Most Popular Articles

• Gene Therapy - NCAA 2022 |The Final Four: Coaches Are Everything!

  Apr 1, 2022 Gene Clemons 0 Comments

  

   

  by Gene Clemons

   

  The men's and women's final four are both epic this year. On the women's side you have South Carolina trying to ascend to UConn like levels. You have UConn fighting to stave off the oncoming Lady Gamecocks and the other women's teams who keep improving yearly. Stanford is still lurking, ready to prove that they are still one of the elites in the women's game, and of course you have Louisville who keeps knocking on the door to announce themselves as a perennial women's hoop power.

   

  On the men's side you have a couple matchups that may never be topped again. Villanova will face Kansas as the two powerhouse programs duel to see who will get to add another championship to their trophy case. The other matchup is about as epic as you can get in a final four. North Carolina takes on Duke for the first time in the final four. It is a storyline that writes itself. In fact, both are. And it is rare that you get this good of a matchup without their being chalk everywhere but that is the case. Kansas is a one seed, but Duke and Nova are two seeds and UNC is an eight seed.

   

  With all due respect to the Cinderella's and upstarts, these are the matchups that we want to see in the final four. It's not just the top seeds, these are teams that have become a part of what we love about the sport. Causes being pushed and agendas driven which always makes more great storylines. Whenever someone doesn't seem to get there fairly it is news. Stars are being stars and there is always a chance for a new breakout. 

   

  

   

  The coaches are so good!

   

  On the women’s side what can be said about Geno Auriemma that has not already been said in triplicate. The UConn general has established himself as the greatest coach in the history of the women’s game. Not only has he been able to find immense success as a college coach, but he has been a dominant figure in the international game. He’s created a standard at UConn that all other coaches are continuously chasing. But as good as Auriemma is, he is not on top of the all-time wins list, that distinction belongs to Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer who has been a staple in the women’s game for 42 seasons. Her squad is also the reigning national champions. Last year she was able to best manage the bubble and lead her squad to the championship. Jeff Walz is a name that does not get enough publicity in the women’s game, but he has been great for the Cardinal bringing that team to prominence.

   

  Before Walz took over the team only had four NCAA tourney wins. In his 15 seasons, he has 37 wins in the tournament and has advanced to the final four, four times. He has also made it to the championship game twice. He has won a remarkable five straight ACC regular season titles. South Carolina’s Dawn Staley is a legend in the women’s game as a player and is quickly becoming legendary as a coach. In just 14 seasons on the job as a Gamecock she has made four, final four appearances in the last seven years and cut down the nets in 2017. All she knows is gold as a coach of Team USA and she has fiercely fought for women to be appreciated in athletics at the same level as the men. Her recruiting classes keep getting better and better as she produces top 10 WNBA picks almost yearly now.

   

  Bill Self has put together a resume envious of all who have coached the game. Over the last 24 years of his career (18 at KU) He has won over 73% of his games at every stop and that includes an over 82% winning percentage as the Jayhawks leader. He has more accolades that anyone would care to write about, and he is already a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He led the Jayhawks to the national title in 2008. Jay Wright is one of the newest members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and in his 21 years as the head coach at Villanova, he has built a monster. His squad has won two national titles. In 2016 when they cut the heart out of Tar Heel fans with a last second buzzer beater and in 2018 when they dashed the hopes of the Michigan faithful. He has found success zigging when others were zagging in recruiting by not targeting potential one and done talent but focusing on the talent that fit the style they wanted to play.

   

  With all due respect to Hubert Davis (and he deserves respect) nobody outside of Chapel Hill will be talking about him in the final four. It is worth noting that not many coaches follow a legend and have immediate success. Not many coaches go to the final four in their first season as a head coach. Most first-time coaches don’t make adjustments that change the trajectory of the team not only in the present but possibly for years to come. What Davis has done at UNC this year is applause worthy. With that being said, all eyes will be fixated on the modern era GOAT of the college coaching world Coach K as he tries to cap off an incredible career with one more national title win. Like many of the other coaches, we could run down all of his accolades but what really matters is five national titles. If he wins it again this season, he will go out with a national championship in four different decades. That level of excellence is mind blowing.

