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Jim Boeheim’s radio show is on Thursdays from 7-8 or 9PM on ESPN Radio in Syracuse, which is AM1200 or FM 97.7 on the dial. The show originates from the Cavalier Room at the Marriott in Downtown Syracuse. The first hour, hosted by Matt Park, the Voice of the Orange, is on their general network. The second hour, which begins with the conference season, is hosted by Gomez, a local radio personality.
You can call into the show locally at 315-424-8599 or nationally at 1-888-746-2873. For Gomez’s portion, use 315-424-8599. Or you can submit questions from this page:
Submit a Question!
Or on Twitter at mattpark1 or “askBoeheim”.
The show can be heard in Syracuse on FM 99.5. It’s sometime simulcast on AM 1200 or FM 97.7. You can also get it on: WGVA
I will be posting my rough transcript the night of the broadcast focusing on my questions, the team and their last and next games and then a second post the next day on other things that were discussed.
MY QUESTIONS/COMMENTS
1st Hour: ”Coach, congratulations on winning the only game ever between college basketball coaches with 1,000 victories and securing out 47th straight winning season in a classic for the ages against Duke. It’s often said that good coach will devise a way to take the other team’s best player out of the game. Grayson Allen was 2 for 11 from the field and scored only 8 points. Andrew White got only 4 shots off and scored 7 points. How did you stop Allen and how did they stop White? “
2nd Hour: “Coach, you’re 72 years old. Do games like the one last night make you feel older or do they make you feel younger? “
COACH BOEHEIM
(I have, in some instances, put together statements from different parts of the broadcast on the same subject. In recent years they have started out doing one hour shows and then shifted to two hour shows in January. When they do two hour shows. I will do two posts: one on the night of the broadcast on the issues directly relating to the team on the other the next days on other things that were talked about.)
(So much of tonight’s show was about last night’s game I decided to do the whole thing tonight. There won’t be a part two this week.)
As did every sports radio show t9oday, this one began with an audio clip of John Gillon’s winning shot from last night. Jim said he always wants to send the home fans home happy. Matt went over the shooting numbers SU had in the second half 70% on field goals and 88% on free throws. Jim said they were amazing numbers. Also amazing was that we had 4 offensive rebounds and they had 16, leading to 17 more field goal attempts. “The boards have been a concern all season. We were pretty good in the last game. We can be down 3-4 rebounds and be OK. We were down 8 last night….we should have more of a three point win when we shoot like that. Duke is plenty good.”
Matt noted that Jim had said that to win “we need something from every player.” He then brought up the game by Tyus Battle. JB: “It’s the best he’s bene. The flu knocked him down or we could have won 1-2 more games. He made some really brilliant moves to get good shots… Gillon’s great offensive game overshadowed the fact that we was great on defense….It was the bets defense he’s played here… He made a brilliant move to keep Kennard out of the lane….They were so concerned with Andrew and Tyler that the lanes were open. It’s hard to guard good penetrators without help.”
I called in my question about how we stopped Grayson Allen and how they stopped Andrew White. JB: “We were more concerned with Kennard and Tatum than Allen. Foul trouble kept him out and he never got into rhythm. Jones face guarded White but they focused so much on him it gave us great opportunities to drive the lane. We’ve hit threes at the buzzer to win two games and send another into overtime where we won. Tyus hadn’t played well but made his anyway. I8t changed our whole season. We’ve bene behind by double figures in 8 straight games. If the games were just back and fourth, we should win 4. Falling behind by 10+ we might win 1-2. To win 5 and send another into overtime shows unbelievable heart by this team.” Matt said that those games could have gone either way but they didn’t. Jim said “I’m not selling them short. That’s very hard to do. It was possible to think we’d have a losing record after we went 8-5 in the preseason and then had to play in this conference. You’d expect to be at least 10-3 or maybe 11-2. To lose all those early games makes it tough. “
Stefan in Utica said that if he had a vote, Syracuse would be in the NCAAs. JB: “We’ll have to get you a vote.” Stefan wondered if John Gillon’s shot reminded Jim of the Pearl’s shot, the spot of which is commemorated on the court. Jim: “A little bit. But this was more important.”
