With the Eagles in KC 2006

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With the Eagles in KC 2006

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Monday, March 13, 2006

The Eagles arrived in Kansas City, MO, on Monday evening. From their lodging, they have this view at left of Municipal Auditorium, site of the 79th Annual Buffalo Funds-NAIA National Championship Tournament.

Muncipal Auditorium was built in 1934, during the lowest point of the Great Depression. It was once the home of the Kansas City-Omaha Kings of the NBA, and is currently the home court of NCAA Division II University of Missouri-Kansas City. It is a beautiful example of Art Deco Architecture, similar in style to Rockfeller Center in Manhattan. It is flanked by Bartle Hall and the Kansas City Convention Center, and was supplanted as the city's main athletic arena by the construction of Kemper Arena.

The NAIA is headquartered in nearby Olathe, KS.

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

After arising at 6:30 AM to begin the process of acclimating themselves to an early wake-up call in preparation for Thursday's first-round game at 10:45 AM, the Eagles practiced at Wyandotte High School across the Missouri River in Kansas City, KS. This school was once Kansas City, Kansas, High School; it won the high school boys' basketball national championship in 1923. At right: the banners celebrating the school's impressive number of state championships; at one point the school won 13 state championships in 15 years. A banner commemorating its national championship hangs at the right.

One of the unique aspects of the NAIA tournament is the tradition of honorary coaches. Kansas City-area business who support the NAIA and its mission are matched up with each of the 32 teams in the tournament field. This year the Eagles are honored to welcome three executives from DST Systems, one of the country's largest providers of data and financial tracking systems. They are the major supplier of tracking systems for mutual funds in the US.

Pictured at left are two of the three honorary coaches for the Eagles. At left is Phil Neff and at right is Jeff Quast. They accompanied the Eagles to Wyandotte High School and observed the workout. "It was very different from what we've seen before with other teams," said Mr. Quast. "Those teams just scrimmaged. This year we got to see a little more of the inner workings of a team preparing for the tournament."

Coach Al Bruehl enjoys the honorary coach system. "It gives our guys a chance to meet some high-powered business people. They can see what it takes to succeed in that world," Coach Bruehl says. "And the honorary coaches get a chance to see what goes on inside a top-level basketball program."

The honorary coaches attend practices, join the team in the locker room, sit on the bench during games, and observe meetings with the coaching staff. Frequently, they treat the team to a dinner or luncheon at one of Kansas City's better restaurants.

Some other shots from Tuesday's practice:


Senior captain Aaron Wellington enjoys some playful banter after practice with his teammates.

Reggie George goes up for a dunk during post play workouts.

Assistant Coach Mike Griffith--a member of the Eagles 2002 National Runner-up team--reviews a finer point of play with one of RMC's guards.

Tuesday evening was the tournament banquet, followed by an evening of speakers and a performance by a hypnotist for the assembled players of the 32 tournament teams. Below: the Eagles pose for a team shot before entering the banquet.

From left: Front Row: Dustin Childs, Elijah Shannon, Aaron Wellington, James Parker, Anthony Smith, TJ Listenbee, and Steve Strong. Second Row: Marques Warfield [hidden behind Childs], Reggie George, Mike Griffith, Sam Jackson, Stephen Davis, Jerome Harper, Jason Thurman, Freeman Taylor, and Melvin Council.

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Wednesday was a very busy day for the Eagles. It began at 9:00 AM with attendance at CCAC rival Olivet Nazarene's opening round game, followed by a Champions of Character workshop and finishing with a workout at Park University just outside of Kansas City. And that was just the morning. The afternoon was spent watching a few of the other games played in the first round and getting some rest. Some of the players received treatment from Head Trainer Jerry Henley. The evening concluding with the last sessions of the day and the NAIA Parade of Champions.

The Champions of Character workshop began with a surprise as an old friend appeared. Chris Rowles (pictured on the right with former teammate and current RMC assistant Mike Griffith), who played for the Eagles from 1997-1999 and graduated with a degree in business administration, now works as a program director for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City.

The Eagles presented their workshop for the third, fourth,and fifth graders from Satchel Paige Elementary School in Kansas City. Led by RMC's Coach Aubrey Volious and encouraged by their physical education teacher Coach Trotter, the kids began their workshop with a little movement to wake them up after the bus ride.

At left: Coach Trotter, a former college player himself at Prairie A&M, enjoys one of Coach Vee's bon mots.


One of the Paige students put on her best smile for the camera.

Coach Trotter jumps in with the Eagles for a quick shot at the end of the workshop.

Anthony Smith, James Parker, and Stephen Davis enjoy a question by one of the kids.

Wednesday's workout was held in the basketball arena at Park University just outside of Kansas City. An unusual design, the arena sits inside a concrete dome with all fixtures suspended from the ceiling.


Assistant Coach Ron Eskridge watches impassively as the team goes through some drills.

Coach Vee, Coach Bruehl, and Coach E address the team.

Head Trainer Jerry Henley, just back from a spring training trip with the baseball team, works on maintaining his Florida tan.

The Parade of Champions is an NAIA tradition. On the first night of the tournament all thirty-two teams are introduced as they enter the arena. All the teams then line up on the court for the presentation of the colors and the singing of hte national anthem.

From left: Honorary Coaches Clif Burns, Phil Neff, and Jeff Quast; Assistant Coaches Ron Eskridge and Gary Cowen lead in the team.

Top: The Eagles on the floor among the tournament teams; immediately behind them in gray are the players of Olivet Nazarene.

Bottom: the floor filled with the best teams in the NAIA.

Thursday, March 16, 2006

It was finally game day as the #3-seeded Eagles opened up the 2006 Tournament with a game against #30 Southern Wesleyan. All game action was photgraphed by Anthony Granea.