Among 16 of my peers near a thin, green, metal post with a sign that read “Jaguar Express,” I stood in front of University Hall, watching the large shuttle bus creep its way around the main entrance fountain. Many times I wondered what it would be like to ride the shuttle system here on campus. Even more, does anyone use it? I figured, after three years at this university, the only way to know for sure would be to ride it myself.

Whatever silence lingered at the shuttle stop was interrupted by the brief release of air from the brakes as the doors flung open. A few moments passed and once it was realized that no one was exiting; the 16 filed inside. As I stepped in, I was greeted by the bus driver, an older African-American man with inviting grin and a black hat with “ASU” stitched across the front. I paused briefly to survey the open seats and proceeded to the furthest seat possible to allow me to view the shuttle in its entirety.

My neighbor, a cute brunette with blue eyes and an infectious smile, was on her Tuesday and Thursday routine ride to Christenberry Fieldhouse.

“I prefer to take the shuttle to the fieldhouse because I have a night class after my aerobic dance class,” said Christina Leanhart, the junior nursing major to my right. “It’s just too hard to find another good parking spot this late in the day.”

Leanhart, who lives off campus in a Martinez home, said she notices a lot of the people who do ride are typically University Village residents. “Everyone pays the fee to ride the shuttle but more often than not the only riders are those who live in the campus dorms.”

Upon sitting, I immediately took note of my surroundings. The seats were made out of some sort of a blue cloth material and were very clean. The aisles were narrow, litter free. The roof of the shuttle was fitted with speakers every few rows, belting jazz music, making conversation difficult. A flat screen television was mounted above the driver, but at the time, it was not on. An air conditioning unit kept up toward the rear of the bus and steadied the inside temperature comfortably low in contrast the heat exposed shuttle stop.

Leanhart mentioned the shuttle’s cleanliness was comparable to the shuttles she rode while attending Georgia Southern University in her freshman year.

“The only real difference between (Georgia) Southern and here is that they were much bigger,” she said. “Obviously there were a lot more people that rode the bus there since they lived on campus.”

The rest of my fellow passengers were, as a whole, silent except for the young man in front of me. He constantly talked to his neighbor about his upcoming chemistry project and how ridiculous he felt the requirements were.

With the remaining passengers loading and filling what seats that had been vacant, the driver looked at his watch and scribbled the time, 2:32 p.m., onto a clipboard resting next to his foot. The doors folded shut and the shuttle jolted forward.

Karl Munschy, director of business services, said I chose a busy time to ride.

“The shuttles are fairly busy in the 7 a.m. to 7:45 a.m. time frame because people are trying to get to class in time for the 8 a.m. classes,” he said. “In the afternoon it flipflops at around 2 p.m. because students are likely trying to get back to University Village.”

As the shuttle rounded the first corner, the group braced themselves for impact while the bus tilted hard to the left. The shuttle rumbled along the road towards Washington Hall slowing nearly to a stop when speed bumps presented themselves.

Following the perimeter of the campus, the shuttle approached its next stop, the Science Hall where one man stepped off and was quickly replaced by four female passengers. Now with 19 passengers, the driver again noted the time and continued on.

At this point the shuttle left the main campus and traveled down Arsenal Avenue toward McDowell Street. Traffic off campus was moderate which made for a quick trip down Monte Sano Avenue to Central Avenue then leading us in the direction of the water treatment plant.

Once on Highland Avenue everyone directed their attention to the water treatment plant wall highly decorated with murals from local artists. A few people commented on their favorite features and the bus continued down Wrightsboro Road toward Christenberry Fieldhouse.

Munschy said the current path chosen for the Express is considered the most efficient in terms of travel time and fuel costs.

“We had a consultant come in and he actually used GPS coordinates and measured headwinds to test the amount of time and fuel needed for each stop,” he said. “It is a closed loop route which means we don’t stop just anywhere. We only have the four stops and they are all on our property so we can guarantee their safety. The way we have it also gives us the best opportunity to be on schedule.”

This part of the trip seemed to test the integrity of the shuttle as the road is anything but smooth.

With every bump the walls flexed and the windows shook. Those who were talking did so with a hint of vibration in their voice and the shuttle swayed violently on occasion.

“You would think they could fix (the road) at some point,” Leanhart said, while adjusting to the bumps.

