College Football: An interview with new Texas State co-offensive coordinator Slade Nagle

Here's my interview with Nagle. It's audio only.

College Basketball: Recapping Saturday's 76-57 win vs Northwestern State

Texas State left fans scratching their heads Saturday afternoon after the 76-57 win against Northwestern State. Those in attendance all seemed to ask the same question: "Where was this team all season?"

It was a complete team effort for the Bobcats as four players scored in double figures led by Diamond Ford's 16 points. Victoria Davis, Kelsey Krupa and Chika Ofoegbu each chipped in 11 points.

Texas State also pounded the glass and outrebounded the Demons, 46-28. Aimee Hilburn paced the Bobcats with 11 boards while Ofoegbu added seven.

NSU closed Texas State's lead to 33-31 with 18:13 remaining in the second half, but the Bobcats soon blew it open. Texas State went on a 24-9 run in the next nine minutes to gain the upper hand.

Player of the Game: Hilburn and Ofoegbu split the honor with their solid all-around games. They combined for 18 points, 18 rebounds and three blocks. The Demons simply looked overmatched in the post.

Trend of the Game: While NSU dominated the paint (34 points), the Demons couldn't manage to convert any misses into second-chance points. The Bobcats scored 12 second-chance points to NSU's two and wore down the Demons down the stretch.

Quotables

Texas State head coach Suzanne Fox on the game: "It was one of the deals where we've been telling the kids to keep believing and keep doing what we're telling you because we're going to turn the corner and tonight we did."

Fox on the Bobcats' tenacity on the boards: "I can't tell you how long we talked to the kids about competing for balls and battling and I thought the kids really responded and got after it today."

Fox on not being mathematically eliminated from the SLC postseason: "Until you play the last game or add the math up and you aren't in it, you want to find a way to get into it. Whether you get into it with 14 wins or four wins, you're in it and then everybody is on zero."

College Football: Observations from Friday's practice

• It was the first day of full pads during spring practice. Texas State wanted to go in full pads Thursday, but lost a day due to inclement weather and were forced to shuffle plans.
• If there are any questions about the strength of Bobcats defensive back Drenard Williams' shoulder, he's slowly laying them to rest. Williams had two vicious hits Friday afternoon — the first on Darius Bolden and the second on Cody Matthews.
• Speaking of Matthews, I'd look for him to be a red-zone target for the Bobcats. He's bulked up and can definitely go up and get the ball.
• Redshirt freshman Roger Martinez, of Kyle, doesn't look like the same guy. Martinez put on about 20 pounds of muscle and is tossing around offensive lineman like rag dolls (see the video).
• Both Eric Soza and Tim Hawkins are getting reps with the first team.
• Soza is still throwing the best ball and has an unreal spiral, but Hawkins has straightened out his passes.
• Hawkins had trouble with a few quarterback-center exchanges (also known as snaps) but as practice wore on, got better. He also needs to quit his happy feet in the pocket. There are times on both the 1st-and-10 and 3rd-and-long drills where coaches had to tell him to settle down and read the field before taking off running.
• Quarterbacks aren't wearing the green, no-hit jerseys any longer. They're fair game like the rest of the team.
• Want to know why? Check out my interview with new co-offensive coordinator Slade Nagle when I post it either tonight or tomorrow.

College Football: A quick video from the first day of full pads at spring practice

College Basketball: A candid interview with Terrence Rencher

In the first 10 minutes following Wednesday night's 77-70 loss to Stephen F. Austin, Texas State head coach Doug Davalos was nowhere to be seen. Davalos usually comes down to speak with the media before the NCAA-allotted 10-minute "cool down" period is finished.

Twenty minutes elapsed before there was any sight of a coach of the Bobcats.

Finally, Texas State assistant coach Terrence Rencher (at left) ambled his way to the court to conduct the post-game press conference. Rencher told the media he'd be answering questions and not Davalos, but Davalos did speak following the game (in his office) with one intrepid reporter.

When Rencher talked, he gave an honest opinion of the state of the Bobcats. Rencher was none too pleased with what happened in the game or what he's seen out of the team recently.

Rencher on what turned the tide in the game: "There were a couple of breakdowns before the end of the half and we never recovered, which is inexcusable."

Rencher on how the coaches tried to rally the team: "We told them that we had to get back to the foundation of what got us the lead in the first place, which was playing solid, sticking to the game plan and forcing tough shots. For some reason, we lost focus in the second half."

Rencher on what allowed SFA to take control of the game: "They have veteran guard play. They have solid, steady leadership at the guard position."

Rencher on if the Bobcats have leaders in the backcourt: "No, and that's not to take shots at anybody, but I can say that about any position on our team. We need consistent play and guys that you know every game what you're going to get from them."

