Don't Panic... Yet.

As the soccer teams gear up for their season (the women have already reported), I've got some bad news from a sport that's a little further down the line. You'll probably want to be seated for this if you're a basketball fan. Take a seat, and a deep breath. Ready? Okay.

Tarita Gordon is out for the season.

Stay in that seat! I know it's tough to contain yourself with news like this, but you have to think rationally here rather than running around screaming at anything with a face. That goes for you, too, Coach.

Out of the blue, ETSU's website announced on Wednesday that shooting guard Tarita Gordon would be out of the Blue for the entire 2010-11 season recovering from knee surgery. Gordon, who is slated to complete her senior academic year regardless of her choice on a redshirt, averaged 11 points per game with the Lady Bucs as a junior last year, and really came on strong in the conference tournament. She was expected to be one of the leaders of this team, along with fellow seniors Tara Davis and Latisha Belcher, who also missed her first shot at a senior season last year due to injury.

But there's no reason to panic, at least not yet. The team still has a very good starting five, as Washington and Pickwell should both step in and contribute right away, to say nothing of Iesha Robinson. There are a LOT of freshmen in the back court, though, and they'll probably all get a crack at real playing time at some point down the stretch, but Kemp has enough depth that she won't be forced to play anyone she doesn't think is ready.

Fortunately, the Ladies have resolved what was probably their biggest weakness last year: the ability of taller players to dominate them in the post. The return of Belcher (Left, 6'2"), coupled with the development of Ashley Benedict (6'3") and Tosha Austin (6'2") gives Kemp a very tall front court to work with that will be tough to score on in the paint, and that's before the addition of 6'1" frosh Ashley Miles. The back court may be an issue now that Evans and Wiles are gone, but Kemp is a good coach, and she can make even reasonable talents into quality players, and she doesn't even have to scream at them to do it.



In baseball news, good old Chas Byrne continues to shut down the Appalachian League and has settled into the closer role for the Burlington Royals. With three saves to his name in 25 innings of work, Byrne has a solid 33 strikeouts and an impressive 0.67 WHIP, allowing just three earned runs in his time with the Royals and giving up hits to just 15% of the batters he faces. He has been very consistent for a Burlington team that still has a legitimate shot at the playoffs. I have to think that he'll be moved up at least one level in the organization in September.

The T-Bone also announced the signing of local product Corey McPherson, who will likely be challenging Niesman for time at second base. The real question, though, is what will his intro music be? It sure won't beat "Song of the South."