Liam in Pompey wanted to know Coach’s reaction to the moving scene call in the Georgia Tech game. JB: “It was a tough call. You just don’t make that call late in the game. They didn’t call that any blocking fouls the whole game before that.” Matt had heard that the officials apologized for making a bad call. Jims aid he wished they wouldn’t do that. “It makes you even madder.” (I guess you’d rather think ti was a bad call than to know it was.)
Ron called in to say that even the losses, like Louisville, are exciting games. He said he hopes Jim stays around for 20 years. Jim said “I hope I’m around 20 years from not”, not precisely meaning the same the same thing.
Pat called in, saying he was still hoarse from cheering the night before. He was very impressed with Coach K’s classy press conference. “it really took me back for what he was saying and how he said it.” He then asked how much momentum we had going forward. “I don’t think momentum or who wants to win has any import, Just wanting to win doesn’t mean anything. You have to make plays. Underdogs always say they wanted to win more but they just played better and made good plays. Duke wanted to win as much as we did. They won’t go home happy. They missed a couple of plays early. We shot a great percentage and won by 3 at home. We haven’t played well from the beginning of the game since Miami, Pittsburgh and Boston College. Miami is playing very well now and all of Pitt’s losses have bene by 1-2 points.
Tyler, (not Lydon or Roberson- or Ennis), called in to ask what we need to do to win on the road. JB: “We’ve won a couple of games on the road. We could have had zero. We weren’t in it at Boston College, Virginia Tech, North Carolina and Notre Dame. We’re better lately. We could have won at Georgia tech. Michigan State once got into the NCAA tournament with only 1 road win in the Big Ten. Unless you are a Top 10-15 team, it’s hard to win on the road. And we are not a Top 10-15 team. “ Matt Looked it up and only two ACC teams have winning conference records on the road: North Carolina is 4-3 and Notre Dame is 5-3. “
Kevin, who was at the Marriot, submitted the question: What would have bene strategy on that last possession if Duke had scored? JB: “The same thing. We had a time out but using one against Georgia Tech didn’t help us much. If you have more than 10-15 seconds, I’ll call a time out but less than 10 seconds, we go. “ Jim repeated his displeasure with the referees for allowing teams to meet in an unofficial time out while the referees check the monitor for something, (in this case the correct amount of time left). Duke had been out of time outs and they got one anyway because of this.” Jim said it’s the only thing he doesn’t like about the game today. He also said that he’d told Gillon on the penultimate possession to go to the basket early so that SU could have a chance to come back if Duke scored. He said the Duke players are all 6-5 or 6-6 and “can’t guard John. Allen backed away because he didn’t want to foul.”
Jason Tatum “will be a great NBA player. He can shoot it form outside and is a post-up player. When he gets strong, he’ll be a monster.”
Dave at the Marriot asked if that was our most memorable buzzer-beater. JB: “It would be hard to beat last night.it was a must win.” Matt noted that for this shot and Pearls, the game was tied. We’ve had some on the road where we were losing, (like the Clemson game). Jim said “it would have bene along ride home.”
Matt in New York City wanted to know if “there was any special chemistry between Frank Howard and Tyler Roberson on the pick and toll”. JB: “they made a couple of good plays. Tyler fumbled one and then got it and got stripped.” Matt asked if JB will continue doing the radio show after he’s retired. Jim replied firmly: “I will never be on the radio again when I retire.”
Gomez took over for the second hour and jokingly asked if Jim had “done anything for fun” last night. JB: “It’s not fun. Work is not fun. But when you win it’s good. When you lose it’s the end of the world.” (Gee, I hope not!)
A text question asked if that was the loudest Jim had heard the Dome, (the questioner thought it might have bene louder when John Thompson was ejected). JB: “it’s hard to compare. I don’t hear as well as I used to and you learn to ignore it as you grow older. Georgetown seemed louder.”
