Hewitt No Longer A Star

     At age 20, Australian tennis player Lleyton Hewitt was the youngest male ever to be ranked number one in the world. That was twelve years ago. Now, the 32-year old native of Adelaide, South Australia, currently ranked 70th, is beginning to reveal his aging limitations.
     Though he once owned his sport, his reign among the big dogs is coming to a screeching halt. There was a time when Hewitt dominated his opposition, and especially his rivals. He once held a win-loss record of 7-2 against arch rival and current star Roger Federer, and led Andy Roddick 6 games to 1 in their first seven head to head matches. However, father time has gotten the best of Hewitt, as have many tennis professionals. Federer has now won 16 of his last 17 against Hewitt, and American Andy Roddick
took six of the last seven against the Australian.
    His fans hoped 2013 would serve him well, but those hopes have been destroyed to some extent. In Hewitt's first tournament of the year he lost in Brisbane in straight sets to Denis Istomin, a 26-year old Russian unknown by most casual sports fans. In late May, he was once again ousted by Gilles Simon in the first round of this year's French Open. Wimbledon, Hewitt presumed, would finally be his opportunity to turn it around.
    Hewitt surprised his doubters by showing up big in round one of the prestigious tournament. He put on a spirited performance flashing signs of his old self defeating Stanislas Warinka of Switzerland in straight sets. This match, which was very encouraging to the prideful sports fans of Australia, was a teaser. Round 2 of Wimbledon would go differently.
    Hewitt fell to journeyman Dustin Brown in five sets. While he put on a respectable performance nearly going the distance against a younger, more versatile competitor, in the end, it was not enough. Hewitt is widely regarded as a defensive counter-puncher who prefers to stay back near the baseline during a rally. This style of play hurt him at times against Brown, who has a massive serve, ample athleticism, and an unpredictable style of play. Hewitt said Brown's craftiness and style of play was tough to block out, and he admitted to losing his way during the match.
     The up-and-coming Brown humbled Hewitt and his fans. While flashes of his past were occasionally put on display, Hewitt no longer possesses the ability to dominate tennis consistently. His prime is far behind him. He is still a good player, but can no longer be labeled great, or elite. Unfortunately for his fans, we have already seen Hewitt at his best.

The Wrong Right Pick

Entering this year's NBA Draft, the Detroit Pistons badly needed a shooting guard, or just a shooter in general. The only two-guards on their roster were Rodney Stuckey (who doesn't quite fit at shooting guard or point guard) and Kim English (who belongs in the D-League). Thus, it seems logical that Detroit selected Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, a shooting guard out of Georgia, with the eighth pick of the draft. The 6'5 guard has both athleticism and a shot that are difficult to overlook. Obviously, he was not overlooked by Detroit. They needed a shooting guard. So Dumars made the correct pick given the team's needs, right? Wrong. Dumars made the right pick for the roster, but the wrong pick for the organization and future of the Detroit Pistons.

Dumars missed out on a real game changer, the national college player of the year, and a Kyrie Irving-like talent when he selected Caldwell-Pope. With all due respect to the former Bulldog, the Pistons were just as foolish as the seven teams who drafted before them and failed to select this draft's best player, Trey Burke. It's one thing to draft the position of need, but its another (tragic) thing to surpass the draft's best player, especially when he has slipped several spots to your team. Former Michigan Wolverine Trey Burke is not only one of the prospects with the most potential in the 2013 NBA Draft, but he is also the player most NBA ready. Though he stands at only 6'0 tall, he is without a doubt the most skilled player who will enter the NBA in 2013. As just a sophomore at the University of Michigan, Burke not only won the Cousy Award which goes to the nation's top point guard, but he also claimed the Wooden and Naismith Award's which recognize college basketball's best player. His accolades speak for themselves.

