A dunk and layup are each worth two points, but the layup is easier
Slam Clunk to the Beach - My old school basketball coach from high school, John Clark, who went on to coach St. Francis College in Loretto, Pa., and later the Pittsburgh Pipers of the ABA 1969-70, emphasized that a layup and dunk each were worth two points, and layups were easier for most players. He also said that certain players would rather block your shot than pull their grandmother from a burning bedroom. Head fakes worked back in the day, but they are a lost art in today’s high-flying game where springer spaniels have nothing but hops and plenty of time to catch up to your weak shot and smack it down the hallway to the Kick n' Chicken table. Sanford’s Jacob Walsh missed a dunk in overtime and followed it by rolling his ankle in a loss to La Lumiere of Indiana 67-61, and Cape missed three in a one-point loss to Appoquinimink. There is just too much reinforcement by throwing down, as the crowd goes wild and free T-shirts sized for third-graders are hurled into the stands. I saw a young man along press row standing and waving his arms for a “pick me tee,” and I knew that many years ago my life had taken a wrong turn.
Crossroads of opportunity and exploitation - So many “Blue Chip” basketball players are top-shelf students and very personable, many benefitting from a Catholic School “private” education. I'm thinking of the Afro-American players I watched at the Slam Dunk tournament and the “Black Lives Matter” movement and I just want to say, “Don't let money and 'one and done' college rules derail your education.” What matters most is intelligence and leadership, and putting young black men in positions of real power. Talent for sale is exploitation, no matter how it is rationalized. I asked some sports colleagues if they would take double the salary to just stop what they are doing, to go home to the bonus room above the garage and watch the flat screen and they all said, “yes,” but I know they didn’t mean it.
Closing out games - I am going to write a sports book titled “Getting Home. How can I screw this up?” Practice doesn’t make perfect because most practices in sports are dull, antiseptic, routinized drills that have little relevance to protecting a lead against a frenzied comeback by dogs with plenty of bite and fight left in them. Cape’s basketball demise against the Jaguars of Appoquinimink was a classic, up 61-50 with 2:22 left in the game, then losing 62-61 in regulation. I know that when being attacked it’s always best to attack back because rope-a-dope only worked once in the Rumble in the Jungle Ali vs. Foreman fight in Zaire back in 1974. Appoquinimink deserves a lot of credit, but I’m not lending them any money. They are coming off their own demise, losing a four-overtime game to Maret 55-52 in which holding a ball for the last shot gave them no shot to win.
Nick the Quick - I met a young man at the Slam who was a sophomore at Seton Hall. I dropped the name Nick Werkman on him and watched him draw a blank (how exactly can you draw something that’s not there?). I decided not to mention Nick’s younger brothers, Mark the Spark and Phil the Ill. Nick played for Trenton Catholic - they always had great teams - before starring at the Hall 1962-64. Nick was a 6-foot-3 double-jointed pivot man and the best inside player I ever saw in my life which continues. Nick averaged over 30 a game throughout his career - with no three-point shot - and also had over 1,000 career rebounds. Nick the Quick is ninth all time in NCAA scoring average. And in 2015, at the Slam Dunk Tournament, a Seton Hall sophomore never heard of him. Remembering Nick, I know he would respond with a smirk. Before Nick Werkman, Seton Hall had All-American Golden “Sunny” Sunkett out of Camden High playing in the backcourt.
A cyber bye-bye - Sean Green of WDEL, always a twitch from Twitter, broke the news in the media room Tuesday night at the Slam Dunk tournament, “Chip Kelly was fired!” Pretty soon phones were lighting up and beeping the message. In five minutes everyone knew and no one seemed to care. Live the life of an aloof and disconnected genius and absolutely no one will lament your departure. The jury was no longer out. Chip destroyed the Eagles one bad move at a time, and ownership and leadership let him do it.
Snippets - Runs and races and resolutions about to roll around Jan. 1, and thankfully the protracted holiday season is coming to an end. A bunch of balls in the air is only a good idea if you’re a professional juggler. Simplify your life; it’s a lot more peaceful. Go on now, git!