Gomez asked noted Jim had given himself to midnight to enjoy this game. He wondered if Jim had re-watched the game before he went to bed. “We had some people in town and went out to get a bite to eat. Then I watched one of my shows: NCIS-LA. The whole staff watched the game today.“ What did he see? “A couple of corrections that might help us in the next game. They missed some easy shots and messed up some easy plays. They made some defensive mistakes they normally wouldn’t make. They almost won anyway. They are a top 4-5 team with everyone healthy and playing on the same page. Duke can play better and we can’t play any better than we did in the second half.” Gomez suggested that the first half vs. Pitt and the second half vs. Duke would make a perfect game. JB: “You don’t usually have two good halves.”
Does Jim watch the TV broadcast or do they have their own films? “We have our own but I’m not a big film guy. I watch the TV broadcast because I like to listen to the commentary.” Do they ever actually give useful tips? “No. But it’s good to have extra knowledge. The more you know the better you are. I watch CNN. But things are pretty crazy right now so I’m not sure what you can pick up.”
Katie in Lysander wondered when the coach got to sleep. “I watched TV until 2AM. I couldn’t sleep so I read for a while. I finally got to sleep at 4:30. I had something I had to do so I got up about 8:30.
I called in my second question about whether JB felt older or younger after a game like that. “Younger probably. I rest the whole day of a game and don’t do anything. I want to be alert and well rested.
I sleep well before games. Sleep is one of the most important thing you can do. You should get as much as possible.” (Good news for me: I’m pretty good at it.) “I’ll get plenty of sleep tonight.” (Me, too.) “We have a meeting 4 ½ hours before a game. We talk about things. We don’t overdo it. It’s the same for every game, Colgate or the Final Four. We also have a meeting the night before. “ Gomez said that he has won bets on when JB will enter the court before a game. It’s exactly 2:27 before game time. JB: “Between it takes 21 seconds to walk from the dressing room to the court. I always leave at 2:48. It’s just a habit.” Gomez said he’d won a lot of free beer over that. JB: “It’s something you don’t need.”
Drew in Syracuse asked what rituals players have on game day. Jim wouldn’t or couldn’t say. “I have certain things. I’m really into superstitions. I probably have 50. (As a player) I used to always want to make the last shot at practice and exit through a certain door.”
One the court storming: Gomez said Security guards “must have thought I was kind of frail” and advised him to move before the game ended to avoid being trampled.” He felt the storming was fun and so did JB. “it was kind of a controlled storming, where nobody got hurt.”
Tim in Eastwood said he’d been following the program since the mid 70’s and last night was one of the top 5 games he’s seen. He was angry with Dick Vitale for picking this game to editorialize against graduate transfers, something he hasn’t complained about all season. Tim saw the new rule as “a counter to losing players to the NBA. JB: it’s a great option if you have a need. Grant Mullen who we went after, (from Columbia), is leading California into the NCAAs. Some don’t work out because they are moving up a level. They should have to sit out a year to prepare for the new level. But you have to take advantage of the rule if it’s there. “
Bob in Watertown accused Dickie V of “putting SU down”. JB: “People take one thing he says and blow it up. We’re good friends and he’s good for college basketball. The home team fan base doesn’t want anybody to say anything negative. Dick is pro every program and has been really positive for us.”
Do they practice end of game scenarios? “Not much. You get the ball and push it. Every defense is different so it’s hard to practice late game plays.” The best player to make the plays is the point guard, who can score or pass.”
Jim in Central Square said that he’s “never seen anybody more lost in a zone than Taurean Thompson” earlier this year but he seems to be playing much better now. JB: “He was really much better against Georgia Tech. He also rebounded and blocked shots. It was a big time improvement Last night he let some passes go through to the baseline because he didn’t know where to be. He’s a very talented offensive player. He’s averaged 9 points a game in 16 minutes of play. If he plays 32 minutes at that rate he’ll average 18 points a game. He’s very capable of that. He and John Gillon stand out in terms of improvement. “
Their producer, Paulie Sibelia, asked how Duke was successful at defending Tyelr Lydon. “they did a good job keeping him from getting the ball down low. He missed some shots. He needs to get better at putting the ball on the floor.” (Or bouncing it off the floor to set up shots.)
