Ohio Valley Conference

A Rick Byrd Star Wars

What if Rick Byrd was in Star Wars?

By Cam_Newton@morrisoncrying Dec 18, 2017, 6:57am PST

In honor of The Last Jedi and my favorite coach, you can find a Rick Byrd Star Wars story below.

Enjoy.

A RECRUITING WAR HAS BROKEN OUT ON THE PLANET OF NABOO. IN AN EFFORT TO SCORE COMMITMENTS FROM TALENTED PLAYERS, BELMONT HEAD COACH RICK BYRD, USING ADVICE FROM LOCALS, EXPANDS HIS SCOUTING NETWORK.

KNOWLEDGEABLE SCOUTS WERE ABLE TO POINT COACH BYRD TOWARD TATOOINE, WHERE A YOUNG BOY NAMED EVAN BRADDS WAS PLAYING HIGH SCHOOL BALL. UNLIKE THE GALAXY’S TOP PROSPECTS, BELMONT WAS THE ONLY SCHOOL TO ZERO IN ON THE SKILLED ATHLETE.

IT WAS CLEAR HE HAD TALENT, BUT NO ONE KNEW JUST HOW GREAT HE WOULD BECOME...

HOWEVER, COACH BYRD WAS WISE. AFTER COUNTLESS HOURS OF MEDITATION, HE WAS ABLE TO DIVINE HOW GIFTED BRADDS WAS. HE KNEW HOW SPECIAL A PLAYER HE WAS. HE KNEW THAT BRINGING THIS YOUNG PADAWAN UNDER HIS TUTELAGE WOULD SPELL ONLY VICTORIES FOR THE BRUINS.

EVAN BRADDS MUST BE A BELMONT PLAYER.

QUICKLY, COACH BYRD AND HIS NEW PLAYER RODE OFF TOWARD NASHVILLE BEFORE OTHER SCHOOLS COULD BE MADE AWARE OF THE BASKETBALL SKILLS HE POSSESSED.

THE TWO SET TO WORK, READYING THEMSELVES FOR THE LONG JOURNEY AHEAD. BOTH MEN KNEW HOW DIFFICULT IT WOULD BE TO FACE SOME OF THE OVC’S BEST TEAMS, NIGHT IN AND NIGHT OUT. IT WOULD BE NO EASIER THAN A TREK THROUGH DAGOBAH, THAT’S FOR SURE.

PRACTICE WAS TOUGH, BUT IT WAS NECESSARY IF BELMONT WAS TO EARN SOME OF THE HARDWARE THAT IT SO DESIRED. RICK BYRD HAS COACHED FOR A LONG TIME; HE KNOWS WHAT SUCCESS IS AND HOW TO ACHIEVE IT. SO, EVAN BRADDS LISTENED AND LEARNED.

HOWEVER, ONCE TRAINING WAS COMPLETED, AN OLD FOE OF BYRD’S WAS WAITING FOR THE DUO TO ARRIVE IN NASHVILLE.

INDEED, THERE TO GREET THE TWO AS THEY DISEMBARKED WAS NONE OTHER THAN LU BISON. YOU SEE, LU AND RICK’S SCHOOLS HAD QUITE A HISTORY, AND THE TWO WERE BITTER RIVALS. THEY WENT WAY BACK.

THE BATTLE OF THE BOULEVARD COMMENCED ONCE MORE.

AFTER FELLING THEIR FOE IN AN EPIC RIVALRY BATTLE, COACH BYRD AND HIS STAR PLAYER WERE OFF TO THE OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT, READY FOR A FINAL SHOT AT MAKING THE NCAA TOURNAMENT WITH BRADDS ON THE ROSTER. THE BRUINS HAD GIVEN IT THEIR ALL THROUGHOUT THE SEASON. THEY HAD GONE 15-1 IN CONFERENCE, JUST AS THE PROPHECY HAD FORETOLD. COULD THEY NOW COMPLETE THEIR FINAL TASK?

THERE WERE OTHERS READY TO STAND IN THE WAY OF BELMONT AND THEIR TITLE DREAMS. OH YES, RAY HARPER AND HIS JACKSONVILLE STATE SQUAD WAS ALSO HEADED TO NASHVILLE, AND THEY TOO HAD THEIR SIGHTS SET ON THE BIG DANCE. THEY WERE READY TO FACE THE BRUINS HEAD ON. THEY WERE READY TO PULL THE UPSET.

THE BATTLE RAGED ON IN NASHVILLE, AND EVERYTHING WAS ON THE LINE. ULTIMATELY, THE BRUINS FELL SHORT, ENDING THEIR SEASON. THE QUEST FOR THE NCAA TOURNAMENT CEASED.

ALL SEEMED LOST.

YET, HOPE WAS THE INTANGIBLE ELEMENT NOT LOST. LIKE MANY TIMES BEFORE, IT WAS TIME FOR NEW LEADERS TO STEP UP TO THE CHALLENGE. IT WAS THEIR TURN TO TAKE BELMONT TO NEW HEIGHTS.

THOSE HEIGHTS WERE REACHED. BELMONT CONTINUES TO IMPROVE. THEY ARE AGAIN FAVORITES IN THE OVC. THEY ARE AMONG THE MOST IMPRESSIVE MID-MAJOR TEAMS IN THE COUNTRY, YEAR IN AND YEAR OUT. THEY WIN AWARDS. THEY RACK UP TROPHIES. THEY DO IT ALL.