Basketball
from a fan’s perspective
The NFL Combine
As this is written the NFL is holding its combine in
Indianapolis, what should we discuss the NFL draft or the NBA draft? The NFL draft occurs April 23 and the NBA
draft much later June 25. Just kiddin’
folks this publication is dedicated to basketball only; occasionally other
sports are mentioned. As for the NBA
draft, there appears not much movement among the Top 10 projected picks. Likely a true picture will not be determined
until after the first Monday in April.
That’s the date the NCAA champion will be crowned and over
the next 3-4 weeks we’ll began to grasp exactly who is leaving and who might be
staying. Up first is the Portsmouth
Invitational Tournament held a week after the NCAA championship. College seniors display their skills before NBA
representatives. How important is this
tournament, ask DeMarre Carroll? Carroll was
not on the NBA’s radar until his outstanding play in the tournament, he’s now
in his 11th year in the NBA.
Next up the NBA will conduct its combine in Chicago May 21 and will run through
May 24. There you have it a bit of
pre-draft information.
What if…
We cannot correct events of the past, for me and others it’s
fun to look back at an occurrence and ask the question “What if.” This is one most Kansas basketball fans
either don’t know or have forgotten. At
the time long-term Mizzou coach Norm Stewart was forced out a nation-wide
search was conducted for his replacement.
We have no idea if it was 1-2 on the decision but Quin Snyder (present
Jazz coach) was hired, Kansas coach Bill Self probably finished in second
place.
How did it occur, well it’s been too many years but allow our
imagination to construct the hiring process?
We have Snyder; he played for coach K. at Duke and became his associate
head coach. Meanwhile Self was serving
as head coach at Tulsa a mid-major school.
Self-arrived at Tulsa from Oral Roberts University where his teams
finished one game above .500 (55-54). Although
none of the Duke success could be laid at the feet of Snyder there might
have been a belief, he was a” better” candidate for the Mizzou job than
Self.
Of course, we know that would not be the case, Snyder
departed Mizzou under a cloud of smoke.
He served as head coach at a couple of minor league stops before being
hired by the Utah Jazz. At Tulsa Self’s
record improved when he departed in 2000 for the University of Illinois his win
total stood at 74-27. He managed a
similar record at Illinois (78-24) prior to taking the Kansas job in 2003
replacing Roy Williams who departed for his alma mater North Carolina. What if Mizzou hired Self rather than Snyder,
would the fortunes of Mizzou basketball be as successful as they have been for
Kansas?
Great last season,
not so much this time
Those in the media proclaimed Big 12 dominance last season in
fact it was great, not so much this time around. Few arguments from any parties the strength
of schedule plus the conference won-loss record provided proof of that
fact. We saw over half the conference (6)
teams receive invites to the NCAA Tournament in 2019, Big 12 Texas Tech was
runner up to eventual champion Virginia.
As for this season this picture might be quite
different. We are weeks from selection
Sunday however other than Kansas and Baylor it might be difficult to see four
additional Big 12 teams qualify for the NCAA Tournament. At most Texas Tech and West Virginia make the
cut but no more. As with any future
prediction this could be incorrect, that’s the prime reason this writer
attempts to refrain from this practice.
