Basketball from a fan’s perspective

It’s the tournament or nothing

All of them missed being selected for the NCAA Tournament. Based on that outcome they said thanks but no thanks when extended an invitation by the NIT Committee. I hope this is accurate and reflects those who decided to stay home, the list below are schools who passed on playing in the NIT. It's not extensive however it certainly is interesting, they are:

Indiana

Memphis

St. John’s   

Pitt   

Oklahoma   

Ole Miss

Washington

So what occurred, a bunch of stuff which requires far more space than I have available. Who’s to blame the guys in Indianapolis in case you were not aware NCAA headquarters are located in the city. At a point in time only 32 teams were invited to the tournament, that leaves a considerable number of schools remaining. The NCAA in its infinite wisdom decided, “Why don’t we expand the tourney,” it was then doubled being expanded to 64 teams.

Later 4 more teams were added making for a total of 68 schools playing in the tournament. We are reading expansion once again, the tournament might be expanded between 76-80 teams. This provides us proof, if we can point the finger at anyone being the guilty party it would be the NCAA. They have continued to increase the number of teams in the NCAA killing practically all the competition for the NIT. The enduring NIT where we first saw former Knick Walt Frazier demonstrate his talent playing for champion Southern Illinois University in 1967. Instead of the National Invitation Tournament the initials now stand for the Not Invited Tournament.

No wonder

I’m unsure if this was posted earlier if it was this is just a slight different take. In mid to late January of the NBA season I asked Keenan to take a look at Victor Wembanyama blocking shots. After checking out the video he said “Wemby should be able to block shots he’s 10 feet tall.” That’s not quite correct he’s actually stands 7-4 but it’s easy to see why Keenan made the observation he did. I checked Wemby’s stats and in addition to his height he’s got an 8-foot wingspan. This has occurred more than once but I saw him block a Trae Young attempt and in blocking the shot he simply took it out of the air.

Blocking a shot in that manner certainly is more beneficial to the Spurs than spiking the ball in the stands to row 25 or 30. There is more to the story in blocking shots than we might first consider. A friend Alex responded in this manner, “Without a doubt having an eight-foot wingspan makes a difference when it comes to blocking shots. However, there’s a certain skill set that includes timing, agility and athleticism which all contribute to his ability to block shots.” Unlike yours truly, Alex played the game at a high skill level so I take his words for the insight they provide. In the future as Wemby continues to adjust his game to NBA play his block shot total might diminish. This reduction would occur should his scoring and rebound numbers increase. On the other hand his box score numbers might remain near the same.

On the other hand

Controversy appears to surround KU’s Kevin McCullers Jr., it was hoped if rested he would be ready for the tip off against Samford tonight. Monday Bill Self announced McCullers wouldn’t play this game or any other if KU manages to advance, so what occurred? One source I’m reading claims the KU medical staff cleared McCullers to play but evidently there is a pain tolerance issue for him or is there something else going on. 

I cannot open up someone's skull and figure out what they are thinking but I will attempt to do just that, here goes. There are three NBA mock draft sites and all project McCullers as a first-round pick, they expect him to be the 13, 18 or 19 pick. Now we realize a players stock can rise or fall prior to the June NBA draft. This is a fact, many athletes aware they are going to be drafted skip working out for teams. In addition they allow the NBA Draft Combine to pass without them attending. Should we suppose McCullers might be more concerned about dropping in the draft if his performance is so-son on the court? Could we presume the prospect of aiding his Kansas team over an NBA future...we could guess the NBA wins.  

NIL

I try and avoid discussing $$$ in this blog for a simple reason. As much as I love sport there is no doubt a substantial number of athletes and coaches are overpaid. Recently we discovered former Alabama coach Nick Saban was in the nation’s capital to discuss issues surrounding Name, Image and Likeness. Saban claims the entire program is “out of control,” and consider this fact. I am no expert nor do I claim to be however I can see what’s in front of me.

In the recent past payments to college football and basketball coaches began rising steadily. As an example Saban the guy who claims NIL is out of control consider the fact from College Football Network. “So, Saban had a stable salary of $1,105,000 each year. However, the Alabama head coach made the bulk of his salary through something called a talent fee. For 2022 and 2023, that fee was $9,595,000, which is why his 2023 salary matched his 2022 amount.” Let’s check out a few college basketball coaches, these are one year’s worth of salary:

Mike Woodson Indiana $4.2 million

Bill Self Kansas $9.6 million

Kevin Williard Maryland $4 million

Bobby Hurley $3.1 million

John Calipari $8.5 million

The sweat and toil of the athlete is the basis for these coaches to receive these jumbo salaries far above most laborers. This is certainly not my intent to disparage the coaches for the most part it’s my belief the schools are making the offers. On the other hand the salaries could be based on the amount another coach is being paid. My problem is guys like Saban who express concerns without looking inward first. Oh well, I indicated no expertise in this area, if you have more than me good for you.