KFDM COOP

Southland Conference honors Lamar volleyball player Hamilton led Lamar's defense with an average of 6.17 digs per game. In Friday night's win over Nicholls State, Hamilton took 14 digs to lead the Lamar defense, and also took five aces on the service line. On Saturday against Southeastern Louisiana, Hamilton picked up 23 more digs. Hamilton and the Cardinals will be in action again at 7 p.m. Thursday in Conway, Ark., when they take on the Central Arkansas Sugar Bears.

Volleyball coaches keep squads on their toes Sometimes, the West Brook volleyball coach allows her team to perform moves at their discretion. Other times, LaBauve gives the signal. But one thing is for certain, LaBauve knows timing is everything. Players must know when to tip, spike or slam down a hard, driving spike. "When there is an open hole and you are pretty sure the ball will hit the floor, I will tell them to tip the ball," said LaBauve, whose team picked up its first District 21-5A win against Memorial last Friday. "Players also have some leeway to do it on their own." A tip is used when a team's opponents have learned the timing of its attack. A player touches the ball lightly so it lands short in an area of the opponent's court that is not being covered by a defender. "You always want to try and tip the ball into an open spot," said Ozen coach Shy Randle, whose team is in second place in District 22-4A. "I always let the players decide when to do it because they have better perception of when to do it than myself because I am sitting on the sideline. But there are times when I tell them to do it, but it just all depends." A spike is when a player hits a ball that cannot be defended on the opponent's court. "I like attacking the ball because it's the most intimidating," said Bridge City coach Becca Mathews, whose team holds first place in District 21-3A with an undefeated record. "But when your opponents are digging, you have to change it up sometimes. You have to tip a few balls to keep your opponents on their toes." Even though Mathews thought the tip and the spike were effective moves, she said it wouldn't be possible without good passing. "You have to pass in order to set and hit," Mathews said. "That's why I think passing is the most important skill to learn. You can get players to hit all day but you have to get them to practice on their passing so that they can be ready for anything in a game." Randle believes it all begins with the serve. "Serves are an easy way to give and get points," Randle said. "When you have good, consistent servers, it really helps win games." The top-spin serve is one of the easiest serves to master. The ball is hit in a way that causes a forward spin, which continues to drop into the opponent's court. The spin allows the player the ability to serve in a certain direction. "You can put a team to a disadvantage when you serve to their weakest passer," Randle said. "It's a great skill to have if you are good at it. Coaches will always look to you to serve in different areas on the floor." Whatever move is performed on the floor, coaches agree the approach to the ball should always remain the same. "Whether you are doing a spike or a tip, you should always approach the ball the same way," LaBauve said. "You can't change that up because the other team is always watching."

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I agree!

As i was telling UNLV, Arkansas has some runners!

Yea PC is the real deal!

This one is shaping up to be a great one!

Dogs Cardenas fights vicious cycle By Tom Halliburton The Port Arthur News NEDERLAND -- Call Asa Cardenas' life a bit of a vicious cycle. Athletes, performing artists, even common laborers deal with this cycle daily. When a person tends to be a perfectionist, the characteristic serves as a double-edged sword of sorts. It's both a wonderful God-given blessing and a terrible demon-induced curse. The cycle starts with being very skilled at a certain ability -- such as the 6-0, 165-pound Nederland junior wide receiver is at catching passes. Now let us travel the cycle so familiar to the Bulldogs pass catcher in Nederland's most recent game, an exciting 21-14 victory over Waller. Cardenas knows he's good. He realizes his skill as a pass receiver contains a special level to it. But Asa is human. He's not a robot. He's going to make mistakes. When Cardenas makes those mistakes, he has to shake them off. It definitely can be counter-productive if Asa chooses to beat himself up about it. That's where the terrible demons work on Asa's mind and cause his attitude to deteriorate. That's life at Asa's age 16, and it still very well might occur when he's 55. This writer deals with it from time to time at age 55... We all have certain moments in life when we have to block out demons and keep them from pulling trick plays on us. Cardenas truly had turned in the wrong direction and had ventured "down in the dumps" by halftime of that Waller game. He lifted himself out of his woes just in time to catch a 37-yard game-winning touchdown pass with 55 seconds to play. Hours after his heroics, Wanda McCowan's grandson saw fit to apologize to his head coach for falling into one of his emotional valleys. Larry Neumann -- the winningest coach in Nederland's football history -- gave a Waller-game halftime speech to his team, exhorting them not to lose heart during the battle. "I was just getting frustrated over the littlest things," Cardenas recalled his halftime demeanor when Waller led 7-0. "He (Neumann) gave us a speech about how we have to keep fighting and not allow ourselves to wear our emotions on our sleeves." Cardenas will be the first to admit that strong tendency to wear those feelings quite outwardly. Thank God for Asa's Nederland receivers coach named Bryan Spell. Thank God for Asa's Confirmation sponsor at St. Charles Catholic Church named Bryan Spell. Thank God for an occasional tip in Algebra from Spell, too. Bryan merely listed Asa as one of his many pass catchers last month. Three games into the season, Cardenas has jumped to the 22-4A individual lead in both receptions (14) and receiving yardage (249). Accepting minimal credit for his involvement, Neumann quickly lateraled praise toward Bryan Spell for taking Asa under his wing. "Asa's confidence level is pretty high," Neumann said. "He's that kind of guy, but he can't allow himself to get in the doldrums from frustration. It's not unusual for a young player to feel like that. Asa wears his feelings on his sleeves. He can be pretty transparent. Coach (Bryan) Spell can say a lot more. He's done a great job with him." Cardenas has blossomed due to improvement in two important categories. First, blocking. Nederland receivers have to block. Second, adjusting his routes to elude opposing defenders. "Asa really has become committed to being a better blocker," Nederland's receivers coach said. "Plus, he's done a good job against zone coverages of finding soft spots. He has great vision."

