Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Nomadic life costly for Jackson State

Starting season with 14 road games results in 2-12 mark

In so many ways, it all adds up. Close to $500,000 for the athletic department. The experience of trips to places like Tempe, Ariz., Providence, R.I., and Champaign, Ill. Playing in front of 16,000-plus at Kansas' historic Phog Allen Fieldhouse. In other ways, it doesn't add up to much at all. Spending two straight months on the road. Winning twice in 14 tries.

Jackson State basketball coach Tevester Anderson rolled all of the figures around in his head while standing courtside at Alabama A&M's Elmore Gym on Monday morning and said something he's probably thought dozens of times. "It's something I wouldn't want to do again," Anderson said of his team's ambitious pre-SWAC schedule, which included more guarantees than a first-time politician.

"We've played some tough teams and it's helped us evaluate ourselves. It has been fun at times. At other times, it's taken a toll on us." For one day, at least, the hard knocks helped. The preseason SWAC favorites beat A&M 62-53 Monday night to even their conference record at 1-1 and move their overall record to 2-12. When he looked at the schedule, A&M coach Vann Pettaway wondered if Anderson, in his sixth year with the Tigers, had gotten sideways with the Jackson State administration.

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