Now that we are at the end of another sports season, the coaching carousel begins once again. Up to this point there were just a few positions that were available, and those came and went, being filled by up and comers trying to make a name for themselves. Then the bomb drops, and Kentucky, the Mecca of college basketball, announces the dismissal of their coach, there winning coach.
I often wonder what goes through the minds of athletic directors and school presidents, that make these seemingly knee-jerk decisions. Is 22 and 14 a bad season? Maybe in Kentucky it is, but with a team rebuilding, that seems pretty reasonable to me. I know that I am not from there, nor have I ever lived there, but letting someone go with that record seems awfully harsh to me. The next question I have is, what is the new time line for rebuilding a program. I find it hard to believe that two years is enough, but I guess if you coach in Kentucky, you better make miracles happen in just one.
I do want to congratulate John Calipari on his hiring with Kentucky. As much as I do not agree with them firing there coach so quickly, they certainly hired one of the best college coaches to ever coach the game. The schools reputation combined with his recruiting ability, certainly will give Kentucky a decided edge in the future of the SEC. For a basketball coach to be paid that much in a "football" conference is a testament to coach Calipari's ability. He will certainly be under fire, and under the close watchful eyes of the Kentucky faithful, but he is a man that can do it and do his job well. I did wonder if he went for the money, but, it's Kentucky, so it really doesn't matter. Anyone would be crazy to turn down a position like that, even if he did not make as much as they are paying him.
Another hot coach right now is Missouri's Mike Anderson. Here is a man who took a team picked to finish 7th in their conference, and all he did was lead them to third place in the regular season, and conference tournament champions. As a result of this success, and his impeccable character, he was being wooed by other schools for considerably more money than Missouri could offer him. However, true to his character, and to the students that he recruited, he made the decision to stay and be a part of the Missouri program for the next 7 years. In a "give me what I deserve or else society", coach Anderson chose the road less traveled, and one can only hope that he will be rewarded for his faithfulness to the school, to the players and to the community. He is truly a man of integrity.
As we watch the carousel go round and round, it will certainly be fascinating to see where coaches go or stay, and what the coaches' motivations might be in there decisions. I am all for making money, but that should not be the sole motivation for making a profession change. The better job may not be the highest paying job.
See you all next time.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
College Basketball Tournament Officiating
As I sat and watched the games unfold this weekend in the Elite 8, one of the biggest things that jumped out at me was the ridiculous officiating. I wondered if the referees were getting paid by the foul. There was no continuity to the games, and the number of ticky-tack fouls called was absurd. It also makes me think that the tournament committee is trying to dictate who wins and who doesn't. The game that really caught my attention, was the UConn - Mizzou game. The disparity in the fouls called was absolutely alarming, and when I saw Mizzou players ending up on the floor and no fouls called, and Uconn players who were barely brushed get fouls, I was beside myself. When one team more than doubles (actually almost triples) the number of fouls called against, it certainly makes me wonder about the integrity of the officiating crew, its governing body and the tournament committee.
In the Pitt - 'Nova match up, it seemed like there was a foul called on every other possession, and in the second half, there were nine straight trips down the court in which a foul was called. How does this lend to the flow of a game. All it seemed to do was dictate what took place at the end, with a player moving out of the way and giving up a game winning layup instead of trying to take a charge, or at least contesting the shot. This all happened because the officials dictated the flow of the game, instead of letting the players play there game. I believe that this time of year, the players should be given the chance to play there game and not have there dreams dashed by officials, or the powers that be.
What is the ultimate purpose for calling every little touch foul there is? It could be the money. More fouls can certainly lead to more commercials, which of course leads to more advertising money for the NCAA. Maybe it's that the officials actually have bigger egos than the athletes do, and they have something to prove. That may seem far-fetched, but I have certainly witnessed it in my own playing days. Some referees just want you to know that they are the boss, and you are at there mercy. Whatever the reason is, I think that the rules committee really needs to examine the over zealousness of the officiating and try to come to a compromise in how they want to see the games played. I am certainly not implying that there should be the playground rule of "no blood, no foul", but a little less could mean a whole lot more for the athletes.
Hope everyone enjoys the rest of the tournament, and good luck to the four schools still remaining and there loyal fans. I know that I can't wait to see what will unfold.
Just a friendly reminder, baseball season is just six days away.
