IF THE HAT FITS: Recounting the journey through January

Jan. 28—What a month it's been.

January has been jam-packed full of action, and a great way to start off 2023. Basketball and wrestling are in full swing, and we've seen our area student-athletes giving their all.

Earlier this month, I began work on getting previews for the Pitt 8 Conference basketball tournament. That's 16 previews plus a column stuffed into the pages of a bursting sports section. I had a lot of fun putting it together, hopefully getting everyone just as excited as I was for the upcoming tourney.

In the middle of all of that, McAlester wrestling hosted its district — and what a day it was! Four teams battling on the mat, and only one could advance. The Buffs put on an impressive showing, and it would literally come down to the last matches in the last dual of the day.

Everyone in Brumley waited with bated breath. Well, except when they were cheering their lungs out. And although the Buffs were just edged out, I shared coach Kydel Billy's sentiment of being extremely proud of the way McAlester wrestled and competed.

Then came the 2023 Pitt 8 Conference Tournament. I won't lie to you — it's one of the longest weeks of the year for me. 22 games in five days, gamers for each matchup, thousands of photos taken that I trimmed down into hundreds for the galleries.

I was working 12-14 hour days every day, but I woke up excited every morning for the next day's adventure. And what an adventure it was, with a lot of great basketball games and so many memories made.

So yeah, it's a long week. But it's also oh so rewarding.

And last Sunday, I attended two great events on what is normally a day off.

First, I went and enjoyed the great gathering for Joe Brown at Savanna. Growing up around here, I of course know exactly who Joe Brown is. My dad also grew up playing against his teams, and still to this day talks about the impact Coach Brown had on his life.

And to get to hear so many great stories from his family former players and students, it got me excited to write the feature you're reading today. Although there was so much I put into the story, just know that books could be filled on what he's done.

When I left Coach Brown's party, I headed straight to the Southeast Expo Center for the annual McAlester football banquet. It's always a great time where we get to revisit the season — and this was yet another memorable year of football. I even got to present a few awards on behalf of the McAlester News-Capital, which in itself was a great honor.

Which brings us to this past week. It's been relatively quiet, all things considered. It's given me time to catch up a bit and rest — but it's only just the beginning.

Basketball playoffs are on the horizon, with assignments and brackets being released in the next few days. And wrestling regionals add to the playoff intensity as many hope to punch their tickets to State.

So as February knocks at the door, so does a busy month of postseason action. But I'm excited for what lies ahead, and am going to do my best to cover it all.