The Top Ten Greatest Dunkers in College Basketball

Western Kentucky Gets Past Illinois 76-72

Western Kentucky has a superb team. To me they are the sleeper in this NCAA tournament. Western has an up tempo game with shooters who are solid. They also play in your face defense and they are quick. The have one player Mendez-Valdez who can literally light it up from downtown. They are not shy about putting up the “trey” and they are currently giving Illinois all they can handle in the first round of the South regional.

This is not entirely a surprise as Western took Louisville to the woodshed early in the season and handed the Cardinals an embarrassing defeat. From the looks of things with 3:39 left in the first half, Western may give Illinois unexpected defeat. At the half Western led Illinois 37-28.

In the end Western Kentucky won the game 76-72

Hope and Calvin Rivalry

Hope College and Calvin College have a great basketball tradition in Michigan. Even though both colleges are Division III institutions, basketball has a huge presence in this part of the country. Usually D3 basketball is more slow down and methodical, but it is quite evident when these two schools take their rivalry seriously and play it in an up tempo style. Both teams play at least 9 to 13 players per game and the actual play mirrors mid level Division I play. The yearly rivalries typically reflect the tremendous interest in basketball, particularly this rivalry, which has been a tradition for many years. Today this rivalry has dominated these two schools for many years in Michigan. When you define Division I basketball, there are no better ambassadors than Hope College and Calvin College in Grand Rapids Michigan. The Rivalry dates back to 1920. Hope College also has it share of tradition and takes no backseat to the rivalry of the two schools. Hope College located in Holland, Michigan was founded in the 1800’s with the goal of establishing a school to educate new Dutch settlers with a Christian education.. Hope now share’s in the rivalry of the Christian based rivalry between these two Divisions I school.

Roy Williams Discusses The Tar Heels

The North Carolina Dynasty Continues in Chapel Hill. Roy Williams continues to reload at each and every turn, every year. North Carolina will be led by Tyler Hansbrough and Danny Green. Roy Williams discusses Tar Heel recruiting and fortunes. Click Link Below.

http://tarheelblue.cstv.com/inside/roywilliams/

Best of Filling the Lane – Top College Bench Coaches

The  key to the success of a college basketball team is the ability of the Coach. A successful bench coach can and will spell the difference of success and failure.  Some coaches in the heat of the battle wilt when in pressure game situations. Usually because they did not manage the clock well during the course of a game. Depending upon how well the coach makes decisions and manages the game, determines how much pressure he will face with  under minutes remaining in a game. The coach  can create a pressure situation by mis-management of the game.  The players are usually not disciplined enough to execute or the coach has a flawed philosophy in game management. Either way it is the coach’s job to get their team ready for any situation.

What  causes me to wonder is when a coach uses all of the allotted time outs and have none to call in crucial game ending situations.  This happens a lot when coaches do not manage the game well.  Being a top flight coach  involves how well you manage crucial situations at the end of a game.  You must make all the right moves at the right time in order to be effective. With that said, I put together a list of coaches who I feel have demonstrated that they know how to manage the game and change strategy when needed.  The coaches are not listed in any particular order, but all have demonstrated that they know how to manage a game, ultimately producing a win.

 

Mike Krzyzewski, Duke- Without a doubt the most successful coach in the ranks of college basketball.  He has  had the good fortune of coaching superb basketball talent and the benefits of coaching at The Premier Basketball School in the country.  Coach K is at the top as America’s top coach on nearly every ones list.

Bill Self, Kansas- He coached his way to the top, by winning the National Championship.  This is the litmus test of  the  coaching ability of the coach.  Self proved that he belongs in the top tier of coaches.

Roy Williams, North Carolina-Williams came into his own when he returned to North Carolina as The Head Basketball coach. Great coaching ability and a unique ability to bring talent together and lot of it at Carolina.

