Basketball from a fan perspective

Sports talk radio

I won’t pretend to speak for you but in Kansas City sports talk radio is bad.  Not “bad” as in good but the original definition…. bad.  Once upon a time I lived sports talk radio, drive time in the morning and drive time in the afternoon.  At some point I am unable to provide a day-date it became sorry.  At least during the time, they took calls it was interesting, I enjoyed listening to some of the callers, that became a problem when the studio host disagreed with the caller.  They would hurry the caller off the line pretending he or she had taken up too much airtime.  What are we left with, hours and hours of conversation that often causes you to scratch your head in wonder, consider this an example?

Loyola Chicago released information relating to the two games played in the NCAA Tournament, the amount of money earned was into the millions of dollars.  The two hosts were debating how the school could have earned that much income from just two games.  The debate wasn’t worth the time they took attempting to figure out the WHY, I listened for 4 minutes or so and then turned the radio off.  Since I’m a basketball guy I can only relate to that coverage which is not good.  Maybe they do a better job with football and baseball.  Over emphasis on Kansas basketball a tidbit of Kansas State and Mizzou coverage.  We might ask the question does Gonzaga play basketball or UCLA, Kentucky or Duke.  The only time those schools and others not part of the Big 12 are mentioned is infrequent and when mentioned it might be in derogatory terms.  The local guys are entitled to their opinions however who died and appointed them king of sports talk radio?   

History is made

Today Illinois State University in Normal is considered a mid-major school, in 1970 the school was just one of the hundreds of Division I basketball programs.  Although most colleges even in the deep south had begun recruiting black players the coaching ranks remained closed.  In 1970 Illinois State made history when they hired Will Robinson, he would become the first black coach at a Division I school. 

The majority of HBCU institutions now are Division I programs back then the vast majority played at the NAIA level.  So, as you see Robinson would serve as head coach of Illinois State until the 1975 season when he retired, in 1976 he became a scout for the NBA Pistons.  Robinson’s sharp eye for talent would lead the Pistons into drafting Dennis Rodman and Joe Dumars.  It was reported he’d been offered the job of head coach for the Pistons but turned it down.  This legendary high school and college coach died in 2008 at the age of 96, another name from the rich past of basketball we should become familiar with.   

Pinson’s left the building

Monday after Mizzou’s Saturday night loss to Oklahoma guard Xavier Pinson announced he was transferring.  Most in Mizzou Nation like me were not shocked by the news, the coach and the player appeared at odds especially the second half of the season.  It seemed Cuonzo wanted one thing from Pinson, but Pinson delivered the other.  The divorce is difficult in that Pinson is not a transfer Cuonzo are at least a member of his coaching staff recruited the young man.  The good Pinson was excellent at times, penetrating and dishing the ball to Tilmon, Dru Smith or some other Tiger. 

The bad Pinson streaked down the court at 175 miles an hour, over penetrated or took difficult or sometimes questionable shots.  At times he appeared to lack aggressiveness but that’s as an observer of his game.  I hope this doesn’t appear to be a slam at Pinson he is indeed a talent although his belief exceeds that of NBA scouts.  I hope he’s able to uncover a school that can utilize his forte, on the other hand he could be headed to Europe to begin a professional career.  I think he’s talented enough to play on the pro level, as for the NBA I have serious doubts.  As this was completed news report indicate Bruce Pearl at Auburn has reached out to Pinson.   

Don’t you love rumors?

Well, I guess maybe not all however several do, the latest rumor we read is interesting.  It’s being reported he might turn pro rather than head to college in the fall.  We speak of Jaden Hardy 6-foot 4-inch shooting guard who hails from Henderson Nevada.  Hardy is a 5-star and number two prospect in the Class of 2021.  A story circulating indicates it might be a payday in his future rather than schoolbooks, Hardy might be destined for a professional career.  At this point the rumor mill has not pinned down his destination, we are unsure if it’s Team Ignite in the G-League or a European destination. 

This is not exactly news in a sense, LaMelo Ball and RJ Hampton proved high school players can be drafted (2020) after a year playing overseas.  In June Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga will repeat this in June 2021 after completing a season in the G-League.  At a point in time, I opposed these types of moves but no longer, there are several sports an athlete can turn professional before the age of 18 the NBA is not one.  A large number desire to play in the NBA but those earning a tryout is small, why take space in a classroom if the desire is to play professional basketball.  In addition, if a degree is required that youngster can always attend college in the off season.