| THURSDAY, 11:30 P.M. |
|
Heading home.
This has been a long trip, but the longest part has been the waiting tonight. On the tarmac for nearly an hour awaiting a plane. Then a 90 minute flight and an hour (or more) drive to Clarksville. Don't expect a lot of bright-eyed kids in class tomorrow.
Trying to work during all this has been chaotic, to say the least. While we're wrapping this up, I may as well shout out Brittney Sparn, Corey Adams, Will Pryor and our boss, Brad Kirtley. A lot of people had very nice things to say about what we did this week, and that's no small feat.
Horton files past me on the plane as I'm typing this. Not a bad fella, Chris Horton. He developed into one of the very best APSU has ever produced, and the little school with the funny name has trotted out some good ones. I wouldn't hazard to guess what's going through his head—the culmination of a career, a season ending, a new stage of life set to begin. But I doubt we've seen the last of Chris Horton dominating on a basketball court.
The flight home is subdued, as you might expect on the wrong side of midnight after a loss. Those that can, sleep. Those that can't, type—on laptops or phones (mostly phones).
Yet hope abounds. I hope we can do this again soon. I hope Austin Peay's young players develop into the stars they've shown they can be. I hope Chris Horton gets a chance at the next level.
Two weeks ago, this—a championship, a trip to the Big Dance, becoming the nation's small-school darlings—was way too much to hope for. Now we have spades of optimism. We can thank the Governors for that.
|
| THURSDAY, 6:30 P.M. |
|
Well, that's certainly not the outcome we were hoping for.
We knew it would be tough—Kansas is not the nation's top team just because. The Govs needed a hot start, early Jayhawk foul trouble and some extra nasty down low to help a not-quite-100-percent Chris Horton—and even then they would need some luck.
The hot start did not ensue. Although the Govs showed their capability to hang with the Jayhawks in the opening minutes, the three-ball—so reliably useful during the OVC Tournament—all but abandoned Austin Peay in the first half. Josh Robinson's triple with 24 seconds left in the first half was APSU's lone three in the opening 20 minutes.
Horton battled valiantly and was supplemented by good minutes from Kenny Jones, Assane Diop and Chris Porter-Bunton, but Perry Ellis proved why he's headed to the NBA—the Kansas big man had 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting as KU outscored APSU 58-36 in the paint. And although the Govs were able to send Kansas' starting backcourt to the pine with foul issues, Svi Mykhailiuk led the Jayhawks with 23 points off the bench.
Loos was stoic in the locker room. Horton seemed exhausted. Jones was already talking about next season and the motivation to work hard during the summer. Robinson, who led all scorers with 24 points, will be focal point next season, with Jones, Porter-Bunton, Jared Savage and John Murry rounding out a potential starting five.
Gotta go… we're red-eyeing out of Iowa tonight.
|
|
|
| THURSDAY, 3 P.M. |
|
Govs in the house.
Off the bus, through security (Des Moines is TSA-level rigorous in its checking and rechecking of ID's and bags), back to the locker room. It's almost here.
An NCAA Tournament game offers a different vibe than any other sporting event. Not only can anything happen, it often does and everyone—players, coaches and fans—never know when they'll be part of history, memorialized for eternity in an unending sea of 'One Shining Moment' montages. It's the madness of March that fuels the event—the unknown and the opportunity to see something you've never seen, or that's never happened.
Like a 16-seed topping a one, for instance.
In the hallway, well-wishers stop by. Jim Horten, Chattanooga's SID, talks to Governors assistant and longtime buddy Jay Bowen (Six Degrees of Jay Bowen at work once again). Loos accepts all congrats.
The players and coaches have done a fantastic job playing this up as 'Just another game'; for them, it may very well be. But it's something more for our university; the chance to topple one of the blue bloods comes around just so often. We're the next 16 with a chance to do the unthinkable.
It's game time, people. Get to a TV. Turn on a radio. Find the game. It's your duty.
Â
|
| THURSDAY, 9 A.M. |
|
The beginning of business day. The Govs are at shootaround inside Wells Fargo Arena. After seeing it yesterday, with the crowd filling the place for open practice, the quiet is eerie and the space seems cavernous.
