TD Place, a very experienced coaching staff and

You dont know them. Not many people do. Days… Weeks… Months… Almost a year has gone by and still… you dont know them. The legendary Robert Montgomery Knight, aka, The General, one of the winningest coaches in college basketball history, strolls in to inspect the troops. He came to see them, to share his wisdom before they march into madness… to see who exactly this rag-tag bunch of players, not blue bloods… scrappers… fighters… winners, were. Coach Knight, the leader of the last college team to go undefeated and win an NCAA title, the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers, shows up at practice in late February to tell them to take it "one game at a time". He is a fan of how they play. "Play Angry". The 2013-2014 Wichita State mens basketball team does just that. But more importantly, plays hard, plays tough and plays together, leading to an NCAA-record 30-0 regular season mark under head coach Gregg Marshall. Saturday, March 1, 2014: Charles Koch Arena, Wichita, Kansas: Senior Night. The final matchup before the conference tourney and the opponent Missouri State is no easy out for the Shockers. This is also the final home game for two Canadian senior forwards, Chadrack Lufile, as well as his best friend, a young man whose last name is famous, not only in the state of Kansas, but on a couple continents, Nick Wiggins. Nick has a younger brother, Andrew who you may know, playing in the same state only two and half hours away, for a program so steeped in tradition, the inventor of basketball was the first head coach of the Kansas Jayhawks, fellow Canuck James Naismith. I got on the phone with Nick Wiggins and Chadrack Lufile post-practice this week to talk life in the shadows and possibly shocking the world. Did you guys know one another before signing at Wichita State? NW: Weve known one another since we were teenagers. CL: We actually went to the same junior college together at Vincennes in Indiana. NW: I signed first. I didnt force him to sign or anything… just told him it would be special for us to go together. Why Wichita State? CL: Nick had narrowed his choices down to Baylor and Wichita State. He talked about his visit, how they treated him, the ambitions of the coaches and players. There was just a feeling; a good feeling about it all. Once Nick decided, I was in, too. We had to take advantage of what looked like a great opportunity in front of us. NW: When we first got here, first couple years, we didnt play as much as wed have liked to but it was always about team. Still, it was tough at times, knowing you could help the team on the court more. CL: My Dads a minister. He has a huge influence on all that I do. Once, wed lost three straight, neither one of us was playing a lot and my Dad prayed for us. Not just us, but the team. I remember telling Nick about it. NW: Yeah, I mean we had 7-8 guys on this team last year who could score 20 in any game, but we share the ball. Thats how play. CL: And then we ended up in the Final Four. We believed... If you had to compare your game to any Wichita State great from the past, who would it be and why? NW: So many great players who have come through here. Id say Cleo Littleton. He was known for his defence and for being a great teammate. I think thats me. CL: X! Xavier McDaniel. He and Antoine Carr, another Shockers legend, came in to to see us last year and really instilled in us to "Play Angry". Thats our thing now: Play Angry. He (McDaniel) told me to box out hard, never let anyone get to the ball before I did, rebound strong, run the floor harder than my opponent, be versatile with my game. We emulate the guys who were here before us. They are Shockers for life! What do you say to the pundits who believe 30-0 is a function of you guys playing in the Missouri Valley Conference, the perceived lack in your strength of schedule and not because youre a great team? NW: Schedule us. Everyone talks KU (Kansas), but they wouldnt play us. We wanted to do it at a neutral site, but they didnt want it. Thats ok, people who dont believe mid-majors can compete with major D-1 schools havent really watched us play. They will find out soon enough. CL: Say what you want about our conference or the teams we beat. Just come play us. We feel like we can compete with anyone. We beat the #1 team in the country in Gonzaga in the tournament last year. Ohio State was #7, Pitt #20. Just play us. Do you think you should be ranked #1 in the country? CL: Honestly, I think we should be! NW: We dont really pay it much attention. It could be almost like a distraction. We dont look past anyone. You still gotta win. The team we play our last home game against, Missouri State, is tough. They had us down by like 17 with about 11 minutes to go in the game before we fought back and won. It was a war. Im sure they wont care that its Senior Night for us when we play them again. They wanna win, too! If Wichita State runs the table by winning your conference tourney, should you be a #1 seed for March Madness? NW: We proved all year we should be a #1 seed. I think the selection committee will do the right thing and give us that. We lost some great guys from last years team and still havent skipped a beat or lost a step. Coach Marshall has us prepared. This will be a special ride to go on with this group of guys. Dream Scenario: Clearly winning it all is the ultimate dream. But, if Wichita State had a chance to play Kansas in the final on April 7 in Dallas, why would it be that much sweeter? CL: Lets Go!!! Do you know how hype that would be?!? NW: If they seed us and Kansas in the same region 1-2, wow, the rivalry... My brother. I believe itll