Posted 3-24-05 2:37 a.m.

I’ve never met Carone Harris’ parents, but somebody did a good job of raising that girl. Somewhere along the way she learned never to lie.

So when she says the Sugar Bears are gonna win, they do.

And Coach Seals, she must really have a great bond with Him. She told me on Monday the Lord had brought them too far, and that she just didn’t “feel it in her bones” that they would lose to Shaw.

In the book of Joshua, Coach Seals’ divine hunches are the gospel.

However, here – instead of getting Joshua Judges Ruth, you’re gonna get Joshua Judges Shaw.

Of the six teams I saw today, you couldn’t ask for a better team to get sent packing early. What a bunch of classless punks. Well, I guess that blanket statement is a tad unfair, but many of them aren’t the type I’d be taking home to mom. Unless I wanted her to get punched.

All night long you’ve got Kiarsha Curtis glaring at people, whining on every call or non-call, and doing everything shy of popping her jersey after most of her baskets. Guess what … 2 UCA players outscored you, and more importantly 1 UCA team scored more than yours did.

For being so hard during the game, she sure looked soft afterward with tears all in her eyes.

Tupac once said “Let no wrongs cry out when thugs cry.”

Evidently Curtis didn’t catch that track.

She said UCA didn’t outplay Shaw.
Wrong.

She said her team could’ve played 110% better.

Wrong again.

They may think so, but it looked like Shaw played pretty well, particularly in the first half. The difference was they hadn’t seen a team who didn’t just pack up and go home when Shaw broke out the pressure D. Maybe they could’ve played better, but not a whole lot better – and maybe, just maybe, the ladies in purple had something to do with their bad play.

But maybe I’m wrong. Maybe it’s the injury to a girl who played 22 minutes and the lack of energy level from girls with food poisoning that cost them the game. Maybe it was the long trip, or maybe if given time, they could’ve found some other good excuses.

They didn’t look tired early. What it looked like was the Sugar Bears came out a little shocked at the speed, but then calmed down, made adjustments, and outplayed Shaw the rest of the way.

It came down to a sneaking suspicion many around UCA had … Shaw just hadn’t played anybody all year and wasn’t ready for the competition. And it sure didn’t help that they were just happy to be there. They were satisfied to had just made it that far, according to Nastassia Boucicault in the post-game press conference.

I know it was only the second loss of the year for Shaw and they’re not accustomed to it, so you can’t come down too hard on them … but, at some point they’re going to have to learn to lose with class and give credit where it’s due.

Other stuff:

•In Shaw’s defense, at least their band found time to come on over. I know Hot Springs is a whole hour away from Conway, but I do believe Raleigh, N.C. is a tougher haul. Go, Go Fight Bears … at home.

•The team didn’t really care about the band’s absence. A Log Cabin Democrat reporter was more fired up about it than they were. Coach Seals and the team even said they didn’t mind the band not being there since the joint would’ve been too loud.

•Carone Harris is the Sugar Bear most known for steals, but after one timely 3 it looked as if Caronica Randle was ready to break out with a stat monitor in hand as she gave the thing a nice solid hug as she ran down the court.

•Renita Dobbins is faster than you.

•Traci Graham isn’t an All-Academic Everything for nothing. Or something. She said a good team with some smarts can beat a good athletic team. And, she’s right. Shaw jumped around everywhere but UCA knew where to get the ball most of the time and it worked out just fine for the Sugar Bears.

•Too bad the fans aren’t as smart. One lady back behind me in a UCA sweatshirt at different times yelled at Ashley Hutchcraft and Harris for shooting 3s not long after coming off the bench. Look, lady … one has lived beyond the arc her entire life and the other has enough awards to fill up your sizeable mouth … so be quiet. Maybe you could actually cheer or something instead.

•Micaela Thomas likes to ride horses, but things went flipmode tonight as she had a horse riding her after a jump ball situation. Evidently in the Shaw rulebook, possession is determined not by the alternating arrow, but instead through Greco-Roman wrestling. Shaw ball.

•It’s 2:30 a.m., I have a sickening headache and about 12 of you will read this so I’m stopping here to go pop more Tylenol. Goodnight.





