Roddy Piper

Wrestling superstar "Rowdy" Roddy Piper has died at age 61. Multiple reports indicate that Piper died in his sleep from a heart attack.

"Rod passed peacefully in his sleep last night," Piper's agent Jay Schacter told Variety. “I am shocked and beyond devastated.”

Upon learning of his death, WWE chairman Vince McMahon tweeted that Piper was "one of the most entertaining, controversial and bombastic performers ever in WWE beloved by millions of fans around the world."

Piper, whose real name was Roddy Toombs, is a member of the WWE Hall of Fame, and was one of the core members of the '80s-era WWE (then known as the WWF). Born in Saskatchewan, Canada, Piper competed in the very first Wrestlemania, working a faux-Scottish angle in a tag-team match (along with Mr. Wonderful Paul Orndorff) against Hulk Hogan and Mr. T, and quickly became one of the sport's most hated villains.

Piper's rivalries with Hogan, Jimmy Snuka and even Cyndi Lauper set the tone for the WWF, helping the wrestling organization achieve the nationwide prominence that it enjoys to this day.

Piper's key gimmick was "Piper's Pit," a mock talk show in which Piper would sit down with fellow wrestlers to talk out the issues of the day. Naturally, the talk lasted less than a minute before the fists flew. Here's a representative installment from 1984, where Piper interviewed Sgt. Slaughter:

Just last week, Piper was on the Rich Eisen Show, talking of his life and times as well as his old rival Hulk Hogan:

The reactions poured in on Twitter:

***

Vern Gagne too

Eighth Avenue traffic was disorganized, pedestrian traffic was jammed for blocks north and south, side doors at Madison Square Garden were torn from their hinges as the crowd stormed the entrances. It was the largest crowd at the Garden in 25 years — larger than for championship fights, rodeos, tennis matches or the circus. — New York Journal-American, 1957

They had come to see Verne Gagne.

Gagne, who died last Monday at 89, was one of the most celebrated pro wrestlers of his time, known for his quickness and finesse in the ring. “A matador,” the newspapers called him; a “matinee wrestling idol,” “the millionaire wrestler.”

In 2002, Wrestling Digest ranked him No. 5 on its list of the 50 greatest wrestlers of the previous half-century, ahead of titans like Andre the Giant, Gorgeous George and Stone Cold Steve Austin.

But the sport that gave Gagne wealth and renown also exacted a great price. Besides the toll on his body — concussions, broken bones, cauliflower ears, hearing loss and a surgically fused ankle — there was, quite possibly, a toll on his mind: Six years ago, in the grip of the Alzheimer’s disease with which he lived for the last dozen years of his life, Gagne was involved in an altercation that resulted in a man’s death.

Even at midcentury, Gagne was small for a heavyweight: about 6 feet and 225 pounds in his prime. He held 10 world professional titles, was a much-decorated college champion and served as an alternate on the 1948 United States Olympic team. As a pro, he was earning $100,000 a year by 1960, equivalent to almost $800,000 today.

Hulk Hogan

(CNN)Legendary wrestler Hulk Hogan issued an apology Friday after the National Enquirer released a transcript of statements he made that included racial slurs.

The remarks were recorded in an "unauthorized sex tape," according to the Enquirer, and included the n-word in reference to the dating life of his daughter, Brooke. He has since apologized.

"Eight years ago I used offensive language during a conversation," Hogan says in a statement. "It was unacceptable for me to have used that offensive language; there is no excuse for it; and I apologize for having done it."

He goes on to say that "I believe very strongly that every person in the world is important and should not be treated differently based on race, gender, orientation, religious beliefs or otherwise. I am disappointed with myself that I used language that is offensive and inconsistent with my own beliefs.

"It is not who I am. I continue to work every day to improve as a person, and this matter is an important learning experience for me in that regard. As a result I am resigning from my contractual relationship with the WWE."

However, his former employer said it ended its business relationship with Hogan.

