Around the Horned With Brian Estridge
Jan. 30, 2002
Down the stretch we go: Another disappointing loss, this time to UAB, is fresh on my mind as I sit down to write this column. Yet for some reason, I still hold out hope for this season. Billy Tubbs' team has never quit, never questioned themselves and never lost focus on getting better each game. And I think it is starting to pay off. A tough road stretch to begin the conference schedule has hardened these Frogs. They've learned to play the physical game required in C-USA but haven't compromised their ability to fly up and down the court, a deadly combination when they are hitting on all cylinders. Look for the Frogs to put together a mini-run as they head down the stretch.
Lock him up: The contract extension for Jeff Mittie was a process that began after the NCAA tourney appearance last year, and after all of the negotiating, the recently-signed agreement should keep Coach Mittie in Fort Worth for a long time to come. That's good news for Frog fans!
Everybody's All-American: And while we are on the subject of women's hoops, the campaign to promote Sandora Irvin for Freshman All-American and National Freshman of the Year is well underway. In addition to color postcards mailed to voting media members and coaches, a link from the front page and from the women's basketball page here on gofrogs.com will promote her as well. Be sure and check it out. And if anyone asks you about her, point out that she leads the nation's freshmen in blocked shots and rebounds per game.
On the road again: This group of assistant coaches that Gary Patterson has assembled at TCU continues to pound the pavement in search of the best athletes to wear the Frog purple. And when it is all said and done, this class may just be one of the best in school history. All of these assistants work hard recruiting, but three come to mind as stars in that field--Dan Sharp, David Bailiff and Chad Glasgow. The trio has already helped TCU knock off the so-called "bigger schools" for several players this year. The Frog Club's annual recruiting reception is next Wednesday, February 6, at Colonial Country Club. At the event we will debut the 2002 recruiting classes for football, volleyball and soccer.
Dan moves on: Quarterbacks coach Dan Lounsbury recently accepted the offensive coordinator position at the University of Tulsa after Hurricane head coach Keith Burns came back to him a second time with an offer that he couldn't refuse. The work that Dan did in the passing game for TCU and with the quarterbacks (just look at the improvement of Sean Stilley from 2000 to 2001) is to be commended. When he was introduced at a press conference in Tulsa last week, Tulsa's play-by-play voice Bruce Howard walked up to him and the two immediately knew they had worked together in the past. It seems that early in their careers the two New York natives crossed paths when Lounsbury was the head coach and Howard was the radio voice of an upstate New York semi-pro team.
Frogments: The search for the new volleyball coach is well underway. Look for a decision to come in the near future (FYI, the pool is impressive)...How 'bout this for a welcome into Conference USA, Lance Brown's baseball team faces the preseason numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 and 9 on the road this year, with the conference picks 6, 8, 10, 11, 12 coming to Fort Worth. Let's hope his team enjoys the buses and hotels!...The TCU track and field team unveiled its poster for the upcoming season. The poster features a shot of several team members in the company of a Lockheed Martin fighter jet with the caption "These Frogs Can Fly"...Be sure and make plans to be at the football banquet this year at the Round-up Inn at Will Rogers. That's where we'll debut the latest Mike Martin masterpiece "A Time To Step Up," the 2001 football highlight video...Also, check out the front page of gofrogs.com for information on how to get your tickets to follow the Frogs to Chicago and Cincy for the C-USA basketball tourneys.
