BEHIND THE MICROPHONE

My Meeting with Coach Wooden

The date was November 11, 2002. The place, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Marina Del Rey, CA.

 

Then Atlanta Hawks GM Pete Babcock arranged a meeting for the team with Coach John Wooden.

 

The entire traveling party made its way to a small banquet room, and in came Coach Wooden. He sat with us for over an hour. He knew our coach, Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkins very well. (How incredible to have two men in the same room who were selected as Hall of Famers as both players AND coaches.) But for many of us, we were stangers.

 

That did not matter to Coach Wooden. He spoke to us like we were an extension of his UCLA teams, reviewing his Pyramid of Success. He stressed conditioning (physical, mental, moral), skill (do it quickly), and team spirit (be considerate of others on and off the court).

 

Coach spoke of how winning was a by product of all of those characteristics. He stressed how the game was OFF the ball, both offensively and defensively. I was taking notes as fast as I could write.

 

We were all mesmorized. At the end, coach Wooden took the time to autograph each person’s copy of his book, "Wooden. A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court".

 

“For Bob. Best wishes John Wooden.”

 

An unforgettable moment in time that I will take with me forever.

The moment we've all been waiting for...

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- The 2009-10 Atlantic Coast Conference basketball schedule released today by Commissioner John Swofford is highlighted by 281 television appearances by the league’s 12 member schools, including 162 appearances on national television networks. This year’s schedule also includes 173 televised games involving ACC teams and marks the sixth-straight year the ACC has had more than 250 television appearances.

The Conference will provide an updated 2009-10 ACC schedule with additional television selections at a later date.

In addition, the league also unveiled the 2010 ACC Tournament logo today. The 57th annual ACC Tournament is set for March 11-14, 2010, and marks the 22nd time that the four-day event will be held at the Greensboro Coliseum.

ACC Basketball by the Numbers

162 - ACC teams are scheduled to make 162 appearances on national television networks, including 118 appearances on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU, 35 on Fox Sports Net, and seven on CBS.

24 – ACC teams are scheduled to play a total of 24 games against 22 non-conference opponents that earned NCAA Tournament berths in 2008-09.

19 - Fox Sports Net and affiliates will televise 19 Sunday afternoon and evening games on a national basis, starting with North Carolina hosting Nevada on November 29.

11 - Headlining the league’s non-conference schedule is the 11th annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge pairing two of the nation's premier conferences in a regular-season challenge series. Last year, the ACC won the Challenge for the 10th-straight time, winning six of the 11 games played. The ACC (.640) and the Big Ten (.613) are the two winningest conferences in NCAA Tournament history.

Tyler and the NBA

His basketball pedigree is unquestioned.

So is his work ethic, his drive, skill, determination, will to win, and he’s blessed with a motor that will not quit.

So why isn’t North Carolina’s reigning National Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough NOT considered a slam dunk top-tier lottery pick in this summer’s NBA Draft?

It’s a question that has dogged the Tar Heels big man for the past two seasons.

The argument goes, ‘great college player, but might not make it as a pro’.

I put that question to the Hawks’ assistant General Manager/Director of Player Personnel Dave Pendergraft.

“He’ll (Hansbrough) be taken later than he should, only because so many people have focused on his deficiencies rather than what he can do,” Dave told me. “But, Bob, he can play. I can see him playing 10-12 years in the league and being a starter at least half of those years.”

“Tyler may never be an NBA all-star, but he is one of the few players in this draft that could immediately make a bad team better.”

I’ve had the pleasure of broadcasting Hansbrough’s games through his career and have marveled at his incredible energy. How that will play out over an 82-game NBA grind is certainly open to conjecture.

I always felt like I was watching the next Dave Cowens when I see Hansbrough play.

“I don’t like to compare eras, but, yea, I can see the comparisons to Dave,” Pendergraft added. “I think he’ll be a little more like Cleveland’s Anderson Varejao, but with a better offensive game.”

While we were on the subject of his college scouting, I asked Dave which players have caught his eye.

