The week opened with the Red Wolves women’s basketball team falling to South Dakota State 42-55, and the men’s basketball team enduring a 105-76 loss to the Wisconsin. Normally, such failures of production might be seen as a herald of doom. Not so for Arkansas State! For the Red Wolves, it was simply a matter of eating its frogs first.

On Wednesday, head coach Bryan Hodgson announced that super-stud 6’11 forward Josh Hill had officially signed with Arkansas State, making him either the highest ranked or second highest ranked basketball recruit to ever darken the university’s doors. (There seems to be compelling evidence suggesting that Chris Dillard, recruited in 1987, was a choicer recruit.)

Still, Hill is a major coup for Hodgson, who wasn’t satisfied with resting on that particular laurel. Later, Top 200 and 3-star recruit R’Chaun King surprised the fanbase with his commitment to Arkansas State, strengthening a 2024 recruiting class that is (however temporarily) ranked 46th in the nation.

In celebration of these achievements, head women’s basketball coach Destinee Rogers delivered the Sun Belt’s first victory of the MAC vs Sun Belt Challenge, a splendid 75-62 win before an F’N Bank Center filled with screaming grade-schoolers. The team was led by what can only be described as an epic performance from local legend Izzy Higginbottom, who offered 31 points, 4 steals and 8 boards.

All of this good stuff culminates this Saturday, starting at 11:00 AM, when the A-State men’s basketball team challenges Bowling Green, picked to finish 6th in the MAC this season, but also picked by Vegas to win this game. We shall see.

Later in the day, Red Wolves football suits up at 4PM in its magic quest to secure a sixth victory on the season, needing only to accomplish this feat by plowing through South Alabama, a team Arkansas State hasn’t defeated in their last four tries. Nonetheless, Butch Jones’ team is riding upon a crest of confidence having just recently dispatched Louisiana. The stakes are high. The viewing is must.

It’s been some time since Red Wolves fans could feel positive energy emitting from multiple sporting fronts. Let’s all take take the moment to absorb its nourishing radiation.

PHOTO CREDITS: Carla Wehmeyer