Rocky Mount wrestler Alex Knight has won the Rocky Mount Telegram Wrestler of the year for the second time in a row. I don't know what it is about back to back but Knight was the 3-A Regional Champ in the 145 pound class two years in a row. He also lost in the State Championship match two years in a row. Knight leaves Rocky Mount as one of the best wrestlers ever in the history of the program.
Wrestling is one of those sports where self satisfaction is bigger than the notoriety that you will receive from it. You can say all you want but the six minutes in a wrestling match is the hardest sport to win. You must go for two minutes while someone pushes tugs, tries to land you on your back After a one minute rest go at it again for two minutes and after another one minute rest do it for . There is no other sport that that takes the energy it does to wrestle. J J Jones has developed a very good wrestling program at Rocky Mount. Alex Knight heads the list as one of the Gryphons all time best.
The latest Wells Fargo standings are out and after having had a very nice winter sports season Rocky Mount has retaken the lead in the Wells Fargo Standings. They have a whopping half a point lead over Hunt. Rocky Mount has 113.5 total while Hunt is next at 113. Fike is third in the standings at 105. The bottom half right now has Nash Central 99.5, Southern Nash 98 and Northern has 97. When you look at the over all state standing there is no one from this area in the top 15.
Friday night N C State named Wes Moore as their new Women's basketball coach. Moore was an assistant coach for Kay Yow back in the mid 1990's and for the past 15 years has been the head Coach of Tennessee Chattanooga. where he has had some gaudy numbers including 29-4 this year. He is the only Women's basketball coach to has taken teams from Division 1, D2 and D3 to the basketball playoffs.
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Friday, April 5, 2013
Athletic Scholarships
There is a misconception when a player signs an athletic scholarship that he has signed on at that school for four years. Actually a player has to resign each year in order to go to that school for free the next year. What happens when that player does not resign. Most cases he transfers to another school. There is one major catch if a player leaves and heads elsewhere. He must sit out a year before he can play at the school where he transferred in to. We have seen this a lot in the past couple of weeks. Coaches get new gigs and off they go and a player who signed to play for that coach is stuck staying put after the coach leaves.
We live in a world where TV people like Dick Vitale scream the virtues of players that are Diaper Dandies and those that have an interest in these certain players after hearing the Vitale's of the world spout off keep feeding into the heads of young players how great they are. By the time they show up on campus and find out this guy they never have heard of is just as good as they are and their playing time is not as much as every one had told them it was going to be.
If you don't already know this but the worse judge of athletic ability is the parent of any athlete. 90% of all parents way over rate their child . It is only natural since the kid was 10 he was the best player on his team. After every winning game your parents friends are patting them on the back telling them what a great job that your kid did. There are many who need that free ride to be able to send a kid to the college of their choice. Parents become blinded just like the players.
The big day comes and your child shows up and there are three guards on the team better than your kid. I can tell you that the end of a basketball bench is only 20 feet from the coach. But in practice they have decided that your kid won't play much this year, when it is time to put somebody else in the game a coach can't see that far down the bench because of all the players better than your kid are closer to the coach.. He never has to look that far down the bench to find a player better..
It is truly hard for a kid who has been pumped up to be better than sliced bread to find out there are other players already with butter on their bread. There are examples every year of players who transfer and when they show up at the next place sit at the end of the bench there too. Yes transfers do work but not as often as people think.
Lack of playing time and the desire to play more is the top reason to transfer. Can't get along with the coach is another. Most of the time that means he won't play me like I want. There is one other reason players transfer but hardly do you ever hear this as the reason. Players who are dissatisfied have a bad habit of not keeping up their grades and more than you would believe have to transfer and sit out a year just to get their grades back up. Have you ever heard a coach say" well he was too dumb to pass over there but he will be alright here." It happens more than you know. The next time you hear somebody is transferring you may never hear what the real reason truly is.
There are the times when college just isn't for any young person. They never figure out how to delegate time to study but are experts at partying. Colleges are not in the baby sitting business, but I will say that most on athletic scholarships are controlled more than the average student. Athletes are required to be in study hall to stay eligible. There is never an off season as you lift weights or run to stay in shape. College life is the first time most students have ever had to do anything on their own that mama didn't do for them at home.
Transferring to another school can be the answer sometimes but most of the time the other school is the same old problem just new faces. Many students now with knowledge of what happened last year grow up and adapt better the second time around. Regardless staying put or transferring every student is armed with a year of knowledge of experience. Isn't that life anyway?
