I realized something about my obsession with sports a couple of years ago. It was my outlet. Too often, I have neglected my responsibility as world-citizen to consume political, economic, and international news to consume SportsCenter. I know that I am not the only to type in ESPN.com before CNN.com. I know I am not the only one to watch a 30 for 30 before watching a documentary with social implications. However, I never felt overly guilty about this because I knew it is was my getaway from the real world. Nobody can be survive the constant pressure of our countless obligations. Hell, I am ignoring a problem set to write this blog post that will probably be read by 30 people. For me, the opportunity to go to the gym and shoot hoops, to watch a college basketball game, or see the Seattle Mariners inevitably lose, was too tempting of a social escape. Luckily it was justifiable because as I would look into the crowd of that Mariner game, I could see 20,000 others doing exactly as I was doing.
Maybe that is why these last two weeks have been so hard for me as a sports fan. The alleged sexual abuse by Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky and the subsequent removal of Joe Paterno has become one of the biggest scandals of the last ten years. Following this news, came an abuse scandal at The Citadel that was eerily similar to the Penn State scandal. Then came the resurfacing of abuse case Syracuse Associate Head Coach Bernie Fine. After watching this gut-wrenching video, I realized that line between the real world and my outlet had thinned greatly. By no means am I victim, and I am obviously unprepared to know what is the truth in many of these cases. What I do know is that I am no longer to view sports as a pure entity. Lawyers and an anti-trust law are now the two things dictating whether we will see an NBA season. Football got in the way of the real goal of an academic institution to nurture young adults and help them succeed. Tiger Woods' sex life got bigger than the entire sport of golf.
Maybe I was living naively. For so long, I was able to ignore the stories of tragedy, crime, and gossip and instead focused on the highlight reels, games, and statistics. Yesterday, it hit me. I can no longer view sports in a vacuum. Every college football game is stained by scandal, every NBA game is stained by greed, every Big East basketball game will be stained by the conference realignment and this scandal. My love of sports is stained.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Quick Thoughts: Northwestern vs. LSU
1. Don't be fooled, Northwestern has a balanced offensive attack.
John Shurna lit it up today with a career high 37 points on 10-21 shooting and 13-14 from the FT line. He is a bona fide star even if he doesn't look the part and will be one of the top players in the Big Ten. However, he is not the only player who can score on this Northwestern team. Drew Crawford looked healthy and played aggressive defensive in the 1-3-1 and that led to many of his 17 points on the break. Former #103 ranked recruit and Sophomore JerShon Cobb looked solid in his mid-range game and scored 8 crucial points in his first game back from offseason surgery. Backcourt players, Alex Marcotullio, Reggie Hearn, and Dave Sobolewski all hit big 3's and all should have a legitimate offensive role the rest of the season.
2. LSU's Johnny O'Bryant is going to be a star.
The former top 50 recruit is athletic, agressive, and hard-working. Oh, and he can shoot free-throws. 21 point, 8 rebound games might not come as easily in games against better frontcourts, but come the end of this year, and next season, Johnny O'Bryant will be a household name for any college basketball fan.
3. Northwestern's 1-3-1 looked good.
Never been a fan of the 1-3-1, especially when former PG Juice Thompson would be on the bottom and get posted up and abused by opposing big men. However, today the switch was positive, and the active hands and energy led to many of the 16 turnovers.
4. Northwestern's defensive rebounding looked awful.
While they only lost the rebounding battle 29-26, LSU had 11 offensive rebounds and whether a result of the 1-3-1 or just inability to box out, that is unacceptable. Luka Mirkovic is much too good for only 1 rebound and 0 points and other big man Davide Curletti had only 4 points and 2 rebounds to go along with 4 TOs. They were also beat on a lot of put backs including a huge put back slam by Malcolm White. Northwestern will probably not make their first tournament unless Mirkovic and Curletti show more aggressiveness on the boards.
John Shurna lit it up today with a career high 37 points on 10-21 shooting and 13-14 from the FT line. He is a bona fide star even if he doesn't look the part and will be one of the top players in the Big Ten. However, he is not the only player who can score on this Northwestern team. Drew Crawford looked healthy and played aggressive defensive in the 1-3-1 and that led to many of his 17 points on the break. Former #103 ranked recruit and Sophomore JerShon Cobb looked solid in his mid-range game and scored 8 crucial points in his first game back from offseason surgery. Backcourt players, Alex Marcotullio, Reggie Hearn, and Dave Sobolewski all hit big 3's and all should have a legitimate offensive role the rest of the season.
2. LSU's Johnny O'Bryant is going to be a star.
The former top 50 recruit is athletic, agressive, and hard-working. Oh, and he can shoot free-throws. 21 point, 8 rebound games might not come as easily in games against better frontcourts, but come the end of this year, and next season, Johnny O'Bryant will be a household name for any college basketball fan.
3. Northwestern's 1-3-1 looked good.
Never been a fan of the 1-3-1, especially when former PG Juice Thompson would be on the bottom and get posted up and abused by opposing big men. However, today the switch was positive, and the active hands and energy led to many of the 16 turnovers.
4. Northwestern's defensive rebounding looked awful.
While they only lost the rebounding battle 29-26, LSU had 11 offensive rebounds and whether a result of the 1-3-1 or just inability to box out, that is unacceptable. Luka Mirkovic is much too good for only 1 rebound and 0 points and other big man Davide Curletti had only 4 points and 2 rebounds to go along with 4 TOs. They were also beat on a lot of put backs including a huge put back slam by Malcolm White. Northwestern will probably not make their first tournament unless Mirkovic and Curletti show more aggressiveness on the boards.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Time for Ben Howland to go?
