50 Memorable Moments in Pendleton County Basketball History

The 2012-2013 basketball year marks the 54^th season in Pendleton County history.  The school has a rich basketball tradition.  There have been 29 District Championship teams, 3 Regional Championship teams and 808 games won.  There have been 11 head coaches and an estimated 340 student-athletes have played on championship teams.  In my opinion, that number is remarkable.  I have come up with 50 memorable moments in Wildcat Basketball history.  I hope that you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them.             –Keaton Belcher

·         November 25, 1959 THE INAUGURAL GAME-PENDLETON COUNTY BEATS WILLIAMSTOWN 103-53 TO SECURE THE SCHOOL’S FIRST EVER WIN

·         December 2, 1959 PENDLETON FACES RIVAL FALMOUTH HIGH SCHOOL FOR FIRST TIME AND WINS 70-59

·         March 8, 1960 ‘CATS COME UP ONE GAME SHORT OF STATE IN FIRST YEAR-MAYSVILLE WINS 10^th REGION 73-60-HEAD COACH RICHARD GULICK RESIGNS-PC’S 30 WINS SETS A MARK THAT HAS YET TO BE BROKEN

·         February 27, 1962-HEAD COACH DWIGHT WOLFE LEADS PENDLETON COUNTY TO THEIR FIRST EVER 38^th DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP

·         November 30, 1964-THE PHILLIP WOOD ERA BEGINS-WOOD TAKES OVER FOR DWIGHT WOLFE

·         January 31, 1965 PENDLETON COUNTY SETS A SINGLE GAME SCORING RECORD BY BEATING DEMING 120-61

·         March 7, 1965 JACK WRIGHT LEADS PENDLETON COUNTY TO STATE FOR THE FIRST TIME W/ WIN OVER BRYAN STATION IN REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME PC 70 BS 59

·         March 11, 1965 ‘CATS FALL TO HAZEL GREEN 84-64 AT FREEDOM HALL IN THE FIRST ROUND OF  THE SWEET SIXTEEN

·         December 1, 1967 IN THE FINAL GAME BETWEEN PENDLETON COUNTY AND FALMOUTH THE RED DEVILS SHOCK THE WILDCATS BY WINNING 59-57.  PENDLETON’S RECORD VS FALMOUTH WAS 18-1 IN NINE SEASONS.  FALMOUTH CONSOLIDATES WITH PENDLETON AFTER THE 1967-1968 SCHOOL YEAR.

·         February 3, 1970 BOBBY LEE WYATT GOES FOR 51 POINTS-WYATT SET A THEN SCHOOL RECORD WITH 755 POINTS DURING 1969-1970 SEASON-AVERAGED 27 POINTS PER GAME

·         March 10, 1971 PENDLETON GOES TO STATE FOR SECOND TIME IN 6 YEARS-DEFEATS MASON COUNTY 80-79 IN DRAMATIC 10^th REGION CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

·         March 13, 1971 WILDCATS ALMOST DEFEAT OWENSBORO AT STATE-RED DEVILS 59 WILDCATS 56

·         March 4, 1978 PENDLETON LOSES TO MASON COUNTY IN FIRST ROUND OF THE 10^th REGION TOURNAMENT 58-59, RICK ELROD’s CAREER ENDS BUT GOES ON TO HAVE A SUCCESSFUL CAREER AT GEORGETOWN COLLEGE

·         January 16, 1980 8^th GRADER TALBERT TURNER PUTS ON A SHOW FOR PC, SCORES 19 POINTS

·         June 29, 1982 RICK ELROD IS SELECTED BY THE NBA’S PHOENIX SUNS AS AN 8^th ROUND PICK

·         December 1, 1982 HEAD COACH GARY TURNER TAKES OVER THE WILDCAT PROGRAM FOR WOODIE CRUM

·         February 9, 1983 PENDLETON COUNTY DEFEATS CAMPBELL COUNTY 62-59 IN FIVE OVERTIMES

·         March 2, 1983 TALBERT TURNER BECOMES THE FIRST PLAYER IN SCHOOL HISTORY TO REACH THE 2,000 POINT PLATEAU

·         January 4, 1984 TALBERT TURNER SCORES SCHOOL RECORD 63 POINTS IN A GAME VS NICHOLAS COUNTY

·         February 21, 1984 TALBERT TURNER REACHES 3,000 POINTS ON HIS SENIOR NIGHT AS PC DEFEATS HARRISON COUNTY 86-57

·         March 17, 1984 BOURBON COUNTY BEATS ‘CATS IN REGIONAL FINALS 89-77, TURNER SCORES 42 POINTS IN FINAL GAME AND WAS NAMED AP FIRST TEAM ALL-STATE, TURNER’s 3,183 CAREER POINTS IS A PCHS RECORD AND IS STILL RANKED 14^th IN KHSAA STATE HISTORY

·         March 1, 1991 PHILLIP WOOD RETIRES FOR THE SECOND AND FINAL TIME-LEAVES AS PENDLETON’S RECORD HOLDER FOR CAREER WINS (285), DISTRICT TITLES (11) AND REGIONAL TITLES (2)

·         March 3, 1993 PENDLETON DEFEATS BRACKEN IN 38^th DISTRICT FINALS MAKING IT A SCHOOL RECORD 4-PEAT

·         December 20, 1996 DAVID TURNER SCORES 53 POINTS ON WEST CARTER AT CAMPBELL COUNTY’S CHRISTMAS TOURNAMENT, SUFFERS CAREER ENDING INJURY

·         March 1, 1997 THE FLOOD GAME-PENDLETON LOSES TO BROSSART IN NEW 38^th DISTRICT FINALS-PENDLETONIANS WAKE UP THE NEXT DAY TO FIND OUT THAT MOST OF BUTLER AND FALMOUTH WERE FLOODED BADLY

·         July 12, 2001 MIKE REITZ COACHES PC FOR 9 DAYS-LEAVES FOR GRC

·         November 27, 2001 THE BUDDY BIGGS ERA BEGINS, ‘CATS AND 8 SENIORS LOSE AT RYLE 67-54

·         February 27, 2004 LOFTON SCORES 54 POINTS AT FIELDHOUSE ON SENIOR NIGHT TO BEAT PENDLETON 99-83

·         March 5, 2004 PENDLETON WINS FIRST DISTRICT TITLE SINCE 1996, DEFEAT BRACKEN COUNTY 69-55

·         December 11, 2004 THE OAK HILL ACADEMY GAME-‘CATS FALL BIG TO KEVIN DURANT AND COMPANY 94-64

·         December 27, 2004 PENDLETON TAKES DOWN #1 SCOTT COUNTY AT LEXINGTON CATHOLIC’S FIFITH/THIRD CLASSIC HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT BY THE SCORE OF 69-60

·         December 28, 2004 PENDLETON’S HOT SHOOTING LED TO A 23-4 FIRST QUARTER ADVANTAGE AS THE WILDCATS DEFEATED #3 RANKED AND FUTURE STATE CHAMPS, SOUTH LAUREL 66-45

·         January 18, 2005 JON ELROD’S BASELINE BUZZER BEATER LIFTS PENDLETON OVER BISHOP BROSSART AT HOME 45-43, STUDENTS STORM THE FLOOR

·         February 25, 2005 O’HARA AND BELCHER COMBINE FOR 50 POINTS ON SENIOR NIGHT, BEAT MASON COUNTY FOR FIRST TIME IN 20 YEARS PC 85 MC 66

·         March 2, 2005 ARMAGEDDON: TWO STATE RANKED TEAMS SQUARED OFF IN A 38^th DISTRICT SEMI-FINAL MATCHUP.  PENDLETON MADE MORE BIG PLAYS THAN THE MUSTANGS AND ADVANCED 47-43

·         March 12, 2005 PENDLETON COUNTY 71 MONTGOMERY COUNTY 48, PC HEADS TO STATE FOR FIRST TIME IN 34 YEARS

·         March 16, 2005 THE PRP GAME-PENDLETON COUNTY’S HISTORICAL SEASON COMES TO AND END AS PLEASURE RIDGE PARK BEATS THE ‘CATS 64-61 IN OVERTIME AT RUPP ARENA. PENDLETON SAYS GOODBYE TO THREE IMPORTANT SENIORS AS THEY END THE SEASON WITH 29 WINS AND 5 LOSSES

·         December 19, 2005 JEFF GIBSON SPARKS THE ‘CATS AS THEY TAKE DOWN MIAMI SENIOR IN LONDON 81-69

·         January 7, 2006 PENDLETON BEATS MASON COUNTY IN FINALS OF MCIT IN DRAMATIC DOUBLE OVERTIME VICTORY 82-79

·         February 21, 2006 PENDLETON EXTENDS WINNING STREAK TO 19 GAMES W/ WIN OVER FRANKLIN COUNTY

·         JULY 13, 2006 BUDDY BIGGS HEADS TO ASHLAND PAUL BLAZER, CHAD SIMMS TAKES OVER WILDCAT PROGRAM

·         January 6, 2009 TIM COOPER SCORES 29 POINTS IN A QUARTER AT BRACKEN COUNTY

·         February 25, 2011 THE MIRACLE ON THE HILLTOP PENDLETON 61 HARRISON 60

·         March 5, 2011 PENDLETON UPSETS MASON COUNTY IN 10^th REGION SEMI-FINAL 60-56

·         December 9, 2011 PENDLETON BEATS COV CATH AT HOME IN 4 OVERTIMES 100-94, MASON MONROE SCORES A CAREER HIGH 37 POINTS

·         December 19, 2011 GABE ANTROBUS MAKES A SCHOOL RECORD NINE 3 POINT FIELD GOALS AS PC DEFEATS LOUISVILLE DESALES 70-65 AT OLDHAM COUNTY

·         February 24, 2012 COACH SIMMS AND WILDCATS WIN 3^rd DISTRICT TOURNAMENT IN A ROW AFTER DEFEATING DEMING

·         November 30, 2012 THE ED CRAVENS ERA BEGINS AT SCOTT

The 12 Most Interesting High School Golf Coaches

I've been the head girl's golf coach at Pendleton County High School for 2 months now. During this short time I have been so amazed about how ridiculous and obnoxious some of the coaches are. I have come up with 12 coaches that needed to be mentioned for your entertainment.

· The coach that wears the most ridiculous outfits-He's rocking all white Puma rain gear from head to toe. He's wearing a white belt, white shoes and white sunglasses on top of his white visor. If you are wondering why the coach is wearing sunglasses when it's raining outside then you sit and ponder the same things I do during tournaments. This is the same coach that looks like he might be a 2 handicap, but instead he can't break 95 on a good day and tries to protect his horrendous game by wearing the most expensive clothes possible. Not to mention he wears hair gel and you can see it because he is wearing a visor. This wouldn't be such a bad thing, but visors have been out of style since 1998.

· The coach who packs the ultimate cooler-This is the type of coach you want as a high school golfer. On the back of the golf cart you see a 54 quart Igloo cooler that cost $79.99. You open the cooler and you see a medley of drinks, snacks, fruit and pork loin sandwiches. The main reason why the kids are on the golf team is because they can expect unlimited PowerAde and fruit roll ups at every tournament and match. Also, there is a great correlation between a coach who packs an incredible cooler and a coach who weighs over 260 lbs.

· The coach who tweets too much-This is me. I am the coach who is obsessed with social media and loves to post something every time one of my player's does something good. My girls make fun of me because they can always spot me at random times during a tournament as I am sitting in my cart on my phone. There is a 70% chance that I am on twitter when on my phone. I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing. The @LadyCat golf account I have created already has 62 followers. That means that 62 people in the world are honestly interested in how my golf team is doing. Therefore, I will continue to tweet. Here are a couple of tweets that I have sent recently: "Raining in Bowling Green. Make sure to bring rain gear today!" (The obvious tweet) "Just teed off in Frankfort." (Why would anyone tweet that). If any of my players are reading this and they continue to make fun of me then you have conditioning practice on Tuesday after school.

· The coach who is way to obsessed with the rule book-This past Saturday we were playing in Bowling Green. I walked in the clubhouse 2 hours before we were scheduled to tee off and I see a coach and the club pro having a serious, deep conversation about a rule. The coach is so intent about what the official ruling is his nose is literally 3 inches from the club pro's nose. He has the most serious look on his face and is determined to prove that he is right. The best part is that the rule they were talking about didn't even happen. The coach hypothetically came up with a golf scenario and wanted to see what the pro thought about it. Sweet, man.

· The coach who plays his daughter as the number one golfer even though she's the 4th best golfer on the team-The tournament just ended and everybody is at the scoreboard seeing what everybody shot. You look at Daviess County's scores and their 2, 3 and 4 golfers shoot 91, 100 and 101 respectively. Their number 1 golfer shoots 114. Hmm seems shady. I later find out that the coach is the number 1 golfer's father. Oh yeah, she's in 7th grade and he only follows her around during the tournament. I'm not making this up.

· The coach that would rather be somewhere else than on a golf course-The whole team has terrible golf etiquette. The golfers don't know the difference between a red stake and a white stake. The lowest score they post is a 121. The coach never gets out of his cart. The school has placed last in the regional tournament the last 5 years. The only reason he/she coaches is because it pays $1400 at the end of the season. It's sad, but I can think of several coaches who are like this.

· The coach that asks the most ridiculous questions at coaches meetings-We are sitting in a crowded room before the tournament is about to start. The rules official is speaking about the rule sheet and how important pace of play is. We are all waiting for the meeting to end quickly because every pre-tournament rules meeting consists of the exact same, boring, repetitive stuff. We just want to get out on the course and start the tournament. All of a sudden, a coach raises her hand (I swear this happened) and asks if the golfers are playing the ball up a scorecard length or up a scorecard width. It was like everybody slowly turned their head towards the coach and just stared at her.

· The coach that is way to hyper for golf-All of the golfers are on the putting green before the tournament is about to start. Everybody is minding their own business and as a coach before a pressure filled event you want to remain as calm as possible so it doesn't affect the players. Most of the coaches are going over the rules and handing out scorecards to their respective teams. Then you see the coach who is holding a Red Bull in his hand, bouncing off the walls and trying to fire up his team at 7:50am. He's also the guy who tries to give his players the greatest pre-game motivational speech of all-time....before every tournament. He acts as if his speech is going to change the lives of the team, when basically the golfers are walking away from him saying to one another, "Did he really just say that?"

· The coach that loves to call penalties on opposing players-It's the second hole of the day. One of my girls hits a ball close to the OB line. It's hard to tell if she's in or out because there is no paint or fence on the ground. Just 2 white stakes separating each other with the ball in the middle. I am trying to make an educated decision on whether the ball is in or out. All of a sudden an opposing coach comes running out of nowhere declaring that the ball is out of bounds. He didn't even see my girl hit the ball. He tries to gain every advantage in the tournament. He feels great about himself because he just told a 13 year old girl that her ball is out of bounds and she has to go back and re-tee. Awesome, dude.

· The coach that over-coaches-The pace of play is backed up 3 holes because of one group. There is a 2 hole gap between this group and the group ahead of them. This particular coach is trying to turn this golfer's round around. The golfer had a sub-par front 9 and the coach spends 10 minutes telling the golfer what he did wrong after every shot. He tries to be the heroic swing coach that saves the day, but the only thing he is doing is making the round 45 minutes longer.

· The coach that is way to superstitious-This is also me. I made my girls wear black shirts and white shorts for 9 consecutive events because we played extremely well at one of the tournaments early on. I eat the same thing on tournament day and wear the same socks and shoes. I pack the same Styrofoam cooler and always buy orange Gatorade and both green and red grapes for the team. I take a certain route to the course every day because it's good luck. On every road trip we listen to 98.1 The Bull because it has helped us play well all year. Yeah, that's me.

· The arrogant coach-It's more than likely a private school with unlimited funds for over-night tournaments, expensive equipment and Ralph Lauren shirts. The team arrives in a greyhound bus and they bring two teams-Team A and Team B. Their B team could place in the state tournament if it was allowed. That's how good they are and the coach knows it. You bring up how your team played well last week in Mt. Sterling and that coach mentions how she has 4 Division 1 golfers on her team. You talk about what tournaments and matches you have this coming week and the coach brings up they are training at their indoor golf facility in Louisville.

My new job, Chicago and the NBA Draft

I am excited about the opportunity I have been given to work at my alma mater as a teacher and a coach.  The old saying “There’s no place like home” is truer than you think.  I came home in April after moving to Nashville for 6 months.  My experience in Nashville was a great, even though I didn’t like the job I had at D1 Sports, but several things happened.  I got engaged, I was close to Katie, I coached at Ravenwood High School and met some cool people, and I went to 13 Belmont games.  So overall it was a great experience.  However, once I moved back to Pendleton County I was offered 3 positions (2 coaching, 1 teaching) in a span of 20 days.  It was a no-brainer for me to accept all three positions.  God was calling me back to my hometown to give my experiences and knowledge to young adults in Pendleton County.  So starting in the fall I will be teaching Health and PE and coaching girl’s golf.  I am also the freshman boys’ basketball coach and will be assisting the Varsity and JV teams as well.  My summer break is down to less than a month now because we start golf practice on July 23^rd.

Last weekend I decided to go to Chicago to visit my college teammate, Jonny Rice, and to watch my childhood friend, Nate Jones, pitch for the White Sox.  Another college teammate of mine, Brandon Baker, rode with me from Cincinnati to Chicago.  According to MapQuest, it said it was going to take us 5 ½ hours to get there.  With some luck of having zero traffic issues, Bake and I made it to the Windy City in under 4 hours and 45 minutes.  We had an awesome time as we toured downtown Chicago, saw two Brewers-Sox games and saw Nate pitch in a Major League Baseball game. 

Nate and I played Potato League together for Star Bank.  Ironically, I pitched and Nate caught most of the time.  Nate’s mother, Debbie Jones, was our coach.  Nate and I also played on the golf team together in high school.  Being from a small community it was neat talking to him before the game right after he signed autographs for about 20 minutes.  He pitched one inning on Saturday night vs. Milwaukee and did not give up an earned run and struck out Aramis Ramirez on a nasty 2-2 slider.  With that said, the Sox went 1-1 when we were there and I now have a new favorite MLB team.  U.S. Cellular Field is a very nice ballpark and Chicago is a sweet city with LOTS to do.  We got to see Wrigley Field, the United Center, and Millenium Park.  Portillo’s was a great restaurant with Chicago style foods and I highly recommend it.  Shout out to for Jonny’s parents for letting us stay at their house for the weekend.   

Lastly, the NBA Draft is tomorrow night.  For most families, the night of the draft is just a normal night.  For the Belcher family it is a HUGE night.  My brother, Kane, and I always watch every pick and analyze who needs what and how will they be in the pros.  The night of the 2008 NBA Draft was one of the worst nights of my life.  I had gotten LASIK eye surgery the day before and my eyes were swollen so much that I could not watch the draft.  I could only hear what was going on.  It was pure torture.

With UK coming off a National Championship Season and having 6 guys in the 2012 draft, this year may be the best ever (The 2011 draft sucked).  All told, 7:00pm tomorrow night I will be a tweeting NAZI.  Here is a brief preview of what I think is going to happen in the top 10 and with every Kentucky player:

1.       New Orleans-Anthony Davis (Kentucky) No brainer. Davis will be an All-Star within 2 seasons.  His defensive presence is unmatched by anyone in the last 5 drafts.  Maybe future HoF’er.

2.       Charlotte-MKG (Kentucky) If MJ passes on this guy he should never be allowed in Charlotte ever again.  MKG has the potential to be Scottie Pippen. 

3.       Washington-Brad Beal (Florida) Beal was mainly a ball handler in high school, but was a spot up shooter who could get to the rim in college.  Reminds me of Kelenna Azuibuke on steroids.  Great body and is a playmaker.

4.       Cleveland-Thomas Robinson (Kansas) Cavs need an All-Star big man.  Robinson has the potential to be it.  Head over heels better than Jared Sullinger.  I had the privilege of playing against him in 2010 and I can honestly say he is strong as an ox.

5.       Sacramento-Jesryilo Jeefddeeyy (Foreign Country) We can all agree that there will somebody in the lottery that picks some unheard of foreigner that is tall and shoots threes.  I’m guessing it’s gonna be Sac-town.

6.       Portland-Andre Drummond (UConn) Raw big man who could be like an Andrew Bynum.  Portland loves drafting big athletes with high ceilings.

7.       Golden State-Harrison Barnes (North Carolina) You don’t want to play this guy in HORSE as he is money from mid range.  Needs to be an attacker to be successful in the league.

8.       Toronto-Dion Waiters (Syracuse) Raptors pick a guy who isn’t too far from Toronto and they’ll be getting a good one.  6’4” shooting guard that is super competitive.

9.       Detroit-John Henson (North Carolina) Henson is a right handed Sam Perkins but with less offensive ability.  However, the Pistons need a tall athletic center who can block shots alongside Greg Monroe.

10.   New Orleans-Damian Lillard (Weber State) If Hornets decide to not to trade the 10^th pick they draft Lillard to play alongside Eric Gordon and Anthony Davis.  Lillard reminds me a lot of Jay Williams of Duke-an undersized playmaker.

14. Houston-Terrence Jones (Kentucky) TJ is a great pick by Houston as he is a 6’9” left handed athlete that can shoot the 3.

18. Houston-Marquis Teague (Kentucky) Houston needs a back up PG and Teague is a great one with a great upside.  Will team up with TJ in the fall.

28. Oklahoma City-Doron Lamb (Kentucky) One thing that OKC lacks in a 3 point bomber they gain in Doron Lamb.  Lamb can spot up in the corner while the big 3 drive and kick out to him.

32. Washington-Darius Miller (Kentucky) John Wall and Darius team up once again.  Miller is an absolute winner that will be a great asset to the Wizards.

*Besides New Orleans, Houston might have the best draft this year as they get the 14^th,

16^th and 18^th picks OR Dwight Howard.  Either way they will be a lot better than last year which makes me happy because Kevin McHale is the Rockets’ coach.

*The Lakers will have the worst draft as they have zero picks this year.  Sucks to be them.

*Biggest Sleepers-Damian Lillard (Weber State) Averaged 25 PPG last year in the Big Sky.  Can flat out score.  Meyers Leonard (Illinois) 7’1” white guy who is super athletic and is a poor man’s Anthony Davis.  Royce White (Iowa State) Mr. Triple Double is afraid of flying on planes.  He does it all and is a rebounding machine.  White needs to be picked up by an east coast team to limit long distance traveling.

*Most overrated-Austin Rivers (Duke) I saw him play in his first collegiate game vs. Belmont and showed signs of brilliance, BUT he is too slow footed and not a good enough shooter to be an elite NBA player.  He should have stayed in Durham.

Keaton

Affirmation!

                We haven’t “blogged’ in a while and there is a reason for that. We have been in a serious time of transition and upheaval.  Your mid-20s are a difficult time period. So many BIG decisions that have to made that will affect your entire life. It can be overwhelming at times. Keaton and I, along with deciding to commit to each other in marriage, have been wrestling through decisions about where to live and what to do career wise.  Not exactly as easy as deciding where to eat on Friday night…

                This is a story worth sharing, though. If you have ever felt like God has forgotten about you or things are not going according to planned, just know that He is still at work. I know some people (my father included) do not necessarily think God is in the details of our lives, but I whole-heartedly believe He is. He is always at work and I am about to tell you how He creepily started directing my paths to Butler, KY (just south of Cincinnati,OH) well over a year ago. Yes, I called Him creepy….

                If you don’t already know, Keaton moved back to his hometown of Butler, KY in April. God was working in his heart to get him back to the community he loves and grew up in. This was all wonderful except I work for my dad in Nashville, TN. We had always talked about living in Nashville, so this was a major adjustment for me. Not only was I going to have to find a new job in a matter of months, but I would have to move away from my friends and family. Quite scary if you are not the biggest fan of change (and who is?).

                So going into May of this year I was incredibly uneasy about our future. Would I find a job? Would Keaton get a job? Would we be able to get married in October? Would we be able to take care of ourselves? Just all the questions that fill you with doubt and TERROR.

                Let’s backtrack now to February of 2011. I had withdrawn from Graduate school, moved back home and was in need of some quick job….Serving! I had always thought I would enjoy serving, so I went to Carrabba’s in Hendersonville and they were hiring. I only worked at Carrabba’s for four months.  I ended up with some regulars who would come in and ask for me, and one of them was a group of Dollar General people. I got to know them, they got to know me, we had a fun time together. End of story….so I thought!

                So I leave Carrabba’s in June 2011 and go to work for my dad at his and his brother’s CPA firm. A woman who had worked for them a decade had decided to move, so I had the fortunate opportunity to take her place. They work out of an office building in Goodlettsville, TN located beside the Dollar General headquarters. Towards the end of 2011, they started doing renovations in my dad’s office building and said that Dollar General people were moving in because they had run out of room in their two GIGANTIC office buildings. Well, what do you know, but one day I get on the elevator with the VP guy I had served at Carrabba’s. The conversation went something like this:

Me: Well, hello there! You probably don’t remember me…

VP: KATIE!

Me: Knob Creek!!  (That is not his name, but I remembered people I served by their drink order)

VP: What are you doing here?!

Me: I work for my dad on the second floor. Do you work in this building?

VP: Yea we just moved in. You know, we came back to Carrabba’s to let you know about a job opening we had back in the fall and you were gone.

Elevator opens….

VP: Well great running into you!

Me: (Totally bummed) you too!.....

End of story….or so I thought!!!!!

Fast forward to 6 months later…..

May 16, 2012…..a great day for many reasons. #1. It was my  25^th birthday #2. God rocked my world.

           A woman came into the office and introduced herself as working for a company called Daymon Worldwide and VP guy (who I thought worked for Dollar General) had sent her down to talk to me about a job opening they had that they thought would be a perfect fit. My heart was saying YES!!!!!!! But my head was saying Katie, you are moving to Butler, KY in October….She told me to email her and she would give me more information about the job. I emailed her and told her that I was more than interested in the job, but I had to move to the Cincinnati area in October, so I didn’t think it would probably work out.

So disappointing, right? Such a great job opportunity in a tough economy and I can do nothing because I’m not staying in this area…

       She emailed me back within a couple days and said that they were still interested in me and in October they could transfer me up to their Kroger account in Cincinnati. Whhhhhaaaattttt?? Was this real life???

Long story short… 

       I applied, interviewed and signed the contract to work for Daymon Worldwide this morning. In my interview, the VP guy called running into me “serendipitous”. How would a serving job at Carrabba’s that I thought was just a job lead to a job for a company that works right outside Butler, KY?!!  What if I hadn’t been scheduled to work that night at Carrabba’s that they first came in or what if I hadn’t had that table section?? What if my dad had not had that opening at his office? All the details, the very small details, that had to align to create this crazy string of events. It could have never been predicted or orchestrated  by anything other than Divine Intervention.

Bonus: Keaton got officially offered the PE & Health teaching job at Pendleton County High School yesterday!!!!!

          What a big week. But even more than us getting jobs, how grateful are we to God for working behind the scenes to bring about such good! Both Keaton and I have been very discouraged at different points over the past few months. We just could not see how everything was going to work. Did it go according to planned? Absolutely not, but it is way better than we ever planned.

         This whole experience has been unbelievable. If I could offer any advice from this experience it would be this….Let go of your plans. It is hard to relinquish that control, but do it and see where God takes you.

So excited to see what adventure God has planned for us next!

Post-Sweet Sixteen Analysis

I look forward to this week every single year.  In fact, Sweet Sixteen week is my favorite week of the year.  I started going when I was in the 5^th grade in 1998.  My father and grandfather both played in the 9^th Region for Campbell County (before realignment) so we would always go watch the 9^th Region representative.  It has always been tradition in our family to go to Lexington for the state tournament.  When I was a kid, mom and dad would pull my brothers and I out of school for the day to attend one session.  In ’98 Ft. Thomas Highlands was one of the best teams in the state.  They had two juniors who were all-state in both basketball and football.  Jared Lorenzen was a 6’4’ 240 lb. power forward who won Mr. Football during the 1998 football season.  He ended up starring at Kentucky as a Quarterback and played in the NFL for several seasons.  Derek Smith was a 6’6” 240 lb. center who was runner-up for both Mr. Basketball and Mr. Football during his senior season.  Smith also played football at Kentucky (as a Tight End) and played for the Indianapolis Colts for a little bit.  Not to mention, he played basketball at NKU during the 2004-2005 season.  Ironically, during my visit to NKU during the fall of 2004 Smith was actually on my pick-up team during a scrimmage with the current Norse players.  All told, these two guys were great athletes and I looked up to them.  From the 5^th grade on, all I wanted to do was play in the Sweet Sixteen.  Little did I know that 7 years later it would actually happen.

I had requested off from work a month in advance to assure that I could go.  The tournament always starts on Wednesday at Noon so I wanted to be in town on Tuesday night so I would not have to rush from Nashville that morning.  So I called my good friend, Steve Fohl, who lives in Lexington to see if I could stay at his house on Tuesday night.  He, of course, said yes and that was a good thing because Steve and I met at EKU so we don’t see each other at all anymore.  So as I took off for Lexington, I stopped to see Katie in Goodlettsville where she works.  I was bedazzled by the care package she gave me for my trip.  It was full of snacks and treats for myself and my friends at the hotel.  She also gave me a gas card and a mix CD with my favorite songs.  I told her that I had to marry her now after she did all that for me.

The Bluegrass Parkway is pretty boring so I figured I’d “spice the drive up” a little bit so I took a detour.  I drove through Boston, KY and Bardstown, KY and made my way to Lexington.  When I arrived at Fohl house off of Tates Creek Road Steve, Dana (Steve’s wife) and I enjoyed Domino’s pizza, a couple of comeback victories in the NCAA Tournament by WKU and BYU and , of course, Kentucky High School Basketball trivia.  I was already in heaven, and the tournament had not even started yet.

                                                                         

I woke up at 7:00 AM on Wednesday, March 14^th because I was overly excited about opening day.  I told Steve on my way out the door that this was better than Christmas morning to me (sadly, I truly believe that).  Even though the first game between Rowan County (last year’s state runner-up) and North Laurel didn’t start until noon, I wanted to get to the venue early.  I arrived at the food court right outside of Rupp Arena around 10:00 AM.  I bought a Lexington Herald-Leader Sweet Sixteen preview for 50 cents (a bargain!) and read it end-to-end until it was time to go in to Rupp.  Before I arrived in Lexington I knew that the field was loaded with talent, great coaches and had zero public schools from Louisville (first time since 1960).  The Herald-Leader basically said it was Trinity’s (a private school) tournament to lose and the 2012 Mr. Basketball race was wide open, and that the player who has the best tournament should win the award.  The race for Mr. Basketball was between Nathan Dieudonne (Trinity), Adam Wing (Rowan County), Tamron Manning (Scott County), Mekale McKay (Moore) and Matt Day (Buckhorn).  Moore and Buckhorn did not qualify for the Sweet Sixteen, so it was basically a 3 man race. 

The first familiar face that I ran into was Brent Sowder.  Brent is a history teacher and JV basketball coach at Pendleton County High School.  Me, Brent, Brad Cox and Corey Smith had roomed together for the past several years so the Sweet Sixteen has become some sort of tradition for us.  This year we were staying at the Marriott Griffin Gate Hotel.  Gary Dearborn was a guy that had a part of me with him when he came down to Lexington from Pendleton for the week.  The PCHS Athletic Director had the Sweet Sixteen tickets that I bought and they were good ones.   Section 31, row M, seat 3…it was a perfect seat at mid-court and I was surrounded by fellow Pendletonians.  Not to mention former Augusta High School guard Brian Kirk (2000-2004) sat right behind me so it was good talking to him all week.  As I made my way into Rupp to my seat I do what I always do, I look up at the championship banners and retired jerseys and think about all of the great tradition UK basketball has had.  I feel blessed and honored that I got to play on the same floor that Tayshaun Prince, John Wall and Anthony Davis played on.  If you are a Kentucky fan or not, it really is a special place.   I hope that Rupp Arena hosts the Sweet Sixteen forever.  There is just something about having it in Lexington.  The week is a huge deal for any Kentuckian.  If you are not from Kentucky here are two things that will help you realize how special the Sweet Sixteen is:  1)  There are scalpers outside of the arena begging you to buy or sell  tickets. 2) People bet on the games religiously.  Like, there are actual lines on games.

  

That day Rowan County defeated North Laurel, Southwestern defeated Hopkinsville, Trinity defeated Bullitt East and George Rogers Clark defeated Apollo.  That night we checked into our hotel at the Griffin Gate and it turned out to be a Pendleton County reunion.  At one point there were 13 people in our room that had some association with Pendleton County High School (including four out of the five coaches from my high school staff).  It was a great night for old stories and catching up.  It was pretty cool.  Here are a few notables that were there….

·         Kane Belcher-2007 graduate, player

·         Brad Cox-2002 graduate, player, assistant coach from ’04-‘09

·         Corey Smith-2003 graduate, coached 6^th grade team this past year

·         Brent Sowder-2000 graduate, assistant varsity coach from ’07-present

·         Buddy Biggs- PC head coach from ’02-’06, last coach to lead PC to Sweet Sixteen (’05)

·         Chad Simms-PC assistant coach ’02-’06, head coach ’07-present

·         Michael Miller-PC freshman coach for a few years

·         Craig Smith-PC assistant coach ’10-present

·         Chris Stapleton-PC assistant ’10-present

It was a great start to the week.  Here are some highlights from the week:

·         Even though former Warren Central head coach Tim Riley was not coaching in the tournament, he was there.  It’s always a good thing when Tim Riley is in the building.

