A fans perspectives

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Mizzou

This could be good on the other hand…wait until the end. Mizzou commit Jason Crowe Jr. is displaying an outstanding senior season for Inglewood High School. Crowe Jr. a 6-foot 3 combo guard and 5-star prospect has broken the California scoring record with 4,600 points and is still amassing numbers. He is scoring at a 43.8 ppg clip for the Inglewood Sentinels in the 2025-26 season thus far. That is the good, as for the concern there is more than one. At the top of the list will be his adjustment from high level high school competition to Division I basketball. There is adapting to Mizzou teammates on and off the court, he’s going to arrive on campus in August as the hottest prospect the school’s had since Michael Porter Jr. in 2017-18.

As for the Wednesday action, the Tigers squeaked by Vanderbilt 81-80, the Commodores were the number 19 team in the nation prior to the game. Which Mizzou team shows up would be the question and for a time Mizzou Nation was fooled. They played outstanding basketball for a major portion of the game holding a 21-point lead with 8 plus minutes remaining. From that point on a combination of events saw the lead erased, the Tigers were hanging by their fingernails at the end of the game. The truth of the matter a buzzer shot by the Commodores almost won the game. If we check the numbers it details the game was even and perhaps in the short run that might have been the case. In any event the team I thought had so much promise continues a roller-coaster season, they are now 18 up and 8 down for the season.

Social media

I’m writing this rebuttal after viewing two videos on social media regarding Kon Knueppel and Cooper Flagg. I saw an unknown correspondent began a diatribe by stating this, “Kon Knueppel is better than Cooper Flagg.” He then went on to toss out number after number to validate his view of the subject. The second unknown correspondent pointed to the fact Duke’s Cameron Boozer is no better than dad Carlos. “He’s got no elevation to his game” the report went on to state. 

I guess it’s our choice to take in this reported information, as for me I view it with skepticism for several reasons, allow a brief explanation. Nowhere in either case did the reporter mention nothing about reading or listening to coaches, scouts or media members weigh in on the subject they intended to impart to us. Like you I always desire to be informed on a subject, you can convince me by this method. A. You have plenty of facts and B. You have a degree of credibility. As for A. sometimes just having facts doesn’t always present a clear and accurate picture. B. might be aimed at me, I claim no credibility I identify as a fan however there is a difference.

In this instance I picked up my iPhone and watched two videos by unknown persons offering me (and others information) these two believe in. Here is the difference, you can debate my credibility if you desire however you’ve been reading Off the Dribble for a time. My friend says it is opinion based reporting nowadays, I have no issue if that is the case however just because it’s on the internet I have no capability to determine the authenticity with no familiarity to the person.

His name is….

John B. McClendon (April 5, 1915-October 8, 1999), this pioneer of basketball learned the game from the inventor, Dr. James A. Naismith. McClendon born in Hiawatha Kansas but his family would move to Kansas City Kansas where he was educated. Graduating from Sumner High School he would attend Kansas University at the period Dr. Naismith served as the schools’ basketball coach. By all accounts McClendon never played, black people although allowed to attend were prohibited from participating in sports activities. McClendon needed to complete a swimming course in order to secure his degree, although prohibited from swimming with white students McClendon entered the pool anyway. He would go on to coach at North Carolina College (North Carolina Central University) from 1941-1952.

McClendon would later coach at a succession of historically black colleges over the next several years including Tennessee A&I (Tennessee State), his teams won three consecutive NAIA championships 1957-1959. In 1961 groundbreaker McClendon did it once again, he was hired as head coach of the Cleveland Pipers in the American Basketball League (not to be confused with the ABA much later). Bill Russell was the first black coach in the NBA however his hiring occurred after McClendon. In 1966 McClendon broke yet another barrier, he was hired at Cleveland State becoming the first African-American to coach a predominately white team. He is honored by enshrinement in the Naismith and College Basketball Hall of Fame. Dr. John B. McClendon, a basketball innovator and a name you should be familiar with during Black History Month.

Remember when

I cannot provide the date or times but I do remember when, I was singing the praises of the Lakers acquiring Deandre Ayton, after all a 7 foot 250 pound Big Man was exciting. There was negative residue surrounding Ayton from his time with the Suns and later with the Blazers. There was a belief that the change of scenery and playing for the Lakers would change Ayton’s focus. Early on that was indeed the case, I cannot provide you when all that changed. If we check the numbers he’s at an all-time low across the board, I warned early on he would not be the second coming of Kareem or Shaq. What I didn’t expect was the return of Robert Sacre or Chris Mihm?

If you are forced to check Laker history for the names just mentioned you might have a general understanding where I’m headed with this explanation. This might be media driven however there is talk in free agency or a trade the Lakers are exploring at replacing Ayton. This statement is made despite the fact he is signed for a second season. For this member of Laker Nation it actually pains me to write these words, not because I’ve turned out to be incorrect on the acquisition of Ayton. The chief issue the Lakers have not resolved a long standing issue related to post play. In this instance I hope to be proven wrong, hopefully Ayton returns revitalized and ready to play as he did in October and November. Even if the outcome differs from what I expected, I know I can’t avoid facing reality.