HOOVER, Ala. – The SEC men’s and women’s basketball media day, which was held here Thursday at the Wynfrey Hotel, will never be accused of looking like it’s big brother, SEC Football Media Days, held in the same building each July.
But maybe that’s a good thing. It may be media day “lite”, but it’s one where you are pretty sure that 95 percent of the people there have an actual interest and knowledge of the sport and where you can actually stop and visit with SEC personnel and former league coaches without getting run over by the entourage trying to follow a football coach from one room to another.
Oh, there were a couple of fans in the lobby wanting Coach Trent Johnson and Coach Nikki Caldwell‘s autograph when the LSU van arrived (oh that’s another thing, we drove right up to the front of the hotel), but the SEC and the hotel surely doesn’t have to worry about the security bill on this event.
There were plenty of story lines for the journalists to chew on this year and despite the event getting a late start when the first three teams were late, things had pretty much caught up by the time LSU, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt arrived on the scene. Here are a few of the observations and notes from the day:
Of course, Coach Caldwell was going to be asked about Tennessee and the situation with Pat Summitt. Again and again. Of course, Coach Summitt was bound to be put under the microscope with her health situation, but assistant coach Holly Warwick, who handled much of the media glare on this day, did a tremendous job of putting things in perspective. Coach Summitt’s line that she has had to say probably too often is one that makes Lady Vols fans very happy: “I’m not ready to retire.”
One of the things Coach Caldwell was asked that was pretty revealing was about some of the similarities and differences of her and Coach Summitt.
“I don’t have her stare,” LSU’s first-year women’s coach said. “I don’t have her piercing blue eyes. I definitely have taken a lot from her. Having spent six years with her as an assistant coach, I was just like a little sponge. I know what it takes to put together a staff because she did an amazing job of doing that.”
When you look at our staff, you have to think that Coach C has also done a pretty good job of that as well.
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The men’s basketball season will culminate with the SEC Tournament and this year it will return to New Orleans and a first-ever appearance in the New Orleans Arena. This should be a big event with a tight ticket because of playing in the Arena and should bring a great crowd to the city March 8-11. I had a chance to ask Commissioner Mike Slive about the excitement of coming to the city that will also host the football national championship and the NCAA Final Four in 2012.
“You know, it’s always fun to come down to New Orleans and to our basketball tournament,” he said. “It’s a special year for us in many ways, I think, because I think our basketball program has finally become recognized nationally, and it’s been a long road for us. But with the Big East-SEC Challenge, and the television we’ve provided it, we’re looking for a great basketball season, and then culminating in the tournament in New Orleans.”
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When you come to the opener against Nicholls State on Nov. 12 or you watch some of the games before that on television, you are going to notice the arc that is inside the free throw lane basically under the rim. This is an arc that has been on the floor, although in a slightly different shape for many years in the NBA.
I interviewed SEC supervisor of officials Gerald Boudreaux and you’ll be able to see that online and on Tiger Tracks in the days to come for the complete explanation but suffice it to say, the rule involves a “secondary defender” and prevents that defender from clogging up the area under the goal. If there is a man-on-man situation that goes all the way to the goal, then a charge can still be called but if the primary defender gets beat, the secondary defender cannot set up in that arc area and still draw a charge.
This will be interesting to see play out over the course of the non-conference season as 1) officials try to get a full understanding of the arc, its parameters and the rules; 2) the coaches realize a charge is not a charge and what adjustments they will make; and 3) the fans who will think officials are clueless for no longer calling that foul under the goal for their defense.
Even more perplexing is my understanding that in a 2-3 zone, the back line in many cases will all be considered “secondary defenders” and won’t be able to draw a charge in the area. Maybe we should pass out rule books this year as a promotional item.
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Since both Courtney Jones and Ralston Turner are both from Alabama, it was nice that their parents were able to come spend time with their kids in between interviews at media day. Courtney, who is from Midfield, Ala., about 15 minutes away spent time with her mom, Wanda, while Ralston, who hails from Muscle Shoals, got a visit from his parents (Larry and Andrea). Nice to see the parents all decked out in LSU Purple for the occasion.
That’s another difference between football and basketball media day. I’m not sure the parents at football media day could have gotten even within shouting distance of their children.
Both did a tremendous job with their interviews. It can be a culture shock to answer a set of questions then come right back and answer the same questions again in the next room. Both handled it with a lot of class and maturity in representing their University.
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Coach Johnson had a lot of people spending time with him in the print room and they were interested to hear about this year’s Tigers. There is optimism aplenty as the pre-season practices continue and writers from Mississippi (Johnny O’Bryant III, Andre Stringer, Jalen Courtney), Kentucky (Anthony Hickey) and Alabama (Ralston Turner) were checking on the players from their areas.
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Now I will admit, you’ve got to be ready for a marathon if you are covering this event. Twelve teams all in one day, men and women. Who knows what this event will look like next year when A&M and who know whom will be in the SEC.
It is always best to be in the first or second wave in this show, or at least one where Alabama or Auburn is present. But by the time that fourth wave begins about 3:30 p.m., most of the media has too much information that won’t fit in the paper or web site tomorrow, next week or next month. By then most of the media is off writing and you feel very alone as you and your coach hit all the TV networks and wonder where everyone is when you go into the print room.
But it is still better than the year we arrived to find most of the media on the down escalator while we were on the up escalator. Alabama decided to fire their football coach on Basketball Media Day and attendance for the afternoon session was cut by 80 percent. I thought someone had pulled the fire alarm.
This was my 24th media day that I attended for LSU and it really signals to me that the start of the games is just around the corner. The first media day I went to was in Atlanta and they barely thought of bringing the women there. They were part of the media luncheon one afternoon. More and more they were worked into the mix and have as big a presence – an equal presence – with the men.
As I say, the numbers will never be spectacular for basketball media day (I guess SIDs always wish that our media would make the effort to show up at events like this no matter where we are in the league), but it is what it is. But the message went out today over three hours on ESPNU and in web sites and newspapers – it is basketball time in the SEC. I can’t wait for the ball to leave the referee’s hand for the first jump ball.
(LSU opens the 2011-12 season on Saturday, Nov. 12, at noon in the Maravich Center against Nicholls State. Admission is free. Follow LSU basketball on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/LSUBasketball and on Twitter @LSUBasketball and @LSUCoachJohnson.)