BC the Bearcat Blog

...I'm back

2009-04-07T16:17:00.002-05:00

Sorry I've been away so long. I've been so busy recently traveling with the SBU Basketball Bearcats. They were so awesome this year!

Well, spring break is over and it's back to hittin' the books. Finish strong!

btw: check me out on the soon-to-be-released virtual tour of the Wellness Center.

Back On Track

2009-01-09T15:53:00.002-06:00

bc here. ok, so our teams hit a little bump at topeka. we're going to get back on track saturday night against fort hays. come on out and see our bearcats.

Pic on NCAA.org

2009-01-07T17:09:00.003-06:00

Bearcat Fans - check out your picture on the front page of ncaa.org. it's great to see us get some national attention. I'll be sending a few updates from tonight's game via twitter.

Go Bearcats!

happy new year

2009-01-05T09:29:00.003-06:00

bc here. hope all of you are enjoying my twitters from the games. if you sign up, you can get text updates during the games.

the women's basketball team had a huge win against emporia. we were down, but didn't quit, and roared back for la big win on the road against a ranked team.

the men won their 12th straight against emporia. the new rankings come out tomorrow. we'll see if we can move up a spot to #2, or even get some #1 votes.

i was talking to our new head of bearcat media, justin wollard, who told me there is going to be a release about our football team making all-icaa (independent league).

go bearcats.

bc

6:00 tonight...

2008-12-20T13:41:00.002-06:00

our women's team plays Central Methodist tonight at 6 p.m...this bearcat is looking forward to a win, sending us into the Christmas break on a good note...finals are over...graduation was nice last night...I saw lots of players helping take down chairs - way to go 'Cats...should be a great game to watch.

Hoops...

2008-12-18T16:02:00.001-06:00

BC here. Just want to let everyone know that Saturday's women's game with Central Methodist is at 6 PM here in Bolivar. Come out and cheer for the Bearcats!

What a fall!!

2008-09-30T14:51:00.000-05:00

What a fall it has been so far for the Bearcat.

Soccer sits undefeated at 6-0 and heads into a week with matches against two nationally ranked teams in Nebraska-Omaha and Truman. Come out and support them on Thursday at 4pm. Good luck girls.

Football is on a roll with three wins in a row. Come check them out on Saturday at 1:30pm when they take on Central Oklahoma.

Volleyball is having a great season too. Their record is now 8-9 and they will take on Drury Panthers tonight at 7pm, in what is sure to be a great contest.

Boy is it great to be a Bearcat. I hope to see you at the games this week.

keepin busy

2008-09-15T14:16:00.001-05:00

Well, the fall semester is in full swing. The football bearcats just got their first win of the season against Harding Friday night. If you weren't there, you missed out. Volleyball and soccer are rockin', too! Go Bearcats!

Back to School

2008-08-27T11:44:00.004-05:00

Wow, it feels good to be back on campus. I'm gettin' siked up for the football game Thursday night. Check me out. I'm twitterin' from the games! I'll be giving you updates via my cell. You can check it out on twitter.com or on the SBU athletics home page in the near future. Go Bearcats!

Schools Out!

2008-05-20T07:38:00.001-05:00

Heading out for the summer. Check you in the fall!

this is a big deal, gang.

2008-03-04T13:11:00.002-06:00

well, miaa regular season is OVER! it was a long but very productive two months for our men's and women's teams. our men earned a regular season championship and the first seed in the miaa post-season tournament, which hopefully comes on the way to a national tournament berth. the women are sitting third going into the tournament, with a shot at going to regionals after that. we are excited about where our teams have come from and where they are going.

once the regular season is over there are some awards to hand out to the tops in the conference, and sbu was able to pull in its share of the accolades. on the men's side, matt rogers and jim grabowski were named first team all-miaa, while d'ante harris was honored with a second team award. in addition to his first team nod, matt rogers was unanimously named defensive player of the year. (shocker. i mean, when you have 127 blocks on the season, what do you expect? no one wants to shoot against that.) and then, on top of that, matt was also chosen as player of the week for last week. it just keeps coming.
for the women's team, erika souza was unanimously chosen to first team all conference, while rachel graves was chosen to the miaa all defensive team. (again, shocker. her prescence on the floor is irreplacable, especially on defense.) and JIM MIDDLETON was chosen as miaa women's COACH OF THE YEAR!!

