Rashad Jennings is a Beast

Just give it some time!

When the dust settles from the 2009 NFL Draft, and the season is rolling, the most talked about newcomer Running Back will be one Rashad Jennings. I have seen him play every home game for the past three years, and he is the real deal. I have heard and read the praise and the criticism, and I am sure this guy will come through the process shining. Why? Because he is willing to listen and to do what ever it takes to be the best he can possibly be. They guy is a beast and a workout freak. So, watch out for Rashad, and don't be surprised when he is drafted higher than most seem to expect.

Here is his newly completed Jr./Sr. highlight video. Enjoy!

Random College Basketball Ramblings

Ty Lawson is by far the most important player in College basketball!

On a team that has five players that average double figure scoring, Ty Lawson is by far the most valuable. I would make the case that he should get the National Player of the year this year as well. Lawson led the Heels to a resounding win over the Oklahoma Sooners with an unbelievable stat line (19pts, 5 assists, 1 Turnover). The guy only has 2 turnovers in his last 3 games and a pile of assists and points. All this while hampered with a very sore toe.

All the talk has been about Blake Griffin being the best and being the slam dunk #1 pick in the NBA draft. I will say right now, that if I'm up there I take Lawson at #1 without any hesitation. What recent draft choices have had the biggest impacts. Chris Paul anyone? Guards make a huge impact on a struggling team right away. Big guys? Not always (see Greg Oden). Lawson has the quickness, court vision, confidence, deadly shot, and a way of taking care of the ball that pushes this deep team over the top. His skill set makes him and this team a deadly choice in the final four. If this week sees him get healthier, then UNC is your National Champ!

Seth Curry. . . OUT!

Alright! Seth Curry announced on Tuesday that he was leaving Liberty University and moving to a bigger conference. Then yesterday, less than a week later, he announced he's headed to (of all places) DUKE. So he goes from being a part of a school that worships God to pulling on a uni as a Blue Devil. Interesting. Look I sincerely wish Seth the best! But, once he steps onto that campus, I can not cheer for him. He could have gone to any other school in the country, and I would have followed his career and rooted him on with all my heart. He is now going to fade into the woodwork in my mind.

At first I was upset that he "used" LU to gain some publicity and move up to where he really wanted to be anyway. But truly, who could blame the guy. He was young, undersized, and coming off a weak year in the middle of high school during the original recruiting process. He had very few offers, and none from where he envisioned being. So, he took the one he thought was the best all the time hoping it would lead him to where he wanted to be all along. In principal, I don't really like that, but in reality we all do the same kind of things on a smaller level throughout our lives. So, I wish the young man the best, and hope he gets what he wants.


Finally, Some really exciting hoops!

One last point. The first weekend of the tourney was good, yes. But this past weekend was outstanding! Competetive games, drama, upsets, and players stepping up big time makes for lots of excitement. I watched most all of the games in sparkling HD on my 42" Vizio and loved them all. So, here's hoping the Final 4 weekend is that good!

That's what's rolling around in the DOME for now!

Really?

OK, so I should have known that Clemson would lose again. I thought they had a great shot at making a run to the Sweet 16 this year and a good matchup, so I picked it. Michigan played better and looked much more athletic, but Clemson still should have won that game. At the end of the game when Clemson needed a 3 to tie, K.C. Rivers put up a pathetic shot from the baseline. Their best 3pt shooter wasn't even on the court. Terrance Oglesby was ejected early in the second half after throwing an elbow. Look, I understand the flagrant foul call. He was mad and out of control, but not to the degree of an ejection. The guy who flipped Blake Griffin, yep he needed to be ejected. But this situation with Oglesby makes me mad not only because it wasn't that severe, the timing of the call was a joke as well. The worst part was that they waited until after the foul shots were done, conferred, and then ejected him. So, it took you over a minute after the play to make the decision? Come on! I will not go so far as to say the officials cost Clemson the gam, because Clemson's lack of defense did that. But they did cost them a legitimate shot to tie it up at the end. Yes, I know Oglesby was 1-7 when he was taken out, but those kind of players find a way when the game is on the like.

Just my opinion.

Overall, Yesterday's games were a bit disappointing. Here's to better, more dramatic games today.

That's what's rolling around in the DOME for now!

You call it Madness, but I call it WOW!

This Thursday is my favorite sports day of the year. It marks the beginning of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament or what some call March Madness.

The whole tournament will catch my attention, but those first two days are spellbinding. Yes, it is great basketball, but that isn't what keeps me coming back. It is the unpredictability and the drama that make it so much fun and so attractive. It is the upsets, the last second shots, the cinderella teams, the Stephen Curry type performances, and the emotion that make it must see TV. For me, it's the WOW factor!

So, it's no wonder so many eyes will be watching on Thursday and Friday. Most will watch every bit they can from their workplaces (Between meetings, phonecalls, and paperwork) during the day and every second at night.

So, get ready for two days of WOW!

That's what's rolling around in the DOME for now!

March Madness is already starting

Some smaller conference tournaments have already begun. For example, my hometown Liberty Flames won their Big South Tourney opening round match-up last night in the Vines Center verses Gardner-Webb. They led by as much 20 in the game only to have the Bullgogs close it to only a 3 point lead with about a minute to play. In the end the LU Cardiac Kids pulled it out with an 88-77 win thanks in large part to Seth Curry pouring in 30 while his famous Father and Brother looked on. Kyle Ohman was huge in the first half and ended the game with 18, and Anthony Smith contributed quietly with 16. Tyler Baker was perfect on the night (4-4 from the field and 6-6 from the line) with 14 points and 6 boards. Freshman Jesse Sanders was back in the lineup after missing 2 games with an ankle injury. They Flames will take on VMI in Radford's Dedmon center on Thursday. The Flames and Keydets split the season series with the away team blowing out the home team in both games. The Keydets embarrased LU by fourty in the Vines Center just last week. It should be interesting.

