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Archives for December 2021

Celtics Sign Joe Johnson

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BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official Press Release) – The Boston Celtics have signed seven-time NBA All Star and 17-year veteran Joe Johnson to a 10-day contract. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Johnson, 40, has played in 1,276 career NBA games over 17 seasons with the Celtics, Phoenix, Atlanta, Brooklyn, Miami, Utah, and Houston from 2001-02 to 2017-18, averaging 16.0 points on 44.1% shooting (37.1% 3-PT, 80.2% FT), 4.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 34.7 minutes. He produced double-digit scoring in 13 consecutive seasons from 2003-04 to 2015-16, five of which were 20+ point campaigns.

Originally selected by the Celtics with the 10th overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft, Johnson rejoins Boston for the first time since his rookie season. The Little Rock, AR native recorded 6.3 points on 43.9% shooting in 48 games (33 starts) with the franchise in 2001-02.

Johnson will wear number 55.

 

Villanova, UConn Bounce Back

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MILWAUKEE – (Staff Report from Official news Release) – After dropping their respective league openers, Villanova and Connecticut evened their BIG EAST records on Tuesday.

Villanova, ranked 23rd in this week’s Associated Press poll, recovered from an eight-point deficit at halftime to record a 71-58 win against No. 18 Xavier. UConn grabbed the lead midway through the first half and went on to win 78-70 at Marquette.

The Wildcats (8-4, 1-1 BIG EAST) started the second half with a 12-3 run and used a late 10-spurt in its win against the Musketeers (11-2, 1-1 BE). Justin Moore led a balanced scoring attack with 17 points. Caleb Daniels added 16. Xavier’s Dwon Odom scored a team-high 13 points.

UConn (10-3, 1-1 BE) got some offensive punch from Tyrese Martin and R.J. Cole at Marquette. Martin netted a career-high 25 points and reached the 1,000-point plateau for his career. Cole scored 20 points while eclipsing the 2,000-point mark. The Huskies welcomed back Adama Sanogo, who had missed four games due to injury. Justin Lewis led Marquette (8-5, 0-2 BE) with 20 points and seven rebounds.

The lone game left on the BIG EAST schedule before the Christmas holiday is Butler playing St. John’s at Carnesecca Arena on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. ET on FS1. The teams split their two meetings last season with St. John’s winning 69-57 at home.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Dec 19

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BOSTON – I’m dreaming of a “Wilt” Christmas, just like the ones I used to know.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of Wilt Chamberlain’s 59-point, 36-rebound Christmas Day performance for the Philadelphia Warriors in their 136-135 double-overtime loss to the New York Knickerbockers back in 1961. The game was one of a seven-game streak when Chamberlain scored 50-or-more points (Dec. 16-29). Chamberlain’s rebounding total remains a Christmas Day record. His scoring total stood as a Christmas Day record for 22 years before Bernard King’s 60-point game for the Knicks in a 120-114 loss to the New Jersey Nets in 1984. Both games took place at Madison Square Garden in NYC.

The NBA began playing games on Christmas Day in 1947, in its second year and this season, the league has scheduled five games on Christmas Day for the 14th year in a row.

Here is this Saturday’s NBA on Christmas Day schedule:

Noon: Atlanta Hawks at New York Knicks (ESPN): The Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks will meet on Christmas Day for the first time since the Hawks moved to Atlanta (which took place in 1968). The teams faced each other twice on Christmas Day when the Hawks were in St. Louis (1956 and 1965). This will mark the first time the Hawks have been scheduled to play on December 25th since 1989. The Knicks have played 53 times on Christmas, the NBA team high.

2:30pm ET: Boston Celtics at Milwaukee Bucks (ABC): The Celtics have played the third-most games on Christmas Day (34 entering 2021, trailing only NY and the LA Lakers) and the most road games on Christmas Day (29 entering 2021). Milwaukee will be hosting a Christmas Day game for the second consecutive year. The Bucks are (4-3) on the holiday with last year’s 138-99 stocking full of coal deposited on the Golden State Warriors.