congratulations to both teams. you worked hard and you've earned every bit of the praise you receive.

playing for pride

2008-02-29T12:19:00.002-06:00

so, regardless of which teams win or lose this weekend, the postseason is set for sbu. the men and the women have locked first and third seeds, respectively, in the miaa tournament. this game at emporia is still a big deal, however, because there is life beyond the miaa postseason. not that we like to get ahead of ourselves or count our chickens before they hatch and whatnot, but the thought has crossed the minds of both teams and all their supporters. a couple big games this weekend can only help our chances of making the national tournament. oooh. that gets me pumped: two teams in the national tournament. how sweet would that be? but there is alot of basketball to be played between now and then. both teams need to keep playing hard, playing smart, and playing together. (if anyone can tell me where that's from i'll be your best friend for life.) long story short: two more big games this weekend at emporia state. please keep our athletes in your prayers as they try to stay healthy and as we travel to kansas tonight.

we are the champions!!

2008-02-28T13:42:00.002-06:00

THEY DID IT!! by winning the last home game of the season this year our men clinched the miaa regular season championship. they are the #1 team in the league no matter who wins or loses this weekend. i am so proud of our men and the way they fought every step of the way this season. they worked hard and definately earned their championship. congratulations to the men and their coaches on a job well done!

just in case you couldn't stay for the celebration, make sure you check them out on our webpage!

http://www.sbuniv.edu/athletics/mbasketball/0708/MIAAChampions2008/index.htm

you win some....

2008-02-22T11:05:00.004-06:00

...but then you give some away for no good reason. i don't know if you've heard, but it was a rough trip to fhsu for sbu's basketball teams. it was my first trip to the wonder that is hays, kansas, and needless to say i'm not eager to return. both teams struggled through physical games and came out with losses to teams at or under .500 in conference play. i guess it goes to show you that no matter who you are playing, in this league you better come to play every night. our kids learned that the hard way.

nevertheless (is that all one word? bonde, will you be my spell checker?) we are hopeful for saturday's games. pitt state is coming to bolivar, and sbu needs a set of wins. the good thing is that our fans here at sbu are the best in the conference, bar none. our student section is outrageous and the support the teams receive goes a long way in securing victories on our home floor. what's this about another black out?? AND they are crowning courtwarming king at halftime of the men's game. there's so much going on!! hope to see you at the games saturday supporting our bearcats!

short hand

2008-02-12T11:46:00.000-06:00

i have been (rather harshly) accused of making these entries too long. so here's the short version:

ball game tomorrow at washburn. go bearcats!

sweet revenge

2008-02-11T10:43:00.000-06:00

when we traveled to kirksville to play truman the first time around it wasn't a good day for sbu basketball. in fact, it was downright ugly. if you remember, i didn't want to talk about it at the time. the thought of that day still makes me a little testy. but sbu basketball received retribution saturday and oh, how sweet it is.

the women's game was physical, and the refs pretty well let the girls play. good thing our girls beat on each other regularly in practice or else the game would have been tough. it came down to the final minutes and a few clutch shots from souza and shew. but before that it was solid effort from everyone that kept us in the game. it doesn't take talent to hustle and that made all the difference.

the men's game was close and kept you interested until the final minutes, just like the women's game before. our men didn't shoot the ball well from the outside, but they managed to more than make up for that in the paint.

for now, the teams are getting ready to head to topeka, kansas to face washburn university. i've never been to topeka, but i'm not sure i want to go if this weather keeps up. also the teams are trying to stay healthy heading into the home stretch of miaa competition. the normal bumps and bruises are accompanied lately by the flu and any other bug running around. basketball season is long, and it becomes a fight near the end to keep people healthy. if you aren't already, please be praying for our athletes. they are working hard and need every bit of help we can give them.

grow in grace and knowledge

2008-02-07T10:34:00.000-06:00

just in case you haven't heard, regional and national rankings are out for this week! our men moved up to the #15 spot nationally while maintaining their #2 spot in the region. and yesterday our women moved up from #7 to #5 in the regional polls.

