General Sports Talk (formerly “Dan Patrick and Sports Talk”)
I know that Don likes to listen to the Dan Patrick Show and I’ve been listing to the interviews online (go to si.com). So I thought it might be fun to talk about the shows–or any other sports topic. Today’s show featured Jim Boeheim, who gets along really well with Dan–but not to the same extent as Coach K, who is always fun to listen to with Dan (lots of ribbing).
Coach Boeheim talked about expanding the tournament, and I guess he made some good points, but I wanted to ask about people’s opinion about Boeheim as a coach. I never really thought highly of him, but I’ve changed my mind–mainly because I’ve changed my mind about the 2-3 zone. No, I would not want to employ it on my team (maybe a match-up like Pitino’s would be fine), but it can be an effective defense. To be a zone like this, a team has to be patient and that takes up time. So the defense–if you’re playing a good team–helps you slow the game down and control the clock. This can be really effective particularly in the post season. Opponents can really start to feel the pressure because every shot becomes more important as the game moves on. If a team doesn’t know how to execute well against a zone or they start tightening up on perimeter shots, they’re going to be in trouble.
A couple of other good things–that are not directly related to defense–are the way it keeps players out of foul trouble, and it helps keep your players fresh. Teams that rely on wearing you down (through up-tempo play or trapping) won’t really be able to do that. This is really important come tournament time and this can have a positive impact on your most talented players. If you’ve got big talented offensive players, this could be an ideal defense to play.
Still, there’s one achilles’ heal to the defense, and it’s one of the reason I don’t like it: if an offense is patient, you can get really good shots off it–including lay-ups. I really hate that about the defense, and that’s the biggest reason I’m against it.
But I digress. Boeheim is also a very good coach because he knows how to get his teams to play offense. That year when he had John Wallace really impressed me. That team wasn’t the most talented, but they executed well on in the half-court. Boeheim showed me that he could coach, that it wasn’t just getting some talented players and letting them do their thing.
Anyone else care to chime in?
Boeheim gets along really well with Kornheiser and Wilbon. He’s one of my favorite interviews with them. I don’t know jack about college hoops, but over the past few years I find myself rooting for Syracuse because of how well Boeheim interviews. He speaks with the easy grace that comes from knowing he’s very successful at what he does, and he does it in a way that almost makes you feel as if you’re part of that success. I know that sounds preposterous, but when you listen to as many sports interviews as some of us have, you appreciate candor and thoughtfulness. There are athletes and coaches who are diplomatic, but to add condor and thoughtfulness to diplomacy the way Boeheim does is a thing of beauty.
Boeheim wouldn’t be a guy I’d identify as having the qualities of candor, diplomacy and thoughtfulness. I’m not sure who I think is great at that. John Calipari’s talk to the media after his Memphis team lost in the finals comes to mind. I would have to think about this. Who are some other coaches that come to mind?
Generally, I think most good coaches know how to be diplomatic, so the ones that stand out are the ones that are candid. But I can’t think of a coach or athlete that…oh, I think Charles Barkley qualifies as someone who is pretty candid. Rodney Harrison is pretty candid, too.
Oh, I just thought of coach: Tony Dungy–he’s also very thoughtful and has an air of grace that makes listening to him enjoyable. Brian Billick also has a good combination of diplomacy, intelligence and candor. I like listening to him.
Louisville Loses to Cincy in Big East Tournament
I got some of this game, and I gotta tell you–I can’t remember when I’ve seen a Pitino coached team play this poorly. It was almost embarassing. This team has very little talent, but their execution appalled me. Many of you know that I love the way Pitino’s teams play; this was really disappointing. One last thing. Edgar Sosa’s play drove me crazy. His decision making was just ridiculous.
Check out these highlights of Larry Bird’s passes. (There are some terrific steals and hustle plays, too.)