This was passed along by Coach Scott Allen at Paul VI High School (Fairfax, VA). It is from Andy Katz at ESPN.com. It’s a great story, one I had not yet heard. One thing I really respect about Scott is that he always teaches more than basketball… Thank you for sharing.
As conference, NCAA and NIT/WNIT tournaments get started… this little gem helps us keep it all in perspective.
The Strength of a symbol
When Ross Deutsch read the advertisement, it seemed too good to be true.
For a fee, he could go to Las Vegas with some friends and attend Michael Jordan’s Flight School, essentially a summer camp for basketball-crazed adults. It was a place to live out one’s hardwood fantasies for a few days and receive instruction from NBA and college coaches, Hall of Famers among them.
Mike Krzyzewski and Ross Deutsch first met in 1997 at a basketball camp in Las Vegas.
It was 1997, and Deutsch was working in the financial world in Chicago. He was 36; he had the money and an interested friend; and his wife, Mindy, had no objection. He was certainly passionate about basketball and, as a Chicago native, had a love for all things Michael Jordan. He had three young sons — Rory was the oldest at 6; Robbie and Rickey were younger — but it was for only a few days, and besides, what kid wouldn’t get a kick out of his dad playing hoops for a few days as though he were a star?
A few days later, Ross and his friend David Duckler found themselves in Las Vegas on a Bally’s court. They had just finished a few drills and were attending a makeshift draft where they were to be divided into their teams, selected by the coaches in attendance. Across the court, Duke coach and fellow native Chicagoan Mike Krzyzewski, already a two-time national champion, evaluated Deutsch and Duckler and decided to go local, selecting the two friends for his team.
Neither Deutsch nor Krzyzewski knew at the time that those fortuitous circumstances would mark the beginning of a lifelong friendship, that the two would bond in a way that few men do in adulthood. They were new acquaintances then, player and coach for a few days, but Krzyzewski would soon be supporting Deutsch through something no parent can ever imagine after looking into the eyes of a healthy child at birth.
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Posted 4 days, 22 hours ago at 9:02 PM. Add a comment
Here’s Charlie’s latest projection through games as of Feb. 21. Scroll over a team name for more analysis. Records reflect Division I competition only.
Automatic bids are in CAPS.
This is the absolute best time of the year for talking basketball with everyone.
Bids by Conference is going to make some people edgy…
- Big 12 (8)
- ACC (7)
- Big East (7)
- SEC (6)
- Big Ten (3)
- Atlantic 10 (3)
- Pac-10 (3)
- America East (2)
- Sun Belt (2)
- Colonial (2)
I love the ACC, was part of it for 4 years. It is arguably one of the Top 2 Conferences in the country year after year… but, 7 bids is high! I say 5. UNC and Maryland are all questions and NC State is on the cusp. Each of those teams are currently 5-7 or 6-6 in the ACC. If you allow all of them in, how then do you say no to Wake Forest and maybe Boston College? Both are either 5-7 or 6-6 and Wake Forest is a head of UNC and Maryland in the ACC standings. don’t go to the RPI and Strength of Schedule… it’s all comparable.
Why not give the Atlantic 10, Colonial or Mountain West a 4th, 3rd or 2nd team in, respectively. Maybe give one or two of the MAAC, MAC, America East or Missouri Valley and 2nd team in.
Everyone screams for more parity in Women’s Basketball. You can’t have parity if the Top 5 Conferences hold 31 of the 64 spots in the NCAA tournament every year. Those coaches will never be able to consistently convince (recruit) top prospects to play in conferences where only one team goes to the NCAA’s year in and year out.
We’ll see…
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Posted 1 week, 6 days ago at 3:58 PM. Add a comment
By Andy Johnston For the AJC
Some folks say it’s parity. Others are beginning to worry that this is a down season for the ACC.
The ACC continues to be the top-rated conference in the Sagarin and Pomeroy rankings, but only Duke and Georgia Tech are ranked in the AP Top 25, and the Blue Devils might have knocked the Yellow Jackets out of next week’s poll with their 86-67 victory on Thursday night.
Every team has at least four losses, and Duke, which is considered the ACC’s best team, was crushed by Big East-power Georgetown on Sunday. One thing is for certain: The conference doesn’t have a dominant force like last season’s North Carolina team that won the national championship.
“It’s where we are now. It’s where this conference is at,” North Carolina State coach Sidney Lowe said. “Any given night, you don’t know who is going to win. One team can knock off a nationally ranked team and then play another team that’s not ranked and lose to them. One thing you do know is that this league has a lot of talented players. If those talented players decide they’re going to be better and they’re going to get after it, they’re going to win.”
The fall of North Carolina (13-9, 2-5 ACC) has corresponded with the rise of both Maryland (15-6, 5-2) and Virginia (14-6, 5-2), which are tied for second behind Duke (18-4, 6-2). The parity is evidenced by the fact that 22 of ACC’s 46 games have been decided by eight points or less, including 13 by fewer than four points.
