by Malcolm Butler
Yes, ladies, I do like you.
Following Cedar Creek’s impressive 19-point win over Hamilton Christian on Thursday night, I joined Ruston Daily Leader sportswriter Matt Belinson on the court as we interviewed second-year head coach Katie Hall.
The first words out of Katie’s mouth to me were, “You sure motivated my basketball team!”
What, me?
I smiled and asked, “How?” Although, at this point I already head a pretty good idea.
Katie, who I have been great friends with for more than 25 years dating back to her days as an assistant coach for the Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters, proceeded to tell me what I already knew.
Her players didn’t take too kindly to me critiquing their performance in my game story following Monday night’s lopsided win over St. Fredericks.
“They didn’t like that at all,” repeated Katie.
Again, I smiled and even laughed.
Katie continued.
“They said, ‘I thought he liked us?'”
Again, ladies, I do.
If I didn’t enjoy covering your team then I wouldn’t have come to close to 20 of your games this year, including traveling a number of times to road games. I wouldn’t have written countless game stories and player features and columns about ya’ll.
Just because I painted the vocabulary picture of a uncharacteristic performance doesn’t mean I’m not a “fan.”
However, this is the perfect opportunity to point out something that my business partner Kyle Roberts and I talk about all the time. We hear it way too often from parents or readers or coaches or even players.
In our jobs as sportswriters, we don’t serve as the public relations department for any of our five parish high schools or two colleges. I did for 23 years at Louisiana Tech before retiring from that aspect of it in 2022.
Sure, the overwhelming majority of what we write is over-the-top positive as we like to highlight the good, whether that’s a team win, an individual performance, or just a feel good story.
I would even go as far as saying outside of the legendary O.K. Buddy Davis, I may have written more positive stories about Cedar Creek School and its student athletes then anyone else … ever.
But, credibility is also important in our business. It’s important in all professions.
If you have ever listened to me call at Louisiana Tech Athletics sporting event on the radio or on ESPN+, one thing I am is real. No one loves the red and blue more than me. I went to my first Tech sporting event when I was 8 years old and have had the joy of working for my alma mater for 26 years.
But when the Bulldogs or the Lady Techsters don’t play well, you will know it by listening to my call of the game. It’s not fair to the listener if I try to gloss over a subpar performance on the air.
Same goes with my writing.
Another example is Ruston High. I am a 1989 graduate of RHS, and I love the Bearcats. And over the past three years while Jerrod Baugh and Co. have made three straight state championship appearances, there have been times where I have been critical of a team performance.
It’s called journalism. The late great Wiley Hilburn, Jr., taught me that during my college days.
So let’s get back to you, ladies.
I’ve watched the vast majority of your games this year. I’ve even traveled the back roads across the northern part of the state to cover your games. I’ve seen how good you are when you play together and execute.
But Monday night fell short of that line of basketball demarcation. And it wasn’t my job to sugar coat what I believed was a very uncharacteristic performance.
Does it mean I don’t “like” you? Heck, no.
But, I watch sporting events through a different lens than moms and dads and grandparents and the average fans. It’s my job to tell the story and sometimes that mean’s its not all rainbows and unicorns.
Monday night was not rainbows and unicorns.
And although I appreciate Coach Katie for giving me some “credit,” I don’t know that I truly motivated you ladies last night. I think you were probably motivated by the opportunity to advance to the state semifinals for just the fifth time in school history.
But if I did, maybe I should do it before next week’s trip to Hammond. Because I saw you play one of your most complete games of the year last night in a win-or-go-home scenario.
I enjoyed watching you execute at a high level and getting back to playing the style of basketball that I’ve witnessed for the vast majority of the season.
My hope for you, ladies, is that you can do that two more times this year and bring home the school’s first state title in girls basketball.
I would like that, too.
And yes, I do like you.
