“It’s a shame that they haven’t been able to reward Bruce Thornton for the kind of career that he’s had with more talent around him.” (Press Pros Feature Photos)
The latest from new Press Pros readers responding to Ray Reilly fishing in Florida…opinions on high school basketball officiating…and the question, “Have Mr. Basketball winners helped Ohio State basketball?”
As always, we’re delighted to hear from first-time Press Pros readers who take the time to let us know what they think. And for a change, our outdoors page got some recent attention:
“I don’t live in Ohio (Michigan, actually), and I knew nothing about Press Pros until a friend shared Ray Reilly’s fishing column on fishing in Florida. Really, really well done. Please tell him I enjoy his work, that I’ll be reading more of it, and taking my own winter trip to fish Florida next winter.” … Howard Sawatski
“Just found Ray Reilly’s fishing stories for the first time and would like to know more about his work and where to find it. What he writes for Press Pros is first rate.” … Lee Richey
(Ed. Note: Ray grew up in northeast Ohio, is relatively new to the outdoors industry, and travels extensively to find new editorial topics. He writes for various outlets and his work has become increasingly popular with people looking for new places to hunt and fish. He’s an old soul and writes in a style reminiscent to the best days of Outdoor Life and Field and Stream.)
Comments on the state of high school basketball officiating:
What people see is an increasing lack of calls at crunch time…which no one, players or fans, understands.
“I wonder if you saw the end of the Delphos St. John game with Spencerville that ended in overtime with St. John winning on a last-second shot. The St. John player (Cam Elwer) clearly committed an offensive foul by running into the defender on the game-winning basket and none of the three officials reacted to the contact. I see it at every level of basketball where nothing is called on plays just like this one. When there is that much contact it has to be something. I felt badly for the Spencerville team because they earned the extra period and were clearly denied an attempt to win.” … Larry Hensch
(Ed. Note: We did not cover that game, however I’ve seen replays on social media. And yes, it looked like there should have been a call. To your question about why officials don’t blow the whistle…about two decades ago there was this change of thought among officials about making a call that might decide the outcome of the game, so they decided they wouldn’t call anything. “Let the players determine the outcome of the game,” they claimed. “Don’t let the whistle do it.” What that has led to is an increasing lack of calls at crunch time that no one watching from the bleachers understands. And the irony is…that if you do blow the whistle you’re still giving a player the opportunity to determine the outcome from the foul line, or in this case, an additional overtime period. I agree with you.)
“Read your recent story about the Minster girls basketball game and rough play. As a generational fan of the game, I get tired of officials who work the game as if they’re trying to teach a new way of appreciating basketball. We don’t need that. It’s not a thinking man’s game. It’s a game of skill and shooting. Just call the fouls and watch players adjust to the rules of basketball.” … Ray DeLawder
“Rough play is another example of what AAU has done to basketball. When I read coaches talking about physical defense I always look at the box score to see how many free throws they missed. “ … Dennis Locey
“I blame rough play on coaches, because it’s easier to teach players how to rough someone up than the patience to become a good shooter.” … Rex Lombardi
“If coaches wanted the game cleaned up they’d clean it up. It’s just easier to teach players to knock someone down, pick up turnovers, shoot layups, and call it physical basketball.” … Grant Loews
“First time writer to your site. Personally, I’d rather see Larry Bird shoot the basketball. Bird and Maravich made the game entertaining to watch, and I can’t think of one so-called defensive specialist that you can say that about.” … Tim Piotti
VPP Proudly sponsors your favorite basketball coverage on Press Pros Magazine.com.
On the state of Ohio State basketball:
“I notice that there are three former Mr. Basketball winners from Ohio on the current Ohio State roster. And Ohio State basketball is still the same average middle-of-the-pack team it’s been since Thad Matta was coach. Does this say more about ‘Mr. Basketball’, or Ohio State’s commitment to having winning basketball?” … Marc Disch
(Ed. Note: There is no real answer to your question. As far as Colin White, Gabe Cupps, and Devin Royal, Royal is the one that’s made the most impact, and I’m not sure but what that’s not the national average if you consider other programs in other states. All three were good players in high school, but I don’t think you could classify them as dynamic. The dynamic ones are usually ‘one-and-dones’ and off to the NBA after one year.”)
“You guys must not like the hard questions about Ohio State basketball because I’ve written before and I never see a response. Once again, why don’t Cooper Flaggs want to come to Ohio State to play basketball?” … James Hruby
(Ed. Note: Once again, there is no clear answer to your question, but you can bet your bottom dollar that money is involved – NIL money. And the general impression that you get in Columbus is if it takes big money to get athletic talent the priority is for football, and not basketball. When you’re at Duke and North Carolina there’s no question that those are basketball schools. When you’re at Ohio State, there’s no question that football is king. There aren’t many Cooper Flaggs to begin with, and Ohio State has Anthony Thompson (#7, nationally) coming next year over Michigan, North Carolina, and Indiana. Flagg was a a one-and-done at Duke, and many project that Thompson will only be at Ohio State for a year before leaving for the NBA. Such is the state of college basketball, and such is the state of sports.)
“Complimenting Press Pros on your excellent coverage of Buckeyes basketball. Frankly, it’s disappointing to feel like more elite national talent doesn’t see Ohio State as a basketball opportunity, like Arizona or Kansas. Or even Michigan at the present. And it’s a shame that they haven’t been able to reward Bruce Thornton for the kind of career that he’s had with more talent around him. It would seem they have all they need – money, the big building, and a flourishing metropolitan area. Just not enough talent to win.” … Thom Killilea
“Someone called me last week from the development department asking for money. I suggested they work on basketball before they call me.” … Craig Criswell
Wilson Health/Orthopedics proudly sponsors the best in area sports and the Ohio State Buckeyes on Press Pros.