Perhaps Dumars deems awards and accolades as overrated. Well, Burke didn't just win awards, he won games too (and he put up numbers while doing it). The point guard led his team to the NCAA National Championship against Louisville, and finished his sophomore campaign tallying 18.6 points per game and dishing out 6.7 assists per game. I get that Detroit is currently home to Jose Calderon, Andrew Bynum, Brandon Knight, and Rodney Stuckey, who can all play point guard. Burke, moreover, would surprise me if he's not better than all four of the aforementioned guards. I also get that Dumars wanted a shooter. While Caldwell-Pope might be able to fill that void, Burke is actually the better shooter. Caldwell-Pope shot 33.9% from beyond the arc in his career at Georgia, while Burke shot 36.7% from three point range in that same two-year span. As sad as this is to think about, had Detroit taken Burke with the 8th pick in the draft, he could have very well been their best player from day one. Unfortunately, for Pistons fans, we will never know if such a statement reigns true. Dumars, furthermore, has had a history of regret come draft time. Perhaps the year 2003 rings a bell?







***As a die-hard Michigan State fan, it pained me to write an article praising a former Wolverine.

NBA Coaching: A Transient Occupation

     The crazy carousel that is coaching in the National Basketball Association (NBA) never fails to amaze. Once again, following the completion of the 2013 NBA season, the world of head coaching began it's continental shift. Coaches are being fired, hired, and retired. One leader (Doc Rivers) even got traded (essentially).

     The Los Angeles Clippers, an organization that just fired the coach who brought them their most successful season in franchise history, gave up a 2015 first-round draft pick in order to get Boston to release their coach and rejuvenate his career with a plane ticket to lob city. Apparently, flipping a franchise (that started from the bottom *cue Drake*) in a 180 degree turn for the better was not enough for former Clipper lead man Vinny Del Negro. This, my fellow basketball fans, is why there is no occupation with worse job security than that of an NBA head coach. After one firing and one hiring, Clipper fans don't even know if they have a coach. The Doc Rivers deal was on, and then off, and then on, and then off. Then it was official. Then the language in the contract had to be sorted out. I guess we'll never truly know when it's safe to say Doc runs the show in L.A. When the is ball tossed up for the opening tip to commence the Clippers 2013-2014 regular season, perhaps he will be safe. Or perhaps not. Coaches get fired all the time mid-way through the season.

     Avery Johnson of the Nets, Scott Skiles of the Bucks, and Alvin Gentry of the Suns all got fired mid-season. Their respective replacements, P.J. Carlesimo, Jim Boylan, and Lindsey Hunter all too are being let go. On top of that, 13 teams have made NBA coaching changes this season. In a league consisting of 30 teams, that means nearly half of the organizations will be experiencing a change in culture. Second to only Greg Popovich, baby-faced Erik Spoelstra, who has spent five seasons at the helm in Miami, is the second longest tenured coach in basketball's most prominent league. And it seems like he just got the job. So why all the changes? Why do so many coaches keep losing their jobs?

     It appears each franchise is no longer satisfied with home runs. They want grand slams. Each team wants the biggest name and the most recognized face to be in charge. This is the reason the Detroit Pistons fired Rick Carlisle back in 2003 before they won their championship under Carlisle's replacement, the legendary NBA and NCAA champion Larry Brown. This might also be the reason Cleveland fired Mike Brown (who is now back with the Cavaliers) in 2010 after he won NBA Coach of the Year following his team's 66-win season. Similarly, the Nuggets might have been thinking the same thing when they just recently let go of this year's NBA Coach of the Year and proven winner, George Karl. Or perhaps not, since the Nuggets did not end up with a man with a proven tract record. Instead, they got Brian Shaw, who seems like he's been a head coaching candidate (but was never offered a job) for the past eight to ten years now. I thought the Grizzlies and Nets would at least bring in a bigger name. The Grizzlies fired Lionel Hollins, who also had his team finish with their best win-loss record in franchise history. He was replaced by someone under him. Yes, an assistant. His own assistant. An assistant I have never heard of. Dave Joerger is the name. I wonder how many months he'll last as coach. Like I previously stated, the Nets got rid of their interim coach. Not for Stan or Jeff Van Gundy. But for Jason Kidd. Yes, the same man who was just playing point guard in this season's playoffs and has zero coaching experience. Don't get me wrong, I believe Kidd to be one of the all-time greats and anticipate him thriving as a coach down the line, but not immediately. I don't see him as a grand slam head coach. What I find most fascinating about all of this is that the two most successful franchises in NBA history are getting the raw end of all the chaos.

