State Players of the Year in Basketball and Volleyball

Hayley Frank, Aminu Mohammed, Birdie Hendrickson

Missouri Gatorade Players of the Year in Basketball Hayley Frank (Strafford), and Aminu Mohammed (Greenwood), join us along with Volleyball Player of the Year Birdie Hendrickson (Logan-Rogersville) and shared their insights on their sport. They also gave out some valuable advice to young athletes and we took a peak at their future. All three athletes exhibited positive gratitude for their success and appreciation for those along the way that have helped them on their journey. Gatorade Players of the Year are judged on sport skill, academics and character and all three of these athletes have excelled in each area. Our congratulations to these role models and best wishes in their future endeavors.

Next week, we catch up with Danita Moore, St. Louis area official and talk about her career. We will also have our resident NCAA expert, Coach Mike Keltner, and chat up his previews on the NCAA Final Fours.

Lady Panthers in the HOUSE!

Coach Molly Miller, Daejah Bernard, Hailey Diestelkamp, Paige Robinson, Peyton Richards, Brooke Stanfield, and Lauren Holmes

Coach Molly Miller brought in six of her Drury Lady Panthers as we celebrated their #1 National ranking, their undefeated season SO FAR, their trip to the Elite Eight this weekend, their defense causing 1,000 turnovers, and I could go on and on with numbers and accolades, but at the end of the day these ladies just love to compete. They love to win and they love to play together. It was evident that they respect each other on and off the floor and have a common vision and mission this season. Daejah Bernard, Hailey Diestelkamp, Paige Robinson, Peyton Richards, Brooke Stanfield, and Lauren Holmes all shared their love of the game, team, and how motivated they have been to be the best team they possibly can be. Each owning their roles and staying focused as they continue to shine Drury in the national spotlight.

We also send a huge congratulations out to the Missouri State University Women’s Team for making it to the NCAA Tournament and winning the Missouri Valley Tournament!

Next week, Missouri Gatorade Players of the Year will be here! We welcome Hayley Frank and Aminu Mohammed.

Show Me the Showdowns!

Shane Friebe, Carter Riggs, Corey Riggs

ShowMe Showdown for Class 1, 2, and 3 is in the books and Class 4 and 5 are this weekend. Corey Riggs and Shane Friebe joined me as we recapped last weekend and previewed this coming weekend. Co-host Carter Riggs was a huge help, too! Congratulations to all of the State Champions and teams in the Final Fours - you represented your schools and communities well!

Yes, I have to say it for so my son doesn’t get mad….a special congratulations to Hayden and his Greenwood Bluejays team! Good luck to all of the Class 4 and 5 teams!

It's ShowMe Showdown time!

Jason West, Dr. Kerwin Urhan, Kevin Garner

What an exciting time of year! This weekend the Class 1, 2, and 3 high school basketball teams of the Missouri State High School Activities Association will crown new state champions, while Class 4 and 5 will hand out titles next weekend. We had the triple threat in studio with Executive Director Dr. Kerwin Urhan, Assistant Executive Director Kevin Garner, and Communications Director Jason West. Go to MSHSAA.org for all of the information.

Next week, we will catch up with the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association and Executive Director Denny Hunt about the awards and recognitions they have coming up.

Thank you, also, to President Clif Smart for speaking to our mentoring group, CHAMPS!

Batter Up! Yep...it's that time again!

Lucas Harrell and Bill Rowe

Spring training has arrived! This strong tradition for so many has become a routine vacation because of many reasons, but mainly because fans get the sneak peak at their favorite players and teams. Coaches get to experiment with different rotations and positions and players get to feel some heat while they battle for positions, levels, and spots on that major roster. It also helps that the weather is spectacular in Florida and Arizona! Former Missouri State University Coach and Athletic Director Bill Rowe joins us along with former veteran Major League Baseball player Lucas Harrell. Lucas gives us his insight into how players prepare and view spring training.

Next week, we will have the Missouri State High School Activities Association gurus in studio to promote and discuss the ShowMe Showdowns coming up as each classification gets to crown their next state basketball champion. Kerwin Urhan, Kevin Garner, and Jason West will be with us in studio.

Suit Up! From the Arenas to Boardrooms

Joe Turner, Jodie Adams, Dwain Banner

In this episode, we explore the obvious statement of why athletes make the best employees. Joining us on our panel: President and CEO (and presenting sponsor for our show!) from Great Southern Bank Joe Turner, Missouri State University professor and retired Director of Springfield-Greene County Parks and Recreation Department Jodie Adams, and Owner of Creator Designs and Creator Delights Dwain Banner. We explore Christina DeMarias article on inc.com “Seven Reasons that Athletes Make the Best Employees” while each executive expressed the important characteristics of valuable employees. No surprise that the intangibles expressed are the same characteristics that one may obtain from being involved in co-curricular activities. Our panel did an excellent job dissecting these traits and relating them to how they may serve us as we move throughout our career endeavors. My thanks to an excellent panel and their insights!

Next week, Spring Training is here! Baseball season has arrived and we are going to speak with Bill Rowe about the importance of Spring Training to Major League Baseball and to Lucas Harrell and get a players perspective of what it means for team development.

