Track & Field
Bradley Adkins finished 21st in the world last night at the Olympic high jump event missing on 2.29m/7-6, but cleared a personal best of 7-5. I think his coach, James Thomas, was there with him in Rio
“It was exciting, I had a lot of fun,” Adkins said. “I was jumping great, my hip height was really good and my hips were moving. Unfortunately, my timing was just a little off over the top, so I didn’t finish how I wanted to. I’m humbled and blessed to be out here and so thankful for this opportunity. Hopefully, I represented as best as I could.”
Adkins Records Outdoor PR, Finishes 21st in Olympic High Jump – https://t.co/GudrAdlIuU #WreckEm pic.twitter.com/E6aAs0qwQv
— TTU Track & Field/XC (@TTU_TF_XC) August 15, 2016
Soccer
Jade King notches 2 goals as No. 19 #TexasTech defeats Denver, 2-0, in exhibition – https://t.co/mFsWcTiomB #WreckEm pic.twitter.com/0MM7cIdTQp
— Texas Tech Soccer (@TexasTechSoccer) August 14, 2016
Lady Raider Basketball
Basketball
LAJ’s Krista Pirtle writes about Matthew Temple’s well-earned scholarship. The article recounts Temple’s journey at Wichita Falls Rider to making the team and now the scholarship.
After telling Temple the good news in his office, Beard told the rest of the team later on in the film room.
“We were livin’ man,” Devon Thomas said. “Everyone on the team loves Matt and knows how hard he works. He’s one of the hardest workers on the team. It was a great moment.”
Added Keenan Evans: “Everyone knew it was coming. We were just waiting to see if it actually happened. We were all excited and happy for him. He’s a great guy, a great teammate and an even better player.”
Pirtle also writes about the mix of new and returning players that should compliment the players who did return. Norense Odiase talked about the new players:
“They all bring different things to the game,” junior Norense Odiase said. “They make us a better team. Gio passes and can shoot it. Niem can score. Shadell likes driving. Brandone can shoot it. Thomas gives us knowledge because he’s been in the system. Anthony gives us a midrange presence and can drive it. John Brown works hard every day. That’s what I respect about him. As a freshman, it’s all about making an impact and working hard.”
The John Brown mentioned is a walk-on freshman from Magnolia, Texas.
Football
Very cool story from CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodds who profiles Mike Jinks and how he earned the Bowling Green job. Some good quotes by Kliff Kingsbury about Jinks. Jinks jokes about how he thinks that Kliff’s dad made Kliff offer Jinks the job, but it was Kliff:
“My dad just kind of followed Mike’s career,” Kliff Kingsbury said. “When I got to be an assistant coach at Houston, that was my recruiting area. His school was my school.
“I was always so impressed. I would always go in and watch his team, the way they carried themselves, the way they introduced themselves. His personality, I was sold.”
Kingsbury made a mental note: If he ever got to be a head coach, Jinks would be on the staff. It happened in 2013 when Kingsbury, then only 33, was hired as the next big thing in Lubbock, Texas, the Big 12 and college football.
“I knew he could have been a head coach anywhere and wanted him to know I recognized that,” Kingsbury said. “If there was something I couldn’t get to, he would handle it. With the players, he’s as genuine as anyone I’ve seen. He wants to make you go run through a wall.”
Really enjoyed reading this.
ESPN is ranking all of the positions and they ranked the wide receivers, offensive linemen and quarterbacks. Devin Lauderdale and Derrick Willies get mentioned in the receivers, Baylen Brown gets mentioned with the offensive linemen and Patrick Mahomes is mentioned with the quarterbacks.
Get to know freshman offensive lineman Giovanni Pancotti and defensive back Douglas Coleman.
Our buddy NewsOK’s Berry Tramel writes that the Big 12 should merge with the SEC or the Pac 12:
The Pac-12’s network hasn’t been the cash cow for which it hoped. The Pac-12’s negotiating power isn’t as great, despite lots of eyeballs in its markets, because of culture. We care more about college football in this part of the country than they do out West, and the networks know it.
So the Pac could use a partner.
A merger of the Big 12 and SEC would create a 24-team league and probably would necessitate 12-team divisions. That would require a couple of schools moving, almost surely two from the pool of Missouri, Arkansas and Texas A&M, all expatriates from the Big Eight or Southwest Conference or Big 12. Scheduling options are many; the networks would drool at the prospect.
LAJ’s Don Williams writes about how the coaching staff is attempting to determine what the ideal load is for Justin Stockton:
Stockton’s new position coach, DeShaun Foster, says figuring that out is on his to-do list for the next few weeks.
“He’s going to have a lot more than five carries, though,” Foster said. “He’s going to have a lot of attempts to carry the ball. He’s a very explosive player, going into his true junior year, so it’s time to really be the leader of that room.”
To the extent it’s even possible being a Big 12 running back, Stockton enjoyed a low-pressure role his first two years. Big horses Patrick Mahomes II, Jakeem Grant and Washington had hugely productive 2016 seasons. They commanded opposing defensive coordinators’ attention.
This has nothing to do with Texas Tech, but it’s beautiful.
You guys @AFFootball just won best helmets of 2016 and the season hasn’t even started yet. pic.twitter.com/mnwXEezYSE
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) August 14, 2016
Miscellaneous . . . if you would like to be severely depressed the Houston Chronicle goes back a decade in regards to the various sexual assaults that have happened at the Baylor campus (not just football related) . . .