Hoops Time...& a Fall-Out Review

Ah, yes, let's tip this thing off for real today.
But, you say, "The season started weeks ago."
True.
Yet it's so hard to gauge what should be learned from a combination of road games against superior opposition and home games against weaker opponents. Sure, it's not ALL that, but it's generally the case that Big South teams spend a lot of time in November going out to major conference foes and bringing in lower level squads. The results are predictable, but not absolute: on the men's side, Asheville started out by beating Auburn and Winthrop knocked off Wake Forest, while on the women's side, there were some disappointing losses to very small visiting schools...let's not bother with those details, too depressing.

So why get excited now?
Because tonight (Thursday) there are four Big South Conference games for the men, with another five coming on Saturday. If you're wondering about the math, that's two games for eight members this week, with two teams only getting one game (CCU & CSU).

Yes, Conference games.
The unquestionable peer-to-peer measuring stick, when we'll be able to get a clearer picture of what we might expect down the road. Obviously the league schedule does not begin in earnest until we're ready to bid farewell to 2010 and swing into 2011, but the games of early December will count just as much, so they'd better be ready for them!

Here's the schedule:
Dec. 2nd...
Gardner-Webb at High Point,
PC at Liberty,
UNC Asheville at Radford,
Winthrop at VMI...I do like this one in particular--the "grind it out" defense of Winthrop and the "run and gun" offense of VMI--you figure something's gotta give...

Dec. 4th...
PC at VMI,
CSU at Coastal,
GWU at Radford,
Asheville at HPU,
Winthrop at Liberty.

From there, it's a couple light weeks to get through the month and the holidays, but get fired up again for New Year's Eve and the roller coaster ride that follows, with the full regular slate of Big South Conference games--and that applies to the women in January as well.

For those who live for the hoops side of things, this is the start of--as the song says--"the most wonderful time of the year."

If you're looking for more on the early part of the men's season, you can find our check-in with "Rush the Court" here.


RECAP TIME
Yes, so SHOUT has been quiet recently, but let's fix that and get caught up with a quick review of what the fall sports brought us this season...

Cross Country -- championship-wise, it was another sweep of the Men's & Women's Championships by the Liberty Flames. No one was surprised to see Liberty's Sam Chelanga run away with the individual title again for the Big South...just as you couldn't be too surprised to see Chelanga cross the line as the individual National Champion--a back-to-back winner of the NCAA title! Our congratulations and appreciation for Sam's accomplishments truly runneth over...he is simply the best. Factor in Josh McDougal's win in the event a few years ago and the Flames have produced three of the last four Men's Cross Country National Champions!

Women's Soccer -- would you believe a FIVE-way tie for the regular season title? Yeah, seriously. So tiebreakers sorted out the seeding among a pool of virtual equals, and when the dust settled, the High Point Panthers had made it as back-to-back Big South Champions (the highlight of which was the golden goal bicycle kick in the final by Jillie Johnston). HPU then fell to Maryland in the NCAA First Round.

Men's Soccer -- speaking of High Point, the men's squad for the Panthers roared through the year with a fast, high-scoring attack, going undefeated against Conference foes all the way to the Championship's final game...and that's when they got tripped up: Coastal Carolina took the title, downing HPU 3-1. Coastal then lost at Duke in the NCAA First Round.

Volleyball -- another tight battle through the season played its way into the Big South Championship, and the tournament had its own plot twists--this time favoring the Panthers in the final. High Point stunned top seed Liberty by rapidly sweeping the Flames in the final match. LU may have been exhausted from a five-setter over host Winthrop the night before, but whatever the reason, HPU is the survivor...and the final chapter there has not yet been written, as the Panthers play at Duke (them again?) on Friday to start NCAA play.

Football -- we've mentioned tiebreakers and twists from other sports, but football definitely had its share and then some. With the Big South's first-ever Automatic Qualification entry to the NCAA FCS Playoffs on the line, the whole year came down to the last two games on the last day of the regular season. Stony Brook and Liberty dominated Big South play out of the gate and lasted as undefeated most of the way...but Coastal Carolina found itself mid-season and started an amazing push. The Chants lost to SBU early, seemingly part of the tailor-made set-up for a clash between the Seawolves and the Flames in the end, but everything changed when Coastal Carolina upset Liberty later in the year.

Suddenly a very real possibility existed for a three-way tie at the top among those schools...all would share the regular season title, but who would get the AQ? If Liberty beat Stony Brook, the head-to-head match-ups would only lead in a circle (A beat B beat C beat A, etc.), so no winner...and comparing records against the remaining teams would also not matter, as they all beat everyone else...meaning that the tiebreaker would come down to fewest points allowed in Big South games, a test of relative defensive strength.

So to the final week we go, SBU seemingly holding all the cards--win and in, no ties to break...and even if they lost, they had a cushion of about 40 points in the tiebreaker. Get ready for the playoffs? The answer was a two-part resounding NO. First Coastal obliterated Charleston Southern 70-3 (interestingly enough, only the "3" matters, as it was irrelevant how many points Coastal scored on CSU...the whole point of the defensive tiebreaker was to attempt to avoid running up the score...tiny bit of irony there, as you'll see). In doing that, the Chants actually knocked Liberty out of the running for the AQ just as the Flames began their own game. How? Because LU entered the day four points behind CCU in the tiebreaker and CCU only surrendered three! Unless the Flames figured out how to put SBU in negative numbers, Liberty was already done. For Coastal, the issue became one of hoping for two more things: Liberty winning, and doing so with 42 or more points on the board. And again, all SBU needed was the win--making everything else immaterial. So what happened? Of course, the wild scenario played out--in a game breaking a number of offensive records (both for Liberty and the Big South), the Flames defeated Stony Brook 54-28 -- pandemonium!

Summing up: three teams shared the Big South Conference Football Championship, but when the tiebreakers sorted out the one team receiving the automatic bid, that went to Coastal Carolina. From there, the good news was that CCU got to host the opening game...the bad news was that the Chants fell 17-10 to Western Illinois (who will play next at App. State). Also unfortunate was that Liberty once again was denied an at-large bid to the playoffs. The Flames can claim all or part of four straight Big South titles now, but regrettably no trips to the postseason for all that success.

