Commentary: Cremins

may speak at Broyhill

tip-off lunch
By Steve Behr, sports editor

sports@wataugademocrat.com

Some things to ponder following Super Sunday and Super Tuesday.

College of Charleston men’s basketball coach Bobby Cremins may be the guest speaker at the Tip-off luncheon sponsored by High Country Bank at the Broyhill Inn Thursday, beginning at noon. The event is open to the public and lunch is just $7.

Normally, the event is held every Monday by host Jeff Fancher, the host of “The Sports Page” talk show on WXIT-AM, 1200. Fancher, known as “Jeff the Ref” on the show, which can be heard every day from 10 a.m. until noon, is also the brother of Appalachian State men’s basketball coach Houston Fancher.

Cremins’ availability was unknown at press time Tuesday, but more will be known by Wednesday morning.

Fancher said he would announce if Cremins would be available on “The Sports Page.”

Cremins, who coached at Appalachian State from 1975-81, brings his Cougars to the Holmes Center Thursday night for a showdown with the Mountaineers. Cremins still has close ties to Appalachian State, having served on the committee that led the search for current ASU athletics director Charlie Cobb.

It would fall into the “can’t miss” catagory if Cremins is available. Cremins is a terrific speaker who has told stories about recruiting and coaching at Appalachian State in the past. For seven bucks, this one would be worth skipping out of the office and checking out.

This past Monday, Appalachian State baseball coach Chris Pollard was the guest speaker. Pollard, who has revamped the Mountaineers into a Southern Conference contender, said practices have been going well. He also answered questions about scholarships (Baseball is allowed 11.73 scholarships. Why don’t they just break down and make it 12?) and the field turf that is in use at Smith Stadium.

Other speakers have included Houston Fancher, David Jackson (the voice of the Mountaineers) and Elon coach Ernie Nestor.

Kudos to Western Carolina
When Jeff Fancher mentioned Monday that Western Carolina handled the difficult situation involving Appalachian State Kellen Brand with speed and with class.

Brand collapsed on the court during the Mountaineers’ game with Western Carolina Saturday. As soon as Brand fell, the staff at Western Carolina, led by associate AD Fred Cantler, made sure that Brand was very well taken care of.

Then when Brand was taken off the court on a stretcher, Western’s fans gave him a loud ovation.

Brand was taken to the local hospital and after some tests, he was allowed to return to Boone with his teammates.