It was nice to be back in Regent't Hall again. For the first 2 years of my college life, NKU played its home games in a gym not much bigger than one some high schools use. But it had a homey feel about it. You didn't get lost in the grandeur and focused on the important things at hand. When it was NKU, the most important part was the game. But last night, the game took a backseat.
Zach Wells really did put together a great event. Though it was in its inaugural year, Zach was able to find some quality names to fill out the rosters. I hope that should this event continue, more people take notice and attend and help out a worthy cause. As I said in previous posts, the event was organized to help raise money for Cystic Fibrosis research. I'll try to update this later, when I talk to Zach and try to get some figures in here. There were raffles and silent auctions. Some of the items included a UC Tony Pike jersey, a UC helmet, an NKU gift basket, 4 tickets to a UC football game, and a Bengals gift basket, including a Domata Peko jersey.
Game action was intriguing. You had guys from 3 different sports, 5 respective teams, a wide range of ages, not to mention 2 broadcasters in the mix. So needless to say, the play was...to use a nice term...inconsistent.
I arrived a few minutes after the opening tip, as I was at my paying job til then. I'm not sure how the teams were chosen, but it seemed to me that the white team had a decided advantage, as they had Brad Johansen, Tony Pike, and Andrew Taylor. I didn't do scientific measurements, but I'd be willing to bet the black team's tallest player was David Fulcher, and he was a good 4 inches shorter than any of those guys on the white team.
What the black team lacked in size, they made up for in spunk. There were a lot of turnovers. I mean A LOT of turnovers. I'm pretty sure there was a 4 minute stretch where neither team scored, they'd just steal the ball, go on a fast break, then the other team would steal it back. However, when they took the time to get set, these guys could really run some offense. There was ball movement. There was some stop-and-go dribble-drives. There were step-back threes. There were "so far back, I can't even see the arc anymore" threes. There were a few fouls called. But for the most part, the teams kept it clean...or at least the refs didn't call too many.
As the game began to wear on in the first half, you could see certain players begin to fatigue as they would call their own substitutions, rather than allow the coaches to do so. Tony Pike began heating up behind the arc, and as I said, with his decided height advantage, was difficult for anyone on the black to contain him. The first half closed with a flurry of scoring, as the white team held a 51-35 advantage. Brad called it a night, as he had to get back to begin writing for the 10 and 11pm news, while Bob Herzog had to hurry home to fall into bed, as he would be doing the morning show a mere 8 hours later.
There were some nice contests for the kids during halftime, giving away some gift certificates. Also, guest celebrity announcer, Reds PA announcer Joe Zerhusen reminded those in attendance that the raffles and silent auctions would close shortly after the second half began.
With the broadcasters safely out of the way, the athletes seemed to take on a little bit more serious tone. Joe Z. put forth a challenge that if former XU guard Pat Kelsey (he of 5'9" stature) were to score a basket in the half, Joe would himself donate $100 on the spot. And of course the next 3 possessions- some of them more brief than others- went to Kelsey, so that he may get a quick layup. A few minutes later, Kelsey called for a seat on the bench, which he was granted. To which Zerhusen remarked comically on microphone "I see. Kelsey gets his 1 basket and he needs a break."
Late in the game, the white team seemingly had things in hand, as Pike was still hot and getting a healthy low-post contribution from former XU standout Michael Davenport. With 12 minutes to go, white team coach Mike Mathis began asking black team coach Alex Meacham if he needed to "borrow one of their white jerseys...you know, to surrender with?" Meacham was not amused and goaded his players to make a comeback, that he may rub it in Mathis' face. At the 5 minute mark, to further jab at Meacham, coach Mathis implored his team, "if the shooter is left-handed, just step back and let them shoot." Despite a valiant late-game shooting spree from former NKU sharpshooter Shannon Minor, the black team comeback fell short, as the white team ended the game with a 105-93 win.
Throughout the entire game, there was a lot of jabs and jawing back and forth, but it was all in good fun and all for a great cause. A few players hung around to take pictures with fans. David Fulcher and James Brooks even signed a few autographs for some folks who came prepared. It was a really cool, laid-back atmosphere, but still a great event. And of course, through the whole night, Zach spent his entire time thanking everyone for coming and helping out however they could. I hope for the sake of Cystic Fibrosis research he's able to make this an annual event. It can only get better.
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