Home > Albemarle Sports Talk > Archives > 2008 > January
January 2008
Trahan keeps on scoring
Celeste Trahan has done just about everything she can at Elizabeth City State. Now, she has scored 2,000 points. Trahan also won the CIAA Player of the Week award for the sixth time this season and 16th time overall. Unfortunately, the rest of the Lady Vikings have not played as well and the record shows it. Congratulations, Celeste. You’ve earned all the accolades you get.
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ECSU a popular choice for rivalry games
It’s unanimous.
They may not agree on much, but the students, parents, staff and fans of Northeastern and Pasquotank County High Schools all seem to support the playing of the two regular season basketball games in the R.L. Vaughan Center at Elizabeth City State.
I went to ECSU and talked to several people, all of whom thought that the Vaughan Center is the right venue for the Northeastern-Pasquotank games. Of course, maybe some of the people who were not there disagree. Let us know what you think.
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A good night for Knight
Congratulations are in order for Bob Knight, who got his 900th win as a coach for an NCAA Div. I men’s basketball team by beating No. 10 Texas A&M, 68-53, on Wednesday. Of course, the media has thrown as many other names into the stories as possible to take away from his accomplishment. Women’s coaches Pat Summitt (Tennessee, 961 and counting) and Jody Conradt (Texas, 900) are mentioned right alongside Knight. Never mind the fact that these coaches are essentially coaching two different sports. Also mentioned is Harry Statham of McKendree University, who has won 950 games at the NAIA school. At least that is the same sport, but it is entirely another level. To me, it’s like the difference in driving a 2008 Corvette and a 1992 Cavalier.
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Shocker
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that Indianapolis got knocked off by San Diego this afternoon, but the Chargers were without Phillip Rivers and L.T. for most of the second half and still pulled off the upset. Does this mean the Patriots have an easy road to the Super Bowl now?
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Who’s next for the Redskins?
I am a little surprised that Joe Gibbs retired this week. He says that his reason was family, but I wonder if everything that happened since the Sean Taylor death has gotten to him. Either way, it’s tough to see a Hall of Fame coach go.
Now the Redskins have to find another coach. Will it be Gregg Williams, Bill Cowher, Russ Grimm or someone else? I have a feeling it will be Williams, but Grimm wouldn’t surprise me. Any thoughts?
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I am against fighting, but it is hard to fault anyone on ECSU’s women’s basketball team for getting into it with Shaw on Tuesday. By all accounts, it was an incident that could and should have been avoided had the Lady Bears observed some common etiquette and celebrated in the locker room or on the bus on the way home. I think what was most disturbing to me was seeing people from the stands spill out on the court and become involved as well as some of the actions by the Shaw coaching staff during the melee. Hopefully, all will be forgotten and calmer heads prevail at Shaw on Feb. 2.
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Lady Panthers fall
Just got back from the Bertie-Pasquotank girls basketball game. Bertie won 63-50, mainly because the Lady Falcons were 29-of-41 from the foul line. Jasmine Whitehurst was impressive with 23 points and 23 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the first half letdown after the Lady Panthers’ quick 10-1 start. I wish I could have stayed for the boys game, but the games were running late (that happens with that many trips to the free throw linbe) and I’ve got an 11 o’clock deadline for the section. Cordero Riddick was looking pretty good in the first quarter while I was there.
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LSU 38, OSU 24
Well, the second half was better than the first, but that did Ohio State no good. The defense got to the party late and the offense choked at bad times. Three things stand out about the game:
1: you have to play 60 minutes at this level.
2: Glenn Dorsey is a monster
3: Ohio State needs a secondary
Unfortunately for Ohio State, keeping it close wil not get the monkey off their backs. The Tigers are a deserving No. 1, despite USC and Georgia’s big wins, though if this season is not an argument for a playoff, there isn’t one. We could have been looking at West Virginia-Georgia and USC-LSU in the semifinals (taking those four bowl winners) in a semifinal. How good would those games have been?
Here’s how I see the AP poll coming out in a couple of hours:
1: LSU
2: USC
3: Georgia
4: West Virginia
5: Missouri
6: Kansas
7: Ohio State
8: Virginia Tech
9: Oklahoma
10: Boston College (but I would have Tennessee at No. 10)
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Looks like someone decided not to show up in New Orleans (LSU 24-10 at half)
Halftime LSU 24, OSU 10
It seems like the Ohio State defense stayed back in Columbus the way they have played the first half. The offense has not looked too bad, but if you can’t stop the other team, you have no shot.
Meanwhile, the LSU passing attack looks great (though the Buckeyes’ lack of coverage makes it look better than it should).
I don’t like giving up on the team I’m pulling for. I hope the OSU defense feels the same way.
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Prep sports on TV
Before coming to work today, I caught the first quarter of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Unlike the other bowl games, this is a high school all-star game, during which several of the players make their committments to colleges to play football. I think it just shows how far sports zealotry has gone and how much it has affected the games themselves. I can see a high school all-star game on national TV, but it seems like every week there is some channel with a regular season high school game during football and basketball seasons. Between that and the broadcasting of all of the games of the Little League World Series and some of the regional championships as well, I think broadcasters are going just a bit too far in shining a glaring national spotlight on youth sports.
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