The RSU men currently sit at 11-0 overall and 4-0 in the Sooner Athletic Conference. That's good for a first-place tie in the league with unbeaten Oklahoma Baptist. The Hillcats are also ranked #5 in the NAIA Division I Top 25 at the time of this entry. This year's team seems to have all the right stuff. By stuff, I'm specifically referencing guys who can score, guys who can rebound, and guys who can defend. With that said, RSU has length at the guard spots that you're looking for in a national tournament contender down the road. The 'Cats front-line also boasts a shot-blocking presence that the program has not had in the past. What I like most of all, besides the depth, is the camaraderie of this team. The guys blended well immediately following their blowout exhibition loss at ORU. That came quicker than expected. In addition, you can't really guess which guy will come to the forefront from one night to the next. Case in point...Mo Rutherford hits the biggest shot of the game against John Brown December 10th down the stretch, and it was his FIRST game of the season. In games prior, A.J. Stewart has played well. Donald Williams has taken the role of clutch shot-maker. Kendrell Thompson shows he can be a steadying rock. Alex Ewings is much improved. Nep Darden provides the back-line defense with solid rebounding and shot-blocking. Larry Cox has acted as the go-to senior when you need an offensive rebound or a made free-throw. Kenny Edwards, KENNY EDWARDS...what's not to like about #23 who flies in from parts unknown for follow-dunks, who draws the praise of RSU color commentator Steve Bontrager as a Top 5 leaper of all-time. With two conference wins over JBU already in the books and a home sweep of the Texas schools in Wayland and Lubbock, this team appears headed for a collision course with 3rd-ranked OBU in Claremore January 2nd. First things first...a date at St. Gregory's on New Year's Eve with the Cavaliers, who had a chance late to upset the Bison but couldn't hit a free-throw with under 2 seconds to play. In summary, all the parts are in place for a run at a regular season conference crown. It'll be fun to see how it unfolds.
Now, to the women...the RSU ladies are 9-3 overall and 3-1 in the SAC. That places them in 4th place early on in conference play. That's right where the pre-season poll placed the Hillcats. All three losses have come by single digits, on the road at Top 10 Langston, at home to Friends, and at home to Lubbock Christian. A bounce or two in the other direction, and RSU is undefeated at this point. Amy Williams (pictured above during the JBU post-game) is doing a solid job of coaching a team that has quite a few newcomers in key positions. Ariani Silva had the best single-game performance of the season to date. She poured in 23 points and hit five threes against JBU December 10th to complete the series sweep with the Golden Eagles this season. Logan Froese has taken over the heart and soul role of this team. She's the brick and mortar of this ballclub. Senior transfer Gianna Woods has led the team in scoring and rebounding so far, and I expect bigger and better from her as we shift into SAC play totally. The broadcast crew believes point guard Sasha Barnes is the most-improved player in the league. She's done a solid job of running the team, and not over-stretching her abilities. She hit what turned out to be the game-winning shot at JBU in the first conference game. Leah Smith has added a scoring punch that this team needed. And, Larielle Giles has stepped right into a bench role that fits the Tulsa Union freshman quite well. It's a team that has shown enough to make us think it can finish in the Top 4 or 5 of the SAC this year. It also appears there's only one GREAT team in the SAC, and you guessed it...that's Oklahoma City. The RSU women must protect leads on the Expo Center floor, and not let games slip away like in the loss to LCU. They're in a good spot going into the much-anticipated match-up at St. Greg's December 31st. The upstart-Cavs are undefeated, after being picked to finish near the bottom of the conference again.
There's your pre-Christmas update on the RSU hoops teams. We hope by season's end we'll be saying, "put a ring on it" instead of a wreath. Have a very Merry Christmas and a blessed Happy New Year.
