Former Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda spoke at Collegiate this morning, ending a 15-minute speech to a standing ovation.
“He’s such a special, special dude,” said Mitch Fiegel, Collegiate athletic director. “He talked about the importance of working hard…. He told the student body, ‘nobody owes you anything. It’s about work and earning what you get.’
“It was a great message. I think our kids were appreciative. They understood they were seeing someone that is more than just baseball. Tommy Lasorda to me has always been someone who stood for what’s right in sports.”
Lasorda came to Collegiate because of his connection to several Collegiate middle school students.
Below is the KBCA’s rankings for this week for both boys and girls basketball. Is there a team you think is too high or too low? A team that should be in the mix?
8:04 pm: I think Terrence Moore just jumped over East’s DeShawn Terrell. I’m not sure, but if he didn’t then he sure got close. It doesn’t look like East has enough in the tank to keep up with Heights. The Falcons are just too good. Heights leads 56-43 with 3:20 left in the game.
I say this often, but one of my truly favorite parts of midseason tournaments are seeing a lot of different players you don’t usually see. And already I’ve seen some excellent players.
At Valley Center on Thursday, I watched Olathe Northwest’s Shavon Shields and Willie Cauley. I know Cauley is going to Kentucky. But he scored 10 points in the first half and didn’t score again (granted, he didn’t play in the final period). But Shields is so much more active and involved.
West isn’t exactly a school known for success in the so-called country club sports, yet here’s senior Staisha Miller, who has signed to play golf at Barton County. She couldn’t even play golf for West, which doesn’t have a team, so she played at Northwest.
She was good enough to earn a scholarship, and that’s impressive.
10:04 pm: Heights defeats Dodge City 47-33 to advance to the title game of the Tournament of Champions. It’s the match-up everybody was wanting to see, and we’re going to get it tomorrow at 6 pm. Wichita Heights vs. Wichita East. What a game that will be. East looks like it has rediscovered itself out here in Dodge, so I’d expect this game to be up-tempo and a thriller. Definitely the most exciting game of the tournament. Oh, by the way Perry Ellis finished with 27 points and 16 rebounds. He’s averaged 27 and 13.5 this tournament, no big deal.
9:59 pm: It’s a final here in Dodge City. The home team defeats Hays 43-36 to advance to the semifinals against Heights tomorrow at 8:30 pm. That will be an interesting match-up. I expect Dodge City to slow the tempo down and try to limit possessions. We’ll see how that strategy works against Heights. I don’t think a team can beat them doing that, but then again what else can you do against the Falcons? It’s a tough predicament, but I suspect Dodge City will give the Falcons a good game. Well, I’m signing off here in Dodge City’s Wireless United Arena from the final game of the first day of the Tournament of Champions.
I am chatting live from 1-2 p.m. today, and I’d love to have you join me. It’s basketball tournament time, so surely we’ll hit on that. It’s midseason wrestling, swimming, bowling is rolling.