5:00pm ET: Golden State Warriors at Phoenix Suns (ABC/ESPN Radio):The Suns are (12-6) on the holiday and the Warriors are (13-17). Phoenix’s last Christmas Day game came in 2009, a 124-93 win vs. LA Clippers. Golden State’s Draymond Green was the last player to record a triple-double on the holiday, and is one of six players to do so on Christmas Day: Draymond Green (2017), Russell Westbrook (2013), LeBron James(2010), Billy Cunningham (1970), John Havlicek (1967) and Oscar Robertson (four times: 1967, 1963, 1961 and 1960).

8:00pm ET: Brooklyn Nets at Los Angeles Lakers (ABC/ESPN Radio):The LA Lakers are scheduled on Christmas Day for the 23rd straight year. They have the most all-time victories on 12/25 with 24. Lakers center DeAndre Jordan holds the single-game record for most blocked shots on Christmas Day with eight for the LA Clippers against the Golden State Warriors in 2011. LeBron James ranks second in career points on Christmas Day with 383. He needs 13 points to pass the late Kobe Bryant (395) and become the all-time leading scorer on 12/25 when he has a (10-5) won-loss record which trails only Dwyane Wade’s (10-3) record. Meanwhile, the highest-scoring game by an active player on Christmas Day belongs to the Brooklyn Nets’ Kevin Durant, who had 44 points for the Oklahoma City Thunder against the Denver Nuggets in 2010. KD fell 16 points shy of Bernard King’s record.

10:30pm ET: Dallas Mavericks at Utah Jazz (ESPN): The nightcap will feature Dallas’ Luka Dončić against Utah’s Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, all three named NBA All-Stars last season. Both franchises are relative newcomers to the NBA on 12/25 tradition, with Dallas (2-2) and Utah (5-2). The Jazz games on Christmas Day have all been played at home (including two as the New Orleans Jazz).

TIDINGS of JOY: The NBA’s first foray of Christmas Day game came in 1947 when the Baltimore Bullets defeated the Chicago Stags 87-70 at Baltimore Coliseum. The same day, the New York Knicks defeated the Providence Steamrollers 89-75 at Madison Square Garden and the Washington Capitols won at St. Louis Bombers 73-56 at St. Louis Arena. The 56 point effort is the all-time low for Santa. … The last time there was just a single game on Christmas was 2006 when the Miami Heat defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 101-85 at Miami’s American Airlines Arena.

CAMDEN TRADITION CONTINUES FOR the WAGNER FAMILY:Remember Milt Wagner, a former NBA star who made his name and game at Camden High in south New Jersey or at the University of Louisville? Maybe you remember Milt’s son, Dejaun, another Camden player who went on to play at Memphis and was the sixth overall pick of the 2002 NBA Draft (to Cleveland). This past Friday, Milt’s grandson, Dejaun’s son, a high school junior, DJ, scored 25 points to lead Camden to a 67-64 come-from-behind win over Roselle Catholic at Camden’s brand new joint, the Clarence Turner Gymnasium. Heading into the game, Camden was ranked No 1 in the State and Roselle Catholic was No. 2 a ranking which proved correct as Camden won its 39th straight game. Camden is ranked as the No. 2 team in the USA by MaxPreps who holds Duncanville (Texas) as the No. 1 high school team with their (11-0) record. Simeon Wilcher, a North Carolina commit, led Roselle Catholic with 21 points and seven rebounds. Akil Watson, a junior transfer from Don Bosco Prep, added 17 points and seven boards.

NBA VALUATIONS: This week marked Sportico’s second run at its NBA franchise valuations, and it underlined two important things in the sports industry. First, how time flies from one year to the next. Secondly, how the value of sports franchises accrue in a single year, regardless of the won-loss column.

Here’s the list of 2021-22 NBA Team Valuations, and we’ll discuss on the other side:

  1. $6.12 billion – New York Knicks (+13%)
  2. $6.030 billion – Golden State Warriors (+16%)
  3. $5.630 billion – Los Angeles Lakers (+10%)
  4. $3.610 billion – Brooklyn Nets (+6%)
  5. $3.530 billion – Chicago Bulls (+12%)
  6. $3.44 billion – Boston Celtics (+8%)
  7. $3.160 billion – Los Angeles Clippers (+20%)
  8. $2.790 billion – Houston Rockets (+1%)
  9. $2.740 billion – Toronto Raptors (+7%)
  10. $2.720 billion – Dallas Mavericks (+5%)

NOTES: The New Orleans Pelicans ($1.510b), the Memphis Grizzlies ($1.530b) and the Minnesota Timberwolves ($1.570b) were on the low end of the spectrum in NBA franchise value, according to Sportico. … Keep in mind, the Timberwolves were amongst the four 1988-89 NBA expansion franchises that bought in for $32.5 million while the Grizzlies, then in Vancouver and the Toronto Raptors’ expansion fees were a whopping $125 million.

