SD Zoo, Harbour Tour and Lee going off on the ocean...

What a neat zoo! I know why it is known nationally / worldly. I know each player had a separate best memory of their favorite animal. It seemed like most of the favorites were elephants, tigers, hippos, polar bears and then the snake exhibit. Mixer, Hipp, Corey, Bradley and I got attacked by some species of monkey...i'll post the video later! Lots of fun memories hopefully for the guys. We found a good dinner place in Mimi's Cafe. Kendall stole the night with an order of Lamb shank and a side of pancake. The best was the he asked in a straight face if he could substitute his salad with a pancake...the waitress wasn't sure how to respond.

Today is the last day out here to do some exploring. I think we are going to drive north up the pacific coast highway and see some of the coastline. Maybe venture down to the harbor area or the "Gaslight" district. I am sure we will find some good Mexican food to wrap up the trip this evening.

UCR...

U of California Riverside is really good! We competed hard last night, but they were just too good. We missed some shots tat have been falling for us, but they may have a lot to do with the 6'8" wings flying at our shooters. It certainly was a long day for the guys coming off a tough loss at Pt Loma. We left about 10:30 grabbed some breakfast, drove 90 minutes to Riverside, shot for about 1 hour, walked around a mall for awhile, grabbed pregame meal, then headed over to the game. We got back to lovely San Diego about 11:00...long day.

Yesterday was Stefan's birthday! We sang a beautiful rendition of Happy Birthday in Applebees. The other customers looked at us funny! He turned 22 yesterday. Happy Birthday Stef!!!

We are off to the Zoo today. Hopefully a lot of fun will be had by our guys.

I will try and get some videos up on the webpage shortly...the wireless connection takes forever to load videos.

Good team at home...

Point Loma did things I had not seen on tape while at home...they made shots by a lot of different players. They played really well last night from what I can tell. They were led by Ryan Beal who went for 29 points on 11-12 from the field. The score was not indicative of the game. It was a game of runs and we just did not have the last run. We had stints during the game that we looked awfully good. The first 8 minutes of the second half was by far the best bball we have played all year. We will need to improve upon that glimpse. Will, Tim, Bentley and Lee really played well for us. Lee may have had his best game of the year. Bentley had a couple great back cuts and scores and will & Tim continued to score for us at a good rate.

We have a huge challenge tonight to say the least. They have a couple guys that will start for them...one transferred from USC (#20) and one transferred from Gonzaga (#42). They have pretty good talent. Also, a neat side note, the head coach, was an assistant with Tim Floyd with the Bulls just after the Jordan era concluded.

We continue to have a good time. Hopefully we can add to a positive bball experience out here tonight, then enjoy the two days of freedom. We are soooo lucky to have a school that allows us to take trips such as this. We are also so lucky for the wonderful student athletes that we have! Thanks!!!

1st full day...

We had a good day yesterday! We headed over to practice at 9:15 and went for about 2 hours and got a lot of shots up (hopefully shoot it better today!) and tried to just get used to our surroundings. PLU has a neat old gym that overlooks a beautiful beach. All their athletic facilities are just set right on the edge of the beach. If you ever had a frustrating day as a coach or player you could go look at this and it puts life back in perspective quickly.

After practice we grabbed some lunch and went to Pacific Beach and messed around for a couple hours. We just walked up and down the boardwalk and took in the scenery. Lee was brave enough to jump in the water and did some "skim" boarding. He certainly is in his element out here at the beach! The other highlight was a skateboard guy knocking over a guy on a bike and the guy meeting the shrubs abruptly! He went over handle bars and into the bushes, but he jumped up and kept riding like nothing happened. We got quite a laugh.

We ate at a great pizza place for dinner then returned to the Town and Country for the evening.

I am so anxious to see how we play today. I hope we can match their toughness and we can make some buckets. I think we will have a great chance if defend them. They are a solid team without great athletes. It will be interesting to see how the game will be called and if we can get comfy out here.

Cross your fingers for us! Go Vikings!!!

LaGrange and we made it to Cali...

