March 20, 2012

#22 Falcons Continue Preparation for Elite Eight

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The University of Montevallo men’s basketball team (27-7) had a full slate on Tuesday as they opened the day with a community outreach program at a local elementary school and also practiced for the first time on The Bank of Kentucky Center floor. Head coach Danny Young also participated in a pre-tournament press conference with all theother Elite Eight head coaches.

The Falcons began the day at 10 a.m. as they head to Crossroads Elementary School to talk and interact with some local children. The students at Crossroads have been following the Falcons since they were announced as hosts of the Southeast Regional Tournament. All the classes made signs for the different players and were excited to finally meet the team.

The UM players opened the event by introducing themselves and then coach Young allowed the students to ask questions. After a few questions a couple of the players spoke to the group about what it takes to be a college athlete and the importance of staying in school and listening to your teachers and parents. Following the speeches the players did a little basketball demonstration in which the students went crazy every time a Falcon dunked the ball.

After the short basketball drill the Falcons and selected CES students participated in some “minute to win it” games. Following the games senior DeMarcus Catchings (Arlington, Texas/Cedar Valley College) and junior Danny Cummins (Charlotte, N.C./Chipola College) teamed up for a dance off with two CES students.

Coach Young then invited all the students to come down and meet the players where they could get autographs, pictures or just interact with the Falcons. A few of the children played some basketball with the players while others sat down and spoke with the athletes.

It was then time for the players to leave and they all said they really enjoyed the experience and love working with the young children.

The team then went to a local favorite, Skyline Chili. After a delicious lunch the team headed back to the hotel to rest but on the way to the hotel the Falcons stopped at The Bank of Kentucky Center to take a team photo outside the arena.

Coach Young had to then head over to the arena for the pre-tournament press conference where all eight head coaches spoke about their teams to the media and answered questions.

Coach Young returned to the hotel and had a short film session before he and the team had to jump back on the bus and head to practice at The Bank of Kentucky Center. The Falcons practiced from 5:00-5:55 in the arena and it was the first time they were able to see the inside of the state-of-the-art facility. After a short but intense practice the Falcons headed over to Northern Kentucky University’s old gymnasium where they practiced for another 50 minutes.

Following the two hour practice session the team returned to the hotel and showered before heading out to diner at a local Japanese Steakhouse. For many of the team members it was their first experience at a hibachi style restaurant. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed their dinner and head back to the hotel. The team then had a film session to prepare for their quarterfinal game against Metro State College of Denver.

The Falcons will have a short shoot-around tomorrow morning and then rest most of the day in preparation for their game at 8:30 p.m. (EST) inside The Bank of Kentucky Center. The game will be streamed live on NCAA.com and their will also be live stats available on the Elite Eight Tournament webpage which is linked on MontevalloFalcons.com.