PLAYER RANKINGS…

Slam Magazine published a Special Collector’s Issue last month. The 500 Greatest NBA Players of All-Time. I have no problem with their greatest player of all-time. But as we scan the list they have Reggie Miller at 54 and Pete Maravich at 60…

W.W.Y.D.

Mike Thomas, boys head basketball coach at Kalamazoo Central High School (former school of New York Yankees great Derek Jeter) found himself in a tough situation while in East Lansing this past weekend; his situation wasn’t on the sidelines late in the State semi-final or Final game at the Breslin Center for the MHSAA tournament. Nope, it was the morning of the State championship game in which they were in for the third straight year.  Three of his players decided to do what a lot of teenagers will do; they broke curfew the night before and Thomas had to make a decision.

What’s a coach to do? May I mention a young coach at that…Thomas is 28 years old!

The coach suspended all three players, one happened to be a member of the starting line-up.

Mick McCabe of the Detroit Free Press has the story.

I hear so many people talk about how kids and parents run the show in high school sports.  Well there are coaches out there who run a tight and legit ship.

Most men or women in charge would bench their players and insert them later in the game.

Be honest, what would you do in Coach Thomas’ spot?

Oh yeah, The Kalamazoo Central Maroon Giants won the championship without the three players. You can bet your bottom dollar that if his team lost the game, he would’ve caught a lot of heat.

E-Mail: hoops135@hotmail.com

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JIMMER

I was disappointed after reading Rick Reilly’s column on BYU’s Jimmer Fredette. Reilly who works for the Mothership isn’t impressed with the outstanding guard from Glen Falls, NY.

If his last college game is what he’s bringing to the NBA, then I’d say, in five years, he’s got a really good chance to be your Provo area Isuzu dealer.

Wonder if the boss in Bristol would’ve allowed this article to hit the website if Jimmer played for Duke? Yeah Rick, judge a player on their last game.  Atta boy, glad you’re not a NBA GM.

For the first time during the NCAA tournament I did not tune into the Mothership after a tournament game.  In the past years, after the games were complete, I’d switch over to hear their studio guys discuss the night’s games but with CBS bringing TBS, TNT and TRU TV on board, I stayed at home and listened to their analysts.

Butler and VCU in the Final Four, wow! Last year the Bulldogs beat Michigan State in the semi-finals and lost to Duke two nights later. Now we have the second mid-major school to make the Final Four.  It won’t be long until we see 4 mid-majors playing in the final weekend of college basketball.

I wish CBS would sub Gus Johnson in for Jim Nantz this weekend.  Also would like to see Clark Kellogg sit this one out too.  Not impressed with the current duo.

Sports Talk Radio: A few favorites of mine as of late covering the tournament and a touch of the NBA have been guys like Dan Patrick in the morning, Jim Rome and Mike Francesa in the afternoon. I love how the trio bring honesty and most of all, zero slurping.

Patrick tried to get Reilly on his show to discuss his column about Jimmer; seems like the Mothership doesn’t allow it.   Reilly’s comment about Jimmer, “6-2 kid with no speed and YMCA hops” was what Patrick wanted to debate. Umm, Mr. Reilly, Jimmer has a 36 inch vertical jump. I’ve never seen anyone at the ‘Y’ jump that high.

Francesa, out of NYC on WFAN was discussing and defending John Calipari and his vacated Final Four banners at Memphis and UMass.  He tossed in a mention on UCLA and Sam Gilbert.

As for Rome, he has great guests on a daily basis.

E-Mail: Hoops135@hotmail.com

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COOL IT DOWN!

San Diego State lost to UConn in the NCAA tournament ending their season. Phil Mushnick of the New York Post writes about something that had a lot to do with the Aztecs loss; two technical fouls on Steve Fisher’s team. Mushnick also points out how the announcers didn’t address the problem like they should…

Thursday night on CBS, San Diego State, slightly favored, lost to UConn in the Sweet 16. The outcome was determined to some incalculable but very preventable and highly significant extent by excessive misconduct.

Kawhi Leonard, considered SDSU’s best player, was called for a foul, then talked trash at a UConn player.

After a ref warned him to stop, Leonard didn’t. Technical foul. That cost SDSU a point, and, just 3:48 into the game, put Leonard on the bench with his second foul.

Leonard, who had played

46 minutes in SDSU’s double-OT win against Temple the previous game, played just 29 minutes Thursday because of foul trouble, one for failure to shut his mouth.

As the late Billy Mays used to holler, “But wait! There’s more!”

Yes Billy, you are correct-there is more.

With 9:19 left in the game, SDSU up by four and on a run, Jamaal Franklin made sure to hit UConn’s Kemba Walker with a mean-streets shoulder as both headed to their benches following a UConn timeout.

Another technical. That cost SDSU another two points. Soon UConn would have the lead.

On CBS, Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery didn’t ignore either episode, but they didn’t make a big thing of what was a huge thing.

And it didn’t even make the postgame cut among the CBS/Turner studio analysts. Then again, a couple of them have had their own public behavioral issues.

But here was a chance to scream about something worth screaming about, to be heard loudly and clearly about the sickly, backward state of the sport — and all of our sports.

But nothing. Again.

Addressing your players regarding their behavior is crucial to their progression and reputation.  Stephen Jackson had this interesting quote pertaining to his conduct on the court over the years via the New York Times:

My reputation is the main reason why a lot of things don’t go my way on the court,” Jackson said. “I can’t really pout about it and complain about it. I know I put myself in those situations. I went in the stands. I had those incidents off the court, and I’ve got to be responsible for them. I just have to be professional and try to get through it.”

hoops135@hotmail.com

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CONFIDENCE

Jack Carey of the USA Today on Kentucky point guard Brandon Knight.

“I feel confident in any game we play,” he says. “The shots just fell that day (vs. West Virginia). Some nights, shots will fall; some nights, they won’t. My best thing to do is to come out and play like I always play.”

From the same article, Wildcats head coach John Calipari thinks the experience in Maui helped Knight’s growth.

“Probably the best thing that happened to Brandon was Hawaii, where we played top-notch opponents and he … realized that he had a ways to go,” Calipari says. “Since that time, it has been a steady climb. And he’s such a hard worker and so conscientious he has just gotten better and better.”

Hoops135@hotmail.com

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