Sportswoman of the Week Ending 4/5/2026

The NCAA tournament on the men's AND women's side have been amazing theater.  The big teams are winning when it counts, and UCLA has fit the bill on the women's side.  At 31-1 entering the tournament, the Bruins seemed to be about the fourth choice by betting favorites behind fellow number one seeds Connecticut, South Carolina, and Texas.  They made no match for two of three.  The Bruins played absolute clamp down defense and scored consistently to win by an average of 17 points, culminating in a 28 point beatdown of South Carolina in the Finals .  Led by our Sportswoman of the Week Lauren Betts.  In relative low scoring games, The 6'7" senior Betts scored 30 points in the Final Four, on efficient 13-20 from the field, perfect 4-4 from the line, 22 rebounds, 5 blocks, 5 assists, all of what it takes to win.  It was their first NCAA Championship for a program of proud sports tradition.  Betts and her team finished the season 37-1, and a worthy Longhorndave Sportswoman of the Week! 

Sportsman of the Week Ending 3/29/2026

The shot of the tournament.  Maybe the shot of the tournament in this century.  Heavyweight number one overall seed goes down on a miracle sequence.  This is why we love March Madness.  Connecticut and Duke went toe to toe in the East Regional Finals, two teams with a healthy number of NCAA Championship banners hanging from their rafters.  Despite what some say, NCAA tournament upsets are fun in the short term, but heavy weights going at it at the back end of the tournament is fun too.  Duke was comfortable leading by as many as 19 points as the top seed seemed to be in position to go to their third Final Four in six years.  They led 40-21 three quarters of the way through the first half.  Ten-point lead with 6 minutes left.  Four points and the ball with 90s left.  Two points and the ball with 10s left.  Then it all imploded.  The final sequence will never be forgotten.  Duke just needing to dribble it out throws a pass over a double team, tipped by Braylon Mullins.  Mullins recovers the ball, quick pass, pass back to Mullins, 35-footer.  Good!  It didn't even touch the rim.  Connecticut advances and Duke cries. May not have seen a final sequence like that since the Laettner win over Kentucky.  It's in March Madness Lore and Braylon Mullins is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week! 

Sportsman of the Week Ending 3/22/2026

March Madness is in full effect!  With fewer upsets than some wanted (I'm good with it, I want to see big boy heavyweight games downstream), one individual set an all-time NCAA record that is decades old.  Purdue guard Braden Smith hit 1077 career assists passing the sentimental Duke guard Bobby Hurley for most in NCAA history.  Hurley had the record for over 30 years.  One of only four players to have more than 1000 (Chris Corchiani and Ed Cota the other two).  He's an All-Big 10 first team selection for the third straight year.  Epitome of older school college basketball where your best players played through their eligibility and consistently go deep in the tournament.  Purdue is queued up for a Sweet 16 matchup against Texas, and should they play that they'll look for their second Final Four berth since 1980, the last of which was two years ago when they lost to Connecticut in the finals.  Experienced guard play is always key to deep tournament runs and Smith has that for Purdue.  He is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!  

Sportsman of the Week Ending 11/16/2025

In a playoff deciding game, big players and leaders step up and that was the case for our Sportsman of the Week.  Georgia Quarterback Gunner Stockton was clutch in the second half for his Bulldogs against the Texas Longhorns for the second time in 12 months.  This time, he showed that Georgia may be the hottest team in the country.  The Junior had his best game of the year, throwing nothing but darts hitting 83% of his passes four 4 touchdowns, while running for a fifth as they pulled away from a Top 10 team.  Georgia seems to be the kind of team that is getting better with time and has a favorable schedule.  They may not make the SEC title game, but finishing 11-1 won't keep them out of the playoffs, hosting a game, then being a force to be reckoned with.  Stockton is the leader they need, and the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 3/30/2025

March Madness swings into the second weekend and the top seed just keep winning.  All four Number 1 seeds made the NCAA Men's Tournament Final Four, and Auburn was a part of it.  Led by Johni Broome.  Broome torched the state of Michigan, with two performances of 22+ points and 14+ rebounds.  And in an efficient 30 minutes per game.  The Auburn Tigers reached their first Final Four since 2019 (and only their second in history) with a thrilling comeback victory against the Michigan Wolverines (78-65) and Michigan State Spartans (79-64).  The former was more of a challenge with Auburn trailing by 8 points midway through the second half.  Johni to the rescue.  Auburn looks to continue its run behind the broad shoulders and strong play of Johne Broome, the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 3/23/2025