   

  This weekend is filled with storylines. Geno is looking for his 11th championship, and Coach K is zeroing in on six. VanDerveer hopes to win her fourth and Wright is trying to win his third. Self and Staley will hope to double up while Walz and Davis hope that they get to cut down the nets for the first time as coaches. Will UConn have enough to get by Stanford in a pick 'em game? Can anyone stop the freight train that is South Carolina? Can Louisville break through? Can UNC end Coach K’s career? What an epic weekend. Take a seat, grab a drink and your favorite game time snacks, and watch it all unfold.

   

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  Gene Clemons is a Sports Analyst and Contributor to CWN Sports. His weekly column and podcast - Gene Therapy focuses on Sports, Politics and Social/Urban issues.

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• Gene Therapy: You Gotta Travel!

  May 17, 2022 Gene Clemons 0 Comments

  

   

  by: Gene Clemons

   

  The high school basketball season is interesting. You go to offseason workouts, play in summer leagues, and train; all for the opportunity to try and win a region, conference, district state title. A high school basketball player will average getting home at around seven at night if they are lucky and get the early after school gym time. If they are unlucky, they either wait until later to practice and don’t get home until around nine or they must wake up at five in the morning to practice before school begins. They travel sometimes over an hour away for games during the school week and don’t crash into bed until midnight or later. Many of these student athletes do this because they want to earn an opportunity to play in college. But, for all the hard work they do, most college basketball coaches are not even paying them any attention. The college basketball season starts before the high schoolers get started and ends after high schools have already crowned a state champion. So, when would a college coach have time to leave their program in the middle of a season to go see about any players that are not local? The answer is almost never. I am sure college coaches try to slip in some time when they are on the road or maybe have a few days in between games but the majority of that time is being spent on getting the current team better. So, for all of that sweat and effort most high school seasons go relatively unnoticed by the decision makers in college basketball. So how are these young men getting recruited?

   

  If you are a basketball player and you are not traveling in the offseason with a team, then there is a good chance you will fly under the radar and be missed by potential programs who may be interested in you. Travel ball has become so popular because it is where the college coaches can actually get out and evaluate players in real game situations. Unlike football where all of the camps, combines, clinics, workshops, and 7 on 7 tournaments can’t really give a coach the understanding of what a player can do in-game, travel basketball tournaments provide a live evaluation of players participating in the same game they will play when they go to college. Football mega camps have become popular because of how many college coaches attend but in many cases, you never  see the head coaches of the bigger programs there. When you go to the sites of elite travel basketball camps, it is not shocking to see Bill Self sitting next to Juwan Howard waving at (insert famous coach’s name here). That is the normal; and it is not just a couple there, they are there in droves. Hundreds of decision makers decked out in their polo and khaki shorts or their athletics warmups with the various logos of their universities prominently displayed for everyone to see.

   

  Another reason why the travel circuit has completely replaced the high school season as the major recruiting ground is that you get to see talented players go against similarly talented competition. Everyone knows that high school is broken into the haves and have nots. Teams that are stacked with talent going up against teams who are simply fielding a team for recreational purposes. If you remember what the opposition Zion Williamson’s high school team looked like, those games were a joke most of the time. That is simply not the case in travel ball. Whether you play on a team at a specific age group or you are playing on an elite team. You are placed in groups where you are competing against teams with similar talent. This gives evaluators an even better chance to see how you compare to your contemporaries. It is something that high schools simply can not compete with. Even at tournaments that are meant to bring some of the best high school teams together, there is usually someone on the court who is not at the level of others or the teams are brought in because they have one or two elite players on them.

   

  The result is that the high school season has a true duality to it. It is the opportunity to play basketball for those who may not be at the elite level in the state or nationally. A way to represent your school, stay active during the football offseason or take a break from baseball. That’s a valuable thing. After all, high school is still about creating lifelong memories and forming bonds that could never be broken. The high school season still serves that purpose. But for the players who have aspirations of hooping in college, the high school season is nothing more than live practice reps. It is the place where you work on your game and get it polished up to showcase when the basketball live periods occur in the spring and summertime. You see big men work on their jump shot and handles. You see guards try to finish better at the rim and polish their step back three pointer. The high school season is where you see them incorporate new moves and develop different skills. That used to be reserved for AAU or YBOA 20 years ago. But now big travel ball circuits are the real season for these elite hoopers.

