Thursday: ACC tournament begins
FINAL: N.C. STATE 80, VIRGINIA TECH 63 After shooting 50 percent in the first half, the Hokies shot just 35 percent in the second to see their season end at 13-19.
Howell finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds for the Wolfpack, which will face UVa in the quarterfinals at 2:30 p.m. Friday. Berman’s game story should be up soon, and I’m hoping my column will be as well. I’ll link them. Up next: Maryland-Wake Forest.
HALFTIME: N.C. STATE 38, VIRGINIA TECH 32
Pretty good start for the Hokies until the turnovers started. Tech finished with eight of them in the half, contributing to 17 Wolfpack points.
Erick Green hit a couple of quick 3s early but has struggled ever since. He’s got nine points on 3-of-8 shooting, which isn’t terrible, but he’s missed several of those midrange jumpers that he usually drains. He’s also shown some frustration with teammates when he’s been trapped and hasn’t been able to find anyone running toward him. He has half of Tech’s turnovers.
Richard Howell has dominated inside for State, scoring 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting.
Jarell Eddie and Cadarian Raines are a combined 7-of-9 from the field for 16 points. Robert Brown is 1-for-5 and has two turnovers.
So the question of whether the Hokies would show up? Yes, they did. Now we’ll see if they can hang around the rest of the way and make it interesting at the end.
Also, really important side note: A.C. Slater (known by some as Mario Lopez) will be the honorary starter for the Martinsville Cup race.
SCORE-ANCE OF OLIVIER: Brilliant performance by Olivier Hanlan, who sets a freshman ACC single-game record with 41 points in an 84-64 Boston College victory over Georgia Tech. He went 14 of 18 from the field, 8 of 10 from 3-point line and 5 of 6 from the line.
Not many times you can lead 15-0 and lose by 20. I don’t know how you’d check that, but I’m going to wager that’s never happened. Hokies up next.
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BC has a 10-point lead in the second half of the first game. BC freshman Olivier Hanlan is on a scoring tear. Winner will face Miami tomorrow.
Anybody know how to lock a Prius? I know, I know, telling me would force you to admit you own a Prius, or have at least driven one. But Berman and I — with all that combined intellect — couldn’t figure it out for the life of us. Picture the two of us standing next to this beauty of a car, reading the manual. Still didn’t work. Kept unlocking itself.
The good news is nobody wants to steal a Prius.
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About to hit the road for Greensboro, where the ACC tournament opens at noon today with Boston College-Georgia Tech (WDBJ). Berman has a preview of the Virginia Tech-N.C. State matchup (2:30, WDBJ) here. I wrote an “anybody but Duke” column that’s meant to be light-hearted; I realize some (Duke fans or not) will not be amused, and that’s OK too. Here that is.
Night games are Maryland-Wake Forest (7 p.m., WDBJ) and Florida State-Clemson (9:30 p.m. WDBJ).
Miami, Duke, Virginia and North Carolina start Friday.
Also, Berman has a feature on Hidden Valley grad Luke Hancock, who is Louisville’s top 3-point shooter.
I’ll check in with some halftime/postgame thoughts on the Hokies game, as well as any other interesting nuggets that might come up down there. If you missed any of yesterday’s discussion about who will win the tournament (there’s some good BBQ discussion in there too), it’s here. Enjoy the tournament!
March 14, 2013 - 8:15 AM
I guess we’ll find out what VIrginia Tech team shows up today…and well, which NC State team as well. The Wolfpack are basically a winning version of VT. Sometimes they look really good…other times they look inexplicably bad…like most of their conference road losses and the blowout by Oklahoma State. They are beatable, so if NC State starts off unfocused and VT can come into the game focused and hitting shots, the Hokies will have a chance to pull and upset. I doubt a loss would relegate NC State to bubble status, but it certainly won’t do their seeding any favors. UVA needs NC State to win though, because they need to record a good win to solidify their bid chances. Playing VT would not help their case. But UVA is a decent dark horse option for the ACC tournament because they have the players and style to win, when they show up.
It used to always be – ‘ABC… Anyone But Carolina’. Now it is ABD. Folks used to complain about Dean Smith being so pious. Little did they know.
Talking about post game lectures, I’ll never forget Kryzewski laying his arms on Dowdell’s shoulders and giving him the holier than thou lecture about being a ‘good winner’ after the Hokie win in Cameron. All while Duke students behind K were flipping him the bird and shouting racial epithets. All because Dowdell popped his jersey at the Dukies who had taunted him all night.