Jim Calhoun, UConn-  The cornerstone of UConn’s offense is a great point guard combined with a good inside game. Usually  the inside is occupied by a better than average center.  But with Calhoun’s offense a good point guard is the key to push the ball up the floor, distribute the ball,  or effectively take the three.  Calhoun is great at managing the closing minutes of a game.

Jay Wright, Villanova- The three guard offense has been highly effective for Jay Wright and when he has three guard who can shoot from the perimeter, slash and dish effectively to the basket, he can  break down the opposing defense fairly quickly.  Wright because of his knack of recruiting exceptionally quick, efficeint shooting guards,  has been able to manage  the  closing minutes of a game quite effectively. 

Tom Crean, Indiana (Formerly coach at Marquette)- Crean is a master of managing a game and interchanging players at just the right time to keep the opposing team off balance on both offense and defense. He did this extremely well at Marquette. Look for Crean to recruit more power rated players at Indiana than he did at Marquette. This will insure that he will continue to  have success in the closing minutes of a game.  Crean is a master of managing a game.

Billy Donavon, Florida- Donavon is another coach who when he has reasonable talent, can effectively manage a game, by substituting strategically and effective pull out of game,  by making superb coaching moves.   Donavon won back to back  national Championships and it was because he is a great bench coach.

Billy Gillespie, Kentucky-  Although he had a mediocre  year at Kentucky last year, Gillespie is a great recruiter and has a knack of drawing out the best of players who over the course of the year adapt well to his system. Look for Kentucky to remain one of the top echelon programs, because of the coaching ability of Gillespie. Last year was a great example of Gillespie’s coaching ability. Kentucky struggled all year long, but they game together in the end to win a seed in the NCAA tournament.

Rick Pitino, Louisville- Pitino is somewhat erratic at times.  Does not manage the clock well and sometimes makes bone headed substitutions at inappropriate times.  However, his teams or capable of hitting home run balls, via the three point line,  which let him off the hook when making bad coaching decisions, and  when he has managed the clock unresponsively.  It is a situation where  Pitino is on or he is not. Louisville rises and falls with the nuances and the management of the clock by Pitino.

Luke Olsen, Arizona- No coach has consistently managed a game better than Lute Olsen. He has accomplished this with great point guard play  and above average inside game.  But Arizona’s offense rises or falls with the point guard.  And Olsen has had some good ones. He is without a doubt one of the top bench coaches in terms of managing the waning minutes of a game in America.

Ben Howland, UCLA- Howland brought his magic to Westwood and has created a talent pool that is exceptional to say the least.  His clock management has been good and he has effectively advanced to the NCAA tournament enjoying good success.

Bob Huggins,West Virginia- Last year Huggins over achieved.  The talent level at West Virginia was suspect, but Huggins managed to pull out a respectable year, making the NCAA tournament.  For West Virginia, cloak Management became increasingly important. Look for Huggins to have the Mountaineers at the top through the upcoming season.

Bob McKillop- Davidson- Unless you were on another planet last year you have to be impressed with the coaching ability of McKillop. However one player  made all of this possible and it was Stephen Curry. He is a shooter period. Enough said. He can get his shot off in a way that is not quick, but subtle. The point is he got his shot off consistently to get Davidson to the final eight last year. Curry is not a top ten player, so McKillop had to coach this team to success.

Mark Few-Gonzaga- Few coaches have done more than Coach Mark Few, to raise the National name recognition of one one school in ten years.  Mark Few is an excellent bench coach and recruiter who has elevated Gonzaga to a household name.  What can be said about the successes the Few has had. The best I can say is that he is an excellent bench coach.

Rick Barnes-Texas- Just study his history and the number of players that have made it to the NBA and how Texas is now known as a point guard factory and you see why Riick Barnes Made this list.  He is an excellent coach and one of the great thinker in America.

Best Of the Rest

John Thompson III

John Calipari

Tim Floyd

I’m sure there are others that should have been on this list.

Here’s a list of the top coaches from the past.

