Spring has sprung... and is almost over?

So I was completely wiped out after our 10-hour drive home from Branson (and the subsequent drive back from Mitchell to Sioux Falls and back that same day/night to watch my friend's band play) and meant to blog that next day or early that next week. Well, that's been two weeks ago now, and I have slipped into forgetting to blog again. I swear I'll do better the rest of the spring.

Anyway... I don't want to lapse back to the national tournament too much but... I thought we had Northwood. We got it down to a three-point game, then couldn't score. I think if we would have tied that game or even taken a small lead, we would have had it. They were cocky, and you can't tell they weren't used to losing, or even playing close games. One thing I noticed down there is that teams and coaches are generally very, very friendly. They're excited to be in Branson at the national tournament, and they'll sit there and chat with you about the teams, the weather, their trip, their season, where you're from, anything. Northwood did not give off that vibe. They seemed stuck up, like they thought they were better than everyone. Which, yes, they were good. Very good. But very beatable.

Anyway... that's over and done with. Great season for the Tiger men. The offseason has been good to them, too. Brady Wiebe earned All-America First Team honors -- the third All-American honors of his career. Coach Shane Murphy signed Luke Bamberg and Kris Menning, a duo of high scorers and talented players from nearby Corsica/Stickney. Those two, along with Jalen Voss, should mean good things for the future of the program.

And now, it's baseball/softball season. Which seems nuts. We've actually had a handful of home baseball games, though. They haven't been particularly warm, but DWU is playing baseball in March in South Dakota, which is fairly impressive. The softball team hasn't been so lucky, but is hoping to change that Friday with a doubleheader against Peru State.

The baseball team has struggled a bit this season, mostly because it is very, very young. There are only a handful of upperclassmen on the team, and some of those upperclassmen are seeing playing time for the first year, so they don't have that big-game experience. Thomas Pickett and Ethan Opsahl have both excelled, though. Both have won a GPAC Pitcher-of-the-Week award after big performances. Opsahl leads the league with 38 strikeouts and Pickett is second with 31.

The softball team is also young, but experienced because these kids have been playing since they were freshmen. Brandi Nekrassoff earned GPAC Pitcher-of-the-Week honors last week for her part in helping DWU sweep previously undefeated Nebraska Wesleyan.

I know it's only the end of March, but graduation is April 30, so spring sports are coming to a close rather quickly! Which is nuts to think about.

Like I said, I promise I'll blog more this spring season. Who ya rootin' for?

Game 2: So close.

We could have had them. We had chances. We should have upset the 2 seed. If only we'd scored more than one point in the last three minutes of the game. If only a few more of our threes would have gone in. I think if we could have gotten one big shot in the final minutes of the game, it would have rattled Northwood and we'd have won.

They were panicked. In the second half when we started making a run and chipping away at the lead... they got sloppy and tight and started fighting with each other. They didn't know how to react. Just one more three, and I think they would have internally collapsed.

But, we didn't. And they didn't collapse. Northwood was tall and athletic and strong and very solid. But they are for sure beatable. Brady had a great game, despite being outsized down low. Fourteen huge rebounds and 19 points. What a career he has had.

I really wanted us to win for several reasons, but one reason was because the Oklahoma Wesleyan scouts I was sitting between didn't take a single note about us. Not one. They had a page and a half worth of notes on Northwood's plays and personnel and whatnot. They had a corner of the page marked off labeled DWU, but nothing written down. I really wanted to win and make them feel stupid. It's not like Northwood killed us. They didn't have it wrapped up; it wasn't a for sure win. Seeing that made me mad.

Excellent season for the Tigers. Considering we were at one point in the middle of the GPAC race and now went 1-1 at the national tournament... an excellent season with some very, very big wins. No one on this team has anything to be ashamed of. Especially after tonight. We left everything on that court. And it showed.

Again, I want to mention how very blessed I, and everyone involved with DWU athletics, am/are. There is so much support for the athletes and staff from the families, the athletes, the community. Families adopt players whose families live far away and invite them into their homes. Welcome new families into the Tiger athletic family. It's amazing to see, and be a part of.

