The Fab Five? Just forget them

USA Today ^ | 3/28/02 | Christine Brennan

[GeneD]

These should be the best of times for men's college basketball, what with the Final Four upon us and once-great powers such as Indiana and Kansas back in the spotlight again.

I say these should be the best of times, stressing the word should, because I am finding it difficult to get into a celebratory mood about men's hoops, considering what's happening these days in Ann Arbor, Mich.

[GeneD]

As we approach the ever-magical Final Four weekend, let us pause and remember the men who've made college basketball great: Lefty "Don't Talk to the Police" Driesell, Jerry "The Jark" Tarkanian, Nolan "Zero Percent" Richardson. Without them, the game wouldn't be what it is today.

Then again, with them, the game wouldn't be what it is today. It might be worse.

[day10]

Don't forget John "Prop 48" Thompson. I hate to say this, but IMO the game can't get much worse than it is now, except to become indentical to the NBA. Fundamentals are gone, walking and palming the ball are rampant and never called. Boring

[curmudgeonII]

The whole of academia and collegiate sports ought to revolve around what happens at the University of Michigan?

Come on.

[hove]

I heard that the guys who paid Webber were into gambling. Now I wonder if he really knew Michigan was out of timeouts when he........

[uncbob]

Well I understand there was a lot going on at UCLA during Jonh Wootens days there that he didn't want to know about

[GaConfed]

Fundamentals are gone, walking and palming the ball are rampant and never called. Boring

I've noticed the lack of fundamentals as the athletes become more and more gifted physically. It's rampant in football and basketball. Just take a gander at some film of the Green Bay Packers of the '60s and the Boston Celtics of the '60s and then watch an NFL game or an NBA game of today. You will see that the players 35 years ago knew how to play the game as it is supposed to be played. The game was played for the enjoyment of the fan who actually knew something about it. Now, sports, both college and pro, are just another form of escapist entertainment like the movies or professional rasslin'. Players seem to care more about doing something to call attention to themselves than helping their team win games, and this sort of player seems to be who gets paid the big bucks.........but that is the public's fault. That is what we value more than the honesty and intergrety of the game itself. Ultimately, this is just a reflection of where our culture is these days.