"WWE terminated its contract with Terry Bollea (aka Hulk Hogan). WWE is committed to embracing and celebrating individuals from all backgrounds as demonstrated by the diversity of our employees, performers and fans worldwide," the organization said in a statement.

Fans noticed that Hogan has been removed entirely from the WWE's website, including from its Hall of Fame.  (How long will this (WWE Classics - HOF: Hulk Hogan) stay up?)

Dave Meltzer, publisher and editor of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, reported that WWE eliminated all mentions of the wrestler ahead of the transcript's release.

***

[8/9/15] still a lot of Hogan videos up on youtube (for example)

Cowherd leaves ESPN early

ESPN would rather end its relationship with Colin Cowherd a week early than fight with Major League Baseball, so the network announced Friday afternoon that Cowherd's show would no longer appear on ESPN Radio.

If you've missed the drama the past two days: Cowherd said Thursday on his show that baseball isn't "too complex," then cited the abundance of Dominican Republic-born players in MLB as evidence. He essentially said, if a bunch of Dominicans can play, how complex can it be? As you can imagine, insinuating an entire country is dumb, didn't go over well.

Jose Bautista, one of baseball's biggest stars from the Dominican Republic called out Cowherd on Thursday afternoon. Cowherd tried to clarify his comments on Friday's show, but didn't actually apologize and instead just attempted a do-over, re-explaining why he was right. A couple hours later, MLB condemned Cowherd and the players' union sent a tersely-worded statement about Cowherd's "ignorance." By the end of the day, ESPN announced:

Mike Soltys @espnmikes

Colin Cowherd’s comments over the past two days do not reflect the values of ESPN or our employees. Colin will no longer appear on ESPN.

11:24 AM - 24 Jul 2015

ESPN decided there was no reason to stand in Cowherd's corner, since he recently said that he is leaving the network. It hasn't been formally announced yet, but it's been widely reported that Cowherd is joining Fox Sports. His last day on the air at ESPN was supposed to be July 31, so really, this amounts to a week's suspension as opposed to a "firing."

Cowherd did finally apologize via Twitter after ESPN announced its decision:

Colin Cowherd ✔

@ESPN_Colin

I did not intend to offend anyone w my comments. I realize my choice of words was poor and not reflective of who I am. I am sorry.

11:32 AM - 24 Jul 2015

The bigger question now is what Fox does about the baggage it is inheriting with Cowherd. Fox, of course, is the biggest rightsholder in MLB, broadcasting weekly games, as well as the All-Star game and World Series.

the greatest athlete from every state

starting with Willie Mays from Alabama

80 yard field goal?

We hope Baylor kicker Spencer Evans enjoyed his brief moment in the spotlight, as Texas kicker Nick Rose is one-upping him with the kick in the video above.

Just a day after Evans posted video of his 75-yard field goal, Rose, of backflip-kick fame, posted footage of his kick from 80 yards out.


Yet, for all these impressive offseason feats, Rose was left off the Groza Award (nation's best kicker) watch list last week. For now, he'll have to settle for being king of summer when it comes to amazing-kick videos ... unless someone is ready to up the ante and show off a boot of 80-plus yards.

Ed O'Bannon's attorneys win

A federal magistrate judge on Monday night ordered the NCAA to pay nearly $46 million in attorneys' fees and costs to lawyers for the plaintiffs in the Ed O'Bannon class-action antitrust lawsuit against the association.

Nathanael Cousins' decision came nearly a year after U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken ruled that the NCAA's limits on what major college football and men's basketball players can receive for playing sports "unreasonably restrain trade" in violation of antitrust laws. Although the case — which began in the summer of 2009 — did not include a financial damages component, Wilken ruled that the plaintiffs "shall recover their costs from the NCAA."

The NCAA has appealed the ruling to the 9th U.S. Circuit Appeals, and a three-judge panel heard oral arguments in mid-March but has yet to issue an opinion.

The fees-and-costs award could be affected by the appellate panel's decision.

Kenny Stabler

Longtime Oakland Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler died Thursday in Gulfport, Miss., according to WPMI. He was 69 years old.

