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Basketball from a fans perspective

The man deserves it

I could be incorrect on this; it appears the University of Texas is going to remove the interim tag from Rodney Terry’s name and hire him as head coach. Nothing official has been announced to date, in addition the dollar numbers are yet to be publicized or the actual hire at this point. Terry’s performance this season was certainly noteworthy based on what he and Texas were able to accomplish. You are familiar with the story but just a brief reminder.   

Former Texas head coach Chris Beard had been suspended in December over a domestic violence charge. In January the school decided to part ways with Beard rather than wait for a possible trial. The charges were later dropped against Beard but it was too late for him since the school decided it’s intent was to go in another direction. As associate head coach Terry took over the program and guided Texas to a Final Eight round where they lost to Miami. I have no idea if this guy can recruit, we know he can coach based on his job performance up through this past weekend. (The hire is now official, a 5-year contract). 

That day has come

I attempt to refrain from dwelling on negative stuff but it does exist. When it exists its covered although it’s always been my plan “To hit it and Quit it” as James Brown might say. This has been mentioned in the past so it’s not exactly a new subject for me. I’ve never been a fan of Patrick Beverley, the belief by me he’s always been more mouth than actual talent. At the time the Lakers decided to trade for him my first thought, “What in the world are they trying to accomplish?”

I can state in February when Beverley was traded, I said to myself “good.” He touts himself as a great defender but that’s his mouth more than actual fact. Criticism has been leveled at players in this blog in the past, however I’ve never referred to any of them as clowns. That goes away today with this announcement, Patrick Beverley is a clown. “I was a spoon and they used me as a fork” was the comment he made about his time with the Lakers. I will leave you to decide what he meant by that statement and end it here.

It’s the NIL, transfer portal or something else

The world is aware of this declaration, UConn is the only one of the Final Four to win an NCAA Championship. The Huskies have won four, the last occurring in 2014. As for the others Florida Atlantic, San Diego State and Miami have never been crowned NCAA Champions. Other than UConn is there a reason for a different number of potential winners? You’ve heard and read plenty on this so what I am about to add is not going to be different. In fact in some instances it might read the same as one of the talking heads you’ve heard. There was no cataclysmic shift in college basketball, several of the “Blue Blood” programs could have won however they were outplayed at a crucial time in their games.

One area I believe might have been missed is the coaching, a few veteran coaches might have missed making that key move. You and I saw turnovers at key in opportune times costing that team(s) a win, I could make the same statement regarding missed shots. In conclusion it’s probable college basketball has been impacted by the NIL, transfer portal but certainly not to the degree some wish to believe. There is information to share which you might find interesting. Should San Diego State win it won’t be a first championship, in 1941 the school was NAIA Champion victorious over a field of 32 teams. Years later the school moved to Division II and finally became a Division I program. One other note, Florida Atlantic and the University of Miami are located about an hour’s drive from one another. FAU is located in Boca Raton and Coral Gables is home to the University of Miami.

I cannot validate this story

This was said to have occurred, in the 1984 NBA Draft the world was aware the Rockets with the number one pick would choose Hakeem Olajuwon from the University of Houston. The Blazers held the second pick and were unsure who they should choose. That particular draft was quite deep with talent including Charles Barkley and Sam Perkins among the number. In addition there was the talented 7-foot 1-inch Big Man Sam Bowie from Kentucky, in addition Carolina’s Michael Jordan was also believed to be a budding star, so what happened?

A Blazer official was reported to have contacted Bobby Knight then Indiana basketball coach, “Who should we draft was the question” by a Blazer official? “Draft Michael Jordan” was supposed to have been the word from Knight. There was pushback from the Blazers with this response from the Blazers, “We need a center.” Knight said, “Draft Jordan and play him at center.” If this actually occurred Knight wasn’t suggested Jordan become a center it’s my belief, he saw in advance the raw talent of MJ and might have believed you can’t pass on this guy. Draft the athlete with the greatest potential even if there is no position for him to play.