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

Congratulations to the Connecticut Huskies men’s basketball team. Their 75-60 victory over Purdue gives them back-to-back-titles. They are the first program to repeat since the Florida Gators in 2007. It’s their 6th title in school history. Tristen Newton, named MOP led the way for UConn with 20 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists. Danny Hurley has done a tremendous job with the Huskies. They play hard. Share the ball and defend. Zach Edey led Purdue with 37 points and 10 rebounds. The Boilermakers shot just 1-7 from downtown. For the six games in the tournament Huskies shot 41-136 for 30% from d ..read more

Three quick hitters hoop thoughbts regarding the greatest sport in the world… 1-John Calipari to Arkansas: Not surprising Coach Cal gets out of Lexington and is headed to Arkansas. Cal’s record at Kentucky in 15 years was 410-122. He won 75% of his games and Wildcat fans were upset with him. Many names being mentioned to replace him. 2-Caitlin Clark: I have written about her a lot these last few weeks. I love her game. How can you not? She’s easily the women’s greatest college basketball player ever. I don’t care what the haters say. And why so much hate on someone who has lifted the women’s g ..read more

Congratulations to the Gamecocks. They are your 2024 NCAA National Champions. On Sunday they took care of business and beat Iowa 87-75. SC finish an incredible season with a record of 38-0. In the past three seasons they are 109-3. The Hawkeyes jumped out to a 10-0 lead and increased it to 13-2. But SC was not going to back down. They turned up the heat defensively and crashed the boards to take control of the game. South Carolina’s bench outscored Iowa’s 38-0. Don’t think I have ever seen that before. Tessa Johnson led the way for SC with 19 points. Kamilla Cardoso scored 15 points for SC and ..read more