The Lure of the Ring

The undefeated welterweight champ, Floyd Mayweather joined the long list of pro athletes to step into the wrestling ring on Sunday night. What is it that draws pro athletes to the spectacle of pro wrestling?

First, there's money. While the WWE hyped up a 20 Million pay day for Floyd, the reality is he made about 2 Million. While it's nowhere near his payday for a blockbuster fight, this was a quick payout and offered exposure to a new fan base. Mayweather didn't have to train for months, cut weight, or face the pressure of defending his undefeated record. Plus, he's increased his potential buy rate for his next PPV fight. The bottom line . . . he got paid to have FUN! and increased his future earnings potential.

Sure, wrestling is fake, and filled with bizarre story lines. But, it's an escape for pro athletes. A place where they can use their strength and speed to put on a show.

So, while many sports writers criticize those who align themselves with the wild world of "Sports Entertainment", I'm jealous. Offer me two million to have fun, and see if I take it.

Some athletes that seem to agree with my logic include; Muhammed Ali, Karl Malone, "The Fridge", Ed "Too Tall" Jones, Dennis Rodman, "Pac Man" Jones, Mike Tyson, and plenty more . . . OK, OK the last three names and "logic" don't belong in the same paragraph, but you get my point.

Curry Will Return For Junior Season

LINK TO ESPN STORY

Kansas Provides the Kryptonite

I refuse to use any Cinderella references when referring to Davidson. They proved they belonged on this stage. Stephen Curry shot a pedestrian 9 for 25, and yet the Wildcats had a shot to win the game at the buzzer.

Davidson's defense kept them alive, forcing 13 turnovers and holding the Jayhawks to 59 total points.

In the end the Wildcats shot themselves in the foot, shooting 5 for 12 from the foul line. Couple that with Curry's cold streak late in the 2nd half, and it was too much to overcome.

The "White Lobster" did his part to keep the dream alive, scoring 11 points in the 2nd half. In the end though, the Jayhawks were too athletic on the defensive end and forced Davidson out of their comfort zone just enough to pull out the win.

Many, including me mocked the "experts" for predicting four #1 seeds would make it to San Antonio. Well I guess I'm the idiot now.

I'll be crying myself to sleep tonight over this one, and I'll be missing Stephen in the Final 4.

Curry is human after all, Santa's not real, and Elvis really is dead . . . but we'll all dream again next March.

Forget Elite 8, It's Elite XC!

While North Carolina was busy becoming the 2nd #1 seed (please God, don't allow all 4 #1's to be in the Final 4) to advance into the Final Four this evening, my eyes were glued to an extremely entertaining MMA contest between Cung Le and the defending Strikeforce middleweight champion, Frank Shamrock. As I suspected Shamrock pulled an excuse out of the bag and quit on his stool following the 3rd round. It's a shame that this fight couldn't have gone on, because things were really heating up in the 3rd. Both men were rocked in the round, with Cung Le finishing the stronger of the two. On his way back to his corner, Shamrock dropped to his knees and the fight was ended early due to a "broken arm".

Shamrock is such an actor, I don't know what to believe from him. While I doubt the legitimacy of his injury, I certainly appreciate the spectacular fight.

Complete Play By Play Results Courtesy of Sherdog

Where Are You Now . . . Darius Washington?

Watching the Memphis Tigers destroy Michigan State on Saturday night got me thinking, what in the world happened to Darius Washington? You remember him; the guy who missed two key free throws in the 2005 Conference USA championship game. Well if you pondered this mystery, here is your answer:

Went undrafted in 2006

Signed by PAOK Thessaloniki of Greece on Nov. 2006

Played 18 games in 2007 for the Spurs where he averaged 8.2 minutes per game, 2.9 PPG on 44% shooting, and 1.1 RPG.

Signed by CEZ Basketball Nymburk of Czech Republic in March 2007. Washington was named the MVP of the 2007 Czech All Star game, and his team went on to win the Czech National Championship and the National Cup.

Signed by Aris Thessaloniki of Greece in Jan. 08 and is currently playing in the Euroleague.

Now, the question is: Can Memphis (one of the worst FT shooting teams in the nation) win a national championship, or will a new Darius Washington step up to the line and miss them when they count the most?

Dad, I'm Scared!

Dear Dad,

The pressure is building. It feels like the eyes of the whole country are staring in my direction. With every shot I make and every upset we pull off, more people jump on the bandwagon. They call us a Cinderella, but really we're just a good team. I mean, we played North Carolina, UCLA, NC State, and Duke close . . . and that was early in the year. We're a lot better now (in case you haven't noticed)!