I was always incredulous that he didn’t lay his middle fingers on either side of Kryzewski’s nose, then pop his jersey in his face, too. Kryzewski likes to turn the attention away from the victors when they beat his team. He loudly curses the officials while sitting on the sideline, and has done so for decades.
So, yes, I’m okay with ABD.
I with the ABD’s and ABM’s. I dislike Miami no matter the sport.
ABD for sure. Coach K is a hypocrite. It’s okay if his student body rushes the court after a win, but now when another student body rushes the court after they beat the pukies. It’s very obvious that he is a sore loser and it’s really irritating to watch. A coach of his stature should be able to take a loss with dignity rather than whine about things that had no bearing on the outcome of the game. It negatively reflects on him as a person for sure.
I think the Hokies have been consistent in their play for the overwhelming majority of their ACC schedule. Yes, small bounces or drops relative to the mean, but overall, they’ve been pretty similar in their play. The State game might have been one of the aberrations, but I think it was based on the play of the Pack, as you mentioned, OJ.
We’ll see how Lorenzo Brown does, and if the Pack manages to scorch Tech on ball screens for 3 pters this time. If they don’t it won’t be because of any adjustments the Hokies make, rather the cleanness of the Pack’s execution.
Wow. I just read the Berman preview to the game. Johnson has changed his strategy for this game. This time, he’s throwing the players under the bus prior to the game, not after. Ouch. I saw no mention of in-game adjustments, halftime strategy, or any other potential coaching decisions. Just lots of ‘THEY need to do better…’
Very unfortunate.
Safe travels AMac. As discussed in the blog yesterday, it should be a good tournament.
After watching VT all season, it would be a surprise if they win today. As a fan, I’d love it, but I’m a realist and they just aren’t a good team right now.
ABD! Amen!
Imagine an opportunity to knock the Hoos square into the Not Important Tourney though it’s probably no better than a 25% shot, stranger things have happened; unfortunately a 100% healthy Duke gang will be hard to bet against irregardless of hate levels.
I can tell you guys one thing. If I was the head coach of the Hokies, I would making coach K mad at every chance I get. I would be saying, “I never feel safe in the Blue Devils’ gym. They are classless and they shout racial insults that coach K don’t bother to muzzle. I am appreciative that we have something called ‘Hokies Respect.’ I think coach K could learn from that, being a multiple national championship winners. Perhaps he need to reevaluate his message.”
The rental car is a Prius. Thought you guys would appreciate that.
I heard he drives a Prius cause’ he’s into be’in green…………….sounds like it sucks!!!…….. Did Casey make your travel plans AMac?
Sadly, it sounds like Hokie basketball coach James Johnson is going all Seth Greenberg on us by trotting out the “youth excuse.”
According to Mark Berman, Johnson said:
“We’ve got a young group. … We’re still trying to figure it out as far as how to prepare to play a game, how to prepare to play 40 minutes, how to play hard for 40 minutes.”
The facts show that his five players with the most playing time are a senior, a red-shirt junior, a junior and two sophmores.
And Johnson made the “young group” / “still trying to figure it out ” excuse now – when the players have virtually completed yet another season!
ABD and Koach Kry..
In the last game Wood had 14 and Eddie 17. With Green getting that kind of help again, we might stay with them again. We “got-fried” by the officials to the tune of 43-7 foul shots in favor of the `pack. Seth would have been all over the refs but JJ just kind of stood there watching the game go by. If we want non-abrasive we got it. In case anybody is tired of basketball by 10 PM, Rafa and Roger renew their rivalry tonight. Two class acts with 28 majors together and maybe not that many more matches between them in the future.
A Prius? Oy. I’d walk…
Well, Aaron I would guess that you did not get to “choose any any in the lot and go I would hope not anyway. Did the RT equip you with ant hotels-they check in but they can`t check out- and Raid or upgrade your accommodations?Are you staying for the whole tournament regardless of what happens with Tech?
It’s time for the fighting gobblers to step up to the challenge and show what a hokie can do it a pinch. The ghosts of the duck pond are with them.
Amac, I am more amazed that you are able to fit your large frame inside the tiny Prius. Oh the irony!
I’m a Hokie, but also a fan of Duke basketball. You have to admire the way they play and the fact that they are near the top every year – consistently. I have never heard about racial epithets – if that is true it should not be tolerated by the university in any form. Like every other basketball coach, team and crowd, I’m sure there is no perfection at Duke. They were the original orgainzed student section starting way back before Speedo Man and that student energy adds to the excitement of a Duke game. I hope to see more national championships at Duke – likely the best opportunity the ACC has to win them. Oh – good start for Hokie and Hoo baseball.
