CRAWFACTS is news, notes and anything else you wish to call this, about college basketball. Enjoy
Roy Williams---On recent recruiting trip, it was a smart move for Williams to take a look at the USS Carl Vinson (the ship that dumped Osama bin Laden's body at sea) where Williams' North Carolina team will play Michigan State on 11/11/11, it what will be the first ever college basketball game played on an aircraft carrier and of course on a great day when we all pay special tribute to our nation's military.
What was not a smart move, was the first comments by Williams about the game following his tour of this historic ship. Roy Williams by a lot of people's accounts, is not always the soft spoken, gentlemanly guy we see being interviewed on TV. He can at times be quite caustic and sometimes does not think before he speaks. Good example, following his tour was the fact that instead of talking about the importance of this game and the true meaning of why it is being played, Williams seemed more concerned how his tall players would navigate the narrow hallways and corridors on the ship, prior to going up to the flight deck.
Gee Roy, do you know anything else besides basketball? Naval ships are famous for their small quarters, we have all studied that in history, the meaning of the day is what counts here and deal with it, your players will get over it.
I might also add, as I have written about before, it is an embarrassment that a west coast team is not playing in this game and it seems like if you go to effort of all the logistics it takes to pull this off, why not play a doubleheader. Navy vs. Air Force, plus why was not San Diego State, asked to play in their hometown or Washington or Arizona. Do I dare say, once again an east coast bias.
West Coast Conference---I recently asked the most famous person in college basketball, Dick Vitale, about the men's basketball coaches in the west coast conference. Dick, who never lets the facts get in the way of his constant self promotion (he is a great guy and does care about people), likes the group of coaches and called them "a passionate group". I was kind of looking for a little more out of the self proclaimed guru of college hoops.
Dick, this group of coaches is far beyond passionate, they are the best coaches for a league its size in college basketball. You have Mark Few, who despite his dismal post season record, has been a more than consistent winner. Randy Bennett, who every post season is mentioned in almost every job opening that comes up and add on some of the great rising stars in the coaching ranks in Eric Reveno, Kerry Keating and Rex Walters, who all in the next few years will be coaching at big time programs, if not head coaches in the NBA.
Last but not least, Dave Rose, he not only has churned out big time teams at BYU each year, he has done it battling pancreatic cancer, enough said.
So my message is that Dick Vitale, get to know these coaches even better, know all their names, cause they are all and will be in the future, huge successes.
Pac-12---It is obvious that Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott recognizes the importance of basketball to his league and realizes it needs to be promoted and recognized on a much higher level. More power to him.
On the other hand, sometimes when you have huge success like Scott has had you need to slow down. Many a businesses have failed horribly by expanding too fast and over extending. The new TV deal with ESPN and Fox, was great for the conference and for the networks, but I am concerned about the Pac-12 network and the regional concept which was rolled out this week by Scott and his staff in NewYork.
What is troubling, unless I am missing something really big, these regional "networks" are going to take a long period to develop a major profit stream and will drain monies from the original deal signed with ESPN/Fox. Outside of a parents, a few friends and really, really Pac-12 fanatics, I am not sure who is going to be watching these regional channels.
Sometimes success, breeds greed, I am hoping this is not the case with the Pac-12 and they did not try and one up themselves, with all the new media deals.
please feel free to follow on twitter @wchoops or emails always welcome, crawscorner@gmail.com
Friday, July 29, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
I Am Still Concerned
This is a column just kind of catching you up on few things I have written about in the past three months, sometimes things change, sometimes they stay the same forever and I am even throwing in one complaint.
1. When oh when are schools going to realize that using search firms to select coaches and ADs is a waste of time and waste of money. I have documented this well in the past, but the latest example involves Tennessee, which hired Parker Executive Search to find them a new AD. Spent updwards of $90,000.00 to do so. Parker came back with Dan Radakovich, AD at Georgia Tech, as the sure fire, can't miss candidate. There was only one problem, little did Parker know or quite possible did know that Georgia Tech was going to be slapped with huge penalty by the NCAA, which obviously made Radakovich damaged goods.
The fans, boosters, residents of Tennessee are furious, as you might imagine. Another embarrassment for what was once a proud athletic program. But Parker should be embarrassed as well, it is just another debacle this firm has committed, but for some reason schools just keep using them. Memo to NCAA, you like to pass all kinds of rules, how about no more search firms. Of course it will not happen, Mark Emmert, president of the NCAA was a former client of Parker. What is the buzz word, "just connect the dots" or "follow the money".
2. With all the hype about a new TV deal by the Pac-12 and now today with the announcement of the Pac-12 network and how that will work, why in the world is it still not in the plans for the Pac-12 to play a round robin league schedule in basketball. The addition tells us that would be 22 conference games, thus leaving about eight games for non-conference games. I am not sure how many people are going to turn to watch some pre-season game which pits Minot State against Stanford, as we often see in all leagues during preseason. There is nothing like conference games no matter what the league. It would also improve the RPI of the league and it would increase attendance and as mentioned, viewership. (At present the Pac-12 has plans to play an 18 game league schedule all the way through 2020-21).
3. I have been contacted by several coaches about the four major rules changes I want to see happen soon, to help keep college basketball popular and bring in new fans, always crucial to any sport.
1) Allow pre-game dunking. Absolute no brainer, if a player hangs on the rim, then give him the "T" just like it would happen during regular time. (Most coaches like my suggestion). Of course with the wisdom which is always pathetic when it comes to rule changes, the NCAA will probably allow pre-game dunking in women's games and continue to prohibit it in men's games. (Did you get the joke, I hope so).
2) Change shot clock to 29 seconds, from 35, speed up the game. (Most coaches like this idea).
3) Time-outs have become a joke in college basketball, limit time-outs no matter who calls them to four per half, plus one 30-second. Time-outs are having a big affect on the fluidity of the game. (Most coaches hate this idea). I actually feel this would make coaching better and bring more strategy to the game.
4) Eliminate the second overtime and make it a free throw shootout. It would cause players to become better free throw shooters, it would make teams practice free throws more and last, but more important, there would be nothing better than the excitement this would create. (Coaches were evenly split on this, but I am sure after the world cup loss by America, this would change some minds.)