   

  It is a reality that most high school coaches have either embraced, or are trying to fight a losing battle. The toothpaste is out of the tube and there is no way to ever get it back. The fact that most states have still not instituted a shot clock or a college three point line means that they can’t even properly prepare these young men and women for the type of world they are going to experience when they go to college. The college game is night and day from the high school game and until they begin to make the changes necessary to implement college rules and gameplay in high school, you will never see it regain the luster it once had. The best thing for high school coaches to do is to work on developing the best student athletes possible so that they will have a chance to showcase their skills to college coaches when they start traveling.

   

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  Gene Clemons is a Sports Analyst and Contributor to CWN Sports. His weekly column and podcast - Gene Therapy focuses on Sports, Politics and Social/Urban issues.

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• Gene Therapy: No Time to "Stick to Sports"

  May 31, 2022 Gene Clemons 0 Comments

  

   

  by Gene Clemons

   

  “Stick to sports!”

   

  If you have played, coached, or covered sports you know this phrase all too well. The familiar refrain of those who believe that if you are involved in athletics, then all you should ever care about or talk about is athletics. The assumption is that all you know about is sports and therefore you are unqualified to speak about anything else intelligently. The hypocrisy is maddening. Most fans don’t really understand the sports they follow but it has never kept any of them from discussing it ad nauseum. Doctors are not told to “stick to medicine,” carpenters are not asked to “stick to building things” and people who work at a supermarket are not told to “stick to groceries.” Why is there a double standard for people who participate in and cover sports? 

   

  The tragedy in Uvalde Texas once again put America in the crosshairs of domestic terrorism and sports media members in a position where we are left to ponder if it is time for social commentary or the escapism that comes along with tuning into your favorite sports television show, radio broadcast, podcast, or column. In many cases it can be a delicate balance. There are so many other media outlets and sources that someone can turn to which don’t offer the opportunities to escape into the sports world. So, when the sports world decides, it is going to switch up normal programming to illuminate a particular story, when they decide that their commentary on an event, topic, or issues supersedes that of the sports climate that they normally indulge in, there are times where there is push back. That resistance normally comes in the form of the phrase “Stick to Sports!”

   

  What many fans who feel this way fail to understand is that sometimes there are topics that media members do not feel comfortable with letting go by without addressing them. At the end of the day humanity should win out over a bottom line or an inconvenience to one’s normal escapism. It is impossible to escape for people who have immersed their lives in mass media. How do you come into a local radio show, think about the issues that trouble our country, know you have a platform to address those issues, however big, and say nothing? It is incumbent on those who can help to do so. 

   

  This was no more evident in how the “Worldwide Leader” handled its sports personalities. Jemele Hill and Dan Lebatard were both suspended for their social/political commentary while working at ESPN. In Hill’s case she was suspended for political tweets that she made on her personal profile. Both incidents soured the relationship with the popular personalities and ultimately ended their relationship. Both have gone on to find the freedom they sought while at ESPN. The interesting thing is that after their departures (Hill’s especially) and in the wake of the senseless murders of multiple black and brown people at the hands of the police force, ESPN allowed their personalities to open up and share strong commentary on the subject which included many heartfelt, teary-eyed, strongly defiant admonishments of the police force and hoe they have treated people of color. Even in those cases, the “stick to sports” regulars came out to admonish the efforts to bring about change on the airwaves of their favorite sports talk debate show platform. 

   

  The hypocrisy is almost laughable if the subject matter was not so serious. Many of the same people who will tell athletes and the media members who cover them to stick to sports, are the same people who talk about athletes and media members having the power to make changes and influence people. How they feel seems to only depend on if they are personally affected by the issue. If so, then it is ok to address it and in fact, it is our duty to do so. If not, then media and athletes alike should just engage in the sports rhetoric that pleases them. You wonder if these people truly believe that athletes and sports media members really want to talk about these difficult subjects. There would be no reason to talk about police forces using excessive force if police did not use excessive force. There would be no reason to write monologues about racial inequality if that inequality did not exist. And the last thing anyone ever wants to discuss is mass murder and murdering children. These are not topics that many look to tackle or discuss but when they happen, what other choice are we left with? 