This continued until we reached Christenberry where Leanhart and another student exited and no one entered. As Leanhart exited, her word about the average number of riders echoed in my head and I speculated the next stop would leave me a lone rider on a rather large shuttle.

Sure enough, as the shuttle left the Fieldhouse and approached University Village, riders began to gather their things and lean forward in their seats. After circling around the entrance, the shuttle stopped allowing all passengers except me to exit.

The driver looked around then exited the bus for a five minute cigarette break and then reentered to continue on his route. As predicted, many of the student riders were dorm residents yet I had come to find out that all shuttle riders were not strictly dorm residents. There were those like Leanhart who live off campus yet use the shuttle because of the convenience.

The ride back didn’t seem as long. Perhaps it was because I gazed out at the recently paved runway at Daniel Field that I had forgotten how rough the Wrightsboro Road portion of the ride was.

Before I knew it we were back on the main campus swaying around the fountain and abruptly halting in front of University Hall once again. I gathered my belongings and, being the only passenger, awkwardly trekked from my bench in the rear past the driver to the steps.

Before stepping off the final step I heard the driver call out, “You have a nice day now,” as I turned, smiled and continued on my way.

Darkness is set to fall on Augusta as Avenged Sevenfold prepares to hit the James Brown Arena Saturday, Nov. 26.

The Buried Alive tour will feature Asking Alexandria, Hollywood Undead, Black Veil Brides, and mark Avenged Sevenfold’s second time performing in Augusta, after having performed for 95 Rock’s birthday in 2008.

“It was really high pace, really high energy,” said Michael Dukes, a six-year fan of metal music on the band’s 2008 performance. “The crowd was really excited for it and the band gave back that energy, which was good. One of the bands that performed were floundering a little bit, but (Avenged Sevenfold) brought the hype. They played loud, and they played proud. That was the last concert I went to but it’s been the best concert I’ve been to.”

Chuck Williams, program director for 95 Rock said the coming of the Buried Alive tour was in the works before the station was moved to 93.1 FM.

“The promoter (of the Buried Alive tour) knew Augusta had sold well so getting them to book the band (again) wasn’t all that difficult,” Williams said. “I had been badgering the people at James Brown Arena to do a rock show because all they have been announcing are country shows. Timing was a little unfortunate because (95 Rock) got flipped to the 93.1 frequency on Aug. 10 and we found out weeks later that Avenged Sevenfold was coming into town. I thought at first that might be a showstopper. I told the promoter right out of the gate that we’re not on a viable FM signal anymore. He didn’t seem overly concerned.”

Williams said this particular show is unique for the Augusta music scene given an all-age, Saturday night show is rare. Williams also said as of the last time he checked, about 2000 tickets out of 9000 seat in James Brown Arena have been sold.

“I think the fact that we have a Thanksgiving weekend show is a two-edged sword,” Williams said. “I do think we’ll get a great walk-up and a nice push closer to the show. Right now I think people’s plans are in flux and are not really sure where they are going to be in town. But by Saturday, people are going to be sick of being in the house, they’re going to be done with football, they’re going to be done with the family, they want to go out and find something to do.”

Williams said Augusta has a history of being a ‘walk-up’ town that hurts the prospect of more well-known rock acts coming to James Brown Arena, and is unable to come up with an answer to why.

“It’s a point of irritation for a lack of better term,” Williams said. “For me, we have the major country station in our building, and every single show they put on sells out in advance. People camp out for tickets for country shows, but rock people… People don’t by tickets in advanced and that makes promoters nervous.”

Dukes said one reason people might not buy tickets in advanced has to do with lifestyle factors.

“I know I had trouble going to the show because I didn’t get the money until the last minute,” Dukes said. “Money was short when I was in college. You got to pay for tuition, rent, food, bills, and books. It cuts back on ‘let’s go see a rock concert.’”

Williams said 95 Rock is serving as the advertising arm for the concert. While the success of the concert would have no bearing for the future of 95 Rock, which currently has a deal in front of the FCC to move to a new signal, a sold-out show would be a feather in the station’s cap for its comeback.

From the hallways to the runways, when the leaves change color it can only mean one thing – fall fashion has finally arrived.

