“They are going to crush you,” said the father of one of the players that Derrick Rose’s Meanstreets team had crushed in the semifinals of the 2006 Adidas May Classic at Assembly Hall in Bloomington. Under my breath, I told him to kiss my ass. Aloud, I said, “We’ll see.” The Spiece Central Stars had been […]
The Class of 2007 was a special incubator of talent – on the basketball court and off. Watching my son Ryan compete with and against the best of that class from the time he was nine was a gift and privilege. It seemed like every kid had special talent, and not only was every game […]
For the third time in 2016, Butler’s basketball program has suffered a profound loss. First came the expected but extremely sad passing of Andrew Smith, whose goodness and competitiveness forever endeared him to staff, teammates, and fans for the latter seven years of his way-too-short 25 year life. Then we heard about “Little Em” Kampen, […]
Yesterday afternoon we heard Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens would miss his team’s game last night to tend to a personal matter in Indianapolis. We know now that he came home to visit Andrew Smith, one of his former players who is battling cancer. Stevens would prefer no one knows why he is in Indianapolis, […]
by Kent Sterling There was a time when Derrick Rose was just a kid hooping. Before the national endorsement deal, before the ACL injury and his refusal to play in the playoffs, and before his recent comment that he’s greedy about winning. In May, 2006, he was just a kid trying to win a tournament […]
by Kent Sterling There is something wonderful about the pomp, circumstance, history, and pride of playing for a high school team. There is also something magical about the bonds among teammates and thesheer volume of basketball played during the summer on a typical AAU schedule. [For those trying to figure out whether I write what […]
by Kent Sterling There was no doubt that Brad Stevens would eventually leave Butler University for a place that represented a bigger challenge, offered significantly more money, and puts his name on a much bigger marquee. Butler’s basketball program is a wonderful place for a coach to ply his trade, but what else was there […]
by Kent Sterling I’ve written often about a class of 2007 summer team that played together without ego, a lack of concern for being recruited, and a love for one another that oddly remains the exception to the rule in youth basketball. With the successes of Florida Gulf Coast, LaSalle, and Wichita State in last […]
by Kent Sterling With Shelvin Mack leaving for the NBA, the best team in Horizon League history just lost its best remaining player, but it still remains a special program, and that is going to have to be enough for fans. What they were able to experience the last two seasons was a moment of […]