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Basketball from a fans perspective

Is the hype machine working overtime?

The saga continues, I pose the question to you. Was the hype machine working overtime regarding Victor Wembanyama? Many claim Wemby is the most hyped basketball player ever, even more so than LeBron James. I’m unsure if that’s the case, consider this view it was LeBron’s senior year of high school when the hype went into hyper drive I believe. I remember a great deal of hype surrounding Zion Williamson during his senior year of high school. Perhaps my memory has begun to fade because I don’t remember others of the past. Someone mentioned Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul Jabbar), he certainly was highly touted in high school but that was 1965. We must consider the fact times have changed, there was no ESPN nor SportsCenter, Rivals or McDonald All Americans in Alcindor’s day.

These methods of generating information (and maybe hype) would come along 8-10 years later. The only method of hype at that time was newspaper sport pages along with basketball magazines but even those fell short of what we see today. I suppose back then there were questions regarding Alcindor’s college destination but nothing close to a hype machine. I believe we could look at Emoni Bates, he was Gatorade Player of the high his sophomore year of high school. I reluctantly placed Bates here however the hype expired after his Gatorade Player of the Year as a high school sophomore. Back to Wemby, as I’ve tried to state from the beginning we have no clue of his future success. Is he being over hyped…possibly, is he contributing to the hype…NO.     

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner Columbia   

For those who might not be into movie trivia the headline is a throwback to the 1967 classic starring Sidney Poitier, Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn. Recently Mizzou Nation published a list of prospects headed to Columbia. Among the names mentioned was 7-foot 3 220-pound center Trent Burns from Houston Texas, he’s begun his senior year of high school at PSAT-XEA Academy. Headed to Columbia in October is Ryan Jones Jr., he’s a 6-foot 8-inch 225 pound forward who attends the Rock School in Gainesville Florida.

I have no idea of either youngsters ability but this is the portion I love, this coaching staff under Dennis Gates is “beating the bushes” in an attempt to identify potential talent. I’ve stated on numerous occasions it appeared the previous coaching staff was unable to be successful in recruiting talent for Mizzou. Those above represent just a few of the scheduled visits upcoming. In addition the list indicates an additional four prospects have already visited however they are yet to make a commitment, once again the key I perceive. Several mentioned Dennis Gates as the reason for their visit. There is no guarantee any of the prospects sign with Mizzou, in addition there is no assurance of their ability to adapt to the college game. The key, Mizzou, is certainly in the house attempting to recruit with the Blue Blood programs of the nation.

Trade of a Hall of Fame player

It’s been mentioned more than once that the Lakers have always had a great scouting system. The problem is that every player drafted is unable to be utilized by the Lakers. Julius Randle, Alex Caruso, Brandon Ingram and though injured Lonzo Ball. This is a small list of players the Lakers have drafted or traded for over time but later moved to acquire other players. While the names above are talented Adrian Dantley was as well, in addition he’s been enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame since his retirement. You are probably asking yourself how this occurred. Adrian Dantley played his college basketball at Notre Dame University and this history note occurred while he was a freshman.

Dantley played a key role in his school upsetting UCLA and halting their 88-game winning streak. At the beginning of his NBA career Dantley was drafted in 1976 by the Buffalo Braves and he was named NBA Rookie of the Year in 1977. A 1977 trade sent him to the Pacers but he only remained there for a brief time, Dantley was traded to the Lakers. He played on the Abdul Jabbar Laker team along with Jamaal Wilkes, Lou Hudson and others. Once again Dantley was on the move being traded this time to the Jazz and later the Pistons. What is so amazing to some Dantley stood 6 foot 5 but played small forward at 208 pounds. Over the course of his NBA career his numbers. 24.3 points per game during his brilliant career, he was a six-time NBA All Star during a 15-year run.

The Rifleman

Chuck Connors is a name I came across while conducting research. The late Connors is known more for his acting ability than sports, there are others however Bo Jackson is the name that comes to mind discussing athletes playing two professional sports. This Brooklyn New York native attended Seton Hall as a two-sport athlete, leaving school he began a pro career. From 1940-42 Connors played minor league baseball. He entered military service during World War II which interrupted his career for a time. He was discharged from service at the end of the war and resumed his playing career this time as a basketball player. It’s easy to understand gravitating toward basketball, Connors stood 6 foot 5 inches a height far above most of the period.

Connors would join the Boston Celtics in the inaugural season of the BAA, at this point the story of the broken backboard is covered and a portion of the account corrected. Connors is reported to have been the first to break a backboard, it was not a slam dunk in the manner of Darryl Dawkins or Shaquille O’Neal. He is reported to have broken the backboard with a shot and not a dunk, that story sounds incredible. Connors only played with the Celtics until 1948, baseball became his sport of choice again. He would conclude his baseball career as a member of the Cubs in 1952. From that point on Hollywood was calling and Connors moved into movies and television, it was television and The Rifleman series that his star began to shine intensely. Connors died in 1992 at the age of 71, his thespian story is different from several actors. We have seen professional athlete retire from the game and move into the entertainment world as an actor, for Connors it was the opposite.