Reeves Nelson reacts after tipping in the game-winner against Cal on Thursday night.
You know what is so irritating to me? When basketball games are won or lost on a rebound and putback. This happens so often that it’s mind - boggling. Starting with the first practice in elementary school, I can guarantee you that almost every coach will instruct and teach his or her players to BOX OUT. When a shot goes up, get a body on somebody and go get the ball right? So how is it that tip-dunks, tip-ins and offensive rebounds happen in the closing seconds of so many games at every level, including the NBA? It just goes back to fundamentals. It’s a weird thing to see some of the best athletes in the world, playing on big stages just simply forget to do something they’ve learned to do their entire careers. And it happened again on Thursday night in the Cal - UCLA game at Pauley Pavilion.
California, being down by nine points with less than a minute left had just made an improbable comeback and tied the score at 84 on a three pointer by Allen Crabbe with 10 seconds remaining. UCLA’s Tyler Honeycutt dribbled the ball up court and put up a shot from the free throw line that missed but teammate Reeves Nelson came all the way from the top of the key, untouched, and tipped in Honeycutt’s miss right before the buzzer to win the game.
Its proven time and time again, when the game is on the line it’s the fundamentals that make the difference between a win or a loss. Move your feet on defense, and box out.
As the college football season winds down and the BCS bowl games are being played, its easy to skip past the smaller, seemingly meaningless bowl games. I mean, there are 35 bowl games in all so even the biggest college football fan has to get tired of the endless loop of hit or miss football games. Did ESPN really think that the Bell Helicopter Armed Services Bowl between two 6-6 teams (Army vs. SMU) was gonna be a ratings bonanza? I think not. But every now and then comes an intriguing storyline and a team worth watching. Such was the case last night in the GoDaddy.com Bowl featuring Miami (OH) vs. Middle Tennesee.
In most years Miami (OH) University has what should be considered a successful football program. They play in the Mid American or MAC Conference, which doesn't typically produce teams with a chance to win college football's national championship, but teams in the conference such as Northern Illinois, Central Michigan and the Redhawks themselves regularly produce NFL talent. But all football programs, big or small go through disappointing seasons for one reason or another, and the 2009 season was a difficult one for Miami. The Redhawks finished the season 1-11 for one of the worst records in the history of the football program. But this year, the team put the pieces back together and won five straight games to finish the regular season 9-4 and entered Thursday's bowl game with a chance to make NCAA football history. No team had ever lost 10 or more games the season before winning 10 or more games the following season, and Miami (OH) was on the cusp of completing the biggest turnaround in college football history. The end of the season didn't come without adversity, though. Starting quarterback Zac Dysert was lost in November due to a lacerated spleen, and head coach Mike Haywood left after the season to take a job at Pitt. Haywood is facing his own difficult times after being fired after only three weeks on the job because of a felony domestic violence charge. So against this backdrop, interim coach Lance Guidry addressed his team before the start of last night's game:
Wow. If that doesn't get you fired up then you need to get your pulse checked. I haven't heard a pregame speech like that since high school, and players will run through a wall after hearing that before a game...Freshman Austin Boucher apparently got the fever. Making his 4th career start, Boucher threw for 289 yards and 2 touchdowns while leading the Redhawks to a 35-21 win over Middle Tennesee. This was Miami's first bowl win since Ben Roethlisberger was the quarterback and they cemented their place in college football history, finishing the season with a 10-4 record.
A turnaround like that shows commitment, not only from the players, but from the coaching staff and ultimately from the powers that be at the school. Not many coaches survive an 11 loss season, but Mike Haywood obviously did a decent enough job last year that it convinced Athletic Director Brad Bates to keep him on for another year. In light of recent events, Haywood's personal decisions may be questioned, but his football prowess is without debate because he laid the groundwork - with players and coaches - for their win on Thursday.
Lessons that can be learned about perseverance and fighting back are ones that never get old. Congratulations to Coach Guidry and to the Redhawk football team and thanks for teaching us.