The trip yesterday went great. It certainly was an early morning after a long day. Saturday was certainly sweetened after a good win over LaGrange. Both teams were sluggish the day after exams, but hey, it is a win!!! Tim Miles got his first double double of his career and has told most people he has seen out here in Cali :)!We finished the game in the right fashion by making big free throws and getting a few consecutive stops. We need to find a way to start putting up some more points as the season continues.

We made it out yesterday without a hitch. The guys were so excited. It was fun to see them and their faces getting ready to land out here. I have said it so many times, but we have a wonderful group of guys that I am proud to coach. After we landed we got the vans, got through baggage claim, and got checked into the hotel. The hotel is a little dated, but it has a beautiful courtyard area that will be fun to hang out in. We just chilled out at the hotel for a couple hours and got a little rest. We ran to "Old Town" San Diego last night for a authentic Mexican meal. It was awfully good. We discussed the promotional path that Proteage is going to take over the next few years. They are currently in "K mart", "Super K mart" and "Special K mart". It really is comical listening to Tim and Kendall discuss their fantasy world...

We need to have a good day of preparation for the game tomorrow and get them to think about basketball for a few hours today, while still enjoying the beautiful area out here.

We are so blessed to have the chance to get out here and see new places. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Schulte's today. Michael will join us tomorrow morning.

Congrats to the women's team for a big win on Saturday vs. Maryville.

Schulte and Mix

Schulte and Mix

Lee Dunking!!!

Coach Bradley and Lee throwing it down!!!

Stefan "break dancing"

This is pretty funny...Stef was called out by the group that was here with Hoops Madness. He represented us well!!!

Schulte dunking???

Micheal, the crowd favorite, throwing it down...

Hoop Madness Clips...

Big Dave throwing it down!!!

LaGrange and Cali...

We are in the midst of exam week and that always brings up a tough spot for coaches. I know when I was a student it was always a welcome relief to get together for a couple of hours and practice during the week. As a coach it is tough to demand too much this week, but you don't want to slip any in your progression during the season.

We are trying to prepare for a great trip out to California with a stop in LaGrange prior to flying out there. The plans are coming together. We have tickets, a hotel, vans, and a couple practice times locked up. Now it is to planning the fun free time we get out there. It sounds like there is just so much fun stuff to do out there. We have gotten so many suggestions, but there is no way to do it all! Hopefully we can work in Sea World, beach, a harbor tour, or maybe the zoo???

We will try and update you while we are out there! It is going to be a lot of fun and I can't wait to enjoy the rough weather that will be out there!!!

Montgomery...

We did not fair the way we wanted to down in Montgomery, but there were some positives that came out of the weekend. The Faulkner game was nip and tuck for abut 38 minutes. We made a couple mentally tired mistakes down the stretch that led to some easy buckets for the home team. We shot the ball well from the field and from the FT line. The AUM game was a frustrating one, because they were awfully good pretty much all day. The biggest issue for us was just getting stops. It seems as though they scored about every possession. We gave up way too many offensive rebounds (while in Montgomery) to give ourselves a good chance. Lee had a good game going, but got in some foul trouble and that took away some confidence our guys had early in the game. We kept fighting, but just couldn't get over the hump against them.

Faulkner...

We gave a very good effort last night vs. the Eagles. They have always been a team that is best classified as relentless. Coach Sanderson, is the son of legendary coach Whimp Sanderson. We played great defensively in the first half and just could not sustain the rebounding in the second half. We had way too many turnovers in a game like that. Hopefully we can bounce back tomorrow at AUM and get a win. Thanks for the parents that traveled to Faulkner. We have the best parents!!!

Big Weekend in Montgomery!!!

We need a big weekend heading into the exam week. Faulkner and AUM are always tough place to try and go and get a win, but that's what's in front of us. Hopefully yesterday's practice will translate into some good feelings going into tonight. If we can take care of the ball and rebound with them we should be able to compete both nights. Cross all your fingers for us and hopefully we can pull off a couple upsets!!!

Covenant Game...

