BCU/Morningside opinion

As most of you know, Briar Cliff came away with a split vs. Morningside tonight. The women lost, but they battled to send the game to overtime and then ran out of gas, which happens. The guys played a good game and I give full credit to the Mustang defense (commit this to memory cause I don't compliment Morningside often) for the good job they did on BCU.

As good as it was to beat Morningside for the third time this year, and in the case of the men's team three games in a row, the main reason for this post is to get on the one aspect of BCU that didn't show up at all during the game... The BLUE CREW.

Now before you start getting on me about the fact that it's finals week, don't even start because I get it. Heck I had two finals today including one that took place during the women's game, but I still found the energy to cheer on the Chargers all night and the fact that the opponent was Morningside gave me even more momentum. But apparently I was the only one who felt that way, because there was no life in the CREW at all tonight.

What happened to the days when opponents would be shaking in fear when they walked into the Newman Flanagan Center because they knew the BLUE CREW would be on them from pregame warmups til the postgame handshakes?

What happened to the days when the BLUE CREW would stand for the WHOLE 40 MINUTES regardless of whether the opponent was Morningside or York College?

Now don't give me that crap about being "too tired" because of studying and taking finals because that is just that CRAP! If you were really that tired, you never should've been at the NFC in the first place. You should've been back in your room sleeping, but you chose to show up to the game and as soon as you walked through those doors, you were expected to bring the noise.

Now maybe the problem is that you hear me use that term and don't know what it means. BRING THE NOISE is defined as making all kinds of noise during sporting events that supports the team you're cheering for and demoralizes the team you're cheering against.

Also I heard some people say they were afraid to get into it because their were a couple of policemen at the game. I understand this concern, but let me explain why there is no reason to worry. The police were at that game because of some incidents that have occurred over the years between students from both schools downtown on Saturday nights. Their main reason for being there is to prevent any fights from breaking out between fans and making the NFC look like the 700 Level at Philly's Veteran's Stadium. They will not bother you unless they are provoked which only occurs when heated arguments break out between fans, someone yells an f-bomb or something similar a little too loudly and usually only if it has occurred a couple of times, or if someone runs out on the court for no real reason. They WILL NOT bother you for heckling opposing players, as long as it is clean, chanting AIR BALL, cheering on your team, or standing up during play, not even if the old people complain about it to the cops (trust me I've seen it).

I do realize that some of you weren't here when the CREW was rocking the gym two years ago, but those of you who were here, the seniors and juniors are one of the main reasons this problem has come up. When those upper classmen that led the CREW when we were freshmen and sophomores were underclassmen, they stepped up once the guys they looked up to graduated and moved away, and when guys like Larry Caouette, Adam Robards, Roger Sandau, Anthony Dvorak, Travis Schumacher, Tuba, and "The J-Man" Jason Pulliam graduated two years ago, I knew without them even telling me that it was my time to step up and lead the CREW. The problem is that I seem to be the only one who realized this because not one other senior or junior has stepped up since that night in Orange City when the 2007-08 BCU men's basketball season came to an end.

So for those of you who weren't here, here is how it used to be. The BLUE CREW would stand for the whole game and cheer on the Chargers, acting like the Cameron Crazies jumping up and down when our team was on defense, and heckling the opponents by giving them nicknames like Rogaine, Showoff, etc; insulting them with phrases like Scotty Doesn't Know, or Air Ball; and distracting them during free throws with "The Ric Flair Scream", "Hey (name) I hear your sister's goin' out with Squeak", Psych, and the silent treatment (which was the only thing the CREW did tonight). When it came to Morningside it was even easier because we would use things that they had done downtown against them. We would also travel to road games that were close by like Northwestern, Dordt and Morningside, fill their gyms with Charger blue and out cheer their student sections, including one time at Dordt where there were only two of us because we were in the middle of a break and we still outcheered their student section of 30-40 people.

So the bottom line is that once this season ends, the torch is passed from me and the rest of the seniors to YOU to get this student section into it. And all I've got to ask is... Who's it gonna be? Who is willing to step up to the plate and get this CREW rocking again? Because from what I saw tonight, there is NOBODY willing to do that, and if nobody does than the Newman Flanagan Center will just be another boring crowd in the GPAC, just like Dordt, and just like Northwestern.

I'm DK and that's the 411.

BCU/Morningside

Well, it's that time again, when our Briar Cliff Chargers have to face our "friends" from across town, the Morningside CHIEFS (oops, I forgot they got rid of that name back in the 90s and are now the Mustangs).