“I really like Jeremy Pargo (Gonzaga’s 6-2 senior guard). He’s hasn’t been mentioned a lot yet, but he’ll be in the lottery.  I also like Evan Turner a lot (Ohio State’s 6-7 two-guard, who dropped 28 on Notre Dame in a 67-62 Buckeye win in December). Those two names will be moving up on everyone’s draft board.”

Nothing better than talking hoops with my man Dave!

PHOTO: mrtarheel.com

Never, Ever

It was incredibly exciting. A double-overtime thriller at the Smith Center. Yet, when the finally horn sounded, we all said the same thing.

They will never win in Chapel Hill.

The Clemson Tigers blew a game Sunday night that confirms the above statement. Clemson held a 11-point lead with less than four minutes remaining and still managed to lose in Chapel Hill for the 53^{rd consecutive time without victory.}

All you needed to see was the body language. North Carolina knew it would win. Clemson knew it would not. It was only a matter of time. And when Clemson could not get off a game-winning shot in the final seconds of regulation, the feeling going into each overtime was not that Carolina would win, but by how many.

Add the fact that Clemson is also the worst free throw shooting team in the country (1-7???) it’s a wonder they were able to build such a tremendous advantage on the road.

I, for one, was hoping the streak would end.

I don’t like long streaks like this, losing streaks and games played streaks. They seem to take on a life of their own, and what does it really mean, anyway? These kids that played their hearts out for Clemson Sunday night had nothing to do with all those losses. Yet, they carried the weight of history with them.

Many a night, I broadcast the Clemson at UNC game, and it seemed that every game ended the same, with Carolina winning by an average score of 83-58! If memory serves, I called five Clemson at UNC games in the streak.

I hereby put in to call next year’s game!

You have to be impressed with the way Duke has been playing. A great win over Carolina on the road, followed by a string second half in taking care of Boston College, the Devils now have the inside track to home court advantage in the NCAA Tournament. No the games won’t be played at Cameron Indoor, but for Duke to get games in Raleigh and Charlotte would be plenty of advantage for Duke….Maryland is coming on strong. When James Gist plays like a superstar, the Terps emerge as a elite-team….why would I not be surprised to see Bobby Knight take over at LSU soon?....I’ll tell you another team that is coming on strong: Kentucky. They could be the sleeper come SEC Tournament time.

The Hawks hit the all-star break this week, staring at a Western Conference trip that will be as tough as any in recent years. At Lakers, Sacramento, Golden State, Utah and San Antonio is a rugged five-games-in-seven-days stretch. But even if the Hawks lose all five, they’ll still be in a position to clinch a playoff berth in the East with a month and a half to play. The way its going, 10-games under .500 will be good enough to make the playoffs in the East. And look at what is happening in the West. Potentially, a 50-win team could miss the playoffs.

Kobe or LeBron?

This week, the NBA’s top two marquee attractions will play Philips

Arena.

You can decide for yourself who is better. Kobe or LeBron?

Wednesday night, the Lakers make their annual visit. Bryant has been sensational this season, leading a rejuvenated Laker attack.

Bryant is averaging 28.4 per game this season. Since Philips Arena opened, Kobe has led the Lakers to five wins here in six decisions.

He’s averaging 30.2 PPG here in his career, with a high game of 37 here in ’05.

Over the years, the Hawks have managed to keep it close with LA, only to see Kobe take over at the end of games to seal the deal for the Lakers.

Friday night, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers will be here.

Of course, we see LBJ a little more often, but his impact is just as big as Kobe’s.

LeBron scored 31 here, with 10 boards and six assists but the Hawks prevailed, 90-81, in January. Joe Johnson had 29 in that one.

In his career, James has averaged 30.1 in eight career games in Atlanta, with the Cavaliers winning six of them. In fact, that January win by Atlanta ended a six-game Cleveland winning streak here.

So far this season, LeBron is averaging 30.1 PPG. His high-game this season is 51, and has turned in four triple-doubles.

