Leaves litter every sidewalk and yard. The sky turns darkearlier. The weather is getting increasingly colder. Winter, myfriends, is soon upon us.
Have no fear, though. As always, during the year's darkestseason, there is that one constant standby to fill the long daysand nights with excitement and energy. Like a warm fire or hotchocolate, it has become a tradition synonymous with this grey timeof year.
Of course, I am talking about basketball.
Basketball is Indiana's light through the winter months, andright now, the reverance of basketball is shining the brightest itwill all year.
Every team is equal. Sure, analysts and experts havemanufactured their preseason polls ranking all the nation'sheavyweights based on last season's records and who is returning tothe team. But, as we all know, games of basketball are not playedin the head of Dick Vitale (I think a lot of much stranger thingsgo on under that shiny dome) or on paper. Basketball goes down onthe hardwood.
Throw everything away from last season. Those records don'tmatter any more. Each and every college gets to start back at 0-0.Everyone is undefeated and has every reason to hope, including bothBall State basketball teams.
The men and women have been resting up, sharpening their skills,waiting for this time to come like a 4-year old waits forChristmas. Now they get to show off all they've worked on and showup other teams at the same time.
Just like every season, there are plenty of questions that areunanswered at the beginning that will only be put to an end oncethe season gets rolling. Ball State has more than its fair sharethis year.
Probably the biggest mystery for both teams is how they aregoing to get along without the stars of their past. For the men,Theron Smith is no longer an option. While his talent and numberswere always impressive, it may actually be a good thing for theCardinals to start off this year knowing that at no point will theyhave his presence. Last year's loss of Smith came as a surprise andleft the team searching for something to hold onto. But now, theteam knows what it has and will have going it.
The story is a little different on the women's side. TamaraBowie was an outstanding presence during her college career for theCards. A player like Bowie comes along only once in a great whileat Ball State. Numbers like the ones she put up will not be easilyreplaced.
Injuries also appear to be a problem for both teams heading intothe year. The men are without sophomore forward/center Kevin Catesfor who knows how long, while both junior guard Michael Bennett andsophomore center Tom Howland are recovering from offseason surgery.The women are currently unsure of the health of senior center EricaSutton and sophomore guard Erica Cotton.
For both teams, these injuries hurt the team down low. The womenstill have a decent amount of size but do not have an overpoweringforce inside. The men, well, let's face it: These injuries make theteam shorter than they were. While to some this may appear to be amajor disadvantage for the teams, it could be one of their biggestupsides. Ball State fans are going to see a lot three, dare I sayeven four, guard sets this year, which could be extremely excitingto watch.
But what am I saying? Who knows what will happen?
Everything is up in the air right now. Anything is possible. Sosaddle up kids.
It's time to play some basketball.
Write to Cole at cpmcgrath@bsu.edu
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