It is always good to catch up and in doing so, I wanted to bring you up to date on some things I have written about and also share some information.
Pink Whistles---My Memorial Day column was about the dispute between the Pacific Northwest Football Officials and their governing body over the use of pink whistles during a series of games and the punishment that was dealt them, which has for the last eight months been an international story and outcry against the Washington Officials Association.
The PNFA have now hired a high powered Seattle, Washington attorney and are in the process of filing a lawsuit against the Washington Officials Association and its board. This could get either really ugly or a settlement could be reached soon. As I wrote in my column, this is an easy settlement and I am leaning towards it never gets to court.
Danny Miles and Brad Jackson--- It was really nice to know that both of these outstanding people and coaches took the time to write to myself and thank me for the things I said about both in recent columns. It shows a lot about the type of people both of these men are, but also it is never necessary, as I write this blog for the benefit of the many people around the country and the especially the great west coast basketball fans who read it each and everyday. Thank you Coach Miles and Jackson, for being so polite.
Center Court Line----In my research on Oregon getting a center court line that can be visible to 99 percent of the live audience or people watching on tv, there is nothing new. Bottom line, it needs to be more visible, right now the only people who can see it as I have written before is someone standing two feet over the line, with a magnifying glass. Let's get real here Ducks, there is a difference between being edgy and and being disrespectful to the game.
Seattle U---All kind of people have written to myself about why they think Seattle U. is not getting into the West Coast Conference of which I have written about, which seems like a no-brainer. Many have expressed the opinion that Gonzaga and the University of Portland are holding up the process, if there even is a process that is current. To be fair, the last time the teams in the WCC voted on this issue it was 8-0 against admitting the Redhawks for membership into the league. It is something I will follow up on and let you know any news in the weeks ahead. If Seattle U. does not get into the WCC eventually, the only way to describe it is, travesty. In case your wondering, I am not even a Seattle U. fan, I just like fairness and what makes common sense.
No 2nd Overtime---In one of my columns last month, I wrote about eliminating a second overtime in college basketball games if needed and replace it with a free throw shoot out. Many thought the column was a spoof, that I was just trying a little humor. The true facts are that is not the case. I watch a lot of college basketball both live and on tv and factually the worst part of any games when they reach that point is the second overtime. Horribly played and horribly officiated is usually the norm. My proposal would put so much strategy, pressure and excitement into overtime, why not think outside the box.
Bill Russell---Thanks for all the comments about my initial CRAWFACTS, it will return late this week. You like it and by your comments you especially liked the part about Bill Russell changing the entire history of the NBA and not related to his being the greatest shot blocker of all time in basketball, but his turning down a huge offer to join the Harlem Globetrotters out of college and then being drafted by the Boston Celtics.
Washington Generals---The Generals do prove that there are good guys who can finish last. The Generals in their constant battle to defeat the Harlem Globetrotters have lost over 14,000 games. As I wrote about how the Generals came to prominence following a game between Seattle U and the Globetrotters in 1952, it is obvious by the emails I received, the Generals have a following that would shock a lot of people and are adored by more than just a few fans. A gentleman in Oklahoma even writes daily a nicely done blog on the Washington Generals, http://washingtongeneralsfan.blogspot.com.
Who would have thought.
I want to personally thank everyone who reads this blog and people who write emails, even if you disagree, as you often do. While I really enjoy doing this, it means even more that people can enjoy reading the columns. THANK YOU.
Editor's Note: Older columns, some referenced above are always available at http://crawscorner.blogspot.com
Monday, June 6, 2011
Is Anyone Noticing?
No one in football noticed that Chip Kelly was developing a dominating program at the University of Oregon until it was too late. Now everyone is playing catch up.
Could the same be happening with the Oregon men's basketball program?
Quietly, going into his second year leading the Ducks, head coach Dana Altman has a team for 2011-12 that has the makings of doing some damage in the Pac-12 and can easily make the NCAA tournament.
The 2011 recruiting class is loaded with players who can have an impact. At the top of the list is Jabari Brown, out of Oakland, California. Everyone wanted Brown, but to the surprise of a lot of people he chose the Oregon Ducks.
Brown most likely will play a shooting guard position for the Ducks, but he is so good at 6'3', he could play the point if needed and he also in a league like the Pac-12, which does not have a lot of big players, could move into the small forward position. The big problem for the Ducks could be how long Brown will stay at Oregon, barring injuries he is a sure fire NBA player.
Brown will join incoming recruits, Brett Kingma, Bruce Barron, Austin Keumper and Carlos Emory.
Of this group, the real surprise player could be Kingma. He can shoot with success from anywhere on the court and has an uncanny ability to get quality shots. Kingma comes from the basketball rich Seattle, Washington area, so he knows how to play already against the tough competition he will face in Pac-12 play.
As with every team, new recruits can't make the total difference, the Ducks have some fine players returning in E.J. Singler, Jeremy Jacob and a player who I think has the potential to have a break out year, sophomore point guard Jonathan Lloyd. Singler has improved greatly in each of his two years with the Ducks and if he continues in his final two years, he will become an outstanding Pac-12 player. We all know he knows the game, coming from a great athletic family, his brother Kyle was superb playing for Duke for four years and will be selected in the NBA draft later this month.
