😎 👍 OPTIMISTIC LIFE, POSITIVE LEGACY:  R.I.P. BILL WALTON (1952-2024) — Hoops Superstar,🏀 Memorable Announcer, 🎤Grateful Dead Fan, ☠️ All-Around Good Guy 🤣Succumbs To Cancer at 71, As Well-Earned Tributes Pour In!

From NBA.com:

https://www.nba.com/news/nba-family-pays-tribute-to-bill-walton

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and more pay tribute to Bill Walton

NBA legends, current players and members of the basketball community react to the Hall of Famer’s death on Monday.

Updated on May 28, 2024 7:45 AM

Bill Walton
Bill Walton (1952-2024)

Members of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team took to social media to honor the legendary Bill Walton (left) on Monday.

Hall of Fame center Bill Walton, a two-time champion at UCLA and in the NBA, a former No.1 overall pick, and one of the biggest personalities of the game, died on May 27 after a prolonged battle with cancer. He was 71 years old. Walton played 10 seasons in the NBA with the Portland Trail Blazers, LA Clippers and the Boston Celtics, averaging 13.3 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists. He earned Finals MVP after leading the Blazers to the 1977 championship and won another title with the Celtics in 1986. A two-time All-Star, Walton won the league’s Most Valuable Player award in 1978.

Walton retired from the NBA after the 1987-88 season. He turned to broadcasting where he became one of the most entertaining and eccentric color commentators for NCAA and NBA telecasts.

A beloved member of the NBA family, legends, current players and other members of the basketball community took to social media to pay tribute to Walton’s career and his many off-the-court contributions.

************************

Walton was a zany presence, but his guts and talent were undeniable. He was one of the dominant college players of my younger days as a fan when UCLA under the legendary coach John Wooden was the undisputed “King of the Court” in NCAA basketball.

You can read the heartfelt tributes from his contemporaries at the above link.

Even in death, Walton leaves a “positive spin” that we’re much in need of these days.

🇺🇸 Due Process Forever!

PWS

05-28-24

♟️MARCH MADNESS: “Maine’s biggest upset this March hasn’t been on the court. It was on a chess board!” — Migrant Teen Comes Through For Underdog Team!😎

Bonnie Washk
Bonnie Washuk
Reporter
Portland Press Herald
PHOTO: Portland Press Herald

https://www.pressherald.com/?p=7282871

Bonnie Washuk reports for the Portland press Herald:

In the lobby of Portland’s Baxter Academy for Technology and Science, a chess board is on prominent display – for good reason.

Earlier this month, the school’s chess team – which didn’t even exist a few months ago – won the Maine State Scholastic Chess Championship against 15 of the state’s best teams, including Kennebunk High School.

Going into the championship, facing established high school chess teams, Baxter was not expected to win.

The player who clinched the big win for school’s six-member team is freshman João Vuvu-Nkanu Maviditi, a teen from Angola who last year was living at the Portland Expo when it served as temporary shelter for asylum seekers.

João Vuvu-Nkanu Maviditi, left, and Abdallah Ali ponder their next moves while playing a game of chess in class at Baxter Academy on March 12. The school’s chess team won the state championship last weekend for the first time. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer
João Vuvu-Nkanu Maviditi, left, and Abdallah Ali ponder their next moves while playing a game of chess in class at Baxter Academy on March 12. The school’s chess team won the state championship last weekend for the first time. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer
Reprinted under license

. . . .

For Baxter to grab the championship win “is hugely impressive,” Cimato said in an email. “Baxter’s team held up extremely well under pressure and in sharp tactical positions. Their patience and calculation in those two end games were the difference.”

Baxter’s other chess team players are Jacob Kaiser, Abdallah Ali, Gibson Holloway and Sean Glass.

The team’s coach is Majur Juac, an internationally known chess master who once was one of the “Lost Boys” of Sudan who fled the civil war in their country and undertook long and dangerous treks to safety, spending years in refugee camps and eventually resettling in the United States.

Juac now lives in Falmouth and is on the faculty at Baxter, where he teaches chess.

. . . .

Baxter offered chess play after school, not just for its students but for other young people, including those who attend the downtown Boys and Girls Club.

When the games first started, “a few of those kids didn’t know how the pieces moved,” she said. “But Juac soon changed that.”

The school held tournaments in the summer, fall and winter. It’s hosting another next month and inviting in other schools.

In the fall, Baxter also launched a chess class taught by Juac, and 16 academy students signed up right away, Klein-Christie said.

She said the chess students are “really into it” and put their phones down and talk to one another as they play.

With a limited budget, it’s a stretch for a charter school to expand programs, Klein-Christie said.

“But it’s has been a worthwhile investment. Chess is a way of teaching them strategic planning, math skills. And it’s lovely for them to be building community.”

*********************

Read Bonnie’s complete article at the link!

Immigrants get it done for their communities in ways big and small! The reality of migration is quite different from the cowardly bombast of Abbott, DeSantis, and other White Nationalists! 

Folks like Abbott and the Feds are wasting incredible (and immoral) sums of money on misguided, cruel, counterproductive, dehumanizing, and ultimately futile enforcement, militarization, and imprisonment. They should be investing in a timely, fair, well-run asylum system, planned reception and resettlement, and community integration that would maximize the benefits for both the migrants and the U.S. communities they seek to enrich and help with their presence. 

If only politicos of both parties would get beyond the racist myths, pandering to fear, encouraging “worst instincts,” and instead lead the way to a better future for America! 🇺🇸 

🇺🇸 Due Process Forever!

PWS

03-21-24

😢🗽🇺🇸 HUMANITARIAN CRISIS DEMANDS HUMANE RESPONSE: GOP DEMAGOGUERY, DEM INDIFFERENCE TO SUFFERING WON’T GET THE JOB DONE! 🤯 NGO’s Once Again Step Up To Do The USG’S Job! — They Need Help! ⛑️

Immigrant Defenders
Immigrant Defenders help humanity at the border, treating fellow humans with dignity, respect, kindness.
PHOTO: Linkedin

Immigrant Defenders posted this on LinkedIn:

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) continues to inhumanely release asylum seekers onto San Diego streets, often with little more than the clothes on their backs. #TeamImmDef, Lindsay Toczylowski, Margaret Cargioli, Melissa Shepard and Jesús Contreras Barajas, continues to join various non-profit organizations, grassroots groups and community members to receive asylum seekers with respect and help them reach their friends and family members all over the United States. Our dedicated team, in collaboration with our remarkable San Diego-based partners, is tirelessly working to continue to welcome migrants with dignity. We have welcomed more than 8500 asylum seekers in 13 days.

We need all levels of government, local and federal, to provide infrastructure and financial resources to help NGOs welcome with dignity.

If you want to help, please consider donating airline miles to Miles4Migrants. Please see the link in our bio to donate. Or donate directly to ImmDef at Immdef.org/donate.

