A Tip of the Cap to the Iowa Energy

What you see above is Sanctus Real playing a set after our game. They are a Christian rock band who has won some Grammies in their career. I freely admit that I know nothing about Christian rock, but these guys are quite good.

Tough loss for the Ants tonight, and I congratulate Iowa on a really hard fought game. I thought the Mad Ants played really well tonight, but Iowa just made every play necessary to pull out the win. Tonight reminded me of when a baseball team gets shut down by a very good pitcher. You often hear the opposing team give a tip of the cap and move on, and I think that is where we are tonight.

There are three players on Iowa that deserve special credit after watching them often this season, and that is Jeff Trepagnier, Earl Barron, and Curtis Stinson.

Jeff has been lights out against us this year, and he hit some really tough jumpers tonight. I'm impressed how he has gone from an athletic based game to a savvy and skilled game. Barron made two crushing threes tonight to push the Energy ahead of us as we would get close. Impressive how he can shoot so well. Finally, Curtis Stinson made every play necessary down the stretch to close the game out. There is little doubt in my mind that he is the best point in the league, and I can't think of anyone more deserving of the league MVP right now. He has been truly fantastic.

Finally, Nick Nurse deserves a ton of credit for the coaching job he has done. The Energy are obviously great on offense, but they are also very sound on defense. Nick keeps those guys very loose and they have really responded. Again, I'm not sure who else could be considered as coach of the year at this point other than Nick.

As for the Mad Ants, I think this is a game we can build on. We made some mistakes, but the guys competed, and I believe our best basketball is ahead of us.


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Sanctus Real

The Mad Ant crew are up early and doing our best roadie imitation as we set for Grammy winning recording artist Sanctus Real. Should be a great night here in the Coliseum!




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Today's News

The Mad Ants had some decent injury news today in that it looks like Jared Reiner will be joining us for tomorrow's game. Jared has missed the past two to three weeks due to a back injury, but he has checked out well with the doctors and survived a few workouts, so I think he is good to go. The bad news is that we lose another big time contributor to injury in Kyle McAlarney. He has a foot injury, missed last game, and he will not be able to play for a little while.

Adding Jared back to the lineup brings us a very good rebounder (an area where we have struggled) and a very savvy player who communicates well on the court. I think he -- along with Rashad Anderson -- brings to us two very professional and savvy players who bring a calm to the team on the court. I am excited to see our team get back on the court together and hope we will see our team start to get back to the excellent basketball we were playing about a month ago.

To get to know Jared even further, I recommend his blog at http://www.draftexpress.com/blog/Jared-Reiner/. For even more fun, check out some pics of Sondy and Reiner when they were together at Iowa:

A Nice Little Saturday

This is how I am spending my Saturday afternoon. The Hangover is very entertaining!


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My Addiction

I wish I could say that I had some cool addiction like Tiger Woods (whatever, Tigey), but I am afraid that my addiction is iced tea from Panera Bread.

They have a very smooth blend that goes down easy without some of the bitterness that you find in Starbuck's iced tea. I start every day out with one, and I buy a second one to put in my mini fridge at the office for later.

I sweeten the tea with two sweet and low, because I find that it gives the best and most consistent taste. To get the same amount of sweetness with Equal or Splenda, I have to use many more packets, and I just don't like the grainy taste from those two alternatives. Beyond that, I always have a tough time deciding what number of packets are needed for the level of sweetness I desire. So, I stick with the pink stuff. And you should see the desperate straights I go to to find it if sweet and low is not an option. It is a true shame spiral, and I can't get out of it without finding my dear sweet pink stuff.

Why would I blog about this and open myself so willing to the public? Because the first step is to admit you have a problem and admit the problem is bigger than you. Wish me luck with my demons.

Oh yeah, we had a nice win last night, but I can't seem to get too excited about it. I want to see this team put a string of wins together and then I will get excited. In the meantime, I will let my tall, cool Panera Bread iced tea lift my spirits!


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The Hardest Workers on the Team

The guys you see above are easily the hardest workers on the team. Everday, they get in extra work after practice. There is no wonder why Ryan Ayers continues to improve, why Sondy has been so solid this year, why Kurz is one of the best in the league, why Jamelle continues to get better after surgery, why Kyle is one of the league leaders in three point percentage, why AK continues to improve, and why Joe is in the NBA.