For some the greatest annual weekend in basketball if not sports is the opening two rounds of the NCAA tournament.  Between Men's and Women's, you get 96 of the eventual 126 games played (even excluding the play in games).  And there will be close games and buzzer beaters.  The University of Maryland had both in a thrilling victory over the Colorado State Rams.  Freshman Derik Queen capped off a team-leading 17-point performance with the shot of his life, with 3.6 seconds to play, taking the inbound step and some monster steps for the banker on the win.  Game over.  You just can't do it better than that.  Queen was a constant force for the favored and 4 seeded Terps over the season averaging 16.2 points and 9 boards per game while shooting over 50% from the field.  The future NBA big man hopes to carry his teams hopes to a deeper tournament run and is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 3/16/2025

It's March, and Madness is in the air as the major conference championships wound down in both men's and women's college basketball with top programs taking trophies and the high seeds to go with them.  A number one seed was taken by Florida, who dominated the SEC Championship Tournament to take the title.  In a landscape of one and done's and transfers, it was a senior that paced the Gators to the title.  Walter Clayton Jr. In his second year for Florida, Clayton Jr. provides the leadership needed as well as the points.  Averaging 21 points per game, to go with 5 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals per game all against ranked opponents because that's how the SEC is.  With a record 14 teams in the NCAA tournament, Clayton Jr. netted tournament MVP honors and will be heard from over the next two, maybe three weeks.  Walter Clayton Jr. is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportswoman of the Week Ending 2/16/2025

Spring sports are in full swing and the surging interest in women's basketball is palpable.  After a banner Spring 2024 with Caitlin Clark (2x Sportswoman of the Week) and Angel Reese bringing the most exciting college basketball season in history, followed by an amazing Women's Olympics Gold Medal performance by Team USA, a new star has emerged on the college scene.  Vanderbilt true freshman Mikayla Blakes is rewriting the record books.  The guard is a scoring machine, tallying 55 points in a big overtime victory against Auburn (erasing a double-digit deficit).  This broke her own 53-point record earlier in the season.  Both are SEC single game records regardless of class, and we're talking about a conference with superstars from Tennessee and South Carolina over the years.  Only 19 and still growing into her body, the future is bright.  And she continues to excite young female athletes (and sports fans in general) about where the sport is going.  Mikayla Blakes is the Longhorndave Sportswoman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 8/25/2024

College Football is back and what may end up being a Top 10 game of the year was the first game of what is like 2000.  2023 undefeated and playoff snubbed Florida State entered the season reloaded and with playoff hopes abound.  As ten-point favorites against Georgia Tech in a Week 0 kickoff game in Ireland, seemed like a great warm up and easy conference win.  Not so fast.  Georgia Tech has a new attitude and that is tough.  Led by Jamal Haynes, the Rambling Wreck controlled the football and most importantly, the final possession to defeat the number ten Seminoles.  Haynes produced gutsy runs totaling 75 yards on 11 carries, with two TDs.  Toss in a couple of catches for 16 yards for over 90.  No these aren't Heisman type numbers but numbers the team needed in a run first approach with variable weather against a good team.  Haynes and the Yellow Jackets received 0 AP or AFCA votes in the first poll.  Less than Texas State, Texas San Antonio, and Air Force among others.  They'll get votes this week thanks to Haynes the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 3/31/2024

The Road to the Final Four "March" -ed on with a number of top seeds holding serve, but it was a double-digit seed that stole the headlines of the Sweet 16 round.  The North Carolina State Wolfpack are partying like it's 1983 with huge upset after huge upset sending them to their first Final Four in 40 years.  Senior guard DJ Horne has been the consistent energy propelling the Pack and he led by example over the weekend.  Horne netted a consistent 19, then 20 points in wins against 2-seed Marquette, and 4-seed Duke.  Add 9 total rebounds and 4 assists.  All of this coming off a miracle ACC Tournament run (in which Horne had 29 points in the final) to seal their NCAA bid which was in doubt.  Will this Wolfpack mimic the Jim Valvano miracle run of 1983?  Tune in, with Horne at the helm, I would not bet against them!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 3/17/2024