Bobby Knight

Adolph Rupp

Denny Crum

Al McGuire

John Wooden

Dean Smith

John Thompson

Gale Catlett

Wake Forrest’s Randolph Childress- Defining Moment; 1995 ACC Tournment Championship Vs North Carolina

Randolph Childress’s college basketball legacy rest on one game and what a game it was. Childress averaged 18.4 points per game with accurate and deadly three point shooting for his career. But one game in 1995 defined his legacy at Wake Forrest, which goes down in history as one of the most outstanding ACC tournament performances of all time. Childress led Wake Forrest to the ACC title averaging 35.7 points and 7 assist per game in the process. Playing against a North Carolina team featuring Jerry Stackhouse and Rasheed Wallace in the tournament finals, Childress was by far the best player on the court, scoring an incredible 37 points and 7 assist, mostly three pointers with hands in his face; capping it off with a game winning jumper with seven seconds left. It was an electrifying college basketball performance, that gave Childress a gunslinger persona. It will go down in history as one of the great collegiate performances of all time.

 

Childress currently plays in Italy for LegADue team Pepsi Juvecaserta

Shooters and Scorers Have Always Ruled Basketball

In Basketball there is nothing like a shooter; someone who could light it up twenty to thirty feet out from the basket. You may have your favorite, but I have mine. They are listed in no particular order.

Pistol Pete was a scorer he could score inside are out, create in the open court. Knock down a twenty foot jump shot or pull up for a soft jumper in the middle of the lane. Pistol could drive to the hoop or score in the lane seventies style on anyone who had the misfortune of guarding him. Pistol Pete if he played today would be a Street baller, he was absolutely way ahead of his time. He was quicker than Earl Monroe. Contrary to what others think of him he was quick on defense as well.

Pete Maravich would take over game . One against five. Pete Maravich averaged 44 points per game in an era when there was no three point line. He was a phenomenal player who could do just about anything on a basketball court. Someone estimated that if Maravich played with today’s three point line he would have averaged 57 points per game.
Maravich had so many moves that no one could stop him. Pistol Pete Maravich lift on his jump shot was simply amazing. He was a showman extraordinaire on the basketball court. The world truly misses a basketball Legend; Pistol Pete Maravich.

Allen Iverson is perhaps as they say in boxing the smallest and greatest pound for pound player to ever play the game. Rocket quick with a silky smooth jump shot; Iverson has a lunch bucket mentality with a big time game. He can light it up in the open court. Iverson’s crossover dribble is legendary. His jumper from twenty-five feet out is deadly. Iverson has a skill at backing up his defender with his quickness and using the dribble to break the ankles of his defender.
Iverson’s game is special. He always came to play no matter what and he gave it his all even when he was the best talent on the team . Allen Iverson is a multi talented player who can light it up with his ability to use his quickness to free up a fabulous transition game.

A shooter can make shots and do it consistently. A shooter can make 15 or 20 shot in a roll.

Larry Bird was a shooter. He could shoot with either his right or left hand. He had a killer instinct. He came to play. He was not quick. He had a silky smooth shot and his release was text book. Bird understood the game, because he lived the game. He was a shooter and a competitor. He would do whatever it took to win a ball game; primarily because Bird was a shooter.
Bird ruled the three point line and he led the Celtics to 3 NBA Championship in the eighties. Bird was just that good. He knew where he was on the floor and although he did not get lift with his jump shot, he could get his shot off easily because of timing and the ability to use both hands.
If you could beat Larry Bird, you would have to out think him. No area on the court was a weak spot for Bird, such was his range.

Rick Mount- Little known by today’s players. Rick mount was a sharpshooter who could fill it up from twenty to twenty five feet. He could do it consistently and it earned him a respectable career at Purdue and a career in the American Basketball Association during the late sixties and early seventies.

