Sports

Damage differs depending on angle

Colin Chmielewski

I'll be the first to admit, I've agreed with Derek Stingley's stance on almost everything this season.

So what the South Georgia Wildcats' coach said after Saturday's game caught me a little off guard. The Wildcats had just lost their last regular season home game – and very possibly their last home game this year.

But it wasn't to just anybody. South Georgia lost, 71-61, to the Alabama Steeldogs. The same Alabama team that embarrassed them in the preseason. The same Steeldogs who had “stolen” – with the help of the officials and timekeepers – a 57-54 win in Birmingham. The same bunch who had lost six consecutive games while careening to the bottom of the South Division.

Saturday was supposed to be a celebration for South Georgia. A chance for the fans to show the team some love for what has been a storybook season.

Besides the fact that the Wildcats had a chance to win before their biggest crowd of the season (6,319), they also had a chance to move closer to a division crown – and more importantly, hosting a home playoff game.

So – considering all these factors – I was surprised by Stingley's answer when I asked him how frustrating the loss to Alabama was.

Stingley shook his head, signaling that it wasn't.

“Not frustrating?” I said.

The coach said, “Nope. It's probably more frustrating for…maybe.”

And then he stopped in mid-sentence. Whether Stingley was correcting himself or realizing how his initial answer sounded, only he knows.

“I hate to lose,” Stingley continued. “But for where we are, meaning we're in the playoffs, that's all that matters right now. Yeah to win at home, to win out, to have a division and all that, all that is extra. And I've been saying this to you all along, my concern is us being in the playoffs and us playing well in the playoffs.”

Now, I agree with the principle of what Stingley is saying — the playoffs are really the only thing that matter. But most any coach will also tell you two things:

1. You always want to go into the playoffs on a strong note.
2. It's always great to be at home in the playoffs.

I'm not saying that Stingley is alright with losing by any means. But staring a visit to the 13-2 Tulsa Talons in the face Saturday, it would seem like a chance to beat a 6-9 Alabama squad at home was a golden opportunity.

So I expected a different demeanor from the coach after that opportunity was squandered.

As far as being at home or on the road in the postseason, Stingley was the only member of the Wildcats' organization who said he didn't care either way where they played. Now maybe that was just great coachspeak to alleviate some pressure in case South Georgia did what it did on Saturday. But I know the city wanted to see its team at home. I know general manager Darren McPhail was certainly excited about the possibility. And — while they say they're obviously ready to play anywhere – I know the players would trade the long bus rides for their own apartments.

“It's frustrating for me because we wanted to win this last game in front of our home fans,” quarterback D. Bryant said afterward. “And try to get a home playoff game. This might have hurt our chances.”

The Wildcats' chances to be at home aren't completely out the door. If they can win at Tulsa, they just need a little help. A Florida loss at Manchester (which is very possible), combined with a South Georgia win would result in a division crown and the No. 3 seed. Or an Arkansas loss against Amarillo (less likely) and a South Georgia win would leave the Wildcats in the fourth spot.

So it's still feasible, but Saturday's loss just made it much harder – and took the control out of South Georgia's hands.

But what will decide how this season is remembered will not be a late-season loss to Alabama. It will be how Stingley handles the psyche of this team from here on out. The Wildcats have shown they can beat anybody in any arena. But they've also proved that they can lose to any team on any given night. While Stingley downplayed the loss to the media, I know he voiced some displeasure to his team behind closed doors.

“This don't mean crap,” Stingley said Saturday. “Yeah, we wanna win, we play to win. But this don't stop us or this doesn't help us to win the championship game August 25th.”

And if the South Georgia Wildcats do that, then Stingley will be right again.

Back to today's Sports>>