bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 0:00

Welcome to Tracking the Cats. Bob Saban here with Steve White. This week we're going to be talking about all things Catamount as far as what's going on in the sports world for Western brought to you as always by Stanbury Insurance located on Main Street in Silva with offices in Highlands in Waynesville now.

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 0:21

Yeah

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 0:26

Kevin Stanberry and the good folks at Stanberry Insurance. So, so Steve, out in Cullowhee. You braved the rain, but it looks like you were in kind of a dry location there.

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 0:39

it's undercover. It is definitely we started about a few minutes before halftime and started getting a light rain. Then it picked up a little bit, but it was never, never really a serious rain, just a drizzly, a little messy and got the field. And then you can see behind me here Sanford team down there receiving their Southern Conference Championship trophy. Right. And unfortunately that's the way it ended up Sanford winning this one one to nothing, a breakaway goal right before right early in the second half. And they held on a tremendous defense by Sanford and Western. You can't see the scoreboard from here, but Western 18 shots on goal, Bob. 18 shots on gold. Only four for Sanford. But you don't get points for shots on gold. Sanford wins it one to nothing and therefore gets the N. C. Double a bid to the N. C. Double a tournament. Probably be playing one of the top 10 seeds. Could be Duke Wake Forest, North Carolina, Virginia Tech. Who knows Arkansas? I don't know who it will be, but a very disappointing finish for Western Carolina's soccer team. But gosh, what a season they had 16 wins, 16, three and 314 shutouts this season, which is a southern conference record only gave up. Three goals the entire season to conference opponents. And like I say, Chad Miller, another back to back tremendous seasons. And I think. Maybe this is just the start of a, a great soccer tradition here at Western Carolina University. You know, we've won before, but it's been a big lapse in there, but 12, 14 years between championships. And of course we've won it all last year and won the regular season this year. But again, very disappointing finish. Western just So many opportunities in the second half, but just the ball just did not want to give Sanford a lot of credit. They did a great job defensively in the second half. They went into their defensive mode. They really didn't care about getting the ball over midfield. They just wanted to stop Western.

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 2:56

Yeah. Their keeper did an amazing job. She had eight saves. We were solid, just kept pounding it. I watched about the last third of the game on ESPN plus and it was you know, we, we dominated, we had our chances. We had some amazing shots and their keeper just was really strong. Our keeper Yeah. Trudell, Leanne Trudell, just, didn't have to work that hard other than clearing the ball out

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 3:22

That's exactly it. Yeah. Only four shots on goal.

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 3:27

yep, yep. It was fun to watch. It was very frustrating because by the time I tuned in, we were already down and the ladies were working really hard. I mean, you had Marcelle, who's been solid two years in a row now, DeMarco, she had five shots. So yeah, it was It was a pretty good game. The one thing that I heard towards the end of the match, that one of the guys who has been at an Atlanta United, I'm a huge Atlanta United supporter. Jason Longshore was the color person on the, on the broadcast on ESPN. Great guy. I've had a few conversations with him. He said there's a long shot that we might be able to get a an at large bid, but I don't know. I don't ever count on the N. C. A. A. to give a break to any of, but the power of 5 schools when it comes to these specifics.

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 4:19

Yeah, you, you're, you're exactly right, Bob. And again, it's sort of like, you know, the same thing in baseball, basketball and football. It's they're hard to come by. Yeah. So, but yeah, it's again, it just, it's just disappointing. But I tell you, the credentials that this Western Carolina team has, especially, especially the defensive end who knows what could happen. But, you know, You know, I don't I'm not sure anybody's counting on it, but it would be a very nice surprise and a great reward for this team.

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 4:50

Yep. Yep. They certainly deserved it the way they played throughout the season and how powerful they, they were on the field with the Southern Conference opponent. So let's keep our fingers crossed and see what happens there, but looking at the rest of the Catamount nation this weekend the other bright spot is ladies basketball. I don't know if you know,

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 5:09

Yes. Three. No. Yeah.

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 5:12

our, our third win this afternoon. We were behind with two minutes left. We were down one point and the ladies came back and won. Was it 50, 55 to 52, I think, or 65, 62. I'll have to pull it up, but yeah they, they're looking pretty good for what, you know, a brand new team, brand new coach Pretty pleased with, with the way they've started.

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 5:36

Yeah. Coach Sipis has seemed to have them on the on the right right step right now. The right steps forward again. This is actually the first one you couldn't really tell that was over Warren Wilson. And I think you and I might could have beat them, Bob. No, no, I'm not saying that, but a very solid win over Campbell. Campbell got a solid program down there. And you maybe said, well, it was, we were playing here and that was the Maybe the difference, but went over Radford at Radford. That is a significant win and that's got to have that team fired up. And, and now people maybe start taking notice a little bit about our women's basketball program.

