Dana Pennett O'Neil writes an insightful column in this morning's Daily News about the fact that six of the Ivy League's eight head men's basketball coaches are African-Americans, now that Princeton has hired Sydney Johnson.
Between this hire and Harvard hiring Tommy Amaker, It's been a topic of quite some discussion in the league this year. I've talked to a few coaches about it, and Joe Jones' quote in the Daily News pretty well sums it all up. And while I don't want to get political about the issue on here, I will say that most of the people I've talked to haven't really much cared what the coach's skin color is because both the hires this year have been quality people well-suited for the jobs.
But here's a bombshell: Comcast SportsNet reports "multiple sources" said Larry Brown was in the running for the job. Oh my. I'd love to know your opinion of what that would have been like.
Mike Jensen was at Colleen's last night to watch the Herb Good Basketball Club give out its annual awards.
Ibrahim Jaaber is the Big 5's Player of the year, as previously reported. Scottie Reynolds is the top freshman. Bruiser Flint is the top coach, even if his players aren't eligible for the all-Big 5 teams, though Bashir Mason won the Guy Rodgers award for top playmaker. Read the rest of the awards for yourself, though I think it's pretty cool that the award for the top area small-college player is named for John McAdams.
A football story: Penn State's Paul Posluszny is playing the waiting game ahead of this weekend's NFL draft.
On the Penn Relays front, the Inquirer's Joe Juliano looks at the democratization of the winner's podium, while Rick O'Brien profiles Chestnut Hill Academy shot putter and sprinter (yes, you read that right) Wayne Crawford. And Mike Kern gets us ready for those "L-U" chants with a profile of Lincoln University's track teahm.
Finally, a pause to mourn the death of David Halberstam. I didn't know him, and I haven't read nearly enough of his writing, but I know enough history to know that this country lost one of its truly great writers yesterday, and that is something worth taking time to remember this afternoon. Peter Gammons, the Inquirer's Dick Polman and Newsweek's Jon Meacham pay tribute, while the New York Times and Harvard Crimson have compiled a range of his journalistic works over the years, including some of his sportswriting.
Comments (1)
I heard that Larry Brown was interviewing for the job. It would have been quite a shock if he was offered the job, although perhaps at the college level is where Brown could be most effective as a student, coach, and teacher of the game. Although I would be concerned about its impact on Penn's recruiting, I think Brown would have been quite an addition for the Ivy League - something to give it a potential boost into the national hoops spotlight?
Posted by Will | April 25, 2007 10:21 PM
Posted on April 25, 2007 22:21