Another C-USA season and tournament is in the books and once again the Tigers stand atop the conference. Yes, I know that’s obvious to you all but it makes me feel good to say it so I’m saying it.

I want to say congratulations to the Tigers for their win today and the fantastic season. Back to back perfect conference seasons was a fitting conclusion to the career of Joey Dorsey. The media may not like him but we Tigers fans LOVE the kid. What about Big AA. Anderson winning the MVP of the tournament should put the rest of the country on alert that the Tigers are a TEAM. They have many guys who can beat you.
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A few years ago when I was still working for the newspaper in Columbus, Ga., I got an email from James Rutland, a shooting instructor from nearby Talbotton, Ga., who swore he could teach me to knock an aspirin out of the air with a BB gun using a tactic known as “Instinct Shooting.”

I paid about as much attention to the email as I do to the ones that promise to increase my breast size in 48 hours.

But a week later, James emailed me again - and this time, I did some research on Instinct Shooting.

The tactic was invented by a guy named Lucky McDaniel. Lucky also helped the military develop a shooting method known as “Quick Kill,” so he obviously knew his stuff.

James Rutland was one of his only living disciples, so I decided to take him up on his offer.

We started out shooting a BB gun at a medallion about twice the size of a half dollar. Then we moved to a half dollar. Then to a quarter. Then to a dime. Then finally to the aspirin.

Before we ever began the lesson, James had a certificate printed up that said “On this day, Bryan Brasher busted an aspirin with a BB Gun.”

He was far more confident than I was. But he was right.

When we were done with the BB gun, we moved to the sporting clays course, using the same technique. I shot better than I’d ever shot before and better than I’ve shot since.

His technique involves holding the gun perfectly against your cheek and using “big muscles.” Instead of allowing your arms to fly around willy-nilly, Instinct Shooting requires good form and discipline.

Most importantly, you can never take your eye off the target.

If you do exactly what James tells you, it’s almost impossible to miss.

As I wrote in my Sunday column this week, shooting lessons are a good investment for hunters during the offseason. Any good shooting instructor can help you.

But if you’re ever in south Georgia near Talbotton, you should give James Rutland a call.

It’s a one-hour shooting lesson you’ll be talking about for years.

As I wrote in a blog on Feb.24, now is the time to go searching for whitetail antler sheds on your deer hunting property.

They always find tons of sheds at Brandywine Island, Ark., this time of year, and they actually keep a “shed sheet” to give them some idea of where the big bucks are hanging out.

By charting where they find the antler sheds, they can have a reasonable idea of where to look for that deer next year.

The pile of sheds they have out there is amazing - and they recently found this impressive rack to add to the pile.

Brandywine officials said the right side measured 77 inches, and the left side measured 78 for a total score of 155.

That’s another solid Brandywine buck - and the scary thing is they have trail-camera photos of bucks much, much larger than this one.

As expected, Antonio Anderson was named tournament MVP, joining Derrick Rose and CDR on the all-tourney team. When Anderson was announced as MVP, CDR slapped him on the back of the head in joy, knocking off his championship hat. The Tigers gathered near center court and locked arms for their celebration dance. Andre Allen climbed a ladder and cut down the net. The fans have been chanting “ONE MORE YEAR!” and it could be directed at Allen, Rose or CDR.

So, this tournament is over, but the more important one remains. Sunday afternoon, the Tigers will find out where they’re headed, although everyone in Memphis hopes and assumes it’ll be Little Rock. The adventure continues, hopefully all the way to San Antonio.

Stay tuned.  And thanks for following the games with The Memphis Edge.

The chant goes from “Joey Joey” to “CDR CDR” as he’s being interviewed by CBS. Then, half-heartedly, the Tiger faithful tries to get a “One more year! One more year!” chant going, but that one ends pretty quickly.

Tigers win easily, 77-51, as the last seconds drain away. Streamers fall from the sky. A ladder is being positioned under the nets so they can be cut down. Coming next is the trophy presentation and announcement of the all-tournament team and the MVP. Mack, Kemp and Allen are standing on the scorer’s table, waving a banner that pronounces them Conference USA champs.

The media here seem to favor Antonio for MVP….

Wow, attendance was just announced. 14,071. That’s even smaller than I thought. Blame the early start and travel plans for the NCAA.

Tiger fans are chanting “JOEY JOEY JOEY!” and Dorsey obliges by standing up and waving to his fans. In return, they give him a huge ovation. The love affair continues.