Monthly Archives: March 2011

Conflicted feelings for Brandon Davies

March 2, 20113:01 p.m.

I’m no expert on Mormon faith. I know Brigham Young University has an honor code that is taken seriously by everyone at the school. If that wasn’t obvious before Tuesday, it should be now because it’s a violation of that code that got sophomore forward Brandon Davies suspended for the rest of the season just as talk about a potential Cougars run to the Final Four was heating up.

Brandon Davies is out for BYU's postseason run.

It’s a terrible story because BYU is a team the country was getting behind, mainly because of senior guard Jimmer Fredette, whose name and amazing talent are huge fan magnets.

I can’t imagine a college basketball fan in the country who wasn’t looking forward to watching the Cougars, who lost to Kansas State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season, make a deeper run. If it happens, it’ll be without Davies, who was averaging 11.1 points and a team-high 6.2 rebounds.

I’ll leave the experts to figure out the basketball implications of Davies’ suspension. Oh, wait, I am a basketball expert (or so the fable goes).

My interest is more in the human fallout from this.

Obviously, Davies did something significant to violate BYU’s honor code. He didn’t have a sip of tea or coffee, for instance.

Suspensions at BYU aren’t a black and white issue, always. There are instances of probation, as I understand. It’s apparent Davies left no wiggle room, that his violation was worthy of the strongest arm of this code.

So, how bad do you feel for the kid without knowing specifically what he did?

It’s hard to say. Information about the part of the code he violated is scant, if not non-existent. And BYU officials will do their best to keep it that way.

If Davies flaunted the honor code, then it’s hard to conjure much sympathy. But if he got caught up in a bad situation and used poor judgment, then there’s reason to empathize with his plight.

I just know he’s a 20-year-old kid and I don’t care what kind of honor code is in place, 20-year-old kids make mistakes. It’s true that BYU students – all of them – have to adhere to the same code and sign a document acknowledging their awareness every year.

I appreciate the honor code. I even admire it. In a day and age when so many have ceased demanding excellence from young people, it’s nice to know BYU has higher standards. Perhaps more universities should, especially more athletic departments.

But this is something Davies will carry with him throughout the rest of his life. When he’s 50, people will ask him about that time he was suspended when it looked like the Cougars might have their best team ever and their most legitimate shot at a Final Four. Such questions will persist beyond then, even.

The only thing that could eliminate the need to ask the question is a deep BYU run in the tournament. And without Davies, the best athlete on the Cougars’ squad and a guy whose interior passing skills are overlooked, the chances for that have diminished.

I feel worst for Davies’ teammates, and especially for Fredette. Imagine what his thoughts must be. I’m sure he’s going to publicly support Davies as a friend and teammate and say all the right things in front of the media and the public. Inside, though, Fredette has to be incensed. Doesn’t he?

I know those who attend BYU, even the athletes, go there for a higher calling than winning games. But winning isn’t meaningless at BYU, for sure. The Cougars have always had a very good football program, even winning a national championship. Sports are as important at BYU as they are anyplace in the country.

They’re just not the most important thing. The university’s image comes first, thus the very existence of the honor code. There will be some who make light of it, many who site it’s proclamation that students avoid drinking tea as an example of its silliness.

But if a student is caught drinking tea, I’m sure he or she gets a talking to, not a suspension. Davies didn’t drink tea. Some will say he’s being pushed for not drinking the BYU Kool-Aid.

Perhaps so, but everyone who attends the university knows a big, cold pitcher of the stuff is awaiting.

By Bob | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments Off

Of Cazzie and Dave the Rave

March 1, 20115:08 p.m.

It wouldn’t be a National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame without former Michigan great Cazzie Russell, one of eight inducted into the Hall on Monday.

The 6-foot-5 Russell is the greatest player in Michigan history. He finished his career with 2,164 points and averaged 27.1 points and 8.5 rebounds while leading the Wolverines to two Final Fours. He was an Associated Press first-team All-American in 1965 and 1966

Cazzie Russell had enough charisma to light an arena.

and a second-team during his sophomore season in 1964.

