There were no games in Searcy last night because of inclement weather, so the Bisons will host the UAM Boll Weevils tonight. The Arkansas Tech-Henderson State game was also postponed, but the other four teams did play. Since I have some games from Tuesday to review anyway, let’s go over those now.
Tuesday, January 30
Tuesday’s games included a cupcake non-conference game for Arkansas Tech and a tough D-II game for Delta State.
Arkansas Tech got a much-needed confidence boost out of Rhema Bible College, winning 85-68 at home. Terrance Whiters had 20 points, leading the Wonder Boys, but two of his teammates added impressive games as well. Donald McCoy had 19 points and 10 boards, while Brandon Friedel had 17 and 7. There were plenty of rebounds to go around in this fast-paced game (for the GSC, at least). Each team missed 35 shots, and Rhema actually proved to get the better of ATU on the glass. Tech can expect to lose its next seven games, as they return to GSC play tonight.
Delta State had a difficult home matchup against Central State, and they lost, 85-80. Central’s DeAndre Chandler had a lights-out shooting performance, making 11 of his 12 shots, with his only miss coming from three-point range. His 24 points led Central, while DSU’s Turmaine Rice had 25 to lead all scorers. The Statesmen were pretty good offensively, but Central was simply better, with a remarkable 72.0 TS%. Both teams turned the ball over too much, which kept their offensive ratings reasonable at 109.0 (Central) and 100.7 (DSU).
Thursday, February 1
The Statesmen were in action again last night on the road at Ouachita Baptist. The Tigers continued their impressive run through the GSC, winning 92-81 in overtime. This avenged an earlier 80-60 loss to DSU and continued a series of close GSC games. Since the season-opening DSU loss, OBU’s other two losses were by one (UAM) and four (CBU), while each of their wins were close.
Memo Rodriguez continues to come off the bench and score for the Tigers, leading them with 24 points. He actually played 38 minutes, so I have no idea why he doesn’t start the game on the floor. Derrick Woods added 21 points and 8 rebounds, while Jaranimo Marks and Brandon Dawson both managed over 15 points. The Statesmen allowed their opponents to top 70 in TS% for the second game in a row, which is clearly not a recipe for success. Turmaine Rice led the team with 31 points, but that kind of scoring doesn’t matter if you can’t play defense.
Christian Brothers righted their sinking ship yesterday with a win over Southern Arkansas. Kevin Weybright returned to form, which I’m sure was no coincidence with the Bucs’ win. His 25 points and 10 rebounds, along with Reggie Peyton’s efficient 17 points on 9 shots, helped CBU cruise to a 69-49 win. Mori Turpin had 22 for the Muleriders, but as a team, things did not go well for Southern. SAU turned the ball over 20 times (fully one-third of their possessions), so they took 15 fewer shots than the Buccaneers.
This Weekend
Arkansas Tech will host Henderson State tonight, while the Rhodes Rowdies prep for Arkansas-Monticello. I’m sure I’m not the only person hoping from afar that they give Nate Newell a hard time in his triumphant return to Searcy. If you remember last year’s game, Newell was awarded a technical foul for arguing with the refs, and his dad sat him for a good chunk of the second half in a big Weevils win. I’m sure Nate has been entertaining again this year, bringing his brand of soccer-style flops, wide receiver-like push-offs, and incessant whining to a below-average UAM team. He was hard to stomach on a good team, but now he’s probably just funny to watch. The over/under on his number of missed shots tonight is 12.
Ouachita Baptist will host Rhema tomorrow night, but the rest of the division gets Saturday off. So, take the weekend to regroup and gear up for the final stretch.
jfwiii.net 
Re: Daddy’s Girl
Harding Coach Jeff Morgan has watched Arkansas-Monticello win four of the seven games played between the schools since Nate Newell’s arrival, and all three at Harding.
“Nate’s a great shooter,” Morgan said. “And he’s really a good, overall player, very skilled. He might not be the best athlete in world, as far as leaping ability or speed go, but he’s so skilled and has a great feel for the game. And he has the ability to score. He has great range. He can shoot itfrom anywhere on the floor. You have to be constantly aware of him. You don’t see many guys with his shooting ability.”
Nate Newell said he is eager for a final game at Rhodes.
“I love playing at Harding,” Nate Newell said. “It’s my favorite place to play. They’re wild there. It’s like playing at Duke.”
Morgan said he hopes his players can limit Nate Newell, but he doesn’t think the Rhodes Rowdies will bother him.
“As a player, it’s fun to get the opportunity to play in front of good fans,” Morgan said. “He’s just going to go out and play and do the things he does.”
Missed shots Over/Under: 12….
Nate almost missed that many from 3!
You know Press/Pete Maravich & Mike/Nate Newell have a lot in common.
Both their daddies set up their teams just for their sons to shoot at will…
However, while Pete was one of the best guards in college basketball history, Nate would have had to walk-on at the state’s flagship campus.
Love to see HU beat UAM, but give credit where credit is due. Daddy’s boy is carrying a heavy load this year. A player you love to hate. Without his scoring the Weevils have no game on offense at all. HU dogged him with their two best defenders and he still scores 41. Give him a coach other than daddy, he would have made a lot of D-I fans very happy. I imagine Morgan would love to have a player with his ability. Certainly does not have one now. Even Matt cannot generate offense on his own.
Forgot to mention – the Rhodes Rowdies are a shell of their former selves. Sort of like Alabama fans still thinking they have an elite football program.
John,
Looks like you were right as to Nate’s basketball future:
From-
http://www.pbcommercial.com/articles/2007/02/01/sports/sports1.txt
“Of course, Nate realizes there is life beyond basketball. He is a physical education major and plans to use his major after college.
But a chance to play professionally remains a top priority.
‘I hope I have a chance to play overseas, but if I don’t I’ll probably coach with my dad,’ Nate said.”
Rhodes Rowdies still may be recovering from the “riot” that broke out last weekend during the Robert Randolph & the Family Band concert.
Per KDKA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46ikKeieqF4
Live:
Where were the cheerleaders? Do the hotties not work on Fridays?
That’s an awesome quote about Nate’s future. Jake Bazeley and David Ivey were similar skill players for their respective GSC teams in recent years (CBU and UAH, respectively) and followed the same career path. I figured Nate would be a lock, with his dad coaching and all.
I think he wouldn’t be a bad professional player overseas. For all the knocks against him, if a coach could bring him in off the bench to spread out the defense (rather than as a first option), he’s not half bad.
I caught the YouTube clip of Robert Randolph’s show thanks to a blogging HU professor, and that was pretty awesome. Hopefully Harding students will keep sticking it to the man in the future. Google “Mark Elrod’s Lame-O Weblog” if you want to get a better perspective on that one.
As for the cheerleaders, that’s a shame if they had the night off. That shows a regrettable lack of commitment from the athletic department and should not happen, even at a D-II school. Reminds me of the band, which probably still only shows up from the start of conference season on. The Rhodes Rowdies aren’t the only ones who are losing a step (although it could be argued that the cheerleaders and band weren’t very good in the first place).
While not every freshman Rhodes Rowdy/ie coming in is going to be lucky enough to come in at the program’s all-time peak (as I did in 2002-03), it’s disappointing to see interest in the program waning.
Oh, I’ll try to review this one tomorrow between church and the Super Bowl. Or maybe during the Super Bowl, if it’s a real clunker.
The band has shown up for all conference games. They were right on last night.