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The Golden Child

The headline is the title of a 1986 Eddie Murphy movie, he played Chandler Jarrell, a social worker who was informed at the beginning he was The Chosen One. The basketball connection, hold on there is one. Prior to the launching of the 2025-26 NBA season the arrival of Cooper Flagg would herald him as The Chosen One. He would be anointed the league’s top rookie, Flagg would lead the Mavs to an NBA championship. The championship thing is in the future not his first, all this might be incorrect. The trophy as the best might not have Flagg’s name inscribed on it.

Flagg’s former Duke teammate is making the award a race as Kon Knueppel’s stock has risen with the Hornets and in the eyes of most. Knueppel has set a new rookie record for 3-pointers with 207 for the season. If we just check his scoring alone we discover Knueppel is nearly 50% from the floor and a sizzling 44.2% from three. He is tied for second leading scorer on this Hornets squad and has been a vital contributor in furthering the win column. The one area of play I am unable to uncover is his defense, but believe this. Coming from a Duke program I believe he’s got to have played adequately in that department of his game. It might be premature to inscribe Flagg’s name on that Rookie of the Year trophy just yet.

Is it 6 or 4, you decide

I came across this article which totaled the number of NCAA championships won by Division I schools. At the top of the list was UCLA with 11, despite this fact it’s been a few years since they last won (1995). From there it was Kentucky with 8, North Carolina and UConn are tied with 6 while Duke and Indiana have 5. Immediately below them is Kansas with 4 however the win total is disputed in some circles, this is the explanation. Keep this in mind, the first NCAA tournament was played in 1939 with Oregon the winner. Back then through 1950 the tournament consisted of 8 teams with each selected from a geographical district.

Okay, you still haven’t explained why some in Kansas are claiming 6 championships rather than 4. In the 1921-22 season and again 1922-23 with a 16 win and 17 win season Kansas was declared the national champion. This action was executed by the Helms Athletic Foundation, this organization is no longer in existence, it was dissolved and most of its assets were absorbed into the AAU. From my reading it appears one individual made the decision which team would become the recognized national champion in basketball and other major sports. This practice (by Helms) continued up through the 1981-82 season despite the fact a tournament was played to officially crown a champion. What do you think, should Kansas basketball be moved up a couple of notches?

The third option

Phil Handy served as an assistant coach with the Lakers for a time. He tells this story about Austin Reaves which I believe is worth sharing, Handy was there for the rookie year of Reaves. You remember his agent had informed NBA teams to not draft his client, Reaves preferred to choose the team he wanted. He was playing with the Lakers Summer League team, Handy having seen him play at Oklahoma saw him “fit in” rather than score. Handy pulled him aside and informed Reaves “You need to shoot the ball.”

Handy indicates Reaves took the advice and began scoring, at the end of summer the Lakers signed him to a contract. Reaves arrived at a time when the team was loaded with veterans so he began play as a reserve and occasional starter. Now in the middle of his 5th year as a Laker. His stats have increased every season and now we find him at 25 points and 50% shooting from the floor in the 2025-26 season. Reaves has become an invaluable teammate for the Lakers and the question might be asked, is he a Laker for life. That question cannot be answered as a 27-year old, this member of Laker Nation would hope Reaves remains long term as the third option.

Everyone is not worthy

Someone reading the headline might misunderstand the intent of what you are about to read. The subject is hall of fame eligibility and the fact that some players are missing who some believe should be included, on the other hand there are many who will never be considered worthy. What’s the criteria for eligibility, depends on who is discussing the matter. I am a stickler for an extended record of accomplishment, allow a further explanation. A .com site chose to provide a list of players they believe have been overlooked for inclusion into the hall. It’s unfortunate, one of the players listed played in the 1950’s prior to the shot clock being utilized. In addition to that there is little video evidence of his play, that is strike two for that former player.

As for others on the list this might be the example, Player A had a 12-year NBA career, during that period he played in 3 All Star games however his overall numbers were only average, he never led the league in any category….is he hall of fame ready? The NBA remains a team game however Player B had a 15-year career but only played in one NBA championship series during his time in the association, is he hall of fame ready? Player C didn’t have longevity while playing and a sharp decline in production after his prime….is he hall of fame ready? Finally a look at Player D, was a reserve throughout his entire time in the NBA but an essential scoring and rebounding machine when called on by his coach….is he hall of fame ready? I’m unsure if you agree or not with my examples however as the headline indicates; “Everyone is not worthy.”