PASSING OF A LEGEND
Feb. 8, 2010
LYNDHURST, NJ - Among all the activity of a very busy
basketball week, was the sad news of the passing of
Dick McGuire. His death last week at the age of 84
certainly gained notice in the New York area. It may
not have made news nationally in basketball circles
but for Dick that would have been fine. He was a man
of very few words. And a man who epitomized dignity
throughout an outstanding life.
McGuire had spent over half a century with the New
York Knicks. He was an All-American at St. John’s
and later an NBA All-Star. He coached the Knicks,
scouted for the organization and most recent was a
consultant. Right up until his passing McGuire,
though slowed a bit in gait by having to use a cane,
was very active on the scouting circuit.
The latter years he would travel and scout with his
son Scott, also a member of the Knick scouting
staff. Going to Madison Square Garden you were
certain to see the McGuire’s, Dick and Scott. In the
press room than taking their seats for a night’s
work.
A man of few words Dick McGuire could recognize a
good one. He urged and convinced the Knicks to take
a chance on a guard named Walt Frazier out of then
small college, Southern Illinois. Recently he
commented that a certain player he was looking at,”
never passes the ball at all.” That was wordy for
McGuire.
Everyone who knew the two realized late brother Al
had the gift of gab but Dick had the game. Dick
McGuire was one of those rare people NO ONE could
say a bad word about. He was class personified and
respected by younger scouting peers as somewhat of
an elder statesman with a link to the NBA’s
formative years.
During the recent dark days of the Knick franchise
before Donnie Walsh and Mike D’Antoni came on board,
the one positive link to a proud past was McGuire.
By his presence at the college games and his work
one had a ray of hope that better days were ahead
for one of the league’s charter and respected
franchises.
Dick McGuire and his Knicks made it to the NBA
finals during his playing days. Once the Knicks did
capture the elusive title McGuire could take pride
in having played a significant part.
A man who grew up with the game, the ‘City’ game of
pick and rolls and asphalt surfaces outside and
dance hall floors indoors, McGuire embraced the game
right up until his death.
It is almost inconceivable to return to MSG for a
game and not see Dick in the press room sipping a
beverage while perusing releases and statistics. But
his calling came which, at 84, still seems too soon.
Dick McGuire led a blessed life. And we who were
fortunate to get to know him were the ones truly
blessed.
WHY
NOT ARMY
Jan. 5, 2010
LYNDHURST, NJ - A recent New York Times piece
chronicled the metropolitan area’s recent lack of
success in the NCAA tournament. To take it farther
as they say in the lottery ‘you have to be in it to
win it’, no New York metropolitan area team has made
the Big Dance since 2006. Iona and Seton Hall
qualified and were one and done.
It is a new year and hope springs eternal. One team
that could end the drought, if you are willing to
stretch the geographic limits about 50 miles, is
Army. Up in West Point there is something happening
that is catching the attention of followers.
Granted the Cadets come off a road trip with two
losses but there were competitive outings at SMUY
and Portland. To date Army is 9-4. Included are
victories over Princeton, LIU and Harvard. Yes, the
Harvard club that defeated Boston College and gave
UCONN fits. After a January 6th meeting with Brown,
Army opens up the Patriot League schedule at
Colgate. The feeling around the historic ,
picturesque campus is the conference is up for
grabs. Why not Army? The Cadets are getting
attention and may be in line for a Big Dance invite,
which would be a first in the program’s history.
A veteran cast returned this season but a large
share of the credit has to go to new coach Zach
Spiker who has been nothing short of outstanding.
Spiker took the job in the Fall after Jim Crews was
suddenly relieved of his duties . The remainder of
the staff stayed in tact and Spiker has done a great
job utilizing their talents with what he has to
offer.
“He (Spiker) has a lot of veterans, several seniors
so he was smart enough to change a whole lot,” said
Cornell head coach Steve Donahue. The discussion
about Spiker came shortly after Cornell captured the
Madison Square Garden Holiday Festival Crown
defeating St.John’s in late December. Donahue looked
back with admiration on the fine job Spiker did in
Ithaca. During five years as Cornell’s top assistant
the Big red were 50-20 and played in the last two
NCAA tournaments. “He (Spiker) is an offensive guy,“
Donahue said, “he had been with Gregg Marshall at
Winthrop and John Beilein at West Virginia so he was
a very valuable addition to our staff. He has just
done a great job at Army.”