·         Duke lost to Lehigh in the opening round of the tournament.  Lehigh.

·         Former South Laurel head coach Steve Wright led a team to state not named South Laurel.  His Southwestern Warriors turned out to be the biggest surprise of the tournament as they made the Final Four and gave eventual champion Trinity their toughest game.

·         On Friday afternoon, me, mom , dad and Kane went to a local Buffalo Wild Wings and watched the Belmont-Georgetown game together.  Even though Belmont didn’t win, it was still pretty cool that us four got to watch the game together.  That kind of stuff doesn’t happen often because I live in Nashville now.  My other brother Kurt lives in Alexandria, Virginia now so, unfortunately, he could not make the trip.

·         Kentucky defeated Western Kentucky and Iowa State that week before advancing to the Sweet Sixteen.  Watching UK games at Two Keys is always a good time. 

·         A goal of mine every year is to meet someone from all 16 Regions in the state.  I accomplished my goal this year.

·         Brent Sowder did a great Adolph Rupp impersonation one night.

·         I met the following people in Lexington that week: Diamond Dallas Page, Derek Jasper, Will Perdue and a man who told me that his dad once sold 130 used cars in a 24 hour period.

·         Brent Sowder ate a total of six Ice Cream cones that week.

·         Andrew Gosney and J.R. Kells came down Friday and Saturday night.  It was good seeing those two guys.

·         Trinity head coach Mike Szabo can flat out coach.  I sat behind their bench during the state championship game and was thoroughly impressed by how optimistic he was.

·         Trinity defeated Scott County in both football and basketball state championships this year. 

·         Trinity became the first school in KHSAA history to win both football and basketball state titles in the same season.

·         I was able to see a couple of high school teammates that I rarely see anymore; Jon Elrod (’06) and Joey Verax (’05).  It was good seeing those guys.

·         I was impressed with the following players from the Sweet Sixteen: Nathan Dieudonne (MVP), D.J. Townsend (Rowan County), Zack Davis (Knott County Central),  Rob Lewis (Southwestern), David Kapinga (Southwestern), Charles Foster (Trinity), Tamron Manning (Scott County), Cole Nelson (Marshall County), Adam Fatkin (GRC) and Bopper Stenzel (GRC).

·         Brad Cox has lost about 20 lbs and looks to be in great shape.

·         Corey Smith is a changed man now that he’s wifed up.

·         Like I always do, I choose to attend the state championship game rather than watch the NCAA tournament games.  The pre-game ceremony alone is worth the price of admission in my opinion.  I have been to the state finals 8 out of the last 10 years (’06 was at NCAA tournament in San Diego, ’09 was playing in CIT at Evansville and Old Dominion).

There are over 300 days until the 2013 Sweet Sixteen.  The countdown begins now.

Keaton

No More A-Fun

There’s something about the Atlantic Sun.  I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there is something special about it.  Maybe it’s the fact that it’s filled with D1-AAA non-football schools?  Maybe it’s the fact that my alma mater has been the team in the league for the last 7 seasons, and I was a part of it?  Maybe it’s the fact that the A-Sun has produced names like Aru Kok and Chief Kickingstallionsims?  There are many things that have crossed my mind about this unique mid-major conference, but there is one thing that’s for sure, and that is the Atlantic Sun Conference will be missed by all Belmont fans. 

If there is one thing that is guaranteed in life, it is change.  Whether we like it or not, change happens all the time.  In Belmont’s case, joining the Ohio Valley Conference in 2012-2013 will provide the University with another transition that seems almost repetitive in a way. 

I first heard about Belmont in 2003 when they sent me letters in the mail.  I had been to Nashville once before and I didn’t even know the school existed when I was there.  I knew they were in their second season in the Atlantic Sun Conference and had just made the transition from NAIA to NCAA Division 1 during the late 1990’s.  At the time, it was a big step for such a small school (enrollment under 3,000) and the move was questionable because the ‘Rebels’ were very successful during the NAIA era.  Belmont took a big chance and landed a spot in the A-Sun during the fall of 2001. 

The term “A-Fun” was started by former sportswriter and creator of The Mid-Majority website, Kyle Whelliston.  He started calling the A-Sun that because of the fast paced offense and all of the points scored during games.  Formerly known as the Trans America Athletic Conference (TAAC) the A-Sun began in 1978 and since then there have been 31 different schools that have represented the league.  With that said, the conference separates itself from everyone else for 2 main reasons: 

1) There is a lot of turnover.  Teams come and go very, very often.  

2) The A-Sun does not sponsor football.   Considering the history of football in the south, it’s a little odd that the league does not uphold the tradition.

Don’t get me wrong, I believe Belmont going to the OVC is a good move for several reasons.  I just feel extremely attached to the A-Sun.   For 5 straight winters, I got to travel to cities like Ft. Myers, Jacksonville and Johnson City (a great basketball town) and loved every bit of it.  To me, Belmont leaving the A-Sun is equivalent to an 18 year old leaving for college for the first time.  We’re all so used to it that it brings a type of sadness due to so many memories being left behind.  I am so used to seeing Cliff Warren’s shiny head and ETSU’s trapping 1-3-1 defense that I’m going to miss it next year.  In fact, we will probably feel out of place at times. 