4. We all have one friend like this. My good friend who shall remain nameless always calls at night and wants to discuss the day in sports. Calls is not a good word, it actually should be called wants to argue with me and I do mean argue. I don't even mind being wrong or losing the argument, but what I hate is that my friend does not have internet, he does not have cable tv and he does not even have call waiting. (It is not from lack of funds, he can afford it). I just wish he were a little more educated, if he wants to argue so much. I am sure we all know someone who is a little archaic, I hope you are laughing at me and with me right now.
emails to crawscorner@gmail.com
1. When oh when are schools going to realize that using search firms to select coaches and ADs is a waste of time and waste of money. I have documented this well in the past, but the latest example involves Tennessee, which hired Parker Executive Search to find them a new AD. Spent updwards of $90,000.00 to do so. Parker came back with Dan Radakovich, AD at Georgia Tech, as the sure fire, can't miss candidate. There was only one problem, little did Parker know or quite possible did know that Georgia Tech was going to be slapped with huge penalty by the NCAA, which obviously made Radakovich damaged goods.
The fans, boosters, residents of Tennessee are furious, as you might imagine. Another embarrassment for what was once a proud athletic program. But Parker should be embarrassed as well, it is just another debacle this firm has committed, but for some reason schools just keep using them. Memo to NCAA, you like to pass all kinds of rules, how about no more search firms. Of course it will not happen, Mark Emmert, president of the NCAA was a former client of Parker. What is the buzz word, "just connect the dots" or "follow the money".
2. With all the hype about a new TV deal by the Pac-12 and now today with the announcement of the Pac-12 network and how that will work, why in the world is it still not in the plans for the Pac-12 to play a round robin league schedule in basketball. The addition tells us that would be 22 conference games, thus leaving about eight games for non-conference games. I am not sure how many people are going to turn to watch some pre-season game which pits Minot State against Stanford, as we often see in all leagues during preseason. There is nothing like conference games no matter what the league. It would also improve the RPI of the league and it would increase attendance and as mentioned, viewership. (At present the Pac-12 has plans to play an 18 game league schedule all the way through 2020-21).
3. I have been contacted by several coaches about the four major rules changes I want to see happen soon, to help keep college basketball popular and bring in new fans, always crucial to any sport.
1) Allow pre-game dunking. Absolute no brainer, if a player hangs on the rim, then give him the "T" just like it would happen during regular time. (Most coaches like my suggestion). Of course with the wisdom which is always pathetic when it comes to rule changes, the NCAA will probably allow pre-game dunking in women's games and continue to prohibit it in men's games. (Did you get the joke, I hope so).
2) Change shot clock to 29 seconds, from 35, speed up the game. (Most coaches like this idea).
3) Time-outs have become a joke in college basketball, limit time-outs no matter who calls them to four per half, plus one 30-second. Time-outs are having a big affect on the fluidity of the game. (Most coaches hate this idea). I actually feel this would make coaching better and bring more strategy to the game.
4) Eliminate the second overtime and make it a free throw shootout. It would cause players to become better free throw shooters, it would make teams practice free throws more and last, but more important, there would be nothing better than the excitement this would create. (Coaches were evenly split on this, but I am sure after the world cup loss by America, this would change some minds.)
4. We all have one friend like this. My good friend who shall remain nameless always calls at night and wants to discuss the day in sports. Calls is not a good word, it actually should be called wants to argue with me and I do mean argue. I don't even mind being wrong or losing the argument, but what I hate is that my friend does not have internet, he does not have cable tv and he does not even have call waiting. (It is not from lack of funds, he can afford it). I just wish he were a little more educated, if he wants to argue so much. I am sure we all know someone who is a little archaic, I hope you are laughing at me and with me right now.
emails to crawscorner@gmail.com
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Crawvelous Top 12
With much apologies I offer my first ever Crawvelous Top 12 (12 for most basketball rosters). This was suppose to go out last Monday, the 18th, but due to technical difficulties it never happened.
My Top 12, consists of people who have the most power in west coast college basketball. I might never do this again, I might do another one in 6 months or it might take a year before you see this again. I actually did work on this for one month, often subtracting and adding names to get it perfect. I am sure you will agree it is perfect.
12---Gregory Hansen....As long time columnist for the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson, he has seen it all with Wildcat basketball and continues to churn out quality work. When Greg Hansen writes, you have to read it. Being in the city which has had the most dominate basketball program on the west coast in the last 25 years makes his job very important and powerful, when it comes to west coast college basketball.
11---Danny Miles--Going into his 41st year of coaching the Hustling Owls, it has been well documented the success this man has had in college basketball coaching. Easily by now he should be in the basketball hall of fame, he is not, but will go in soon. Has won two national championships, is second all time in wins for 4-year schools and is even a better human being. Later this summer he will travel to Kenya and Rwanda to help build basketball courts and teach the great game of basketball to orphans in these devastated countries. And it is not the first time he has done this great work.
10---Dan Belluomini... The historian of west coast college basketball. Although he has cutback his TV schedule, he is easily the most recognizable figure nationwide when it comes to TV basketball analysts on the west coast. When Belluomini does a game, I can assure you that your learning curve will go up. After four decades on the west coast people still call and ask him what is going on with college basketball. Not to mention he always has time for everyone, a rare trait these days.
9---Bill McCabe...One of the most pleasant and kind men you would ever meet. But that is not what makes him powerful, what does, is that he is the men's basketball officiating coordinator for two leagues on the west coast, Pac-12 and Big West. In case you do not think he is powerful, just go and check what a referee for one game, makes in college basketball. I can assure you, people do not referee in college for the love of the game. McCabe's detractors think he would better serve the Pac-12 as football coordinator, a sport he is more familiar with when it comes to officiating and he does not develop fast enough younger officials. He is a power broker.
8---Stew Morrill.... All he does is continue to churn out winning basketball programs at Utah State. His teams play hard, they play great defense and they win. They win so much, Utah State is the best atmosphere for a college basketball game in the country. Don't let the east coast bias fool you, it is twice as good as Duke to watch a college basketball game. That atmosphere has been created by Morrill and it appears he is a lifer with the Aggies. The big knock on him and it is gigantic, he can't seem to win an NCAA tournament game and until he does it will always be a stain on what is a great coaching record.
7---Mike Roth.... The veteran AD at Gonzaga quietly stays in the shadows, of an excellent basketball program, but if truth be known, it is Roth that works magic for all the great national TV games that Gonzaga plays in and makes tons of money for the basketball program. Besides the sports aspect, Roth has created a great business model for the Zags and he does exactly what any great AD should do. Roth has not only created a buzz business wise about Gonzaga basketball, he has done wonders for the greater Spokane community economically.