Rencher on if Texas State is a contender to win the SLC: "No. I'm not going to play politics with you. We've had flashes this year of a team that could compete with anybody in our league, but then we've shown too many flashes where we're not that team. Today, at this point, we're not a championship contender. I'm just being brutally honest."

College Basketball: Recapping Wednesday night's 77-70 loss to SFA

My old journalism professors used to tell us to "show, not tell" the story. So, to heed to their advice, allow me to SHOW you Texas State head coach Doug Davalos' words before I offer any of my own.

Davalos on the flow of the game: "I thought we played well defensively and in the second half, defensively, we were a totally different team. In the second half, they’re playing defense without the coaches calling out screens and that really scared me today the way we approached defense."

Davalos on the play of the reserves: "Look at their bench. Our bench to their bench, 28 to 26, these guys don’t play and they come in and it’s disheartening because you look at guys like Jordan Glenn — who’s a stud, Eric Bell — who is a really good point guard and they don’t do anything. Their bench — guys who don’t ever play, step up and play better than guys that play all the time for us."

Davalos on the play of the reserves: "When we play 10 against their 10, our six through 10 have to be better than their six through 10 because that’s what we work on. They don’t. Their six through 10 is playing defense against their starters every day at practice and our six through 10 get reps. Our six through 10 have played, led us in scoring and played minutes. They have to be better than the other team’s 6 through 10. That’s our philosophy. Guys who don’t usually play (on other teams) have outplayed us. It makes you scratch your head."

Davalos on the play of the reserves: Well, you certainly get the picture by now.

Texas State didn't get any help from its bench tonight. The Bobcats only received solid contributions out of three players (Cameron Johnson, Emmanuel Bidias a Moute and Uriel Segura) while the other eight were basically non-existent.

Johnson bounced back from a slow first half to finish with another double-double (18 points and 12 rebounds). Moute didn't play exceptionally well, but finished with 15 points, six rebounds and two blocks. Segura, who started to keep defensive heat off Ryan White, scored 16 points but did little else.

White did score eight points to lead the useless, but turned the ball over five times. J.B. Conley and Jonathan Sloan didn't play a single minute in the second half while Dylan Hale and John Rybak were borderline invisible on the floor (0 for 5, 0 for 4 from 3-point range). John Bowman committed more fouls than he scored points in 22 minutes and Tony Bishop lacked any passion after shaking off a knee injury in the first half.

Turning point: There was a five-point swing at the end of the first half which gave the Lumberjacks the momentum. SFA guard Denzel Barnes knocked down two free throws to cut Texas State's lead to 33-25 with less than 15 seconds remaining until halftime. The Bobcats called timeout in order to have the last shot, but White was whistled for a charge when he barreled recklessly into the lane 11 seconds later. White's mistake gave SFA the ball and Barnes hit a long 3-pointer at the buzzer to bring the Lumberjacks within five.

Player of the Game: SFA guard Eddie Williams. He played 37 minutes Wednesday night and scored 20 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished four assists. Williams drew the charge on White that led to the momentum-changing 3-pointer by Barnes. Honorable mention: SFA forward Jereal Scott and Texas State forward Cameron Johnson.

Quotables

Davalos on starting Segura: "We put Uriel in there because he’s shooting 40 percent. Nobody else is even close. So we said, let’s put him on the two, next to Ryan (White), who is one of our best shooters and take the pressure off of him. He’s going to start again."

Davalos musing on the game: "This is a game we could have won, but I’m not going to say we should have won. In the first half, things were going well and in the second half, we didn’t defend any more. This is a diamond offensively for us to shoot 44 percent. We hit enough shots, but we turned the ball over and we didn’t get shots."

SFA head coach Danny Kaspar on the Bobcats' play in the first half: "I thought they controlled the tempo of the game and if you let Texas State control the tempo on this floor, you’re going to lose."

Kaspar on what he changed in the second half: "We did some soul searching and talking in the second half and we only committed four turnovers and shot the ball pretty well. A lot of players contributed."

College Basketball: Quotables from Tuesday's practice

Texas State head coach Doug Davalos on the difference between the last two games (a 14-point win against Lamar and a 3-point loss to Nicholls): "Our defense has been good enough to win those basketball games, but our offense in one was okay and the other was poor — and it began with turnovers."

Davalos on his team's poor shooting percentage (an SLC-worst 39 percent): "If we’re turning the ball over, it’s giong to affect our shot selection because we get a lot of our shots in transition. If we’re making transition turnovers, we’re not going to get as good of shots."

Davalos on his team missing wide-open jumpers: "When we get open looks, we need to knock them down. Now, as a coach, I’m never going to put that on my players. What I try to do game to game is try to find better ways to make the offense run better, to get guys better shots, trying to get guys who are struggling a quick look inside or any number of things. That’s what you do as a coach. You don’t say, 'You guys have to hit shots,' and then walk out of the film session. You try to fix it with specifics and hope they come back the next game ready to knock them down."

