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Tigert
named new softball coach
After
a month-long search, Brady Tigert was named the inaugural head coach
for the MSU softball program on Jan. 10. Tigert, who led Texas A&M-Kingsville
to the 2002 Lone Star Conference title, was chosen over three other
highly-credible applicants by a committee made up of Athletic Director
Jeff Ray and five other administrators. “It’s an honor,” Tigert said
of being named MSU’s softball coach. “What this university has as
far as athletics – they’re top of the line. There were a lot of candidates
considered for the job, from what I understand.” The interview process
lasted almost a week as Tigert, Southern Arkansas head coach Kevin
Blaskowski, Texarkana assistant Heather Turnbow and East Texas Baptist
head coach Mike Reed all visited the campus. The committee then chose
Tigert to be their coach three days later. “Our goal every year in
any sport is to win a conference title,” Ray said. “He’s proven he
can do that in this conference. He’s a great people person, and he
will be able to gather enthusiasm for softball. He comes highly recommended,
and he’s the type of coach who will represent the university well
on and off the field.” Tigert also impressed the committee with his
dedication to the educational aspect of his players. “His record was
impressive, but what I looked at the most was how one integrates on
campus and how academics register with a coach,” said Dail Neely,
the dean of students who was also a committee member. “To me, those
characteristics stood out more with Tigert than the other candidates.”
Tigert, 34, coached at Texas A&M-Kingsville for three years, compiling
a 110-54 record. His 2002 team posted a 46-18 record and advanced
to the NCAA South Central Regional tournament. “When you start a program
that has no tradition, you don’t usually get a coach that’s a proven
winner, especially a coach at the Div. II level,” Ray said. “The ability
to win with less- Kingsville only had two scholarships- speaks volumes
about a coach,” Neely added. Before coaching at Kingsville for three
years, Tigert’s previous head coaching stints included Denton Ryan
High School in 1999 and Artesia (N. Mex.) High School in 1996. He
also was an assistant coach at the University of Oregon in 1997. Coaching
does not fall far from the tree in Tigert’s family, as his father,
John, won 11 state championships as the softball coach at Carlsbad
High School in New Mexico. “I’ve been playing ball all my life, and
my father has had a lot of success coaching softball,” Tigert said.
“When you’re around that success, and having played softball all your
life, you really start to love the game and it’s all you know.” Tigert
will encounter many challenges as the new coach, mainly because he
will be starting the program from scratch. Among the tasks he has
assumed will be hiring assistant coaches, recruiting players, scheduling
games, ordering equipment and raising funds. “My first challenge will
be to get to know everybody, but the biggest thing is recruiting,
hands down,” Tigert said. “A coach from an existing program goes out
and tries to get three or four kids a semester, and I’m trying to
get 15 this semester so definitely recruiting will be important.”
Tigert earned a master’s degree in Health, Physical Education and
Recreation from Delta State University in Cleveland, Miss. He also
received his bachelor’s degree in General Sciences from New Mexico
State.
This
Superbowl, brought to you by ...
Well, once again late January is almost here, and billions of people on this planet, and a few that orbit above (sponsored by NASA), will view the greatest spectacle that sports has to offer. The Superbowl. Although many will admit to watching the game only for the commercials…I am not one of them. Yes, I think they are funny, usually, but any actual football fan gets bored during the two minutes in-between the TV timeouts while they grab their Dr Pepper and Subway. I suppose the marketing geniuses over at Sun Microsystems and Dell think that we will have enough time to go and buy a computer during the halftime show (brought to you by Budweiser). After all, they did pay several million dollars for the 30 second spot featuring an inch-worm. The game itself should register enough intrigue outside of the commercials. Already being called the Gruden Bowl, it features the Oakland Raiders vs. their former coach and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. How is this for ironic? Both team mascots are pirate oriented, and they are playing in San Diego, the home of the Pacific Naval Fleet and Sea World. The stories on and off the field this week will be as thick as Campbell’s Chunky. Most people who watch football knew that the Raiders would (or should) be playing on the 26nd. Oakland was a snowflake away from the big game last year and after going through a box of Kleenex tissues and cursing the refs, they rededicated themselves to get back. It was a matter