Of all the seasons, fall is undoubtably the most “fashionable.” Why else would all the Project-Runway-watching-Voguereading fashionistas of the world suffer all year, impatiently waiting for the September Issue? (a.k.a. the fashion bible for all things autumn.)

Throw out your mundane fall wardrobe, because this year’s fashion is unconventional, yet familiar; bizarre, yet methodical; classic, yet modern… all things your closet might be lacking.

Now, take a seat and keep your hands and feet inside the time machine at all times – we’re going back to fashion future.

Here are a few of the most wearable fall trends that you don’t have to be a size double negative zero to wear or have all the money in the world to buy:

The hottest and most desired trend this season is the faux fur vest. Whether long or short, white, black or even purple, faux is no longer the “faux pas.”

Intimidating at first, but layer it over a long sleeved solid and we’ll see whose intimidating who.

In line with the faux fur vest is the ‘70s “boho meets modern working woman” look.

Brightly colored and high-wasted flares, asymmetrical patterns, maxi skirts and duster coats make this trending era easy to pulloff.

Pair a maxi skirt with an oversized cardigan for a comfortable, yet fashionable look. Make sure you buy a duster coat because the look and warmth will last through winter.

Follow Twiggy and the mod squad back to the sixties for a more classic look.

This fall, vibrant colored block dresses, tweed coats and teased updos are the trend. Wear these and you’ll immediately evolve in to a chic and sophisticated 1960s woman.

Another interesting throwback this season is the leather skirt. The idea seems strange to the average woman, but you’re in luck because today’s leather skirt is more refined and tailored than the old ripped and safety pinned skirts of the ‘90s.

There is a shocking change in color trends this fall. Designers are ditching the traditional gray, brown and orange hues of autumn.

This year think bright, bright, BRIGHT! Deep jade green, brilliant red-orange and rusty burnt yellow are dominating the runways.

Now, take this fashion report with you while you shop and enjoy these off-the-wall trends of fall because the season won’t last forever.

Oh, and if you’re lacking the cash to keep up, just remember confidence goes a long way.

Its not all about what you wear, its how you wear it.

If an intimate visit to France in an evening is what you desire, look no further than 5 O’clock Bistro.

Located only a short sashay off Central Avenue at 2111 Kings Ways in the heart of downtown Summerville, this French inspired bistro offers a varied menu of European influenced entrées to serve every appetite large and small.

As the evening ascends, tease yourself with one of many distinctive martinis such as the Martini du Fleur. With a fruity floral nose and a combination of earthy, herbal and melon, this chic cocktail will not only enhance the beauty of the table with its edible floral garnish, but cleans your palate and prepare you for an evening of tasteful bliss.

To begin the meal without a salad dressed in one of Garde Manger Alan Beattie’s dressings would be a faux pas to say the least. Known by his collègues as the “Wizard,” Beattie holds a special talent for mixing up sauces and dishes which are unique, but undoubtedly innovative. Whether it is a salad choice from the menu such as the outstanding Southern fried goat cheese pie with Georgia peach vinaigrette or the special salad of the day, simply partaking in the perfect combination of savory and sweet flavors and a mouthful of texture in every bite will awaken your taste buds and prime them for the exquisite entrée to come.

Now, selecting an entrée may seem like a feat at first, but never fret mon cher, simply follow your stomachs’ calling to the perfect selection.

A small plate of rosemary Prince Edward Island mussels sautéed in a rosemary cream sauce will allow for room to finish off the night with the house cheese cake, or perhaps it is something more you desire. If so, voilà! Choose the pork roulades rolled with spinach and parmesan cheese.

Served with Fingerling potatoes and asparagus on side dressed with Robert sauce, this dish will suffice that yearning for comfort food and fine dining all in one.

But of course, a fine meal cannot be complete without a perfectly paired wine. Try the Saint Cosme Cotes du Rhone from France. Its dark fruit and tobacco note will make a lovely choice for this dish and complete a perfect meal.

So enjoy the trip to France for a night; and when it is time to say au revoir, do not worry it is 5 O’clock in Summerville Wednesday through Sunday and newly open for lunch.

It was a modern twist on a very old classic.

For Rick Davis, director of “The Women of Troy” and professor of communications, and his 23 cast members, they did just that.

