The Big Ten Network has been running a generally well conceived commercial touting the stellar and deep tradition of the Conference.  Images of Kevin McHale, Hoosier National Championship banners, and Magic Johnson grace the screen.  Then we see Ohio State’s David Lighty lacing up his sneakers with a poster of David Stern and Greg Oden shaking hands in the background.

Lighty Looking Up To Oden

Oden? He and Lighty were in the same recruiting class. Oden was on campus a mere six months and he hasn’t done anything, at least yet, in the NBA.  Oden? In order to appear relevant to a younger generation, the Big Ten may think Oden makes more sense than the greatest Buckeye of all time, three-time All-American, three time Big Ten Player of the Year and one of the NBA’s 50 greatest players, a National Champion, the pride of Middletown, Ohio, Jerry Lucas.  Maybe.  But what about the best Buckeye I ever saw play in person, Jimmy Jackson, a two-time All-American and National Player of the Year.  If not JJ, how about Clark Kellogg?  In any event, thank goodness we don’t need to see any more Big Stage, Big Ten Poetry Slam commercials.  I know our friend Longbrake is in the Lucas camp.

Cheap Fouls

Is it just us but does it seem the referees are calling a lot more cheap fouls this season?  We’re not referring the Manny Harris elbow that caught Chris Kramer’s nose.  That one wasn’t cheap although we’re in John Bielien’s camp on that decision.  In the Ohio State-Indiana game this past weekend, both teams were in the double bonus midway through the second half with numerous fouls called away from the ball or out on the perimeter.  Later that day, in Evanston, Ed Hightower was calling ticky tack fouls 30 feet from the rim. Perhaps the camera ready Hightower was hypersensitive to anything that was a hint of a Harris elbow to Kramer, especially since he was running around the court and audibly telling everyone in earshot not to sweep their elbows.

Where’s Nathan Fenno

Big Ten print media has sustained a few body blows this year.  Earlier this season, we lamented the decision by the Chicago Tribune to jettison Skip Myslenski, who in our opinion was the best journalist covering Big Ten hoops.  Deeply out of Michigan loop, we also wondered what became of Nathan Fenno, the terrific Michigan basketball beat writer for the Ann Arbor News.  Thanks to a link from Jim Carty, another great and former Ann Arbor News writer, we found Fenno on his cool new blog which chronicles his amazing trip around the world.  It worth checking out here.

Posted by TD Lawlor on Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009 at 7:39 am.