I'd like to put a word in for The Brooklyn Youth Sports Club. Started by two brothers who are New York City natives, this non-profit is growing quickly and is doing very special work in pursuit of their mission to "build an enriching educational setting for economically disadvantaged youth, using athletics as a vehicle to inspire them to fulfill their academic, physical, and personal potential."
The program has recently moved away from AAU programming, having found the culture there more problematic than helpful in terms of providing long-term benefits to the kids involved.
There is a very interesting story to tell about The Brooklyn Youth Sports Club.
bkysc.org
The program has recently moved away from AAU programming, having found the culture there more problematic than helpful in terms of providing long-term benefits to the kids involved.
There is a very interesting story to tell about The Brooklyn Youth Sports Club.
bkysc.org
The Skidegate Saints Basketball team:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-lng-sponsorship-inapp...
http://www.thenorthernview.com/news/291992011.html
http://www.thenorthernview.com/news/291419331.html
http://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/01/29/holistic-hoops-haida-gwaii-style...
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/basketball-more-than-a-ga...
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-lng-sponsorship-inapp...
http://www.thenorthernview.com/news/291992011.html
http://www.thenorthernview.com/news/291419331.html
http://blogs.theprovince.com/2014/01/29/holistic-hoops-haida-gwaii-style...
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/basketball-more-than-a-ga...
We have an elementary public school team in Harlem that is pretty extraordinary. The YDMA PS 242 Wolves have won 24 straight games. The school is a collection of special education students, shelter kids and students from single parent families. What they share is a love of basketball. The Harlem JV league is comprised of six teams of similar makeup scattered through East and West Harlem. The quality of the players is fantastic. YDMA is located on 122nd between Lenox and Malcom X Blvd. The passing would make the Spurs envious!
UC Davis men's basketball is enjoying one of the best turnarounds in Div. I this season. The Aggies were 9-22 last year (have never had a winning season since joining Div. I in 2007) but are 18-4 this year, lead the Big West and are ranked 13th in CollegeInsider.com's Mid-Major top 25. They are coached by former NBA sharpshooter Jim Les (whose son is a key player on the team) and are led by Corey Hawkins (son of former NBA player Hersey Hawkins) who leads the country in 3-pt shooting (52.6%). UC Davis is shooting 46.2% from 3-pt to lead Div. I which would be the best pct. in the NCAA in the last 23 years if it holds. Quite a remarkable turnaround.
You may want to interview Northeastern Men's Assistant Tom Murphy.He holds a clipboard for HC Bill Coen,who was hired after serving as BC Asst.,under Al Skinner.Coach Murphy was Hamilton College's very successful Head Coach for over 30 years.Coen was a captain of some of his special teams,and is able to call on his expertise during games.Prior to Hamilton,Murphy coached Belleville HS to a NY State record 109 straight victories.He'll talk "Hoops" with you.
While it's not basketball we play, your latest article on the senior b-ball players reminded me of my team of 'old lady' soccer players in Greenwich Village. We've been playing with/against each other for the past decade. When one thinks of soccer players, our image is the last that would come to mind; yet the act of playing together for so many years has profoundly impacted our lives. Team sports became a late in life found blessing.
If you are looking for a little inspiration make sure to drop by and visit Don Curtis and the Alexandria Kings basketball program. He is well known down here in the DC/Virginia area, and his player development philosophy is truly refreshing during a time when AAU basketball has been labeled as being solely concerned with sponsorship dollars. I know Don from a pickup basketball game at American University, and we all are in awe of his tireless dedication to the program and to developing not just good players, but even better people.
Maybe check into the championship wheelchair basketball being played at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
I think that would make for a good read.
I think that would make for a good read.
Gunn High of Palo Alto, CA v. Palo Alto High, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2015
Dear Scott:
Hey, lighten up! You had your Willis Reed moment. You had Clyde, Ewing! You were great. You’ll be great again. You’re only smarting because you know that basketball is life and your New York Knickerbockers are lifeless, moribund, deader than a dodo. This is your first encounter with cognitive dissonance. And so you pout.
Take my advice: go to Never Too Late Basketball’s weekend camp in Lakeside, Michigan. Go as a player, a writer or both. It doesn’t matter. Just go! I know the head coach and NTL founder, Steve Bzomowski, love him like a brother. I know the players and the assistant coaches who return year after year because this camp is magic and we’ve all succumbed to its charm, where all you do is immerse yourself from sunup to sundown in everything that basketball is about or can mean, the lore of it, what makes a great player great. Did you ever wonder how Robert Parish learned to pick the ball clean of the glass and hurl it down court from either hand, with ambidextrous ease? Do you know the axiom that explains why Ewing could carom the ball off the backboard like he was slicing prosciutto? Do you still want to learn to shoot, set a pick, and play help side defense a little better? Even if perhaps a few too many years have gone by?
Come to this camp. It only happens once a year. It only happens for three days. Find out why people keep coming back, again and again and again. Write it up. Thank me for it.
Respectfully yours,
John Poplett
Hey, lighten up! You had your Willis Reed moment. You had Clyde, Ewing! You were great. You’ll be great again. You’re only smarting because you know that basketball is life and your New York Knickerbockers are lifeless, moribund, deader than a dodo. This is your first encounter with cognitive dissonance. And so you pout.
Take my advice: go to Never Too Late Basketball’s weekend camp in Lakeside, Michigan. Go as a player, a writer or both. It doesn’t matter. Just go! I know the head coach and NTL founder, Steve Bzomowski, love him like a brother. I know the players and the assistant coaches who return year after year because this camp is magic and we’ve all succumbed to its charm, where all you do is immerse yourself from sunup to sundown in everything that basketball is about or can mean, the lore of it, what makes a great player great. Did you ever wonder how Robert Parish learned to pick the ball clean of the glass and hurl it down court from either hand, with ambidextrous ease? Do you know the axiom that explains why Ewing could carom the ball off the backboard like he was slicing prosciutto? Do you still want to learn to shoot, set a pick, and play help side defense a little better? Even if perhaps a few too many years have gone by?
Come to this camp. It only happens once a year. It only happens for three days. Find out why people keep coming back, again and again and again. Write it up. Thank me for it.
Respectfully yours,
John Poplett
1
My name is Tim Holland; I coach high school basketball in south Florida. This story isn't about my high school team, but rather a 6th grade AAU team established three years ago that I've become acquainted with. On any given weekend, one could wander in a gym through the sunshine state to find this rather unremarkable looking group of 11-12 year old suburban kids lacing up their shoes for its next tournament. What makes this story different from other "normal kids with fundamentals beat superior athletes from urban locales" stories is the way this program has grown the past few years. Palm Beach Elite was established out of necessity when its coach, Matt Bennett, a former college player, and current pharmaceutical sales manager wanted something better for his young son. After observing the recreational and travel leagues available locally, Matt decided (despite countless naysayers) to start his own competitive team. You see, following Matt's playing days, he coached HS in the Midwest and also personally trained high major division I players. He had little experience coaching kids. Since he didn't know any better, he applied the same techniques he'd used with William Buford (Ohio St.'s third all-time leading scorer) and others to the elementary-aged boys he was now coaching. This approach has yielded incredible results; namely a sweet 16 berth in the 2014 AAU National Tournament. This season, the goals are loftier. Today's tourney championship in Tampa was just the beginning...
he perfect assignment for Scott is the Santa Cruz Warriors...The D league team of the franchise with the best winning record in the NBA - the Golden State Warriors. They play to wildly enthusiastic crowds in the California beach community of Santa Cruz - a great place to visit by the way!
They relocated there from Bismark North Dakota three years ago and everyone thought the idea of basketball in Santa Cruz was nuts. Were the skeptics ever proven wrong. A new facility was constructed in three months in a community with red tape and bureaucracy which is stunning. A crime ridden area was transformed.
In it's first 2 years the team made it to the D League finals and once again they lead their division this year. Scott's job can be made extraordinary by the fact that next weekend there is special series of games in Santa Cruz which allows NBA scouts to see every D league team in action. Every team will play in what i believe is a 4 day event.
They relocated there from Bismark North Dakota three years ago and everyone thought the idea of basketball in Santa Cruz was nuts. Were the skeptics ever proven wrong. A new facility was constructed in three months in a community with red tape and bureaucracy which is stunning. A crime ridden area was transformed.
In it's first 2 years the team made it to the D League finals and once again they lead their division this year. Scott's job can be made extraordinary by the fact that next weekend there is special series of games in Santa Cruz which allows NBA scouts to see every D league team in action. Every team will play in what i believe is a 4 day event.
Scott -
Sorry your recent basketball experiences have been less than ideal. But, don't fret, I've got something that is sure to cheer you right up! A real slam dunk, if you will.
As long as you're already in New York, I think your best bet at covering an exciting, action-filled game, all the while having fun in the process, is at a ZogSports Basketball game.
ZogSports is the country's largest, charity-oriented, CoEd Social Sports league. We have thousands of men and women who play basketball with us each week, each team playing for charity. With different skill leveled leagues and team names you couldn't possibly think up on your own, this 'aint no ordinary basketball game. Plus, there's a happy hour after every game - what could be better?
Come check out the game - hey, one of the teams might even need you as a ringer. You're sure to have a story that's fresh, fun, out-of-the-box, and certainly more rewarding than the misfortune that has been as of late.
We'd absolutely love to have you! Feel free to reach out at Ashley(AT)ZogSports(DOT)com and I can give you all of the details!
Sorry your recent basketball experiences have been less than ideal. But, don't fret, I've got something that is sure to cheer you right up! A real slam dunk, if you will.
As long as you're already in New York, I think your best bet at covering an exciting, action-filled game, all the while having fun in the process, is at a ZogSports Basketball game.
ZogSports is the country's largest, charity-oriented, CoEd Social Sports league. We have thousands of men and women who play basketball with us each week, each team playing for charity. With different skill leveled leagues and team names you couldn't possibly think up on your own, this 'aint no ordinary basketball game. Plus, there's a happy hour after every game - what could be better?
Come check out the game - hey, one of the teams might even need you as a ringer. You're sure to have a story that's fresh, fun, out-of-the-box, and certainly more rewarding than the misfortune that has been as of late.
We'd absolutely love to have you! Feel free to reach out at Ashley(AT)ZogSports(DOT)com and I can give you all of the details!
Consider the Burr & Burton in Manchester Center, Vermont (pop. 4,000). An amazing Independent School that doubles as the public school for Manchester and a number of area towns (must take everyone). The most innovative high school in Vermont with amazing academic and athletic results.
2013-14 finish: 22-1
Head coach: Dave Shedadi
Burr & Burton navigated the regular season without a loss last year, thanks in large part to the coach's son, Joey Shehadi, who averaged nearly 21 points per game. He was part of a very solid junior class last year that is poised for a Division I state title run as seniors. Connor Harrington, Tyeshawn Gadson and Taylor Muench are other key returners.
In the 2008-2009 school year, Burr and Burton Academy set the record for the most State Championships in Vermont in a single year, with 10 out of the 16 sports bringing home the win: Girls Cross Country, Girls Dance, Girls Basketball, Boys and Girls Snowboarding, Boys Alpine Skiing, Girls Hockey, Boys Golf, Girls Tennis, and Boys Lacrosse. The previous record was 7.
http://www.burrburton.org/
2013-14 finish: 22-1
Head coach: Dave Shedadi
Burr & Burton navigated the regular season without a loss last year, thanks in large part to the coach's son, Joey Shehadi, who averaged nearly 21 points per game. He was part of a very solid junior class last year that is poised for a Division I state title run as seniors. Connor Harrington, Tyeshawn Gadson and Taylor Muench are other key returners.
In the 2008-2009 school year, Burr and Burton Academy set the record for the most State Championships in Vermont in a single year, with 10 out of the 16 sports bringing home the win: Girls Cross Country, Girls Dance, Girls Basketball, Boys and Girls Snowboarding, Boys Alpine Skiing, Girls Hockey, Boys Golf, Girls Tennis, and Boys Lacrosse. The previous record was 7.
http://www.burrburton.org/
You should check out the Seattle Supersonics -- undefeated since 2008!
Scott,
Come see MAMBA (Middle-Aged Men's Basketball Association) Thursday nights from 7:30-9:30pm at IS 230 in Queens - 73-10 34th Avenue, 4th floor!
We are a group of ten ordinary guys who rent out a public school gym and play harder than the Knicks. You will not witness any dunks because we cannot dunk. You may, however, see several players fall to the floor in pain and others with hands on their knees gasping for air. My guarantee is that you will leave the gym satisfied with a hard fought and competitive game, which is more than I can say for our beloved Knicks.
Since our inception in 2008, we have had one spectator. One. Your visit would double our number and potentially make MAMBA a nationally recognized league!
Come see MAMBA (Middle-Aged Men's Basketball Association) Thursday nights from 7:30-9:30pm at IS 230 in Queens - 73-10 34th Avenue, 4th floor!
We are a group of ten ordinary guys who rent out a public school gym and play harder than the Knicks. You will not witness any dunks because we cannot dunk. You may, however, see several players fall to the floor in pain and others with hands on their knees gasping for air. My guarantee is that you will leave the gym satisfied with a hard fought and competitive game, which is more than I can say for our beloved Knicks.
Since our inception in 2008, we have had one spectator. One. Your visit would double our number and potentially make MAMBA a nationally recognized league!
Look to the University of Virginia men's basketball team, #3 in the nation and reigning ACC regular season and tourney champs despite fielding exactly zero McDonald's All-Americans (to #1 Kentucky & #2 Duke's nine each). College is not the pros, for sure, and the shades of orange & blue aren't identical — but Phil Jackson and Tony Bennett have each sought to build a culture of excellence after many, many lean years marked by missteps and fading memories of centers with bad knees (Ewing, Sampson). Phil's a legend, but Tony's a few years ahead in the quest. An instructive comparison might present itself in Charlottesville (also: Cville's a wonderful place to visit). There are even parallel MSG-U.Va. rebuilding tales to be told by a writer with an appreciation for history: in the 1890s, Stanford White took a crack at reimagining the Garden and Thomas Jefferson's U.Va. Rotunda both. Neither still stand as he left them. What will last of what Phil and Tony build?
I really think he should cover the Brooklyn Nets because of the history of the veteran players and their bid for the playoffs. Any other team might be too far. But if he could cover the Golden State Warriors that would be awesome
Definitely send him to Atlanta to watch the superb Hawks! The team is on its hottest roll in seemingly franchise history and it is a good story to follow. Controversy during the summer regarding comments made by GM Danny Ferry hasn't stopped this team from playing solid basketball.. they are the anti-Knicks and anti-Nets with their teamwork and esprit de corps.
Dear Scott,
My 14-year old son and I (avid Knick fans) feel your pain!
I think going out to cover a few local games is a great idea. Not only will it extract you from the dreary task of covering the Knicks this season, it may help to remind you of what the game is supposed to be all about (especially since you haven't seen much of it at MSG recently) - having fun, teamwork, strong work ethic and pure love of the game.
To that end, the MSIT JV Basketball Team at Staten Island Tech is a must see because they exhibit all those qualities and more. One of the things that makes it even more interesting is that Staten Island Tech (ranked #6 amongst high schools in the nation by Newsweek last year) partners with McKee Tech, also located on the Island. They are two vastly different schools yet the players on the team perform as one unit and have amazing friendships with each other that will last well beyond the court. Watching this group of kids come together on and off the court constantly reminds me of the true and blind passion that draws us to sports when we're young. Not the contracts, ego, selfishness and countless other things that go along with some professional teams these days.
As I wait and watch my beloved Knicks go through this interminable but desperately needed rebuilding, I will go to as many of the JV and Varsity games as I can so I can remember why we watch and play in the first place - pure love of the game.
See you courtside on S.I.!
My 14-year old son and I (avid Knick fans) feel your pain!
I think going out to cover a few local games is a great idea. Not only will it extract you from the dreary task of covering the Knicks this season, it may help to remind you of what the game is supposed to be all about (especially since you haven't seen much of it at MSG recently) - having fun, teamwork, strong work ethic and pure love of the game.
To that end, the MSIT JV Basketball Team at Staten Island Tech is a must see because they exhibit all those qualities and more. One of the things that makes it even more interesting is that Staten Island Tech (ranked #6 amongst high schools in the nation by Newsweek last year) partners with McKee Tech, also located on the Island. They are two vastly different schools yet the players on the team perform as one unit and have amazing friendships with each other that will last well beyond the court. Watching this group of kids come together on and off the court constantly reminds me of the true and blind passion that draws us to sports when we're young. Not the contracts, ego, selfishness and countless other things that go along with some professional teams these days.
