Southern men, women open season today

• By PERRYN KEYS
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Nov 14, 2008 - Page: 1C - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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Before getting too deep into today’s season-opening doubleheader at the F.G. Clark Activity Center, let’s get one thing straight here: Sandy Pugh, the longtime women’s basketball at Southern, expects to win.

But if the Jaguars fall apart at 5:30 p.m. today against Southern University-New Orleans, Pugh will not attempt to dive off the top of the building. After all, it’s only one game — the first of 27 to come.

“A lot of coaches and fans put a lot of stock into a season opener, in terms of gauging how a season is going to go,” said Pugh, who enters her ninth season at SU. “But we’ve won the (Southwestern Athletic) Conference championship three times — and all three of those years ... we either lost an exhibition game, or we lost the season opener.”

In other words, it’s good to win these early-season games, because winning is always better than the alternative.

But as Pugh explains, it’s important that the Jaguars get more out of this game than just a victory and a smile.

“What I put into it is how we play, each and every game,” she said. “I want to see them execute the things we’ve done in practice. I want to see some passion. And I want them to develop that team chemistry.”

The women’s game is the first of two openers at Southern today. The SU men follow at 7:30 p.m. with a game against Tougaloo College.

As the lone senior on the women’s team, guard Deidra Jackson has learned by now that her coach, Pugh, is always an optimist in November.

But even Jackson said she’s noticed a difference in this year’s team.

“We took our conditioning a lot more serious this offseason,” said Jackson, a preseason All-SWAC selection who scored 17 points in Monday’s 83-62 exhibition win over Dillard.

“We’ve got a good team, and I think we’re in the best shape we’ve ever been in. Our motto is (to) get down the floor in 4 seconds or less.”

Four seconds? Seriously?

“Well, maybe 5 seconds.”