#AsylumIsAHumanRight #WelcomeWithDignity

*********************

Scandalously, rather than looking to solve this humanitarian crisis, the GOP seeks to punish victims of Government dereliction of duty and their humanitarian responders for asserting well-established legal rights! Talk about a party of lawlessness! Sadly, it’s no surprise since they owe homage to an insurrectionist “leader” who is a notorious fraudster, con man, and criminal defendant in multiple cases!

While resisting the GOP’s worst racist/nativist nonsense, the Dems’ approach has been largely to avoid talking about immigration and human rights, apparently believing that pretending like they don’t exist will make them go away. But, migration isn’t going away!

While we can to some extent control, channel, and optimize migration, irresponsible “zero tolerance/uber deterrence” policies will do little to stop reality in the long run. It will, however, eventually force more migration underground and cede policy control to smugglers, cartels, and other criminals. 

At the same time, obsessing over deterring and deporting those who merely seek refuge and a chance to contribute to America will actually diminish the harder work of focusing on criminals out to turn border disorder and misplaced priorities to their advantage.

Neither party appears to have a realistic plan for the border, and the GOP actively seeks to make things worse! Meanwhile, not for the first time, NGOs, local communities, and compassionate individuals are left to pick up the slack!

Recently, the San Diego County Board showed the potential for bipartisan cooperation on the border. 

//www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/border-baja-california/story/2023-09-26/county-declares-humanitarian-crisis-at-border-will-ask-federal-government-for-more-help

But, without a more realistic approach from the Feds — currently blocked by the GOP — local efforts are unlikely to succeed. And, that’s an avoidable humanitarian tragedy!

🇺🇸 Due Process Forever!

PWS

10-02-23

🇺🇸⚖️🗽🧑‍⚖️👨🏾‍⚖️ ATTENTION NDPA: BETTER COURTS MEAN A BETTER AMERICA, FROM THE “RETAIL LEVEL” TO THE SUPREMES! — The Future Immigration Courts Are Being Formed Today — We Need NDPA All-Stars 🌟 On The Bench! — You Can’t Be Selected If You Don’t Apply (My History Notwithstanding)!  

I want you
Don’t just complain about the awful mess @ EOIR! Get on the bench and do something about it!
Public Domain

EOIR is looking for “many judges in many locations:”

https://www.lexisnexis.com/community/insights/legal/immigration/b/insidenews/posts/many-immigration-judge-positions-open

https://www.justice.gov/legal-careers/job/immigration-judge-26

**************************

Some folks who should be applying for these jobs tell me they “couldn’t work with such an unfair law.” I say “poppycock.” To a large extent, the law and the unfair results are only as bad as EOIR judges choose make them.

But, it doesn’t have to be that way! For example, you can choose to:

  • Apply Cardoza-Fonseca, Mogharrabi, Kasinga, A-R-C-G-, and other precedents favorable to applicants fairly and robustly;
  • Honestly apply the presumption of future persecution set forth in 8 CFR 208.13 and actually put the burden on DHS to rebut it with evidence, not mere conjecture;
  • Carefully consider the possibility of a discretionary grant of asylum under the regulations (“so-called Chen grant”), even where the government rebuts the presumption of a well-founded fear; 
  • Make realistic, practical, proper credibility determinations based on “the totality of the circumstances and all relevant factors;”
  • Require only “reasonably available” corroborating evidence;
  • Actually follow the legal principle that credible testimony, in an of itself, can be enough to grant relief; 
  • Apply the “reasonableness of internal relocation” regulation set forth at 8 CFR 208.13(b)(3) honestly;
  • Fairly apply the properly generous interpretation of the “well founded fear” standard required by the Supremes in Cardoza and described by the BIA in Mogharrabi to cases where there is no past persecution;
  • Incorporate the latest scholarship on “country conditions,” rather than “cherry picking” DOS Country Reports looking for ways to deny;
  • Use the latest body of scholarship on “best interests of the child” in deciding cancellation of removal for non-LPRs;
  • Schedule cases in a reasonable manner, in consultation with both counsel, to eliminate endemic “aimless docket reshuffling;”
  • Take measures to promote and facilitate representation of individuals, rather than throwing up roadblocks; 
  • Make ICE counsel do their jobs, rather than doing it for them, particularly in cases where ICE unilaterally declines to appear at the merits hearing; 
  • Use all of your practical skills and knowledge of the law and practice to solve problems and promote efficiency;
  • Consider all interpretations available to you, not just “defaulting” to the one offered by ICE;
  • Make careful, analytical, findings of fact, rather than just glossing over facts favorable to the individuals and over-emphasizing or fabricating the facts most favorable to DHS;
  • Make your “courtroom a classroom” where exceptional scholarship, due process, fundamental fairness, teamwork, practical solutions to human problems, and best practices are promoted and institutionalized.

You might well find, like I did, that being guided by Cardoza and Mogharrabi, sticking to your guns, providing full due process, and faithfully following the law actually leads to grants of relief in the majority of individual hearings. Notably, ICE seldom appealed my grants, and I was rarely reversed by the BIA, no matter who appealed. 

I actually did better with my former BIA colleagues as an IJ than I had during my eight years of service on the Board. Indeed, as I sometimes quipped, as an IJ, I finally got that which my colleagues often denied me during my tenure as BIA Chair and an Appellate Judge/BIA Member: deference! 

Worried about “life after EOIR!” Yes, there is such a thing! 

And, a quick survey of our Round Table of Former Immigration Judges and BIA Members 🛡⚔️ would show everything from partners and of counsel in law firms, professors and educators, major NGO supervisors and attorneys, community activists, consultants and coaches, to those, like me, who claim to be “fully retired and just enjoying life.” The Round Table actually has great credibility with the Federal Courts and the media because, unlike sitting judges and their “handlers,” we can actually speak truth to power outside the courtroom!

Whether you serve for a year or the rest of your career, what you learn as an EOIR judge if you pay attention, will give you a “leg up” and otherwise unobtainable practical knowledge of how America’s most important, yet least understood, court system actually works (or not)!

Every week, almost every day in fact, we see in Federal Court reversals and remands to EOIR and reports from practitioners about unpublished successes the fundamental difference that great litigation and equally “great judging” can make in reaching correct results! Making it happen every day, in every court, at the “retail level,” rather than counting on the uncertainties and limitations of Circuit review, will save lives and change the delivery of justice throughout America!

NDPAers, the “EOIR train” is leaving the station. 🚅 As a nation, we can’t afford the “best and the brightest” of today’s legal profession not to be on board! So, get those “many applications” in for those “many jobs” and let’s see if we can fix this “life or death system” from both the inside and the outside! We won’t know if we don’t try!

🇺🇸 Due Process Forever!

