No Endorsements Necessary…

We’ve got our own national champion awards to hand out.

The CAA: LAMM “National” Champion is Jon Pease of Towson. You need to look past the senior season stat line of nine points and 4.7 rebounds. We need you to blend these stats to consider relative value: Pease’s assist-to-turnover ratio was 48:38; he had 46 steals, 12 blocks, and committed 80 fouls. Now, Pease only fouled out once. That’s three fouls per game but five only once. Guy knows how to play aggressive and under control.

Our only regret is that Pease doesn’t have four more years of eligibility, because he’s the kind of player you pay to watch, if you are an intelligent basketball fan. Oh, don’t get me wrong. Maynor and Thomas are fun to watch and make you say wow, but Pease is far more interesting.

Others we’d like to see win, or win more, are next. And that is in life and basketball. These folks deserve to be in the CAA: LAMM “One Shining Moment” video, if it existed. If it did exist, it would be set to the tune of Spoon’s “Underdog” song:

Jamal Shuler, VCU: Here’s a kid who came to school with a really good shot from a lot of feet from the basket, and turned himself into a first team All CAA selection. So there’s the work aspect. However, I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a kid smile so much on the floor. Shuler was genuinely having fun, something missing all too often these days. What’s more, the kid helped opponents off the floor, apologized to coaches, and saluted his ailing aunt.

Will Thomas, George Mason: Throw the team stuff out the window. All Thomas managed was a stellar career, punctuated by being “the guy” in the locker room. You never heard much from him, until he plopped a double-double on you. And if you listened to his teammates–not Larranaga but his teammates–you can see what he meant to that program. Also, am I the only one who easily pictures Thomas superimposed on the famous shot of Notre Dame’s “Four Horsemen?”

Tony Shaver, William & Mary: Like Thomas, let’s skip the accomplishments and go to the reasons we love this guy. Shaver is so unassuming, I can only think of Vin Scully talking about former pitcher Burt Hooten. After the Dodgers won the World Series, Scully noted that Hooten was so unassuming, that the pitcher “would go out and paint the town beige.” (Side note: if I have to explain Vin Scully to you, please stop visiting this blog. You have no business here.) Shaver is similar. I love that he sits on the bench chatting away with his coaches prior to a game. I love that when you talk to him, you get the feeling he’s surprised he is able to put on matching socks, much less coach collegiate basketball, very well.

Bruiser Flint, Drexel: Win or lose, you get Bruiser. Can’t do anything but tip your cap to him for that. My favorite aspect is how Flint handles the media. At times he is asked silly questions, such as “what was Frank Elegar thinking when…” His answer is always priceless: “go ask Frank.” I love everything about those answers.

Steve Scalzi, assistant coach, Northeastern: You always hear about players that make everyone around them better. Scalzi is a coach that makes his program better. The guy creates promo videos, coaches, scouts, etc. If it needs to get done he is up to the task. In fact, we may have to give him the nickname “Etc.” Side note: my lawn needs mowing. I’m just saying.

The Guys at CAA Zone: They’ve endeavored to make this site more than a pile of message boards, and you should support it. I know for a fact, because I’ve been told, that there are colleagues of theirs that keep an eye on their every move to see what to do next. Right, wrong, or indifferent, they provide something CAA fans should consider themselves lucky to have.

Lennie Mendez, Georgia State: Opponents ganged up on Mendez this season and Mendez was never visibly frustrated by it. The kid just kept playing hard. And here’s the other thing to keep in the back of your mind–there is a decent chance Mendez may have four completely new guys playing alongside him next season. Rod Barnes has added a pile of talent to that roster. That’s point #1, but also consider what practice was like this year.

Brian Henderson, Old Dominion: He deserves a pat on the back for a career that will go down as “nice,” which is another term for underappreciated for his contributions. Henderson was killed this year by ODU fans early, but cheered when he stepped up and played big in big games. Remember Henderson also had to deal with injury and getting his identity stolen. This is particularly odd, considering stealing the identity of a college student could not be lucrative. Even as a senior, if my identity was stolen the perp would’ve made off with all $57 in my checking account and a credit card with a $500 limit. Good luck with that. But the point is Henderson did nothing but everything for four years.

***

There is more, but I want to let it marinate on my brain a bit. It is 80 degrees and sunny, and work is going to take a back seat today. I’m feeling benevolent.

