Grip on Sports: NBA players will police Matthew Dellavedova
Monday: Al Horford’s ejection for throwing an elbow at former Saint Mary’s star Matthew Dellavedova needs some context.
I’m sure any Gonzaga basketball fan would be willing to supply it, though they would be a bit prejudice. Instead I’ll offer the thoughts of three West Coast college basketball coaches I’ve talked with over the years. Three guys who love tough physical players. And all three thought Dellavedova was one guy who crossed over from physical to dirty – and crossed over by a large margin.
One of them went so far as to send a video of actions Dellavedova took off the ball during their game, actions that could have resulted in injury, and sent it to the WCC office, hoping something would be done. Nothing was.
It’s funny because all three loved the things Dellavedova could do on the basketball court. And they didn’t understand why he insisted on doing things like he’s done a couple times in these NBA playoffs. Ah well. My guess is the players in the NBA will police this matter themselves at some time.
• I believe the Gettysburg Address may be the greatest example of concise writing the English language has ever produced. And Lincoln wrote it on the train – at least he edited the final version – on the way to give the speech. He would have made a great sportswriter.
Friday: By Sunday, barring an awful bout of weather, high school sports will be over for the 2014-15 year.
And then summer really begins. The time of year when high school athletes – and their parents – have to become jugglers.
If you lament the demise of the three-sport athlete then the next couple months are the time of year you must hate.
I am old enough to remember when June was a month for playing baseball and that’s it. Then football camps started to creep in. And basketball summer leagues. And then 7-on-7. Nowadays, a high school athlete can be expected to participate in all the major sports in the course of one day.
When school breaks for the summer, there will be football weightlifting and conditioning in the morning. The afternoon is a Legion game, followed by a quick dash to a basketball summer league game if there is time. I know this through personal experience. I do believe I went through two cars while my boys were in high school.
There is nothing wrong with this of course. A busy teenager is a tired teenager – and one who is less likely to make a stupid decision after dark. And there are even some schools in which the coaching staff works together to make sure there is as little pressure on the athletes to choose what they are doing.
Oftentimes, the 15-year-old is stuck in the middle, especially the 15-year-old who isn’t a great player but really loves the games. There is the subtle – and not-so-subtle – pressure to be at the baseball game instead of the basketball game. Or to take a basketball trip instead of going to football or volleyball camp. And on and on.
In most cases, Joanna Highschooler has to make a choice. Pick one if only to ease the burden on Mom, Dad or older brother to get them to summer events. Or to balance the family budget. There are great lessons to be learned in time management, of course, and personal responsibility and accountability.
Just playing games or going to the lake or mowing the lawn or walking to the 7-Eleven for a slurpee? Sometimes that’s lost. Lost in the flotsam of summer, circa 2015.