From Glory to Gloom: The Story of the Atlanta Falcons

Let’s set the scene. It’s February 5, 2017 in Houston, Texas. The Atlanta Falcons have a 25-point lead in Super Bowl 51 midway through the third quarter against the juggernaut of a team known as the New England Patriots. Falcon’s owner Arthur Blank is in his press box suite dancing in jubilation with his general manager, Thomas Dimitroff, by his side. Have the Falcons started a new dynasty in the NFL for years to come? The quick answer to that question is no, but I will give you the longer answer.

The Falcons, in a year with the highest scoring offense in the NFL led under an MVP quarterback in Matt Ryan, had the Patriots on the ropes for three quarters. But, no lead is ever safe with Tom Brady at the helm for New England. As many probably know by now, the Patriots overcame the largest super bowl deficit in Super Bowl history, beating the Falcons in overtime on their first possession. The team that had given a whole city hopes for something great, instead let down thousands in heartbreaking fashion yet again and caused forever-long embarrassment to the franchise as a whole. 28-3, the lead the Falcons had over the Patriots midway through the third quarter of Super Bowl 51, would forever live in infamy.

The following season in 2017, the Falcons had to answer to all skeptics that they have forgotten about the Super Bowl, and have moved on. Many believed Atlanta would suffer from a Super Bowl hangover, and in a way they did. Reigning MVP quarterback, Matt Ryan, had admitted that he was still struggling with the thought of losing Super Bowl 51. He even said he would be in a grocery store, and think, “how did we lose that game?” The memories left in Houston would haunt Atlanta forever. The Falcons moved on to a new offensive coordinator, Steve Sarkisian, in 2017 after Kyle Shanahan left for the head coaching vacancy in San Francisco. Sarkisian was an interesting hire to many, considering that he was essentially blackballed as Head Coach of USC in 2015 after struggling with alcoholism. He was known to be an offensive genius, but instead, Atlanta went from being the highest scoring offense in 2016 to one of the league’s worst in 2017. The defense, ranked top-10, led the Falcons back to the playoffs. But, the Falcons choked away another late game lead against the reigning Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs.

Now, we’re in 2018. The Falcons are 4-8 heading into week 14 of the season. The offense is anemic, and the defense is lifeless. Ranking worst in the league in almost every category defensively, and having the worst rushing offense in the NFL, the Falcons can’t do anything right. You can blame injuries, because Atlanta has lost several key starters on both sides of the ball. But, injuries aren’t the problem in Atlanta. Key veterans that they rely on, as well as their coaching staff led under Dan Quinn, have failed them. Whether they want to admit it or not, they have never been the same since 28-3. Changes are on the way for the Falcons, and for the fans in the city of Atlanta, all they can do is sit back and wait. In the meantime, with a roster full of talent, the Falcons have utterly disappointed the NFL as a whole. We all expected better from this team. From being at the top of the NFC in 2016 to being one of the worst teams in 2018, life has come full circle for Atlanta. With four games remaining in the season, we will be able to learn a lot about this team.

-Allen Perez (Senior at Kennesaw State University, Sports Director of KSU Owl Radio, radio play-by-play announcer for Kennesaw State Men’s basketball and sports talk show host) (Twitter: @therealATLfan, email: allenperezsports@gmail.com)

A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC PLEASE!

   by Harry Cummins

It's always a good thing when fans depart their favorite sports venue with a song in their heart.

Win or loose, Yankees diehards head homeward after every game with the strains from Frank Sinatra reminding them that they reside in one of the great cities in the universe, 'New York, New York.'

So here is my idea for the good folks in charge of marketing at Multnomah University, who if you haven't noticed, happen to occupy the epicenter of the college basketball universe these last few days.

As long as their distance dandy Justin Martin continues to launch basketballs from another zip code, and as long as fans can watch memorable, video game scoring every night, why not have their own legendary crooner serenade the faithful as they head into the night of another great city in the world? 

So this is what I'm thinking.  Play Nat King Cole's version of 'Unforgettable' 

Win or loose!!    That's what every night should be here in Portland, Oregon.                               