The balance might lead to only six ACC teams making the NCAA tournament, but all 12 entered this week in the top 110 of the RPI.
“It’s become a night-in and night-out grinder,” Virginia coach Tony Bennett said. “It’s a challenge of every team to be at their best.”
Out of his shell
Freshman Jordan Williams is providing Maryland with an inside boost.
He posted his third double-double of the season in Maryland’s loss at Clemson on Sunday. The 6-foot-10 Williams then added 14 points in a win at Florida State on Thursday, reaching double-figures for the seventh time. His 13 rebounds Sunday were a career-high.
“[He provides] what we didn’t have last year, [which] is an inside presence,” Maryland coach Gary Williams said. “This year, when we’re playing well, we can throw the ball into Jordan and expect something good to happen.”
Possible return
Clemson guard Demontez Stitt has missed the past two games with a sprained foot, but coach Oliver Purnell hopes to have him back for Saturday’s game at Virginia Tech. Stitt had started 52 consecutive games before the injury.
On the ball
Malcolm Delaney, who scored 21 points in Virginia Tech’s 74-70 victory over North Carolina on Thursday, leads the ACC in scoring (19.8) and 20-point games (11).
N.C. State’s Julius Mays has made 20 consecutive free throws and is shooting 89.5 percent from the line (51-for-57).
Trevor Booker needs 19 rebounds to become the second player in Clemson history with 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds. With 1,584 career points, he would join Notre Dame’s Luke Harangody and Texas’ Damion James as the only active players with 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds.
Kyle Singler, playing with an injured right wrist, had career highs with 30 points and eight 3-pointers in Duke’s victory over Georgia Tech.
Must-see TV
Don’t sleep in, or you might miss Wake Forest’s game at Virginia, which begins at noon Saturday (WATL). On Wednesday, Duke plays at North Carolina at 9 p.m. (ESPN) in the first game of the season in that heated rivalry. They’ll also meet at Duke on March 6.
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Posted 1 month ago at 10:49 PM. Add a comment
One of the greatest dilemmas in the coaching profession, especially for a young assistant, is self-promoting and getting noticed. Being able to make a name for your self and advancing in the profession is part of every coaches driving force.
If you are not in one of the coaching “Family Trees”… Calipari, Summitt, Pitino, Auriemma, Knight, VanDerveer, Krzyzewski, Stringer, Calhoun, etc… How do you get noticed to even get a call back, let alone an interview for the next opportunity? The same can be said of the first time head coach once they get there, how do they get noticed at a non-BCS school? it’s almost a never-ending cycle. Unless you set your mind right and keep it right, even after you have some success, it can be a never-ending struggle. Give your head coach complete trust and loyalty – unconditionally. Trust your head coach’s loyalty back to you, their respect to your development and the continuation of our profession.
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Posted 3 months, 2 weeks ago at 6:20 AM. Add a comment
It’s here! Fall Signing Day for the 2010 Women’s Basketball Recruiting Class! Seems like the 2010 Class was done so long ago. Most schools have had the 2010 class completed for over a year and have been working away on the 2011 and 2012 classes. Once you get ahead… stay ahead!
Many think this is not as strong a class as some in the past. True, there may not be a plethora of studs… but there are many, many good players that will help teams across the country.
The formula I used is not that scientific.
ABR Top Ten Formula: Assigned point values for each prospect signed, added by total number of signees, then divide out the number for an average so the smaller classes aren’t over-looked. In the event of a tie – I let them be ties.
A great job of recruiting, evaluating and signing by this group of coaches, their staff’s and of course the players on each of the teams who hosted these prospects on their visits.
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL!
Here it is, my final rankings for the 2010 Women’s Basketball Recruiting Class:
*Each TEAM name links to the school’s release on their class (if available).
1. DUKE: (5) ABR: 44 / 8.8
2T. CONNECTICUT: (5) ABR: 43 / 8.6
2T. MARYLAND: (5) ABR: 43 / 8.6
4T. GEORGIA: (2) ABR: 17 / 8.5
*Khaalidah Miller (verbal) is not yet listed as signed. Her #10 ranking will move Georgia to the #2 overall class: ABR: 26/8.67.
4T. STANFORD: (2) ABR: 17 / 8.5
6T. LOUISVILLE: (5) ABR: 40 / 8.0
6T. PENN STATE: (2) ABR: 16 / 8.0
*Ariel Edwards (verbal) is not yet listed as signed. Her #11 ranking will not change PSU’s overall ranking. ABR: 24/8.0
8. FLORIDA STATE: (4) ABR: 30 / 7.5
9. BOSTON COLLEGE: (4) ABR: 26 / 6.5
10. OKLAHOMA: (5) ABR: 26 / 5.2
For a PRINTABLE VERSION: CLICK HERE
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Posted 3 months, 3 weeks ago at 11:09 AM. Add a comment
