Fans brought the energy in support of their Buffs
Some random thoughts after two straight weekends on the road:
• There’s something about sports. We can grumble about a lot of things -- politics, rising prices, social media, the younger generation, poor drivers, the list goes on and on.
Nothing brings a community together better than sports, and for that matter, school events in general. They bring us together. What would we do without them during the winter months?
Greybull fans certainly bought into this year’s team. A lot of high school and college sports don’t attract the casual fan. Go to a culminating event and you’ll mostly see parents in the stands.
But basketball is different -- at least in this town. While you can’t compete with Chiefs Nation anywhere and especially on its home turf, a significant number of Greybull fans traveled to Riverton two Saturdays ago for the regional final.
The same thing happened Saturday in Casper. The Buffs weren’t playing for a title, but you wouldn’t have known it by their fan support. It felt like a big game. Maybe it was the Friday afternoon thriller, which may go down as one of the most entertaining high school game I’ve ever seen. Maybe it was frustration with the NFHS feed, which is about the only thing more unpredictable than the weather.
Whatever the reason, Greybull fans deserve a round of applause. You guys really brought the energy this postseason. After losing to Lusk, the boys certainly gave us lots of reasons to cheer. So kudos to them, too, for turning their season around and ending it in such a great fashion.
• Between games in Riverton, I enjoyed a conversation about Greybull basketball with longtime coach and current statistician Ken Jensen.
With the exception of the five years between 2001 and 2006, I’ve seen every player to wear the blue and gold since 1995. Ken has been here than that. Probably seen more GHS hoops than anyone alive.
What started it was a conversation about Carlos Rodriguez and his place among the all-time greats at GHS. The senior has been a joy to watch, a rare combination of God-given talent and an unselfish desire to bring out the best in his teammates.
Carlos moved into the No. 2 spot in GHS scoring history last weekend. Only Mike Koller scored more points as a Buff. Ken and I agreed that if we had one game to win and could only choose former Greybull players, Mike and Carlos would be in the starting five.
The rest of the squad can be debated. That was the fun part for me that day. Some truly great players have rolled through here over the years.
So I ask you, longtime Buff fans: Who would be in your starting five? Your top 10? Send me yours and if I hear from enough of you, I’ll follow up in a few weeks.
• When you work for two newspapers, the tournament experience can be a little hectic. In addition to the Buffs, I shot games involving the Riverside and Burlington girls in Casper. In Riverton, it was six teams and eight games in about 36 hours.
In Casper, final games for the Huskies and Rebels ended in dramatic fashion. The Burlington girls won their third-place game with Cokeville on a basket at the buzzer. The Riverside girls lost in the same fashion in the consolation title game.
The NCAA tournament isn’t the only one that produces March Madness.
— Nathan Oster