By KEN DAVIS Shame on Syracuse University. On the day college basketball turned on the ignition and pressed its foot on the accelerator to start the annual hoop celebration known as March Madness, Syracuse’s administration deflected the spotlight off the court and made headlines by announcing coach Jim Boeheim will not return as coach of […]
Gonzaga fell short of history, but Bulldogs will be back
April 6, 2021 by Leave a Comment
By Ken Davis While the nation celebrated an incredible Final Four moment and Gonzaga fans in Spokane practiced jumping on tables the way Jalen Suggs did after his remarkable 37-foot bank-shot buzzer-beater against UCLA, coach Mark Few seemed to realize there could be trouble ahead for the undefeated Bulldogs. The process of putting that elation […]
A fond farewell to Coach Roy Williams
April 2, 2021 by Leave a Comment
By KEN DAVIS The text message on my phone Thursday morning took my breath away. “North Carolina’s Roy Williams retiring after 33 seasons in coaching,” It seemed to be a cruel April Fool’s joke at first. That’s how surprising it was. Quickly, the posts followed up on Twitter and Instagram. There was a statement on […]
Ewing Enjoys New Version of Garden Party
March 14, 2021 by Leave a Comment
By KEN DAVIS Some say they don’t remember. Others are simply too young, weren’t born yet ,and have no frame of reference. But those who followed college basketball in the 1980’s, cut their teeth on the Big East Conference, or witnessed the Hoya Paranoia days of Georgetown and John Thompson, understand what Patrick Ewing […]
UConn has “sexy” look heading into Big East tourney
March 7, 2021 by Leave a Comment
By Ken Davis The bracket for the Big East Conference tournament at Madison Square Garden is set. The final piece of the puzzle was locked in late Saturday night when Marquette recorded its victory over Xavier. Just getting to championship week has been a major accomplishment for the Big East and the rest of […]
Hurley: “No time for Huskies to become complacent”
March 5, 2021 by Leave a Comment
By Ken Davis After a road trip to New Jersey, and a 69-58 victory over Seton Hall that put UConn on solid footing for a bid to the NCAA Tournament, coach Dan Hurley said he knows exactly what the Huskies face as they try to maintain their momentum in March. “Just the urgency,” Hurley said […]
John Thompson: In his own words
September 3, 2020 by Leave a Comment
By Ken Davis Hall of Fame basketball coach John Thompson Jr. was many things to many people. He was never just about basketball. If you thought that about the man, you were missing the big picture. Thompson was a coach, a teacher, a counselor, a man of convictions and principle, extremely intelligent, extremely large, secretive […]
Nothing came easy for Uncle Cliffy, but he did enjoy the last laugh
August 30, 2020 by Leave a Comment
By Ken Davis The night of the 1989 NBA Draft is forever etched in my mind. It was one of the most uncomfortable nights of my sportswriting career and I remember every difficult, painful moment as if they happened yesterday. At the same time, it may have been one of the most inspirational moments I […]
Hurley, Huskies begin transition back to Big East
March 20, 2020 by Leave a Comment
By Ken Davis The NCAA basketball tournament was scheduled to begin Thursday. Of course, it did not. Like almost everything else in our country, March Madness was shut down last week by the pandemic threat of COVID-19 and replaced by a new event known as March Sadness. For fans, coaches, and players who look forward […]
Special UConn Squad Still Dreaming After 30 Years
February 14, 2020 by Leave a Comment
By Ken Davis STORRS – Smitty and The Microwave greeted each other with a firm hand clasp, followed by a man hug that symbolized their time as teammates on the UConn basketball team 30 years ago. Smitty is Chris Smith, the all-time leading scorer at UConn. The Microwave is John Gwynn, that guy who came […]