Okay, so those are the soap operas of the fall, wrapped up for you in one wordy package.
If you hadn't guessed by the mentions above, the fall Sasser Cup leader (standings for all sports) is High Point. HPU has never won the Sasser Cup, but the fall was certainly a good start. Liberty and Coastal (who have each won multiple Sasser Cups over the years) sit in second and third, so watch out, Panthers. That same 1-2-3 order held at the top of the rankings for the men's, women's, and overall standings.

OKAY, time now to ramp up your hoops attention, if you have not done so already.

Enjoy the games, and remember this thought: Thanksgiving should not be the only time for giving thanks, and Christmas should not be the only time for peace on earth and goodwill. Make the most of your holidays, everyone--may they be happy and safe for all. And Happy Hanukkah to those celebrating this week (it came early this year)!

That's all (that's plenty) for today...SHOUT--out!!!

Tricks, Treats, Titles

Happy Halloween weekend, SHOUT fans!

My goodness, just look around the Big South Conference right now--tricks and treats abound.
That's what happens in late October, as the fall sports engage in critical Conference play and approach their seasonal conclusions and championship tournaments--while the basketball machine begins to hum to life (IT'S ALIVE! IT'S ALIVE!)

Football? Got that...and no trick there--fans are getting treated to what was expected coming into the season: Liberty and Stony Brook on top. Neither of those squads would be forecast to stumble this week, but you never can tell with this bunch--"any given Saturday" and all that. The Flames and Seawolves have each begun Big South play 2-0 this year, and the conclusion-jumpers are already pointing to that late November clash in Lynchburg, when those teams could meet with a playoff berth on the line. Too early to call, but it could happen.

Volleyball? Yep, got that too--Liberty is on top as I write this, but the margin is small: Flames at 10-1, High Point Panthers at 9-2. Looks like those two could easily wind up as the top two seeds, but there are a couple more weeks of Conference play to sort that out...

Soccer? Two times over, of course...for the men, High Point has already clinched the regular season title, thanks to a double-overtime victory at Coastal Carolina this week. The Panthers have been ROLLING, mounting goal after goal on the way to a 7-0 Big South record. Meanwhile, the women's side is going to be a lot messier than that...not a treat for those trying to sort out tie-breakers: as of this morning, Winthrop is 6-1-1, with FOUR teams tied for second, just one game back, at 5-2-1...that's CSU, Coastal, Radford, and HPU. Yep. Messy.

CROSS COUNTRY????? So glad you asked! Men's & Women's Cross Country will be the first championship events of the season, kicking off the 2010-11 Big South Championships with a running start in Radford, VA. Liberty swept all the running sports a year ago and would appear to be the favorite yet again for this year's contest. So will the Flames burn brightest again--or can someone else "run away" with the title this year? We'll have the answer by early Saturday afternoon.

And...basketball? You bet. Practices have begun and preseason games are right around the corner. The seasons for both men and women tip off officially on Friday, November 12th, just two weeks away from right now. Lots of hoops fans have their countdowns running with anticipation for another great batch of thrills on the court, and with good reason.

So, is it the most wonderful time of year? Well, that's all about perspective of course, but you have to like what you're seeing out there right now.

That's your recap for today -- gotta run, folks -- and that's SHOUT -- out.

Running Out of 2009 (but not done yet)

Only two weeks left in the "aughts" or the "ohs" or whatever...did we ever come to any consensus on what to call this new millennium decade? No? Didn't think so...

Well, it is that time of year when we start reflecting a bit on the calendar pages gone by and roping things in for lists and comparisons. Don't worry, we won't overdo things in this space, but there are a few items to touch upon in that light... (oh, and this week's Big South Network Guide is toward the bottom of the post).

First off, the world of "New Media"...when does the "new" wear off, anyway? It's starting to feel a little like "alternative music"--you know, it actually was an alternative to mainstream once upon a time, and then it joined the mainstream and just became a music genre. Seems to me that new media is just media now, but we need some sort of label, so there you go. After all, tape recorders and fax machines were once new media--but have now gone through regular media and out the other side into old media, yes? But I digress...

Anyway, this blog will turn two years old at the end of February 2010, making it a hoary old veteran (hey, that's nearly a triple redundancy--I'll call it poetic license) of the new media landscape, where most things are measured in months, not years. In 2009, we saw the Big South add its YouTube channel to the mix, soon to be followed in rapid succession by the Conference Twitter feed and Facebook Fan page. Those entities will all reach the anniversary of their respective beginnings in the next three months, and in the meantime they've become just as much a part of the Big South as anything else we do here.

The tale of the tape for our outlets (as of 11am 12/17/09):
YouTube.com/BigSouthSports ... 2,137 channel views, 14,896 total video upload views, 24 subscribers (69 videos available)
Twitter.com/BigSouthSports ... 454 followers (1,190 tweets/updates)
Big South Facebook Fan Page ... 220 fans

And that's all from nothing, folks--one year ago I could've written an entry in this blog, but none of that other stuff existed for us yet (cue the Dylan song*). No, we're not exactly sailing up the "trending topics" list, but we are increasing our level of contact with fans and friends, and that is a very good thing going forward.

Speaking of which, we've been asking questions via those lines of communication befitting the year-end theme of this post...time to share some of the answers with you.

Our social network family was asked to help with intriguing Big South Christmas gifts, as in "what special/creative present would you wish for a Big South player/coach/team, etc.?"

Here's what we've seen so far:
Brandon: a purple suit for Scott Cherry (first-year HPU MBB coach)
Larry: safety and a quick return home for those Keydets who will soon be going off in harm's way... (we second that one for sure)
Kimberly: a new coach for the Winthrop women's basketball team (hmmm...risking the 'naughty' list, Kimberly--considering that's not a vacant job)
Tim: the entire 2009 HS All-American football squad to commit to Coastal Carolina (that's creative, all right--perhaps a little ambitious, but why not aim high)

Douglas B.: let Thomas Sanders and Aaron Linn come back and play for GWU (always tough to see valuable seniors go...but I don't think there are any eligibility-time-machines in the sleigh)

Douglas K.: a Kevin Martin jersey for Nic Bowman (of the Big South staff...I'm sure there's an inside joke there, but I don't know what it is)

Adrian: Tradition for Gardner-Webb (trying to figure the naughty/nice factor there)

Cynthia L.: a "Varsity Blues" gift basket for Chad Cook (of the Big South office--there were additional details, edging toward the 'naughty' in a good-spirited way, so let's move on...)

