Category Archives: Duke

All I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

Posted on June 1, 2011 | 2 Comments

ALL I NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN

It is painfully obvious that Jim Tressel andBruce Pearl  never attended kindergarten because if they had they would still be employed.  So I have enclosed a copy of ALL I NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN by Robert Fulghum in the hopes of helping other coaches that may have missed these important life lessons.

Share everything- just for clarification this does not mean share your house and food with players not yet old enough for official visits. Do not allow car
dealers to share cars with your players.  It means when you have made a mistake go and tell and share with your athletic director. Do not wait almost a year to admit you knew your players were selling memorabilia.
Play fair- ummm don’t cheat, don’t
pay people, don’t lie so that your team can have all their best players in the
hopes of winning a BCS championship. Besides don’t you want to win because you and your team were good enough to do so without cheating.  Do you want to look at that championship ring and think about all the shortcuts you took to obtain it?
Don’t hit people-for example Woody Hayes hitting the Clemson player, Lou Pinella throwing first base, Bobby Knight throwing a chair, Chaney threatening Calipari and McClendon actually stealing first base.  All good examples of WHAT NOT TO DO when you are upset.
Put things back where you found them-if you throw a chair return it to
where you found it.  Return players to their parents and hometown in a better state when you took them under your wing.

Clean up your own mess-if you lie,cheat or steal own up to it and take the consequences.  If you have junior recruits over to your house for a bbq and take a picture with your assistant coach’s wife and illegal recruit, do not then attempt to say you don’t know who the people are in the picture.  If you find out your players are selling their jerseys and rings to a local tattoo parlor you should fix it right away by turning them in.  If you make a mistake here is a good phrase to use at the news conference “I am sorry, I madea mistake”.  You will be surprised how forgiving fans are if you own up to your mistakes right away.

Don’t take things that aren’t yours-if
you have to lie about or hide one of your actions it probably falls under
taking things that aren’t yours. If a high school player verbals to a school
respect that decision, don’t keep calling them.  If someone wants to donate money to your program for time with your players, you are giving away your players’ time and it isn’t yours to donate without their permission.  There are a million examples, use common sense.
Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.-Take responsibility for your
actions.  Sure Bruce Pearl cried on television and said he was sorry, but then he went out and “bumped” a recruitseveral days later.  So his sorry is
quite hard to believe.  Tressel on theother hand never even attempted to say he was sorry.

Wash your hands before you eat-check
out the people around you, know them, and make sure they are good people who
have your program’s best interest at heart.  That goes for everyone from your secretary to the President of your school.
Flush-get rid of any crap around your program, end of story

Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you- sit down with those around your program in a non threatening environment and you will be surprised what you will learn about the players and coaches in your program.  So go on dunk your Oreos.

Live a balanced life- volunteer, make time for your spouse, your kids, exercise,  further your own education and travel.

Take a nap every afternoon-if coaches as a whole took a few minutes
of solitude everyday to review their actions from the past day they might
realize some of their mistakes as well as some of their successes.  I think Eddie Fogler at U of South Carolina used to shut his door everyday, pull out his couch and take a nap everyday in his office and left us with this quote after his last game… “It is very difficult with college athletics being the way it is today and the pressures. You are darned if you do, darned if you don’t. I’m leaving college basketball with my dignity, my integrity and my sanity”.

When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together-find yourself assistants and support staff that you can trust.  There will always be people trying to bring you down and you will need
staff members  who aren’t afraid to tell you when you are off track.

Be aware of wonder- start to think only in terms of what its like to win a national championship and you will find yourself justifying reasons for cheating. You shouldn’t have to put on a vest and nickname yourself the Senator to give the appearance of virtue because then you are simply a contrived individual with no true substance.

Remember the little seed in the styrofoam cup: The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that-build a solid foundation for your program from the start; don’t allow any shortcuts, shady individuals, or quick fixes to take root in your program.  Need a blue print look at Coach K’s example.  In his early years Duke was ready to fire him but he didn’t deviate from his plan for a quick fix and 30
years later his program is still strong and clean.