I went to VT, but can’t agree with ABD. Will always be ABC for me.
By the way, that court storming at UVA was orchestrated and pre-ordained by the athletic department, so I can see K’s point. I have lived in NC for a long time now, and have seen K restrain the student body from rushing the court, even after a big win over UNC. Also, have seen him call them out for some of their behavior. Don’t agree with some of his sideline antics, but not a hater like some on this blog.
#20 – Poppycock (that’s right, I said it). K had no kind of point. Nothing happened, and nothing came close to happening on the court after the UVa game. His post-game remarks were those of a master spin doctor whose team had just been exposed by the ACC team he most despises – yes, even more than Carolina. Coach K just didn’t want the experts noticing how highly overrated his team is.
Met coach K..asked for autograph….he bitched and groaned he was too busy
what an A—–!!!! I threw it away because his attitude was very NEGATIVE..If he can’t tell officials what to do in every game he cusses and crys….
It sounds like you, McFarling, are upset because Maryland is leaving the ACC due to their poor record against Duke. Maybe you should go back to College Park and burn a couch or a car with the other Terps and vent some of your frustration. As a graduate of Wake Forest, I say fire Jeff Bzdelik and for the tournament it is always ABC – anybody but Carolina.
I’ve been a Duke fan forever, and only once can I recall that student body rushing the court. I can’t remember the exact year, but I remember it was after Duke had a few bad year because Coach K was ill. Wojchikowski or however you spell his name was the guard. Carolina had killed Duke for something like two years straight, had won earlier in the year against Duke and it seemed like Carolina was going to whip Duke again. I believe the Tarheels went up by as much as 17 when Duke made the comeback to win the game. That was the only time Duke fans stormed the court!
Tim, I’d love to know more about the UVA ‘preordained’ storming of the court. I’m sure it had nothing to do with the fact that UVA had just narrowly beaten the #3 team in the country in a thrilling, close game, or that the win represented the program’s biggest home victory in many years and at the time signified the program’s potential arrival as an upper-echelon team. I’m sure that had nothing to do with it. All pre-ordained and orchestrated by the athletic department. (sarcasm intended)
Here’s how much I hate the dookies. I hate them so much that I wish their plane would crash assuming that the innocents, the plane crew, were dook fans and no Tar Heel fans were injured from the flying debris. I hate them so much that it energizes me. It’s not like hating my boss, or ex-wife or red neck neighbor. That kind of hate drags one down. Hating dook gives me wings. Unfortunately rat would probably come out unscathed since he is from the Dark Side.
Tim, I’m the same way. I don’t like Duke, and I might cheer for someone else to beat them, but I don’t hate them…or any other team for that matter. Personally, if VT can’t pull the upset over NC State, I’m pulling for the Wolfpack to win it, because I spent my freshman year of college there.
There looks to be about 48 spectators at the first game, GT-BC. Expansion has been such a success.
A Prius? Wow. Did it come with a $25 Starbucks giftcard?
So, do you have to be a subscriber to comment? Two days in a row of having my comments erased. Just wondering.
ABD for sure. K brings it on himself. So great to beat someone who hates losing so much.
The court storming wasn’t pre-ordained at JPJ, but Duke coaches were warned that IF they got beat it could happen and there were safety precautions for them to follow along with security measures in place to protect the team. Shashefsky got impatient when he had to wait for 2 seconds and pushed his security team (a police officer meant to protect him). Watch the video on Youtube.
Sports Illustrated has an article that the ACC Tourney should move to MSG. I forgot that everything is better up there.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/college-basketball/news/20130314/acc-madison-square-garden/
Gang, if the rental car is a Prius, expect Aaron to check in about halfway thru the second half. We’ll have to fill him in on what happens in the rest of the game!
He’ll have to “Fred Flintstone” that thing to pick up speed. Yeah, yeah, I know that went over the heads of the younger crowd since The Flintstones are never on any more.
With a little luck, he took 81-to-77 and went down Fancy Gap and the downhill run gave him some momentum.
I’m in the ABD camp, because what gets me is what Coach K gets away with. If you have ever been close enough to hear him in a game, some of the things he says to officials, any other coach would get T’d up, quickly – a couple of times, and tossed.