We had a tough road loss on Monday night. David Holloman had a great night for us and Bentley really played with a lot of determination throughout the game. We missed a lot of open shots and their zone defense really made us slow on both ends of the floor. We just had one of those nights that we need to learn from yet forget. Hopefully we can bounce back this coming weekend in Montgomery against 2 of the top two teams in the SSAC.

WLAQ 1410 Radio Schedule...Randy and Bob!!!

We are so blessed to have Randy Davis and Bob Williams do some of our games throughout the year. They certainly are a joy to have around the program and they have some wonderful stories to tell! Randy is a member of the Rome Sports Hall of Fame and has been in the Sports Radio world his whole life. Bob is a wonderful person that is fiercely loyal to his Berry College Teams! Below is the schedule that Randy has given us for the year. You can get to the radio broadcast from the main athletic webpage at Berry. Sorry it is a little late!

Dec. 5 @ AUM 5:00
Jan. 7 Brewton Parker 8:00
Jan. 9 SPSU 4:00
Jan. 16 @ Emmanuel 4:00
Jan. 23 SWU 4:00
Jan. 25 @ Shorter 8:00
Jan. 30 @ Lee 7:00
Feb. 1 Reinhardt 8:00
Feb. 6 AUM 6:00
Feb. 13 @ SPSU 4:00
Feb. 16 Shorter 8:00
Feb. 20 Emmanuel 4:00
Feb. 22 Truett McConnell 7:00
Feb. 27 @ SWU 4:00

tough one to swallow....

Well, our first road game did not go as we'd have liked. We certainly had some flashes of playing very dominating basketball, but we did not sustain it over the length of the game. Bentley had a great night for us going 4-6 from the arc and finishing with 12 points. Will continued his good play finishing with 21. He is currently leading the SSAC conference in scoring.

No time to reflect too much with a game on Monday at Covenant and then the tough road trip to the "Gump" on Thursday and Sat.

Let's get back on the right foot on Monday with a big road victory at Covenant!!!

first road test...

We have a big road test tomorrow at Reinhardt College. The first road game always brings up questions that can't be answered quite yet. It is a refreshing feeling going into it with a group that is experienced. It will also be our first test facing a lot of pressure up the floor. Our ability to put 2 points on the floor will be valuable.

We need to continue to progress each day and improve each day...continue to grow in our trust one another as the season progresses.

Go Vikes!!!!

BC 71 LU Flames 68 --- WOW!!!!

We just earned a huge win against Lee University! What an unbelievable effort displayed by our guys and program!!! Will had a career night in terms of scoring. He ended with 26 points and was 10-11 from the FT line. Tim Miles (MJ) got a huge steal with about 55 secs. left in the game and then sank a couple FT's to give us the lead for good.

It was nip and tuck the whole game with Berry getting a 7 point lead in the first half and Lee took a 4 point lead with about 6 minutes to go. Our guys showed a ton of poise and composure during the last 6 minutes. We finished the game 21-25 from the FT line which was huge!!!!We stayed with them on the boards and committed 13 TO's for the game.

Prior to the game we talked about determination and will to get this victory and they showed it today!

Lee is a very talented team and one that will hit their stride as the season progresses. It will certainly be a tall task up there at Lee. I am pretty sure their memories will not be too fond of the Vikes!

Thanks to the parents that came up to parent's day. We had a good pre-game meal with them and obviously the team put on quite a show!

Thanks for the memories that were formed yesterday by our program! I continue to grow in confidence and trust in the guys within our program.

Parent's Weekend...

We are starting a new tradition this year and we will have the parents come to the first home weekend game. They are invited to our shoot around and then eat with us at pre-game meal. This will take the place of our Mountian Day scrimmage which has been a tradition for about 15 years or so. With the move to NCAA D3 we are not allowed to have a scheduled event prior to the Oct. 15th date.

We have always had a great parent following. Probably the best in the SSAC. I certainly hope it continues. Thanks for all the support you give your son and our program!

It is a joy and honor to get to coach your sons!!!

