Well, it was a nice conversation although it was a long time coming. It’s always good to catch up with former basketball assistant Arvid Koopman! Even though he used to be a quick find n Brownwood, his wife moved to Dallas and finally decided to take him with her in the last couple of years. Arvid is a good old boy and he, like me, couldn’t figure out where all the coaches came from. You watch a NCAA Division I basketball game and all you see is coaches! Coaches! Bob Derryberry had one. Glen Whitis had one. This thing looks like you go through the stands and just ask somebody if they’d like to coach in this game, then everybody that raises their hand apparently gets a uniform for the game that says “I’m a coach because I look like the big guy”. It’s unbelievable. I assume that good old boys are making a killing and like I told Arve, that’s got to be $100,000 a year. I don’t know what they do. They clutter up the sidelines and that’s the only thing I can tell.
Texas – Texas – before I get to the other good news – Texas came from off the grid if you will. Texas has qualified for the Regional Tournament. That’s the final sixteen – the “Sweet Sixteen”. Texas came from an unqualified start, which means that you are an automatic out because you qualify as a number off the qualifying grid, and you play like you qualify and then you either get in or you’re out. Texas won the first game, then won the second, then won the third. They had to play three and not two the first week, and they came from off the grid to qualify. They’ll be fun to watch.
The second great story is Arkansas. I told you they are my pick to win. They may not do it but at least they’re in the running! They’re one of sixteen left in the tournament but they’ll run into Michigan and people like that and they’ll be heavy, heavy underdogs. At least they’re there! Whether or not they play more, that remains to be seen.
On the women’s side I’ve been asked if I’m going to put out a bracket and I said, “No”. I will tell you this much, Texas will win. I just can’t help but believe that Texas will win but I’m not sure that they will. I’ve come to the point and I did this several years ago, that as long as she’s coaching and putting on a show, I can’t pull for LSU! So, it will have to be somebody beside LSU. Go Horns! Go somebody! Go anybody but LSU!
So it goes. Let’s see if we’ve got everybody in place. Texas to win it on the women’s side. On the men’s side, still a long way to go and we’ll get there, but who it is will be some kind of battle. I think Texas will give them a battle. Arkansas will give them a battle. That’s it, but they don’t look quite as good as they did at one time.
Until next time, so long everybody.
***
‘Out of the Box’ with Dallas Huston is published each Monday morning at BrownwoodNews.com. Dallas was the radio voice of the Brownwood Lions and Howard Payne Yellow Jackets for more than 55 years. He currently hosts a Men’s Bible Study in Brownwood on Monday evenings. Your comments are welcome at lindalh2@verizon.net.