Off The Boards by Jack Scheuer – February 5th Edition

Off The Boards

By Jack Scheuer

February 5, 2020

I know this column is dedicated mostly to college basketball, but on occasion there is a development in the pro ranks that requires  a response, so here go we go: The Sixers were routed by Miami on Monday (another road loss) which means the noose got even tighter around the neck of Brett Brown. It appears that he will take the heat for this disappointing team, although he certainly is not the main cause for the confounding way it plays much too often. My feeling is that Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, the two all stars, are virtually un-coachable, which seems obvious all too frequently.  One little example: Embiid shoots too many threes, and Simmons doesn’t take any. I’m not sure that in the entire basketball world there is a coach who could handle these two young talents. What I am more sure of, is that  Brett Brown, as unfair as it seems, will not be around much longer.   

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Kudos to Philly native Fran McCaffery, (La Salle H.S., Penn) who has his Iowa Hawkeyes  playing extremely well, despite the loss of  point guard Jordan Bohannon (hip surgery). Iowa is #17 in the latest AP poll.

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Trivia Time : Can you name the last NBA player to record a quadruple double? Answer at the end of the column.

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This and That: Penn State’s victory  at Michigan State last night  is certainly one of the greatest in the school’s history……It’s not all hard times for Brett Brown. His son Sam is a very promising  player at Lower Merion High School. Only a freshman, he is a starter for the Aces……Despite the valiant efforts of Ryan Daly, Saint Joe’s (4-18) is in danger of winning the least amount games since the 89-90 season,when the Hawks went 7-21……Big time hoops tonight when Villanova visits Butler, and Temple is at Memphis. The Owls will have to slow down 6-9 freshman Precious Achiuwa (yes, Precious) the only AAC player averaging a double-double……San Diego State, at 23 – 0, remains the only undefeated team in the nation. The Aztecs lost 13 games last season……DePaul’s Charlie Moore leads the Big East in assists (6.6 per game) while Nova’s Collin Gillespie is 5th at 4.6……Former Penn guard Darnell Foreman is playing professionally in Germany……..Nobody in the city goes end-to-end faster than Temple’s Nate Pierre-Louis. A total blur……La Salle guard Saul Phiri, is a native of Zimbabwe. His family came to America when he was three years old……Damion Lee, who played at Drexel, St.Louis and Louisville, is averaging 12 points per game for the Golden State Warriors……And, finally, a rare sight at the Kansas State -West Virginia game: Bob Huggins smiled. 

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Answer to Trivia Time: On February 17, 1994, David Robinson recorded 34 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 blocked shots against the Detroit Pistons.

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