Big Game today....

We have a huge game vs. the Lee University Flames. They are as talented as they have ever been, so we will have our work cut out for us. I hope we can have a special day and really put a great stamp on the year. I am excited to see how our guys respond to a tough situation today.

Coach Tellus...

Coach Tellus is up at Truett McConnell as the assistant coach. We were so lucky to have him in our program for the previous two seasons! He created some great friendships here at Berry and we wish him all the luck in the world!!!

We miss you buddy!

Big Win by the good guys...

WE got a big win to start off the season! We gained a lot of confidence in each other tonight. We shot the ball well and really defended well in the second half. We certainly have a lot of room to improve going into the big game Saturday vs. long time rival Lee University. We tip it up at 4 if you are interested in coming on out!!!

I love our guys effort tonight. We only get to play in front of the home crowd one more time this semseter...we need to try and take advantage of it!

2009-2010 season opener...the Scots

It is time for another year of Berry College basketball. It is always an exciting time when you start a season. As we go into the there are many questions that will need to be answered over the first few games. We are returning 9 players and we added 3 new ones to the roster. We lost a total of 5 guys off of last year's 19-12 campaign. We have talked about the new roles that some need to assume. Some will be counted upon to do much more scoring than in the past, some will be counted on to be a defensive stopper, some will need to play a much more significant role. We have all the confidence in the guys in our program. We need to have some success early in the season to feel a "collective confidence" with each other. In our two scrimmages we had some very positive times during those tests. We had a great 2nd half vs Emory, we had a great 1st half vs. UAH, so we know we can do it. It is going to be a matter of sustaining the good play over 40 minutes. Since the beginning of practice the guys have been working hard and making significant strides in individual improvement.We are pleased with the unity among this year's group. They seem to be a very tight knit group of guys. One of our main goals this season to to maintain the unity throughout the next four months.

We will try to maintain this website to keep you as updated as possible with the progress of our program. Our radio schedule will be the same as last year. Randy will be traveling with us for most conference double headers and Randy and Bob will be tag-teaming the home games! They do such a good job for us.

We have the best traveling families in the SSAC. Please, continue to your support and we look forward to seeing you tonight at 8:00 vs. the Covenant Scots.

Tourney Time

As a basketball player, fan, and coach, there is nothing better than tournament time!  The regular season is great, but teams can make or break their season based on what happens in the tournament.  Emmanuel is a great example of that last year in our conference tournament.  They played well in the tournament and made it to the conference tournament finals which earned them an automatic birth into the National Tournament.

Every team that makes it to the tournament starts fresh.  Records are 0-0.  It's win and advance or lose and go home.  Ball till you fall.  

Tonight Will played a good game and scored a career high 24 for us to help us advance pass Emmanuel and into the semi-finals vs. Lee tomorrow at 6.  The other great thing about the tournament is that when you win you don't get much time to celebrate.  There is always another game to prepare for. 

Shout out to our women's team who won by 1 point to also advance to the semi-finals where they will face Southern-Poly at 4 tomorrow.

Old School Basketball

I got an email from a coach the other day and in it there was a section that talked about Keeping it Real: Old School Basketball Values.  It was written by Herb Welling from Omaha Central High School.  I liked it and thought I'd share it with you.  

We value the ball

We take good shots

We share the ball and we make the extra pass

We sprint back on defense and we give up no lay-ups

We defend the ball and we help our teammate guarding the ball

We contests shots and we don't foul

We box out

We rebound and we run the floor

We dive for loose balls

We take charges

We respect the game, officials, coaches, opponents, and more importantly our teammates

We have good body language

We compete hard and we play with passion

We have no excuses and we have "next play" mentality

We listen with eyes and ears

We only care about one stat and that is the final score

We are responsible and accountable to the team on and off the floor

We play as a team

 

Shorter College...

I am so proud of the guys' hearts!

The win vs. Shorter was a great team victory. We basically played without two of our starters for the second half. Mix was not feeling well and had missed some practices and did not play and Chris got a couple quick fouls and a T early in the second and had to sit and cheer the team on from the bench. We fought back from 11 points down to come back and win to help us complete a sweep over Shorter this year. It was a huge win!