While Spiker has made a few adjustments to the Army
attack, he has allowed assistant Jim Platt to handle
the defense. “Jim Platt is a great defensive
assistant,” Donahue said, “Zach has been smart
enough to let him handle the defense and learn from
him.
Part of Spiker’s learning has been constant, if not
daily, phone conversations with his former boss. A
former boss who is proud but not surprised at the
success his one time top aide is enjoying in his new
position.
BASKETBALL FEAST
Dec. 1, 2009
NEW YORK CITY – ESPN bills it as ‘Feast Week’. An
appetizing buffet of tournaments, marquee matchups
and non-conference meetings guaranteed to satisfy .
It starts with Maui and ends at Anaheim with the 76
Classic. Once again , ‘Feast week’ gave us a great
deal to ‘digest’. One conference that certainly
enjoyed the week was the Big East. This might have
been termed ‘Big East Feast Week’. A rundown of some
of the highlights.
Cincinnati finished runner-up at Maui dropping a
close contest to Gonzaga.
Marquette knocked off Xavier and Michigan before
losing a tough one to Florida State in the Old Spice
Classic.
West Virginia scored a convincing victory over
Portland to earn the 76 Classic championship.
UCONN finished Pre-Season NIT runner-up after
dropping the final to Duke.
St. John’s posted conquests of note defeating Siena
and Temple in the Philadelphia Hoop Group Classic.
Extending action to the week before, Syracuse romped
over North Carolina to win Coaches Vs Cancer.
Villanova won the Puerto Rico Tip Off and Pitt
finished runner-up to Texas in the O’Reilly Auto
Parts CBE Classic.
Overall an impressive showing by conference schools
across the country and off the mainland.
The Pre-Season NIT at Madison Square Garden gave us
a great final in Duke against UCONN. The final score
was 68-59 Duke. In many respects it was not as close
as it seemed. Duke enjoyed a comfortable double
digit lead most of the second half before UCONN made
a late run.
UCONN blocked 13 shots and ran away from LSU 81-55
in the semifinals to get to the finals. Thought the
Huskies’ big men, notable Gavin Edwards and Alex
Oriakhi, in particular, would pose a huge problem
for the Blue Devils.
In the end result Duke showed they have a few
skilled and tough interior players of their own. The
ACC reps owned a 56-43 rebounding edge which
included a 25-15 margin on the offensive boards.
Brian Zoubek scored only two points for Duke but the
7-1 senior had 11 rebounds, seven on the offensive
end.
UCONN limited Duke to 28% field goal percentage and
only eight second half field goals and still lost .
“I can’t remember ever happening to us,’ Husky
mentor Jim Calhoun commented. Just another look
confirmed why the huskies came up short, the
rebounding edge.
Less discussed was Duke only committing 12
possessions against a pressure defense that had
coach Mike Krzyzewski concerned.
Jon Scheyer scored 18 points and earned tournament
MVP honors. Jerome Dyson paced UCONN with 15 points.
Duke is still the motion offense team with their
precision cuts, crisp ball movement and the
availability of great looks. The Blue devils also
showed, with their bigger lineup, they have the size
and toughness to compete in a war in the paint. And
come out on top.
A final note, the game matched hall of fame coaches
with a combined 1,647 wins and 5 national
championships.
ORANGE CRUSH
Nov. 21, 2009
NEW YORK CITY – Coaches vs. Cancer turned out an
‘Orange delight’. That was for the Syracuse team and
faithful that rocked Madison Square Garden like it
was a mid march night in the Big East Tournament. In
the semis Syracuse romped over a good California
team 95-73. The final against fourth ranked North
Carolina saw the Orange down two at the half. They
came out on a 22-3 run over the initial eight
minutes of the second half to regain the lead and
pull away.
For Syracuse there were a number of contributors.
Andy Rautins, Brandon Triche and Scoop Jardine split
time at guard spot and were all effective. Wes
Johnson, a 6-7 forward, scored a game high 25
points, pulled down 8 boards earning tournament MVP
honors. UNC mentor Roy Williams noted how Johnson’s
quickness outside and strength inside was too much
for his club to handle.
