They Call Him Coach V

Vinay Patel is in his first year as the top assistant for the RSU men's program. It's been nice to get to know him a little bit in the first month of the new season. Now, here's your chance to find out more about the guy who helped guide West Texas A&M to five D2 national tournaments in his decade of work there in Canyon. Just click the play button below, and enjoy!

Coolest College Courts

Despite the RSU women losing 62-55 in overtime Saturday at Texas A&M-Commerce, broadcasting a game played on this court made for a more enjoyable afternoon. I took this photo from the last row of stands the night before at practice. It looks way cooler from up top than it does sitting courtside. Commerce installed the new floor in the off-season. I think I like it. Yes, in fact, I do. I thought it a bit strange until I took the picture and started researching different court designs across the country. Unique court designs have been in vogue the last few years. I would rank this one in my top 10. It has to be the coolest one in Division 2. I stumbled across a website that posted the 13 coolest courts in college basketball. Click HERE to view them. My favorite design is at San Jose State. I also like the ones at Memphis and George Washington. James Madison has a really fun one. Check 'em out, maybe you've seen one in person.

Hillcat Women Escape Alva

Congratulations to the RSU women, who gave Bobby Cope his first win as a head coach last night in Alva against Northwestern Oklahoma State. Click the play button for coach's comments following the thrilling victory.

Rocky Mountain 'Cats

The road trip to Denver for the men's basketball team could not have started any better than it did on Wednesday. First, the team arrived safely in Colorado after a long bus ride that included a stop for lunch at one of my old radio residences...Hays, Kansas. It allowed me to spend a few minutes visiting with Gerard Wellbrock, my old friend and talented radio voice of the Fort Hays State Tigers. I worked with Gerard for two years at Eagle Radio in Hays from 2005-2007 before moving to Tulsa. Gerard has been one of my mentors in the industry and I really admire his discipline and professionalism. He and his wife were so good to me and my family in our time there. After a brief check-in at the hotel in Denver, the team made a mad dash for the Pepsi Center where we watched the Nuggets lose to Portland 130-113. The Blazers were highly efficient and Denver was not. It led to a halftime score of 84-50. That's the most points I've witnessed an NBA team put up in a half of basketball. It was pretty hard to fathom how bad Denver played. Not enough shooters on that team, or as my broadcast partner Steve Bontrager would say, "not enough makers". In case you're wondering like we were, the most points ever scored in the first half of an NBA game...107 by the Phoenix Suns in 1990, against Denver no less. After a day full of travel and play, it's time to put in some work. Practice at Metro State is on the agenda Thursday with game one of the weekend Friday night against the highly-ranked Roadrunners. It will tip at 8 p.m. in the central time zone. Saturday against UC-Colorado Springs tips at 6 p.m. You can listen to both games on RSU Radio 91.3 FM or on the Hillcat Network at www.rsuhillcats.com/live. Pretty cool place to open up the new season.

State of Hillcat Athletics

Rogers State athletic director Ryan Erwin joined us at halftime of the men's exhibition game Saturday night at ORU in Tulsa. He spoke about the ongoing process of transitioning to Division 2 and the addition of yet another sport on College Hill. Don't forget, the men open up the regular season on the road Friday and Saturday nights in Denver against Metro State and UC-Colorado Springs. The women's season opener is at home on Saturday afternoon against East Central.

RSU Men's Season Preview

Had a chance to visit with men's coach Justin Barkley during halftime of the women's exhibition Saturday at Tulsa. The men face ORU in exhibition play this Saturday night before opening the regular season in Denver with a two-game classic at Metro State November 14th and 15th. The 'Cats will face perennial D2 power Metro and UC-Colorado Springs. Both Metro and Colorado Springs are ranked in the Top 20 of at least two preseason polls. Check out the rankings HERE.

Jump Time

The 1983 chart-topping song "Jump" by Van Halen plays on my radio (I know, old school listening device) as I prepare for the start of another basketball season on College Hill. The teams are fully engulfed in preseason practices, the schedules have been released, and the season is literally just around the bend. If you like college basketball, the best bang for your buck is a season ticket to watch the Hillcats hit the hardwood at the Claremore Expo Center in 2014-2015.

