Somebody needs to fix it
On his morning radio show Dan Patrick was lamenting the fact Michigan’s Trey Burke is history. Patrick is hinting sophomore Burke is headed for the NBA. College basketball is not broken however it needs repair. We know several of the other names who will possibly leave early, Ben McLemore, Marcus Smart and perhaps Nerlens Noel. Those are just a few of the names that could leave. Okay for the fix:
1. Fix the one n done rule; the NBA should model itself after baseball to rectify the issue. High school players become eligible for the draft once again. If an athlete decides to attend college they must remain a minimum of 3 years.
2. Fix the referees; officiating has been questionable for a number of years. I heard commentary that the collegiate game needs to be officiated similar to the NBA Don’t think that’s necessary, consistency is more important to me.
3. Fix the confusion, this might be easier said than done. Over the last two seasons collegiate basketball has been in constant movement. Old teams in new leagues, new leagues. Stability appears to only be a word.
4. Fix the NCAA and President Mark Emmert; if the NCAA is to remain the collegiate governing body limits should be placed on its policing authority. In a perfect world a replacement body comes into existence to replace the NCAA.
You might be unfamiliar with the name
Viewing the NBA game on Sunday it was announced Marty Blake had died. Blake was 86 years old and is considered the godfather of the NBA. He became General Manager of the St. Louis Hawks at the youthful age of 27; Blake also implemented the first NBA pre-pre-draft camp. Blake spent more than 50 of his 86 years working in various capacities in the Association.
You think so?
Nick says Kentucky is not a good fit for his brother; Nick is the older brother of Class of 2013 number one prospect Andrew Wiggins. Older brother Nick is a reserve guard playing for Wichita State. Big brother’s assessment certainly isn’t exactly breaking news for a variety of reasons. First of all Rivals and ESPNU both state Kentucky has the number one recruiting Class of 2013. In addition to a bunch of McDonald All-Americans we have the remaining players. As this is written Kentucky loses two seniors plus freshman guard Archie Goodwin is entering the draft. The status of Nerlens Noel is not yet resolved.
The Wally Pipp story repeats itself
Those familiar with baseball history know the Wally Pipp story. In June 1925 Wally Pipp asked to be removed from the Yankee lineup at first base due to a headache. The manager informed him Lou Gehrig can sub for you, Pipp never got back in the lineup. Hall of Fame Yankee Gehrig held the consecutive game record 2,130 until the Orioles Brooks Robinson broke it. Where am I going with this story you might ask? Kris Humphries the starter at power forward for the Nets suffered an injury, in stepped “journey man” Reggie Evans. Humphries returned several weeks back but cannot regain his starter position. Humphries is a poor free-throw shooter and only average from the field however he excels at rebounding and defense. In a recent game against the Blazers Evans had a career-high 26 rebounds and matched his career point total with 22. He was 4 for 9 from the free-throw line which is a reflection of his .522 career free throw shooting.