We live in a world where TV people like Dick Vitale scream the virtues of players that are Diaper Dandies and those that have an interest in these certain players after hearing the Vitale's of the world spout off keep feeding into the heads of young players how great they are. By the time they show up on campus and find out this guy they never have heard of is just as good as they are and their playing time is not as much as every one had told them it was going to be.
If you don't already know this but the worse judge of athletic ability is the parent of any athlete. 90% of all parents way over rate their child . It is only natural since the kid was 10 he was the best player on his team. After every winning game your parents friends are patting them on the back telling them what a great job that your kid did. There are many who need that free ride to be able to send a kid to the college of their choice. Parents become blinded just like the players.
The big day comes and your child shows up and there are three guards on the team better than your kid. I can tell you that the end of a basketball bench is only 20 feet from the coach. But in practice they have decided that your kid won't play much this year, when it is time to put somebody else in the game a coach can't see that far down the bench because of all the players better than your kid are closer to the coach.. He never has to look that far down the bench to find a player better..
It is truly hard for a kid who has been pumped up to be better than sliced bread to find out there are other players already with butter on their bread. There are examples every year of players who transfer and when they show up at the next place sit at the end of the bench there too. Yes transfers do work but not as often as people think.
Lack of playing time and the desire to play more is the top reason to transfer. Can't get along with the coach is another. Most of the time that means he won't play me like I want. There is one other reason players transfer but hardly do you ever hear this as the reason. Players who are dissatisfied have a bad habit of not keeping up their grades and more than you would believe have to transfer and sit out a year just to get their grades back up. Have you ever heard a coach say" well he was too dumb to pass over there but he will be alright here." It happens more than you know. The next time you hear somebody is transferring you may never hear what the real reason truly is.
There are the times when college just isn't for any young person. They never figure out how to delegate time to study but are experts at partying. Colleges are not in the baby sitting business, but I will say that most on athletic scholarships are controlled more than the average student. Athletes are required to be in study hall to stay eligible. There is never an off season as you lift weights or run to stay in shape. College life is the first time most students have ever had to do anything on their own that mama didn't do for them at home.
Transferring to another school can be the answer sometimes but most of the time the other school is the same old problem just new faces. Many students now with knowledge of what happened last year grow up and adapt better the second time around. Regardless staying put or transferring every student is armed with a year of knowledge of experience. Isn't that life anyway?
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Pirate Nation Celebrates
The Pirates of ECU took major steps in it's basketball program this season as they bring home the CIT Championship trophy from Ogden Utah after beating Weber State on the Wildcats home court with a buzzer beater shot. I was not aware until I heard coach Jeff Lebo on the David Glenn Show Wednesday that ECU had never won a post season game ever until this year. It was only their fifth post season that they have ever been in. Celebrate all you want Pirates you are the only team from North Carolina that won any thing in post season this year.
Now the Pirate nation will have to do everything they can to hold on to Jeff Lebo. I doubt if any bushes will be shaking this year since it is kind of late in any movement of coaches. If Lebo can win 20 again next year in Greenville look out Pirate fans it will be hang on time.
Isaiah Hicks has been named Wednesday as the Associated Press North Carolina basketball player of the year to go along with the player of the year honors he won Tuesday from the NCBCA. If there is any consolation in not winning this year Rocky Mount can at least say we lost to the best player and state champs. It is always some comfort to be able to say it took the state champs to beat us. Rocky Mount's Donte Battle made third team AP just like he did Tuesday in the NCBCA.
J'Kyra Brown has made the All State first team as voted on by the AP. J'Kyra keeps on pulling in all of the rewards from a great career at Rocky Mount.
Under the heading of grabbing at straws: Don't you think that Southern Cal naming Andy Enfield as their new basketball coach is a little bit from left field. Do you even know who Andy Enfield is? Two weeks ago today I know you didn't know who he was. Andy Enfield use to be the basketball coach at Florida Gulf Coast and after winning two NCAA games Southern Cal thinks he is good enough be their basketball coach.
This year FGCU was 26-11. Last season they were 15-17. Most of the players on this years team were recruited by somebody else since they are mostly senior laden. Enfield two year record was 41-28. Has college basketball got to the point where coaches have such high buyouts that a school like Southern Cal can't find a proven winner? Enfield might be the next Dean Smith but nothing he has done at FGCU warrants getting a job on the level of Southern Cal.
Now the Pirate nation will have to do everything they can to hold on to Jeff Lebo. I doubt if any bushes will be shaking this year since it is kind of late in any movement of coaches. If Lebo can win 20 again next year in Greenville look out Pirate fans it will be hang on time.
