Basketball from a fans perspective
Dominoes
On Wednesday evening 6-10 Jontay Porter younger brother of 6-9 Michael Porter Jr. made it official for Mizzou Would it be the Class of 2018 or 2017 for Jontay to play alongside his brother. Jontay decided he wanted his brother as a teammate. The dominoes and not in any order but occurred in a similar manner to this. Michael Porter Jr. commits to Washington, the school fires Coach Lorenzo Romar, MPJr. changes his mind on attending Washington.
Cuonzo Martin arrives at Mizzou, filling out his staff hires assistant coach Michael Porter Sr. Jr. commits to Mizzou, 6-10 258 pound Jeremiah Tilmon commits, Jontay Porter commits to Mizzou without declaring which class. Of course in between Cuonzo and staff recruited a number of other players filling out Mizzou's roster. One domino after another after another falls and at this point 247Sports declares Mizzou with the 3rd best recruiting class in the nation. After years of poor play its easy to understand the excitement of Mizzou fans.
Why?
If Kyrie Irving was patient the Cavs team would be his. I’m referring to his summer request he made to be traded; the indication he’s tired of playing in LeBron’s shadow. Nothing is set in stone but consider this LeBron could be history after next season anyway. We don’t know this to be a fact however Irving would be THE MAN if he just waits his turn.
AAU basketball
What’s your position on AAU basketball? AAU basketball has grown over the last several years but is this a good thing? I’ve read a number of college coaches hate the AAU brand of basketball. They claim little team defense and even less coaching at this level. The two incidents below might not be a true reflection of AAU basketball however they are troubling. LaVar Ball pulled his BB team off the court after an official called a technical foul on him in the Double Pump Tournament in Anaheim California.
Across the nation In Wichita Kansas and the championship of the MAYB Championship Monte Harrison repeated the same on-court action. He ordered his team off the floor with minutes remaining in the game. Unlike in the Double Pump Tournament Harrison’s team was winning. Perhaps both incidents are isolated; perhaps the individuals (LaVar Ball in Anaheim and Bol Bol in Wichita) might be the basis for the stories receiving national coverage. High school, college coaches and those in the NBA have received technical foul calls so that portion is not new. The officiating might be called into question as well. I continue to cast a concerned eye toward AAU basketball.
An opportunity to coach
Myron Medcalf of ESPN discussed a fact; the most high profile winning coaches will be retiring or be retired over the next several years. He pointed to the fact Coach K. is 70-years old, Roy Williams is 66 and Jim Boeheim is 72. He went on to point out several coaches on the periphery would ascend to the top and replace the aforementioned and others. What about assistant coaches wanting to move over a chair?
I think of former Mizzou coach Kim Anderson, politics kept him from being hired in 1999. Although Anderson certainly tasted success at Division II University of Central Missouri he was overlooked originally. Lack of success would not have saved Anderson’s job however we can only speculate what Anderson’s won-loss record might have been if he’d been hired in 1999. An assistant coach striving to lead a program must have someone in a position to run interference for him.
I’m gonna say YES!
Lonzo Ball will be 2018 Rookie of the Year, how do I know you ask? My mouth says so and why you ask? I make that statement in light of the latest Stephen A. Smith pronouncement, Smith claims Ball will not be Rookie of the Year in 2018. We take this information from a man other than 2017 picked the last three NBA Championship winner incorrectly.
Bells
Walter Jones Bellamy is a double-honoree he‘s among a few former players enshrined in the Naismith and College Basketball Hall of Fame. Walt Bellamy or Bells as he was nicknamed first distinguished himself in college. At Indiana University he was named an All American in 1960 and 1961. Bellamy would go on to become the leagues first pick in the 1961 draft by the Chicago Packers. In Bellamy’s second year the Packers changed their name to the Zephyrs and the following season the franchise moved to Baltimore becoming the Bullets.
There are several reasons most are unaware of Bellamy and his career exploits. Bellamy arrived at a time when centers dominated play in the association. Despite his respectful numbers he was never mentioned in the conversation that contained the names of Russell, Chamberlain, Abdul Jabbar and Thurmond. Bellamy played on some average to below average teams during his career it certainly wasn’t his play. Bellamy died in November 2013 at the age of 74; one of the contributing architects on what the NBA has become was able to witness the league become major league.