Congratulations to the Corporate Champions…

Your Kansas Jayhawks. Mind you, we’re not taking anything away from Roy Williams Bill Self and his team. Chalmers, Rush, and the boys got it done. I was rooting for Kansas, if only for good friend of the LAMM Extra P.

But wow, was it me or was the NCAA tournament awfully corporate?

Now I’m no Pollyanna and I understand how the world works. But since the moment I cracked-wise during my tape-delayed blogging of the selection show about Corporate Champions being used as the hipster term for “sponsor,” I kept noticing small changes that made the entire event more sterile.

The NCAA logo seeming to be bigger than ever; the raised court and dark crowd, the constant cross promotion of things I didn’t care about or already knew about. Heck, the two-minute media timeout has probably been around for years, but this is the year it irked me.

I’m sure it has been overly corporate for many years. For some reason it was this one that I chose to notice.

And finally, I planned to follow along and fill out a live bracket sheet, according to the Whelliston Challenge. I made it through the first weekend, but sadly left the bracket sheet at a friend’s house six hours from home. Though I planned to restart the process, I never mustered the effort and energy to get it done.

Simply put, I lost interest in the whole affair after the first weekend. Yes we had Davidson and we had Western Kentucky, but the perfect NCAA tournament for CBS was far less than that for me. I showed little interest and gave little viewing time to the Sweet 16 and Great 8, and it got worse. A good friend called me last Friday and asked where I was waching the games on Saturday, and my honest response was: “what games?”

Monday, I nearly turned off my teevee with three minutes to go and Memphis leading by about seven. No way they were losing. I might’ve watched half the game in total, and extremely dispassionately; thankfully, I managed all five minutes of the overtime.

The short version: this NCAA basketball tournament became just another sporting event after the first two rounds, but I still congratulate Kansas for becoming the Corporate Champion.

Later this week: the CAA: LAMM Champions will be crowned.

Foolish Consistency is the Hobgoblin of Small Minds…

I like Jim Larranaga. I think Jim Larranaga is an above average college basketball coach. I also think Jim Larranaga was the perfect coach for that 2006 team and that 2006 situation.

Every now and again, when you have the benefit of hindsight, you see that certain events seem to line up just as they should. People are put in situations and almost dared to succeed, because fate or karma or luck has given them the tools to accomplish great things. It’s always refreshing to see those opportunities pan out. In our mid major college basketball world, we saw it again this year with Davidson.

That said, it wouldn’t have signaled Armageddon had Larranaga chosen to head to Providence instead of hanging around Fairfax. It might’ve even been a good thing for George Mason.

This isn’t an attack on a CAA icon. Larranaga is the conference’s all time winningest coach for a reason, and it isn’t a matter of longevity. Jim Larranaga doesn’t have to prove anything to anybody, as he has an entire career chock full of success to do the proving. Dude knows his stuff. In fact, this really has nothing to do with Jim Larranaga. Rather, it’s about an opportunity for George Mason University basketball that didn’t materialize.

The “situation” at George Mason is among the best in the CAA. The Patriots win, are annually among the leaders in attendance, have administrators (Tom’OConnor and president Dr. Alan Merten) that understand the role of athletics, play in above average facilities, and continue to reap the benefits of the Final Four run. In short, the head coaching job at Mason is attractive. Traffic on the roads that lead to the school will be even worse–if that’s possible–because coaches will line up to replace Larranaga.

But I wonder if the school didn’t miss an opportunity to use 2006 as a vault, a vector, to bounce to new heights. I freely admit that “miss an opportunity” is probably the wrong language, because Jim Larranaga remaining at George Mason is a good thing. Mainly the wonder extends from the thought process about what could happen in Fairfax if someone came in there with a fresh perspective, new energy, and an approach unencumbered by the strings that go with the Final Four run.

Right now, the Final Four run is used as a starting point and everything proceeds in a straight line from that point. Larranaga is the constant in the equation. Yes, I know Larranaga is among the most passionate coaches. I know people in Fairfax love Larranaga.

But there is this, a simple fact that carries far more weight when you get past surface consideration: No matter what Jim Larranaga does for the rest of his career, he cannot untie himself from 2006. And while there are so many positives that go with that, there are pitfalls. Frustrations. There are realities of time and distance.