About the SI.com article on his impending retirement and an interview he did today on the subject: I almost retired 5-10 years ago. You can retire at any time. You wait to the end of the year and decide. It’s very unlikely that I’ll decide to leave after this year. it’s not good journalism to speculate. Nobody Knows what’s going on in my mind. “ Gomez noted that Coach K had bene asked the retirement question once and said “if you start planning for retirement, you’re done.” JB: “I might have a vague idea of what I’ll do. I might do something different. I started out as an assistant right out of college at age 21. 51 years should be enough.”
Gomez said that Lou Holtz said that he had a list of 100 things he wanted to do with his life and most of them happened. JB: “I’ve done everything I wanted to do because of basketball. I’ve coached in the Olympics and the World Championships. I’ve traveled around the world with my family. I’ve played golf on the great courses. I remember having dinner is a great restaurant in London with Coach K. and we couldn’t believe what had happened in our lives. I could have bene a funeral director in Lyons. I’ve bene lucky. I’ve bene single-minded and purposeful and I have strong opinions. People don’t think I listen to other people but I do. I don’t advertise it. You make your decisions and go on. It’s easy for some to say what we should do who don’t have to do it. As Marv Levy said, If you start listening to the fan’s, you’ll be sitting with them.”
Gomez told a story of Bill Parcells getting a letter and an MVP trophy from a former player, thanking him for all he’d taught the player. The framed letter and trophy still sits on his desk. Has any former player ever done anything like that for Jim? “When I got into the Hall of Fame Derrick Coleman and John Wallace bought me a Rolex- the first watch I’d ever had worth more than $50. Dion waiters thanked me for pushing him and making him understand what he needed to do to be successful. College is about growing up. It’s about how hard you have to work and working together. Even the guys who didn’t make in pro basketball have been very successful in what they’ve done. Players have said they appreciated it- after they were here. “
“Coaching is not always a friendly thing. Marty Headd once gave an interview in which he was asked if he was friendly with me. He said “I’m not friendly with him- he’s my coach.”
(Next week’s show will be the last one of the season. )
You can call into the show locally at 315-424-8599 or nationally at 1-888-746-2873. For Gomez’s portion, use 315-424-8599. Or you can submit questions from this page:
Submit a Question!
Or on Twitter at mattpark1 or “askBoeheim”.
The show can be heard in Syracuse on FM 99.5. It’s sometime simulcast on AM 1200 or FM 97.7. You can also get it on: WGVA
I will be posting my rough transcript the night of the broadcast focusing on my questions, the team and their last and next games and then a second post the next day on other things that were discussed.
MY QUESTIONS/COMMENTS
1st Hour: ”Coach, congratulations on winning the only game ever between college basketball coaches with 1,000 victories and securing out 47th straight winning season in a classic for the ages against Duke. It’s often said that good coach will devise a way to take the other team’s best player out of the game. Grayson Allen was 2 for 11 from the field and scored only 8 points. Andrew White got only 4 shots off and scored 7 points. How did you stop Allen and how did they stop White? “
2nd Hour: “Coach, you’re 72 years old. Do games like the one last night make you feel older or do they make you feel younger? “
COACH BOEHEIM
(I have, in some instances, put together statements from different parts of the broadcast on the same subject. In recent years they have started out doing one hour shows and then shifted to two hour shows in January. When they do two hour shows. I will do two posts: one on the night of the broadcast on the issues directly relating to the team on the other the next days on other things that were talked about.)
(So much of tonight’s show was about last night’s game I decided to do the whole thing tonight. There won’t be a part two this week.)
As did every sports radio show t9oday, this one began with an audio clip of John Gillon’s winning shot from last night. Jim said he always wants to send the home fans home happy. Matt went over the shooting numbers SU had in the second half 70% on field goals and 88% on free throws. Jim said they were amazing numbers. Also amazing was that we had 4 offensive rebounds and they had 16, leading to 17 more field goal attempts. “The boards have been a concern all season. We were pretty good in the last game. We can be down 3-4 rebounds and be OK. We were down 8 last night….we should have more of a three point win when we shoot like that. Duke is plenty good.”