Final Four and CHAMPS

Dr. Julie Leeth, Becky Oakes, and Greg Stephenson

In this fun episode we learned from former Executive Director of the Missouri Sports High School Activities Association, and retired National Federation administrator, Becky Oakes how YOU can be involved as a team host at this years Show Me Showdowns in March. Listen to the details she gives and call the Springfield Sports Commission to apply!

We kept Becky around and spoke with her, Greg Stephenson, and Dr. Julie Leeth about the new local mentoring program they are involved in called CHAMPS. We learned about the mission, vision, logistics and explored how important it is to have a mentor and even more important to BE a mentor.

Next week, we are going to make an obvious statement. We are going to talk about how athletes make the best employees to hire and to prove it we are going to speak with three highly successful business executives. Joe Turner from Great Southern Bank will be here! Along with Missouri State University professor and retired Springfield-Greene County Parks Director Jodie Adams, and owner of Creator Designs and Creator Delights Dwain Banner. Wednesday, February 20, 2019 from 6:00-7:00pm on JOCK 98.7FM.

Catching Up With....Former FB Bears!

Ryan Touhey

In this episode, we first hear from Seattle Seahawk player and former Lebanon High School and University of Missouri standout Justin Britt about his career and how he keeps his career rolling in the NFL.

Then we caught up with former All-Missouri Valley Conference Missouri State Football Bears, Ryan Touhey-who coached after his college career and is now successful in the medical field-and Jason Whittle-Missouri Sports Hall of Famer and 11 season veteran of the NFL and is now successful in Real Estate. We spoke about their time with the Bears and how it has continued to shape them as men, husbands, and fathers. Each one is also a sports parent and is enjoying their new role in sports. Coach Jesse Branch also joined us as our surprise celebrity guest and talked about why he recruited each of these talented players and how proud he is of the men they have become.

Next week, Becky Oakes joins us as we talk about team hosts for the Final Four teams and a new mentoring program in the area called CHAMPS.

NFL Discussions with Dean

Dean Blandino

In this episode, former Vice President of NFL Officiating and current Fox Sports Rules Analyst Dean Blandino shares his interpretations and insights in to professional and college officiating. Mr. Blandino does an excellent job expressing the process and procedure of trying to get the calls right. We appreciated his in depth review of recruiting quality officials, getting the calls to be as accurate as possible, preparing for the Super Bowl, and evaluating multiple angles in order for officials to be a vital part of the National Football League. We covered a lot in this episode! Our gratitude to Mr. Blandino.

Staying with our Super Bowl fever, next week, Seattle Seakhawk, and Lebanon High School graduate, Justin Britt joins us. We also catch up with former NFL player Jason Whittle along with former Missouri State player Ryan Touhey in our “Catching up with…” segment. We will see what these former Bears have been doing since representing Missouri State University on the field. Wednesday nights - 6:00-7:00pm on JOCK 98.7FM.

Catching up with Callie

Callie Carroll and Nate Lucas

Tonight we caught up with the multi-talented Callie Carroll on her path as a producer, anchor, reporter, reality star, and now, back home with the Bears as the Director of Athletics Development. Check out her role on “Breaking Greenville” on Amazon! My thanks to Callie for her time and conversation. Also, thank you to the accomplished Nate Lucas as my co-host in this episode. We always appreciate his discussion and two cents!

Next week…it is SUPER BOWL time! We are going to look at a few angles that relate to the Super Bowl.

3...2...1...It's Tournament of Champions Time!

Andy Taylor and Don Louzader

Josh Scott, Marty Marsh

What a fun show! One of the best, and highest attended, high school basketball tournaments is coming up this weekend (1/17-1/19), the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions (TOC) at JQH Arena! My thanks to Marty Marsh and Josh Scott for providing the tournament information and team previews. Thank you to my co-host, Don Louzader and the TOC Stadium Announcer, Andy Taylor for talking about the added energy and entertainment for the tournament. Thank you to Don and Andy, too, for showing me “how it is done” in our voice off contest. Two legendary talents and tremendous gentlemen!

Next week, Nate Lucas co-hosts as we catch up with Callie Carroll. Wednesday nights, 6:00-7:00pm on JOCK 98.7FM.

This Just In.....Broadcasters in the Studio!

Don West, Scott McCauley, Trevor Casterlin

What a fun show, reminiscing on memories of games, teams, and experiences throughout the decades of covering sports. Don West, Scott McCauley, and Trevor Casterlin showed that they are definitely used to on air chemistry together and had a lot of fun talking about their past broadcasts. We thank these gentlemen for their dedication and energy in covering local high school and college sports.

Next week we will dive into the Tournament of Champions and preview some of the matchups. In two weeks, we are going to catch up with Callie Carroll!

Straight to the Source!

Mikayla Pilley, Collin Clark, Allie Burnett, Tommy Burnett

In this episode, we went straight to the source. We have talked about youth sports and if we are doing it right, but never actually asked any youth athletes! Well, that is not that case anymore! Tonight we had a wonderful panel of insightful and interesting youth athletes, Tommy and Allie Burnett, Collin Clark, and Mikayla Pilley, did a wonderful job of telling us what they expect from coaches, parents, and spectators for a positive experience in youth sports. Awesome job, panel!