Earl Monroe-Earl Monroe created the spin move. Later perfected by Magic Johnson, and used by nearly all NBA players today. Monroe could shake and bake in slow motion. He was not exceptionally fast, but skilled players have a way a creating their shots and Monroe did it with moves. He was adept at moving through and around in close quarter around the basket to make soft floaters in the lane. Monroe was not a jump shooter, but he was a creator, a magician with the basketball.
The better the competition, the more Monroe raised his game. He was in a word silky smooth a creator with the basketball. Earl Monroe was the greatest one on one player that ever lived. He was an innovator who could create his shot based on the situation. Pete Maravich had this skill as well, Maravich had the total package, but in terms of creating a shot; there was no one better than Earl “The Pearl” Monroe.

Eric Gordon-As it turns out Eric Gordon only played one year of College basketball but his game is destined for greatness in the NBA. There are not many players that you get excited about watching. particular offensive players that can take it to the hoop and create while doing it or pull up for a long 25 foot jump shot. Gordon is a throwback. He’s strictly a scorer. He played in a style like Maravich without the show time theatrics. Gordon is a scorer, plain and simple. He has one idea and that is to get to the basket, either by slashing and driving or creating and driving all in one quick motion.

He has tremendous lift in his jump shot and tremendous moves close in the mode of Earl Monroe. Make no mistake this player is the real deal. I predicted he will go within the top five in the  NBA draft. Gordon went number six to the Clippers. Gordon’s release is lightening quick. He can come off a screen shooting. He is an exceptional player and totally gifted, given his young age.

Rick Barnes Developes NBA Ready Players

Rick Barnes is on our radar screen as a big-time recruiter and a developer of NBA players- check out the results over the last few years.

With the Selection of D.J Augustine by the Charlotte Bobcats with the 9^th pick, Texas continues to attract top talent and NBA ready player. La Marcus Aldridge was selected with the number pick in 1996 by the Chicago Bulls. In 2006 P.J. Tucker was selected 35th overall pick by Toronto and Daniel Gibson 42nd overall pick by Cleveland. In 2007 Kevin Durant was selected number 2 in the NBA draft by the Seattle Sonics. Durant went on to win the NBA Rookie of the Year honors. PJ. Ford was the No. 8 pick by Milwaukee in the 2003 Draft. Barnes has produced four NBA Lottery Picks- Chris Mihm, T. J. Ford, LaMarcus Aldridge, DJ Augustine, and Kevin Durant.

So Barnes knows talent and has a knack for developing it. Barnes a North Carolina Native has guided Texas to nine straight NCAA tournament appearances. And eight straight 20 wins seasons- a school best. Barnes made coaching stops at George Mason, Providence College, Clemson and now Texas. He is a native of Hickory, North Carolina.. He served as an assistant coach at Alabama and Ohio State. Barnes overall coaching record is 418-220 over 20 years.

The 1968 Showdown-Houston VS UCLA

It was the billed as the game of the century a showdown between Elvin Hayes and the Houston Cougars, coached by Guy Lewis, vs. John Wooden’s UCLA Bruins, The Bruins led by Lew Alcindor had a 47 game winning streak. Houston was undefeated and UCLA had come off a National Championship in 1967 and were on their way to winning a second championship in 1968. Houston was an upstart of sorts. They played an aggressive style of play and played above the rim with the 6’10 Hayes inside and the great Guard play by Don Chaney in side.

UCLA was loaded Lew Alcindor (Kareen Abdul Jabbar), Lucious Allen, Lynn Shackleford, Mike Warren ( Hill Street Blues) led the Bruins and at the time a dynasty was formed. The freshman rule was in effect in 1968, where freshman were ineligible to play in the on college varsity teams. So Alcindor sat out and made his collegiate debut in 1967-68 season. In the spring of 1965, soon after UCLA had won its second consecutive title, led by Walt Hazzard and Gail Goodrich, John Wooden carried out the recruiting coup of the decade: Lew Alcindor a senior at New York Power Memorial High School and the most heralded big man since Wilt Chamberlain, decided to attend UCLA the following fall. UCLA would break nearly every single record ever before set. They had the makings of a dynasty.

