ForumsThe Halfcourt Trap Vol. I, No 24
The Trap makes a stop in South Florida this week to take a look at Roy Williams’ crew, before returning to Knoxville to catch the Tennessee home juggernaut. Here are six topics rattling around my cranium:
1. Being a man who always accentuates the positive, we start with congratulations this week. Trap favorite Bo McCalebb, whose career at New Orleans has been hindered by injury, coaching instability, and natural disaster, became the all time leading scorer in Sun Belt history. Proof positive that good things eventually happen to good people.
2. Now, back to reality. Nobody has more respect for the coaching acumen of Eddie Sutton than the person writing this column. However, watching him crawl toward 800 wins with an awful team in half filled gyms is sad. This is not an end befitting what should be a Hall of Fame career.
3. The Big East is incredibly deep. That’s what makes the job Mick Cronin is doing this season all the more laudable. The Bearcats looked dead in the water in November, but have now rebounded to find themselves squarely in the middle of the conference pack.
4. While I’m throwing around compliments, here’s yours, Rick Stansbury. After a nonconference slate filled with missed opportunities the Bulldogs are playing NCAA Tournament caliber basketball.
5. Has there been a college basketball game played this season that at least one of the following people didn’t referee: Ted Valentine, Steve Welmer, or Jim Burr? The fact the NCAA doesn’t put a limit on the number of games officials work, as well as the distance between their assignments, taints the sport. Unless, of course, you believe a bunch of guys 50 and up are perfectly capable of keeping up with the action 6 nights a week. Please contact me if you believe that. I’ve got several realtives who are royalty in various African and European nations who need your help, and bank information, to transfer money to America.
6. My take on the losses by UCLA and UNC: The Bruins don’t have a lot to worry about. They didn’t play their best game and lost to team that took Kansas to the buzzer and Memphis to overtime. No shame, or reason for panic, in that. UNC, on the other hand, continues to show they have an almost total aversion to playing defense. Also, their loss is to a group who has fallen this season to the likes of American and Ohio. That, my friends, is cause for concern.
Until next week, stay classy, Volnation.
