up the CAA's top seed with a pair of wins over the weekend. The Rams will host the CAA Tournament Nov. 23-24 right here at the Siegel Center. VCU is 24-8 and is steamrolling through a nine-match win streak.
• Did I mention that Abby Redick, sister of J.J. Redick is on Virginia Tech's roster? I saw her play in high school a number of times. She was very good, however, this isn't exactly Class A ball anymore.
• More Around The Horns stuff flying into your living room. Posted on the web a feature on Larry Sanders and the hype that surrounds him this year. If you picked up a copy of the men's basketball game program, Rams The Magazine, on Friday, you'll notice it ran there as well.
• More linkage. LeBron gives props to Eric Maynor.
Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009
• It wasn't always pretty, but VCU still put the beat down on Bethune-Cookman last night, 77-51, in VCU's season-opener. One guy who finally got his feet wet was Jay Gavin, who scored 12 points and handed out four assists in the win. Gavin has been through quite a bit in the last year and look thrilled to be back on the court. You can read all about it in my column from last night.
• Also, big game for Eric Maynor last night. With the Jazz down to nine players, Maynor got his first pro start and scored 13 points with 11 assists in 112-90 win. Here's a nice writeup from the Salt Lake City Tribune on Maynor and fellow rookie Wes Matthews.
• Volleyball thumped Georgia State yesterday, 3-0, and moved within a single victory of clinching the CAA regular season title. The Rams go for the kill on Sunday at 1 p.m. at UNC Wilmington.
Friday, Nov. 13, 2009
• It's finally stopped raining in Richmond, at least temporarily. Somebody must've known it was gameday. Not much I can say, other than roll the ball out there and let's go. Check the VCU Gameday page for notes, links and all kinds of other stuff. More importantly, make sure you follow the live blog by yours truely.
• Volleyball's quest for the CAA regular season crown begins tonight in Atlanta. The Rams will take on Georgia State at 5:30 p.m. You can follow along here.
• More basketball stuff. The Paul Woody of the Richmond Times-Dispatch sizes up the CAA's chances for multiple NCAA bids here. But we're not done. All kids of coverage today in the RTD. Check out Tim Pearrell's preview here.
• Just finished up a Q&A with former Ram Calvin Roland for Around The Horns. Still trying to decide if I'll run that today or wait until after the smoke from tonight's men's basketball game clears. Calvin is a super-nice dude and an inspirational figure. If you need a refresher course, here's a fantastic piece that CBS did prior to the 2007 NCAA Tournament.
Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009
• With his senior season fast approaching, I thought it might be appropriate to look at an area of T.J. Gwynn's game that has matured greatly over the years...his hair. Short, long, cornrows, braids and everywhere in between, Gwynn's hair has been there. Here's a tribute to his hair.
I'm not even sure this is a fair portrayal. There were definitely some stages we missed. There were also full-on cornrows at one point.
• Sorry for the late start. The torrential rain flooded some magic internet room here at VCU, so we were sans world wide web and phones for a while.
• Okay, so Eric Maynor didn't start last night. Deron Williams managed to overcome his balky back to play 33 minutes at the point for the Jazz in their loss to the Celtics. Maynor did, however, play a season-high 15 minutes and score six points and hand out four assists. Utah got thumped, 105-86, and most of Eric's P.T. was during the fourth quarter, but it's still an opportunity to make an impression.
• Just had a nice sitdown with Daniel Roose, VCU Basketball's strength and conditioning coach. I'm going to be working on a feature on Roose for the gameday program. Shaka Smart is really high on this guy and for good reason. He's a huge part of what VCU wants to do, as far as style of play goes. Trust me, I know first hand. Make sure you look for that in one of the future game programs. Also, look for two pieces (as well as plenty of other good stuff) in the gameday program for Bethune-Cookman and Oklahoma. There's a nice feature on Larry Sanders, as well as one on Jeff Capel's return.
Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009
• First and foremost, I'd like to thank all the veterans out there for their service to this country. God knows we don't say it enough. I'd like to offer a special thanks to my stepbrother Bruce, who is currently in Afganistan and also served in the first Gulf War. You're one brave dude. He's also scary good at Risk. VCU Athletics was able to put together its own 'Thank You' to the troops. You can watch that here.
