Your broadcaster source for RSU men's and women's basketball. Play-by-play voice Shawn Tiemann hits the blogwaves to tell you what's shakin' on "College Hill" in Claremore, Oklahoma. RSU basketball originated in 2007. Tune in the Hillcat Network at rsuhillcats.com/live or RSU Radio 91.3 FM
RSU senior guard J.C. Hartzler became just the fourth men's player to reach the 1,000 career point plateau. He is as fine a young man and college student as you will find across the country at any level of college basketball. It was his night, he earned it. Congrats J.C.!
Now that the exhibition schedule has concluded with the RSU men losing at Tulsa 66-56 Tuesday night, there are two countdowns remaining for the Hillcat men's and women's basketball programs. Both tip off the new season just two days out from this post. The men play at a two-day classic against Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference teams in Fort Smith, Arkansas Friday and Saturday, while the women play at a similar two-day event in Wichita Falls, Texas against Lone Star Conference squads. The men face preseason #18 Metro State of Denver at 5 o'clock Friday with the women's season opener at 8 o'clock Friday night against host school Midwestern State. The start of this particular regular season means we also punch the clock on the basketball teams final season of not being able to compete for championships. The transition to NCAA Division 2 will be complete after the 2015-2016 school year ends in May. In some ways, it seems like yesterday that the process started. In others, it's flown by at a rapid pace. I absolutely cannot wait for it to be over and see the Hillcats playing Heartland Conference postseason hoops at the UMAC right here in Tulsa in future years. In case you hadn't heard the news, the Heartland is shifting to eight-team fields for its conference tournaments at the end of the season starting this spring. That is very welcome news!
The broadcast crew was extremely fortunate to be able to bring you all three men's preseason games at ORU, New Mexico, and Tulsa. If the Hillcats showing in those games against D1 foes is any indication, I have a feeling they'll finish higher than their league preseason prediction of fifth. Below is a collection of pictures from the exhibition games, mostly from the roadie to WisePies Arena AKA The Pit in Albuquerque. So cool to see the 'Cats in action at such a historic basketball venue. Cross that one off my basketball bucket list. Below are some pics I shot from the walk of fame around the upper concourse at UNM. The photos include former Bulls center and first Australian NBA player Luc Longley, and Oklahoma native J.R. Giddens. Check out the box score photo from when UNM beat #1 Arizona back in 1988. As a value-added bonus for visiting the blog, you can watch the music video of the hit song that falls right in line with the title of this post. Nothing like the band Europe to boost your spirits for the start of a new college hoops season. Enjoy!
In case you missed it, the RSU hoops season has come to an end. The D2 national tournaments are about to commence. The Hillcats have just one more season as provisional members before they're eligible for postseason play. With that said, here are a few items to ponder as we all ready ourselves for some madness over the next several weeks.
1) Congratulations to Frederico Santos for capturing the first-ever conference player of the year award in Hillcat history. Freddy averaged a double-double for the season, and set single-season records for rebounds and double-doubles. He was a joy to watch. He embodies what Coach Justin Barkley wants a Hillcat to be...gritty, smart, demanding of himself. I said it on the air a few times late in the season but it's worth repeating. Santos was the best teammate in the 8-year history of men's basketball. He was very deserving of the POY honor.The RSU men would not have finished in 2nd place outright without Freddy. It's a shame we only had him for one season on College Hill. Santos plans to continue pursuing his degree at RSU, and has a TV internship awaiting him this summer in Brazil. He has such a good head on his shoulders. I wish him all the best in his future endeavors.
2) Congratulations are in order as well to junior guard J.C. Hartzler and women's senior guard Mikaila Newton. Both received all-conference selections as well. J.C. was named 2nd team all-Heartland and Mikaila was named honorable mention. Both had exceptional seasons.
3) It was also announced that men's coach Justin Barkley was tabbed as the OklahomaSports.net Division 2 men's coach of the year in the state of Oklahoma. I thought he should've landed the Heartland's coach of the year honor as well but St. Mary's won the league so the Rattlers Jim Zelznak took home that award. In 5 seasons at the helm, Barkley has molded this program into his own likeness. He surpassed 100 career victories this season as well. He has all the qualities you want in a leader of young men.
Finally, another in case you missed it...the university recently released a bold vision for the future of not only Hillcat Athletics (see pic above) but also the school as a whole. You can read about it HERE. Scroll down to page 29 for a rendering of the future Hillcat Arena, a.k.a. the Multipurpose Arena and Convocation Center. The plan already calls for new tennis courts to be constructed near the Diamond Sports Complex (Hillcat baseball and softball) as tennis will be added in the very near future. As long as fundraising goes well, it'll be really cool to have a basketball arena basically on campus. The Claremore Expo Center has been a fine home court but it wasn't necessarily meant for basketball. This is a long-term plan for the future. Let's hope it becomes reality sooner rather than later. If you have extra money sitting around under the mattress and you want to donate to the cause, contact RSU athletic director Ryan Erwin. I'll leave you with a highlight from the senior night victory over rival Arkansas-Fort Smith. The 'Cats swept the season series with the defending league champs. Boy, did that one feel good!