The college basketball season is entering its pinnacle with conference tournament championships and top teams emerging.  One of the big conference winners from the Big 10 is a favorite to crash Glendale in the Final Four was the Illinois Fighting Illini.  Senior guard Terrence Shannon Jr. was a big reason why.  There's always something about senior guards and the leadership they provide in tournament style play.  And Shannon Jr. answered in leadership and play.  In the three games in the Big 10 tournament, he averaged 34 points in 35 minutes per game, 27-57 from the field (10-22 beyond the arc) field and 38-44 from the line.  Scoring.  Machine.  The Illini have a 3 seed in the East and poised to push on a week or two.  Terrence Shannon Jr. is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 3/10/2024

It's March.  It's time for Madness.  As conference basketball tournaments dominate the week, it was an historic rivalry that took center stage on Saturday with an ACC regular season title on the line.  And the North Carolina Tarheels went into Duke's house and took their lunch money.  Led by an unsung senior no less.  Cormac Ryan leveraged his experience at Cameron Indoor Stadium to quiet the Crazies and deliver.  Cormac the Magnificent (you know I couldn't resist) was cold blooded with his scoring touch, missing just five times in 22 shots from the field, with two of those being behind the three-point line.  And he did it in the clutch, with ten of his teams last 12 points in the final 3:54, including 7 in the last 108 seconds.  No answers did Duke have.  Ryan sealed the Heels Conference Championship and is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportswoman of the Week Ending 2/18/2024

We enter the inter-regnum (used loosely) portion of the Sports Calendar when there are no playoffs going on, March Madness isn't queued up yet (neither is The Masters), but many sports are going and lots of action to watch every night.  Perhaps there is no more action captivating the country than Caitlin mania.  Caitlin Clark that is, who has captivated not only the women's basketball sports landscape, but the sports landscape in general.  The Iowa Hawkeye scoring machine became the all-time leading scorer in NCAA women's basketball history this week, passing Washington Huskies Guard Kelsey Plum (former Sportswoman of the Week) with her 3,528th career point and she's not slowing down.  So much so, she likely will pass men's basketball hoops legend Pete Maravich in points before the conference tournament season. Worth the ticket of admission (as evidenced by the full houses she plays to) Caitlin Clark is the Longhorndave Sportswoman of the Week (repeat winner).

Sportsman of the Week Ending 12/3/2023

One of the best storylines of the 2023 College Football season was the Pac 12 strength and more specifically, the Washington Huskies emergence as the final Pac 12 Champion beating the Oregon Ducks 34-31.  For the second season in a row, Michael Penix Jr. flashed his elite left arm in big games, this time completing a 13-0 regular season and College Football Playoff berth for the Huskies.  Penix Jr. beat the Oregon Ducks for the second time this season throwing for a tough 319 yards and a TD, putting up 34 points against Oregon, registering 31+ point tallies against the Ducks for the second time this season.  The Ducks didn't give up more than 30 in any other game.  Penix Jr. finishes the year with 4218 yards and 33 TDs ending in an invitation to New York for the Heisman Trophy.  On to the Sugar Bowl for the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 4/2/2023

One game and one shot defined the Final Four in Houston as a thrilling contest came to a conclusion after the buzzer as the ball tickled the bottom of the net.  San Diego State had trailed their matchup with Florida Atlantic since about midway in the first half by as many as 13 as it seemed the 3-loss Owls were headed to the National Championship final.  Until they weren't.  Holding FAU without a score for 3 minutes to pull near even in the last four, the Aztecs set themselves up for success.  And Lamont Butler delivered.  Deciding not to foul, SDSU got the ball with six second left and that was enough for Butler.  Opting not to call a timeout (which can more help the defense set up than the offense), Butler took the ball from the rebounder and dribbled down.  Left.  Right.  In.  Back.  Jumper.  Called Game.  Just like we all dream of doing on the playgrounds growing up.  And Butler wasn't their leading scorer just the guy who was ready for the big moment.  And is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportswoman of the Week Ending 3/26/2023

