Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Quote of the day 2/4

An error doesn't become a mistake until you refuse to correct it. - Orlando A. Battista

Monday, February 2, 2009

Story from Saturday's Game

Lions do it again, down No. 7 Cumberland

Sat, January 31, 2009 - [MEN'S BASKETBALL]

HENDERSON, Tenn. - Freed-Hardeman senior Kristoffer Smith went 39 minutes and 52 seconds without scoring a point.Turns out he was saving his first basket for the game's most critical time.Smith made a driving floater in the lane with eight seconds left to tie the game at 53-53, then rebounded Quentin Turner's miss with two seconds left to send it into overtime where the Lions would get the upper hand on No. 7 Cumberland (Tenn.) University and pull off a 66-59 upset.

"Bobby Knight said that the mental-to-physical is 4-to-1," said FHU head coach Jason Shelton. "Sometimes it's harder to be mentally tough than physically tough. Tonight we had to be both."

The win, FHU's tenth in a row, gives the Lions (17-6, 9-1) sole possession of first place in the TranSouth Conference. Cumberland drops to 18-3 on the season and 8-2 in conference play. It also marks the third time this season FHU has defeated a team ranked in the NAIA's top 10.

Playing on their home floor in front of an excited crowd, the Lions led for much of the game. Zack Frey's three-point play with 13:40 in the first half put FHU on top, 15-12, and the game would stay that way for the next 30 minutes.Cumberland, however, used multiple trips to the foul line along with smothering defense to piece together a 15-2 run that gave the Bulldogs a 51-49 lead with 3:05 to play. After each team made a pair of turnovers, Zack Frey's turnaround from the baseline tied the game at 51-51. But the Bulldogs again were able to get to the free throw line, as Kenneth Simms and Brandon Powell each made 1-of-2 free throws on CU's next two possessions to give them a 53-51 lead with :33 to play.Then came Smith's big basket and rebound.

In overtime, FHU raced out to a 60-53 lead by finally getting to the free throw line themselves after shooting just seven in regulation. Frey went 5-of-6 from the line and Smith had a steal and dunk to fuel the 7-0 run.

"Our guys made plays when we had to," Shelton said. "A lot of different people stepped up and did a lot of different things."

The Bulldogs, who made a living at the line (21-of-29) in regulation, made just 3-of-8 in overtime while FHU converted on 9-of-15 opportunities in the extra period.Frey finished with 17 points while Jesse Moulton added 11. Shun Trevillian and Kirtiss Brown each had 10 points. Brown scored six straight points in the midst of a 9-0 Lion run in the second half.

Freed-Hardeman returns to action on Thursday at 8:00 PM against the team that handed the Lions their last loss, Lambuth (Tenn.) University. The Eagles beat FHU, 76-71, on Dec. 8 in the Sports Center.

Friday, January 30, 2009

Story about last nights game

No. 20 Lions pull away from Trevecca, 88-73

Thu, January 29, 2009 - [MEN'S BASKETBALL]

HENDERSON, Tenn. - Closing out games in the final minutes is starting to become a bit of a pattern for the Freed-Hardeman men's basketball team.

The No. 20 Lions used an 11-1 second-half run to pull away from the Trevecca Nazarene (Tenn.) Trojans on Thursday night in the Sports Center, turning what was a close game with six minutes left into an 88-73 victory.

The win keeps the Lions (16-6, 8-1) in a first-place tie in the TranSouth Conference with Cumberland (Tenn.), which pays a visit to Freed-Hardeman on Saturday. Cumberland handed FHU its only conference loss thus far this season.

In the first meeting between Freed-Hardeman and Trevecca, the Lions shot very well (14-of-30) from behind the arc. The first half of tonight's game was an entirely different story as the Lions made just 2-of-13 attempts from 3-point range.

But FHU still took a 36-33 lead into the locker room thanks in large part to the largest player on the team: 6-foot-9 senior Tyler Jennings. Jennings had 10 points and seven rebounds - five offensive - in the half while the team's leading scorer, Zack Frey, was on the bench with two fouls.

