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The Bucks Stop Here
OH-NO.
In conference play, particularly in a conference as difficult top to bottom as the Big Ten, a streak of 3-games is either impressive or alarming.
Unfortunately for The Ohio State Buckeyes, the latter has proven true.
What’s wrong with Thad’s group?
After a stinging defeat in East Lansing to Michigan State in a top-5 battle (after an outstanding late second-half comeback) 72-68 in OT, a stunning home loss to Iowa 84-74 and last night’s collapse in The Barn at Minnesota 63-53, the Buckeyes need a new plan. Whatever is currently in place is not good enough and is not working. They can’t score, turnovers are happening in devastating bunches at critical points in games and there’s a lack of awareness and spontaneous creativity from a team with very talented athletes and players.
This is not Ohio State basketball.
Perhaps the most frustrating complaint from Buckeye Nation is that fans know the team is better than what they’ve seen the past three games on the hardwood.
What to do?
Here are a few suggestions for a mid-season comeback and identity resurrection for the 2013/2014 Ohio State Men’s Basketball Team:
- Design plays for C Amir Williams to score a solid 7-10 points a game (baskets and free throws) by establishing a post-presence with him for occasional spurts during the game
- Design and force more isolation plays for Q, Sam Thompson, Aaron Craft and Marc Loving. The athleticism, wingspans and/or quickness of all of them (a difficult 1 v. 1 match-up for most any player in America) could directly result in 2s and 3s or a pass inside for a 2 or a pass outside for a 3-point basket.
- To mask the fact they don’t have a solid 20-25 point scorer and a 10-15 point accomplice every game, the Buckeyes need to make more 3-pointers. Bottom line. Pure and simple. Making lots of 3s is a cornerstone of every successful Thad Matta team. As simplistic as this reads, it would go a long way to restoring overall confidence in the Buckeyes.
- Finally, they need to make steals and turnovers matter. Defense is an obvious strength of Ohio State and they need to maximize this supremacy in every outing with every turnover. They need to punish their opponents with points and momentum shifting dunks (Sam Thompson, anyone?) off of turnovers. Again, it’s become a necessity because of the team’s lack of reliable, quality offense.
Defense wins championships, but you need offense to win games.
The above suggestions would help Ohio State rebound for the second-half of the season. It will not solve all of their problems in the micro, but it’s a start.
Because as everyone’s seen in the last three games, it’s clear the Buckeyes need to go back to the beginning at square one.
Uncle Phil’s Final Curtain Call
Sadly, actor James Avery did not get to ring in 2014.
For those who may not be familiar with the name James Avery, he may be known not only as the former voice of Shredder and Splinter in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles television series from the late 1980s and early 1990s, but more famously remembered as Uncle Phil from the 1990s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
According to the Washington Post article, “James Avery, television and movie actor, dies,” Avery passed away at the age of 68 on Tuesday, December 31st. The cause seems to be related to complications from a major surgical procedure.
Millions of fans from around the world watched (and watch in reruns) Avery entertainingly portray Uncle Phil in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air for 6 seasons. His character was the moral center of the show. He provided plenty of laughs and moments of sincerity and heart, as well as important life lessons for the show’s viewers.
For 30 minutes a week, he was everybody’s uncle.
Below is a clip featuring some favorite moments from the popular sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. There is one portion that starts at 3:26 that embodies so much of what so many loved and will miss about everybody’s Uncle Phil (however, it is recommended to watch the entire video).
The background to the scene is that Will went against his uncle’s stern warnings to not go to the pool hall. Will disobeyed and thought he could beat an older gentleman who turned out to be one of the pool hall regulars. Deep in debt, Will was forced to use his uncle’s Mercedes/his ride as collateral until his debt could be paid. Panicked, Will managed to convince his furious uncle to go back to the pool hall to discuss with the hustler a way to get the car back alongside his trusty butler Geoffrey/”G.”
Uncle Phil has lost a couple games to Will’s nemesis…and badly. However, Uncle Phil is able to negotiate one more game at the steep price of $100 a ball…
Smart. Loving. Funny. Role Model. A Hustler for Good.
Now, the “Big Guy” is with The Big Guy.
Rest in peace James Avery/Uncle Phil.
Acclaim Through Addition
Jupp Heynckes and Pep Guardiola.
These two football coaches have and do pace the sidelines with their own brand of suave, seriousness, calmness, intention and ingenious planning. Heynckes and Guardiola are different men from different countries with different styles and strategy, but are perfectly united by the same ambition and records of epic proportions, past and present.