6---Terry Durham...Who? As the west coast regional referee coordinator for the NCAA, Durham is a force. His year long evaluations of officials, carry huge weight when it comes to post season assignments. By everyone's account, he is also a tireless worker, who is having a major impact on making college basketball officials better. When Durham walks into a game and you are the official, you better have your "A" game. Durham is considered internationally for his teaching ability and is sought out by many to improve their performance. He is the one person on this list that no one has heard about and I am sure he likes it that way.
5---Jamie Zaninovich... As commissioner of the West Coast Conference, Zaninovich is making his mark as a shrewd marketing person and extremely hard worker. He pulled off one of the greatest coups in college sports last year, getting the BYU Cougars to join the WCC for all sports except football beginning this year. I am not so sure WCC basketball coaches will be too happy with him in three years, when they will be thinking why did we let BYU in this league, but from a marketing and business standpoint BYU is a genius move. Zaninovich did fail to bring Seattle U. into the league, a move which will prove in years down the road to be a huge mistake.
4---Lorenzo Romar... Has done a great job as head coach at Washington. He seems to get more and more comfortable each year in his role and as long as he stays at Washington, the Huskies will be a major force in west coast college basketball. Romar has a huge edge in that Seattle is one of the most rich areas in the entire United States when it comes to high school basketball talent and he is well established with all the high school coaches, you can't help but like the guy. Needs to get his team to the final four one of these years.
3---Ben Howland... Coaching at the most storied basketball school in NCCA history is not the easiest thing to do. At UCLA Howland has handled it well, despite not being the most liked guy around basketball circles. No matter what, when your the head basketball coach at UCLA, you are a power broker. Howland has had to juggle his coaching staff in the last few years, but now feels very comfortable with his assistants and although I do not see a championship in the future for UCLA, I do see a final four in the next five years. He is now a fixture at UCLA and it would be shocking if he ever left.
2---Larry Scott... As commissioner of the Pac-12, every league both in college and pros are looking at Scott as a future top executive. He has brought the Pac-12 out of the dark ages and he is also committed to raising the level of Pac-12 basketball on the national scene. He worked a great media rights deal for all the Pac-12 schools as well as it was a great deal for both ESPN and Fox. As any great leader does, he has made some enemies along the way, but not enough to affect his power. If I do this Top 12 a year from now, in my opinion Scott will not be in the list, he will have moved on to a much bigger position in sports, everyone wants him.
1---Sean Miller...Has brought Arizona back to national prominence in basketball. Quite simply he is the best game coach, best player relations' coach and best recruiter of all west coast college basketball coaches. With the class of recruits he brought in this year, he will be in the final four and if he can keep them together (a big if), the following year I predict he will win the national championship. He is an east coast guy all the way, so fans in the desert better hope he falls in love with the area, there will never be a shortage of schools that want his coaching.
So there you go, my first Crawvelous Top 12, some people you know well, some people you are getting to know and some people you will never know, they just stay in the background and perform at high level. They do have one thing in common, the all are HUGE power brokers in west coast college basketball.
emails to crawscorner@gmail.com
My Top 12, consists of people who have the most power in west coast college basketball. I might never do this again, I might do another one in 6 months or it might take a year before you see this again. I actually did work on this for one month, often subtracting and adding names to get it perfect. I am sure you will agree it is perfect.
12---Gregory Hansen....As long time columnist for the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson, he has seen it all with Wildcat basketball and continues to churn out quality work. When Greg Hansen writes, you have to read it. Being in the city which has had the most dominate basketball program on the west coast in the last 25 years makes his job very important and powerful, when it comes to west coast college basketball.
11---Danny Miles--Going into his 41st year of coaching the Hustling Owls, it has been well documented the success this man has had in college basketball coaching. Easily by now he should be in the basketball hall of fame, he is not, but will go in soon. Has won two national championships, is second all time in wins for 4-year schools and is even a better human being. Later this summer he will travel to Kenya and Rwanda to help build basketball courts and teach the great game of basketball to orphans in these devastated countries. And it is not the first time he has done this great work.
10---Dan Belluomini... The historian of west coast college basketball. Although he has cutback his TV schedule, he is easily the most recognizable figure nationwide when it comes to TV basketball analysts on the west coast. When Belluomini does a game, I can assure you that your learning curve will go up. After four decades on the west coast people still call and ask him what is going on with college basketball. Not to mention he always has time for everyone, a rare trait these days.
9---Bill McCabe...One of the most pleasant and kind men you would ever meet. But that is not what makes him powerful, what does, is that he is the men's basketball officiating coordinator for two leagues on the west coast, Pac-12 and Big West. In case you do not think he is powerful, just go and check what a referee for one game, makes in college basketball. I can assure you, people do not referee in college for the love of the game. McCabe's detractors think he would better serve the Pac-12 as football coordinator, a sport he is more familiar with when it comes to officiating and he does not develop fast enough younger officials. He is a power broker.
8---Stew Morrill.... All he does is continue to churn out winning basketball programs at Utah State. His teams play hard, they play great defense and they win. They win so much, Utah State is the best atmosphere for a college basketball game in the country. Don't let the east coast bias fool you, it is twice as good as Duke to watch a college basketball game. That atmosphere has been created by Morrill and it appears he is a lifer with the Aggies. The big knock on him and it is gigantic, he can't seem to win an NCAA tournament game and until he does it will always be a stain on what is a great coaching record.
7---Mike Roth.... The veteran AD at Gonzaga quietly stays in the shadows, of an excellent basketball program, but if truth be known, it is Roth that works magic for all the great national TV games that Gonzaga plays in and makes tons of money for the basketball program. Besides the sports aspect, Roth has created a great business model for the Zags and he does exactly what any great AD should do. Roth has not only created a buzz business wise about Gonzaga basketball, he has done wonders for the greater Spokane community economically.
6---Terry Durham...Who? As the west coast regional referee coordinator for the NCAA, Durham is a force. His year long evaluations of officials, carry huge weight when it comes to post season assignments. By everyone's account, he is also a tireless worker, who is having a major impact on making college basketball officials better. When Durham walks into a game and you are the official, you better have your "A" game. Durham is considered internationally for his teaching ability and is sought out by many to improve their performance. He is the one person on this list that no one has heard about and I am sure he likes it that way.