At the same time, I admire the robotic respect he gets out of his staff, team, everybody around him (as I said in an earlier post couple of weeks ago, Duke is the Stepford Wives of college hoops). But, from the Hokie perspective, he wouldn’t be “family” enough to be a VT coach . . . .
I had to give up the ABC position some years back when my sister married a Heel, and a most favored nephew went there. Blood is thicker than basketball, I guess.
BC was really stinking the joint up early, but they’ve made a game of it as the first half is coming to a close.
#12 CVC, Johnson has never let facts get in the way of his placing the blame on the supposed ineptitude of the players.
Sure, he’s got a veteran team, but let’s listen to the whining about ‘Oooh, we don’t have many scholarship players…’ It was shown earlier this year that most teams never go beyond 8 players deep on their roster, except in blowouts.
Sure, he has multiple years of experience and relationship building with the majority of the team, but we’re told ‘This wasn’t his team, so we have to excuse their ineptitude…’ thus totally ignoring his lack of actual coaching ability.
Sure, Johnson will have five recruits that he is solely responsible for coming in next season. The math says that he’ll have five scholarship players solely due to his head coaching, and twelve overall.
Essentially almost half the team will be his & his alone, thus negating the totally false excuse of – ‘he didn’t recruit these guys.’ Still the excuses will be made – ‘Well, it takes time to build a team’, despite the overwhelming evidence that it does NOT take several years to build a team in college basketball.
EVERY year, brand new coaches – NOT assistants who have been with the team for many years like Johnson, but brand new coaches, they come in and immediately produce results. Every year, brand new coaches manage to instill their core fundamentals in the team, despite not having ‘their type of players’. Every year, coaches walk into situations and locations that they have not known for several years, like Johnson had the advantage of, and they win.
Ahh, but we have to wait, until the apologists die away, before we’re allowed to expect even ‘normal’ production. Why? Because it’s the Hokie Way. Oh yeah, keep sending in those Hokie Club dues and season ticket requests, or we’ll drop you from the ‘family’.
Tim, I have to call you out on the Konspiracy theory that the court storming was planned.
His criticism of UVA fans rushing the court, creating a safety hazard, or whatever way he wanted to phrase it is so hypocritical.
The man is simply a sore loser.
He needs to go back and watch some video of a certain game, AT Duke, in 2005.
Duke, undoubtedly, has to be the ONLY #1 team, to have THEIR fans rush the court, their court, after beating an unranked team after the Dockery miracle shot.
He didn’t seem to do much to restrain them.
C’mon guys. It’s VT basketball for gosh sakes. I thought Greenberg did pretty well, all things considered. “Go Deacs.” If not the Deacs, “Go Duke”
And continuing on with yesterday’s barbecue discussion….Fuzzy’s in Madison and Little Richard’s in Winston-Salem are two good ones.
If you aren’t able to watch the first game, it has been amazing. GT goes up 15-0, over BC to start, and is now down 13. The stench in the Coliseum, for the 150 people there to smell it, started out to be a rotting Eagle, now it is a nest of dead Yellow Jackets.
150 fans in GBoro. That will be a good number compared to the opening ACC tourney games at MSG in a few years. The only ACC fans in NYC are a few Duke grads working on Wall Street.
I will be pulling for the Hoos and UNC if VT goes out today. And for what it is worth I loved Dean Smith. He was a fantastic coach and I miss seeing him on the sidelines. He will always be one of the best who coached college basketball and in my mind a legend.
Carolina Kid, I don’t think the ACC will be dumb enough to kick the tournament up to MSG. The Garden is locked up for a while, so they have a good bit of time to come to their senses. NYC is neat, but extraordinarily expensive for people to travel to.
The conference does need to settle on a “title town” and stick with it. Football saw the disaster of moving from Jax, to Tampa, to Charlotte (where it really belongs), and in basketball, they need to settle on Greensboro permanently, or make it be Charlotte for the tournament, too.
The lure of the BE tournament has always been that it was in the same place. The ACC needs to establish the same tradition.
Would love to see the Hokies pull a Liberty Flame miracle out of their butts this weekend and punch a ticket to the NCAA’s but we all know there’s a snowball’s chance in Hadies that could happen. The next best result for me would be to see the Hoos rise up, get to the finals against Puke, beat them on a last second Joe Harris trey and have all the UVa fans storm the court again. Only this time I hope they’re sure to rough up Coach K and anyone else in a Duke uniform to the point he truly has something to whine about.