So, do you have your tickets? Wednesday and Friday look to be pretty special nights for basketball in the ATL!

Unbelievable Super Bowl! For the first time in recent memory, the game was better—much better—than the commercials! Hey, the Giants deserved it. They outplayed the Patriots. It’s a Super Bowl that will go down as one of the greatest sporting events of the last 25 years.

Duke and North Carolina Wednesday night in Chapel Hill…Duke is good, not great. Look for the Tar Heels to win this one, setting up the rematch in Durham that will tilt toward the home team. Clearly, the best two teams in the ACC. Hot right now—the Maryland Terrapins. A gritty victory Saturday at Georgia Tech keeps a positive roll going for the men of Gary Williams…

Tennessee held off Mississippi State last Saturday night and now owns the outright lead in the SEC East. The Vols quality depth makes them the SEC’s best. That game with #1 Memphis later in the month should be tremendous.

The Road Warrior

NOTES FROM THE ROAD

Greetings, Dear Readers! This is your old buddy, Bob, coming to you from the Hawks charter.
We’re winging it from Portland to Phoenix as I pen this.
The best way to describe the mood of the team is stunned. Just hours ago, the Hawks blew a 19-point lead and a game they controlled, to the Portland Trail Blazers, 94-93.
Atlanta led by six with a little over two minutes left.
But then Brandon Roy took over.
Roy penetrated the Hawks ‘D’ for three straight lay-ups, and then nailed a free throw with 2.3 seconds left for the winning margin.
This was a game the Hawks controlled until they very end. They had a double-digit lead most of the night, only to hand it to the Blazers down the stretch.
Portland’s Travis Outlaw broke the Hawks hearts on MLK Day at Philips with his game-winning jumper at :00.9. Sunday, it was Brandon Roy.
It was clearly the most bitter defeat of the season.

The Hawks will be home Saturday to face Jason Kidd and the Nets. That kicks off a four-game home stand that will see Kobe and LeBron come to town next Wednesday and Friday…..obviously, we all missed out on the NHL All-Star festivities. But what we saw looked great. The hockey world got to see what we know—that Philips Arena is a world class sports and entertainment facility. From the looks of it, the game had to have been fun—8-7 East….now lets get the Thrashers back going again, and win the Southeast Division…Washington is hot, though, and Carolina wants back in. The second half promises to be exciting….it’s amazing how little the folks out West care about the SEC and the ACC. What is wrong with them???....Saturday night, I get to call a big SEC showdown in Starkville, as Tennessee rolls into town to face West-leading Mississippi State. The Bulldogs are 5-0 in the league. Rick Stansbury has got ‘em rollin’ again…Jamont Gordon and Chris Lofton should be a great matchup. Check it out on FSN South….A solid road win for Georgia Tech at Virginia in OT Sunday. Jackets are starting to turn things around….Congrats to 3D, Dennis Scott and Rachel on the birth of their daughter last week. Dizzle said  she came out shootin’ threes…you’ll know Thursday, but I think Joe Johnson has an outside shot at the Eastern Conference all-star team. Looks like it may come down to Joe and Antawn Jamison for the final spot in the East. It is time to expand the rosters. They’ve been at 12 dating back to when there were 14 teams. We now have 30. It will be strange not having Shaq at the all-star game. First one the big fella has missed…Patriots again? Hard to pick against ‘em. Think of the times in which we live: we are witnessing the greatest golfer ever (Tiger), the greatest tennis player ever (Federer) and maybe the best quarterback ever (Brady). One more Super Bowl might just cement his legacy. Pats 24 Giants 21. I don’t have a rooting interest, but I hope Eli Manning plays well. Just to shut up the critics. He’s done an amazing job. No picks in the playoffs? Outstanding. Hope it’s a good game and we have some good commercials to watch!