As I wait and watch my beloved Knicks go through this interminable but desperately needed rebuilding, I will go to as many of the JV and Varsity games as I can so I can remember why we watch and play in the first place - pure love of the game.
See you courtside on S.I.!
1
Army and Navy are playing on Saturday at 12 noon at West Point! Cover that matchup if you want to see athletes who play their hearts out for the love of the game instead of being in it for riches.
First and foremost? Probably the Atlanta Hawks or the Golden State Warriors. Both teams represent an evolution of San Antonio's selfless style of basketball, with great ball movement, stifling defense that leads to plenty of transition baskets, and the glory of watching the Wild Bill Hickok of basketball: Stephen Curry.
The other two "great" teams to watch are probably the Dallas Mavericks and the Chicago Bulls. Dallas is the "jazz" that Sacramento Kings' owner Vivek Ranadivé longs for, while Chicago is the amorphous ball of talent that everyone thought the Cleveland Cavaliers had acquired when they traded for Kevin Love (Pau Gasol has turned out to be the real prize at PF from last summer).
I'd also highly recommend the Washington Wizards or the Houston Rockets. The only problem is that those teams don't always show up with their A game. I assure you, however, that Houston's F game puts the Knicks' A game to shame.
The other two "great" teams to watch are probably the Dallas Mavericks and the Chicago Bulls. Dallas is the "jazz" that Sacramento Kings' owner Vivek Ranadivé longs for, while Chicago is the amorphous ball of talent that everyone thought the Cleveland Cavaliers had acquired when they traded for Kevin Love (Pau Gasol has turned out to be the real prize at PF from last summer).
I'd also highly recommend the Washington Wizards or the Houston Rockets. The only problem is that those teams don't always show up with their A game. I assure you, however, that Houston's F game puts the Knicks' A game to shame.
The Washington Wizards! They've been dysfunctional for so long, and now they have a legitimate chance to win the East. The team has promise: John Wall, Bradley Beal and interesting players like Marcin Gortat, NeNe and Paul Pierce. #dcRising
Let him loose on the Ivy League. The scholar-athlete vibe, the schools' geographical proximity and the hothouse atmosphere make for great stories.
1
Columbia Lions!
In this era of great divide between the global elite and the 99%, the hollowing middle class is more important than ever. Why not, then, cover the thrilling middle-class of basketball, the New York Urban Professionals League, just blocks from the Garden? Undersized yuppies throw haphazard box and ones at aging, fattening househusbands looking to string out their glory years. Ringers come in, drive to the hoop and pull a hamstring. The couple of people who played high school ball on each team scream at referees and try to Russell Westbrook their team to victory. Styles clash. Suspense abounds (will that jumpshot catch rim?!). Ball is life, and ball lives here.
1
Yawn.
What a great idea! Add'l coverage would help expand the interest of NBA and perhaps make it more interesting.
I nominate the Memphis Grizzlies for the following reasons:
Not a major team usually discusses such as LA, Chicago, Dallas, etc.
A decent team.
Only pro team in town.
Commemorate Elvis Presley 80th Birthday
Change name petition. Not many, if any, Grizzlies in the Memphis area.
I nominate the Memphis Grizzlies for the following reasons:
Not a major team usually discusses such as LA, Chicago, Dallas, etc.
A decent team.
Only pro team in town.
Commemorate Elvis Presley 80th Birthday
Change name petition. Not many, if any, Grizzlies in the Memphis area.
Given that the Rangers are the one successful franchise in the NY area currently, why is there not more expanded coverage? Go to the Stanley Cup Finals, play like a team, don't play music during a set play, and you're often relegated to the AP release?
In contrast, why are there multiple articles about the Knicks sideshow (it's not even about the play)?
You should be considering that outside of the Spurs, pro basketball in its existing incarnation is all about buying titles. Assemble 3 all stars who have no connection to the team, figure out a way for them to play, and win a couple of titles.
While the NBA has faded as a team sport, hockey has emerged as the ultimate, never mind the benefits of less fighting and interference, more skilled players, and HD television.
The Times should look at this as an opportunity to build in a vertical--hockey--that's underserved, especially considering the resurgence of the Islanders.
In contrast, why are there multiple articles about the Knicks sideshow (it's not even about the play)?
You should be considering that outside of the Spurs, pro basketball in its existing incarnation is all about buying titles. Assemble 3 all stars who have no connection to the team, figure out a way for them to play, and win a couple of titles.
While the NBA has faded as a team sport, hockey has emerged as the ultimate, never mind the benefits of less fighting and interference, more skilled players, and HD television.
The Times should look at this as an opportunity to build in a vertical--hockey--that's underserved, especially considering the resurgence of the Islanders.
We have 3 exciting women's college basketball teams here in NJ-they are all very much improved and have gotten in the top 25 on and off since the season started. The three teams: Rutgers, Seton Hall and Princeton. It may be worth checking out. I'm betting at least one, if not all 3 make the NCAA tournament.
Most responders seem to be treating this piece as a serious question, rather than what it is---a humorous commentary on how bad the Knicks are and have been for so long. And their talent for repeatedly snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
I'm sure any self-respecting basketball journalist knows where he can find good basketball....
I'm sure any self-respecting basketball journalist knows where he can find good basketball....
I suggest a road trip...Go to Cleveland to do a follow up story on JR and Shumpert when Cleveland plays the Jazz on Jan. 23, then stop by Lima, Ohio on Jan. 24 for a look at covering the University of Northwestern Ohio men's basketball team - with Brooklyn product Ziar Anderson helping lead the Racers in pursuit of their first ever NAIA National Tournament bid - then finish up with a trip to Chicago on Jan. 25th for Bulls/Heat at the United Center?
Send on down to Rutgers! Rutgers Women's Basketball!
In Westchester County, Manhattanville College's Alyson Caiazzo (from Brooklyn) is leading the entire NCAA in rebounding (over 17.0 rpg) and is set to become the program's second 1,000-point, 1,000-rebound player ever. All after less than 100 of each as a freshman. A great story on a local kid doing great things on the court!
1
If Scott would like a change of scene, I suggest that he head for the Connecticut Valley of Massachusetts and spend some time covering the Women's Basketball team of Amherst College. They play a style of ball that befuddles their opponents with its smart passing, energetic player movement, quick shots, hustling defense, and cooperation. Their record over the last few seasons has been outstanding. And, it's not just on the basketball court. Division III competitors expect that the expression "scholar-athletes" is a commitment, and the women on the Amherst team have consistently upheld both parts of that commitment. Sure it would be a change from the style that the Knicks and Division I basketball offer, but I think he would enjoy seeing the sport played in a way that reminds some of us long-standing Knick fans of Braun, Schayes, Reed, Frazier, Bradley and DeBusschere.
Please Scott, go cover my hometown team the Milwaukee Bucks. Simply follow the Knicks over to London then take the Bucks' plane back. We have a team with more depth and complications than the more popular Wisconsin local football, baseball, or college sports. Basketball wise, we have the Greek Freak at 20 years old, and it would be like watching a hybrid of Magic and Durant, a young player with the ability to become a superstar. We have first year owners from New York City to welcome you, Coach Jason Kidd who left Brooklyn, our #2 draft pick Jabari Parker out for the season with a torn ACL, our highest paid player having mental issues, a host of international players. But a mandate by the NBA to build a new arena in Milwaukee by 2017 or the owners have to sell the team back to the NBA (which meets at the center of where does a basketball team fit in with the community and city it's based), this is where a good outside reporter will be very good in observing many of the events taking place and what makes a professional basketball team succeed or fail in a city.
To see a team playing as a team, check out the Atlanta Hawks, currently leading the East! I've been a Hawks fan since the late 70s, and there have been some excellent teams over the years - but they have never meshed as well (or played defense as well as the current team. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ran a feature recently making a case for each of the Hawks' starters as worthy of the all-star team. I don't expect any of them to be chosen for the first team; there isn't a "superstar" in the group - just five fine starters, a solid bench, and one of the best coaches in the NBA.
1
Can we please get regular coverage for the New York Rangers?
Quite frankly, it's pathetic that the Times does not have a beat writer for a team that reached the Stanley Cup Finals last season. Even the 5-33 Knicks, mired in a 13-game losing streak, receive (substantially) more coverage than the 22-11-4 Rangers, who have won 11 of their last 12 games.
Case in point: last night the Times published an article on the Knicks’ 101-91 loss at Washington, but lazily decided to post an A.P. article for the Rangers’ 4-1 win at Anaheim. It’s time to reset priorities.
Quite frankly, it's pathetic that the Times does not have a beat writer for a team that reached the Stanley Cup Finals last season. Even the 5-33 Knicks, mired in a 13-game losing streak, receive (substantially) more coverage than the 22-11-4 Rangers, who have won 11 of their last 12 games.
Case in point: last night the Times published an article on the Knicks’ 101-91 loss at Washington, but lazily decided to post an A.P. article for the Rangers’ 4-1 win at Anaheim. It’s time to reset priorities.
1
Did anyone suggest Donkey Basketball yet? DONKEY BASKETBALL.
How about looking in on three teams on the rise in women's college basketball - Rutgers, Princeton and Seton Hall? For the first time probably ever, all three have been ranked this year, and Rutgers and Princeton currently are both in the top 25. For Rutgers, it's a return to relevance and for Princeton and Seton Hall this is one of the best years ever.
Come down to Brooklyn Heights and check out the St. Francis College men's basketball team. Picked #1 in the Northeast Conference pre-season poll, the Terriers are currently 8-7 and have won 8 of their last 10 games. Senior forward Jalen Cannon has garnered 3 "NEC Player of the Week" honors this season alone. He has moved into ninth place on the NEC's all-time rebound list with 938 caroms and is the second-leading active rebounder in the country. Brent Jones and Amdy Fall are two other Terriers that create real excitement on the court and are very fun to watch.
We play FDU tonight at 7pm - the game can be watched live at http://www.necfrontrow.com/webcast.php/FDU-2289/
St. Francis will be the home team on January 21st at The Garden taking on Central Connecticut State - if you're interested, please email our SID for media credentials ([email protected]).
We play FDU tonight at 7pm - the game can be watched live at http://www.necfrontrow.com/webcast.php/FDU-2289/
St. Francis will be the home team on January 21st at The Garden taking on Central Connecticut State - if you're interested, please email our SID for media credentials ([email protected]).
If you want to give Scott a break from winter weather, as well as the Knicks, you might consider San Diego State's men's team. They are a gritty, hard working defensive-minded squad, ably coached by Steve Fisher. And the local fans and student section are doing a respectable job of making visiting teams uncomfortable.
You should check out the men's basketball team at the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio. They are the winningest men's basketball team in the country, boasting an incredible .894 win percentage since the 1999-2000 season. Their coach, Steve Moore, is one of the most successful basketball coaches in NCAA Division III history. They are 9-2 this season, and should definitely be more enjoyable to watch than the Knicks. Oh, and did I mention that Wooster has bagpipes? It's a great school with some really interesting traditions.
Is this some sort of joke? New York has another -- AND BETTER -- NBA team that the Times covers through AP reports. The New York Times. Prints Associated Press "NBA Roundups" as its reporting on a major local professional sports team . Gee, I wonder if I can think of something for Scott to do?
1
Hey Scott - I coach a Rec team of 5th and 6th graders in North Salem NY. They are a hardworking and endlessly entertaining bunch of kids. We're 0-3 so far his season but I can guarantee heartwarming story fodder as a hapless Dad tries to teach the basics of pick and roll offense and zone defense. Come on up! Practice is Fri night and game is Sat 10:30am. I'll buy you coffee and an egg and cheese at the deli too. ;-)
1
Yes, this is a great opportunity for fans to experience and understand the players on the next tier down. Wouldn't it be wonderful to understand their experiences, hopes, dreams, especially at an age where they are putting everything on the line, after all, if they don't make it now, they spent their early twenties on developing into NBA players and if they don't make it they've lost important years towards security. Perhaps Scott could follow the Development league. How, where do they live? Salary? How do they advance? What options do they have? I don't know if the ball will be better, but the emotion has to be, since its do or die at this point for them.
Why not just switch gears and start reporting on one of the greatest sports dynasties ever - the UCONN women's basketball team under Coach Geno Auriemma and his Assistant, Chris Dailey. They are a modern day phenomenon and have put together records that will never again be duplicated - in any sport. And that unique record continues today and on into the foreseeable future. The team has become the idol of young girls all across the country to the point that even the one dream of M'one Davis, the Little League baseball pitcher, is to play on a Geno Auriemma coached basketball team. This is an inspiring story of excellence and team play that puts the Knicks to shame
1
Forget basketball! Why not go to the USA Cycling National Cyclocross Championships in Austin this weekend. You will see some truely awesome athletes, both men and women, competing in an exciting, rigorous and fun sport. A sport which is also not the playtoy of a group of rich and arrogant owners.
Dolan could learn a lot from reading about the best franchise in major sports - the San Antonio Spurs. Peter Holt, R.C. Buford and Greg Popovich are one of the best executive teams ever assembled.
3
The College of New Rochelle women's basketball program is celebrating a recent resurgence, having captured the HVIAC Tournament Championship last season. We are also bringing back the 1984-85 team on January 24 to honor them on the 30th anniversary of their run to the DIII National Championship Game. They were the first team from New York to play for a national title at any NCAA level. I think that story would be a good one to cover, spanning the history of the program. I would be happy to supply more information on this local story. Thanks!
I think he should come out to Middlesex County College in Edison, NJ (10 minutes from exit 10 on the NJ Turnpike). The women's team is now 11-3 and ranked 7th in the nation in Division 3. They play good team basketball and excellent defense. If he's at the Jan. 13 game at 5 p.m., it is likely that Quorea Pearyer will score her 1000th point (quite an achievement at a 2-year school). Her brother Jaquan is one of the stars of the men's team (7 p.m. game that night). [email protected]
Bravo to the NYT editor who suggested these "comments". Really interesting, fun, AND educational to read them!
2
You have to have a look at the Pistons. They were as bad as NY two weeks ago.
GIve Scott a get out of jail pass and have him cover a top college team - like Kentucky or North Carolina. Alternatively, assign him to a Division III team and have him report on what teamwork & playing basketball for pure fun is all about.
PS I noticed your article yesterday on the NBA's Futility Record. The photo showed the Philadelphia Sixers vs. the Buffalo Braves. in !972-1973. While attending college SUNY at Buffalo, I was the official scorer for the team. Watching futility up close, I van relate to Scott Cacciola's predicament!
PS I noticed your article yesterday on the NBA's Futility Record. The photo showed the Philadelphia Sixers vs. the Buffalo Braves. in !972-1973. While attending college SUNY at Buffalo, I was the official scorer for the team. Watching futility up close, I van relate to Scott Cacciola's predicament!
I think that he should be transferred to cover the team that is truly New York's college team. That team is the University at Buffalo, the State University of New York Bulls.
If you want to see good basketball, go to any high school or college women's game. It's the best basketball around. Much less ego and much more teamwork.
In the rural hills of western Somerset County in New Jersey, Gill St. Bernard's School has achieved great success in both boys and girls basketball. With many county championships and nearly a dozen graduates playing in DivisionOne programs, including Jaren Sina and Daisha Simmons at Seton Hall, Alex Mitola, the leading scorer for Dartmouth, Taylor Rooks of Stanford after being named NJ Gatorade Player of the Year for two consecutive years, and Jasmine Sina at Binghamton where she has been named Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week 3 times this year, GSB is the home of great high school basketball. Of note, however, is the school's "Blue Crew," one of the most spirited student cheering sections anywhere! Join us at GSB on any evening when both the girls and boys are playing at home and you will see a great group of kids both on and off the court!
HI Scott,
My name is Cooper Grodin. This past year I was the Phantom in the New Spectacular National Tour of "Phantom Of The Opera". I performed for nearly one Million People all over the country.
When I'm not acting I'm a 6'1 200 pound shooting forward with a nasty shot. I'm back in Manhattan now and my basketball league begins Monday at 8:50pm at Sacred Heart. Come check out how the Phantom brings it!
Here is my actor page web site;
CooperGrodin.com
Thanks Scott
My name is Cooper Grodin. This past year I was the Phantom in the New Spectacular National Tour of "Phantom Of The Opera". I performed for nearly one Million People all over the country.
When I'm not acting I'm a 6'1 200 pound shooting forward with a nasty shot. I'm back in Manhattan now and my basketball league begins Monday at 8:50pm at Sacred Heart. Come check out how the Phantom brings it!