5---Jamie Zaninovich... As commissioner of the West Coast Conference, Zaninovich is making his mark as a shrewd marketing person and extremely hard worker. He pulled off one of the greatest coups in college sports last year, getting the BYU Cougars to join the WCC for all sports except football beginning this year. I am not so sure WCC basketball coaches will be too happy with him in three years, when they will be thinking why did we let BYU in this league, but from a marketing and business standpoint BYU is a genius move. Zaninovich did fail to bring Seattle U. into the league, a move which will prove in years down the road to be a huge mistake.
4---Lorenzo Romar... Has done a great job as head coach at Washington. He seems to get more and more comfortable each year in his role and as long as he stays at Washington, the Huskies will be a major force in west coast college basketball. Romar has a huge edge in that Seattle is one of the most rich areas in the entire United States when it comes to high school basketball talent and he is well established with all the high school coaches, you can't help but like the guy. Needs to get his team to the final four one of these years.
3---Ben Howland... Coaching at the most storied basketball school in NCCA history is not the easiest thing to do. At UCLA Howland has handled it well, despite not being the most liked guy around basketball circles. No matter what, when your the head basketball coach at UCLA, you are a power broker. Howland has had to juggle his coaching staff in the last few years, but now feels very comfortable with his assistants and although I do not see a championship in the future for UCLA, I do see a final four in the next five years. He is now a fixture at UCLA and it would be shocking if he ever left.
2---Larry Scott... As commissioner of the Pac-12, every league both in college and pros are looking at Scott as a future top executive. He has brought the Pac-12 out of the dark ages and he is also committed to raising the level of Pac-12 basketball on the national scene. He worked a great media rights deal for all the Pac-12 schools as well as it was a great deal for both ESPN and Fox. As any great leader does, he has made some enemies along the way, but not enough to affect his power. If I do this Top 12 a year from now, in my opinion Scott will not be in the list, he will have moved on to a much bigger position in sports, everyone wants him.
1---Sean Miller...Has brought Arizona back to national prominence in basketball. Quite simply he is the best game coach, best player relations' coach and best recruiter of all west coast college basketball coaches. With the class of recruits he brought in this year, he will be in the final four and if he can keep them together (a big if), the following year I predict he will win the national championship. He is an east coast guy all the way, so fans in the desert better hope he falls in love with the area, there will never be a shortage of schools that want his coaching.
So there you go, my first Crawvelous Top 12, some people you know well, some people you are getting to know and some people you will never know, they just stay in the background and perform at high level. They do have one thing in common, the all are HUGE power brokers in west coast college basketball.
emails to crawscorner@gmail.com
It Is Time For Comeback
On occasion as I have done in the past, I am allowing myself to talk about another sport and not basketball. I hope you will enjoy some of my thoughts today about golf, after all most basketball people I know, love golf as well.
THE GAME: I was first introduced to the game of golf by my great father at the age of 8. I did not have fancy clubs and I wore my tennis shoes, but boy I cherished the times we could even go down to the putting green. It was a special game in my eyes and to this day, 90 percent of my friends, I have met through golf.
In case you have not noticed, golf as a sport is declining, even some dire predictions have it close to burial. This does not have to happen, nor should it. In 2011, everyone wants to blame every decline on the economy, factual in many cases, but for golf the decline started way before the collapse of the economy. It is an awesome sport, you can play it until your 100 and here are my suggestions to bring the game back to its glory and even if I am the only person promoting the game, I will never stop.
1. Golf needs Mr. McMahon. (Mr. McMahon is the greatest sports promoter of all time, in his role as chairman of the WWE). Golf has no spokesperson, someone to beat the drums each and everyday about how great a sport it is. Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, were great, but the young people can't relate to them. The United State Golf Association does many good things, but their abundance of stuffed shirts can't ever seem to think outside of the box and who can relate to a bunch of rich white men and women in today's culture. Tiger is not the answer, he does not want the role, nor should he be expected to head up the role. Someone needs to step forward. I actually on a serious note would like to see George Lopez. The whole world can relate to him, he loves golf and he can get the attention of young people.
2. Golf needs more places to learn the game. It is intimidating for kids and women to go out and start to learn the game on a regulation course. We need learning centers, which people can afford and afford the equipment.
3. For 50 years golf has been saying they are going to address slow play, but nothing ever happens. The average round of 18 holes on any course should take no longer than 3 1/2 hours. Until slow play is addressed and people want to get serious about it, golf will continue to lose players.
4. In addition to learning centers, we need more quality 9- hole golf courses, do I dare to even say 7-hole golf courses, or even 12- hole golf courses. I don't buy it when people say people's lives are so busy today, memo to everyone, lives are busy from day one and have been forever. The ability to still enjoy golf needs to be there for people, while not taking as much time.
I could go on and on, but golf is a game of honor, where else except bowling do you keep your own score and have the ability to penalize yourself and it is game, if you don't play, you are missing out. I just hate to see it decline, in the manner it is today and we need bright minds to step up and make sure it does not lose all its luster. Someone besides myself, please help with this cause, before it is too late.
More on golf.
SUPERINTENDENTS----Most people do not know their names, but these men and women who condition the great golf courses are the real stars of the game. Getting up at 3:30 in the morning to start your day is tough enough, but being dependent on mother nature everyday is even tougher. It is no wonder that in every survey about golf, superintendents come out number one, when the question is asked who is the most important person at the golf course. I salute all you wonderful people and it is an honor to know many of you.
STEVIE WILLIAMS---- I really get a kick out of all the people who are jumping on Tiger for dismissing Williams as his caddy and jumping on the bandwagon of Williams. I can never feel sorry for someone who has homes in three countries, has the ability to start their own foundation, can drive race cars at his leisure and is in TV commercials, as Williams does.
Stevie, it was not you that made yourself a rich man, it was Tiger Woods who made you wealthy, famous and a worldwide recognized figure. While Tiger Woods is no poster boy, people forget it was Stevie Williams who treated many a fan like dirt on the golf course, with his boorish attitude and behavior. And for many of the media not to challenge him on losing two years of his life, while waiting for Tiger, I do recall Tiger has played some golf in the last two years.
Stevie Williams instead of ripping on Tiger, you should be thanking him forever. He made you what you are today and you should never forget it, but apparently you already have. Shame on you for doing so.
It will be back to basketball this week.
emails to crawscorner@gmail.com
THE GAME: I was first introduced to the game of golf by my great father at the age of 8. I did not have fancy clubs and I wore my tennis shoes, but boy I cherished the times we could even go down to the putting green. It was a special game in my eyes and to this day, 90 percent of my friends, I have met through golf.
