- Jesse Jones

I love the transition times, take the normal excitement and double it.

Transition times always have overlap. The winter sports season is headed down the homestretch while the spring sports season is cranking it up, getting ready to go. The excitement comes from the biggest playoff games which will happen on the hardwood, and is only heightened with the anticipation of what lies ahead on the diamond.

UNCW Basketball
No word on a replacement for Benny Moss yet, so let the speculation wander. Saturday’s loss was pretty disappointing. Hawks are going to have to look themselves in the mirror… how they finish the season is up to them, but right now they are putting the UNC in UNCW as they are playing with no heart, a-la the boys at Chapel Hill this year.

Chad Tomko and John Fields need to do their thing, and forget the dudes that aren’t really into it.

But even that probably isn’t enough. UNCW just isn’t tough enough. You can’t coach ‘tough’ and getting a team to play with heart is something even Roy Williams is struggling with. Benny Moss, with a rather laid back coaching style, may have not been the right man for this particular group, but again who knows if Bobby Knight could light a fire under them.

High School Hoops - where the winter sports post-season may actually be exciting locally.

Ladies first, who dat undefeated team? It is the Ashley Eagles who are still undefeated in conference play (6-0) and have solidified themselves as the team to beat. The Eagles have an experience team that is showing its mettle and after years of playing underclasswomen, Coach Adrienne Gale has experience and talent all over the floor.

New Hanover has only gotten better as the year has progressed. Freddie Jackson has grown into the leader at point guard, missing a quadruple-double by two steals in Friday’s 77-63 win over New Bern. The twin towers of Detwon Rogers and Cole Daley give the Cats an inside presence and scoring options in the half court when they can’t get out and run.

Greenville Rose is tied with New Hanover at 5-1 in conference play, but the Wildcats have yet to lose. After beating Laney, it was determined that NHHS used an ineligible player who transferred to New Hanover, but had not been cleared to play according to NCHSAA guidelines. That forfeit was the Cats’ only loss, as they beat Rose in their first meeting; the re-match is next Tuesday.

Tuesday’s Mideastern Schedule
New Hanover @ Ashley
Hoggard @ New Bern
Laney @ Rose

Friday’s Mideastern Schedule
Laney @ New Hanover
Rose @ Hoggard
Ashley @ New Bern

Spring Time:

MLB pitchers and catchers report in about two weeks… but locally the pre-season has started as both college and high school teams have hit the diamond, practicing up for the upcoming season. I love entering a new season with the anticipation of answers to questions that we form in the off-season. Can UNCW make it back to the NCAA tourney… how bout making a run at the College World Series?

In high school baseball, Laney and Rose were ranked #2 and #1 in the state respectively and this year they are in the same conference. The Bucs lost several of their stars from last year’s team, we’ll see if these two stay at the top of the league and are teams to reckon with as state playoffs get closer in May.

And there’s more…
Speaking of transitions, from high school to college, that’s the theme Wednesday as it is Signing Day. Tune in Sunday for the Cape Fear Sports Report for a look at who is going where.