PWS

09-27-23

🦃 HOKIE HERO! — VA TECH HONORS NDPA ALL-STAR TEA IVANOVIC OF IMMIGRANT FOOD! — Industry Leader Spotlight — “Disruptive Food Startup Incorporates Gastronomy and Advocacy”

 

https://www.vt.edu/content/link_vt_edu/en/aluminate/profiles/tea-ivanovic.html

Resources for

INNOVATION AND PARTNERSHIPS

Téa Ivanovic ’14

Tea Ivanovic
Tea Ivanovic
Co-Founder
Immigrant Food
PHOTO: VA Tech

pastedGraphic.png

TÉA IVANOVIC ’14

Co-Founder, Immigrant Food

I’m a co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Immigrant Food, a Washington D.C.-based restaurant startup that ‘marries’ innovative gastronomy with social advocacy. Immigrant Food currently has three locations in the D.C. area, and has received notable recognitions (Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas 2019, Ayuda’s Advocate of Change Award 2022, etc) for its innovative cause-casual model of integrating a social justice component into the business model since inception. I also moonlight as a commentator at Altamar, a well-respected independent international affairs podcast.

Where you’ve been in your career and where you are going…

My professional career includes creating and implementing strategic communications for international policy and politics at a Washington D.C. think tank, and global financial matters at a financial public and media relations firm. I was the first Washington Correspondent for Oslobodjenje, one of the oldest and most prominent news outlets in the Balkans. I was born in Belgium to parents from the former Yugoslavia and recruited to the United States by Virginia Tech’s Division 1 Varsity tennis team. I graduated with a master’s degree from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). In 2022, I was named on the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30 List, Washington Business Journal’s 25 Women Who Mean Business, FSR’s 40 Restaurant Stars on the Rise, and DC Fray’s 8 Trailblazing Women in Hospitality.

How would you capture the essence of your work in a newspaper headline…

Disruptive Food Startup Incorporates Gastronomy and Advocacy

How Virginia Tech equipped me for the ‘real world’…

The experience of having met people from around the world (and around the U.S.) who were fellow students, and having played tennis on a competitive varsity team dealing with the ups and downs of winning and losing, gave me a taste of the complexities of the real world. I’m so grateful for that.

A key habit, practice, or skill that’s worth the effort…

Waking up early and visualizing your day. Preparation is a huge part of getting things done, and keep going.

Biggest misconception about my job or industry…

I think the hospitality industry often gets a reputation of hard work for minimal pay – and many people almost look down upon servers or line cooks. In fact, the restaurant workers are some of the most resilient, intelligent and dynamic people out there!

My favorite quote…

“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change the way you think about it.” — Mary Engelbreit

My hidden talent…

Remembering people’s birthdays

 

The work project/initiative you’re most excited about…

Immigrant Food is my passion project, and I’m excited to see where we go from having grown to three locations in Washington, D.C. during the pandemic. We opened in November 2019, just mere months before the pandemic hit. Through hard work and dedication we managed to expand, and we are looking to continue growing in the years ahead.

Fondest Virginia Tech memory or tradition…

Jumping at Enter Sandman, duh!

Best part of being a Virginia Tech alum…

The vast alumni network, and always being able to call Blacksburg home!

Words of encouragement to a current Virginia Tech student…

Virginia Tech is a special place. Cherish the experiences, challenge yourself, and expand your network. The moments don’t last forever, but you’ll always look back at the memories you made and the lessons you learned.

A cause I’m most passionate about…

Immigration, of course. It’s the reason I’m here, and it’s the reason America is one of the greatest countries in the world.

Last book I read…

Adultery, Paulo Coelho

If I had a superpower, it would be…

Being invisible. Not because I want to hide – just imagine all the awesome places I could witness!

The most formative experience I’ve had…

Dealing with people who don’t believe in me. You think about the mentors in your life, the advisors and the incredible people who have shaped you. But I’m also grateful to those who have challenged me, who didn’t believe in me, who may have even tried to tear me down. I’m so much stronger because of them. I may not have realized it at the time, but those experiences are some of the most formative of my entire life.

Additional Links

Media Contact:

Lindsey Haugh (540) 231-6959

lhaugh@vt.edu

***********************************

Way to go Tea!  You Are amazing!

🇺🇸 Due Process Forever!

PWS

07-22-23

 

☹️ 🏀 HEPBURN GOES DOWN, BADGERS DREAM SEASON ENDS, AS CYCLONES FLATTEN BUCKY! — 54-49

By Paul Wickham Schmidt

Courtside Sports Special

March  20, 2022

The Wisconsin Badgers went down to a determined Iowa State Cyclones team in Milwaukee Sunday night in the second round of the NCAA Men’s Tournament. Freshman point guard Chucky Hepburn left the game with a bad ankle injury injury in the first half. 

After that, the Badgers looked totally discombobulated! They played hard, but the disorganized offense was totally inept, bricking shot after shot to kill any comeback chances. The Badgers were truly horrible on threes (2-22), and Iowa State’s smothering defense thwarted any semblance of a consistent inside game. That proved a deadly, season-ending combination for Bucky.

The 49 points was the Badgers’ lowest total of the season. They also committed a season-high 17 turnovers.

Big-10 Player of the Year sophomore Johnny Davis, in what likely was his final game in a Badger uniform, finished with a team-high 17 points on 4-16 shooting and 0-7 on threes. Frankly, he looked like a guy who needs another year of college competition before heading for NBA “prime time.” The rather thin Badger bench was truly horrible, save for senior center Chris Vogt.

The Badgers finish 26-8, far exceeding preseason expectations. But, their end of season slump, losing 3 of their last 4, plus the departure of their second leading scorer, “super senior” Brad Davison and the likely departure of Davis leave next season’s prospects in doubt.

Meanwhile, the Cyclones continued their own dream season by upping their record to 22-12 and moving on to the “Sweet 16” for the first time since 2015. Last year, they won only two games! Many congrats to Iowa State and their coach T.J. Otzelberger, a Wisconsin native. And good luck in the Sweet 16!

Meanwhile thanks to Coach Greg Gard and the Badgers for an exciting season! Also, many thanks to Brad Davison for six great years and Johnny Davis for a season of unexpected thrills.

🏀⛹🏿BANK STAYED OPEN LATE FOR CHUCKY HEPBURN, AS BADGERS BEAT BOILERS 🚂 70-67 FOR SHARE OF B-10 TITLE!

Chucky Hepburn
Chucky Hepburn
Guard
Wisconsin Badgers
PHBOTO: Twitter

By Paul Wickham Schmidt

Courtside Sports Exclusive

March 2, 2022

Preseason “experts” predicted that the Wisconsin Badgers, returning only one starter (G, Brad Davison), would finish well down in the Big-10 — 10th place, or even 12th out of 14 squads. Last night, Coach Greg Gard’s gang proved the doubters wrong with a stirring, hard-fought 70-67 win over the #8 Purdue Boilermakers (24-6, 13-6)  before a capacity home crowd at the Kohl Center!

