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Basketball from a fans perspective

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In this day and age it’s unusual for a college coach to remain long-term at his place of employment. There are several factors involved, the first is winnings. Coaches who don’t win are terminated routinely and sometimes quickly but there is more. Successful coaches at one school are always seeking to step up to more lucrative positions, this is the first example for me although there are others. Dennis Gates left Cleveland State a mid-major program for Mizzou in a Power 5 conference. Despite the information just provided there are coaches on the job for several seasons.

Around this part of the country the focus is on Bill Self at Kansas and his long-term, he’s been at the helm for Kansas basketball since the 2003-04 season, 20 years. That certainly places Self in exclusive company but he’s not alone, there are a number of coaches exceeding his time. As an example Leonard Hamilton at Florida State beats Self by one year, Gonzaga’s Mark Few’s has been on the job since the 1999-00 season. Tom Izzo’s been prowling the sidelines at Michigan State 1995-96. At the top of the list is Greg Kampe at Oakland University, Kampe’s been head coach there since the 1984-85 season. Despite the movement of college coaches a number have been leading their programs for years now.

Bits n Pieces 

He’s 19-years old and hails from France, in addition he was just drafted by the Spurs. You probably said yes, I’m familiar with Victor Wembanyama but this is not Wemby I’m discussing. Every word in the initial sentence is correct however the discussion doesn’t center on the 7-foot 5 prospect. This athlete is Sidy Cissoko and he played for NBA G-League Team Elite, he was the pick number 44 in the 2023 NBA draft. He’s from Saint-Maurice a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris. This is interesting as well, although he played in the G-League Cissoko has competed against Wemby in the past. Cissoko is listed as a guard forward, he stands 6 foot 8 and 200 pounds and is a guard/forward.

I know…I know what you are saying, we just completed the 2023 draft, why are you looking at next year? For one reason, France could finish in the top slot once again in the draft. Say what, yes France could have the top pick once again. His name is Zaccharie Risahcer, he’s a 6-foot 9 200-pound guard/forward who plays for JL Bourg in Bourg-en-Bresse, France. Bourg-en-Breese is located south and east some 454 km from Paris. 

He’s number one on one mock draft site and the number two choice on two other mock sites. What do we know about this youngster, not a great deal although it appears he is on the radar of NBA scouts. He is 18-years old and like fellow countryman Wemby will be 19-years of age by the time the 2024 NBA draft occurs. Risahcer was born in Spain however he was there because his mom accompanied his dad who played professionally for Baloncesto Malaga.

This is only funny to me but that’s okay, some might remember I wrote of this once before. The statement was made by one of the Kansas City sports talk radio guys. This guy back in late March or April claimed John Calipari Kentucky teams are no longer exceptional because he only recruits NBA prospects. While viewing the NBA draft the television camera caught a shot of Calipari. I guess if you are on the air 3-4 hours you can uttered some really dumb statements. Think about the radio guy’s statement a moment, does it really make sense? Do you really believe Calipari or any coach for that matter is only interested in drawing potential NBA talent to his program? The coach can still recruit despite the view of radio guy.         

Why

Stephen A. Smith is not the only one but he is one of the most vocal. Stephen A Smith and others have decided in their own minds Dame Lillard needs to play somewhere other than Portland. The Blazers are an average team right now, they are not terrible but not very good either. As constructed they are a longshot to win an NBA championship, this means Dame might possibly retire with no opportunity to win a ring. If this should occur Dame would join a legion of great players without an NBA championship.

Charles Barkley, Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson, Patrick Ewing, Elgin Baylor are just a small contingent of Naismith Hall of Fame players denied the ultimate NBA accomplishment. This is the issue as I see it, until Dame decides he’s ready to go it’s not up to Stephen A Smith or anyone else to determine the future for him. I might close by stating Stephen A. Smith and others certainly are entitled to their own opinions except in certain instances. This is one of those instances where the decision to go or stay rest entirely with the individual and not a media member.

Unequal justice

A number will claim “You are just writing this because you are a Mizzou fan.” I admit I’m a Mizzou fan however this is actually more about unequal justice by that body referred to as the NCAA. We must look back briefly to the past for the complete story. In 2019 Kansas basketball and Bill Self was cited for 5 level 1 violations by the NCAA. Once the NCAA came to a conclusion the “punishment” for Self was a  three (3) game suspension, to my knowledge nothing beyond that for Self.

More recently LSU basketball and Will Wade were named by the NCAA, the school was cited for 3 level 1 violations. The school decided to make a change, they fired Wade and he is now serving as head coach at McNeese State however the story fails to end there. Over the weekend the NCAA issued punishment for Wade, he would receive a 10-game suspension and a two-year show cause order. Every case is certainly not the same and that is not my intent here. The portion I fail to understand is less “wrongdoing” by Wade over Self but he receives more time in the penalty box (I know that’s hockey). You figure that one out if you care.