Published Monday thru Friday    

Basketball from a fans perspective

“Don’t be afraid to fail. Be afraid not to try”           

Michael Jordan    

“Lipstick on a pig”

I decided to return the high school class rankings for 2024. This is being undertaken after the Friday commitment of 4-star and 7-footer Trent Burns. 247Sports.com placed Mizzou number one prior to Friday so there was no change there. As for Rivals.com that was a different matter, I believe they ranked Mizzou either number three or four. That’s changed now, Mizzou is now number one on their poll as well.

Despite the Friday commitment there was no change for On3.com, the last time I checked they listed  Mizzou at number 7 and that’s where they remain. As I first reported ESPN requires payment to check their high school rankings therefore no numbers are presented here. As for the lipstick headline allow a brief explanation. Lipstick on a pig doesn’t really make the pig better, what makes the pig better is the process it undergoes. You know what I’m talking about the bacon, tenderloin, ham, sausage and other by products produced. Polls are just that, they really don't prove anything...just like lipstick on a pig. 

A new name on the scene

Hey, can you keep a secret…you can’t discuss this with anyone, understand? This prospect’s name is listed on most mock draft sites for 2024 however it’s not close to the top currently. Consider this fact, last season most basketball fans had no idea who Victor Wembanyama was until Las Vegas. The teen and his Metropolitan 92 team arrived on these shores from France to play G-League Team Ignite and Scoot Henderson. I could make the same statement about Alex Saar, he’s an unknown until recently.  

Although Saar is also French like his fellow countryman Wemby he’s burst on the scene in a different arena, he arrived on American shores to begin play for OTE. He played for them two seasons and spent an additional season with YNG Dreamerz. This past May Saar signed a contract with the Perth Wildcats in the Australian NBL where he will continue to develop his talent. Home for the 7-foot 1 225-pound youngster is Toulouse in the south of France bordering near Spain. Despite the extensive resume Saar like Wemby turned 18 this past April. He will still be a teen by the time the 2024 draft rolls around, I wanted to provide you his name in order for there to be no surprises in next June’s draft.

Where is he headed

College coaching staffs were acquainted with the name Cooper Flagg, why is his choice so important now? Two incidents occurred this off season, he reclassified into the Class of 2024 that was number one. Number two, his breakout game in one of the basketball meccas Rucker Park in Harlem. Number three is his elevation to the top of most scouting sites, okay I miss counted. The 6-foot 8 185-pound wing has more than 10 schools with scholarship offers, which school do we suppose this prospect decides to attend?

Flagg has Michigan, Kansas, Duke, UCLA and Villanova and several others to choose from, what a decision. I mentioned this in another account and after a number of weeks I don’t perceive a change. Please keep in mind I have no inside information however I believe Flagg’s school of choice will be coach Jon Scheyer and the Duke Blue Devils. I know what you are thinking and I will save you. In case I’m wrong on the Flagg decision it will be no harm no foul. I came across an interesting statement written by a Duke website mentioning the school missed on Annor Boatang, losing him to Mizzou. This becomes a first, the very first time Mizzou’s ever beaten Duke recruiting basketball talent. NOTE: prior to publishing this Flagg’s mother announced he will skip his visit to Kansas, read into that what you care.

Broadcast landscape

This is the third report regarding the changing sports broadcast landscape. I believe the first to occur was the Suns announcement of their change. Last week the Utah Jazz were covered as they began a transformation too. Now we are informed the Rockets and Astros have joined together to form a broadcast partnership. The basketball and baseball team have purchased AT&T Sportsnet Southwest from Warner Brothers Discovery, the name of this broadcast group is Space City Home Network.

The network began broadcasting October 3^rd with the first live game being the Rockets-Indiana on October 10. This network will broadcast across cable, satellite and OTT providers. There will be more than 200 games broadcast however it’s unclear how they will be divided between basketball and baseball. The announcement indicates there will be specialized programming provided besides the two professional sports teams. Unlike the announcement made by the Jazz there are no monetary figures attached to this change for subscribers desiring to acquire the service.   

Ever wonder why?

It doesn’t matter where the game of basketball is played, it could be Denver or Dubai, it might be Venice Italy or Venice California. We might be in Paris France or Paris Texas on the other hand it could be Berlin Germany or Berlin Connecticut. The regulation height for a basketball goal is 10 feet (304.8 centimeters) from the floor. Have you ever been curious enough to research how Dr. James A. Naismith decided on that height in his original 13 Rules of Basketball?

It’s always been interesting to me, basketball is the only professional sport that was invented. Naismith was looking for an indoor sport in the cold New England winters. Some Americans being boastful claim the sport is American as apple pie, that’s only partially correct. The game came into being in a Springfield Massachusetts YMCA but the inventor wasn’t an American. Naismith was born in Almonte, Ontario, Canada November 6, 1861. The town is located about 33 miles or 53 kms from the nation’s capital Ottawa. As for those who know the history you can ignore this part, for others I’m happy you asked the question so here goes. In 1891 a peach basket (the first goal) was hung from the railing below the running track on the upper part of the floor. The height of the railing was exactly 10 feet above the floor.

The 6 foot 7 and taller giants of today are able to score with dunks and other shots which certainly didn’t exist at the time. My research indicates the average male was about 5 feet 5 inches or 169.37 meters in height. This bit of trivia I found interesting as well, Naismith would later travel to Kansas University transporting the game with him. He would become the first Kansas basketball coach but we can state he lacked success on the court. The present coach Bill Self is number 7 in the coaching line since Naismith, as for Naismith he concluded his coaching record with a 55 win and 60 loss career.