Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
COLUMN: “I don’t know how you couldn’t enjoy it”
2/5/2023 6:13:00 PM | Men's Basketball
On seeing the bench empty for the best reasons at the end of a game
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Late in the game, shortly after the final media timeout, the Blue Zoo made their demands known.
With Middle Tennessee leading by 28 against UTSA at the 4:15 mark of the second half, Head Coach Nick McDevitt had already started to work in the reserves. TreVon Smith, entering the game for the first extended bit of time, and Christian Fussell, entering the game for the first time, both checked in after that time out. That subtle signal gave the student section all the permission it needed.
"JUBES! JUBES! JUBES! JUBES!" they chanted, demanding that guard Jack Jubenville enter the game. The most of the main rotation for the Blue Raiders, now enjoying the fruits of a blow-out win, joined in on the clapping with smiles on their faces.
McDevitt demurred, focusing on the court. Tre Green entered the game at 2:26, another concession. But finally, at 1:45, the Blue Zoo got its wish. McDevitt called his final timeout, rotating his arms to let the official know he just wanted to use it for a sub. Jubenville, alongside fellow guard Isiah Lightsy, checked in for the Blue Raiders.
Jestin Porter, who scored 13 points in MTSU's 84-60 victory, checked out of the game for the final time, and couldn't hide the smile on his face walking to the bench.
"I was so happy because they go hard in practice every single day," Porter said. "They play against us every single day. I know they're ready for it."
Back and forth the Blue Raiders and Roadrunners went, trading baskets back and forth. Jubenville avoided Club Trillion (a term devised by former Ohio State walk-on Mark Titus for playing for one minute and recording zero other stats) with an assist to Fussell. But it was Lightsy's corner three that nearly brought the Murphy Center roof down on Legends Night.
A few plays later, it was Jubenville who got the privilege to dribble out the clock, giving MTSU its eighth win in C-USA play.
"Seeing these guys work and getting that chance to go out there and do something is really good to see, it's fun," DeAndre Dishman said post game. "I don't know how you couldn't enjoy it."
It's not hard to see why the Blue Zoo was such a strong advocate for Jubenville to check in late, or why they, in years past, went crazy when former walk-on Chase Miller entered the game, usually greeted by chants of "Miller Time!" And like when Lightsy drilled his second three of the season on Saturday, the crowd and bench reaction was very much like it was for Miller's first career three.
Fans can relate to players like Jubenville, like Lightsy, like Miller, who while tall for a normal person, are not tall for a basketball player. There's a sense of seeing oneself in their shoes, of course, which endears them to the fans. And of course, if there is a chance for them to check in the game, the score is typically pretty heavily in MTSU's favor, which makes the moment all the more sweeter.
But what endears them to their teammates, to their coaches, to the point where the bench is chanting alongside the student section to get them in the game? It's the work they put in day after day for the program that sticks with them.
"Those guys lift the same, they work out the same, they go to class the same, they're in practice every day," McDevitt said.
Their role, McDevitt pointed out in that night's press conference, is even more unglamorous than it might seem from afar, particularly given the one-day turnaround embedded in the C-USA schedule. On a team like Middle Tennessee, where there are routinely six, seven, even eight guys getting 20 minutes or more per night, that's often not a formula that warrants those same guys getting tons of reps on the practice between game days.
So, it then falls on the guys at the end of the bench to execute the scout well, never leaving the floor on practice days as their teammates rotate in to get a look at the next team they're facing.
"A lot of times, we'll stack one of the teams, put eight or nine on one team and they can kind of sub for each other," McDevitt said. "The other five guys are one team with no subs. They're usually the guys that didn't play a lot the night before.
"Today is your game day, that practice is your game day," McDevitt added. "Those can be hard, taxing days for them, physically."
I've sat around practice on those scout days from time to time, whether it was waiting for interviews after practice or just taking some time out of my cubicle to clear my head. Those "grey team" reps, as I call them, as the scout team typically wears the grey side of MTSU's practice pennies, are even more grueling physically than McDevitt makes them out to be. To say nothing of the mental work it takes to mimic the contrasting styles of all the teams the Blue Raiders play week-to-week.
The teammates that are playing those minutes certainly appreciate the looks, but even more so the effort that group showcases each day. And to have a chance to honor that effort with some minutes against a conference opponent? Well, there are few things that are sweeter than that.