• Let's link some stuff, shall we?
-- Barker Davis of the Washington Times wrote a nice piece on some mid-major standouts, and there's plenty of love for Larry Sanders. Give it a look here.
-- VCU's Student Newspaper, the Commonwealth Times, has stepped up its coverage of the Rams this season. Much of that credit falls on Taylor Howsmon, the paper's sports editor, who has been nearly everywhere this year, from soccer to volleyball, to field hockey and basketball. Here's a few things Howsmon will be watching for this basketball season. Also, I promise not to bust his chops for using the phrase, "very unique." Scout's honor.
-- Joe Lunardi of ESPN.com has released his first "Bracketology" of the 2009-10 season. As of right now, he's got Old Dominion listed in the sole CAA slot, by virtue of their preseason No. 1 pick, which is fine. Something to note, however. Buffalo is back in the mix as a first round host site for the first time since 2006-07, when VCU beat Duke. I'm just sayin'.
-- Also, if you want to read up on the Rams' first opponent, Bethune-Cookman, you can do so here. They've already posted their preview for the game.
• Oooo snap. Could Eric Maynor get his first NBA start tonight in Boston? The Salt Lake Tribune is reporting that Deron Williams is unlikely to play tonight against the Celtics because of a strained back. In addition, backup point guard Ronnie Price is also out with a sprained big toe. You couldn't give 'E' a tougher assignment for his first start. The Celtics are 7-1 and are giving up an NBA-best 84.4 points per game.
Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2009
• If you've been through the Siegel Center of late, you may have noticed this video playing on the new flatscreens in the lobby. If not, here's a VCU
Men's Basketball highlight video to kick off the 2009-10 season, courtesy of Mike Voyack.
• Throwback of the Day. Here's a mid-nineties pic of Rams' Men's Track & Field Coach Julian Spooner. I can't help but think this photo looks strangely similar to Canadian reggae/rapping "legend" Snow. You know, the guy who did "Informer", the lyrics of which consisted of, "Informer! Sna bidu slama nada doo pha ma slee a licky boom boom down." It's alright, people give me grief about my skater hair from around the same time. Grunge, baby. By the way, please watch the video. This was a legitimate huuuge hit at one point and now I can't watch it without laughing hysterically. Although, this Jim Carrey spoof from "Living Color" was even better.
• Working on a couple of projects right now. At the front of the line is a "Catching Up With..." piece on Calvin Roland. Depending on his schedule (he's playing professionally overseas), I'd like to have it up today or tomorrow. I'm also going to be working on a women's basketball feature and will be live blogging Friday's men's basketball opener.
• Tomorrow is also National Signing Day, so we can start talking about all those players you know that we know that you know that we know are signing with VCU. More on that tomorrow.
• College basketball season began last night with a small slate of games, including Florida International and North Carolina. It's a nice appetizer for Friday, when the Rams open up against Bethune-Cookman.
• I'm an admitted uniform snob, which is why I've always loved Uni Watch on ESPN.com. The Rams made the most recent addition, the "Uni Watch NCAA Hoops Preview". Teams are listed alphabetically, hopefully, you can find VCU. That said, I like this version of the Rams' uniforms much better than last year's. However, I still think the 2006-07 versions are the best. Believe me, growing up as a Cleveland Cavaliers' fan, the bar is set pretty low. As long as a team avoids the baby blue swooshy horribad Cavalier digs of the pre-LeBron era, almost everything else is fine. How bad were those uniforms? I literally Googled, "Ugly Cleveland Cavalier Uniforms", and this is what came up. They were that bad.
Monday, Nov. 9, 2009
• Hey, in case you missed it, VCU Volleyball got good. The Rams won twice this weekend, including an absolute barnburner over George Mason Saturday and are essentially alone in first place in the CAA. VCU is tied with Delaware at 10-2 in league action, but since the Rams defeated the (Fightin'!) Blue Hens Oct. 30, they hold the tiebreaker. If the Rams can beat Georgia State and UNC Wilmington, the eighth and ninth place teams in the league, respectively, VCU would win the regular season and host the CAA Tournament Nov. 23-24. VCU has never won the CAA regular season.
