The Penalty Box: Of LeBron, Tournament Games And Coaching Changes
February 15, 2023 at 2:38 a.m.
The Penalty Box: Of LeBron, Tournament Games And Coaching Changes
By Roger Grossman-
By the way, we do multiple-subject columns often and there is no form or format to the order by which we mention these topics.
Let’s wade in.
This is generally a “local sports column”. I try to make it about local sports and local teams as much as possible.
But occasionally, there are things that happen at the national level that we need to address, and LeBron James breaking the all-time NBA scoring record is where we start.
Let me begin by saying I am not a fan of LBJ. I have never cheered for his teams, and I cannot imagine a circumstance in which I would.
You might feel the same way.
But while I may not like him, it would be incredibly wrong to not respect the man for his career and this accomplishment.
It’s a record that has stood from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s last game in the summer of 1989—that’s 34 years—until last week. Three-and-a-half decades of people climbing a mountain that was higher than anyone had ever climbed.
Last week, Lebron got there.
He deserves our applause.
But, Michael Jordan is still greater.
It’s been a tremendous winter for Tippecanoe Valley basketball fans.
The boys team started in November with a new coach and a very different-looking schedule. No one knew what quite to expect.
But what happened is Valley has been really good. They are winning games and winning big. They are playing teams they haven’t played before, in gyms they’ve never been in before, for a guy they’d never heard of until a few months ago.
And they look terrific.
Meanwhile the girls are regional champs and heading to the semi-state at LaPorte Saturday.
Their first loss came in the Tiger Den to Warsaw when they got “mercy ruled” by the Lady Tigers 72-36 on November 10.
They lost to Northwestern two days later 59-50.
At that point they were 3-2.
They have only lost once since, and that was to a Fort Wayne Northrop team that won a lot of games in 4A this season.
And now they are two wins away from another trip to the 3A championship game.
For Wawasee, their goals are much humbler—they just want to have a winning basketball season.
Their girls got close this season (11-12). They won 13 games in 2018, which is their only winning season since 2011.
Their boys team is now looking for a coach after Jon Everingham announced last Monday that he would not be back to coach next season. His statement made it quite clear he still loves coaching, but what isn’t clear is if he’s open to moving somewhere else to coach, and taking 40-percent of the Warriors starting lineup with him.
Either way, Athletic Director Brent Doty has a hard job ahead in choosing a head coach to lift the spirits of the Warrior fanbase.
I am really concerned about the long-term health of the Indianapolis Colts organization under the ownership of Jim Irsay.
I know this is not new ground for Colts fans, but it needs to be said that I don’t think the Colts can ever be a “winner” as long as Irsay is in charge.
To be more specific, I don’t think any franchise in any sport can be considered successful as long as their owner is overly involved in how their GMs manage people and their coaches coach.
An owner’s participation in the team process is that he or she chooses people to handle the football side of things, sign the checks, and pose for pictures with fans at the games and in the community.
That’s it.
Irsay has joined an infamous list of owners like Jerry Jones and the Steinbrenners from whom we hear from entirely too much about the innerworkings of the plans of the team. GM Chris Ballard is trying to formulate a move up to get the quarterback they so desperately need in the upcoming draft, and you have to believe he’s petrified that his owner is going to find an open mic or pop onto Twitter and blow it for them.
No one wants that.
By the way, we do multiple-subject columns often and there is no form or format to the order by which we mention these topics.
Let’s wade in.
This is generally a “local sports column”. I try to make it about local sports and local teams as much as possible.
But occasionally, there are things that happen at the national level that we need to address, and LeBron James breaking the all-time NBA scoring record is where we start.
Let me begin by saying I am not a fan of LBJ. I have never cheered for his teams, and I cannot imagine a circumstance in which I would.
You might feel the same way.
But while I may not like him, it would be incredibly wrong to not respect the man for his career and this accomplishment.
It’s a record that has stood from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s last game in the summer of 1989—that’s 34 years—until last week. Three-and-a-half decades of people climbing a mountain that was higher than anyone had ever climbed.
Last week, Lebron got there.
He deserves our applause.
But, Michael Jordan is still greater.
It’s been a tremendous winter for Tippecanoe Valley basketball fans.
The boys team started in November with a new coach and a very different-looking schedule. No one knew what quite to expect.
But what happened is Valley has been really good. They are winning games and winning big. They are playing teams they haven’t played before, in gyms they’ve never been in before, for a guy they’d never heard of until a few months ago.
And they look terrific.
Meanwhile the girls are regional champs and heading to the semi-state at LaPorte Saturday.
Their first loss came in the Tiger Den to Warsaw when they got “mercy ruled” by the Lady Tigers 72-36 on November 10.
They lost to Northwestern two days later 59-50.
At that point they were 3-2.
They have only lost once since, and that was to a Fort Wayne Northrop team that won a lot of games in 4A this season.
And now they are two wins away from another trip to the 3A championship game.
For Wawasee, their goals are much humbler—they just want to have a winning basketball season.
Their girls got close this season (11-12). They won 13 games in 2018, which is their only winning season since 2011.
Their boys team is now looking for a coach after Jon Everingham announced last Monday that he would not be back to coach next season. His statement made it quite clear he still loves coaching, but what isn’t clear is if he’s open to moving somewhere else to coach, and taking 40-percent of the Warriors starting lineup with him.
Either way, Athletic Director Brent Doty has a hard job ahead in choosing a head coach to lift the spirits of the Warrior fanbase.
I am really concerned about the long-term health of the Indianapolis Colts organization under the ownership of Jim Irsay.
I know this is not new ground for Colts fans, but it needs to be said that I don’t think the Colts can ever be a “winner” as long as Irsay is in charge.
To be more specific, I don’t think any franchise in any sport can be considered successful as long as their owner is overly involved in how their GMs manage people and their coaches coach.
An owner’s participation in the team process is that he or she chooses people to handle the football side of things, sign the checks, and pose for pictures with fans at the games and in the community.
That’s it.
Irsay has joined an infamous list of owners like Jerry Jones and the Steinbrenners from whom we hear from entirely too much about the innerworkings of the plans of the team. GM Chris Ballard is trying to formulate a move up to get the quarterback they so desperately need in the upcoming draft, and you have to believe he’s petrified that his owner is going to find an open mic or pop onto Twitter and blow it for them.
No one wants that.
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