The Govs are loose, I'll give them that. If they're nervous, they're hiding it extremely well. Tre' Ivory and Chris Horton have a playful argument over who will shower first once they return to the hotel. Horton, Jared Savage, John Murry and Kenny Jones get the selfie at midcourt.
They're not the only ones. A select few from APSU's travel party also are allowed in for shootaround. No matter who you are or how successful you become in your chosen field, being on the floor during an NCAA Tournament is special, even for spectators.
In and out—20 minutes is all you get for shootaround and the Govs try to make the most of it. Back to the hotel for breakfast, rest and relaxation—the top-seeded Jayhawks await in a few hours.
|
|
| WEDNESDAY, 9 P.M. |
|
The quiet before the storm.
The Govs know how formidable the nation's top-ranked team is. There's no questioning that. There's also no question that rankings, statistics, history and many would say logic are against them.
Of course, no one ever says, "Wow, what a predictable upset," either.
'Relaxed' is rarely a word I would ascribe to Dave Loos, but he was certainly not the bulldog you see on the sidelines when a call goes against him… not today, at least. In a coaches meeting, he was the elder statesman, accepting congratulations from Connecticut's Kevin Ollie, a hug (an honest-to-God hug that I saw with my own two eyes) from Kentucky's John Calipari. Kansas' head man Bill Self ambled over, talking shop with Loos and reminiscing with Brad Kirtley about an old Tulsa team he took to the NCAA Tournament some years ago.
Later at dinner, with his wife Phyllis at his side and luminaries like former Austin Peay President Sherry Hoppe and Ohio Valley Conference Commissioner Beth DeBauche stopping by to say hello, Loos seemed… content? Not to psychoanalyze a guy I've spent maybe an hour-and-a-half with over the last couple of days, but Loos seems to know what everyone else misses: these opportunities are rare. Just because you're here on business—and this is business of the utmost importance to Loos, let there be no mistake—doesn't mean you can't soak in the moment. It's not a vacation, but making time to appreciate the sequence of events that brought him here is an admirable quality Loos displays that all could take a page from.
Heading back in from dinner, we spot the Hogan family in the lobby—Kevin, an assistant coach, his wife Haley and their two boys. My first thought isn't, "Those kids seem really excited," or "Aww, what a nice family moment."
Instead, it's "20 years from now, those kids could be telling people how they were in the building the first time a 16 toppled a one."
Ya gotta believe.
|
|
|
| WEDNESDAY, 2 P.M. |
|
For the first time, the Governors head into Wells Fargo Arena.
The 11-year old venue has hosted a lot of things over the years, but this is its first go as NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament site. Lots of people, lots of security, lots and lots and lots of media.
As Chris Horton, Khalil Davis and Josh Robinson head into the formal press conference with Coach Loos, the rest of the team is available in the locker room. Kenny Jones jokes with reporters. There's a small scrum surrounding Jared Savage.
The circus only increases when Horton, Davis and Robinson re-enter the locker room. Davis holds court with a never-ending stream of reporters; his Kansas ties run deep and are being mined by all the press for good nuggets. The crowd surrounding Horton on the training table goes three-deep.
Finally, everyone disperses and the Govs head to the floor. As the team goes through drills, fans ooh and ahh occasionally, such as a thunderous Jones dunk or a particularly vicious block by Chris Porter-Bunton, but are politely silent for the most part; Iowans don't yet know what to make of the team with the funny name.
Brad Kirtley, longtime sports information director, sits with the broadcast crew for tomorrow's game. You may know their names: Jim Nantz. Bill Raftery. Grant Hill. Tracy Wolfson. Photographers and videographers ring the court. Davis' father Tyrone, a former Kansas State player, holds an impromptu press conference with a gaggle of reporters looking for his take on his son taking on the Jayhawks. Even David Loos Jr., the Governors broadcaster, is interviewed by a TV crew out of Kansas City.
As the Govs head out after practice, some Kansas players wander by.
"He doesn't look THAT big," play-by-play voice Scott Chase says of Wayne Selden.
And Chris Horton continues to make friends all over the place.
|
| WEDNESDAY, 8:30 A.M. |
|
"Good morning Coach, this is Matt Barrie with ESPN, how are you?"
The day starts in the Loos suite, with track-suited Dave Loos doing Skype interviews with SportsCenter (cool!) and Good Day, Sacramento (via coinflip, Austin Peay was the GDS pick to not only upset Kansas but win the whole tournament, so they wanted to get a head start on congratulating the Govs).