And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned – the biggest word of all – LOOK.- walk around campus, sit in the back of a classroom,show up at a recruits practice unannounced, sit in the school cafeteria for a day and LOOK.  You will be surprised what
you will learn.

Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup -they all die. So do we.-Doesn’t matter if you are Bruce Pearl or Jim Tressel eventually you will get your due and be kicked to the stands for your actions.

FOR NOW I AM THINKING OF THAT BEAUTIFUL FALL DAY in 2002 when I sat in the fifth row, on the 50 yard line at Ohio State, watched Maurice Clarett tear around the field and wondered to myself what did they have to do to get him to OSU.

→ 2 Comments

Posted in basketball, College Football, Duke, Uncategorized

Tagged , , ,

MARCHING TO MY OWN BEAT

Posted on March 17, 2011 | 2 Comments

March Madness is everywhere.  Millions of hours of work time are being wasted across the country as brackets are filled out, the President is making his picks as nuclear reactors are on the verge of explosion and water cooler arguments are erupting across the country in a quest to prove ourselves more knowledgeable then our neighbor.  In fact March Madness and the promise to fill out a bracket is why I originally chose to coach College Basketball.  I could watch basketball every day for hours at a time, on top of weeks at a time and call it research for my job. 

My love for filling out and winning the brackets goes back to college when I won the Colonial Square pool in college.  There was no electronic bracket, no constant updates on pool totals, no up to the minute breakdowns on who had moved into first place; all we had was a pencil, a paper bracket and some poor guy totaling up the correct picks on a nightly basis.  I still have no idea how I won as it seemed like everyone was upset that year but I wasn’t going to argue. $300 goes a long, long way at nickel beer night for at least several months, in fact if I hadn’t run out of eligibility I think that I could have gotten another few months out of those nickels. 

 Each year my husband runs a bracket but of course there is no money involved since our family and friends are spread out over the entire world.  This year when March rolled around I started reading what the experts where saying and decided to throw everything they believed out the window and use my own method of madness.  I chose my picks based on simple reason, I either like you or I don’t or I dislike you less then I dislike the other coach.  So in no particular order and no rhyme or reason here are my picks.

I picked the winner of the USC/VCU game over Georgetown because anyone growing up in New York when Chris Mullin played at St. John’s can’t pick Georgetown to win anything.  So Hoya Hoya Saxa pack your bags and go home. I have Notre Dame going to the Elite 8 and hitting the road because ND was up by 38 points last week and Mike Brey could only find 3 minutes to play his senior walk on.  Well that and the twins of Kansas will be too much for the Irish.  My college roommate said the other day after Notre Dame’s OT loss to Louisville, “It’s so hard being a ND fan sometimes.”  Course if that is too challenging you could try being an Army fan like we are in this house.  (I’m willing to bet that we were two of the only stay at home mom’s in the country who were having a mid day conversation about the Fab 5 documentary from Sunday night).

Ohio State beats Kentucky because Calipari is the Coach who has had two Final Fours vacated from his record, along with a Championship game vacated.  Apparently if you ain’t cheating you ain’t trying should be his motto.  So Ohio State advances to the Elite 8 where my love for the ‘Cuse, going back to Seikaly and Coleman sends the Buckeyes back to Columbus with Syracuse losing to Duke in the Final Four.  Villanova ended the season in what has to be one of the worst skid’s in Jay Wright’s career,  but I’ll be damned if Jay allows his team to lose to George Mason in the first round.  Coach Wright is the man who used to pencil in on the practice sheet when an assistant coach had to dive on the floor to save a ball so the players would understand that everyone goes hard all the time.  I’ve got Connecticut beating Cincinnati just because they are the better team, but I have them beating San Diego State because Calhoun is clearly smarter than Steve Fisher.  Calhoun has managed to avoid getting caught in any major cheating violations, where as Fisher well we know where his Final Four Banners are now hanging.  St. John’s advances two games in my bracket because I love St. John’s, but I am scared to death of Gonzaga.   Michigan State and Florida meet with Florida moving on to the Elite 8 because Billy Donovan is still the little PG from Long Island who accomplished more than most ever thought possible. I have Utah State and Belmont advancing to meet each other, with Utah State beating Belmont and then losing to Pittsburgh.  Florida will give Pittsburgh a run for their money but Jamie Dixon has the greatest angel in college basketball sitting on his shoulder.  So Pittsburgh and Duke it is in the championship game with Duke winning it all. 

