Where is Larry Joe? Larry Joe Bird, that is… the French Lick boy. Stayed all four years in college… did you know, btw, he originally went to Indiana, along with Kyle Macy… then on to Indiana State… while Macy transferred to Kentucky. What a Hoosier team that would have been! Now, I know kids went pro early back then, too…Magic, McGinnis, Shaq, etc., but it’s nothing like today. Labron James, Kevin Garnett and others… we’ll never know what we never got to see. Imagine if Chamberlain, Alcindor, Elvin Hayes, Griffith, Oscar, Gervin, Isaiah Thomas… you name it… had all skipped college? Instead we get some “wet behind the ears” North Carolina team that last year wins the tourney, then disbands faster than the Florida Marlins baseball team of a few years ago. The Tarheels won fair and square, but does anyone think they could hang with the NC team of Jordan, Worthy and Perkins ? Does anyone think the Illinois team last year (I think I’ll shoot a three) could have beaten the ’89 Illini squad? Watching my Hawkeyes is o.k., because I’ve watched these same kids for three, perhaps four years now, and I “know” them, but an outstanding team this is not. We are looking good because everyone else is just as “untalented”. Maybe JJ Reddick or that kid at Gonzaga reminds us of a Larry Bird to some extent, but the college game has changed… and mediocrity and parity rule. I love college basketball, but Larry Joe’s absence is blinding.
Re: Where is Larry Joe? I completely agree, Hawker! To answer one of your questions: NO! I do NOT believe that ANY UNC team from the past 10 YEARS could beat that Tar Heel team of Jordan and Worthy.
Nice post. I miss Bird, Magic and MJ. We may never see the collage game like that again. Boston to answer your question from the other day… I just feel that they DO have a few coaches that can get these guys to stay for a title run. I think Brady is getting VERY good at putting a top-notch team together to compete for a SECCG every year. That is the difference between he and say the coach of DUKE. Coach K puts a team together to compete for a NC and CJB competes for a SECC. I like CJB and IM not a basher anymore. Just because he never made a final four run, it's ok w/me. I think he could do a better job at convincing these guys that are not even 19 years old to wait till they are ready. It does come down to the player’s decision but a great coach can sway a player for an extra year if he feels that they can win it all w/that athlete.
The difference between coach K and Brady in terms of having kids stay on longer before entering the draft is, IMO, the fact that Duke WILL play for a national championship every season--they're a virtual lock to make at least the Great 8 every season. We simply don't have that history of success, so our guys are more likely to look at the NBA as a way to quickly take care of any family hardship. In another sport--say football for instance--we have proven (with the exception of Marquise Hill) to be able to hold on to underclassmen that think about making the jump to the pros because we're in a position to contend for an SEC title as well as a National title--those players want to win another, or experience coming close to it want to get back. Do you think a Duke football player would pass up the NFL if he were a top-notch Junior??? I doubt it. He would go because he knows/believes that "well, I seriously doubt we're gonna play for any title--so it's time to cash in my chips and make some big bucks". But does that mean that their head coach wouldn't try to keep them??? Like I said, NO COLLEGE COACH will just stand there a simply watch his top players leave without putting up some sort of fight for them. And Brady is no exception.