Brennan: a Big South football sweep and Conference championship for Coastal Carolina football next year (a hopeful soul--and not the only one...)

Norm: a National Championship for Coastal Carolina football (well, the 2010 team is undefeated so far...)

Sue: an undefeated season for Presbyterian College football next year (seems Sue and Brennan/Norm have conflicting wishes--spells trouble for Santa)

On the heels of those Christmas wishes, we asked for your Big South Athlete of the CALENDAR year 2009 -- not just the current academic year, but from January 1-present day. The responses haven't flowed as fast yet, but here's what we've seen:

Larry: linebacker Tyler Santucci, Stony Brook football

Douglas B.: Coach Rick Scruggs and guard Grayson Flittner, Gardner-Webb men's basketball

Norm: Coach Gary Gilmore, Coastal Carolina baseball

Paul: Sam Chelanga, Liberty cross country

David: Coach Tooey Loy, High Point women's basketball

First, thanks to Douglas and Norm for participating in both questions.

Second, I'm happy to say Tyler made 2nd Team All-America (from the AP for FCS teams).

Third, Paul gets some extra space below for being an informed source out of the LU sports info staff, with his convincing argument for Chelanga:

Paul Carmany
I'll have to think about the coach, but for me the Big South Athlete of the Year is a no-brainer: Sam Chelanga of Liberty. How many other Big South athletes have won a NCAA Division I national championship, set an all-time collegiate record and were ranked No. 1 in the world in their event/sport at some point during this calendar year?!

Good point...Chelanga MUST be on the short list of candidates (oh, and no one can cry bias for Paul's LU connection, as ALL the submissions obviously reflect some favoritism).

Meanwhile, last week's Big South Network Guide never would post--I blame Blogger and the never-ending "Processing" circle. If you really want to hear upcoming info about games already played, you can find the segment on YouTube or via the On-Demand videos on BigSouthSports.com.

Now here's THIS week's streaming guide to the Big South Network:

Let me know if you have any other suggestions for the year-end questions above (via blog comments, tweets, facebook, whatever)...and also if you have any practical ideas for the Big South Conference to consider in 2010!

* Oh, and the footnote from above..."the Dylan song" is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the penchant of retrospectives to use "The Times They Are A-Changin'", even for trivial matters, when the protest song itself is a larger anthem of change...but I digress once more...

Thanks again for reading...I'm expecting at least one more SHOUT before we pull the curtain on 2009, but for now, SHOUT-----out!

Hoooooooooops & more...

Special day, the rolling out of Conference action in men's basketball, and a good time to SHOUT (shout it, shout it, shout it out loud...yes, KISS reference, deal with it).

There's other news to get to, but let's start with that (let's get it started--HA--let's get it started--IN HERE...okay, Black Eyed Peas reference seems less dated, perhaps).

Here's the deal, folks...out-of-conference play hasn't given us much positive ground to latch onto so far...against the really heavy hitters it's been a whitewash (0-15 against the major combination of ACC, Big East, Big Ten, and SEC--and none of them particularly close), against the next tier and the peer groups, it's been a mixed bag (13-16 against other D-I's), and finally against lower-level squads, the mark has been appropriately favorable (14-0 including D2-3-NAIA and whoever else lined up out there).

In other words, we are where we are...no lifelines thrown from above to improve RPI, no mines exploding below to destroy it either. We've gotten used to seeing a win or two against "the big boys", but so be it--not shaping up to be that kind of year so far...after all, we're also sort of used to seeing a slip-up against the tiny schools too and so-far-so-good (insert knocking on wood here).

So the proof of the metaphorical pudding lies in the middle...let's give it a look: 0-8 against the A10, Big West, Colonial, and Mountain West; 7-8 against the A-Sun, MVC, SoCon, and reclassifiers; plus a more pleasing 6-0 against the OVC, Patriot, SWAC, and MEAC. Like I said, a mixed bag. Being a little more analytical, the common measuring-stick/peer conferences in terms of geography and level of play for our fanbase are these: A-Sun, Colonial, & SoCon...and against that trio, the Big South record is 5-9.

Bottom line: Big South men's basketball is a bit behind of the preferred curve to date. Sure, there have been a lot of strong players departing over the last two seasons, but it's not as if we haven't seen skilled replacements step in--there are a lot of quality ballers on the floor in this League.

So now what? Wellllllllllll....that's where Conference play comes in--a chance to get a measure on these squads head-to-head, a legitimate opportunity to see what we've got out there. Losing to power conferences and drubbing lower classification schools proves nothing...those are the results that could've been drawn on paper rather than played on a court. Obviously the sub-.500 record against the other opponents gives us a small clue or trend, but now that we put the teams together to battle it out, who will step up and put a claim on being better than that?

Radford is certainly the popular favorite, a preseason pick of the Big South poll and national publications, and who can blame them with the squad the Highlanders can put on the floor? But right now, every team is 0-0...it's that perfect point of the season when all possibilities are open. That starts to change tonight with four games, the first two tipping at 7pm...and say, they're all on the Big South Network--cue the video:

You can also find the Big South on MASN today and tomorrow--------
Coastal Carolina at VMI, 12/3 at 9pm, and
UNC Asheville at GWU, 12/4 at 7:30pm.

Other news briefs from the Big South this week:

Coastal Carolina:
--new Director of Athletics Hunter Yurachek announced at CCU
--three football coaches will not be returning, according to Head Coach David Bennett

Gardner-Webb:

--women's basketball has now rattled off seven straight wins

Liberty:

--NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP for Sam Chelanga in the NCAA Men's 10k!!!
--Flames take Sasser Cup lead due to strong fall performances
--football stadium demolition/construction underway

Winthrop:

--WU will not renew the contract of Women's Soccer Head Coach Melissa Heinz

That looks like enough for today--go enjoy those games for the men's hoops...pretty soon we'll talk about the women's game and the benefits of being a "Fantastic Fan"!

