RGV Capsules: UTB-TSC athletics ranks 22nd in Learfield Cup standings
The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College ranks No. 22 among all NAIA schools in the newest 2009-10 Learfield Sports Directors' Cup standings released Thursday.
However, if the standings did not include men's and women's cross country, sports that UTB-TSC does not sponsor, the Scorpions would be ranked 8th nationally.
Simon Fraser (B.C.) leads in the second fall NAIA standings. In the most recent championships, the Clan finished third in men' soccer and 17th in women's soccer. Simon Fraser also finished fourth in women's cross country and sixth in men's cross country bringing their total to 260 points.
UTB-TSC earned 123 points after a very successful campaign in volleyball, men's soccer and women's soccer. All three programs advanced to the NAIA national championships.
The Scorpions' volleyball team finished tied for fifth in the nation, earning 73 points. UTB-TSC advanced to the NAIA national quarterfinals before falling to top-ranked and eventual national champion Fresno Pacific University (Calif.). The Scorpions finished the season with a 34-3 record.
UTB-TSC men's soccer team earned 17 points for advancing to the opening round of the NAIA national championship. The Scorpions tied Biola College (Calif.) at 2, but Biola advanced by virtue of a 4-3 advantage on penalty kicks. UTB-TSC finished as the only undefeated NAIA team in the nation with a 17-0-2 record.
The Scorpions women's soccer team also earned 17 points for advancing to the opening round of the NAIA national championships. UTB-TSC was eliminated by Southern Nazarene 4-1, ending a 11-5-2 season.
UTB-TSC earned the 123 points with three of five eligible sports. Had the standings been compiled using only eligible sports, only seven institutions would have had more points than the Scorpions.
Lee College (Tenn.), which won the women's soccer national championship and finished third in the volleyball national championship, scored 208 points with the same three sports as the Scorpions.
-- UTB-TSC Services
Hockey
Killer Bees to face familiar IceRays
HIDALGO — Familiarity can breed many things. Contempt is one. A rivalry is another.
But how about boredom?
When the Killer Bees (11-9-3) visit the IceRays on Friday, it will be the teams’ fourth meeting of 14 scheduled this season and second of three coming in eight days, with the third Saturday at Dodge Arena. Along with Laredo, who the Bees have faced five of 14 times, the IceRays are by far the Bees’ most common opponent.
So, if you yawn when you see an IceRays-Bees game on the schedule, don’t feel bad or embarrassed. Though Bees and Corpus Christi players might not admit it, a part of them might be getting just as sleepy thinking about another matchup between the South Texas teams.
“Sometimes it is (boring). Sometimes you get sick of people and things might get a little heated because you’re so familiar with them, you might get sick of them,” said defenseman Jay Hardwick, who also spent three seasons with Corpus Christi and played 30 games against the Bees during that period. “Maybe we’d rather be playing a Missouri or Tulsa or somebody. But it’s something you’ve got to do because of the cost of travel. Everyone has to deal with it.”
Luckily for the Bees, they finish the weekend with a game Sunday against Mississippi, one of only 14 with a Northern Conference team this season. The IceRays, however, aren’t quite as fortunate this weekend. Not only do they have two games against the Bees, on Thursday they host Laredo, who they play 14 times.
Corpus Christi coach Brent Hughes is also familiar with the extreme familiarity between the South Texas teams. During his last full season coaching the Austin Ice Bats, he faced the Bees, IceRays and Bucks a combined 30 times.
Now in his first full season coaching the IceRays, he once again has to deal with a repetitive schedule.
“It is a little frustrating playing the same teams so much. I know it does create a rivalry between the hockey clubs, but at the same token, we have teams we don’t play at all this season,” Hughes said.
Like Hardwick, Hughes understands the need for a more geographically-compact schedule during the tough economic times. Still, all the meetings can negatively affect the intensity of the games. Though there are rivalries, it would be extremely difficult to avoid malaise while playing a team so frequently, especially after what is about a three-hour bus trip to play a possibly too-familiar opponent.
“When you do play a team a lot, even the travel, like the day travel when we come into a town, it is a long day to travel for three hours and play the same team, it does get monotonous after a while,” Hughes said. “But as a coach, you need to motivate the team, and if it’s going to rely on the playoffs. The more we start seeing this, every game’s so important.”
Coming into this weekend, the Bucks, Bees and IceRays are fourth, fifth and sixth respectively in the Southern Conference standings. It’s possible that points lost this weekend could cost one of the teams a playoff berth.
Bees coach Chris Brooks, however, said they can't be focusing exclusively on a potential playoff race and that the motivation for this weekend’s games has to come from other places.
“There’s so much hockey to be played. There’s still 40 games to be played here,” Brooks said. “They playoffs will be dictated by the way teams play within those 40 games. It’s a long season, and our primary focus is going into a hostile environment there Friday night and being successful in Corpus.”
Somehow, the season might feel a bit longer this weekend.
Brian Sandalow covers the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can reach him at (956) 683-4436 or via e-mail at bsandalow@themonitor.com.
