Hoopraker

As we approach tip off for the Big Ten Tourney, I’m reminded of my irritation at Ohio State for the hatchet job it performed on Jim O’Brien two years ago. The unilateral termination of O’Brien is generally old news. However, as Ohio State begins the conference tournament awaiting NCAA’s announcement on the various transgressions at Ohio State under O’Brien and AD Andy Geiger (related primarily to Boban Savovic and his inability to goto class), the misinformation emmanating from Columbus intended to malign O’Brien has gone on too long.

My frustration here has little to do with Thad Matta. He’s has done a pretty nice job of getting the Buckeyes ready to play all season. A regular season Big Championship is hard-earned and well-deserved. No one will say Matta hasn’t extracted everything he can out of his players. The team plays hard. They play to their strengths. They never quit. Take a look at the LSU game if you need an example. With the exception of his inexplicable decision to continue giving substantial minutes to Matt Sylvester, a defensive liability and an offensive genius in his own mind, Matta has made sound calls all season. However, as a lifelong Ohio State fan, I cringe when I see Matta orient his offense around quick three pointers. The Iowa and Indiana games serve as reminders that a three pointer is easier to make in minute 17 as opposed to minute 38, when the game hangs in the balance.

But this isn’t about Matta. Ohio State hung O’Brien out to dry. And it irritates me when I hear Matta taking a role in Ohio State’s vilification of its ex-coach. Hearing Matta repeat the mantra that he’s rebuilding the program is more than a little disingenuous. First, the key players on this team, with the exception of Ron Lewis, are O’Brien’s players. O’Brien inherited a truly horrible Randy Ayers team; Matta inherited a team that won 20 games. I don’t remember O’Brien bad mouthing the condition of the program when he took over for the inept Randy Ayers. Second, O’Brien is a very good coach. Not only does he set up some of the finest offensive sets out of timeouts, in a short period of time, O’Brien won two Big Ten Titles and went to one Final Four.

Most importantly, let’s just be honest and view the O’Brien firing for what it was: a rush to judgment by a university administration intent on protecting itself. An administration trying to head off a full blown investigation by the NCAA at the pass. An effort to deflect further public scrutiny of the football program in the wake of Maurice Clarett. For goodness sake, Ohio State never even asked O’Brien to explain the facts related to the check given to the Croatian player. If they did, they would’ve known it may have been bad judgment but not a rules violation and they would have known that the kid paid him back. When O’Brien loaned the kid the money to bury his father, O’Brien already determined he wasn’t eligible to play college basketball because the Croatian already played professionally.

So, Coach Matta’s refrain of rebuilding a poor program (as stated throughout the season on the Big Ten Teleconferences) strikes me as self-serving and rings of piety. Lowering expectations for Ohio State, when they needn’t be lowered, is lame. Matta’s done a great job this year; there’s just no need for him to kick dirt on O’Brien.

I’m experiencing a sense of calm. I see blue skies, not gray. My chest is phlegm free.gm. I hear Josh Rouse on my stereo. I see a refrigerator full of maple yogurt and Guinness. Best of all, it’s almost time to sit on my arse all day and watch hoop. Can’t wait.

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This past January, after some hot chocolate with a fellow, displaced Midwesterner, I silently resolved to set up a forum on one of my passions, Big Ten hoops. In the meantime, I produced a male heir who now possesses the rights to my 1975 Thurman Munson baseball card among other items stashed in my secret Puma shoebox. I spent several days trying to figure out how to set up a wireless network in my house. I started my own law firm. I watched ESPN Fullcourt. A lot. Maybe too much. Now, with too little Big Ten hoop left, I thought again. Today, no think, action!

So, here I am, 708 miles from Indianapolis, on the eve of the Big Ten Tournament, and I’m excited. For the past several years, my great friend Gabe Elsaw and I have traveled to Indianapolis or Chicago to catch as much hoop as possible in four days. These are some great memories. I suggest to anyone who hasn’t made it to the Big Ten Tourney, get there. I have a preference for Chicago as the nightlife is considerably better and the dinners, sponsored by Grand Dame Elsaw, are priceless. As for watching the basketball games, Conseco kicks the tar out of the United Center. A special thanks to Dieter Elsaw for consistently coming through with great tickets through high profile connections at Northwestern. Regrettably, this year I’m grounded on the East Coast. Enough, here come eleven minor observations on the Big Ten.

1. Dan Monson will have the Golden Gophers ready to play on Thursday. Minnesota confounds me a bit. Doesn’t it seem they should be much better than they are? The Golden Gophers have enough talented veterans with Grier, Hargrow and Boone to overcome the lack of a solid, true point guard. But, as most observers of the Big Ten know well, a talented point guard will win you games and, at the worst, keep you close. On Thursday, if Spencer Tollackson plays hard, the Big Blue fans who made the trip to Indy may be selling their tix real cheap on the Conseco Fieldhouse sidewalk. Anyway, Minnesota should play hard, and that may be enough.