Davalos on never beating Stephen F. Austin head coach Danny Kaspar: "I'm not worried about that. The thing about basketball is that every year you have different players. I’m not playing Kasper one-on-one and we’re not trying to fool each other. We’re trying to get our teams prepared to play."


Texas State forward J.B. Conley on his emergence during conference play: "I don't know what it's been, but I'm upset it's taken 25 games or so to finally happen."

Conley on the importance of the next four games: "These games are really important because we’re not in the conference tournament yet. We have to win, we’re thinking, two or three out of four to be in. They’re really important for seeding."


SFA head coach Danny Kaspar on his team's season thus far: "We haven’t accomplished what we set out to do this year yet. A win tonight would go a long way to accomplishing those goals, but we’re not looking past Texas State."

Kaspar on why he worries about the Bobcats: "They're a team that can turn it on at any moment. They have some explosive players starting with Cameron Johnson and Ryan White. You need to make sure you know where both are at every moment in the game. White is difficult for us to game plan because he's so quick. We need to keep him in front of us."

College Basketball: An interesting and telling chart

College Basketball

College Basketball: SLC men's standings with remaining opponents

Only four games remain in the Southland Conference regular season as teams are jockeying for position going into the postseason tournament.

Right now, Sam Houston State has a leg up on the competition with its 11-1 record. The Bearkats can clinch the No. 1 seed with two more wins.

Behind SHSU, it's anyone's guess what's going to happen.

The next four seeds are up for grabs with Stephen F. Austin, Texas-Arlington, Southeastern Louisiana and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi all going at it. Don't forget about Texas State hanging in there with Texas-San Antonio and Lamar hot on its heels.

Team (Record) — Remaining Opponents

SHSU (11-1) — McNeese, UTA, @NSU, @Texas State

SFA (8-4) — @Texas State, A&M-CC, @UCA, UTSA

UTA (7-5) — Lamar, @SHSU, Nicholls, @A&M-CC

SLU (7-5) — @A&M-CC, @UCA, McNeese, NSU

A&M-CC (7-5) — SLU, @SFA, @Lamar, UTA

Texas State (6-6) — SFA, @NSU, @UTSA, SHSU

UTSA (6-6) — NSU, @Lamar, Texas State, @SFA

Lamar (5-7) — @UTA, UTSA, A&M-CC, @Nicholls

NSU (5-7) — @UTSA, Texas State, SHSU, @SLU

McNeese (4-8) — @SHSU, Nicholls, @SLU, UCA

Nicholls (4-8) — UCA, @McNeese, @UTA, Lamar

UCA* (2-10) — @Nicholls, SLU, SFA, @McNeese

* Ineligible for SLC postseason play due to last season of NCAA-issued moratorium

College Football: Notes from the first spring practice

• Eric Soza was throwing the best ball out of the quarterbacks. Tim Hawkins and Bryan Hill tossed a bunch of wobblers.
• Jarrad Stewart (the transfer from Utah) wore No. 8. It was Travis Houston's number last year, so maybe they are passing it around to the year's best defensive player.
• Karrington Bush was jogging around without much of a limp. Bush had surgery in November to repair his knee.
• Drenard Williams fully extended for several passes, which was good to see. Williams, a senior defensive back, had shoulder surgery last summer but looks to be back to full strength.
• There are a ton of new faces on the defensive line. Many need to put on some more weight.
  

College Basketball: Bobcats fall on last-second shot to Nicholls

THIBODAUX, La. — One step forward, two steps back.

Right when Texas State is ready to climb into the next echelon of teams of the Southland Conference, the Bobcats tumble backward.

Texas State struggled from the field and turned the ball over too many times in its 66-63 loss to Nicholls State Saturday afternoon. The Bobcats fell to 12-14 overall and 6-6 in the SLC.

“We didn’t have enough guys step up and play,” Texas State head coach Doug Davalos said. “You can’t win games when you shoot 35 percent and have 21 turnovers.”

The Bobcats didn’t come out ready to play inside Stopher Gymnasium.

Texas State missed its first three shots and turned the ball over three times in the first four minutes. The Colonels took advantage of the mistakes and raced out to an 8-0 lead.

When the Bobcats finally got it in gear, turnovers derailed any semblance of momentum. Texas State tied it up at 11-all with 9:55 remaining, but allowed Nicholls to go on a 10-4 run over the next four minutes.

The Bobcats held the Colonels to a single basket in the final five minutes of the half and took a two-point lead into intermission.

Texas State continued to find more iron than nylon in the second half and tried to make up for it by fouling. The Bobcats put Nicholls in the bonus midway through the stanza.

The Colonels opened up an 11-point advantage soon after, but Texas State wouldn’t fade away. The Bobcats battled back and even took a 63-60 lead with 26 seconds remaining.