• Gotta break up my volleyball points today. The volleyball team is 22-8 this season, the Rams' second 22-win campaign in five years under James Finley. As we mentioned previously, VCU is 10-2 in the CAA. Prior to his arrival in 2005, VCU had never had a winning season in CAA play. Seriously, that includes 1-11 CAA seasons in 1998 and 2001, as well as a 2-12 yuckfest in 2004. When the Rams went 7-9 in 2002, they must've had a parade down Broad Street.
• If I go through a whole day without linking something to this blog, I get a stern warning and no Jell-O Pudding Pop. Therefore, here's a nice interview by the Commonwealth Times' Taylor Howsmon with Shaka Smart from a few days back.
• I see Robby "The Voice of the Rams" Robinson is tossing shoutouts for Around The Horns via his Twitter page. Naturally, we like to see that. Robby tweets like once a month, so it's nice to have October/November reserved for ATH. Robby will also be tweeting on Christmas, Tax Day and the Summer Solstice. Mark you calendars. The Voice had me on the radio during the Virginia Union game, with promises of more guest appearances. It's exciting, we're carving out a multimedia juggernaut here. Make sure you listen to the Rams this basketball season on 107.3 WBBT (shameless plug of the day). Hopefully, I will have more opportunities to share non-basketball related gems like, the time I fell on my cat, how I gave plasma to pay bills in college, or my man-crush on Stephen Curry. Actually, that last one is kinda basketball related.
Friday, Nov. 6, 2009
• So it's the day after and everybody's forming an opinion about last night's 85-55 exhibition win over Virginia Union. All I'll say at this point is that it's going to be fun to watch. You can read my column on last night's game here.
• I wasn't the only media or pseudo-media member in attendance last night. Here's Tim Pearrell of the Richmond Times-Dispatch's recap from last night. In addition, here's some video from VCURamNation.com. Always a nice job by those guys.
• One thing I was happy to see was the turnout last night. The official attendance was listed as 6,545. There must have been a solid walk-up and/or student turnout, because we really looked like we were headed for a 4-5 thousand night on Wednesday. I also thought the east end of the stands was really into it. Solid form for the exhibition season. The west end? Meh, no idea what's going on over there. Still work to be done.
• It's also a huuuuuge (extra 'u' for emphasis) weekend for volleyball. The Rams have four CAA games left, including two this weekend against James Madison (Friday) and George Mason (Saturday). If VCU wins out, they will host the CAA Tournament. The Rams beat JMU, 3-0, earlier this season, but lost to Mason, 3-2, in Fairfax. Plus, Saturday's match is good for the Sixth Man Rewards program, pluuus, Qdoba (mmmmmm, Qdoba) is sponsoring the match and will be giving out burritos to the first 100 fans; pluuuuuuus, Qdoba will give two people free burritos for a year. You have no idea how bad I want to rig this contest. No idea. Considering how much Qdoba I eat, this would save me some serious cash. I would buy an official Eric Maynor Batman costume with the money I saved.
Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009
• Now my day is all turned upside down. I just rolled smack dabinto the Utah Jazz's Halloween photos, including Eric Maynor (right) as Batman. I literally spit water all over my keyboard. Check those out here. However, I think the real winner was Paul Millsap as T-Pain. No word on if he carried an Auto-Tune with him.
• It's gameday fellas. We'll be there, blogging courtside. I'll provide a link shortly, as soon as I get that puppy up and running. Here's a link to the VCU gameday page. One stop shopping. The blog link is in there too, but it's got some crazy Jack-O-Lantern picture going on right now. I'll have a preview up shortly.
• Tim Pearrell of the Richmond Times-Dispatch recently interviewed Rams' point guard Joey Rodriguez on replacing Eric Maynor in the VCU line-up. You can read all about that here.
Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009
• So, we went to men's basketball practice yesterday. We spoke with Shaka Smart, but didn't catch much actual practice action. In fact, we literally caught the guys shooting free throws for 15 minutes, then the team gathered to go over Virginia Union's personnel. Riveting stuff. Feel free to watch Smart's comments on the Rams' progress and tomorrow's game.
• So, we're on day two of no Diet Coke for me. In the famous words of the inebriated Joe Namath, I am stru-gl-ing. So, we're staying busy with the interwebs and other nonsense. Here's today's official "You're Getting Old Moment". From Joey Rodriguez's Twitter, before game five of the World Series: yankees about to handle cliff lee tonight and we become world champs. i was 12 the last time we won!! its been too long lets go YANKSS. You get that? Joey was 12 when the Yankees last won the World Series. That was 2000, the year I graduated from college. What a kick in the teeth. FYI, I hate the Yankees.
• Info on the VCU Men's Basketball bus trips for fans is out. Click here for the brochure, or if you just want to see a photo of a flexing Kirill Pishchalnikov.
• A new feature on Eric Maynor just hit the interwebs over at UtahJazz.com. Click here to give it a read. On an aside:
Dear Jerry Sloan,
A big DNP-Coaches decision last night for the ole' Dagger? Tsk, tsk. You are upsetting every VCU fan in the country right now. Clean it up. Give Maynor some run please.
Thanks.
Sincerely,
Around The Horns
Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009
• Recently uploaded to the interwebs, the CAA Basketball Preview Show. Give it a watch, eh?
• Throwback of the Day: No, it is not the picture on the left of Joey Rodriguez waiting for Stephanie Solomon's autograph, although that did give me a chuckle. As we prepare for the Seigel Center's 11th season in 2009-2010, it's getting hard for some fans to remember what VCU Basketball was like before "The House that Stu Built". Here's a photo dated June 30, 1997, taken during the Siegel Center's construction.
• So, we're officially two days away from the thrill of exhibition basketball. Today we'll be having a little local media soiree with the men's basketball team. Long Island's Finest, Mike Voyack, and I will be there to grab some quotes and shoot a little practice. We'll have a little preview up on this here website tomorrow.
• Field Hockey has officially nixed its last two road games for health reasons. The Rams finished up at 8-9, their best showing since 2004. VCU is young and should be on an upward swing. Look for more good things in the future from Kelly McQuade, Shannon Karl and the crew. • I'm attempting to get through an entire day without a single Diet Coke, so I'm going to dig through the archives for a Throwback of the Day. I need to stay busy, so I might paint the Siegel Center stairwells, mow the lawn at the Diamond and wax Norwood's car. Plus it looks like I need to archive some of this blog.
Monday, Nov. 2, 2009
• Volleyball freshman Michala Kvapilova was named CAA Rookie of the Week Monday for the fourth time in six weeks. She's dominating this award the way Kevin Federline dominates a buffet.
• The NCAA Volleyball RPI just came out, and as expected, VCU got a nice bump of about 14 spots for their 3-0 week. The Rams are currently No. 84, which is the school's highest since, like probably the mid 80s. VCU is now 89-72 in five years under James Finley, which is fairly impressive considering the state of the program for, oh, I don't know, the 20 years prior. In 2004, the year before Finley's arrival, the Rams went 6-21. Yes, like an L.A. Clippers 6-21. Finley came in, scrapped the whole roster (save three players), went 22-12 in 2005 and never looked back.
• The CAA recently completed their CAA Season Preview video. The VCU portion of the program is currently available on the school's Facebook page. Click here to view it.
• I'm going to go ahead and bump this story on VCU Goalkeeper Kate Hudson one more time for good measure. We've received a very positive response, so I'd like to make sure it sees the light of day as much as possible. Click here for that story. It's quite an inspirational story. She's a tremendous and inspirational person.
• Hello VCU Volleyball. The Rams picked up a couple of huge wins over the weekend, including Friday's 3-2 win at first place Delaware. VCU is 8-2 in the league, technically half a game behind the Blue Hens. However, since the teams do not meet again in the regular season, if VCU wins its final four CAA matches, the Rams will win the regular season and host the league tournament. VCU has never hosted the CAA Tournament.
