This and that…
Nice event Thursday morning by Arizona State to introduce their new head basketball coach, Randy Bennett. I saw many familiar faces who have invested their time and money in the program. I visited with a couple who have been consistently attending games since they were students back in the late 50’s. “You two must be diehard Sun Devil fans”, I said. “Yes, we are,” they said enthusiastically. To which I replied, “Yep, then you two have died hard many times”. They laughed…
Coach Bennett said what needed to be said to get more big cigars interested in the program. While there were some who said afterward that his voice didn’t sound that strong, I had to remind them that he had a serious health episode not even two months ago. You don’t go to Mayo Clinic for a minor hiccup. Give him time to recover…
He’s put together what appears to be a solid staff and has a roster of players to work with. He had neither in the first week of April. Having a home game against UCLA, a trip to Oregon State, and an event in Palm Springs is a good non-con schedule to build around. Do you really need several brand names in November and December when you go through the gauntlet of the Big 12 regular season? I’m hopeful the days of a Sunday afternoon directional school “match up” are gone for good…
I learned from visiting with Bennett’s high school basketball teammates at Westwood, who were in attendance, that wrestling was Bennett’s best sport as a kid…
Had a nice long chat with President Crow afterward. Good to see him attend and speak to the crowd from the heart (no notes). His opening line of “We believe in college athletes, we believe in student athletes” was met by some in attendance with cynicism. Yes, winning is all that matters to some, but I am on the side of the school president when it comes to building programs. Some of his lines I didn’t agree with at all, but those are for another three dots day…
I’ve seen more than enough of “win the day” press conferences around town, only to see the head coach get their ticket punched out of town in a year or two. Of course, belief is part of fandom. Why else would season ticket holders from the late 50’s stay engaged with the Arizona State basketball team? Nothing wrong with being a diehard…
