College basketball: Why Texas Southern is playing 13 road games in four time zones

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Out here on the road with the traveling Tigers of Texas Southern, it can get a little hard keeping the schedule straight.

It’s Thursday, right? If it’s Thursday, this must be Ohio State.

Here come the Tigers for morning shoot-around, but before we stop coach Mike Davis for a word, consider Texas Southern’s non-conference schedule.

Thirteen games in 44 days – every last one of them on the road. Ten states, four time zones, from Gonzaga and Washington State and Oregon in the west to Syracuse and Clemson in the east and south, with the likes of Kansas and Ohio State in between. The sea to shining sea tour.



So, um, why?

“It’s a planned thing that I do because in life there’s going to be challenges,” Davis begins. “Your passion and your mindset and your efforts have to be greater than any challenge you’re going to face in life. So I have an opportunity with my basketball team to put them in challenges for 13 games.”

And he’s not kidding. Besides the heavyweight teams on the schedule, one after another after another, there are quirks in the itinerary to help the travel budget. The 4 a.m. bus to the airport for the Gonzaga game. Flying into Cincinnati, two hours away, for this Ohio State visit.



All part of the plan. Davis again:

“I feel like that builds character, and that develops great habits of being able to recover mentally. The worst thing that’s going to happen is you’re going to lose a basketball game. Once you walk out of these doors, there’s going to be sickness, there’s going to be death, there’s going to be losing your job, divorce, all kind of situations you’re going to be challenged with.

“I’m giving my team the opportunity to face those challenges to prepare them for life, and also face these challenges so it prepares us for our conference. We’re never going to face teams in the SWAC that are as good as these teams. The only way you can get better is through struggle. You have to embrace the struggle, understand it, and always look to the solution.”



CONTINUE READING