Sun Belt hoops still grandly sucks, but the performance of Red Wolves men’s basketball in recent weeks has compelled me to write something more cheerful. It was only about a month ago when I pronounced A-State basketball an “endangered species.” It may well still be endangered. But something has happened to Arkansas State hoops since dropping two to ULM in Monroe: they’ve become hugely entertaining.
Category Archive: Red Wolves
In 2011, the Red Wolves elevated Hugh Freeze from offensive coordinator to head coach, and Freeze rewarded the […]
Punch “the Policy” right in the junk. The Arkansas State Red Wolves will be playing the Arkansas Razorbacks […]
On May 11, the Red Wolves baseball team will take the bus trip to Fayetteville to meet the Razorbacks on their opulent home diamond. It will be the first time ever that these programs meet, and it’s about time.
Here’s one thing I’ve observed over twenty years of checking in on the sports universe: making war with fans is futile and self-destructive. Fans may be dicks. They might be armchair athletes. They may even post unflattering blog posts, but Fans rule with an We’re #1 Foam-Finger Fist. Provoke them at your own peril.
There is literally nothing to watch: no exciting three-point marksman, no thunder-dunker, no ball-handling wizardry, no clairvoyant teamwork, no selfless defense. The biggest statistical talking point for this team? It gets to the free throw line. In the final minutes against ULM, when the Red Wolves really needed the free throws, Arkansas State was all brick.
The Sun Belt has shed its stepping stone reputation. Let’s not go total Mike Aresco here – top talent won’t end a career in the SBC. But we’re no longer a coach-in-training conference. We’re a portal to big gigs and Top 25 recognition.
Though Anderson sometimes said that Arkansas State was “Building a Monster,” he was not interested in creating monsters out of his players. He was interested in building up men. Let the Saban’s of the world create football machines.
The first game under Coach Perkins was a 0-49 loss to Toledo. The Indians didn’t score a single point until game 4, against Southern Illinois in Jonesboro. I was at that historic game. The moment we scored, a message appeared on the scoreboard “WE FINALLY SCORED!” It was cause for celebration. We rode that score to a 42-38 victory.
Minutes before the game, Red Wolves fans received this special kick to the junk: Immediately, the Warhawks/Red Wolves […]