of whether or not their aging receiver core could keep up. Apply enough Ben-Gay and Icy-Hot after the games and you too could be like Jerry Rice and Tim Brown. Tampa Bay deserves to be there as well. Brad Johnson, the Buc’s QB, took Advil and played a great game after coming off of back problems. Warren Sapp will speak to every media person he can find, with a lip full of Red Man Tobacco, to tell them so. The game will be a battle between the best offense and the best defense in NFL this season. Oakland’s passing attack will overcome the Tampa Bay secondary. The offense, led by Rich Gannon, averaged 389.5 yards this season and playoffs. Even if Rice, Brown, and the rest of the receiver core don’t actually make it into the end zone with their walkers, Oakland’s short yardage running back. Zack Crockett (the “hammer” as he is known) couldn’t be stopped with a brick wall made by Acme. One other thing that Tampa Bay will have to worry about is Bill Romanowski. He has more issues than ESPN the Magazine. The Oakland linebacker will be on the lookout for anything to hit hard. Stay tuned for the halftime show. This years edition will have a concert featuring the Goo Goo Dolls. It has to be better than last year with Aerosmith and Nsync. If the game gets out of hand, which I think that it will, the only entertainment left will those 30 second to a minute gems. I’ve noticed in years past that in the 4th quarter, some of the commercial are replayed. Perhaps this year will be different commercial-wise. That’s not such a bad thing if they are like the new Miller Light commercial (and you guy’s know what I’m talking about). My prediction is this. The Oakland Raiders will win the game, and their quarterback Rich Gannon will be the MVP. He will thank Medicare on the platform after the game for helping his team get there. As soon as the celebration on the field is over and the tickertape settles to the ground, make sure to change the channel. After all, SportsCenter is next. Whatever the outcome of the game, and whichever team walks off of the field with the Lombardi Trophy, there is one sure thing (other than there will be at least one bad commercial). The winning coach always gets a cooler dumped on him at the end of the game. And everybody knows what is in the cooler. Gatorade.
Fast start leads Lady Indians to victory
The Lady Indians held off East Central Oklahoma Saturday, 67-65, to wrap up MSU’s Lone Star Conference crossover portion of their schedule. The Lady Indians jumped ahead early, going on a 17-2 run to start the game. Moesha Walker got things started for the Indians with a turnaround jumper just a minute into the game. Walker also got things done defensively, diving for a loose ball after an ECU miss and passing to Kelly Woodward. The lead was as large as 21-4 with less than 11 minutes in the first half until the Lady Tigers made 10-of-11 free throws. MSU still led 33-24 at the half. The Lady Indians came out firing after halftime with an 8-0 run to go up 41-24. ECU would come back to within six points with just over 11 minutes left in the game. Haley Hobson drained a 3-pointer, her third of the night, to push MSU back up 56-45. Hobson finished the night with 11 points. The Lady Indians would miss 10 straight shots and turn the ball over twice, while ECU’s Stormy Griffith led a 9-0 run by the Lady Tigers to make it a 56-54 game. Griffith led her team with 18 points despite scoring just six in the second half. “We were lackadaisical on both ends of the court,” head coach Shannon Burks said. “We had a loss of concentration and we can’t afford to do that in this league.” Octavia Holmes ended the drought by sinking two free throws with 2:31 remaining in the game. MSU didn’t score again until 1:48 left, when Armstrong’s basket increased the Lady Indian’s lead to 60-56. MSU opened up a 67-62 lead with just 11 seconds left until Lady Tiger Laura Gragg buried a three-pointer from long distance to make it a two-point game with just a couple ticks left on the clock. “I think it’s a lot better to learn a lesson and win than to lose to learn it,” Burks said. “It was a hard fought game.” Armstrong led the Lady Indians with 21 points while Walker chipped in 18 points and seven rebounds. Holmes scored a double-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. Holmes also played all 40 minutes for the Lady Indians. “I thought Haley gave us some good minutes, and my hat’s off to the post players,” Burks said. “Adrian and Jel-ani had to log all those minutes after Kelly got hurt just a minute-and-a-half into the game. We had to use Octavia and Moesha in there some, too. I’m probably more proud of that than anything.” X-rays of Woodward’s ankle were negative, but she could miss several games. “We’ll have to have the kids step up and fill the void until Kelly can come back,” Burks said. “It’s hard because we’re already slim in that position anyways.” The Lady Indians play again Thursday night on the road against Texas A&M-Commerce.
