What better way to break down the Bruin’s first (second) round matchup than some emails. The Broadhead brothers opened up their inboxes and this is what we found. Read the rest of this entry »
Posts Tagged ‘Rick Byrd’
Inside the Prohm Dome
In Game Posts on March 11, 2013 at 4:04 pm
“Good coaching facilitates overachievement.” –Adrian Branch, ESPN OVC Title Game Broadcast
The OVC championship featured two very different coaches. One remembers a time when there was no three point line and one remembers the ‘old’ three point line. One wears a sweater vest and one wears neck ties at awkward lengths. One built a program from nothing while one inherited a mid-major Maserati. You have to search long and hard for any similarities that Rick and Coach Prohm share. This was never more evident than what we witnessed on Saturday night in one of the most drama filled games in Bruin history, and we have Prohm to thank. Read the rest of this entry »
The Mont vs. Tennessee State Part Trois (That means three)
In Game Posts on March 8, 2013 at 8:49 am
Yes… Here we are. It’s officially tournament time once again for the Bruins who find themselves in a familiar position: the favorite heading into the conference tournament. Unlike the ASUN, the OVC tournament set up actually makes sense. Rather than playing a true road game against the 7 seed in round one, the Bruins got a free ride to the semifinals. Thus, the Mont will need just two wins lock themselves into a spot in the dance. The first of those two wins must come against Tennessee State tonight. (Potentially underrated story: The Bruins will be walking into Municipal absolutely cold. While State has had a chance to wet their feet in a new environment, Belmont will not share that luxury. For a team that thrives on shooting the basketball, a foreign shooting background could pose problems).
Welcome to March
In Game Posts on March 4, 2013 at 11:11 am
We have just finished watching our first season as a member in the Ohio Valley Conference. I wish we had time to go back and reflect on the great and wonderful things that we experienced for the first time. For example, a coach’s decision to state that only his team could take down the mighty Bruins. Or the inexplicable tendency of the Prohm Stars to play only when they felt challenged. Or the greatness that is Ian Clark. But seeing as your calendar reads March, we must prepare you for the Ohio Valley Conference tournament. In order to keep this article relevant, we will not discuss all teams that made the tournament and will focus on the contenders (I know, everyone has a ‘shot’, whatever). Let’s go! Read the rest of this entry »
Byrd Droppings with Mort & Hugs
In Game Posts on February 1, 2013 at 10:23 am
Editor’s Note: We like to laugh here at the Byrd Cage and we hope you do too. That’s why we’re happy to announce the return of Mort & Hugs. Our two in-house professional gripers/comedians who’ve never met a D1 athlete they weren’t scurd to anonymously mock on the internet.
MORT: We’re almost halfway through the OVC schedule and it is time to dust off the obligatory weekly lampoon. Hugs and I enjoyed our column last year, but have yet to muster enough inspiration this season to spend the necessary fifteen minutes to put 350 words to word processor due to the fact that our initial excitement for entering this new conference was whittled away by the drubbing of our first 5 conference opponents by a combined 120 pts. If this conference was a movie, it would have the plot twist of a yawn and the critical acclaim of “Jack and Jill”, which sucked, but was the inspiration for the greatest movie review headline of all time: 0 out of 5 stars, laughingly unfunny. What incredible headline does this conference inspire? “Nobody watched, but no one threw up.”
For the love of Marty Dickens can someone PLEASE turn up the damn speakers in the event center? There are THREE guys sitting at the sound booth. ONE of you needs to find the volume knob and turn it up to awesome. Lipscomb’s system makes my ears bleed, and it is amazing. We are losing to Lipscomb, an inferior school with an inferior team in a barely inferior conference. Then someone needs to tell God or whoever is in charge of the karaoke selection that a.) please no karaoke, and b.) please never play that Turtles song ever again. I get it. It’s a Belmont institution. But it shouldn’t be. I think “neat fact” is as far as that haunting carol should have ever gotten, but someone somewhere in the quality assurance department fell asleep when Karaoke Turtles Song in the Third Quarter Every Game was proposed before the season began.
Also, ByrdCage column DEMAND: Spreadin’ The News with Nick. Every Belmont game, Nick tells us which team he took against the spread and why, complete with his descriptions of his disgust with our opponents’ lack of quality coaching.
HUGS: Listen everyone, I don’t have time for this nonsense; I’m not in grad school anymore. Just kidding. But not really.
In all seriousness though, I do feel a DEEP sense of shame for my lack of commitment to our Bruins in their inaugural year in the OVC. But it looks like they’ve been doing fine without me. Seriously, conference opponents. Get your crap together. The one game I’ve managed to make it to this year was the least compelling sporting contest I’ve ever witnessed, and I’m a Cubs fan. If we are just going to run roughshod over the conference, then I have little motivation to pay close attention. I’ll have to come up with more exciting ways to fill my time, like becoming a hockey fan or watching my 26 year old roommates rediscover Tony Hawk Pro Skater for Playstation.
I am happy for our boys though. It’s not their fault they’re playing the Globetrotters to the OVC’s Generals. Or maybe it is. Maybe they should start shaving some points to make these contests more engaging. It will definitely make Nick’s gambling addiction more exciting.
What does excite me is that if we continue the current pattern, it WILL make for a very interesting Selection Sunday. Until then, wake me up when we go to Murray State. However, I won’t be awake for very long because IMMEDIATELY after the game I will be heading to the Murray fixture and culinary GOLD MINE that is Mary’s to eat an A-Train (steak sandwich between two grilled cheese sandwiches), which will send my organs into the most pleasant meat and cheese-related shutdown imaginable. Stay tuned to Ian Clark being amazing.
Sweet Bruin Baller Tweets:
@2sicksideburns: I made a wish at 11:11 and it came true!! Juwanna Mann is on Comedy Central!!!
