It would be easy to ask how a person looking to shine a light on Smaller things for 12 games end up in Cameron Indoor Stadium ?

Well it does meet the criteria of not being in a crowd of over 10K, so there’s that! My mission was to finish my argument that how I would take a step in making the ACC more enjoyable for the non- Big 2 sports would be to add my adopted ” Little School ” Appy State.

They have a fan base, a beautiful campus with big enough facilities and they would bring back the blood rivalry feed feel we had for so long back in the day! Before we drank the kolaide about we so desperately needed the number of television 📺 sets in Boston and Syracuse. Any time I would bring the subject up it would be quickly dismissed with it will never happen because the Powers to Be all think Bigger is Always Better.

It’s an easy argument for all of the ” other ” sports but we all know the $$$ is with Football and Men’s basketball 🏀. Point 1 in regards to football is that Appy has the best winning percentage in the state of North Carolina in the past few years and then earlier this year the Mountaineers took to the road to play at Miami. The Hurricanes finished up number two in the Coastal behind Pitt and was the fifth best out of the 14 team league.

Miami needed a last minute field goal to pull out the victory at HOME of Appy. I would later travel back to Boone and watch them upset Coastal Carolina on their way to another 10 win season.

Their football stadium 🏟 is very comparable to the ones at Duke and Wake Forest and they tend to stuff it full pretty much every home game.

But there still was the other elephant 🐘 in the room – could Appy possibly play hoops in the ACC and would the other teams and their fan bases even care ?

That question was answered last night in front of a packed house in Durham with the Cameron Crazies in full force. Not only did Appy show up but they two separate Duke haymaker Runs in the first half

Down 13 at the break after the second of the runs the Mountaineers still would not fold. They were facing the deepest Duke team since 2015 in their house and they were playing with No Fear.

The third and final Duke run at the end of the contest provided a misleading 25 point margin of victory for the #2 team in the Country. Duke hit 50% from 3 (15-30) so it wasn’t as if they caught the Dokies on an off night

The next stat to check out is the number of minutes played by the starting five. Four of the starters needed to be on the floor for 30+ minutes and the fifth was at 23 minutes.

The only case the people smarter than me (and there’s no shortage of them) can make is the one about the TV sets in Syracuse and Boston.

Stop ✋, just Stop ✋. Just how much money do we need? Let’s make the league fun again, especially for the student athletes and their fan bases that could drive to Boone from Chapel Hill to watch a softball game versus trying to fly to Boston. I will surrender my point about Appy if 30,000 UVA fans fly to Boston for the Fenway Park Bowl in the middle of the week in December. If the rich alums won’t due it for FOOTBALL how can we expect the ” other ” sports fans to do it ????

In my best Lawyer voice I promise to rest my case by I think there’s a case to be made.

For the 3rd time in my eight games Rob Sisk was in the co-pilot seat for the game and I promise you his search to find this showing was a smidgen easier.

In a separate note Duke just lost its second opponent for the scheduled home game for this Saturday, both due to Covid. First it was Cleveland State and then Loyola- Maryland offered to fill in but now rhey can’t make the game either. The search is now on for a 3rd team – Thoughts and Prayers to all of the folks now facing 🙏 the Virus

There was a twin bill slated for the Tuesday afternoon clash of Division 3 schools in Danville this past Tuesday but only the Ladies were able to get their contest in. The men’s contest was slated for 5pm and the pair would have been #6 & #7 of the 12 Games of Christmas 🎄 but there was a Non- Covid issue within the UMW men’s team, making it #6 & #6A.

On paper this like the ultimate mismatch in favor of the visitors but nobody informed the Lady Cougars take couldn’t hang with their guests.

With only 8 dressed players for the game AU burned a great deal of energy out the gate and it paid off in a 15-11 advantage at the end of thr6 1st quarter. Mary Washington eventually wore down AU and headed into the Halftime break with a comfortable lead.

. Please scroll through and find the separate article typed about The Fan who made the entire experience even more adjoining!

When you set out a plan to shine a spotlight on 12 separate games in a 12 Day window sometimes its a challenge to choose where to go on a certain day but that was not the case on Tuesday night.

After spending the afternoon at Averette University and then watching the Duke Men play on television that night, I joined the rest of the basketball World in cheering along for Steph Curry as he set out to become the All-Time leader in 3 point shots made in the NBA.

