A fan’s perspective

Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Sunday

Dale Brown

LSU was not his first coaching stop however it’s the one most closely associated with the name Dale Brown. LSU’s former coach Brown died this past Friday at the age of 90. After the Pete Maravich years (1967-1970) the school hired him to replace Press Maravich (Pete’s father). He took over in the 1972-73 season and would guide LSU men’s basketball until the 1996-97 season a total of 25 seasons. In addition to coaching Shaquille O’Neal he led the team to winning seasons.  

During his tenure LSU teams won 448 games and with the exception of his last six seasons the team was annually invited to the NCAA Tournament. His Final Four team in 1980-81 finished the season with 31 wins while losing only 5. In 2014 Brown was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame. It should be of note that LSU was the only college head coaching position he ever held. Brown was an assistant at two college stops and before that he coached several high school teams. Dale Brown another of the all-time great basketball coaches.  

Best Big Man

Unlike some college basketball players I was familiar with Walker Kessler prior to his NBA debut. He’d played at North Carolina and Auburn previous to becoming pick 22 in the first round of the 2022 draft by the Jazz. The accolades that accompanied him into the NBA indicated the 7 foot 1 245 pound Kessler might be a keeper. Kessler was Naismith Defensive Player of the Year and also NABC Defensive Player of the Year in 2022. He followed the path of most Big Men, a slow adjustment from the college game to that of the NBA.

As for the draft itself Kessler’s head must have been on a “swivel,” he was  drafted by the Grizzlies his rights were then traded to the Wolves along with several other players. That was not his last stop, two weeks after the draft he was on the move again in a package deal with several others, this time it was a move to the Jazz. After playing a reserve role his third year would see him move into a starter role as for the Jazz and his numbers increased and then last season. Kessler suffered a torn labrum in his left should which required season-ending surgery, he missed all but 5 games of the 2025-26 season. Based on his injury the NBA world was shocked with the Laker move, they signed him to a 4-year $130 million contract in a sign-and-trade deal with the Jazz.

NBA cynics questioned the Lakers for signing Kessler to such a huge contract. There is no requirement to become too excited too soon but two games has Laker Nation salivating. His first game in Purple and Gold against the Warriors saw Kessler with these numbers, 100% from the floor, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks and 26 points. Against the Clippers it was 71.4% from the floor 8 rebounds and 6 blocked shots for 22 points. Scoring is a bonus because the Lakers wanted the other things they believed he’d bring to them. Despite that belief after two games Kessler is 24 ppg, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks a game. The chief concerns for the Lakers now and into the future, an adequate backup center and an injury free season for Kessler and others. FYI: It was Shaquille O'Neal not me who declared Kessler the Best Big Man. 

Class of 2026

The Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in Kansas City first opened its doors in 2006. It’s likely Kansas City was chosen due to its long association with NAIA basketball plus its history of serving as host for NCAA Tournament games. The Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame was founded by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). Although the Naismith Hall in Springfield Massachusetts included outstanding college basketball coaches and players there was a belief by a number that the college game required a separate place. Depending on the age of a reader several of the names and accomplishments may be unfamiliar. Despite what might be limited knowledge by the reader each of the honorees deserve the reward of enshrinement. What follows are the names of The Class of 2026 enshrined on October 22, 2026:

Coaching Inductees

Jay Wright—head coach at Hofstra and Villanova; two-time NCAA champion with Villanova (2016, 2018)

Tubby Smith—head coach at several programs; 1998 NCAA champion with Kentucky

Ted Owens—head coach at Oral Roberts and Kansas; seven NCAA Tournament appearances and two Final Fours

Player Inductees

Danny Ainge—BYU

Glen Rice—Michigan

Walt Hazzard—UCLA

Never have I ever….

For you it might be something totally different, for me it occurred Thursday evening. I tuned into ESPN to see the LeBron Sixers and the Cavs, how bad was the first half of the game? Philly sports fans once threw snow balls at Santa Claus during an NFL Eagles game, they demand more than others their teams must play at a high skill level. Philly fans could be heard booing loudly on the poor play of their Sixers. These Sixers had beaten the defending champion Knicks opening night but this game was different, it would be played in Philadelphia. The first half of the game witnessed the Sixers losing in practically every manner possible, at a point in time the Cavs held a 29-point lead.

Maybe in college, no NBA team wins a game after falling behind by such a humongous margin. You can stop reading at this point, the Sixers came roaring back in the second half of the game, the end result Sixers 114 Cavs 106. The teams reversed roles, the first half it was all Cavs, they hit shots forced turnovers etc., you name it they did it. In the second half it was the Sixers who forced the turnovers hit vital shots and the Cavs were missing. The Cavs lead would sink to three points on a number of occasions and the visitors would score once again. I kept thinking to myself “Surely the Cavs won’t allow the Sixers to win this game.” There was no single thing the Sixers did to accomplish the win it was a bunch of stuff they failed to accomplish in the first half. In closing, “Never have I ever witnessed a victorious NBA team win after trailing by 29 points.