Good, 'Ole Rocky Top

Looking for a dark horse to make this year’s Final Four? Look no further than Knoxville, TN.
Yes, Bruce Pearl’s Vols have what it takes to make it to San Antonio.
After last Saturday’s destruction of South Carolina in Columbia, Tennessee ran its winning streak to nine and improved to 14-1 heading into a Thursday date with Vanderbilt. The Vols will host Ohio State Saturday.
This is a club that has added two tremendous transfers. Tyler Smith, a Pulaski, TN native, was recruited by Buzz Peterson, but left when Buzz was let go. He went to Iowa, but transferred back to Tennessee and hooked up with the Vols after learning that his father was terminally ill. The NCAA granted Tyler a special exemption to play right away, and not sit out a year under the usual transfer rules.
Smith, 6-7, 215, is the best shooter among the starters. But he is much more than just a shooter. Tyler is a jack of all trades, leading the Vols in assists from the power forward position.
The other transfer of note is JP Prince, Tayshaun’s cousin. He became eligible in mid-December and entered the South Carolina game shooting 59.5 from the field! Prince started at Arizona.
JuJuan Smith, the 6-2 senor guard, is a pest. His ability to pressure opposing guard is tremendous, and he keys a ‘D’ that is second in the nation in steals per game.
Jordan Howell is the steady senior at the point, which leaves us with Chris Lofton.
Lofton, the heralded shooting guard, is having a terrible season. He is shooting 34% from the field and 33% from three-point range. His scoring continues to plummet, and now stands at 14 PPG for the season.
Lofton will still make a key bucket from time to time, but clearly, the Vols have figured out how to win without his productivity.
Lofton is seeing his pro stock drop with each game. He looks like a shadow of his former self, offensively.
Tennessee is the best I’ve seen in quite some time when pressuring the in-bounds pass. In their last 49 games, the Vols have forced teams to call 40 timeouts and commit 25 five-second violations.
Coach Pearl, in his third year, has turned the Big Orange into something special.

A big game for the Hawks Monday, when Atlanta hosts Portland. MLK Day is always a special event in Atlanta, and this year’s matinee offers a treat for Hawks fans to enjoy two of the great stories in the league so far this year. The Hawks are looking more and more like a playoff team as they flirt with .500, while the Blazers took the league by storm when they put together a 13-game winning streak. The Blazers are fighting with Denver and Utah for supremacy in the Northwest Division. (FSN South, 2PM).

All Great Leaders are Readers

OK, troops, how are those New Year’s Resolutions coming?
Well, all righty then! Let’s hit that re-start button!
One of the great people in sports and education is Dr. Paul Schempp from UGA’s Sports Instruction Research Laboratory.
Paul was kind enough to send along his study of readings recommended by expert coaches.
One distinguishing characteristic propelling experts to consistently superior performance is their extensive knowledge. One source often identified by experts as fundamental to their knowledge base is reading. Paul has done us the favor of asking coaches to identify the books that the great coaching leaders would recommend to beginning coaches.
I can think of no better way to get 2008 started than by going out and getting these books to start your own high performance library.
392 coaches from 29 different sports were sent letters explaining the study. 107 coaches from 17 sports responded. The participants recommended 156 authors and 177 book titles.
With Paul’s permission, here are the Top 5:

1. The Winner Within. Pat Riley, 1993. New York: Putnam’s Sons.
2. Wooden, A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court. John Wooden and Steve Jamison, 1997. Lincolnwood, IL: Contemporary Books.
3. Search for the Perfect Swing, The Proven Scientific Approach to Fundamentally Improving Your Game. Alistair Cochran and John Stobbs. Chicago, IL: Triumph Books.
4. My Personal Best, Life Lessons from an All-American Journey. John Wooden and Steve Jamison, 2004. new York: McGraw-Hill.
5. Season of Life, A Football Star, A Boy, A Journey to Manhood. Jeffrey Marx. New York: Simon and Schuster.

Isn’t it interesting that three of the top five books are authored by basketball coaches? And Paul notes in his research that the authors most frequently identified were Wooden, Riley, and Dean Smith.
Marx, the Pulitzer Prize winning author, wrote A Football Star to chronicle the work of Joe Ehrmann, the former Baltimore Colt, and his teaching of life lessons through football at Gilman High School in Maryland.