In case you have not noticed, golf as a sport is declining, even some dire predictions have it close to burial. This does not have to happen, nor should it. In 2011, everyone wants to blame every decline on the economy, factual in many cases, but for golf the decline started way before the collapse of the economy. It is an awesome sport, you can play it until your 100 and here are my suggestions to bring the game back to its glory and even if I am the only person promoting the game, I will never stop.
1. Golf needs Mr. McMahon. (Mr. McMahon is the greatest sports promoter of all time, in his role as chairman of the WWE). Golf has no spokesperson, someone to beat the drums each and everyday about how great a sport it is. Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, were great, but the young people can't relate to them. The United State Golf Association does many good things, but their abundance of stuffed shirts can't ever seem to think outside of the box and who can relate to a bunch of rich white men and women in today's culture. Tiger is not the answer, he does not want the role, nor should he be expected to head up the role. Someone needs to step forward. I actually on a serious note would like to see George Lopez. The whole world can relate to him, he loves golf and he can get the attention of young people.
2. Golf needs more places to learn the game. It is intimidating for kids and women to go out and start to learn the game on a regulation course. We need learning centers, which people can afford and afford the equipment.
3. For 50 years golf has been saying they are going to address slow play, but nothing ever happens. The average round of 18 holes on any course should take no longer than 3 1/2 hours. Until slow play is addressed and people want to get serious about it, golf will continue to lose players.
4. In addition to learning centers, we need more quality 9- hole golf courses, do I dare to even say 7-hole golf courses, or even 12- hole golf courses. I don't buy it when people say people's lives are so busy today, memo to everyone, lives are busy from day one and have been forever. The ability to still enjoy golf needs to be there for people, while not taking as much time.
I could go on and on, but golf is a game of honor, where else except bowling do you keep your own score and have the ability to penalize yourself and it is game, if you don't play, you are missing out. I just hate to see it decline, in the manner it is today and we need bright minds to step up and make sure it does not lose all its luster. Someone besides myself, please help with this cause, before it is too late.
More on golf.
SUPERINTENDENTS----Most people do not know their names, but these men and women who condition the great golf courses are the real stars of the game. Getting up at 3:30 in the morning to start your day is tough enough, but being dependent on mother nature everyday is even tougher. It is no wonder that in every survey about golf, superintendents come out number one, when the question is asked who is the most important person at the golf course. I salute all you wonderful people and it is an honor to know many of you.
STEVIE WILLIAMS---- I really get a kick out of all the people who are jumping on Tiger for dismissing Williams as his caddy and jumping on the bandwagon of Williams. I can never feel sorry for someone who has homes in three countries, has the ability to start their own foundation, can drive race cars at his leisure and is in TV commercials, as Williams does.
Stevie, it was not you that made yourself a rich man, it was Tiger Woods who made you wealthy, famous and a worldwide recognized figure. While Tiger Woods is no poster boy, people forget it was Stevie Williams who treated many a fan like dirt on the golf course, with his boorish attitude and behavior. And for many of the media not to challenge him on losing two years of his life, while waiting for Tiger, I do recall Tiger has played some golf in the last two years.
Stevie Williams instead of ripping on Tiger, you should be thanking him forever. He made you what you are today and you should never forget it, but apparently you already have. Shame on you for doing so.
It will be back to basketball this week.
emails to crawscorner@gmail.com
Friday, July 22, 2011
12/29/09, A Night Like None Other
I do not hide my love of college basketball. Everyone who knows me will tell you that.
Actually I also can talk about other things like current events, politics and variety of subjects, I have always been a news junkie, I guess it is important for myself to know what is going on in the world. (But I do lead a boring life as I still like the Beach Boys and the last movie I saw was a double feature, Old Yeller and 1,000 Leagues Under the Sea, or was it 10,000). Not even sure why I mentioned that, but guess I felt compelled.
With my love of college basketball and always a hot topic when I talk sports with people, an often asked question of myself is, what is the strangest thing I have ever seen in college basketball? Prior to 12/29/09, it would have been impossible to answer, because I did not have a good answer, but after that night/ day, I am not sure anything can top it.
Doubleheaders in basketball are great and I attend as many as I can. On 12/29/09, living an hour away from Portland State University, I headed for the school in downtown Portland really looking forward to seeing a doubleheader, which was a little different angle for most schools in the Portland State women would play the second game of the night, which was to follow the opening contest that was scheduled between the Vikings and D-3, Willamette University, from Salem, Oregon, which is an hour south of Portland.
Knowing the start time of the first game was 5:00 p.m. and also knowing Portland traffic is not good, just like other large cities, I left my house at 1:45, to give myself plenty of time. Also being a guy who likes weather, I checked the forecast right before I left and it was pretty normal for the Willamette Valley, 39 degrees and light rain showers.
As I got about 15 minutes away from my house, it started to snow very lightly. It did not worry me, as I j figured it would last about five minutes and be gone. As I got closer to Portland, I was beginning to think my amateur forecasting, was actually, amateur. It started snowing harder and in what was normally as mentioned an hour trip, it took me about two hours to get to Portland State.
All this time driving gave me plenty of time to think about a variety of subject (not the latest movies), including the fact did Willamette leave Salem, Oregon with plenty of time to spare. They did not and actually the direction they were coming from had even more snow than I encountered. They were not only stuck in heavy snow, they were stuck in massive traffic. When it snows even a little in the Portland area, it stops the whole city, the town is not prepared for it, nor are its drivers.
Knowing Willamette would not make the 5:00 p.m. start time, game management at Portland State started to think and develop a plan, how to make the games happen on schedule as best as they could, as by now it was really snowing, there was about two inches on the ground and the whole Portland metro was frozen in time. With the PSU women scheduled to play Oregon State in the second game and the OSU women already it town, staying in downtown hotel which is about a ten minute bus trip to the PSU gym, an easy plan seem appropriate for PSU management, flip flop the games and get Oregon State to PSU as quickly as possible.
One problem, quick in Portland was not even close to an option on this night. As it turned out, with Willamette still no where in sight, the women's game would still go first, but getting Oregon State to Portland State from where they were staying turned out to be a nightmarish 1 1/2 trip in their bus. It was compounded by the fact the often cantankerous Oregon State coach LaVonda Wagner, despite the team bus being only a block from Portland State, would not let the players walk the block, she insisted front door service, thus delaying things even more, claiming her highly fit athletes should never ever be expected to walk in snow, not even a block. (Just maybe with that thinking one of the many reasons she got fired at Oregon State).
