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As if some folks don’t need another reason to root against Duke’s basketball team, Chris Collins will take over as Northwestern’s coach after the Blue Devils’ season is over. An assistant coach at Duke where he played after being a high school star in suburban Chicago, Collins will try to bring Duke-like success to the Evanston campus.
Playboy Playmate Nikki Leigh has all the right moves, much like the team from Syracuse.
That process would be easier if Collins can recruit Duke-like players to Northwestern. The chances of that? Well, NU athletic director Jim Phillips gave Collins a reported seven-year contract, so Collins seemingly would have some time to build a program that would attract top talent.
It’s still a bit unclear how Collins would accomplish that. And it’s still a bit unclear how Collins will be able to avoid comparisons to NU football coach Pat Fitzgerald, who has been able to produce teams that reach the postseason.
For those of us who know very little about a lot, it would seem easier to field a Big Ten basketball team that reaches the NCAA tournament than a football team that is bowl-worthy. A basketball coach needs to find fewer players than does a football coach.
To expect Collins to lure Chicago’s top talent to Northwestern seems a bit unrealistic. But you never know.
And even if Collins can recruit and produce tournament-worthy teams, there’s always the question of whether he can coach. Unless sitting on the bench alongside Mike Krzyzewski guarantees coaching talent by osmosis.
“I’m so grateful to President [Morton] Schapiro, Chairman [William] Osborn and Dr. Phillips for the opportunity to lead the men’s basketball program at one of the premier universities in the world, to compete in the Big Ten Conference, and to do so in my hometown,” Collins said in a statement. “Northwestern University is a special place that strives for excellence in every regard, and our program will be no different. I can’t possibly thank Coach Krzyzewski and Duke University enough for preparing me for this day.”
Speaking of coaching talent (well, we were before the Collins quote), that brings us to Indiana. And coach Tom Crean. He has done an amazing job at resurrecting the Hoosiers program. His squad earned a No. 1 seed in this season’s NCAA tournament.
And then Syracuse defeated Indiana 61-50 on Thursday night in Washington in an East regional semifinal. Indiana struggled against Syracuse’s 2-3 zone. At times it looked as if the Hoosiers didn’t know how to handle the Orange defense.
Not exactly the kind of ending to the season that Indiana fans had envisioned.
“Let’s face facts,” Crean said. “We haven’t seen a zone like that. They’re very good. They’re where they’re at for a reason.”
And Indiana is where it’s at for a reason — with some people thinking Crean is the reason. Such is the price to be paid for lofty expectations.
Someday Collins could be in that spot — if he proves to be the coach some people say he can be.
Speaking of basketball, the WNBA and ESPN announced Thursday they have extended their partnership through 2022. FOr the first time, the WNBA draft (April 15) will be televised. The cable network also will televise up to 30 games per season.
“Our enhanced television agreement reflects ESPN’s extraordinary commitment to women’s sports and to the WNBA,” WNBA president Laurel J. Richie said. “The extension has been a catalyst for the WNBA and ESPN to bring forward fresh thinking ideas to better showcase our players, our game and our league.”
Amy Haddad is a versatile athlete — and a good interview.
The guests on the March 28 edition of “Sports & Torts” on Talkzone.com were former ABA and NBA star George “Iceman” Gervin and former IFBB fitness competitor Amy Haddad, who has moved on to the world of high jump, long jump and more as a masters track athlete. She also is a physical therapist in Sarasota, Fla.
For those who missed the interview program with co-hosts David Spada and Elliott Harris (or for those who would like to enjoy an encore performance), you can access the show by clicking here.
Here is Amy from her fitness days in 2000:
Here we go with some non-gratuitous video (because very few things — if any — meet the standard set by the editorial and video staffs at elliottharris.com of being deemed gratuitous):
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