Beyond the players, coach Potapenko and coach Gansey should get a lot of credit for always being available. The coaches in total have done a great job creating a work environment. Now, if we can just get healthy!


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New Guy

We have a new guy on the team and his name is Jason Straight.


He played against the Mad Ants earlier in the year when he was with Dakota and played well. Dakota released him despite averaging about 11 a game while averaging about 20 minutes per game. With Kyle McAlarney out with a bad foot and Howard with a sprained pinky finger (read: soft!), we were in real need of a ball handler.

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Reiner Looks Like Woody from Toy Story!

Gansey -- the greatest intern known to man -- likes to say that Jared Reiner looks like Woody from Toy Story. I will let you be the the judge. "Someone poisoned the water hole!"

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Gansey Hurt His Hand

Many of the faithful readers of this blog know of my man crush for our beloved assistant coach/intern, Steve Gansey. He has been hailed as the greatest intern known to man in this blog, and part of his being greatest intern ever is his passion and dedication to the Mad Ants.

For example, he was so hurt and angered over our loss to Austin (yes, the game where we blew the 24 point lead), that he took his frustrations out on a stop sign. Yes, he punched the stop sign, but it is clear from the picture above that the sign won.

Who won the fight and just how soft Steve clearly is is unimportant in this post. What is important is that Steve demonstrated yet again why he is the greatest intern on the history of the world!


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A New Week

The boys are back in town after a really long road trip. As Mad Ants fans know, we don't have many January games, and I think the guys have to be exhausted after being on the road all this time. I haven't even seen them in three weeks, which I am sure they like!

As you know, they just lost back to back games to the Iowa Energy, but those would have been tough games to win. Iowa is really impressive right now, and adding Courtney Sims only made them tougher. I don't think there is a team in the league with their talent right now.

As for the Ants, we continue to be ravaged by injury. First we lose Kurz and Reiner. Then we lose Reiner, Howard, and Anthony Kent. Now we have lost Kyle McAlarney to a bad foot. I think something is in the water out here in Fort Wayne! I'd love to see all our guys on the court together, but I don't know when that will happen. Reiner is still struggling with his back injury, Howard's finger is still swollen, and McAlarney sees the doctor on Tuesday. We need a witch doctor to get rid of this hoodoo -- stat!

So we move forward and hope that some home cooking can get us off the schneid. Before I go, let me just say how sweet it was to see the Mad Ants on national television this week. Versus did a great job and I am very pleased that we were able to represent the league. Okay, that is it for me. I'll try to get something up tomorrow.

Joe Alexander Arrives

Good news for the Ants in that we will have Joe Alexander from the Bucks assigned to us tonight and will be with the team as they play the Energy the next two nights. If you saw last night's game, you will know that we need some good news!

Joe is one of the most physically gifted players who came out of the draft last year, but just hasn't been able to get much time on the court due to an assortment of injuries. Hopefully his stint here will help him get his rhythm back on the court and allow him to show what he can do with the big guys. As a small piece of evidence of his athleticism, here is a picture of his head above the rim:

This reminds of a young Garrett Martz!

Okay, I think some of you actually come here for my thoughts on the team and tough losses like last night and not for my funny movie clips. I don't know if there is anything I can really say about last night that I haven't said before in other games we have given away. At this point, I would just be a broken record, so sorry I can't give any life affirming analysis or insight into how a team gives up 41 points in the last quarter to blow a 15 point fourth quarter lead. I can only say that the guys have to play better and finish games out. How is that for some generic and rather unfulfilling commentary!

I hope that you are all in a better mood than I am right now, and I hope to post some happier emails in the future.

Pop Wants New Assignment Rules; So Do I

Greg Popovich noted in an article in the San Antonio papers that he wants to see NBA teams have greater freedom in sending players down. Let's hope this is something that happens in the new CBA agreement between the league and player's union. Here is the article:

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Spurs recently assigned swingman Malik Hairston to their Development League affiliate in Austin, hoping to find him more playing time there than he could get in San Antonio.

They would have liked to do the same with third-year center Ian Mahinmi, but the NBA's collective bargaining agreement prohibits it.