And what’s this about the ACC tourney in MSG? Are you kidding me? I guess when it comes to $$ and big payouts in the big TV markets, nothing is sacred, not even the legacy and history of the ACC BB tourney being deeply rooted along tobacco road and south of the Mason-Dixon line. Man, can’t have nothin’ !! Yuck New Fork!
Regardless of much else, the ACC is Carolina-centric…both because 5 of the schools are in the Carolinas (plus 3 others that are in states bordering the Carolinas)…but also because geographically, it’s about as central as possible (though the new additions pull that more northerly). Having the championships in Charlotte make sense. Good facilities, good transportation network, lots of available rooms in and near the city. Greensboro isn’t a bad option for hoops, but doesn’t have quite the same advantages…though, they have fewer scheduling complixities with their arena than Charlotte does. But yes, keep it in one city…the constant moving of stuff reduces the appeal in my mind. And MSG would be an awful venue decision.
AMac, got to get by the Stameys BBQ across the street from the Greensboro Coliseum.
My mother has a Prius. Did you try to leave the spare key in the car? It won’t lock if there is a key inside the car.
ToT–Actually did head over there for lunch. Excellent!
Peter–Thanks. I don’t think we got a spare key, though. I’m wondering if the key auto lock is stuck or something.
I was disappointed – even though I knew he went to Maryland – to read Aaron’s column today. Hating Duke is so cliche now. But, really, I’ve gotten tired of it when it goes to rooting against Duke to truly hating Duke.
Anyway, I think Coach K’s comments after the UVA game were wussy. I think his comments after losing to Maryland were funny (basically, they are not our rivals), but in poor sportsmanship. I agree lecturing Dowdell is obnoxious. And I agree that his pious “American Express” image is contrary to his profane treatment of officials and behind the scenes.
But did anyone read the NYTimes article a couple weeks ago about Jason Williams after his motorcycle accident? Sure, he sounded self-centered at times in the articles, but what struck home to me was how when everyone else but his Mom turned his back on him, he came back to Durham and was taken in by “family”. I think his quote was ““Wow,” Williams thought, “everything he preached to us was real.’ It is real, and many Duke players have trouble at first in the NBA because the team ethos is so imperfect to the purity of team mission they usually have at Duke (minus Austin Rivers).
I was a huge fan when VT joined the ACC. I’ve been lucky enough (for a guy with basically minimal connections and a donations) to have sat behind the bench for 4-5 Duke-VT games at both Duke and VT. They are intense.
But let’s not forget that it was Greenburg who first whined about being scared by some Duke graduate students when he walked off the court. I’ve seen Duke graduate students and they don’t scare anyone.
And, although Duke students are no more perfect than any others (except maybe Maryland students who throw batteries at the mothers of Duke players), I was at that 2006 game in Cameron and I certainly didn’t hear any racial epithets, at Dowdell or otherwise, and I’m extremely doubtful that ever occurred. In fact, I distinctly remember that the Duke student body thought Gordon was great and he played to the crowd like an old pro.
So I call BS on the Duke haters. By the way, I’m glad to see VT football is finally stepping up and hiring an offensive coordinator. It would be nice if Weaver would hire an ACC basketball coach for either the men or women (and I wish Johnson well) instead of acting like a wannabee SEC AD.
OH, YES! He didn’t disappoint. He went to Stamey’s!
Of course, there isn’t a lot else to walk to from the GBO Coliseum to eat. Not unless you want to walk a long way.
At halftime, the Hokies are in it, but they had that spurt in there that almost let the game get away. Green has got to calm down, let the game come to him.
That first game was amazing. The final score, compared to the start, was mind boggling – as was the fact that Olivier Hanlon was within a point of scoring half of his team’s 84.
As Aaron points out, it would be interesting to see if that sort of flip-flop has ever occurred. I’m not even sure the Elias Baseball Stats tracks anything that bizarre.
Speaking of Maryland and Duke, when Lefty came to Cameron one year the students all had a Lefty mask on with a gas guage on his bald head. The needle was sitting on E. Funny stuff.
GPS, it’s more than obvious that you’re a Duke sycophant, so I know you’ll ignore the truth told, as opposed to your falsehoods. Some people consider falsehoods lies, but I’m sure Dukies think of it as ‘envy’.
During the initial VT/Duke game, Seth Greenberg was actually hit in the face by a Duke student as he exited the court. Greenberg’s ‘crime’? He didn’t cower before Kryzewski, as was expected.
