The NBA's rule requiring players to have one year of eligibility has hurt Duke more than any other program. I know Coach K announced on Wednesday he does not plan to change his philosophy, but as I watch these teams with strong mature players (Michigan State and Florida, in particular) it makes me yearn for the days when Duke had Senior led teams that were so hard to beat. In my opinion, one of the things that makes K so great is his ability to teach and develop players within his system. Unfortunately, one year is not enough for the lessons to sink in. I can only imagine what kind of a player Jabari Parker would be if he stayed at Duke for three years. Not only would he likely lead Duke to an NCAA championship, he would, in my opinion, be more likely to have a better long-term NBA career.
CBS/TBS is completely under-utilizing Clark Kellogg. I enjoy the tbs/cbs March Madness show with Barkley, Gumbel, Smith and Kellogg. It's entertaining and it's a perfect set-up for Sir Charles. But it's a complete waste of a guy who I thought should still be paired with Jim Nantz as part of CBS number one team. I still have no idea why they replaced Clark with Greg Anthony. Anthony is good, but in terms of watching a big game, I would definitely prefer Kellogg.
And speaking of announcing, Len Elmore is one of the most erudite announcers on the air, but I just don't get a sense of any excitement or chemistry between him and Reggie Miller. He might be better matched up with Steve Kerr who is excellent and then bring Clark and Reggie together on the same team. Those two tweaks would have much better chemistry.
it's going to be tough and will take many more legal battles before the NCAA begins to treat players fairly. While I was encouraged by the news that Northwestern players can unionize, I'm afraid their leverage is going to be a lot less than expected since their careers are limited to five years (including a redshirt year). I also think you'll see the colleges put some draconian language into already very one-sided letters of intent that will seek to prevent players from exerting any real power.
Billy Donovan has done an amazing job teaching his players to be unselfish. I saw the Gators play in person in Orlando last Saturday and their team chemistry was tremendous. You could see how much the Gators enjoy playing basketball together.
Consistently impressed with the level of defense and quality of 3-point shooting in the tournament. This year's tournament is a huge counterpoint to all the criticism you hear about the AAU system raising a generation of players who don't know how to play fundamental basketball or defense. This year's defense is as good as I've seen.
Why do so few teams play full-court press nowadays? I always though a full-court press was a great way to compensate for less talent but teams a full-court press seems to be an afterthought.
Sports Illustrated's long form piece on the Georgetown-Princeton game is a truly great read. I wish I could say I saw the game live but I was in college in Philly at the time and did not get to watch the game. As a side note, I'm shocked ESPN's 30 for 30 never did anything with this game, it would have been a natural fit for them or their Grantland franchise.
And going back to Duke for a moment. I was talking with a pretty prominent Duke alumnus earlier this week and I mentioned the fact that Steve Wojciehowski was the heir apparent to Coach K. This alumnus said he thought Coach K liked Wojo too much to do that to him and that word around Durham is that Johnny Dawkins is looking like the eventual successor to Coach K.
I agree with Dick Vitale that players should be allowed 6 fouls in a game, but completely disagree with his position that the shot clock should be cut down to 30 seconds. I like the fact there is a major difference in style between the NBA and NCAA basketball. The games have been so good this tournament, why fix what is clearly (at least on the court) not broken.
It is always a privilege to listen to a game Verne Lundquist call and the games he does with Bill Raftery are always excellent. Would love to see CBS find a way to utilize them next week in Dallas
I don't have any favorite teams left but I'm enjoying the tournament as much as ever because so many games have resembled a great Heavyweight fight.
CBS/TBS is completely under-utilizing Clark Kellogg. I enjoy the tbs/cbs March Madness show with Barkley, Gumbel, Smith and Kellogg. It's entertaining and it's a perfect set-up for Sir Charles. But it's a complete waste of a guy who I thought should still be paired with Jim Nantz as part of CBS number one team. I still have no idea why they replaced Clark with Greg Anthony. Anthony is good, but in terms of watching a big game, I would definitely prefer Kellogg.
And speaking of announcing, Len Elmore is one of the most erudite announcers on the air, but I just don't get a sense of any excitement or chemistry between him and Reggie Miller. He might be better matched up with Steve Kerr who is excellent and then bring Clark and Reggie together on the same team. Those two tweaks would have much better chemistry.
it's going to be tough and will take many more legal battles before the NCAA begins to treat players fairly. While I was encouraged by the news that Northwestern players can unionize, I'm afraid their leverage is going to be a lot less than expected since their careers are limited to five years (including a redshirt year). I also think you'll see the colleges put some draconian language into already very one-sided letters of intent that will seek to prevent players from exerting any real power.
Billy Donovan has done an amazing job teaching his players to be unselfish. I saw the Gators play in person in Orlando last Saturday and their team chemistry was tremendous. You could see how much the Gators enjoy playing basketball together.
Consistently impressed with the level of defense and quality of 3-point shooting in the tournament. This year's tournament is a huge counterpoint to all the criticism you hear about the AAU system raising a generation of players who don't know how to play fundamental basketball or defense. This year's defense is as good as I've seen.
Why do so few teams play full-court press nowadays? I always though a full-court press was a great way to compensate for less talent but teams a full-court press seems to be an afterthought.
Sports Illustrated's long form piece on the Georgetown-Princeton game is a truly great read. I wish I could say I saw the game live but I was in college in Philly at the time and did not get to watch the game. As a side note, I'm shocked ESPN's 30 for 30 never did anything with this game, it would have been a natural fit for them or their Grantland franchise.
And going back to Duke for a moment. I was talking with a pretty prominent Duke alumnus earlier this week and I mentioned the fact that Steve Wojciehowski was the heir apparent to Coach K. This alumnus said he thought Coach K liked Wojo too much to do that to him and that word around Durham is that Johnny Dawkins is looking like the eventual successor to Coach K.
I agree with Dick Vitale that players should be allowed 6 fouls in a game, but completely disagree with his position that the shot clock should be cut down to 30 seconds. I like the fact there is a major difference in style between the NBA and NCAA basketball. The games have been so good this tournament, why fix what is clearly (at least on the court) not broken.
It is always a privilege to listen to a game Verne Lundquist call and the games he does with Bill Raftery are always excellent. Would love to see CBS find a way to utilize them next week in Dallas
I don't have any favorite teams left but I'm enjoying the tournament as much as ever because so many games have resembled a great Heavyweight fight.
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