Players cease to be eligible for the D-League two seasons after signing an NBA contract. Mahinmi squandered all but 10 minutes of his second season while on the injured list with a variety of ankle woes.

Popovich said before Saturday's loss at Memphis he would like to see the rule changed, perhaps to award an injury waiver to young players such as Mahinmi who lose a full season to factors beyond their control.

“I don't see any downside for a player to be able to go play,” Popovich said. “It just seems to be a good thing. This is a real good start, what we've done (with the D-League). Perhaps we can refine it a little more now moving forward.”

Ineligible to return to the D-League, Mahinmi has played in two games for the Spurs. He played nearly 14 minutes against Memphis, posting a point and four rebounds and committing four fouls.

No Hail Self Indulgent Acceptance Speeches

I understand that it is the heights of hypocrisy for a blog writer to say anything about another's self indulgence, but I am not sure if there is anything worse than some of these acceptance speeches I am hearing on the Golden Globes. The worst so far is Drew Barrymore and her fake exasperated "I'm so shocked I won and I am so blown away by Monique" speech. Save it, Drew, save it. I'm full of it tonight!

No Hail for Nate Kaeding

As I drove from LAX out to Bakersfield today, I was listening to the Chargers radio crew. They were going on and on about how kicking was going to win the game due to the fact that they had the better kicker. Well, they had it half right -- kicking did have a huge affect on the outcome. Kaeding misses three field goals. As Mr. Tony would say, it's a gots to go situation for Nate Kaeding.

All Hail Mike Harris!

I know that Mike Harris of RGV is a good basketball player, but I don't think I have seen a stat line in my three years in the D-League than what he did tonight -- 48 points and 24 rebounds. That is just staggering. That game has to get him called back up, right? Congrats to him on a game of a lifetime.

My Last Game at Mac Court

For those of you that read this blog or know anything about me, I am a graduate of the University of Oregon. I played there in one of the best arenas for college basketball, Mac Court. Mac Court is about a 100 years old and the school is going to move to what looks to be a fantastic new arena, but I wanted to get back for one final game at the old gym. I am not an overly sentimental person, but I am glad to get back, because I was able to enjoy the game with my parents and revisit what were some very good times in my family's life. The pics above give an idea of the look of the gym. Tough day for the Ducks, but I'm sure they have better days ahead.

Nice Win on National TV

Well, I wasn't able to watch a second of it, but I have heard from everyone that the whole production was fantastic. Congrats to the D-League and Versus for putting on such a fine show.

I can't give much analysis other than what I saw from the stats page, and I think the key was that we outrebounded them by 13. How did we do that? Well, my trained eye sees the 24 rebounds from Rob Kurz as a possible explanation. Seriously, what a monster game for Rob, and I think that game would have to put NBA scouts on notice of how good this guy is. He is more than just a great shooter -- he is a gritty, determined player who will do all the things necessary for a team to win. I would hope that he could get a look at some point, because it is certainly deserving.

Other than Rob, I think Oliver has continued his solid play, and I think we got some fine contributions from Sondy, Cornley, and Anderson, despite shooting a poor percentage. What we need from all three, however, is more rebounding from each.

I'd love to hear some thoughts from people who read the blog and watched on HD. How did it look?

Ron Howard Specifics and Our National TV Debut

From what I have heard from our trainer, Marc Schlichtenmyer, Ron will be out for approximately 4 weeks. Obviously, this is a major blow to the team. Ron is our top scorer and one of the best stories of the D-League, as has been mentioned on numerous occasions. We will certainly have to adjust, and it is time for players to fill the void.

As for the game, we went through another scoring drought and could never recover. I'm not pleased at all by the performance, so I am going to keep my comments brief. I don't want to say anything I will regret later. Needless to say, this team has to start playing better.

On a much happier note (provided the guys play better), the Mad Ants will be playing the Skyforce tonight in the D-League's national TV debut. We are honored to be the team that will start things off for the league, and I hope this is just the start of good things to come with this league and this team. It is a tape delay game, and it will be on at 11 pm EST. I hope you all watch!

