The College Football Hall of Fame recently announced its 2016 inductee class. While many college football fans know the names of Derrick Brooks, Rod Woodson, Mike Utley and Randall Cunningham, not everyone knows the name of Bill Royce.
Well, you should… and now you can.
As I continue to bring coverage to you from Salem, Virginia on tonight’s Stagg Bowl, I bring you my latest feature at NCAA.com.
Tonight, the Mount Union Purple Raiders face off against St. Thomas for DIII supremacy. The Stagg Bowl kickoff — slated for 7 PM on ESPNU — features the nation’s two best offenses as MU and STU both have averaged over 50 points a game this season.
Both teams have done it behind balance. In particular, St. Thomas boasts the fifth best total offense (529.4 yards per game) behind the perfect blend of passing (271.4 yards a game) and rushing (258.1).
Jordan Roberts — the Tommies star running back — has been the epitome of that balance.
Keep reading to learn more about Jordan Roberts amazing journey
The Florida Southern Moccasins are the reigning DII Men’s basketball champions, however they entered this season unlike many reigning champs ever have.
Their head coach for nearly the past decade — a man who went 218-72 — moved on to a new school. All five starters — whom were responsible for four conference titles and a trip to the finals last year — are also gone. The Mocs could easily have fallen from glory.
But they refuse to go away that easily. New head coach Michael Donnelly simply won’t let them. They began their season with exhibitions against the Duke Blue Devils and Syracuse Orange and continue to mature and grow against tough competition.
To get back to the top with a new coaching staff and practically new team will be quite the challenge. But these Mocs wouldn’t have it any other way.
Click the link below to read my weekly feature from NCAA — DII taking an inside look at the reigning champs start to the 2015-2016 season.
I love covering DII sports. It seems every week, you find a feel good story about a program that has worked hard to rebuild their program to a competitive level. While there are still dominant teams like DI that always find themselves in the mix, the playoffs bring an extra level in excitement that gives many teams a chance.
This year alone, Women’s Field Hockey saw Coach Sandy Miller finally grab her elusive National Championship as head coach of East Stroudsburg Warriors. Now, the football bracket sees a few teams trying to make their move.
Today the Emporia State Hornets take on the Henderson State Reddies. The Hornets are fresh of their first playoff win — an instant classic that they won 51-49 on a last second field goal to overcome the largest deficit in the programs history — in the school’s 25 years as a DII program. At the helms is head coach Garin Higgins. Higgins also happened to be at the helms as quarterback the last time the Hornets won a playoff game as an NAIA program. Like I said… feel good stories.
Take a minute to read theirs:
The Carson-Newman Eagles Women’s Soccer program was once a force to be reckoned with in Division II. They had been to back-to-back Final Fours just a decade ago, but after their last playoff appearance in 2009, the program has been struggling.
Richard Moodie, a former CNU soccer player himself, was named the Men’s Soccer coach five years ago. A year later, he agreed to take on the Women’s program as well. While he took the Men to the National Championship game in 2013, he quietly and patiently began to rebuild the Eagles Women’s team.
The first three years were a struggle, as they combined to win a total of 12 games. Entering 2015, they were expected to finish 9th in the South Atlantic Conference. Tomorrow, they play their first Championship postseason match since 2009, coming off an unbelievable 18-2 season, sweeping both the SAC regular season and tournament titles. Unbelievable to everyone but themselves of course.
My latest piece at NCAA.com tells their magical story:
Carson-Newman Eagles soaring to new heights
Sometimes as a writer, you find a story that is so unique and surreal, that you simply don’t believe that it could be true. Sometimes you hope you are the one lucky enough to write about it.
Unbeknownst to most, there are two Augustana Vikings basketball teams in the nation. One hails from Sioux Falls, South Dakota and the other is in Rock Island, Illinois. One is in Division II and the other is in Division III. Both are entering the 2015-16 season as No.1 in the preseason polls.
That’s not even the half of it. Tom Billeter, head coach of the DII Augustana UNIVERSITY (SD) Vikings and Grey Giovanine, head coach of the DIII Augustana COLLEGE (Ill.) Vikings started their coaching career together under the tutelage of legendary Arizona Wildcat’s head coach Lute Olsen’s top assistant Scott Thompson. Their five years at Rice University began a friendship that is still strong today.
Billeter’s Vikings came out of nowhere to go 31-3 last year, win both their conference and conference tournament, before being ousted by one point in the regionals of the NCAA tourney. Giovanine’s squad went 27-5, losing in the championship game. Both coach’s teams have a pretty large chip sitting on their shoulder heading into this season.
I was lucky enough to sit down with both coach Billeter and Giovanine and talk about their past together and their present, as they set to open the college basketball season. The story is as good as it sounds, folks, so check out the interview only at NCAA.com by clicking on the link below:
For those of you that follow along, you know that I started writing with NCAA.com last season right in time for the fall championships. Well, it’s getting closer to that time of year again. The fall championships are around the corner and that means that the games are that much more important and the players show that much more moxie down the home stretch.