Wisconsin led for most of the game. But, behind stars Jadon Ivey (22-5-5) and Zach Edey (17-9-0), the Boilers went on a 14-2 run to take a one-point lead with 7:42 left. The Badgers rallied and appeared to have things in hand when Brad Davison (7-4-0) was fouled with 16 seconds to go and the Badgers up 67-64. Davison, the B-10’s best free-throw shooter (88.2%), had hit 25 in a row, and was in position to make it a two-score game.

Brad Davison
Brad Davison
Guard
Wisconsin Badgers
PHOTO: Twitter

 

But, shockingly, he missed the front-end of a one-and-one. Edey rebounded and when Ivey hit a tough 3-point shot to tie it at 67 with 11 seconds to go, overtime looked to be in the offing. But, freshman guard Hepburn (17-0-2, 0 turnovers) wasn’t having it. When his 3-pointer hit the glass and banked in with 1.5 to go, the game effectively was over. A last second desperation pass by Purdue was intercepted by forward Tyler Wahl (19-2-2) to seal the deal, as the crowd stormed the court and Gard prepared to cut down the net.

Johnny Davis
Johnny Davis
Guard-Forward
Wisconsin Badgers
PHOTO: Wikipedia

In addition to Hepburn’s heroics, likely B-10 player of the year Johnny Davis (16-8-1) was key in the second half, although he couldn’t match his previous 37-point performance against the Boilers. 

Wahl continues to be one of the most under-rated players in the conference if not in the country. He led the Badgers with 19 points, adding two rebounds, two assists, five steals, and two blocked shots. Again, he was consistently able to “post-up” the taller Edey and Purdue and made clutch shots in the paint. He plays like he’s 6-11, not 6-7. He’s also a great defender and perfectly ready to hit the floor to get after loose balls.

Tyler Wahl
Tyler Wahl
Forward
Wisconsin Badgers
PHOTO: Facebook

Wisconsin has now won 15 games in a row that were decided by 6 points or fewer. With a victory over Nebraska (9-21, 3-16) in Lincoln on Sunday, the #10 Badgers (24-5,15-4) will be the outright conference champs for the first time since 2015. While that might not seem like a difficult task, the last place Huskers are not necessarily an “easy out.” They have won their last two, including a 78-70 victory over #23 Ohio State last night.

Greg Gard
Greg Gard
Coach
Wisconsin Badgers
PHOTO: Twitter

No matter how it comes out, Gard should be the B-10 Coach of the Year for the job he has done with a team that everyone predicted was “bound for nowhere!” 

 

🏀 FIGHT CLUB: JUWAN HOWARD GOES DOWN FOR FIVE AFTER HIT ON BADGER ASST. COACH! — Apparently, Adult Behavior Not A Job Requirement For U. Mich. Athletics!

Juwan Howard
Juwan Howard
Michigan Head Men’s BB Coach
PHOTO: https://www.marc-gregor.com/Main
Creative Commons License
“Coach Howard is getting some time off to work on his ‘courtside manner.’”

By Paul Wickham Schmidt

Courtside Sports

Feb. 22, 2022

Michigan Head Basketball Coach Juwan Howard was suspended Monday for the balance of the regular season (five games) and fined $40,000 for delivering a bizarre “head slap” to Wisconsin Assistant Coach Joe Krabbenhoft following the conclusion of the Badgers dominating 77-63 victory over the Wolverines Sunday afternoon in Madison. The penalty was imposed by the Big-10 Conference. 

Wisconsin Coach Greg Gard was fined $10,000 by the Big-10 for an apparent “illegal touching” of Howard, while two Michigan players and Wisconsin reserve guard Jahcobi Neath were suspended for one game for throwing punches in the televised melee that followed Howard’s assault on Krabbenhoft.

Howard, a former star at Michigan and in the NBA, delivered a “rote apology” for his actions following the suspension. This was after lamely appearing to defend his conduct at the postgame press conference. 

Howard’s claim that he was outraged by a timeout call by Gard with 15 seconds left and that he felt “threatened” in the “handshake line” (which he initially tried to avoid) after being touched on the arm by the 52-year-old, full-head-shorter Gard, who has never “gone after” anyone, failed to pass the “straight face test,” although many members of the media and commentators appeared to accept it at face value. This is the second major “out of control” incident for Howard, who was ejected from a game last season after threatening then Maryland Head Coach Mark Turgeon.

Howard’s childish conduct gained instant national media coverage, overshadowing what should have been the real story: a near perfect second half coached by Gard and executed by his Badger squad. Led by breakout sophomore sensation guard Johnny Davis, who scored 11 straight at one point, the home team broke open a game that had been tied at the half. 

Davis finished with 25 points, 6 rebounds, an assist, and 3 blocked shots on defense. Perhaps, Howard’s frustration with being out-coached by Gard and his team seriously outplayed by Davis and his Badger mates was what really was behind the unusual and uncalled-for outburst.

Coach Gard’s Badgers have been one of the better stories in NCAA Men’s hoops. Unranked preseason and picked to finish in the “lower bracket” of the 14-team Big-10, Bucky is now 21-5, ranked 13th nationally, 12-4 conference, and tied with Illinois for second place, just one-half game behind Purdue for the league lead!  The Badgers beat the Boilermakers earlier on the road on a night featuring another dominating 37-point performance from Davis.

Davis has been the pleasantly unexpected difference. As a freshman “off the bench” last season, he averaged 7 points and 4 rebounds per game. His “high game” was 17 points. He was a solid, but hardly awe-inspiring, presence.

This season he averages more than 20 and leads the team in scoring, rebounds, and assists while playing tough defense. He is a serious contender for national player of the year. Davis gets lots of help from his friends: scrappy senior forward Brad Davison, highly skilled junior post forward Tyler Wahl, 7-foot inside-outside threat sophomore center Steven Crowl, and calm, cool, and collected freshman floor leader and point guard Chucky Hepburn. 

While many expect Davis to be off to the NBA after his breakout season, the Badger faithful are savoring every moment of his extraordinary play. He has developed a “step back, off balance, fade away” jump shot that is basically un-defendable, as the Wolverines learned on Sunday.

As for Howard, with the loss, his Wolverines find themselves in jeopardy of missing the “Big Dance,” with a lackluster 14-11 record (8-7, B10). Perhaps, that will give Howard a little more “time off” to work on his anger management and “role model” skills. They certainly need to improve, and fast, if he is to have a future in college coaching. Assistant Coach Phil Martelli, previously the long-time Head Coach at St. Joseph’s, will take the Wolverines’ helm during Howard’s suspension.