Here is my actor page web site;
CooperGrodin.com
Thanks Scott
You should come see the Hustlin' Owls at Oregon Tech! Our coach of over 43 years, Danny Miles, has 1000+ wins at the college level, three NAIA National Championships (2004, 2008, 2012)---and gets nowhere near enough recognition for his amazing accomplishments (although to be fair, the NYTimes did cover him in 2012: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/23/sports/ncaabasketball/for-41-years-tow...!).
If you are in Klamath Falls on January 30, we have our annual Pink Out game, where our women AND men play in pink uniforms and the gym will be ROCKING. The Oregon Tech men are undefeated in their 5 years of 'putting on the pink' but have a tough opponent this year. Northwest Christian is coming to town, and they are coached by Luke Jackson, a former U of Oregon star and NBA player, who has a darn good team this year. It will be a great game.
So, come and see the best coach you've never heard of, and one whose team exemplifies the NAIA creed: Champions of Character. No quit in our Hustling' Owls!
If you are in Klamath Falls on January 30, we have our annual Pink Out game, where our women AND men play in pink uniforms and the gym will be ROCKING. The Oregon Tech men are undefeated in their 5 years of 'putting on the pink' but have a tough opponent this year. Northwest Christian is coming to town, and they are coached by Luke Jackson, a former U of Oregon star and NBA player, who has a darn good team this year. It will be a great game.
So, come and see the best coach you've never heard of, and one whose team exemplifies the NAIA creed: Champions of Character. No quit in our Hustling' Owls!
The Knicks have a very real chance of running the table. Why not go down to Philadelphia and report on the team that just surpassed them in the standings?
Really?
What a waste of newspaper space. I enjoyed the individual who noted the salary, the wonderful opportunities to see great players almost every night as a couple of reasons this is a 'bad idea'.
But I save and submit a special vitriol for the sports editors of the great grey lady.
This is neither the time nor the climate, gentle folk.
Wrong minded. Wrong spirited.
Just wrong.
What a waste of newspaper space. I enjoyed the individual who noted the salary, the wonderful opportunities to see great players almost every night as a couple of reasons this is a 'bad idea'.
But I save and submit a special vitriol for the sports editors of the great grey lady.
This is neither the time nor the climate, gentle folk.
Wrong minded. Wrong spirited.
Just wrong.
This is humor. What better time? As the cartoon from Paris on the front page said,"Without humor, we are dead."
Why not continue to cover knicks games but be allowed to write from the perspective of the team facing them that day
I don't know if Scott is familiar with wheelchair basketball, but if not now is his chance. The New York Rollin' Knicks are the defending champions of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association. I will warn you that they are sponsored by the NBA Knicks, but please don't hold that against them. And wheelchair basketball at this level is a marvelous sport, intense and competitive, but different enough from standard basketball to be an interesting change.
8
Cover proverbial cellar-dweller Binghamton University of the America East conference as they go for the number one draft pick.
1
Authentic New York City Streetball.
We ball indoors every wednesday night right near 110th street and broadway. Everybody goes hard, most of the players are former Division 1 and pro players, and it's intense. Much more realistic than the stuffy New York Knicks crowd.
If you're looking for real basketball in NY this winter, just message me to come out.
Tyson
We ball indoors every wednesday night right near 110th street and broadway. Everybody goes hard, most of the players are former Division 1 and pro players, and it's intense. Much more realistic than the stuffy New York Knicks crowd.
If you're looking for real basketball in NY this winter, just message me to come out.
Tyson
5
How could Phil Jackson be blamed for the Knicks inept GM Donnie Walsh getting rid of Zach Randolph, David Lee, Jamal Crawford, Gallinari and Wilson Chandler for this inept team? Phil Jackson is trying to rid the Knicks of contact money that prevented the Knicks from competing. Now thanks to Phil Jackson the Knicks have the money to sign two or three top free agents. And if they can get rid of the ball hog, Carmelo Anothony, who was also brought here by the inept Donnie Walsh. Isiah Thomas was even better than the inept Walsh. Walsh got rid of three NBA all stars. Isiah Thomas got David Lee, Zach Randolph, Jamal Crawford, Gallinari and Wilson Chandler and Walsh got rid of everyone and gave us this. Walsh, you're fired.
No one would give anything for Jr Smith and with his $7 million contract, the Knicks were lucky to dump him. Now they have $7 million more to spend this off season. Regarding Iman Shumpert, he's a free agent at the end of the season so they might have lost him anyway and can always try and sign him as a free agent.
No one would give anything for Jr Smith and with his $7 million contract, the Knicks were lucky to dump him. Now they have $7 million more to spend this off season. Regarding Iman Shumpert, he's a free agent at the end of the season so they might have lost him anyway and can always try and sign him as a free agent.
Come to Jamestown Community College Jayhawks (Jamestown NY), competing in NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) Division 2.
The men's basketball team is 12-3; women are 14-2. The conference games begin this weekend! As their long-time athletic trainer, these teams are the best we've had in a long time.
While you are here, visit the Lucy Desi museum (http://www.lucy-desi.com/) and the Roger Tory Peterson institute (http://rtpi.org/). Both Ball & Peterson are from Jamestown.
The men's basketball team is 12-3; women are 14-2. The conference games begin this weekend! As their long-time athletic trainer, these teams are the best we've had in a long time.
While you are here, visit the Lucy Desi museum (http://www.lucy-desi.com/) and the Roger Tory Peterson institute (http://rtpi.org/). Both Ball & Peterson are from Jamestown.
Just have him cover games from the same dates from the Knicks' 69-70 season as if they're going on this year.
2
Could Scott sit in darkened room in front of a TV and watch some of the best Knicks games of the '69-'70 season, giving us his thoughts, thereby bringing us back to a much happier time. It might even lighten up Phil's mood a bit, watching his old team play.
Small town in Upstate New York - The TRUE Upstate - School has 53 students - maybe 56 (K-12). Two seniors - Henry Sandiford and Curtis Seaman AKA "The Dynamic Duo" are pumping the points. In a game against Lake Placid, Curtis was a monster - 7 - 3 point shots. Imagine. A tiny little school with fire!
1
It seems to me that if this reporter were worth his salt, he might start exposing the employment price-fixing practices of the NBA that force teams to lose to have access to talent who can help remedy their ills.
This make-believe idea that the Knicks are losing because they're bad, or have bad management, and so on disregards the fact that the league that wants sports betting to happen, regulates access to talent in such draconian ways that sportsmanship, professional pride, and plausible deniability for the end result of their -cough- game is compromised and whatever actual competition is taking place is manufactured for show and not because there's a contest to be found.
The reporter isn't paid to attend games, he or she is there to enlighten the audience as to what and why the event is important and what it represents. Tell us the frustration of the fans but also describe the backroom and political dross that these teams must contend with to operate. The NBA is seedy and getting seedier and our reporter is looking to be entertained.
Report on the hot dogs and beer if that's what you think the job is.
This make-believe idea that the Knicks are losing because they're bad, or have bad management, and so on disregards the fact that the league that wants sports betting to happen, regulates access to talent in such draconian ways that sportsmanship, professional pride, and plausible deniability for the end result of their -cough- game is compromised and whatever actual competition is taking place is manufactured for show and not because there's a contest to be found.
The reporter isn't paid to attend games, he or she is there to enlighten the audience as to what and why the event is important and what it represents. Tell us the frustration of the fans but also describe the backroom and political dross that these teams must contend with to operate. The NBA is seedy and getting seedier and our reporter is looking to be entertained.
Report on the hot dogs and beer if that's what you think the job is.
Cover some D-3 ball. Off the court, it's academic.
3
Well, that's easy, come on out west to the Bay Area. Golden State plays exciting and unselfish ball. The players and coach are all nice guys with egos in check. Plus, the weather's great. This former Knick fan of fifty years has no regrets!
2
Come down to Miami. You can cover the Heat and cover some great ACC action with the Hurricanes. And enjoy our glorious weather for the next couple of months as an added bonus.
Having been a young front office employee of the Philadelphia 76ers in 1972-73 when our 9-73 record set the standard of stinkage I was never offered R & R by my bosses.
Send Scott where he can warm up from subzero basketball and temperatures to Oakland and catch a few games of the NBA's hottest team the Golden State Warriors. Then on to Lexington Kentucky to visit his old friend John Calipari and the #1 Kentucky Wildcats. Quick trip to Graceland to catch a Grizzlies game in his former stomping grounds. Next stop is Hinton, W.VA to enjoy the Summer County girl's and their 103 game winning streak. When back in Knicks territory drive over to Jersey City and enjoy St. Anthony's and their 57 game unbeaten streak.
Before sending him back into MSG to chronicle "A Season on the Brink of Stink" have Scott and the Editors host the 1972-73 Knicks. Let Dollar Bill, Earl The Pearl, Clyde the Glide, Hank Bibby, Dean The Dream, Jerry " I remember that" Lucas, Willis, Harthorne Wingo, John Gianelli and the architect of this season's putridity Phil Jackson to explain what went wrong.
Send Scott where he can warm up from subzero basketball and temperatures to Oakland and catch a few games of the NBA's hottest team the Golden State Warriors. Then on to Lexington Kentucky to visit his old friend John Calipari and the #1 Kentucky Wildcats. Quick trip to Graceland to catch a Grizzlies game in his former stomping grounds. Next stop is Hinton, W.VA to enjoy the Summer County girl's and their 103 game winning streak. When back in Knicks territory drive over to Jersey City and enjoy St. Anthony's and their 57 game unbeaten streak.
Before sending him back into MSG to chronicle "A Season on the Brink of Stink" have Scott and the Editors host the 1972-73 Knicks. Let Dollar Bill, Earl The Pearl, Clyde the Glide, Hank Bibby, Dean The Dream, Jerry " I remember that" Lucas, Willis, Harthorne Wingo, John Gianelli and the architect of this season's putridity Phil Jackson to explain what went wrong.
1
So, is a .135 winning percentage now the Times's "newsworthiness threshold" for an NBA team? Maybe the sports editor should publish a "newsworthiness index" for the various local pro squads, so Islanders or Mets or Giants fans can prepare themselves in case their teams hit the skids. What's next - the "Wingo" winners published on page one? The Knicks might be tanking, but the NYT is throwing in a different sort of towel - the difference is that I expect more integrity from a Sulzberger than a Dolan.
Stop in at the high school gym of any small town in Indiana on a Friday night.
Since the Knicks aren't going anywhere any time soon, I have a suggestion for the future. Out here in Sun City Aliante (age restricted community), we are trying to get a basketball court for the community. It should create some thrilling competitions. Of course, the news should probably be printed in the Health section on Tuesday instead of the Sports section, but the weather is nicer and they usually serve cookies at these events. Keep us in mind.
Hi Scott -
Wanted to reach out and let you know about the Lewis University (Romeoville, Ill.) men's and women's basketball teams. Our women are undefeated (13-0) and ranked No. 2 in the country and our men are (10-1) and ranked No. 21 in the country. I thought this would suit you perfectly - here's a few other notes about our team...
1.) Lewis is one of two schools in Division II that has both of their basketball teams ranked in the Top 25 along with Indiana (PA).
2.) The combined winning percentage of the Lewis men’s and women’s basketbal team’s is .958 (23-1). It is the best in all of NCAA DI and NCAA DII, which covers more than 600 schools
3.) We are the only team in the state of Illinois that have both of their basketball teams ranked in the Top 25 in Division I, II or III.
If you'd like any other information – please let me know and I'll be glad to help.
Thanks,
Matt
Wanted to reach out and let you know about the Lewis University (Romeoville, Ill.) men's and women's basketball teams. Our women are undefeated (13-0) and ranked No. 2 in the country and our men are (10-1) and ranked No. 21 in the country. I thought this would suit you perfectly - here's a few other notes about our team...
1.) Lewis is one of two schools in Division II that has both of their basketball teams ranked in the Top 25 along with Indiana (PA).
2.) The combined winning percentage of the Lewis men’s and women’s basketbal team’s is .958 (23-1). It is the best in all of NCAA DI and NCAA DII, which covers more than 600 schools
3.) We are the only team in the state of Illinois that have both of their basketball teams ranked in the Top 25 in Division I, II or III.
If you'd like any other information – please let me know and I'll be glad to help.
Thanks,
Matt
Scott, why not treat yourself to the winningest NCAA men's basketball program -- in any division -- of this century? The Fighting Scots of the College of Wooster: http://www.wkyc.com/story/sports/college/2014/11/14/moore-success-wooste...
Okay, I've got the unwritten basketball story for you. At the JCC where I grew up, in a cold city in the Midwest, you'll find a 30-year-old "league" of pickup basketball played every Sunday morning at 8 a.m. The average age is about 50 and the average height is definitely under 6 feet. A few years ago, the amount of back hair required them to institute a rule that they don't play skins/shirts anymore - they play lights/darks, so players must bring two tee shirt options. There is drama (some of the guys don't like each other very much), there are stars, there are role players. Some of these players have been together since high school in the 70s and now their kids show up once in a while, home visiting after a semester of college or recently graduated, to join in some "action." It's fun, it's intense - people yell at each other, sometimes in Russian. There are players from all walks of life, but it is a JCC so it you can expect a lot of talented nebbishy types who will surprise you with a fantastic swish or block a shot. They make plays - they set constant picks for one another and pass the ball a ton. There are a few ball-hogs, you've really got it all. There have been bloody fist fights, people have been banned from the league. It's all over by 11 a.m. - just in time for players to get home and spend the day watching Vikings football or running errands to Costco with the wife. Oh, and they play Tuesdays as well.
2
Scott, if you want to get back to basketball, you should cover the NCAA Division II Bellarmine Knights of Louisville, KY, a team that scores more often than not, with a better shooting percentage than NBA teams. Last year Bellarmine led the entire NCAA in FG percentage at .529, the NBA leader was Miami at .501. This year Bellarmine is shooting .512 while Golden State is leading "The League" at .483. In fact, Bellarmine teams have shot over 50% each of the past six years--7 counting this year to date --and has made the NCAA Tourney each year, winning the championship in 2011. The Knights pass as well as they shoot, and they know that defense wins. I have been watching hoops for more than 50 years, a UofL Cardinal fan my whole life, since just before Wes Unseld, and I still am. But I have NEVER had more fun watching basketball, or more love and respect for any team at any level, than in Knights Hall at Bellarmine University in Louisville, KY, a city and a state in which this sport is religion. (Fun Fact: Bellarmine Coach Scott Davenport won a state championship as a high school coach, then was an assistant coach under both Denny Crum and Rick Pitino.) Follow Bellarmine! In Veritatis Amore!
1
As the standout of the Brandies Hillel Day School team and a solid contributor during my high school days, I was honored when my 26 year-old girlfriend asked me to coach her and her roommates in a local park Sunday mornings at 10. As I shake off my weekly hangover, I am met by players who want nothing more to learn a new, beautiful sport, and be done by 11:30 because Sarah has a brunch to go to. Their enthusiasm is contagious, and their focus uninterrupted, except when a cute doggy walks past, which can be very disruptive. We aren't ready for games yet (just like the Knicks) but we can run a pick and roll and we know how to play help defense (unlike the Knicks). They've hung a Michael Jordan jersey in their house, skipped a rerun of Gilmore Girls to watch Love and Basketball, and bought tickets to a Warriors-Grizzlies game. As I've taught them, Ball Is Life. Scott, wont you join us?
3
My son Max Feigelson's 78th Precinct 11-year-old travel team - the Brooklyn Kings - is a terrific new-formed team with a terrific staff of veteran coaches.
This slice of city little league basketball is a great story any day - multiracial, spanning class and cultural divides, and with a raft of great young athletes playing their hearts out. I used to write about the Knicks (Ewing-Jackson era) for the New Yorker, and while I'm prejudiced here on behalf of Max and his buddies (and their devoted families), I do think their tournament on MLK weekend would make a terrific one-off story.
May I write it and send it to your Sports Department on spec?
Best wishes,
Tom Feigelson
cell 347.489.2045
[email protected]
This slice of city little league basketball is a great story any day - multiracial, spanning class and cultural divides, and with a raft of great young athletes playing their hearts out. I used to write about the Knicks (Ewing-Jackson era) for the New Yorker, and while I'm prejudiced here on behalf of Max and his buddies (and their devoted families), I do think their tournament on MLK weekend would make a terrific one-off story.
May I write it and send it to your Sports Department on spec?
Best wishes,
Tom Feigelson
cell 347.489.2045
[email protected]
For the best basketball on the Hudson this year, I would go to West Point. Coach Spiker has a team that has won on the road against USC and is off to its best start in recent history...even garnering a vote for last week's AP top 25.