“We changed a lot,” Davis said. “You never know where the next line is coming from. There’s dance, the chorus dance. We didn’t give all the speeches to the (main parts). I edited some of the principle speeches, and we added movement.” So, what is involved in putting a modern twist on a very old classic, and how does a play come together in such a short period of time?

The cast members are all students or faculty, so in addition to their studies and work, they find time to memorize lines, attend rehearsals four nights a week for about two hours, and learn dance routines. It is a major undertaking.

Davis enlisted the help of Doug Joiner, professor of communications and his stagecrafting class, Krys and Jessica Bailey of Le Chat Noir with set design and choreography, Nancy Sutherland, professor of English, as the play’s dramaturg, Devon Yeager for costume design, and his stage manager was Jackie Francisco, junior communications studies major and theater minor. Francisco was pretty much Davis’ assistant for the production.

“I keep a book,” she said. “It’s a copy of the script. I make all my notes in it. I have a cast list and who everyone is. I write down where all the lines stop and start. I will also put sound and light cues in. It’s the bible; it’s where everything is written down.”

Francisco said because the cast was so large, it was often difficult to get everyone together. There were a few bumps along the way.

“When you get this many people together, it’s a bit like herding cats,” Davis said.

The week of production was a bit of a tough one. On Tuesday, Nov. 1, two days before the opening of the play, they rehearsed without sound because the sound technician was unable to attend rehearsal. Davis was clearly upset, but the rehearsal had to go on.

“She (Francisco) is an absolute jewel,” Davis said. “She scrambled at the last minute to put together a quick sound board so we would have sound, and she did it by herself.”

Wednesday, Nov. 2, got off to a rocky start as well. With the last night before opening, the rehearsal was designated as show conditions, which means the cast stays behind set, not to be seen or heard, and they are in full costume. One problem, Hecuba was nearly an hour late for the last rehearsal, but the “show” still went on.

Davis added elements of modernity to the play. The chorus wore leotards with sheer beige dresses over it. Hecuba, Andromache, Helen and Cassandra wore simple, timeless dresses. The best part was the soldiers, Talthybius and Menelaus’ costumes. Talthybius and Menalaus wore aviator shades, which got a laugh from the audience. Davis said the play is about the Trojan War and is set in 1100 B.C.E. He said Euripedes talked about the war to make a point about the Pelpoynesian War, which was going on in his lifetime, and the atrocities the Athenians committed. He said “The Women of Troy” is an anti-war play for all times. “That’s why I mixed the costumes like that,” Davis said. “That’s why I had the guys in urban camouflage, and the helmets, and their goggles were welder’s goggles. I wanted to de-humanize them in some ways, and that was the idea of Talthybius and Menelaus wearing those aviator specs, you couldn’t see their eyes until they were ready for you to see them.”

The play opened Nov.3 and ran through Nov. 6. Opening night, the play opened to an audience of about 330 people, and Davis said the same number or more was expected through the last show.

“I was extremely proud of them,” Davis said. “Usually I am a nervous wreck, but this time I was alright. There were a few snafus. I spent the first act in the back of the house watching and the second act I was backstage watching. I can pace better backstage.”

Students may spend weeks and months saving up for books and laptops, but these items can be gone in a matter of seconds if their owners aren’t careful about where they leave them.

Jasper Cooke, director of Public Safety, said thefts are by far the most common crime that occurs on campus. A frequent method employed by thieves to steal other people’s possessions is what Cooke referred to as “smash-and-grabs,” where a bandit breaks the window to a vehicle and makes off with whatever valuable items they find inside. An experienced smash-and-grabber can successfully carry out a theft in as little as 10 seconds.

Cooke said smash-and-grabs occur randomly, but be warned, there is often a spike in these types of thefts during the fall months.

“It’s cyclical,” Cooke said. “Last fall, we were getting hit pretty heavy over on west campus, and those folks probably got arrested for other things, and (the break-ins) stopped. But with the holidays coming up, that’s when you start to see them again.”

Cooke said smash-and-grabbers tend to prowl heavily trafficked locations.

“Typically, the areas that thieves look for to break into cars are schools, hospitals, public places like civic centers, and gyms,” he said. “That’s because typically when you go into those places, you’ll leave your valuables in your car when you’re going to work out or swim or go to class, or whatever it is you happen to be doing.”