🏀MARCH MADNESS:  Bucky Game, But Bears Got Game — Baylor Knocks Badgers Off Dance Floor! ☹️

Badger Caged
Caged Badger
PHOTO: Miss Shari
Creative Commons License

🏀MARCH MADNESS:  Bucky Game, But Bears Got Game — Baylor Knocks Badgers Off Dance Floor! ☹️

By Paul Wickham Schmidt

Courtside Exclusive
March 21, 2021

The Wisconsin Badgers (18-13) made it respectable. But, the #1-seed Baylor Bears seized control early in the first half  of the South Second Round Game from West Lafayette, IN on their way to a convincing 76-63 victory. The Bears thus move on to the Sweet 16, while the Badgers’ season ends. 

The three-point shot, which was the Badgers “best friend” in their round one victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels on Friday night, abandoned the Badgers and went over to the Bears. Baylor drained 8 of 17 threes for 47.1%, while Wisconsin shot only 37% from behind the arc, missing 13 of 21 attempts. Turnovers, often a Badgers strength, were their achilles heel this afternoon, with the Badgers committing 13 to the Bears’ four. 

Baylor led 42-29 at the half. To their credit, the Badgers hung in and cut the lead to seven points several times in the second half. But, they couldn’t get any closer. After playing consistently against North Carolina, the Badgers reverted to their regular season form with several long “dry spells” that helped seal their fate. Overall, however, Baylor was just too good. 

The Badgers were led by seniors D’Mitrik Trice (12 pts.), Nate Reuters (11 pts.), and freshman guard Jonathan Davis (10 pts.). The victorious Bears were paced by junior guard Matthew Mayer, who came off the bench to score 17, eight above his season average.

Although the Badgers were not expected to make the “Sweet 16,” they joined a growing list of Big-10 failures in this year’s NCAA Men’s tournament. Just before the start of the Wisconsin-Baylor game, the #8 Loyola Ramblers (led in spirit by their #1 fan, the famous “Sister Jean”) dominated #1-seed Illinois 71-58, in another “nobody saw this coming” upset. Of the nine Big-10 teams invited to the dance, only Rutgers, Michigan, Iowa, and Maryland remain alive, all with second round games coming up.  

Congratulations to Coach Greg Gard and his team on another winning season and NCAA Tournament birth.

Not all news was bad for Wisconsin sports over the weekend. The Badger Women’s hockey team beat Northeastern on Saturday to win the “Frozen Four” and the NCAA Championship!

On Wisconsin!

Bucky Badger
Bucky Badger
UW Mascot

🏀MARCH MADNESS: BADGERS COME OUT SNARLING, DEVOUR TAR HEELS IN DANCE OPENER, 85-62!

 

Ferocious Bucky Badger
Bucky Came Out Hungry & Ferocious With A Tar Heel Meal On The Menu, Creative Commons Licenses

🏀MARCH MADNESS: BADGERS COME OUT SNARLING, DEVOUR TAR HEELS IN DANCE OPENER, 85-62!

By Paul Wickham Schmidt

Courtside Exclusive
March 20,2021

After staggering into the NCAA Tournament, losers of five of their last six, the senior-laden Wisconsin Badgers (18-12) looked for at least one night like they belong in the Big Dance.

The 9-seed Badgers finally put together a full 40-minute game, eviscerating the 8-seed North Carolina Tar Heels (18-11) in every facet on their way to a very convincing 85-62 win in the first round of the of the NCAA South Regional before a COVID-protocol-limited crowd on Purdue’s home court in West Lafayette, Indiana. The were some Badger fans in the stands, and  they experienced a rare Badger blowout inflicted on a credible opponent.

Senior guards Brad Davison (29 points) and D’Mitrik Trice (21 points) led the #25 Badgers, who drilled 13 of 27 three-pointers. No other Badger was in double figures, although seniors Micah Potter and Aleem Ford chipped in nine apiece.

The Tar Heels’ front line was supposed to dominate. But, the Badgers controlled the boards 37-34, including 28 defensive rebounds to keep the Tar Heels reeling all night. For North Carolina’s Hall of Fame coach, the legendary Roy Williams, this was his initial first round failure after 29 consecutive W’s.

Of course, this year’s mediocre Tar Heel squad, from the middle of an underwhelming ACC pack, yet not without some young talent, bore little resemblance to Williams’s championship-caliber teams of yesterday year. Bucky came into the season with great promise, ranked in the top ten, primarily on the strength of the senior core coming off a Big-10 co-championship in the COVID-halted 2020 season. 

But, the Badgers struggled through the Big-10 season, finishing with a lackluster 10-10 record (17-12 overall), good for only a 6th place finish in conference. Mostly significantly, they were 0-8 against the conference’s premier teams: Illinois, Michigan, Ohio State, and Iowa. They clawed their way into the Big Dance largely by beating up on non-conference foes and Big-10 bottom feeders.

The Badgers led wire-to-wire on Friday night, coming out strong and energetic and keeping up the pressure, leading 40-24 at the half. Nevertheless, Badger fans couldn’t relax because, unlike past Wisconsin squads, this team throughout the season blew some sizable leads with long dry spells that let their opponents seize control.    

Last night was, however, totally different. Although the Tar Heels came out with a much improved offensive showing in the second half, particularly from their “bigs,” the Badgers basically matched or exceeded them basket for basket to maintain, and even expand their halftime lead. The Tar Heels never got closer than 12 points, and the Badgers settled at a comfortable 14-18 lead for most of the stanza.

Most pundits had given Coach Greg Gard’s Badgers a chance against Williams’s slightly favored, yet highly inconsistent, Carolina squad. But, few, if any, saw this complete and convincing blowout coming.

So, at least for one night, the Badgers looked like a team that belongs in March Madness, rather than an imposter whose invitation suggested a past reputation for consistent excellence rather than the current less-than-inspiring group who limped into the NCAAs, after losing to Iowa for the third straight time in the conference tournament.

It’s probably a good thing for the Big-10. Although generally considered the “premier conference” in America during this COVID-infected season, two of the conference’s highly seeded teams, Ohio State (#2) and Purdue (#5), suffered shocking upsets on the first day. Another perennial power, Michigan State, blew a big lead and lost to a lightly regarded UCLA squad in the tournament “play-in” game. 

The Badgers should savor this moment of redemption. Because, their dance is going to get much more challenging tomorrow afternoon when they face the #1 seed Baylor Bears (23-2) at 2:40 PM from West Lafayette. The game will be on CBS and the Bears are an early six point favorite.

Go Bucky!

Bucky Badger
Bucky Badger
UW Mascot

🇺🇸🏆👏🏽⭐️👨🏾‍🎓🏀R.I.P. JOHN THOMPSON: Legendary Georgetown Coach, Mentor, Civil Rights Advocate, Broadcaster Dies At 78 — First African-American Coach To Lead Team To Men’s March Madness Championship 

John Thompson
11/12/1984 President Reagan Patrick Ewing and John Thompson during a photo Op for the cover of Sports Illustrated in the Map Room
Georgetown Hoya
Georgetown Hoya

Legendary Georgetown coach John Thompson Jr. dies 

John Thompson Jr., who led Georgetown to the 1984 national championship and three Final Fours, has died at the age of 78. 