When you think about it, our little rivalry with M'side (and any of you that know me know that I have a few different names I call that school that I can't use on this blog) is one of those rare ones in sports. There are not too many rivalries where the two teams are located so close to each other that they are actually in the same zip code and within 10 miles of each other.

When I think of this rivalry in the sport of basketball, my sophomore year (2007-08) is the first year I think of. The reason is simple, we played Morningside three times that year, our traditional two matchups with them in the regular season, and once in the GPAC Tournament semifinals.

Going into the basketball matchups, we had not defeated the Mustangs in any sport during the fall season, the closest opportunities coming in the two volleyball matches where BCU blew a 2-0 lead in games TWICE and in a 1-1 draw by the men's soccer team, and the wrestling team had been blown out in the first duel of the season. The basketball season had some added intensity because BCU guard Ian Banks had transferred to Morningside that summer and although he was required to sit out one season he was still looked on as a traitor by all of us BCU diehard fans.

The first game was played at the Newman Flanagan Center one week after BCU went on Thanksgiving break so only myself and a handful of BCU students were there to watch. The Chargers played well, but Morningside pulled away at the end to win by 12. The main memory I have about that game is the Morningside students at the game chanting "BC-Who" and the huge grin on Ian Banks' face, which made me feel sick.

As the season went on, BCU was beginning to make their presence known to the nation as an up and coming team. Less than a week after the M'side game, they came within a missed Neil Rohe buzzer-beater of defeating #1 MidAmerica Nazarene, and took nationally ranked Bellevue down to the wire. They were also winning GPAC games left and right leading up to the highly awaited rematch vs. Morningside at their house (this was the year before the two schools agreed to move one of the games to Tyson Event Center).

For this game, every diehard Charger fan in the student body crossed the border between the two schools and brought the noise with them (something that the BLUE CREW has lacked in the past two games at HOME). This time BCU was actually staying ahead of the Mustangs who were now ranked #1 in the nation and were undeafeted.

But then something happened that will live on in BCU/Morningside lore for years. With under 10 seconds left in regulation, Briar Cliff had a 3 point lead. Morningside heaved a couple of three point shots that missed but the ball got tipped back to Morningside's Johnson (sorry I can't remember his first name) who shot the ball falling into the crowd just as the buzzer sounded and, in what can only be described as a miracle shot, hit it to send the game to overtime.

The overtime was all Morningside because our boys were just out of gas after that miracle shot went in and Morningside cruised to win and lost only one game the rest of the season to win the GPAC regular season title.

For Briar Cliff, the rest of the regular season was pretty good, but they just couldn't seem to crack the Top 25 because they would lose at the wrong time. Going into the GPAC Tournament, all of us knew that BCU would have to win the whole thing to make the NAIA Divison II tournament in Branson. After a lopsided victory at home vs. Midland, the Chargers pulled out a nailbiter in Sioux Center against Dordt which set up another rematch with Morningside in the GPAC semifinals.

There many things that I will never forget about that day. The first thing was that Briar Cliff was on a break at the time and the dorms would not open until the next afternoon, but all of the best fans that led the BLUE CREW throughout the season were at the game. This included some that returned early from Chicago, Texas etc, and some of the greatest fans Briar Cliff has ever had, Jason "J-Man" Pulliam, Travis Schumacher, Nick West, Jesse Parra, Roger Sandau, and others. This game was a battle like the other two games and, just like the second matchup, came down to the final seconds.

Once again BCU had a three point lead with less than 10 seconds to play and once again Morningside had the last possession. This time however, the Mustangs didn't get a clear shot, the player who shot the ball had to split two Charger defenders and missed. The Morningside fans wanted a foul called on one of the two Charger defenders, but it didn't matter because HIS FOOT WAS ON THE LINE and the shot wouldn't have been enough to tie the game. As soon as the shot missed and the buzzer sounded, all I can remember is, since I was standing in the second row, pushing the student in front of me so I could get on the MORNINGSIDE court to celebrate with the rest of the BCU students and players who were already on the floor.

Even though that BCU team didn't make the NAIA Tournament, those matchups with Morningside were as good as any fan could ask for.

I'm DK and that's the 411

BCU vs. Northwestern

When most people think about Briar Cliff rivalries, the first team that comes to mind is that team on the other side of Sioux City, the Morningside Mustangs. While that rivalry is "the big one" now, that has not always been the case. While the Chargers and Mustangs have faced each other since BCU first started their athletic program in 1966, for the first 30+ years those matchups were only significant for bragging rights because, at the time, Morningside was a member of NCAA Division II while Briar Cliff has always been a member of the NAIA so games were only scheduled when it was convienent for both schools.