Friday, Oct. 30, 2009
• Just received word that Scott Day will be blogging both, count 'em, BOTH soccer games Saturday. The women host James Madison at 5 p.m. and the men will follow at 7. Almost zero chance they start at 7 p.m., fyi; 7:30 is probably more accurate. For that off-the-chain Saturday of internet soccer blog fun, click here.
• I recently completed a feature on VCU Women's Soccer goalkeeper Kate Hudson. Hudson is a cancer survivor and recently completed a marathon for a friend who had leukemia. Give it a read here. FYI, women's soccer will play their final game of the 2009 season on Saturday against James Madison at SportsBackers Stadium at 5 p.m.
• Tim Pearrell of the Richmond Times-Dispatch posted a handful of VCU Basketball notebook items today. Subjects include Jay Gavin, the Virginia Union exhibition and Terrance Saintil's injury. Soak it in here.
• Just think, this time tomorrow I could be knee-deep in a Snicker's coma. In the meantime, you can keep pace with the VCU Volleyball team, which will be essentially fighting for first place in the CAA this weekend. The Rams meet Delaware tonight in Newark, Del. at 7 p.m. The Blue Hens are in first place at 8-1, while VCU is a game-and-a-half back at 6-2. Mat Shelton threw together a nice preview for this here website. If you want to check it out, click here.
• We also made mention of the CAA Cross Country Championships this weekend, if you want to read up on that, feel free.
Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009
• Jesse Pellot-Rosa's professional team, Maccabi Haifa, will be airing its games on Jewish Life Television on tape delay. JLTV is available on Direct TV. Games will be broadcast every Thursday night at 8 p.m., beginning tonight.
• That Jerry Sloan, he's a sly one. After riling up the Ram Nation for weeks, dangling Eric Maynor out there for 15, 20, 25 minutes a night in the preseason, Sloan gave us three whole minutes of Maynor-Vision. Doh! No worries, it's just the beginning of what we hope is a long NBA career for 'E'.
• Speaking of Maynor, somebody showed me this today. Apparently he has his own theme song. Can't wait until the Siegel Center student section is singing "Maynor for Mayor". It's going to be huge. I wish I had my own theme music.
• I had about a 40 minute sit down with women's soccer goalie Kate Hudson this morning. She's really an inspiring story. I'll have a feature on her up on her as soon as I can.
• The pollsters have spoken. The ESPN/USA Today Coaches and Associated Press Polls are out, and Oklahoma is ranked 16th and 17th, respectively. That means the Sooners should be the first ranked team to meet VCU at the Siegel Center in the building's 11-year history on Nov. 21.
• Another packed slate this weekend in VCU Athletics, including the CAA Cross Country Championships in Harrisonburg, Va.
Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009
• Throwback of the Day: Here's the outside and inside cover of the 1990-91 Men's Basketball Media Guide. The outside cover is fly enough, with the team decked out in suits. However, the er, "Ram" mascot on the inside cover (playing the drums, no less) is downright scary. Looks like a mastodon or something.
• Hey, it's Eric Maynor Wednesday. Good ole' 'E' takes the floor tonight in Denver at 10:30 p.m. in the Jazz's first regular season game on ESPN. Fan-tastic. You'll notice I highlighted the most important information, kind of like the big button phone you got grandma last Christmas. I'm going to try to catch as much of the game as possible. What I will do with that information is anybody's guess. I do know that I will not be able to make any Goran Suton jokes, since Utah cut him the other day. Honestly, Goran Suton sounds like it's out of Flash Gordon or something.
• Kudos for VCURamNation.com for keeping up on the Dom Jones/Jamal Shuler matchup in Germany this weekend. Jones' ENBW Ludwigsburg team came out on top, 93-65. Jones scored 12 points, while Shuler was held to a season-low nine for TBB Trier. Following this German league, which also includes former Ram B.A. Walker, is challenging. My knowledge of German is about the same as most languages. I can order a beer (Ich möchte ein Bier, bitte), and I can tell people that I don't speak German (Ich spreche kein Deutsch).
Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009
Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009