Katie Wodarz, junior early childhood education major, had her Ford Explorer broken into last spring. She said when she returned from a morning class at Christenberry Fieldhouse that day, she discovered a window to her vehicle smashed out.

“I was parked over by the golf course at Forrest Hills,” Wodarz said. “I came back and found a brick through the window. Nothing was taken, but I could see that my gym bag had been rifled through. I had my iPod and my cell phone in the glove compartment, but (the vandals) never saw them.”

It is common for students to leave backpacks and other types of bags in the passenger seat of their cars while they are in class, Cooke said. This leaves students vulnerable to a break-in.

“In your bookbag is probably a couple of hundred dollars worth of books, your laptop, maybe your iPod or your iPad, so thieves look in your car for bookbags,” Cooke said.

Cooke said a good rule of thumb when leaving your car in a public place is to only carry essential belongings.

“If you don’t need something, don’t bring it with you,” he said “You don’t need your credit cards and your social security card and your passport everywhere you go. So if someone steals your wallet, then you don’t have to worry about those things.”

People often mistakenly believe storing their possessions in the trunk of their vehicle will prevent a breakin from taking place, Cooke said. While this can be an effective protective measure, it should only be done immediately before leaving for another location.

“Most trunks have a push button inside or on your clicker. If somebody sees you putting items in your trunk, all they have to do is break a window and reach in and push the button, and you haven’t solved anything. So the best thing to do is simply to never store your valuable possessions anywhere in your car.”

Due to the inherent danger of leaving a car unattended, Cooke said it is impossible to completely eliminate the risk of having one’s vehicle broken into.

“The truth is that if a thief wants something bad enough, they can get it,” Cooke said. “But if you don’t make it easy for them, then they’re more than likely going to look for another vehicle.”

Wodarz said she has taken steps to reduce the chances she’ll be victimized by smash-and-grabbers a second time.

“I don’t leave anything in my car that anyone could see and want to take,” she said. “I definitely do not want to have to experience anymore (break-ins).”

Art enthusiasts gathered at University Hall on Friday, Oct. 21, to hear Boston artist and art writer Franklin Einspruch answer questions regarding the perception of excellence in art.

The event, part of the Humanities Program’s first “Community Dialogues” forum, “High and Low: What is Excellence in the Arts?” was made possible by the Porter Fleming Foundation and focused on the topic of excellence in the arts.

Keynote speaker Einspruch provided historical context of the subject as well as insights into the topic’s contemporary relevance. Einspruch, whose personal artwork has appeared in 15 solo exhibitions and more than 20 group shows, opened the forum by defining excellence as the state in which either a piece of art or an artist himself can be said to excel.

Einspruch analyzed the experience one feels when looking at pieces of art and perceiving them to have excellence. Einspruch said while observing “excellent” art, one will feel a pleasant feeling of joy or excitement. Excellence, as Einspruch sees it, is art’s reproductive drive; traits of excellence in art often trigger emotions from within the viewer. A viewer’s attention is thus concentrated on the excellence of a particular piece, far more than their attention would be focused on an “inferior” piece.

“You don’t recall the inferior objects, but the excellent one stands out in relation to them,” Einspruch said. “There’s a simple question you can ask about this experience: is the excellence actually there in the art object? In other words, is excellence some objective quality about the art object, or is it your subjective experience of the art object?”

But one’s subjective experience of a piece can often have its drawbacks, Einspruch said. While subjectivity explains why tastes amongst individuals vary, it does not explain why a certain individual’s taste might agree or disagree with millions of other people.

“Millions of people love the art of Rembrandt,” Einspruch said. “They consider his work to be excellent. But if there’s not something objectively excellent about Rembrandt, then you have to explain how millions of people concluded subjectively and individually that Rembrandt’s work was excellent.”

Beyond shining a light on the idea of “excellence,” Einspruch also touched on what makes “highbrow” and “lowbrow” art good and bad respectively. The idea that many have adopted in terms of making a distinction between art forms – be them refined or crude – has been unthreading itself for nearly 150 years.

“In just the last two decades of the 20th century, philosophical movements rose to prominence that said that all of these distinctions between high and low art were arbitrary and elitist,” Einspruch said. “There is no good reason for high art and low art not to intermingle freely, both stylistically and categorically. Things of value are being produced by low art all the time, and these things are worth study and consideration.”