I would like to note that this tweet was composed during the second inauguration of President Barack Obama, which also happened to be on Martin Luther King Day. This future schoolteacher chose instead to watch Juwanna Mann. There’s a joke here somewhere.
This confirms all my suspicions. Baker is a 14 year old schoolboy in a schoolteacher’s body.
@DrewHanlen: Just watched Shawshank Redemption w/ my mom. Love that movie! Buddy tunneled his way out of jail w/ a small hammer. Persistence pays off!
Drew, your twitter account is the one of the most consistently inspirational things I regularly read. I admire your upbeat attitude and your ceaseless encouragement. That said, take it down. Just. take it. down. a notch. This is a movie of vicious beatings, corruption, and crawling through poop. It is not an after school special.
When did Hoopin’ become the single greatest person of all time? Seriously, the dude watches Shawshank (the most inspirational movie of all time save Mighty Ducks, D2, and Bridesmaids) WITH HIS MOM. He hangs out with NBA All-Stars and counts “persistence” as a hobby. Rumor is he’s both a knight and a saint. Compared to Drew, Tim Tebow is a drunk-driving prostitute. If you wouldn’t trade lives with this guy, then put me down for an eighth of whatever you are smoking.
…yeah me too.
@Itsburgtime: Drank so much coffee I’d fail a drug test. #BurgyProbz
Remember that one time… ? Roasted.
What We Learned In Alaska
In Game Posts on November 27, 2012 at 9:17 am
Facing severe cold and daunting elk herds, the Belmont Bruins left Alaska with a third place finish at the Great Alaska Shootout. The Bruins defeated Division II Alaska-Anchorage in the opener then dropped the semifinal match up with the Colonial Athletic Association’s Northeastern. The Bruins rebounded (despite being grossly outrebounded) Saturday night to beat the Golden Eagles from Oral Roberts in the consolation game. If you were not able to stay up all night to view the action, some of us did and this is what we learned.
Some of it might be painful.
Read the rest of this entry »
Couldn’t Make It To Stanford Last Night? We Got It Covered.
In Game Posts on November 19, 2012 at 1:18 pm
This guy shaved his head and then Belmont beat him last night 70-62.
It was a fantastic night to be one of the handful of Belmont Bruins fans at Maples Pavilion in Stanford, CA on Sunday. As the Cardinal players, coaches, and fans grew subsequently confused, frustrated, and angry when the Bruins refused to relinquish their double-digit advantage through much of middle section of the contest, there was a growing sense among the red and blue faithful that we weren’t just playing the better game—we were the better team. Read the rest of this entry »
Belmont Wins Home Opener 88-49
In Game Posts on November 13, 2012 at 10:02 pm
After a slow first half, Belmont turned on the gears and put it to the travel weary Maryville Saints. Ian Clark and Kerron Johnson did their job combining for 34 points, and Trevor Noack showed a quiet confidence under the basket going 4-7 in the paint and sinking a three.
But the story of the match was freshman Craig Bradshaw, scoring 11 points off the bench while going 4-4 in the paint and 2-2 from the 3, only missing one free throw. With four steals, Bradshaw’s intensity single-handedly changed the feeling of the game. His relentless pursuit of the ball, and constant nagging of the opposing ball-handler gave Belmont the spark it needed after a slow start.
In the post game interview with the Bruin Sports Network’s Kevin Ingram, Coach Byrd mentioned the difficulty of covering Maryville’s Princeton offense at the start of the game. He also was quick to point out that the score was very different than the game plan execution, and that showed on the floor. Coach Byrd praised both Bradshaw and Noack, complimenting Noack’s growing confidence at the 5 spot and control on the floor.
All in all, the 88 points Belmont put up against Maryville was a good effort, but I think Coach Byrd might say that his team will need to put more concentration on executing the game plan at Stanford on Sunday to get another “W”.
Tip-off is at 8 p.m. ET.
Belmont Wins Big at Lipscomb, 89-60
In Game Posts on November 10, 2012 at 5:04 pm
Belmont won in a pretty sizeable blowout last night. It seems that the hype of the Battle of the Boulevard rivalry will be going into indefinite hibernation until Lipscomb’s very young team does some growing up.
I’ve already heard the nay saying, that this, being an out of conference game, is meaningless. And now that the Bruins are in the OVC, the Lipscomb game will no longer matter, because they will forever remain inferior being in our recently departed Atlantic Sun. I beg to differ. To be honest, if you take Murray State and Belmont out of the OVC it actually drops significantly against the A-Sun to the point that the A-Sun might actually be a far superior conference (read this article from ESPN). Lipscomb might actually be more indicative of the teams we will play throughout the season, than say, the highly touted Murray State.
Speaking With The Enemy
In Game Posts on March 15, 2012 at 8:32 amWe’ve got everything covered here at the Byrd Cage for you leading up to the big game tomorrow. We even took some time to get some answers from the enemy. Below are our questions to Georgetown’s blog, The Casual Hoya.
Let’s cut to the chase, what in the world is a Hoya? Really?
CasualHoya: Yes.
BelmontByrdCage: What?
CH: That’s correct.
BBC: What’s correct?
CH: What is.
BBC: A Hoya is a what?
CH: Exactly.
BBC: What’s exactly?
CH: What is.
BBC: I don’t know what is.
CH: I don’t know is third base. A Hoya is what.
BBC: What?
CH: Exactly.
BBC: Look, let’s say I want to start a blog about a Hoya. I go down
to my mother’s basement, start up my computer, get on the internet and
start a blog about what?
CH: Exactly.
BBC: I start a blog about exactly?
CH: No, you start a blog about what.
BBC: THAT IS WHAT I AM TRYING TO FIND OUT.