A missing piece to fill from last year's 21 win team for Ducks is finding a replacement for the capable Joevan Catron. Hitting the jackpot may just have ocurred in the last two weeks, as it was announced that star Louisiana Tech forward Olu Ashaolu will transfer to Oregon and will be able to play immediately as he graduated academically from La. Tech in February.
Ashaolu, comes to Oregon with outstanding credentials. At Louisiana Tech he average 14 points and 9 rebounds per game and despite withdrawing from the NBA draft, three different NBA scouts told me recently he would have probably been a middle second round pick. That tells a lot of people about the determination of a player, he wants to improve and is willing to work to do so. He will also join another good transfer from Minnesota, in Devoe Joseph, who sat out last year and is ready to make a major contribution.
Oregon in 2011 went from the best arena in the Pac-12 in Mac Court to the best arena in the Pac-12 in Matt Knight Arena. It is obvious, after some head scratching they picked a pretty darn good coach to replace Ernie Kent in Dana Altman. The guy won 21 games with at best average talent last year. The pieces are there to have once again a great home court advantage.
Like so many other teams on the west coast, Oregon does not have a true big man who can make a difference, but they do have talent and depth in every other position for 2011-12. Games are not won on paper or predictions, but don't be surprised if the Ducks finish second in the Pac-12 this coming year, go to the NCAA tournament and like Oregon football, sneak up on everyone.
emails to crawscorner@gmail.com
Could the same be happening with the Oregon men's basketball program?
Quietly, going into his second year leading the Ducks, head coach Dana Altman has a team for 2011-12 that has the makings of doing some damage in the Pac-12 and can easily make the NCAA tournament.
The 2011 recruiting class is loaded with players who can have an impact. At the top of the list is Jabari Brown, out of Oakland, California. Everyone wanted Brown, but to the surprise of a lot of people he chose the Oregon Ducks.
Brown most likely will play a shooting guard position for the Ducks, but he is so good at 6'3', he could play the point if needed and he also in a league like the Pac-12, which does not have a lot of big players, could move into the small forward position. The big problem for the Ducks could be how long Brown will stay at Oregon, barring injuries he is a sure fire NBA player.
Brown will join incoming recruits, Brett Kingma, Bruce Barron, Austin Keumper and Carlos Emory.
Of this group, the real surprise player could be Kingma. He can shoot with success from anywhere on the court and has an uncanny ability to get quality shots. Kingma comes from the basketball rich Seattle, Washington area, so he knows how to play already against the tough competition he will face in Pac-12 play.
As with every team, new recruits can't make the total difference, the Ducks have some fine players returning in E.J. Singler, Jeremy Jacob and a player who I think has the potential to have a break out year, sophomore point guard Jonathan Lloyd. Singler has improved greatly in each of his two years with the Ducks and if he continues in his final two years, he will become an outstanding Pac-12 player. We all know he knows the game, coming from a great athletic family, his brother Kyle was superb playing for Duke for four years and will be selected in the NBA draft later this month.
A missing piece to fill from last year's 21 win team for Ducks is finding a replacement for the capable Joevan Catron. Hitting the jackpot may just have ocurred in the last two weeks, as it was announced that star Louisiana Tech forward Olu Ashaolu will transfer to Oregon and will be able to play immediately as he graduated academically from La. Tech in February.
Ashaolu, comes to Oregon with outstanding credentials. At Louisiana Tech he average 14 points and 9 rebounds per game and despite withdrawing from the NBA draft, three different NBA scouts told me recently he would have probably been a middle second round pick. That tells a lot of people about the determination of a player, he wants to improve and is willing to work to do so. He will also join another good transfer from Minnesota, in Devoe Joseph, who sat out last year and is ready to make a major contribution.
Oregon in 2011 went from the best arena in the Pac-12 in Mac Court to the best arena in the Pac-12 in Matt Knight Arena. It is obvious, after some head scratching they picked a pretty darn good coach to replace Ernie Kent in Dana Altman. The guy won 21 games with at best average talent last year. The pieces are there to have once again a great home court advantage.
Like so many other teams on the west coast, Oregon does not have a true big man who can make a difference, but they do have talent and depth in every other position for 2011-12. Games are not won on paper or predictions, but don't be surprised if the Ducks finish second in the Pac-12 this coming year, go to the NCAA tournament and like Oregon football, sneak up on everyone.
emails to crawscorner@gmail.com
Saturday, June 4, 2011
What Is That TRUCK Really Like
Probably the most important person in bringing us any televised sports event is its PRODUCER. Someone you never see, you never hear from and their name is lost in the night.
Matt Lipp is one of the best sports producers in the business today and is based on the west coast. He is so good that at various times he works for ESPN, Fox Sports, Prime Ticket and Fox Sports West and whoever else is lucky enough to grab him on a rare day off. To break it down, Lipp brings into our living room (I guess in these days I should also add our computers and cell phones), the Clippers, Angels and a whole host of college basketball nightly.
For the record, you have to be really, really, really good at to be a sports producer for ESPN, Fox Sports and Prime Ticket. High tech is in, poor production banishes you to a seat in the stands as a fan.
Matt Lipp is not only a great sports producer, but he is a fine person, so I contacted him and like a lot of you, I wanted to more about what goes into the production of a college basketball game and how those pieces fit together to bring you a near flawless broadcast night in and night out.