Soccer
standout honored as All-American
Senior midfielder Josh Hill was named to the second-team All-America list over the Christmas break, bringing to an end a brilliant soccer career at MSU. Hill, who received the honor from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, scored a team-high nine goals and eight assists for the Indians, who advanced to the NCAA Div. II Quarterfinals. Hill’s 25 career goals place him 17th on MSU’s all-time list and his 60 total points land him 20th overall. “Josh had a good career at MSU,” said men’s soccer coach Doug Elder, who was an All-American at MSU in ’84. “He’s very deserving of the award, and I’m very happy for him. It’s about time one of our players got some recognition.” Although Hill was excited about the award, he was quick to bestow the credit to his teammates. “It’s a big honor,” the Wichita Falls native and Rider alum said. “But I look at it as more of a team award than an individual award. Whenever your team does well, they always choose someone to represent your team.” The Indians put together a sensational season this year, finishing with a 14-1-4 record. MSU was ranked in the Top 10 for much of the year. The national recognition from Hill’s award is not only a testament to the Indians’ tremendous season, but also a reflection of the MSU soccer program. “It’s great for our program,” Elder said. “Anytime you get national recognition, it helps your program.” While Hill is the first All-American soccer player at MSU since forward Alex Opoku in 1999, Elder thought there should have been more All-Americans in his three years of coaching at the university. He specifically pointed to the omission of senior defender Matt Stonehouse as the perfect example. “I don’t see any reason why two guys from the same team couldn’t have made it,” Elder said. “Stonehouse was the heart of our defense.” Hill, who will be graduating with a business degree in the spring, will not attempt a professional career in soccer and hopes to coach local youth teams.
Indians
fade away in 73-71 loss to Tigers
A win Saturday night would have not only given the men’s basketball team their first winning streak of the year, but also would have generated some much-needed momentum heading into divisional play. Their opponent, the East Central Tigers, seemed like a vulnerable foe, having lost four of its past five games. But the Indians could not capitalize on their chances down the stretch, dropping another winnable game 73-71 at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. “We’re snakebit right now,” MSU coach Greg Giddings said. “The difference in the game tonight was they made their shots, and we didn’t.” The Indians gained the early lead in the game, only to see the Tigers fight their way back. There were 20 lead changes in the match, including 13 in the first half. The Indians took their first big lead of the game, as an 8-0 run, spurred by junior guard Marquette Wilkins’ six points, put Midwestern State up 29-24 with 4:19 remaining in the half. It would not take long for East Central to regain the lead. Plagued by turnovers and missed jumpers, the Indians offense fell into a lull, allowing the Tigers to close out the half with a 15-2 run. Although the Tigers went ahead by 10 points in the second half, MSU quietly chipped away at the lead, drawing to within two points with 12 minutes remaining. Wilkins, who scored in double figures for the 14th consecutive game, then tied the contest at 51 with a pair of free throws at the 11:32 mark. Four straight points by guard P.J. Randall produced a 63-60 lead, the Indians’ largest of the second half, with five minutes left, but just like they did all night, East Central had an answer for MSU. Three-pointers by Tigers’ Theran Floyd and Jason Wilkerson, who scored a team-high 22 points, gave East Central a slim 70-68 lead. A steal by forward Josh Drumgole set MSU up for a chance to win the game, but that was when the missed opportunities began. Drumgole was fouled with 39 seconds remaining, but promptly missed both of his ensuing free throws. After a Tiger turnover, Jovani Allen’s drove the lane and missed a lay-up with 13 seconds left. Drumgole put his hand on the rebound but his tip went in and out of the hoop. Wilkins, who was coming off a career-high 26 points in Thursday’s 68-48 win over Southeastern Oklahoma, nailed a three-pointer with seven seconds left to get within 72-71. After East Central missed a free throw, Wilkins got another chance to win the game, but his desperation three-point heave at the buzzer fell harmlessly off-target. “This was a game that we needed to win before starting division play,” Giddings said. “We should have beat this team tonight.” Wilkins totaled 23 points and also led the team with three assists. Allen scored 17 points for the Indians, and Drumgole put in 10 points and a game-high eight rebounds. MSU shot a solid 49 percent for the contest but struggled from the three-point line. Allen was only 2 of 8 from downtown, and Wilkins was equally woeful with a 1 of 4 mark. Although the Indians were only out rebounded 37-32, East Central retrieved 16 offensive boards, including many down the stretch. The Indians, who drop to 5-10 on the season and 3-3 at home, will now go on the road to begin their Lone Star Conference South division, facing Texas A&M-Commerce on Thursday and Texas A&M-Kingsville on Saturday.
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