Texas State got lost on defense and allowed Nicholls to hit a game-tying 3-pointer and then after a Ryan White offensive foul with less than five seconds left, the Colonels buried the game winner.

“Terrible, terrible loss,” Davalos said. “It should have never happened.”

• Tyler Mayforth

OT: Area teams advance in Class 3A, 4A playoffs

Wimberley advances to the regional quarterfinal

Floresville — Lea Watson is going to help Wimberley win a lot of basketball games before she graduates. Watson, a 6-foot junior post, is an imposing mismatch for any opponent.

The Lady Texans used Watson's height to their advantage against West Oso Friday night and reaped the benefits.

Watson scored 20 points to lead Wimberley past the Lady Bears in the area round of the Class 3A playoffs. The Lady Texans won 48-37.

“Lea was huge for us tonight, just like she has been all season,” Wimberley head coach Shaun Miller said. “When she's on the floor and making things happen, she can't be stopped.”

The Lady Texans made their game plan perfectly clear from the beginning of the game: Get it to Watson.

West Oso looked lost in attempting to defend Watson in the first quarter. The Lady Bears, who usually run an aggressive man-to-man defense, switched to an unfamiliar zone.

“Lea makes people do what they normally don't like to do,” Miller said. “They don't like to play zone, but having her in the middle makes them think about where she's at and they lost her a few times.”

Wimberley exploited West Oso's confusion and fed Watson the ball in the post. Watson scored 11 points in the first 12 minutes and the Lady Texans, as a team, opened up a 21-11 lead after sinking 10 of their first 11 shots.

For analysis, quotes and more stats, read Sunday's print edition of the Daily Record.

Hays beats Beaumont-Central

Waller — The Hays Lady Rebels had to feel a bit tried and tested after Friday night’s Class 4A area playoff game against Beaumont-Central.

And while the Lady Rebels were able to extend their playoff trek another round, the Hays girls had to scrap and scrounge against the Lady Jaguars in a the match between two teams ranked in Class 4A’s Top 20.It was quite a gritty test for the Lady Rebels, who held on for a 58-52 win.

Strong runs at the end of the second and at the beginning of the fourth quarters allowed Hays to keep its hopes of returning to the state tournament alive. Hays erased a nine-point lead to two going into halftime thanks to a 7-0 run in the final two minutes of the second quarter, and then went on 10-0 run at the start of the fourth to secure the victory.

For quotes, stats and photos from Friday's game, pick up a print edition Sunday's San Marcos Daily Record.

College Basketball: Bobcats score second win

By TYLER MAYFORTH

Daily Record Sports

San Marcos — Texas State isn’t going to put it together overnight.

At least on some nights, like Thursday, the Bobcats can show glimmers of hope amid a disastrous season.

Texas State surmounted a slow start against Nicholls State and posted a 62-50 win at Strahan Coliseum. It was the Bobcats’ second win in 12 conference games and only their second victory against a Division I opponent.

“It’s discouraging, but there’s no good in getting yourself down,” Texas State guard Kelsey Krupa said of the team’s recent woes. “You’re still in it, so why would you give up. If you love the game, you want to play.”

Krupa is a perfect example of how the members of the Bobcats didn’t let their miserable start get them down.

The sophomore guard hadn’t been able to locate her trademark 3-point jumper in recent games. Krupa, who the Texas State students nicknamed “Supa-Krupa,” was less than extraordinary.

You can read the rest by clicking this link.

College Basketball: Recapping Thursday night's 62-50 win

Texas State finally picked up its second win in Southland Conference play and its second victory of the season against a Division I opponent. The Bobcats beat Nicholls State, 62-50, Thursday night at Strahan Coliseum.

It wasn't pretty for Texas State, as the team turned the ball over 20 times and shot 37 percent from the floor, but the Bobcats knocked down the big shots when it mattered. Sophomore guard Kelsey Krupa and freshman guard Diamond Ford each drained two 3-pointers in the second half when the Colonels were threatening.

Nicholls got an all-world performance from Ricshanda Bickhart, who is the second-leading scorer in the SLC. Bickham scored 27 points on 10-for-24 shooting and played all 40 minutes.

Texas State improved to 5-17 overall and 2-10 in the SLC while the Colonels fell to 4-20 and 1-11.

Player of the Game: It's a split award tonight, as both Bickham and Krupa (at left) had tremendous games. Bickham scored 27 points in 40 minutes while Krupa notched 17 in 30 minutes. Krupa scored 11 points in 14 minutes in the first half thanks to three 3-pointers.

Trend of the Game: Once again, it's fouls and turnovers. The Bobcats and Colonels combined for 49 fouls and 40 turnovers in the game. Five players were in foul trouble (three Nicholls disqualifications) and six players turned the ball over three or more times.