Once the game begins, Lipp and his staff, work out of what looks like the average long haul truck. It is far from average and has so many screens, computers and gadgets that it would make Steve Jobs blush. But Lipp's job begins well before he ever sets foot in that mystical truck.
What is Lipp's definition of a sports producer?
"I am like a well paid storyteller/traffic cop. The producer handles everything and I do mean everything that goes on during the broadcast, with the exception of the camera shots, which are handled by the director."
But long before the ball is ever tipped off, Lipp, just like the teams that play the game is hard at work in preparation. He first emails the sports information director of both the home and visiting teams of his upcoming game and tells them what time the game is expected to tip off and who the game announcers will be. At the same time he requests the game notes be sent to himself, the director, announcers and graphics coordinator, who prepare and do their homework on the same level as Lipp.
Lipp will then follow up with phone calls to the SIDs to see about the "state of the teams" and if there is any interesting stories about any of the players. Lipp is very proud of the fact that sports producers in all sports never tell anything which would compromise the integrity of the teams' game plans or reveal plans which might give one team an advantage.
Once he gets the info from the SIDs, like the teams playing, he formulates a game plan. Lipp checks to see if the teams have played previously, to see if there is any pertinent video he could use during the game and also sends along a graphics package to the graphic coordinator. (Graphics are the stats, numbers, score and anything else on the screen, besides the game).
On game day, Lipp checks with his staff to see if everything is in order and also meets with his staff approx. one hour prior to the game. Once again his staff is prepared well in advance, as evidenced by the great sports broadcasts we see on all networks.
THE GAME. Once the game begins, Lipp is in charge of when all replays are shown, what graphics appear and making sure all promos are read by the announcers, something very important to all networks. If questions arise from anyone, the buck stops with the producer. Besides everything else, the producer must keep up on any storylines that are developing during the game and also any national storylines which might be developing. In essence, Matt Lipp must lead the announcers down the path that the game is developing into and the announcers need to have complete trust in what the producer is telling them through that all important earpiece. Per Lipp, the most important thing any producer can do is make sure that the producer and announcers are constantly in sync to the game that we are seeing on the screen.
Not to be forgotten, because we would not have games without them, is the sponsors. Lipp needs to make sure all media timeouts happen when they are suppose too, as well as any "play of the game" or "player of the games" comes off, if sponsored, with giving the sponsor the full credit. (And Craw's Corner might add, for all the complainers about media timeouts and too many commercials, there are so many people who depend on tv sports for their only source of entertainment, often who are house bound or simply can't afford to attend the game, so we do need those sponsors, more than you might think, so hush up.)
Matt Lipp, like many who play the games we love is also the constant team player. He loves to give credit to all his staff of which many he has worked with for years that include, Steve Turnburger (Director), Ernie Spargur (Associate Director), Andre Dawson (Associate Producer) and Dave Feldman (Associate Producer).
So the next time you hear your announce team on a game say, "Let's see what the truck can show us? or how about that great work done by our truck on showing us those replays", hopefully you will think of people like Matt Lipp and the hard work his staff do behind the scenes to give us those great sports broadcasts each and every night.
Suddenly, that TRUCK does not seem like the mysterious vehicle that sits next to a basketball arena. It actually has people in it and quality people, dedicated professionals who make sports and college basketball what it is, JUST GREAT.
Matt Lipp and staff, I know I speak for many, THANK YOU.
Matt Lipp is one of the best sports producers in the business today and is based on the west coast. He is so good that at various times he works for ESPN, Fox Sports, Prime Ticket and Fox Sports West and whoever else is lucky enough to grab him on a rare day off. To break it down, Lipp brings into our living room (I guess in these days I should also add our computers and cell phones), the Clippers, Angels and a whole host of college basketball nightly.
For the record, you have to be really, really, really good at to be a sports producer for ESPN, Fox Sports and Prime Ticket. High tech is in, poor production banishes you to a seat in the stands as a fan.
Matt Lipp is not only a great sports producer, but he is a fine person, so I contacted him and like a lot of you, I wanted to more about what goes into the production of a college basketball game and how those pieces fit together to bring you a near flawless broadcast night in and night out.
Once the game begins, Lipp and his staff, work out of what looks like the average long haul truck. It is far from average and has so many screens, computers and gadgets that it would make Steve Jobs blush. But Lipp's job begins well before he ever sets foot in that mystical truck.
What is Lipp's definition of a sports producer?
"I am like a well paid storyteller/traffic cop. The producer handles everything and I do mean everything that goes on during the broadcast, with the exception of the camera shots, which are handled by the director."
But long before the ball is ever tipped off, Lipp, just like the teams that play the game is hard at work in preparation. He first emails the sports information director of both the home and visiting teams of his upcoming game and tells them what time the game is expected to tip off and who the game announcers will be. At the same time he requests the game notes be sent to himself, the director, announcers and graphics coordinator, who prepare and do their homework on the same level as Lipp.
Lipp will then follow up with phone calls to the SIDs to see about the "state of the teams" and if there is any interesting stories about any of the players. Lipp is very proud of the fact that sports producers in all sports never tell anything which would compromise the integrity of the teams' game plans or reveal plans which might give one team an advantage.
Once he gets the info from the SIDs, like the teams playing, he formulates a game plan. Lipp checks to see if the teams have played previously, to see if there is any pertinent video he could use during the game and also sends along a graphics package to the graphic coordinator. (Graphics are the stats, numbers, score and anything else on the screen, besides the game).