Champs and Hoops and More

Someone just turned the burner up on the competition in the Big South...

As suggested Monday, the heat may be coming from the Flames--but they're not the only ones, because the fall sports are reaching their hard-fought conclusions: Championship Time.

Okay--to start, congrats again to our first team champions of this year--Liberty Men's and Women's Cross Country.

But as I write this, we are about to begin the next championship event: women's soccer, a traditional eight-team, seven-game, single-elimination bracket--quarters, semis, final. So what started as ten competitors in the regular season became eight for the tournament (UNC Asheville did not qualify for the Championship and transitioning PC is not eligible for postseason play)...by the end of Thursday, that number becomes a final four which will in turn be the last two teams standing by Friday's end--give them a day off and then they crown the winner with Sunday's game. Good stuff...especially when upsets start shaking the bracket. Anything goes in single-elimination competition...otherwise, why bother, really? "That's why they play the games," indeed.

And on the verge of bracket play starting, we congratulate player of the year Marky Boyce (CSU) and all the other women's soccer award winners and honorees this season.

The Women's Soccer Championship is the highlight on this week's Big South Network Guide, but it's far from alone--check it out here...

So let's review: CHAMPIONSHIP event this week (WSOC), CHAMPIONSHIP event next week (MSOC), CHAMPIONSHIP event the week after that (VB), PLUS somewhere in there we'll have a football champion crowned on the field (probably 11/21, same as VB)...by that time we'll all need a breather for Thanksgiving weekend.

That's a lot, right? Not even talking about the fall segments of golf, tennis, baseball, softball, etc. as they prepare for the real meat of their schedules in the spring...

Ah, but there's more: THE TIME FOR HOOPS HAS ARRIVED!!!

Yup, basketball is here, Big South fans. It's all exhibitions and scrimmages right now, but keep your eyes wide open, because Friday the 13th will be very lucky for basketball lovers--that's opening day for men's and women's teams across the Big South, with plenty of hardcourt action going on throughout the Conference!

Which makes the perfect time for a quick plug: the Big South Network will have every home game for the teams of the Big South (except those games with overriding/major TV agreements). That means you get all the games your team plays on its own floor, and all its road Conference games as well...you only miss out on road games outside the Big South. Check out the packages available for hoops lovers at the Big South Network.

Moving right along--for all our fine folks who get MASN, be ready for Big South football coming your way Saturday night. VMI at Liberty will hit the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, and I'll be handling the play-by-play duties for that one, working with Ray Jones as analyst. The broadcast starts at 7pm--hope to have you with us!

Lots to do, gotta run--SHOUT...out!

Flame(s) On!

With all due respect to Johnny Storm (The Human Torch of the Fantastic Four), the Flames burning brightest right now seem to be coming out of Lynchburg.

It's always policy and practice here at SHOUT to be even-handed for all Big South teams, and to report the facts accurately...but frankly, the facts from this weekend are anything but even across the board.

Ladies and gentlemen of the Big South, I present Liberty University's weekend:

-- won Men's Cross Country Championship

-- won Women's Cross Country Championship

-- locked top seed with Women's Soccer Regular Season Championship

-- remained undefeated in football with 55-19 win and rose to #16/17 in the two major FCS polls

-- improved to 10-2 in volleyball and slipped past UNC Asheville in the standings, taking first place

I may even be missing something (and I'm not going to go into individual honors right now, although the Flames got some of those too)...but bottom line, the Liberty Flames deserve a salute for program excellence right now--it would be hard to top a weekend like that for anybody! Bravo, LU, a SHOUT-out to you.

Now the challenge--which team(s) will step up in response and put a dent in Liberty's early dominance? For football, Stony Brook is certainly putting in a claim, as the Seawolves have the only other undefeated squad after knocking off Gardner-Webb. In volleyball, UNC Asheville will be anxious to get the top spot back. In soccer, it's tournament time for the women this week--and for the men next week. So it's all wide open...should be fun to see how everything turns out...I'll be watching--I hope you will be too!

Weekend Madness Quick Hits!

Here are your headlines for the Halloween weekend, taking us from October to November:

CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP TIME
That's right, it's the first of the fall championships, with men's and women's cross country set to race their way to Big South Conference titles on Halloween in High Point!

SPOOKY DAY IN DEATH VALLEY
Yeah, I already mentioned Halloween twice, but I'm going back in one more time--and with good reason: Coastal Carolina is visiting Clemson, and we're in for a trick-or-treat special from the two teams...Clemson in the all orange and Coastal in the all black! That should be something to see (and you can even watch the game if you have ESPN360 access).

BATTLE OF UNBEATENS
In Big South Conference play for football, Stony Brook (3-0) and Gardner-Webb (2-0) remain undefeated--but that's only going to last until Saturday, when one has to fall. They meet in Boiling Springs to decide which one might have a claim on first place (on which Liberty, also 2-0, will want a say as well, but those big match-ups come later).

TOURNEY TIME
Women's soccer ends its regular season this weekend, and the Big South Championship starts next Thursday, November 5th, at Charleston's Blackbaud Stadium. Ten teams are competing for eight slots right now, which will cut to four after the quartet of games on 11/5, then two with the semis on 11/6, and conclude with one winner on Sunday, November 8th to claim the crown.

Lots of other stuff going on too, but those are your headlines--should set the stage for a really good weekend of competition--enjoy...oh, and don't forget to adjust your clocks!
SHOUT...out!

Hang on, the Ride is Starting

Last week we wrote about the fresh beginnings of some sports seasons and the pre-launch anticipation of others--well, enough of that already. By the time you fire up the Labor Day grill, everything about fall college sports will be fully engaged: no more waiting, no more exhibitions. It's the thrill of competition, the joy and pain of wins and losses, the wonder of surprise teams and the suffering of disappointments...it's a beautiful thing, this unpredictable drama--ENJOY!

You dig?

As of this writing, every volleyball team in the Big South has played at least three matches. Every squad has at least one win and one loss, with the exception of Gardner-Webb and Winthrop, who have each opened 0-3 (here's hoping they bounce back fast from that slow start). High Point leads the way with a 4-1 record to open the 2009 campaign. It's a stream-a-palooza of volleyball on the Big South Network this week, with ten matches for you to enjoy between now and next Wednesday. Check the schedule to see which ones!

