TOWSON, Md. - Let's take a look at a fictitious holiday wish list for coaches of the three sports that I primarily cover for TowsonTigers.com - football, basketball and men's lacrosse.
Since I'm closest to these three programs and have limited knowledge of the others, I certainly wish the rest of the winter and spring sports the best of success in CAA and non-conference play.
Please note - take all these lists with a grain of salt. After writing about a thousand stories since August (it only seems that way), it's time for a little levity.
So, let's start with the sport that just finished up one of the most exhilirating seasons in the history of the program.
What would head football coach Rob Ambrose like to see under the tree this holiday season?
1. An early CAA preseason forecast of last again. Just to put another chip on his team's shoulders for 2012.
2. A "player to be named" later on defense who can make the same impact that Grant Enders and Terrance West had for the offense this past season.
3. In 2010, Ambrose said his book about the season would have been "You Couldn't Make This [stuff] Up." For the 2011 version, let's go with the title "I Think They Hear Us Coming."
How about men's lacrosse coach Shawn Nadelen?
1. More sleep and extra diapers (his wife, Mary, just had a baby earlier this month).
2. A 6-foot-3 bruising midfielder with speed who can shoot accurately with both hands and can defend. A combination of Towson Hall of Famers Rob Shek and Tim Langton.
3. A matchup against Maryland in the NCAA Tournament (Thanks for dropping us on the schedule, Maryland).
And for Towson men's basketball coach Pat Skerry?
1. A wider coaching box. Preferably from one end of the court to the other. The man can move.
2. A winning streak.
3. A waiver for transfers Jerrelle Benimon and Mike Burwell to become eligible ASAP.
Last but not least, here are three possible gifts for athletics director Mike Waddell:
1. A new Assistant Director of Athletics for "Twitter" Operations
2. Kiss frontman Paul Stanley to sing the National Anthem at any basketball game this year.
3. A few more banners from the winter and spring sports and a big-name sponsor for Tiger Arena.
And just a few gifts for yours truly, who had a very busy fall of 2011:
1. A new eliptical machine since the old treadmill is obviously not working.
2. A win over Delaware in any of the above sports in 2012.
3. Some help over the minimester asking questions during the post-game press conferences (when students are out). It can get lonely.
Happy holidays to everyone in Tiger Nation and let's make some history in 2012. We got rid of the "SOT" in 2011, so now let's "BTS" in 2012.