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

              "Shots started to fall and it was just like the basket was an ocean"

This from Multnomah's Justin Martin following his mind-boggling 71 point game.

(see earlier story on Craw's corner)

OH WHAT A (71 pt) NIGHT!!!!

by Harry Cummins

     Multnomah guard Justin Martin, the NAIA's leading scorer at 31.9 ppg, posted one of the stratospheric numbers in collegiate basketball history Tuesday night when he connected on a record (15) 3 point baskets enroute to a jaw-dropping 71 point performance in Portland, Oregon.

      Martin's final basket came on a running floater with 2 seconds left, giving the Lions of the Cascade Collegiate Conference a pulsating 126-124 upset win over cross town rival Warner Pacific, as students and fans stormed the court in wild celebration of their teams first ever win over a nationally ranked opponent.

     Martin, a 5'9" junior, was a sensational 21 of 33 from the field and an unheard of 15 of 19 from 3, moving into 2nd and 3rd place all-time in the NAIA for made 3's in a single game.  His previous game high for 3 point baskets was set only a few weeks ago when he hit 14 against NCAA D-3 Pacific University.  His 71 individual points broke the all-time CCC scoring record and was the NAIA high mark for the season by a whopping 21 points, established last week by Malik Martin of Midland (Neb) who scored 50 points on 20 of 23 shooting. 

     Multnomah's Martin now has recorded games this season of 44,49, and 71 points!!  The 71 points also fell just one point shy of the all-time NCAA D-l record of 72 points, set in 1991 by Kevin Bradshaw of United States International in a game against Loyola Marymount.  It was also the 2nd highest single game point total in NAIA history, and an all-time NAIA D-2 record.

     Martin had 37 points in the 2nd half, and the (8-3) Lions needed all of them to withstand a furious late game charge by the 17th ranked Knights, who trailed 91-66 with 14:12 left in the contest.  Morris Bethea and Khiry Williams led the Warner Pacific's rally with 27 and 21 points on the night,while Collin Malcom registered a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

     At one point Martin was an uncanny 15 of 17 from 3, showcasing his NBA and beyond range with acrobatic slashes to the basket that allowed him to convert 14 of 17 from the free throw line.  As a team, Multnomah hit 19 3's, well short of their historic (38) 3 point baskets in their record setting game against Pacific, an all-time NAIA high.

     Martin had plenty of help from his teammates.  Brett Blackstock  had 22 points and provided the key spark for the Lions starting the second half.  Ben Grandle had a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds, while 6'6 Stephan Zavydovskyy had 11 rebounds.  National assist leader Briggs Young was held to just 3 assists as the ball was in Martin's hands throughout the game as he buried big shot after big shot that left the crowd in disbelief. A chorus of "how many does he have now" was an overheard refrain throughout the second half.

"Justin is a special kid," said Coach Curt Bickley.  "He told me with 8 minutes to go that he wanted the ball every possession. I agreed!"  To put Martin's performance in further perspective, his 15 3's surpassed the all-time NBA record of 14 set this year by Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors.

   This was a huge win for Multnomah and their coach, who masterfully manuvered a 7 player lineup to one of the most memorable nights of basketball ever witnessed in the Pacific Northwest.   Justin Martin and tiny Multnomah University, in their fourth year of NAIA play, just sent a big message to the entire basketball world tonight.                   

Sunday Thoughts, Basketball

By Gregory Crawford @wchoops

1. Living in Oregon, it is great to have Brian Wheeler back as radio voice of Blazers, even if it is just home games.

2. For first time ever, the four D-1 women’s teams in Oregon are pretty darn good.

3. There are no miracles in NBA , the Spurs great run is over.

4. The GNAC conference, D-2 has an upper tier level on men’s side second to none.

5. The OSAA does a marvelous job of running high school sports in Oregon, but boy is it ever time for shot clock in basketball.

6. Clif Wegner the men’s coach at Clackamas CC deserves to be in Oregon Sports Hall of Fame, his record is best of any active college coach in state of Oregon.