Imagine Monte Ross, with all his enthusiasm and passion and smarts, being hired at Mason. Ross would walk in with the endemic benefit of picking from the positives of the Final Four run. It’s not a story that begins with 2006 and moves forward, as Larranaga is forced to do (even if he doesn’t like it). It’s a story of the new coach  beginning with his Day One. The Final Four run is George Mason University, and that’s what would be used as the baseline.

At VCU, Jeff Capel won a lot of basketball games. He took his teams to an NCAA and NIT. What’s more, Capel energized a basketball program that was searching for its identity. Capel was rightfully revered in Richmond for what he accomplished. And when he left, there were questions about what would happen.

Anthony Grant, whose style and demeanor will never be confused with Capel, has taken that foundation and moved it to astounding, unprecedented heights. Put another way: one reason James Madison fans are so excited about Matt Brady is because of the foundation set by Dean Keener. Brady has a chance to capitalize on what is there that Keener never could have.

It’s like Emerson said: “every hero becomes a bore.” No, Larranaga is not a bore. But eventually the sheen is going to wear off and the benefits of the Final Four run are going to prove–in a forward-thinking sense–themselves extremely mechanical.

Attendance leveled off last season for Mason. I don’t know if we’re looking at the hazy line between an event being a part of you and the event being a part of history. Many times we drift back and forth across that line.

Perhaps it is time to move on and use the Final Four run as just that–a point in time. There are greater things to attack and accomplish. And there is a freshness to newness that invigorates everything around you.

So I wonder.

You May Now Go About Your Regular Business…JL Hanging In…

George Mason’s words, not mine (the university, not the dead guy):

Tom O’Connor announced today that Men’s Basketball Head Coach Jim Larranaga has signed a three-year extension at George Mason. Larranaga is now signed through the 2014-15 season.

“Jim (Larranaga) is a terrific ambassador for George Mason University,” O’Connor said. “Obviously with the 2006 run to the Final Four, our basketball program and the University have garnered a lot of national attention. On top of that he is a tremendous basketball coach, he’s our coach and I’m proud to say that he will continue to be our coach for the next seven years.”

“I’ve made it clear over the years that my family and I have loved it here at George Mason,” Larranaga said. “I feel very fortunate to work under the great leadership of President Merten and Tom O’Connor. I feel very connected to both the George Mason and the greater Fairfax County communities. We have enjoyed their great support and it continues to grow. I’ve said before that I hope to retire here at George Mason and this contract extension allows me to do just that.”

Suffer The Fools?

Jim Larranaga was hired by George Mason on April 1, 1997.

George Mason played Florida in the Final Four on April 1, 2006.

What in the name of Sidd Finch is going to occur today?

Memo to Mason fans: stop analyzing random bits of data to the point of being an April Fool. It’s entirely possible Larranaga picked a brown tie out of his closet today because he likes the look of it. Besides, your cousin’s best friend’s girlfriend who works in the building next to the Mason athletics offices might not even know what Larranaga looks like.

More than likely nothing will occur today.

You Don’t Even Have To Listen Closely…

…to hear the backsides shifting in the seats of George Mason fans this morning. One day after the Davidson Wildcats nearly pulled off “another George Mason,” a term I should really trademark, news is flying about a meeting between Jim Larranaga and Providence College.

It just doesn’t matter…it just doesn’t matter…because even if the hand of God reaches down and George Mason performs above their heads, all the really good coaches will still go to the major conferences because they’ve got all the money! It just doesn’t matter.

(Sorry, you can guess what was on the teevee last night. Let’s get back to business.)

I don’t think it’s a slam dunk no for Larranaga, but it should still be a no. There is a lot of lure to the Big East, a million or so beans, and your alma mater. Larranaga gets in five to seven years, and retires. It’s a nice end to a successful career. Plus, don’t buy in to all that aw shucksness of Larranaga. He is a smart cookie. Far smarter than you are giving him credit for. He is factoring in potential conference realigments.

But here’s the hang up: what is he really proving? And to whom? I don’t believe the exclamation point on a career is “fourth place in the conference, a six seed in the NCAA tournament, and one victory there.”

Call me a romantic, but the NCAA Tournament’s most fabled run and closing out your career with another NCAA tournament or three and perhaps another win–with that same program–is pretty cool. You have plenty of loot to take care of your family and there’s enough press to go around. Larranaga Court at the Patriot Center has a pretty good ring to it as well.

Seeing Jim Larranaga coach Providence would be like seeing Willie Mays in a Mets uniform. Johnny Unitas as a San Diego Charger.

Just me, though.