Quotables

Texas State head coach Suzanne Fox on the game: "It was a jagged game. It wasn't pretty by any means."

Fox on what it takes the Bobcats to be successful: "When we’ve been really successful here, you have three good players, a post and two wings. When you have that, then you have it inside and out and you have balance. We’ve had it, but it’s been sporadic. One game it’s this guard and the next it’s this guard and then it’s this post."

Krupa on her feelings of the season so far: "It’s discouraging, but there’s no good in getting yourself down. You’re still in it, so why would you give up. If you love the game, you want to play."

College Basketball: It's not going to be pretty in pink tonight

Texas State hosts Nicholls State tonight in Southland Conference women's basketball action and it promises to be a thriller. Both teams are neck-and-neck in the race for the SLC regular season title and the victor will vault to a sure No. 1 seed come tournament time.

Well, that was fun.

Now for the honest truth.

The Bobcats (5-17) and Colonels (4-19) are awful. They have a combined 2-20 conference record and rank in the bottom third of most statistical categories in the SLC, including assist/turnover ratio.

Texas State and Nicholls turn the ball over more than 21 times per game and attempt a healthy amount of 3-pointers (15).

Add all of those together and you have a recipe for disaster tonight. Expect a low-scoring, turnover-filled and selfishly-played basketball game at Strahan Coliseum.

Yet, this is the SLC we're talking about, so anything can happen.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and it's the annual Pink Zone game*.

*According to the Women's Basketball Coaches Association, "The WBCA Pink Zone initiative is a global, unified effort to ... assist in raising breast cancer awareness on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond."

College Basketball: Updated SLC standings

Here are the current standings in the SLC on the men's side (Top 8 only):

1. Sam Houston State 10-0

2. Stephen F. Austin 8-3

3. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 7-3

4. Southeastern Louisiana 6-4

5. Texas State 6-5

6. UT-Arlington 5-5

7. Lamar 5-5

8. UTSA 4-6

Here are the current standings in the SLC on the women's side (Top 8 only...and Texas State):

1. Lamar 9-1

2. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 8-2

3. Stephen F. Austin 8-3

4. UTSA 7-3

5. UT-Arlington 6-4

6. Northwestern State 5-5

7. Southeastern Louisiana 4-6

8. Sam Houston State 3-7

9. McNeese State 2-8

10. Texas State 1-10

OT: Big night in local high school hoops action

• In case you're a fan of high school basketball, there are two huge games tonight around the area — Del Valle at San Marcos and Hays at Lehman.
• San Marcos is looking to improve its seeding in the UIL Class 4A state playoffs and can do it tonight with a win vs. Del Valle. The Rattlers are currently third in District 17-4A, but with a win against the Cardinals and a Manor loss to Elgin, San Marcos would earn the No. 2 seed.
• On the other hand, Hays has its own playoff hopes hinging on the Elgin vs. Manor game as well.
• If the Rebels beat Lehman in their intra-country rivalry game, they will improve to 5-7 in District 17-4A. Should Elgin lose to Manor, the Wildcats fall to 5-7, which would force a one-game playoff for the fourth and final seed.

College Basketball: Recapping Saturday's 81-67 win vs Lamar

Texas State cruised to an easy 14-point win Saturday afternoon against Lamar at Strahan Coliseum. The Bobcats opened up a 25-point lead in the second half and were never tested by the Cardinals.

Cameron Johnson led Texas State with 19 points, while Ryan White chipped in 16. Tony Bishop and John Bowman also scored in double figures for the Bobcats.

Texas State scored 56 points in the second half after being held to 25 in the first 20 minutes. The Bobcats didn't help their own cause at all, as they shot 27 percent in the first half.

Player of the Game: I have to give the award to White for his 16-point, three-assist and two-rebound performance. White rolled his ankle six minutes into the game, but played the entire second half. He created separation with his speed and helped run a flawless transition offense.

Trend of the Game: Texas State scored 22 fast-break points against the Cardinals. Whenever Lamar turned the ball over, it seemed as if four Bobcats were behind the the last defender, ready to receive a pass.

Play of the Game: This goes to Tony Bishop for his baptism of Cardinals forward Coy Custer. Bishop posterized Custer in the second half when he tried to block his dunk.

Quotables

Texas State head coach Doug Davalos on his team's transition offense: "We probably work on our transition offense more than anybody in the league. It's hard to run when you're always taking the ball out of the net and having to throw the in-bound pass. But if you're making shots, forcing turnovers and limiting second shots, then you can run on them."

Davalos on his team's defensive effort on Lamar guard Anthony Miles: "Every time he went by one guy, there was another guy waiting for him. If he broke a trap, there's another guy waiting in line for him."

Davalos on White's performance: "It would have been a different game if Ryan hadn't been able to go in the second half."