But what precisely defines a global footballing/soccer champion in the modern era?
This is a fascinating, complex question to ponder, specifically regarding the perception of European football when compared to soccer in the United States. In Major League Soccer (MLS), the four championships/trophies competed for each season are perceived more so as individual conquests than as an all-or-nothing pursuit. It is not unusual for one team to win the Supporters’ Shield and another team to win the MLS Cup. Is it peculiar for one club to hoist the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup trophy, but not the CONCACAF Champions League trophy? No.
Winning the Supporters’ Shield for the most points in the regular season and the MLS Cup is a tremendous achievement (6 times/TBD 18 years), but it is not the expected protocol. As a result, it is greatly celebrated when this occurs. In Europe, though, a legendary feat consists of winning at least three to four trophies, depending on certain qualifications for certain clubs. This could involve the German Cup, the Spanish Super Cup, the UEFA Super Cup, the FIFA Club World Cup, etc. Then, of course, there is the UEFA Champions League. For Europeans and fans around the world, this is their “grandaddy of them all” for club football/soccer.
Remaining in Europe, specifically Munich, Germany, the journey for another record-breaking season is well under way. The pressure is palpable. Fortunately for Guardiola and his men, the 2013/2014 campaign has been victorious with the injection of new formations and style of play. It even bears a striking resemblance to the 2012/2013 club in the standings.
14 games into the 34-game Bundesliga season, Bayern Munich (under Guardiola) is 12-2-0 (W-D-L) with 38 points and a positive goal differential of 25. At the conclusion of the 2012/2013 campaign, Bayern Munich (guided by Heynckes) had earned 91 points from a 29-4-1 record with an insane positive goal differential of 80. A quick calculation postulates a realistic replication of Bundesliga glory for Hollywood FC, considering the fact the team is playing more comfortably and confidently under its new management and head coach with each victory in all of its competitions, most notably the Champions League.
And the latter part of the last paragraph is the key phrase: “…in all competitions.” It seems like, in today’s football/soccer universe, that winning a top league in the world is not complete unless there is a sweeping of all competitions. There exists little oxygen for a league champion or champion of a single tournament to receive the appropriate congratulations and acclaim, unless it’s a one-in-a-million league or tournament kind of run.
In Europe, the requirements (not preferences) for true greatness are the league title, the country’s home tournament/Cup, their version of a Super Cup and the UEFA Champions League. This formula is structured on addition, not +/-. Is this fair? That’s debatable. However, while the standards are extraordinary, the opportunities are equally extraordinary. That’s a reality that’s not all bad for one magnificently unforgettable campaign.
One record-breaking/amazing/storybook/legendary season can elevate a club to eternal glory and prominence of epic proportions. Imagine if this happens two years in a row…or more. But make no mistake about it, it is extremely difficult to achieve such success in a season. The results on (and off) the field need to resemble virtual perfection.
Will Bayern Munich, through the leadership of Pep Guardiola, cap another unforgettable season with arms full of trophies?
That is still several months away from being determined and the challenges looming ahead are undeniably massive and treacherous. However, if they can continue to show an improving expertise in moving 11 men in wonderfully successful fashion and synchronization, then adding a few more prestigious titles to their shelves will seem academic.
Champions do tend to make the extraordinary look easy.
And it’s only at this point when the simple addition of multiple trophies becomes proof of something epic.
A Leap of Craziness
There is an annual tradition at The Ohio State University for students to jump into the famed Mirror Lake during Michigan “That Team Up North Week.” This leap is usually quite cold because it takes place in mid-late November. However, Mother Nature decided to test the sheer will and bravery of the Buckeye faithful this Winter season with extra frigid winds and plenty of fresh snow to play with in ways that can only be concocted in college.
All of us can now say in unison, “I miss college!”
How many fans would make the bone-chilling leap, despite new campus restrictions requiring participants to wear a wristband…?
Was there ever a doubt? This is The Mirror Lake Leap during “That Team Up North Week.” Just as the Buckeyes will take the field on a blisteringly cold Saturday afternoon in Ann Arbor, the fans have once again clearly shown their dedication and solidarity with the men in scarlet and gray.
Borderline freezing weather? What borderline freezing weather?
The question of the week: What heats up a frozen Buckeye?
Kicking That Team Up North’s ___ (clearing my throat) football team.
Go Bucks!
Jimmy's Daily Planet 