As for determining what “high” or “low” art is through evaluation, Michael Schwartz, profes- sor of art history & humanities, believes one should first take a few steps back before diving into the notion of “excellent” artwork. Schwartz, who, along with illustrator Art Rosenbaum and University of Georgia Professor of English Jed Rasula, spoke at the series’ second dialogue session held at the Morris Museum of Art on Oct. 28, said his goal is to help refine the question, “what is excellence in the art?” before properly analyzing it.

“I think it’s a question of value,” Schwartz said. “Recognizing excellence in a piece means we value it. So when it comes to valuing art, we must ask ourselves what’s at stake in valuing art and consider how we are valuing it.”

Schwartz said as observers of art, individuals go through several developmental stages before determining excellence in art objects, and part of the issue is many approach a piece looking for excellence from the offset rather than considering different angles of acknowledging excellence.

“I think a lot of our habits are very knee-jerk and very consumerlike,” Schwartz said. “So before we can answer the question ‘what is excellence in the arts,’ we must not only be clear about how we’re approaching the question, but also how we’re approaching the art.”

Regarding the importance of the Community Dialogues program itself, Schwartz said the event not only offered a venue for those interested in the arts to engage in respectful discourse, it also brought attention to contemporary issues in a vital way.

“I think that our culture is so image and music saturated these days that it makes it so that everyone is playing the role of a kind of music, film or art critic,” Schwartz said. “We engage in mass as a culture in what we may call ‘art evaluation,’ but we don’t actually step back and ask what are we doing in evaluating art. We don’t ask what the consequences are. I believe this forum has helped in doing that.”

The local sports bar competition recently became a little more heated.

Buffalo Wild Wings, a casual dining restaurant and sports bar, came to the Augusta, Ga., market Oct. 17, when it opened its doors at 130 Robert C. Daniel Parkway.

Brett Wilcox, a local resident, said the restaurant’s arrival in the city was long overdue.

“I’ve been to the Buffalo Wild Wings in Charleston, S.C. and Atlanta, and I’ve always thought the food and just sort of the general ambience was great,” Wilcox said. “It’s hard to figure out why it took so long to come to Augusta as much as we love to eat out in this city.”

Early returns indicate the franchise’s arrival in Augusta has been a hit. Julie Sims, a married mother of two, said the restaurant has been packed “wall-to-wall” since it opened.

“(My family) tried to come (to the restaurant) the first couple of days it was open, but there was no seating anywhere,” she said. “We were finally able to get in, but it doesn’t look like (the traffic) is slowing down any.”

Sims said she was impressed by the quality of the restaurant’s food.

“I would say that they have the best tasting wings of all the places I’ve tried around here,” she said. “I ordered the teriyaki and Caribbean jerk wings, and they were both terrific. I just wish they were a little bit bigger.”

Another customer, Dana Weatherford, was not quite as satisfied as Sims with her experience at the restaurant.

“I don’t see what all the fuss is about,” Weatherford said. “The food was O.K., not great. It was really noisy, and it took a long time to get our order.”

Buffalo Wild Wings is located across the street from Carolina Ale House, another casual dining restaurant with a similar atmosphere to its new neighbor. One frequent patron of the Ale House, Alvin Hendricks, said he remains loyal to the establishment.

“I like it here (at Carolina Ale House) because you can get in easier, and I like the food a little better here,” Hendricks said. “I went to (Buffalo Wild Wings) right after it opened and it was pretty good, but nothing is worth that long of a wait. The staff seemed to be a little bit overwhelmed. I’ll probably go back once it’s been open a while and settles down a little bit, but, honestly, there’s not too much of a difference between the two places, so I’ll probably stick to the (CarolinaA le House).”

Hendricks said he didn’t understand why the city needed another sports bar franchise.

“It seems a little bit unnecessary to have another restaurant like this here,” he said. “You’ve already got (Wild Wing Cafe), Hooters, (Carolina Ale House). But I guess if people are coming out to (Buffalo Wild Wings), it has a purpose. It’s good to see that people are still able to afford to eat out as bad as the economy is right now. We’ve got the marketed cornered on sports bars in this town, I’ll say that.”

In addition to its food and beverages, Buffalo Wild Wings also offers an array of big-screen television for its customers to enjoy. Wilcox said this is one of the restaurant’s biggest draws.

