Congrats to the women's team at my alma mater, IU South Bend.



From today's South Bend Tribune:

IUSB wins CCAC with Titanic finish

By MATT KOPSEA

SOUTH BEND -- Liz Moulis got her revenge Saturday afternoon.

The 5-foot-5 senior guard provided a huge lift off the bench with 16 points and six rebounds, helping Indiana University South Bend claim the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference women's basketball tournament crown with a 70-65 triumph over No. 25 (NAIA Div.-I) St. Xavier (Ill.) at the Student Activities Center.

Moulis' two free throws with 3.1 seconds left sealed the Titans' (23-10) fifth bid to the NAIA Division I national tournament and first since the 2000-01 campaign. Read more.

Within the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference in the NAIA, IUSB's women's team is something of a powerhouse. This is their fifth championship in about eight or nine years.

a long, cold summer.

Wow. The season is over. I can't believe it's already March. Six months goes pretty fast, I guess.

Our men's team had its final game on Monday night in what could be a harbinger of the future in the Mid-Con tournament. Oral Roberts may have won this game, but we may see them again. That could be a stellar game. IUPUI doesn't have the inside game it had last season, but it is a quick, quick team with deadly outside shooting. I hope they bring their A game to Tulsa.

For me, the last game of the season is always bittersweet. I always feel like I'm just getting into the swing of things with announcing just as we shut it down. it's always a privilege and an honor to work the table. We keep bugging the SIDs for our own page in the media guide. Alas, they have held steadfast in their denial of our hopes and dreams.

Senior Night is always an anomoly because we have TONS of announcements to rip through. Overall, it went pretty well. Unlike a couple seasons ago, I've learned to relax and not grip up if the timeline needs to change on the fly. I'm getting better at being an instrument of the game. Still, I need to always remember to focus. You'd think, after nine years of doing this, that I'd not get freaked out by the sound of my own voice over the P.A. You'd be wrong.

My favorite thing this season was, without a doubt, the pep band announcement. We have several boilerplate announcements that I have all but committed to memory; such is the case with the pep band announcement, which goes a little something like this (feel free to read aloud to achieve the full effect):

The IUPUI Intercollegiate Athletics Department would like to thank the IUPUI Music Department for their sponsorship of The Bend Band. The Pep Band is comprised of IUPUI students under the direction of David Copeland.

Twice a game I read that. This year -- I don't recall which game -- I switched it up a bit and said, "...under the expertise of David Copeland." Later on, expertise gave way to expert tutelage. I don't even know how or why it started, but it became a thing where I'd alwys key on Dave's name. I think it all started when I called him "Diamond Dave" Copeland. Throughout the season he was, among others:

* misunderstood genius, David Copeland
* billionaire playboy, David Copeland
* under the ironfisted regime of David Copeland
* ...of David "don't call me Doc Severinson" Copeland
* evil genius, David Copeland
* under the P. Diddy-esque direction of David Copeland
* David "Chocolate Thunder" Copeland (makes me laugh to this day)
* The next American Idol, David Copeland
* J. Lo's new husband David Copeland

The list goes on and on and I honestly don't remember them all. Half the time I made it up on the fly. But now, I've started a thing so I've got to start keeping a list for next season.

My favorite part of that is it got the band into it and some of the folks in the crowd. I'm not one to over-do it on yucking it up, but I do think you can be funny if you're clever and well-timed with it.

The David Copeland segment was my favorite all season long.

I already miss this season. It's a long, cold summer to basketball season. How long to November?

mickey mouse nonsense.

Last weekend I had my one and only opportunity to re-visit my college alma mater, Indiana University South Bend. I went to IUSB from 1988-94 (two years were part-time). It was at IUSB where I cut my teeth as a P.A. announcer. I believe it was the 1991-92 basketball season when I first gave it a shot. I did P.A. announcing for about two seasons while a student. I had absolutely no prior training of any sort. I simply took the mic when the then-coach and A.D. Jerry Jones (not that Jerry Jones!) and Eugene Love (director of student life) asked if I'd do it. They were in a jam, so I agreed, somewhat reluctantly. I graduated in 1994 and moved to Indianapolis. As luck or fate would have it, I took a job at IUSB in 1997 and immediately got involved with the athletics program as soon as I could.

Once again, when they were in a pinch, I filled in as a P.A. announcer at the last minute. I spent that first season being a "part-timer" and then did it full-time for a couple seasons.

When I came back to Indianapolis in 2001, I found my way to the IUPUI athletics dept. and got involved right away. Again, with luck or fate on my side, I backed my way into the P.A. gigs with the soccer and basketball teams (both, men's and women's).

So I guess I've got about nine years of experience as a P.A. announcer under my belt. Not to sound like a bigshot (because I'm sooooo not!), but I can't help but pay extra attention to announcers whenever I watch a game on TV or attend one in person.

It was with that in mind, that sent me back to campus last Saturday for IUSB's Senior Day 2005.

The program is different than when I was there. They've got their own on-campus facility. But fan/student interest wanes. It sucks, too. Granted, it's NAIA, but still. I digress.

I commend the athletics department for doing their absolute best to put on a professional operation. In many respects, I think they do a great job. I only wish SOMEBODY would light a fire under that student body!

As for their announcer....well, I'd bet he's a college student. And I'd bet he's friends with people in the program. I don't think I'd ever say it to his face, but he needs to at least make an attempt at professionalism, in my opinion.

Everything seems like a big joke to him. He's not very good. He doesn't have a very good voice. He doesn't coordinate the music very well, so there's lots of dead air. In short, he's pretty Bush League.

Grow up, son. And take it seriously. You can certainly have fun at it and even sneak in a one-liner or two. But don't shirk your duties. It's an embarrassment to the team.

I'd ditch him next year, if I were that A.D. If you want to be taken seriously, you've got to ditch the Mickey Mouse nonsense.

Fortunately, the women's team won while I was there. The men's team got rolled. IUSB's women's team has been dominant in their conference for the past 10 years. The men's team? Well...

I hear they're hiring their coaches full-time next season. That's quite a turn for this program. Now lets' hope they start building a following and growing that program.

Man, what I would do with that program if given the opportunity...