It was 30 Years Ago ... Final Four -Indianapolis

Nolan Smith was 8 yrs old when his father died. Derek Smith was highly successful NBA performer for 9 years. Besides being one of the initiators of the "high five" hand slap, Smith had some incredible NBA performances as you can see in the above video. But it was what Nolan's dad did 30 years ago that makes this year's Final Four pretty interesting for me. You may call it a coincidence.

Since a friend gave me the James Redfield book called Celestine Prophecy around 1993, I've held a new belief regarding coincidences. In the novel, the main character undertakes a journey to find and understand a series of nine spiritual insights from an ancient manuscript in Peru.

Synchronicity. Like a book falling off a shelf at the library that ends up being exactly what you were looking for.

Derek Smith was a leading player for Louisville in 1980 when the "Doctors of Dunk" won the NCAA Championship. Coincidentally, or not, Smith and his fellow Cardinals knocked off UCLA 58-54 to take the title. And James Redfield [author of Celestine Prophecy] would definitely say, that it was not a coincidence that the 1980 Final Four took place in Indianapolis, Indiana; Yes, the same place that Nolan Smith and his Duke teammates will join Michigan State, Butler and West Virginia to battle for this years Gold Ball.

Smith's Career Game

Duke and Baylor were in slugout for 37 minutes with the Bears having more control during the 2nd half. I believe a "blown" call took a basket away from Baylor while at the same time kept Duke's postman from fouling out, and the Devils rode the inspired performance of Nolan Smith to earn their trip to Indy before a crowd of over 47,000 fans.

Smith popped in a career high 29 points to lift the Dukies to victory. With Baylor up 59-57 Smith scored Duke's next 7 points including a 3 pt dagger with 3:33 left to play that practically nailed down the Blue Devil victory. Baylor really appeared to be in control; but Smith's quickness and strength enabled him to penetrate the long and difficult Baylor zone, and he added 4 out of 6 from beyond the arc.

Since the day his father died, Smith took over and tried to be a ROCK,, even though he was just 8 yrs old.

Just after Derek died, Nolan wrapped his mom in his arms and told her, "I'm the man of the house now."

When interviewed after the Baylor game, he could have said the same thing.

It sure does appear that it's a script out of Hollywood. And the proper ending would seem to be another DUKE National Championship. With Derek Smith's son Nolan leading the way.

Now wouldn't that be a coincidence~?

"LUCKY" Cornell....wanna Re-Consider?

Ryan Wittman, Cornell vs John Wall, Kentucky.

Do you consider Cornell as being "LUCKY" to make it to the NCAA Sweet 16? Consider how this "TEAM" was put together in the first place.

Consider Jeff Foote, Cornell's 7-foot center. His college career began as a 205-pound walk-on player for St. Bonaventure. His mother, Wanda, worked as a nurse at an Elmira, N.Y., hospital. When Cornell guard Khaliq Gant was sent to that hospital for treatment after injuring his spine in a January 2006 practice, she noticed the attentiveness of the Cornell coaches and players.

Wanda, who be-friended the Cornell coaches, suggested to Jeff that he consider a transfer to Cornell.

During the next three years, Foote gained 50 pounds and became an All-Ivy League player and two-time Defensive Player of the Year. Earlier this season, he battled Kansas big man Cole Aldrich to a draw: 12 points and six rebounds for Foote; 13 points and nine rebounds for Aldrich.

Consider Ryan Wittman, the sharpest of Cornell's three-point sharpshooters and the son of former Indiana star Randy Wittman. Cornell Coach Steve Donahue has noted how lucky the Big Red got in getting Wittman. That good fortune started when the player sustained a deep thigh bruise that hindered him throughout his senior year of high school. Big Ten schools doubted his athleticism, so Wittman fell into Cornell's lap.

He became only the fifth Ivy League player to score 2,000 points in a career.

Many consider Wittman to be among the best 3 pt shooters in the country. [John Wall on the other hand, is likely to be in the NBA next year; his speed, gracefulness and competitive nature is something to behold.

Consider Louis Dale, the 5-foot-11 senior point guard. A native of Birmingham, Ala., Dale drew no interest from programs in the Southeastern or Atlantic Coast conferences. So he created a video tape of his high school highlights and a scrapbook of clippings and sent them to various schools. Only Cornell responded with an invitation to make an official recruiting visit.

Donahue prepared the usual charm offensive. But it wasn't needed. When he arrived on campus, Dale handed the coach a $400 check his mother wrote to pay for the application fee.

He became an All-Ivy League player.