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 6:16

you know, it's been such a struggle the last few years and, and, you know, we've had good coaches, just haven't been able to put everything together. But yeah, Sipsa seems to have us on the right start. We got three strong ladies showing scoring potential, very balanced between Taj Hunter, who's a true freshman coming in from Atlanta Jada Burton, Spartanburg native, she's a transfer from community college, and then our Georgia Tech transfer, A. C. Carter. All three of those ladies have scored very well and about the same amount of scoring over the first three games. So hopefully that's a good heart of this team. Yeah.

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 7:01

it's, it's very encouraging and so forth. So what that's again, they go on the, like say at the road, they've got a, a little tough road trip coming up Wednesday, they got to go to Oklahoma. And of course, Oklahoma will be coming here next year. That's a very interesting.

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 7:17

Yeah, it's exciting to see a big school, which hopefully we'll get a good crowd on that when they come back.

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 7:23

Right.

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 7:24

But you know that that's a big wish to do well, but we'll, we'll see how they do.

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 7:30

Yeah. Yeah. The crowd sort of leaving now Sanford taking their spools of victory here away with them, unfortunately. And yeah, but like I say again, quite a run by Western Carolina's women's soccer team. But again, we just hope that there's something magical will happen and They'll get that at large bid. But we just have to wait and see that. Think that comes up tomorrow afternoon at four o'clock is when they make the announcements.

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 7:57

Okay. I'll make a note of that and we'll be tuned in. taking a look at men's basketball did you get a chance to see either the games this week, Bob Jones, when they were in

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 8:08

Yes.

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 8:09

I

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 8:09

Saw the Bob Jones and saw that all the, a lot of the clips from the Queens game. And of course you couldn't tell that the Bob Jones game is one of those games where they come in here. And again, maybe me and you and a couple of others now I'm not going to say that,

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 8:24

you?

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 8:25

anyway wait,

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 8:25

one of those at the beginning of the season. You know, we played Piedmont and Anderson

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 8:29

yes. Oh, yeah. Yeah. But then Queens Friday night did not shoot well at all. I think we only made 33 pointers in our game. I got a great performance from Bernard below the inside a double double for him. But again, guard play wasn't what we were used to seeing, especially with the guys that we lost from last year's team. We're used to seeing those three pointers going up at about, you know, 15 plus a game. And I'm not sure that's gonna happen this season, but it's a work in progress, Bob, right now I really like the style that they're playing, they're very quick, he's playing 10 or 12 players a game, and but again and I'm, I'm impressed with our inside people Vernon Collins in there, for example, and Palote really Vernon, a transfer from Princeton he won't have any problem with his grades. That's for sure. But from down in Eastern North Carolina, but but these guys can actually catch the ball and score. So now we just got to work on the three point part of it from our guards. But again, trying to decide on a starting lineup right now. And I'm sure as a challenge for coach craft and it, like I say, it's going to be a working, but I'm predicting it's Probably mid January before you really see the true Western Carolina men's basketball team. Once they get in a couple of games into the conference schedule, because they've got some tough schedule coming up. We got our next three games after Truett McConnell here. I think we play them Wednesday here in Cullowhee. And then we've got Wake Forest, Florida State and Marquette. Wake Forest. And Marquette on the road. Florida State is actually in the Asheville at the hers that the, we call the Asheville Civic Center. Yeah. Reschedule it for

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 10:17

Yep.

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 10:17

y Yeah. Tuesday before Thanksgiving. That in other words, a week from Tuesday. Pardon? Oh, I thought they were gonna play it in. Oh, they, they rescheduled it down there. I thought they said they were gonna play it in Asheville. Excuse me.

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 10:31

Yep. It was supposed to be in Asheville and they moved it down there because the the Harris Center won't be ready yet

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 10:38

Right. That's right. The water.

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 10:39

won't be ready. Yeah.

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 10:40

I was, I was somebody misinformed me then said it was going to be in Asheville, but they, yeah, they've got a tough, then they got Tennessee. before Christmas. A tough pre pre holiday schedule for the cat and mouse. But again, I'm saying give them mid january and I think you'll see some improvements. And like I say, only one player returning from last season's team, bernard pollock, marcus kale was on the team, but he did not play last season because of the injury and a couple of guys on the bench who saw no action at all. So it's just like that. starting a program from scratch for Coach Graft right now. Sure is

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 11:17

Well Bleh. has had a fairly decent start as far as scoring's concerned. So hopefully he can step up and I, I I'm looking forward to seeing what these guys can do. I'm going to get up to color way for a few games. So, down here. They're not playing Kennesaw. They're not playing till we get into the conference season maybe able to get down to Mercer or up to Chattanooga hour and a half drive. So

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 11:41

very good.