"To have a chance to get out there and play in a conference game, it's important," McDevitt said. "It's a testament to how hard you've worked to have a night like that."
With Middle Tennessee leading by 28 against UTSA at the 4:15 mark of the second half, Head Coach Nick McDevitt had already started to work in the reserves. TreVon Smith, entering the game for the first extended bit of time, and Christian Fussell, entering the game for the first time, both checked in after that time out. That subtle signal gave the student section all the permission it needed.
"JUBES! JUBES! JUBES! JUBES!" they chanted, demanding that guard Jack Jubenville enter the game. The most of the main rotation for the Blue Raiders, now enjoying the fruits of a blow-out win, joined in on the clapping with smiles on their faces.
McDevitt demurred, focusing on the court. Tre Green entered the game at 2:26, another concession. But finally, at 1:45, the Blue Zoo got its wish. McDevitt called his final timeout, rotating his arms to let the official know he just wanted to use it for a sub. Jubenville, alongside fellow guard Isiah Lightsy, checked in for the Blue Raiders.
Jestin Porter, who scored 13 points in MTSU's 84-60 victory, checked out of the game for the final time, and couldn't hide the smile on his face walking to the bench.
"I was so happy because they go hard in practice every single day," Porter said. "They play against us every single day. I know they're ready for it."
Back and forth the Blue Raiders and Roadrunners went, trading baskets back and forth. Jubenville avoided Club Trillion (a term devised by former Ohio State walk-on Mark Titus for playing for one minute and recording zero other stats) with an assist to Fussell. But it was Lightsy's corner three that nearly brought the Murphy Center roof down on Legends Night.
A few plays later, it was Jubenville who got the privilege to dribble out the clock, giving MTSU its eighth win in C-USA play.
"Seeing these guys work and getting that chance to go out there and do something is really good to see, it's fun," DeAndre Dishman said post game. "I don't know how you couldn't enjoy it."
It's not hard to see why the Blue Zoo was such a strong advocate for Jubenville to check in late, or why they, in years past, went crazy when former walk-on Chase Miller entered the game, usually greeted by chants of "Miller Time!" And like when Lightsy drilled his second three of the season on Saturday, the crowd and bench reaction was very much like it was for Miller's first career three.
Fans can relate to players like Jubenville, like Lightsy, like Miller, who while tall for a normal person, are not tall for a basketball player. There's a sense of seeing oneself in their shoes, of course, which endears them to the fans. And of course, if there is a chance for them to check in the game, the score is typically pretty heavily in MTSU's favor, which makes the moment all the more sweeter.
But what endears them to their teammates, to their coaches, to the point where the bench is chanting alongside the student section to get them in the game? It's the work they put in day after day for the program that sticks with them.
"Those guys lift the same, they work out the same, they go to class the same, they're in practice every day," McDevitt said.
Their role, McDevitt pointed out in that night's press conference, is even more unglamorous than it might seem from afar, particularly given the one-day turnaround embedded in the C-USA schedule. On a team like Middle Tennessee, where there are routinely six, seven, even eight guys getting 20 minutes or more per night, that's often not a formula that warrants those same guys getting tons of reps on the practice between game days.
So, it then falls on the guys at the end of the bench to execute the scout well, never leaving the floor on practice days as their teammates rotate in to get a look at the next team they're facing.
"A lot of times, we'll stack one of the teams, put eight or nine on one team and they can kind of sub for each other," McDevitt said. "The other five guys are one team with no subs. They're usually the guys that didn't play a lot the night before.
"Today is your game day, that practice is your game day," McDevitt added. "Those can be hard, taxing days for them, physically."
I've sat around practice on those scout days from time to time, whether it was waiting for interviews after practice or just taking some time out of my cubicle to clear my head. Those "grey team" reps, as I call them, as the scout team typically wears the grey side of MTSU's practice pennies, are even more grueling physically than McDevitt makes them out to be. To say nothing of the mental work it takes to mimic the contrasting styles of all the teams the Blue Raiders play week-to-week.
The teammates that are playing those minutes certainly appreciate the looks, but even more so the effort that group showcases each day. And to have a chance to honor that effort with some minutes against a conference opponent? Well, there are few things that are sweeter than that.
"To have a chance to get out there and play in a conference game, it's important," McDevitt said. "It's a testament to how hard you've worked to have a night like that."
Players Mentioned
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