Growing up, I never thought I'd say this, but I am already anxious for next year's basketball season. Who ya rootin' for?!

Game day #2: 3:19 p.m.

I'm a little bit anxious now. Still not as bad as yesterday. I wouldn't say I have a positive or negative feeling about the game, I just feel like it's going to be fun. This is a chance for the Tigers to prove to everyone what they're made of and what they can do. I'm very excited.

Branson is a great host city for this tournament. Moving this tournament would be an absolute shame. Went down to the landing today and wandered through the shops. What a beautiful area -- and the 60+ degree weather and sunshine sure didn't hurt! Made sure to soak up plenty of that; not sure when it'll get that warm in South Dakota. Also hit up the Titanic exhibit and the Hollywood Wax Museum. Both were very fun and entertaining. My character survived the Titanic sinking -- Curt's didn't.

Another thing about Branson: everyone is so incredibly nice. Very helpful, very friendly. Asking where you're from, what school you're with, wishing you good luck. All the teams and coaches are friendly as well. We're in the same hotel as Oregon Tech and Eastern Oregon (and Northwest, who already lost), and they are all very nice. It's such a great, welcoming atmosphere.

I haven't come up with any great game plan or idea for tonight. Basically, we need to do what we did last night. Maybe even a little better. They're big and talented, but we have a whole lot of heart, and that goes a long way. I'm hoping we can show Rollie and his Florida boys a thing or two.

Time to get ready to head to CofO. I'm quite excited for another hospitality room dinner. The spinach lasagna and strawberry rhubarb pie last night was amazing.

Get ready, Tiger fans. Tonight should be exciting. Who ya rootin' for?!

Game day #2: 10:30 a.m.

Well I am definitely not as nervous for tonight's game. Not compared to yesterday at this time. I'm still pumped up about how well we played last night. The Tigers will definitely need to play like that again today against the No. 2 team in the nation. I think this one will be fun, though. We've got wins against four top-10 teams... why not see where we stack up with Rollie and his Northwood squad?

I've heard from several people that Northwood is good, but not unbeatable. They're big, but so was Grace. They're taller than we are, but so is everyone else we play. They're athletic, but hey. This is college basketball.

Just a short post this morning. Went for a run (this town is uphill no matter where you go), now off to the marina and then to find some touristy things to do. More later.

Who ya rootin' for?! (Keep yelling!)

Game 1: We win!

(Jordan Long and Brady Wiebe go up for a rebound against Grace. Photo by Brian Beard, Creative Images Photography)

After a day of being anxious... we did it! It did take me until the very end of the game to stop fidgeting, though. I was sitting next to the Oklahoma Wesleyan coach, and he got a kick out of my finger tapping, white knuckled antics.

But seriously -- what a game. At the reception today, Shane talked about how this needs to be a team effort, how, when everyone works together for a common good, we can achieve so much more, and I think the guys took it to heart. That was the best collective team effort I have seen all year. The Briar Cliff game was great, and Northwestern, but this was fantastic. Our bench outscored their bench 26-4. That hasn't happened all year. Everyone made at least one huge contribution. Bo hit three big 3s. Jordan had 8 points, 8 rebounds, several assists and a few blocks. He was everywhere. Jake hit a big three. And Matt Dykstra had a few huge rebounds and three HUGE blocked shots. Germ had 11 points. Justin Nelson had 11 points and a few key rebounds and steals. Brady had 16 points. Chase had 7, including a late three to help seal it. The list goes on and on. Everyone had a hand in this win, and that is something they should be ridiculously proud of.



I wasn't impressed by Grace's bigs. Not even a little bit. Duke Johnson, their really good big guy, had some good shots, but they were all 18 footers. Not at all impressive down low or in the post. And Dykstra... Dykstra came out and just decided he was going to shut them down and play around them. And he did. He, and the whole team, shut them down. I was worried about No. 33 for awhile... he had a good first half... but he got quiet in the second. They were good, but nothing special. Tall, but that doesn't mean much if you don't take advantage of it.