How much are 3 straight final fours worth when you lose to Middle Tennessee State by 20 points? That is the question many UCLA fans are asking right now. The formally #17 ranked Bruins are in full-blown crisis mode two games into the season, and some of the blame has to be placed on head coach, Ben Howland. First let's take a look on why UCLA fans should be genuinely worried about this season.
1. They lost two straight games to mid-majors.
Losing to Loyola Marymout by 11 in their first game, the Bruins, with arguably one of the best frontcourts in the nation, outrebounded LMU by 1. "That was a very disappointing way to start our season off," said coach Ben Howland. "It's a bad loss for us. I've been saying it, we have a long way to go." Still, these things happen in the beginning of the season, and you had to assume it was a bit of an aberration. LMU shot 10-15 on 3 pointers vs. UCLA's 2-15. C Josh Smith's tweet "Just lost to some straight bums lol." did not help matters.
However, after the 86-66 loss against Middle Tennessee State, Bruin fans have to be worried. After 58 combined minutes, the Wear twins combined for 6 rebounds, the team was outrebounded by 5, got poor play from PG Lazeric Jones for the second game, and look to have absolutely no real threats from 3 point range by shooting an abysmal 4-20. Let's just say Reeves Nelson's tweet sums it up: "Wow."
Losing to Loyola Marymout by 11 in their first game, the Bruins, with arguably one of the best frontcourts in the nation, outrebounded LMU by 1. "That was a very disappointing way to start our season off," said coach Ben Howland. "It's a bad loss for us. I've been saying it, we have a long way to go." Still, these things happen in the beginning of the season, and you had to assume it was a bit of an aberration. LMU shot 10-15 on 3 pointers vs. UCLA's 2-15. C Josh Smith's tweet "Just lost to some straight bums lol." did not help matters.
However, after the 86-66 loss against Middle Tennessee State, Bruin fans have to be worried. After 58 combined minutes, the Wear twins combined for 6 rebounds, the team was outrebounded by 5, got poor play from PG Lazeric Jones for the second game, and look to have absolutely no real threats from 3 point range by shooting an abysmal 4-20. Let's just say Reeves Nelson's tweet sums it up: "Wow."
2. Speaking of Reeves Nelson, he seems to really be unhappy at UCLA.
The hard-working, undersized forward had some dominant games last year, and plays some of the most inspired basketball when in the right mindset. He was suspended from the game vs. Mid. Tennessee State after not showing up at practice, and his prep coach is suggesting counseling for the big man. He seemed to ignore the coaches in the LMU game. Josh Smith let on that Nelson may be thinking of quitting the team. Asked whether he had spoken to Nelson about his status, [Joshua] Smith appeared to indicate that Nelson was thinking of quitting the team. "I’ve talked to him, but there’s not really any information to tell me where he’s leaning," Smith said. "I want him to stay." Given this and his talk with Coach Howland, it is obvious he is pretty unhappy with his role on the loaded frontcourt.
The hard-working, undersized forward had some dominant games last year, and plays some of the most inspired basketball when in the right mindset. He was suspended from the game vs. Mid. Tennessee State after not showing up at practice, and his prep coach is suggesting counseling for the big man. He seemed to ignore the coaches in the LMU game. Josh Smith let on that Nelson may be thinking of quitting the team. Asked whether he had spoken to Nelson about his status, [Joshua] Smith appeared to indicate that Nelson was thinking of quitting the team. "I’ve talked to him, but there’s not really any information to tell me where he’s leaning," Smith said. "I want him to stay." Given this and his talk with Coach Howland, it is obvious he is pretty unhappy with his role on the loaded frontcourt.
3. Lack of any semblance of a backcourt.
Remember how good Villanova was with a four guard set? Well, that doesn't work with four big men. Honestly, at this point none of UCLA's guards look cut out for Pac-12 play, and it is not like they have Kevin Love in the front court. Josh Smith is still out of shape, the Wear twins can't rebound, and Nelson is suspended.
Remember how good Villanova was with a four guard set? Well, that doesn't work with four big men. Honestly, at this point none of UCLA's guards look cut out for Pac-12 play, and it is not like they have Kevin Love in the front court. Josh Smith is still out of shape, the Wear twins can't rebound, and Nelson is suspended.
Now that leaves us with the Ben Howland question:
Should he be fired?
While the 3 straight final fours definitely gives him some wiggle room, the fact the lost to Middle Tennessee State is not even a headline on ESPN's college basketball page is a huge issue. This is UCLA, a blueblood program, and there is not even enough surprise at the lost to warrant a front page story on the college basketball page. UCLA should, based on name alone, be in the top 3 every year in the PAC-12, and be at least a sweet 16 team. It is also clear that Howland is not a players coach (although either is Jim Calhoun).
Despite all this, I would say that Howland is still in decent position to keep his job, but securing a commitment from 2012 #1 recruit Shabazz Muhammad would pretty much lock things up for him to get at least one more year. That would give him a top 5 recruiting class (with Kyle Anderson already in the fold), and although it is possible to save a great recruiting class when hiring another coach (see Arkansas), I would really doubt any AD would fire him after locking up that type of class. So while this is looking like a rough year for Bruin fans, I am going to guess that nothing comes out of the many Bruin fans' pleas to fire Howland.
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