CONFERENCE CALL FUN

If there’s a better weekly league teleconference than the Missouri Valley’s, I’d be hard-pressed to name one. You have a nice mix of the old-boys club — the beat writers from papers many of us have never heard of, but these guys have been covering the league forever — plus the national media, and the coaches are about as honest as they come.
Missouri State coach Barry Hinson has to take the award for best talker today, a title he likely receives on a weekly basis. Beginning one of his answers by proclaiming it was going to be his soap-box moment, Hinson is a huge supporter of his league and its programs.
I love how Hinson doesn’t hide his feelings. Point in case, when asked how long it took to get over last season’s NCAA tournament snub: “I’m still saddened by it every day.”