Predictions on this years team?

Volleyball teams keep gyms rocking Gabriel Pruett The Orange Leader Volleyball gyms are never quiet. The players are smacking the ball, whistles are blown and coaches are yelling out at their teams. In between points and stoppages of play are the most exciting moments of racket around. Volleyball players chant and do dancing skits. Most of the chants and yells are all based off traditions passed down through the years while new ones pop up on a yearly basis. After talking to a couple teams in the area, the Little Cypress-Mauriceville Lady Bears have been labeled “The Queens of the Chant.†LC-M senior Morgan Blohm said the Lady Bears first began to learn the chants when the players were younger. “It all just comes from tradition,†Blohm said. “The ‘Rufio’ chant came from Ashley Castino.†Blohm also said chants come from playing in clubs and tournaments when teams take bits and pieces from one team’s chant and mix it with their own. “That’s a big thing,†Blohm added. “You hear it there and bring it back with you.†Over in Bridge City, the Lady Cardinals have their own sound and chant just as much as any other team. Senior Lauren Angelle agreed with Blohm in saying most of the chants are hand-me-downs which come from years of practice. “I think its fun because it pumps us up for the next play,†Angelle said. “It is certainly a positive.†What is sometimes not a positive is hearing an opposing team chant after your team makes a mistake. An opponent’s chant just does not sound as good. “I am sure other teams think our chants are stupid but we like them,†Angelle said. “I never get embarrassed while out there. I have five other people on the court so if I look dumb — so do they.†One of Angelle’s favorite chants comes when an opponent lifts the ball after a Bridge City hitter sends the ball over the net. The Lady Cardinals come together and yell, “Aww, thanks for the lift,†as if a taxi cab just dropped them off at a nice restaurant. “They are usually old,†Angelle added. “The seniors before had them and we kept them. That is really usually how it goes or we go to tournaments and see others and add stuff to them to make them ours.†Besides a bunch of chanting and dancing, the Lady Bears take the step a little further. The Lady Bears love to hug in time outs and before games. “Yes we do hug a lot,†LC-M senior Kristi Trahan said. “We love our team. We are all really close with each other. We motivate each other and always clap to get our little team going.†Blohm said LC-M’s prayer in the middle of the court before e a match starts is one of the biggest parts of the night. “When you run out you have so much anxiety,†Blohm added. “We take pride in what we do on the court. With all the hugging and clapping, our team loves it.â€

It's the District opener and both are undefeated.

New GM not wasting anytime. ???

Congrats!

>

8)

I believe i'll be at the Ozen/PNG game. I'll find out Tuesday.

I will!! I know you'll be calling in! 8)

8)

We'll broadcast Silsbee/Orangefield. I'll list the others later this week.

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Arkansas has some runners!

Love that site!

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Seattle lawsuit aims to keep Sonics in KeyArena lease deal SEATTLE -- Seattle officials filed a lawsuit Monday to keep the SuperSonics from leaving town, saying the team's profitability in much-maligned KeyArena "has less to do with KeyArena than perhaps the Sonics' ability to defend the high pick-and-roll." The lawsuit was filed in King County Superior Court just a few days after new Sonics chairman Clay Bennett issued a demand for arbitration, seeking to buy out the remainder of the team's lease unless an agreement on a new arena is reached by the end of next month. The complaint asks that a judge force the Sonics to stay through the end of the lease, in 2010. Seattle City Attorney Tom Carr and former Republican U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton, the city's legal big gun, said the issue is simple: In exchange for $74 million in renovations to the old Seattle Coliseum in the mid-1990s, the Sonics agreed to play all of their home games there through Sept. 30, 2010. "The lease is 15 years. We didn't agree to a 12- or 13-year lease term," Carr said. "We simply ask that they keep that agreement." Bennett's Oklahoma City-based ownership group bought the Sonics and the WNBA's Seattle Storm for $350 million last year, and has insisted that the Sonics need a new, $500 million stadium. Among the complaints are that KeyArena is the smallest venue in the league and that under the lease agreement the Sonics must turn over too much of their revenue to the city. NBA commissioner David Stern has called the lease the worst for any team in the league. The demand for arbitration states that the team has lost money every year since 1999 -- more than $55 million in the last five years alone. It says that losses for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2007, will be over $17 million. Louie Richmond, a Seattle-based spokesman for Bennett, said he did not have any immediate comment on the lawsuit. "I don't think it's been fully read yet. That's all I can say," he said. "I take Mr. Bennett at his word. ... The Sonics ownership's goal is to get an arena built in Seattle. It always has been." Carr and Gorton argued that Bennett's demand for a new arena was presented so late in the legislative session and required so much public funding that it appeared designed to fail, clearing the way for a move to Oklahoma. The team had offered to pay 20 percent of the cost. "The city, with the help of some fine lawyers, is standing up to a pro sports team," Carr told a news conference. "Too often, pro sports teams have run over local governments." The two noted that the Sonics made money at KeyArena until 1999, and Carr suggested it's the quality of the team, not the quality of the venue, that is the problem. "The issues with the Sonics' profitability at KeyArena have less to do with KeyArena than perhaps with the Sonics' ability to defend the high pick-and-roll," Carr said. Gorton, a lawyer who sued the American League to help Seattle land the Mariners and who was instrumental in preventing the departure of the Seattle Seahawks under former owner Ken Behring, said at the news conference that while many disputes that could arise under the lease are subject to arbitration, the duration of the lease is clearly excluded. Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press