CAA Basketball Preview

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To begin, I heard a great quote this morning from someone talking about focus.  The guy said that Arnold Palmer won the Master’s in 1958 and 1960 and took a one shot lead into the 18th hole in the 1961 tournament.  Needing a par or better to win, he smacks a tee shot straight down the gut of the fairway.  On the way up the fairway, a buddy of his from the crowd got his attention and ask Arnie to come over to the gallery.  The friend reached out his hand and said “Congrats Arnold!”  Palmer, in an interview much later, said that it was at that moment he sensed he had lost his focus and knew he was going to lose.  He finished second.

GEORGE MASON

“Don’t focus on the youth, focus on the coach”

People tend to forget they were good before they went to the Final Four and that they have been really good since that time.  That is a tribute to Jim Larranaga.  Many of you don’t know that Larranaga was at Bowling Green before Mason and was the MAC Coach of the Year in the late 90s.  Larranaga loves highly athletic kids who are tough SOBs.  I love that about him and I truly believe he has a steal in Ventrail Vaughns, a FR PG from Texas.

I watched that kid play several times at recruiting events in New Orleans and in Texas and he was a flat-out stud – quick, nice handles, can get to the rim and played hard (even during AAU events).  Mason loses 4 seniors from last year’s 2nd place squad, but Larranaga re-tooled with the definition of “tough” kids – one from the Mt Vernon NY (Stud),  from Hargrave, from New Jersey, and from Memphis.  Don’t expect immediate results early in the year, but toughness always wins out in the end, which means that come conference play, this team will defend, rebound, and win.  Bronx native Larranaga is a disciplined coach, he’s an instructive leader and will not allow his team to “have to rebuild.”

VCU

“Don’t focus on being Anthony Grant”

I heard a quote from new head coach Shaka Smart where he said that he wanted to do a lot of things similar to AG and that he was more suited to follow him because both came from UF, both under Coach Donovan, etc.  The saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.  Well, AG had Eric Maynor, who was cold blooded, boy.  If you want a PG to build a mid-major team around, Eric Maynor is your mold.  He’s gone, so Shaka, you can’t be AG!   

I’m not hatin on Shaka though because he made one of the best hires of all time at the Division I level by hiring Mike Rhoades from Randolph-Macon.  Rhoades was one of the best coaches I have ever witnessed coach (and I’ve personally seen the best in Bob Knight) and as long as he meshes with a young Smart as an assistant, he will be HUGE for VCU.  He will help Smart achieve an identity and help him mold this VCU team into his own.  I think VCU drops off a little in the CAA standings, but it doesn’t keep them from making a run in the conference tourney and challenge for a NCAA tourney spot.

Other CAA teams of note:

ODU – Predicted by many to win the league.  Coach Taylor has been very successful, he just isn’t getting the notoriety because he hasn’t been to the Big Dance in several years.

William & Mary – The only thing I can say is that Joe Soos, Lake Braddock’s world-class soccer coach, went to school here.  Other than that, the basketball team is Ga bage.

udothedishes . . .

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