Isaiah Hicks has been named Wednesday as the Associated Press North Carolina basketball player of the year to go along with the player of the year honors he won Tuesday from the NCBCA. If there is any consolation in not winning this year Rocky Mount can at least say we lost to the best player and state champs. It is always some comfort to be able to say it took the state champs to beat us. Rocky Mount's Donte Battle made third team AP just like he did Tuesday in the NCBCA.
J'Kyra Brown has made the All State first team as voted on by the AP. J'Kyra keeps on pulling in all of the rewards from a great career at Rocky Mount.
Under the heading of grabbing at straws: Don't you think that Southern Cal naming Andy Enfield as their new basketball coach is a little bit from left field. Do you even know who Andy Enfield is? Two weeks ago today I know you didn't know who he was. Andy Enfield use to be the basketball coach at Florida Gulf Coast and after winning two NCAA games Southern Cal thinks he is good enough be their basketball coach.
This year FGCU was 26-11. Last season they were 15-17. Most of the players on this years team were recruited by somebody else since they are mostly senior laden. Enfield two year record was 41-28. Has college basketball got to the point where coaches have such high buyouts that a school like Southern Cal can't find a proven winner? Enfield might be the next Dean Smith but nothing he has done at FGCU warrants getting a job on the level of Southern Cal.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
ECU CIT Champs
If you failed to watch the Championship game of the CIT basketball Tournament last night you really missed a wild win for ECU. The Pirates had traveled to Ogden Utah the home of Weber State and the game was nip and tuck throughout. Under two minutes to play the Pirates trailed by four at 72-68 and The Wildcats did the Pirates a favor and missed five of six free throws and the game was tied at 74 as ECU had 17 seconds to win.
The most unlikely of hero's for the Pirates as Akeem Richmond who had only made four of his last twenty three three pointers put up a I had better shoot or the clock is going to hit zero and drained a three pointer and the Pirates are the CIT Champs 77-74. It is the best season in the history of ECU basketball to say the least Jeff Lebo has done a nice job this year getting the Pirates to 23-12 on the season.
Rocky Mount High school baseball played a double header yesterday in Greenville in the Pitt County Easter Tournament. This was not on the schedule but was put together Monday night when Riverside High and Rocky Mount both found themselves finished with their games and both having been rained out on Monday played Tuesday. Riverside won 5-1 so Rocky Mount's record is now 7-6 as they will now have a week off before getting back into Big East Baseball.
Many thanks to everyone that have sent along to me that Alvin Battle of Northern Nash was on the 1983 team with George McClain and that Julius Peppers of Southern Nash was a member of the Final Four team at Carolina in 2000. How easy it is to forget.
College basketball season is officially over for every team in North Carolina as for the fourth year Duke's women lost in the Final Eight game. They led at the half but Notre Dame manhandled them in the second half.
The most unlikely of hero's for the Pirates as Akeem Richmond who had only made four of his last twenty three three pointers put up a I had better shoot or the clock is going to hit zero and drained a three pointer and the Pirates are the CIT Champs 77-74. It is the best season in the history of ECU basketball to say the least Jeff Lebo has done a nice job this year getting the Pirates to 23-12 on the season.
Rocky Mount High school baseball played a double header yesterday in Greenville in the Pitt County Easter Tournament. This was not on the schedule but was put together Monday night when Riverside High and Rocky Mount both found themselves finished with their games and both having been rained out on Monday played Tuesday. Riverside won 5-1 so Rocky Mount's record is now 7-6 as they will now have a week off before getting back into Big East Baseball.
Many thanks to everyone that have sent along to me that Alvin Battle of Northern Nash was on the 1983 team with George McClain and that Julius Peppers of Southern Nash was a member of the Final Four team at Carolina in 2000. How easy it is to forget.
College basketball season is officially over for every team in North Carolina as for the fourth year Duke's women lost in the Final Eight game. They led at the half but Notre Dame manhandled them in the second half.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
J'Kyra Brown NCBCA Player Of The Year
Rocky Mount High's J'Kyra Brown has been named the player of the year by the North Carolina Basketball Coaches Association. This honor comes as all four levels of high school are on this team. This is not just a 3-A honor but all levels. The ECU recruit is the all time leading scorer in Rocky Mount girls history and averaged 27 points per game this season.
Jamie Cherry of West Craven, Briana Day and Ryan Flowers of Millbrook along with Kea Paris of Page are the first team all state. The only local player with any boys connections is Donte Battle of Rocky Mount whio made the third team all state.
Rocky Mount high got shutout pitching from Jeremy Johnson as the Gryphons win today at Guy Smith Stadium 8-0 over Greene Central in the Pitt County Easter Tournament. The Gryphons are now winners of three in a row and have upped their record to 7-5. The game yesterday against West Craven in the Easter Tournament will not be made up. Gryphons win both of their games in the Pitt County Tournament.