Out in South Dakota, Northern State University is putting together a dream season on the Women’s Volleyball court. 21-0. Quite the accomplishment, that even is more impressive when you take into account that FIVE teams from their conference are in the Top Ten in the Nation.
I got to sit down with Head Coach Brent Aldridge and their senior setter Drew Smith and talk about this magical season. These are the interviews I love most, so I thought I would share it with the Wayniac Nation in my morning thoughts. Take a read, I’ve attached the link right below.
I know what your asking yourself. Where the heck has The Wayniac been the last few months? Well, you can take that sigh of relief and finally get some shut eye, for The Wayniac has returned.
I haven’t stopped writing, in fact, I have been writing too much, if there is such a thing. I mean after all, I am a writer… what the heck else would I be doing?
When the calendar turned from the Year of Jeter to 2015, I was promoted to the editorial position at Grading on the Curve. So, along with writing about the Minor Leagues, which you know I love so much, I also run a team of top prospect analysts. It has been an awesome experience, but of course, very time consuming. But it is worth every minute.
I also have been writing for NCAA.com more often, which has been an experience like no other. I have covered everything from the DI Men’s Soccer College Cup where I got to interview legendary NCAA player and coach, UCLA’s Jorge Salcedo. I watched Lance Leipold lead his Whitewater Warhawks to one last exciting victory in the DIII Football Championship (The Stagg Bowl) before he makes the jump to DI this coming season. And I got to talk to George Williams, one of the best coaches in NCAA Track and Field History, as well as a US Men’s Olympic Track and Field coach. I even did some work for the New Orleans newspaper The Advocate covering the SEC Gymnastics Championships. It has been a very humbling adventure which I am so very grateful to continue on.
But why am I telling you all of this? I’m not here to gloat and say look at me… well, it is my blog, so I am kind of here to say that. But since I have all of these pieces across the wonderful World Wide Internet, I thought maybe every Monday, I would share with you a few of my better pieces over the week.
So, this new feature: Where’s The Wayniac, will come out every Monday. Instead of having to search through all the sites I write for (Baseball Hot Corner, Yanks Go Yard, Grading on the Curve, and NCAA.com), I’ll just bring them all to you. This way, if you don’t give a crap about Minor League baseball, you can skip it and be on your way to the next article. You know me by now, always looking out for the well being of The Nation!
At Grading on the Curve:
There was a lot of talk this past week about the Yankees and the Braves attempting to trade some of their top prospects. Personally, it made no sense. I tell you why write here!
Another pitcher, Andrew McKirahan, was suspended for PED use today. Last week I looked at the drug and PED problem in Minor League baseball, and what can be done to fix it right here.
If you have been keeping up with all the money thrown around on Cuban prospects the past year, you’ll also realize that few of them can handle the Major Leagues. Here’s the problem with what I have coined the Cuban Prospect Crisis.
At Yanks Go Yard:
My fellow Yankees fans need to pipe down about A-Rod. It’s time everyone accepts A-Rod is here to stay and THE reason our Yankees are winning ball games. My weekly Monday feature: The Bronx is Boiling.
Baseball Hot Corner:
Every Monday, I bring the baseball world recaps of the NL East. Here are Weeks One and Two so you can get caught up!
That’s a good start. I felt it my duty to check in with the Wayniac Nation because I have been kind of silent as of late, but that’s not because I haven’t been pumping out my views on sports. Hopefully, I have won your viewership back, and I will start pumping out some more of your favorite rants on what grinds my gears in the world of sports more often.
Till next time, make sure you wish Le’Veon Bell a Happy 420!
Yesterday, Wayniac Nation’s own Mike Dunton gave a pretty convincing argument on why you should be rooting against the Kentucky Wildcats to get to that illustrious 40-0 and win the NCAA Men’s National Championship. Well, folks, I’m hear to tell you that Dunton is stark raving mad and doesn’t know what he is talking about this time.
Let me preface this by making two things perfectly clear. I do not like Kentucky basketball. If you are new to Wayniac Nation, then you are unaware that I am a diehard Syracuse Orange fan. It is my longest sole allegiance in any sport. My disdain for Kentucky is obviously stemmed in the 1996 season. It’s also the reason why Antoine Walker is on my five most hated athletes ever list and why I never cared for Tony Delk or Ron Mercer, and especially that backstabbing Rick Pitino. Jim Boeheim gave Pitino life, and that’s how he repaid him.
I also can’t stand John Calipari. Of course, Coach Cal has become one of the lesser liked coaches, possibly in the history of the game. But my ultimate dislike does not come from the curious ways he has turned around programs like UMass and Memphis and returned Kentucky to dominance. No, my dislike on Coach Cal stems from the one turn he took in the NBA, coaching my beloved New Jersey Nets. His saving grace was that he drafted my favorite Net of all time in Kerry Kittles. He also could do very little with the team in the two and a half years while he was there, and he was supposed to be the savior coming in from UMass. So screw Coach Cal.