Prior to Morningside joining the NAIA in 2003, the biggest NAIA rival for Briar Cliff was the Northwestern Red Raiders, and without a doubt, the sport that brings out the most competiveness in this rivalry has always been basketball. Both teams have historic baskteball traditions that include numorous NAIA National Tournament appearences, numorous seasons where their teams were ranked in the NAIA National Poll, and also times when either team has been ranked #1 in the nation (for those of you who don't know, Briar Cliff's men's basketball team was ranked #1 back in the 1981 final poll. The BCU women were ranked #1 in the late-1990s).

This rivalry has seen its share of great coaches, such as NAIA Hall of Famer Ray Nacke who coached Briar Cliff from the early 1970s to the late-1990s, and Todd Barry who prior to arriving at BCU 6 years ago spent 10 years as the head coach at Northwestern.

It has also seen its share of great players: Ray Nacke's Panamanian Pipeline of the late-1970s and 1980s including Eddie Warren, Mario Butler, Ernesto "Tito" Malcolm, Amado Martinez, Mario Galvez, and Rolando Frazer.

Finally it has seen some unforgettable moments, such as:
2007 when Briar Cliff came up one point short of upsetting Northwestern in Orange City.

The 2008 regular season where Briar Cliff upset #7 Northwestern in the NFC and kicked off a celebration that saw the BLUE CREW storm the court.

The 2008 GPAC Tournament Championship Game where over 150 Briar Cliff students drove through a blizzard to ORANGE CITY to watch the Chargers try and qualify for that year's NAIA Division II Tournament (I will not mention the result of that game).

For many Charger fans, these facts would be enough to get them going. But for me, this rivalry has even more meaning. I was born and raised in Hospers, Iowa, a small town located less than 10 miles away from the Northwestern campus. Many of my friends growing up were Red Raider fans, and some of them are currently students at Northwestern. For me, this rivalry is as big as the one we have with Morningside because when Briar Cliff wins, I have bragging rights over many of my friends back home, and when that doesn't happen, I have to hear about it from those same fans until the next time BCU and Northwestern square off.

So in conclusion, this rivalry with Northwestern is Briar Cliff's oldest, so let's get out there tonight and cheer on our Chargers to victory.

I'm DK and that's the 411!

BCU vs. Morningside

Yesterday, our BCU men's and women's basketball teams came through at the CNOS Classic by sweeping our "friends" from Morningside in a varsity double header for the first time since I've been a student here at Briar Cliff.

For our women's team, this win shows just how far they have come during this season. As most of you probably know, Morningside's women's basketball program is one of the most powerful in NAIA Divison II. They have been to the final four so many times recently that I've lost count and for most of the previous decade they have dominated Briar Cliff. But yesterday, our women proved that this new decade is going to be different. Late in the game, our women were trailing by double-digits to the Mustangs and many of us at Tyson, including myself, thought to ourselves "Here we go again, we gave Morningside a run for it but they're pulling away at the end." Then the Chargers battled back in the final two minutes to score 19 unanswered points to defeat Morningside 74-69.

For our men's team, it was pretty much business as usual, as the Chargers pulled away at the end to defeat the Mustangs 88-69 and capture their 3rd consecutive win over Morningside and their second consecutive win over the Mustangs at Tyson Event Center.

While it was almost impossible for me to be disappointed at all yesterday, I did find something that rubbed me the wrong way. During the women's game, there were only a handful of students in the arena. By the time the men's game started, the two sections behind BCU's basket were packed. I think it is time that the BLUE CREW starts supporting both teams. In past years, when the women's team was struggling to win games, I could understand students coming late to the first game and getting there in plenty of time for the men's matchup, but now that the women's team has found their rhythm and are ranked 15th in the NAIA National Poll, we need to show up and support them just like we do for the men.

Despite this, I'm going to end this post with a positive remark that I thought of when the game was scheduled at Tyson. "Even though it was Morningside's home game. Tyson Events Center is still OUR HOUSE!" This is a reference to the fact that prior to the Newman Flanagan Center opening in the mid-1980s, the Chargers used to play at the Sioux City Auditorium, which is connected to the Tyson Events Center and can be seen in Gateway Arena in the corner where the American flag is located.

I'm DK and that's the 411.