Texas State forward Tony Bishop on his dunk: "I knew I was going to finish the play, so it was either going to be a foul or a poster. It felt pretty good once the crowd got into it, especially because we were winning."

Lamar head coach Steve Roccaforte on what happened during the game: "They kicked our [butt]. You can bleep that out if you want or not, but they kicked our [butt] twice this season. They must be the better team."

College Basketball: Quotables from Thursday's practice

Texas State head coach Doug Davalos

On the importance of a team video session: "Guys have to see that they missed a block out, I watched. I didn’t finish a play. I didn’t go up with two hands. It needs to be an accountability that they can do better next time. In this day and age, if guys don’t feel that they can think ‘Oh, he’s not talking to me,’ they need to see themselves. If not, they think you are talking to the other guys."

On what happened in the last three games (Bobcats are 1-2): "I don’t think teams are playing harder than us right now, they’re just executing better than us. Executing involves rebounding. It’s not just Xs and Os with executing, it’s rebounding, blocking out, feeding the post at the right angle. Those are things that are execution plays that we have to do better."


Texas State forward Cameron Johnson

On why his numbers go up in conference play: "For me, personally, it’s just knowing that it’s one less conference season than I’ll have in my career. It doesn’t matter whether you win or lose in those preseason games because they won’t count toward the conference tournament. These games mean a lot more as they get fewer and fewer."

On the importance of these last six games: "These games are huge because our records are so close at this point in time. The smallest separation we can get between ourselves and the next teams is key."

College Basketball: Recapping Wednesday's 72-59 loss to A&M-Corpus Christi

So close, yet so far.

That's how Texas State has to be looking at Wednesday night's game against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The Bobcats can't seem to put it together and fell 72-59 to the Islanders at Strahan Coliseum.

Texas State was 20 minutes from posting a victory against one of the top teams in the Southland Conference, but then everything fell apart. The Bobcats couldn't keep their hands to themselves and put A&M-Corpus Christi to the free-throw line 26 times in the second half.

The Islanders turned a two-point halftime deficit into a six-point lead in the second half with eight minutes remaining and didn't let up.


Player of the Game: The coveted award goes to Texas State freshman guard Diamond Ford. She was the only Bobcats player attacking the basket and forcing the issue. Ford went to the free-throw line 14 times (making 11 of the attempts) and knocked down five other shots. She finished with a game-high 22 points and grabbed seven rebounds.

Trend of the Game: Foul trouble. The Bobcats just couldn't defend A&M-Corpus Christi without fouling. Texas State picked up 19 fouls in the second half and put the Islanders to the line 26 times. To A&M-Corpus Christi's credit, the team used the entire floor to its advantage and spread the Bobcats' defense thin.


Quotables

Texas State head coach Suzanne Fox on what led to the loss: "We just stalled down the stretch. It hurt us in the second half because they got to the bonus so early. They’re driving at us, we’re not moving our feet and we’re getting hand-check calls."

Fox on Ford: "Diamond was extremely aggressive for us tonight. Our other players need to be able to read and recognize what will and will not be called and take advantage of it."

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi head coach Rob Robinson on his team's game plan: "We knew that if we could spread the floor out, they would have a hard time guarding us without fouling."

College Basketball: Where do the Bobcats stand?

Texas State men

• Davalos' bunch is currently 5-4 in the Southland Conference and 11-12 overall.
• If the SLC tournament began today, the Bobcats would earn the fifth seed and play Southeastern Louisiana in the opening round.
• Texas State travels to play Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (12-10, 6-2 SLC) tonight. The Bobcats fell at home to the Islanders on Jan. 13.
• After dueling with A&M-CC, Texas State returns home to face Lamar and then hits the road to battle Nicholls State.

Texas State women

• Fox's bunch is currently 1-8 in the SLC and 5-15 overall.
• If the SLC tournament began today, the Bobcats would miss postseason play for the second consecutive season.
• Texas State hosts A&M-CC (14-7, 6-2 SLC) tonight at 7 p.m. inside Strahan Coliseum. The Bobcats and Islanders played earlier this season, with Texas State taking a 78-72 loss.
• The Bobcats won't get a reprieve after this game, since they travel to Lamar this weekend, but then get Nicholls State at home next Wednesday.
  

College Basketball: McNeese State at Texas State LIVE BLOG (2/6/10)

Player of the Game: It was between Cameron Johnson and Tony Bishop, but Johnson gets it because he's been playing out of his mind recently. Johnson scored 29 points and grabbed eight rebounds in Texas State's 95-88 win.

College Football: Anatomy of a can't-miss wide receiver

There are some receivers who just get it. DeChe Milburn is one of them.

