Spring time Q&A

Parish-wide Recreation Board Meeting Tonight
March 27, 2018
Colonels wrap up spring with exhibition game
March 28, 2018
Parish-wide Recreation Board Meeting Tonight
March 27, 2018
Colonels wrap up spring with exhibition game
March 28, 2018

The weather has been absolutely beautiful this past week.

With sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-to-upper 70s, I’ve spent as much time as I could outdoors at baseball and softball games around the area.

While mingling with folks, I’ve picked up some questions which made me decide that it might be good to kill two birds with one stone.


I’ve picked up a lot of questions from our awesome readers this past week and you guys are curious about a lot of things in the world of sports.

So let’s rock and roll and see if we can have a little fun in this springtime mail bag.

Q: Who is the top dog locally in baseball? (Asked by Pete, Thibodaux)


A: OK, so I am now in a no-win situation. If I tell the truth and say South Lafourche, everyone will call me a homer – both on the streets and also in my own workplace. (Just kidding). But if I don’t, then I will have to face the scorn of all of my neighbors and friends back home. Jokes aside, it’s South Lafourche. They’re the top dogs locally in baseball this year. They’re 16-2 and are the No. 1 team in the state in Class 4A right now. They have pitching, hitting, great senior leadership and great coaching. They’ve already beaten Central Lafourche, CCA, Terrebonne (twice), Houma Christian and Vandebilt. They’re the obvious pick, though there are a lot of real good clubs in the area, as well.

Q: Who are your basketball MVPs for this year? (Asked by Dave, Houma)

A: Oh man, what a good question. For the boys, I guess we have to go with A.J. Rainey, right? No one meant more to his respective team this year locally than Rainey meant to H.L. Bourgeois. He led that team on the floor and off it and his departure will mark a huge blow to the Braves. On the girls’ side, it’s more complex. Traya Bruce was incredible and her team made it to the Top 28. Houma Christian made it there, too, but they were more balanced offensively than the Lady Tarpons were. I guess I will go with Chloe Fleming from South Terrebonne. Like Rainey, I am not sure that anyone meant more to her team than Fleming did to the Lady Gators. That team was challenged offensively and Fleming scored just about everything they’d get on a given night.


Q: Who do you think will get the Nicholls job? (Asked by Richie, Houma)

A: Coach Riley, is that you? I kid, I kid. The Nicholls job is an interesting topic because there are a lot of challenges that come with that gig. The first are expectations, which are now up after the success the team had one year ago. But the second is reality, which is that Nicholls lost all of the meat and potatoes off its 2017-18 team and will now basically be starting over again from scratch. That’s not an easy task. I think the next Nicholls coach should be Larry Cordaro. I’ve said that many times. But he will need to be given some rope. Nicholls likely will not succeed in the standings for a couple of years. Coach Riley left at the right time.

Q: How far will Nicholls football go in 2018? (Asked by Renee, Houma)


A: The sky is the limit. The Colonels made it to the playoffs last year and they really didn’t lose all that much. I don’t want to put too much pressure on those guys, but I think they can certainly get back to the playoffs and even win a game or two while there. Let me tell you guys something. I know Chase Fourcade is a solid player – one of the better quarterbacks in the Southland Conference. I am not intending to start a quarterback controversy or anything crazy. But I watched redshirt freshman Kohen Granier play a lot in high school and that kid is a good football player. The success he had in the spring game is no fluke. He will be a really good one for the Colonels when it’s his time to shine.

Q: How far can the Pelicans go in the playoffs? (Asked by Mason, Houma)

A: Easiest question of the bag. One round and out. There’s no one in the mix that they can beat in a seven-game series. Outside of Anthony Davis, that team has nothing of substance. With elite coaches being able to zero in scouting reports on Davis, he will not be as effective and the team will get suffocated.


Q: You wrote in a column that the Pelicans are better without Boogie Cousins. Are you out of your mind? (Asked by Ro, Thibodaux)

A: First off, I did not say in my column that the Pelicans are better without Cousins. I said that they could spend $20 million better. That’s a big difference. Don’t put words in my mouth. Second, let’s do some math. On the day that Cousins got hurt, the Pelicans were 27-21. That means they won 56 percent of their games. After beating the Lakers on Thursday, they were 43-30, which means they are now 16-9 without Cousins. That means they’ve won 64 percent of their games without him. So I ask you, Sir, is it better to win 64 percent of the time or is it better to win 56 percent of the time? People need to get over the whole Cousins thing. He’s a great statistical player, but his style of play isn’t conducive to wins – hence why he’s never won before. Stop listening to everything ESPN tells you verbatim. Form your own opinion sometimes. It’s OK.

Q: Who is your favorite coach to interview locally? (Asked by Fred, Bourg)


A: I actually have been asked this a few times. If it’s current coaches, I’d go with Kenneth Dixon at Ellender just because the guy is nuts (in a good way) and will keep you there for 15-20 minutes while talking about his team – either good or bad. If I am allowed to introduce former coaches into this discussion, I would throw former Vandebilt soccer coach Matt Kelso into the ring. Coach Kelso is the most brutally honest interview I’ve ever had. He told you exactly how he felt without any coach speak at all. It was quite refreshing.

Q: Do you still communicate with some of the athletes you covered once they graduate and move off to college? (Asked by Abby, Thibodaux)

A: All of the time. Twitter is an awesome tool that I use to keep up with all of those awesome young men and women. I tell you – it’s awesome to see local athletes move on to the collegiate ranks and perform well. It made me proud to see Cassidy Barrios win Southland Conference Player of the Year and it fires me up to see some of the other success stories in the area. But it fires me up even more to see players graduate high school, become college students and then begin their professional lives. Several student athletes I covered seven or eight years ago are now parents. That’s pretty cool, too. Can we go to the next question now? I’m starting to feel old.


Q: Give me a record for LSU football. (Asked by Bobby, Galliano)

A: I think LSU will be better with a worse record if that makes any sense. Their schedule is just brutally tough. You lose Tennessee and add Georgia. You lose BYU and add Miami. Tough sledding is ahead.

Cassidy Barrios


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