On game day, Lipp checks with his staff to see if everything is in order and also meets with his staff approx. one hour prior to the game. Once again his staff is prepared well in advance, as evidenced by the great sports broadcasts we see on all networks.
THE GAME. Once the game begins, Lipp is in charge of when all replays are shown, what graphics appear and making sure all promos are read by the announcers, something very important to all networks. If questions arise from anyone, the buck stops with the producer. Besides everything else, the producer must keep up on any storylines that are developing during the game and also any national storylines which might be developing. In essence, Matt Lipp must lead the announcers down the path that the game is developing into and the announcers need to have complete trust in what the producer is telling them through that all important earpiece. Per Lipp, the most important thing any producer can do is make sure that the producer and announcers are constantly in sync to the game that we are seeing on the screen.
Not to be forgotten, because we would not have games without them, is the sponsors. Lipp needs to make sure all media timeouts happen when they are suppose too, as well as any "play of the game" or "player of the games" comes off, if sponsored, with giving the sponsor the full credit. (And Craw's Corner might add, for all the complainers about media timeouts and too many commercials, there are so many people who depend on tv sports for their only source of entertainment, often who are house bound or simply can't afford to attend the game, so we do need those sponsors, more than you might think, so hush up.)
Matt Lipp, like many who play the games we love is also the constant team player. He loves to give credit to all his staff of which many he has worked with for years that include, Steve Turnburger (Director), Ernie Spargur (Associate Director), Andre Dawson (Associate Producer) and Dave Feldman (Associate Producer).
So the next time you hear your announce team on a game say, "Let's see what the truck can show us? or how about that great work done by our truck on showing us those replays", hopefully you will think of people like Matt Lipp and the hard work his staff do behind the scenes to give us those great sports broadcasts each and every night.
Suddenly, that TRUCK does not seem like the mysterious vehicle that sits next to a basketball arena. It actually has people in it and quality people, dedicated professionals who make sports and college basketball what it is, JUST GREAT.
Matt Lipp and staff, I know I speak for many, THANK YOU.
Friday, June 3, 2011
The Debut Of CRAWFACTS
Starting today and once week from now until the start of the college basketball season, I will be bringing you a new feature, CRAWFACTS, which will entail for you great readers, some facts about west coast college basketball which hopefully always will be informative, entertaining, sometimes funny and rarely sad.
So here goes the first edition, all researched from craw's corner crack research staff of one, myself.
1. Long Beach State, a school which as of late barely hits the map when you think about west coast basketball has had some pretty famous people as their head coaches in the history of its basketball program.
How about these guys who coached the 49ers........ Lute Olson, Tex Winter and Jerry Tarkanian. All three of these great coaches should be in every Hall of Fame related to college basketball, end of story.
2. When the San Francisco Dons were winning back to back NCAA championships in 1955 and 56, they were not playing in the present home of the Dons. War Memorial Gym, was actually built because of the success of the championship teams and opened in 1957. If you can believe, War Memorial, which seats less than 5.000 was home to the San Francisco Warriors of the NBA in the 1966-67 season and is also famous for being the site of the first ever nationally televised basketball game by CBS, that taking place in 1982, Georgia visited the Dons. (Boy have we come a long way in all aspects of basketball, especially basketball on TV.)
3. When I didn't know the answer to this question, I turned to the great assistant assistant athletic director at New Mexico, Frank Mercogliano.
Question is, who is responsible for tagging the name of the Lobos home court arena, "The Pit"? Turns out, no one. The arena is named as such because the building goes straight down into the ground. Coach K can say all he wants about Cameron Indoor Arena being the greatest home court in college basketball, but no one in college basketball has a better home court atmosphere than Utah State and New Mexico. If you moved those arenas and settings to the east coast, they would be revered.
4. In the great basketball history of Pac-8, Pac-10 and now Pac-12, only three coaches have been the head coach at two different schools within the conference. Marv Harshman (Washington State, Washington), Mike Montgomery (Stanford,California) and George Raveling (Washington State, USC). The reason I am not coaching basketball is that I could never go to my in-state rival, such as Harshman and Montgomery did, loyalty would block me. I am sure it was never about the money. Wink, wink.
5. Until it ended its great run of being the home court for the Oregon Ducks in 2011, Mac Court was the second oldest used college basketball arena in the country. Built in 1926, it was only surpassed in longevity by Rose Hill Gym, home court of the Fordham Rams, which was built in 1925. For the record, I did not know this and neither did the five Duck alumni I asked this week. Where did Mac Court get its name? It was named after Clifton Nesmith McArthur, who was a United State representative in Congress from Oregon and also the first student body president at Oregon.
6. Everyone associates Elgin Baylor's college career with Seattle University. The Redhawks, rightfully so, have named their court where they play their home games at Key Arena, after him. But Baylor did not start his college career at Seattle, but instead started at College of Idaho, which is an NAIA school in Caldwell, Idaho, which at Baylor's time played in the Northwest Conference and now plays in the Cascade Conference.
Baylor was an unreal player in high school, but lacked a little on the academic side. C of I was in no way trying to become at the time the Reed College of the west (google Reed, to get the inside joke) so they brought on Baylor to play with another famous athlete, R.C. Owens. Of course Owens went on from C of I, to become a great pro football player, most notably with the 49ers.