Consider Jon Jaques, a native Californian best known as a blogger for The New York Times. In his first three seasons, he scored 33 points in 34 games. He did not get off the bench in this season's first three games.

Then a teammate's injury created opportunity. After a freshman failed to seize the chance, Donahue tried Jaques. On a team that leads the nation in three-point shooting accuracy, Jaques has made 47.2 percent of his shots from beyond the arc and averaged seven points.

Having won its third straight Ivy League championship, Cornell beat Temple and Wisconsin last week to post the school's first ever NCAA Tournament victories. No Ivy League team had won a NCAA Tournament game since Penn in 1979.

It's a veteran team with eight seniors. All roommates in an off-campus house the team shares.

On a teleconference Tuesday, Wittman noted how well those veteran players have bonded.

"Really strong team chemistry," he said. "That really makes basketball fun."

I remember Wittman's dad as being a great shooter. Kentucky better not give him to many open looks tomorrow night or everyone might consider Kentucky choked.

But, I don't think Temple or Wisconsin choked......it was just that Cornell got LUCKY.

Tommy Mason Griffin- "house 4 momma?"

Although the Oklahoma University basketball program has not confirmed it, and we know how people can change their minds,,,as of now,, it appears likely that Tommy Mason Griffin, one of college basketball's PREMIER point guard talents, will be getting PAID TO PLAY when he dribbles next year in competition.

NBA? Overseas?
Time will tell.

This is open for discussion.

It was reported yesterday that TMG's facebook page said:

"its a official dat i am leavin skool and enterin draft so if yue see me and ask me y i aint doin anotha yr yue mite get ignored."

Hmm.. OK.

And this morning, he added this:

"Dat walk inside a spot niggas wisperin dats him ..dats dat nigga who hoop...dey dnt see da shit behind da scenes...so dats y i work 2 get mii motha a house and stay on dat hollywood status...triple treo we almost dere...for now da struggle continues"

Not for certain that this is HIS story,, as it might be lyrics to a song,, but my guess is the "triple treo" might be TMG, Willie Warren and Tiny Gallon. Three McDonald All Americans who didn't quite become OU's Tremendous Trio.

Coach Capel has been recruiting hard since they were ousted [blown out!] of the Big 12 Tourney by in state rival Oklahoma State. It was assumed before the year began that this was Warren's last year.

It'll be too bad for Sooner followers if Gallon and Griffin leave....as it appears they will... as they are enormous talents.

University of Richmond Coach Chris Mooney

Richmond Spider head coach Chris Mooney, 37 and a Princeton graduate who previously was head coach at the Air Force Academy.

When his Richmond contract was extended last March, Mooney said,"The biggest thing is I think we've brought in both good players and good kids who have been good students . . . Overall, the program, the foundation, is very strong right now."

Rumors are swirling that he may be a top candidate at Seton Hall University.
Mooney is familiar with Seton Hall's Northeast recruiting base and runs a system (Princeton-style offense, match-up defense) that may allow an underdog to achieve in the highly competitive Big East.

Also, Mooney's Spiders began gaining traction in the A-10 by becoming one of the league's best defensive teams. Seton Hall this season allowed an average of 75.4 points, 15th among 16 Big East members.

Does Character matter in Basketball??

Tad Boyle led Northern Colorado Bears to a 25-8 record and their first ever post season appearance.

"This didn't just happen overnight," Boyle said. "They worked. They worked hard, and they've turned into a great group of young men. They have great chemistry and great character.

Coach Boyle added, "The longer I coach, the more of a premium I put on character -- and we are very fortunate to have kids of great character.... who have made themselves into very good basketball players."

Are you UPSET with SELF? ~ ONLY N OKLAHOMA

Bill Self.

Coach Self.

Grew up in Oklahoma.

Played some pretty heady basketball for Oklahoma State.

Coached ORU.

Coached Tulsa University. Took the Cane to Elite 8 and pushed the North Carolina Tar Heels to the edge before succumbing and just missing out on a FINAL FOUR for the Hurricane.

Coached Illinois.

Took over as head honcho for the Kansas Jayhawks and their storied basketball program.

T. Boone Pickens, gazillionaire deluxe, tried to lure Wild Bill back to Stillwater but Bill decided to stay put in Lawrence.

Although Self didn't move back to Oklahoma, you wonder if he ever wants to step foot in the state again. {I know he well, since his family still lives here!}

Why do I say that? How about I give you four reasons why, namely:

1. It was March 18th, 2005, around five years ago when the heavily favored JAYHAWKS were ambushed by the mighty squad from BUCKNELL.
2. The last two times Self brought his #1 Ranked Jayhawks to his alma mater, the ORANGE from aggie land knocked Kansas for a big LOSS.
3. [Stillwater Loss; 2 in a row!!]
   
