Basketball from a fans perspective
North Florida
I wasn’t
familiar with North Florida before Mizzou played them on Saturday evening, so I
decided to research the school’s sports history. Their athletic program began in 1983 at the
NAIA level, 10 years later 1993 they moved to NCAA Division II
competition. In 2005 North Florida began
competing at the Division I level and contends in the Atlantic Sun Conference. Balanced scoring for Mizzou with five players
in double figures and tough defense allowed them to win the game. Mizzou outrebounded the Ospreys 51-32 while
shooting 50.7 from the floor to the Ospreys 29.7.
Rookie of the Year
It’s likely the trophy for 2018 NBA Rookie of the Year is
already engraved, it’s got Ben Simmons name on it. Anything is possible before the end of the
season and someone other than the Sixers point guard could win the award. Let’s check out the other candidates, these
are not in any order just proof the 2017 draft was rich with talent. A reminder although Simmons is certainly ROY
he was drafted in 2016 but missed last season.
We lead off with the Celtics Jayson Tatum. I wonder about next season already; Tatum and
Gordon Hayward play the same position small forward. Tatum is the third leading scorer for the
Celtics at 13.6 points per game and playing vital minutes for his team. Lauri Markkanen from Finland by way of Arizona is in the mix
too, he’s moved into the starting lineup for the Bulls at the power forward
spot.
Markkanen is scoring 14.7 points and 8.1
rebounds per game. Kings point guard De
‘Aaron Fox must be included in the discussion as well. Donovan Mitchell at Utah, he's leading the Jazz in scoring thus far this season. The last player I believe might be included
in this group is a Laker. It’s Kyle Kuzma
power forward, you thought I was going to include Lonzo Ball in this
discussion…. nope not yet. Kuzma drafted
out of Utah arrived on the scene with very little fanfare. MVP in the Summer
League but that was just that summer basketball. Kuzma’s not missed a beat since the regular
season began, as this is written he's at 16.3 points and nearly 7 rebounds a games. There you have it every top rookie in the NBA not named Simmons.
Hidden
Gem
Located in Maryville Missouri about 100 miles due north of
Kansas City is one of the best college basketball programs in the nation. Northwest Missouri State is an NCAA Division
II program and defending NCAA champion.
Last season the Bearcats finished with a 35-1 record and so far, this
season has begun in the same manner.
Northwest competes in the Mid America Intercollege Athletic
Conference comprised of 14 schools in Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska. The MIAA is one of the older conferences in
the nation being founded in 1914.
Bearcats are led ably by head coach Ben McCollum who is in his 9th
season at the ripe old age of 35. For most us
Division I basketball receives the overwhelming amount of news however
attention should be payed to the outstanding play in Division II.
The “Glue” guy
There is at least one “glue” guy on every NBA team, what
are glue guys you ask? Superstar doesn’t
fit in front of their name, yet they are often just as responsible for wins as
the big-name star. They often provide a
steady hand in the locker room and on the court. One of those glue guys was Lafayette “Fat”
Lever, most know him simply as Fat. How
he was nicknamed Fat will be explained later because there was not an ounce of
fat on the 6-3 170-pound point guard.
Fat was drafted by the Blazers from Arizona State in 1982
but spent his most productive years as a member of the Nuggets. He didn’t compile gaudy numbers while in the
NBA, he retired scoring 10,000 points and a 13.9 scoring average along with 6.2
assists. On December 2nd the
Nuggets retired his jersey number 12. As
for the nickname when he was a child his younger sister could not pronounce
Lafayette, it came out of the toddler’s mouth sounding like “Fat” and the
nickname stuck in high school, college and throughout his NBA career, Fat Lever
a genuine glue guy.