In the 1954-55 season, the two great basketball players lead the team to a 23-4 record, but lost in the regional playoffs to Montana St. for chance to go on and play in the NAIA national tournament.
For the record, in the 1954-55 season at College of Idaho, Baylor averaged 31.3 points per game and 18 rebounds and Owens averaged 19 points and 21 rebounds. That still might be the the most potent duo to take the court ever in west coast basketball.
By the way, how did Baylor get his first name? His Dad was a big fan of Elgin watches, truly one of great brands of all time in the watch and clock industry.
7. Speaking of the San Francisco Dons, they have so much basketball history, but in an indirect way they changed the entire history of the NBA. After leading the Dons to their second straight NCAA championship in 1956, Bill Russell was the hottest player in the game. And in 1956, the money to be made professionally was not in the NBA, but playing for the Harlem Globetrotters.
Abe Saperstein, the renown owner of the Trotters was telling everyone that he could see and would listen, that he was going to offer Russell $50,000 to join his world famous team and Russell was telling people he liked the idea. But when Saperstein came to the San Francisco campus, he barely acknowledged Russell, but instead spent his entire time on campus talking to Dons head coach Phil Woolpert, figuring that was the best avenue to Russell.
Russell was so incensed, hurt by the way Saperstein "dissed" him on his visit that he refused for the next ten years to ever even mention the Trotters. Instead he put himself in the 1956 NBA draft and the history of Bill Russell not going to the Trotters, but instead being one of the top five players of all time in the NBA playing for the dominating Boston Celtics, still has an impact on the league to this day.
Perhaps in June of 2011 we might not be talking about the Celtics as much as we do, but instead talking about the St. Louis Hawks, Ft. Wayne Pistons or the Rochester/Cincinnati/Kansas City/Sacramento Royals.
Bill Russell you messed up the entire NBA forever by choosing the Celtics over the Trotters, but oh were you an awesome basketball player.
I hope you enjoyed the history making edition of the first ever CRAWFACTS.
emails and comments always welcome, crawscorner@gmail.com
So here goes the first edition, all researched from craw's corner crack research staff of one, myself.
1. Long Beach State, a school which as of late barely hits the map when you think about west coast basketball has had some pretty famous people as their head coaches in the history of its basketball program.
How about these guys who coached the 49ers........ Lute Olson, Tex Winter and Jerry Tarkanian. All three of these great coaches should be in every Hall of Fame related to college basketball, end of story.
2. When the San Francisco Dons were winning back to back NCAA championships in 1955 and 56, they were not playing in the present home of the Dons. War Memorial Gym, was actually built because of the success of the championship teams and opened in 1957. If you can believe, War Memorial, which seats less than 5.000 was home to the San Francisco Warriors of the NBA in the 1966-67 season and is also famous for being the site of the first ever nationally televised basketball game by CBS, that taking place in 1982, Georgia visited the Dons. (Boy have we come a long way in all aspects of basketball, especially basketball on TV.)
3. When I didn't know the answer to this question, I turned to the great assistant assistant athletic director at New Mexico, Frank Mercogliano.
Question is, who is responsible for tagging the name of the Lobos home court arena, "The Pit"? Turns out, no one. The arena is named as such because the building goes straight down into the ground. Coach K can say all he wants about Cameron Indoor Arena being the greatest home court in college basketball, but no one in college basketball has a better home court atmosphere than Utah State and New Mexico. If you moved those arenas and settings to the east coast, they would be revered.
4. In the great basketball history of Pac-8, Pac-10 and now Pac-12, only three coaches have been the head coach at two different schools within the conference. Marv Harshman (Washington State, Washington), Mike Montgomery (Stanford,California) and George Raveling (Washington State, USC). The reason I am not coaching basketball is that I could never go to my in-state rival, such as Harshman and Montgomery did, loyalty would block me. I am sure it was never about the money. Wink, wink.
5. Until it ended its great run of being the home court for the Oregon Ducks in 2011, Mac Court was the second oldest used college basketball arena in the country. Built in 1926, it was only surpassed in longevity by Rose Hill Gym, home court of the Fordham Rams, which was built in 1925. For the record, I did not know this and neither did the five Duck alumni I asked this week. Where did Mac Court get its name? It was named after Clifton Nesmith McArthur, who was a United State representative in Congress from Oregon and also the first student body president at Oregon.
6. Everyone associates Elgin Baylor's college career with Seattle University. The Redhawks, rightfully so, have named their court where they play their home games at Key Arena, after him. But Baylor did not start his college career at Seattle, but instead started at College of Idaho, which is an NAIA school in Caldwell, Idaho, which at Baylor's time played in the Northwest Conference and now plays in the Cascade Conference.
Baylor was an unreal player in high school, but lacked a little on the academic side. C of I was in no way trying to become at the time the Reed College of the west (google Reed, to get the inside joke) so they brought on Baylor to play with another famous athlete, R.C. Owens. Of course Owens went on from C of I, to become a great pro football player, most notably with the 49ers.
In the 1954-55 season, the two great basketball players lead the team to a 23-4 record, but lost in the regional playoffs to Montana St. for chance to go on and play in the NAIA national tournament.
For the record, in the 1954-55 season at College of Idaho, Baylor averaged 31.3 points per game and 18 rebounds and Owens averaged 19 points and 21 rebounds. That still might be the the most potent duo to take the court ever in west coast basketball.