"Tyler has been a backup post man ever since he's been here and has been extremely valuable in that role," said FHU head coach Jason Shelton. "He stepped up and made some big plays tonight. He saved us in the first half."

The Trojans were able to get into transition early in the second half and eventually retook the lead for the first time since early in the game on a basket by Jeremy Dixon. One of Michael France's four 3-pointers on the night gave TNU a 45-42 lead with 16:20 to play, and the Trojans maintained a two-point edge three minutes later until a pair of Frey free throws tied the game at 49-49.

FHU then got a steal from Kristoffer Smith that turned into a basket for Shun Trevillian, and the Lions would not relinquish the lead for the remainder of the game.

Trevecca fended off Freed-Hardeman's first attempt at a knockout blow, cutting a nine-point Lion lead down to three (69-66) with 5:30 remaining. The second attempt, however, would be one from which the Trojans would not recover. Freed-Hardeman went on an 11-1 run, kicked off by a deep 3-pointer by Trevillian, to open up an 80-67 edge with 2:48 left.

The Lion defense held Brian Oduor, who entered the game averaging a conference-best 22.3 points per game, to a season-low 10 points on 1-of-10 shooting from the field.

"We tried to make him give the ball up," Shelton said. "We missed some rotations trying to play out of that double team that got some other guys good shots. But other than putting him on the free throw line, we did a good job."

FHU was led in scoring by Frey with 19 points and eight rebounds. Four other Lions reached double figures in scoring: Jennings (14), Trevillian (13), Smith (13), and Jesse Moulton (10). Jennings also had eight rebounds and Trevillian dished out nine assists against just one turnover.

The Lions, winners of nine straight games, have a huge game with No. 7 Cumberland on Saturday for sole possession of first place in the TranSouth Conference. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:00 PM.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Thought for the day 1/26

Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortunes; but great minds rise above them. - Washington Irving

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

LIONS IN TOP 25 FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2003

KANSAS CITY – It’s been a long time coming. But the time finally came.

Riding the wave of a six-game winning streak that included road wins over then-No. 16 Martin Methodist (Tenn.) College and then-No. 5 Union (Tenn.) University, the Freed-Hardeman University Lions made it into the NAIA national ratings for the first time since Mar. 11, 2003. The Lions were ranked at No. 20 in Monday’s poll.

“It is a nice recognition of the work our guys have put in. Now we have to continue to improve daily individually and collectively,” said FHU head coach Jason Shelton. “We are in a great league with a lot of games left to play.”

Shelton, in his fourth season at Freed-Hardeman, has systematically rebuilt the Lion basketball program since his arrival in the spring of 2005. The Lions won just 20 games in his first two years, but have gone 34-17 since then.

Nevertheless, Shelton is not content to rest on this week’s ranking.

“The only [rating] that matters is the last one,” he said. “We have a long way to go.”

The Lions are 14-6 on the season and 6-1 in conference after edging Lyon (Ark.) College, 84-82, on Monday in Batesville, Ark.

#FHU#

Monday, January 19, 2009

Story from the Jackson Sun 1/18

FHU stifles Union

By MATT VINES
mvines1@jacksonsun.com• January 18, 2009


http://www.jacksonsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090118/SPORTS/901180321


Freed-Hardeman has been in a rebuilding process in coach Jason Shelton's three-and-a-half seasons at the helm.

With a 69-66 win at No. 5 Union, the Lions' third victory over a ranked opponent this season, the rebuilding process is officially over.

FHU (13-6, 5-1) forced Union's Matt Neaville and Brian Lake to pass on a game-winning shot attempt and claimed the win as Greg Truvillion's 3-pointer ricocheted off the backboard.
"I am going to enjoy the win until about dinner time (on Saturday)," said FHU coach Jason Shelton. "Then my mind will drift to Lyon and gathering film."

"This is a big win, but we can't relax because we want to continue with the building process."
FHU's Zack Frey missed the front end of a free-throw trip to keep Union within three points, but the Lions' defense bailed them out just as it had all game.

"We have a play that we run in those situations, but we hadn't rehearsed it enough, and that's poor coaching on my part," said Union coach Ralph Turner. "We try to free up Neaville or Lake on that play and have Martez Hawkins as our third option, but Truvillion caught the pass that was intended for Hawkins.
"We executed horribly on offense, and I got outcoached all day."

The Bulldogs (14-4, 4-1) made just six-of-26 from 3-point range and shot 37 percent from the field, including just 30 percent in the first half.

FHU's Jesse Moulton led three Lions' scorers in double figures with 16 points, including 4-of-7 from behind the arc.

Moulton scored seven of FHU's last 12 points as Union made just six-of-13 free throws in the second half to stifle the Bulldogs' comeback attempt.

"We played a tough non-conference schedule, and that has paid off in TranSouth play," Moulton said. "I get hyped when our team makes big shots, and we made them (on Saturday).
"Our main goal was to get the ball inside to Zach, and he opens up the floor for the rest of us."
Despite Frey shooting 4-of-12 and scoring 12 points, the junior forward drew attention from Union's defense, allowing the Lions to shoot 6-of-13 from 3-point range in the second half.
Hawkins (12 points) drilled one of his two 3-pointers to cut the FHU lead to 62-61 with two minutes remaining, but FHU's Shun Trevillian answered with a 3-pointer to keep his Lions ahead.

Union's Brian Lake, who has made two game-winning shots this season, scored just seven points but grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds.

Freed-Hardeman extends its winning streak to six games to take the top conference spot while ending Union's six-game streak.

Both teams return to the floor Monday with FHU traveling to Lyon while Union hosts Blue Mountain.

- Matt Vines, 425-9634

Friday, January 16, 2009

Story from the Jackson Sun 1/16

FHU men off to best start in five seasons

By MICHAEL ODOM
January 16, 2009
http://www.jacksonsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090116/SPORTS/901160319

HENDERSON - The Freed-Hardeman men are off to their best start in conference play since the 2002-03 season after a 96-80 win against Bethel at Freed-Hardeman.

The Lions (12-6, 4-1) have won five straight games since a Dec. 8 loss to Lambuth, and they have beaten Bethel six straight times.

"Any time we can get a win, it is great," Freed-Hardeman coach Jason Shelton said.
Bethel (10-7, 0-5) is still winless in the TranSouth conference and has lost six of its last seven games.

FHU's Zack Frey reached the 1,000-point milestone with a game-high 32 points. He is the 25th player to reach the mark in men's basketball at Freed-Hardeman.
Frey shot 14-of-16 from the field and grabbed 8 rebounds.

"My teammates were getting me the ball," Frey said. "And I was in the zone, they recognize when someone is hot and got me the ball."

But it wasn't just Frey that shot well. The Lions shot 58 percent as a team and outrebounded
the Wildcats 43-32.

The Lions shot well from the start and jumped out to a 51-39 lead at halftime on 60 percent shooting. Frey was also hot shooting 8-of-9 from the field while scoring 19 points.
"That is the great thing about having good teammates, they get you the ball where you need it," Shelton said.

The shooting did not cool down much in the second half as the Lions continued to shoot over 55 percent.

"It was a high-scoring game," Frey said. "We were setting good screens, and we were cutting hard so our offense got to do what it wanted."

Bethel tried to comeback in the second half on the back of Dontaye Hinton and Antoine Lesesene, but the Lions hit 9-of-15 free throws in the second half to seal the win.
Hinton led the Wildcats with 31 points and Lesesene added 19.

FHU is now 6-0 when scoring more than 80 points and 10-1 when it outrebounds its opponents.
Shelton said the true test for his team comes Saturday in the form of No. 5 Union at Fred DeLay Gymnasium at 4 p.m.

"The Union game gives us a great opportunity to measure ourselves," Shelton said.