“The setup is great,” he said “There are television sets pretty much everywhere you turn. Whatever game you want to watch, you can find it in here.”

Wilcox said he plans to make return trips to Buffalo Wild Wings. “It’s a great place to eat or watch a ballgame or just meet with family and friends,” Wilcox said.

“It’s a fun place with good food, and it’s a place kids will enjoy, too.”

The vibe from the Lady Jaguars as the season nears is one of excitement, stemming from the returning players.

Head coach Nate Teymer, now in his second year as coach of the women’s basketball team, said competiveness during practice is essential, and the vibe felt during the season’s first few warm-ups conveyed a team ready to build off of last season’s five-win improvement.

“When practices are loud, that’s when people are working the hardest,” Teymer said. “When they’re a little quiet, that’s when practices have a little bit of a lull.”

There was no evidence of said lull during the team’s first practice, where competitive back-to-back drills forced players to focus on their weaknesses. Teymour said before his players met up for practice to cover lay-up and passing drills, offense and defense tactics, and several warm-ups, he had the girls concentrate on conditioning away from the court.

“Before official practice started, we did a lot of running, agility exercises and weight room conditioning,” Teymer said. “And so now, we’re just trying to incorporate that within our drills. We’ve actually had some people get hurt, so from a conditioning standpoint, especially with our post players, the ones that are healthy are going to have to stay in shape and play a lot of minutes.”

Returner Tracy Aifuwa, who tore her ACL last season, can especially relate to coping with an injury on and off the court. However, despite being in severe pain, the junior forward has made strong efforts during practice, which suggest the makings of a comeback. Assistant coach Nesha Smith said she is proud of Aifuwa for returning this season with a positive mindset.

“She’s getting into drills and making an effort to show us that she’s determined to return to form,” Smith said. “I know she’s in a lot of pain, but she tries to come out every day and work hard, so I must say that I’m proud of her.”

Teymer said that while Aifuwa’s rehabilitation process has had its ups and downs, he believes Aifuwa’s competitive nature will ultimately prove beneficial.

“Anyone who’s torn an ACL knows it’s a long process to recover,” Teymer said. “But I feel that if she keeps working hard, she’ll be able to put on a practice uniform and actually play.”

Sophomore guard Jemimah Ashby has also displayed an exceptional amount of improvement during practices, and according to Smith, has a great role on the team this year.

“I think it’s going to be a great year for Jemimah Ashby,” Smith said. “She’s worked extremely hard over the summer, so I feel that her game has developed. I think she can create very well off the dribble, so we expect her to lift the score and get others involved.”

Teymer, who was also impressed by Ashby’s training over the summer, considers her to be a very athletic wing capable of putting pressure on the defense from a dribble penetration standpoint. In addition to being able to concentrate on the wing and attack the basket, Ashby has also improved her outside shot.

“One thing that I’ve been real impressed with Jemimah is over the summer she really worked on her outside shot,” Teymer said. “So she’ll be able to knock down a couple of outside shots and keep the defense on us, where they’ll have to come out and guard her. I think last year they kind of sagged off her a little bit, knowing that she’s strictly a penetrator, but now I think her game has evolved to the point where she can be more of an inside and outside kind of threat.”

Ashby has also added more range on her jump shot by keeping in the weight room and conditioning her legs. For the 5-8 guard, a change in attitude has been crucial for both her and the team.

“We’re coming in with a whole different attitude, a whole different mentality,” Ashby said. “Everything’s about attitude. We’re not coming to only win five games, we’re coming to do big things at this school. We’re not even looking at last year. It’s a new year, so we’re going to compete and we’re going to win.”

Sophomore returning starters Brooke McCants and Jac’ Weathers, who have both made considerable improvements in their game, appear to share Ashby’s mentality. McCants’ outside shot, which was somewhat off-balance last season, has developed significantly, while Weathers has also improved her 3-point percentage.

“Brooke has a better understanding of when her shot’s unbalanced this season, and now she’s more accustomed to the speed of the game and getting her shot on target,” Teymer said. “With Jac,’ when she catches the ball in rhythm, she’s an excellent shooter. She has a better idea of how to move the ball around efficiently and make better shots later in possession.”