More Bad News Injury Wise

From my pic, you can see Ron Howard as he is on the court. Unfortunately, I don't think we are going to see him on the court tonight. He suffered some type of injury to his hand last game and Marc, our studly trainer, told me that it is very swollen. So, it looks like we remain at least two -- if not three depending on Rob feels -- men down, and my dream of seeing our full and healthy roster continues to be frustrated.


So, the questions do continue for me. How will Joey rearrange the lineup? Will he move Kurz in Ron's spot and slide Ryan down to the three (he's been playing the four the last two games)? Will he play it safe with Rob and move Rashad into the starting lineup? It will be interesting to see Joey go to work, because we need his expertise now more than ever.

Alright, I'm going to get back to watching Jack Bauer and season 7. I just don't beleive that Tony Almeida is dirty. I will never believe that!


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Another Test Post

Here is a photo from shootaround before we played te Red Claws. Let's hope we get the same success from that shootaround today!


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In The Airport

So, I'm in the airport and I found an app that will allow me to blog. Seriously, how good is life now? It reminds me of that bit by Louis CK about how everyhing is great but everybody is miserable. These things we can do now with phones are simply miracles.

Which leads me to my next topic. I just bought an iPhone, and I can't believe how superior it is to the blackberry. My life is forever changed!

Well, we have a game tonight against the mighty Sioux Falls Skyforce, and I am curious to see how the further meshing of our team will go. For example, how will Joey work in Rashad Anderson? Will we see continued minutes from Jamelle Cornley? How will Kurz affect things if he comes back tonight. A lot of questions, indeed.

In the comments section of my last blog, I saw some thoughts on Ron Howard and his play from the other night. For my part, I thought it was not one of his better efforts. Ron's strength is making others better and finding his offense in the flow of the game. In the fourth quarter, I was surprised how many poor shots and decisions he made. In ither words, he was really forcing things, and he saw little, if any, success I think sometimes players think they have to shoot a lot to get noticed. Yet, they will not get those shots if they play in the league. In fact, they will have to play the all around game that Ron i so great at. Ron will be better served by making his teammates better and helping them to score. More importantly, I think he will be surprised how their improved play will open things up for his game. Let's hope that message has been conveyed and we will see better decisions tonight.

Well, I'm off to grab an iced tea from Starbucks (it's an addiction). I will be on the westcoast for a few days, an I will try to post pics and other musings while on my trip. Hope all is well with you folks and let's hope we can get our string of wins started tonight.

A Nice Win, A Tough Loss, and Some Difficult Changes

I am going to keep this short and sweet. Tonight we drop a tough one to Erie after soundly beating the Red Claws last night. I think it is not unexpected that the guys would run out of gas in the fourth, as the team has made some changes the last few days. First, we continue to miss our starting front court with Kurz and Reiner out with back injuries. I think Rob will be back in Sioux Falls, but I am not sure about Reiner. To fill in one of those spots, we activated Jamelle Cornley, who has given us some good minutes, but is going to have to work his way into game shape. Second, we added Rashad Anderson, a very good scorer at the three position. I think we have been missing more players who can put the ball on the floor and go and get their own bucket, and I think he will add that to our game. The most difficult part of that is that we had to release Dewitt Scott. Dewitt has been a tremendous part of this franchise for the last two years, and I can tell you that it was with a very heavy heart that we made that cut. Dewitt will go on to do great things in whatever he chooses in life to due to his wonderful family and work ethic. I wish him all the best, and I would not hesitate to bring him back. So, we move forward and continue to try to build some momentum or go on some type of streak. I can only hope that we can get our entire on the court at the same time for ten straight games (I'd even settle for five!), because I think we will go on that type of run if we can get healthy. Alright, that is the news from Fort Wayne. I'll try to have some more in depth stuff tomorrow for everybody.

He's Back, and I Am Back, Too!

Okay, it has been a bit of a dryspell on here, but I have been out of town, licking my wounds, and trying to find ways to make this team better. I can tell you that I don't think we are as bad as our record is, but we have to start pulling out some of these games. Mr. Anonymous, Chuck Itt, and Garrett had some great points and some spot on criticism about the team, and it is hard to argue with some of it. For example, I think Mr. Anonymous talked about AK's lack of rebounding last game, and I think he is right. We need more from AK if we are going to be successful. He showed last season that he can be a rebounding machine, and we now need to see him go and get us a big night on the boards. AK is not going to make money playing basketball scoring points. Rather, he is going to make it by eating the glass and playing defense. That has to start tonight.

