NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Florida –
With temperatures ranging well into the mid-90's, and absolutely no shade with clear skies next to the airport at the New Smyrna Beach Sports Complex, players and coaches were instructed to stay hydrated over and over by members of the strength staff and training staffs, respectively. Winds came out of the southeast at a mere two miles per hour, providing little to no comfort as the first full week of practice winded down, so to speak.
"Oh, we have visitor's today," shouted Head Coach Terry Sims as he entered the practice fields prior to practice. "I do all my interviews in the sun so we can all sweat," he said with a smile, looking directly at local media members in attendance.
Not only was Zach Dean from the Daytona Beach News-Journal ready to talk to Sims and a few select student-athletes, but Sims was already ready to speak to speak to Dean.
The connection?
One that started the moment Sims suffered a season the likes he had never experienced before with countless injuries during the 2016 campaign. That's when Dean and other local media members had to keep reminding everyone that playing without 16 of 22 starters would all but cause ANY team to suffer a losing record. But the way the two interacted all year seemed as if both were winning the battle, as Sims always says, in all three phases of the game with the team and media, respectfully.
Practice was practice for the most part on Wednesday, but it was the attention of the media that may have seemed to turn heads.
Dwayne Brown and Nicholas Roos were talking with Dean about the play of the offensive line. Elliott Miller and Keavon Mitchell spoke after practice with Chris Hayes of the Orlando Sentinel. Meanwhile, across the offensive practice field was Dan Ryan, Senior Writer and Historian for BCU Athletics. Ryan was talking with two new student-athletes for a piece he's working on with the #CaliCats connection that now, not only involves @BCUSoftball.
The west coast connection has hit the "Sunshine State" for @BCUGridIron as well.
The stories are abundant with Sims at the helm. It's not just about football ON the field anymore.
The stories have now extended well beyond the playing surface or the X's and O's.
A follow-up with Dwayne Brown who is a cancer survivor. A connection with recruiting on the west coast, aided by the help of Offensive Coordinator Allen Suber. The local ties in Orlando with Chris Hayes, as well as the guys set to lead the pack on offense and defense. And the development of a new offensive line, practically from scratch, with first-year offensive line coach Prince Pearson.
Those are the stories on this day for the media from fall football camp.
On the #CatsCamp part of the day, it was business as usual with more individual teaching than anything else. Cornerbacks coach Terry Williams was instructing his group on footwork. Suber was working with the quarterbacks on timing. Receivers coach Will Glover was working on the same.
It all seemed to be about footwork, in the end. Keeping feet moving, together or spaced out. Whatever position you played, you needed footwork. That's the teaching of the day. It wasn't the 7-on-7 drills that highlighted. It was the individual teaching, and some days that all practice is. It's teaching, and this #CatsCamp was nothing more than proper technique…on and off the field.
Bethune-Cookman looks towards the weekend with two more practices scheduled before then, with the second closed scrimmage of fall camp set to take place at the New Smyrna Beach Sports Complex. Due to possible weather in and around the Volusia County area, a time for the closed scrimmage session has not yet been determined.
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