NAIA TOURNAMENT NOTEBOOK:Lions’ sock hop has color

JACKSON, Tenn. — Russ Davis is in his 11th season at Vanguard University, where he has created one of the most successful women’s basketball programs in NAIA Division I.

But after Friday’s 66-57 second-round win over Oklahoma City, he jokingly admitted he has lost all control of his players.

The genesis of Davis’ admission was a discussion of the varieties of socks the Lions wear in games. Some players pull navy blue socks up high, like soccer players, while others wear different styles of white sox with horizontal colored stripes, ranging from navy blue to light blue to yellow.

“There’s no rhyme or reason to it and that’s what’s so great about it,” said senior Kelly Schmidt, who along with junior Jessica Richter and senior Tiari Goold giggled upon the mention of their socks before a postgame gathering of media.

“I remember the day when I used to have some kind of a say on how we all looked the same,” Davis said with a broad smile. “But somehow I lost that.

“I don’t even look at their socks any more,” Davis said. “I think it’s funny that a lot of things changed when Jess and Tiari came here. Everybody has nicknames now, and they’re all wearing different colored socks. We’ve got themes. We’ve got all kinds of different things.”

Schmidt said her use of the high navy blue soccer socks Friday was mandated by a laundry mishap.

“Somebody put blue in with the whites, and my [white] socks turned grey, so I had no choice,” she said. “If you look good, you’re going to play well.”

SCOUTING REPORT

The Trevecca Nazarene Trojans (27-6), top-seeded Vanguard’s opponent in today’s noon quarterfinal at Oman Arena, were ranked No. 9 in the final NAIA Division I poll. It was the 73rd straight poll in which the Trojans have been in the top 25. The last time they were not in the top 25 was February, 2001.

They were led in the regular season by 6-foot sophomore Jennifer Bognar (14.5 points per game), while Mariska Reed (14.1), Abby Lawson (12.7) and Kristin Archie (11.2) also averaged in double figures.

In two NAIA Tournament games, however, Lawson, a 5-10 freshman who comes off the bench, is averaging a team-high 16.5 points, after averaging 19 points in three TranSouth Athletic Conference Tournament games.

Reed is averaging 15.5 points in the first two NAIA Tournament games, while Bognar and Archie are scoring just 7.5 per contest in Oman Arena.

Trevecca lost to Jackson-based Union University, the No. 2 seed and the two-time defending national champion, in the conference tournament final. The Trojans are 1-2 against Union this season, including a 69-63 conference win on Jan. 6.

Trevecca has been as far as the quarterfinals the last two seasons, but lost both times.

NOT QUITE GOLDEN

The first round proved difficult for the Golden State Athletic Conference, as Vanguard was the only one of its five teams in the tournament to advance.

Point Loma Nazarene, the GSAC runner-up, which was ranked No. 7 in the final NAIA Division I poll, was upset Thursday night by Westminster of Utah, 53-39.

No. 13-ranked Azusa Pacific fell to Langston of Oklahoma, 77-74, Thursday, while No. 25 Westmont was ousted by Trevecca Nazarene, 67-53, Wednesday.

The Master’s, which was unranked but advanced to the semifinals last year, was eliminated, 86-55, by Union Wednesday night.

SOME UPSET SPECIALS

Some other notable first-round games included No. 4-seeded Lee University of Tennessee falling, 81-73, in overtime to unranked Brescia of Kentucky Thursday.

Montana Western, ranked No. 8 in the final NAIA Division I poll, No. 10 Cumberlands of Kentucky and No. 15 Freed-Hardeman of Tennessee were also first-round victims.

SETTING THE TONE

NAIA Tournament public-address announcer Mike Gillespie, in his 18th year, worked his 500th tournament game Friday morning, then was at the microphone for No. 501 as Vanguard defeated Oklahoma City.

Gillespie, 60, a pastor at a church in Georgia who once was pastor at a Jackson church, is best-known to tournament fans for the synonyms he uses for three-pointers. When a player connects from three-point range, Gillespie is likely to blare: Touchdown, hat trick, home run, or downtown.

BARRY FAULKNER is on assignment at the NAIA Tournament. He can be reached via e-mail at [email protected].