Loos is asked about his experience with Skype.
"Very limited," he says with a laugh.
It goes well, as it always does—Loos is an old hand at these things, and his general jolly demeanor plays well on TV. He laughs, he jokes, he teaches.
(I'm not sure his players, former or current, would agree with my assessment of his jolliness levels.)
His family watches the segment in a downstairs lounge.
"That's Pa!" hollers Paxton Loos, his six-year old grandson, upon seeing Dave's face on the screen.
|
| TUESDAY, 6:30 P.M. |
|
Shootaround over from Grand View University; the Govs shook off the plane and bus ride rust and worked on some fundamentals and set plays for an hour.
Day one of the journey is essentially over; the guys will relax and take in the First Four contests in Dayton tonight, where many thought the Governors would wind up before Austin Peay was tabbed to take on Kansas in Des Moines. Assistant coach Julian Terrell is sure to be keeping an eye on it; the former Vanderbilt big man and assistant hopes the Commodores do their part to keep a potential Elite Eight meeting with the Govs alive. Ya gotta believe, as Tug McGraw once said.
One thing I've noticed today is that being a champion (or traveling with them, in my case) changes people's perceptions of you. The Govs were the kings of the charter, the lords of the hotel--the staff even had the fight song going as we pulled in, which was a nice touch. That may change tomorrow when we head to Wells Fargo Arena and mingle with big dogs like Kentucky, Indiana and yes, Kansas, but it's a deserved bit of respect for the Governors.
Regardless of how it happened, why it happened or what chain of events had to fall into place to make it happen, the Govs are part of a prestigious group of teams in 2016—only 67 other schools get this opportunity, this One (potential) Shining Moment, to close out their season. Those opportunities are rare; it hasn't happened for Austin Peay since 2008 and came somewhat out of the blue this season. Wells Fargo Arena awaits on Wednesday; nobody would've expected that two weeks ago but this team is going to enjoy it.
Tweet of the Day
|
| TUESDAY, 3 P.M. |
|
Flight. Turbulence. Land. Wait.
I've never actually heard a flight attendant say, "Just hang tight while we figure out what to do with you," so Des Moines may be a series of firsts for everyone.
The Governors are now shacked up at a location I will not divulge (just in case Kansas fans get any fun ideas about pulling fire alarms in the middle of the night). Players, coaches, staff, spirit squads and a loyal cadre of fans have joined us on location and a few more are planning to make the nine-and-a-half hour (and that's pedal-to-the-metal with no stops) journey to support the Governors.
So now we're all checked in, freshened up and heading to Grandview for shootaround. The weather is terrible but morale is high.
Oh, and celebrity fans have chimed in to wi—
Dang, Tosh. Cold.
But APSU has it covered.
I was hoping for Aziz Ansari, but Louie is fine too.
|
| TUESDAY, 10 A.M. |
|
Moving a travel party of 112 people is not easy.
Save a few who drove into Atlantic Air instead of traveling with the team, most of the party left out from Clarksville on three Gray Line buses early Tuesday morning. Encountering traffic (a huge surprise around Nashville), the travel party arrived on the tarmac and began the arduous check-in routine—a slow-moving process with a small party, and positively glacial (through no fault of the rigorous check-in crew, may I add) with 112 people.
As they always do, the team itself looked nonplussed by the travel. Bus, plane, rocket ship to Mars… whatever. A group of 18-to-22 year olds kept their headphones on except to move through the security screening.
The Govs are going to Des Moines for the NCAA Tournament, as you may have heard. They'll play Kansas, the top seed in the South Region and the top-ranked team in the nation. Nationally, the pundits are not giving Austin Peay much (or any) chance against the Jayhawks. A 16-seed has never beaten a one, after all.
But it has to happen sometime, so it may as well be the Govs who make history.
So while the Govs are away, we'll keep this log of Austin Peay's adventures. At worst, this will serve as historical record for Austin Peay's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2008. At best, the Govs go on a run never before seen in NCAA history and this is the tale of how it happened.
Either way, we'll try to update this a few times each day, a couple hundred words at a time. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and SnapChat will have real-time updates all day, every day while we're here. Let's Go Peay!
|
