Basketball from a fan’s perspective

Little news

If you noticed Words eye view contains a great deal of NBA news these days there is a valid explanation, COVID-19 has shut down all elements of amateur basketball.  There is little news as it relates to this level of basketball, the occasional high school prospect turning pro or naming a college is it.  No summer AAU basketball play and tournaments to cover, at some future date things will return to normal and youth basketball will be with us again.   

The first major step 

The Inglewood City Council approved the environmental impact study regarding the proposed Clippers Arena.  According to reports this approval is a major hurdle in the quest for owner Steve Ballmer to construct his own arena.  This might be considered the first major step by this owner because it details the man is serious.  The exit from sharing Staples Center is approaching, the 18,000-seat arena has a planned opening of 2024-25 season.  

As a Laker fan this is pleasing news, consider this fact.  At the time the Nets decided to move from New Jersey into New York City there was no thought of sharing the Knicks home Madison Square Garden.  The order is unclear however Barclays Center was constructed to serve as home court for the Nets.  Due to the owner’s business connections my initial thought he intended to move the franchise to Seattle.  The effort to build his own arena indicates he is tied to Metro Los Angeles if he remains the owner. 

They share a rare accomplishment

This list of college basketball coaches winning three consecutive national championships is tiny.  Take into consideration collegiate basketball has been played well over 100 years, in that time there have been only three coaches to accomplish a trifecta.  One of the names you are likely familiar with is John Wooden, he first began coaching at Indiana State, but it was UCLA where he earned his reputation.  The other two names might be unfamiliar however take note of their bio.  John McClendon’s team at Tennessee State an HBCU school won three consecutive NAIA Championships in 1957, 1958 and 1959.  McClendon graduated from Sumner High School in Kansas City (KS) he would later play at the junior college before transferring to Kansas University. 

At Kansas he was tutored by the game’s founder Dr. James A. Naismith.  The list of firsts by McClendon are too numerous to mention, just a few.  McClendon not Bill Russell was the first black coach in professional basketball when he was hired by the Cleveland Pipers of the American Basketball League.  McClendon would later coach Cleveland State becoming the  first black head coach at a non HBCU school.  The coach is enshrined in the Naismith and College Basketball Hall of Fame.  You should also know the name of Lucias Mitchell, he led his Kentucky State Thorobreds also an HBCU school to three consecutive NAIA Championships in 1970, 1971 and 1972. 

Two players from Mitchell’s three-peat team Travis Grant and Elmore Smith were first round NBA draft choices.  Mitchell was a successful coach at several other HBCU schools, his career record of 325-103 places his winning percentage at .759 ranking him 28th among all-time coaches in all divisions.  Mitchell was honored by Kentucky State with an induction in the school’s hall of fame in addition to his induction in the NAIA Hall of Fame.  John Wooden and two relatively unknown giants of the game.  All three stand at the peak of basketball success, due to limitations there is so much additional information available on the sterling careers of John McClendon and Lucias Mitchell.  With their names linked to that of John Wooden they are placed in an exclusive basketball club.

Penny

We might have never envisioned Penny Hardaway as a coach, if so, it might have been at the NBA level.  After a good but injury shortened NBA career he certainly would not have been coaching in college and probably more so at his alma mater the University of Memphis.  How about this truth, early on the public wondered about his given name “Anfernee?”  The story was told his name was Anthony and was mispronounced as Anfernee, that is not correct as his mom indicates she knew an Anfernee. 

As for Penny the coach he sorta backed into the job, a childhood friend who was the head coach at East High School ask for help.  His friend was ill and possibly was aware he might die.  Penny was hired as an assistant and later became head coach after his friend died.  In 2018 the University of Memphis hired him as its head coach.  It appears Penny has this recruiting thing down pat; the next issue is to mold the talent he’s managed to corral as a cohesive team.  This is but a brief account of Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway and his coaching journey.