Thunderwolves head coach John Wristen surely meant no disrespect toward Saginaw Valley State but it was pretty clear to he and his staff that defending National Champion Minnesota-Duluth would be CSU-P's second round opponent this Saturday Nov 26th at the Neta and Eddie DeRose Thunderbowl. Saginaw did put a huge scare into the Bulldogs forcing overtime before UMD pulled it out. Duluth features something that Defensive Coordinator Hunter Hughes hasn't really had to deal with much this season and that is a punishing ground attack. They compliment that with a decent passing attack. Two ways to look at this matchup in my mind. Duluth is the defending champion and have won two of the last three titles. That alone commands respect. Plus the fact of the afore mentioned power game that is tailor made to win football games in November and December. I can't tell you how many times this past week since the pairings were announced poeple have wanted to cry foul at why the Thunderwolves are drawing such a worthy opponent in their playoff opener. It is really quite simple. This Duluth team is not the same team that won two national titles. They have struggled mightily at times. The Bulldogs were held under 200 yards total offense in an early season 7-0 loss to Wayne State. Not the powerful Wayne State of Michigan but average at best Wayne State of Nebraska. It is also the same Duluth team that layed an egg in a late season 35-7 loss to rival St Cloud State. Despite being ranked in the top 15 in both national polls the Bulldogs faced a must win in their last regular season game just to make the field. With that said however the Thunderwolves will have to be at their very best to win this game. That is the way it should be.
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----------Hoops Roundup-----I really like this years Thunderwolves womens hoop team. Sure Rachel Espinoza and Amanda Bartlett are no longer there to rely on for clutch points. Rachel was the ultimate go to weapon to not only ice games with her ball handling but could also get free for game winning shots. Bartlett was a consistent scorer and provided great leadership as well. But despite those huge losses this team is better. In my view after two games much better. Alex Evans has those huge shoes to fill in trying to replace Espinoza but so far she has been up to the task. She looks like a completely different player this season in both her game and her physical appearance. She is lean and noticeably quicker after an extensive off season conditioning program. Kendall Babler is as tenacious as ever. Head coach Kip Drown calls her the smartest player he has ever been around. I marvel at her ability to rebound for being only 5-6. Plus she is fearless on big time drives to the hoop. But the real reason this team displays so much more potential is the play of newcomers Laurel Kearsley and Katie Nehf. Kearsly is a transfer from Southern Idaho that provides a certain toughness to this club. She is equally effective in the post as well as shooting threes on the perimeter. Last year's team was too soft inside. Freshman Nehf provides size and strength in the paint. She also has the experience of winning four straight state titles with Broomfield High School.
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-----------TURNER ERA BEGINS-----Spend a few minutes just shooting the breeze with new Thunderwolves mens hoop coach Ralph Turner and you come away thinking this guy belongs in Vegas doing a comedy lounge act. He is not only funny but an engaging personality. But dont let that ah shucks southern accent and country bumpkin delivery at times fool you. This guy is a passionate basketball coach. The jury is still out on just what kind of season this is going to be. A less than stellar returning cast plus a late start on the recruiting trail last spring have set the program back just a bit. The season opener was successful as the Thunderwolves rolled over an outmanned Colorado College outfit. On Saturday night the Pack ran into a buzz saw as two-time recent Elite 8 Midwestern State used two huge runs to roll CSU-P. However in defeat the Pack showed glimpses of solid play. I think it is clear at times this team is gonna be dangerous and win some games no one thought they could. But at the same time there are gonna be some growing pains as they will most likely lose some as well that they should have won.
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----------TEBOWRIFFIC-----It is painfully obvious that Tim Bebow couldn't hit the ball if he was throwing a broad side of a barn! Okay perhaps that is a stretch using the opposite of the old saying but the guy just cant throw the football with any consistency whatsover. But the guy is like watching a bad movie with a good ending. You sit there for three and half quarters looking around the theater for the exit signs. But you are damn glad you didnt get up and leave because Tebow does his best work late in the otherwise horrible movie. Suddenly the Broncos are in the playoff hunt just one game behind Oakland. Next up its Phillip Rivers and the Chargers. I hear the early reviews of this show aren't that good. But you will want to stay til the end.