Eh, Your Friday Slate…

Which reminds me…it took exactly one basketball postseason for me to officially hate the term “chalk.” Stop using it, and stop explaining it. It’s like that guy in high school that spray painted his girlfriend’s name on the overpass. He’s going to think he’s cool and talk about it, but nobody cares nor thinks it’s cool. Stop.

Onward…

Memphis and Michigan State: I’ll root for the short, bald lefty that can shoot the ball and has the last name nobody pronounces right the first time. Pray for his achilles tendon. Am I the only one to think, every time I see Calipari, that I wish nobody had stopped John Chaney? Then again, Memphis is the way better team from the way cooler city. (Not chalk cool. Blues music cool.)

Stanford and Texas: This is a game I can stomach. Actual analysis: you negate size by getting up and down the court. Texas will win this surprisingly easy because the Lopez Twins never played for Paul Westhead.

Kansas and Villanova: I’m trying to knock off early today, and any commentary–real or imagined–jeopardizes this goal. Rock Chalk.

Wisconsin and Davidson: Call me crazy, but I think I’d play a triangle-and-two against the Cats, with both guys checking Stevie Franchise Curry. Okay, I’ve noted Jason Richards led the nation in assists and also averaged 13ppg. Perhaps we’ll play the seldom used Line Segment-And-Three defense, with two guys on Curry and one on Richards. Sadly, I’ll choose the Badgers while rooting for Davidson.

The Morning Laugh…

I don’t know what to make of my sense of humor. The things that crack me up don’t seem to make anyone else laugh. I’d wager 47 of every 50 jokes that hit my email are hysterical only because I find it funny someone thought the joke was funny. (Nice prime number usage, eh?) Comments over at G: TB are best enjoyed the day after they’ve roundtabled. Go figure.

Anyway, I was perusing Jeff Goodman’s blog–linky line on the right–and the following made me smile, which reminded me to brush my teeth:

“…the Indiana brass met the other night and came out with a list of heavy hitters that included Rick Pitino, John Calipari, Tom Izzo and Thad Matta.”

Why is that funny? These are supposedly well educated, intelligent, discerning professionals; diligently crafting the ideal replacement for one of the most important leaders at their university. I’m certain they met, held intense meetings, and filed expense reports and consulting invoices.

And the result was a list of coaches I could produce for you in real time, at no charge. This egoic, administrative version of jersey-popping cracks me up. Granted, the last time these guys underwent the same exercise, they thought Kelvin Sampson was a good idea. Perhaps this is progress, and I am cynical.

Or not.

***

Oh, that’s right…top of head, in real time: Anthony Grant, Rick Barnes, Dan Dakich, Brad Brownell, the Oral Roberts Sutton, Tony Bennett, Tubby Smith, Steve Alford, Mike Montgomery, Mark Few.

How’d I do? (Keep in mind I excluded the names on “their” list.)

Eh, Enjoy Tonight’s Game(s)…

Hard to imagine there’s more to this NCAA tournament than UCLA and Steph-ahn Curry. In times like this–four days in between games and a token effort at uncovering a real story–we need to be able to suspend the rules of plagarism. Not really, but everybody’s job and life would be much easier if one person was assigned the task of writing the five boiler plate paragraphs that are in every single story written about this tournament.

I stopped reading these stories on Monday, when the trend took approximately two articles to emerge.

Curry’s dad was NBA guy Dell. Curry wanted to go to Va. Tech. Ben Howland is a defense coach. Love makes UCLA better because he can do everything. Name your Roy Williams story.

Check.

Give me something about Washington State’s Derrick Low, who looks more like the punk kid from a Magnum, PI episode than a dangerous collegiate basketball point guard. Give me something about Huggy Bear, possibly a new Huggy Bear, getting someone else’s kids–recruited for a funky system–into the Sweet 16.

We’ve got great Topper stories (see: James Russell) and more going on at Davidson than Curry. If we’re to be inundated with storylines of major conference kids, give me a good one about the sixth man. The assistant coach. Something meaty.

All I’m asking is that I learn a little more than what I already know. It’s kind of our goal here, as it should be elsewhere.

***

Xavier and West Virginia: Burrell, Duncan, and Lavender make the Musketeers too dynamic for the Mountaineers. Yes, I know the name Danny Manning but when you get this far you need more than one guy. Six rhyming syllables has to be an NCAA record.

