My second media day in two days. This one, for KCAC men’s and women’s basketball at Friends. Can’t say I feel too bad for myself … those sentiments are strictly reserved for the Salina Journal’s Bob Davidson, who made the trek down I-135 two days in a row in pouring rain for Jayhawk media day yesterday and then again Tuesday for the KCAC. Back and forth, back and forth. Not a lot of sleep for that guy, or as he told me:”Tony, I love your city, I really do. But I might not be back for awhile.” Can’t blame him. He looked exhausted.
And thanks to Mrs. O’Hara and Mrs. Alter in the Friends writing center for letting me type my story there and get out of the rain. What a great pair of ladies.
Down to the nitty gritty:
1. Sterling is a BEAST
The Sterling women’s basketball team is nothing to mess with. They return the KCAC player of the year, Ashley Kraft, who dominated as a junior on her way to being named a second-team All-American. She’s
KRAFT
5-foot-10 and can play, I think, four of the five spots on the court and can defend probably three of the five. And she’s got company in Hillary Stucky, a 6-foot forward who was first-team all-KCAC last season, too. And honorable mention picks Jacci Tinkel and Britany Gasper. And Northwest’s Erin Thiessen was an all-defensive team pick. Go Grizzlies. And another thing … Lonnie Kruse is a good dude. And I could see him squirming in his seat when Southwestern’s Dave Denly and Kansas Wesleyan’s Gordon Reimer both got up and said everybody is playing for second place.
The Warriors have a legitimate shot at the NAIA Division II national championship. You have to think that’s going to be one of their goals. What more can I say?
2. The Dale Faber Show
Coach Faber is known for his one-liners. I’d love to see him and Barton men’s coach Craig Fletchall trade shots — just once. They could seriously have that one at the Looney Bin. Faber claims the Falcons’ men’s team has lost too much through graduation and recruiting mishaps to be any good this year. Yeah, right. And that guy limping around The Usual Suspects is just a con man.
Here’s some highlights from his turn at the podium:
-He brought kleenex to cry into because “the economy is bad and we can’t afford Friends University crying towels.”
-On the lack of returners: “I’d like to talk to somebody about last year, but there’s nobody to talk to.”
-On his team’s lack of size: “The stock market has a better chance to rebound than we do.”
He did the best job of bluffing of any of the coaches on either side. I think he convinced some people in the room that his team wasn’t going to be any good. Buyer beware.
3. VinZant’s year to shine
Friends junior Megan VinZant could have a big year. The all-KCAC honorable mention pick out of Kapaun
VINZANT
won’t have fellow honorable mention pick Kristina Jones and her 13 points per game with her this season,and that will put a little more of the scoring impetus on her. But as Friends coach Gayla Soyez said, VinZant has spent a lot of time doing for others and not for herself on the court, as in she always puts the team first and how she fits into that framework comes before her own stats. And I really respect that because I think that’s what makes a good teammate and a good leader. So I hope she has a big year. Soyez, I thought, was the anti-Faber at Media Day. I think she talked her team up a little too much. She didn’t seem concerned Jones wasn’t playing, and I understand not wanting to go into it, but it seemed like there was a tad bit of disdain there … whatever happened, pretending like this particular player didn’t exist may have been a better bet. She kept going on about how good her team’s freshmen were, and how fast her team was and how this was such a great group … I think softplaying your team’s chances at these type of events is always the way to go, but in the case that you’re not able to do that, I think at least an understated approach is the way to go.
I suppose Soyez has a plan. The good thing about sports is that if you start winning games, that’s all that really matters. But in her case, I don’t think another 15-14, 8-10 season is going to cut it.
4. Ones to watch – KCAC men
-David Birch, Sr., 6-1, Ottawa & Phil McClintock, Sr., 6-5, Ottawa
Birch is the defending KCAC player of the year and led the conference in scoring with 19.1 points per game. McClintock was a first-team all-KCAC pick last season after averaging 16.8 points and seven reboudns. Together, they’re the reason the Braves are picked to defend their title.
-Jonathan Woods, Sr., 6-10, Sterling
Fell off from 12 points to 7 points per game from his sophomore to junior season but still led the KCAC in rebounding with 7.28 boards per game.
-CJ Littlejohn, Jr., 6-1, Bethany
A first-team all-KCAC pick last year for the Swedes.