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 11:43

that'll be good. I guess we should move to the huge disappointment for the weekend.

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 11:51

The I'm just still in a little bit of morning right now from yesterday. I did make it to the game bob over to Johnson City. But I did watch.

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 12:01

Oh,

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 12:02

did watch some of it. I was down with with the baseball team yesterday afternoon. We had a great benefit situation yesterday. The Little League fields here in Jackson, well, not Jackson County, but Haywood County and Buncombe County were hit hard by the floods. Well, actually, four Little League complexes were completely dismantled. They don't exist anymore. Everything from all their equipment, everything and the stands they were just wiped out. So We had a benefit people bringing in equipment yesterday. A couple of my buddies that are here when I was in school at Western Carolina, fellow baseball players brought 200 baseball donations, a bunch of gloves and bats. And I think we raised over 10, 000 yesterday for those little league programs. Plus on top of that, Bob,

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 12:55

That's

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 12:55

The catamounts split with Appalachian State winning the first game big and then losing the second game. Coach Beck, you know, playing all of these players, but I was very impressed with what I saw out there with Western Carolina's baseball team. So looking forward to that.

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 13:11

something looking forward to for sure.

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 13:13

Yeah, yeah, that's that's that's gonna be a lot of fun next spring.

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 13:16

I had a I had a birthday party with my oldest grandson who turned six yesterday and so I only saw the first half of the game and I, I could have, tuned in on my phone with ESPN plus and kind of walk around and, and talk to people. And I decided not to, when I saw that we were down at halftime and we just weren't playing like we have the last couple of weeks,

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 13:44

that I've seen more mistakes in that game. I think in any two or three games combined this season, a lot of some undisciplined plays, just some some bad for afraid. And I mean, another thing about it, Bob is, you know, Chattanooga was not perfect. prepared for Tyler Tiger Dickens you know, Terran, we call him his middle name is Tiger. They sort of caught he caught Chattanooga by surprise. East Tennessee was well prepared. We're not going to let him get outside the boundary, kept him sort of contained, sacked him, I think six times forced a couple of turnovers. And we just made some some bad plays. The shank pun out of the end zone was big. A couple of penalties. Just guys not thinking. Several little things that could have made a huge difference. That game was there for the taking, and we just did not do it. So I, if you see a way, a path to the playoff side, I don't know what it is right now because probably unrealistic to think that we have a chance, but we've got to play like we do, because I can say anything can happen. Chattanooga and and East Tennessee spoke, lose a ball game. I think that could put it back. We're right back in there. If we could beat VMI next week and then Sanford on the road the following week, anything can happen. So seven wins would look at and you say, okay, look at your resume there. And when you look at our schedule and some of it, you know, it's, it's, it's a possibility, but again an outside chance. Bob, I'm just running out of time here to see the Catamounts win a some kind of championship, a conference championship. Of course, you know, it's been 19 since 1949 that we've won a conference championship, the old North State Conference, but in close so many times, so many times and the pain that I've gone through watching us lose those championship opportunities.

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 15:42

I was,

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 15:42

told Coach Bell last week that that I I'm running out of time and he says, ask me how old I was. And he says, yeah, we better pick it up real quick. So,

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 15:53

well, I, I was telling somebody yesterday at the birthday party about the, the last time we should have been conference champions in when we went to the playoffs in 83

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 16:06

Yeah, 83. Yeah,

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 16:08

And we, we actually had to play Furman a second time,

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 16:13

that's right.

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 16:14

year, played them in the playoffs. And when we won in for at Greenville we tore down their goal post.

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 16:21

Yeah. Well,

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 16:22

So

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 16:23

and that's something when you go undefeated and you do not win the conference championship. And that was just a scheduling glip where Furman had got one more, had one more game than us. VMI was coming back into the conference and that shouldn't have happened that way, but it did. And so forth. Got an idea for a bunch of my buddies were going in and said, we're going to come up with a bumper sticker for football season next year said win one for whitey. And the bottom line under that small letters with times running out.

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 17:00

Well, you know, yesterday, from looking at the paper, had the stats

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 17:08

Yes we did.

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 17:09

minutes, five minutes ago. We're still up. We still have the shot to win it.

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 17:13

Right.