Kick it!

Every team has taken the field for women's soccer at least once so far...the early leaders are undefeated at the top: Charleston Southern (3-0) and preseason favorite Radford (2-0). Meanwhile, there are still four teams hunting for their first victories of the season. The next week brings five women's games to the Big South Network--again, have a look at the schedule for more information.

Gooooooooooooooal!

The men's soccer teams started just a bit later, so no one has gotten more than one run onto the pitch so far this year, with Radford being the only team in the group yet to play a game. The signature win of the young season belongs to Gardner-Webb: the Runnin' Bulldogs went down to Clemson and ran out with a 1-0 win over the Tigers in the season opener for both squads! And of course we have more from the Big South Network, with five men's games hitting the schedule of events there this week.

Down, Set...
YES, football season has arrived!!! In fact, tonight is the first kickoff for a Big South team this year, as Coastal Carolina visits Kent State: the Big South in MAC country! It's just one of three Big South FCS-FBS showdowns in the season's first week: the others are Liberty at West Virginia and CSU at Florida. Two of the opening weekend games (home openers for VMI and GWU) are on the Big South Network streaming schedule. Get fired up, people, it's college football in the South--the BIG South! Of course, that "south" gets extended a bit when we're talking about associate member Stony Brook (playing at Hofstra in a Long Island showdown Saturday), but still, it's all good in the Big South...

Okay, no more plugs for the video streaming in today's entry, I promise. Really.

In the corporate world and in many corners of the sports world, they'll tell you it's all about setting goals for yourself...well, whoever "they" are, they may have a point. We had two social network site goals set for the Big South, and although it looked like we'd come up just short in both for a while, we crossed the tape in both races with one day to spare. The goals were modest to a degree, but still represented a stretch from where we were: hitting 100 Fans on the Big South Facebook Fan Page and 300 Followers on the BigSouthSports Twitter by the kickoff of the first football game (represented by CCU at KSU tonight). I'm happy to say we hit both of those marks this week--but we're not resting on our laurels, oh no--we want MORE. If you haven't found us on Facebook or followed us on Twitter yet, please do so (and please help spread the word about us as well)!

Simply the best: we give a huge SHOUT-out to Liberty's Sam Chelanga, named Runner of the Year in Track & Field News magazine's cross country 2009 preview. Spectacular--and hard to argue, as Chelanga is certainly one of the fastest and most accomplished distance runners out there today.

Okay, folks--that's all the SHOUT for today--lots more to get to out there, so please sit back, keep your arms and legs inside the car at all times, and remain seated until the ride comes to a full and complete stop.

Here we GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Lots to SHOUT About in the Big South

Hard to believe, but it's been three weeks since the last entry on SHOUT, which is a record gap for the 18 months this blog has been around--so my apologies for the absence of updates on this front...I promise that won't happen again anytime soon, particularly not with the seasons cranking up for the fall--let's play!

First the promotional part of the program--let's talk about what the Big South has going on this year with its online offerings (then we'll move on to the real action, I promise)...

Everything begins with the main page, BigSouthSports.com. That's the official source for your news, stats, standings, photos, videos, and various links to the world of the Big South. When in doubt, start there and you'll get to where you're going. Heck, make it your browser home page--go ahead and do it now, I'll wait...

Of course, if you're reading this--and it appears you are, hopefully you know all about Big South SHOUT, but if you're new to our entry in the blogosphere (welcome!), this is the place for some additional perspective on news, notes, and events going on around the Conference. This year we hope to add a lot in the form of guest bloggers and other special elements, so that it's not always me you're hearing from when catching up with the blog (not to say that's a bad thing, right?)...

Let's scale it down a bit and talk microblogging--the Big South has been very active on Twitter, and we encourage you to follow the Conference Twitter feed. Right now we're on our push to get to the 300 follower mark by the first football game--it's going to be close at our current pace, so do your part and join our Twitter following for quick updates on events, awards, results, changes, and retweets from a myriad of Big South sources (latest and greatest example: RT @SparkyWoodsVMI We are building a Team. It’s awesome! Competition is back and forth. Unity is stable. Go Keydets!)

On a similar subject, you can also find the Big South on Facebook. Become a fan of the Big South Conference page to share in discussions of Big South matters large and small, catch important links, see event notices, and more. Our Facebook fan numbers have been lagging behind the Twitter followers, so help the Fan Page grow!

"What about video?", you may be saying (Hey Mark, what about video?)...so glad you asked. In addition to finding the occasional clip right here within SHOUT blog entries, you can also see what the Big South is up to on YouTube at our BigSouthSports channel. See the season preview videos, look back on our 25th Anniversary retrospectives, and catch program guides for the Big South Network--in addition to upcoming extras like leadership features and highlight clips...

And what was that about the Big South Network? That's the new name of the Big South's online video source at BigSouthSports.com (no longer known by its former name, The EDGE). The Big South Network is your only source for video streaming of live competition for Big South teams!!! Order by the game, by the sport, by the season, or by the year--but go to the Big South Network, because that's the only place to get this content. Free archives of the games become available once the games are done, uploaded, and posted, but again only through the Big South Network at BigSouthSports.com.

Ooooooooookay, no more plugs--time for the quick review of what's ahead...

Women's soccer has already begun! The preseason poll for WSOC gave the nod to defending tourney winner Radford as this year's favorite, but it was hardly a consensus. RU edged out defending regular season champ Coastal Carolina by just one point (86-85) in the voting, and those two teams tied with Charleston Southern at three first-place votes each (the tenth top vote was awarded to Liberty). Radford goalkeeper Lisa Lubke was named the Preseason Player of the Year. With the first weekend of play behind us now, CSU's Jen Vroman was the season's first WSOC Player of the Week (Vroman notched both goals in Charleston Southern's 2-1 win over Georgia Southern on Saturday).

Less ambiguous is the expectation for volleyball in 2009--all nine votes in that preseason poll went to Liberty, a clear favorite going into the year. LU's Kallie Corbin earned Preseason Player of the Year honors as well. Action goes into full throttle for teams across the Big South starting Friday, August 28th.