1
College b-ball: Scott should try the Wisconsin Badgers. They're ranked No, 4 nationally. But more than that, they play disciplined ball (near the top in offensive efficiency, fewest turnovers), have all five starters who can score from in the paint or from three-point range. Best of all, they share the ball seamlessly; their team play recalls the Knicks of the Walt Frazier/Bill Bradley/Willis Reid era. The Badgers are exciting to watch. Good team for Scott to cover for a while.
2
Excellent choice, and a great suggestion! As of tonight, the Badgers are 15-1, having lost only to Duke. Plus 7-footer Frank Kaminsky can dance (!), Vitto Brown can sing like an angel, and Nigel (Burgundy) Hayes is the natural successor to Stephen Colbert. Wildly entertaining group of kids. They are Mad City, though and through. Go Bucky!
Any team that is well-coached, even a relatively weak team will do as long as the coaching is decent. Toronto is a well-coached team, a star who is hurt but they win anyway because of the coaching.
What is it with the NYT Sports Department? Coupled with an earlier similarly-themed article about the Giants, it is becoming a classless entity that is making me consider looking for a less-arrogant, less glib source of sporting news. If Mr. Cacciola feels so beleaguered perhaps he should find another line of work.
The Hofstra Men's Basketball team. Why travel too far when there is great basketball right in your backyard. Head Coach Joe Mihalich has restored the Pride to the men's basketball program and has the team off to an 11-4 start overall this season and a 2-0 record in Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play. The 11-4 record through 15 games is the second-best start in the program's NCAA Division I history (since 1972-73). And the team has a local flavor too - as three starters hail from the five boroughs.
We would love to have you and showcase our program which is truly on the rise and dreaming about a realistic chance of competing in the NCAA Tournament this season.
Go Pride!!!
Stephen
We would love to have you and showcase our program which is truly on the rise and dreaming about a realistic chance of competing in the NCAA Tournament this season.
Go Pride!!!
Stephen
Catch the next Acela to Washington DC. The Wizards are putting a respectable product on the hardwood and this team has a reasonable shot at going far in the playoffs.
1
I realize that it is an intentionally comical question.
Still I find it irritating as other commenters have. Perhaps ny times reporters covering events in Sierra Leone and Liberia can be assigned to cover a more treatable pathogen. It's newsworthy that the Knicks are a poor team. That is a story worth covering and reporting upon.
Still I find it irritating as other commenters have. Perhaps ny times reporters covering events in Sierra Leone and Liberia can be assigned to cover a more treatable pathogen. It's newsworthy that the Knicks are a poor team. That is a story worth covering and reporting upon.
How about examining and explaining how Huntington (WV) St. Joseph's Prep operates? It plays a national schedule with an international roster of D-1 prospects (Andrew Wiggins is a graduate, and it has been in the national top 10 for the last few years). Its website notes that the team is "under contract with Nike", and the players attend a small Catholic high school with which the team shares a gym and nickname, but our local paper carries absolutely no ns about the team.
Shall we also be asking for those ny times reporters covering events in Sierra Leone or Liberia to ask to cover a better virus or pathogen? The news is that the Knicks are a very poor team and they are losing games at a potentially record breaking clip. That is noteworthy. It is the story. There are many more successful teams in the nba and elsewhere. Those
Is The Times aware that there is another pro basketball team in New York? One that is competitive and often fun to watch? And maybe deserves a beat reporter instead of AP wire reports on their games? It's just a subway ride to Barclay's Center. It's time for a Nets beat reporter!
1
How about Toronto? At least that team is going somewhere.. and has a bright future, unlike this Knicks team.
A friend of mine suggests that he come out to Portland, where he can not only watch some great basketball, but also browse our restaurant scene to find the chef who will be next year's fresh new face in New York.
Have Scott follow the Wisconsin Badgers. It will cleanse his basketball palate. This team is "old school" in all the good ways: unselfish players who play as a team; big men who can hit the 3 point shot and free throws as well; guards who can post up; and student athletes that stay for 4 years and graduate. This year's team features likely future NBA players (Frank Kaminsky, Sam Dekker, Nigel Hayes) as well, which is not always the case for the Badgers. And of course, they are coached by Bo Ryan, a caring, demanding and compassionate coach. He demands excellence, defense and unselfish play from starters and subs alike. Play too much outside his system, needlessly turn the ball over, fail to dive for a loose ball, and you will take a seat on the bench, even if you are a "star". Perhaps, especially if you are a star. Following this year's Badger team will rejuvenate Scott and remind him of Red Holtzman's Knicks teams. Can there be any better recommendation than that?
Scott should come to Kentucky and cover the 14-0 Wildcats. On a good night they could probably beat this Knick team!
Send him to Jewball! The Cleveland, Ohio JCC has highschool Jewball rec league every Wednesday night, and its alot better to watch than the cavs games right now.
26001 South Woodland Road, Beachwood, OH 44122
26001 South Woodland Road, Beachwood, OH 44122
How about walking over the Bridge or hopping on the Q train and covering the Brooklyn Nets? It's a bummer when most of the coverage for this local NBA team (which is certainly more exciting this season than the Knicks are) gets much of its column inches in the NYT from AP wire sources. The NYT is arguably the world's paper but it can and should be local/regional as well. Let's Go Brooklyn!
Send him to cover Marist College basketball in Poughkeepsie, NY. I believe that Mike Breen found it quite rewarding.
Have him shadow John Beilein for a month.
WAIT! First you tell us not to watch the Giants or the Jets. Now you add the Knicks! You are right, of course. This family watches all sports except professional basketball and we suggest your reporter have the same options.
Send him to watch the likely top 10 in the 2015 college draft.
Mount Vernon High School, in Westchester County. One of the best and most consistently successful high school programs in the state.
He has a job, at a newspaper - a business that is going through massive reductions. He should be thrilled to have a beat. Assign him to general assignment - why should we feel sorry for a NY sports beat reporter? Think it's any more fun covering the Jets or the Mets? New York has spent bizzilions of dollars on their sports teams and nothing to show for it! Jets/Giants/Mets/Yankees/Nets/Knicks etc - all that money and....nothing.....
Or, he could take one of Mr. Thompson's layoff packages.
Let's see this get printed.....
Or, he could take one of Mr. Thompson's layoff packages.
Let's see this get printed.....
Mount Vernon High School, in Westchester County. One of the best and most consistently successful high school programs in the state.
St. Anthony High School in Jersey City, of course! Basketball history always in the making, with Bob Hurley at the helm, and the never-ending struggle to keep the school (successful on and off the court) alive. @StAnthony2020 #HelpHurley
1
Come to Dallas and check out native-New Yorker Larry Brown and his SMU Mustangs. Working to make the tournament for the first time in two decades and got snubbed by the selection committee last year. Moody Coliseum is renovated and a great venue.
I think Scott doesn't have to go too far to go see some entertaining hoops in the NYC area. The St. John's Red Storm, despite being in the midst of a tough three game losing streak, have clearly been the best basketball team in New York this season -- professional or amateur. Ranked 24th in the nation, the senior-led team has a chance to make their first NCAA tournament appearance in four years.
Hey Scott! The women's team at the University of Texas is unbeaten with three wins over top-5 teams and ranked second in both polls as of this week. They're fundamentally and systemically sound, hard-working, great team defenders, and a joy to watch — all polar opposites of the current (and by current I mean "since Allan Houston's max deal") Knickerbocker situation. I grew up in NJ in the 80s and used to take the train to MSG with my friends to see Ewing's teams; seems like ten lifetimes ago. Come down to Austin and we'll get some BBQ and see some post offense and ball distribution. It's fun.
- Joe
- Joe
Given the close proximity of the cities, the fact that the teams play in the same division and the only playoff series won by the team was against the Knicks. This 24-10 team needs some positive stateside coverage and who better than the NY Times bball columnist...LET'S GO RAPTORS!
Multnomah University! No team in America shoots more 3's... or makes more 3's than the MU Lions. Last season had 3 players make over 100 3's and Stevie Sansone hit 156 to lead the US of A. They press the whole game and shoot within 10 seconds of getting the ball. No team is more fun to watch. and I watch a lot of basketball.
Poor Scott Cacciola, he is really taking one for the team. I suggest he come out to Suffolk County, a "short drive" on the LIE, and check out the intense competition on the court for the Suffolk League II high school varsity basketball conference, which has Central Islip fending off Northport, Half Hollow Hills East and Bay Shore. One of these teams is going to the state finals. I don't think any of them employ the fabled "triangle offense," but I could be wrong.
LOL...
I'm a Bucs fan. A Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan. 2-14 this year. I have been a fan so long that I still have my T-shirt that is of the OLD colors... Orange and White. I rejoiced in 2002 when the Bucs won the Superbowl. I am a TRUE fan. NOT a fair weather fan. A TRUE fan. A fan who loves his team no matter how good or bad they are. What a blessing that a sports writer gets to go to every game. Wish I could go to every game of my favorite team. Win or lose. The benefits of a season ticket holder and you still complain? Wow. Since you are no longer interested in going to games, perhaps the newspaper can send one faithful reader, perhaps a guest also, to each game and they can write about their experience. I bet the lucky people would have great stories to write. Perhaps maybe, even getting a job as a sports writer. Either way, best of luck to the Knicks this year.
I'm a Bucs fan. A Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan. 2-14 this year. I have been a fan so long that I still have my T-shirt that is of the OLD colors... Orange and White. I rejoiced in 2002 when the Bucs won the Superbowl. I am a TRUE fan. NOT a fair weather fan. A TRUE fan. A fan who loves his team no matter how good or bad they are. What a blessing that a sports writer gets to go to every game. Wish I could go to every game of my favorite team. Win or lose. The benefits of a season ticket holder and you still complain? Wow. Since you are no longer interested in going to games, perhaps the newspaper can send one faithful reader, perhaps a guest also, to each game and they can write about their experience. I bet the lucky people would have great stories to write. Perhaps maybe, even getting a job as a sports writer. Either way, best of luck to the Knicks this year.
2
University of Arizona Wildcats; several players will be in the pros next year and Scott may get a preview of a future Knick.
Plus you can't beat the weather right now.
Plus you can't beat the weather right now.
I, for one, am beyond sympathetic and appreciate that The Times is calling it like it is. My ten year old son asked me this weekend why they bother interviewing the Knicks players after each and every loss. What more can they have to say about why they lost (again) at this point? We live in a sports media saturated society; unfortunately the Knicks no longer deserve coverage of the quality we have come to expect from The Times.
Scott, I suggest you bring your talents to Basketball City at Pier 36 this Sunday where my 10 year old son's team will be (hopefully) looking for the open man, making that extra pass, and attempting to score more than 30 points for the second time this season. I am certain you will be able to unearth a story line worthy of your talents somewhere inside that facility.
12:20PM. Court 4.
Scott, I suggest you bring your talents to Basketball City at Pier 36 this Sunday where my 10 year old son's team will be (hopefully) looking for the open man, making that extra pass, and attempting to score more than 30 points for the second time this season. I am certain you will be able to unearth a story line worthy of your talents somewhere inside that facility.
12:20PM. Court 4.
For far too long, there has been far too little coverage of the significant NCAA Division 3 basketball that is played right here in New York City. The CUNY Athletic Conference features teams that all play their home games within the 5 boroughs and there are some very intense rivalries that make for good basketball. As far as individual talent is concerned, every year, there are 3 or 4 players in the league who were D1 talents but because of academics or some other situation dropped down to D3. The gyms are excellent quality, with Baruch and Hunter having some of the nicest facilities in Manhattan and seating capacities of around 1500. In March, the league tournament - played with a trip to the NCAA D3 Tournament on the line - is an exciting and colorful event. Scott, get thee to a CUNYAC game.
1
Scott should stay in the local area and go to a Hofstra game. Joe Mihalich has come over from Niagara and is changing the culture from the past few years.
Athletes who are also going to class.
Athletes who are also going to class.
First of all...this is a bush league move from a supposedly classy newspaper. Even the Post and News have not thrown the Knicks under the bus this bad. The fact that loyalties are so fickle in our society is apparently in part due to the media. All that said, coverage of our excellent US Alpine skiers, rugby, or other less mainstream sports would be welcome.
7
Jeff -- The newspaper will continue to cover the Knicks, and I love my job. They're simply giving me an opportunity to pursue other stories for a small stretch of the season.
9
No worries, Scott, take your time. Knicks will still be losing in April.
Hi Scott,
There are some great fun games at the public school in the village at night by the library on 11th street and 6th avenue. Could be fun to cover those games as they run the gamut in skills and give a good snapshot of the city.
Cheers,
Ari
There are some great fun games at the public school in the village at night by the library on 11th street and 6th avenue. Could be fun to cover those games as they run the gamut in skills and give a good snapshot of the city.
Cheers,
Ari
Good reporters don't rely on winning programs to show their talent. They report on conditions as they are and put satire in their articles (if it's an opinion, not straight news). By watching teams slaughter the Knicks, one sees talent. Stay at home, watch the opposition and smile. A bad team becomes good and a talented team (probably other than the Spurs) turns sour. Look at the Lakers for an example of this. Be an outstanding sports writer in spite of the losses. That's what GOOD reporting is all about.
3
A no-brainer: Send Scott to Portland!
We rank at or near the top of every list of America's most livable cities and now that the Blazers are 10 games ahead in their division with two bonafide stars in Damian Lillard and Lionel Aldrich, a savvy GM in Neil Olshey who has a built a bench from scratch and one of the league's best coaches in Terry Stotts we have arrived in terms of basketball, too.
We rank at or near the top of every list of America's most livable cities and now that the Blazers are 10 games ahead in their division with two bonafide stars in Damian Lillard and Lionel Aldrich, a savvy GM in Neil Olshey who has a built a bench from scratch and one of the league's best coaches in Terry Stotts we have arrived in terms of basketball, too.
Of course I meant LaMarcus Aldridge, The late Lionel Aldridge was a great Green Bay Packer.
I hear the Tune Squad are playing the Monstars in a battle of galactic proportions.
Perhaps the Times would be willing to ship you off to Tune Stadium and you could cover that?
Perhaps the Times would be willing to ship you off to Tune Stadium and you could cover that?
Euroleague! See if Kobe Bryant is correct and if better basketball really is played in Europe. Whole slew of good games in January!
Please send him to Crestview Hills, KY - The Home Of Thomas More College. Thomas More College's women's basketball team is ranked second in the nation and undefeated at 14-0. They are division three and they can't get a line of praise in the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Many Thanks
Many Thanks
UConn women! UConn women! UConn women!
Scott should attend all the Knicks games. He is should be grateful that he has a job and is about to witness the beginning of a new Knicks era. He should be chomping at the bit to be there all the time to see the rebirth of a sorry team into something great. Get on the bandwagon and stop sounding like a spoiled brat.
If you don't want your tickets just let me know. I would be more than happy to attend as I am a real Knicks fan not just a fair weather fan.
If you don't want your tickets just let me know. I would be more than happy to attend as I am a real Knicks fan not just a fair weather fan.
Please consider sending Scott to cover the Lady Rebels Girls Varsity Basketball Team at Saddle River Day School in Saddle River, NJ.
Not only do they have a winning record, the girls exemplify the word "team" in every way.
Three years ago, the Lady Rebels formed a lasting bond through an act of healing and compassion when they reached out to the Lady Nighthawks of Newtown High School after the tragedy at Sadny Hook. With the help of their coach, Danny Brown, the team created "3's for Sandy Hook," a weekend of healing, hoops, friend and fund raising that just celebrated its third successful year this past weekend. All funds raised go to the Newtown Fund to build a memorial basketball court in a new town park. Click to read more about this year's game:
http://www.northjersey.com/sports/high-school-sports/girls-basketball/sa...
Scott will get to cover a winning team as well as share a great feel-good,story about the healing power of sports.
Not only do they have a winning record, the girls exemplify the word "team" in every way.
Three years ago, the Lady Rebels formed a lasting bond through an act of healing and compassion when they reached out to the Lady Nighthawks of Newtown High School after the tragedy at Sadny Hook. With the help of their coach, Danny Brown, the team created "3's for Sandy Hook," a weekend of healing, hoops, friend and fund raising that just celebrated its third successful year this past weekend. All funds raised go to the Newtown Fund to build a memorial basketball court in a new town park. Click to read more about this year's game:
http://www.northjersey.com/sports/high-school-sports/girls-basketball/sa...
Scott will get to cover a winning team as well as share a great feel-good,story about the healing power of sports.
The Virginia Cavaliers! Ranked 3rd in the country, they are a top defensive team and well-rounded offensively. Fun basketball to watch!