Yes, Seth Greenberg was actually struck in the face by a Duke student. Kryzewski did NOT put his arms on the Duke student to lecture him about sportsmanship. Kryzewski did NOT get on the audio to try to control the mob of fanatics. Kryzewski celebrated his win, and pretended nothing happened, because Mike Kryzewski is a hypocrical liar and a fraud. Sure, ESPN sucks his… phony fallacies up, but that is only because he was a supporter of the cheating liar Jimmy V. that is also why Dickie V has a lifetime hall pass at ESPN, because DV supported Jimmie V when ESPN bought in to his charade and his sob story about his fight against cancer, as though that cleansed all of Valvano’s lack of ethics while at State.
So, GPS, trot behind the Duke bandwagon all you like. Just understand that they don’t want you, nor do they consider you worthy of them. To them, you’re just a tool. Enjoy your status as a pawn.
About time for Green to focus on his usual drive for 20 points. He’s got 9 shots in the first 25 minutes. Let’s see how many he gets in the last 15 minutes. Last game of his college career. Got to pad that resume for the NBA…
Did Richmond get jobbed? Judge for yourself. http://bit.ly/ZQBP7n
I would say there is not much sportsmanship in your article today nor in the responsed on your blog. The ACC has a lot of good teams, good players and coaches, and show a lot more class than those who write about them. Hate is a bad trait in sports from any angle. Shame on you all.
Well, the game seems to have rapidly slipped away…but they’re still clawing away. The big news of the day is Blacksburg is getting a Mellow Mushroom. Looking forward to that…I’ve eaten at the ones in Charlottesville, Columbia SC, and Savannah GA when we’ve been out those ways, and it’s worth it.
My goodness how the faux pious have come out to defend the whole Duke aura. It’s almost as if they were all channelling Kryzewski pretending to be insulted and frightened by orderly UVa students celebrating their victory over Duke. It’s like, they’re trying to be K klones. It’s really laughable. All these folks who never post on here during the season, but when you say something less than adulatory than Duke is cause for them to speak out against the pretend insults.
It’s so very Reddick of you all…
#53 — Other John, that’s awesome news! I’ve been to the one on Vanderbilt’s campus often. Good stuff.
Rick H. The ACC will do whatever ESPN tells it to do….I read something earlier in this thread about “Hokie Respect.” Wow. That is funny. It’s been my experience at home and away football games and amid the general public that most Hokie fans are anything but respectful.
I do agree that the Duke students’ behavior during basketball games lately has been horrible.
crooked road – did you take a double dose of nasty this morning? Speaking ill of the dead (Valvano) is in extremely poor taste. He was a great man and inspiration to all fighting cancer. I can only wonder what kind of person you are.
Carolina Kid, sarcasm is clearly lost on you.
#58, perhaps you should look at what Jimmie V, the vaunted faux Saint of ESPN actually did while he was at NC State. The bribes that occurred, the payoffs to players, the crimes the players committed that left them in good standing on the team, the fact he was forced – even by the NC State athletic department – to leave. He was corrupt, and the fact he contracted a horrible disease doesn’t change the fact that he was corrupt while healthy. You can pretend he wasn’t corrupt, but you’d be lying when you did. Jimmie V was corrupt while a basketball coach. He died with cancer and his efforts to fight his cancer were notable. That does not change the fact he was corrupt as a basketball coach. Making a speech that ESPN replays every year doesn’t change the fact that he only graduated single digit % of his players. That was the least of his transgressions. If you weren’t busy looking for tangents, you’d research it and then be so embarrassed as to not even post any more.
Thanks for making the tangent direct away from the hypocrisy displayed by Kryzewski. The fact Kryzewski felt pity for Valvano doesn’t change the fact that everything else Kryzewski does related to college basketball is hypocritical. Defend the school that would never accept you if you dared to apply, that’s okay with me. Kryzewski is a hypocrite, and Valvano was corrupt.
Like I said, crooked road, double dose of nasty. What poor team has you to thank for being such the rabid, and I mean rabid, fan(anic) that you are? Seriously, who peed in your coffee? You really should seek professional help for that anger management problem of yours.
CR, good points about Valvano. Yes, he was an inspiration regarding the fight against cancer (his ESPY speech will forever remain part of sports history)…but the tarnished legacy he left at NC State cannot be buried under by false pretenses. He left the program in a mess, with Les Robinson inheriting it, scholarship reductions, and sanctions that resulted from Valvano’s tenure. Many of the harsher claims were never fully proven by internal NC State probes or by the NCAA (including point shaving, academic fraud, etc), but enough was shown to have occured that it left the program in a shambles upon his firing in 1990 (many of the infractions were akin to Ohio State’s football violations). It took almost 15 years to get the program lifted back to relevancy.