4. And just hours ago,,, in the OK CITY NCAA REGIONAL at the Ford Center, Northern Iowa from the Missouri Valley Conference ended Self and the Jayhawks season with another SHOCKING DEFEAT.

And take a look at who hammered the final nail into the Kansas coffin.

Ali Farokhmanesh.

Ali who? Ali, you know, the kid who attended junior college his freshmen year because no D-1 wanted him on their team. Could you blame them? Maybe 5'10" tall, and not a great jumper, and not super quick. Gosh,, ya think there will be a recruiting RUN on Ali Farokhmanesh type players now? Hah! Don't count on it!

But "he can PLAY!", those who knew him kept saying. Well, his first juco coach was so impressed that HE didn't even play Ali. Poor Ali!

So he moved on to another junior college for his second year. That is where Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson saw something he liked in the "not your stereotypical Division I #2 shooting guard!"

Back to Self.
Having kind of a BAD STREAK here in Oklahoma performances, dontcha think?

Could it just be KARMA?
Payback for not returning to our roots (while being offered MILLION$ of Dollar$ to do it!) can be a very stinging, painful experience.

What March Madness is all about..ST MARY's GAELS

St. Mary's Gaels have just knocked off the #2 Seed Villanova Wildcats 75-68 propelling the group to the school's 2nd NCAA victory ever and into the SWEET 16 next week in Houston.

This game follows an equally impressive first round upset victory over the #7 seed Richmond Spiders on Thursday.

Coach Randy Bennett and his band of Gaelic warriors could be featured in a "HOW TO" video on winning basketball with great teamplay. Even watching on the television, I can FEEL the very special feeling that we in sports get when we see a group of individuals place their own goals behind the TEAM goals.... and as we watch,,, we know we're witnessing a special chemistry that can best be labeled as TeamWork.

I remember the acronoym T E A M,,, Together Everyone Achieves More. And Bennett has certainly assembled the key ingredients, and as chef, has created a splendid Gaels masterpiece. Regardless of what happens next week in the Sweet 16 game, Bennett and the Gaels followers have been treated to a very special season!

Thanks goodness for March madness as I only saw brief glimpses of their midnight [CST & EST] clashes with Gonzaga and other conference games.

Style~
Impressive!!! The TOUCH passes, the spacing, the TOTAL focus of each player on doing whatever is required,, on every shot,, on both ends of the court. Three point shooting, strong post play, and the unselfish attitude contribute to their success. That attitude comes from one source. The Coach.

Great Job Coach!

Kansas versus Kansas State- Clemente

K-State missed their first 12 shots of the half, yet trail by just 4 points at halftime.

Denny Clemente, K State guard from Puerto Rico, is a superb jump shooter off the dribble. Incredibly fast,,, he is a one man fast break. His speed is tough to contend against. But what impresses me most is how fast he can get his shot off. When he puts the ball on the court, he is so smart at using his available pics, and when he picks up his dribble, it's a "no wasted motion" thing of beauty. Quick release personified.

I don't think K State has the front court that can beat Kansas, but the guards are as good as any pair in the country.

It was Twenty Years ago Today~ Sgt. Hank Gathers Left us & Showed us how to PLAY

Jack Patton asked me a question about Loyola Marymount on a previous post about the Loyola Marymount fast break, and coincidentally it was exactly twenty years ago today that the college basketball world was stunned by the sudden.. on court death of Hank Gathers. I felt the urge to reminisce and share a touching story.

Twenty years ago today, March 4th, Hank Gathers Passed away. I'm going to tell you an incredibly touching story...but first let me share some background.

Today's basketball players probably don't recognize the name. Hank Gathers. Believe me, Gathers was an incredibly talented basketball player....let me just tell you a little bit about him.

Raised in the Raymond Rosen Projects in North Philadelphia, Gathers had his sights set on making the NBA when he was 12 yrs old. Thinking every rebound was his, and that he could make every shot he took, Hank became a cocky, 6'7" strong, athletic forward for the LMU Lions. A beast on the boards. A terror to contain in the paint.

He was 23 at the time, and played for Loyola Marymount [Ca.] under head coach Paul Westhead who was notorious for being the ultimate coach of run and gun basketball. High speed, full court pressing, attacking running game were his trademarks.