Ohio state trailed by double digits most of their
semifinal against North Carolina. Late in the
contest the Buckeyes began to heat up from beyond
the arc. With just under twenty seconds it was a one
possession play but Carolina held on 77-73. Ohio
state came back to earn a 76070 win over California
in the consolation.
The big news was Syracuse. They lost Jonny Flynn,
Eric Devendorf and Paul Harris but in the end appear
to be a better team. They get out on the break,
defend extremely well and have outstanding
chemistry. That last characteristic is a very
elusive and cherished quality.
Even Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim knows North Carolina
will be a force. They are a team still getting
acclimated and searching for identity after losing a
number of players off last year’s national champion.
As of now , guard Marcus Ginyard and Deon Thompson
(though he struggled inside against Syracuse’s
impressive frontcourt) are a pair counted on
consistently producing and leading.
For North Carolina they can take solace in this loss
occurring before Thanksgiving and not in late March.
For Syracuse it was a great victory. One giving
impetus of even bigger things to com.
PRETTY EARLY IN THE MORNING
Nov. 18, 2009
LYNDHURST, NJ – After years of venturing into New
York to Madison square Garden it ‘never gets tired’
as they say. The ‘world’s most famous arena’ is a
special venue. For players, coaches, even fans and
certainly media. Coaches vs. Cancer features two
marquee matchups. The opener is Syracuse-California
followed by North Carolina facing Ohio State. There
will be a consolation and championship on Friday. We
not only get the defending national champion in Roy
Williams’ Tar Heels but three other programs with
lofty aspirations and a very rich tradition and
history. To think it’s only mid-November and we are
fortunate to get matchups of a March Madness
variety.
On Tuesday it was a 4 am wakeup to venture off to
Jersey City for the Monmouth-St. Peter’s game at 6.
This was part of ESPN’s marathon and the pre-dawn
setting actually gave us an exciting, charged up
atmosphere. St. Peter’s students, after an
all-nighter of school sponsored activities and a 4
am breakfast buffet, were on hand in vociferous full
force. Monmouth had an enthusiastic representation
as well.
Beyond the atmosphere, excitement and novelty of the
contest was the fact St. Peter’s has something
going. John Dunne, in his fourth year, with his
recruited players has a group that shares the ball,
has good chemistry and defends.
In the 58-34 rout of Monmouth, Wesley Jenkins led a
balanced St. Peter’s attack with 10 points. Defense,
though, was the story as the Peacocks limited
Monmouth to 10 of 47 (21 per cent) from the floor.
That tough man to man allowed St. Peter’s to
basically dictate from the early stages on. And send
the home crowd home, a little tired, but very happy.
TIPPING OFF ANOTHER SEASON
Nov. 12, 2009
EAST ORANGE, NJ – The games have tipped off and
another season is on the way. First order of note
concerns Syracuse. The Orange dropped their
exhibition to LeMoyne at the Carrier Dome and
instantly questions arose. Exhibitions are not to be
read into too closely. This is not to take away from
LeMoyne’s outstanding achievement because Jim
Boeheim is a competitor and naturally wanted to come
out on the winning side of the ledger. These games
however provide coaches an opportunity to
experiment. They get an idea regarding lineups,
offensive and/or defensive sets that work. It’s a
chance to see how newcomers fare in actual game
experience. A game played several weeks before
Thanksgiving should not be the basis to judge a
team.
In the LeMoyne game the Orange gave up a defensive
efficiency of 116, a figure that is astronomically
high. Defensive efficiency is the points per
possession multiplied by 100. So Syracuse allowed
1.16 (almost a point and a quarter) per Le Moyne
possession.
The 75-43 win over Albany saw the Orange hold the
visitors to a 51 offensive efficiency, signifying a
superlative defensive performance. On Wednesday,
Robert Morris, another solid mid-major, was routed
100-60. The Colonials were limited to an offensive
efficiency of 70, another notable performance by the
Syracuse defense.
In the end result, the Le Moyne game did bear
significance. It showed Syracuse had to address the
defensive end. Judging by the first two regular
season games, the SU players got the message.
Nice to see good officiating friend Brian Dorsey
working the two recent games at Syracuse. Brian and
I have worked basketball and soccer (as recently as
September) a number of occasions. Suffice to say
anyone fortunate to work with Brian has an excellent
partner.
Ray Floriani is in his eleventh season as a
senior writer for collegeinsider.com.
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