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.