Come to Portland. Do some advance free agent scouting and enjoy the restaurants that your Food Critic loves. Scott can also attend nearby Jefferson High games a hot bed of future college talent. And he can stay for free in my home
Give Scott a break from Basketball & not just the Knicks. Let him cover perhaps the most successful yet unreported sports story of the past 15 years, the resurrection of the Fordham University Sailing team after a 25-year hiatus.
From its rebirth in 2000 as a club team by seven dedicated undergraduates with no boats and no money, today, the Rams are ranked #6 among the 230 varsity & club teams in the ICSA (Sailing's equivalent of the NCAA); #1 among the 194 club teams in the ICSA, and #2 among the 53 varsity & club teams in its Middle Atlantic conference. They have a coed roster of 21 student-athletes, none of whom are on athletic scholarship; a fleet of 18 sailboats and two safety boats, and a homeport at Morris Yacht & Beach Club on City Island in the Bronx.
This past weekend, at the prestigious 30-team Rose Bowl Regatta hosted by USC, the Rams of Fordham finished third behind varsity powers Georgetown & the United States Coast Guard Academy and ahead of such varsity teams as Boston College & the United States Naval Academy.
From the outset, the team has had a specific goal; a 5, 10, 15 & 20-year plan to achieve it, and a supportive base of alumni to assist. It's quite a story!
From its rebirth in 2000 as a club team by seven dedicated undergraduates with no boats and no money, today, the Rams are ranked #6 among the 230 varsity & club teams in the ICSA (Sailing's equivalent of the NCAA); #1 among the 194 club teams in the ICSA, and #2 among the 53 varsity & club teams in its Middle Atlantic conference. They have a coed roster of 21 student-athletes, none of whom are on athletic scholarship; a fleet of 18 sailboats and two safety boats, and a homeport at Morris Yacht & Beach Club on City Island in the Bronx.
This past weekend, at the prestigious 30-team Rose Bowl Regatta hosted by USC, the Rams of Fordham finished third behind varsity powers Georgetown & the United States Coast Guard Academy and ahead of such varsity teams as Boston College & the United States Naval Academy.
From the outset, the team has had a specific goal; a 5, 10, 15 & 20-year plan to achieve it, and a supportive base of alumni to assist. It's quite a story!
2
Toronto. Toronto has been described as a college basketball environment in a NBA Arena. The knicks and the Raptors are also inextricably linked in the "what-ifs" gallery of Knicks screw-ups. What if they hadn't acquired Andrea Bargnani, and kept that pick to attempt to gain an actual asset? What if the Knicks HAD actually acquired Kyle Lowry, which they balked at in the last stages of negotiations because they were scared of getting fleeced again by allegded master-mind Masai Ujiri.
Then, there is the critical mirror that will be the Raptors reality to the Knicks' reality. If you want to talk about symmetry, Toronto traded AWAY their all-star max-salary small forward and got better. Toronto intended to tank, had what most people figured to be a lame-duck coach, but instead came together as a team, found they had their own all-stars all along, and nearly made the ECF.
Look at the players. There are no mega-stars in 24-10 Toronto. Their stars are brooding journeymen, 20 ppg scores that nobody can seem to acknowledge as a 20 ppg guy. Amir Johnson. AMIR JOHNSON!
And oh man, please, please give a full work-up on Bruno Caboclo. A full NYT profile of Bruno Caboclo can by the NYT's birthday present to me.
And finally, look at the fans. The Knicks are a social event, something stars and CEOs can go to as a status symbol. The Raptors have Drake. DRAKE. A tweenage-star turned actor on the Young Money label FROM TORONTO.
The Raptors are the team NY should wish they had.
Then, there is the critical mirror that will be the Raptors reality to the Knicks' reality. If you want to talk about symmetry, Toronto traded AWAY their all-star max-salary small forward and got better. Toronto intended to tank, had what most people figured to be a lame-duck coach, but instead came together as a team, found they had their own all-stars all along, and nearly made the ECF.
Look at the players. There are no mega-stars in 24-10 Toronto. Their stars are brooding journeymen, 20 ppg scores that nobody can seem to acknowledge as a 20 ppg guy. Amir Johnson. AMIR JOHNSON!
And oh man, please, please give a full work-up on Bruno Caboclo. A full NYT profile of Bruno Caboclo can by the NYT's birthday present to me.
And finally, look at the fans. The Knicks are a social event, something stars and CEOs can go to as a status symbol. The Raptors have Drake. DRAKE. A tweenage-star turned actor on the Young Money label FROM TORONTO.
The Raptors are the team NY should wish they had.
Everyone has more than likely told you check out golden state. But why not new orleans? Heck move up north and follow your divison buddys the raptors. If you decide college you should just check on bubble teams and check each team out. Or just stay home and use league pass.
Seriously NY Times, who acknowledges the National Basketball Association as N.B.A. ?!? Get rid of the periods!!! The proper term is NBA. Everybody (and their mother) knows this. Sheesh.
Come to Wichita and watch the Wichita State Shockers. They could beat up the Knicks any night, they're fun to watch, energetic, and at times very creative.
On the other hand, your beat reporter could stick with it. I'm not much of a basketball fan but I'll tell you, I love reading cynical sports stories in The Times - which is why I'm sorry the Jets season is over:
"As always, the Jets had a terrific week of practice. They always do. Always, always, always. Then comes game day, when they are required to line up opposite people wearing different-colored uniforms."
On the other hand, your beat reporter could stick with it. I'm not much of a basketball fan but I'll tell you, I love reading cynical sports stories in The Times - which is why I'm sorry the Jets season is over:
"As always, the Jets had a terrific week of practice. They always do. Always, always, always. Then comes game day, when they are required to line up opposite people wearing different-colored uniforms."
You should send Scott to cover the Harlem Globetrotters. He could watch the current reincarnation of "Meadowlark Lemon" and Marques Haynes throw buckets of sawdust into the crowd and dribble rings around the Washington Generals. He might even whistle a rendition of Sweet Georgia Brown to entertain his colleagues and editors.
1
76ers
Come to Philadelphia, the city of Brotherly Love, and cover the high school basketball scene with a heritage that goes back to the 1950s with the likes of Arizin, Gola, Chamberlain, Rodgers etc. You will get a first look at many future D1 college stars of today and some possible NBA talent as well. And while you are here, take in the new restaurant scene as well, which is as good as any in the country.
The Princeton women's basketball team. 16-0. No scholarships. Wholesome kids. Now nationally ranked. Only the 14 Ivy League games are ahead for them and they could go - could go - all the way.
Have him follow Stephon Marbury's Beijing team.
Houston and Christie during the summer.
Covering Kelly Slater. After a winter in hell, Surf's up!
At large Big East reporter. Some high quality ball being played in the new look Big East (Go Friars), and since 2 teams are based in the immediate NYC area and the majority of the conference is still east coast centric, Cacciola wouldn't have to go too far to cover them, all culminating in the Big East tournament at MSG for the highest quality basketball that place will have seen all year.
Send him on a tour of European top division games in Greece, Spain, Turkey and Italy. Send him to see the European Champions Maccabi Tel-Aviv. Maybe mix in Lithuania or Germany if he's to go farther north. Then let him report on the experience of attending a game there as it compares to the experience of attending a game at Madison Square Garden.
Send him to West Point. The Mens Basketball Team are having a great season (10-3) and take on Navy this Saturday. Would be great to see The Black Nights get more media coverage.
Why not the closest wheelchair rugby match? Murderball would be better than the murder it must be watching the Knicks every night.
Toronto Raptors - really fun to watch, in the east. They are in a relatively small market so it'd be cool to see some articles on them. I always search for some news on them just to keep up with the team while these knicks are struggle bussing.
Why not send him to the Jersey Shore? The basketball there is amazing. The Asbury Park Press recently did an All Time Top Ten Shore Conference players list, and it was so impressive and ignited so much debate, they had to extend the list to an extra ten. The games are well attended, the rivalries are fierce, and there's not much like it. If you want a great story, follow the Lakewood, NJ basketball team. It's a town with a rich, diverse tradition that is currently undergoing a transformation. Amidst population decline in the public schools, the Lakewood basketball team still shines, led by Randy Holmes (Lakewood alum, St. Peter U star, and JR Smith mentor). Tons of stories there.
Maybe you should have him cover the Rangers and Islanders, both winning teams which the Times increasingly relies upon the Associated Press to report on rather than using staffers.
Send him across the river to South Orange, NJ to cover the Pirates of Seton Hall! They just beat both St. John's and Villanova without their star point guard and are the big surprise of the local sports scene.
There is no team that plays basketball the way it should be played any better than the UCONN Husky women. They defend, they pass, they shot well. And the game is played below the rim. Lapchick and Auerbach would love it. And so do my wife and I.
Scott would love watching the Albertus Magnus College men's basketball team in New Haven, CT. The Falcons currently hold the longest home winning streak in the NCAA for all divisions: 46 straight. Beyond the record, however (last season, Albertus advanced to the Division III Sweet Sixteen), Scott would see the energy, hustle, hard defense, and amazing transition game Albertus plays and discover the story behind the streak: Coach Mitch Oliver, whose passion, discipline, and belief in his players, none of whom are playing to get to the NBA, will remind Scott why basketball, when it is played the right way, is such a great sport to cover. These young men are a joy to watch.
The University of Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team play great team basketball utilizing coac Bo Ryan's swing offense, and always fierce man to man D. And if you send your reporter out to fairyland he would benefit from watching the Rufus King Generals, a highly rated Milwaukee public school, play. They play excellent D and always share the ball.
I play in a co-ed pick-up game on Thursday nights at a parochial school gym in Alexandria, Virginia. It's mostly middle aged dads with a few faculty members joining on occasion. We often need players, so Scott could both play in the game and then write about the game. Happy to send details if Scott would like to attend and/or play.
In Storrs Connecticut, the UConn women's team is certainly worthy of adoption.
They pass
They rebound
They move without the ball
They hustle after loose balls
They play to the open (wo)man - and make the shot.
They root for each other
They play as a team
Come to think of it, they are a genetic variant of the Knicks teams that Phil Jackson made his bones on. Go Huskies!
They pass
They rebound
They move without the ball
They hustle after loose balls
They play to the open (wo)man - and make the shot.
They root for each other
They play as a team
Come to think of it, they are a genetic variant of the Knicks teams that Phil Jackson made his bones on. Go Huskies!
1
He should cover the Wilton CT Varsity Basketball team. They are 4-0, have the strongest team in years, put up a lot of 3's and are scoring upwards of low mid 80's each game.
How about the NY Liberty?
1
The Golden State Warriors, the state of NBA art at this moment. They are skilled, dynamic, and unselfish, with a palpable esprit de corps--just the tonic a Knicks beat writer needs.
Cska Moscow. Unbeaten in tough -as-nails Euroleague.
Send him to Brazil, we play some basketball here and he will have fun!
Meanwhile, I'll cover the Knicks for free, no problem!
Meanwhile, I'll cover the Knicks for free, no problem!
Come and watch our girls and boys middle school basketball teams at Zurich International School in Switzerland. Perhaps, the beleaguered writer could also recharge with a few days on the Swiss ski slopes.
As much as St. John's fans would hate this, how about Villanova? There is a huge contingent of alumni in the NYC area.
Storrs, CT (also Hartford, CT) to see the UConn women's team. Going for a third straight national title to add to their already impressive collection of 9 total. They just beat St. John's at MSG this past weekend.
Send him to Wooster, Ohio, to cover the College of Wooster basketball team, one of the best in D3, and one of the best crowds around. Coach Moore is the best.
CUSE aka New Yorks College Team
The Atlanta Hawks seem to have found a formula that works for them: Defense+selfless offense=wins.
How about a coed volleyball league in Central Mass? It is absolutely more interesting and the dedication of the players can be inspiring. He can stay at my house.
My rec league basketball team puts our 1-1 record on the line Thursday night at 8 pm. It's at a school near 23rd and 3rd, which is great, because a lot of us can walk from work and its a quick walk down to the L train for the way home. Sometimes the games are at 9, and it sucks to get home so late on a work night, so we're happy with the 8 o'clock game. 7 would be even better; I think we have that time slot in a few weeks. The 8 o'clock games also aren't that great because I'm not sure if I really should be eating dinner beforehand, but waiting to eat until after isn't a great option either.
This is the kind of intrigue your readers crave.
Any criticism or feedback in your article would also be like coaching, in a way, and that would be great.
This is the kind of intrigue your readers crave.
Any criticism or feedback in your article would also be like coaching, in a way, and that would be great.
Scott,
First, let me say how sorry I am that Life has thrown this cruelty your way. Covering the Knicks. Is there a 10th circle of hell Dante's editors left out? No one should be subjected to the Knicks night in and night out (except, of course, my beloved Wizards, but I digress). I'm not here to judge. I'm not here to say you should have seen this coming and begged off the Knicks for a more exciting beat -- Fordham basketball perhapsl. Instead I'm here to help.
After six years of excelling at mediocrity, the Mountaineers of the Upward Basketball League at Trinity Church in Greensboro, N.C., have started off the season on a tear. And by tear I mean we won our first game. The team is comprised of seventh- and eighth-graders who have been playing together since their elementary days, When, as their coach, I told the boys that God had a plan for us as a team, I'm not sure they realized his was a five-year plan. But now it is all coming to form. The boys would love a big-city reporter dropping by to chronicle their success. You would love our BBQ. It's a win-win. Our next game is Friday night against the dreaded Spurs. The excitement of a 1-0 start to the season is palpable with our parents. I fully expect both bleachers to be mostly packed -- especially if they get the hotdog machine working again. Hope to see you soon.
First, let me say how sorry I am that Life has thrown this cruelty your way. Covering the Knicks. Is there a 10th circle of hell Dante's editors left out? No one should be subjected to the Knicks night in and night out (except, of course, my beloved Wizards, but I digress). I'm not here to judge. I'm not here to say you should have seen this coming and begged off the Knicks for a more exciting beat -- Fordham basketball perhapsl. Instead I'm here to help.
After six years of excelling at mediocrity, the Mountaineers of the Upward Basketball League at Trinity Church in Greensboro, N.C., have started off the season on a tear. And by tear I mean we won our first game. The team is comprised of seventh- and eighth-graders who have been playing together since their elementary days, When, as their coach, I told the boys that God had a plan for us as a team, I'm not sure they realized his was a five-year plan. But now it is all coming to form. The boys would love a big-city reporter dropping by to chronicle their success. You would love our BBQ. It's a win-win. Our next game is Friday night against the dreaded Spurs. The excitement of a 1-0 start to the season is palpable with our parents. I fully expect both bleachers to be mostly packed -- especially if they get the hotdog machine working again. Hope to see you soon.
Masai Ujiri. The name in and of itself screams "Story!"
According to a piece I read, this guy was an unpaid video assistant with the Heat. He is in Denver and meets with an Assistant GM. During the meeting, the AGM excuses himself and walks into his boss's office and declares that the Nuggets should hire this guy. They do.
Fast forward a few years later and Mr. Ujiri is President of the Raptors. He brings his Nuggets accomplice with him. But he's got a problem. Previous management has saddled him with a $20 million a year man Rudy Gay. Like any self-respecting guy making that kinda a dough, Rudy gets his shots and points every game. The team loses.
So Mr. Ujiri unloads Rudy on the apparently unsuspecting Sacramento Kings for a gaggle of NBA whatevers. What happens? The Raps go on a winning streak that hasn't stopped since. Kyle Lowry takes control of the team along with DeRozan, and other talent like Terrence Ross emerges. On any given night they can beat anyone, except perhaps this year's Warriors.
The moral of the story? Smart men and women in sports management can make a huge difference. Team chemistry where the operative word is "team" is very important.
If you play committed team defense and get the ball to the open man, particularly one with the hot hand, good things happen in the NBA. Remember a guy call Jeremy Lin?
By the way, Ujiri picked up James Johnson and Lou Williams in the offseason. Another great move. The wins just keep coming. :)
According to a piece I read, this guy was an unpaid video assistant with the Heat. He is in Denver and meets with an Assistant GM. During the meeting, the AGM excuses himself and walks into his boss's office and declares that the Nuggets should hire this guy. They do.
Fast forward a few years later and Mr. Ujiri is President of the Raptors. He brings his Nuggets accomplice with him. But he's got a problem. Previous management has saddled him with a $20 million a year man Rudy Gay. Like any self-respecting guy making that kinda a dough, Rudy gets his shots and points every game. The team loses.
So Mr. Ujiri unloads Rudy on the apparently unsuspecting Sacramento Kings for a gaggle of NBA whatevers. What happens? The Raps go on a winning streak that hasn't stopped since. Kyle Lowry takes control of the team along with DeRozan, and other talent like Terrence Ross emerges. On any given night they can beat anyone, except perhaps this year's Warriors.
