 The
hardest thing about writing sports is that whole “being
objective” thing.
I pull for Appalachian to win as much as anybody on campus,
I just cannot outwardly show my support.
What makes being objective even harder is the fact that I
sit about two feet away from the Mountaineer Maniacs during
all basketball games.
If Appalachian had a “Man of the Year” award,
it should go to Mark Dreibelbis for bringing back the Mountaineer
Maniacs.
The Maniacs have been awesome this year, and I’m sure
that Coach Fancher and all of the players would echo that
sentiment.
The best moment of my sophomore year was attending the men’s
game against the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Dreibelbis somehow got word that one of the Spartans centers,
Shawn McCarthy, used to date a girl named Katie Rayhill.
When McCarthy and his teammates warmed up, he was immediately
peppered with the Maniacs chanting his ex-girlfriend’s
name. That is enough to throw anyone off their game, McCarthy
included (he played two minutes).
Sitting directly behind me was a guy with a sign that said
“I Spoon with Katie Rayhill.” It just does not
get any better than that.
So while the Maniacs ultimately make my job of not cheering
(or, more specifically, not laughing) against the other team
quite hard, their presence has probably been the story of
the year for the men’s team.
There is one thing that the Maniacs need to do however.
I cover women’s basketball, too, and see nary a Maniac.
Sure, the women have had a tough year and their record speaks
volumes about it. But, to go off on a tangent, the women
are much better than their record. They might be next to
last in the conference right now, and I may be a foolish
optimist, but I would argue that the women’s team will
make the semi-finals in the Southern Conference tournament.
I think a lot of the reason why the men’s team is so
attractive and fun to cheer for are the individual personalities.
That is ironic, because the personalities between the men
and women’s teams are almost dead-on.
Here is a quick comparison between a few of the players.
And for the record, I had way too much fun doing this.
Take Chris McFarland, probably the Mountaineer’s leader
on the floor. McFarland fans will love Aisha Bryant. Bryant
plays like McFarland in the sense that she’s long and
she can score. However, Bryant shoots three-pointers a little
bit better and is more dominant in her league of play, even
if she is playing on one ankle.
Corwin Davis has emerged as a true floor leader this year
at the point guard position, something that Kiki Conyers
does as well. Like Davis, Conyers plays great defense, sees
the floor and makes plays happen.
I always hear one (or two, or three) girls holler D.J. Thompson’s
name. Thompson, a true freshman, is the flashiest player
on the team. If you appreciate flash, you will appreciate
Crystal Barriner.
Barriner, like Thompson, is a true freshman point guard and
has made many an all-conference defender look ridiculous.
On a fast break, Barriner will get that “I’m-going-to-get-the-ball-and-score-and-you-can’t-do-anything-about-it”
look on her face.
The easiest comparison is everyone’s favorite basketball
heartthrob Matt Jones. If Jones was a girl, he would be Michelle
Conklin, plain and simple.
I can make many more comparisons – believe me when
I say that I would like to – but I think you get the
point.
So I would like to implore Mr. Dreibelbis and/or one of the
leaders of the Maniacs to get involved in the women’s
games too.
Is it necessary to send every Maniac out? Probably not.
But think of how simple it would be to divide the Maniacs
alphabetically into sub-groups of 50 people. These groups
could rotate going to the women’s home games. If it’s
too late in the year to organize women’s games, then
start thinking about next year. Even just 50 extra people
at a game would make a phenomenal difference.
Next year could be a landmark year for Appalachian basketball
because both the men’s and women’s teams will
be just nasty. It gets me excited just thinking about it.
I love the whole concept of the Maniacs: to support your
school’s basketball team.
But there is more than one basketball team on the campus
and the ladies need to feel the love too.
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