Hobbs Johnson just can not catch a break on the mound for the UNC Tar Heels. Last night on ESPNU Johnson pitched into the 6th inning left the game with the lead but Carolina managed to lose their second game of the season before the night was over. Johnson who has started six times this spring for Mike Fox has yet to get a win or loss in his six starts. He had an injury early on and there has been a couple of starts where he was on a pitch count and did not get enough innings in the game to win.
I don't know about how your NCAA brackets are but I still have one team alive an that is Louisville. My only problem is everyone still ahead of me in their bracket also have Louisville too so I am out of the running regardless of who wins this weekend.
Rodney Purvis announced that he is transferring from N C State. I can tell you I am from the old school that once you decide this is where I am going you need to accept you were not as good as you thought you were and get better at the place you decided to go. I can't figure any player feels sitting out a year when they think they are the best player on the team can be good for that player.
Thanks for the help in reminding me that Alvin Battle of Northern Nash was also a member of the State 1983 Final Four team. We were talking about the last players from the Twin Counties to play in a final four like Montrezl Harrell will be doing this year.
Jamie Cherry of West Craven, Briana Day and Ryan Flowers of Millbrook along with Kea Paris of Page are the first team all state. The only local player with any boys connections is Donte Battle of Rocky Mount whio made the third team all state.
Rocky Mount high got shutout pitching from Jeremy Johnson as the Gryphons win today at Guy Smith Stadium 8-0 over Greene Central in the Pitt County Easter Tournament. The Gryphons are now winners of three in a row and have upped their record to 7-5. The game yesterday against West Craven in the Easter Tournament will not be made up. Gryphons win both of their games in the Pitt County Tournament.
Hobbs Johnson just can not catch a break on the mound for the UNC Tar Heels. Last night on ESPNU Johnson pitched into the 6th inning left the game with the lead but Carolina managed to lose their second game of the season before the night was over. Johnson who has started six times this spring for Mike Fox has yet to get a win or loss in his six starts. He had an injury early on and there has been a couple of starts where he was on a pitch count and did not get enough innings in the game to win.
I don't know about how your NCAA brackets are but I still have one team alive an that is Louisville. My only problem is everyone still ahead of me in their bracket also have Louisville too so I am out of the running regardless of who wins this weekend.
Rodney Purvis announced that he is transferring from N C State. I can tell you I am from the old school that once you decide this is where I am going you need to accept you were not as good as you thought you were and get better at the place you decided to go. I can't figure any player feels sitting out a year when they think they are the best player on the team can be good for that player.
Thanks for the help in reminding me that Alvin Battle of Northern Nash was also a member of the State 1983 Final Four team. We were talking about the last players from the Twin Counties to play in a final four like Montrezl Harrell will be doing this year.
Monday, April 1, 2013
Final Four Bound
When I make this comment you must remember that I have only lived in the area since 1995. Montrezl Harrell freshman basketball player of the Louisville Cardinals is heading to the final four. My knowledge tells me that no Twin County area player has played in the NCAA final four since Rocky Mount's George McLean was of member of the 1983 N C State WolfPack. If you know of any other player let me hear it.
After the way Louisville played last night you might say that Harrell made the right decision when after committing to play at Virginia Tech but changed his mind once VT fired their coach. I have Louisville in everyone of pools and thought they would beat Duke last night. Once the Cardinal player broke his leg in the first half I thought that gave the Cardinals that added inspiration to win.
I commend CBS's coverage of the injury. Since it is easy when watching on TV to be able to see what is happening there are no words to improve the situation. Their silence through most of the nine minutes was the right thing to do. Radio you have a different situation that you have to describe what happened but TV did the right thing here. The injury was about the worst on field injury since Joe Theisman broke his leg back in 1986 on Monday night football.
Sure does seem that the only way to beat Benton Moss these days for the UNC baseball team is to rain him out. I hope you had the opportunity to watch Benton in the two and two thirds innings before the rains came last night of Fox Sports South. He struck out six and no one reached base until a walk in the pouring rain. The game will be finished today without Benton going back out in the game. The Tar Heels are again on ESPNU at 6pm tonight and there is a good chance that Hobbs Johnson will start that game for the Heels.
Rocky Mount High game was rained out and whether it is made up at this point not sure. They will play at 10am Tuesday against Greene Central.
After the way Louisville played last night you might say that Harrell made the right decision when after committing to play at Virginia Tech but changed his mind once VT fired their coach. I have Louisville in everyone of pools and thought they would beat Duke last night. Once the Cardinal player broke his leg in the first half I thought that gave the Cardinals that added inspiration to win.
