Cougar Nation!

Well it sure has been a crazy few weeks for the Cougars. We have gone through some ups and some downs and some good times and some bad. Let’s focus on the past week.

Rio Grande is a team that MVNU does not see eye to eye with. So every chance we get to play them is an opportunity we look forward too. With only about 14 people in attendance, the entire game was played on intensity for the Cougars. One area we the Cougars are trying to strive for excellence in is intensity. Everyone from the starting five to our team manager Logan Ellyson showed up with their game faces on for this battle. Unfortunately, Rio played pretty well and we came up short. There is one thing I would like to point out about Rio’s gym. The free throw line has no center nail hole. What do I mean by center nail hole? On the free throw line, there is a small hole where a nail has been placed to identify the very center of the line. When a player lines up to shoot a free throw, they have the same marker in every gym they play in - except for Rio Grande. Why is not having a nail hole such a big deal? Personally for me and almost everyone else on the team when we line up for a free throw we identify where to stand up based on that tiny nail hole. Not having one is just as bad a raising the hoop two inches. It throws everyone off. Rio went perfect from the line (24-for-24) and the Cougars missed nine free throws and we lost by seven points. Had there been a nail hole would we have shot 100% from the free throw line? Probably not, but this is two years in a row that we have shot terrible from the line in Rio’s gym. Last year, we shot (17-for-29) and lost by one points.

After the Rio game, everyone was ready to head to Florida! We just wanted to get on the plane and head south. Let me tell you just getting down to Florida was a trip in itself! We had a layover in D.C. that was originally scheduled for one hour. We landed and the layover had been pushed to three hours - meaning we would not fly out of D.C. until 11:55 p.m. Once we landed in Tampa, all we had to do was get in the rental car and head to our hotel. But the problem was we could not find the rental car. After searching for two hours and talking with the rental car company many times, Coach Moore finally asked a very simple yet important question. "At which airport did you park the rental car?” When Coach started laughing we could not believe it! The rental company parked the car at the wrong airport. After everything was said and done, we rolled into the Days Inn at 5:07 a.m.

On Thursday we battled Florida College. They had nearly a two-week break from having any games and it was obvious they were hungry for a win. We pulled away in the second half to a 10-point lead two different times, but the Falcons of Florida College stayed with us. We had a lot of turnovers as a team which allowed them to battle back. It was not until freshman Ben Severns drilled two three-pointers on back to back drives that the Cougars were able to breathe a little easier. Ben finished with 18 points and that is why he is our Inside the Huddle player of the week.

On Friday, we set out for a battle against nationally-ranked Warner University. Ranked 16th in the nation, the Royals played like it. It felt as though every time we came close to breaking the lead they would go on a scoring frenzy. The Royals came out on top over the Cougars, but they played very well. I would like to give Warner University a shoutout. As a team, they played with class. During the game and after they all showed their true character in the way they treated us. As we walked out of the gym to leave, some of their fans even stopped to talk with us and offer a "good game.”

Overall, Florida was a trip that I will never forget. From the Days Inn hotel, the Florida College gym, the Hog*, getting our rental cars broken into** and playing football in the pool, the Florida trip was a blast.

*Someone staying in out hotel had a pet Hog. The thing was the loudest animal I have ever heard!

**Our rental cars got broken into on Saturday. They really wanted our GPS’s.

Let’s Go Inside the Huddle:

Name: Big Ben Severns

Number: 21

Year: Freshman

Major: Middle childhood education

Nickname: Ratatouille, Big Ben, Wolverine, Jerry

Hometown: Mount Vernon, OH

Favorite Place to Eat: Fiesta Mexicana because they have amazing Enchilada’s!

Relationship Status: Sold to Morgan Coburn for an undisclosed price.

One Quick Fact: Ben (middle above) began growing his beard in the 5th grade. It was not until high school that he discovered his identity to truly be The Wolverine.

Peace!

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