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Message: [QUOTE="SWC75, post: 4127024, member: 289"] A couple of stories first: Mel’s question inspired a memory of a story about Red Grange. Michigan Coach Fielding Yost got home after Grange had scored those 6 touchdowns against his team back in 1924, feeling stunned and depressed. His wife, seeing him that way, made a helpful suggestion: “Why didn’t you send someone in to tackle that red-haired boy?” [MEDIA=youtube]J6cKrI42xhw:1[/MEDIA] Jim referred to a “major writer” who predicted that Georgia would never win a national title with Stetson Bennett at quarterback. I happened to be reading about Green Bay Packer Johnny “Blood” McNally, who tried a coaching career after his playing days, (the 20’s and 30’s) were over. Wikipedia had a couple of good stories about him: He became the head coach of the Pittsburgh Pirates, (later re-named the Steelers). Art Rooney: “"As one of our veterans once said, 'This is the only team I've been on where the players worry about the coach instead of the other way around.'"… “During the 1938 season, which would be McNally's last full season as coach, the Pirates were set to play the rival Philadelphia Eagles at Laidley Field in Charleston, West Virginia on November 20, but McNally was nowhere to be seen. As the story is often told, McNally was instead attending a football game at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles. Friends in the press box questioned McNally as to why he was on the West Coast and he replied that the Pirates had an open date. The scoreboard, however, proved otherwise. Pittsburgh was on the road playing without its boss present. "I was going to fire him", Rooney later said, "But the players loved him. So I told him, 'John, you have to make the games.'" McNally later became head coach of his alma mater, St. John’s University of Collegeville Minnesota. After three years there, he quit in a huff and old his successor, "Nobody can win at St. John's." The successor was a 26 year old young man named John Gagliardi, who coached there for 60 years, winning 489 games and 4 national championships. So much for predictions. [URL="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_%22Blood%22_McNally"]Johnny "Blood" McNally - Wikipedia[/URL] Anyway, Jim told Gomez “We focused on defense in the Pitt game. When we can get stops, it gives us breathing space. The starters are playing well. Frank and Sy are doing better but we’re struggling on defense no mater who is out there.” Gomez noted our close losses and said that we could easily have “won 14 games by now”. That was a bit much but Jim responded “We needed a couple more. We’re behind the 8 ball and need to get a streak going.” He also talked about Jesse’s fouls, saying that he cut down on the foolish ones against Pitt. Jim recalled that “Conrad, (McRae), had some bad fouls as a freshman. A lot of first year players have bad fouls.” Arinze Onuaku said that he never had to cover the corner. Jim: “He was a different sort of center. He was smart and used his big body well. He would have had a hard time covering territory today. We were fortunate to bring in players like Rakeem and Baye. Jesse uses his length and good movement. He struggles with consistency. He never played this game growing up. Last year he was 210. Now he’s up to 228. He’s a sophomore and will have two more years to build himself up.” Gomez mentioned that Arinze had fouled out in the 6OT game against Connecticut, 2009. He had made a statement about how he got to watch that game as a fan. Gomez noted that Andy Rautins played 50 minutes coming off the bench in that game. Jim fondly remembered the game Jonny Flynn had, including 16 for 16 from the foul line when 15 of 16 would not have been enough. The game is played on a loop on a monitor at the Melo Center and Jim said that his players watch it from time-to-time. “That game was an OK game for about three quarters, (we don’t have quarters in men’s basketball so I assume he meant ¾ of the 70 minutes), The last 30 minutes were full of incredible plays. I’m glad we won so we can talk about it. Connecticut never talks about that game.” They talked about Benny Williams. Jim referred to a Wisconsin player, (Johnny Davis), who was a top recruit and scored just 7 points a game last year and this year he’s “the leading candidate for player of the year and has gone from not being on the draft board to a top 5 pick”. He offered that as an example of a very talented player who wasn’t yet ready to be a star as a freshman. [URL unfurl="true"]https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/stats/_/id/4432356/johnny-davis[/URL] Personally, I would love it if Benny was averaging 7 points and 4 rebounds a game and hitting 39% of his three pointers while playing 24 minutes a game. [URL="https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/stats/_/id/4575472/benny-williams"]Benny Williams Stats | ESPN[/URL] Gomez asked what players in Jim tenure had had the biggest year-to-year improvement he mentioned Hakim Warrick, Andy Rautins, Etan Thomas, Arinze Onukau and Buddy, who shot poorly and was one-dimensional as a freshman but is now “one of the better guards in the league and the country”. Gomez praised Benny for the two jump shots he made against Wake Forest. Jim was not as impressed. “Benny’s not a jump shooter. He’s 6-9 and strong. He needs to be more physical around the basket.” (He’s listed as 6-8, 208, FWIW.) I