Chris Washburn….need I say anymore?
#61, you still hide behind the denial of Valvano being corrupt. Come on and discuss it, or continue to hide. You know you’re wrong, you know you have zero evidence to the contrary, and that is why you’re hiding. Valvano was a corrupt coach.
That’s not the main point, though. The main point is you’re a Duke bandwagoner, and you are too ashamed to even admit that. Kryzewski is a hypocrite – I see you avoid discussing that, because it cuts you too closely. Kryzewski is a hypocrite who embraced the corrupt Valvano. That shows the hypocrite that Kryzewski is, and you’ll never deny that.
So now we have gone from first 4 out of the NCAA tournament to first 4 out of the ACC tournament. No wonder. We make more turnovers then your Aunt Sarah and our interior defense is…well…offensive. I would like to see our team play a little like VCU next year. Unfortunately, the only havoc in Blacksburg these days is caused by Mr. Weaver`s decisions.
Re: Jim Valvano. All anyone needs to do is go back and read an article SI published many years ago about the recruitment of a kid named Chris Washburn. Then check out what happened to him.
To be fair to Valvano he coached in the same era as Lefty “I really believe cocaine can help your performance” Driesel and Norm Sloan.
Let’s talk about NC State. Digger Phelps, while coaching at ND, said during a national TV interview (60 Minutes as I recall) that the “going rate” for a BBall player at his level was $40K/yr. Common gossip at the time was that he was referring to Clyde “The Glide” Austin, Sidney Lowe and Derrick Whittenburg. Austin, in particular, had a taste for fast cars and nice clothes. Lowe had a Caddy (new, so it was reported). Neither came from a “Johnny Football” family where mom and dad could pony up bucks. As I recall, Sloan left under a serious cloud. Wonder what David Thompson got? Besides a drug habit?
Our own Charlie Moir made some mistakes although they paled in comparison and some alumni were actually upset that if we were going to get sanctions it would’ve been nice if they were for something spectaular. It looked like we really didn’t have our heart set on cheating. Darn.
I often take heated exception to CR’s comments but in the case of Valvano it took a terrible disease for him to find a halo. Not only the speech, but his behavior after they beat Phi Slamma Jamma adds to the myth. But king of all mythmakers is Divkie V. I can only hope that the Jimmy V Foundation does what ESPN says it does. But they never have to worry about spending a dime of mine.
RE: Coach K. This is a highly disciplined man who has built an Empire. Hate him all you want but he is one successful fellow. He is also human. He has sufferred debilitating pain and undergone surgeries. Like anyone else he is entitled to be a jerk sometimes. Never forget he was taught by Bob Knight and went through the USMA in a different era. A good friend of mine was a teammate of K’s at the USMA. Bob says it only took Knight about 6 months to totally kill his desire to play.
Say what you want about him and his style. You can;t show one ounce of proof, not one, that he cheats. His former players are his assustants and they go on to coach elsewhere. He stood up for any number of his guys over the years, not just Williams.
Now let’s talk Adolph Rupp. Remember those days? Probably not. But this saint is the guy who got mad because UTEP started 5 black guys and kicked their butt in the title game.
Oh, and John Wooden. He of the first place in the Hall of Saints admitted after he retired that he didn’t cheat, but the boosters sure made sure his kids were well fed. And clothed. And girled. And partied. And otherwise without any unfulfilled desires.
And it wasn;t just the big dogs. One of my high school classmates was 6’10″ and could play the 1. He went to Seton Hall before it was good. Pete got a job at 5x minimum wage, arranged by the coach. Pete did not have to show for work. All summer long and every vacation. Pete couldn’t make the Nets so he played in Europe and South America.
Young men. High dollar sports. Point spreads. Bragging rights. Its a tough combo…….
#61. This “crooked road” has nothing positive to say about anything.
Roll Tide!
Great insights, Zman…thanks…you brought up the ugly and oft-ignored dark side of many now-cherished coaches. I don’t like Duke, but I respect them. From everything I can see, they do it the right way and always have. I used to think the same about UNC, then that got blown wide open. But there’s a lot to be said about building a winning program at a school with rigorous academic requirements, by maintaining the type of longevity that he has, and being a consistent winner there.
