Kennesaw State’s Player First Kind of Coach

By Morgana Kennedy

Nov. 15, 2015

Head Coach Tory Acheson posing for the camera in his office at Kennesaw State University on Monday, Nov. 9, 2015.  (Photo Credit: Morgana Kennedy)

KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State women’s softball coach has become very popular with the team through his “player first” coaching style.

Tory Acheson, known by his players as Coach Tory, officially became head coach for the Owls in April 2015. Acheson began coaching softball when he was in high school and continued on to the college level. Before coming to KSU, he coached at Tennessee Technological University for 16 years, Acheson said.  

“I’ve been coaching all of my adult life,” Acheson said. “It’s not something I got into thinking of coaching as a profession. It’s something that just found me.”

While at TTU, Acheson had 25 wins in 13 of his 14 seasons and averaged 36 wins per season. He acted as the interim coach during the 2015 campaign for the Owls. He led the team to a 32-19 record and finished third in the Atlantic Sun Conference.

The winning season came just months after Acheson’s wife passed away. He has one son who is working on an advanced degree in Florida, so he has thrown his heart into coaching this team, he said.

When he first began helping with a team in high school he met the woman who would become his wife. They did not know each other before he started helping with the softball team. They fell in love and got married two years after graduating, Acheson said.

They coached together throughout his career. They were married for 34 years.

Acheson has changed his coaching style over the years and credits his positive relationship with the girls on the team and the assistant coaches to empathy.

“My coaching career is the really the tale of two different stories, almost like two different personalities,” Acheson said. “When I was a young coach I was a very much a hard driving, screaming, yelling old school military type of coach, and as I’ve gotten older I’ve become much more of a laid back and player friendly kind of coach.”

This approach has earned Acheson respect among players and other coaches, assistant coach Cathleen Fritts said. She has known Acheson since she was a child and was recruited by him for TTU, she said.

“It’s like coming to work with a family member, you know, someone you’re close with and comfortable with,” Fritts said.

The women on the team are free to come to Acheson with any concerns, even those that are not related to softball, Fritts said. He has an open door policy.

Though Acheson has demonstrated an ability to effectively coach, he was not a great player, he said. He played baseball for many years, but describes himself as a mediocre player. 

“My whole athletic career I was just a very average athlete, but I was a really hard worker and was just interested in learning about the games that I played,” Acheson said.

Connecting with the players became the most rewarding part of sports, Acheson said. He enjoys watching his players grow, and the true payoff comes when a player has a breakthrough moment and really achieves something, he said.

Acheson views his success as being directly connected to his players. But, he admits that softball doesn’t yield professional success for players in most cases. Professional softball is not a very popular sport, and most athletes have to supplement their income in other ways if they continue on to the professional level, Acheson said.

Sports Blogging

By Morgana Kennedy

Chapter six discusses blogging. Blogging is a great way to put your work online, and to show future employers that you have writing skills. It is important to find a unique perspective or your own voice.

There are many types of "voices" in blogs. Some bloggers give opinions about teams, leagues and players. Others post more like fans, making excuses for poor plays or calls in a game. According to the book critics argue that many sports blogs are not worth reading.

Despite the negative comments blogs are here to stay. Even ESPN and CBSSports.com regularly glog major league baseball, National Football League, National Basketball Association and National Hockey League games. Colleges have started to get in on the blog phenomenon as well. Some colleges post live updates on  blogs during a game. Some just have recaps.

Blog writing is just starting to evolve. It is similar to sports writing in the early 1920s. Game stories read like short stories. Individual blog posts can vary though. It's important to be balanced. Mix the positive with the negative. Blogs won't be popular if they are mostly negative.

People who write blogs are often careless with their grammar or editing. They write the way they speak, which is O.K. for opinion blogs, but they should still follow AP style and watch for mistakes. It is hard to be viewed as a serious writer if your blog is filled with errors.

Make sure you report what happened during the game. Be sure to credit the sources you get the information from. Deliver quality information.

Blogs are like a sidebar. They are places where sports writers can expand on their game stories, according to the book. Add audio clips, links, and video to make it more interesting. There are no set rules to blogging. The writer just needs to try to capture the audience and keep them coming back. 