Duke wins because Coach K is the greatest coach in the game right now.  He adapted and motivated his team this year in the face of adversity and somehow led them to a #1 seed after Kyrie Irving was injured in December. There is no doubt in my mind that Irving’s injury was a blessing in disguise allowing players like Kelly and Curry to develop and gain valuable experience. Now with Irving on the verge of returning to the court and splitting defenders, I can only see defenses scrambling to recover. So Duke wins back to back championships and another banner is raised in Cameron.  

FOR NOW I am like a kid on the night before Christmas because when I win our pool my husband will be putting the kids to sleep for a month.

→ 2 Comments

Posted in basketball, Duke, March Madness, NCAA

Tagged , , ,

The Rich Get Richer

Posted on April 28, 2010 | 2 Comments

THE RICH GET RICHER

Apparently the powers that be in the NCAA office heard my rantings that expanding the NCAA tournament to 96 teams would be the equivalent of handing out trophies to everyone just for participating.  Gone would be the prestige associated with qualifying for the tournament and being considered an “elite” team.  This week the NCAA announced that they would expand to 68 teams, which in my mind is the best possible solution given the fact that the NCAA was hell bent on expansion.

 The NCAA and CBS sports signed a $10.8 billion deal good for the next 14 years.  On the plus side March Madness fans will be able to see regional games in their entirety, on the negative side student athletes still won’t be receiving any of the money that their hard work, dedication and drive do so much to generate.  In an era when million dollar contracts are the norm for high level coaches don’t the student athletes deserve to have a trust established for them so that when they graduate and suddenly find themselves going “pro” in something other than their sport they actually have the opportunity to succeed in finding a job? 

 No student athlete at the DI level has the time to participate in internships relevant to their major or hold summer jobs to build up their financial reserves for when they graduate so that they can afford to live while they job hunt.  The fairy tale of DI athletes being handed jobs is simply that a fairy tale.  Nor is it appropriate to state that the value of their scholarship is equivalent to the time and effort they invest on a daily basis to participating in a collegiate sport.  If the average cost of tuition, room and board works out to about $30,000, a regular student could work 40 hours a week at $14.00 an hour for 52 weeks and be able to pay off their tuition.  The regular student athlete easily devotes 40 hours a week to “athletic” related activities even though rules state 20 hours a week of practice and film time.  Naturally that doesn’t factor in bus and airplane rides, time in the training room, optional but mandatory shooting, volunteer clinics and a litany of other time consuming items.  It would also be remarkable if the NCAA factored injury pay to help pay for long term care down the line.  How many former collegiate athletes 15 years after graduation are suffering the after effects of concussions, knee reconstructions, steel rods implanted in shin bones and shoulder reconstructions incurred during their playing years? My sister, best friend and husband combined have had 12 surgeries, all former collegiate athletes.  How many of them are receiving health care help from the NCAA? NONE

 In my opinion the NCAA has the most brilliant minds in the country working for them as they have found a way to legally make money off the backs of individuals that they do not compensate.  How absolutely brilliant is that? They have managed to “hire” workers for free as it is the colleges’ responsibility to provide the scholarships, fund the teams and pay the staff.  In some cases the workers are under the age of 18, so I am thinking that Kate Gosselin has nothing on the NCAA.  They maintain their tax exempt status as a non-profit because they are organized and operate exclusively for educational purposes.  Is the NCAA any more worthy of tax-exempt status then the “houses” in my parents’ neighborhood that hang a sign out front and call themselves a church?  In this case I would argue that the NCAA’s tax exempt status is a good thing because it forces full disclosure and transparency.

 In any case the rich are getting richer while the student athletes are still well student athletes.

 FOR NOW I AM WAITING TO SEE HOW THE RUMORED BIG TEN EXPANSION EFFECTS MY BELOVED BIG EAST BASKETBALL CONFERENCE.

