Make no mistake
A 14 point 7 rebound game really is not particulalry noteworthy. No one will mistake Keanu Post for the second coming of Kareem Abdul Jabbar or Hakeem Olajuwon. The modest numbers he contributed may possibly be a beginning for Mizzou center Post. When he arrived from Southwestern Illinois Community College it was believed he would add scoring and rebounding to Mizzou’s frontline. Instead of finding time on the floor the 6-11 255 center experienced more difficulty removing the splinters from his butt. The splinters due to time spent on the bench, he was only playing limited minutes. First of all Mississippi State is no powerhouse, in addition Post didn’t even start the game. He came off the bench in a relief role; it will be noteworthy if he manages significant minutes over the remainder of the season.
To tweet or not to tweet
Have you noticed several college coaches are expressing issues with their players sending out tweets? I’m not focusing on Marcus Smart however he’s been guilty of responding to tweets regarding his play. Last season Kansas Coach Bill Self was forced to address Tyson Taylor tweets the player sent last season. It’s not just basketball players, we’ve witnessed adult celebrities who tweeted poorly worded messages which they later expressed regret. Their manager or maybe they realized how stupid their comment sounded. If adults are guilty what should we expect from an 18 or 19-year old man? We might come to a period of time coaches will ban their players from tweeting.
I have an opinion here
Unlike the report above this time I will express an opinion. The gun story (if true) surrounding Knick point guard Raymond Felton should be dealt with swiftly in an appropriate manner. As this is written I’m unsure of the civil proceedings but a suspension of some sort should be forthcoming from the NBA office. What I don’t know are the civil penalties, is jail time a possibility? I repeat my earlier statement if Felton is judged guilty he should be mandated to attend anger management classes either by civil authorities or the NBA.
Let’s not kid ourselves
An Ivy League education and the NBA, that‘s been the case for Jeremy Lin Rockets point guard. Lin is not the focus of this account rather it’s his coach. Question, is a coach capable of winning in the Ivy League on a regular basis? Consider this there are no athletic scholarships and no ability to red-shirt athletes. Coach Tommy Amaker has been successful at Harvard without the aids many of his coaching compatriots have at their disposal. Amaker has generated a winning attitude since his arrive in 2007. Check out the won-loss record of the school since his hire:
2007-08 8-22
2008-09 14-14
2009-10 21-7
2010-11 23-7
2011-12 26-5
2012-13 20-10
2013-14 24-4 (through weekend games)
His name is the same as the band
33 is the jersey number of center Zach Brown, he may not be aware of the significance of 33 in basketball history. That number was worn by one of the all-time great big man to play the game, Kareem Abdul Jabbar. I must also temper reports on youth athletes, don’t misunderstand my intent I’m certainly not stating he is the second coming of Abdul Jabbar. Brown at 7 feet 1 and 255 pounds has continued to exhibit his talent at the high school and AAU level. Brown is averaging 18.4 points and 16.5 rebounds and 6.9 blocks per game. Oh, did I forget to mention this budding talent is a high school freshman, he plays for Miami Beach High School, Miami Beach (FL).
The regular season is meaningless
Once upon a time regular season conference play was considered very significant, coaches were removed based on their teams play. Over the last several years selection to the NCAA tourney has become the barometer on a coach and his team’s success (or lack of). There were few if any post-season tournaments impacting the ability of a team to be selected for the NCAA post-season tourney. A team finished in first place and that was it. One year USC lost two games in an outstanding season, the problem they lost both games to powerhouse UCLA. With no post-season tournament the only option for USC was an NIT invite. No big deal because at that time the NIT Tournament was on the same prestige level of the NCAA event.
Why you might ask, the NCAA tourney resembled nothing like that of today. Only 32 teams were invited unlike the 68 who make the field today. Expansion has resulted in at least two problems; expansion has lessened the importance of a teams regular season play. Example Mizzou will win 20+ games for the 3rd year under Frank Haith yet there is fan talk of him being fired. The chief reason is the team will likely miss the NCAA tourney. Don’t misunderstand its important for a variety of reasons a team makes the NCAA. Missing the tourney is not the end of the world for any team. The other issue the increased number of teams in the NCAA has caused the NIT to be viewed in a less viable light. As I mentioned earlier expansion of the NCAA has downgraded the NIT in the eyes of many, in fact cynics have dubbed the NIT the Not Invited Tournament.
