Basketball from a fans perspective

Big 12 Conference

Did you notice I drew a line through the number, there is a reason. This expanded conference is yet to refer to itself by a number or anything else. Because I don’t follow football I have no idea what is going to occur as for basketball that’s a different matter. I believe similar to most conferences teams play a home and away game against conference foes. Because this conference now contains 16 teams that schedule will no longer exist.

There are some conference teams who will only face one another once. One thing for sure it’s a road game for one of those teams, I wonder if there will be additional expansion by this conference. That might be unlikely based on the plan for the 2024-25 season. On the other hand they could drop a non-conference game from the schedule but that’s just a guess on my part. If it’s Kansas and Pittsburg State that’s dropped I could see that, I hardly believe a Kansas-Duke game would be omitted. In any event the job of scheduling for the future is far above my paygrade.

It’s extremely rare but its occurred before

The world sat up and took notice on Thursday afternoon. With the 55th pick the Los Angeles Lakers chose Bronny James son of LeBron. I researched father-son’s in professional sports, it’s occurred more times than fingers on my hands and toes. The rarity is for it to occur where father and son are playing at the same time or as teammates. This has only occurred one time in sports history, in baseball Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. played the 1990 and 1991 season as teammates on the Seattle Mariners.

Stop and think a moment how difficult an accomplishment this is, Griffey Sr. was 40 years old and Griffey Jr. was 21-years when they became teammates. As for the NBA this will be a first as Bronny joins his father on the basketball court for the Lakers. In this example LeBron James is 39 and will turn 40 in December during the NBA season. Bronny is 19 but will have birthday 20 shortly before the season begins. At this point we have no idea the success or lack thereof of Bronny James however him playing basketball with his father is unique. It is exceptional however this is not the first father-son combo in professional sports…it is for the NBA.

No numbers are provided

An ever-increasing number of high school basketball players are matriculating at “basketball factories.” This is what is pointed out, even in metro Kansas City nowhere near the size of a New York City, Los Angeles or Chicago it occurs. Youngsters begin high school at the public-school level and by their sophomore or junior season it’s a prep school someplace in the country. Before someone confuses this I am not proclaiming they are not being educated. I don’t know if this is a fact but just a guess on my part, no coach no matter his desire to win wants an athlete incapable of completing classroom work on his team. This prep school thing is certainly not new or innovative it is simple there are more and more of them starting up every few years.

As an example in my home state of Missouri there is Link Academy, I located information indicating a 2021 start date for its basketball program. The school is located in Branson Missouri about 50 miles south of Springfield. We have IMG Academy in Palmetto Bay Park Florida about 25 miles south of Miami. Also in Florida is Montverde Academy in the Orlando region. If we head to the Midwest part of the nation this school is located in the Wichita Kansas suburbs its name, Sunrise Christian Academy. The upper Midwest we also find La Lumiere School in LaPorte Indiana. There exists a sizable number of schools more senior than one’s mentioned in this brief account. The idea was to highlight a few and allow you to consider the change that’s come about in high school basketball across the nation.

The decision 

This story is published on the day a decision must be made. By the end of the day the Clippers Paul George must decide does he stay or does he go. According to reports the team can sign George to a four-year extension and $$$ however the two sides have not been able to come to an agreement. The Clippers indicate they want George to remain (which certainly makes sense) but are they willing to accommodate his salary demands?

The downside of an extended extension is the age factor…George turned 34 years of age in May. Every athlete cannot duplicate what LeBron James has been able to accomplish at age 39. Reports indicate although George certainly remains talented he is unable to play at the level once exhibited, after all this is 4 years from his first appearance in a Clipper jersey. Another factor impacting the decision George is playing at home (LA metro), after he left the Thunder there was an indication he desired to play in front of family and friends. As I wrote the Clippers have gigantic money matters to settle prior to the start of the 2024-25 NBA season. James Harden and Russell Westbrook must also be included in the conversation involving finances for the Clippers.