Yet, I think it is very unfair to lay our team's struggles at his feet. Everyone has to elevate their game. Sondy has to get back to what made him successful early in the season -- quick, concise moves and little to no dribbling. We need Rod Wilmont to score efficiently and consistently, and we need Ryan Ayers to be more assertive. These guys are all fine players, but it is now time to go and prove it on the court.

We are really going to need these guys to pick up their games in light of the fact that we will not have Rob Kurz or Jared Reiner tonight or in the near future. Rob is struggling with a rib injury and Jared has some back issues that will keep him out for a couple of weeks. To fill in, we will be adding Jamelle Cornley to the roster. Jamelle was injured in training camp, and he is a tough, bruising type forward who should add some toughness to the team. I am not expecting much from him, however, as he has been out some time, and I think Joey plans on working him slowly into the rotation.

So, we go in short handed, but I think we have the opportunity to go and get one for our home crowd. I hope I see everyone at the arena, as it is Tropic Night, and I think our boys are going to make it hot for us!

He's Back!

Ugh

Well, I don't know what to say other than that about our past two games. We played two fine teams, and we couldn't make the plays at the end to win the game. I always hate when a commentator states a very general term like "make plays," so let me get a bit more in depth.

In the fourth quarter of the past two games, I see some mistakes occur too often. For example, we can't get a defensive rebound. As I watch it, I do not believe I see the urgency necessary to get the ball that the other team shows. Which is to say, they are getting outworked. They are getting out-hustled. The other team just wants it more.

I also see us take very suspect shots and make careless passes in the fourth quarter. I saw fall away threes, step back jumpers with hands in a face, and careless passes into the post that turn into too many turnovers (don't even get me started about our inability to pass the ball into the post. Hint: if you just stare at where you want to throw it, you will not fool anyone. Try a ball fake somewhere and then turn back to the post. And, by the way, you can't enter the ball to the post from the top of the key. Dribble over to the wing. Brutal).

I would love to not have to say that we don't want it as much as the other team, as I am sure our players would take offense. Yet, it is difficult to ignore the numbers. We were out-rebounded by 15 tonight. We gave up 44 points in the fourth quarter. Those numbers do not bespeak a team that knows how to win or is willing to do the little things to win.

The good news is that I think we have shown we are capable of competing and winning games like this. You fans have been so generous and patient, and I can tell you that we will do everything we can to change the culture and direction of this season. No doubt, it is time for this team to start to play every possession like it means something. Right now, I cannot say that that is happening. Let's hope the team can get the ship righted in Erie so we can start to rattle some wins out.

Showcase

Poor form by me not to have posted something, and I am afraid that I am going to have to keep this one short, because I am not feeling quite so hot. The team today is off to Boise to play their two games in the showcase. I usually would go, but I have some meetings and other responsibilities I couldn't get away from this year. I am certainly disappointed, however, as Boise is a great town and it is close to my home region.

Our guys have had a tough last three games, and the challenges don't get any easier with Utah and Idaho on the docket. A big key for us is how our bench plays. They have offered very little the last few games, and we are not going to be successful unless they pick their games up.

The good news for the Mad Ants this past week is that the Warriors have cut Mikki Moore, thus creating a spot for Chris Hunter to have his contract guaranteed for the rest of the year. I could not be happier for Chris and his family, as it is well deserved. He is just a fantastic player and person, and I hope this the start of a long NBA career.

Okay, time for me to close my eyes. Hope everyone had a great holiday season!

It was Tim Matheson's Birthday!

I am so sad that we failed to recognize last week the birthday of one of the great comedic actors the world has ever known -- Tim Matheson. Yes, you may know him as the Vice President on the West Wing, but those true fans will always know him as Otter. I can think of no more inspiring video than his defense of the Delta house and, more importantly, the United States of America!

The Duke Steps Up to the Call

Our buddy Chuck Itt recommended we go to a real man for our inspirational pic -- John Wayne. And, what could be better than a picture of John Wayne? How about a picture of John Wayne with the American flag behind him! So, if you don't love western heros and you don't like America, go ahead and root against the Mad Ants today!