		Shaw deserves early exit

		Posted 3-24-05 2:37 a.m. I’ve never met Carone Harris’ parents, but somebody did a good job of raising that girl. Somewhere along the way she learned never to lie. So when she says the Sugar Bears are gonna win, they do. And Coach Seals, she must really have a great bond with Him. She told me on Monday the Lord had brought them too far, and that she just didn’t “feel it in her bones” that they would lose to Shaw. In the book of Joshua, Coach Seals’ divine hunches are the gospel. However, here – instead of getting Joshua Judges Ruth, you’re gonna get Joshua Judges Shaw. Of the six teams I saw today, you couldn’t ask for a better team to get sent packing early. What a bunch of classless punks. Well, I guess that blanket statement is a tad unfair, but many of them aren’t the type I’d be taking home to mom. Unless I wanted her to get punched. All night long you’ve got Kiarsha Curtis glaring at people, whining on every call or non-call, and doing everything shy of popping her jersey after most of her baskets. Guess what … 2 UCA players outscored you, and more importantly 1 UCA team scored more than yours did. For being so hard during the game, she sure looked soft afterward with tears all in her eyes. Tupac once said “Let no wrongs cry out when thugs cry.” Evidently Curtis didn’t catch that track. She said UCA didn’t outplay Shaw. Wrong. She said her team could’ve played 110% better. Wrong again. They may think so, but it looked like Shaw played pretty well, particularly in the first half. The difference was they hadn’t seen a team who didn’t just pack up and go home when Shaw broke out the pressure D. Maybe they could’ve played better, but not a whole lot better – and maybe, just maybe, the ladies in purple had something to do with their bad play. But maybe I’m wrong. Maybe it’s the injury to a girl who played 22 minutes and the lack of energy level from girls with food poisoning that cost them the game. Maybe it was the long trip, or maybe if given time, they could’ve found some other good excuses. They didn’t look tired early. What it looked like was the Sugar Bears came out a little shocked at the speed, but then calmed down, made adjustments, and outplayed Shaw the rest of the way. It came down to a sneaking suspicion many around UCA had … Shaw just hadn’t played anybody all year and wasn’t ready for the competition. And it sure didn’t help that they were just happy to be there. They were satisfied to had just made it that far, according to Nastassia Boucicault in the post-game press conference. I know it was only the second loss of the year for Shaw and they’re not accustomed to it, so you can’t come down too hard on them … but, at some point they’re going to have to learn to lose with class and give credit where it’s due. Other stuff: •In Shaw’s defense, at least their band found time to come on over. I know Hot Springs is a whole hour away from Conway, but I do believe Raleigh, N.C. is a tougher haul. Go, Go Fight Bears … at home. •The team didn’t really care about the band’s absence. A Log Cabin Democrat reporter was more fired up about it than they were. Coach Seals and the team even said they didn’t mind the band not being there since the joint would’ve been too loud. •Carone Harris is the Sugar Bear most known for steals, but after one timely 3 it looked as if Caronica Randle was ready to break out with a stat monitor in hand as she gave the thing a nice solid hug as she ran down the court. •Renita Dobbins is faster than you. •Traci Graham isn’t an All-Academic Everything for nothing. Or something. She said a good team with some smarts can beat a good athletic team. And, she’s right. Shaw jumped around everywhere but UCA knew where to get the ball most of the time and it worked out just fine for the Sugar Bears. •Too bad the fans aren’t as smart. One lady back behind me in a UCA sweatshirt at different times yelled at Ashley Hutchcraft and Harris for shooting 3s not long after coming off the bench. Look, lady … one has lived beyond the arc her entire life and the other has enough awards to fill up your sizeable mouth … so be quiet. Maybe you could actually cheer or something instead. •Micaela Thomas likes to ride horses, but things went flipmode tonight as she had a horse riding her after a jump ball situation. Evidently in the Shaw rulebook, possession is determined not by the alternating arrow, but instead through Greco-Roman wrestling. Shaw ball. •It’s 2:30 a.m., I have a sickening headache and about 12 of you will read this so I’m stopping here to go pop more Tylenol. Goodnight.