Men's soccer tells a familiar story, as Winthrop has been pegged as the MSOC preseason favorite for a fourth consecutive year. Coach Rich Posipanko (@winthropgaffer) says he doesn't see it in this year's team yet, but that's an early and modest appraisal from the successful Eagles leader, whose senior midfielder, Stephen Nsereko, took the title of Preseason Player of the Year. Meanwhile, Coastal Carolina and High Point also received first-place votes in the poll, and competition is expected to be fierce across the Conference. Regular season play begins September first.

For cross country, last year's winners are this year's favorites, as preseason poll results tabbed Liberty the top choice for the men and Coastal Carolina the top pick for the women. Teams will see their first official competition this year in the opening week of September.

And then there's football--starting last, but far from least...we've already reviewed some of the details in this space (even with three weeks between posts), but Liberty is the early selection to take the Conference, with VMI's Tim Maypray and GWU's Jeffery Williams named the Preseason Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year respectively. Coastal Carolina has the first game of any Big South team this year, opening Thursday night, September 3rd, at Kent State. The rest of the Conference hits the gridiron with games on Saturday, September 5th, highlighted by two games against FBS/BCS powerhouses: Liberty at West Virginia and Charleston Southern at defending national champion Florida.

That should get us all caught up, right? In summary--bookmark the home page, follow us on Twitter, find us on Facebook, subscribe to our channel on YouTube, order your desired games at the Big South Network, and above all else, enjoy the fall season and the tremendous performances of our student-athletes in the upcoming competition!!!

The Big South Conference: Developing Leaders Through Athletics..........SHOUT, out!

Saluting the Most Superlative

I'll admit, there are a lot of honors, awards, and lists out there...it's fair to say that many superlatives get handed out in sports, both before and after seasons--best this, most that, top-of-the-other...but with that said, here are two titles that should get your attention: Athlete of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

The winners of THESE awards have been recognized as the top performers across all the Big South teams in all of the Conference sports. They have proven themselves as the best in competition and in academics, and deserve their moment of applause, so let's do it.........

Let's start with the men (the reason will be evident in a moment):

Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Aaron Linn, Gardner-Webb men's basketball. An ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA First-Team Academic All-American in 2009, Linn graduated from Gardner-Webb with a 4.00 grade-point average (!) in finance. Linn earned All-Conference Second-Team honors in 2008-09 and ranked among Conference leaders in free throw percentage (5th, .780), steals (4th, 1.97), field goal percentage (10th, .425), and assists (11th, 3.00). He scored in double figures 16 times in his last 18 starts of the season. There's no doubt Aaron Linn was a stellar contributor on the court and in class, and we congratulate him on this honor.

Howard Bagwell Male Athlete of the Year: Sam Chelanga, Liberty men's track/cross country. In a year with several outstanding candidates (other finalists included Rashad Jennings, Martin Sayer, Artsiom Parakhouski, and Cody Wheeler), Chelanga outran the field. His accomplishments in distance running, both in track & field competition and in cross country, are almost too numerous to list (for all the details, read the article here), but let's give the summary version: a multiple All-American, national runner-up at the 2008 NCAA Cross Country Championship and also in the 5K final at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championship, NCAA 10K record-holder (27:28.48 on 4/24/09), and record-holder many times over at the school and Conference levels. He was voted the Big South Men’s Track & Field Athlete of the Year and was the Conference’s Cross Country Runner of the Year. Chelanga captured individual Big South titles in cross country, the indoor mile and the outdoor 1,500 and 5K. And yes, that really is the short version--such an outstanding year for this brightly-burning Liberty Flame! With Chelanga following Josh McDougal, that's four years running (pun intended) for LU winning the Bagwell Award.

Okay, NOW to the women's honors...and an extra-special salute, because the top Athlete and the top Scholar-Athlete are one and the same: Megan Frazee, Liberty women's basketball. What can you say about an athlete who has proven herself the best among her peers in athletic competition and a remarkable leader in academic endeavors? On the way to earning back-to-back Athlete of the Year awards, Frazee was voted both the Big South Women’s Basketball Player of the Year and the Tournament MVP for a second consecutive year. In addition, she was a First-Team All-Big South selection for the third-straight year, and capped her senior season by being named an Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American. Frazee was one of just three players in the nation to rank in the Top 25 in both scoring and rebounding, and she scored in double figures in a school-record and nation-leading (at the time the streak was broken) 68 consecutive games. She is currently playing in the WNBA for the San Antonio Silver Stars after being selected with the No. 14 pick in the 2009 WNBA Draft. All that, along with graduating from Liberty University with a 3.92 average in kinesiology to demonstrate her classroom acumen, makes Megan Frazee one of the Big South's great student-athlete performers--not just from this year, but from Conference history.

We offer hearty congratulations and a major SHOUT-out to Aaron Linn, Sam Chelanga, and Megan Frazee! Bravo!

Recent History Lesson

As promised, a holiday week retrospective...and this isn't even the whole year, only the current academic/athletic calendar: a listing of just some of the big things that have happened this fall and early winter for the Big South Conference, courtesy of Assistant Commissioner Mark Simpson (and we therefore offer a big SHOUT-out to Mark S.)...enjoy the look back, and Happy Holidays to one and all!!!

2008-09 BIG SOUTH CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

July 24, 2008
The Big South officially kicks off its 25th Anniversary with a special banquet honoring the Top 25 “Best of the Best” moments in Conference history. The Conference also unveils its new tagline, “Developing Leaders Through Athletics.”

July 24, 2008
The Big South Conference, as part of its 25th Anniversary celebration, presents the League’s new Leadership Award to former Commissioner, Dr. Edward M. “Dick” Singleton. The award is named in honor of Dr. Singleton and was created as part of the Big South’s “Developing Leaders Through Athletics” initiative to recognize a former Big South student-athlete or administrator that has exhibited exemplary leadership and character during their professional career.

August 15, 2008
At the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, former Radford distance runner Goran Nava establishes a new Serbian national record in the 1,500-meter event with a time of 3:42.92. He finished sixth in Heat 2 of the first round and was 0.62 seconds off of the semifinal qualifying time.