Matt noted that Jim had said that to win “we need something from every player.” He then brought up the game by Tyus Battle. JB: “It’s the best he’s bene. The flu knocked him down or we could have won 1-2 more games. He made some really brilliant moves to get good shots… Gillon’s great offensive game overshadowed the fact that we was great on defense….It was the bets defense he’s played here… He made a brilliant move to keep Kennard out of the lane….They were so concerned with Andrew and Tyler that the lanes were open. It’s hard to guard good penetrators without help.”
I called in my question about how we stopped Grayson Allen and how they stopped Andrew White. JB: “We were more concerned with Kennard and Tatum than Allen. Foul trouble kept him out and he never got into rhythm. Jones face guarded White but they focused so much on him it gave us great opportunities to drive the lane. We’ve hit threes at the buzzer to win two games and send another into overtime where we won. Tyus hadn’t played well but made his anyway. I8t changed our whole season. We’ve bene behind by double figures in 8 straight games. If the games were just back and fourth, we should win 4. Falling behind by 10+ we might win 1-2. To win 5 and send another into overtime shows unbelievable heart by this team.” Matt said that those games could have gone either way but they didn’t. Jim said “I’m not selling them short. That’s very hard to do. It was possible to think we’d have a losing record after we went 8-5 in the preseason and then had to play in this conference. You’d expect to be at least 10-3 or maybe 11-2. To lose all those early games makes it tough. “
Stefan in Utica said that if he had a vote, Syracuse would be in the NCAAs. JB: “We’ll have to get you a vote.” Stefan wondered if John Gillon’s shot reminded Jim of the Pearl’s shot, the spot of which is commemorated on the court. Jim: “A little bit. But this was more important.”
Liam in Pompey wanted to know Coach’s reaction to the moving scene call in the Georgia Tech game. JB: “It was a tough call. You just don’t make that call late in the game. They didn’t call that any blocking fouls the whole game before that.” Matt had heard that the officials apologized for making a bad call. Jims aid he wished they wouldn’t do that. “It makes you even madder.” (I guess you’d rather think ti was a bad call than to know it was.)
Ron called in to say that even the losses, like Louisville, are exciting games. He said he hopes Jim stays around for 20 years. Jim said “I hope I’m around 20 years from not”, not precisely meaning the same the same thing.
Pat called in, saying he was still hoarse from cheering the night before. He was very impressed with Coach K’s classy press conference. “it really took me back for what he was saying and how he said it.” He then asked how much momentum we had going forward. “I don’t think momentum or who wants to win has any import, Just wanting to win doesn’t mean anything. You have to make plays. Underdogs always say they wanted to win more but they just played better and made good plays. Duke wanted to win as much as we did. They won’t go home happy. They missed a couple of plays early. We shot a great percentage and won by 3 at home. We haven’t played well from the beginning of the game since Miami, Pittsburgh and Boston College. Miami is playing very well now and all of Pitt’s losses have bene by 1-2 points.
Tyler, (not Lydon or Roberson- or Ennis), called in to ask what we need to do to win on the road. JB: “We’ve won a couple of games on the road. We could have had zero. We weren’t in it at Boston College, Virginia Tech, North Carolina and Notre Dame. We’re better lately. We could have won at Georgia tech. Michigan State once got into the NCAA tournament with only 1 road win in the Big Ten. Unless you are a Top 10-15 team, it’s hard to win on the road. And we are not a Top 10-15 team. “ Matt Looked it up and only two ACC teams have winning conference records on the road: North Carolina is 4-3 and Notre Dame is 5-3. “
Kevin, who was at the Marriot, submitted the question: What would have bene strategy on that last possession if Duke had scored? JB: “The same thing. We had a time out but using one against Georgia Tech didn’t help us much. If you have more than 10-15 seconds, I’ll call a time out but less than 10 seconds, we go. “ Jim repeated his displeasure with the referees for allowing teams to meet in an unofficial time out while the referees check the monitor for something, (in this case the correct amount of time left). Duke had been out of time outs and they got one anyway because of this.” Jim said it’s the only thing he doesn’t like about the game today. He also said that he’d told Gillon on the penultimate possession to go to the basket early so that SU could have a chance to come back if Duke scored. He said the Duke players are all 6-5 or 6-6 and “can’t guard John. Allen backed away because he didn’t want to foul.”