so it occured to me a minute ago that not everyone is a sports fan like me, so not everyone understands what some of this means to our teams. being the thoughtful, considerate bearcat that i am, i will try to explain the system so you can understand why we get pumped about silly rankings. this may be a little lengthy (not that i'm ever that way...) so bearcat with me.

the ncaa divides its teams into conferences for competition. (for example: sbu is in the miaa conference, uco is in the lonestar conference, and drury is in the glv conference.) after regular season conference play, the top teams in the conference play a tournament to determine a conference champion. hold on to that for a minute.

each conference is placed in a region. (for example: the miaa and the lonestar conferences are in the south central region, while the glv conference is in the great lakes region.) there are eight regions in the country for DII. after regular season and the conference tournaments, each region has a tournament to determine a regional champion. the regional tournament is the first part of the national tournament.

in order to make it to the first part of the national tournament (regionals) you have to be one of the top 8 teams in your region. remember that conference champion i told you to hold on to? each conference tournament champion automatically goes on to the regional tournament, regardless. then there are some spots left to fill. those spots are filled based partly on where you stand in the regional rankings.

let's say that conference ends today while our men are ranked #2 in our region. even if they don't win the conference tournament, they still stand a pretty good chance of being picked to go to the national tournament (which starts with regionals.) am i making any sense, gang?

sorry this is sooooo long. i just thought it might be helpful for some. hope you're having a great day!!

you don't even know.

2008-02-07T10:24:00.000-06:00

there has been so much exciting news in bearcat country i don't even know where to begin...

this past saturday the men and women both won excessively stressful games against northwest which gave the women a boost in conference standings and gave the men the sweep. if you missed that night of basketball you are definately the one missing out. those games remind me why i'm a bearcat fan.

then last night the teams braved the cold and snow to head to st. joseph to face the griffons of missouri western. i won't lie: i was so nervous about the drive up. but our driver managed to keep us on the road and get us there safely. when we finally arrived, both teams struggled through the first half, but pulled it together in the second to pull out victories. a win and some pizza- that's a good night right there.

busy busy bearcat

2008-01-31T13:19:00.000-06:00

today isn't supposed to be this busy for me, but there is so much going on in bearcat country!!

1. congratulations to our men's team for holding on to their #21 spot in the national rankings. they are working hard and getting better all the time.

2. congratulations again to the men on being ranked in the #2 spot in the region. the competition is stiff but they are shining through.

3. congratulations to the women on their #7 ranking in the regional poll. they join 5 other miaa teams that round out the top 10 in the region. that goes to show how good our conference is.

4. game day saturday- BLACK OUT!! all the fans are supposed to wear black on saturday for our home game against northwest. surely you have one black shirt. don't be too cool because being too cool makes you very uncool.

5. saturday, in addition to the blackout, sbu joins in the "COACHES vs CANCER" campaign. coaches across the nation will wear sneakers with their suits to raise awareness about cancer prevention and early detection. and since our coaches are cool but not too cool they too will be wearing tennis shoes with their suits to support the campaign. you should do the same.

so let's recap. 1. our teams are ballin. 2. dresscode for saturday vs northwest: black and your favorite sneakers. hope everyone is having a great day, and thanks for supporting your favorite bearcats.

i've got a fever....

2008-01-30T09:28:00.000-06:00

and the only prescription is MORE COW BELL!! (i know you saw me workin my magic with that cow bell jam session during the guys game. and i know you thought to yourself, "wow, that BC is rollin. how is he so amazing in every way? " and i know you wondered if you could ever be that hot. you can't.)

our men and our women came away last night with wins at home to finish up the first half of miaa conference play. the men are 7-2 and sitting first, and the women are in the hunt at 6-3. it's been an exciting month since all this started, and looking back i can't believe how much they've grown up. (cue the misty montage of slow-motion highlight clips that ends with everyone in a group hug with warm fuzzy feelings.) but seriously, both teams are playing well and finding ways to win big ball games. it makes me proud to be a part of the sbu family.

be in the know.

2008-01-28T14:52:00.000-06:00

it's a long story, but the short version is we fought hard and fell saturday at truman state. i think kirksville is the bermuda triangle for sbu's shooters. no worries, though. we'll beat the dog out of 'em when they come to bolivar.

if you are missing the action and want to be updated on everything that is bearcatty, all you have to do is let sbu's outstanding sports information director know. mike pitts will hook you up. he's cool like that. send your e-mail address to mpitts@sbuniv.edu and hear about the magic as it happens on the road. be in the know. good plan.

