Basketball season comes to an end
Last week I was unable to get my weekly column out due to the semi-final games at "The Big House," AKA Jackson Coliseum.
Sacred Heart girls and North Forrest boys were my two teams left in the playoffs, while James Pugh had Laurel girls and Bay Springs girls still fighting to get to Oxford.
After the dust settled, we went 0-4.
Still, as we drove back through the never-ending construction zone that is Highway 49, I had a chance to reflect on what a great season it was.
From Sacred Heart's historic run to the playoffs, both Purvis boys and girls making postseason runs, Jay Barnes going wild from the three-point line against Petal, Hattiesburg's game-winners, and Petal's Caleb McGill destroying a backboard, it was a fantastic season.
There are so many memories and not enough words to describe how much I enjoyed covering every player and team. Until next year, basketball, see you soon.
Powell helps power Southern Miss baseball
It is no secret that Southern Miss baseball will need to rely on their pitching this season. That statement has been said many times before the first pitch was ever thrown weeks ago. My concern was could their pitching be consistent enough to keep them afloat while the lineup gained consistency and confidence.
Senior pitcher Walker Powell has answered the bell each time he's been on the mound.
Powell is 3-0 in four appearances on the season with 22 strikeouts. His nine strikeout performance against Little Rock was a season-high. He also had a great location, throwing 93 pitches with 67 of them being strikes, despite the shaky first inning. Overall, Powell holds a 1.24 ERA while going at least seven innings in his four appearances.
I'm sure it helped his confidence seeing the Golden Eagle offense erupt for 11 runs on the night, even though they only accumulated five hits.
Powell will look to continue his run as Southern Miss enters C-USA play against Florida International this weekend.
LeBron James and the Coronavirus
Stop me if you've heard this one before: LeBron James was in the news.
This time, it was because the 16-time All-Star said he would not play in an empty venue if the National Basketball Association decided to not let fans into the arena due to the Coronavirus outbreak.
James said, “That’s who I play for. I play for my teammates, I play for the fans that’s what it’s all about. If I show up to an arena and there ain’t no fans in there, I ain’t playing.”
It is easy to look at what James said and see him come off as a diva or attention-seeker, but I find myself siding with the 35-year-old.
Of course, James plays because of his millions of dollars endorsement deals and the contract he signed. However, he does play for the fans. He does play for his teammates. He plays for the parents who saved up to buy tickets so their children could see some of the best athletes in the world play for 48 minutes.
Not only that, but the players feed off of fans. Anyone who has gone to a game or played a game knows this. Even at the high school level, fan interaction makes a difference.
Postpone games if you have to. Move games around. Let's not play in empty arenas. It has only happened three times in North America, as the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago White Sox played in an empty stadium, while two PGA Tour events were held without fans present.
