Amazing game played last night. I had no intention of watching until something told me that Butler had a little more in their bag of tricks than their No.5 seeding indicated. Duke may have won the national championship, but Butler won America’s hearts and captivated its imagination during its three week run towards eternal glory. (That was for you, Dick Enberg.)
Oh, this is a post about Duke. Enjoy this tribute to the champs.
Truman Tiger, meth addict
I did my part during rivalry week.
Kansas and Missouri are playing out the string on Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium. Both schools are having sub-par seasons. We know why KU is in their current predicament. (If you really don’t, then check out this post: The Big Lead’s Coverage Of My Chat With Jocques Crawford ). As for Missouri, I really don’t know what happened to them (nor do I care). But since Thanksgiving is this week, I would like to share something I am grateful for. I am thankful for this video of my friend Ryan explaining why “we all can’t be winners”.
Happy Thanksgiving, and pray that the Smith Family can keep the peace at the Thanksgiving dinner table.
Read this post on Fanhouse: Mangino’s Poke May Have Given Kansas Excuse to Shove Him Out
In the post, Terrance Harris asks former KU players what was it like to play for Coach Mangino. Nick Reid, one of the best linebackers I saw while I was at KU, offers a different view on Mangino’s treatment:
“He’s a coach so, of course, he is going to yell. There is not a coach in the country that doesn’t yell. That’s just part of the game. You have to have thick skin to be a collegiate athlete.”
I agree with Nick, you have to be thick skinned and resilient to play sports. Competition is all about how one deals with challenges. Are you going to accept those challenges, or run from them? Nick is part of the group that transitioned from Terry Allen’s recruits to Coach Mangino’s players. He has seen what life is like going 2-10 in a season, so when they started to win, Mangino’s methods made sense.
The Arist Wright case takes place when the program is big enough to recruit higher grade athletes. Athletes that Coach Mangino probably didn’t need to will to victory with fire and brimstone, like he did with Nick’s group. Just use finesse and tact to charm the players’ temperament.
Here is Tyler Duffy’s post from The Big Lead on my tweets with Jocques Crawford:
Former Jayhawks Running Back Accuses Mangino of Emotional and Physical Abuse, Racism (UPDATE)
I went to bed last night backing Coach Mangino, but I now find myself defending the other side of the argument. Quite a few KU alums were updating me on the situation last night at our KU Basketball watch party, and based on the accusations, they condemned Mangino’s actions. I argued in his defense, and reminded them that I would not have had a sweet winter vacation in Miami when the team reached the Orange Bowl. He pretty much steered a dead in the water program to national prominence in a span of 5 years. So, I was of the belief that whatever he was doing works, and let’s not revert to the Terry Allen years. So I jokingly tweeted with my old roommate about the whole deal, and said
w/o Mangino, we are nothing. Stop bitching about 8 hour practices! RT @rmattwill: @jacknealy: save mangino. #ku #jayhawks #ihatetheallenyrs
But all that changed when Jocques Crawford responded to that tweet.
Jocques Crawford at KU
“Who said anything about 8 hr pract.the guy is an asshole”
I decided to engage him just to get his perspective on Mangino. Having known quite a few student-athletes at KU, they tend to get treated unfairly in the press once they enter the coach’s dog house. Jocques is one of those athletes. He played for Mangino for one season and now attends Tennessee Tech. According to Crawford, he did not have an amicable relationship with the coach.
for someone as disrespectful as him.that’s not good coaching my friend..he doesn’t encourage his players or congrad them on their efforts even if they weren’t up to his expectation. How is that good coaching.
Jocques also claimed the relationship was physically abusive, “He shoves ppl get in the face as though he wants to fight you. Many of us have kept our composure and not blow up in his face but he tries to provoke plyers”. Now, I know football coaches kind of have to be a jerk at times, but it is pure cowardice when you get physical with a player, knowing the player can’t fight back or lose his scholarship. This is indefensible. I would rather lose honorably than win BCS Championships with coaches that abuse their power.