Next week, we will catch up with Trevor Casterlin and Don West on what they have seen so far this winter in sports and what is coming up soon. It is always fun to chat with broadcasters, they have the next best seat in the house! Yes….Coaches have the best! HaHa!

The Art of Scouting with College Coaches

Coaches Caira Dortch, Chuck Hepola, and Kelsey Keizer

In this episode, we study a vital variable in successful coaching and that is the art of scouting your opponents. All of the hours of film, the thousands of variables observed and documented and compiling all of it for the ultimate game plan that gives your team the advantage. Coach Chuck Hepola from Evangel University football, Coach Caira Dortch from Southwest Baptist University Volleyball, and Coach Kelsey Keizer from Southwest Baptist University Women’s Basketball give us a small peak into their scouting style and routines. These college coaches, known for their diligent preparation, shared valuable tips on scouting and how they utilize it as a part of their success.

Next week, we have had series on youth sports and if we are doing it right…well, we are going right to the source to find out if we are! We will have youth athletes on and talk about their experience so far in sports. Happy New Year, everyone!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...and Holiday Tournament Time!

In this episode, we preview the traditional holiday tournaments in the southwest Missouri area. The Pink and White Lady Classic has a terrific field this year and Tournament Coordinator Marty Marsh gave an excellent preview of this historic girls tournament. Robert Vestal, local basketball historian, helped us preview the Blue and Gold and gave us a top ten of fun facts about the Blue and Gold. At Parkview, the Kinloch Wrestling Tournament will be in full swing and Coach Willie Russell previewed it for us.

Spend time with family and friends and enjoy this holiday season….then catch some great action in the area! Next week…the art of scouting! Happy Holidays, everyone!

Suit Up! It's Gear Time!

Bryan Tucker

My gratitude to BSN Representative Bryan Tucker for talking with us tonight about sports equipment and gear, plus (bonus!) bringing in trivia questions and giving away some very cool stuff! He also talked about what it was like to be a sports parent at the high school and college level with his talented sons and offered some valuable advice. Great show because of a great guest!

Next week….it’s tournament time!!! We will preview the traditional holiday tournaments, Blue and Gold, Pink and White Lady Classic, and others around the area, plus the Kinloch Wrestling tournament! In two weeks, the art of scouting, thanks for listening, Wednesday’s from 6:00-7:00pm on JOCK 98.7FM.

Stan Van Gundy!

Coach Stan Van Gundy speaking at the MBCA Clinic, September 2018

On this episode, we welcomed long time NBA coach and current ESPN Analyst, Stan Van Gundy. We discussed a wide range of topics including his career, college basketball, NBA basketball, and he answered questions sent in by high school basketball players. Coach Van Gundy did an excellent job sharing his experiences and perspective.

Next week, Bryan Tucker will be here from BSN with some cool gear to give away with trivia questions. In two weeks, we will have a coaches panel on the art of scouting. Thanks for listening!

Know your rules...

My thanks to MSHSAA Assistant Executive Director Kevin Garner and Southwest Missouri Coordinator of Officials and MSHSAA Observer Kelly Holt for clarifying and interpreting the new rule changes and reminders for points of emphasis for this high school basketball season. We were able to review and refresh on some of the rules of the sport.

Next week, NBA Coach Stan VanGundy will join us to talk about the state of college and professional basketball. We will talk about his career and what direction he sees the NBA heading. Join us on Wednesday’s from 6:00-7:00 pm on JOCK 98.7FM.

Kelly Holt

Springfield Area Sports HOF Board Members at Ebbett's Field!

Tonight we hosted a room full of sports contributors. The Springfield Area Sports Hall of Fame Board of Directors met and then stayed for the show which was on location at Coach Terry Allen’s own Ebbett’s Field. We had several there that joined us on air to answer questions and play Head’s Up, sports style. Art Hains (who was crowned champion of the games), Corey Riggs, Don West, Tom Mast, Ray Meyer, Bill Rowe, Mark Stillwell, and Tim Blasi all braved the airways while Lynne Miller, Don Keaton, Ned Reynolds, Becky Oakes, and Ron Snodgrass cheered them on. It was a successful night and I appreciated the good sports!

Next week - Ever have a coach that was also a great mentor? Want to thank them? Write a paragraph giving an example and send it in to acoachsperspective@gmail.com and we will show coaches some gratitude next week.

"Coach, I was wondering....."

Thank you to all that sent in questions for our college coaches panel. Our panel did an excellent job contributing to the questions. Missouri State Softball coach Holly Hesse, Missouri State Track and Field coach Jordan Fife, and Drury University Wrestling coach James Reynolds gave some excellent insight and advice. Listen to it under Previous Shows or on Apple iTunes Podcast.

Next week, we are going on location! We will be at Ebbett’s Field from 6:00-7:00 and will be visiting with the Springfield Area Sports Hall of Fame board members. There are so many potential interviews that I cannot even begin to list the names! Join us next Wednesday night on JOCK 98.7FM.