VIVA MEXICO!

With the assistance of social media, Claws the Intern helped us track down the latest whereabouts of former Hillcat Sylvester Spicer (pictured above with arms spread). His current adventure takes us south of the border into Northwestern Mexico, near the Gulf of California. He's living it up on the beaches of Guasave, Sinaloa...all while ballin' on the courts of the CIBACOPA. Big Spice is averaging 10 points and 4 rebounds a game for Frayles de Guasave. It's apparently the "most important basketball league" in the Baja region of Mexico. There are 12 teams in the league, and the season runs from March to June.

More research and development by Claws has turned up quite a gem about the team's nickname. "Frayles" is another version of the word "frailes", as in friars en espanol. Story goes that a friar once killed himself by jumping off a cliff in the area because he loved a woman. Some of the other teams in the league include the Tijuana Zonkeys, Los Mochis Pioneros, and the Cananea Mineros.


If you're ever interested in a visit to Mexico, hop on the Chepe train in Chihuahua and ride it all the way to Los Mochis. Don't forget to stop along the route and visit Copper Canyon. It's ten times the land mass covered by the Grand Canyon. It's the most heavenly place on Earth. I could've died two summers ago after our trip there and my life would've been complete. Now, the family didn't take the Chepe train all the way to Los Mochis near where Spicer's playing but it's on the agenda for next time. You can even take a ferry across the Gulf of California and back. That's where the Legend of Zorro began, or so I've read.

That's a Wrap

Now that March has come and gone, it's time to close the book on the 2012 RSU basketball season. And, a record-setting season it was. Both the men and women reached the quarterfinal rounds at their respective national tournaments in Kansas City and Frankfort, Kentucky. It's the first time in the 5-year history of Hillcat hoops that's happened, and the first time ever for the women. I'll go to my grave believing this year's men's team was as good as anybody in Kansas City. For a second consecutive year, RSU was one win away from reaching the Fab 4. The 'Cats had #1 Shorter University of Georgia on the ropes and failed to make a free throw or two down the stretch. Shows you how important that line from 15 feet out is in post-season play. So it goes, and so goes national tournament wins over Tougaloo and Evangel into the Hillcat history books. RSU will sorely miss the steady hand that ran the point for three national qualifiers in five years. Mo Rutherford is an exemplary human being who you'd want your own children to model their lives after. He's been forced to deal with adversity that some would succumb to, but he managed to thrive in pressure-packed situations his entire collegiate career. Thanks for the memories "Mighty Mo". The men will also need to replace the clutch shot-maker Larry Cox, and post-presence Nep Darden. Joey Twilley and Jeremy Marsielle will also be missed. It'll be interesting to watch how Coach Barkley retools the roster for the year ahead.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again...Amy Williams can flat-out coach her tail off. She helped guide this team to back-to-back national tournaments, and then had the RSU women on the brink of the Fab 4 after post-season wins over Cumberlands and Shorter, before losing to Georgetown in the quarters. It was, no doubt, an unexpected run but if you knew the grit and strength these ladies played with for much of the season, espcially against the top teams in the Sooner Athletic, it wasn't a surprise looking back. It wasn't the most talented team at RSU so far, but it'll go down as the one who did the most when it mattered. Seniors Gianna Woods, Sasha Barnes, and Brittani Smith were all key contributors to this year's success. The Hillcat women finished 4th in the conference, but their deep run in Frankfort is further evidence of just how impressive the SAC is year in and year out. It's a privilege covering hoops in this league.

With that said, times are a changing...the departures of Southern Nazarene, Oklahoma Christian, and Northwestern Oklahoma State will drop the SAC to nine members next fall, which means a 16-game conference schedule. Will it hurt the league's reputation as one of the best, if not THE BEST, NAIA basketball conference in America...only time will tell.