Speaking of high-collar sports and the like, my uncle got to experience much of the corruption in collegiate athletics back in the day (70′s). He was a pitcher, and got a full ride to Long Beach State. He got a degree, but basically never attended classes…instead being a full-time baseball player. He went pro, pitched in the Majors for a good number of years, and is in the SF Giants Hall of Fame. Upon retiring, he came to realize the folly of his college experience, in not getting any education or skills outside of baseball, despite having a diploma on the wall. He struggled mightily trying to make a living after baseball.
Carolina Kid, I’m not sure what you read, but it is obvious it isn’t legit, or that you have ever been to Blacksburg for anything. Tech fans are some of the most highly thought of, in terms of hospitality to opposing fans, as any fanbase in the country.
I’m not sure I’d go on the rant that crooked did about Jimmy V, but his medical plight did cover up a lot of issues. His unfortunate situation brought out a lot of sympathy and revisionist history.
But, as proof reader simply alludes to, on Washburn, Virginia Tech dodged a bullet there, because he was likely in the bag because he was being recruited by an assistant at Tech named Tom Abatemarco (who I just learned via the magic of google is at Colorado now). When he left Tech, he basically took Washburn with him to NCSU. He was largely credited with getting Dell Curry.
Anyway, I had a relative that worked at NCSU at the time, and she had absolutely nothing positive to say about Washburn, because she knew him pretty well.
crocked road; thats uncool let jimmy v. lay alright leave your ignorant cancer rants to yourself and keep this about sports!
wow crooked road and the zman: i guess it is your will to be this passionate about the lives of coaches and players that would not know you if they were pissing on your shoes i only tune in from time to time to hear some rants and you guys make me so gratelful that I have a family and children and a real life instead of whining about things i cannot control BTW that was a great SI cover and story today Providing you know words that are not hate filled!
and thats coming from a MAN who lost his father to your terrible disease and also a cancer survivor hisself So go ahead big boys and hate me now I still got something for you! When Louisville comes to your almighty ACC as it is now you will not run your big mouths in football or basketball because it will be filled by red CARDINAL feathers! ACC sports? Now it is!
I might be better off saving this comment for tomorrow, but damn, the attendance for the ACC tournament has gotten horrible. There is nobody at the late game. The ACC might as well move the tournament to a high school in Charlotte.
I’d be willing to bet that the VHSL state tournament had better attendance than what has been going on in Greensboro today.
HDTV is destroying the experience of going to an event – that, and the fact you can buy an HDTV for what it costs to go to something.
never mind Hell crooked road and BBAT are tucked in snuggly by now Probably together
amac what happened to my two previous comments
You tell ‘em! I’m in! ABD! I only root for teams that excel on the court, graduate their players and stay away from NCAA violations!
Um… wait.
Rick H, the HDTV experience of watching sports at home is part of why I have been reluctant to buy tickets to many sporting events. And you’re right, the cost of attending a single event often rivals the cost for a good TV. I’d love to attend more sporting events, but the ticket costs are merely a small part of the equation. Like, if I were to attend an NFL game, a ticket might run around $50 depending on where it was located…but I’d have to drive 3-4 hours each way, get a couple meals on the road, pay for parking, possibly get a hotel, concessions, etc. One game for one person can easily run up to $300+ a person if it’s within short driving distance and required an overnight stay…and that’s on the cheap end. Why bother, when I can watch the same event in Hi Def, essentially for free…and as soon as the game is over go and do something other than wait for an hour to get out of the parking lot?
Mostly a basketball discussion here, but the Times is missing the boat on reporting that a local Vinton, VA kid, Michael McGuire, won the pole at Bristol for the K&N Pro Series East race yesterday afternoon. Show some love please.
It is unfortunate that Louisville is coming to the ACC. Not because of fearing them in sports, but how they will drag down the rest of the conference academically. The school just doesn’t match up well in academics to the rest of the ACC. The ACC really compromised on their academic standards by inviting Louisville to join. What a disappointment. If they were going to compromise their standards they should have invited WVU to join as well. NOT!
Acworth, at least the ACC admitted up front that their addition was purely athletics-related…and trying to get ACC hoops into the state of Kentucky where it has not had a foothold.
Maybe so, that still doesn’t change the fact that the ACC compromised their prior stance to having a conference with higher academic standards. No doubt Louisville does help the ACC in hoops and with Charlie Strong coaching football as well. Too bad it came at the cost of lowering their standards academically. That’s my point.