Says Sportico: “The NBA’s pitch to incoming investors includes opportunities also available in other leagues—around gambling, streaming and digital. A key differentiator, however, is the international prospects, despite the league’s ongoing tension in China, where business has returned to pre-pandemic levels. In addition to the Bibigo investment in the Lakers, a Chinese electronic trading platform, Webull Financial, signed a sponsorship pact with the Brooklyn Nets worth $30 million a year, while Japanese e-commerce firm Rakuten extended its $20 million-a-year patch deal with the Warriors at an increase.” … The newfound money as US States open up to full sports gambling on top of Fantasy Sports gaming is “just the tip of the iceberg,” according to New York’s MSG Sports president Andrew Lustgarten.

“The NBA is the dominant U.S. league in terms of international investor appeal,” sports banker Sal Galatioto said to Sportico. “People from all over the world want to invest in the NBA, and that’s a huge advantage.”

From the While We’re Young (Ideas) vantage point, I’d double-down on the vast international appeal of the NBA. There is one – often overlooked reason and that is the simple fact that the sport of basketball is played by both men and women all over the world. Nearly every person on the planet has played the game in some small form, not to mention that the rules of the game are pretty simple. That fact is a huge advantage over American Football and Baseball. Often noted is another sports fact. The truly global team sports are soccer (Futbol) and basketball. However, great Futbol players are spread-out, playing in leagues all over the world, from Brazil to Argentina to England to Spain to Germany. They play for their native countries in World Cup competition but during the “regular season” they’re all over the world. The NBA has all of the greatest players in the world playing in one league. That league is the only way a world class player can test his skills against the very best.

IDEAS FOR HOLIDAYS GIFTS: We have two great offerings for your Holiday gift guide.

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  2. PGA TOUR BRUNCH AS CHAMPIONS RETURN OF THE TOUR:Plans are on-going to re-launch the popular PGA Tour Brunchnewsletter when the pros tee-it-up at the Sentry Tournament of Champions (January 5-9, 2022) at The Plantation Course at Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii.

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Xavier, Providence Continue to Roll

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CINCINNATI – (Staff report from Official News Release) – Xavier and Providence both pushed their overall records to 11-1 and won their BIG EAST openers on Saturday. St. John’s, Georgetown and Butler dropped decisions in non-league competition.

The 22nd-ranked Musketeers knocked off visiting Marquette 80-71. Xavier’s Dwon Odom came off the bench to score a career-high 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the field. Nate Johnson added 17 points. Jack Nunge helped with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Marquette (8-4, 0-1 BIG EAST) cut a 10-point second-half deficit to 70-69 with 3:03 left before Xavier pulled away. Greg Elliott led the Golden Eagles with 18 points.

Providence built a 16-point lead before surviving a late rally in a 57-53 win against No. 20 UConn at XL Center. PC’s A.J. Reeves scored 16 points, which included 4-of-8 from beyond the arc. Reserve Ed Croswell added 11 points in 15 minutes. R.J. Cole led the Huskies with 16 points and eight assists. The Friars limited the Huskies to 31.1 percent shooting from the field.

St. John’s (8-3) played without Julian Champagnie because of COVID protocols and lost 59-57 to Pittsburgh on a shot just before the buzzer in the Gotham Classic at Madison Square Garden. Dylan Addae-Wusu scored a team-high 12 points. Posh Alexander finished with 11 points, seven rebounds, five assists and five steals.

Georgetown (6-5) made it close in the final minute but fell to TCU 80-73 in the final game of the BIG EAST-Big 12 Battle. Aminu Mohammed posted his fifth double-double this season with game highs of 21 points and 11 rebounds. Kaiden Rice, who missed Wednesday’s win against Howard, added 14 points.  The Hoyas played without an injured Dante Harris.

No. 3 Purdue pulled away from Butler in the final minutes of the first half en route to a 77-48 victory over the Bulldogs at the Crossroads Classic. Bryce Golden led the Bulldogs (7-4) with 17 points. Chuck Harris missed the game due to illness. Butler connected on only 4-of-28 from 3-point range.