The Curry family mirrors my other favorite Sports families – The Mannings. The first thing they have in common is my link with both came as huge fans of the Father’s careers. Archie and Dell where players I respected a great deal then they just happened to later have children that turned out to be athletes of their own.

The Shenandoah Valley is full of people that knew and competed against Dell while he played at Fort Defiance and amazingly enough most want to talk his ability to throw a baseball ⚾️ back in the day.

One person went on to tell me that his greatest high school memory was getting a base hit in a game that Dell pitched in! Who Knew??

While I have never personally met any of the Currys its been nothing but fun to follow along and when little brother Seth joined the brotherhood at Duke after his freshman season at Liberty it gave me a greater opportunity to watch him develop his own game.

The fact that Steph didn’t end up at his parents school in Blacksburg was possibly understandable in that he was somewhat undersized by ACC standards. But after he flourished at Davidson I would have driven to the Family 🏡 and signed the younger one on the spot – even if he wasn’t a ballplayer yet!

In my eyes the most impressive thing about Seth’s older brother is how he uses his fame and fortune to try and make the World 🌎 a better place!

Credit to Mom and Dad for raising such a pair of Sons and while I only own 6 sports playing cards I proudly state that one of them is Dell Curry. So naturally I am going to cheer for both of his Sons.

I remember a few years back when the current Coach of Golden State back then (Mark Jackson) stated he might be coaching the greatest shooting backcourt in the History of the NBA. The Splash Brothers (Klay Thompson & Curry) were fun to watch for sure but many a folk laughed loudly at the statement back then. Those who laughed back then might not be so quick to laugh now ???

Charlotte was home for the family so when it was time to find a College Steph picked one built on the beautiful shores of Lake Norman in Davidson College. I was very familiar with the school because one of my All-Time favorite characters first put the school on the basketball map. Charles ” Lefty ” Driesell ” was more known for his efforts at Maryland and James Madison University later but he led the Cats to and through their initial Glory Days.

I always Loved Lefty and that only grew when I found out he played for and graduated from Duke University back in the 1950’s. Going down Interstate 77 after my Doctor appointment would be nothing short of a treat. The Ladies were set to tip-off at 11:00 am against Appalachian State so there was another reason to watch – the Mountaineers. Appy State is the school I suggested as a new addition to the ACC that would bring back more local interest and great rivalries that the league used to have in abundance.

Everyone that would laugh that idea off probably wouldn’t have let tiny Wake Forest in to the Party back in the day. Today’s sports world is centered around Bigger is Better and the number of televisions that are within 50 miles of the Campus..

Lefty, Steph and Appy being in the house so the only thing that could make the day more special would be if my co-pilot Rob Sisk could somehow find the streaming video of the game and join the contest.

Rob had to dig deep but eventually found the contest on ESPN+. Kudos to him for going the extra step and of course for his time and energy. The first thing Rob noticed was the size of the crowd and how much bigger it looked than the Wake game did two days earlier.

The steps to success in Davidson ‘s effort to give both teams the feeling of a large crowd was three part. Step #1 – have an impressive midsized arena with a quality team playing in it. Step #2 – close off the upper section on one side and actually roll back the upper on the other side. Step #3 was to bring in local elementary school students and fill the lower part of the arena and let them be LOUD!

It worked to perfection and added bonus of they were actually cheering at the right times. I’m not sure if the 50-100 adults there to watch the Ladies play were enjoying the noise as much as I was but I think the teams did!

I will add a few pics from the day and a small note about one of them that stuck out to me was the fact that Dell’s Son and his wife played a major part in the recent renovation of the Court. Don’t think that will come as a Surprise to anyone.

When one roams around the Countryside trying to take in smaller level sporting events you cross paths with a decent number of Folks. A few days ago I found myself in Danville, Virginia at a Division 3 scheduled double header between the University of Mary Washington (Fredericksburg) and Averette University. I will include photos and other notes on the day later on but I wanted to post separately about an amazing experience with a Fan.

The next line in the story goes something like this – how Amazing was he ?

So Amazing that I think we could pair up and travel from place to place shooting videos and teaching seminars on how to properly support your team!

One of the reasons his support was such a focal point for me that day was in part the small number of fans in a very spacious gymnasium. Charles has made the drive down from the Richmond area to support UMW and did he ever support them!

