Todays Thoughts

Freddy Hill and Bobby G

This FHJ vs Bobby G thing has gone way too far. The Commissioner wants to do an investigation over what happened the last regular game of the season? STOP!!! If anything he should be taking both Coaches to dinner as a way of thanking them for getting this local rivalry going again. I for one loved it and appreciate the competitive spirit of both Coaches. Heck the only thing they could have done better is had an actual fist fight at halftime. This was not a situation that called for an investigation. I have seen Dean Smith and Roy Williams have words about and with Coach K and there was not an investigation. Folks ate it up on Tobacco Road.

Now going after a Ref is a no no, but to have a serious rivalry will only sell more tickets next season. I can see the ESPN intro now. It will show FHJ walking past Gonzo at the end of the last game. It will show Gonzo running on the court. It will show FHJ clapping as he walked towards Gonzo. It will show the Gonzo press conference. It will show JR's shot. and lastly it will show the BE Commissioner. Are you kidding me? This is great basketball and the stage for next season could not have been better set! A must ESPN Game!

Lets look at FHJ. What did he do wrong? NOTHING!!!! He was only acting as he felt. He shook hands because he had to, but he does not like Gonzo. He did NOTHING WRONG!! Well he could have been better with JR after he made the shot. But Freddy is Freddy. Love hime in your living room but he is hard in practice. Being a first time head coach is difficult for many. Going from wearing the white hat to the black hat can be overwhelming. In this case it has been just that. But he should not get any type of suspension. In fact RU should give him a vacation bonus for fighting to the end and bringing his team back from the dead.

How about Gonzo. Folks, what you see is what you get! A great competitor who sometimes acts like he is still coaching on 145th and Lennox avenue in the Rucker or City-Wide Tournament. The way he is up on every play is just how all the coaches tend to act in NYC rec basketball. From Riverside to the Gauchos to Abyssinia Baptist Church, to Dyckman. I for one LOVE THAT COACHING style. he is in on every play. He is playing the game with his players. All he needs is to wear a warm-up suit as he coaches. But tell you what, no one can say he does not have a good understanding of the game. Folks at the Hall use to be upset when Louis Orr did not get more involved. Now they have Gonzo and he does not act like they want him to act. Well folks as I have mentioned here in the past, PJ was no saint! Neither was John Wooden who would yell horrible stuff at his and OPPOSSING players through that rolled up program he always had in his hand. Different coaching styles for different people. Little Louie at SJU was a huge cry baby and complainer. But he was loved because he was little, cute to some, and legendary. What Bobby did after the Rutgers game was be Bobby. Nothing phony, just the truth and nothing but the truth. Just as he said on radio, he loves his YOUNG COACHING STAFF lol. Should he had knocked the Refs in public? NO!!! But other than that what did he do wrong except play to the end.

The season is over for Rutgers. But SHU has a chance to make a post season tournament after losing to a very good Marquette team last night. SHU competed better but MU had all the answers including a brilliant underrated kid named McNeil who was a heck of a leader and has NBA written all over him.

What does next season bring?

Rutgers needs much better chemistry and a TRUE POINT GUARD who passes, leads, and defends. Everyone talks about the front court but the difference between the Marquette 3 guard line-up and both SHU and RU's versions is cause for alarm. I do think SHU is further along. But maybe Risario will really help RU more that I now think he will. But if RU went down and got a tough as nails JC PG who was just a bit older they could be dangerous. But alot also depends on what JR does in the off season in more ways than one.

SHU will be much netter next season because Harvey will go back into a Brooklyn lab and improve himself tremendously. he will go back to being a tough and talented leader with Paul Gause healthy and next to him. Hazell will be a star and Davis, Garcia, and the other big's will be experienced enough to get it done much better next season.

The RU vs SHU Tickets for Next Season

Hard to get based on THE NEW TYPE RIVALRY. I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!