Player Q&A

Preview of Q&A with Soccer Player

By Morgana Kennedy

I spoke with Travis Montgomery a 27-year-old who plays for the Cobb Adult Soccer League. Montgomery has played soccer 22 years. The sport really shaped who he is today.

Playing soccer opened up a lot of doors, Montgomery said. It allowed him to have a closer relationship with his brother and playing on different teams introduced him to people he refers to as his best friends.

Montgomery also enjoys watching soccer. He attended the United States world cup men's qualifier in Washington D.C. Every few months for a year Montgomery and his friends would travel to a new city to see a soccer game.

His favorite team is Manchester United. But, he has not been able to see them live yet. He plans to see them the first chance he gets when he goes abroad.

"Soccer has been one of the biggest positive influences in my life. It has taught me invaluable lessons about life, hard work, communication, and friendship. I never realized how important it was when I was younger, but now that I'm older I see that playing soccer has really molded me into the person that I am today,"  Montgomery said.

Now enrolled at KSU as a sports management major, he plans to apply what he learns in the program to his dream career as the owner and operator of his own indoor soccer facility.

The video featuring Montgomery will be coming to the blog next week.

Hawks Defeated by Heat in Preseason Matchup

By Morgana Kennedy

Hawks assistant coach Darvin Ham after the preseason game against the Miami Heat at Philips Arena, Oct. 18. (Photo Credit: Morgana Kennedy)

ATLANTA – Gerald Green and James Ennis scored 19 points each leading the Miami Heat to victory over the Atlanta Hawks 101-92 at Philips Arena, Sunday.

Hawks Mike Scott also finished with 19 points and lead the team in rebounds while tallying three assists in 25 minutes, but it wasn’t enough to take the Heat. Atlanta had a decent showing in the second quarter but they weren’t as strong in the third.

“In the third quarter, they played really hard. I thought they played with a lot of energy, and we turned the ball over a lot,” head coach Mike Budenholze said. “We only got 16 points and we gave up 31. Credit to some of their guys who came in that third quarter and they just played with great energy and great effort.”

The Heat scored 28 points off of 22 Hawks’ turnovers. Four of the Heats’ players scored over 10 points in contrast to only three of the Hawks.

Despite the loss the Hawks have had a strong showing in the preseason winning four of the last five games.

As they prepare to enter the regular season the Hawks are focusing on defensive rebounding.

“That’s something we’ve really put a lot of time and effort and focus on in the preseason, and in practice and in film sessions,” Budenholzer said.

“We feel like we can be a good defensive rebounding team,” he said. “It’s something we’re conscious of and we’re working hard to be good on the defensive boards.”

The Hawks have some new faces. They’re feeling out different players in rotation mixing and matching on offense, according to assistant coach Darvin Ham.

“It’s not so much about the wins and losses at this point in the year as it is trying to get better at things that we’re working on in practice,” Ham said. “During the course of this preseason, season and earlier at the start of the year we’re feeling different guys out…and seeing what they’re able to give us.”

Newcomer Edy Tavares joins the Hawks this season. As one of the best players in Spain he shows a lot of promise. With English as a second language he had a challenging start, but that doesn’t hinder his performance on the court. Tavares scored a total of eight points in tonight’s game.

“He’s feeling much more comfortable. Being on a new team is hard, new language, everything. It takes a little time. He’s coming along very fast. He’s starting to understand everything. He feels more comfortable out there. It’s up to us to make the game easy for him,” Hawks Al Horford said.

The Hawks didn’t quite click with each other as well as their opponent in this game, Horford said. This is something they’ll have to work on if they want to succeed this season.

“The biggest thing is making sure we’re comfortable playing with each other,” Horford said.

Overall the Hawks look good, and this loss may just be the result of less urgency to win due to it only being a preseason game.

Owls Make History in Big South Conference Game

By Morgana Kennedy

Nick Perotta, defensive lineman for Kennesaw State University, at the post-game press conference on Saturday, Oct. 17.  (Photo credit: Morgana Kennedy)

KENNESAW, Ga. – The Fifth and Third Bank Stadium erupted with the cheers of Owl fans as Nick Perotta intercepted a pass at the goal line with :07 left to lock in Kennesaw State University’s win against Gardner-Webb University 12-7, Saturday.