His efforts throughout the game was so impressive that I couldn’t help but try to spend a couple of minutes with him after the game concluded and he was happy to participate in a conversation once he offered final encouragement to the Ladies as they headed to their lockeroom following their impressive showing.

What are some of the things that he could have possibly done that would have been oh so noticeable ? Let’s start with all of his cheering being 100% positive !!! That in itself makes me want to stand up and applaud 👏.

Everything was directed at the players for UMW, not the officials or the opponent. On paper his team looked to be quite better than the home standing Lady Cougars but they game was pretty much even out of the gates. That point right there can send many a fan to the dark side if he or she feels that their team is not playing up to their potential but it did not effect our Fan in a negative way. If anything it encouraged him to be more encouraging and when he offered support it was to an individual and she was called by her name.

It had a personal feel to it, much like a high school Coach might treat his or her team. When I first started to notice him I thought he might just be cheering on just one player but I soon realized that he was offering encouragement to the entire roster.

Many of these things cannot take place in a packed gym or Coliseum but for the day it simply made me smile, a lot!

. Our post-game conversation went back and forth for a few minutes and proved to be equally enjoyable as we discussed the difference between the Men’s game and the Women’s game including the different types of support needed for the players.

. Keep an eye on the Lady’s of UMW the rest of the season and if you see them play in person you might notice one of their Fans!

More about the game and Pics to come later but this one needed to stand alone.

Dateline – Galax, Virginia

I try to stay away from doing deep dives prior to attending a game so that anything you see is just a pleasant surprise. It also helps prevent Cherry 🍒 picking if you will as I’m not looking to scout out the player that promises to be the next big thing.

Simply head into a gym, gridiron, soccer pitch or softball diamond and try to find the Good in something or someone 🤔.

Last Saturday I was at the State football Championship game between Galax and Riverheads in Salem. My wife and I attended the contest for two reasons with the first being MaxPreps did not have anyone signed up to report the game from the Galax perspective.

Once again the Galax team had worked its way to a State title game but once again they would be facing a team from Riverheads that is currently playing football at a historical level. The Gladiators would be looking for an astonishing 50th straight victory and the longest current winning streak in the Nation at any level.

We were going to get to say positive things about the efforts of Galax and also witness some High School history on the part of the Gladiators. I should add that every fan cheering for both teams earned an award 👏 for being dedicated enough to sit through the weather that day.

Fast forward to this past Monday night and when I was searching for a third Game of the Day and fortune would have the Maroon Tide hosting the squad from Narrows.

It was fitting that the first thing I noticed upon entering the gym was the picture above of the 2015 State Championship football team. That team holds the distinction of being the last team to defeat Riverheads, which was their opponent in the title game.

Most smaller High School students that are athletes play multiple sports and being that we were just two days removed from the end of the football season there was no way to know what crossover effect there would be on the home team by comparison to Narrows.

I normally try to capture a picture of the jump ball at any basketball 🏀 game I attend but you will notice a Photo of Galax just bringing the ball in from the sideline after shooting some free throws beforehand. It turns out that Narrows had been guilty of dunking the ball during warm-ups.

Both teams played hard from start to finish and the pace was highly entertaining 👏. It was clear that #23 for the visitors was a serious Hoopster and he was scoring at will early one from both behind the 3-point line and from within. But like all good Coaches do, Galax’s Chad Lipes made the necessary adjustments to score down the barrage and force another member of the Green Wave to defeat his team.

. While the crowd was somewhat limited in numbers on both sides they certainly made up for it in spirit and they even occasionally offered to assist the referees call the game. The roar of the crowd mixed in with the squeeking of the tennis shoes on the gym floor framed the two coaches ever so well. It was first time watching Lipes coach and I was in his gym so that’s where my focus was but I will add a note that the young man leading Narrows coached with a controlled intensity that was also enjoyable.

Lipes doesn’t have a Nike shoe contract nor a seven figure salary so it’s easy to know his Love for his team and his players is genuine and the way he led his young men was a credit to both him and the powers to be at Galax High School. His team ended up on the short end of the 58-51 final score that night but it wasn’t for lack of effort or energy.

I was impressed enough by his efforts and that of his team that I took the time to let him know that after the final horn sounded. Even his response was genuine when talking to a stranger after a tough loss.

If you find yourself with an extra $5 and you are in the picturesque Galax area on a game night you should stop by the gym for some entertainment and take a second to notice the Football picture in the lobby because its now part of history !