As it turned out, the OSU women finally made it to Portland State, their game with the Vikings started a little after 8:00 p.m., but it was not the end of the story.
Unlike Oregon State, the Willamette team got sick of being on their bus and stuck in traffic, they walked the final mile to Portland State. (Big plaudits for showing the courage to do so.)
The Bearcats were determined to play the Viking men and they did, the tip-off coming at 10:38 p.m., PST, only 5 hours and 38 minutes after the scheduled 5 o'clock tip. The game ended at 12:42 a.m., December 30th, 2009, in what will go down in history as the latest ending game college basketball game ever, west coast time.
Actually in a tribute to the Portland State fans, even with the awful weather outside, traffic still bumper to bumper well after midnight, as I counted, there were still 502 fans in stands when the game ended and it turned out to be a good college basketball game, with Portland State winning 97-90.
And in case you care, I did get home, but keeping in mind what is a late night normal 55 minute trip home for me, my three hours plus trip home gave me once again plenty of time to think, still just not about movies.
And of course despite the fact the Portland State gym holds 1,500 fans at best, 15 years from now, over 10,000 people will tell you that they were at this weirdest of weird basketball doubleheaders in downtown Portland, Oregon, 12/29/2009.
Also, a few quick final lessons from this day/night/day. 1) Never drive in Portland, Oregon when it is snowing. 2) If it is snowing and your the visiting team, please give yourself a little extra time. 3) If your a fan, live close to where you like to attend basketball games. 4) Do not be an amateur weather forecaster and maybe even a weather forecaster period. 5) If your a basketball coach, do not be a jerk. 6) D-3 athletes are not only good students, they are not afraid to have a little fun.
A night I will never forget and a night I hope you enjoyed hearing about.
emails to crawscorner@gmail.com
Actually I also can talk about other things like current events, politics and variety of subjects, I have always been a news junkie, I guess it is important for myself to know what is going on in the world. (But I do lead a boring life as I still like the Beach Boys and the last movie I saw was a double feature, Old Yeller and 1,000 Leagues Under the Sea, or was it 10,000). Not even sure why I mentioned that, but guess I felt compelled.
With my love of college basketball and always a hot topic when I talk sports with people, an often asked question of myself is, what is the strangest thing I have ever seen in college basketball? Prior to 12/29/09, it would have been impossible to answer, because I did not have a good answer, but after that night/ day, I am not sure anything can top it.
Doubleheaders in basketball are great and I attend as many as I can. On 12/29/09, living an hour away from Portland State University, I headed for the school in downtown Portland really looking forward to seeing a doubleheader, which was a little different angle for most schools in the Portland State women would play the second game of the night, which was to follow the opening contest that was scheduled between the Vikings and D-3, Willamette University, from Salem, Oregon, which is an hour south of Portland.
Knowing the start time of the first game was 5:00 p.m. and also knowing Portland traffic is not good, just like other large cities, I left my house at 1:45, to give myself plenty of time. Also being a guy who likes weather, I checked the forecast right before I left and it was pretty normal for the Willamette Valley, 39 degrees and light rain showers.
As I got about 15 minutes away from my house, it started to snow very lightly. It did not worry me, as I j figured it would last about five minutes and be gone. As I got closer to Portland, I was beginning to think my amateur forecasting, was actually, amateur. It started snowing harder and in what was normally as mentioned an hour trip, it took me about two hours to get to Portland State.
All this time driving gave me plenty of time to think about a variety of subject (not the latest movies), including the fact did Willamette leave Salem, Oregon with plenty of time to spare. They did not and actually the direction they were coming from had even more snow than I encountered. They were not only stuck in heavy snow, they were stuck in massive traffic. When it snows even a little in the Portland area, it stops the whole city, the town is not prepared for it, nor are its drivers.
Knowing Willamette would not make the 5:00 p.m. start time, game management at Portland State started to think and develop a plan, how to make the games happen on schedule as best as they could, as by now it was really snowing, there was about two inches on the ground and the whole Portland metro was frozen in time. With the PSU women scheduled to play Oregon State in the second game and the OSU women already it town, staying in downtown hotel which is about a ten minute bus trip to the PSU gym, an easy plan seem appropriate for PSU management, flip flop the games and get Oregon State to PSU as quickly as possible.
One problem, quick in Portland was not even close to an option on this night. As it turned out, with Willamette still no where in sight, the women's game would still go first, but getting Oregon State to Portland State from where they were staying turned out to be a nightmarish 1 1/2 trip in their bus. It was compounded by the fact the often cantankerous Oregon State coach LaVonda Wagner, despite the team bus being only a block from Portland State, would not let the players walk the block, she insisted front door service, thus delaying things even more, claiming her highly fit athletes should never ever be expected to walk in snow, not even a block. (Just maybe with that thinking one of the many reasons she got fired at Oregon State).
As it turned out, the OSU women finally made it to Portland State, their game with the Vikings started a little after 8:00 p.m., but it was not the end of the story.
Unlike Oregon State, the Willamette team got sick of being on their bus and stuck in traffic, they walked the final mile to Portland State. (Big plaudits for showing the courage to do so.)
The Bearcats were determined to play the Viking men and they did, the tip-off coming at 10:38 p.m., PST, only 5 hours and 38 minutes after the scheduled 5 o'clock tip. The game ended at 12:42 a.m., December 30th, 2009, in what will go down in history as the latest ending game college basketball game ever, west coast time.
Actually in a tribute to the Portland State fans, even with the awful weather outside, traffic still bumper to bumper well after midnight, as I counted, there were still 502 fans in stands when the game ended and it turned out to be a good college basketball game, with Portland State winning 97-90.
And in case you care, I did get home, but keeping in mind what is a late night normal 55 minute trip home for me, my three hours plus trip home gave me once again plenty of time to think, still just not about movies.
And of course despite the fact the Portland State gym holds 1,500 fans at best, 15 years from now, over 10,000 people will tell you that they were at this weirdest of weird basketball doubleheaders in downtown Portland, Oregon, 12/29/2009.
Also, a few quick final lessons from this day/night/day. 1) Never drive in Portland, Oregon when it is snowing. 2) If it is snowing and your the visiting team, please give yourself a little extra time. 3) If your a fan, live close to where you like to attend basketball games. 4) Do not be an amateur weather forecaster and maybe even a weather forecaster period. 5) If your a basketball coach, do not be a jerk. 6) D-3 athletes are not only good students, they are not afraid to have a little fun.
