Basketball from a fans perspective   

Published Monday through Friday

Bits n Pieces 

It’s that time again, the regular college basketball season is complete. It’s referred to as the second season, The Big Dance or March Madness just a few of the names applied to the NCAA Championship. We have four number one’s Gonzaga, Arizona, Kansas and Baylor are the names. Does high seeding really guarantee anything, the tournament is always full of upsets. It’s likely April 2 will see only one or maybe two of these teams standing, I wouldn’t dare attempt to choose any particular team prior to the start of action. This NCAA tourney is good for me, with no favorite I can sit back enjoy basketball from early afternoon to late evening.

You missed Kevin Durant, not your shot there were few of them missed on Sunday. The Nets forward wanted to detail his support for teammate Kyrie Irving. The point guard was visible on the bench unable to play in the game against borough rival Knicks. Durant scored 53 points and then went into attack mode on NYC mayor Eric Adams due to the city vax policy. The policy allows visiting unvaccinated players to appear in games, however Irving and any Knicks player cannot. We have no idea if this policy applied to the Yankees or Mets, the Giants and Jets play their home games in New Jersey. The policy was in affect prior to Adams being elected mayor in November 2021, can he change a health department mandate, we don't have the answer.   

A story is circulating Jazz coach Quin Snyder will replace Gregg Popovich with the Spurs. Makes sense on several levels, Pop is 73-years old now I’m not kicking him out the door but he’s likely exploring retirement. Why Snyder over others, after Snyder resigned at Mizzou the first job was head coach of the Austin Toros the G-League affiliate of the Spurs. There were 4 stops where Snyder served as an assistant prior to becoming head man with the Jazz. Snyder knows the Spurs and they know him, especially Pop. This move might not occur soon but don’t be surprised if it does.

Bird seed  

By now you realize Larry Bird was a stone-cold assassin on the basketball court. Whenever I run across a Bird story, I love to share it. This one I gained from Marcus, thanks for providing it. It’s been mentioned previously Larry Legend was a notorious trash talker on the court. I’ve always maintained if you talk the talk you need to walk the walk, that was something Bird did magnificently during his storied Celtic career, enjoy this one.

“Larry Bird made 4 straight baskets on Dennis Rodman and walked over to the Pistons head coach Chuck Daly. “Who’s guarding me, Chuck? Is anyone guarding me? You better get someone on me or I’m gonna go for 60.”

Recalling the game, the Worm said, “I would be all over him, trying to deny him the ball, and all Larry was doing was yelling at his teammates, I’m open! Hurry up before they notice nobody is guarding me!”

“After knocking down another jumper on Rodman, Bird went over to Daly again, saying “Coach you better get this guy out and send somebody who’s going to D me up cause it’s too easy when I’m wide open like this.”

The Elite

Identify the best boys high school basketball team in the nation, it most likely depends on which poll you might decide to check. Our focus is two schools, one located in central Kansas and the other in north Texas. Which is the best is certainly a topic for debate, the schools have not played one another and might not before the season is complete? We check them out one at a time, their basketball prowess precedes them.

Sunrise Christian Academy is located in Bel Aire in metro Wichita Kansas. The school founded in 1983 as a grade school now includes a high school, as for its boys basketball team it’s one of the best. This is written March 8 and Sunrise has won 25 games losing 1. Next up Duncanville High School, it’s located in Duncanville a city in metro Dallas-Fort Worth. Duncanville held its first high school graduation in 1936, in 1965 the school moved to its present location. In addition to a dynamite basketball team Duncanville has the second largest high school campus in the nation, they have won 33 games losing 1.