If you haven't been following, the current school year marks the second year of RSU's transition to NCAA Division 2 athletics. The Hillcats will be able to compete for regular season titles in the Heartland Conference but are still not available for postseason play (conference tournaments, NCAA tournaments). With that said, the RSU men's team has been picked to finish 5th in the conference while the women's squad has been tabbed to finish 9th. There are 11 men's teams competing in the Heartland and 10 on the women's side. Arkansas-Fort Smith is the men's favorite to win the league, with Lubbock Christian projected to take the women's title.

There are several new faces on both teams, including one familiar face in a new spot with Bobby Cope leading the charges as the new women's head coach. The jumping begins with a women's exhibition game later this week on Saturday at the University of Tulsa. On November 8th, the men play their lone exhibition at ORU in Tulsa. The regular season begins for the women at home November 15th against East Central University of Ada. The men start the regular season on the road with a two-game classic at D2 power Metro State in Denver. The 'Cats face Metro on November 14th, and then play UC-Colorado Springs the next day. The always much-anticipated Hillcat Homecoming features both teams against Arlington Baptist on November 22nd. The women's non-conference slate features games against Northwest Missouri State, Southern Arkansas, Texas A&M-Commerce, Southern Nazarene and Northeastern State. In addition to the trip to Denver, the men will tangle with East Central, Northwestern Oklahoma State, and Cameron in the non-conference. The men's home opener is November 20th against Hillsdale Free Will Baptist.

For more information on season tickets, schedules, or team rosters, visit www.rsuhillcats.com. Now, let's JUMP!

Where are they now?

What's the phrase...it's a small world after all. Well, it's an even smaller world if you work in some capacity in college athletics. Spending the current baseball season in Sioux City, Iowa afforded me the opportunity to pay a visit to the University of South Dakota. It sits in a beautiful hamlet about 35 miles northwest of Sioux City called Vermillion. That's where former RSU women's coach Amy Williams is making waves and reaching postseason tournaments. In fact, in just her second year at the helm for the Yotes, USD reached its first-ever NCAA tournament as members of Division 1. It was a fun afternoon of lunch with Amy, her husband Lloyd, and her assistants Chuck Love and Tandem Mays. Lloyd was the RSU men's coach at one time, and Chuck and Tandem are former RSU assistants. I also received a tour of the USD campus and it's highly acclaimed Dakota Dome. The dome houses all the sports teams and athletic offices. The university is set to break ground on a new basketball and volleyball arena shortly, which will give Amy and her coaches a brand-spanking new facility to show recruits. Amy's parents were in town as well, so it made for a wonderful Hillcat reunion of sorts.

Cope Joins Wife in RSU Coaching Circle

There's a new man in charge of the women's basketball program at RSU. Actually, he's the very first man in charge of the women's program. In late March, Bobby Cope was elevated from top assistant to the person pushing the buttons and making the crucial decisions. Bobby becomes the third head coach in program history, following successful runs by Amy Williams and Roxanne Long. I spoke with the new coach recently about his acceptance of the job, what happens in the immediate future, and whether he'll continue to sport a colorful look on the RSU bench. On a side, Cope joins his wife Amy (softball) as the head coach of an athletic program on College Hill. It's the second such husband/wife tandem that's had the privilege of being head coaches at RSU at the same exact time. Click the play button below.

Hinson Joins List of Distinguished Speakers

The former ORU and Bishop Kelley head coach was told he needed to "bring it" in order to take his place among the highly acclaimed speakers that came before him at the annual RSU athletics banquet. Barry Hinson, the current head coach at Southern Illinois, did indeed hone his skills before appearing in Claremore. He minced no words, he shredded bad behavior and poor judgement, and he gave the crowd more than a few good laughs. It was a pleasure to steal him away for a few minutes to get his thoughts on college athletics and his one exalted moment in the social media blender.

Postgame Extra: Hartzler Enjoying Sophomore Success

RSU sophomore guard J.C. Hartzler has taken his game to a whole new level this season. The former Tulsa World Player of the Year and state champion on an undefeated Union High School team was timid at times during his freshman season. J.C.'s game has really grown this year, and he relishes being one of the team leaders for the Hillcats. Hartzler turned in his best performance of the season on January 2nd at home against Dallas Baptist with a career-high 26 points on 8-of-9 shooting, including 6-for-6 from the three point line. He's had 16 double-figure scoring games this season. I spent a few minutes with J.C. during a recent road trip to Dallas. Click the play button below.