7. Larry Ellison is leader in clubhouse to be new owner of Portland Trail Blazers.

8. What shame in New York, Nets and Knicks a total mess, no relief in sight.

9. This writer sees over 130 college games live each year, best player I have seen so far 18-19, Nijal Pearson of Texas State, check him out.

SMALL COLLEGE BASKETBALL'S NEW BEACON   

  by HARRY CUMMINS


It's game night on America's most beautiful cliff-top campus.  

A stream of rental cars belonging to NBA scouts pass thru Point Loma Nazarene University's security check stop and wind their way down to Golden Gymnasium.  If its Thursday night and they arrive early, some may wish to pay $5 for the weekly 'Sunset Tour' of this post-card campus, which includes dinner in the student dinning hall and a prime viewing spot over-looking the Pacific to witness sea lions frolic in a classic California sunset. 

When nature turns off the the lights, its time for the indoor Sea Lions to play.  Aided by his talented teammates, 6'8" Jr. transfer Daulton Hommes is about to illuminate the under appreciated world of small college basketball in this country. 

 You may have seen Hommes play last January at Concordia University in Portland,Oregon, where he scored 24 points as a "walk on" at Western Washington University.  Maybe you saw him briefly at Lynden Christian High School in Washington, where he played football and basketball before twice tearing his ACL and loosing 3 years of playing time.  Or maybe you caught Hommes playing last August in an annual NBA pro-am tournament in Tacoma, hosted by Isaiah Thomas, that included Zack Levine, Jamal Crawford and Dejounte Murray.   Playing as a late roster fill-in, he scored 36 points and had 12 rebounds in his first game.  

Hommes story is a confounding, non-traditional, basketball odyssey with strong ties to the Pacific Northwest.  His current coach at PLNU, Ryan Looney, is remembered as the 2009-10 GNAC Coach of the Year at Seattle Pacific University, where he spent 7 seasons.  In 2015, a somewhat unknown high school athlete, along with his dad, paid a visit to Looney's office in Seattle, hoping to net a scholarship offer.  Looney, coming off a 24-8 season with many returning players, had no scholarships to offer Daulton Hommes and his father.

After a 2017-18 season at WWU, where he averaged 18.1 ppg and was named 1st team All-GNAC,  Hommes decided he wanted to transfer and once again called Looney, who was now the head coach of  NCAA D-2 Point Loma Nazarene.  By now, Looney had heard stories about this kid from Lynden, Wa. who had grown 7 inches and had spent lots of time in the weight room since their last encounter.  "I was smart enough the second time around to say yes" Looney recently told the San Diego Union-Tribune. 

Earlier this summer, before the start of the current basketball season, Hommes paired up with Boston Celtics star Gordon Hayward for one-on-one daily workouts.  Hayward has a home in San Diego and was looking for someone of similar size and skill level locally to help him recover from a devastating injury of his own.  Hayward later told the Boston Globe," this kid just came out of nowhere and he is really, really good."

Hommes is currently averaging 21.8 points a game for the Sea Lions of the PacWest Conference.  He possesses a feathery outside touch for a big man, connecting on nearly half of his 3 point attempts.  He easily blows by bigger players for thundering dunks.  Hommes says his favorite Bible text is from Isaiah:  "They will grow wings like eagles..and they will run.. and not be weary."

The game-night traffic jams entering this secluded ocean-view campus are expanding exponentially.  There is a new tower of light replacing the Old Point Loma Lighthouse just down the street and the spotlight is luminous.  The NBA is watching.











         

Crawford’s Power Rankings, NBA

By Gregory Crawford @wchoops

Crawford’s world famous power rankings are back. We do many leagues, college and pros. Keep in mind, out of great respect for golf, we do everything in 9s. More importantly always tell me where I went wrong. NBA power rankings here every Saturday.

9. Detroit
8. Golden State
7. OKC
6. Memphis
5. Clippers
4. Philadelphia
3. Milwaukee
2. Denver
1. Toronto