So the game of the century was no small event. It was huge, given the impact of Lew Alcindor on the UCLA program. Most college programs felt that once Alcindor was eligible to play, no other college program would have any chance of beating the UCLA. In fact Alcindor’s freshman team would give the varsity all it could handle. The varsity was rated No. 1 in the country in pre-season ranking. The varsity was blown off the court when the UCLA held its annual Freshman/Varsity Game. The 1967 UCLA Bruins team consisted of four sophomores and a junior.

As sophomore, Alcindor was already being described as a cross between, Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell. Alcindor was the ultimate team player. The backcourt was exceptionally talented led by Lucious Allen and Mike Warren., The forwards were Kenny Heintz and Lyn Shackelford. Someone once wrote the letters NCAA really meant “No Chance Against Alcindor”

Houston coach Guy Lewis would not get on this band wagon, like a circus huckster, he was convinced that UCLA was not invincible. Houston’s Lewis said all year the UCLA would lose at some point during the season. Other felt the Bruins were inexperienced and that this would be their downfall. But to lose, UCLA had to have a bad game and a perfect game would need to be played by their opponent.

This was the backdrop that setup the January showdown between the UCLA and Houston at the Astrodome in Houston, A record 54,000 fans attended the first indoor game in a domed arena. Many more would follow in the years to come in domed arena over the year. Houston would prevail this time over UCLA 71-69. Elvin Hayes scored a game high 39 pints and pulled down 15 rebounds. However an asterisk should have been added to this game. Lew Alcindor played with a scratched cornea, which bothered him throughout the game.

UCLA met Houston is the Final Four winning the game 101-69.  The rest is history with Alcindor later changing his name to Kareem Abdul Jabbar having a sensational NBA Career well into the Eighties. Elvin Hayes had a solid career in the NBA as well.

One and Done Rule Has Changed College Basketball For Good Or Bad

College coaches continue to make the big bucks. In addition to their huge contracts. Huge incentives, shoe contract, television shows, uniform contracts and incentives for winning. A Division I college coaching job is not at all a bad proposition.

College basketball is a big time business. Especially for the major Division I institutions where the rich just keep getting richer. The one and done athletes continually select the large top ten schools for their one year of college basketball sabbatical; someplace where they can get great exposure and raise their draft position.

It is winning a proposition for College coaches at the power Division I colleges, because not only do they have an excellent chance at going to the big dance; but they have a great shot at winning it all. To do so means an incentive bonus for the coach and a huge payday for them school.

To hire a well known coach is like hiring a marketing brand in itself like. Roy Williams, Bill Self, Ben Howland, Lute Olsen, Rick Pitino, John Calipari, all are big time coaches that are tremendous draws. The blue chip college athlete is more than likely to choose their school. What that means is usually a cash bonanza for both the coach and the school.

While the coach and the school make out the one and done blue chip athlete makes out even better. Where does it leave the other less talented players? They do get scholarships and a four year college education; if they take advantage of the opportunity. Lute Olsen after losing California High Schooler Brandon Jennings possibly to European Professional Basketball, has vowed that he will never again recruit one and done players. Olsen calls the rule that requires a high school player to not enter the NBA draft until they turn 19 years of age, a farce. Most elect to attend one year of college.

Many coaches don’t see it the same way as Olsen. Tim Floyd Head Coach at USC , who signed OJ Mayo to what turned into a one year contract, said his one year with Mayo did wonders for his program and for the school.

Tubby Smith says who wouldn’t want to coach the best talent available even if it is for one year.

But something is inherently wrong when colleges place so much emphasis on cash cow sports and not enough on making sure all students both athlete and non-athlete have a real chance in life, by making sure that they receive a college education.

The Cost of attending a four year college; both state and private has skyrocketed to the point, that the average student would be hard pressed to fund a college education and it would be harder for the parents as well. As it stands now colleges are in the middle of misguided rules set up by the NBA and it is affecting everyone; coaches, players and their families, and not to mention involving unscrupulous agents as soon as high school player hit the recruiting radar screen