happen. State bragging rights. Man, I would have lifetime bragging rights in my house (laughs)!!! CL: Andrew (Wiggins) would come down to chill and hang with us. Id tell him "Youre not ready for us, Bro (laughs)!" Im no genius or anything, but I believe all of this. All the things that are happening with Wichita State are meant to be. I feel like well meet Kansas, God Willing. And God Is Good... James Hoyt Jersey . JOHNS, N. Bob Feller Indians Jersey . General Manager Sam Presti said the three-time All-Star had knee swelling that would not subside, and the procedure was intended to solve the problem. He said doctors determined that a loose stitch was to blame for the swelling, that Westbrooks lateral meniscus has healed properly and the procedure was successful. https://www.cheapindiansonline.com/2468u-shane-bieber-jersey-indians.html .com) - Rajon Rondo turned in a game-high 21 points to go with eight rebounds and seven assists as Dallas claimed a 102-98 win over the Lakers on Friday. Graig Nettles Jersey . 31-Feb. 2. While organizers havent decided if itll be red or green clay, they feel their choice of surface will give the Americans an advantage over Britain, which is expected to be led by defending Wimbledon champion Andy Murray. Jose Cardenal Jersey . The Flames announced Monday that Treliving, a former assistant general manager with the Coyotes, will take over the vacant GM spot in Calgary. "Im ready for this,"Treliving said.I like it, I like it a lot. I am speaking in reference to the city of Ottawa being back in the CFL and the Redblacks in the East. It was approximately two ago years the announcement was made and it looks like all is ready and the plan is active. This will be a challenge on a number of levels. The first is creating a winning football team. Second is creating a home field, stadium feel that pulls people to a game as much as a winning team. When I was young, now many years ago, I went to Exhibition Stadium to see the Argonauts play and Ivor Wynne Stadium to see the Tiger-Cats play as much to be a part of the atmosphere as to see the team win. I liked the crowd, the hot dogs, and the halftime marching band as much as anything on the field. And back in those youthful days it was rough. There were certain sections in both stadiums that if you were looking for trouble, all you had to do was walk through with an attitude and you would be confronted. Yet even with that "fear factor", I loved going to the games. It was an event and an experience. If Ottawa can have success on two levels, a competitive team and empowering atmosphere, this can and will be a success, but you do need both. For those who have never been, Ottawa is a great place. A simple description but accurate, as the city and surrounding area has everything you need. It isnt what I would call an elite athletic mecca of football enthusiasm. It is no Regina, but as far as attracting free agents, Ottawa as a city is as affluent as any in Canada. I am sure that is one of the attractions of the Ottawa ownership group led by Jeff Hunt in that they do have the surrounding environment to progress and grow. And there is no comparison between previous ownership groups and the five main people presently involved, which means everything when times get tough and they always do. The single biggest challenge for Ottawa will be quality depth. Over the course of 18 games the season becomes a battle of physical heath, or maintaining physical heath. I think Ottawa will be able to find 24 good CFL starters but what happens when the starters cant start a specific game?? Is the second team player a competent player or a detriment? Somehow Marcel Desjardins and Rick Campbell have to find players that can play right now.ddddddddddddI guess you could say that about every team but I believe with Ottawa, it is a greater challenge. Other teams usually have a plan of development because they are established teams. Ottawa is not established with veteran status and leadership. It is all new and unique and youth will be more prevalent here than on any other team. It is an operating agenda of complete unknown because there are no previous reference points of success. Very exciting, but also very concerning. From the renovation of Landsdowne Park to the new TD Place, a very experienced coaching staff and management team, to an ownership group of wealth and commitment, a lot of things have gone "right" in Ottawa. The unknown will be the players and how quickly and effectively they work together as a team. You dont always need the best players, but you need players that are at their best working effectively with others. One of the positives that will come to the forefront as the season moves on is that because new players will have the opportunity to play, new stars will shine. New faces with new personalities will emerge and that creates a conversation and attraction. Selling football is about winning, but its also about finding an identity within the city. I am sure many Ottawa sports fans can name more than a few Ottawa Senators players. The same has to happen with the Ottawa Redblacks. They need their players to embody the personality associated to that name. And speaking of names I like, Im bordering on love of the name "Redblacks ." Our colours in Canada are red and white and the black and red fit with the Ottawa Senators. The more the CFL can associate with the NHL, the better in every way, in my mind. For those who dont like it; give it time. The name is open to interpretation within the individual imagination, so however you want to look at it, it is up to you. Too many Lions, Tigers, and Bears. The Redblacks is original and I like it. I like it a lot. ' ' '