By the way, how did Baylor get his first name? His Dad was a big fan of Elgin watches, truly one of great brands of all time in the watch and clock industry.
7. Speaking of the San Francisco Dons, they have so much basketball history, but in an indirect way they changed the entire history of the NBA. After leading the Dons to their second straight NCAA championship in 1956, Bill Russell was the hottest player in the game. And in 1956, the money to be made professionally was not in the NBA, but playing for the Harlem Globetrotters.
Abe Saperstein, the renown owner of the Trotters was telling everyone that he could see and would listen, that he was going to offer Russell $50,000 to join his world famous team and Russell was telling people he liked the idea. But when Saperstein came to the San Francisco campus, he barely acknowledged Russell, but instead spent his entire time on campus talking to Dons head coach Phil Woolpert, figuring that was the best avenue to Russell.
Russell was so incensed, hurt by the way Saperstein "dissed" him on his visit that he refused for the next ten years to ever even mention the Trotters. Instead he put himself in the 1956 NBA draft and the history of Bill Russell not going to the Trotters, but instead being one of the top five players of all time in the NBA playing for the dominating Boston Celtics, still has an impact on the league to this day.
Perhaps in June of 2011 we might not be talking about the Celtics as much as we do, but instead talking about the St. Louis Hawks, Ft. Wayne Pistons or the Rochester/Cincinnati/Kansas City/Sacramento Royals.
Bill Russell you messed up the entire NBA forever by choosing the Celtics over the Trotters, but oh were you an awesome basketball player.
I hope you enjoyed the history making edition of the first ever CRAWFACTS.
emails and comments always welcome, crawscorner@gmail.com
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Sometimes They Do Stay Put
There is a another pretty good basketball coach on the west coast that is named Jackson and he is not retiring.
While Phil will forever get the accolades, Western Washington head coach Brad Jackson, like Phil, just keeps winning.
Brad Jackson has been the head basketball coach at Western Washington University, in Bellingham, Washington for 27 years.
Bellingham is a quaint little town, just south of the Canadian border along Interstate-5. Windy in the winter, gorgeous in the summer. Western Washington is a member of the GNAC conference, an outstanding D-2 basketball league which has teams located in five states and the province of British Columbia. If you play and coach in the GNAC, get used to traveling and I don't mean the traveling that referees call. Going to Alaska and Montana in the winter, as teams do in the GNAC, is not my idea of fun.
Coaches who stay at one school for over 20 years and also win, intrigue me greatly, there is almost something mystical about it.
In his 27 years at Western, Jackson has won over 64 percent of his games, has 11, 20 win seasons, is coming up on 500 wins (most coaches would love to get 200 at one school) and is the longest tenured coach in any sport in the history of the school. (In NAIA and D-2 basketball, 20 wins is much harder to get than D-1, cause the teams play less games on their schedule.)
But with that great record, I think there is something much more important about Brad Jackson. He has had a chance to move on and coach at many schools, on a much higher level and obviously make a great deal more money, I mean lots of money in this day and age. Like Danny Miles, the great head coach of Oregon Institute of Technology, Jackson has chosen to stay at Western Washington and make an impact on not only the lives of the close to 400 athletes he has coached, but the thousands of students he comes in contact with on the campus of Western Washington.
I first saw Brad Jackson play when he was a guard for Washington State in the 70s. He was a good enough player then that in his senior he lead the then Pac-8 (yes it was then the Pac-8) in assist average. You could kind of tell when you watched him play and the way he played, that he had the makings of becoming an outstanding coach as he is. I am also sure it didn't hurt that while at Washington State he had the pleasure of playing for two of the greatest college coaches of all time, Marv Harshman and George Raveling.
Brad Jackson, unlike Phil, is more than likely not going to appear often on ESPN, or be featured in national magazines, but for sure he part of the great history of west coast college basketball and even more important he is doing something he loves and doing it at a place he loves and above all, making a difference.
We need a lot more Brad Jacksons, not only in the coaching world, but in the world of helping and shaping the lives of young men and women. Thanks coach Jackson for staying put, a lot of people are better off for it. Your a credit to your profession and credit to the human spirit of giving back.
emails, crawscorner@gmail.com
While Phil will forever get the accolades, Western Washington head coach Brad Jackson, like Phil, just keeps winning.
Brad Jackson has been the head basketball coach at Western Washington University, in Bellingham, Washington for 27 years.
Bellingham is a quaint little town, just south of the Canadian border along Interstate-5. Windy in the winter, gorgeous in the summer. Western Washington is a member of the GNAC conference, an outstanding D-2 basketball league which has teams located in five states and the province of British Columbia. If you play and coach in the GNAC, get used to traveling and I don't mean the traveling that referees call. Going to Alaska and Montana in the winter, as teams do in the GNAC, is not my idea of fun.
Coaches who stay at one school for over 20 years and also win, intrigue me greatly, there is almost something mystical about it.
In his 27 years at Western, Jackson has won over 64 percent of his games, has 11, 20 win seasons, is coming up on 500 wins (most coaches would love to get 200 at one school) and is the longest tenured coach in any sport in the history of the school. (In NAIA and D-2 basketball, 20 wins is much harder to get than D-1, cause the teams play less games on their schedule.)