Jason Tatum “will be a great NBA player. He can shoot it form outside and is a post-up player. When he gets strong, he’ll be a monster.”
Dave at the Marriot asked if that was our most memorable buzzer-beater. JB: “It would be hard to beat last night.it was a must win.” Matt noted that for this shot and Pearls, the game was tied. We’ve had some on the road where we were losing, (like the Clemson game). Jim said “it would have bene along ride home.”
Matt in New York City wanted to know if “there was any special chemistry between Frank Howard and Tyler Roberson on the pick and toll”. JB: “they made a couple of good plays. Tyler fumbled one and then got it and got stripped.” Matt asked if JB will continue doing the radio show after he’s retired. Jim replied firmly: “I will never be on the radio again when I retire.”
Gomez took over for the second hour and jokingly asked if Jim had “done anything for fun” last night. JB: “It’s not fun. Work is not fun. But when you win it’s good. When you lose it’s the end of the world.” (Gee, I hope not!)
A text question asked if that was the loudest Jim had heard the Dome, (the questioner thought it might have bene louder when John Thompson was ejected). JB: “it’s hard to compare. I don’t hear as well as I used to and you learn to ignore it as you grow older. Georgetown seemed louder.”
Gomez asked noted Jim had given himself to midnight to enjoy this game. He wondered if Jim had re-watched the game before he went to bed. “We had some people in town and went out to get a bite to eat. Then I watched one of my shows: NCIS-LA. The whole staff watched the game today.“ What did he see? “A couple of corrections that might help us in the next game. They missed some easy shots and messed up some easy plays. They made some defensive mistakes they normally wouldn’t make. They almost won anyway. They are a top 4-5 team with everyone healthy and playing on the same page. Duke can play better and we can’t play any better than we did in the second half.” Gomez suggested that the first half vs. Pitt and the second half vs. Duke would make a perfect game. JB: “You don’t usually have two good halves.”
Does Jim watch the TV broadcast or do they have their own films? “We have our own but I’m not a big film guy. I watch the TV broadcast because I like to listen to the commentary.” Do they ever actually give useful tips? “No. But it’s good to have extra knowledge. The more you know the better you are. I watch CNN. But things are pretty crazy right now so I’m not sure what you can pick up.”
Katie in Lysander wondered when the coach got to sleep. “I watched TV until 2AM. I couldn’t sleep so I read for a while. I finally got to sleep at 4:30. I had something I had to do so I got up about 8:30.
I called in my second question about whether JB felt older or younger after a game like that. “Younger probably. I rest the whole day of a game and don’t do anything. I want to be alert and well rested.
I sleep well before games. Sleep is one of the most important thing you can do. You should get as much as possible.” (Good news for me: I’m pretty good at it.) “I’ll get plenty of sleep tonight.” (Me, too.) “We have a meeting 4 ½ hours before a game. We talk about things. We don’t overdo it. It’s the same for every game, Colgate or the Final Four. We also have a meeting the night before. “ Gomez said that he has won bets on when JB will enter the court before a game. It’s exactly 2:27 before game time. JB: “Between it takes 21 seconds to walk from the dressing room to the court. I always leave at 2:48. It’s just a habit.” Gomez said he’d won a lot of free beer over that. JB: “It’s something you don’t need.”
Drew in Syracuse asked what rituals players have on game day. Jim wouldn’t or couldn’t say. “I have certain things. I’m really into superstitions. I probably have 50. (As a player) I used to always want to make the last shot at practice and exit through a certain door.”
