FOR WHAT ITS WORTH
Alcorn State's Braves earned their bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Instead of being rewarded with a bid, they received a sentence.
Alcorn won the SWAC Tournament on Saturday night and bused five hours home on Sunday, arriving just in time to watch the NCAA selection show. The Braves learned they would play Siena in tonight's so-called play-in game at University of Dayton Arena.
So they hurriedly washed clothes and re-packed. They tried to get a flight out of Jackson. No luck. They finally found enough available seats on an early Monday morning flight out of Baton Rouge.
So they had a 2 a.m. wake-up call, bused two hours to Baton Rouge and caught the plane. They switched planes in Atlanta, where ? shock of shocks ? they encountered a delay. Then, they flew on to Cincinnati, where they boarded a bus and got here in time for a short rest and practice. The trip was a 14-hour ordeal. And, remember, that was on the heels of Sunday's bus ride, which followed a stretch where the Braves played seven games in 15 days.
Some of the players slept in snatches, some not at all.
Davey Whitney and his assistant, Samuel West, were up all night, breaking down tape and preparing a scouting report. Whitney, 72, finally dropped off into a deep sleep at 5:30 p.m. Monday. Fifteen minutes later, managers banged on his door to rouse him for practice at 6.
"I was out cold," Whitney said. Some reward.
Siena is fresh
Meanwhile, Siena hasn't played since its conference championship game eight days ago. The Saints, winners of four straight, will play tonight on fresh legs.
Alcorn will play on fumes.
"Somebody has to look at the way this is structured and see if there's any way it can be changed to make it easier on the players," Whitney said. "This is the NCAA Tournament. You want to be at your best. But this is certainly not conducive to playing your best.
"I've told our players that fatigue is a state of mind," Whitney said. "You have to make your body believe it's not tired. I've told our players not to be disappointed in the draw, that there are about 270 teams that wish they were in our position.
"But, honestly, it's scary the fatigue situation we face. But I've got to believe this team will come and fight down to the bitter end."
.
Alcorn State's Braves earned their bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Instead of being rewarded with a bid, they received a sentence.
Alcorn won the SWAC Tournament on Saturday night and bused five hours home on Sunday, arriving just in time to watch the NCAA selection show. The Braves learned they would play Siena in tonight's so-called play-in game at University of Dayton Arena.
So they hurriedly washed clothes and re-packed. They tried to get a flight out of Jackson. No luck. They finally found enough available seats on an early Monday morning flight out of Baton Rouge.
So they had a 2 a.m. wake-up call, bused two hours to Baton Rouge and caught the plane. They switched planes in Atlanta, where ? shock of shocks ? they encountered a delay. Then, they flew on to Cincinnati, where they boarded a bus and got here in time for a short rest and practice. The trip was a 14-hour ordeal. And, remember, that was on the heels of Sunday's bus ride, which followed a stretch where the Braves played seven games in 15 days.
Some of the players slept in snatches, some not at all.
Davey Whitney and his assistant, Samuel West, were up all night, breaking down tape and preparing a scouting report. Whitney, 72, finally dropped off into a deep sleep at 5:30 p.m. Monday. Fifteen minutes later, managers banged on his door to rouse him for practice at 6.
"I was out cold," Whitney said. Some reward.
Siena is fresh
Meanwhile, Siena hasn't played since its conference championship game eight days ago. The Saints, winners of four straight, will play tonight on fresh legs.
Alcorn will play on fumes.
"Somebody has to look at the way this is structured and see if there's any way it can be changed to make it easier on the players," Whitney said. "This is the NCAA Tournament. You want to be at your best. But this is certainly not conducive to playing your best.
"I've told our players that fatigue is a state of mind," Whitney said. "You have to make your body believe it's not tired. I've told our players not to be disappointed in the draw, that there are about 270 teams that wish they were in our position.
"But, honestly, it's scary the fatigue situation we face. But I've got to believe this team will come and fight down to the bitter end."
.