Read Now 

*******************

Coach Thompson’s influence extended far beyond the basketball court. One of his most interesting “stats” is that 74 of 77 of his 4-year players graduated from one of the most academically rigorous universities in the nation! That’s a rate virtually unheard of today! Coach Thompson always preached to his players what was “really important” in life, particularly life beyond sports,

I join the Georgetown Community and the rest of the nation in mourning the death of this great American leader, educator, and role model.

PWS

08-31-20

SPORTS: BADGER HOOPSTERS FINISH IMPROBABLE RUN TO SHARE OF BIG-10 TITLE! Badgers 60 — Hoosiers 56

Brad Davison
Wisconsin guard Brad Davison backs into Indiana guard Rob Phinisee during the first half of the Badgers’ 60-56 win over the Hoosiers on Saturday at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind.
AJ MAST, ASSOCIATED PRESS

SPORTS: BADGER HOOPSTERS FINISH IMPROBABLE RUN TO SHARE OF BIG-10 TITLE! Badgers 60 — Hoosiers 56

By Paul Wickham Schmidt

Courtside Exclusive

March 7, 2020.  Left for dead at mid-season, the # 24 Wisconsin Badgers (21-10, 14-6) came back from a 9-point second half deficit to beat the Indiana Hoosiers (19-12, 9-11) in Bloomington, IN on Saturday afternoon. It was Bucky’s eighth straight victory in the tough Big-10. But, it wasn’t easy.

Badger “bigs” Nate Reuvers (17 pts, 7 reb) and Micah Potter (14 & 11) paced the way. Brad Davison (11 & 1) made a key three to give the Badgers the lead for good and calmly sunk two charity tosses to seal the deal. Senior Devonte Green led the Hoosiers with 16, all in the first half.

At one point this season, the Badgers were 13-10, 6-6 and viewed as out of March Madness, particularly after leading scorer Kobe King left the team. But, coach Greg Gard weathered the criticism and held the team together. Better play from Potter, a transfer from Ohio State who only gained eligibility at mid season, junior guard D’Mtrik Trice, and sharp-shooting fifth-year senior Brevin Pritzel enhanced the effectiveness of Reuvers, Davison, and junior Arleem Ford. The Badgers also began knocking down threes that had been clunking off the rim earlier in the season.

The Badgers could win the Big-10 regular season outright if both Michigan State and Maryland lose tomorrow. In any event, they will get a “double bye” into the quarterfinals of the Big-10 Tournament on Friday @ 2:25 EDT. They will play the winner of Thursday’s Rutgers-Michigan matchup.

The Badgers are a lock for the NCAA Tournament, although their seed — probably a 5 or 6, perhaps as high as 4 — will probably depend on how they perform in the Big-10 Tourney. In any event, they are likely to be a “tough out” in the Big Dance. 

Bucky Badger
Bucky Badger
UW Mascot

🏀🏀FINAL FOUR RETRO: Back When Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Was Still Known As Lew Alcindor, He Was So Incredibly Great That The White Guys Who Ran The NCAA Changed The Rules To Stop Him — It Just Made Him Even Better! – And, He Never Was Afraid To Stand Up For Black America!

https://theundefeated.com/features/lew-alcindor-kareem-abdul-jabbar-ucla-boycot-1968-olympics/

Johnny Smith reports for theundefeated.com:

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is known as one of the greatest basketball players in history. During his 20-year professional career with the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers, he appeared in 19 All-Star Games, won six championships and collected six MVP awards. In retirement, he has become a prominent cultural commentator and writer, a leading voice on the intersection between sports and politics. Recently, he published a memoir about his collegiate career at UCLA, Coach Wooden and Me: Our 50-Year Friendship On and Off the Court.

Fifty years ago he was the most dominant college basketball player America had ever seen. Between 1967 and 1969, he led UCLA to three consecutive national titles and an 88-2 record. Yet, his legacy transcends the game; in the age of Black Power, he redefined the political role of black college athletes. In 1968, when black collegians debated boycotting the Olympics, Lew Alcindor, as he was then still known, emerged as the most prominent face in the revolt on campus.

Why did Alcindor refuse to play in the Olympics? To answer that question we have to return to Harlem, New York, in July 1964, the first of many long, hot summers.


HARLEM, 1964

Basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (center), then Lew Alcindor, speaks at a news conference at the Power Memorial High School gymnasium in New York City.

DON HOGAN CHARLES/NEW YORK TIMES CO./GETTY IMAGES

The death of James Powell, a 15-year-old black youth from the Bronx, outraged Alcindor. On a sweltering July day in 1964, outside an apartment building on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, Lt. Thomas Gilligan, a white off-duty cop, shot and killed James, piercing the ninth-grader’s chest with a bullet from a .38 revolver. Conflicting accounts grayed a story that many saw in black and white. Gilligan, a 37-year-old war veteran, claimed that James charged at him with a knife, but bystanders insisted that James was unarmed.

Two nights later, on July 18, in the heart of Harlem, a peaceful rally organized by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) turned into a march against police brutality. Demanding justice for Powell, hundreds of demonstrators surrounded the 123rd Street precinct, some threatening to tear the building apart “brick by brick.” Incensed by decades of racial profiling and violent policing, the angry crowd began hurling rocks and bottles at officers. Suddenly, a scuffle broke out and the cops rushed the protesters, cracking their nightsticks against a swarm of black bodies. In a matter of minutes, violence spread through Harlem like a grease fire in a packed tenement kitchen.

That same night, Alcindor, an extremely tall, rail-thin 17-year-old, emerged from the 125th Street subway station, planning to investigate the CORE rally. Climbing up the steps toward the street, he could smell smoke coming from burning buildings. Angry young black men took to the streets and tossed bricks and Molotov cocktails through store windows. Looters grabbed radios, jewelry, food and guns. The sound of gunshots rang like firecrackers. Trembling with fear, Alcindor worried that his size and skin color made him an easy target for an angry cop with an itchy trigger finger. Sprinting home, all he could think about was that at any moment a stray bullet could strike him down.

“Right then and there, I knew who I was, who I had to be. I was going to be black rage personified, Black Power in the flesh.”

For six days, Harlem and Bedford-Stuyvesant burned. The “Harlem race riots” resulted in 465 arrests, hundreds of injuries and one death. When the smoke cleared, Martin Luther King Jr. visited New York and encouraged black residents to demonstrate peacefully. But Alcindor, like many black youths, had grown impatient with King’s pleas for nonviolence and began questioning the direction of the civil rights movement. That summer, writing for the Harlem Youth Action Project newspaper, he interviewed black citizens who were tired of segregated schools, dilapidated housing, employment discrimination and wanton police violence.