After Saturday, BIG EAST teams have an overall record of 91-27 (.771) against non-league opponents.

No games are scheduled for today and the two games on Monday were canceled due to COVID-19. Play resumes on Tuesday with Xavier visiting Villanova and Marquette hosting UConn.

Three-time Gold Medalist Kevin Durant Named USA Basketball Athlete of Year

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COLORADO SPRINGS – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – After he captured his third Olympic gold medal (2012, 2016, 2020) this past summer at the Tokyo Games, Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets) was named as the 2021 USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year.

Embed from Getty Images

 

“It’s amazing to be honored in this way,” Durant said. “First off to represent your country and do it amongst the best athletes in the world, it’s an honor. So many great athletes come through USA Basketball and the national teams in general in all sports, and so to be chosen as one of the top athletes is an honor. I’m very grateful for the opportunity and thankful that I received this award.”

This is the third time Durant has been honored as the USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year. He also was recognized with the award in 2010, and he shared the honor in 2016 with Carmelo Anthony.

“Kevin was an incredible leader for USA Basketball this past summer,” said Jim Tooley, USA Basketball CEO. “With this being his third Olympics, he had the respect of his teammates, and he clearly is one of the best basketball players in the world. USA Basketball is grateful to Kevin for his time and ongoing commitment to our organization, and we are proud to celebrate him as the 2021 Male Athlete of the Year.”

Durant started in all six Olympic match ups for the USA, and he averaged a team-leading 20.7 points per game and team second-best of 5.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. He shot 52.9% from the field, 37.5% from 3-point and 90.5% from the free throw line and was named by FIBA as MVP of the 2020 Olympic men’s basketball tournament.

“As he has done before, Kevin Durant performed brilliantly on the international stage and led the way to another gold medal,” said USA head coach Gregg Popovich, who was named as a co-recipient of the 2021 USA Basketball National Coach of the Year award on Dec. 15. “I remain awed by his work ethic, leadership and desire to excel.”

Durant’s 20.7 ppg. set a U.S. Olympic men’s single-competition record for points averaged, and he tied Carmelo Anthony for most Olympic gold medals (three). Durant is one of just four U.S. male basketball athletes to play in three or more Olympics.

Durant, who has led the USA in scoring in all three of his Olympic appearances and at the 2010 FIBA World Cup, owns eight U.S. Olympic men’s career records, including the top spot for points (435), points averaged (19.8), field goals made (146) and attempted (276), 3-point field goals made (74) and attempted (148) and free throws made (69) and attempted (80).

Among all Tokyo Olympic men’s basketball athletes, Durant ranked third in points scored and field goals made, fourth in field goals attempted and defensive rebounds and sixth in scoring average.

Xavier, Georgetown Extend Win Streaks

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CINCINNATI – Xavier and Georgetown extended their winning streaks with victories on Wednesday. The No. 22 Musketeers have a six-game streak after powering past Morehead State 86-63 at Cintas Center. Georgetown has won three in a row after handling Howard 85-73 at Capital One Arena.

For Xavier (10-1), Jerome Hunter paced four players in double figures with 15 points. The Musketeers took control early and used an 18-0 run to lead 47-19 at halftime. Zach Freemantle started for the first time this year after suffering a leg injury in the preseason. The Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team pick had nine points and five rebounds in 19 minutes.

Georgetown (6-4) got an offensive lift from freshman Tyler Beard and Malcolm Wilson against Howard. Beard, who had seen only limited action this season, scored 23 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field. Wilson added 13 points and eight rebounds in only 25 minutes of playing time.

Going into the weekend, with still a few non-league games to play, BIG EAST teams have an overall record of 91-24 (.791).

Conference play also starts this weekend. The league opener is Villanova (7-3) at Creighton (8-3) on Friday at 8 p.m. ET on FS1.

The No. 9 Wildcats have won or shared seven of the last eight regular-season league titles. Villanova is 5-3 against the Bluejays at the CHI Health Center. Villanova’s Jay Wright and Creighton’s Greg McDermott have been the coaches for all eight matchups. Each team won the meeting on its home court last season. For the Bluejays this year, Ryan Hawkins has scored 25 points in both of Creighton’s games against ranked opponents.