Dr. Schempp will present these findings later this month in Japan at a Sport Science Conference. The entire reading list of 177 book titles would keep you going for years. Exceptional material.

My goal for 2008 is the same as 2007—a book a week, minimum of 52. I’ve got my first one done, working on number two. Paul has given us five must-reads!

The Kiddie Corp

One of the ancillary benefits of my job is getting to talk hoops with the great men and women who cover the game on a regular basis.
Hop-scotching between the NBA and major college basketball brings me in contact with the elite of the 5th Estate and often those pre-game discussions spark some interesting fact-finding missions.
Last weekend, I ran into my old pal Ron Morris, now the lead sports columnist for The State in Columbia, SC.
We got talking about college personnel, and I shared with him a list of the players who are currently in the NBA that have collegiate eligibility time remaining.

Here’s the list, courtesy of STATS LLC:

NBA Players Who Would Still Have NCAA Eligibility if Stayed/Went to College
(Based on Current NBA Rosters)

NBA Team    Player                  College/High School     Would Be IF Stayed
Atlanta     Al Horford              Florida                       Sr.
Atlanta     Josh Smith              Oak Hill Academy HS           Sr.
Atlanta     Marvin Williams         North Carolina                Sr.
Boston      Glen Davis              LSU                           Sr.
Chicago     JamesOn Curry           Oklahoma St.                  Sr.
Chicago     Thomas Gardner          Missouri                      Sr.
Chicago     Joakim Noah             Florida                       Sr.
Chicago     Tyrus Thomas            LSU                           Jr.
Cleveland   Daniel Gibson           Texas                         Sr.
Cleveland   Cedric Simmons          North Carolina St.            Sr.
Denver      J.R. Smith              St. Benedict’s Prep HS        Sr.
Detroit     Arron Afflalo           UCLA                          Sr.
Detroit     Amir Johnson            Westchester HS                Jr.
Detroit     Rodney Stuckey          Eastern Washington            Jr.
Golden St.  Monta Ellis             Lanier HS                     Jr.
Golden St.  Patrick O’Bryant        Bradley                       Sr.
Golden St.  Brandan Wright          North Carolina                So.
Indiana     Shawne Williams         Memphis                       Jr.
LA Clippers Shaun Livingston        Peoria Central HS             Sr.
LA Lakers   Andrew Bynum            St. Joseph HS                 Jr.
LA Lakers   Javaris Crittenton      Georgia Tech                  So.
LA Lakers   Jordan Farmar           UCLA                          Sr.
Memphis     Mike Conley             Ohio St.                      So.
Memphis     Rudy Gay                Connecticut                   Sr.
Memphis     Kyle Lowry              Villanova                     Sr.
Miami       Daequan Cook            Ohio St.                      So.
Miami       Dorell Wright           Leuzinger HS                  Sr.
Milwaukee   Ramon Sessions          Nevada                        Sr.
Minnesota   Corey Brewer            Florida                       Sr.
Minnesota   Gerald Green            Gulf Shores Academy HS        Jr.
Minnesota   Al Jefferson            Prentiss HS                   Sr.
Minnesota   Sebastian Telfair       Abraham Lincoln HS            Sr.
New Orleans Julian Wright           Kansas                        Jr.
Orlando     Dwight Howard           SW Atlanta Christian Academy  Sr.
Philadelphia Jason Smith            Colorado St.                  Sr.
Philadelphia Louis Williams         South Gwinnett HS             Jr.
Philadelphia Thaddeus Young         Georgia Tech                  So.
Portland    Lamarcus Aldridge       Texas                         Sr.
Portland    Taurean Green           Florida                       Sr.
Portland    Josh McRoberts          Duke                          Jr.
Portland    Greg Oden               Ohio St.                      So.
Portland    Martell Webster         Seattle Prep                  Jr.
Sacramento  Spencer Hawes           Washington                    So.
San Antonio Darius Washington       Memphis                       Sr.
Seattle     Kevin Durant            Texas                         So.
Seattle     Jeff Green              Georgetown                    Sr.
Seattle     Robert Swift            Bakersfield HS                Jr.
Utah        C.J. Miles              Skyline HS                    Jr.
Washington  Andray Blatche          South Kent Prep               Jr.
Washington  Dominic McGuire         Fresno St.                    Sr.
Washington  Nick Young              USC                           Sr.