I get so excited this time of year. Selection Sunday is just over a week away and the Big Dance will start 2 weeks from tomorrow. One of the things I love is bracket contests. I always get together a group for ESPNs contest and will again this year. Another good one I will participate in this year is hosted BY ABC13 WSET at WSET.com. Check it out (http://cfc.wset.com/brackets.cfm). It's free, and there are even prizes. Have fun.

That's what's rolling around in the DOME for now!

A few early Free-Agency observations

We are just part of the way into NFL Free-Agency and there has already been quite a bit of action. The big noise has been about the Deep-pocket Redskins signing Albert ‘the head stomper” Hanesworth for a bazillion dollars. There is also a lot of buzz about 2 quarterbacks that might move. If the Cardinals don’t get serious Kurt Warner might end up a 49er, and the new Denver Sheriff has ticked off Mr. Cutler and now he might move.

But in my opinion, the best fit move happened last night when the Seattle Seahawks picked up T.J. Houshmandzadeh. The Seahawks have been close for the last several years but the one piece that has really been missing is a big play maker Wide out. They got him yesterday. Their running game is slowly improving with Julius Jones and T.J. Duckett, and they will likely look to shore that up further in the draft. They will likely continue with a tandem backfield like so many other NFL teams. Now they have a big play receiver for veteran Matt Hasselback to hook up with and spread the field. Matt still has a strong accurate arm and has really needed someone like T.J. to really make this offense click.

T.J. got a good deal too as he got out of the disaster Bengals franchise and out of the drama queen shadow of Chad “Ocho Cinco” Johnson. He is 31, but I believe his best year may be yet to come, this year. He will be the go-to guy in this offense, and will thrive. He will be a top 5 or 6 receiver in the league in 2009. I for one will look to get him again in my fantasy leagues.

That’s what’s rolling around in the DOME for now!

Bailey Alston, the scoring machine!

My favorite LU basketball player of all time is Bailey Alston. Those who know me well have heard me tell many stories about Bailey’s legendary drives through traffic to the basket. The only bad thing is that we only got to see him play in an LU uniform for 3 years. If he would have played all four for LU, I have no doubt he would own every scoring record imaginable.

Bailey graciously answered some questions for me recently, and the interview was a fun walk through memory lane for me.

Knucklehead: A lot of folks don’t realize that you transferred from Rutgers to LU. So, the obvious question is: what drew you to LU?

Bailey Alston: After deciding to transfer from Rutgers, my roommate form Fork Union Military Academy Richard Osburne’s high school coach Rick Birby was Liberty's Assistant Coach. He and Coach Meyer visited my home in Henderson. My mom was very impressed with Coach Meyer and Coach Birby.

KH: What was it like having to sit out and watch from the sidelines for a year after transferring?

BA: Sitting out for a year was tough, watching your teammates play and wanting to play.

KH: In your first year at LU (1988) you scored 756 points (3rd most in LU history). In that year, you had 3 games where you scored 40 plus points. What does a night like that feel like?

BA: The nights I scored 40 or more points are nights I will never forge. The goal seemed like an Ocean. It's like being in a zone!!

KH: I remembered you having the green light to shoot from day one. As I looked at the stats I see that my memory is right. In the Write State game in 1990, you attempted a Division 1 LU record 28 shots. First, how many of those did you make? Second, what was it like to know the coaches had that much confidence in your game?

BA: Did I shoot 28 times? That may be why I am having trouble with my right arm now!! Just kidding!! K.C. I really don't remember how many I made! Having the green light was fun but also stressful @ times, believe me.

KH: You are third all time in scoring with 2,115 points in just 83 games. For those who never saw you play, which skill lead to more of those points: your classic moves to the basket or your jump shot?

BA: I was more of a scorer. My quickness played a great deal in my scoring. I wasn't necessarily a great shooter but a great scorer.

KH: What is your favorite memory in an LU uniform?

BA: My best memory would be playing Clemson in Little John against Elton Campbell and Dale Davis, and scoring 25 points. Also dunking on Terry Davis of Virginia Union (he later played 10 years in NBA).

KH: You were also there for the 1st point Toilet Paper showers in the Multi-Purpose center. What was that like as a player?

BA: The toilet paper showers were pretty cool!

KH: Alright, you played with the great Tim Scarborough. Was he really as good as he tells everyone, and was that ETSU dunk really that impressive?

BA: Tim was a great teammate. His dunk against ETSU was a great dunk but it wasn't over a 7 footer like Terry Davis!! LOL! And no, Tim was not a better shooter or dibbler than I! LOL! It was fun watching him transform from walk-on to starter. I enjoyed playing beside him!!

KH: Have you been able to make many recent LU games or see them on Television? If so what is your impression of Coach Ritchie McKay and his program?

BA: I am very impressed with Coach McKay and his staff. I had a chance to see them scrimmage ECU here in Greenville earlier in the season.

KH: There is a lot of buzz going around in the program right because of one Seth Curry. What are your thoughts on his game?

BA: I think Seth Curry will break all scoring records.

KH: Thanks Again Bailey. If you’re right, I can’t wait to see Seth Dropping in 40 point games as often as you did.

That’s what’s rolling around in the DOME for now!