It’s an honor to see the best here at McKenzie Arena, a Davidson player who can drain 3-pointers and inspire chants from the red-clad crowd.
I’m talking, of course, about Bryant Barr. No, not Stephen Curry. Barr is better known as the White Lobster, the greatest nickname we’ve seen around here since the Minister of Defense. Maybe the best nickname in sports right now. And here’s what makes it even better: Excitable CBS play-by-play guy Gus Johnson, America’s announcer, popularized the nickname.
Here’s the story: Davidson’s strength and conditioning coach saw the nickname on a message board, obviously written by a MENSA-level genius. Barr is from Maine and doesn’t look like the type who spends his free time inside tanning salons. It’s perfect.
Before the NCAA tournament last year, Davidson’s sports information director at the time joked with Johnson about the nickname. Uh-oh.
So Barr starts drilling 3-pointers and, you’re not going to believe this, but Johnson begins yelling it really loud: “THE WHITE LOBSTER!!” He even unloaded a “The White Lobster is cooking!!” after one of Barr’s 3-pointers. I love Gus Johnson.
“Then I’m getting text messages and phone calls after the game saying they said it on national TV,” Barr said after Davidson beat Appalachian State 84-68 on Saturday. “I didn’t think it would be a big deal, but it’s kind of blown up into one.”
Kind of? A Davidson freshman named Morgan Arant dresses up as a giant lobster and sits on the front row of the student section at home games.
“I didn’t know him,” said Barr, who hit two 3s for his six points against Appalachian State. “Then I was like, ‘I probably should meet this kid.’ He’s actually a freshman and everyone on his freshman hall pitched in to buy the outfit.”
Barr, who entered the tournament averaging 7.5 points per game and shooting 35 percent from the 3-point line, likes the nickname. Better than White Crab, I suppose.
“It’s not very often you get a nickname like that and it really sticks,” Barr said.
The only way it could be better: If Barr were from Russia. Think about it. The White Russian.
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Curry is an even bigger media darling now. Sticky Fingers offered five free wings with an entree if Curry scored 25 points and 10 free wings if he scored 30. He scored 43 (on just 18 shots), delighting the group of hefty sports writers here at McKenzie Arena.
Top two questions after Davidson’s win: 1. What’s the record for most points in a Southern Conference tournament game? 2. Where’s Sticky Fingers?
If Sticky Fingers really wanted to bring in customers it would give away five free wings for every 3-pointer UTC allows. Elon hit eight in the first half alone Saturday night.
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Saw that our old friend Jeff Lebo, the former UTC coach now at Auburn, closed out the regular season with a win over nationally ranked LSU. I still think Auburn needs to win the SEC tournament to earn a spot in the NCAAs. Going 10-6 in the SEC West doesn’t count for much, and an RPI of 63 (as of Saturday night) is too high. The Tigers will play either Florida or Arkansas on Friday.
But if Lebo gets into the Big Dance, look out — he’s never lost an NCAA tournament game.
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Imagine you’re a Charleston, S.C., TV guy. You’re interviewing Bobby Cremins in the hallway after his team’s 67-48 win over Western Carolina. And all of a sudden your interview is interrupted by ... the guy who played Mr. Belding in “Saved by the Bell”?
Turns out Chattanooga’s Dennis Haskins is an old buddy of Cremins, and he embraced the College of Charleston coach during the interview. The Charleston TV guys were, to say the least, incredulous.
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Best hair: Elon’s Josh Bonney, whose high flat top is awe-inspiring. I’m jealous. Think Will Smith from “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” and then imagine he still hasn’t gotten a haircut since the show premiered. Bonney is listed at 5-foot-10, but without the hair he might be a shade taller than Briana Bass.
Bonney’s favorite TV show, according to the Elon media guide? “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” Perfect.