   

  We should never have to address children being massacred in a school while police forces sit outside and detain parents who are only trying to help their kids. There should be no reason to address unarmed black men and women being killed by police officers while heavily armed white terrorist are apprehended unharmed. The truth is that most members of the media do the very best they can to stick to sports or to create a sports angle in their commentary. If they truly addressed all of the horrible things that happened in this country there would be no time for sports and eventually they would depress themselves but again, there are some things that no matter how you try, you can not and should not ignore.  Sports and sports media should never have to be the vehicle for escape because you don’t want to deal with the heartbreak associated with these events. We should all do a better job of making sure these events do not continue, and how else do you make that happen, if everyone doesn't talk about it ..

   

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  Gene Clemons is a Sports Analyst and Contributor to CWN Sports. His weekly column and podcast - Gene Therapy focuses on Sports, Politics and Social/Urban issues.

   

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• Mambacita First, Mamba Forever.

  Apr 3, 2022 Andrew Williams 0 Comments

  

   

  by Andrew Williams

   

  It was almost a year ago when the news that rattled the sneaker world and the NBA community hit the newsfeeds and timelines. Nike announced that all Kobe- related footwear and apparel will cease production. At this time the deal that Kobe locked in after his retirement in 2016 was coming to an end, and with the recent passing (at the time) of the late great player it seemed like we would never see another Nike Kobe shoe. It felt like we would have to look Devin Booker or Demar Derozan to open an eBay store before we see another Kobe shoe.  We can’t say we were aware of the reasons the deal fell through, but the Bryant camp was looking for the rare lifetime Nike deal which is currently only held by only by athletes like Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Cristiano Ronaldo solely.  So this was going to be a tough sell for the Bryant camp and at that time the deal stalled out. 

   

     Oh happy day sneaker-heads on March 24 2022, Nike officially announced they will be partnering with Vanessa Bryant and the Bryant family on championing a new generation of fans focusing on youth sports.  So what that means is the first release we can expect to see will pay homage to Kobe and Gigi with the focus on Gigi Bryant.  

   

   Nike is expected to release the first shoe from this new partnership with the Bryant family. Kobe 6 Protro “Mambacita Sweet 16” which will be releasing on what would have been Gigi Bryant’s 16th birthday May 1,2022. All proceeds from the shoe will benefit the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation. 

   

   So I feel it would only be right in celebration of the new future of Nike/ Bryant partnership in my first let’s kick it, shoe review I will review the Kobe 6 Protro “Mambacita Sweet 16”.

   

   Some of us already took a peak at these shoes back in May when some photos were leaked prior to the Bryant family having a deal in place.  The Kobe 6 Protro “Mambacita Sweet 16” dresses the famous Kobe 6 silhouette in a white and textured black matching the late Gigi Bryant’s Mamba Academy uniform. The Kobe 6 silhouette is also adorned with both father and daughter name on the heel tucked right under the Mamba Academy logo. The  inside is  lined with black and white patterned fabric to give that true Mamba like feel to it. Definitely a must have shoe.  With the understated color way these Kobe 6 will be a hit on and off the court. I can see the sleek, elegant design this shoe can be dressed up from anything from a sports coat to a full tuxedo and still be the element that pops the outfit. The most impressive part was the shoe was completely designed by Vanessa Bryant to pay homage to her late husband and daughter. 

      With release dates appearing to be around the beginning of May we can be sure to find these as a summer staple for 2022 and years to come. So as I prep to devise a plan to obtain a pair of size 12  Kobe 6 Protro a part of me thinks back to that cold December night of 2020 scoping out a way to get the elusive final Grinch Kobe’s I quietly whisper to myself Mamba Forever. 

  

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  Andrew Williams is a Sports Analyst and Host of BallCourt - The World of Basketball with Coach Drew and Let's Kick It - Courtside.

   

   

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• Gene Therapy: USFL, Adapt or Die!

  May 10, 2022 Gene Clemons 0 Comments

  

   

  by Gene Clemons

   

  The USFL is weeks into their return to action after 37 years of inactivity. Through the first few weeks the USFL has shown video technology and camera angles not seen on an NFL broadcast. That innovation is nice but it's adding questionable tech to a product that everybody else already enjoys. The real innovations that could separate them from the established game have not really been taken advantage of so far in the young season. Only one three-point conversion has been made this season. Nobody has tried the new onside kick and there are other little gameplay innovations that we have not seen used.