So, why is it that I had trouble sleeping last night? It may be because I watched an NBA team masquerading as the Kansas Jayhawks. I know those guys could beat the Miami Heat by 30! Sure, Kansas always chokes come tournament time, but I'm starting to wonder if they're "due". I mean, I'm only a 13 year old pretending to be in college, I don't know if I can win a 4th straight game all by myself.

But then again . . . maybe I can.

Love You Son,
Stephen Curry

Ladies and Gentlemen . . . My New Hero!

Night 1 of the Sweet 16 provided the mild surprise of Louisville dominating Tennessee. But . . . Stephen Curry and Davidson has one upped Pitino's squad. Davidson cruised to a 73-56 win over Wisconsin in the first batch of games Friday night. I now find myself strongly routing for Villanova. Could there be anything better than a 10 vs 12 in the Elite 8? OK, I admit it, I'm a sucker for a Cinderella, but if you're not in love with Stephen Curry (I'm man enough to admit it), I'm questioning your basketball fanhood.

Updated Bracket
NY Times on Davidson Upset

Oh So Sweet 16 Preview

We're down to 16 teams, and North Carolina is still my top choice to win it all.

With 25% of the teams remaining from non-power conferences (Memphis, Davidson, Xavier, Western Kentucky), could we see a surprise national champion this year? Cross Memphis off the list of underdogs (being a #1 seed), and eliminate W. Kentucky (there's just no way), and that leaves us with Davidson and Xavier as dark horse selections. Take into account a possible Elite 8 matchup between 10th seeded Davidson and 12th seeded Villanova, and things could get interesting in San Antonio.

Predictions
(1) UNC over (4) Washington State
(3) Louisville over (2) Tennessee
(1) Kansas over (12) Villanova
(10) Davidson over (3) Wisonsin
(1) Memphis over (5) Michigan State
(3) Stanford over (2) Texas
(1) UCLA over (12) W. Kentucky
(7) West Virginia over (3) Xavier

NCAA Round 2 Recap

The Sweet Sixteen is set, and we have 3 Cinderellas remaining. Could we see #12 Villanova against #10 Davidson in the Elite 8? A guy can dream can't he . . .

I didn't have the guts to pick Davidson, but I did have a hunch. Well, sure enough they pulled out, upsetting Georgetown 74-70. Curry went for 25 in the 2nd half (30 in total), and proved once again why he's the most exciting player in the nation.

I correctly picked Western Kentucky to make the Sweet 16. Sure the rest of my picks suck, but I still feel good about that.

Call me crazy, but I actually enjoy watching Stanford. The Lopez twins are two skilled big men, which is a rarity in today's basketball world. I'm now officially pulling for the Cardinal to reach the Final 4.

Oh, and one final note . . . I can't decide what's a more effective method of torture; waterboarding or watching Wisconsin grind out another ugly win.

NCAA Day 2 Thoughts

Finally . . . some HUGE upsets. San Diego over UConn (didn't see it coming), Western Kentucky over Drake (picked it correctly), and Siena over Tennessee (also picked it correctly) all sparked the beginning of the Cinderella talk.

Villanova busted my bracket by beating Clemson. I had the tigers moving on to the Sweet 16.

Davidson also fits that Cinderella mold. Stephen Curry is absolutely amazing. He had 40 points (30 in the 2nd half), with the defense keying on him the entire game. I'm expecting Davidson/Georgetown to be a great game , and wouldn't be surprised if Davidson pulls it out.

What a treat for the fans in Tampa. All 4 underdogs advanced from the same site for the first time in tournament history.

Congrats to my my Razorbacks, who move on to play #1 seeded North Carolina in the 2nd round on Sunday. North Carolina is the superior team, but that's the great thing about March . . . anything can happen.

Through round 1 I've correctly picked 25 out of 32 games. My Sweet Sixteen is still intact (except for Clemson).

What to watch in Round 2: 13. Siena/12. Villanova (Sun. 12:10), 7.Butler/2.Tennessee (Sun. 2:30), 13.San Diego/12.Western Kentucky (Sun. 2:40), 10.Davidson/2.Georgetown (Sun. 2:50), 9.Arkansas/1.North Carolina (Sun. 5:20)

NCAA Day 1 Thoughts

Belmont was for real. It wasn't a fluke that the Bruins were able to play with Duke. If Belmont would've shot slightly better from behind the arc (which may have happened if there best 3 point shooter, Wicke wasn't in foul trouble) the Blue Devils would be watching at home come Saturday.

Overall, a disappointing day, with no real upsets. Kansas St. over USC and Texas A&M over BYU weren't exactly shockers.