That being said, I am rooting for Kentucky to win it all. Why? I have been watching college basketball pretty vividly since 1986. One of the first times I was ever allowed to stay up late and watch a game (of course with a TV in my room, I use the word allowed lightly) was that stupid Keith Smart shot in the Syracuse/ Indiana debacle. I have watched religiously since then, breaking things, cursing out people, and having my stress level from my bracket busting blowing through the roof for nearly three decades. And in that time I have never seen an undefeated season. You know what, I deserve it.
The generation before mine got to see it pretty regularly. It happened twice in the 50s, and then UCLA and John Wooden pretty much forgot how to lose a game for what, 8 years? Then, in 1976 Bobby Knight and his Hoosiers went 32-0 for the last perfect season in Men’s hoops. People also forget that that season, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights entered the Final Four undefeated, which made for a pretty intense March Madness.
My generation? We got the Wichita State Shockers. Exciting Cinderella story, yes. Did anyone think they legitimately had a chance to win it all and go undefeated having to go through Louisville, Michigan, or Syracuse? Unless you went to or were currently attending Wichita State, that answer is a resounding NO.
We live in an era in where the one-and-done rule reigns supreme. I agree with Dunton on the points he made in regards to the rule and its effects on the game, and I also agree that Coach Cal is perhaps the master at figuring out how to win with a bunch of Freshman. Because of the one-and-done rule, we may never have a shot at seeing an undefeated team again. So I repeat, I deserve this.
Should the one-and-done rule change, the only way it would go would be to revert back to the original rule, allowing potential NBA draftees to skip college altogether. There is no way that the NCAA or NBA would ever be able to reach an agreement to make it longer. Should the rule change and go back to allowing high school kids to enter the NBA Draft, our chances at an undefeated season grow even slimmer. In today’s society of YouTube and social media, teams are scouting kids in middle school. LeBron James 10-year old son is basically being harassed by colleges across the nation. Bron doesn’t even know what a college is.
I don’t need to rattle you off stats. If you are filling out a bracket and don’t know who to take because you didn’t pay much attention to this year’s college basketball season, all you need to know is that Kentucky has arguably the best two teams in the nation. You also need to know that Kentucky is so good that Coach Cal doesn’t even need to… recruit kids in a curious manner.
“Hey kid,” Coach Cal could say, “Why don’t you come to Kentucky. We are a legendary program. All I need you for is 40 games. I’ll win you a championship and then you’ll get to go make millions in the NBA by the time you’re 19. If you want to stick around for a second year, I will allow it, but I must insist that by the time you turn 20 that you are an NBA Lottery pick and agree to a million dollar contract.”
Tough sell, huh? It’s not about exposure with Kentucky. They have been a legendary program for an eternity. Ever hear of Adolph Rupp? Kenny Sky Walker? Ashley Judd? Kentucky doesn’t just put out top NBA draft picks, they sustain success in the NBA. Rajon Rondo, DeMarcus Cousins, and John Wall are amongst the current NBA elite and Anthony Davis may be challenging as the best big in the game.
If you are going to take the I hate Coach Cal approach, that’s fine, but find me a top program who isn’t under the microscope for questionable recruiting practices these days. North Carolina had a rigorous college academic program they seemed to put their basketball players through in order to keep them academically eligible (and Roy Williams suffered no penalty). Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim is dealing with it now (although I hope they lessen the blow during the appeal process because it seemed like an all out attack on him and not Syracuse). Like I wrote months ago about Tom Brady and Bill Belichik, everybody tries to gain an edge. Call it cheating, call it immoral, but it’s competitive nature and the more high-profiled a system is, the more aware the public is.
An undefeated season becomes even harder because of the opposite effect from the one-and-done rule. What Gonzaga started over a decade ago, has been continued by coaches like Shaka Smart and Brad Stevens and continues with teams like Wichita State today.
These teams build programs of solid basketball players that won’t dash after one year. They learn team basketball and are mostly in it for the long haul. While the Zags, Butlers, JMUs and George Masons haven’t won a title yet, they show what the advantage of a cohesive team of experience with each other can do. And on the march to the Final Fours, they often take out bigger programs. Call them Cinderella stories, call them underdogs, I call them prepared.
Some people will say college basketball has been down, but I disagree. It is “down” because the playing field is leveling out across the nation. Why do you think a No. 12 seed can seemingly always beat a No. 5 seed? It’s because the same ten schools that dominated college basketball are losing players to “smaller” programs that have shown they can win and hang with the big boys. Why go and be the number four guy in Duke when you can be the head honcho of the feel good story of the tournament? There’s your exposure.
This isn’t about the one-and-done, this isn’t about Coach Cal. This is how it’s always been at Kentucky. And once Coach Cal is gone, it’s going to be how it remains. If college basketball has proven one thing it’s that the elite programs don’t simply disappear. So put you’re hatred aside and realize that we deserve to see an undefeated season.
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