The Final Four provides opportunities for the players, coaches, and staff. It also does the same for media members willing to put in the work.
Tuesday might have been the most eventful day I’ve had since we started GoCoogs eight years ago: Football practice for 2.5 hours; a radio interview with a station in KC; lunch with a UH staffer; game-planning/coordinating GoCoogs travel plans to San Antonio for Galen and myself; WBB press conference; post-press conference conversation with Matthew Mitchell; a chance run-in with Karen Sampson; an enlightening discussion with Eddie Nuñez; a community service event near the library with Willie Fritz and UH Football; a short talk to students at the UC; a radio interview with an OKC station; another run-in, this time with Willie Fritz near TDECU; an informal interview with two people in UH administration; media availability with Kelvin Sampson, J’Wan Roberts, LJ Cryer, Milos Uzan, and Emanuel Sharp; about 20+ social media posts/nuggets; writing; and video editing and publishing.
I was on campus for spring football practice #7 at 8 a.m. and walked onto the fields with the first guys going to warm up (usually, and in this case, special-teams players). Soon after, the other guys were out for an overcast practice.
Spring ball is progressing, but mostly in shoulder pads and helmets with no tackling. The NCAA limits contact and tackling in spring, mostly to the three scrimmages that are allowed (Spring game being one of them) but Willie Fritz does not want guys going to the ground at this point. He repeatedly demands “stay on your feet” into the microphone he uses.
Fritz told me that he’ll be in San Antonio Saturday night. He is hosting a coaching clinic Friday night and during practice, but will get on the road afterward.
Dean Connors has some wheels:
Speaking to Van Chancellor is always a hoot. He and new WBB coach Matthew Mitchell are both from Louisville, Mississippi, about 30 miles south of Starkville (current UAB basketball coach Andy Kennedy is from that same town). When Mitchell was coaching HS ball, he says he got help from Chancellor (who was then at Ole Miss). Eddie Nunez, part of the LSU administration that hired Chancellor in 2007, said the former Comets coach made some calls to help UH get in the door with Mitchell. Mitchell and Chancellor coached against each other in the SEC.
All coaches win the press conference, but Mitchell comes off as awfully sincere:
After I slipped out of Mitchell’s event, I ran into Karen Sampson, who was walking out of the Guy V. Lewis Development Facility after sitting down for a feature that will air on College Gameday on Saturday.
Kelvin and the staff went through the film of the Purdue and Tennessee games early Monday, then started prepping for the Blue Devils. Tuesday was the first day players dove into Duke, getting the early scouting report and watching a couple of hours of film. They had a much-deserved day of rest Monday after winning the Midwest Regional.
In the player availability, a media member asked LJ Cryer if there was unfinished business with Duke on Saturday. Cryer shot him down, saying that was last year’s team with different players. From Kelvin Sampson on down, the people in this program don’t look back like that. Have I heard Kelvin bring up games from the past to make a teaching point? Yes – in practices and interviews. But they damn sure aren’t wasting time on revenge or other narratives now. This team is 80 minutes from immortality.
JoJo Tugler received the Lefty Driesell Award for the nation’s top defender yesterday. It’s not as prestigious as the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, but it is still quite an accomplishment. When J’Wan was asked about it, he gave a great answer, both audibly and visually.
Stay informed:
Kelvin’s press conference / J’Wan’s press conference / No Conference for Old Men’s Final Four show / Galen on 365 Sports
And Wednesday night at 8, Talkin’ Bout Them Cougars will be live: