Off The Boards by Jack Scheuer – December 20, 2017 Edition

Off The Boards

By Jack Scheuer

December 20, 2017 Edition

One big difference between college and NBA coaches is the way they respond when annoyed by something a player did or did-not do during a game. It’s not unusual to see a college coach go face-to-face with the offender.  Frequently with a little bit of salty language involved, or during a timeout, blast his team in the huddle. Rarely, if ever, do you see an NBA coach, with the possible exception of the lovable Gregg Popovich, jump on a player in an angry way. Practice may be a different story, but come game time, you hardly ever see a pro player get singled out publicly. This probably explains why Mr. Bob Knight has never been an NBA coach.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Hopefully, La Salle’s B.J. Johnson won’t miss too much time because of his recent ankle injury. The 6-7 junior is scoring at a 21.8 clip, and pulling down 9 rebounds a game. He also makes 84.8 of his free throws and handles the ball well.  Several pro scouts have made favorable comments about the Lower Merion grad.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Trivia Time: Who holds the Saint Joseph’s record for consecutive free throws made in one season? Answer at the end of the column.

*  *  *  *  *  *  * *

Don’t know if you’ve seen him but Oklahoma’s Trae Young can really play. The 6-2 freshman point guard, who hails from Norman, OK,  put up 29 points with 10 assists in the Sooners win over then # 3 Wichita State, then followed that with an NCAA record-tying 22 assists and 26 points against Northwestern State last night.  He is averaging over 28.5 points and 10.5 assists per game on the season.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

This and That: Former Sixer Lou Williams keeps piling up points wherever he plays. Now with The L.A. Clippers, his 6th team, he’s averaging 19.9 points per game…..A personal observation: Philly hoop fans should be glad that Speedy Morris is in our city…..Hats off to Zach Spiker, who is doing a very nice job with his over-achieving Drexel Dragons who play Loyola tomorrow…..That TV sports show Speak for Yourself is well-named; everybody speaks at the same time…..Ex-Owls overseas: Ryan Brooks and T.J. DiLeo are playing in Germany, Scootie Randall is in Japan…..Marquette guard Marcus Howard is a perfect 36 for 36 from the line this year…..Zach Collins, who as a freshman, helped Gonzaga to reach the finals last season, is playing for the Portland Trail Blazers….On Friday, Jay Wright takes his #1 Wildcats to meet his former team, Hofstra, for the first time. The game is at the Nassau Coliseum…..Also on Friday, Temple visits Georgia and La Salle is at Bucknell.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Answer to Trivia Time: During the 2007 season, Pat Calathes made 38 in a row,

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

And a Happy Holidays to all, and to all, a very Hoopy New Year.

 

 

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*