The view of a fan
Published Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday
The surprises for me, she selected Spokane, Phoenix and Miami as basketball popular cities. I’m sure with Gonzaga being a perennial college basketball power that must be the contributing factor to the game’s popularity in Spokane. I suppose with Arizona State being in close proximity to Phoenix plus the Suns it makes for the games popularity in the city. I hope residents of Miami will not be upset with me, I’ve always considered the NFL Dolphins and not the Heat the most popular sport. My opinion in this instance doesn’t really matter, it’s not my list. Once you get to the bottom of her list are there cities or towns she might have not listed from your view?
We must go back in time to unveil the name of Dave Winfield, his professional sport was baseball but he holds one record. Winfield was drafted by four leagues after college the NBA, ABA, NFL and MLB. Winfield was a first ballot entry in the baseball hall of fame in Cooperstown New York, it was basketball at the University of Minnesota he garnered attention from the sports world. We often forget Michael Jordan played minor league baseball although the time spent was relatively small-scale compared to the time period by others mentioned in this account. Although the time might be ancient by comparison the great Jackie Robinson must be listed. He played four sports while enrolled at UCLA, it’s been reported that he was quite a basketball player, despite being only 5-foot 11 in height. It was reported it was Robinson’s strength that allowed him to play forward at UCLA when he must have been matched against much taller players. This is just a short list, there are other athletes who played multiple sports, all played basketball however a number chose another sport for their career.
This game witnessed Patterson being thoroughly outplayed by the taller and stronger Gilmore, the Jacksonville center dominated play at the beginning of the game. Gilmore led his team to an early 22-13 lead scoring 14 points and 10 rebounds. Coach Wooden made a change assigning the 6-foot 8 Wilkes against the Jacksonville “Giant.” Then it occurred, on a drive to the basket Wicks stuffed the ball over Gilmore, back then the dunk had been eliminated from the college game. Officials assessed a technical foul against UCLA but that single effort appeared to inspire not only Wicks but the UCLA team as well. Wicks went on to block five shots and held Gilmore to 5 points and 6 rebounds the balance of the game, Wickes had 18 rebounds of his own. The final score saw UCLA win the 1970 NCAA Championship game 80-69, a classic championship game from the collegiate past. Despite losing this game Gilmore went on to register an ABA/NBA career that enabled him to be voted into the Naismith Hall of Fame.
With this account in mind I decided to look at the Top 10 from 1975 and compare it to the Top 10 for 2025. For some the legacy appears to continue into the future, as an example we see Alabama and Maryland on both polls. Without checking I would guess there may have been down years for these programs (and others) in between but they have continued to produce winners. Surely both Alabama and Maryland have changed coaches during this 50 year period, that to me says a solid foundation may have been the basis for continued success. This I found interesting, despite the fact Kansas basketball is considered a Blue Blood program the Jayhawks failed to make either list. Most are aware it was a down season for the Jayhawks evidently the 1974-75 season was too.
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