The moral of the story? Smart men and women in sports management can make a huge difference. Team chemistry where the operative word is "team" is very important.
If you play committed team defense and get the ball to the open man, particularly one with the hot hand, good things happen in the NBA. Remember a guy call Jeremy Lin?
By the way, Ujiri picked up James Johnson and Lou Williams in the offseason. Another great move. The wins just keep coming. :)
Send him to Grand Canyon High School! Only high school inside a National Park, absolutely one of the most unique hoops environments you'll ever see, great community support (especially since there isn't anything else to do on a Friday night). 4 hour drive from the Phoenix airport or 1.5 from Flagstaff. Do it!
Go Phantoms!
Go Phantoms!
St. John's has been playing well the majority of this year and gave Villanova a great game following the loss of Rysheed Jordan's Grandmother.
The team has struggled the past 3 games but I think they're going to turn it around. To be honest I think the whole Big East Conference needs more attention. But I feel you, brother. I'm dying here with how bad the Knicks are and are hoping that some good old St. John's Basketball can make the Mecca magical again.
The team has struggled the past 3 games but I think they're going to turn it around. To be honest I think the whole Big East Conference needs more attention. But I feel you, brother. I'm dying here with how bad the Knicks are and are hoping that some good old St. John's Basketball can make the Mecca magical again.
Send him to cover the Wisconsin Badgers, the unlikely favorite to win the Final Four this year.
All six games between and amongst Columbia, Yale, and Harvard this year should actually be a lot of fun.
I would also be happy to host Mr. Cacciola and play him in NBA 2K15, an excellent video game.
I would also be happy to host Mr. Cacciola and play him in NBA 2K15, an excellent video game.
I think it'd be great to let him travel to Europe to watch some games maybe from Euroleague, which features the best teams from each national championship, and maybe some special games, like Barcelona Real or Panathinaikos - Olimpiakos. given that the true NBA does not start until after the All star, he would have some time to watch maybe some future NBA players and see how different is a team support from the NBA one. Then, I mean, south of Spain, girls, good cooking... Well, if you want I could do that! :)
Big East Basketball!!
Seton Hall has the best basketball team in the NYC area at the moment, ranked #19 in the nation. He doesn't have to travel too far for home games, quick train ride to Newark and i'm sure SHU would love to have him.
St. Johns is also ranked, #24. Although that is starting to look like a mirage, but hey, its far more interesting then the Knicks!
Seton Hall has the best basketball team in the NYC area at the moment, ranked #19 in the nation. He doesn't have to travel too far for home games, quick train ride to Newark and i'm sure SHU would love to have him.
St. Johns is also ranked, #24. Although that is starting to look like a mirage, but hey, its far more interesting then the Knicks!
We need to help Scott. The place for him to be is watching the Girls High School Team in Tenafly NJ. These girls know how to play the game. They are in a difficult situation. They are all the same size, no one very big. They play against girls much bigger. It matters not. They have learned the art of boxing out and passing. Their fast break is a thing of beauty. The ball almost never touches the floor as they make their way to the opposing basket for a lay up or a dish out pass for a 3 pointer.
Scott. Come. Have fun. Learn to love basketball as a team sport again. Watch a team play the way Phil wants his Knicks to play. Triangle or square; the geometry matters not. The team does.
Scott. Come. Have fun. Learn to love basketball as a team sport again. Watch a team play the way Phil wants his Knicks to play. Triangle or square; the geometry matters not. The team does.
Atlanta Hawks, 1st in the East. Winner of 19 out of last 21.
So much of the NBA has become unwatchable. Sure, the Spurs play good team ball, Golden State can be fun, and even the Hawks and Wizards are a lot more interesting than in recent years. But what does it matter until the 4th quarter, or until the playoffs. The turnover in college with "one and dones" (see Kentucky, Duke, et al) makes it difficult to identify with any one team. But if you want to really enjoy the game, check out Bo Ryan and the Badgers of Wisconsin. Great team play, both up tempo and half court. Fascinating individuals in Frank (The Tank) Kaminsky, Sam Dekker and Nigel (Ron Burgundy) Hayes. They're coming to Rutgers this Sunday. Be there!
1
And you can never have enough of Duje Dukan!
You should not be allowed to cover the Knicks when Phil makes them a contender. Go to Miami or LA where Frontrunners are allowed
It's simple really, college basketball. Pick a team in a conference like the Big 10 and follow that team for a month. Travel with that team, through the adversity of mid-west winter weather, sit-in on classes the day after a mid-week road game, sleep in the hotels and eat at the training tables. Interview every player on the team, the managers, stat people, assistant coaches, team docs and bus drivers. Get a feel for the entire atmosphere, understand and relish the intensity of the rivalries. There's a spellbinding story out there in college basketball and I can't wait to read what you have written.
Send him on a tour of Europe for the Euroleague games...Madrid, Belgrade, Berlin, Athens, Istanbul...
Just send Scott on a tour of the college basketball places with the greatest crowds, starting with the University of Dayton Arena. Dayton is close to a national ranking, despite having no one taller than 6-6 on the roster (they do have a 6-11 freshman redshirt).
New Rochelle is a 30-minute Metro North ride from Grand Central. The Iona Gaels.
We play pick-up games at Fords Middle School every Monday. Melo won't be there, and everybody has a good time.
Send him to Lawrence University in Appleton, WI. Fun basketball program in the DIII, coached by a former player. Grew up watching them and they are the definition of players who play for love of the game. Might be worth covering when they play Grinnell, which usually jacks more three's than any team in the country (sometimes in a very JR Smith fashion).
1
Send him to MKE. Home of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Golden State. Let him watch the Curry show.
Brentwood Basketball Long Island New York
I love all the ideas for writing on a local high school which are all certainly worth shining the NYT light on, but, I would propose the Bucks, Jazz, or Magic. If the Knicks are done with the wild spending days why not to attempt gain perspective on what it is actually like to build through the dice rolling draft in order to glimpse a view of the Knicks, Celtics, or Philly future.
I would also recommend Detroit because Stan Van is amazing and I love that city.
I would also recommend Detroit because Stan Van is amazing and I love that city.
Come to Chicago and watch the Bulls. Wildly entertaining team on multiple levels. Witness the rebirth of Pau Gasol's career, the ascendance of the career of Jimmy Butler, the relentless Joakim Noah, and of course, the upward arc of Derrick Rose's reclamation of his God-given talent. All of this is sewed together by the hard-as-nails coaching of Tom Thibodeau. This team - and the seemingly endless interwoven stories - is a beat writer's dream. If you hurry, you can make it for tomorrow's game with the Utah Jazz.
5
college basketball at the garden. and then the paper wouldn't have to pay for traveling expenses.
1
Should definitely go to the Palestra in Philly. I think just Penn games left at this point (as opposed to other Big 5 games) but going to watch a game in that building will restore your faith in basketball in a few hours.
1
As a Knicks fan who has stuck with his team through good and mostly bad it is frustrating. In either case if I was a writer there would be plenty to comment on .
How about theorizing on what angle Phil Jackson is really seeing... the Knicks have a decent point guard now who shoots high percentage 3 pointers and despite his current assist to turnover ratio is still very good. He's learning a new offensive system & missing guys who can finish so given time he's a good veteran 'floor general' to have. If Tim Hardaway Jr. develops defensively he'd be an elite player with Derek Fisher as a mentor and he surprisingly has played a little better defense recently.
How about writing about some D-League prospects like Thanasis Antetekoumbo (nicknamed 'Tenatious' by Phil Jackson) who works very hard on both ends of the floor like Iman Shumpert ?
Be creative and tie it all together with the Knicks desire to start over and build a good foundation clearing cap space for prospects such as Marc Gasol and others to go with our first round draft pick next year.
How about theorizing on what angle Phil Jackson is really seeing... the Knicks have a decent point guard now who shoots high percentage 3 pointers and despite his current assist to turnover ratio is still very good. He's learning a new offensive system & missing guys who can finish so given time he's a good veteran 'floor general' to have. If Tim Hardaway Jr. develops defensively he'd be an elite player with Derek Fisher as a mentor and he surprisingly has played a little better defense recently.
How about writing about some D-League prospects like Thanasis Antetekoumbo (nicknamed 'Tenatious' by Phil Jackson) who works very hard on both ends of the floor like Iman Shumpert ?
Be creative and tie it all together with the Knicks desire to start over and build a good foundation clearing cap space for prospects such as Marc Gasol and others to go with our first round draft pick next year.
2
Come to Baruch College on January 17th to watch Thon Maker aka the next Kevin Durant play.
Come up to Williamstown, Massachusetts! D3 basketball is much more exciting than the Knicks (and Williams is playing Amherst this Saturday)
2
uhhh Toronto....!
1
Considering this is The New York Times I think it would be great for the city if the Brooklyn Nets start getting some coverage. After all, they are a professional basketball team in the NBA that also plays in New York City. Believe it or not the Nets can actually be contenders in the East, where there's considering the dropoff after the Bulls. Just as the Giants and Jets get equal coverage in local papers I think it would be great for the Knicks/Nets to become the same. Especially with the way the Knicks are playing at least it gives locals someone to cheer for.
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VCU RAMSSS
he should keep working hid beat; and working on his
writing..and working on his reporting...i don't like
the cute impulse behind this..it was clear, for example,
that the united states would lose in iraq..should you have
pulled your top reporters there for a more favorable war story?
(though maybe you did; i guess john burns is in london)
keep cacciola where he belongs...reporting on the knicks,
who are covered as prominently as any other ongoing story.
in the paper...
writing..and working on his reporting...i don't like
the cute impulse behind this..it was clear, for example,
that the united states would lose in iraq..should you have
pulled your top reporters there for a more favorable war story?
(though maybe you did; i guess john burns is in london)
keep cacciola where he belongs...reporting on the knicks,
who are covered as prominently as any other ongoing story.
in the paper...
Comparing the Knicks to the war in Iraq? Seems totally reasonable.
As a Miami native (and having just spent a week in the balmy 70 degree temps, while the rest of the country shivered), I think there is no better choice. Bienvenido a MIami!!!
Mr. Cacciola should come watch the Levelland (TX) High School Girls Team. The Loboettes are 19-2 so far, and they feature a pair of sisters who moved from Mexico to Levelland to play basketball (see http://bit.ly/1HJHSiQ). This team won't change the world (neither will the Knicks), but it's good to read about individual's lives being changed.
Levelland is also the home of the South Plains College commercial music program (which the NY Times called "Juilliard of Bluegrass Music"), as well as the South Plains College Texans, a nationally ranked junior college basketball team. It is located 30 miles west of Lubbock, where I'm told a Mr. Bob Knight still resides.
Levelland is also the home of the South Plains College commercial music program (which the NY Times called "Juilliard of Bluegrass Music"), as well as the South Plains College Texans, a nationally ranked junior college basketball team. It is located 30 miles west of Lubbock, where I'm told a Mr. Bob Knight still resides.
At this point, I think the Harlem Globetrotters are a significantly better (and certainly more exciting!) team.
1
The Explore Charter School Scholar Athletes is a group of 6th-8th grade males and females who come together every week as a basketball team. They are intentionally taught skills that will directly impact their behavior in the classroom - like tracking the speaker, following directions the first time, respecting their teammates, and never giving up. My K-8 charter school, founded in 2001, shares a small gym with two other colocated public schools and an afterschool program, so gym space is hard to come by, but we certainly make the most of our time on the sacred court.
The Hawks are playing amazing basketball and getting basically no coverage by the press. They deserve better; go report on them.
Pomona-Pitzer woman's basketball. They are 2 and 8 overall, and undefeated in their conference (1 and 0, SCIAC). Better book a flight soon to Ontario Airport. They play Pacific Lutheran this Saturday. A must see game against the Banana Slugs is on Friday, the 28th.
After a few games in the Grindhouse, you won't ever want to leave. Lace up your blue suede shoes and come on down to Memphis to cover the Grizzlies!
1
I vote for Carmelo's NCAA Alma Mater. Instead of seeing red, Cacciola for a while this winter can see Orange.
Send scott to the bronx for fordham basketball men and women plus the bonus of arthur ave
ay fam my little brother starts playing Upward Sports basketball in the DFW. He's 5'5" and can probably grab rebounds better than Dalembert
Come to Rye in Westchester County this Saturday to see my varsity team play our rivals Harrison in the Michael Ice Memorial game at 3pm
LA FITNESS in Clifton, NJ. Please come. The best non-nba player plays there.
His name is Indrit Lamcaj. They call him Kobe there.
His name is Indrit Lamcaj. They call him Kobe there.
"What about the Grizzlies? It was fun to watch them beat the Knicks and hardly anyone talks about them. Plus good food."
I enthusiastically second this comment. Other than last Saturday's game against the Nuggets, it's a great year to watch the Grizzlies. Marc, Mike, Tony, ZBo, CLee, Vince, Beno....we're playing great D and have become an offense to contend with. Come on back to the Grindhouse and give our Grizzlies the national spotlight they deserve. And have some Rendezvous BBQ nachos. #gng
I enthusiastically second this comment. Other than last Saturday's game against the Nuggets, it's a great year to watch the Grizzlies. Marc, Mike, Tony, ZBo, CLee, Vince, Beno....we're playing great D and have become an offense to contend with. Come on back to the Grindhouse and give our Grizzlies the national spotlight they deserve. And have some Rendezvous BBQ nachos. #gng
I think that the suffering is greatest among the fans who read these articles. A good reporter should risk life, limb, and sanity for the sake of the reader, if necessary. Some of us look at the rest of the year as an incubator or test lab that may nurture and select a few of the players for next year's team. We'd still like to hear about this. Send your writer to Hawaii. It's lovely there this time of year, if he already needs a vacation.
1
Wait for the Spring and go to the Cage on West 4th. In the meantime, take a look at some local high schools.
1
Come to South Beach and watch the Miami Heat
I recommend turning your attention to the Chicago Bulls. A principled front office that's reflected in their coach and players. They tried recruiting another New Yorker but I guess he turned it down. Don't make the same mistake!!
5
The Bulls are the team with the best shot at winning a title in the East. You could start there.
Then again, my hometown of Oklahoma City has a team that's rebounding from a slow start. You could ship your guy there as well.
Then again, my hometown of Oklahoma City has a team that's rebounding from a slow start. You could ship your guy there as well.
1
Oh, and if you're looking for a 2-for-1 special in Oklahoma, Cheryl Miller just so happens to coach at my alma mater. Langston University is currently undefeated and in the NAIA's Top Ten. The school is located about 42 miles NE of Chesapeake Energy Arena.
The ARMY team at West Point must train harder than the Knicks. They must emphasize teamwork more than the Knicks. The coach and the team must have ways to enforce the game plan that are more effective than the Knicks. The players must play defense with more energy than the Knicks, and look for each other on offense more than the Knicks. Oh, yes, those thoughs also apply to the men's team . . . Tell Scott, "you're in the Army, now!"
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Double-header against Navy this weekend! Men's game at noon on Saturday, 10 January, followed by women's game. It promises to be not only entertaining but the Army spirit will be rocking Christl Arena!
San Antonio.
I suggest Poland ... there is a team PGE Turow Zgorzelec (Polish champions) and ex-Knick, Mardy Collins, is playing there :-) Also Tony Taylor born in Sleepy Hollow. So maybe a little trip across the ocean.
My 2nd grade daughter's YMCA Rec League team plays its first game Saturday @ 2:00 in a gym with a carpeted floor surrounded by folding chairs. No stealing is allowed, except for passes. (You might still see better defense than at a Knicks game.). The rim is @ 8 feet, so there is better rim protection than the Knicks. The shooting percentages are close to that of the Knicks. Her team does not run the Triangle. It looks more like a cluster, which I guess is what the Knicks are. And, there are team treats in the lobby after the game.
19
A little too much similarity to the Knicks, so not an ideal break for the reporter. But sounds like fun to me. Plus the BBQ ribs are great.
My vote is more coverage of the Brooklyn Nets. Choose mediocrity over true awfulness. We also all prefer an owner who is a wealthy Russian and knows nothing about basketball over a rich American owner who knows nothing about basketball.
1
Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax, Virginia
Columbia Lions were leading Kentucky at halftime in Rupp Arena and almost pulled off the upset. If they can beat Harvard they're a good bet to win the Ivy League and thus make their first appearance in the NCAA tourney since forever, if they ever did qualify. You don't even have to leave Manhattan!
1
I think he should cover the Middlebury College Panthers. Send him up to Vermont and let him write about a real basketball team. Bonus points: I bet the college would give him a room in Battell!