   

  Outside of the players there are so many people who want the USFL to succeed. They know that there is room for football that is not the NFL that football fans will consume. But there is a quote from the movie Moneyball that applies perfectly to the USFL, the XFL and every other league that decides it wants to dip its toe in the water. Billy Beane is talking to his scouting department as they try to put a game plan in place to replace their three most influential players and he knows they can't keep doing things the way they have always done it. He announces their new direction, and all of the scouts think he's crazy. After dropping an expletive in response to Grady Fuson's answer, he bangs his fist on the table and says:

   

  "If we try to play like the Yankees in here, we will lose to the Yankees out there."

   

  If these leagues try to do what the NFL does or even try to garner affiliation with the NFL, their product will without a doubt flounder and fail. In other words, "lose" to the NFL. So the innovation can't simply be in the first down technology, these leagues can't be afraid to embrace playing offense and defense differently. The rules can't be afraid to go completely away from formatting that we have become accustomed to with the NFL and college football. One of the reasons Canadian football has been able to survive is that the game is played differently than the American game. 12 men, forward motion, three downs, and many other smaller modifications allows them to create a lane all their own. So much that success in the NFL does not automatically mean success in Canada.

   

  In the first week of the USFL season, kickers blamed the new ball that was being used for all the missed kicks. The real question was why were there so many kicks attempted? Why were the offenses so conservative? Yes there is a new three-point conversion but why not promote scoring by making field goals more difficult? Reduce the field goal width to the size of an arena league field goal. That may make teams think three times about playing for a field goal. Back up the extra point to 35 yards so that teams understand the added value of the two and three-point conversions. Nobody comes to a football game to watch the four or five field goal performances seen regularly in the NFL. They want to see scoring or they want to see teams die trying. 

   

  The offensive end is where it is easiest to put in stipulations that reward aggressive offenses. Possibly changing the hash marks or even widening the field could encourage more offensive innovation. You can give an offense an extra 10 yards if they get a first down on a first down play. This would encourage offenses to abandon conservative play calling on third down. If the offense decides to punt beyond the 50 yard line or kick a field goal, the team should be penalized 10 yards. This would also encourage more people to go for it on fourth down once they get beyond midfield. Penalizing the conservative forces these coaches to innovate and adapt to a modernized game.

   

  Another innovation that the USFL needs to make is to speed the game up. Traditional play clocks allow for slower play from teams which in turn bores fans who have the attention span of a garden fly. If the play clock was set at 20 seconds, it would force all teams into up-tempo play which means that teams have a better chance of making mistakes that lead to more scoring. A faster game also keeps the fan engaged because things are moving quickly. Football is a game of mistakes and the team who makes the least mistakes usually wins the game. Force the teams into a situation where mistakes are critical. Don’t pause the game to allow defenses to substitute when offenses substitute. The pace of the game would ultimately result in the clock running consistently and a faster overall game time.

   

  Fans love scoring! The Arena League was one of the most popular professional football entities because they were a fast-paced league built on scoring. The USFL would be wise to bottle some of that excitement as they transition from Birmingham where all of the teams are currently playing, to their actual cities in year two of the league. That is when they can really make the league more personal like the AFL was able to do for years. The USFL has been consistently pulling ratings that rival or beat other professional leagues and with that it has proven it is a viable business. To grow in the right direction it will take foresight. The Arena League was able to tap into the community by offering an affordable experience for the family to come and attend. Many minor league baseball teams use similar models to draw in fans. The fan experience needs to be personal, much more personal than they get from the NFL and even big time college football. 

   

  The ability to innovate is there for the USFL, not just in technology used to broadcast the game, but on social media, in their game play and in their fan interaction. They need to adapt, to be open to constantly evolving as they explore various avenues. That willingness makes them unique and can make this league unique if they really want to be around forever.

   

   

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  Gene Clemons is a Sports Analyst and Contributor to CWN Sports. His weekly column and podcast - Gene Therapy focuses on Sports, Politics and Social/Urban issues.

   

   

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