NCAA Action Starting Up Again!!

It has been a long, fun summer of professional sports. Major League Baseball pennant races have been close, golf and tennis majors have been exciting, football training camps have begun, and many more entertaining developments. Yet for many, there is nothing like the thrill of college athletics.

College programs have been teasing us with stories here and there, but starting this week here in Carbondale, the action will heat up as teams begin practicing for the fall season. Saluki football gets ready for the final season at McAndrew Stadium. It will be fun to see coach Dale Lennon's squad back on the field and looking to defend their conference title.

Don't forget about the Saluki volleyball team. Coach Brenda Winkeler enters her fifth season and the team has increased its win total every year during that time. They still remain in the middle of the pack in the MVC, but there has been plenty of improvement over the years. The atmosphere of Davies Gym makes the team very fun to watch as well.

It is also very good for us media folks in a college town. Yes, there is plenty of love here in southern Illinois for the Miners, St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs, but the main focus is on the college sports. With practices starting Monday, there will be plenty of news to feed the hungry Saluki fans.

Oh, and don't forget about the high school sports as well. August is a wonderful time of year, and as the professional sports keep rolling along, the NCAA and IHSA will provide even more entertainment for the southern Illinois fans.

Of Chris Lowery, Marcus Belcher and Other SIU Coaches

Remember when I said Rodney Watson is not walking through that door. Well, that still holds true. Apparently, though, Marcus Belcher will be.

It looks like Chris Lowery will be keeping it in the family by hiring the former Saluki point guard who is expected to be the team's newest assistant coach. Belcher was the starting point guard on the 2002 Sweet Sixteen team and recently assisted Marty Simmons at the University of Evansville.

Let the record show his UE Twitter account is blank and his coach profile page on the Purple Aces Web site has disappeared. Sounds like he's up and moving to me.

In this thread, fans do not seem to be fond of the hire.

It's tough to judge a relatively young coach, but SIU might be playing with fire as it has a relatively young staff for a team that will return a core of youngsters including Freshman of the Year Kevin Dillard and fellow freshmen impact players Anthony Booker and Ryan Hare ... not to mention sparkplug Nick Evans.

But like I said in the lead, Rodney Watson's don't grow on trees. And who's to say Belcher won't be at SIU for 20-plus years? (Conveniently ignores the fact that this is Belcher's fourth assistant coaching job since 2005).

Oh, and do not expect Lowery to just hand the associate head coach title to just anyone. Lowery said several factors went into giving Watson the title a few years ago. Factors including his loyalty to the program, knowledge of southern Illinois and the respect he had garnered in his years at SIU.

Now, the Salukis' longest tenured assistant is Brad Korn (5 years at SIU) and its most experienced assistant is Lance Irvin (16 years at various schools).

Making the post-Rodney Watson transition even more difficult is the fact that Lowery will be traveling to assist Team USA's U-19 team. In his stead, Irvin will take over the operations in Carbondale.

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And before you ask, no, SIU is not done on the 2009 recruiting trail according to Lowery. Yes, signing day has come and gone. But there are still guys who have yet to qualify and "quality players" that are still unsigned. But Lowery did say the team does not want to put itself in a position in making a questionable or regrettable signing.

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Thumbs up to C-Lo for acknowledged as being on the cusp of being one of the nation's best 25 coaches. Thumbs down for not knowing Lowery does not coach at Illinois State.

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Am I the only person who thinks it is cool that SIU women's hoops head coach Missy Tiber is on Twitter? Maybe. Am I the only person who cares she is on Twitter? Probably. Still, I'm fond of the social networking tool.

Heck, it's on our sidebar. Damn right I'm fond of it.

I think this is a brilliant brain child of marketing guru Mark Gadzik. Marketing SIU is a tough job, but anytime you can put your name out there it has got to be a good thing.

In chats with Tiber, I feel as if she is doing a good job of selling the program thus far. Whether it has been keeping key recruit Kat Garcia and bringing in the talented Teri Oliver or going out and doing meet-and-greets.

All in an effort to bring some sunlight to a program she said has been 'living in a box' in recent years.

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Is it football season yet? I'm just dying to know what Dale Lennon, Phil Longo and Bubba Schweigert have up their collective sleeves for the 2009 Saluki football team.

Wrapping up the semester that was

Another Sean McGahan production.

All good things must come to an end, and that's unfortunate because I have loved my time at the DE this semester, and really, this year.

But let's just focus on this semester, shall we?

The semester began with one big question mark: who was going to be the SIU football team's starting quarterback. Whether it was Joe Allaria or Chris Dieker, whoever won the job had to fill in the gigantic cleats of Nick Hill and Joel Sambursky.

I though Allaria was an easy choice early because of his athleticismm, but Dieker impressed with his grasp of the offense and ended up winning the job and leading the Salukis to a Missouri Valley Football Conference title.

The Cubs-Cardinals rivalry is a heated one, no doubt. But mix in some college kids and a little booze and things really get testy. On what was a slow day in SIU sports, Brian Feldt and I mixed it up over our favorite baseball teams. P.S.: Yes, dueling columns are fun.

You know what else is fun? Superstitions. I would go on the record and say that Stile Smith was our Rookie of the Year and MVP because without him, who knows how the sports desk would have shaped up. His superstitions story was one of the best pieces any of us have written this semester.

Nothing says football like the relationship between a coach and his quarterback. The 1983 National Champion SIU Salukis were no different. Quarterback Rick Johnson and head coach Rey Dempsey led the Salukis to their success and no one is sure they could have done it without one another.

Oh yeah, Johnson and Dempsey were on the sidelines as sophomore kicker Kyle Dougherty nailed the "kick heard 'round the 'dale" in SIU's 27-24 win against No. 5 Northern Iowa.

The SIU men's basketball team was tabbed to finish second in the MVC, thanks in part to the return of head coach Chris Lowery, senior point guard Bryan Mullins and a highly touted freshman class. Only time will tell how it all shakes out. We aren't even in conference season yet.

With a stout 3-4 defense, the SIU football team had little trouble stopping teams who were one-dimensional running squads. However, the Salukis struggled at times against potent passing attempts. Enter stage left South Dakota State University quarterback Ryan Berry, the Valley's most prolific passer. But it was a late interception by James Wheeler that sealed the win for the Dawgs.

The game of the year might have been the Salukis' final regular season game as a Ryan Kernes overtime touchdown catch clinched a share of the MVFC championship and the automatic bid for the playoffs. Even though I wasn't there, it was cool to get the text message updates towards the end of the game.

Oh, and there was that trip to New York City. These are all memories I will never forget.