Westhead had previously been a head coach for three different NBA teams and also coached for 9 yrs at LaSalle. Offensive players LOVED playing his style. Last year he took over the head coaching position of the Oregon Ducks women's program!
In 2007, Westhead coached the Mercury to a WNBA championship, making him the only coach to win a championship in the NBA and the WNBA. But this isn't about Westhead.

Hank Gathers and Bo Kimble transferred from USC to play for Westhead at LMU on the other side of town. It became the Hank & Bo show. The year before his death, the 6'7" Gathers led the NCAA in both scoring (over 32 points per game!) AND rebounding (just under 14 RB's per game!). How good was Gathers? His warrior mentality and confidence meant he would never back down.

Loyola Marymount was the media darling with their fan friendly,, free style run-and-gun offensive attack. A month before his death, LMU headed east to play a nationally televised game before a sell-out crowd in Baton Rouge against Louisiana State.

LSU had a pretty good youngster by the name of Shaquille O'Neal. Also on that squad was Stanley Roberts, 7'0" and 285 lbs, who also had a nice NBA career. They had an all american guard named Chris Jackson. The game began and Gathers had his first FIVE shots blocked from what Coach Westhead remembered!! About 14,000 LSU faithful were going nuts as their star studded Tigers looked like they would destroy the high scoring Lions on the Tiger homecourt. But Gathers, Kimble and company did not go down easily.

It was a track meet and a game of runs; LSU held a 72-58 lead at halftime. Loyola was leading the country in scoring and LSU Tiger Coach Dale Brown had decided he was going to run with LMU, arguably the best conditioned team in the country. Gathers recovered from the BLOCK festival to finish with 48 points; 20 of 35 field goals and 8 of 11 free throws. [Many fans never noticed, but Gathers would shoot his free throws both right handed and left handed.]

LSU held on to win what might have been the most entertaining game ever in college basketball. The Tigers were forced into overtime before winning 148-141.!

The twin towers O'Neal and Roberts combined for 41 points including 19 of 22 combined from the field. But Gathers and Kimble and their teammates were something special when they would steal, rebound, or grab the ball as it came through the basket they attempted to defend. And they clawed their way back into the game. [Opponents scored often and early against the Lions.]

OK,, what happened to Hank? Exactly one month and one day after the memorable nationally televised game at LSU, Gathers was playing against Portland in their conference quarterfinals.

Terrell Lowery [who later played baseball for the Texas Rangers after a several years playing here in Tulsa with the Drillers] made a steal and fed Gathers for an alley oop dunk. There was 13 minutes left in the first half, running back on defense, Gathers slapped hands with Lowery before collapsing at half court.

The crowd went silent.

With Gathers mother, Lucille Gathers Cheeseboro, and other family members courtside, Gathers died. Five days later he was buried. Projected as an NBA lottery pick, his heart failure made his performance a month earlier even more impressive.

Kimble, who led the NCAA in scoring that year, said, "People identified with his greatness on the court, but he was even greater as a person."

NCAA RUN by Gathers-less LIONS
Five days after Gathers was laid to rest at Sharon Hill cemetery in Philadelphia, LMU began an improbable run through the tournament before falling to UNLV one game short of the Final Four.

"It was all a blur to me," Kimble says softly. "When that ball went up in the air, guys were playing for the love and respect of Hank."

HONORING HANK
In honor of his fallen teammate, Kimble elected to shoot the first free throw in all four of the NCAA Tournament games LEFT HANDED. Oh my god...I remember seeing video of each of those shots.

Tears mounted each time I watched; it made the "game" seem so trivial. I remember thinking the free throws were more important than who won the game!! I will never forget the feeling I had as Kimble readied his left handed shots. Amazingly,,,or not....Bo converted all four of the left handed charities.

Forty-four for Life Foundation
Today, through his non-profit Forty-four for Life Foundation (44forlife.org), Kimble continues to honor Gathers' legacy. The foundation raises money to donate defibrillators and educate people around the world about sudden cardiac arrest.

"It's all about giving back to save lives," Kimble says.

"It's a sign of respect for Hank."

Jack, thank you for asking about Loyola Marymount's pressing defense. Although you may be right about it being the "key" to their fast break, they were equally good at breaking after MADE baskets! While leading the country in scoring, they may have had the worst defense based on opponents scoring. But Lowery and Tony Walker were ultra quick, and Kimble and Gathers had the basketball smarts to make numerous interceptions and steals.

My dad, Len Morton, used to broadcast Tulsa University basketball games in the 60's and 70's and a lot of the stat sheets were handwritten during the game. I used to devour those stat sheets after each game. I found this box score of that unbelievable game.

#44 Eric "Hank" Gathers ~ I hope you are resting peacefully Hank!