It’s been happening for years. I’ve written about it often; Players and parents upset about the coach. Today I bring you a story of a girls high school basketball coach that was fired. Seems to be one of those cases where the parents were “too” involved. They’re actually calling it, “parent negativity surrounding the program.” If you have coached, I’m sure you have had a situation with a disgruntled parent. The one thing I have always come to realize was that the parent’s complaint was usually about playing time. This past winter Alma put together one of the best seasons in program history as ..read more

Celtics 114 Heat 94: Jayson Tatum with a triple-double to lead Boston to a 1-0 series lead. Tatum scored 23 points, pulled down 10 rebounds and dished out 10 assists. Towards the end of the game Tatum went for a rebound and was knocked down by the Heat’s Caleb Martin. No big deal. It wasn’t a dirty play. Bam Adebayo led Miami with 24 points. The Heat played without Jimmy Butler. Clippers 109 Mavericks 97: James Harden led the Clippers with 28 points. Paul George added 22. Ivica Zubac scored 20 points and pulled down 15 boards. Clippers shot 18-36 from downtown. Mavs were led by Luka Doncic wit ..read more

First round action began on Saturday. Cavaliers over the Magic: Donovan Mitchell scored 31 points to lead the Cavs to the 97-83 win. Cleveland takes a 1-0 series lead. Jarrett Allen grabbed 18 rebounds. Paolo Banchero led Orlando with 24 points. T-Wolves over the Suns: Minnesota took a 1-0 lead in the series with a 120-95 victory. Anthony Edwards scored 33 points to lead the T-Wolves. Rudy Gobert had 16 rebounds for Minnesota. Kevin Durant led PHX with 31 points. Knicks 111-76ers 104: Josh Hart scored 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead the Knicks to a 1-0 series lead. Jalen Brunson adde ..read more

The transfer portal is wild. I just heard of two D-2 guys leaving their school. My only question with it is, what if no one picks them up? Now they’re out of a scholarship. The job of an assistant coach at the college level has to be tougher than ever. But then again, if you look at some of the salaries these guys are pulling in, it’s not a bad gig. Jason Whitlock’s latest take on WNBA salaries was deep. He went all in. “In more than 30 years of history, the WNBA has never once turned a profit, what business overpays? They’re already overpaid at $75,000 a year,” Whitlock said during the “Truth ..read more

Why is it so hard for some people to do the right thing? What makes someone “act out?” Why do people not want to put in the work? In athletics it’s puzzling to me. Show up, put in the work, be coachable, be a great teammate. Is that hard? Go to school. Do the work. Don’t be a distraction It’s a simple formula. Be nice. Work hard. Stay positive. Here’s an article on a high school baseball player who I have had the pleasure to be around the past three years. This guy is amazing. Outstanding baseball player; better person. Goes about his business every day. By the way, he’ll be a first round draf ..read more

Tonight is the W.N.B.A. draft live from Brooklyn, New York. 7:30 PM on ESPN. For the first time in my life I will tune in. I’m only watching for one reason; Caitlin Clark. I want to see her chosen number one overall by the Indiana Fever and then I will go about my nightly business. Christine Brennan of the USA Today wrote a piece about Clark and the haters she has attracted. In the article she quotes a couple of WNBA players. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/brennan/2024/04/15/wnba-caitlin-clark-veteran-players-cold-taurasi-stewart/73323868007 Where does all this negative talk c ..read more

JJ Redick and LeBron James have a podcast called, “Mind the Game.” It’s a basketball junkie’s fix. I highly recommend it. In the episode below LBJ and JJ discuss “what makes a great basketball player.” Love LeBron’s answer: 1-Knowing the history of the game. 2-Discipline 3-A love for the game ..read more

Oftentimes in youth sports, the parents get in the way. I am sure you have heard the horror stories. It’s been going on for many years. Interview below with Danny Hurley’s approach to recruiting – must listen, especially for the parents. Here’s a few quotes: “There’s measurable talents you have to have — the height, the speed, the skill set. But we spend a lot of time really focusing on the parents.” (I once had a college coach tell me he wouldn’t recruit a kid because of the father.) “Are they going to be fans of their son or are they going to be parents? Are they going to hold them accountab ..read more

Bob, Danny and Bobby Hurley are amazing. Outstanding coaches who have made a huge impact at the high school and college levels. I watched Bobby and Danny play high school ball at St. Anthony’s of Jersey City. Running the point for their dad. Bobby went on to play at Duke. He’s the NCAA all-time leader in assists. Danny played at Seton Hall. After their playing days both followed in their dad’s footsteps and got into coaching. Danny started at St. Benedict’s High School in Newark. He would then become the head coach at Wagner College bringing Bobby on as an assistant coach. Danny would soon get ..read more

With John Calipari headed to Arkansas opening up the Kentucky job, some big names in coaching being mentioned. I hope Danny Hurley stays at UConn – he’s got a good thing going. Is it me or did the Calipari news overshadow UConn winning it all? Last team to win 3 straight titles was UCLA (1971-73). Bucks and Celtics Tuesday night had two total free-throws attempted the entire game…by both clubs. That’s incredible. Bucks shot 1-2, Celtics didn’t shoot any. Which has never happened before. There were 88 3’s taken. Bucks won 104-91. Travel basketball at the youth level is about to get underway. I ..read more