In The Huddle

So the economy is tanking, the Middle East is a mess and is so cold outside that it makes Ron Paul’s presidential hopes seem white hot by comparison.

If there’s one boys’ basketball coach that can identify with the troubling times it is Orange’s Greg Motley.

Motley’s Panthers (7-9 overall, 4-7 Mid-State 2-A) faced a three-day gauntlet this week.

Wednesday night it was a 68-48 loss at undefeated Graham.

Thursday night it was a 58-56 loss at defending Class 2-A champ Cummings.

Friday night it was a 61-50 loss at Cardinal Gibbons.

I doubt Motley will be send his schedule-maker a thank you note.

Getting three of the league’s toughest road trips out of the way in one pass may have its advantages in the long run, but this week, it was certainly no fun.

“(It’s OK) if it doesn’t kill us going through,” Motley said. “We’re just trying to find out what we need to do to be successful. But we’re going to be a better team because of who we’ve played.”

You would think that helping guide your school to three basketball state championships and a football state title might buy a guy some pull when it comes to getting a seat at your alma mater’s games. In the case of former Cummings multi-sport star Dwight Jones, apparently not.

Jones, who’s spending the spring working on his grades to take advantage of a football scholship at North Carolina, tried to watch his Cummings Cavaliers take on Graham in a much-anticipated boys’ basketball showdown Friday night. But Jones found himself among the scores of fans turned away after Graham’s home gym reached capacity.

“We left the house late anyway,” Jones said. “But by the time we got there, the line was to the buses. We just went home.”

It’s not like Jones hasn’t gotten a good look at the Red Devils, who beat the Cavs 80-66 by the way. He said he’s played against Red Devils players Nate Blackburn and
Preston Newlin in pickup games at the YMCA.

“I knew they’d be good,” Jones said.