One the court storming: Gomez said Security guards “must have thought I was kind of frail” and advised him to move before the game ended to avoid being trampled.” He felt the storming was fun and so did JB. “it was kind of a controlled storming, where nobody got hurt.”
Tim in Eastwood said he’d been following the program since the mid 70’s and last night was one of the top 5 games he’s seen. He was angry with Dick Vitale for picking this game to editorialize against graduate transfers, something he hasn’t complained about all season. Tim saw the new rule as “a counter to losing players to the NBA. JB: it’s a great option if you have a need. Grant Mullen who we went after, (from Columbia), is leading California into the NCAAs. Some don’t work out because they are moving up a level. They should have to sit out a year to prepare for the new level. But you have to take advantage of the rule if it’s there. “
Bob in Watertown accused Dickie V of “putting SU down”. JB: “People take one thing he says and blow it up. We’re good friends and he’s good for college basketball. The home team fan base doesn’t want anybody to say anything negative. Dick is pro every program and has been really positive for us.”
Do they practice end of game scenarios? “Not much. You get the ball and push it. Every defense is different so it’s hard to practice late game plays.” The best player to make the plays is the point guard, who can score or pass.”
Jim in Central Square said that he’s “never seen anybody more lost in a zone than Taurean Thompson” earlier this year but he seems to be playing much better now. JB: “He was really much better against Georgia Tech. He also rebounded and blocked shots. It was a big time improvement Last night he let some passes go through to the baseline because he didn’t know where to be. He’s a very talented offensive player. He’s averaged 9 points a game in 16 minutes of play. If he plays 32 minutes at that rate he’ll average 18 points a game. He’s very capable of that. He and John Gillon stand out in terms of improvement. “
Their producer, Paulie Sibelia, asked how Duke was successful at defending Tyelr Lydon. “they did a good job keeping him from getting the ball down low. He missed some shots. He needs to get better at putting the ball on the floor.” (Or bouncing it off the floor to set up shots.)
About the SI.com article on his impending retirement and an interview he did today on the subject: I almost retired 5-10 years ago. You can retire at any time. You wait to the end of the year and decide. It’s very unlikely that I’ll decide to leave after this year. it’s not good journalism to speculate. Nobody Knows what’s going on in my mind. “ Gomez noted that Coach K had bene asked the retirement question once and said “if you start planning for retirement, you’re done.” JB: “I might have a vague idea of what I’ll do. I might do something different. I started out as an assistant right out of college at age 21. 51 years should be enough.”
Gomez said that Lou Holtz said that he had a list of 100 things he wanted to do with his life and most of them happened. JB: “I’ve done everything I wanted to do because of basketball. I’ve coached in the Olympics and the World Championships. I’ve traveled around the world with my family. I’ve played golf on the great courses. I remember having dinner is a great restaurant in London with Coach K. and we couldn’t believe what had happened in our lives. I could have bene a funeral director in Lyons. I’ve bene lucky. I’ve bene single-minded and purposeful and I have strong opinions. People don’t think I listen to other people but I do. I don’t advertise it. You make your decisions and go on. It’s easy for some to say what we should do who don’t have to do it. As Marv Levy said, If you start listening to the fan’s, you’ll be sitting with them.”
Gomez told a story of Bill Parcells getting a letter and an MVP trophy from a former player, thanking him for all he’d taught the player. The framed letter and trophy still sits on his desk. Has any former player ever done anything like that for Jim? “When I got into the Hall of Fame Derrick Coleman and John Wallace bought me a Rolex- the first watch I’d ever had worth more than $50. Dion waiters thanked me for pushing him and making him understand what he needed to do to be successful. College is about growing up. It’s about how hard you have to work and working together. Even the guys who didn’t make in pro basketball have been very successful in what they’ve done. Players have said they appreciated it- after they were here. “
“Coaching is not always a friendly thing. Marty Headd once gave an interview in which he was asked if he was friendly with me. He said “I’m not friendly with him- he’s my coach.”
(Next week’s show will be the last one of the season. )
Arthritis in my left pinkie makes me add lots of aaaaaa's that I have to go back and delete.