The Harlem uprising fueled his anger toward white America and convinced him more than ever that he had to turn his rage into action. “Right then and there, I knew who I was, who I had to be,” he said a few years later. “I was going to be black rage personified, Black Power in the flesh.” Silence was no longer an option. In the future, he vowed, he would speak his mind.

. . . .

A few days after UCLA beat Dayton for the national title, the NCAA’s National Basketball Committee banned the dunk. The committee argued that too many players got injured stuffing the ball through the hoop or trying to block a player attacking the basket. Coaches were concerned, too, about players breaking backboards and bending rims. Curiously, the committee also claimed, “There is no defense against the dunk, which upsets the balance between offense and defense.” But the truth was that Alcindor threatened the sport’s competitive balance. He upset the balance between offense and defense.

Immediately, critics deemed the dunk ban the “Alcindor rule.” In a time of white backlash against black advancement, the UCLA star interpreted the rule through the lens of race. He could not help but feel like the lily-white committee had targeted him. “To me the new ‘no-dunk’ rule smacks a little of discrimination,” he told the Chicago Defender. “When you look at it … most of the people who dunk are black athletes.

. . . .

Not even the dunk ban could stop Alcindor from dominating the game. In fact, the new restriction made him even better. It forced him to expand his offensive arsenal and develop a devastating signature move: the “skyhook.”

He made it look so easy. With the cool confidence of Miles Davis, Alcindor transformed his game. The skyhook became an innovative expression of individuality and empowerment, a reflection of his intelligence and creativity, an active mind that could see the ball falling through the net like a raindrop the moment the leather sphere touched his fingertips. Over and over again, he pivoted toward the basket, extended his arm toward the sky and gracefully flipped the ball over the outstretched arms of any player who dared to guard him. “Of all the weapons in sports,” Sports Illustrated’s Gary Smith wrote of his skyhook, “none has ever been more dependable or unstoppable, less vulnerable to time, than that little stride, turn, hop and flick from far above his head.”

CLEVELAND, 1967

On June 4, 1967, at 105-15 Euclid Ave. in Cleveland, a collection of some of the top black athletes in the country met with — and eventually held a news conference in support of — world heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali (front row, second from left), about Ali’s refusal to be drafted into the U.S. Army in 1967. News conference shows (front row) Bill Russell, Boston Celtics; Ali; Jim Brown and Lew Alcindor. Back row (left to right): Carl Stokes, Democratic state representative; Walter Beach, Cleveland Browns; Bobby Mitchell, Washington Redskins; Sid Williams, Cleveland Browns; Curtis McClinton, Kansas City Chiefs; Willie Davis, Green Bay Packers; Jim Shorter, former Brown; and John Wooten, Cleveland Browns.

BETTMAN/GETTY IMAGES

Alcindor refused to let the white world define him as a basketball player and as a man. He no longer considered himself a “Negro.” He was black and proud. As he became more politically self-aware, he identified with the most successful, outspoken black professional athletes in America: Muhammad Ali, Bill Russell and Jim Brown. He admired their political activism and their courage to confront white supremacy.

. . . .

Alcindor suddenly found himself at the center of a national controversy. Critics called him a disgrace, unpatriotic and much worse. If he did not play for the U.S. Olympic team, then UCLA should revoke his scholarship, they charged. Many white Americans opposed the boycott because they believed that sports were meritocratic and immune to racism. But their objections also revealed discomfort with assertive black athletes who challenged the power structure of American sports, a plantation culture that valued black bodies more than black minds. New York Times columnist Arthur Daley couldn’t imagine Alcindor thinking for himself and suggested that Edwards was exploiting the UCLA star’s fame for personal gain. “I think that charge is sheer idiocy,” Edwards told the San Jose Mercury News. “How can you manipulate anybody like Lew Alcindor?”

But Alcindor was his own man, and his revolt emanated from the deep history of African-American activism and the burgeoning Black Power movement on campus. What the sports establishment failed to recognize was that his experience in Harlem, his identification with Malcolm X and his connection to Ali had transformed the way he viewed protest, patriotism and American sports. How could he stay silent while police brutality, poverty and prejudice afflicted the black community? How could anyone expect him to represent the United States when the moment he confronted the nation’s racism bigots deluged him with hate mail and death threats? How could they expect him to love America when America didn’t love him back?

NEW YORK, 1968

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, then Lew Alcindor, sits on the bench at the UCLA-Holy Cross game at Madison Square Garden in New York City in 1968.

BARTON SILVERMAN/NEW YORK TIMES CO./GETTY IMAGES

Alcindor had made up his mind. He wouldn’t play for the USA. Although the boycott movement lacked widespread support and ultimately stalled, he and his UCLA teammates Mike Warren and Lucius Allen refused to attend the Olympic trials. His explanation, however, complicated his image as a Black Power hero. Alcindor said that if he participated, then he would miss class and delay his graduation, which was true, but only part of his rationale. He also told a reporter from Life magazine that he and his UCLA teammates “don’t want to get caught in the middle of anything.” He had principles, but discussing them publicly only brought more stress. It was much easier to distance himself from Edwards and the OPHR.

“Yeah, I live here, but it’s not really my country.”

In the summer of 1968, he worked for Operation Sports Rescue, a youth program in New York City. Leading basketball clinics, Alcindor mentored African-American and Puerto Rican youths, encouraging them to get an education. In July, he appeared on NBC’s Today show to promote the program. Co-host Joe Garagiola, a former professional baseball player, began the interview by asking Alcindor why he refused to play in the Olympics. During a heated exchange, Alcindor said, “Yeah, I live here, but it’s not really my country.” Then Garagiola retorted, “Well, then, there’s only one solution, maybe you should move.” It was a common reply among white Americans who demanded accommodation and gratitude from black athletes — a refrain that still exists today.

Alcindor’s comments echoed Malcolm X, who said, “Being born here in America doesn’t make you an American.” If black people were Americans, he argued, then they wouldn’t need civil rights legislation or constitutional amendments for protection. Alcindor recognized that while he was fortunate because of his basketball ability, he couldn’t celebrate his privileged status as long as racial inequality persisted. Only when black citizens enjoyed true freedom could he call America his country.

Although we remember the 1968 Olympics for John Carlos and Tommie Smith’s demonstration on the victory stand, Alcindor was the most famous athlete who avoided the games. More than any other college basketball player, he defined his times, proving also that black athletes could speak their minds and win. No one could tell him to shut up and dribble.

Professor is the Julius C. “Bud” Shaw Professor of Sports, Society, and Technology and an Assistant Professor of History at Georgia Tech. His research focuses on the history of sports and American culture. He is an author whose books include “The Sons of Westwood: John Wooden, UCLA, and the Dynasty That Changed College Basketball,” which explores the emergence of college basketball as a national pastime and the political conflicts in college athletics during the 1960s and 1970s.