USA Basketball Names Pop, Staley Coaches of the Year

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COLORADO SPRINGS – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – In recognition of their leadership of gold-medal winning USA Basketball Teams in 2021, Gregg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs) and Dawn Staley (South Carolina) were named as co-recipients of the 2021 USA Basketball National Coach of the Year award.

This is the first such honor for Popovich, and the third time Staley has been honored as a USA Basketball National Coach of the Year (2015-shared and 2018).

Since 1996, USA Basketball has awarded its National Coach of the Year honor to a USA Basketball head coach who during the year of the award made a significant impact on the success of individual athlete and team performance at the highest levels of competition in a manner consistent with the highest ethical, professional and moral standards.

“USA Basketball is proud to celebrate Gregg Popovich and Dawn Staley for their incredible leadership and success while guiding USA teams this past summer,” said Jim Tooley, USA Basketball CEO. “Both coaches dedicated a lot of their time to USA Basketball and the national teams, and that commitment resulted in two Olympic gold medals for the USA this past summer, as well as Dawn leading the USA to gold at the FIBA AmeriCup for Women.”

With Popovich at the helm, the U.S. Olympic Men’s Basketball Team claimed a fourth-straight Olympic gold medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games with a 5-1 record, while under Staley’s guidance, the U.S. Olympic Women’s Basketball Team captured a seventh-straight Olympic gold medal with a 6-0 record.

Staley also led the USA women at the 2021 FIBA AmeriCup, where the USA went 6-0 to claim the gold medal and earn the U.S. women their spot in the 2022 FIBA World Cup Qualifying Tournaments.

The U.S. Olympic Men’s Basketball Team shot 49.9% from the field, 39.0% from 3-point and 78.0% from the free throw line and averaged 99.0 points per game, which was second-best in the 12-team tournament.

“Participating in USA Basketball this past cycle has been an unforgettable experience, and I am grateful for the confidence shown in me,” said Popovich, who in 2004 was an assistant coach for the bronze-medal winning U.S. Olympic Basketball Team. “To compete alongside the Women’s Team under the guidance of Dawn Staley was inspiring and impactful.”

The U.S. Olympic Women’s Basketball Team averaged a tournament-leading 84.7 ppg. and shot 50.4% from the field, 35.1% from 3-point and 79.4% from the free throw line. Staley became the first Black woman to serve as head coach of the U.S. Olympic Women’s Basketball Team. Overall, she has been a part of six Olympic teams, including three as a player (1996, 2000, 2004) and two as an assistant coach (2008, 2016).

“It’s an honor to be recognized by USA Basketball and even more so to share this award with Gregg Popovich,” said Staley. “I got the best of both worlds this year with the AmeriCup team of college players and the Olympic team, who both came in with a team-first mentality that was fun to coach and help them to gold medals.

“Leading an Olympic team on the cusp of history was a responsibility I took to heart, and I appreciate the players who embraced the way we wanted to play and did what they had to in order to continue that Olympic win streak.”

Popovich and the USA Men’s National Team began training camp ahead of the Olympics on July 6, however, due to three team members competing in the NBA playoffs and the withdraw of two other team members, Popovich did not have his 12-member roster together until less than 24 hours before the USA’s first game.

He also coached the USA to a 2-2 record during exhibition play from July 10-18.

“What stood out with Coach Pop was his preparation, his attention to detail, how great he is with people,” said U.S. forward Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets/Texas/Washington, D.C.), who was named by FIBA as the men’s Olympic tournament MVP. “He put everything in perspective, and every day we worked towards our goal, which was to win the gold medal, and he made sure everybody was on the same page. So he’s the ultimate leader, and it was an honor to play for him.”

Staley led a USA National Team training camp in February 2021, and ahead of the Tokyo Olympic Games, she and the USA opened training camp on July 12 in Las Vegas, where the USA recorded a 1-2 exhibition record.

“I think with Dawn, obviously, what makes her unique is that she does have the player’s perspective of all of this,” U.S. guard Sue Bird (Seattle Storm/Connecticut/Syosset, N.Y.) said ahead of the Olympics, which saw her collect a record-tying fifth-straight Olympic gold medal. “She’s experienced it. She knows what it is like. I think she definitely brings her own personality to things and her own identity to things.”