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 17:14

more yards running. We had more they had one more first down than than than we did. But you know, we, we played. an acceptable game on paper. But when you look at the stupid things that happened and, and the, the plays that we gave up on defense was very frustrating to me to watch. And I, I guess I'm almost afraid to, to hear the coaches show tomorrow night. And hear Kerwin's got to say.

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 17:46

Yeah, he's going to have plenty to say Bob that's for sure because there was a lot of mistakes in that ballgame and and it's just. It's really, really hard to put your finger on. There was just so many key moments in that ballgame that could have made a difference. You know, like you say, that last five minutes, really some things that happened that shouldn't have, but Here again like I say, we're not shutting the door on a, a playoff bid, but Bo, I tell you, we're going to have to get our fingers in there to keep it from them slamming it on our fingers. That's for sure.

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 18:20

yeah, yeah. Did you see I know that Campbell was up on Richmond yesterday. Do you know if they were able to

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 18:27

No. Yeah. The guy, they kicked a field goal on the last play of the ball game. One second to play Richmond beat them.

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 18:34

Ah, jeez.

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 18:35

Yeah.

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 18:36

Ah, ha ha.

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 18:37

Yeah.

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 18:37

I was hoping that maybe the end of the season, Campbell picking things up and saying, Hey, we really do, we're not that bad, you

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 18:45

No, no, no. But

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 18:46

stuck at three wins.

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 18:48

that game right there is was as a kid, it'd be a thorn in our side for a long time. Losing that game that, that does that put the monkey on our back. So as to speak right there.

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 18:59

Oh yeah. I mean it just, that it means that we, there's no way we can get to eight and four,

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 19:04

Right.

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 19:07

well, well, we've got two more VMI. You wanna hope they always play us well, but you know, if we can keep our heads together

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 19:17

Yeah.

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 19:17

the coaches have, have the guys playing right, we, we should be able to, to

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 19:22

We should be able. And then we go,

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 19:23

No,

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 19:25

and you know, the last time we beat Sanford in Birmingham, 5555 years ago, 1969. Now we didn't play him for like 20 some years stretch in there, but 1969 is the last time we've won down there. We beat them here and call away, but not in Birmingham. It's It's it's a jinx. I can't put my finger on that jinx.

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 19:49

I've been to three of the last four games there.

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 19:52

Yeah,

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 19:53

four of the last five. And Oh, what was the one? guess it was like 2018 when we were down there and it was like 27, nothing at the end of the first

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 20:06

right.

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 20:06

Then we thought we had a really good shot. We were playing well, you know, we had, we had a good team and So, yeah, I've, we can do it. Sanford's, should I say it on the air, Sanford's awful this

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 20:20

Well, they're

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 20:20

bad as Furman, but they got beat pretty badly yesterday.

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 20:24

they're not very good. I'll say that I'll give them benefit of the doubt. They're not very good this season. Not the Sanford that we've played in the past.

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 20:32

Yep. Yep. one other thing before we wrap this up. Volleyball did take one out of two this weekend.

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 20:40

they did.

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 20:41

and UNCG yesterday. What are you thinking about their season? That it's, it's been disappointing for sure.

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 20:48

Oh, they've had a lot of things, a lot of misfortune, injuries and so forth and and it's it was. They lost the core the core elements of that team from last season, which was a very, very, very good team. And again, it was just a work in progress for Coach Glover this season. And I'm sure they'll be back next season, but very disappointing season for them. And a lot of factors that she had no control over, that's for sure.

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 21:17

Okay. Well you got any parting thoughts for us there, Steve, other than a new bumper sticker next year?

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 21:24

Yeah, that's right. Well, I tell you one thing, even though the rain maybe created a few problems here in the second half, it's something we needed here in Cullowhee. We haven't had a decent rainfall since the hurricane. You know, almost a month ago we had nine inches in one day and we haven't had a drop since then. So that's about the only thing good that I see out here this afternoon is, is the rainfall.

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 21:48

Yeah, I hear you.

squadcaster-99c0_1_11-10-2024_162839: 21:50

The field got just a little bit slick. This is a great playing field here. I tell you, they do a wonderful job. Of maintaining this and it's got to be if the best in the Southern Conference. But again I could say very disappointing day. And I think the rain just sort of that's what happened. It rained on our, rained on our parade.

bob-sabin_1_11-10-2024_162839: 22:10

well, I did see Get hit the ground and, and they had to pause. Several of the ladies Went down and had injury timeout several times in the second half. And yes, all right, Steve, we're going to wrap things up here. I appreciate you. We will be back in two weeks with the next track in the cats podcast brought to you by Stanbury insurance in Silva. Uh, thanks, Steve. I appreciate it. And, uh, we'll see you soon.