*************************************

Read Professor Smith’s full article at the link. Not only is Kareem one of the greatest basketball players ever, but he has established himself as an informed, articulate, and committed social commentator. I never saw Kareem play in person during his days with the Milwaukee Bucks. But, Cathy and I once were fortunate enough to see him “live” as a contestant on “Celebrity Jeopardy” at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington DC, ironically a venue where he once would not have been welcome.

PWS

03-31-18

 

THE SLATEST FROM THE SPORTS WORLD — #16 UMBC Pulls “Upset For The Ages” Over #1 UVA In March Madness! — 135 Game Losing Streak For #16 Seeds Ends In Emphatic Fashion! 🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀

https://slate.com/culture/2018/03/how-no-16-seed-umbc-beat-virginia-and-made-the-mount-rushmore-of-sports-upsets.html

Nick Greene reports for Slate:

“Yes, Virginia, There Is a Cinderella

How No. 16 seed UMBC pulled off the biggest upset in NCAA Tournament history.

CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 16: Jairus Lyles #10 of the UMBC Retrievers reacts after a score against the Virginia Cavaliers during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 16, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
Jairus Lyles #10 of the UMBC Retrievers reacts after a score against the Virginia Cavaliers during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 16, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

It happened. It actually happened. At the 136th time of asking, a No. 16 seed finally beat a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. And it wasn’t even close. The University of Maryland, Baltimore County Retrievers absolutely pantsed the top-ranked Virginia Cavaliers, 74-54.

How did this happen? Forgive me for getting technical, but the Retrievers kicked Virginia’s butt.

Virginia plays slow. No one in the country plays at a slower tempo. Given the environmental predicament in which we currently find ourselves, calling them “glacial” would be woefully inappropriate. They operate on a cosmic timeline. They grind you into dust with defense and wait for that dust to evaporate. But the Retrievers were impatient. They were having none of Virginia’s slow-cooked nonsense.

Teensy Retrievers point guard K.J. Maura kept pushing the pace and setting up his teammates in rhythm for three-pointers. Against Virginia’s all-universe defense, UMBC went 12 for 24 from behind the arc.

There was no shortage of great individual performances. Forward Arkel Lamar scored 12 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. Joe Sherburne added 14.

And then there’s Jairus Lyles. The senior guard was nothing short of heroic. He went 9 for 11 from the field, drove at will, and finished a variety of circus shots at the rim. Lyles played through cramps throughout the second half, but he still finished with 28 points. All that’s left is to figure out who will play him in the movie.

I mean, just look at this guy.

The game was tied at halftime, 21-21, but it only took four minutes for the Retrievers to burst to a 14-point lead in the second half. It was the biggest deficit Virginia had faced all season. That deficit would get bigger. The Cavaliers are supposed to be the boa constrictor, not the hare—forgive me, Aesop—and they had no clue how to catch up. UMBC was relentless, and it was a joy to watch.

Sure, Virginia played without the injured De’Andre Hunter, the Cavaliers’ most versatile defender, but cutting them any slack would be needlessly charitable. They came in as the tournament’s overall No. 1 seed, yet you’d struggle to pick a single moment from Friday night in which the Cavaliers looked to be worthy of sharing the floor with the mighty Retrievers, who needed a last-second shot against Vermont to even make it to the NCAA Tournament. In the end, the Cavs were lucky to only lose by 20.

After the game, Virginia coach Tony Bennett said his team, which finished the year 31-3, had a “historic season.” If there’s a bright side for Virginia, it might be that the Cavaliers had already suffered what’s widely considered the biggest upset in college basketball history, losing to tiny Chaminade as the nation’s top-ranked team in 1982. Naturally, a storied institution like Virginia will take pride in honoring such a cherished tradition.

With its win on Friday night, UMBC improved to 25-10, and they’ll have a chance to make the Sweet 16 with a win over Kansas State on Sunday. Going into the tournament, you would’ve been hard pressed to pick the Retrievers’ best games of the season. Yes, that three-point win over Vermont in the America East title game was nice. But what else? That squeaker against Northern Kentucky in December? Their well-rounded effort against Coppin State?

Now, UMBC can claim the most amazing performance in NCAA Tournament history. But even that’s not going far enough. After the game, TNT’s Kenny Smith compared UMBC over Virginia to Buster Douglas over Mike Tyson and the Miracle on Ice. That’s not hyperbole. The Retrievers just made the Mount Rushmore of sports upsets. Hell, let’s put them on there twice.”

Read the rest of Slate’s coverage of the 2018 NCAA Tournament.

We Failed Grayson Allen by Not Hating Him More

How Good Was Loyola-Chicago’s Last-Second Game Winner?

Cody or Caleb? How to Tell Nevada’s Twin Basketball Stars Apart.

**************************************

What a “bracket busting stunner!” Go Retrievers!

It’s been a “different” March Madness this year. For the first time in about two decades, my Wisconsin Badgers are “out of the dance” — quite properly since they had their first losing season in about 20 years.  Wait till next year!

The good part, is that I’ve been able to follow the NCAA Men’s BB Tournament with a little more “objectivity” and less stress than usual. And, one of the many “bennies” of being a Federal retiree is that I can now 1) watch every game live on TV, and 2) enter any pool I want to without any of those tiresome (but necessary, I guess) Ethics Office warnings about all the potential civil and criminal penalties for getting “March Madness” at the office! I guess stuff like that doesn’t apply if you’re employed by someone like Warren Buffet. But, hey, want does he know? At any rate, at least Warren’s potential million dollars annually for life payout for the perfect bracket is safe for another year, thanks to the Retrievers! And, “Luna the Dog” our curly coated retriever was pleased with the outcome.

PWS

03-18-18

courtsideSPORTS ROUNDUP🏀🏈⚾️: Congrats To . . .

Patrick Ewing on being named the new head basketball coach of the Georgetown Hoyas. Ewing is one of Georgetown’s all-time greats who led them to an NCAA Championship in 1984 and went on to an NBA Hall of Fame career with the New York Knicks. Good luck Patrick! Go Hoyas! 🏀 (Full disclosure: I am an Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown Law.)

The North Carolina Tar Heels and the South Carolina Gamecocks on winning the Men’s and Women’s NCAA Basketball Championships, respectively.🏀

The Gonzaga Bulldogs and the Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs for great seasons and making their respective NCAA Basketball National Championship Games. Also congrats to Mississippi State for a thrilling win over the previously undefeated and defending champion UCONN Huskies in the National Semifinals.🏀

The UCONN Huskies women’s basketball program and their coach Geno Auriemma for their amazing, record-setting 111 game winning streak, ended by Mississippi State.🏀

Tony Romo for having the smarts to retire from the NFL and move to the broadcasting booth with his mind and body still largely intact. The now-former Dallas Cowboy’s star quarterback will be absolutely dynamite in the booth. And, he probably won’t be “sacked” as many times.🏈

The Washington Nats for a stirring opening day 4-2 victory over the Miami Marlins. Go Nats!⚾️

PWS

04-05-17