But with that great record, I think there is something much more important about Brad Jackson. He has had a chance to move on and coach at many schools, on a much higher level and obviously make a great deal more money, I mean lots of money in this day and age. Like Danny Miles, the great head coach of Oregon Institute of Technology, Jackson has chosen to stay at Western Washington and make an impact on not only the lives of the close to 400 athletes he has coached, but the thousands of students he comes in contact with on the campus of Western Washington.
I first saw Brad Jackson play when he was a guard for Washington State in the 70s. He was a good enough player then that in his senior he lead the then Pac-8 (yes it was then the Pac-8) in assist average. You could kind of tell when you watched him play and the way he played, that he had the makings of becoming an outstanding coach as he is. I am also sure it didn't hurt that while at Washington State he had the pleasure of playing for two of the greatest college coaches of all time, Marv Harshman and George Raveling.
Brad Jackson, unlike Phil, is more than likely not going to appear often on ESPN, or be featured in national magazines, but for sure he part of the great history of west coast college basketball and even more important he is doing something he loves and doing it at a place he loves and above all, making a difference.
We need a lot more Brad Jacksons, not only in the coaching world, but in the world of helping and shaping the lives of young men and women. Thanks coach Jackson for staying put, a lot of people are better off for it. Your a credit to your profession and credit to the human spirit of giving back.
emails, crawscorner@gmail.com
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
I Might Be The Only One, But I Am Excited
With the arrival of June, I really get EXCITED, yes as the great pro wrestler Lonnie Mayne use to say, "Excitement is in the Air".
No, it is not because summer is here or the fact everyone's yard looks great or even that the NBA finals are going full steam.
It is the fact that some college basketball schedules are starting to appear on their websites for 2011-12 (UCLA and Washington have posted their schedules already). Granted, I might be the only person in the world who gets excited about such things as basketball schedules, it does signal to myself it is time once again to think about a new season of college basketball for all us who love and appreciate the game.
As small as posting the schedule for 2011-12 might be, I am also excited about what might happen in the 2011-12 season when it comes to west coast basketball and here are some of my thoughts and questions.
UCLA----Always one of the major focal points of west coast basketball, it will be real interesting to see how the Bruins do, when they will play all of their games on the "road" as Pauley Pavilion is currently being remodeled. UCLA will play 14 games in the ancient, Sports Arena and 4 games in the Honda Center as their home schedule.
Utah St.----The Aggies are the biggest tease in college basketball. They always seem to win between 25-30 games during the regular season, then do a disappearing act in the NCAA tournament. It does make you wonder just how good of a coach Stew Morrill is indeed. He gets mentioned quite often when job openings come up, but Stew, please just get some NCAA post season victories. No matter what, best home court atmosphere in college basketball, period.
Oregon Ducks----Can they sustain the great finish they had in 2011-12 ? Will they paint their center line so it is visible to everyone, not just someone who is standing two feet over it using a magnifying glass. And will Dana Altman, change his shirt collar? When Altman removes his coat, as is the case almost every game early on, it is always a white shirt , he reminds us old timers of Ward Cleaver.(Young people, google Ward Cleaver for an explanation). Ok, ok, it is good to laugh a little, I make fun of myself all the time and Altman is a terrific coach.
Oregon State---Staying in the Beaver State, it is time for Craig Robison to produce a winning team and win big. The Beavers were a staple of west coast basketball for years, but have fallen on some real hard times in the last several years. Robison has some talented players on his squad, but he does not seem be able to decide if he wants his teams to play a slow down style or run. Coach, just turn em loose, as you have some incredible athletic players.
New Mexico---Steve Alford has a potential sweet 16 team. He can coach, he has players like he has never had before and "The Pit" (the greatest name for any arena in the country) is a miserable place for visiting teams to win. One other key ingredient, he does not have to face BYU this year in league play, always in the past a big hurdle for all Mt. West teams.
Eastern Washington---Only three other coaches have ever jumped right from D-3 to D-1 basketball as the coach. Jim Hayford will lead the Eagles this year after 10 great years at D-3 Whitworth. He has had a nice recruiting year so far, but it remains to be seen if the adjustment from D-3 will be too much to handle. No one is expecting much out of the Eagles, so he has plenty of room to impress. My take is a winner is a winner, so look for the Eagles to surprise a few people.
Jim Les----To myself, the best coaching HIRE made in D-1 basketball. Les, never should have been let go at Bradley, but the Braves loss is Cal Davis' gain. Unlike other leagues, the Big West does not take a lot to jump up in the standings, Cal Davis is a program to watch on the west coast and Jim Les has the tools to make them a huge success. Sleeping giant in basketball.
BYU---No Jimmer, but they still have a talented team returning. What I will be watching is how they do in the West Coast Conference, joining the league this year for all sports except football. While the opponents might be excited, because BYU is like Kentucky, they have fans everywhere on the planet and will help fill some WCC arenas which normally look like a bunch of people who showed up disguised as empty seats, they might soon wake up to the fact that BYU will become a dominate team in the WCC and say, "why did we ever let BYU in this league"?
Yes Lonnie Mayne, who is my favorite pro wrestler of all time, "Excitement is in the Air", at least for one big college basketball fan who writes this blog each day.
No, it is not because summer is here or the fact everyone's yard looks great or even that the NBA finals are going full steam.
