Running 2023-24 NCAA Basketball Thread

If you go to the McNeese State website, it drops the "State" about 90% of the time. Maybe for expediency's sake.

 

Cool, Shaq is doing a Home Depot commercial. Good to see he got a gig

 

Technically correct, but this nightcap is still a chore to watch.

 

Has kept such a low profile in retirement. Glad to see someone's finally allowing him to pay his bills.

 

It is unfucking believable how uncreative ad makers are.

 

You can tell what the broadcast partners think of the play-in games by the broadcasting team: Spiro Dedes (used to be a fast climber, now just floating around the bottom of CBS' broadcast teams), Jim Spanarkel (former Nets guy!) and Jon Rothstein (would have to become infinitely more inquisitive just to be dubbed vacuous).

 

So what does that say about Jimmy Boeheim, whose doing color for Westwood One?

 

Spanarkle started his college basketball career almost 50 years ago. Jesus.

 

That he's a hypocrite in addition to being a prick? All the guy did for 50 years was complain about the media and now he's in it.

 

I have a buddy who is pretty much a program historian. He posted this today about a connection between the two programs. Gene Bartow was hired as UCLA head coach, succeeding John Wooden. He only lasted two years there, apparently Wooden was still in the building and there was a lot of political stuff going on in the department. In '78 he was hired as AD and head MBB coach and started our program from nothing.

"There is a shared connection between UAB and San Diego State: Gene Bartow. After Coach Bartow retired as Athletic director in 2000, in 2003, he was interim athletic director at San Diego State for three months. The SDSU Athletic department was in disarray after an audit found mismanagement and equipment misuse. The previous AD was fired and Bartow stepped in to stabilize the department. He is also credited with securing Basketball coach Steve Fisher to a longtime contract. After his three months was up, he reportedly stayed close to the SDSU program and attended games when his schedule allowed. He and Steve Fisher were good friends. Fisher coached until 2018 at which time his long time assistant and current SDSU coach Brian Dutcher took over."

Just an FYI. I had no idea about this, thought you might find it interesting.