called in my second question, adding the suggestion that the starters have achieved most of their potential while the reserves have a ways to go. Jim said it was a good question but…”The key is the defense. Our starters hadn’t played together. The veterans are learning the rotation better and moving better. The bench has improved a little. Frank is better, Sy is better and Benny is [sorry – I was unable to read what I scribbled there]. We’re lucky to have five good starters. Most team go with their starters and a couple other guys sneak in there.” Jim thought I was asking him to play the bench more. I was just saying that significant improvements would have to come from players who could get a lot better – and that they would get more playing time once they did. Shaquille O’Neal owned part of the Sacramento Kings but had to sell it because he’s now the ‘face’ of a gambling website. He’ll probably make more money doing that. Jim took this occasion to express his doubts that legalizing gambling in New York State was such a good idea. “Kids can get on the phone and call in bets. The sites and casinos win. I told my kids to keep track of it for a year and see how well you do. I’ve never seen a person who won a fortune gambling. I’ve seen people with $15-20 million lose everything. It’s OK if you want to sit in on a poker game or something but you need to have limits.” I, too wonder about the impact of legalizing gambling. I recall this episode of the old TV series “The Untouchables: [URL="https://ok.ru/video/1344065702493"]The Untouchables (12) 1959 – You cant pick the Number[/URL] …with Elliot Ness railing against a scheme to extract millions from people who can’t afford it but have dreams of financial liberation in what was then known as the “numbers racket”. Now we call it the lottery. It’s legal and run by the state, who uses it for education, rather than criminal activities. But it still leaches money from those who can least afford it. I think gambling tends to do the same thing. And what if athletes wind up owing money to gamblers? They then went to the “Twitch” segment. Buddy had just been on there in a separate interview and was asked what question he would ask his father. He wants his dad to identify the best golfer in the family. Jim’s answer: “He knows. They can out-drive me but they still can’t beat me – and I’m not good anymore.” Jim had previously discussed the two times he had played at Augusta. Gomez now asked him about Pebble Beach. He’s played there many times, the first time a couple of years after he’d graduated from SU. He drove across the country and stayed with a doctor, (he didn’t elaborate), and drove over to the course. This was “before all the hype. They had a ramshackle pro shop – really just a tent. It was perfect - 70 degrees with no win. I had the course all to myself. Mine was the only car in the parking lot. I played really well – about a 75. It cost me about 10 bucks, maybe 5? The last time I played there it cost $700 and took 6 hours to play the course because so many people were lined up to do it.” He recalled being in a foursome with Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and Reggie Jackson on time. “We were on a Nike tour. People were stopping and leaving their cars on the road to come and watch us. Mike took Charles for a lot of money. I didn’t get into it but I once won $25 on a better over 3 holes with Michael in Mexico.” How many people get to say that they won $25 from Michael Jordan in Mexico? Jim said that he’s been to all 50 states. He thinks Montana was the last one. Jim remembered Charles as a player. “He was only 6-4, 6-5 but incredibly strong. Even the 7 footers were afraid of him. But he is still a better talker than he was a player.” Gomez asked Jim what his advice to new golfers was. “Get some decent clubs. Take 4-5 lessons to get a decent swing. If you try to do it on your own, it will get frustrating and you’ll quit.” He watched you-know-who’s last game for Seton Hall. “He got to the basket every time. He’s good. He’s worked hard to get in better shape. He’s a big, strong guard. Gomez asked about the call in the Wake Forest game. “When the refs don’t see it, they make a call anyway, [see the 2014 game at Duke]. They should just admit they don’t know what happened and call a jump ball.” Gomez asked him about wearing a pullover instead of a dress jacket. What is he going to throw? JB: “I’m glad I’m not dressed up. I’ll throw whatever I’m wearing now.” Please don’t, coach. What players did you know would be good immediately? “Pearl, DC, Melo, GMAC…Tyler Ennis wouldn’t have bene fits from playing another year here. He got drafted right away and made money. He was not gifted athletically. He played well overseas, then had a couple of injuries…We let Donte Greene shoot as a freshman because Devo and Andy were out. If he’d stayed another year he wouldn’t have shot so much and wouldn’t have been drafted.” The transfer portal changes are going to be permanent but “Basketball is not like football. If you play, you lose the year.” About the anniversary of the January insurrection: “Those 1/6 people are not close to being right. If they were standing out in the rain, they’d insist that it’s not raining. They think that you are the one who is crazy.” Jim’s never been to an NFL game, although he’s had some opportunities. “I’d rather watch it on TV, especially outdoors.” [/QUOTE]

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