A Good Year for the Outlaw

Anyone in the same boat as me, in not paying any attention whatsoever to college basketball right now? Haven’t watched a game of the tournament(s) – but then, I never watch or care about the NIT – haven’t seen a full game all season, haven’t checked out a box score, didn’t fill out a tourney bracket (first time in my adult life, I think), and don’t even know what teams are still in it.

Why?

I’m quite sure, for me anyway, it’s because basketball isn’t basketball anymore. The game has morphed into some ugly, non-officiated, pick up game. There are gross abuses of rules on every possession. The few minutes of college hoops I caught this year, I counted traveling violations in the dozens in about two minutes of play. No one can dribble correctly, there are carrying the ball violations on EVERY possession. No one can shoot. The form is awful. Remember what we were taught? “Go straight up, elbow in, legs quiet, land in the same spot you left.” THAT’S how you make a jumper. That’s how Larry Bird, Jerry West, Lou Hudson and Trent Tucker did it. Pure jump shooters, perfect form.

Today? Form? What form? These guys are pathetic. Leg flailing, off balance, brick throwing pathetic pieces of turd. Not the whole turd, mind you, they’re not good enough to get that label. No, just pieces of turd.

And defense. Since when did assault and mugging constitute defense?

I know the complaints: “you could call a violation or a foul on every play, it would kill the game.” No, it wouldn’t. It would help. One year of 35 traveling calls, 46 carrying the ball calls, and 150 free throws per game would pretty much solve the problem and put the game back where it should be.

And the worst thing of all? While calling high school games this winter, I watch as young men look incredulously at the official who dare calls a traveling on him. The player thinks to himself, “what did I do wrong? That’s how Duke does it.” Sadly, he’s 1/2 right. That IS how Duke does it, it’s just not legal. Unfortunately, it’s never called at that level. Sadly, what they see on TV is what they try to do in games, and it’s starting to now screw up high school ball. Fortunately, there are still some officials out there who call the game correctly.

Bottom line, college basketball has never been worse. It actually makes the NBA easier to watch. The NBA actually has less walking, less carrying the ball, and less thug defense than college ball.