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NFL Mock Draft 2009 Draft of 2009 Lacks Star Power NFL Draft 2009: Getting Started Super Bowl Well Worth Tuning In For
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| NBA | |
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Prospects On Center Stage NBA Preview 2008/09: Final Call
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Embrace The Madness By Ron Jumper After the first weekend of action, most of us have ripped up our brackets and given up on winning any pool we are in. This has been an unusual tournament any way you slice it. How about having two 12 vs. 13 second round matchups? There are two 12 seeds in the Sweet 16 while Duke and Georgetown are sitting at home. Michigan State ruined plenty of brackets by taking out a popular sleeper in Pitt. However, we shouldn’t blame Pitt and should really blame only ourselves. Every year Pitt teases us with how they look in Big East play, but comes up short in the tournament. For whatever reason, we bought in and thought this year would be different, but we were wrong. As for my beloved Hogs, they were just demolished by a red-hot UNC club. My message for what is left of the tournament is that we enjoy it and take it for what it is, which is the most exciting event in sports. What other event offers the upsets and Cinderella stories that March Madness does? I can’t think of any. What inspired me to forget about my awful bracket and just enjoy March Madness for what it is? Well, I was looking through the channels and saw the 1995 National Championship Game between UCLA and Arkansas on ESPN Classic. I realized what a great time that was for Razorback fans, as well as UCLA fans. I had forgotten what it was like when the Hogs and their “40 Minutes Of Hell” ruled college basketball. I began to look at the players and coaches participating in the game and realized how much things can change. I looked first at the head coaches participating, with Nolan Richardson as the head man for the Hogs and Jim Harrick leading the Bruins. At this time, they were on top of the world. They had respect, glory, and great basketball teams to coach every day. Now, 13 years later, neither coach is coaching on the college or professional level, and it isn’t because they are retired. Nolan would eventually be fired and sue the school for racial discrimination, and he hasn’t gotten a job since. Jim Harrick would be the coach at Georgia, but violating NCAA rules cost him his job, he also hasn’t been a coach since. The interesting part about it is that now assistants from that game are beginning to make their mark in college basketball. Former Hogs assistant Mike Anderson has become the head coach at Missouri, still utilizing Nolan’s “40 Minutes Of Hell.” Former UCLA assistant Lorenzo Romar is now the head coach at Washington, where he has established a winning program at a place not instilled with great basketball tradition. I began looking at the great players in the game: Corliss Williamson, Scotty Thurman, Corey Beck, Darnell Robinson, Ed O’Bannon, Tobey Bailey, and Tyus Edney. The big time talent was Ed O’Bannon and NBA scouts were excited about him. However, at the end of the day, the only player from that game that can say he really accomplished anything at the NBA level is Corliss Williamson. “Big Nasty” would go on to have a great career and even win the 6th Man Of The Year award for the Pistons. The rest of this bunch fizzled out and has struggled to find steady work ever since. My point of all this is that it doesn’t matter whether you are a coach, player, or just a fan. Always take the time to appreciate everything going on right now and what a great experience the NCAA Tournament is for everyone involved. You never know what things could be like in another 13 years. By 2021, there could be 128 teams in the tournament and it could completely lose its luster because pretty much everyone makes the field. Or maybe you’re team will get caught breaking NCAA rules and be put on a harsh probation that takes years upon years to recover from. You’ll look back to now when things are good and wish things were like they were back in 2008. Well, take the time now to be thankful for this time in the sports year and seize the moment, as it may never be quite the same ever again. March 25, 2008 |
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Be Careful What You Wish For
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| NCAA Basketball | |
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Jumpology: My Bracket Jumpology: Scouting The Heavyweights Jumpology: Reviewing The Bracket
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