With a win over Lubbock Christian Saturday, Justin Barkley posted the 100th victory of his coaching career. While the 'Cats aren't eligible yet for postseason due to the NCAA transition, this team has a legit shot at winning the Heartland Conference regular season crown. Listen below to Coach Barkley's comments following the win.
The man pictured with me to the right is another one of those special people that I would've never met had it not been for the decision to put on a headset and open my mouth. Broadcasting games is my life's passion, and I am eternally grateful for the relationships that have come as a byproduct.
The folks I've met due to working in sports have changed my life forever. Lorena Rivas snapped this photo. She is my wife and lifelong companion, and sits at the top of that growing list. If I hadn't married her, we might never have ended up in Tulsa. She needed a law school to attend, and wound up at the University of Tulsa after I landed a radio gig at an all-sports station solely because of good friend and current ORU radio voice Geoff Haxton. Haxton worked in Enid at the same time I worked in Woodward (place I met my wife, she's from Mutual-tiny hamlet with a population of not much more than 50). Haxton ended up moving from Enid to Tulsa for a gig with ORU. He then started working at the station that later brought me on board based on his recommendation. Back in 2007, Rogers State was searching for play-by-play announcers because the school was about to launch its new basketball programs. Ironically, Geoff and I both worked RSU games that first season before he added ORU men's duties to his plate. The man chosen to serve as our color commentator for Hillcat hoops was named Steve Bontrager. Steve played at ORU and later served as the Golden Eagles color guy for several seasons. He's made his living teaching the youth of Green Country the great game of basketball. Well, this past Saturday night Steve was inducted into the ORU Athletics Hall of Fame. It was long overdue. His dedication to the sport and the people who want to be involved with it should put him in the national hall of fame.
Steve has graced me with his presence for the last 8 years. He is my broadcast partner in every sense of the word. He has taught me way more about the game than I ever thought was possible. More important, though, he has continued to teach me that my life in sports broadcasting is made that much better because of people like him. His friendship and kindness make each game we work together more fulfilling. It gives me a sense of purpose. It makes me feel like what we do is noble. There was a time early on in my career when I thought I wanted to give up on sportscasting and focus on a profession that might be deemed more suitable for helping the masses. Boy, am I glad that urge was a small one and quickly faded into the background. There are people in my life today that I cannot envision being without. If I had decided I was done with the dreams of my childhood after just a year or two in the industry, influential people like those I just mentioned would never have crossed my path. I am a better person because of them. I hope they feel the same about me.
For the better part of a year or more, there have been rumors of a Division 2 conference merger between the Heartland and the Lone Star. Within the last several months, those rumors have turned into real discussions between the powers that be in both leagues. This was primarily fueled due to the massive Division 1 conference realignment that took place a few years ago and has since settled down a bit. The Lone Star had some of its members poached by the Southland Conference after some schools jumped ship to join the D1 ranks. So, that left the LSC with less than 10 member institutions going forward. All but two of the schools subsidize football (Texas Woman's, Cameron).
The question then becomes whether this merger, if it happens at all, is ultimately good or bad for Rogers State. No one asked my opinion, nor does it really matter. But, I'll offer it in this space anyway. When it comes to enrollment, the Lone Star schools are bigger. When it comes to budgets, the Lone Star schools are bigger. And when it comes to disrupting the current construction of the Heartland in terms of half the league being public and half the league being private, I think it's a bad idea. The Heartland is just settling into having some of its new members gain full D2 status in the next year or two. I think the timing is wrong for this move. I do believe it would benefit the LSC more than it would benefit the HC. The Lone Star NEEDS this more than the Heartland needs it. From a competition standpoint, the Heartland would eventually catch up in sports like basketball. But how long would that take. The budgets of those football-playing Texas schools will always be bigger. To me, that's a major issue. Travel might not necessarily be as big of a problem as you might think if they split the new proposed conference into north and south divisions. It would then create a weighted schedule. I guess it would be a plus to say our school plays in the biggest D2 mega-conference in the entire country (the PSAC currently has 18 members in Pennsylvania). The merger would create a 20-school league. If rumors are right, Eastern New Mexico would break away and join the Rocky Mountain. With Texas Woman's in the fold, that would even out the current scheduling snafu in the Heartland created by Dallas Baptist not sponsoring women's hoops. That's a real plus in my mind, but not enough to give this potential merger two thumbs up.
In the end, there is probably a 50/50 chance this merger happens. Talks seem to be the most serious they've ever been. I don't think it's a totally terrible or off-the-wall proposal. Come back to me a couple of years from now when the dust has settled for provisional members of the Heartland and maybe my opinion will have changed. For now, not all things are bigger in Texas.
***UPDATE***
It was announced February 13th by the Lone Star Conference that Texas-Permian Basin would be joining the league in all sports starting in 2016. The conference also added Oklahoma Panhandle State for football only, also beginning in 2016. I am thankful that cooler heads prevailed. The LSC is able to add two football members and not disrupt the immediate future of the Heartland. I think this is the best possible scenario for all parties involved. The bottom line here is that football still dominates the conference realignment landscape.
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