His death was confirmed by Fox WBRC, via a University of Alabama spokesman, and through a statement from Stabler's family that said he died of colon cancer.

"He passed peacefully surrounded by the people he loved most, including his three daughters and longtime partner, as some of his favorite songs played in the background, such as Lynyrd Skynyrd's 'Sweet Home Alabama' and Van Morrison's 'Leaves Falling Down.'"

A native of Foley, Ala., Stabler played collegiately under legendary head coach Paul “Bear” Bryant at the University of Alabama. He led the Crimson Tide to an undefeated season in 1966 was an All-American in 1967.

After his time at Alabama ended, the Raiders selected Stabler in the second round of the 1968 draft. He played in Oakland for 10 seasons and led the team to a Super Bowl XI victory against the Minnesota Vikings in 1977.

During his time in Oakland, Stabler, nicknamed “The Snake,” was a four-time Pro Bowl selection and was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 1974, when he led the league in touchdown passes with 26.

Prior to the 1980 season, Stabler was traded to the Houston Oilers, where he played for two seasons before finishing his NFL career for three seasons with the New Orleans Saints from 1982-84.

In his professional career, Stabler threw for 27,938 yards, 194 touchdowns and 88 interceptions.

After Stabler retired from the NFL, he worked as a color commentator for CBS’ NFL telecasts and also called Alabama games on the radio until 2009.

Chanelle Molina

Hawaii's Chanelle Molina And Sisters: Three For The Win

Chanelle Molina, right, says she and her sisters Celena Jane, left, and Cherilyn, middle, will be a package deal when it comes time to select a college.

[7/17/15] Chanelle Molina commits to Washington State

UH athletics projects record deficit

The University of Hawaii athletic department’s deficit for the just-concluded fiscal year is expected to be the biggest in its history.

By the time the annual audit is concluded this fall, UH said it expects to report a deficit of $4.2 million-$4.4 million for the fiscal year that concluded June 30, athletic director David Matlin said.

That is a $400,000 rise above the preliminary estimate of $3.8 million-$4.0 million officials had forecast in a May appearance before the school’s Board of Regents.

“The difference was some revenues that were anticipated to come in didn’t come in,” Matlin said. “And some expenses ended up being a little higher.”

For example, Matlin said, “less money came in on some of the fundraising arms.” Fundraising and donations were expected to finish more than $1 million below initial projections of $4.1 million.

In addition the department has faced higher personnel costs due to the changes in athletic directors and basketball coaching staffs.

The largest deficit of the past 20 years was $3,379,133 for the 2012-13 school year.

Charlie Sanders

Charlie Sanders, a tight end for the Detroit Lions from 1968 to 1977 whose sticky fingers, fleet feet and shifty elusiveness helped redefine a position that had traditionally been reserved for stolid blockers, died on Thursday in Royal Oak, Mich., near Detroit. He was 68.

The cause was cancer, the Lions said on their website.

Big — he was 6 feet 4 inches and played at 225 pounds and above — fast, strong and sure-handed, he was a potent force in the conventional role of run blocker, but he was as much or more of a pass-catching threat, an unusual enough set of skills at the time that he was sometimes referred to as the Lions’ secret weapon.

A prototype of the 21st-century tight end, a progenitor of the likes of Kellen Winslow and Tony Gonzalez, he led the Lions (or tied for the team lead) in receptions six times, and caught more passes, 336, than any other Lion in history until the record was surpassed in 1996 by Herman Moore, a player Sanders coached.

He scored 31 touchdowns, and for his career, he averaged 14.3 yards per catch, a figure more typical of wide receivers than tight ends. He was selected for the Pro Bowl seven times, and for three consecutive seasons, 1969 through 1971, he was named a first-team All-Pro by The Associated Press.

Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007, he was also one of two tight ends (Dave Casper of the Oakland Raiders was the other) to be named by the Hall of Fame selection committee to the National Football League’s all-decade team for the 1970s.

Chestnut dethroned by Stonie

Joey Chestnut entered the 2015 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island on an eight-year winning streak, but Matt “Megatoad” Stonie downed 62 hot dogs in 10 minutes to win on the Fourth of July.

