Tag: basketball

Titus on College Basketball

Nick MomrikLeave a comment

I was bummed when ESPN shut down Grandland. Mostly for one reason. Mark Titus’s coverage of college basketball. Luckily he moved over to Ringer.

It’s no secret Mark isn’t a fan of Duke, my favorite team, but that doesn’t actually put him in a minority in America. The thing that sets him apart is he’s able to appreciate and respect the talent and the program, while poking at the team in a fun way. I really enjoy his writing.

There’s a high-profile white guy whom everyone in America hates. There are freshmen bound to be future lottery picks, and seniors who are labeled as unheralded despite being former McDonald’s All Americans. There have been a ton of injuries about which Duke refuses to disclose the details, as though the status of Harry Giles’s knees is akin to the goddamn nuclear codes or something. There are charges being taken, managers holding up towels to block television cameras from peeking into the team huddle, and Coach K’s repeated refusals to do halftime interviews as he single-handedly keeps the hair dye industry afloat.
This Duke Season Has It All

Basketball Line Changes

Quote Nick Momrik1 Comment

Grinnell (3-0) presses full-out, full-bore, all the time, which is why it subs five guys at a time every 35 seconds, like a hockey team. If it can’t get a new line in, the manager holds up a fist, which means “Foul somebody.” via Jack Taylor and Grinnell basketball – ESPN Sounds like a fun […]

You Wish Your Team Had Cameron Crazies

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…it’s hard not to envy how passionate and in-your-face Duke’s student section is. If everybody cared about world peace as much as the Crazies care about Duke basketball, the Israelis and Palestinians would get together every Wednesday night to play kickball and grab beers afterward. There’s a reason they’re the most famous student section in college basketball.

via Mark Titus Top 12 NCAA Power Rankings, featuring Duke's Cameron Crazies – Grantland

Five Fingers Form a Fist

Nick MomrikLeave a comment

Last night, Coach K broke Bob Knight’s Division I men’s basketball win record by notching number 903. I’m a Duke fan, so I might be a bit biased, but I believe Coach K is the greatest coach in the history of college basketball. I often remember the following quote from his book Five-Point Play: Duke’s Journey to the 2001 National Championship.

There are five fundamental points that can help make a team great: communication, trust, collective responsibility, caring, and pride. I like to think of each as a separate finger on THE FIST. Any one individually is important. But all of them together are formidable.

If you strike someone with an open hand, it may sting. Combine all five fingers to make a fist and you can do some damage.