Basketball from a fans perspective

This is yet to be confirmed

It is being reported that when Chris Paul receives his release from the Warriors he will sign with the Spurs. If this is confirmed it is good news for the Spurs and Paul, I believe the diminutive point guard is still one of the best despite his age and mileage on the body. The Spurs are a youthful team very much in need of direction which Paul could provide. At the beginning of the season Jeremy Sochan was at the point, he was adequate but not what the Spurs needed, he was replaced by Tre Jones.

Jones a natural at the position was able to provide some stability at the point but was still found lacking. Now entering the picture for the Spurs is veteran Chris Paul. At age 39 this is likely Paul’s last stop before his enshrinement in the Naismith Hall of Fame. This move should it occur receives my stamp of approval for the reasons point out earlier. In addition thanks to the 2024 draft the Spurs become even younger with Stephon Castle added at shooting guard and the possibility of guard Juan Nunez arriving from Spain. The Spurs become winners with the veteran Paul at the point, do they make the playoffs now? We must wait for play to begin for that answer.

HBCU

The history of the NBA details a large number of athletes began their careers at HBCU schools. Due to segregation particularly in the south most black players in the NBA were drafted from historically black colleges and universities. This trend begin in the 1950’s and lasted up through the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. Celtic great Sam Jones from North Carolina Central, Willis Reed who attended Grambling State and Earl ‘The Pearl’ Monroe Winston-Salem State are just a few of the names. As state schools in the south began opening their doors to black students the number of athletes from HBCU schools began a downward trend in the NBA.

If we fast forward to the present day the Sixers Robert Covington is the lone active NBA player from an HBCU institution. Covington played his college basketball at Tennessee State in Nashville prior to entering the NBA in 2013. As for this news the name is Joirdan Nicholas, he’s a 6-9 forward and he plays for the G-League South Bay Lakers. Nicholas will play for the Lakers Summer League team beginning play in a few weeks. Although Nicholas went undrafted he played collegiately at Texas Southern an HBCU school located in Houston, Texas. The opportunity for him to earn a roster spot on the Lakers is slim however the significance of his effort is noteworthy. In addition to that it’s vitally important to be fully aware of the game’s history and it’s players.

We are down the road a bit

Some of us are literally in charge of our fate, one of those persons is John Calipari. As you are aware he’s now head coach at Arkansas, how the hire came about is intriguing. We read reports that several in the Blue Grass State were not pleased with the school coming up short in the tournament every season. Cal continued his trend of attracting top notch talent to Lexington, what occurred afterwards was the issue. We’d been reading for a time the coach was on the hot seat but could they, would they fire Cal? From my position I’m going to say no, the nod for one reason alone…$$$. If the information located is correct let’s place it in that realm.

If Cal were forced to leave, Kentucky would be on the hook for $33 million to $35 million. I have serious doubts the school would be willing to pay out that amount of money to someone who is not coaching the program. I certainly didn’t see this move occurring, Eric Musselman leaving Arkansas to take over the Southern Cal program. Arkansas requiring a coach to take on the role probably leaped at the opportunity to hire a coach of Calipari’s capability. I hope those reading this in Arkansas don’t take offense, I believe the pressure to coach at Fayetteville is nothing like that of Lexington. Coach Cal has never had a problem recruiting, in recent years it’s been the winning part (NCAA) that’s been an ongoing issue. It’s my belief the program at Arkansas will thrive because of one person, John Calipari.

You are going to forget his name

His name is Ulrich Chomche, you are going to forget his name but maybe not what he’s accomplished. The NBA opened its academy in Senegal in the fall of 2017, its sole purpose was to grow the game of basketball on the African continent. Prospects from all over the continent journeyed to Senegal to train and advance their basketball skills. It probably was hoped one of those attending the academy might earn a promotion to the NBA. As for Chomche his bio indicates he first picked up a basketball at the age of 11 and one year later enrolled at the academy. What I find interesting Chomche indicates he was pressured to play because he was the tallest kid in the neighborhood.

At age 18 Chomche stands 6-10 and 232 pounds, it should also be mentioned attendees of the academy in addition to basketball skills are also enrolled in English classes. Chomche is from Cameroon just like his countryman Joel Embiid who might have been his inspiration. The second round of the 2024 NBA draft saw this youngster selected by the Toronto Raptors as the 56th pick. Being chosen next to last    has nothing to do with Chomche’s ability, its likely he spends time in the G-League or maybe he decides to remain in Africa at the NBA Academy. Once it’s believed he is ready for NBA play it will begin in earnest with the Raptors or some other team. Chomche was drafted directly from the NBA Academy but undoubtedly he will not be the last to arrive in the NBA in this manner.