2. I see Michigan overlooking Minnesota. During his jagged tenure at Michigan, Tommy Amaker has failed to impress me. Despite his pedigree, he’s not a coaches’ coach. His teams break down much to quickly on offense; they consistently chuck up ill-advised, quick shots; and most importantly, they play poor, lazy defense. Bad offensive scheme, bad defense. As if these problems aren’t enough to turn your bile, the outstanding sports journalist Nathan Fenno of the Ann Arbor News has repeatedly extracted throughout the season Coach Amaker’s penchent for making excuses. Making excuses for his team’s failures rather than acknowledging his and his team’s weaknesses. If I’m a Michigan fan, and I’m not, I’m disappointed in how Coach Amaker’s teams play. It seems Michigan has, for some reason, given Coach Amaker a very long leash. Notwithstanding the abysmal record of the characters discarded at Seton Hall and the fact that Michigan has consistently underachieved, Amaker’s well-constructed image (sans mock turtlenecks) remains umblemished.

Anyway, beating any team in the Big Ten twice in a season is tough. Three times is real tough. I think Minnesota will hand it to Coach Amaker and his Michigan squad on Thursday. This is a must win for Michigan and they should treat it that way. We’ll see if they show up or if they go through the motions. For the league’s sake, I hope they show up. If they make it the Tourney as a 8/9 seed, they could cause trouble for a number 1, particularly a number 1 from the ACC. But, if they go through the motions, get ready for the excuses from Coach Amaker.

3. Can Coach Izzo and Michigan State get their act together, find some momentum, and make a run to the final on Sunday? Clearly, Michigan State is talented and well-coached. To me, Neitzel is the key to the team. If he plays well, the Spartans play well. Although he’s played in so many big games for someone who’s only a sophomore, he still has trouble when faced with tough on the ball pressure. Anyway, wouldn’t it be nice to see the Spartans in Duke’s bracket? Like Coach Amaker, I can already hear the chanting excuses. In fact, ESPN is already muttering JJ is emotionally tired and Duke is overachieving. Huh? Seriously, how can any team filled with the pick of crop be considered overachievers? My mouth is foaming. Ah, anyway, I hope Paul Davis, Shannon Brown and especially Maurice Ager, get on the same page, play hard and play up to their potential. If they do, it’ll be fun to watch.

4. How can the Big Ten Champion not be a #1 seed in the NCAA Tourney? Memphis? Gonzaga? George Washington? Is GW better than Ohio State or Illinois? Get serious. Ohio State has had a great conference run to the regular season title, however, duplicating that run in Indianapolis will be tough. I love Ohio State, but the reality is, in the Big Ten, any team can beat you, and I see Ohio State getting beat. As for the NCAA Tourney, wherever they put the Big Ten Champ, it won’t matter. Sweet revenge will come in April.

5. What’s the difference between Villanova and Ohio State. Terence Dials.

6. I think Indiana’s jig is up. Unless Erick Suhr plays big minutes, they lose on Friday. Wisconsin isn’t playing well right now, but Bo Ryan can coach. Too bad Mike Davis blew off at least two games this season. Not showing up for the Iowa game, at Bloomington, was insane. Lying about the reason was outrageous. Following that lack of professionalism with a loss to Penn State was inexcusable. When Davis quit on his team in exchange for a huge payout, the AD should have shown him the door, much the same way Bo Schembechler did to Bill Frieder in 1989. You remember what Michigan did after that.

7. I love watching Gregg Brunner play. He always plays hard. And he’s good. If Horner can shot, Iowa will be tough to beat, in the Big Ten Tourney and beyond. However, with all the loses starting to add up, I’m not convinced Steve Alford is a good coach, let alone a great one. Coach Alford has enough senior leadership, let’s see what he does with it.

8. Enjoy Vedran Vukusic in his Big Ten swan song. Through numerous injuries and his poor body language, he’s had a great career at Northwestern. I can’t help but wonder what could’ve been if he had a pure shooter along side him. You know, for some reason, Coach Carmody has a tough time getting players to come to Northwestern. Craig Moore looks like a good player and I think Sterling Williams will be a solid. For Northwestern fans, I hope these two develop better than Mo Hachad or TJ Parker. As for next year, it’d be great if Jeff Ryan plays well as his success could have a trickle down effect with other talented Chicagoland players. With all their shortcomings, however, Northwestern is never an easy win. Ask Iowa and Wisconsin. I want Coach Carmody to succeed and I hope Northwestern gives him more time. I hope he gives Northwestern more time. It’d be great for the conference. But, as for the Big Ten Tourney, they’ve got a tough matchup with Penn State.

9. If you’re an Illini fan, aren’t you thankful Lon Kruger and Bill Self bolted? Coach Weber is a terrific coach and he’s in Champaign to stay. His teams play hard, disciplined basketball. He’ll win a national championship before he’s done. I’m not an Illini fan, but I can’t help but cheer for that team because I respect Weber. He’s got some great coaching pedigree, the great Mean Gene Keady.

10. Penn State, stick with Ed DeChellis. He’s gotten more from this Lions team than anyone would have ever expected. A coaches’ coach. A win on Thursday and they should be in the NIT, which is a great accomplishment. Give him another player or two and make plans to watch them in the 2007 NCAA Tourney.

11. Matt Painter was a great hire at Purdue. Like Bruce Weber, Bo Ryan and Tom Izzo, Painter is no carpetbagger. Indiana, take a hint: Purdue was his dream job and he’s there for the long haul. The screw up in Bloomington with Mike Davis gives Painter a huge opportunity to bury the Hooisers in the recruiting battle for the next two seasons. That may be enough, with the addition of Carl Landry next season, to get Purdue back where it belongs, eating strawberries and drinking from fine crystal.

Coming this weekend, among other essential matters, an interview with Bo Ryan’s hair stylist and selections to the all-stiff Big Ten Tournament Team.

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