In my already sports-obsessed yout, I tried to emulate a few years older similarly addled neighbor friend across the street.
He collected game programs.*
*For those readers who might not understand. Once before the dawn of time in a world long ago far away, they’d sell programs at games. Rosters. Scorecards. Bios. Stories. Ads from the local dairy. Often a very cool cover graphic. Hence the origin of a no longer heard huckster cry, “You can’t tell the players without a program.”
His vast collection was pretty robust.
Mine, meager.
Somewhere along the way, a relative got me program from a Michigan football game. Underneath the roster list there was a pronunciation guide.*
*Not unique to the Wolverine squad — most schools, even today in media guides, provide such info if there might be a name hard to pronounce.
Michigan football, at least back then, had more than a fair share. And not just players from nearby Hamtramck, then an enclave for Polish Americans. Evashevski. Oosterbaan. Skrepenak. Lazetich.
Which peripheral, actually legitimately related to the topic at hand meandering leads me to this, the rebirth of an era in college hoops when pronunciation guides are not only de rigueur but mandatory.
Which has led me to coin a new acronym, which has received the approval of fellow hoopaholic Smarts.
G. R. C.
Global Roster Churn.
Ladies, gent, college basketball obsessives of every age and hue, this is indeed the new now in squad building.
Trust me, Cardinal fans, it’s not just Pat Kelsey who is gazing across the ponds and this very week officially signing guys named Evangelos Zougris from Greece, Sananda Fru from Germany. Senegalese forward Mouhamed Camara is also said to be in the fold. Plus all fingers are crossed that Egyptian Aly Khalifa shall defeat the NCAA and be deemed eligible.
Just in the last week, it is reported that NC State has landed a kid from Montenegro, Stanford a big from Belgium, Grand Canyon a Turkish baller, a Slovenian to Mississippi State, a Serbian to Auburn, an Italian to Duke . . .
. . . OK, you get the picture.
G. R. C.
* * * * *
Speaking of photos, the Red & Black Nation has a new one to add to its collection of faves, along with Grif pointing to the crowd in ‘80, Chucky kissing the floor on Senior Night, and, ya know, plenty others.
That one of Zougris flexing and shouting with blood streaming down his face on to his uni has Cardinal fans frothing at the mouth. Even though the latest Cardinal hasn’t played a game here yet.
He’s a banger. Like Ellis Myles, Chane Behanan in the second half of the ‘13 title tilt.
* * * * *
Most of these foreigners have been playing pro ball. It’s a different system than here where the fiction of student athleticism has held steady for way too long.
Obviously these players haven’t used up their college eligibility at Mykonos Tech or for the Stuttgart A&M Braun Hemden.
Which led to a discussion at our last meeting of Hoopaholic’s Anonymous.
What if say 6-7 wing Tyrone Shoelaces leaves Boise State after his freshman year and declares for the draft, stays in, ends up in the G League with one 10 day Jagermeister stop with Phoenix, then gets cut.
What’s the NCAA going to do when he sues to continue balling at the collegiate level?
I mean, really, what’s the diff?
Head in the sand, ye not so powerful anymore ruling organization? Or, finally surrendering to the reality that your recalcitrance to the modern rule has undermined your authority once and for all?
It’s gonna happen.
* * * * *
When asked In a video interview how he ended up at Louisville, Sananda Fru said, “My agent did all the work.”
Guess he didn’t peruse the course catalog, see English 347 “Dickens and the Working Class” and go, “I gotta take that class. I heard the prof really knows her stuff.”
* * * * *
Way Too Early Top 25s are really nothing but an excuse for we hoopaholics to have something to argue about months before tipoff.
I shan’t argue, just pass on this for consideration.
In a compilation of six different endeavors, U of L was #5, #6, #7, #10, #15 and #17. Consensus #10.
Rob Dauster at Field of 68 Loves The Cardinals. College Hoops Today, not so much.
But, thank you Naismithius, in a matter of one year, the Cards are back in the conversation.
— c d kaplan
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