As for the coaching staff’s return this season, both Teymer and Smith feel that – now knowing what they are up against – they are better prepared and equipped to make a huge impact in upcoming games.

“One of the big keys is just being able to blend our players,” Teymer said. “We have nine new players with five returning players, so the first step is to be able to blend all that newness in with some of the returners and be able to execute and perform at the defensive end. It was a little bit harder last year, but this year we have a better idea of what each player is able to accomplish individually.”

Although the team’s season opener against Paine on Nov. 16 will mark the revival of a renowned crosstown rivalry, for coach Smith, the Lady Jaguars have no intentions of upsetting their fans.

“I expect great things with Paine,” Smith said. “We have a group of girls this year that work extremely hard, so I expect us to come out and take care of business at home and generate support for women’s basketball by giving the fans something to come back and see.”

Three consecutive Peach Belt Conference Championships and two conference tournament wins in the last three years is quite an accomplishment for any team at any level of any sport. But as the preseason Peach Belt basketball poll shows, past performance is not taken into much consideration.

The Augusta State University men’s basketball team is picked third in the conference in the preseason poll, tied with Clayton State. But when looking at the roster turnover for the Jaguars this summer, one has to be open-minded to the drop in rankings right now.

The Jaguars received one firstplace vote and 115 total points in the coaches poll, the same as the Lakers. Georgia Southwestern was picked to finish first with 10 firstplace votes and 141 points. UNC Pembroke was picked second with one first-place vote and 118 votes.

The Hurricanes were ranked as high as No. 16 nationally last season, going 20-9 and 12-5 in conference play. The record was good for first in the West Division, and their preseason No. 1 ranking is the team’s first. They return three of their Top 4 scorers, including conference player of the year and All-American Phillip Brown. The Jaguars defeated the Canes in their only matchup last year, 68-59.

Georgia Southwestern is also the only team to have two preseason All-Conference players in Brown and Colin Slotter.

The Braves reached the conference championship game for the first time last season, losing to the Jaguars, 76-59. The duo of Shahmel Brackett and George Blakeney are returning for Pembroke. Along with that win, the Jaguars defeated the Braves twice in the regular season by scores of 72-54 and 73-54.

After Augusta State and Clayton State at third, Montevallo is behind in fifth with 97 points. Jaguars rival USC Aiken is picked sixth, followed by Georgia College and State, Francis Marion, conference tournament host Columbus State, and Armstrong Atlantic State to round out the Top 10. Lander, North Georgia and Flagler are the three outside the Top 10.

Georgia Southwestern is the clear favorite of the conference based on the returning duo of Brown and Slotter. The lack of confidence in Augusta State shows when the voters give Pembroke the edge for second, even though the Jaguars beat the Braves three times last season and Brackett appears to be playing alone again this season.

Perhaps even more questionable is the fact that the Jaguars are tied with Clayton State. The Lakers have an even greater turnover than the Jaguars, as they brought in three Division I and one Division II transfers, while the Jaguars brought aboard two Division I transfers. The strength of these transfers may have played a role in sizing up the two teams, but they are also unproven, and the Lakers only had 10 conference wins last year compared to Augusta State’s 15.

However, it must remembered preseason polls are more about entertainment and bulletin board material than actual analysis. Excusing one of the most overused cliches in sports, games are not played on paper or computers. If Augusta State is strong enough to overcome a third-place preseason ranking, the team will do so on the court. If Georgia Southwestern has the talent to prove worthy of a firstplace ranking, the team will do so on the court.

You could say the national poll is a different matter, though. The NABC Division II preseason poll has Georgia Southwestern at No. 21 as the only PBC team. Montevallo has the second-most votes for a Peach Belt team with 10, followed by an unknown number for Clayton State. (They failed to list the number of votes for the Lakers for some reason.)

The Hurricanes? Sure. Clayton State? Maybe. Montevallo? No. The fact that Montevallo has 10 votes while Pembroke and Augusta State have none shows a lack of knowledge by the voters. This is a Falcons team that dropped out of the conference tournament in the first round last season to Augusta State, and in the first round of regionals to Anderson. They did play both games tough, and they are known to play tough defense, but the talent does not match the number of votes.

As I said, preseason polls mean nothing in the grand scheme of things, but regarding the Peach Belt’s representation in the national poll, putting teams in their proper places should not be this questionable.