A night I will never forget and a night I hope you enjoyed hearing about.
emails to crawscorner@gmail.com
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
CRAWFACTS/Edition 7
CRAWFACTS is news, notes, and whatever else readers wish to call it.
Lorenzo Romar---I was told by a great source yesterday that if the Minnesota Timberwolves were to approach Romar he would still listen about their vacant head coaching position even at this point. Of course being at the school where he starred and graduated from is Romar's dream job, but sometimes the grass is greener, as in the green we use to pay for our groceries. Romar is one of the most liked and honest coaches in all of college basketball. Romar's name was one of the first mentioned when it was obvious that Kurt Rambis would lose his job with the Wolves. He has denied he would be interested, it is unlikely the Wolves are looking at him as of right now, but he would be an outstanding NBA coach, with his people skills. In my opinion he will not finish out his coaching career at Washington, he is a wanted coach by many people.
U of P/Portland State---About six weeks past a strong supporter of University of Portland basketball told me the Pilots would not be playing Portland State this year in basketball. After getting over the mild shock, I decided not to write about it, thinking this person could not be correct and even if he was at the time, this would change. It has not, no Vikings/Pilots game for the first time since 1998-99.
For all the great readers of this blog outside of Portland, Oregon I can understand you saying "who cares". But for people inside the city of Portland and even Oregon and SW Washington this is a big deal. It is the only college basketball rivalry around and quite frankly these two teams should have been playing twice per year, as compared to the one time that has been happening since 98.
On a much, much, much smaller scale this is the equivalent of UCLA not playing USC. I am getting hammered by fans from both sides on this issue and all I can say is your right. In one of the poorest college basketball towns for its size in the country, Portland, Oregon deserves this game each year.
Besides the rivalry aspect, it is a 20 minute bus trip between the schools and obviously a money saver in an age when both schools are not cash rich with their budgets. The game was also starting to become popular and drawing some "decent" crowds at both home sites.
I hope this is not true, but I have been told it was U of Portland that did not want to play the game. If that is the case, I can only say that the real reason is that Portland State has won four out of the last five meetings, which the Pilots were obviously embarrassed about. It is easy to talk about scheduling conflicts as the Pilots have done, but the bottom line is that this game was good for college basketball fans and they will be the losers. Shame on you University of Portland. This did not have to happen.
Fighting Sioux---Will North Dakota enter the Big Sky on July 1st, 2012 with the nickname Fighting Sioux, or will be something else like "come to our state and turn left to get to Regina, Canada". In case you have not heard, the NCAA, with one of their 10,000 or so rules, has declared the Fighting Sioux to be an abusive nickname and ordered them to drop it. The school said fine, but that did not end things. The North Dakota legislature in a formal vote have ordered North Dakota to keep the name. If they do keep the name, they will in ineligible to host any NCAA championship events and their mascot will also be banned from NCAA events (darn).
On the serious side, nicknames that are offensive is a touchy subject. The Sioux Tribes in North Dakota have long wanted the name changed, but there also is the other side who argues for keeping tradition. For sure, this is an interesting case and the outcome will be watched by many in sports. I actually went to a high school which I loved and still love, Cleveland High School, which changed its nickname about 20 years past from Indians to Warriors. Puzzling, in that to me Warriors was a step backwards in the offensive category from Indians.
Brandon Davies----It is 99 percent certain Davies will return in the fall and be eligible to play basketball for the Cougars after sitting out his suspension for breaking the BYU honor code. Of course this is bad news for the West Coast Conference opponents of the Cougars. Easily even without Davies returning, the Cougars would have been projected in the top three of the WCC, now that might move to contender and top two. BYU, coach Dave Rose has also made it clear, he wants to even up the tempo more in Provo on offense, so with that style and the great BYU national following, conference road games for the Cougars should sellout almost every game.
Blogging----I am not complaining in the least, I love writing this blog, it is all about you great readers which keeps me going, but it is not as easy as it might seem. It takes research, keeping your ear to the ground and hard work. While some in the "mainstream" media pooh pooh bloggers and for sure lots of sports information directors do, to myself bloggers in sports have made everyone better writers. As I always say, there is a reason that McDonalds and Wendys are always close to each other, competition is what makes America the greatest country in the world.
Two blogs that do a great job of covering the Big Sky and the Western Athletic Conference are:
http://parsingthewac.blogspot.com and www.bigskybball.com
EDITOR'S NOTE: I will return on Friday, of this week.
emails to crawscorner@gmail.com
Lorenzo Romar---I was told by a great source yesterday that if the Minnesota Timberwolves were to approach Romar he would still listen about their vacant head coaching position even at this point. Of course being at the school where he starred and graduated from is Romar's dream job, but sometimes the grass is greener, as in the green we use to pay for our groceries. Romar is one of the most liked and honest coaches in all of college basketball. Romar's name was one of the first mentioned when it was obvious that Kurt Rambis would lose his job with the Wolves. He has denied he would be interested, it is unlikely the Wolves are looking at him as of right now, but he would be an outstanding NBA coach, with his people skills. In my opinion he will not finish out his coaching career at Washington, he is a wanted coach by many people.
U of P/Portland State---About six weeks past a strong supporter of University of Portland basketball told me the Pilots would not be playing Portland State this year in basketball. After getting over the mild shock, I decided not to write about it, thinking this person could not be correct and even if he was at the time, this would change. It has not, no Vikings/Pilots game for the first time since 1998-99.
For all the great readers of this blog outside of Portland, Oregon I can understand you saying "who cares". But for people inside the city of Portland and even Oregon and SW Washington this is a big deal. It is the only college basketball rivalry around and quite frankly these two teams should have been playing twice per year, as compared to the one time that has been happening since 98.
On a much, much, much smaller scale this is the equivalent of UCLA not playing USC. I am getting hammered by fans from both sides on this issue and all I can say is your right. In one of the poorest college basketball towns for its size in the country, Portland, Oregon deserves this game each year.
Besides the rivalry aspect, it is a 20 minute bus trip between the schools and obviously a money saver in an age when both schools are not cash rich with their budgets. The game was also starting to become popular and drawing some "decent" crowds at both home sites.
