fresh advance stories

I have to advance every game on the college-basketball beat I cover. I always come up with something but feel I slip into a rut sometimes with it or don't produce anything terribly interesting or compelling. Anybody out there willing to share some tips of writing something fresh 30-35 times a year about the same team before each game?

 

I just play off the major storylines in any way I can. Sure, it's nothing shocking, and sure, it's probably beating the dead horse, but if a week goes by between games, I'll meet with the coach a few times here and there to check in on what that player's been doing at practice or how that situation is feeling its way out or how the new offense is working, etc.

You've just got to make them more like a feature to make them interesting, both to write and read. Throwing the nugget in there about the game is just a reason for writing but will never be the reason for reading.

 

Eagleboy, I understand that and do all that. It still seems redundant sometimes.

 

What you do is give an assistant coach $100 (wiped clean and given with gloves on).
Tell him to give it to the most deserving kid.
Take a picture through a screen door (for the added effect) of the exchange.
You'll have whole season of stories to write. This job is easy.

 

Read the advances written by NBA and college beat writers at the larger papers and see if they have a few fresh angles you haven't explorded. We all steal ideals from others. An example, a couple of years back, USA Today did a story on the salaries of high school football coaches around the country and what a big business high school sports had become. Within the next three weeks, large dailies in several states did the same story. Don't be ashamed to borrow. Someone will eventually borrow from you.

 

I have my own ideals, thanks.

I didn't steal 'em from nobody. 8)