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Basketball from a fans perspective

Think about it

I listened to a Rich Eisen podcast recently, Jay Bilas was his guest. I’ve mentioned this previously Bilas is one of those basketball analyst I listen intently, he is the voice of reason in my opinion on numerous subjects some unrelated to basketball. The discussion surrounding conference alignment was the subject at hand, Bilas brought out several points during the 25-minute podcast. He indicated realignment or schools moving to other conferences is not a new thing, he said there’s been a history. Based on that I decided to research several schools which might be considered Blue Blood. It we said Duke basketball the conference that comes to mind is the Atlantic Coast Conference but that’s not always been the case. From 1928 to 1953 Duke played in the Southern Conference, the ACC came into being in the 1953-54 season and Duke made the move.

How about Kansas Jayhawk basketball, you think Big XII prior to that Big 8, Big 7 and on down. Bet you didn’t realize Kansas was once a member of the Missouri Valley Conference at a point in time. Our next stop is UCLA once the premier basketball program of the Pac-12 before that Pac-10 and 8. It’s not always been the present conference for them either. Prior to 1959 it was the Pacific Coast Conference, from 1959-1968 the conference of UCLA was the AAWU or Athletic Association of Western Universities. We close with a look at Carolina basketball. The Tarheels were also longtime members of the ACC but that’s not always been the case either. From 1928-1953 Duke was a member of the Southern Conference, the founding of the ACC caused them to move. Please keep in mind I’m neither defending nor promoting the latest conference movement, I’m simply pointing out what Bilas was discussing conference or team movement has always existed.

Interesting 

I read an article recently, the author indicated the San Antonio-Austin area is growing so fast it might one day rival the other Texas metroplex Dallas-Fort Worth. I’ve visited DFW on several occasions so I have knowledge how vast it is but San Antonio? I checked the geography first, San Antonio and Austin are about 80 miles apart and less than a 2-hour drive. In 1960 there certainly was more distance between the two but you’re asking a question. What the heck does population growth and distance have to do with basketball? How about this, I reported a few weeks ago San Antonio is looking toward building a new baseball-basketball complex.

Of course the emphasis is on the basketball with Victor Wembanyama having arrived on the scene. San Antonio futurist are projecting a large increase in foot traffic to see the youngster play over the next few years. They believe a downtown location to replace Frost (formerly AT&T) Arena would prove a financial boon to the economy. This is my statement, it’s unlikely folks are driving down from Austin two or three times a week for Spurs games. They could however make it a weekend feature, I might foresee an Austin Spurs fan attend a Friday, Saturday or Sunday game. In closing despite this glowing report I don’t work for the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce but I could see a development of this type come to fruition in the near future.

Dennis Gates 

Imagine this, I’m going to get inside the mind of Mizzou’s coach for a single reason…Big Man play. I’ve mentioned this last week, Mizzou received a commitment from Peyton Marshall. He’s a 7-foot 300-pound post player and is polar opposite of the type of athlete the coach has recruited in the past. Last seasons roster contained Mabor Majak (7-2 245 pounds) and the departed 6 foot 10 Mohamed Diarra. Neither played major minutes last season, will Majak’s minutes increase in the upcoming season? On campus is freshman Jordan Butler (7-0 195 pounds) and ORU transfer Connor Vanover (7-5, 227 pounds).

Butler needs to gain about 20 pounds of muscle, with his height the addition should help him greatly around the basket. On the boards Mizzou was woefully short at times rebounding the basketball so the added height should aid that cause. Hopefully with this addition the defense should improve but what about the offense? Will these Big Man find a role in the Gates offense without sprinting up and down the court which was often the case. I don’t expect to see any of these Big Men jacking up 3-point shots, I expect pick and roll basketball played at times and lob baskets. Next season should Marshall remain firm in his commitment he needs to drop about 20 pounds as he adjusts to Division I basketball and SEC play.

Do you know him

The name Antonio Gates popped up on my social media page. Gates was being enshrined in the NFL Chargers Hall of Fame, how does this story relate to basketball? The 6-foot 4 inch 255-pound Gates at one time chose basketball over football. Enrolling at Michigan State he hoped to play both sports however then coach Nick Saban said you can only play football. At that point Gates apparently said bye-bye and transferred to Eastern Michigan University. A period at junior college and then he ended his college career playing at Kent State.

How good was Gates, he received honorable mention as an All American 20.6 points and nearly 8 rebounds a game. In two years of play Gates certainly demonstrated his basketball talent but then came the issue. NBA scouts informed him he was a “tweener” at his height and would likely go undrafted. At this point Gates had a tryout in front of NFL scouts, despite not having played football during his previous four years and undrafted the Chargers signed him. This is the portion I find most interesting he was near the same height as Charles Barkley who certainly distinguished himself in the NBA. I guess we could say in this instance the NFL gained the advantage over the NBA.

College to the NBA

I’m sure there might be others but Quin Snyder is the first name that comes to mind. He left the college ranks for a pro job, he’s now been head coach for the Jazz and Hawks. Mike Woodson did it differently, he left the NBA for a college job. Woodson a former NBA player moved into the coaching ranks after he retired as a player. He’s been head coach with the Knicks and Hawks but in March 2021 he did what few were able to accomplish, Woodson returned to his alma mater Indiana as head coach. Indiana believed they had the man they wanted with this hire.

I cannot speak to the talent Woodson inherited however his Hoosier team finished that first season with 21 wins and 14 losses, 9 wins in the Big 10. Indiana secured an NCAA berth that year, the following season saw the Hoosiers finish with a 23-12 record and they were tied for second in the conference. The pre-season predication has Indiana duplicating last season’s record losing three key players, two being drafted into the NBA draft and one graduated. Despite what some might believe the Big 10 remains highly competitive and one of the best in the nation. The addition of UCLA and Southern Cal will make the Big 10 even more powerful in the future.