BURN THE HORSE
How did UALR Coach Steve Shields spend his birthday on Wednesday? It was really a whole lot of this.
For the first time in a long time there was no opponent to scout for and no practice. But it was anything but a day off with the media blitz that surrounded the Trojans all day.
Shields and UALR Women's Coach Joe Foley appeared on just about every radio program in the state. Shields also did some national radio.
And in addition to local television appearances, UALR's Solomon Bozeman also appeared for a long segment on ESPN's First Take on Wednesday morning.
Late Wednesday afternoon, Shields scrolled through his cell phone to reveal hundreds of texts, many of which he hasn't had the opportunity to return. Big time coaches like John Calipari of Kentucky and Doc Sadler of Nebraska. Former players like Zack Graber. Coaching friends from all over the country. And plenty of folks from Little Rock.
He said texts from last night started flooding his phone this morning, one after another.
And those who weren't texting were calling.
Things got so hectic at one point that the Arkansas House of Representatives was trying to set up an appearance for both the men's and women's teams on Thursday. They couldn't work out the schedule, but will likely do so in the near future.
UALR's players will receive a couple of days off to recover from playing four games in four days and to catch up on school work. UALR will find out its destination and opponent on Sunday.