     The Lakers, after firing Brown, appeared to be in prime position to hire Phil Jackson, the Zen Master who doesn't even have enough fingers for all his Championship rings. Instead, they made one of the worst decisions in franchise history and hired Mike D'Antoni, a man who preaches a style completely opposite to what the Lakers need to be playing. D'Antoni inherited an old, injured team, and expected them to run, gun, and play little defense. Even Phil was surprised when he didn't get another shot at incorporating the triangle offense back into Lakerland. As for the purple and gold's greatest rival, the Celtics find themselves coachless. The franchise with more NBA titles than any other doesn't even have a coach. This, to me, sums up how overwhelming the world of coaching can be.

     If there is one thing to learn from all of this madness, it's that it is madness. The NBA coaching world is a transient job for most. Coaches are shipped from team to team, year after year, regardless of if they win or not. There is little to no job security (except for Greg Popovich). In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see Coach Spoelstra get fired following the Heat's Championship. Now that might be a stretch but the fact of the matter is that coaching in the NBA is a thankless job. Since the Heat won, Lebron is the man. But if the Heat would have lost, Spoelstra would have been crucified for not being able to win with a team full of superstars. Neverthless, for the time being, he is safe. Most coaches in the NBA, however, are not. The market for NBA coaches is ever-changing and ever-busy. The next change will probably be made within hours of me writing this.
   

The Greatest of the Greats

     Ranking the greatest basketball players to ever play the game is an incredibly difficult task. I was given twenty players (already selected) to do just that. Putting them in order was no easy task. While opinions on this matter vary incredibly worldwide among"experts" as well as casual sports fans, I confidently stand by my rankings of each player. Below is my thought out top 20:

1. Michael Jordan
2. Kobe Bryant
3. LeBron James
4. Oscar Robertson
5. Magic Johnson
6. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
7. Bill Russell
8. Wilt Chamberlain
9. Shaquille O'Neal
10. Larry Bird
11. Hakeem Olajuwan
12. Tim Duncan
13. Julius Erving
14. Jerry West
15. John Stockton
16. Isiah Thomas
17. Moses Malone
18. Dirk Nowitzki
19. Charles Barkley
20. Karl Malone

**The list of 20 players was already given to me. Had I created my own list, I would have substituted Charles Barkley and Karl Malone for Bob Cousy and Dwyane Wade.

- Why Michael tops the list needs no explanation. Air Jordan's game has and will continue to withstand the test of time. He has done more for the game of basketball than anyone has come close to. Yes, his shoes will probably still be the greatest for decades to come.











From the Top to the Bottom:




- Being recognized as the 20th best player ever to play the game is nothing to be ashamed of. Why, however, is Karl Malone at the bottom of my list? Well, there are two reasons for that. First, he, like Barley, lacks the bling bling. He is ringless. Second, short-shorted Stockton made him. I believe he needed the simple but still great point guard to turn him into what he became, which was an excellent professional basketball player.





From Mike to the mailman, this list of players will forever be remembered by the basketball Gods. If you'd like to contest with the order of my list, or inquire as to why each player is where they are, I would be more than happy to respond to any questions or comments.

The World's 5 Greatest Shooting Guards

5. Jamal Crawford, I believe, is the fifth best shooting guard in the National Basketball Association. The former 6th man of the year still comes off the bench, but has the mentality and talent of a starter. Crawford is a high volume scorer capable of putting the ball in the hoop in a variety of ways. His biggest
downfall is perhaps his greatest strength; he is not a set-up man. Crawford rarely looks for others, which is perhaps why scoring comes easy to him. He is not bashful to get shots up. His attack mentality occasionally results in opposing teams sending double teams his way, because they know he is thinking of scoring. A big reason scoring comes easy to him is because he's got the rock on a string. He can handle the pill better than anyone in the league, arguably other than his teammate Chris Paul. He admits he never dribbled through cones or chairs crowing up. He didn't do stationary ball handling drills. Therefore, his handle is far from robotic. He did, however, always have a ball in his hands growing up. He loved to dribble, no matter his location. It shows on the court. Crawford's nasty handle, high energy, and lengthy stature make him a tough cover for defenders across the league.



4. Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors comes in as my fourth best shooting guard. Though Curry can also play point guard, he plays alongside Jarrett Jack who pushes him to the two spot, making him a combo guard. The 6'3 25 year-old first made a name for himself in the NCAA tournament at Davidson College where he averaged more than 25 points per game for his career. He was known as a great shooter then, and still is today. In fact, Curry, in my opinion, is the best shooter in the NBA, and probably the world. What separates him from guys like Ray Allen is that he can shoot off the dribble as well as, if not better than, he can off the catch. Whether shooting a fifteen foot jumper or a long-range three , shooting seems to come easy to Steph, who is the son of ex-NBA player Dell Curry and former volleyball standout Sonya Curry. His most recent improvement to his game has been his ability to finish. Lately, Curry has turned finger rolls, floaters, and scoop layups high off the glass into a regular part of his repertoire. The best part about him is that he turns it up in the clutch. Curry has increased his scoring average by three points per game to 26.5 points per game thus far in the first two rounds. After already upsetting the explosive Denver Nuggets in the first round, he has his team outplaying the veteran San Antonio Spurs so far in conference semifinals. Curry's playoff legacy, God willing, is just beginning.



3. James Harden has earned himself the third spot on my list of great shooting guards. One thing often overlooked about this young superstar is the he is still only 23 years of age. The L.A. native has drastically improved his game in each of his four seasons in the league. In his rookie year for the Oklahoma City Thunder, James scored 9.9 points per game. The following two seasons, he poured in 12.2 and 16.8 points per game respectively. Though he won the 6th man of the year award last season, that was still when he was the third cog on a dangerous squad featuring Kevin Durant and Russel Westbrook. Leaving OKC behind for Houston might not have been the best thing for the Thunder, but it has been for James Harden. In his first year removed from Oklahoma, he has jumped his scoring average from 16.8 up to 25.9 points per contest. No longer a roll player, Harden is now the main man in Houston. The Rockets have quickly become his team. His ability to change speeds and directions so quickly and smoothly makes him a tough cover. Harden plays with a silky, European type style as evident by the patented euro step he uses so often. Scoring, moreover, is not the only thing he is capable of. James also makes finding people a habit. While in OKC, Harden would play point guard and handle the ball for the Thunder when Westbrook sat. Now in Houston, he spends time at the one when Jeremy Lin makes his way to the bench. While he has found great success as a shooting guard, he's also efficient at the point.  This season he averaged a career high 5.8 assists per game. As a dual-threat guard, Harden is the complete package. Fear the beard.



2. Dwyane Wade is the world's second best two-guard. He is perhaps the most athletic player on this list. Dwyane Tyrone Wade Jr. is a two-time world champion, former scoring title champ, and former finals MVP. His resume is well worthy of a spot on this list. While suffering from knee issues all season long, the 2012-2013 season has been anything but easy for him. Nevertheless, he is still putting up impressive numbers while being overshadowed by his teammate, Lebron James. Flash is recording 21.2 points per game, 5.1 assists per game, and 5.0 rebounds a game. While his numbers are not the best they have ever been, Wade remains the Heat's all-time leader in both points and assists. He is still more than capable of being a franchise's top player. Had James and Bosh not joined him in Miami, he might still be putting up numbers closer to 30 points per game. He has the experience, athleticism, and skill-set to dominate games. He can still carry a team on his back at any given time, on either end of the court. Yes, his ability to play defense is often overlooked and under-appreciated. Wade can do it all on both offense and defense. If it weren't for the next guy on this list, Wade would be the best two guard the NBA has to offer.



1. Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers is still the world's best shooting guard. While the Black Mamba has five rings to go with far more accolades than anyone on this list, the awards he has received are not what make him so great. It's his killer instinct, confidence, and assassin's mentality that separates him from the pack. Kobe might be the most confident player the game of basketball has ever seen. He always wants the last shot, and if I were his coach, I would be more than happy to give it to him. Kobe is a winner (as evident by the five championships he has won) and still has top-tier skills. Though he's not as youthful or explosive as he once was, and his prime is over, he, like Wade, can still be dominant on any given night. Kobe has turned his game into a well-crafted art. His attention to detail and flawless footwork make him the craftiest player on this list. At age 34, Kobe "Bean" Bryant put up impressive numbers once again this season, scoring 27.3 points per game, dishing out 6.0 assists per game, and grabbing 5.6 rebounds per game. While most know him to be among the greatest scorers the game of basketball has ever seen (he is currently fourth behind Michael Jordan on the all-time scoring list), what he has shown this year, in particularly, is his underrated ability to see the floor and create for his teammates. Since Steve Nash was sidelined do to injuries for much of this season, Kobe took on the responsibilities of point guards at times, and ended up tying his career high in assists per game. The Mamba can do it all. He can pass, shoot, rebound, defend, and lead. While Kobe tops my list of top five shooting guards in the NBA, he's also got his spot on my list of the top five basketball players this world has ever seen.

The Fastest Gets Faster

SPRING ARBOR, MI – DeWayne Gray is the fastest sprinter on the Spring Arbor University (SAU) men’s track and field team, and is only getting faster.

            The soon-to-be senior sat out the entire 2012-2013 season after deciding to red shirt. Sitting out, he believes, has been the best thing for him.

            “Since I haven’t had to worry about competing on a weekly basis, I have been able to focus on my form, technique, and overall training which has helped me improve,” Gray said. “I have been able to spend more time on Olympic lifting and core work, which has helped me gain explosiveness.”

            If Gray has improved on his already impressive times, then Cougar track and field fans are in for a treat.

            Gray already holds the school record at SAU for the indoor 55, 60, and 200 meter races, as well as the outdoor 100 and 200 meter races. He not only dominates individually, but has also been a part of relay teams that have made their mark atop the leader-board.

            Gray hopes the improvement he’s made during his red shirt season will help him shatter his own records, and remain at the top. For him, it’s simply a matter of getting back on the track.

            “I love cheering on my teammates and since my role changed this year, I have enjoyed becoming more of a vocal and encouraging leader. However, I’ve been getting that fire in my gut telling me I need to be out their competing, and I wasn’t able to this year. So that has been frustrating at times, but still a part of the process.”

            Gray will return to competition next season, where he and his teammates look to have the Cougars sitting atop the conference standings in the Crossroads League.

Hogans Optimistc About Future

            SPRING ARBOR, MI -- Starting guard Rob Hogans will be the only senior for the Spring Arbor University (SAU) men’s basketball team next season. He is embracing his final season with confident optimism coupled with high expectations.

            Hogans believes that despite a successful career thus far, he is far from reaching his potential.

            “I don't think I'm close to my peak yet because I have so many parts of my game that I can improve on. I just have to continue to work on and evolve my game mentally and physically,” Hogans said.

            Though humble and realistic, Hogans knows he can make the necessary improvements to his overall skillset, and his goals reveal that mindset.

            “Last year I was voted to the Crossroads League second team all-conference. This year I want to make first team, be an All-American, and push for a chance to win the national player of the year.”

            Rob believes in himself, and rightly so. Hogans averaged 17.44 points per game and shot better than 40% from three point range in his junior campaign. The combo guard’s athleticism also earned him an appearance on ESPN for displaying an impressive windmill dunk in the Cougars final home game of the 2012-2013 season.

            Despite his high personal standards and lofty goals, the guard's focus is first and foremost on the improvement of his team.

            “Our goal is the same as always. We expect to win the league and compete for a national championship. We have a lot of work to do, but it can be done.”

            If the Cougars do make a push for a ring, Hogans, who is expected to lead the team in scoring, will most likely be in the mix for accolades at the national level.

            Hogans hopes to one day play professionally, but recognizes he has a lot of unfinished business to take care of at the collegiate level.

            “I’m a senior now, so for me, the time is now. It’s my last shot,” he said.