Milburn knows the key to being a great wide receiver doesn't begin and end with catching the ball. He knows he needs to be:

Decisive in the open field — Look at the embedded video from 0:07-0:24. When Milburn catches the ball on a bubble screen, the first place he looks is up the field. Milburn locates his blockers and uses them to get into space. He puts a mean juke on the first defender that tries to square him up and then is off to the races. Quotable from Milburn: "I know how to make plays when the ball is in my hands. I know how to make people miss in the open field."

Physical — Check out the video from 0:56-1:05. It's another simple bubble screen to Milburn, but when his blocking breaks down, it's up to him to make a play. Milburn slips one arm tackle and then goes toe-to-toe with an opposing defensive back. After blasting through the defender, he carries a pile of four players into the end zone for a touchdown. Quotable from Texas State wide receivers coach Kevin Brown: "A lot of times you don't hear me say that about some of the wide receivers, but he's a contact player. That's the biggest thing that jumped out to me."

A darn good blocker — Take a look at the video from 4:55 until the end. Granted, Milburn seems adept at leveling unsuspecting defensive backs on crack-back blocks, but still, he gets the job done. Milburn puts a cornerback flat on his back (4:58), takes out two defenders with one block (5:05) and then springs a teammate for extra yards (5:50). Quotable from Brown: "A lot of times when a wide receiver is catching 80-some balls a year in high school, they don't tend to put the same effort in the run game that they do in the passing game. Right off the bat, you see that he's a contact player and he wants to block. He doesn't just get in the way. He wants to hit you and put you on your back."

College Football: Three questions from signing day

Q: With Texas State recruiting on of the Top 32 quarterbacks in the nation (Tyler Arndt), does this create a quarterback controversy? Who will be the starter next season?

A: You don't bring in one of the top quarterbacks in the nation to redshirt him or put him at third string. Texas State doesn't have that luxury like Florida, Texas or any other big-time FBS team. While he will only be a freshman, I fully expect Arndt to push for the starting job when he joins the Bobcats in the summer. Tim Hawkins has been with the program for three years now, but it's hard to believe he is ready to lead this team. Hawkins might be better suited running the zone read out of the shotgun like he did last season — but with an expanded role in 2010.


Q: Who will be the breakout star of this year's recruiting class?

A: I'd say three players have the shot at being this year's version of Mishak Rivas in 2008 — Jarrad Stewart, DeChe Milburn and Tyler Arndt (in that order). Stewart will start at safety, so he's going to immediately bring stability to a secondary improved each game in 2009. Milburn is being heralded by the Texas State coaching staff as a "bigger and stronger version of Cameron Luke." If Milburn isn't the top or second-leading receiver in 2010, I'd be very surprised. Arndt is the wild card here. I like his chances of starting in 2010, but it all comes down to whether he can handle it mentally.


Q: Where does this signing class rank among those in the Southland Conference?

A: You'd be hard-pressed to find a better recruiting class, pound-for-pound than what Texas State just landed. The Bobcats only had 13 scholarships to use (12 on signing day after Stewart transferred) and didn't misfire once. Texas State landed three 3-star recruits and two 2-star standouts (once Austin Kirpes joins the team). If you look around the conference, other teams had a lot more scholarships to use, as Northwestern State added 35 players and Texas-San Antonio landed its first signing class in school history. Southeastern Louisiana did well for itself (three 3-stars and four 2-stars) as did the Roadrunners (three 3-stars and five 2-stars).

College Football: Bobcat Live Chat (Recruiting Edition) — 9:30 pm

College Football: Quotables from Signing Day (updated)

Carthage head football coach Scott Surratt on new Texas State defensive tackle DeShun Williams:

• "I've been coaching for 20 years and he's the best defensive lineman I've been around."
• "His first step is something else. He's so quick off the ball."
• "When we matched him up one-on-one with an opposing offensive lineman, we knew there wasn't a player in the state who could stop him."

H.M. King head football coach Andrew Hrncir on new Texas State tight end David Lewis:

• "There was never a doubt that David would sign with Texas State. Rice and Baylor also had interest in him, but when he visited Texas State, that's where he wanted to go."
• "He's big (6-foot-4, 240 pounds) but he can move."

Clear Springs head football coach Clint Hartman on new Texas State wide receiver DeChe' Milburn:

• "He's a steal. DeChe' is probably the best wide receiver in high school that I've coached."
• "He has great hands and I believe he's a natural-born leader."
• "DeChe' was one of two players on our team who we made an effort to get the ball to five times in the first half. If he didn't have five catches by halftime, somebody was going to get chewed out."

Milburn on himself (just got off the phone with him):

• "It feels great to sign with Texas State. It's been my goal since I was little to play college football and finally it's going to happen."
• "I moved from Arizona to Texas, so a lot of schools lost interest, but out of the ones that stayed, Texas State fought the hardest."
• "I didn't know much about the school to begin with, but once I visited, I knew it was the place I wanted to be. It was a bigger school than I expected and the coaches are all really good guys."
• "I'm going to catch every ball that's thrown to me. I know how to make plays when the ball is in my hands. I know how to make people miss in the open field."

