BEVERLY HILLS (MI) -- Always liked the city of Pittsburgh. Married a native. We lived there for three years, during which the Steelers won 2 Super Bowls and the Pirates were World Champions. Used to call on clients in the Burgh for the 10 years I worked at CNN. I’m sure native son Archie Miller feels the same way about the “big small town” at the confluence of the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio Rivers. Attended a few Dayton/
Dukes contests at Palumbo Center in my time: some were UD blowouts; others were disappointing Flyer losses; it was there that I witnessed one of the final games Chris Daniels would play in the Red and Blue. Never seen a hoops tilt at the Consol Center, but I understand that it is an outstanding venue.
All those good vibrations about Pittsburgh go out the window when the Flyers face Duquesne on Saturday.
Why?
Because of this:
http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcspor...lying-at-home/
The Flyers could be flying at home, indeed! Can you imagine how cool it would be if UD played in the “First Four”…at UD Arena! Think that would be a sellout? If the Flyers want to maintain the possibility that such a scenario could become a reality they simply cannot lose to the Dukes. That’s all there is to it.
Elsewhere:
-- A summary of the UD win over
LaSalle, courtesy of
Pickin’ Splinters:
http://www.pickinsplinters.com/?p=35848
-- Really like the job that David Jablonski is doing covering the Flyers for
The DDN. Still not a big fan of the pay wall, but it’s nice that Jablonski is providing a freebie game summary blog like this after every tilt:
http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs...la_salle.html/
Perhaps the best part is that the “Comments” section is being monitored to the point that David can actually carry on an intelligent dialogue with his readers. I still smell an X fan or two in there somewhere, but at least no one is posting garbage under the name “John R” or “Swampy Meadows” any longer.
-- In case you missed it, here is the fun video of the “Three Sport Dunk” pulled off by a few of the Flyers after practice:
http://godaytonhoops.com/#/vimeo194/1
-- Speaking of da Burgh, the Millers are “Western Pa.'s first family of basketball coaching” according to
The Pittsburgh Tribune:
http://triblive.com/sports/nationwor...#ixzz2u0lCZRhP
-- DMO is listed at #8 in the A-10 Player Power Rankings:
http://www.pickinsplinters.com/?p=35830
-- Roosevelt “Velvet” Chapman is among the “Big Dance One Hit Wonders” (warning: slide show ahead):
http://www.lostlettermen.com/slidesh...-are-they-now/
-- Flyer signee Darrell Davis made the 2013-14 PSL All-City boys basketball squad:
http://detroitk12.org/showcase/sports/
-- Whole lotta buzz goin’ on about Trotwood Madison's Dazhontae Bennett, a 6’2” a 2014 scoring machine. Behold the linky goodness:
YouTube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TVOlg9e8Xk
An interview with Fox 45:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uwKFbqT5Ws
GWOC stat tracker with his game-by-game stats:
http://www.gwocsports.com/bkPlayerSt...?player=265866
A thread on Yappi about Bennett:
http://yappi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=262672
The jury seems to be out on how Bennett spells his first name -- two of the links call him Dazhontae; the other two Dezhontae.
-- Here is 2016 UD recruiting target Derrick Daniels of Dunbar doing his best Blake Griffin imitation:
http://www.scarberrymedia.com/derric...-dunbar-video/
-- Old friends OP and AG and 13 other head coaches are firmly planted on the hot seat, according to Gary Parrish of
CBS Sports:
http://www.cbssports.com/collegebask...n-the-hot-seat
-- RushtheCourt checks in on the A-10:
http://rushthecourt.net/2014/02/19/c...source=twitter
-- Speaking of “putting up your dukes” Slick Rick Pitino and Coach Cal are duking it out about social media:
Cal’s side:
http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-bas...ptable-twitter
Slick Rick retorts:
http://louisville.247sports.com/Arti...omments-178662
I don’t care what either of these knuckleheads say --
they’re both wrong.
-- Great profile from
Grantland about HS teammates and lifelong pals Jared Sullinger and Trey Burke:
http://grantland.com/features/trey-b...inger-friends/
-- Is this 'the best opening paragraph in any news story ever?' You tell me:
http://boingboing.net/2014/02/20/thi...ing-parag.html
--
“The Sweet Tweet of the Week” deals not with UD but
SLU:
https://twitter.com/walkerRcarey/sta...300608/photo/1
That’s it “From the Swamp.”
You can email me at:
swampy@udpride.com