Basketball from a fans perspective
Bits n Pieces
Zaire Wade is a 6-foot 2-inch point guard, he’s a Class of 2020 prospect. Although not highly publicized Wade’s received an offer from Nebraska. He’s got some mighty big shoes to fill those of his famous dad Dwayne. As for the fact young Wade is not highly touted it was pointed out neither was his dad at the same age. Interesting one more instance of a son following his NBA dad.
I’ve checked out Mizzou’s
schedule, unlike my promise of last season I intend to see a game in
person. Columbia is 150 miles from
Kansas City, weeknight games except for Friday night are difficult for me and
maybe other Kansas City and St. Louis residents. The schedule looks friendly to my travel with
a Friday night, Sunday and several Saturday games. This time I’m headed to Columbia for sure.
Jeff Goodman is one of those
voices I hear, this long-time basketball analyst has been quite accurate in his
assessment of talent over the years. He
left ESPN this past June but made an interesting comment recently. Goodman claims the network didn’t want him to
cover the DOJ/FBI investigation of college basketball. I touched on the investigation briefly
however chose to pass on the story. My
reasoning was based on no conclusion, Goodman with more sources might have
caused the network an issue. Perhaps
finance might have been the basis for ESPN curtailing any Goodman story.
Unlike the U.S. there is no
high school basketball played in Europe.
That’s likely the reason most
European athletes turn pro at age 15 or 16.
It’s believed most join junior pro clubs, those skilled enough move up
to the major club by the time they turn 17 or 18. On the other hand a few venture here and play
for American colleges, the Lakers Svi Mykhailiuk (Ukraine), the Bulls Lauri
Markannen (Finland) and Laker Moe Wagner (Germany) are among those who chose to
attend an American university first and later find their way to the NBA.
Hup two, three,
four
A few of you might not be familiar with the headline, it’s a cadence count utilized by the military during marches to ensure every person is in step. Bet you didn’t realize two of the most successful basketball coaches in history have a military background. Mike Krzyzewski a.k.a. Coach K. was educated at the United States Military Academy at West Point (NY). He played point and shooting guard on Army’s team, the coach would graduate in 1969, you know the balance of his biography.
A few of you might not be familiar with the headline, it’s a cadence count utilized by the military during marches to ensure every person is in step. Bet you didn’t realize two of the most successful basketball coaches in history have a military background. Mike Krzyzewski a.k.a. Coach K. was educated at the United States Military Academy at West Point (NY). He played point and shooting guard on Army’s team, the coach would graduate in 1969, you know the balance of his biography.
The Spurs Gregg Popovich
holds a degree from the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. Coach Pop a guard on the Air Force team would
later graduate (1970) and served in the Air Force for a period after which he
would began his coaching career. I find
this quite interesting two of the most successful basketball coaches on in the
college ranks and the other in the NBA both have military backgrounds. On the other hand, perhaps, you don’t believe
it’s as noteworthy as I make it out to be.
“Half-man,
half-amazing”
Former NBA player turned TNT analyst Kenny Smith is the responsible party. Vince Carter was anointed “half-man, half-amazing” by Smith at the time Carter arrived in the NBA in 1998. His spectacular dunks were just that…. amazing. Who can forget the dunk over Frederic Weiss in the 2000 Olympics? Carter is now age 41, he doesn’t soar quite as high as he once did, but he still plays. His latest stop Atlanta where he signed a 1-year contract. He knows the end is in sight, a few weeks back while providing commentary Carter announced he was returning for the 2018-19 season. He’s worn the jersey for several NBA teams, despite this fact he will be enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame. He will always be Vince Carter, “half-man, half-amazing thanks to Kenny Smith.
Former NBA player turned TNT analyst Kenny Smith is the responsible party. Vince Carter was anointed “half-man, half-amazing” by Smith at the time Carter arrived in the NBA in 1998. His spectacular dunks were just that…. amazing. Who can forget the dunk over Frederic Weiss in the 2000 Olympics? Carter is now age 41, he doesn’t soar quite as high as he once did, but he still plays. His latest stop Atlanta where he signed a 1-year contract. He knows the end is in sight, a few weeks back while providing commentary Carter announced he was returning for the 2018-19 season. He’s worn the jersey for several NBA teams, despite this fact he will be enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame. He will always be Vince Carter, “half-man, half-amazing thanks to Kenny Smith.