WHOSE HOUSE??

2008-01-23T12:51:00.000-06:00

if you missed the games last night i feel so sorry for you because it was one of the most intense, exciting nights the meyer wellness center has ever seen. almost too much for me. i'm gonna have a heart attack.

the women started things off for the evening. playing the #8 team in the nation and the first place team in the miaa, they didn't get caught up: they came to play. there was one point in the last minutes of the game when i wasn't sure they would pull it out. our ladies were down five points with four minutes on the clock. but once again they pulled together as a team and fought to the end to earn the win. they proved to me yet again (and more importantly to themselves) that they are more than capable of overcoming any adversity they face when they work together.

then the men took the floor to defend their #1 position in the miaa. the ichabods reminded us that every team in this league is good, and they made it a battle. sbu's bearcats fought every step of the way, and in the last minute it was a one point lead. thanks to a few big plays down the stretch the bearcats pulled out the second exciting win of the night. WHOSE HOUSE??

if you were lame enough to miss the games you can catch some of the action here:
http://www.kspr.com/sports/14017052.html?skipthumb=Y#.
http://ozarksfirst.com/content/sports

there's no place like home.

2008-01-22T10:40:00.001-06:00

today is a great day for basketball fans everywhere. ok, maybe not everywhere, but definately basketball fans in bolivar, missouri. sbu's bearcats and lady 'cats are coming home!! it was exciting being on the road: the women won at pitt and lost an intense game at missouri southern while the men went 2-0 to earn the #1 spot in conference standings. but as exciting as road trips can be, i'm convinced there is no place like home.

aside from all the basketball shenanigans, classes started today for the spring semester. my head hurts already. too much learning and not enough sleeping. but what better way to celebrate the start of a new semester than blowing off homework to enjoy a good game? the teams face off tonight against the ichabods (i know...) and the lady blues of washburn university. the basketball promises to be entertaining as the men defend their #1 position and the women defend our house. WHOSE HOUSE?? you should be there to support. class or no class, homework is never a good excuse. besides we both know you haven't bought your books yet.

our visit to the jungle...

2008-01-17T10:17:00.000-06:00

last night was definately exciting for all 2300 people at the weede center on pitt's campus. ok, maybe it was more exciting for those backing sbu's bearcats, but whatever. both teams earned wins against tough teams on the road. the men throttled yet another nationally ranked team in their jungle. they played hard and worked so well as a team. their performance makes me so proud of my little 'cats. meanwhile the women pulled out another exciting win that went down to the last minutes. i think they do it just to make it interesting, but honestly, girls, you're gonna give me a heart attack.

thanks to everyone who came out to root for the bearcats. the encouragement and support mean more than you can know. and we're gonna need it again on saturday. the 'cats head to joplin to take on the lions of missouri southern. it's sure to be a cat fight. (my wit even impresses me sometimes.)

excuse me?

2008-01-16T10:57:00.000-06:00

so, today the men and women head to pittsburg, kansas to face the gorillas of pitt state for a night that promises to be full of exciting miaa basketball. one thing about their gym, though, is that they always play that song that says "welcome to the jungle" over and over again. (they think they're clever: gorillas are from the jungle. get it??) by the end of the night it will drive me insane, i'm sure. but i'm going to suffer through it in order to support my fellow bearcats! you should do the same. it's always a battle at pitt, so we can use all the support we can get. see you there!

flamin!

2008-01-15T12:56:00.000-06:00

congratulations to d'ante harris for being named miaa men's player of the week last week. good thing that isn't won or lost on looks.... just kidding. d'ante has been working hard along with the rest of his team. that kind of recognition makes us all look good.

also, congratulations to erika souza for her record breaking performance of 38 points at central missouri. the jennies didn't know what hit 'em. everything she chunked up went in: it was like magic. that performance on top of solid efforts in every game this season earned souza the miaa women's player of the week this week, again thanks in large part to her teammates.

wow. sbu basketball is on fire!!