Cuero head football coach Rick Owens on new Texas State quarterback Tyler Arndt:

• "Tyler is a proven winner. He's started for us since his sophomore year and kept getting better."
• "There were times when I thought there wasn't a play to be made, but Tyler put the ball right where it needed to be."

La Marque head football coach Darrell Jordan on new Texas State wide receiver Michael Gilmore:

• "He makes things happen in a hurry."
• "He's going to excel on the next level, there's no doubt. He was our kick and punt returner and teams finally learned to kick the ball away from him."
• "Pound for pound, he's one of the best receivers I've ever coached."
• "He's not a rah-rah guy. He's not a party guy. He's going to make this and that community proud."

Lake Dallas head football coach Michael Young on new Texas State linebacker Drew Hamilton:

• "Drew is a kid who plays with so much heart and intensity that we had to slow him down out there sometimes."
• "There were times when a running back was well across the field, but Drew would track him down and make a play."
• "I don't know whether he'll play inside or outside for Texas State, but he'll play."

Taylor head football coach Flint Risien on new Texas State tight end Trent Guiberteau:

• "He's a very versatile player with great hands. He's a great blocker out in space and you can spread him out or move him in tight."
• "When he locks on to somebody, he's a guy who is going to finish the block the whole way through the echo of the whistle."
• "Trent has always been interested in Texas State as a place to go academically. It's a great situation for him now that he can play football too."

New Luling athletic director Michael Waldie on new Texas State defensive back Craig Mager (who played RB in high school):

• "He's one of the most explosive players I've seen and that's saying something because I've sent five kids to FBS schools in the last two years."
• "He has a gear that not many people are blessed with."
  

College Football: It's National Signing Day

Be sure to check back here for all your needs about the new Bobcats coming into the fold for Texas State. We'll be meeting with Bobcats head coach Brad Wright at 1:30 p.m. to discuss the new recruiting class.

As soon as Texas State releases names, we'll be right on it.

Texas State 2010 Signing Class

• Jarrad Stewart, transfer DB from Utah.
• Tyler Arndt, QB from Cuero High (according to Cuero HS).
  
• DeShun Williams, DT from Carthage High (according to Carthage HS).
• Terrance Franks, RB from Angleton High (according to Angleton HS).
• David Lewis, TE from H.M. King High (according to H.M. King HS).
• DeChe' Milburn, WR from Clear Springs High (according to Clear Springs HS).
• Drew Hamilton, LB from Lake Dallas High (according to Lake Dallas HS).

I should be receiving more names shortly.

College Basketball: Where the Bobcats rank (men and women)

Here are where both Texas State basketball teams are currently ranked (as of 1/31/2010) out of all full-fledged Division I institutions. There are 334 men's teams and 332 women's squads.

Scoring offense — Men: 76.5 ppg (46th), Women: 63.0 (186th)
Scoring defense — Men: 78.6 ppg (326th), Women: 71.0 (310th)
Field-goal % — Men: 41.6 (256th), Women: 37.2 (253rd)
Field-goal % D — Men: 46.4 (302nd), Women: 39.5 (166th)
3-point FG % — Men: 33.0 (198th), Women: 29.6 (216th)
3-point FG defense — Men: 39.8 (324th), Women: Not Ranked
Assist/TO ratio — Men: 0.82 (252nd), Women: 0.51 (298th)
Turnovers per game — Men: 18.8 (333rd), Women: 20.9 (286th)
Steals per game — Men: 9.3 (15th), Women: 7.2 (262nd)

College Football: Recruiting news (2/1/10)

• As many of you know by now, DeChe' Milburn will sign with Texas State on National Signing Day. I spoke with several people close to his recruitment and they said the Bobcats were a clubhouse leader.
• That being said, if a team from the FBS blows Texas State's offer out of the water, all of this could change.
• One person I spoke to about Milburn said he has "FBS talent" and would "fit perfectly as a wide receiver on Baylor or Houston."
• Milburn has great hands and uses his size (5-foot-11, 180 lbs.) to his advantage.
• Not many recruiters in Texas knew about Milburn since he moved to Texas last summer. They didn't know what to think about this new wide receiver putting up numbers like his (81 catches, 1,344 yards and 16 touchdowns).
• I also confirmed that Texas State is no longer in the running for Cy Wilson.
• I spoke with Wilson's high school coach (Tim Buchanan) and he said, "...being a SWT alumni, Class of 1983, tried everything I could to get Texas State to offer Cy, but Coach (Brad) Wright did not think Cy was good enough to play at Texas State. He must have some GREAT high school players coming in to not offer Cy Wilson."
• Wilson took a visit to Stephen F. Austin, but wasn't offered a scholarship yet.