#TAKES HERE, GET 'EM WHILE THEY'RE HOT. (They're always hot.)
WHAT IF LEBRON PLAYED AT OSU. I am not a LeBron James-hater, and if you like Ohio State, you shouldn't be either since the King has done a lot over the years for a university at which he never played.
Lost Letterman ran a slideshow (those are all the rage these days, I guess?) projecting the colleges at which former preps-to-pros stars would have played had that awful "one-and-done" rule existed when they graduated. (Here's an idea to give you an ulcer: Kevin Garnett in a Michigan uni.)
Anyway, BTN.com had a further breakdown of what that OSU team might've looked like had King James taken his talents to Columbus. Here's their 2003-2004 projected lineup:
- G: Tony Stockman
- G: J.J. Sullinger
- F: LeBron James
- F: Terence Dials
- C: Velimir Radinovic
This was a young Buckeyes team that struggled throughout the 2003-04 season, finishing the year with a final record of 14-16. Jim O’Brien’s team managed just six wins in Big Ten play and finished ninth in the conference standings. However, if you were to add LeBron James into the mix, everything changes, in a big way.
Think of it this way — James averaged 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game in his rookie season with the Cleveland Cavilers. The team won 18 more games with James that season than it did the year before. Now, put this guy in the mix against college competition, and you probably have the most dominant player in college basketball history. In addition to James, this team would also feature two double-digit scoring guards in Stockman and Sullinger, a talented 7-0 center in Radinovic, and a future Big Ten Player of the Year in Dials.
A UConn team led by Ben Gordon and Emeka Okafor won the national championship in 2004. As talented and skilled as that team was, I just don’t see a way this Ohio State could be stopped with LeBron James leading the way. Yes, he is that good.
I don't think LeBron would have played at Ohio State — especially an Ohio State with Jim O'Brien at the helm — but damn would that have been a lot of fun to watch.
The pipe dream that really puts some steel in my knickers is the one where LeBron stayed at OSU for all four years and played his senior season with Mike Conley and Greg Oden. I don't think that team would have won a game by less than 20.
D'ANGELO RUSSELL IN THE CLEAR? I haven't found any official notification his high school transcript is officially cleared by the NCAA, but this can't be anything but a good omen, right?
Lol 2 Blessed 2 Be Stressed #HolDat
Lol, indeed? (I assume the "Dat" I'm holding is Ohio State basketball's 2014-15 hopes and dreams.)
S-E-C Y'ALL. Commenters were really fired up when I voiced my opinion that Ohio State should move to the Southeastern Conference, but there would have been perks.
Here, via David Wunderblich, is the Chairman of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee:
@BrianVandy1: @RazorbackFB @jefflongUA Who are you guys routing for tonight? #SEC #SEC SECSECSECSEC!!!
— Jeff Long (@jefflongUA) June 23, 2014
Of course the guy who hired Bert Bielema has a hard time communicating basic thoughts through Twitter.
And no, he's not ashamed of his conference homerism in the lead up to the College World Series:
@Year2: Chairman of the College Football Playoff selection committee, ladies and gents. https://t.co/9BKrR6KZtq And?
— Jeff Long (@jefflongUA) June 23, 2014
And, Mr. Long? I believe Google can clarify this for you:
A conflict of interest (COI) is a situation occurring when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation.
Don't blame me when a 13-0 OSU team is snubbed for a three-loss LSU team. You might think that's my trademarked hyperbole speaking, but just you wait, friends.
I could have prevented this.
HATIN' ASS SPURRIER. South Carolina is on their way to the greatest recruiting class in school history, but Steve Spurrier has been college football's reigning troll king for about two decades now. It's a crown he won't be relinquishing any time soon, either.
"I told Nick Saban one time, I said, ‘Nick, you don't have to stay there until midnight and your teams would be just as good and win just as many.' He said, ‘If I could do it the way you do it, I would, but I don't feel comfortable unless I try to cover every base, every angle, be totally prepared.' I said, ‘Well, that's probably why you do it.' When I come out there, I feel comfortable we are ready to play. We have our game plan in, going to call this, call that and so forth. Everybody is different as far as when they feel they are totally prepared."
[...]
"If he worked longer hours "would we be 12-1 instead of 11-2? Oh, you're kidding," Spurrier said. "I haven't heard anybody say that really, but if you wanted to, you can find faults with anybody if they don't win them all. How many SECs has (Saban) won there in eight years? He's won two. He's won three nationals, but he's only won two SECs in eight years. Now, if you had the No. 1 recruiting class every year and so forth, I don't know if he has maxed out potentially as well as he could."
SB Nation has a collection of Spurrier's greatest hits from the last year. That man should be King of the World.
GPS WON FSU THE TITLE. Technology! *shakes fist*
The man is Chris Jacobs, an honest-to-goodness rocket scientist tasked with monitoring every movement the Seminoles make in practice and in the weight room. Jacobs had worked as a propulsion engineer with the space program before government cutbacks forced him out of the job, but a timely meeting with a member of Florida State's booster club brought him here.
The players call him "Rocket Man." Jacobs' computer is fueled by data that arrive in real time, courtesy of GPS monitors the players wear in specially designed straps across their chests -- sports bras the team has renamed "bros" -- that track everything from acceleration rates to heart rates and, most important to the dozens of Seminoles patiently waiting for official results, speed.
[...]
Four years ago, Erik Korem and Joe Danos, who were FSU assistants at the time, brought the idea to Fisher after seeing the devices used by an Australian rules football team. The Australian company that makes them, Catapult Sports, had never had an American football client, but Fisher was quickly sold on the possibilities of designing highly specialized training programs for his athletes that promised increased production and fewer injuries.
"He knew at some point in time, we were going to be ready to face the best of the best, and we had to be a little bit different," head strength coach Vic Viloria said. "His little bit different turned out to be really, really impressive."
These little gadgets each cost $25,000 to rent for the year. Florida State had 30 of them last year, but have 90 now since they hit that championship windfall.
Really makes ya think, huh?
REAL TALK FROM EDDIE GEORGE. Yesterday, it was Maurice Clarett doing Ohio State proud. Today, it's Eddie! Eddie! Eddie!
Eddie George with a helluva challenge for NFL rookies at Rookie Symposium: Sit down and write your own obituary. What do you want it to say?
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) June 23, 2014
I've thought long and hard about mine: "DJ Byrnes is finally dead. He was a Marionaire who enjoyed Waffle House."
THOSE WMDs. What the hell is going on with the Josh Gordon case?... How the Wall Street Journal introduced the Walkman... Jason's right, Mexico's manager is a boss... Lost dog, found after for two years is "doing great"... About that "North Korea condemns Seth Rogan/James Franco film" headline... About that "Cristiano Ronaldo cut his hair to match to match a kid's brain surgery incision" headline... The Philadelphia 76ers now have the best logo in sports... SOON...
