Rachel Crader is the editor of semoball.com. She graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism in May of 2009 before spending the summer covering the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.

Highlights from Rachel's days in college include having a class down the hall from Chase Daniel and having NCAA wrestling champion Ben Askren hold the door open for her at Brady Commons, Mizzou's student center. She spent time covering Mizzou basketball, softball and baseball while working for the Columbia Missourian and is excited to return home to Southeast Missouri to cover local sports for semoball.com.

Rachel has covered three Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournaments for the Southeast Missourian and semoball.com, and she'll see you courtside again this year.

An SCC thought and a big thanks

Posted Tuesday, January 4, 2011, at 6:18 PM

I remember sitting in the Scott County Central gym talking to then-senior Bobby Hatchett just before the final four last year about what it was like to win his first state title a year earlier:

"When we won, it was like no better feeling," he said of his team 98-63 beatdown of Newtown-Harris. "We had accomplished what we had been running for -- all those line drills and all that yelling and stuff like that."

I couldn't help but look up from my notes and smile at Bobby when he said this, thinking of all the times I'd seen him take a tongue-lashing and all the times I'd watched him run opponents out of breath.

I didn't record the exact words he said next, but I remember his message clearly and it has stuck with me. He stopped and smiled back and said people have no idea how much he and his teammates run -- no idea what it takes to play like they play.

"For real," he said.

He wasn't exactly complaining, but he made it clear that he had suffered many days in that gym waiting for the next set of lines. No idea, he repeated. People have no idea.

I think I've thought of that conversation every time I've watched the Braves play since, including during all four games I watched them play at the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament last week.

There is much to be said about the individual excellence of current SCC senior Otto Porter. We're not going to stop writing or talking about him any time soon, and he left little doubt about his dominance last week as the Braves made winning the tournament title look way too easy.

But Porter's talent and a generation or two of basketball obsession in SCC's corner of the world shouldn't be used as excuses to take the Braves' recent success for granted or act like it was a given all along.

Before SCC's current string of three consecutive titles, the Braves hadn't won or even appeared in the Christmas Tournament championship game since 1990. And before their state titles the last two seasons, the Braves hadn't brought home a championship since 1993 (aka the year Otto Porter was born).

When I hear people talk about the Braves, there seems to be a belief that destiny wins them titles, that tradition forces turnovers, that genealogy grabs rebounds and that all of this was decided long before they took the court.

But I assure you this group of Braves run. No one -- not their dads, their moms, their uncles, their cousins, Ronnie Cookson or anyone else -- runs, rebounds, traps or scores for them. And most people (myself included) have no idea how much of their own sweat they've spent making sure it looks like they didn't have to break one to win. No idea.

I'm not trying to minimize the impact a history like SCC's can have on the present, but just for a second try to remind yourself to be impressed by what you saw at the Show Me Center last week. I certainly was.

While we're here I'd like to thank all of you who visited semoball throughout the tournament and stopped by our Cover It Live chat. The semoball community continues to grow month after month and I know that I owe a big thanks to all of you who continue to share your insights and help spread the word about the site. 2011 should see many more improvements and information added to the site, so stick with us while we keep getting better. I also need to thank Jordan Seabaugh and Amber Hawkins, who were there beside me throughout every tournament game helping to bring you the best coverage possible. They both worked extremely hard and produced great, great work.

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Great point! We tend to forget "that you get what you give". These kids give a lot at practice, and it proves evident during games.

-- Posted by sonofapgnamedChuck on Tue, Jan 4, 2011, at 9:47 AM
Rachel - you do a great job covering local sports. Your articles are always well written and this one is no exception.

Their conditioning is what sets them apart from other teams, that and a couple outstanding players. I actually felt sorry for Jackson last Thursday, even though they are a MUCH MUCH bigger school. Poor Bobby Clark was exhausted very early in the game.

-- Posted by ink_pen on Tue, Jan 4, 2011, at 10:30 AM
Rachel, I played under Coach Cookson and I know all too well what Bobby meant when he said that to you. We ran in P.E. class, during practice, after practice, and at home during pick up games. We played on our off days as a team at a local farm when there were no coaches around, it was just for fun. These kids are doing it now the same way... That is tradition and Im proud these guys are carrying it on like the old days. Even during the days of not winning Championships those guys did the same, they just didnt get to play Run-N-Gun like before or now. They had a different type of coach and played out of the elements they grew up with in elementary and junior high school... Again, proud of SCC. You did a good cover story. NO ONE but SCC players will know what goes on. Brotherhood

-- Posted by SCCbloodinme on Tue, Jan 4, 2011, at 2:35 PM
Well said Rachel!!!!

-- Posted by country-dude on Tue, Jan 4, 2011, at 11:42 PM
Amen, bloodline! I've played many times at that farm!