With the 2021 USA AmeriCup Team, Staley led a team of collegiate athletes to a gold medal and 6-0 record against seasoned veterans at the 2021 FIBA AmeriCup from June 11-19 in Puerto Rico. The USA defeated opponents by an average of 35.2 points per game and earned a berth into the 2022 FIBA World Cup Qualifying Tournament.

Four Big East Teams in Top 25

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NEW YORK – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Four BIG EAST teams are in Monday’s Associated Press poll led by Villanova’s No. 9 ranking. Seton Hall moved up seven spots to No. 16. UConn is 20th and Xavier jumped back in at No. 22.  Providence and Creighton were among other teams receiving votes.

In Sunday’s action, Seton Hall defeated Rutgers 77-63 to win the Garden State Hardwood Classic. Bryce Aiken came off the bench to score a game-high 22 points and was named the game MVP. Jared Rhoden added 16 points and nine rebounds. The Pirates (9-1) used a 13-0 run late in the first half to grab control of the contest.

St. John’s pushed its record to 8-2 after beating Colgate 82-64 at Carnesecca Arena. Julian Champagnie scored a team-high 19 points and connected on 5-of-7 from 3-point range. Posh Alexander added 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists. The Johnnies are 8-0 at Carnesecca this season.

Villanova (7-3) could never get going offensively and lost 57-36 at Baylor in the BIG EAST-Big 12 Battle. The Bears moved into the No. 1 position in the national polls on Monday. Justin Moore was the only Wildcat in double figures, scoring 15 points. The 36 points were the fewest scored by the Wildcats in a game since Feb. 4, 1979, a 36-34 victory over Penn State.

BIG EAST conference play starts this weekend, but the schedule until then is light with many schools in final exams. Tuesday’s schedule shows two contests. Creighton (8-2) hosts Arizona State at 8 p.m. ET on FS1. The Bluejays are coming off an 83-71 neutral court win over then-No. 24 BYU. A win over UIC would give Creighton a 9-2 start (or better) after 11 games for the eighth time in the last 11 season.

DePaul plays at UIC at 8 p.m. The Blue Demons (8-1) last played on Friday, winning 62-55 at Louisville. Javon Freeman-Liberty and David Jones are ranked in the top five in the BIG EAST in scoring and rebounding. Freeman-Liberty is second in scoring (20.3) and third in rebounding (8.4). Jones is third in scoring (17.7) and fourth in rebounding (8.2).

Going into Tuesday, league teams own an overall record of 88-23 (.793).

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Dec 12th

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By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – Welcome to the Land of Confusion.

This week, we’re serving up the controversial happenings in sports, clearing the mayhem out before the Holiday Season, Peace on Earth, Goodwill Towards Men and Tidings of Comfort and Joy.

Instead, there’s a Land of Confusion, including:

  • Diplomatic Boycotting of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games by USA (with similar support from the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and Lithuania).
  • The Women’s Tennis Association suspending play in China in response to alleged sexual assault and disappearance of star tennis player Peng Shua
  • Celtics’ reserve center Enes Kanter Freedom campaigning on human rights issues in Turkey and China

Most likely, the Diplomatic boycott will have little to zero effect on the athletes at the games. It’s not like an Austrian skier is going to be thinking about the USA Chef de Mission while awaiting the downhill slalom ride of a lifetime. But let’s pose a few questions to see where this might go in a few weeks (February 4, 2022)?

(Getty Images)

Might the youth of the world collectively question the USA’s recent past in terms of suppressing voter rights, limiting women’s healthcare and upending a 50-year Constitutional decision, never mind issues regarding “rising climate and environmental concerns, growing financial and economic coercion,” noted a recent missive from the Council of Foreign Relations examining the previous US administration’s tendency to “increasingly invoke national security as a justification for restricting trade, while its prolific use of quotas, sanctions, tariffs, and the like threatens to destroy the rules-based economic order.”

In other words, will the USA Olympians have to pay a price for a 2017-to-2021 undermining of U.S. allies across the globe, or the decision to withdraw from the Paris Accord? (President Joe Biden re-joined the Paris Accord at recent COP26 summit).

On the flip side, can the USA and other countries utilize the global spotlight of the Olympic Games to pressure China on the allegations of torture, forced detention, sterilization, religious persecution and atrocities committed against the Uyghur people – a Muslim ethnic group in northwest China?