Kevin Ingram, the voice of the Bruins, says, “There are quite a few things I will miss about the Atlantic Sun.  I will miss the feeling that Belmont is sort of the hunted team in the league, coming off 4 tournament titles /NCAA trips in 6 years.  It's fun to go to some of the places and get the sense that it's a big deal we're there, and see how our guys respond.”   In 10 A-Sun tournament appearances, Belmont is 15-6 including a remarkable 4-0 in championship games.  In the OVC, Belmont may not be able to come in and dominate like they have the past 11 years in the A-Sun. 

The transition will also provide the Bruins the opportunity to gain new rivalries.  “I've enjoyed some of the rivalries in the A-Sun, especially the Boulevard Battles and the matchups with ETSU,” Ingram says. “But I'm also looking forward to new, more natural regional rivals such as Austin Peay, TSU, Tennessee Tech, Murray State, etc. “

You would think that opposing A-Sun coaches would love that the fact that Belmont is leaving because of all the recent success they’ve had.  That’s not necessarily the case.  North Florida head coach, Matthew Driscoll, says, “Having a team and University like Belmont brings instant notoriety to your league because of their success on the court at the highest level for a long time.  For UNF, it provides a great example and blueprint for what it takes on and off the court to be that consistent for such a long period...making the change to Division I like Belmont did has its rough patches, but having a vision and passion while seeing Belmont accomplish what they have achieved gives great inspiration for the future.”

From a competition standpoint, the OVC is slightly better from top-to-bottom than the A-Sun.  From a location standpoint, the A-Sun is much better than the OVC.   Assuming that Nashville is number one, the A-Sun’s second best city is Jacksonville, Florida (population 1,313,228).  Assuming that Nashville is number one, the OVC’s second best city is Cape Girardeau, Missouri (population 37,941). I’ve been to every OVC and A-Sun city/town.  Trust me folks, the two leagues’ locations are non-comparable.

The A-Sun has been a part of my life for the last 7 seasons.  The memories that I have gained will be cherished for the rest of my life.  Here are some notable ones:

·         I’ll never forget the time that Andy Wicke and I collided heads during pre-game warm ups at Kennesaw State while playing one-on-one.  Andy went for the reach in, missed, and we hit our heads so hard we both started bleeding and blood was dripping everywhere.  Our trainer, Paul Malloy, immediately put bandages on us to help stop the bleeding before the game started.  Needless to say Andy and I combined for 21 points that night and Will Peeples’ dad had to stitch us up after the game.  I still have a scar under my right eye brow because of it.

·         I’ll never forget the time that Coach Byrd walked from the gym back to the hotel in the rain after we had just lost to Stetson my junior year.  The hotel was roughly two miles from the Edmunds Center.

·         I’ll never forget Campbell’s old Carter Gymnasium that was smaller than my High School gym.  It always felt like there were 10,000 people in there but there were never more than 500.  The Campbell pep band always sat in the end zone right next to our bench and you could barely hear Coach Byrd during time-outs because it was so loud.  The locker room was so tiny that guys like Boomer Herndon and Andrew Preston had to bend over in certain areas of the room so they wouldn’t hit their head on the ceiling.

·         I’ll never forget “The Comeback at the Creek” on February 7, 2009 in which we were down 18 points with 3:27 left in the game and somehow won 87-84.  That was Belmont’s first game ever at the new John W. Pope Jr. Convocation Center.  That was Mick Hedgepeth’s ‘breakout game.’

·         I’ll never forget the 4-way tie for first place my senior season in 2009-2010.  Lipscomb, Jacksonville, Belmont & Campbell all earned a share of the regular season title, but none of the four made the championship game in the A-Sun tournament with ETSU defeating tournament host Mercer in the finals.

·         I’ll never forget the half-mile jog from the locker room at ETSU to the gym floor.

·         I’ll never forget my first time in the “mini-dome” in Johnson City.  Josh Goodwin broke the A-Sun record for most threes in a game with 11 and had 39 points as we beat the Bucs in overtime, 88-85.  I was mesmerized by the awkward set-up the dome had.  I now know exactly how people feel about visiting the Carrier Dome in Syracuse.

·         I’ll never forget getting booed every time we ran onto the court at ETSU.  Johnson City has a special place in my heart.  Their fans always hated us, but we always beat the snot out of ‘em.  In fact, since ETSU joined the A-Sun Belmont is 13-1 in the “mini-dome” counting conference tournament games.  Not to mention, the Carnegie Hotel was always my favorite place to stay in the league.

·         I’ll never forget eating at the DeLand IHOP with Andrew House, Matthew Dotson and his parents every year after the Stetson Game.

·         I’ll never forget sleeping on the bus en route to Spartanburg my senior year.  There was a bad wreck on the interstate caused by an ice storm and we were stuck for hours.  We didn’t arrive at the hotel until 10:00am.  I remember Coach Byrd walking a mile and a half to fetch us McDonald’s that night.

·         I’ll never forget the road trip my senior year where I averaged 20 points per game in two huge overtime wins at Kennesaw State and Mercer.  Belmont assistant coach Brian Ayers came and sat with me in the back of the bus on the way home.

·         I’ll never forget how bad the water is in DeLand, Florida.

·         I’ll never forget Alex Renfroe’s Player of the Year season in 2008-2009.

·         I’ll never forget all of the great ‘Battle of the Boulevard’ games I got to be a part of.  Two notable ones are the 2006 A-Sun finals when ‘Mr. Clutch’ Justin Hare scored 32 points in an overtime victory to secure our first NCAA berth, and the double overtime win we had at Lipscomb my sophomore year in 2008.

 Hopefully the remaining days in the A-Sun will be just as memorable as the first 11 years.  When people mention Macon, Georgia or Boiling Springs, North Carolina it actually means something to me.   And I’m proud of that.

Keaton