I commend CBS's coverage of the injury. Since it is easy when watching on TV to be able to see what is happening there are no words to improve the situation. Their silence through most of the nine minutes was the right thing to do. Radio you have a different situation that you have to describe what happened but TV did the right thing here. The injury was about the worst on field injury since Joe Theisman broke his leg back in 1986 on Monday night football.
Sure does seem that the only way to beat Benton Moss these days for the UNC baseball team is to rain him out. I hope you had the opportunity to watch Benton in the two and two thirds innings before the rains came last night of Fox Sports South. He struck out six and no one reached base until a walk in the pouring rain. The game will be finished today without Benton going back out in the game. The Tar Heels are again on ESPNU at 6pm tonight and there is a good chance that Hobbs Johnson will start that game for the Heels.
Rocky Mount High game was rained out and whether it is made up at this point not sure. They will play at 10am Tuesday against Greene Central.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Easter Break
The Rocky Mount Gryphons fresh off a shutout of Hunt on Friday night headed to Pitt County on Saturday night to take part in the Pitt County Easter Tournament. Spurred by the pitching performance of Spenser Ramsey on Friday coach Kent Cox used Will Edwards for the first time this year coming off a foot injury. Edwards who just started practicing this week pitched into the fifth inning before getting help from Sam Lilley. Lilley gave way to Cody Smith in the seventh but by the time the last out was made Rocky Mount had beaten North Pitt 7-5.
This gives the Gryphons a two game winning streak and and they will head into Monday and Tuesday Easter tournament games with all of the available pitchers healthy for the first time this year. They will tangle with West Craven at noon Monday at North Pitt High School and will play Greene Central at 10am Tuesday at Guy Smith Stadium in Greenville. The halfway point in the high school season the Gryphons stand at 6-5 and 2-1 in Big East play.
Today is the biggest church attendance day of all Sunday's during the year. Today is Easter and the Christian world celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. We have come to live in a world of Political correctness. Sin is every where and every where you turn people are denying that they know who Jesus Christ is and don't believe in him. Yet today they make their annual pilgrimage to make up for their sins because apparently they do believe or they otherwise would not show their face in any house of the Lord that they have denied.
Jesus died for all mankind sins and he told us that if you believe in him you will have everlasting life. He rose on this day to prove to the world that he was the son of God. If he proved that to the world some 2,000 years ago why are there so many who deny him today? Yet today many will be in a house of worship thinking that they can be forgiven their sins. Yes they can be forgiven as long as they truly ask forgiveness.
Asking forgiveness truly means that tomorrow you will honor God to the best of your ability not just today while you are in a church.. We all sin every day and if you really are a believer you will ask for forgiveness every day not just this Easter Sunday.
Our country and our world fall farther and farther away from Jesus. We all who believe need to tell others there is a better way. The more and more we rely on the government to give us what we need the world gets further from Christ. Today is a good day to start to stand on your own feet and bow down to a God. He can give you that inner feeling of happiness that no government can. All you have today is ask for forgiveness. Now is a good time to start!
This gives the Gryphons a two game winning streak and and they will head into Monday and Tuesday Easter tournament games with all of the available pitchers healthy for the first time this year. They will tangle with West Craven at noon Monday at North Pitt High School and will play Greene Central at 10am Tuesday at Guy Smith Stadium in Greenville. The halfway point in the high school season the Gryphons stand at 6-5 and 2-1 in Big East play.
Today is the biggest church attendance day of all Sunday's during the year. Today is Easter and the Christian world celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. We have come to live in a world of Political correctness. Sin is every where and every where you turn people are denying that they know who Jesus Christ is and don't believe in him. Yet today they make their annual pilgrimage to make up for their sins because apparently they do believe or they otherwise would not show their face in any house of the Lord that they have denied.
Jesus died for all mankind sins and he told us that if you believe in him you will have everlasting life. He rose on this day to prove to the world that he was the son of God. If he proved that to the world some 2,000 years ago why are there so many who deny him today? Yet today many will be in a house of worship thinking that they can be forgiven their sins. Yes they can be forgiven as long as they truly ask forgiveness.
Asking forgiveness truly means that tomorrow you will honor God to the best of your ability not just today while you are in a church.. We all sin every day and if you really are a believer you will ask for forgiveness every day not just this Easter Sunday.
Our country and our world fall farther and farther away from Jesus. We all who believe need to tell others there is a better way. The more and more we rely on the government to give us what we need the world gets further from Christ. Today is a good day to start to stand on your own feet and bow down to a God. He can give you that inner feeling of happiness that no government can. All you have today is ask for forgiveness. Now is a good time to start!
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