What goes through your mind when you see this? Didn’t realize that Josh Smith would be a senior this year? Or what the college landscape would look like with these guys back on campus? Think Tyler Hansbrough would be the pre-season player of the year with these bigs still in school?
That’s 51 players out of 450 spots in the NBA. Over 10% of the league would still be in college, based on this chart. Wow. I knew it was a lot, but not that many!
With Minnesota and Memphis coming into Philips arena this week, youth will definitely be served!

Welcome to 'Lanna'

Welcome to town, LSU and Tennessee faithful! It will be a fun weekend, one of the best we have to offer round these parts.
When Steve Spurrier got the job at South Carolina, yours truly was in Columbia to broadcast the USC-Clemson basketball game, the day of the SEC Championship game. USC officials brought Darth Visor out to meet the Gamecock nation at halftime of the basketball game.
“There’s a game tonight in Lanna (that’s correct. He said ‘Lanna’ instead of Atlanta. You had to be there) It’s my favorite game. One day, we’ll be going down there to play in it, I hope.”
Now the crowd went nuts after he said ‘play in it’ and never heard the ‘I hope’. But his point is well taken. It’s a lot of folks favorite game. And this one is intriguing, to say the least.
How Tennessee pulled that Kentucky game out of the fire remains a mystery. And LSU comes in after seeing its BCS title hopes dashed with the loss to Arkansas.
But hey, they are here, ready to play for the SEC title and have a big time.

So, while you all live it up at the Dome, I’ll be slaving over a hot microphone. And it’s another Clemson-South Carolina game, this year at Clemson (4PM, FSN South).
The Tigers had a Tuesday night date with Purdue in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. South Carolina just lost Sunday afternoon to George Mason in Orlando, FL.
Last Saturday, the Tigers beat the new giant killers, Gardner-Webb, but lost two key men to injuries.
James Mays was on crutches after the game, and junior center Raymond Sykes was scheduled for a trip to the oral surgeon after each suffered injuries against the Bulldogs.

Sykes was hit in the mouth in the first half, and the diagnosis was that he had four teeth "moved back" on the play, while Mays, who was undercut on a second-half drive to the basket and lay on the floor for several moments, was diagnosed with a hip sprain.

"I am very concerned with injuries coming out of the game," Clemson head coach Oliver Purnell said. "That was pretty scary (seeing Mays lying on the floor).

"I am not even sure what a sprained hip is. He has been battling some things, and he will start treatment Monday. With a mouth guard, Raymond should be ready to go."

Bulldog head coach Rick Scruggs said the Tigers were the most impressive opponent his team has played thus far.

"From what I have seen, and we played Kentucky, Connecticut twice, and Oklahoma, Clemson has been by far the best team we have played," Scruggs said. "The reason is, they can score it. Clemson got a lot of stuff off transition today, and we paid the price because of the way they were shooting it."

That’s high praise for the Tigers. They should be at the top of the ACC with North Carolina, Duke, and NC State.

The Hawks will be home twice this week, Wednesday vs. Milwaukee, and then Friday vs New Orleans.
Here’s something to look for Friday night. The Hornets have a ritual where all the reserves stand at the bench until the team makes its first field goal. Last Saturday night against the Clippers they didn't sit down until David West hit a 12-footer 10:15 with left in the first quarter -- the first points by either team.
Thrashers back on home ice Thursday night against Toronto, out to prove the back-to-back shutout losses last weekend were flukes. No one can stop that Shake and Bake Line for long!