→ 2 Comments

Posted in basketball, Duke, NCAA, Uncategorized

Tagged , ,

The Great American Way

Posted on October 23, 2008 | 4 Comments

I love the United States of America and all the freedoms she affords her citizens.  The privilege of Freedom of Speech is an entitlement that millions would die for, but in our country allows false accusers to profit after destroying the lives of others.  It has been two and a half years since the so called Duke Lacrosse Team Scandal occurred and come hell or high water, you knew the false accuser, Crystal Mangum would find a way to eventually profit.  Today she launches the sale of her book with a title I will not name because I refuse to be a participant in the promotion of profit for her publisher, agent, supporters or her as 47 young men are still rebuilding their lives.  

You will have to forgive me if I seem angry or cynical, but when the Duke Lacrosse scandal broke I was sick to my stomach.  Grow up on Long Island and you are surrounded by little boys and girls carrying lacrosse sticks at football, soccer and other lacrosse games.  It is a given that you have some connection to a lacrosse family.  I worked at Hofstra University with John Danowski, who is now the head coach at Duke and whose nephew was married to my boss.  When the story broke, his son Matt was not just a member of the Duke team, he was considered by many to be the best player in the country. Dan Flannery (then Captain of the Duke Lacrosse team) an All-American is the brother of Anya who played high school basketball and soccer with me at Sacred Heart Academy.  (Of course the last time I saw him he was an annoying ten year old who wouldn’t leave us alone at his parent’s house).  Casey Carroll, a then Duke defender (possibly the best in the NCAA) played lacrosse with my cousin at Baldwin High School and became one of his closest friends.  All of these student athletes were from good, hard working, dedicated parents, middle class families, not rich elitist families that the media was attempting to portray.  None of it seemed to make any sense to me and I remember feeling relieved when Matt, Dan and Casey were not among the three accused, but then feeling appalled at my relief, as I knew three families where having their hearts broken. 

As this book is released I implore you to think about the grief this young lady caused the three accused, as well as their team members.  According to the press release by her agent “This book is an important tool to discuss race, class, sex and the judicial process. It also provides very important lessons for any young person trying to make good life-choices.”  Can you say that again please?  I am a bit concerned that her agent believes I would read this book and then attempt to apply life lessons from Crystal Mangum’s insights.  Hmm… I need to make some extra cash, what would Crystal do in this case?  I want to destroy some innocent lives, what would Crystal do in this situation? I need to incite race relations at a particularly tense time, let me think what Crystal would do in this instance.  Perhaps President Broadhead of Duke can award her a Master’s Degree, since she is now published.  After all the support he showed his own students in their time of need and crisis, perhaps the award of a PhD to Crystal would be more appropriate.  I am also wondering if the residents of Durham can sue Crystal directly since she cost them thousands of tax dollars.

As Crystal concocted and changed her story, wrongly accused and innocent team members had their home addresses given out, their pictures posted throughout Durham and their names tarnished forever.  Their transgression was their lack of common sense when they hired dancers to come to their house.  Crystal’s publisher (as he is laughing his way to the bank) is urging people to follow in the footsteps of the great Dr. Martin Luther King and lend a hand to someone that needs help.  Speaking of those that need help, I’m going to presuppose Crystal’s publisher urged her to apologize in her book to all who were affected by her lies and misrepresentations.  (Of course I will never know because I will not read her book).  Shall I also take for granted that she will be donating all profits from her book to the families who had to lay out thousands of dollars in their quest to defend their sons who were victims of her lies?  (I didn’t think so).  Will President Broadhead and the “88” Duke faculty members be present outside the book signing issuing apologies because their actions and poor leadership are now helping Crystal profit?  

It is a shame that when there are so many true victims of abuse, a false accuser has received so much media attention and is continuing to profit from her ulterior motives.  It is the actions of a Crystal Mangum that make it all the more difficult for true victims of rape and abuse. 

For now I urge you not to buy her book and allow her to profit off her blatant lies and dishonesty.

→ 4 Comments

Posted in Duke, Lacrosse

Tagged , , , ,