March Madness hits a crescendo in the Sweet Sixteen to Final Four round as the field in the tournament is winnowed from teams kind of in the Top 25 to the best teams in the land.  And stars emerge on the big stage.  There may not be a bigger star in the sport than Iowa guard Caitlin Clark.  Clark averaged 36 points and 10 assists in two critical wins in the Regional Semifinals and Finals to lift the Hawkeyes to the Final Four.  The two-time Big Ten Player of the Year shot over 50% from the field and beyond the arc in the big victories over Colorado and Louisville to net Iowa its first Final Four since 1993 and second in program history.  The six-foot Junior Clark is the player to watch in the Final Four and our Sportswoman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 2/5/2023

The gap week between the NFL Conference Championships, beyond the Australian Open, and before March Madness produces an intriguing and somewhat underdog choice for Sportsman or woman of the week.  This year, we focus on what has probably been the best men's college basketball team over the past two years, the Houston Cougars.  Final Four participants in 2022, they added a talented freshman that may be the person to push them over the top.  Jarace Walker has been a force in the American Athletic Conference and seems to be getting better with experience.  The 6'8" racked up his third and fourth double digit scoring games on a balanced Cougar squad.  He's got inside game and outside game with over 50% shooting from the field, 7-11 from beyond the arc and 11 rebounds in the two wins this week.  Not to mention 5 steals and 38 points overall, all tops on the team.  And the Cougars were the only Top 5 team to win both their contests last week to push their overall record to 22-2.  The Cougars look poised for a March Madness run and Jarace Walker is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportswoman of the Week Ending 4/3/2022

The NCAA Women's Final Four ended up with a familiar matchup as two perennial heavyweights squared off to notch another National Title in their dynastic era.  This time, the South Carolina Gamecocks emerged with their second championship in six years (five tournaments).  Led by our Sportswoman of the Week Aliyah Boston, who filled up the stat sheet in both wins in the Final Four.  In a 72-59 victory over the Louisville Cardinals in the National Semifinals, Boston netted 23 points (66% shooting) and 18 rebounds with a block and 4 assists.  In the National Finals domination, she netted another 11 points, 16 boards, 2 blocks, and 3 assists to beat the Connecticut Huskies going away 64-49.  The 2022 John Wooden award winner for National Player of the year stepped up and led her team to a National Championship.  She's a worthy Sportswoman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 3/27/2022

As the blue blood programs rose to the top of the NCAA March Madness heap, Villanova proved once again they were built for tournament play.  For the third time in seven years (only six Final Fours) the Wildcats are among the elite.  The last two, and three of the last four, they won the National Championship.  Against a surging Michigan, and perhaps the most dominant tournament team to date Houston, Villanova moved along relatively easily.  Led by a rare senior Jermaine Samuels Jr., they punched their ticket, Samuels Jr. led the team in scoring over the South Regional Semifinals and Finals with 38 points.  But it was efficiency that was his calling card, with a 61% field goal percentage as well as 8-8 from the free throw line.  All in 68 minutes and only 3 personal fouls enabling his team flexibility in keeping him on the court.  Will Samuels Jr. complete his career after his freshman year National Championship in 2018 with another?  Our Sportsman of the Week will give his all!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 3/20/2022

The first weekend of the NCAA Tournament is perhaps the most anticipated in the sports calendar with the volume and variety of games and teams all vying for a National Championship.  While there are usually some interesting upsets, the Sweet 16 typically recalibrates to the highly ranked teams.  Tell that to the St. Peter's Peacocks.  With absolutely nobody pushing them through on their brackets, they are dancing through to the second weekend.  The face of the amazing two game stretch is probably best personified as Doug Edert.  The slight guard came off the bench in both games to lead the team in scoring for the weekend with amazing shot after amazing shot.  What he didn't get in playing time, he made up for in efficiency.  Edert came through in the clutch in a monumental upset of the 2 seeded Kentucky Wildcats with a near-flawless 5/7 from the field (2/2 from 3-point territory) and 8/8 from the free throw line in a stunning 85-79 overtime win.  He followed that up with a 4/6, 1/2, 4/6 performance in the downing of Murray State 70-60.  He played no more than 25 minutes in either game but his clutchness defined what the Peacocks did.  And that was, survive and advance.  Edert is a worthy Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!