Basketball from a fans perspective

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A closer look

The video looked SportsCenter worthy however it was rejected, allow the explanation. The 6 foot 2 Ja Morant dunked on 7 foot 5 Victor Wembanyama which looked outstanding until you take a closer look. It failed to make the SportsCenter Top 10 because impressive as it looked it didn’t result in two points. In the video the game officials whistle could be heard yet Morant continued his drive. 

The whistle was blown because Morant was called for a travel, Wemby hearing the officials whistle probably relaxed until he saw Morant continuing to drive toward the basket and him. Morant extends his left arm into Wemby’s chest while dunking the ball with his right. If there was no travel Morant would have been called for an offensive foul anyway, in conclusion the action looked good however that’s all I can say. So mark that up for what it appeared a terrific play that was judged null and void.

“The truth is out there”

The headline is from the old television series The X-Files. What you are about to read has nothing to do with UFO’s, Big Foot or Nessie its Kansas basketball. If you are a fan of the program this warning, what you are about to read you will hate. In addition you will conclude “This is written by a Mizzou fan.” I will repeat this again at the beginning, Bill Self has not forgotten how to coach he is not the issue. Number one, the Big XII continues to add teams what once was an 8 team conference has grown to 12 and what is it now 16? Kansas is no longer able to dominate this conference as it once did, those days are history now. 

Number two—coaching, this issue can be debated however few of the coaches in years past were able to offer any serious competition to Self and Kansas basketball. That’s changed now with a different breed of coaches now prowling the sidelines for a number of the Big XII schools. Number three is NIL, if it boils down to money my guess there are programs around the nation that offer a prospect equal to or perhaps more money than Kansas. There might be other issues however those are the one’s that stand out to me. From many of the letters I’m reading a number of fans are upset in this order, the roster then the assistant coaches and finally Bill Self

Pay attention

Tuesday evening the Mizzou Tigers beat their second Top 10 team this season, the first was then number one Kansas on December 8 and now it’s number 5 Florida. The Tigers arrived in Florida for their match against the Gators, they managed to hold court most of the game compiling a huge lead. In the second half of the game the Gators came roaring back in an effort to win, the Gators would come up short with the Tigers winning 83-82. The usual suspects were key to the victory, Caleb Grill emerged from the Tiger bench scoring 22 points shooting a sizzling 6 of 10 from three.

There were other Tigers who contributed to this win, forward Mark Mitchell added 15 points, in addition guards Anthony Robinson and Tamar Bates contributed 12 and 10 points, respectively. Florida was led by Walter Clayton with 28 points. Once again Mizzou held its own in the rebound department Florida had one more team rebound (37) to Mizzou’s. I continue to promote my belief regarding winning in the SEC, teams must win all their home games and steal one or two on the road. The season is young but Mizzou has certainly registered a quality road win beating Florida. Have they punched their ticket for the NCAA Tournament, that’s yet to be determined but they are certainly headed in that direction.

Bits n Pieces 

Where is he, you remember Oliver Rioux don’t you, he’s the 7 foot 9 basketball player from the Montreal Canada area. He left in 2021 and enrolled at IMG Academy in Florida to enhance his basketball skill. When it came time for college Rioux remained in the state enrolling at the University of Florida. Some might be wondering about his status, a decision was made to redshirt him for his freshman year. We can only assume there is much work required for him to become ready to play at the collegiate level. If you were thinking “Wemby” thin you can remove that thought from your mind, Rioux checks in at 309 pounds. I will continue to update you as news further develops on Rioux.

Ever since his play against Team USA I have been solidly in Cooper Flagg’s corner. I’ve defended him against all the naysayers including former NBA player Gilbert Arenas. Last year after extolling the talent Victor Wembanyama possessed I looked at his negatives. I’m going to do the same with Flagg based on scouting reports, the following is not me…it’s the view of scouts. “Doesn’t necessarily project as a first option or an elite iso-scorer.” One site listed “20 stat strengths, the stat weakness side listed TO’s.” Keep in mind my belief scouts are not specifying Flagg is bound for greatness, my thought they indicate he is a genuine NBA prospect. 

The strange events surrounding 76Place appear even more perplexing as I write this on Monday. It is extremely difficult to speculate on this project lacking all the pieces of the puzzle in front of me. As more information is revealed it’s more confusing than what was divulged on Sunday. My thought, the Sixers are going to build an arena somewhere other than downtown. Now it appears if there is a new arena it will be built in south Philly which is the location of Wells Fargo Center, you confused? I certainly am at this point that’s why I intend to leave this story where it is until there is solid information to act on.