RGV Capsules: Broncs continue play at SPI Invitational

EDINBURG – The most difficult portion of the South Padre Island Invitational is over.

The University of Texas-Pan American men’s basketball team hit the road for the first two rounds of the tournament and, judging by the combined score (175-94) of those two games, it was brutal.

Missouri defeated UTPA 100-44 in the opening round. Despite playing better in the second round, UTPA fell 75-50 to Mississippi State.

Broncs coach Ryan Marks said it would be difficult for even top 5 programs to win at either of those places let alone his team, which clearly does not have the talent to match the Tigers or the Bulldogs.

But that was the past. If anything, those games may have helped to toughen the young Broncs.

“We just want to look at it as a learning experience,” Broncs guard Nick Weiermiller said. “We are just getting better as the season progresses, which we hope will help us get better before for our conference January 14. We look for the experience to get going and to get better from.”

There are winnable games on the horizon as the Broncs (0-5) open the final two rounds of the seventh annual SPI invitational at 2:30 p.m. today against Chattanooga (2-2) at the Island’s convention center.

Depending on the outcome of the game, the Broncs will take on either Longwood College (0-4) or Bethune-Cookman (1-3) on Saturday.

“The teams we are playing this weekend are a little bit more physically similar,” Marks said. “At the same time all three of them, are strong teams. Obviously, the schedule we were dealt was not ideal. You would like to have a couple easier home games early in the year. That is just not in the cards for us.”

The Broncs were realistic about their chances against the Tigers and the Bulldogs and have not gotten down on themselves.

“Obviously our guys would like to come out on the winning end,” Marks said. “I think that they understand in order for us to improve they have to keep a positive attitude to keep in that direction.”  

FREE THROWS: Missouri and Mississippi State highlight the championship bracket that also includes the University of Richmond and Old Dominion. … With the exception of Richmond, they are all receiving Top 25 votes. …The Bulldogs were ranked No. 18 to start the season but fell out after a season-opening loss to Rider. They have won three-straight since. ... A tournament pass for all eight games is $55.

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.

Hockey

Clouthier’s role easy to define

HIDALGO – Brett Clouthier is missing a few bottom teeth. His deep voice and jutting chin make him easily mistakable for a boxer or a character from a Guy Ritchie movie. There are plenty of videos on YouTube that show him pummeling opponents. Over his last two full seasons, he’s averaged 234.5 penalty minutes.

During his Killer Bees (9-5-2) debut on Wednesday night after coming from Providence of the AHL, Clouthier did nothing to make anybody doubt the accuracy of his reputation as a fighter and enforcer. His night ended late in the second period with 17 penalty minutes and a memorable fight that excited the Dodge Arena crowd.

He insists, however, there’s more to his game than just punches and brute force, which he hopes to show more of starting tonight when the Bees visit Amarillo (6-9-2).

“I want to work on my game. I’m not a bad player,” Clouthier said. “I want to keep plugging away. If someone messes with our guys I’m going to take care of business, or if we need a little boost from the fans, I’m going to do it.

“But it’s ice hockey, it’s not ice fighting. I’m going to do what I can to get the boys going if I have to.”

Maybe “If I have to” are the key words in that statement. He said Wednesday night he didn’t enter the game intending to fight. He said he was drawn into the fight by Bossier-Shreveport’s Kirk Medernach, which led to the early end of their nights.

If somebody were to upload it, video of Wednesday night’s fit would fit in well with some of Cloutier’s previous incidents. Those videos, Cloutier insists, don’t show the other parts of his game.

“You don’t see me scoring goals on YouTube,” Clouthier said. “I hope to show them the other facets of my game. I didn’t make Providence by accident. I showed them I could play hockey.”

Cloutier’s first night with the Bees was a mixed one. Though the fight is what will be remembered, his first shift ended with a slashing penalty that led to a Bossier-Shreveport power play goal. Later in the first, though, he drew an unsportsmanlike conduct call on Tysen Dowzak that turned into Daymen Rycroft’s game-tying power play goal.

Regardless of those exchanges, the Bees had a player both capable of producing while having the main purpose of being the answer to any physical play.

“When he’s out there, people know he’s out there,” winger Jesse Bennefield said. “He sends a message to the other team to maybe watch how they play.”

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

Vipers set to open new season

PHARR — Developing chemistry is an ongoing process in the NBA D-League. The Rio Grande Vipers are no exception as they prepare to play their third season opener — and their first with their affiliation with the NBA’s Houston Rockets.

“We have good chemistry, and our guys get along well,” Vipers head coach Chris Finch said. “Usually, that means one of two things. It means they are all rotten or they are all pretty good, and I think they are all pretty good. Their true character is going to come out when we are a little more battle-tested.”

The Vipers bring an 11-man roster for tonight’s season opener in Austin. They play the Toros tonight and Saturday. The Vipers play their home opener next Friday against Tulsa. Finch makes his Vipers’ coaching debut after spending the last 12 seasons coaching professional basketball in Europe.

“I’m looking forward to the challenges that the D-League brings (like) having to reshape your roster,” said Finch, who will also coach Great Britain’s national team at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. “Of course, I don’t have to have to do that if I don’t have to, but reacting to it. I’m also looking forward to the game when you can have so much more control at the end of games.”

Chances are not all 11 will not play together until the very end of the season. For players like 6-8 center Joey Dorsey, playing with the Vipers is a chance to get back in shape after missing most of last season recovering from plantar faciitis. Dorsey made the Rockets’ 15-man roster, but was assigned to the Vipers after he did not get any playing time early in the season.

“I was mad at first,” Dorsey said about getting assigned to the Vipers. “But then I thought about it. I was just sitting on the bench. It’s great to be in the NBA, but I wasn’t playing and I didn’t feel like I was helping my team.”

Dorsey played seven games for the Vipers last season before he was shut down last January to recover from the injury. With Yao Ming expected to miss the season, there are opportunities for big men on the Rockets’ squad.

“The biggest thing is to develop more of my game and my defense,” Dorsey said.  “I’m so powerful and quick for my size. … I wasn’t playing that much in the beginning of the (Rockets’) season. They want me to come down and play a lot of minutes. I just want to get back in shape and play a lot of basketball. It’s good because I’m doing what I love again.”

Until Dorsey gets that highly-coveted call-up, he said he’s going to do the best he can to help the Vipers win. Stringing together a cohesive unit isn’t as difficult as one might think in the D-League, but it does take some work. Dorsey believes the Vipers are off to a good start with veterans like Mike Harris, a former Rocket, and RGV veterans like 6-10 Kurt Looby, 6-9 forward Julian Sensley and 6-5 guard/forward Stanley Asumnu, a Viper since the first day.

“We are building camaraderie,” Dorsey said. “Down here, we have a great group of guys, and we know each other because we have played each other. We are always around each other. Bringing that unity together as a team is going to help us out a lot.”

Since the Rockets own the basketball operating rights of the Vipers, the Valley squad is being molding after the Rockets’ style of play with an emphasis on defense, transition basketball and hitting the three. It helps a player to be versatile as the Rockets showed in last year’s Western Conference Finals against the Lakers when they had to improvise after losing Yao to injury. The versatility is one of the strengths for the Vipers.

“We have so many options,” Harris said. “We have a down-low presence, guys who can rebound and block shots, guys who can shoot the ball tremendously well from the outside. We can create so many mismatches on the floor.”

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.