August 18, 2008
At the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, former Coastal Carolina women’s track & field standout Amber Campbell places 21st in the preliminaries of the hammer throw. She achieved a mark of 67.86 meters on her first throw, but then faulted on her final two throws in attempting to reach the top 12 to advance to the finals. She fell just short, as the final qualifying distance was 69.36 meters. However, Campbell was the top American finisher in the 50-competitor field.

August 30, 2008
A record seven former Big South football players made opening day NFL rosters in some capacity: Gardner-Webb’s Brian Johnston (Chiefs), Charleston Southern’s Maurice Price (Chiefs), Liberty’s Vince Redd (Patriots practice squad), Coastal Carolina’s Jerome Simpson (Bengals), Coastal Carolina’s Quinton Teal (Panthers), Coastal Carolina’s Tyler Thigpen (Chiefs) and Coastal Carolina’s Mike Tolbert (Chargers).

Sept. 8, 2008
Liberty’s football team is ranked No. 25 in this week’s The Sports Network poll, the school’s first national ranking since 1998, when the Flames were ranked tied for No. 24 with Troy State in the preseason ESPN/USA Today Division I-AA poll released on Aug. 31, 1998. The ranking marks the fifth-straight season the Big South has had a nationally-ranked football team.

Sept. 8, 2008
Winthrop men’s soccer player Matthew Skonicki is named to the CollegeSoccerNews.com and TopDrawerSoccer.com National Team of the Week for his performance the week of Sept. 1-7.

Sept. 16, 2008
Former Charleston Southern baseball pitcher Todd Parnell makes his Major League debut with the New York Mets, pitching a scoreless eighth inning against the Washington Nationals. Parnell, who was called up to the Mets on Sept. 1, became the second CSU pitcher in less than two months to appear in the majors.

Sept. 17, 2008
Former Coastal Carolina football player Tyler Thigpen is named the Kansas City Chiefs starting quarterback for the Sept. 21 road game at the Atlanta Falcons. It is Thigpen’s first career NFL start.

Sept. 20, 2008
High Point University is featured on ABC’s “Good Morning America” program. The special features the transformation taking place at HPU, including the school’s growth in academics, as well as student life on the HPU campus.

Sept. 23, 2008
Former Winthrop men’s basketball player Michael Jenkins is selected as the No. 1 overall pick by the Albany Patroons in the 2008 Continental Basketball Association (CBA) draft. Big South all-time leading scorer Reggie Williams was selected in the fifth round (23rd pick overall) by the Pittsburgh Xplosion.

Oct. 5, 2008
Former Coastal Carolina All-American golfer Dustin Johnson wins the PGA Turning Stone Resort Championship, his first career win on the PGA Tour. Johnson earns $1.08 million with the victory and moves from 128th to 41st on the PGA Tour money list. The win also earned him a two-year exemption on the tour, as well as berths in next year’s season-opening Mercedes Championship, plus the U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship majors.

Oct. 15, 2008
Coastal Carolina University announces the addition of Zola (Budd) Pieterse as a volunteer assistant coach for the track & field programs. Best known for training and competing barefoot, Pieterse was a two-time Olympian, having competed in the 1984 Los Angeles Games and the 1992 Barcelona Games.

Oct. 18, 2008
Liberty’s Sam Chelanga won the Pre-Nationals Cross Country race in Terre Haute, Ind., with a record time of 22:51.3 in the men’s 8K race. His time broke the course, meet, school and Big South Conference 8K records, which were previously held by former Liberty National Champion Josh McDougal (22:56.4 at the 2007 Pre-Nationals).

Oct. 28, 2008
Coastal Carolina’s men’s golf team is named Golfweek’s National Men’s Golf Team of the Week for its final-hole victory at the Bank of Tennessee at The Ridges Intercollegiate. Entering the final round, the Chanticleers were tied for second, two shots behind the leader, and the squad posted a 1-under on the final hole to claim the team victory.

Oct. 30-Nov. 6, 2008
A total of 17 Big South student-athletes are named ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District for the fall season. A League-record six football players were honored, in addition to six women’s soccer players, four men’s soccer players and one volleyball student-athlete.

Nov. 2, 2008
VMI’s women’s soccer team completes the largest turnaround in Big South Conference history, as the Keydets tie for second-place in the regular-season standings with a 5-3-1 League record. VMI was tied for last in 2007 with a 1-6 mark, and entered the 2008 season with a 2-29 record in Big South games.

Nov. 6, 2008
Coastal Carolina Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR) and University Professor and Coordinator of Health Promotion Sharon Thompson is named the South Carolina Governor’s 2008 Professor of the Year for four-year institutions of higher education. The prestigious annual award recognizes excellence in teaching and student advising.

Nov. 10, 2008
Liberty men’s cross country runner Sam Chelanga is featured in Sports Illustrated’s “Faces in the Crowd” section for his dominating performance at the Oct. 18 Pre-Nationals meet.

Nov. 11, 2008
Winthrop men’s soccer player Matt Lacey receives two national honors as he is named to the Soccer America National Team of the Week and the CollegeSoccerNews.com National Team of the Week for leading Winthrop to the regular-season championship.

Nov. 13, 2008
Radford women’s soccer player Caitlyn Roan is named to the Soccer America Women’s Team of the Week following her MVP performance during the Big South Tournament.

Nov. 14, 2008
VMI’s men’s basketball team defeats the Kentucky Wildcats, 111-103 at Rupp Arena to open the 2008-09 college basketball season. The victory propels the two-time defending national scoring champion Keydets back into the national spotlight, as the team goes on to receive a Top 25 vote in the Associated Press poll, as well as a No. 25 ranking in the Collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll, its first-ever appearance in the national poll.

Nov. 15, 2008
Liberty sophomore Sam Chelanga wins the NCAA Division I Southeast Regional Cross Country Championships, helping the Flames match their highest-ever finish at the regional meet (fifth-place). It is the fourth time in five years that a Liberty runner has won the regional meet. Chelanga qualifies for the NCAA Cross Country Championship with the victory.

Nov. 16, 2008
Liberty cross country runner Jordan McDougal receives an at-large berth to the NCAA Cross Country Championships based on the strength of his 12th-place finish at the Southeast Regional. McDougal will join teammate Sam Chelanga at the national meet, marking the first time since Liberty joined the NCAA Division I ranks that the Flames will send multiple runners to the Cross Country Championship finals.

