There is a distinction between lack of talent and lack of effort!
-------Larry Laker

They are one of the best
Last season they won 29 games, in the 2012-13 season they won 32, the year before it was 26. You might believe I’m referring to Kentucky, North Carolina or Kansas. Those programs continue to turn out winning programs year after year but so does Gonzaga. The Spokane (WA) school earns an annual invite to the NCAA Tournament year after year. We must salute Coach Mark Few whose record at Gonzaga is 412-101 in 15 years. Coach Few has chosen to remain at Gonzaga despite lucrative offers from other schools over the years. As this is written Gonzaga is rated the number 8 team in the nation by the Associated Press.

Bits n Pieces
I was singing the praises of Jahlil Okafor however there is a dent in his armor. There is an area of his game he needs to clean up. He’s a “Shaq/Dwight Howard” player at the
free-throw line averaging 50% after nine games thus far. All other aspects of his game he’s “NBA ready.” On second thought poor free-throw shooting didn’t prevent either O’Neal or Howard from an NBA career.

What if I told you the NCAA block shot leader wasn’t a starter? What if I told you he’s now at his second school due to behavior problems? What if I told you he might be on his way to the NBA? The NBA may or may not be in his future however it appears the behavior issues are a thing of the past. His name is Robert Upshaw and he’s a 7-foot 250 pound center, after beginning at Fresno State he’s now a sophomore at Washington.

I wasn’t shocked by the Rajon Rondo trade, trade rumors regarding Rondo have been circulating since last year. As for the destination the Mavs probably had more to offer than any other potential trading partner. Despite the stories we might have heard at one time Rondo wasn’t headed for the Nets or any other Eastern Conference team. The Celtics have been in a steady rebuilding manner for several years, Rondo was the last holdover from their championship teams.

Why is the question? I don’t wish to give Laker haters fodder but here goes. Fighting uphill all evening against a Thunder team minus Durant and Perkins they could have won. Kobe had perhaps the worst shooting night to date with seconds left he took a contested shot and missed. Its quite possible Jeremy Lin may have missed the shoot as well however nobody was guarding Lin and his field goal percentage is higher than Kobe at this point in the season. End result-Thunder 104 Lakers 103.

After writing an account bragging about Miami Coach Jim Larrinaga a few weeks back his Hurricane team was embarrassed by Eastern Kentucky 72-44. I hope fans, students and alum of Eastern Kentucky don’t consider this a slam at your favorite team. Far from it, The Colonel was 5-4 going into the game facing the number 18 Miami Hurricanes. Oh well just proves “you play to win the game” which Miami didn’t. Sorry Coach Edwards.

Where are they now?
He returned to Texas-El Paso to complete his undergraduate degree shortly before retiring from the NBA. He then went on to earn a Masters Degree and began work on a PhD. In addition to sitting in a classroom as a student he’s also been upfront teaching school too. He holds a unique distinction; he remains the only NBA player to lead the league in scoring and assists in the same season. In the 1972-73 season Nate “Tiny” Archibald averaged 34.0 ppg and 11.4 assists for the Kansas City-Omaha Kings.

Without checking the records this diminutive point guard may have been responsible for 75-80% with his scoring and distribution of the ball.  The woeful Kings had little offense at that time with the exception of Archibald. How good was Archibald he was voted to the Top 50 All Time NBA time, in 1991 he was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Did I forget to mention he contributed mightily to the 1981 NBA Championship won by the Celtics? All this accomplished by an athlete listed at 6-1 (many believe he was 5-10) and 150 pounds. I’m sure there is no argument he may have been the best baller to ever come from the Bronx Borough of New York City.

My heart was ripped out
Mizzou basketball leading up to the Illinois game had been a disappointment for me; I knew there would be bumps in the road. I’d mentioned previously new coach, new system and new players however I expected them to be a little more cohesive. In The Annual Braggin’ Rights” match against Illinois Mizzou played at an up tempo throughout the game. Mizzou actually shot better from the floor than Illinois, this was noteworthy considering Mizzou was 5-5 and Illinois 8-3 leading into the game. The game was tied 59 all and Rayvonte Rice of Illinois hit a 3-pointer with two Mizzou players on him and 1.2 seconds left on the clock. Final score Illinois 62 Mizzou 59.