Washington State and North Carolina: I got to see WASU about 12 times this year because I pay way too much to my cable company and stay up way too late at night. I got to see Carolina as much as I wanted because I know how to operate the power button on my teevee. Let me put it this way: if WASU doesn’t win this game, I don’t care about it.

Louisville and Tennessee: The only reason I will choose the Vols is because way back in November, the boys at STF asked me to predict a Final Four and I chose Tennessee. The national dudes are calling this the greatest game since the last time they predicted a greatest game. This of course means we’ll be treated to 54 turnovers, 62 fouls, 78 shots of Pitino (43 of his wife), and a 150-minute game. And Bruce Pearl.

UCLA and Western Kentucky: Other than having a bunch of cool names on its roster, I can’t muster one reason to root for UCLA. Finally someone other than NBA scouts and mid major hoops junkies are appreciating Courtney Lee. Ty Brazleton is no slouch. The Toppers only lost to Tennessee by six early in the season, and they haven’t lost to a team not named South Alabama since before Christmas. WKU is a mid, and I have friends at the school. It may be futile, but I’ll be rooting for them tonight.

***

Coaching carousel side note: I saw that Cuonzo Martin was hired at Missouri State. Good for him. My firs thought was: “my gosh, he’s a baby. That’s quite a risk.” You see I vividly remember Martin’s playing days at Purdue. I figured me might be about 27 years old, until I read that he is 36. Wow.

Cue the Music, Grab Some Cotton Candy, the Carousel Cranks Up…

James Madison is introducing Matt Brady as its new head coach today at 1:00. The presser will include all of the standard quotes about opportunity, winning, regaining the lost tradition, etc. We’ll give a listen just in case the miraculous occurs and a decent quote emerges. Don’t hold your breath. Brady was 73-50 at Marist, including a trip to the NIT two seasons ago.

Three bits, in the 2007-08 CAA: LAMM style…

The Good: Marist increased its win total his first three seasons, going from 11-17 to 25-9. This year’s 18-14 record is tempered because the Red Foxes lost their second leading scorer for hte second half of the season. Also, a friend of the blog notes that Brady recruited Jameer Nelson to St. Joseph’s and developed Jared Jordan from a skinny kid to an NBA player.

The Bad: JMU fans and Marist fans agree they are a bit concerned about Brady’s desire for, uh, upward mobility. Fine. It’s called life as a mid major, right? There are worse problems for JMU than winning enough games to have to replace your coach. Oh, and let’s not forget this part. It’s college basketball to us; to coaches it is their profession. This gives them the right to be upwardly mobile and we cannot whine about that.

The Ugly: We’re not fans of how this search was handled. It seemed to be scattershot from the beginning, including outbound calls, inbound calls, the hysterical hiring of a search firm, and the stated desire for “an experienced coach.” This comment is not related to Matt Brady’s ability as a basketball coach, but all of that time and effort and money, and you come up with Matt Brady? Memo to CAA athletic directors: I’m available for an exhausting search for your next coach. Price is negotiable.

***

Elsewhere, it seems former Brady boss man Phil Martelli is the new John McCain to replace Tim Welsh at Providence. George Mason fans can exhale, a little bit. CAA: LAMM position on this one is fairly simple.

Yes, where there’s smoke, there’s fire. But I wouldn’t sweat. That whole “Larranaga went there” line of reasoning is both accurate and WAY overblown. Yes it is his alma mater. But Larranaga has become pretty comfy in DeeCee, and he’s getting old.

Plus, Providence is not a good job. Yes, it is the Big East, but let me frame it this way: success there is fourth place in your conference, perhaps an at large bid, and cheers all around if you win a game in the NCAA tournament?

Sounds a lot like George Mason, except with worse weather.

***

From Richmond, there is no real news on the future of Anthony Grant, other than he is probably aerating and seeding his lawn.

Rumor and chatter surrounds a new deal from VCU in the neighborhood of $850K, love notes from Baton Rouge, and who knows what else.

None of it is based on fact, as Grant is a stone wall. We’re fine with that.

The one item to note for VCU fans: the whole “nobody has contacted AD Norwood Teague” is close to meaningless. That is a gratuity from one school’s athletics director to another. It’s the right way to do things, but there is no law that says a school must contact another school and ask for permission to chat with its coach.

Think of it like asking your girlfriend’s father if it’s permissable to marry his daughter. Nice tradition, love what it stands for, but doesn’t have to occur.