There is a distinction between lack of talent and lack of effort!
-------Larry Laker
Winning can become contagious
As I watched SMU defeat UConn I had a momentary thought, 74-year old Larry Brown is not going to be around forever. The coach has remolded SMU basketball and made it relevant one again. The school was once considered a football only institution; basketball was just a secondary sport but no more. As for talent until recently we must return to the ‘50’s to locate the first significant player. The late Jim Krebs was a 1957 All American forward. According to Wikipedia Krebs raised the level of basketball so significantly the result was Moody Coliseum present home of the Mustangs was built. Krebs would later play in the NBA for the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers however would die in a tragic off-court accident at age 29.
Jon Koncak played his high school ball in Kansas City and headed to SMU; his NBA career ran from 1986 through the 1996 for the Hawks and one season as a member of the Magic. I checked the records prior to the last two seasons under Brown we must travel back to 2000-01 to uncover an SMU team with two consecutive 20 win seasons. Under Brown SMU registered a 27-10 last season and 27-8 this season prior to the NCAA Tournament. Once Brown decides to step down the administration must conduct a nationwide search to continue the winning tradition established again by the coach. Alum and fans don’t get upset with me I‘m not trying to push Brown out the door. I’m a Larry Brown fan and look forward to him remaining head coach as long as he desires.
Another record
I stated previously forward LeBron James is breaking or setting records on a weekly basis. This time the record is one belonging in Cavs history, LeBron broke the assist record of Mark Price. My curiosity led me to check the teams past on nba.com/cavaliers/history. Price had distributed 4,206 assists during his tenure with the team. For those who might be unfamiliar Price played the point so did John Bagley and Terrell Brandon. We arrive at Brad Daughtery the first non-point guard on the list; he’s in 6th place on the Cavs all-time list. I missed this one, at some point LeBron also passed Price for most 3-point baskets made. Despite the short period he spent in Miami LeBron will soon own the majority of Cavs records.
Bits n Pieces
I hate to be wrong however I must fess up I missed this one. I predicted the SEC would have as many teams invited to the NCAA Tourney as the Big 12. I was wrong, final score Big 12 7 schools SEC 5 schools.
We’ve got to admit Coach Cal is quite a salesman. He recruits kids who could play major minutes at other schools and convinces them to play a reserve role at Kentucky. I seriously doubt if another coach could accomplish this feat.
Okay call me a hater if you must; “I’m from Missouri show me.” After watching the Rockets beat the Clippers yesterday I believe they are pretenders and not contenders. They are a lock for the playoffs as for NBA Champions?
We might overlook University of California-Irvine but not a member on the team’s roster. Mamadou N’Diaye stands 7-6 and weights in at 300 pound. The sophomore’s numbers are only average and he is raw, bold prediction from yours truly. N’Diaye from Senegal in West Africa will receive an NBA invitation in two years. I didn’t say he’d be drafted but he will be in the league.
“You can run but you can’t hide”
The above quote is attributed to the late Joe Louis former heavyweight boxing champion. He was reported to have made the statement regarding an opponent who avoided facing him in the ring. We could make the same statement regarding Bill Self. For a number of reasons Self has avoided playing Wichita State. Last season Wichita State’s Gregg Marshall proposed a home and home series, a third game would be played at a natural site Kansas City was mentioned.
Self might not desire to play the game however the NCAA has a different mindset. The two Kansas schools are in the same Midwest Regional in Omaha. If Wichita State is able to survive against Indiana and Kansas captures its game against New Mexico State the battle for the hearts of basketball fans in the State of Kansas will begin in earnest. Wichita State and Kansas lie about 180 miles apart or two hours and change drive time. Such a short distance these two Division I teams have not played one another since 1993.
This is interesting
No public funds will be expended building the Warriors San Francisco arena. The 18,000 seat arena will priced in the neighborhood of $600 million dollars. The yet to be named arena will open for the 2018-19 NBA season. I believe it has become more and more difficult to secure public funds to build stadiums and arenas for sports franchises. In these tight economic times citizens are reluctant to vote in favor of taxation for millionaire team owners. The only exception to my memory is the NFL Packers; at one time individuals could purchase shares of the team. Perhaps this model will become the wave of the future. I’m sure citizens would approve if their only requirement was to purchase tickets to the event rather than the building.