Basketball
Dorsey's effort level rises for Vipers
Joey Dorsey’s 18-point and 18-rebound performance against Albuquerque last Saturday was more about effort than statistics, Rio Grande Valley Vipers coach Chris Finch said. And Finch saw plenty of that from Dorsey, the Vipers’ Houston Rocket assignee.
“Performance-wise, it was by far his best,” Finch said. “For him, it’s about being able to do that all the time. And it’s less about the numbers and more about the energy level and consistency.”
Based on his performances, there are indications that he’s headed that way. Dorsey, a 6-9 forward, leads the NBA D-League with 13.4 rebounds per game and 21.4 rebounds per 48 minutes. He also has four double-doubles and a 13.7 point-average.
Beginning tonight, Dorsey can put that consistency to the test as the Vipers play three games in four nights. The Vipers play back-to-back road contests at Tulsa tonight and Saturday and return home to face Reno on Monday at Hidalgo’s Dodge Arena. The Vipers have been on a roll, winning six-straight since dropping their season-opener.
“Saturday really improved my confidence a lot,” Dorsey said. “I’ve been playing my hardest and working hard in practice.”
Dorsey has been working on his conditioning as well after missing most of last season with plantar faciitis. Dorsey said his conditioning has improved since the beginning of training camp when he struggled getting through practices. Dorsey said he had been going on daily three-mile runs beginning at 5 a.m. to help speed up the process. He has recently stopped because his injury had been flaring up.
Finch has never questioned Dorsey’s work ethic.
“I’ve never had an issue with it,” Finch said.
Meanwhile, the Vipers have had six days off between games, but it’s hardly been a time for rest. Finch has held some fairly competitive practices. One emphasis has been defense. The Vipers allowed 112 and 110 points in straight home games against Albuquerque last week.
Finch wasn’t concerned about tiring out his team before the upcoming stretch of games.
“That’s just an excuse for playing poorly,” Finch said.
NOTES: Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler will handout high school football awards on behalf of Valley Freedom Newspapers during halftime of the Vipers game against Reno on Monday. … The Vipers have topped the D-League.com’s power rankings for the first time in franchise history.
David Hinojosa covers the Rio Grande Valley Vipers for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can also reach him at (956) 683-4442 or via e-mail at dhinojosa@themonitor.com.
College
Relaxed nature helps UTPA's Marks
AUSTIN — Before Ryan Marks settled in his seat, the jokes started flying.
“You guys 34-point favorites?” Danny McDaniel jokingly asked the first-year University of Texas-Pan American men’s basketball coach about playing the No. 2 team in the nation, Texas, later Tuesday night. The Longhorns handed the Broncs a 104-42 loss.
McDaniel, 63, runs Monty & Danny’s Barbershop on South Congress in an unattractive part of Austin. It’s an old-fashioned barbershop. The kind your grandfather frequented.
It’s not glitzy but a place men gather to talk about sports, women and politics. McDaniel’s loyal customers have allowed him to keep his doors open for 46 years.
One of those customers is Marks. He discovered the barbershop while coaching at St. Edward’s University for four years about a mile south of the barber shop. Marks expects a ribbing with every haircut.
“Did they have the flu?” a curious McDaniel asked about the lone team — Chattanooga — UTPA beat this season.
Marks doesn’t mind the jokes and appearance of the barbershop. It’s where he feels comfortable.
It is the very same attitude that landed him the job at UTPA, a program that is not glamorous and with barely a reputation.
“He is a relaxed, fun guy,” said St. Ed’s graduate assistant Luke Hemenover about his former boss. “That is what players love about him. There is no ego and he is ultimately doing everything in his power to do the right things for the team.”
Marks did a lot of right things for St. Ed’s. In many ways the D-II program nestled on a hilltop overlooking downtown Austin has more to offer than UTPA. His former team contributed to the loaded trophy cases near the school’s athletic offices.
St. Edward’s athletic director Debbie Taylor said Marks left quite an impression.
“He is a man with passion and drive,” Taylor said. “He has a passion for basketball but he also has a passion for people.
“There were a lot of things about St. Edward’s that he likes. He knew going (to the Valley) was going to be very difficult. He didn’t want to look back and wonder what if since it is a Division I job. … As I told him, if there is anyone that can go in there at UT-Pan American and turn that place around, he could do it.”
That remains to be seen. It was expected the young Broncs (1-10) would struggle against a brutal schedule. Marks scrambled just to have a complete squad after being hired far too late for legitimate recruiting.
Marks will be judged by what he does in the coming years. Everyone at St. Edward’s seems to believe the Rio Grande Valley and UTPA will grow just as fond of Marks as they have.
St. Edward’s women’s coach Jennifer White said Marks cared about her team as much as his own. He would “bend over backward” White said to be considerate of her team’s needs.
“I cried in front of him when he left,” White said. “… He is just a great guy.”
That is probably why McDaniel told Marks that everyone missed him as he finished cutting the coach’s hair. Soon after, UTPA came up in conversation again.
“All I can tell you is good luck,” McDaniel said to Marks with a smile.
Peter Rasmussen covers UTPA athletics for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can reach him at (956) 683-4448 or via e-mail at prasmussen@themonitor.com.