How disappointing was Kent St.? I'll be honest, I didn't know much about the Golden Flashes heading into the Big Dance. All the "experts" had great things to say about them, some even going so far as to predict a possible 2nd round upset over Kansas. Well . . . we all see how that turned out. 10 points in a half is absolutely unbelievable.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Xavier/Georgia game. A great back and forth battle, where Xavier showed their poise and experience.

Through day 1 I have 3 incorrect picks: Washington St. over Winthrop, UNLV over Kent St., Texas A&M over BYU

NCAA Tournament Predictions

Round of 32

East
(1) UNC over (9)Arkansas
(5) Notre Dame over (13)Winthrop
(3) Louisville over (11) St. Joe's
(7) Butler over (2) Tennessee

Midwest
(1) Kansas over (9) Kent St.
(5) Clemson over (4) Vandy
(3) Wisconsin over (11) Kansas St.
(2) Georgetown over (10) Davidson

South
(1) Memphis over (8) Miss St.
(4) Pittsburgh over (5) Michigan St.
(6) Marquette over (3) Stanford
(2) Texas over (10) St. Mary's

West
(1) UCLA over (8) BYU
(12) Western Kentucky over (4) UConn
(3) Xavier over (6) Purdue
(2) Duke over (7) West Virginia

Elite 8
(1) UNC over (7) Butler
(2) Georgetown over (1) Kansas
(2) Texas over (1) Memphis
(1) UCLA over (2) Duke

Championship
(1) UNC over (2) Texas
Final Score: 80-70

Arkansas Moves On To SEC Championship

Steven Hill came up with a huge bucket with 5.3 seconds left on the clock to put the Razorbacks up by 1 point. Arkansas trailed Tennessee by 9 with 8:15 left in the game. In an offensive showcase, both teams shot nearly 54% from the field and over 42% from behind the 3 pt. line.

Charles Thomas led the Razorbacks with 24 points and 10 boards, coming off the bench. Arkansas advances to play the Georgia/Mississippi State winner in the SEC championship, tomorrow at 3:30 PM on ESPN 2.

NCAA Hoops: Are Conference Tournaments Necessary?

The debate is simple, are conference tournaments the best way to crown a champion? Should the regular season champion get the automatic bid and the hardware to go home with?

There are plenty of angles to look at. You can analyze how many times a surprise conference winner makes noise in the NCAA tournament. You can research the numerous deserving teams that missed out on the Big Dance because of an upset minded mid-major team.

The bottom line is, sports are entertainment, and the conference tournaments are great entertainment. Sure, if the regular season champion received the automatic bid, it would add more meaning to the regular season. But, a season is supposed to end with a tournament to crown a champion (take notes NCAA football). You play the regular season for seeding (and in some cases, at large consideration), and you crown a champion with a tournament. It's the only way!

Basketball - School vs. Travel

As a coach of both high school and travel basketball, I often think about which scenario is the best for the kids. Travel ball provides a high level of competition, which can help a player develop their skills. However, coaches on the travel circuit are often little more than glorified recruiters. Many coaches build teams around their sons, and focus more on personal ego, instead of player and team development.

It always brings a smile to my face to see the 4th and 5th grade teams walk into the gym with full warm-up gear, team shoes, and travel bags. I would much rather see the coaches focus more on the basketball aspect and less on the fashion show.

There is an interesting article from a couple years back about a 3rd and 5th grade travel team in Texas. You can take a look at the article from the Dallas Morning News.

While the example given in the article is taken to the extreme, it raises the point I most often think about. Does travel basketball take away from high school ball? When a player has spent their entire life being pampered, what do they have to look forward to? Often times, their eventual varsity team won't be able to provide the same perks they received from their 6th grade AAU team.

In the end I believe travel teams can serve a purpose. If the team is assembled for the right reasons it can be a great place for a player to learn and play against tough competition. When the team turns into an all star squad playing only for individual recognition, that's when the trouble starts.

If you have any thoughts on the subject, feel free to comment or drop me an email.

Sun Belt Tournament

Florida Atlantic came up with a big opening round win over rival Florida International last night. The Owls won 91-64 in Boca Raton (Box Score). The Owls hot shooting from behind the 3 point arc (67%) proved too much for the Golden Panthers. FAU came out early with an aggressive and physical defensive philosophy. FIU was unable to find a rhythm, and finished the game shooting only 37% from the field. The Owls move on to play Arkansas-Little Rock, Sunday at 7:30 ET.

Big Aristotle to Big Bust

Phoenix is 2-4 since acquiring O'Neal, and the excitement has faded from everyone involved in the organization.  Steve Nash is struggling, and Shaq has seemingly sapped the energy from the "run 'n gun" Suns.  I was one of the few who thought this deal could work for Phoenix, and I am being proven incorrect.  Here's a link to a great piece from Paul Coro in which he breaks down the recent struggles in Phoenix.