Nov. 17, 2008
Winthrop forward Matthew Skonicki is named to the CollegeSoccerNews.com National Team of the Week for the second time this season.

Nov. 18, 2008
Liberty and UNC Asheville meet in the earliest Big South men’s basketball Conference opener, as the game is part of ESPN’s special “24 Hours of College Basketball Marathon” television program and is broadcast live nationally on ESPN. The Bulldogs defeat the Flames, 84-56 at the Justice Center in Asheville.

Nov. 18, 2008
Liberty volleyball player Kallie Corbin is honored by Collegiate Volleyball Update (CVU.com) as a Top Performer for matches played between Nov. 10-16. Corbin was honored by CVU.com twice during the 2007 season.

Nov. 20, 2008
Liberty’s Sam Chelanga is named the USTFCCCA Southeast Region Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Year. He is the second consecutive Liberty athlete to receive the regional honor.

Nov. 20, 2008
Former Coastal Carolina men’s golf All-American Dustin Johnson is named one of five finalists for the PGA Tour’s Rookie of the Year award. Players were nominated for each respective award by the PGA Tour Player Advisory Council and Player Directors.

Nov. 24, 2008
For the second consecutive year, the Liberty men’s cross country team placed a runner in the top two at the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, as Flames sophomore Sam Chelanga battled Oregon senior Galen Rupp neck-and-neck, before Rupp edged Chelanga in the final straightaway. Chelanga earned All-American honors with his Runner-up finish.

Nov. 24, 2008
After a 4-0 start, Coastal Carolina’s women’s basketball team receives votes in the Associated Press Top 25 national rankings, its first-ever appearance in the AP poll in school history.

November 2008
A total of 17 Big South student-athletes are named ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District for the fall season. A League-record six football players were honored, in addition to six women’s soccer players, four men’s soccer players and one volleyball student-athlete.

Dec. 1, 2008
Liberty men’s basketball freshman Seth Curry is named Dick Vitale’s “Diaper Dandy of the Week” after averaging 23.0 points and .510 percent from the field in three wins, including a victory at Virginia.

Dec. 8, 2008
For the first time in Big South history, two men’s basketball teams are ranked in the 10-year old Collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 national poll. Liberty’s first-ever appearance in the ranking came in the No. 13 position, while VMI was ranked No. 21.

Dec. 10, 2008
The Big South Conference has a record 12 men’s soccer players named All-Region by the NSCAA. Winthrop led the way with five selections, followed by Liberty (3), Coastal Carolina (2), High Point (1) and UNC Asheville (1).

Dec. 12, 2008
Big South men’s soccer players Daniel Revivo (Winthrop) and Joshua Boateng (Liberty) are named NSCAA All-Americans, marking the first time that the Big South has two men’s soccer All-Americans since 2003.

Dec. 17, 2008
Liberty junior setter Kallie Corbin is named an Honorable Mention All-American by the AVCA, the Flames’ first-ever Division I volleyball All-American and the third in Big South history.

Dec. 19, 2008

As mentioned in our last SHOUT, All-American honors are earned by four Big South football players, led by AP First Teamer Rashad Jennings of Liberty. The others receiving recognition: Philip Ashley (CSU), Jeffrey Williams (GWU), and Demario Deese (GWU).

Well that's all for now...I'm hitting the road tomorrow for Christmas with family... meanwhile, Hanukkah starts tonight and runs throughout the week -- so SHOUT wishes everybody the very best at the close of the year and we look forward to a fantastic year in 2009!

Of Patriot Games and Triplet Fame

Let's talk hoops for a moment, shall we?

Here's an interesting double feature from Monday night, just in time to get December going:
MBB -- Liberty 69, George Mason 66 (OT)
WBB-- High Point 66, George Mason 55

Yes, it's been a bit of a roller coaster this year for out-of-conference play--with surprising upsets working for and against the Big South in these first few weeks...but the twin-killing over the GMU Patriots marked a good night for the Conference against the CAA.

In other hoops news this week, the Presbyterian men did their part Monday night by dispatching Army and ending a long road losing streak for the Blue Hose...meanwhile, the year's second Conference game in men's basketball was played in High Point, where Charleston Southern, led by Jamarco Warren and Omar Carter, downed the Panthers by ten (62-52).

Of course, the first Big South MBB game this year was the ESPN game with UNC Asheville easily dispatching Liberty (84-56). LU may be sitting at the bottom of the Conference with that loss for now, but overall the Flames have been torching all comers. Overtime wins over William & Mary and George Mason (with many thanks to Seth Curry, at right, making key shots) and the upset victory over Virginia would give Liberty better conference records in the Colonial (2-0) and ACC (1-0) than in the Big South (0-1)! Add in the wins over Montreat and Coker and you've got a 5-1 ballclub heading into its second Conference game Saturday against Gardner-Webb, to be televised on MASN.

Want more basketball talk? You can check out my end-of-November report on Big South men's basketball for the Rush the Court blog, which is posted now.

Not to get stuck in a Liberty gear, but there is more news on the LU front, with the Frazee triplets getting a sensational write-up in USA Today (Frazees photo at right from USA Today). With Molly out for the year with her ACL tear--completing the ACL cycle among the three girls--we won't see the three of them play out their senior year together on the court, but what tremendous impact they have had on that program and on women's basketball in the Big South!

Meanwhile, here's a round-up on the NCAA front for the fall sports champions:
Radford's women and Winthrop's men were bounced in the opening rounds of their soccer tournaments (to Duke and William & Mary, respectively), while Liberty's Sam Chelanga came in second among individual runners in the men's cross country championship. Liberty's volleyball team plays a first round match at Nebraska at the end of this week.

Have you been checking the Big South 25th Anniversary stories and videos? This week's spotlight is on High Point's Danny Gathings for his great act of sportsmanship in 2004. While we're on the subject of the "Best of the Best" from the Big South's first quarter-century, I have to ask: HAVE YOU VOTED (for YOUR choice as the Best of the Best)? You can vote once a day for your selection, and fan balloting will be combined with committee votes to determine the final order of these legendary moments in the spring of 2009.

As always, thanks for reading SHOUT--more coming soon!