Tag Archives: John Thayer

NWU departs GPAC, commissioner reaction

Last week rumors began that Nebraska Wesleyan was working on its exit from the Great Plains Athletic Conference. On Monday, the school and conference made it official. Conference commissioner Corey Westra released a statement Monday afternoon after the school notified him of their decision.

The move means NWU will enter NCAA DIII as a full affiliate and will be the 9th member of the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. It also means travel for sporting events will increase significantly. Continue reading →

NSSA Awards Weekend and STAA Seminar

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2015 NSSA Awards Banquet at Catawba College in Salisbury, NC.

This weekend I had the chance to go to Salisbury, North Carolina for the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Awards weekend. My main reason for going on the trip was to attend the One Day Ticket to Sportscasting Success seminar put on by Jon Chelesnik of Sportscaster Talent Agency of America (STAA). I was encouraged by a few people if I am going to make the trip then to make a weekend out of it and take in the NSSA Awards weekend events. I was hesitant at first and mostly because of financial reasons. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to pay for everything. Eventually I talked myself into it and now, a day after it all ended, I know that it was money well spent. I felt like the last few days were an investment in my career and if I had to do it over again, knowing what I know now, it would have been an easy decision. Continue reading →

When coaches teach players to disrespect the game…..we all lose

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Sometimes I think I should blog more. Perhaps no one will read it, but a blog is a good place to vent. And, when stories pop up that makes me cringe I pop over to the blog and share my thoughts. Maybe someday I will be better at doing this thing more regularly.

I saw a story today that really bothered me. It’s a story of not one, but two, yes TWO, basketball teams trying to lose a game. When the hell did we start trying to lose? The problem is trying to find an easier road. If you lose a certain game you can get a better postseason bracket than if you win it. One that you feel is “easier”. While I don’t think I have seen the effort to try to lose in person I have seen the effort to make the road easier to get to a state tournament. Continue reading →

WBB: South Dakota tops SDSU, in first place

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The South Dakota women’s basketball team defeated in-state rival South Dakota State on Saturday, 82-78. The Jackrabbits were without leading scorer Megan Waytashek (14.1ppg), who missed the game due to illness. Raeshel Contreras led USD with a career-high 32 points. The senior is averaging 24 ppg over her last three and the Coyotes have won all three of those games. She has also led the team in scoring in eight of 18 contests this season.

The Coyotes are now at the top of the Summit League with a 4-1 mark in league games and 14-4 overall.

Conf	All
South Dakota	4-1	14-4
North Dakota State	4-2	8-10
Western Illinois	3-2	11-7
Denver	3-2	6-13
South Dakota State	3-3	12-7
Oral Roberts	3-3	9-10
IUPUI	2-3	7-11
Fort Wayne	1-4	7-11
Omaha	1-4	6-11

South Dakota is back on the road this week when they travel to Fort Wayne on Thursday and IUPUI on Saturday. Through 24 leagues games this season home teams are 19-5.

Watch highlights of Saturday’s win on GoYotes.com by clicking here.

After the game I joined Jay Elsen of Midco Sports to talk about the game.

WBB: USD tops Northern Iowa to start home stand

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The Coyote women jumped out to a lead early against Northern Iowa, but the Panthers pesky defense towards the end helped UNI close the gap. South Dakota was able to hold off the charge and defeat UNI 85-77. The Coyotes are now 5-0 all-time against Northern Iowa when playing inside DakotaDome. USD now leads the series 6-5 overall, which means the Coyotes are just 1-5 in Cedar Falls. Can we just schedule this opponent in the Dome only?

Oh, by the way, the team shot 60 percent in the game, which isn’t bad.

Tia Hemiller scored a career-high 20 points in the win and dominated at the end of the game to hold off UNI. She has taken over in the final minute in back-to-back games to help South Dakota to the win. Coyotes are now 5-2 on the season and will host Cal State Fullerton tomorrow.

After the game Jay Elsen and I sat down for a video blog to talk about the Coyote win. I always appreciate the chance to be on with Jay, who also hosts Coyote Corner on Tuesday nights at 8pm CT on Midco Sports Net.

Coyote Corner again

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I had the chance to be on Coyote Corner for the second time this season with Jay Elsen on Midco Sports. I always enjoy being on the show and any chance to talk about sports. This week was a little different with a tough season right now for the Coyotes, but we made it through and Jay always does a fine job as the host. Also in the show Jay will preview the matchup with FCS No. 1 North Dakota State and Alex Heinert has a feature on a couple of players who have bounced back from injury.

Big thanks to Jay for asking me to be on the show again, Alex for his work as the producer of the show and Toby who is behind the scenes making sure everything is on time.

Check out this week’s episode of Coyote Corner:

Appearance on Coyote Corner

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We leave in a selfie world so here is a pre-tv selfie!

In case you missed it, this week I had a chance to make an appearance on Coyote Corner. The show is a product of Midco Sports Network, based is Sioux Falls. Jay Elsen hosts the show every week and he takes a look back at the previous game for the University of South Dakota. This week I joined him for “Saturday Storylines” and also a look at the Missouri Valley Football Conference. I’ve always enjoyed the chance to be on a show at Midco. This is my second appearance on Coyote Corner and I also had the chance to sit in on Benchwarmers.

I invite you to check out the show. Not only this week because I am on it, but each and every week. Jay is a great host who knows his stuff and Alex Heinert does a fantastic job producing the show. Anyway, here is this week’s episode. Check it out!

Yankton homecoming moved four hours away

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There has been a lot of conversation and, naturally, a lot of disappointment for Yankton fans over the last two days after we learned the suspended game between Yankton and Aberdeen Central will now be played in Aberdeen. Yes, Yankton’s homecoming game. How does this happen?

Let’s start with Friday, September 19th. Yankton enters the game 3-0 and Aberdeen Central is 2-1, with both teams knowing this is a huge game for them. And both play like it. The game goes back and forth and just before halftime Yankton gave the ball back to the Golden Eagles. Aberdeen Central moves down the field and scores with 13 seconds left in the half. On the ensuing kickoff Yankton nearly answered with a kickoff return into Aberdeen Central territory with just five seconds left. I was in favor of giving the kicker, Brady Hale, a chance at a field goal, but if I remember correctly it would have been about a 62 yard field goal. That’s a long shot, obviously, but the kid has a cannon for a leg. The half ends with Yankton trailing 20-17. Continue reading →