It is the fact that some college basketball schedules are starting to appear on their websites for 2011-12 (UCLA and Washington have posted their schedules already). Granted, I might be the only person in the world who gets excited about such things as basketball schedules, it does signal to myself it is time once again to think about a new season of college basketball for all us who love and appreciate the game.
As small as posting the schedule for 2011-12 might be, I am also excited about what might happen in the 2011-12 season when it comes to west coast basketball and here are some of my thoughts and questions.
UCLA----Always one of the major focal points of west coast basketball, it will be real interesting to see how the Bruins do, when they will play all of their games on the "road" as Pauley Pavilion is currently being remodeled. UCLA will play 14 games in the ancient, Sports Arena and 4 games in the Honda Center as their home schedule.
Utah St.----The Aggies are the biggest tease in college basketball. They always seem to win between 25-30 games during the regular season, then do a disappearing act in the NCAA tournament. It does make you wonder just how good of a coach Stew Morrill is indeed. He gets mentioned quite often when job openings come up, but Stew, please just get some NCAA post season victories. No matter what, best home court atmosphere in college basketball, period.
Oregon Ducks----Can they sustain the great finish they had in 2011-12 ? Will they paint their center line so it is visible to everyone, not just someone who is standing two feet over it using a magnifying glass. And will Dana Altman, change his shirt collar? When Altman removes his coat, as is the case almost every game early on, it is always a white shirt , he reminds us old timers of Ward Cleaver.(Young people, google Ward Cleaver for an explanation). Ok, ok, it is good to laugh a little, I make fun of myself all the time and Altman is a terrific coach.
Oregon State---Staying in the Beaver State, it is time for Craig Robison to produce a winning team and win big. The Beavers were a staple of west coast basketball for years, but have fallen on some real hard times in the last several years. Robison has some talented players on his squad, but he does not seem be able to decide if he wants his teams to play a slow down style or run. Coach, just turn em loose, as you have some incredible athletic players.
New Mexico---Steve Alford has a potential sweet 16 team. He can coach, he has players like he has never had before and "The Pit" (the greatest name for any arena in the country) is a miserable place for visiting teams to win. One other key ingredient, he does not have to face BYU this year in league play, always in the past a big hurdle for all Mt. West teams.
Eastern Washington---Only three other coaches have ever jumped right from D-3 to D-1 basketball as the coach. Jim Hayford will lead the Eagles this year after 10 great years at D-3 Whitworth. He has had a nice recruiting year so far, but it remains to be seen if the adjustment from D-3 will be too much to handle. No one is expecting much out of the Eagles, so he has plenty of room to impress. My take is a winner is a winner, so look for the Eagles to surprise a few people.
Jim Les----To myself, the best coaching HIRE made in D-1 basketball. Les, never should have been let go at Bradley, but the Braves loss is Cal Davis' gain. Unlike other leagues, the Big West does not take a lot to jump up in the standings, Cal Davis is a program to watch on the west coast and Jim Les has the tools to make them a huge success. Sleeping giant in basketball.
BYU---No Jimmer, but they still have a talented team returning. What I will be watching is how they do in the West Coast Conference, joining the league this year for all sports except football. While the opponents might be excited, because BYU is like Kentucky, they have fans everywhere on the planet and will help fill some WCC arenas which normally look like a bunch of people who showed up disguised as empty seats, they might soon wake up to the fact that BYU will become a dominate team in the WCC and say, "why did we ever let BYU in this league"?
Yes Lonnie Mayne, who is my favorite pro wrestler of all time, "Excitement is in the Air", at least for one big college basketball fan who writes this blog each day.
Non Existant, Will We Ever See Them Again?
The one thing that hardly anyone can debate in college basketball is the fact that the best rivalry is Duke/North Carolina.
But what about west coast college basketball rivalries? Do they exist? It certainly appears that they do not. While you can always say that in-state schools have a rivalry, they really do not in basketball. Football, yes. Basketball, no.
There were the making of some of these rivalries, but they have not had the staying power and at this juncture seem to have flamed out. Arizona/UCLA, BYU/Utah and Utah St./Nevada have all had their mini runs as potential great rivalries, but have fizzled out at various times and for sure, have not sustained the test of time.
The closest thing to a rivalry in basketball on the west coast is Gonzaga/St. Mary's, but a real examination of those two teams, begs to differ. In order to have a real rivalry, one team should never dominate, but as much as it would appear different, Gonzaga owns the basketball court when it comes to meeting the Gaels.
Gonzaga and St. Mary's have played some great games in the past few years. Last year, the teams won in overtime on the other's home court and in 2009-10, St. Mary's won the West Coast Conference tournament and advanced to the NCCA tournament by defeating the Zags, but when you look at the fact that Gonzaga has won 11 straight WCC league championships, every year they advance to the NCCA tournament, while the appearances in the NCAA tournament by St. Mary's have been sparse. Despite having some very good teams under Randy Bennett, St Mary's has not won the WCC regular season championship since 1989.
As sad as it might be and as much as people want to claim that it is a rivalry, the real facts on Gonzaga/ St. Mary's do not measure up to a great rivalry, in the making, yes, but still the Gaels have long way to go.
As I have said over and over, west coast basketball is pretty good, much better than most people give it credit for, but to really get on the map again, it needs some Duke/North Carolina, Georgetown/Syracuse and Louisville/Kentucky type rivalries.
Will we get them, only time will tell, but hope always exists.
emails to crawscorner@gmail.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)