Roller Coaster

Have you ever been on a roller coaster?  I'm sure most of you have.  Some people love them and others can't stand them.  I kind of like them but usually get a little motion sickness when I ride them a lot.  If you have followed our season, which if you are reading this blog I'm guessing you have, you are probably following where I'm going with this.  I feel like we have been on a roller coaster this season.  We have had lots of ups and downs.  We play great one night and play with a lot of passion and energy and the next night it is almost like watching a different team.  We may shoot the ball great one night and then the next night it seems like we can't get anything to fall.  A quick up followed by a quick low.

One thing I have strived to attain since graduating college and entering the "real world" is balance.  I believe balance is the key to being a health person.  Balance in the physical, spiritual,  and social aspects of life.  I mentioned in a previous blog about how Kenny talked about bad things happening to everyone and that the way you handle them is what makes you different.  In sports and life there are going to be ups and downs.  It feels like our ups and downs are one after another, much like a roller coaster.  The good part of this is that we have been able to bounce back after a rough night and play well.  We have not stayed down for long.  The flip side  of that is that we have not been able to stay up very long either.  My hope is that we are able to figure out how to play at a high level at the end of our season when it counts the most.   Teams that get hot at the end of the season are the ones that do a lot of damage.  

We struggled last night vs. Southern Poly.  They are a good team and played well against us.  I was proud of Josh, Bentley and Zach last night.  When they came in they played hard.  Josh took a charge and hit a nice floater on a fast break.  Zach hit a three.  Bentley grabbed a couple of rebounds and made a free throw.  

Coach Haarlow's 100th Win

If you read my post after the AUM game you could probably sense my frustration. The first hint might have been the title "Frustrating night." I knew we needed to play with a lot more passion, energy and togetherness if we were going to beat a tough Faulkner team. Fortunately we did just that. Our guys were ready to play on Saturday. DT gave a little motivational speech to the team before the game about having the attitude of a winner, playing together, encouraging teammates, and our men responded by coming out ready to play. Our defense was much better. We forced 20 turnovers and only had 15. I'm guessing that does not happen to Faulkner very often with the kind of pressure defense they play. It was fun watching our guys compete. Bentley, Zach, and Josh made sure our bench was positive and gave us a lot of energy. Stevo had a nice two handed dunk with authority after a nice block by Lee who had some family at the game from Mississippi. Ferg and Dave also had a couple of nice rejections. Ferg led us in scoring with 23 and we also got 10 from Mixer and Crawford. It was a nice win for our guys and our program, not to mention our coach...

The win on Saturday gave Coach Haarlow his 100th win! This is Coach's seventh year as the head coach at Berry and his 100 wins are the second highest total of any Berry men's basketball coach, trailing only Larry Taylor's total of 159 over 14 seasons. Coach Haarlow said that he would celebrate the win like a wild man by saying good night to his kids, spending some time with his wife, and going to bed.

Another big challenge awaits us on Thursday. We play Southern Poly who was at the top of our conference before having to forfeit some games due to playing a player who was not eligible. They currently hold the same record as us in the SSAC at 5-6.

Kenny Herriot- Motivational Speaker

Last week we had a guest speaker at Berry College by the name of Kenny Herriot. He has a pretty amazing story. Kenny was a successful fitness trainer, boxer and manager when he suffered a freak motorcycle accident in July 2000 which left him paralysed from the waist down. He was only traveling 15 mph but hit a diesel slick and his bike came out from under him. Kenny was determined to regain his fitness and independence after the accident. He took up wheelchair racing in 2002 and in an amazingly short period he rose to the top echelons of the sport, taking all Scottish records from 400m to the marathon, and the British marathon record.

He talked about how your life can change in a heart beat and that when he says that most people automatically think about negative things happening. But your life can change for the better in a heart beat as well. Kenny has made the most of a tough situation through a positive attitude and lots of hard work. He has two quotes that he focuses on when he speaks to people...

