Coatney's Call: Oct. 19

Greetings Husker Fans!

Basketball season is here!  If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter (coatman1), you know I've been giving a near-daily countdown of the number of days until the first exhibition game against Pittsburg State on Sunday, Oct. 30.  Now that we're having the first cold weather of autumn, it really 'feels' like basketball season!

Those of you who know me well would probably say I'm not easily impressed.  Thus, when I tell you I was completely blown away when I first saw the new Hendricks Training Complex, you know it must be something special. I'm so happy for our student-athletes.  This new complex gives them the tools they need to excel in the classroom as well as on the court.  If you've not stopped by to take a look, it's definitely worth your time.

I've had a wonderful off-season. My St. Louis Cardinals are in the World Series again and I could not be more elated!  I umpired my 27th season of softball and went to Bismarck, N.D. to officiate my fifth ASA National Championship Tournament.  When I'm out on the softball field, the two most-asked questions I've received this summer have been:  how will Nebraska fare in the Big Ten this season and what is the radio affiliate situation in Lincoln? 

In terms of the Big Ten, the Huskers are entering a dynamic basketball league that is very similar to the Big 12.  Michigan State, Penn State and Purdue are all veteran teams that should battle for the conference title.  Ohio State lost three-time Big Ten Player of the Year Jantel Lavender to graduation, but should still be a very strong foe. Iowa is always a top team in the league, and while they lost Kachine Alexander and are very young, they have great athleticism and good depth. I think Nebraska fits in that mix somewhere in the middle of the league. This will be a very young Husker squad, but it may be the most athletic squad Connie Yori has had since she arrived in Lincoln a decade ago. 

Radio-wise, we are very happy to report that our Husker Sports Network affiliate in Lincoln this season will be KBBK, B107.3 FM. This station is very familiar to our Husker volleyball fans, and I'm sure this will benefit those of you outside of the city limits with its' strong signal. You'll also be able to follow us in other parts of the state like you always have, on great affiliates like KTWI (Twister 93.3 FM) in Omaha and many others.  Another question I've been asked a lot is if the move to the Big Ten would affect our free audio signal on Huskers.com. The answer is no! 

If you're away from the state or not near one of our wonderful Husker Sports Network affiliate stations, you can always listen to our broadcast for free worldwide on Huskers.com.

We're also trying to give our wonderful fans as much access to as many part of Husker women's basketball as possible. The women's basketball Facebook page contains a lot of information and pictures that I'm sure you would enjoy.  The team tweets a lot of good and fun information on their Twitter page - @huskerswbb.  I also invite you to send me a friend request on Facebook (Matt Coatney) and follow me on twitter - @coatman1.  I really try and and post pictures of the team on the road and at practices on the day of road games.  I also post a lot of information about our former Huskers playing professionally overseas on my Facebook and Twitter pages.  I just love the era we're living in which allows us some much interactivity with our wonderful fans!

I hope to see you at the Devaney Center soon!

Go Big Red!

Matt