March 10, 2010 Alex Brown

d.alex.brown@gmail.com

    Well, another basketball season has gone by without the need for dancing shoes. In fact, last time a Georgia Southern basketball team saw NCAA tournament action, Bill Clinton was president and the number one song on the charts was “The Sign” by Ace of Base. Ouch. Yep, it’s been a while since the Lady Eagles won the SoCon and went to the Big Dance back in 1994. The guys last made it in 1992—those 1992 Eagles were led by a junior point guard named Charlton Young. His friends call him CY. You may have heard of him.
    While it would be easy to view this season’s 9-23 record as a disappointment, there are positives. After starting the year 3-13, the Eagles finished up 6-10. They didn’t exactly set the world on fire, but they improved. They won three of five to close the regular season and finally picked up a road win after a 13-month drought. And following an eight-win campaign a year ago, they improved on their win total while going through a coaching staff change, dealing with NCAA sanctions, and fighting the injury bug all season.
    With four guys already signed in the early signing period, CY has turned some heads with the top ranked signing class in the conference. Add the experience of Willie Powers, Colby Wohlleb, and Rory Spencer and it could be the recipe for a quick turnaround next year.
    But for now, we are forced to pull for Wofford to represent the SoCon. An upset or two by them would be great for the league. If you don’t believe me, look no further than Stephen Curry and Davidson a couple of years ago. So, go Terriers…now, excuse me while I throw up.
    For the Lady Eagles, it was a season of ups and downs. They started slowly losing four of five to open the year, but followed that with a 12-5 tear. The Lady Eagles rode a five-game winning streak into the conference tournament where they beat College of Charleston on a three pointer in the final seconds by senior Jessica Geiger. But then they ran into perennial power Chattanooga in the SoCon semi-finals.
    A 19-12 record isn’t too shabby. The Lady Eagles will sorely miss the senior leadership of Geiger, J’Lisia Ogburn, and Carolyn Whitney. But the program is in good hands with returning players like Jamie Navarro, Krista Tate, Meredith Frye, and Samantha Williams ready to take over those leadership roles.
    Shifting gears to baseball, the Eagles are currently 5-7 and will open Southern Conference play this weekend with Appalachian State coming to town. The Mountaineers were picked to finish sixth in the preseason polls and they are off to a 9-0 start—despite having powerhouses like Niagara, North Carolina A&T, and Rider on their schedule. Georgia Southern had to be hoping for a better start to its season with 14 of its first 16 games at home. But there are several new faces on the roster and it takes some time for these guys to adjust to the game at the college level. This team will be just fine—it’s still early.

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