Since the age of 6 "March Madness" has always been my favorite time of year. Any basketball junkie thrives on 64 teams playing the opening rounds the first two days of the tournament. The Division I march to the Final Four this year has been filled with great stories and sad endings. I have become a big fan of the Butler Bulldogs (as you can see from the picture I took on my phone in September of Shelvin Mack shooting in Hinkle Field House) so they will be my pick for the weekend.

My "March Madness" the past three years has been filled not only with Division I basketball but Division II as well. As a member of the NCAA Division II men's basketball committee I have spent most of this march on the road. In fact as of today (the 29th of March), I have spent more nights (15) in Courtyard by Marriotts than I have in my own bed (14). The highways and airways have taken me to Pennslyvania, Tennessee, Georgia, and Massachusetts this month tracking NCAA Division II basketball. It has been a long month full of too much fast food, way too much evaluations of officials, and far too many moments away from my family. But I do know this about Division II college basketball- the players and coaches are just passionate as they are at D-I, the administrators at the schools are just as proud and the excitement of the games are just as high. The NCAA accepts much criticism from the general public about their methods of operation but most of that criticism comes from people who simply don't understand. I for one am a huge fan of the NCAA. They have afforded student-athletes at the Division II and Division III levels to compete for national championships that will be remembered forever. My lasting memory of this past month is how many times I heard student-athletes comment at regionals or nationals that they were having an experience which they would never forget. As long as you get to hear comments like that, all the time put in during this basketball season as a member of the national committee and all the nights (15) spent in Marriotts in March are well worth the effort. March Madness is about making memories that last. I am pulling for Shelvin Mack and the boys of Butler to burn their memories into history this weekend. As for me, I am going to be at home resting now that April is here and the madness of March is over. On second thought, it is April and Saturday is the Cooper River Bridge Run in Charleston. Hope they have a Courtyard by Marriott!

March is always a great time in South Carolina as the weather gets nice and outdoor sports get in full gear. This will be another exciting spring for our teams. Our lacrosse team has already notched their first ever victory while women's tennis, softball, baseball, and golf are off to good starts. The highlight of the spring as it has been in the past few years is the culmination of the Beville Cup. The dual between Erskine and Anderson University is a source of great pride. We have lost the Cup the last two years and after some Trojan domination to start the year it appeared Anderson would run away with it this year. But in the words of football analyst Lee Corso, "not so fast my friend." Thanks to stellar academics by Fleet student-athletes and a softball doubleheader sweep, we are poised to regain the Cup in what could be decided by as much as a half a point. In fact it well could be decided on March 9th as the Anderson baseball team will host the Fleet. The winner will likely earn the coveted Cup. A win for us would tie the Cup series at 4-4 since its inception 8 years ago between the two rivals.
The Cup's name has as much significance as the rivalry itself. The Cup is in honor of Bobby and in memory of Susie Beville. The picture above is Bobby with his daughters, Kayce and Nikki. Bobby played baseball at Anderson junior college and then played two years for the Fleet. Susie played softball at both schools while Bobby went on to coach baseball and serve as the athletics director at Anderson for numerous years. In other words, the Bevilles have close ties to both institutions so it was a no-brainer to name the Cup after them. It is an honor for Erskine to seek a cup with the Bevilles name on it. In fact, we think it belongs in Due West. If all goes well in the next few weeks, I look forward to May 3rd when Bobby and the Beville girls can be in the metropolis as AU athletics director Nancy Simpson brings the Beville Cup home. It will be a nice day in Due West for sure!