Our team here in Orlando isn't have the best year either. Our beat reporter at the Orlando Sentinel Josh Robbins does his best. If the NY Times will spring for a plane ticket, you could cover the games we play on the roof of the Orlando Sentinel building. Roofball is a proud tradition in Central Florida, and we play every Tuesday and Thursday.
And if you need a place to crash, you can stay at my house.
And if you need a place to crash, you can stay at my house.
What about El Clasico? Yes, there are some of those in basketball, too. Real Madrid faces Barcelona in a Euroleague match on Feb 5th. And two weeks later, the thrilling King's Cup is taking center stage. Four days, eight teams, seven games, and this year it will all happen in the Canary Islands. What's not to love?
1
I think it would be great to read about more foreign teams, as there are more and more international players getting a crack at the NBA. Maybe a feature each week about a different team in a different country perhaps?
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Poor beleaguered reporter? How about us season ticket holders who pay for the privilege? This is tone deaf and snarky. You are the New York Times. The paper of record doesn't do snarky.
This is a no-brainer. Send Scott to Atlanta to watch the Atlanta Hawks, the hottest team in the NBA!
Has to be the Bulls. Playing great team basketball at both ends of the court.
1
DC, Baby, DC.
i recommend the warriors, spurs, mavs, raptors, and the washington professional basketball team.
The story behind the story of the Knicks/Sixers/T-wolves tank-a-thon is being told in Durham, NC. Send your guy south to discover what NBA scouts already know, and he'll hop on the 5-77 bandwagon to help the Knicks' chances of landing their best-ever big man (sorry Patrick and Willis), Duke's Jahlil Okafor.
How about a #1 Nationally Ranked MIAA Div II college ladies team in the small town of Emporia Kansas! The Lady Hornets from Emporia State University are undefeated and have been ranked #1 for several weeks! It's guaranteed to be a good game! Plus, nothing is as refreshing as Midwest hospitality and good basketball! And we have excellent BBQ places too!
I'm delighted to nominate the UConn women's basketball team. Year after year they are the best story in women's basketball. They have great players and a great coaching staff. They are a joy to watch. What's more, the Times tends to ignore women's college basketball in its coverage. It's time to recognize outstanding players and at least one outstanding team.
1
Well you've hardly covered the Nets--usually using A.P. so why not Brooklyn for a change--the subway is cheap or he can take an Uber Car. There's a long time
professional coach, there's an owner somewhere in Russia or Paris or London, there's a rather calm front office, no gurus, no meditators. So why not give them a try, I did after the boy band leader traded Linn and it hasn't been great but it hasn't been so frustrating that you'd like to take a broom to the whole place and sweep it clean.
professional coach, there's an owner somewhere in Russia or Paris or London, there's a rather calm front office, no gurus, no meditators. So why not give them a try, I did after the boy band leader traded Linn and it hasn't been great but it hasn't been so frustrating that you'd like to take a broom to the whole place and sweep it clean.
1
I think it would be interesting to tell your readers about what a mid-major HBCU team has to go through to survive financially. Savannah State University is somewhere around 3-10 as they begin MEAC play, but they have also played a brutal schedule, perhaps all things considered the toughest in the country. They're coached by Horace Broadnax who made his bones as John Thompson's point guard at Georgetown, the players are nice kids who are well coached and play hard. It's a good human interest story about life on the other side of the street, plus you would get to spend some time in Savannah, Ga., which wouldn't be all bad, especially at this time of year. I think Scott would leave with a little better perspective on basketball life, and it would/should be an enriching experience. I think of when George Vecsey was a reporter in Appalachia mean years ago, and I believe he left a better person and definitely a better writer and columnist. Give it some thought. You may find yourself surprise.
I'd invite Scott to check out the Northeastern University Huskies—they have a legitimate shot at winning the Colonial Athletic Association title, which would mean a trip to the Big Dance for the first time since the mid-80s, the glory years of the late Reggie Lewis (RIP) and Jim Calhoun.
3
The Raptors are nice and close and are playing well this year!
As the sports photographer/reporter for a (very) small town newspaper on the other side of nowhere, I suggest Scott go back to the roots and see how high school basketball is played in small towns with old gyms and no player with a prayer of a Div. I scholarship. In the big cities even the high school game has become pressurized and increasingly commercialized as folks like MaxPreps do their deeds.
Rural, small town, out of the limelight, there are thousands of kids playing for fun, for a bit of high school fame, and simply because it's a great thing to do in places without a lot of other distractions. Somehow it seems that most people have forgotten that we play(ed) basketball and all those other sports for fun. Scott, maybe you should go look for a place where playing hard, playing clean, and playing for the joy of it is still alive. Believe me it 'taint in NYC.
Rural, small town, out of the limelight, there are thousands of kids playing for fun, for a bit of high school fame, and simply because it's a great thing to do in places without a lot of other distractions. Somehow it seems that most people have forgotten that we play(ed) basketball and all those other sports for fun. Scott, maybe you should go look for a place where playing hard, playing clean, and playing for the joy of it is still alive. Believe me it 'taint in NYC.
4
I think the choice to beat would be the rise of the unaffiliated NJIT, who had quite possibly the second biggest regular season NCAA upset of all time.
Had a season with 0 wins and followed it up with a season with 1 win going back less than a decade. And this year beat a team in last year's Elite 8. Again, no conference.
Otherwise, Stony Brook, as some suggested, which has turned into less of a tune-up opponent recently.
Had a season with 0 wins and followed it up with a season with 1 win going back less than a decade. And this year beat a team in last year's Elite 8. Again, no conference.
Otherwise, Stony Brook, as some suggested, which has turned into less of a tune-up opponent recently.
1
Bryan is my commenter of the day. NJIT, Stony Brook and from Queens. Its like a brother knows how to get to my heart. Scott pay attention to Bryan.
1
Stony Brook Seawolves!!! Great mid-major basketball. Upcoming major basketball force in NYC/Long Island college scene. Something new and novel... everyone knows Saint Johns, Seton Hall etc. Did I mention entertaining basketball, who just upset #13 Washington?
Send him to Toronto and get him to cover the Raptors!
Send Scott down to Norfolk. He can follow my #25 Old Dominion Monarchs around C-USA for a while. When in Norfolk we have plenty of great seafood options and a growing craft brew scene close to campus for him to check out.
Unless Scott can somehow find his way West and cover the Golden State Warriors, I'd suggest he check out some of the better high school teams in greater New York-New Jersey area. He'll find coaches and players receptive to his questions and coverage, something I'm fairly certain he doesn't have now.
In the NBA, the Spurs. In college, Virginia or Wisconsin.
1
Come down to New Orleans and have your jaw drop watching Anthony Davis. I cover the Pelicans and would be happy to set you up.
- The Westchester Knicks in the D-League? At least there, if the teams aren't that good, they aren't supposed to be.
- Univ of Kentucky, which will probably produce a future Knick as it's the prime feeder of players in the NBA, and is also a better team than the Knicks.
- San Antonio, the polar opposite of the Knicks in almost every way imaginable.
- Univ of Kentucky, which will probably produce a future Knick as it's the prime feeder of players in the NBA, and is also a better team than the Knicks.
- San Antonio, the polar opposite of the Knicks in almost every way imaginable.
Scott:
A fine group of 55 to 60+ year old fellas get together every Sunday morning in Brooklyn (location to be disclosed upon request) for some very spirited b-ball. We play on a college-sized court - I think you'd be encouraged and impressed. Every so often, one of us can't make it and we bring in a 19-year old to fill out the game - trust me, they're shocked by the end of the morning.
Interested?
RR
A fine group of 55 to 60+ year old fellas get together every Sunday morning in Brooklyn (location to be disclosed upon request) for some very spirited b-ball. We play on a college-sized court - I think you'd be encouraged and impressed. Every so often, one of us can't make it and we bring in a 19-year old to fill out the game - trust me, they're shocked by the end of the morning.
Interested?
RR
3
Hello NY Times. I coach a 7th grade team in the Westchester Jewish Basketball League. We have a game tonight, and it would be awesome if Scott could cover it. The story would blow up, and the game itself is probably more entertaining than watching the depressing Knicks. Watching Jewish middle school kids play basketball is a must-watch event and the future of the sport itself.
Email me if interested for game details. (I'm dead serious)
Email me if interested for game details. (I'm dead serious)
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Maybe if Cacciola wasn't drinking the Kool Aid and writing articles earlier in the season about how they had a shot at playoffs, were on equal footing with Nets, etc there would be more sympathy. He deserves it for turning a blind eye to the gross mismanagement that preceded him and continued daily.
Article: My take on seeing Times sports writers Scott Cacciola, Ben Soloman, Sam Dolnick and Jason Stallman in super short shorts from different eras in the Knicks collective crappyness as a franchise playing 2 v 2. Winner gets to cover LIU Brooklyn journey to March Madness. Loser gets to cover LIU Brooklyn journey to March Madness.
1
Scott, I'd like to introduce you to the 6th grade girls at Our Lady Queen of Peace School in Madison, Wis. Roster of 13. They have some height, a lot of heart and not all that much by way of fundamentals. Head-down dribbling. Enough said. But they work hard and bring game with good humor. Tired of snarky locker room non-comments? Just wait til a 12-year-old tells you she's ready to "bring the D all up in the hizzle." (And while you're in town, you can catch the Frank Kaminsky show down the road. It's something to behold.)
3
Come to Portland on the Willamette. Check out Terry Stotts's wunderkinds and one of Paul Allen's favorite toys: the Trail Blazers. (Maybe weasel himself into a ride on Paul Allen's yacht, Octopus.)
While in Stumptown, USA, Scott can review all those restaurants those NY Times critics rave about. No sales taxes in Oregon. Great vineyards within an hour's drive. Mount Hood slopes about an hour west of town.
Should Scott want some college hoops on his menu, well he can have the Pilots of the U of P, the PSUQ Vikings in the Park Blocks, Uncle Phil's Duckies, the BEavers, the Nike store and Moonstruck chocolates stores to grab some goodies for those sweet things back in the Big Apple. (That means anyone who is not in a editorial position.)
The Blazers are playing pretty good basketball right, they have two all stars in Aldridge and Lillard, a pretty decent bench and a rabid fan base packing the Moda Center.
Why not Rip City?
While in Stumptown, USA, Scott can review all those restaurants those NY Times critics rave about. No sales taxes in Oregon. Great vineyards within an hour's drive. Mount Hood slopes about an hour west of town.
Should Scott want some college hoops on his menu, well he can have the Pilots of the U of P, the PSUQ Vikings in the Park Blocks, Uncle Phil's Duckies, the BEavers, the Nike store and Moonstruck chocolates stores to grab some goodies for those sweet things back in the Big Apple. (That means anyone who is not in a editorial position.)
The Blazers are playing pretty good basketball right, they have two all stars in Aldridge and Lillard, a pretty decent bench and a rabid fan base packing the Moda Center.
Why not Rip City?
My C-league intramural basketball team is looking for an experienced beat writer to cover our journey to college basketball glory. For two-plus years we have put countless hours in the gym improving our craft and we now feel it is our year to take home the title. Our balanced and experienced team plays an exciting brand of basketball led by juniors and seniors. There are no practices (so we don't have time to learn the triangle) and only a few regular season games before the Big Dance. Mr. Cacciola has dealt with a lot of losing this season, he deserves to cover a contender. We can provide him with unlimited media access so the NYT readers get an in-depth look at this team.
There are lots of other great suggestions but most of the have beat writers. Its time to cover a team that doesn't get the press it deserves. I'm have a feeling the comment about the "local Y" was a joke but it doesn't have to be.
The season starts a week from Wednesday.
There are lots of other great suggestions but most of the have beat writers. Its time to cover a team that doesn't get the press it deserves. I'm have a feeling the comment about the "local Y" was a joke but it doesn't have to be.
The season starts a week from Wednesday.
The Borough of Manhattan Community College mens' basketball team. No, for real. They're 13-1 this season and ranked 7th in the nation in the latest NJCAA div 3 poll. JUCO ball doesn't get nearly the attention it deserves, and there's no shortage of it in NY. Heck, check out any of the action from any of the teams in the CUNY Athletic Conference. Just because they're D3 doesn't mean they don't play hard.
1
Brian - THIS is what I am talking about. Im there. Good post.
How about a trip to Europe for the climax of the Euroleague? Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey? Guessing he'll be over this way for Bucks & Knicks in London soon anyway - why not extend the trip?
Mark - I like the enthusiasm and I like the push for Euroball. What I dont like is Euroball. Dont get me wrong, I wear the Slovenia jersey to show the Dragic brothers some love and make mom proud, but at the end of the day, our d-leaguers go there for a reason. Im kidding. Good shout out
spurs
Hasib, you gotta bring more to the table then that. Im disappointed. Like all the spurs? You want the times to write about, like, Diaw? His diet? His bigness? We need some focus brother.
Greetings, NY Times. I play basketball once a week with some former teachers of mine at a middle school gym at 6 a.m. in Springville, NY. It's about 40 minutes south of Buffalo. The village is just under 2,000 people. We don't have a full-time police department and are family trees are like wreaths. We sometimes just randomly pick teams, or shoot for them. I'm the youngest one who plays -- at 20-years-old -- must of them are teachers at the local high school. We usually play for an hour, or until Mr. Feltz the oldest whippersnapper gets tired.
Make the trip. If you covered Thursday morning basketball at this small town south of the Buffalo, you know the story would blow up. I mean, come on. Anything is better than the Knicks.
-Dave DeLuca. Contact: [email protected]
Make the trip. If you covered Thursday morning basketball at this small town south of the Buffalo, you know the story would blow up. I mean, come on. Anything is better than the Knicks.
-Dave DeLuca. Contact: [email protected]
1
To Scott and Ben:
You sorry whiners.
You're NBA writers. You're the elite. Yeah, the Knicks are terrible. But NBA terrible is still pretty awesome. You get to see LeBron. You get to see the Spurs, the Heat, even Kobe is still interesting to watch these days. And you COMPLAIN?
Also, you live in New York City. WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM? You can't get Book of Mormon tickets? Still looking for women on farmersonly.com? Help us help you.
I'm the SID for a 4-11 team that's 11-36 over the past two seasons. You got Christmas Day on ESPN. I got Thanksgiving in Greeley, Colo. You fly to LA and San Antonio and San Francisco. I bus to Orangeburg, S.C. . I just spent a Saturday night in Muncie, Ind. after having their beat writer for a 5-win team call my team "terrible." Yeah, we might be terrible, our gym is so old that Dr. Martin Luther King gave a speech there and we might have been scoring less than Georgia Tech football in the Orange Bowl and right now my hopes for an all-expense paid trip to Dayton, Ohio are living and dying with a walk-on senior who lit up a church school for 32, but at least I'm not working for Gannett in Muncie, Ind.
And you know? I love my job. No complaints.
If you want to trade gigs for a while, including your salary, your expense accounts and benefits, you got a deal. Until then, quit whining, you whiny whiners.
Nothing but love for you. First round’s on me if we ever meet in person.
You sorry whiners.
You're NBA writers. You're the elite. Yeah, the Knicks are terrible. But NBA terrible is still pretty awesome. You get to see LeBron. You get to see the Spurs, the Heat, even Kobe is still interesting to watch these days. And you COMPLAIN?
Also, you live in New York City. WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM? You can't get Book of Mormon tickets? Still looking for women on farmersonly.com? Help us help you.
I'm the SID for a 4-11 team that's 11-36 over the past two seasons. You got Christmas Day on ESPN. I got Thanksgiving in Greeley, Colo. You fly to LA and San Antonio and San Francisco. I bus to Orangeburg, S.C. . I just spent a Saturday night in Muncie, Ind. after having their beat writer for a 5-win team call my team "terrible." Yeah, we might be terrible, our gym is so old that Dr. Martin Luther King gave a speech there and we might have been scoring less than Georgia Tech football in the Orange Bowl and right now my hopes for an all-expense paid trip to Dayton, Ohio are living and dying with a walk-on senior who lit up a church school for 32, but at least I'm not working for Gannett in Muncie, Ind.
And you know? I love my job. No complaints.
If you want to trade gigs for a while, including your salary, your expense accounts and benefits, you got a deal. Until then, quit whining, you whiny whiners.
Nothing but love for you. First round’s on me if we ever meet in person.
30
The University of South Carolina Gamecocks have had a futile men's basketball program over the past decade, but the squad recently upset top-25 ranked Iowa State and is looking to turn the tide this season.
Follow the Wisconsin Badger mens' basketball team. They're perhaps the finest collegiate example of selfless basketball and were a fluke 3 point shot against beating Kentucky in last year's final four. Not to mention, National Geographic just named Madison, WI as one of the 10 happiest cities on Earth. You could do a lot worse!