-- Posted by SCCgrad94 on Wed, Jan 5, 2011, at 9:28 AM
Thanks for bringing this up Rachel.

SCC plays a brand of ball that other schools around here can't because of conditioning! That was evident in Bobby Clarks words after the championship game where he eluded that he had never played a team that could go at that pace for that long.

This poor kid was huffing and puffing after the first quarter of the Jackson/Leopold game last night. Maybe that's why Jackson plays soooo sloooowww!! No conditioning!!

Keep it up SCC! you can be the ROAD RUNNER and the rest of the teams will be the WILE E. COYOTE around here!

-- Posted by localfan on Wed, Jan 5, 2011, at 10:54 AM
The only team I can remember that could run at the pace and intensity that scc does was the 2008 notre dame team. They ran teams into the ground too

-- Posted by ndsportsfan on Wed, Jan 5, 2011, at 2:44 PM
jaxindians10: I don't think we are ragging on him, its just that for the athlete he is, if he were in better shape he wouldn't be holding his jersey and shorts after one period. There are many more that are in the same condition but he is supposed to be a spotlight athlete..... and he is not in basketball shape! I think he is good but he has the potential to be so much better!

-- Posted by localfan on Wed, Jan 5, 2011, at 3:21 PM
if bobby clark plays football then there is your answer. SCC plays basketball, year round. They dont really get into other sports. Their dads play, their uncles play, their cousins play, heck their moms can play some, too! its what they do. all the time. not from december to march, but year round. its always been like that. while other kids spend time with other sports and doing other things, SCC kids are hooping. thats the difference.

-- Posted by Butch on Wed, Jan 5, 2011, at 9:15 PM
jaxindians10 aka Bobby Clark's parent, nobody is ragging Bobby. He's one of the best complete athletes in the area. He was quoted in the paper and we were just using him as an example. Take the gloves off.

-- Posted by ink_pen on Thu, Jan 6, 2011, at 3:31 PM
that is what people who support scc do, brag all the time, but you never hear them brag about any of their kids acedemically.

-- Posted by kdjones on Thu, Jan 6, 2011, at 3:49 PM
I don't think I've seen anyone from any school brag on their kids academically on this website. Probably because it's SEMOBALL (aka all about sports). And I'm not from SCC but love watching them play over the last few years. After this year, they will come back to the pack for a while until their next run comes, who knows when.

-- Posted by deadred on Thu, Jan 6, 2011, at 6:44 PM
there is run and gun and there is scott central run and gun.if you beat scc you won't do it with a deep bench your going to have to out play them. theres is not a team around and yes in all of southeast mo. that can out runn scott central. if thats your game plan then your in for a long night.if you could see one of their practices then you would understand.braves your something special i wish i could have been part of it, win or lose they are the most respected and talented team around.

-- Posted by dribble on Thu, Jan 6, 2011, at 7:16 PM
are they located in southeast missouri, who knows, what are their boundaries for recruiting

-- Posted by kdjones on Thu, Jan 6, 2011, at 7:28 PM
What kids have been brought in to help them this year? I mean, with that kind of statement, you have to have based it on something. Please tell us your inside scoop kdjones... They start 3 Porter's and 2 Johnson's and they're always all related. Do us all a favor and quit making posts unless you have something more than hearsay accusing them of recruiting. Have you even seen them play this year?

-- Posted by ink_pen on Thu, Jan 6, 2011, at 9:12 PM
i was just bsing, otto porter is the best player i have seen play since ray pugh, the kid is relentless on both ends of the court and he is a real respectful kid. You can tell he was raised right, he says nothing on the court or shows up his competition he just plays ball like it suppose to be played. I hope he makes it to the NBA, because he has the tools to be something real special.

-- Posted by kdjones on Fri, Jan 7, 2011, at 6:40 AM
Are all the SCC players 4.0 students too?? Just asking...IDK

-- Posted by RedShirt on Fri, Jan 7, 2011, at 1:32 PM
@KDJONES: Anyone who wants to say SCC is terrible at academics is a moron. I graduated from SCC and I'm very familiar with the education at that school. We have a high number of college graduates for the size of our school and ALOT of military personnel. Our students test scores are on average with every other district in SE Missouri and in some cases higher than others. Obviously all the players on the floor are making the grades to be academically eligible like every other student athlete in Missouri or they wouldn't be allowed to play!

-- Posted by SCCbloodinme on Sat, Jan 8, 2011, at 8:08 AM
Did I touch a nerve or hurt your feelings, sometimes the truth hurts.

-- Posted by kdjones on Sat, Jan 8, 2011, at 9:28 PM
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/recruiting/basketball/mens/news/story?id=6014589

Great article on Bubba.

-- Posted by ink_pen on Thu, Jan 13, 2011, at 8:31 PM

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