back in the saddle again

2008-01-06T14:09:00.000-06:00

sorry you haven't heard from me in a while. i took a little road trip over the holidays to visit family and they don't have the internet in their den. i'm not really sure how they live without it, but if they are content to live in the dark ages i guess that's their prerogative. at any rate i'm back and still reeling from some exciting basketball action.

the last week has been hopping with exciting new beginnings. along with ringing in a new year, the bearcats have begun miaa competition. i had the opportunity to go on the road with the men's and women's teams to maryville for games against northwest missouri state. the basketball was intense. the women fought a hard (high-scoring) battle but fell short of a victory. the men, however, defeated a tough nwms team on their home court. those road wins are like gold, especially when conference hits.

then there was yesterday. it isn't possible to make you understand how it felt to be in that gym. the bearcats faced the hornets of emporia. esu's men's and women's teams are both currently nationally ranked, #23 and #13 respectively. the lady 'cats took the floor for a game in which they were the definate underdogs. the ladies seemed a little uneasy before the game, but they were focused and prepared for a fight. they got one. once they gained the lead in the first half they never gave it up, but they sure did make it interesting. coming into the last minutes of a one point game, the lady 'cats bore down for an intense end. they fought hard and never backed down to the hornets. it was the kind of game to make you proud of their intensity and determination. they believed in their success and would make everyone else believe too. the men also came out with fierce energy and got an early lead, never looking back. the bearcats played as a team, looking out for each other and cheering one another on.

when you see teams fight the way they did yesterday it makes you remember why you love the game: the intensity, the dedication, the unbelievable determination. these athletes make my job easy because its fun to support people that are so driven to succeed. yesterday these athletes made me proud to be a bearcat.

those crazy 'cats

2007-12-17T23:50:00.001-06:00

tonight the women's team did battle against the owls of william woods university. they won in fine form, putting all 13 players on display for the fans to enjoy. tomorrow night they travel to lincoln university while the men stay home to face evangel.

tonight's game was good. even better than the game, however, was the fan support. the men's team came out to support the women tonight in the absence of our student body. but of course, they didn't just come and sit in the stands and cheer. oh, no. that would make too much sense. these fools crashed the party with painted bodies, wigs and get-ups, and the most obnoxious cheers you have ever heard. (it shocks me that most of these guys are single... lol.) they were cheering, chanting, dancing, and yelling at every turn. these cool cats were entertaining for the other fans, and did wonders to lift the spirits of the girls. they even let me get in on the dancing. i showed them all up, of course.

the fans for tonight's game proved to me that quality is definately better than quantity. so thanks to the men's team for showing such spirited support of the women. that's just one more thing that makes me proud to be part of the sbu family: where else would you find quality people like these who make up a quality community like this?

baby it's COLD outside!!

2007-12-15T14:20:00.000-06:00

i don't think i like this snow business. cold weather is not for me. too bad it's supposed to snow for the next day or two. and now there's nothing to distract me.
the bearcats had this week's games off, mostly because of finals. (is that better coach bonde? how's that for proofreading? geez, i'm just a bearcat. didn't know i had to be a rhodes scholar too.) i'm sure the players are all relieved to have those over with. i think it probably fried everyone's brains. that much studying can't be good for you. but now the semester is officially over! that means my 'cats and lady 'cats can concentrate on basketball for a while before they leave me here all alone for Christmas break. they have been working hard in practice, fried brains and all.
the ladies are home monday night against william woods, followed by the men's home game tuesday against evangel. then, thursday night the men and women host a double-header against arkansas- monticello. i'll be sure to keep you updated on what is going on here in bearcat country!

about that time...

2007-12-06T11:32:00.000-06:00

Well, it's about that time again. the semester is nearly over, the leaves have all fallen, and the weather is turning COLD. That means basketball season is here and in full swing!

This cold and freezing rain is nasty, and it wreaks havoc on my usually shiny, sumptuous coat (ooh, good word. look that one up.). Luckily, I can take refuge in the gym and watch as my fellow Bearcats do battle on the court.

The sbu ladies are 4-1 while the men are 4-2, earning wins over some solid competition here and on the road. This weekend they take on the hawks from Quincy. It will be a good game, so you should be there to help me cheer them on. and everyone is supposed to wear black. dn't be the only one to miss the memo and look ridiculous. can't wait to see you there!