Some (including 180 human rights groups) have called for a full boycott of the games, but White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki defended the decision to allow American athletes to compete by saying that it would be unfair to “penalize athletes who have been training, preparing for this moment,” and adding that the diplomatic boycott “sends a clear message.”

Meanwhile the relatively small WTA stood-up to fight a mighty battle against China, one the International Olympic Committee would never broach as the Celtics’ scrub Kanter stands on his own vs. human rights issues, calling-out his native Turkey and now China. Kanter has even singled-out NBA superstar LeBron James and Lin-sanity himself in Jeremy Lin, 33, a former NBA player of Taiwanese-American descent. Lin now cashes a check, playing for the Beijing Ducks of the Chinese Basketball Association.

All the while, the IOC claims to be non-political, and many sports fans claim they don’t want to mix politics and sports, but that ship sailed long, long ago.

The Sports vs. Political landscape is muddy. The answers will never come, unless you measure USA Nielsen TV ratings which is never a method that can be considered an exact science.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Hunt Auctions this week presented an amazing offering of game memorabilia and other artifacts from the personal collection of Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell. The auction items were owned and carefully collected by Russell throughout his life, chronicling his historic basketball career and seminal role as a leader in the Civil Rights movement in the United States, beginning in the 1950s.

Notable sales from the auction, held at TD Garden in Boston, included:

  • $1,116,250 – 1969 Bill Russell Boston Celtics professional model jersey worn in Game #7 of the 1969 NBA Finals, the final game of his NBA career
  • $1,313,500 – Cumulative total for Russell’s five MVP awards
  • $705,000 – 1957 championship ring, Russell’s first ring
  • $587,500 – 1956 Olympic gold medal
  • $558,125 – 1969 championship ring, the last of Russell’s 11 championships

Big East Rivalry Weekend

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NEWARK – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – BIG EAST teams won six of seven games on Saturday, including Georgetown and Xavier winning rivalry games, Creighton knocking off a ranked opponent and UConn, Providence and Butler all coming out on top. Marquette, facing a top-five opponent, was the only team to lose. After Saturday, league teams own an overall record of 86-22 (.796) and have won 16 of their last 18 games.

Georgetown overcame a 10-point deficit at halftime to defeat long-time rival Syracuse 79-75 at Capital One Arena. Aminu Mohammed scored 20 of his game-high 23 points in the second half and finished with a game-high 13 rebounds. Donald Carey added 18 points for the Hoyas (5-4).

In the other big rivalry game, Xavier handled Cincinnati 83-63 in the third largest margin of victory in the Crosstown Shootout series. Jack Nunge did not start, but produced a career-high 31 points and pulled down 15 rebounds. The Musketeers (9-1) led by as many as 27 points. Xavier has won seven of the last nine meetings with UC.

Creighton led by as many as 21 points in its 83-71 victory over No. 24 BYU in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Bluejay trio of “Ryans” – Hawkins, Kalkbrenner and Nembhard – combined for 56 points. Ryan Hawkins led with a game-high 25 points for the second straight game. The Bluejays (8-2) have beaten at least one ranked team in each of the last nine seasons.

UConn (9-2) used a 13-0 surge in the second half to take control of its 74-64 neutral court win over St. Bonaventure in the Never Forget Classic. R.J. Cole led a balanced scoring attack with 15 points. Tyler Polley added 13.

Providence completed its non-conference slate with a 68-53 victory over Central Connecticut State. The Friars (10-1) jumped to a 22-4 lead and did not face a serious challenge. A.J. Reeves impressed with 11 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Noah Horchler added 12 points and 10 boards.

Butler started the second half of its game against Eastern Illinois with a 13-0 run en route to a 66-54 win. The Bulldogs (7-3) got a career-high 20 points from Bryce Golden. Aaron Thompson posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 assists.

Marquette fell behind early and could not recover in a 67-56 loss to No. 4 UCLA. Greg Elliott scored a career-high 22 points. The game was delayed seven hours due to travel problems for UCLA.

Today’s slate has more mid-season, top-flight flavor. After St. John’s hosts Colgate on FS1 at Noon ET, the tougher schedule of opponents begins when Villanova visits No. 2 Baylor at 3 p.m. on ABC. New Jersey rivals Seton Hall and Rutgers battle at Prudential Center at 7:30 p.m. on FS1.