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----------BCS NIGHTMARE-----It is almost comical watching all the BCS contenders fall by the wayside. All the talk has been we dont want to see "the rematch." Well my friends get used to it. It will be LSU vs Alabama. Get ready for that over hyped four hour slugfest between two powerhouses fighting their guts out. The first team to double figures will most likely win. And in the end it will be some little 150 pound kicker who decides the national champion.
----------VIVA LAS VEGAS-----It is common knowledge of my dislike for having to broadcast games at New Mexico Highlands University. It is a saga that has deep roots. Back in my early days of broadcasting I always packed my "Bridge Over the River Kwai" phone line real. It was my fail safe just in case all else fails broadcasting pack that included such things as the 500 foot phone line real and alligator clips in case you had to take apart a pay phone to get a broadcast on the air. Now most places we go on the road with CSU-P football and basketball no problems are encountered. In 1988 we didn't have cellphones to bail us out either. I used the 500 footer at Highlands when none of the courtside phone jacks were live. We found a jack in a room outside the arena and I had 50 feet of line to spare. Last basketball season we ran into problems again in Las Vegas and then again during our recent football trip. Two seasons ago my predecessors J.J. Valentine and Tony Wright broadcast the football game over a cellphone. We could get into a technical forum here but what is needed for modern broadcast equipment to work correctly is a "dedicated" phone line. Not one that is run through a switchboard at the university or facility of choice. Now add to that a hostile environment with a "mouthy" opposition, a stadium with poor lighting and press box without a separate room to work and you have a recipe for a prima donna play-by-play guy like myself to not be very happy. But we managed to get through it all by using my trusty little red cell phone to get the broadcast on the air. Now of course in a blog post right after that game I let the institution have it with both barrels. Well NMHU Athletic Director Ed Manzanares caught wind of my Blog from someone and decided he needed to call me out about it at Friday nights Al Kaly Shriners Basketball tournament at Massari Arena while I sat courtside preparing to broadcast the CSU-Pueblo women's game. He made it clear that I must either apologize or retract my statements about the Highlands program and then proceeded to walk away. I was in a commercial break and got his attention by asking just what it was I exactly needed to apolgize for. What followed was a nice spirited conversation albeit mostly one sided i.e. he spoke/vented and I listened. He did acknowledge their were a few problem players on their program but they were either suspended or dismissed outright from the program. As for their facilities he assured me that all the problems are or will be addressed and that it would be nice to have all the money CSU-P and the other "haves" of the RMAC have at their disposal. I could appreciate that and wished him the best. I do find his passion about defending NMHU honor and reputation commendable. Lord knows he does have a big job ahead due to the latest alligations against the football program ( http://lvdailytimes.com/2011/11/03/22-nmhu-football-players-investigated-for-two-possible-rape-incidents-17-football-players-investigated-for-gang-rape-of-a-female-student-and-5-football-players-investigated-for-possible-sexual-assault-of-a-female-nmhu-basketball-player.aspx?ref=rss ) Just reading the comments after this article that I linked to give you an idea that the NMHU administration has much more to worry about than a division II play-by-play guys "hobby blog." Time will tell if they can get their house in order. I came away from it all with a better perspective of his feelings. And to be honest all he really has to do for me is make sure that telephone line works when we go down there January 27th to do the basketball doubleheader. And if it doesn't I will do my best to not hold him at fault. I will have the trusty red cell phone at my disposal just in case. In closing let me just say NMHU facilities for basketball are just fine. The football stadium and press box could use a makeover. And they do have this going for them. Their football press box is like the Taj Mahal compared to the glorified Tuff Shed at the Mountaineer Bowl in Gunnison. Now lets see if the Western State AD gets to read my blog!
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----------PROGRAM REMINDERS-----John Wristen Show presented by Miller Lite will air as scheduled Wednesday night at 7:06pm on 590KCSJ-AM and www.590kcsj.com . We do the show from Buffalo Wild Wings and we invite you to join us. The program can be heard on BWW's sound system while you enjoy dinner and a cold one. Saturday's second round playoff game vs Minnesota Duluth can also be heard on KCSJ. Pregame show is at 11:30am with the Kickoff set for 12 noon MST.
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