Basketball from a fans perspective

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He was St. John’s basketball

Yesterday morning came word Lou Carnesecca had passed away at 99 years of age. Carnesecca replaced another St. John’s legend Joe Lapchick when he took over the program in 1966. I don’t remember Lapchick other than reading about him, Carnesecca is a different narrative. You’ve heard of the right place-right time and that might have been the story here. The Big East Basketball Conference was just coming into its own at the time Carnesecca became head coach at the school.

His teams battled with Georgetown with Big John Thompson were titanic basketball matches. Carnesecca retired in 1992 after 24 years at the helm of the program, his teams won 526 games while losing only 200. The record book indicates there have been 24 head basketball coaches since the program’s inception, there are significant names besides Lapchick. Just a few of those names include Rick Pitino, Fran Fraschilla, Frank McGuire and Mike Jarvis. The name Lou Carnesecca is enshrined in the College and Naismith Hall of Fame, another giant of the game has passed.

I hope I’m not a contributor (I probably am)

This time last year I (along with others) was singing the praises of rookie Victor Wembanyama. Was I a contributor to the hype machine surrounding the 7 foot 4 (223.519 cm) rookie. Yes I probably was to a degree however there was good reason, Wemby’s height plus his offense and defensive ability tended to mesmerized me. Well here I am again but this time it’s a college player, Cooper Flagg, the presumptive top choice in the 2024 NBA draft. 

I watched his effort against Arizona on Friday evening as he led his Duke Blue Devils to a 69-55 victory on the opponents home court. The first half of the game saw Flagg taking what seemed like a number of shots but few found the basket. The second half of the game saw the shots that missed in the first half found the bottom, he shot 45.5% for the game with 40% of it from three. As for the balance it was 24 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocked shots. Unlike the Duke-Kentucky game this time Flagg had help from his teammates…this manifested itself in the victory. 

Excuse me if I become excited seeing a talented player demonstrate his skill especially in a game against the number 17 team in the country. Hype machine working overtime maybe so, last year it was Wemby, this year it’s Flagg…who will it be next season? There are a number of candidates to choose from, at the top of the list might be AJ Dybantsa at Utah Prep HS. Rivals and other prep sites indicate his choice is likely to be BYU.

Is it fair

The NBA is talking expansion although the league’s provided no timetable when it will occur. The three primary city’s mentioned are Seattle, Las Vegas and Mexico City. This is a brief discussion regarding our neighbor to the south and whether they even want an NBA team. Three obstacles are mentioned whenever we discuss Mexico the first is the language barrier, criminal activity and finally altitude. I’ve never traveled to Mexico City so what you are about to read is opinion only, it might not represent fact. Language-the overwhelming portion of the population is Spanish speaking, despite this fact it’s my belief if one remains in the touristy area there should be no communication issues.

The second obstacle is the crime problem which permeates the life of residents. The density of population could be a contributor to that fact, check this out. The New York City metro population is reported to be 19.5 million (2023), as for Mexico City its 22.5 million (2024). The third and last issue is altitude, Denver is referred to as the Mile High City because its altitude is 5,280 feet above sea level exactly one mile. Mexico City is even higher, its 7,350 feet above sea level. The NBA and NFL have played games in the city, I’ve not read any complaints regarding altitude in either instance. In closing the one area there appears no problem is financing, its reported there are a number of businesspersons in the city and nation who could afford to bankroll an NBA team. Will Mexico City obtain an NBA franchise, only time will tell.

How about the front office

Based on the earlier look at women filling the role of game officials I was asked the question, “What about ownership or executive positions?” This is the result so let’s check it out, women in leadership roles in the NBA. We begin with the long tenured Jeanie Buss of the Lakers, also Gayle Benson Pelicans owner and Nuggets owner Ann Kroenke. Also included in the number count is Miriam Adelson along with her son who own 69% of the Mavs. With the death of owner Paul Allen in 2018 as executor of his will there was a belief Jody Allen would eventually sell the Blazers.

As far as can be determined it appears Allen will continue in the role of owner at least for the foreseeable future. There is no indication she desires to sell the team. Also included in the list of owners is Ashley Smith of the Jazz. Holding minority ownership in the Bucks is Valarie Daniels-Carter and in the same manner Sarah Blackley of the Hawks, the last holder of stock in a team is Shelia Johnson of the Wizards. All of the following names have executive positions with the respective NBA teams named. We disclose the name of Lara Price Sixers, Gillian Zucker Clippers, Melissa Proctor Hawks and Matina Kolokotronis of the Kings. I am unsure if this list is complete, the women mentioned are the only ones I could uncover for this story.