I’m flabbergasted it took Russell five years to get into the NCBHOF, which inducted its first class – a really large one – in 2006.

But what about our very own Dave Stallworth? He played at Wichita State from 1961-65 and is, in my opinion, the greatest Shocker of them all. Stallworth played for WSU at a time when the Shockers were one of the most powerful teams in the country, on the cusp of a Final Four in 1964 before finally making it in 1965, although Stallworth had graduated at the January semester break and wasn’t on the team that lost to UCLA and Princeton.

Russell and Stallworth were contemporaries. They were even teammates for six seasons with the New York Knicks, from 1966-71. When I talked to Stallworth on the telephone this afternoon, he said he has kept in touch with Russell over the years, but that they hadn’t talked for a couple of years.

Russell did have a couple of advantages over Stallworth. He played in two Final Fours and for a national runner-up team in 1965. Stallworth never got to a Final Four, although he very easily could have also played in two were circumstances different.

Russell had a better NBA career, averaging 15.1 points for the Knicks, Golden State, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Chicago Bulls. He was the first player chosen in the NBA’s 1966 draft, although I wouldn’t think the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame would give much credence to professional credentials.

Russell and Stallworth each played in 80 college games. Stallworth had 1,936 points and a 24.2 ppg average, both less than Russell’s totals. But the 6-7 Stallworth, with a little more than an inch height advantage, averaged 10.5 rebounds to Russell’s 8.5. And

There wasn't anything Dave Stallworth (42) couldn't do on a basketball court.

Stallworth had a better field-goal percentage – .530 to .505.

They met up once in college, when Wichita State played at Michigan on Dec. 14, 1964, in a classic game. If that game were played today, it would dominate ESPN’s “Sports Center” for a couple of days. The Shockers had just moved to No. 1 in the polls that day and Michigan was ranked No. 2. Stallworth and Russell were two of the game’s biggest stars and a jam-packed crowd watched as the Wolverines beat WSU, 87-85, thanks to a last-second, 35-foot heave from Russell.

The end of the game was brutal for Stallworth, who dribbled the ball off his foot after an in-bounds play just before Russell’s game-winning shot.

“I never really had a worse moment,” said Stallworth, who scored only 11 points in the game.. “I thought I was fouled. I thought I’d get the call even on their court because it was such an obvious foul. But Cazzie took a couple of dribbles and nailed a long one.”

Russell led Michigan with 28 points and nine rebounds while Nate Bowman and Kelly Pete led’ the Shockers with 24 and 23 points, respectively.

The next season, Michigan played the Shockers at the Roundhouse. Stallworth had left for the NBA but the Shockers’ 1965-66 season held a lot of promise, that ultimately became a disappointment.

On that night, though – Dec. 8, 1965 – WSU was incredible, beating Michigan and Russell, 100-94, in front of nearly 11,000 fans. The Wolverines were ranked No. 2 going into the game and it remains one of the Shockers’ biggest and most exciting victories ever.

Russell scored 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting while teammate John Clawson had 28 for Michigan. The Shockers got an amazing performance from junior Jamie Thompson, who in my opinion is the most underrated WSU player in history. Thompson was 9 of 9 from the field and 10 of 10 from the free-throw line against Michigan for 28 points.

Teammate John Criss was nearly as good, making 9 of 10 field-goal attempts. Lillard Harris (18), Warren Armstrong (17) and Melvin Reed (16) also scored in double figures for a Shocker team that should have been a lot better than 17-10, but struggled to make up for a lack of size. the 6-foot-5 Reed was the team’s center and the 6-4 Thompson and 6-2 Armstrong were forwards.

Stallworth said he was thrilled for Russell to be inducted, and wasn’t biting when I mentioned that I thought he belonged, too.

“Well, I agree with you,” he said, begrudgingly. “But I’m just glad for Cazzie. He was one hell of a player.”

By Bob | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments Off