"Bad things happen to everybody - its how you handle them that makes you different."

"Nothing slows you down like negative people."

He is currently training and about to embark on a journey across the United States from San Fransisco to New York in The Great Lemon Ride. This 3,500 mile journey is a way for Kenny to raise awareness for Alex's Lemonade Stand which is a charity that was started by a little 4 year old cancer patient named Alex back in 2000. She decided she was going to start a Lemonade stand and give the money she raised to the hospital to help kids like her. Her little lemonade stand continued to grow and others across the country and world caught on and started their own. When Alex passed away at the age of 8, she had attained her goal of raising 1 million dollars. Alex's mother also spoke to the group at Berry and shared Alex's story.

If you would like to visit Kenny's web site here is the link...

http://www.kennyherriot.co.uk/

If you would like more information on Alex's Lemonade Stand visit...

http://www.alexslemonade.org/home

Frustrating night

Well it is about 1 am right now central time in Alabama where we are and I'm not sleeping.  That's not a good thing.  Especially since it is 2 am eastern time which I am use to.  I don't know if I'm thinking about the game tonight, which was not pretty or if it was the stupid decision I made to drink Code Red Mountain Dew at Taco Bell where we ate after the game.  I'm guessing it's the second of the two.  I usually don't drink caffeine, but I didn't remember it keeping me up like this.  I don't feel wild and crazy, but I also don't feel tired.  Sorry, a little random I know, but I thought maybe you could relate.  

The game vs. AUM was not pretty tonight.  We were down 17 at half and they had 52 points.  The second half was not much better.  AUM is talented, that's for sure.  They didn't miss many threes in the second half, to be honest if didn't feel like they missed any.  We got beat badly.  Hopefully we will regroup and have a better effort on Saturday vs. Faulkner.  We need to play with a lot more passion and energy.  If there is one thing we know about Faulkner, they will play super hard.  We need to match their effort and get away from this road trip with a split.  

One last note before I attempt to sleep again.  We are staying in a Country Inn and Suites.  This place is pretty nice.  When I walked up to the room before the game, all of the guys were excited and running in and out of the rooms.  When I saw my room, I saw why.  We have a nice big suite complete with a couch 2 tvs, fridge, microwave, bathroom, 2 sinks and plenty of space. It may not sound all that impressive, but it's much better than we are use to.  The rooms are nice!  So, that's a bonus.  On the flip side, the air conditioning is not working in my room, so it's hot in here!  Maybe another reason I can't sleep.  It may be a curse of growing up in northern Illinois.  I like it nice and cold and cuddling up under a blanket.  I struggle to sleep when I'm hot.  Alright enough rambling.  Good night.

P.S. If you read this blog at all, please feel free to comment and let me know what you like, dislike, or whatever.

Berry basketball outing

Every now and then we like to take the team out and do something fun. It's not always basketball related. Usually it is just something to help the team bond and have a good time. Last year we took the team to Dave and Busters. We all acted like a bunch of kids, playing games and collecting as many tickets as we could. If you have never been to one, it is a lot of fun. Just think of a Chuck E Cheese for adults. The best part is the end when you have to make the big decision about what to spend your tickets on. Most of the guys were thoughtful and gave their tickets to Coach Haarlow's daughter, Molly. After the Dave and Busters fun we went to the Thrashers game. Most of the guys had never been to a pro hockey game and didn't know many of the rules. That didn't stop us from screaming like we did though. It was a good time!

This year both the men's and women's teams got tickets to go watch the Atlanta Hawks play the Phoenix Suns. For some this was their first professional basketball game. (I think it's cool when people get to do something for the first time, especially when they are a little bit older.) Once again we had a great time and got to see a very good basketball game. Shaq is huge! Even when you are looking at him from the upper deck. He can still move and play some ball though. Just ask DT who was smart enough to pick him up in our team's basketball fantasy league. It was funny watching him dance and act a fool when the Atlanta drum line came out for the announcement of the starting lineups for the Hawks. The highlight of the game was Josh Smith's dunk on Steve Nash...

