Bontrager Inducted at ORU

Shawn and Steve-ORU Hall of Fame Night

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.

Are All Things Bigger in Texas?

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.