I hope this is not true, but I have been told it was U of Portland that did not want to play the game. If that is the case, I can only say that the real reason is that Portland State has won four out of the last five meetings, which the Pilots were obviously embarrassed about. It is easy to talk about scheduling conflicts as the Pilots have done, but the bottom line is that this game was good for college basketball fans and they will be the losers. Shame on you University of Portland. This did not have to happen.
Fighting Sioux---Will North Dakota enter the Big Sky on July 1st, 2012 with the nickname Fighting Sioux, or will be something else like "come to our state and turn left to get to Regina, Canada". In case you have not heard, the NCAA, with one of their 10,000 or so rules, has declared the Fighting Sioux to be an abusive nickname and ordered them to drop it. The school said fine, but that did not end things. The North Dakota legislature in a formal vote have ordered North Dakota to keep the name. If they do keep the name, they will in ineligible to host any NCAA championship events and their mascot will also be banned from NCAA events (darn).
On the serious side, nicknames that are offensive is a touchy subject. The Sioux Tribes in North Dakota have long wanted the name changed, but there also is the other side who argues for keeping tradition. For sure, this is an interesting case and the outcome will be watched by many in sports. I actually went to a high school which I loved and still love, Cleveland High School, which changed its nickname about 20 years past from Indians to Warriors. Puzzling, in that to me Warriors was a step backwards in the offensive category from Indians.
Brandon Davies----It is 99 percent certain Davies will return in the fall and be eligible to play basketball for the Cougars after sitting out his suspension for breaking the BYU honor code. Of course this is bad news for the West Coast Conference opponents of the Cougars. Easily even without Davies returning, the Cougars would have been projected in the top three of the WCC, now that might move to contender and top two. BYU, coach Dave Rose has also made it clear, he wants to even up the tempo more in Provo on offense, so with that style and the great BYU national following, conference road games for the Cougars should sellout almost every game.
Blogging----I am not complaining in the least, I love writing this blog, it is all about you great readers which keeps me going, but it is not as easy as it might seem. It takes research, keeping your ear to the ground and hard work. While some in the "mainstream" media pooh pooh bloggers and for sure lots of sports information directors do, to myself bloggers in sports have made everyone better writers. As I always say, there is a reason that McDonalds and Wendys are always close to each other, competition is what makes America the greatest country in the world.
Two blogs that do a great job of covering the Big Sky and the Western Athletic Conference are:
http://parsingthewac.blogspot.com and www.bigskybball.com
EDITOR'S NOTE: I will return on Friday, of this week.
emails to crawscorner@gmail.com
Monday, July 18, 2011
Do Not Mess With NESS
On occasion we find some some very smart people who make educated and key decisions in college athletics.
I would like to applaud the decision makers who last week decided not to extend the contract of head coach George Nessman at San Jose State, but instead do even better and give him a NEW three year contract.
Nessman earned it.
Despite the fact that San Jose State went only 17-16, last season, Nessman has the Spartans on the rise and it is time to start paying attention to the Spartans in college basketball.
If you have watched Nessman over the years it is obvious that he can coach the game of basketball. Sometimes even the best of coaching, doing all the right things and making key moves in a game, is not even enough to win the game. That has happened at San Jose State over the years in basketball, but expect that to continue, but to now translate into wins, instead of losses.
George Nessman took over the Spartans head coaching job in the 2005-06 season. His first couple of years were not the best, but since that time San Jose State is on the move and I think headed to being a force in west coast college basketball.
To prove how good of a job Nessman has done with the Spartans program, here is a little documentation.
The 17 wins last year were the most wins in basketball for the Spartans since 1981. Going 17-16 was the first winning season for the program since 1994. With their appearance in the post season at the CBI, it had not happened for the Spartans since 1996, playing after the regular season. Since joining the Western Athletic Conference in 1996, last season was the first time for San Jose State to make it to the semifinals of the WAC tournament.
Even with the above mentioned it improvement, it might have been easy for the Spartans to change coaches and not show patience. For the good of their program they chose not to do that and instead stick with a very good basketball coach.
George Nessman does not get the flashy headlines like many coaches do. His teams have not been on TV that much, so not many people know about them and very few people have been paying attention to Spartan basketball.
Warning: You better start paying attention. Nessman is a very good coach, who is making a difference at at a school with very little basketball history, very little sports history and at present very small fan base.
Nessman has taken over what many thought would be an impossible task and has made it possible for San Jose State to succeed in basketball. He is a rising star in the coaching ranks and he has a program on the rise.
It will be lots of fun to watch his program not only this year, but in the future. I have a feeling it will not be disappointing.
emails crawscorner@gmail.com
I would like to applaud the decision makers who last week decided not to extend the contract of head coach George Nessman at San Jose State, but instead do even better and give him a NEW three year contract.
Nessman earned it.
Despite the fact that San Jose State went only 17-16, last season, Nessman has the Spartans on the rise and it is time to start paying attention to the Spartans in college basketball.
If you have watched Nessman over the years it is obvious that he can coach the game of basketball. Sometimes even the best of coaching, doing all the right things and making key moves in a game, is not even enough to win the game. That has happened at San Jose State over the years in basketball, but expect that to continue, but to now translate into wins, instead of losses.
George Nessman took over the Spartans head coaching job in the 2005-06 season. His first couple of years were not the best, but since that time San Jose State is on the move and I think headed to being a force in west coast college basketball.
To prove how good of a job Nessman has done with the Spartans program, here is a little documentation.
The 17 wins last year were the most wins in basketball for the Spartans since 1981. Going 17-16 was the first winning season for the program since 1994. With their appearance in the post season at the CBI, it had not happened for the Spartans since 1996, playing after the regular season. Since joining the Western Athletic Conference in 1996, last season was the first time for San Jose State to make it to the semifinals of the WAC tournament.
Even with the above mentioned it improvement, it might have been easy for the Spartans to change coaches and not show patience. For the good of their program they chose not to do that and instead stick with a very good basketball coach.
George Nessman does not get the flashy headlines like many coaches do. His teams have not been on TV that much, so not many people know about them and very few people have been paying attention to Spartan basketball.
Warning: You better start paying attention. Nessman is a very good coach, who is making a difference at at a school with very little basketball history, very little sports history and at present very small fan base.
Nessman has taken over what many thought would be an impossible task and has made it possible for San Jose State to succeed in basketball. He is a rising star in the coaching ranks and he has a program on the rise.
It will be lots of fun to watch his program not only this year, but in the future. I have a feeling it will not be disappointing.
emails crawscorner@gmail.com
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