See you all next time. Look forward to hearing from you
In the Pitt - 'Nova match up, it seemed like there was a foul called on every other possession, and in the second half, there were nine straight trips down the court in which a foul was called. How does this lend to the flow of a game. All it seemed to do was dictate what took place at the end, with a player moving out of the way and giving up a game winning layup instead of trying to take a charge, or at least contesting the shot. This all happened because the officials dictated the flow of the game, instead of letting the players play there game. I believe that this time of year, the players should be given the chance to play there game and not have there dreams dashed by officials, or the powers that be.
What is the ultimate purpose for calling every little touch foul there is? It could be the money. More fouls can certainly lead to more commercials, which of course leads to more advertising money for the NCAA. Maybe it's that the officials actually have bigger egos than the athletes do, and they have something to prove. That may seem far-fetched, but I have certainly witnessed it in my own playing days. Some referees just want you to know that they are the boss, and you are at there mercy. Whatever the reason is, I think that the rules committee really needs to examine the over zealousness of the officiating and try to come to a compromise in how they want to see the games played. I am certainly not implying that there should be the playground rule of "no blood, no foul", but a little less could mean a whole lot more for the athletes.
Hope everyone enjoys the rest of the tournament, and good luck to the four schools still remaining and there loyal fans. I know that I can't wait to see what will unfold.
Just a friendly reminder, baseball season is just six days away.
See you all next time. Look forward to hearing from you
Sunday, March 29, 2009
An Intro to Dave: The Average Joe Fanatic
Hello to everyone out there! I thought I would take the time to introduce myself, tell you a little of my background and what this blog will ultimately be about.
My name is Dave Underhill, and I live in what many consider to be one of the greatest sports cities in the country, if not the greatest, St. Louis, MO. I know this is debatable, but having been here for 10 years now, I would have to agree. I am married to a wonderful, beautiful woman, have two incredible children, three step-children, and a dog.
I am a sports nut, much to the dismay of my wife, but I eat, sleep and breathe sports(not necessarily in that order). I love to watch, play, and read about almost any sport there is out there. Whether it is basketball, football, baseball, soccer, golf, tennis, hockey, or anything in between, I will watch it. This all started at the very young age of two , when my late Great Aunt would ask me what I wanted to do when I grew up, and I responded with; "play center field for the Baltimore Orioles". Pretty ambitious for a two year old, but that is where it all started. My mother soon picked up the slack, and she may be as big, if not an even bigger fan than I am, so my passion comes as no surprise. As I got older, I wanted to try just about every sport there was available, but unfortunately, had to be choosy as too many of them shared the same season. I settled on soccer, basketball, baseball and swimming. I was an all around good athlete, which also helped ignite the sports fire in me. I could not watch enough, or go to enough games to satisfy that desire.
That passion and desire are still around today, and as a result, I thought that I would share my own unique, "average Joe" perspective into what is happening in the world of sports today. That is going to be the basis of my articles, so sit back, relax, and enjoy, and I look forward to hearing from you.
My name is Dave Underhill, and I live in what many consider to be one of the greatest sports cities in the country, if not the greatest, St. Louis, MO. I know this is debatable, but having been here for 10 years now, I would have to agree. I am married to a wonderful, beautiful woman, have two incredible children, three step-children, and a dog.
I am a sports nut, much to the dismay of my wife, but I eat, sleep and breathe sports(not necessarily in that order). I love to watch, play, and read about almost any sport there is out there. Whether it is basketball, football, baseball, soccer, golf, tennis, hockey, or anything in between, I will watch it. This all started at the very young age of two , when my late Great Aunt would ask me what I wanted to do when I grew up, and I responded with; "play center field for the Baltimore Orioles". Pretty ambitious for a two year old, but that is where it all started. My mother soon picked up the slack, and she may be as big, if not an even bigger fan than I am, so my passion comes as no surprise. As I got older, I wanted to try just about every sport there was available, but unfortunately, had to be choosy as too many of them shared the same season. I settled on soccer, basketball, baseball and swimming. I was an all around good athlete, which also helped ignite the sports fire in me. I could not watch enough, or go to enough games to satisfy that desire.
That passion and desire are still around today, and as a result, I thought that I would share my own unique, "average Joe" perspective into what is happening in the world of sports today. That is going to be the basis of my articles, so sit back, relax, and enjoy, and I look forward to hearing from you.
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