I'm nominating the Army Black Knights up the river in West Point. Army's basketball program's been in terrible shape for decades, but Coach Spiker has improved them drastically and they currently rank as one of the better teams in the Patriot League. They have a solid shot of qualifying for their first ever NCAA Tournament this year. The way I see it, replacing coverage of a once proud franchise that's been pathetically run into the ground by James Dolan with a long suffering underdog who may break through to the tournament for the first time sets the right tone.
Also, Zach Spiker's going to do big things in college basketball. The Times can be the first to realize it.
Also, Zach Spiker's going to do big things in college basketball. The Times can be the first to realize it.
1
Rutgers Women's Basketball. Been the most consistent team in the tri-state for the past 25 years.
did you mean uconn women? i think you meant uconn women. if rutgers counts for tristate then so do they.
1
I have a better suggestion: follow hockey. The NHL is finally gaining in popularity it deserves and there are TWO local teams that are relevant. Stop letting the Post and Newsday dominate that market; the New York hockey fan deserves better.
1
How about Lexington, Kentucky, to watch the University of Kentucky Wildcats? The team might be able to put up a decent fight against the Knicks in a head-to-head matchup, too!
Why not cover the new big east this year...it has good local and regional following,the teams are good...and my surprise...it will bring some positive coverage to the sports page,Reuther than listening to Carmelo,Amare,or fisher lament the unbelievable ness of being losers!
1
Show some love to the nation's capital. Although their name is truly embarrassing, technically, they really can be considered "America's team". The starting five of Wall, Beal, Pierce, Nene and Gortat and deep bench have a reasonable shot at reaching the Eastern Finals, and possibly enough to come out of the East. And, assuming the college level is already covered, the NBA alternatives in the East are Canada, a team that won enough in the 90s during the Knickerbockers glory days to despise, a prima donna who seemingly orchestrated a trade due to under-performance, or the Hawks.
San Antonio Spurs!
Here's another one for ya Scott - take a look back at old school NYC bball history. Give people who only know the Knicks and NYC in losing a context something to long for when it comes to our cagers. Start in the 20's with the early, post barn-storming teams. Have a look at "From Peachbaskets to Slamdunks" - lots of good local lore their. And the guys that played then were way more hardcore then now. Untying shoe laces? Kids stuff. NYC basketball is important and great and can be again.
1
MAVS!!! #DallasTX
My son Benjamin is nearing his Bar Mitzvah. On Sunday mornings, as a community service project, Ben goes to our local JCC (the Sid Jacobson JCC in East Hills) and volunteers with a group called Little Shooting Stars. The Little Shooting Stars is a program for special needs children, ages 3-12, that helps these kids learn to play basketball. These kids learn how to dribble and shoot, working one on one with a typical peer buddy. My son serves as a peer buddy and he has gotten more out of this experience than any basketball he has played or watched.
6
I was a coach for a Special Olympics team. Best sports experience I've ever had.
Come report on my daughter's 5th grade girls team. They are the only female team in the boys division and are 7-1. These girls can hoop!
11
Or what about Cardozo Boys Basketball! High School Ball in the city is where the Izzos and Caliparis and Boeheims pull their talent from. Scott should head down to the gyms where the kids play for their lives and for the fun of it instead of for shoe contracts and sick sweater collections and DMX bootleg mixtapes. The game started in the northeast because it was too cold in the winter to play outside during gym class. They moved into the church gyms and learned their cross-overs and fade-aways. Maybe if we want to talk and read less about the big business side of ball which starts essentially at 18, lets get back in the NYC high school gym. Hot dogs and cokes on me.
1
Wherever he goes, he'll be new to the team and he won't be staying long. And to cheer him up, he'll want to be with a winner. The perfect choice is Kentucky.
2
I would say St. John's and HS basketball. Match the #Knicks #YouthMovement
Portland Trail Blazers. Everyone is writing about the Golden State Warriors out West so let's get some national love for the BLAZERS!
Princeton University Women's Basketball.
Send Scott to Auckland to cover the New Zealand Breakers. Great squad, three-time champions of Australasian NBL and looking like they might take a fourth title this year. Plus it's not a bad place to be posted.
2
I enjoy the articles about Marc Gasol and the Grizzlies. More of that team?
1
As a Johnnies fan, I would love to recommend you spend some time on a St. John's program peeking its head out from the college roundball basement. The fact is though, much like the Knicks, that program is being run by Dumb and Dumber (Steve UCLA disaster and Chris Monasch, Athletic Director from Hell) and remains a basketball garbage dump despite the top 25 ranking. AND IM A DIE HARD FAN! I would focus on Seaton Hall. Kevin Willard has ties to Pitino and winning. He is pulling kids from the city and Jersey and getting them to play together and well. They beat the Johnnies and Nova without their super freshman. I would say have a look at the all new almost all Catholic Big East basketball conference through the lens of a winning coach and city kids. The Knicks don't deserve your attention and neither does Steve Lavin. Give the Hall some love - Willard deserves it and so do real roundball fans.
1
What about the Grizzlies? It was fun to watch them beat the Knicks and hardly anyone talks about them. Plus good food.
1
How about the top high school players? Cheick Diallo of Our Savior New American School in Centereach NY, and Isaiah Briscoe of Roselle Catholic High School in Union NJ would be a good start.
Have him checkout the Temple Owls and or the Colorado Buffalos
The Harlem Globetrotters. Always entertaining; always victorious.
Golden. State. Warriors.
Scott should watch the Celtics to compare how the Knicks' past-and-future division rivals are doing with their rebuild. Granted, the Celtics have neither fallen as far, nor are they as bereft of future draft picks, as the Knicks, but they are both teams trying to reclaim relevance and will ultimately be in each others' way. They have in common coaching staffs temperamentally suited to develop new players while enduring many, many, losses, and you can see the Celtics developing good team habits - second in team assists to Golden State, for instance.
Then Scott should watch countless obscure college basketball games looking for the Knicks of the future, since given the Knicks' paucity of draft picks and tradeable assets, they will have to find and recruit players with good potential who will go undrafted. They won't be the known stars at high-profile teams. Think of it as a preview of the 2015-2017 Knicks.
Then Scott should watch countless obscure college basketball games looking for the Knicks of the future, since given the Knicks' paucity of draft picks and tradeable assets, they will have to find and recruit players with good potential who will go undrafted. They won't be the known stars at high-profile teams. Think of it as a preview of the 2015-2017 Knicks.
If you want to reward Cacciola for spending his time in NBA hell, then, send him out west to cover the Golden State Warriors. This is a team that has been built by forward-thinking ownership that hires top notch front-office people and lets them do their jobs. They have drafted well, made astute trades and free-agent signings and hired (and fired) coaches who have had a real impact on the team's performance. Not so long ago, they were one of the perennial cellar dwellers in the NBA, now, they're one of, if not the, best team in the league. They play tough defense, share the ball on offense, have unselfish stars and a great coach. Having grown up in suburban New York during the Knicks championship seasons, I will always have a soft spot for the uniform, but now that I live in the Bay Area, I feel lucky to have become a Warriors fan. So I say to Cacciola, "go West, young man!"
2
My friends and I play in Central Park at the 85th street courts on Saturday mornings. Usually can get 5 on 5 with good weather. We have decent height but skill and fitness are limiting factors. Come check us out!
1
San Antonio Spurs
First, let's acknowledge that Mr. Cacciola has worked his whole career to get an NBA beat, and let's not deprive him of one so soon. The Golden State Warriors have the best basketball fan base outside of New York City, and they're playing ball that's not just winning but wildly entertaining. They're the NBA's best 2014-15 story. Go west, Mr. Cacciola!
2
The Bulls might be a worthy subject for his disaffected passions. This is probably Derrick Rose's best team since he became a pro. Pau Gasol is playing great, Jimmy Butler is transcendent and Mirotic has been a great surprise. To think that the Bulls were actively trying to get Carmelo Anthony as a free agent last summer. Thank goodness that didn't happen. With Anthony, the Bulls would be disjointed and vulnerable. Without him, they have a legitimate shot at making the Finals this year. The Second City is once again better than New York...in basketball, anyway.
I second the first part of Sledge's suggestion: go see the UConn women's team play. No real high quality opponents until Feb. 9 (U. South Carolina), but in most games, the Huskies display good basketball, with hustle, relentlessness, passing, and defense ... the whole package.
1
Send him to the Irish Cup semi-final weekend. He's probably heading to London next week anyway, and Lord knows anyone who covers the Knicks for a living could do with a weekend in Cork
How about covering the Division III schools right in the city? Travel will be cheap and the NYT can save some money, plus spotlight local teams with local players. Try Brooklyn College, off to a 10-2 start: http://www.d3hoops.com/teams/Brooklyn/Men/2014-15/index
The Bulldogs face Baruch, which is 7-3, on Saturday: http://www.d3hoops.com/teams/Baruch/Men/2014-15/index
The Bulldogs face Baruch, which is 7-3, on Saturday: http://www.d3hoops.com/teams/Baruch/Men/2014-15/index
1
Keep the heat on ... (not the miami variety). Every week publish a story about who the Kinks might pick up in the draft and free agency (a different set of moves analyzed each week), and constantly hound King Jackson about the prospective line up. Don't let them off the hook!
St. John's is having a pretty good season so far. And they occasionally play at the Garden, although that venue might come attached with too much baggage. How about Columbia? That squad is set to make some serious noise in the Ivy League.
Great news! You don't even have to leave the metro area to catch the Seawolves of Stony Brook University in action. They just knocked off an AP Top 25 team (#13 Washington) on the road, they have perhaps the best player in the mid-majors in Jameel Warney (who leads the nation in rebounds and double-doubles and leads the conference in scoring), and they play in a gorgeous, brand-new arena. All for the cost of a Long Island Railroad ticket (or a Metrocard: they play at Columbia in Morningside Heights tonight.)
Hop on the bandwagon while there's still room, you can ride it all the way into March.
Hop on the bandwagon while there's still room, you can ride it all the way into March.
15
Except UAlbany will beat the Seawolves--again--in the conference tournament.
Scott,
I hope all is well. I believe that you would be enamored by the grit, talent, and professional skepticism of the CPnbA co-rec squad at the University of Notre Dame. We are a group of senior accounting students chasing our dream of a intramural championship and stricter independence standards. Various beat writers have already shown interest, but we believe you are the best suited to cover our unique team.
Looking forward to future correspondence,
Paul
I hope all is well. I believe that you would be enamored by the grit, talent, and professional skepticism of the CPnbA co-rec squad at the University of Notre Dame. We are a group of senior accounting students chasing our dream of a intramural championship and stricter independence standards. Various beat writers have already shown interest, but we believe you are the best suited to cover our unique team.
Looking forward to future correspondence,
Paul
Brooklyn All Game is leading the Atlantic Division of the semipro American Professional Basketball League. Its next home game is Sunday evening against the Hudson Valley Kingz.
Sport writers, music/art critics and most of all 'fashion' critics (writers) are a spoiled bunch. I recommend for Mr Cacciola to cover the conflict in East Ukraine. It may invigorate him and give him a sense of perspective, improve his nimbleness with the pen and his footing on reality's beat. The topic should be: who would be best cover the Knicks in this period of transition. . . . perhaps a high school reporter?
C'mon guys and gals! Give Scott a choice: UCONN Women's Basketball, or Kentucky, Louisville and/or Duke Men's basketball. You could also offer an NBA team so long as it doesn't have to play the Knicks the rest of the season.
1
UConn women are boring in the other direction! And not a NY team. How about the NYU women? 10-0!!
1
There's nothing boring about UConn women's basketball except for its relentless, sustained excellence.
Seton Hall!
1
Jan. 15 in Seattle: College Basketball -- Oregon State visits Washington. While it may not be the best college basketball game you could watch, this event will be notable for one reason: Gary Payton II (OSU) and Shawn Kemp Jr (UW), Sons of former SuperSonics stars, face each other in Seattle. They are both starters and should enjoy ample playing time. The only question is whether their fathers will show up to watch.
5
Mavs are playing pretty good since the Rondo trade. And watching them every night, you sort of get the impression that in another five to ten games, they'll start hitting on all cylinders.
They need an extra big man to help with the rebounding, so if the Knicks waive Sam Dalembert as some have reported, that's as possibility (as is Jermaine O'Neal who makes his off-season home in the Dallas area). Looks like they could be making another run, although the West is stacked.
They play an attractive and entertaining brand of team ball. Scoring is distrusted among quite a few players. Rondo passing is a joy to watch. And their players are all good citizens and articulate. Dirk, the emotional leader, also has a sly sense of humor, as well as being one of the hardest working guys in the NBA. What's not to like?
They need an extra big man to help with the rebounding, so if the Knicks waive Sam Dalembert as some have reported, that's as possibility (as is Jermaine O'Neal who makes his off-season home in the Dallas area). Looks like they could be making another run, although the West is stacked.
They play an attractive and entertaining brand of team ball. Scoring is distrusted among quite a few players. Rondo passing is a joy to watch. And their players are all good citizens and articulate. Dirk, the emotional leader, also has a sly sense of humor, as well as being one of the hardest working guys in the NBA. What's not to like?
1
come cover the brow. #ADforMVP
1
Hofstra has a great basketball team this year. They already have more wins than they had last season.
Instead of covering basketball why not cover another professional sports team right here in New York that needs all the coverage it can get...The New York Islanders. They're playing at an elite level and are in their last year at the Coliseum. I have no idea if Scott knows hockey but it'll save the NY Times on travel/lodging costs (that's something).
2
If SC wants hockey, then the 10-1-2 Harvard team will be playing Yale at the Garden on Saturday, which would be a good game to cover outside of the world of basketball. Or, perhaps, he could cover Harvard's women's team, which is currently just as good at 9-2-2. (Too bad he couldn't cover Harvard's football team, which ended the season at 10-0.)
But, if he wants to stay in the basketball world, then Harvard's men's team is 9-3 thus far...
Anyway, considering Eric's posting here, perhaps SC should cover the Isles, especially come June as his initials may represent just what the team will be vying for, namely the Stanley Cup...
But, if he wants to stay in the basketball world, then Harvard's men's team is 9-3 thus far...
Anyway, considering Eric's posting here, perhaps SC should cover the Isles, especially come June as his initials may represent just what the team will be vying for, namely the Stanley Cup...
Send him to cover some of the best HS players in the country (Ben Simmons, Thon Maker etc.).
Consider the Stony Brook University Seawolves on their quest for their first appearance in the Big Dance. They have had some great wins, most recently against an undefeated ranked opponent in the top 25, and players who are leaders in categories across the entire country.
5
Not a team, but a conference. The Big East is roaring back. Locally, St. John's and Seton Hall.
1
Atlanta Hawks, the bandwagon is ready to go.
They can win the Eastern Conference; they'll still flame out early in the playoffs.
I can't speak for my buddy Joe, but I'm sure Scott would be welcome at his apartment to come see a very high level of NBA JAM on display.
11
The Lady Chiefs of Canarsie Educational Campus (Brooklyn A East division, PSAL) are off to an 8-0 start under Coach Keiya Smith.
What about poor Ben Spigel! Isn't there a good football team out there that you can reassign that beleaguered and excellent report too as well?
Northfield Mount Hermon has a great high school basketball team. Head up I-90 to Gill Ma. http://www.nmhschool.org/athletics/winter/basketball-boys/varsity
The NYT is already in love with Portland. Why don't you make him a beat reporter for the Blazers?
7
Can I double recommend this, please?
personally i would like to see an in depth month of coverage on New York City High School basketball - Bishop Loughlin etc.
University of Minnesota Golden Gophers women's basketball team. The team is ranked in the Top 25 for the first time in eight years while missing their best player Rachel Banham.
1
Seton Hall! Back in the national rankings, talented freshmen class and a star guard who has worked hard to get better in Sterling Gibbs!
1
What's wrong with the Nets? Do you even have a beat reporter for them? They're not great but there is improvement. Lionel Hollins is a straight-talking guy who has seemingly convinced his team that if they work together they can win. Plus they are a heck of a lot closer to .500 than the "Zen" Knicks.
2
You are so right. I posted about them before. If he goes he won't have to take Psych 101 and courses in eastern philosophy.
The Grizz! MSG could use a little Grindhouse energy these days.
Whitworth was undeservedly snubbed by the NCAA selection committee, and UPS was victimized by the NCAA's habit of forcing teams from the Northwest Conference to play each other in the second round of the tournament (where UPS this weekend lost to the George Fox juggernaut). So the NWC doesn't get to display all of its teams strengths. George Fox though is still alive and rolling through the tournament.