Big win over Shorter

Loyal Berry fans showing their support.

Ferg splits two defenders for a lay up 

in front of some Shorter fans.

Chris Clark for threeeeeeeeeeeee!

The Berry vs. Shorter rivalry lived up to expectations.  Both the men's and women's games were close with your Berry Vikings coming out on top in both for a Berry sweep.  The men's game was not very pretty.  We only shot 35 percent from the floor but still found a way to pull out the W.  Ferg was the high scorer with 18 and Will chipped in 11 for the Vikings.  Tim Miles lead all players with 8 boards.  One of the biggest factors in the big win was our defense on Shorter's best player.  Ferg can be credited for sticking close to and bothering him all game.  It was a nice win for the program.  This win for both the men and women makes our combined record vs. Shorter in The Cage 4-0!  We are looking forward to the next installment of the Berry vs. Shorter rivalry when we travel across town to meet them on their home court on Feb. 17th, but we are not looking past our upcoming opponents.  We are currently on a 3 game win streak after our latest win over Emmanuel and have improved our record to 13-7 over all and 4-5 in the conference but have a very important road trip coming up this weekend to Alabama to face AUM and Faulkner.  

For more pictures from Berry home games visit:

http://berry-athletics.smugmug.com/Mens_Athletics/589714 

Cross town rivalry

Last year was my first experience with the Berry vs. Shorter rivalry. I had heard it was big, but unless you have the privilege to experience it for yourself, it's hard to describe. Last year we played the first of the two grudge matches at Shorter. It was a packed house! Right before tip off I felt like I was at a rock concert or something, the place was going nuts. I remember at one point yelling as loud as I could at DT who was sitting right next to me and he could hardly hear me. I also remember during half time trying to figure out what was all over my suit. I think one of the last times I had worn it was for a junior senior banquette and my date had a sparkly dress on. I thought do I still have sparkles on this from that? Then I realized that it was the paint that had chipped off of the fans who were painted up and standing behind our bench. It made me laugh. Needless to say, it means a lot for both teams, both schools, and all involved. It really is the Duke vs. North Carolina of small college basketball. Two good schools with good basketball programs in the same city and same conference separated by about 5 miles. A lot of pride fills the gym along with fans that may only come to one basketball game all year. I am excited about this years instalment of this great rivalry and I'm honored to have a chance to take part in it. We'd love to have a Berry sweep for both the men's and women's programs.

-Coach Tellus Truesdale

New Orleans

At the dock after the swamp boat tour.
Watch out Josh, there is a gator behind you.

I have a feeling this is not the first time this
Mississippi boy has had a gator in his hands.

Tellus is happy there is a rubber band on the gator's mouth.

DT is thinking about setting the gator free.

Gators always attack at an angle, just remember that.

Coach Haarlow is trying to figure out if this is a
left or right handed gator.

Our fearless captain made our tour one to remember.

This is where our captain lived...
at least that's what he tried to tell us.

This is a water moccasin. Our captain said he had
never seen one out like that during the winter.

This is what we took the tour for, gators!
And the turtle on the branch behind him.

Another gator. Chomp chomp.

Turtle. Usually where there are turtles
there are gators fairly close.

Zach looking to help Stepho out with his
Taste of New Orleans.

Tellus is taking a picture of his
Taste of New Orleans before it dissapears.

The New Orleans trip was a lot of fun! We had a chance to try some new things starting with the train ride. Thank goodness we had electrical outlets on the way down to The Big Easy. Most of the guys spent their time watching movies or playing games on their laptops if they were not playing cards, reading, or sleeping. The obnoxious Alabama fans also made the trip down one to remember. Go Utah! We enjoyed some good food, especially at Oceana down in the French Quarters. I am not going to say much about the Ponchatrain Center because it is still a sore subject for some. Besides beating Loyola on their court, the swamp boat tour was probably the highlight for most of the guys. DT and Tellus were just happy to make the train home after almost missing it. The trip was a blast, but as you know there is no place like home.