This means... bring on Northwood! The No. 2 team in the country. Coached by Rollie Massimino, they are in the top 5 in the nation in several statistical categories. They lead the nation in 3-point percentage (.410) and are second in field-goal percent defense (.382) and total assists (571). Jon Dunn is fourth in points per game (23.8) and Pat Horstmann is eighth in rebounds per game (10.1). They're tall... but we learned tonight that doesn't necessarily mean much.

I watched Northwood a little bit today, but I don't think it was too indicative of how they normally play. They played Fisher, who's 15-15, doesn't seem to know what a shot clock is for and whose offense seems to be whoever gets the ball first shoots. It was pretty sloppy. Northwood wasn't working too hard, but it really didn't half to. I guess time will tell!

I'm so glad not to be nervous anymore. We'll see how tomorrow goes. I think I'm going to play tourist for awhile so maybe I'll forget about being nervous until closer to game time.

Hope everyone stays tuned in tomorrow! Who ya rootin' for?!

Game day: 3:18 p.m.

Still nervous. Getting worse, actually. I have about an hour of down time before we head over to the CofO campus to watch Northwood play, too, so I have lots of time to think.

In my thinking, I came to a realization. I am very lucky. We are very blessed. We have an amazing new coach who is great to work with and has done great things with a program full of amazing guys. Those guys, a group that was thrown together semi last minute, have bought into this new coach and everything Dakota Wesleyan stands for and found a way --despite being a "down year" -- to make it back to the national tournament.

Shane spoke this afternoon at a reception at the hotel (which was well attended -- the Tigers should have a good crowd tonight!) and said that obviously he wants to get a win tonight, but no matter what -- we're at the national tournament right now. We're one of 32 teams in the entire country who were able to make the trip to the national tournament. It reminded me of Herb Brooks' speech during the gold medal game at the 1980 Olympics in Miracle, where he reminds the team where they are and what they're playing for. Our team, coaches, staff, fans -- we're in Branson, Missouri, watching teams play in the national tournament. Not a lot of people get this opportunity, especially not year after year. We are very lucky.

Thinking about that made me less nervous. Sometimes you just have to take a step back and look at the big picture.

Then I stepped back in and looked at the small picture. Still nervous.

In other news, Northwestern is down late against... whoever they're playing. Looks like it's up to the Tigers to pick up a win so the GPAC doesn't go 0-4 down here.

Who ya rootin' for?! (Get loud!!)

Game day: 9:44 a.m.

Well, it's here. Game day. At the national tournament. I don't know how the guys are feeling right now, but I know I'm already anxious. I have a feeling it's going to be a long day, waiting for that 5:45 p.m. game. At least we don't play the last game of the night series; I'd probably jump out of my skin.

As you saw in Mr. Aadland's blog, we had a good night last night. I didn't go to practice (I went to the free media reception and got some little goodies instead), but I went to the Outback Oyster Bar to eat with the team and got in on the alligator tail trying. I enjoyed it. And it was hilarious to watch everyone else try it. The Parade of Champions was pretty neat. It got a little long, lining up 32 teams, but it was a neat little event. The USF/Ozarks game was very cool to watch. Ozarks gets a great crowd in that gym, and they are loud. I can't imagine how fun that would be, to play your national tournament games on your home court. The Corn Palace would be rocking if Mitchell were ever to host.

It's too bad the GPAC went 0-2 yesterday. USF (I feel) was a much more deep and talented team than Ozarks, but they couldn't hit anything. They shot 29 percent in the second half. I think Hubbard -- you know, the guy who didn't miss a shot the three times we played them -- had five points, all in the second half. They were 2-for-19 from three-point range and just couldn't get anything done. Maxwell was steady as usual, and Bloch had a good first half, but nobody really did much in the second.

I feel like my posts need to be more in-depth now that Cory has shown what he can do. I might have to pass the blogging portion of my job on to him... nah.

Reception from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Mont Clair Reception Room here at the Grand Plaza in Branson; everyone wearing royal blue and white should be there. If you're in Mitchell, Blarney's and the Scoreboard will be showing the game live. Let's go, Tigers. Who ya rootin' for?!