The Bulldogs just needed to make a touch down to win the game. Gardner-Webb’s quarterback Tyrell Maxwell dropped back and threw toward the end zone, but the Owls junior defensive lineman prevented the pass from being completed.

Perotta helped the Owls make history. The victory marked the first time since 2002 that a newcomer won its first BSC game.

“To be able to make a play at the end and help the team get a win was definitely an exciting moment,” Perotta said.

KSU’s defense proved it could stack up against more seasoned opponents. The Bulldogs are a larger team pound-for-pound, with several players weighing in at over 300lbs. The Owls head coach Brian Bohannon credited the win to the way the Owls responded to the Bulldogs.

“I knew if we could get ahead two scores in the second half we were gonna wear the clock out, ‘cause I knew our defense could stop them,” Bohannon said.

Along with Perotta’s huge moment at the end of the game, freshman place kicker Justin Thompson made four field goals giving KSU its 12 points. Thompson tied a record for single game field goals in the BSC.

The Owls junior quarterback Trey White led the offense keeping possession of the ball for roughly 38 minutes throughout the game. Despite not being able to put it in the end zone it kept the ball out of the Bulldogs hands. 

But the shining moment for Owls fans came in those last few seconds as Perotta ripped away any chance of GWU taking the lead.

“It’s a big deal for program,” Bohannon said. “You talk about laying a foundation for stuff you can build on.”

This game also marked the Owls’ TV debut on ESPN3. The network broadcasted the game live with Evan Lepler and Renaldo Wynn. The BSC returned to ESPN3 this season with eight football games being televised exclusively.

If KSU can keep persevering they’re bound to have more historic moments. They go on to play Liberty University on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m.  GWU will play Charleston Southern University on Oct. 24 at 1:30 p.m.

Kennesaw State defeats Gardner-Webb in Big South Conference Game

By Morgana Kennedy

Oct. 17, 2015

Owls head coach Brian Bohannon taking questions after a win against Gardner-Webb University, Saturday Oct. 17.

KENNESAW, Ga. -- Justin Thompson kicked four field goals to help the Owls win their first conference game 12-7 against the Bulldogs at Fifth Third Bank Stadium on Saturday.

After two false starts and the offense holding the ball without putting it in the end zone Kennesaw State relied on kicking and defense to take on the Bulldogs. Thompson made a 30-yard field goal in the first quarter, putting them ahead 3-0.

“We were trying every way we could to get that ball in the end zone,” head coach Brian Bohannon said. “I mean field goals really weren’t our mindset. … but, you felt like if you could put up two scores you were in pretty good shape.”

The Owls defense held the Bulldogs to only two first downs in the second quarter. A field goal made by Thompson with nine seconds left remained unanswered as Gardner-Webb rushed for a loss of one yard to finish the first half.

During the third quarter GWC's quarterback Tyrell Maxwell completed a 21-yard pass to wide receiver Jacob Henderson for the first down, but the Bulldogs were unable to put points on the board until the fourth quarter.

At the start of the fourth Thompson made a 27-yard field goal to put KSU at 12-0. With 5:33 left, the Bulldogs’ running back John Bettistea rushed one yard for a touchdown. A kick from Paul Schumacher gave the Bulldogs seven points, forcing the Owls to fight to keep their lead.

The game came down to the final seconds as KSU’s defensive lineman Nick Perrotta intercepted Tyrell’s final pass at the goal line with 0:03 left. The Owl’s remain undefeated at home with a record of 5-1 for the season, and enter into Big South competition at 1-0.

“This was one of those games that we really had to grind it out,” KSU quarterback Trey White said. “This was our coming out party.”

White led the offense with a total of 114 passing yards and 170 yards rushing. The Owls’ defense only allowed the Bulldogs 200 yards.

The Owls play Liberty University on Saturday as they continue in the Big South Conference. Gardner-Webb defeated Liberty 34-20 in their first conference game last week.

“We won the game and for a young program this is huge, huge,” Bohannon said. “At home in the first conference game and we found a way to win.”