the man was college hoops
― i don't always play indie, but when i do, i prefer xx (m bison), Saturday, 5 June 2010 03:02 (fifteen years ago)
Basically this was one of two people who I've never met but who I secretly kind of wished would live forever. I heard about his passing while watching a Dodger game, from Vin Scully, who is the other one.
― C-L, Saturday, 5 June 2010 03:36 (fifteen years ago)
He came pretty close to living forever, to be honest.
― no turkey unless it's a club sandwich (polyphonic), Saturday, 5 June 2010 04:48 (fifteen years ago)
man, almost made it to the century mark. RIP
― denvil crowe (dyao), Saturday, 5 June 2010 04:58 (fifteen years ago)
Bobby Knight has proved that any cumwad can coach a winning basketball team. John Wooden was a better man than he was a coach, the kind of teacher that every single young person should have at least once. He was for-real a great person and the world is better for his being here. R.I.P.
― Aimless, Saturday, 5 June 2010 20:23 (fifteen years ago)
you maligned bobby knight and pat riley as coaches!
― Daniel, Esq., Saturday, 5 June 2010 20:40 (fifteen years ago)
You betcha! Although more accurately I maligned Pat Riley as a coach and Bobby Knight as a human being.
― Aimless, Saturday, 5 June 2010 21:52 (fifteen years ago)
Although I can't find it, I think one of the players in the following story was Bill Walton, who was a pretty highly regarded college player, if memory serves. Wooden was awesome.
I had two players from the preceding year that are going to be very, very fine players this year. They came to practice or to that picture day, and they had been growing mutton chops from the end of the preceding year until now, and this is a few months now. I knew they were doing this and I also knew they were kids and I knew that they were going to test me. I know that's coming. So when they came to draw their uniforms, I'll put them in them the day before practice started. I had them put on the game uniforms to get pictures and everything. They came to draw their uniforms and they hadn't taken care of themselves. I'm there with my managers because I want to anticipate any problems. And I say, "No uniforms." One of them said, "Why not?" I said, "You know why. I'm not going to explain it again to you. You have about 15 minutes to determine whether you're going to play this year or not. You have 15 minutes to get up and see Ducky Drake, our trainer, in our training room, and let him get busy with his razor and clippers and get you in shape." He said, "You don't have that big guy (Alcindor) this year." And I said, "No. Fourteen minutes and I'm not going to have either one of you two if you don't get up there. Now make up your minds, now." Well, they stared at me. They turned and ran up. They got fixed up. They were testing me. I know they were testing me. After the day is over, they hung around. They kept hanging around 'til everybody's gone. I'm usually the last out, along with the managers, last to leave, to see everything is put away and everything. One of them said, "Can we talk to you, coach?" I said, "Sure." And he said, "We're sorry." I said, "That's okay." I said, "When I was your age, I tested people too. But now, let's have a great year." "You bet we will," he said. "We can win without that big guy." And then they ran away happy. They're not mad. They'd have lost all respect, they'd have been disappointed, I'm sure, if I had given in to them, rather than disappointed because they didn't. What would that have done with the rest of my team too, if I had given in to them?
― Let Amare go ham like he was all you can eating it (B.L.A.M.), Saturday, 5 June 2010 21:56 (fifteen years ago)
Bobby Knight made sure his players graduated, and a lot of guys from his program became coaches. He was pretty flawed but there were good things about him too.
― no turkey unless it's a club sandwich (polyphonic), Saturday, 5 June 2010 23:26 (fifteen years ago)