Stonie, a YouTube phenomenon who is the second-ranked competitive eater in the world, finished second to Chestnut last year. A standard Nathan’s hot dog has 280 calories and 18 grams of fat, meaning Stonie inhaled a total of 17,360 calories and 1,116 grams of fat — and that’s not including the hot dog buns.

"I trained hard for this. This is actually amazing," Stonie told ESPN, which broadcast the competition live like the major sporting event its biggest fans say it has become.

Afterward, Stonie, holding his fist in the air in victory, said he came into the competition confident and prepared in his quest for the $10,000 prize and the coveted mustard yellow winner's championship belt.

"We don't just go up there and eat hot dogs. We practice for this. We prepare our bodies," Stonie said. "It was a tough contest. Joey brings it all. I had to push really hard to beat him. But I feel great."

Stonie had defeated Chestnut in the past year in competitions featuring Twinkies, poutine, pumpkin pie and gyros.

Chestnut, smiling in defeat, said he was slow and couldn't catch Stonie.

"I've been looking for competition for a long time and I finally have it," he said, vowing to return next year. "He made me hungry."

Chestnut, 31, had built himself into a champ with his string of victories, which included setting the record in 2013 by swallowing 69 franks. He twice reached 68 but last year had fallen off to 61.

After his victory last year, he dropped to one knee and proposed to his longtime girlfriend. They have since broken up.

Early in the contest, Chestnut seemed to have a slight edge but Stonie moved ahead by half a hot dog after 3 minutes and never looked back.

Alika Smith resigns as Kalaheo head coach

Alika Smith’s era at Kalaheo has come to an end.

Smith, who guided the Mustangs to two Division I state titles and a D-II state championship in four seasons, has stepped down as the boys basketball head coach.

Smith cited philosophical differences with administration at the school. In a document sent to Smith three weeks ago, principal Susan Hummel and athletic director Mark Brilhante sent a list of bullet-point agreements with stipulations regarding positive coaching methods for Smith and his staff.

Smith rebuffed the list and resigned. He declined to comment on his status twice in the past month, but he spoke on Monday.

The problem, he believes, is rooted in the complaints from parents of Kalaheo players during the season. Hummel’s demand that he change his approach didn’t sit well.

“As demanding as I am with these kids, I’m going to be fired in the first week as soon as one parent complains. I’m not going to do that,” Smith said. “I’m not going to look over my shoulder. The biggest compliment is when (former players and parents) come to you and say, ‘Thank you’ for what you do.’ ”

There were, apparently, complaints about favoritism. Smith had a son and a nephew on the team that won the 2015 state title.

“My son played a great first quarter in the championship game, and then another player came on and I rolled with him,” Smith said. “I’m favoring my son? He gets it from me the most. If that’s the route they want to go, that’s fine, but I’m not going to be a part of it. In the classroom and on the court, if they lose focus I hold these kids accountable.”

Hummel said their differences have to do with personality and management styles. She said she never specified that the problem stemmed from complaints by parents.

“He is stepping down because he didn’t want to renew as head coach. It has to do with moving forward with Positive Coaching Alliance standards,” Hummel said on Monday.

“I respect him very much and I have to respect his decision. At this point, Mark and I are moving on and trying to plan for the coming school year,” she said. “He’s not communicating really well with us. We’re wishing he would communicate more so we could decide on things. As administrators and as a high school these are core values we have to embrace, to put the student-athletes above everything else,” said Hummel, who is entering her eighth year as school principal.

“He is a really good coach in terms of results. I get that and he knows that. The players, I really believe every one of them, they appreciate him for (helping them) become better players on the coaching side. But it comes down to a program that is not just about winning. It has to be about developing skills and a positive basketball program for our high school students. Yeah, they learn to handle the ball and play the game of basketball. But it’s about character development and communicating with people.”

Smith was perhaps not certain about his future as Kalaheo’s coach as long as a month ago.

“I know he thought it through because he kept asking for more time. I said, of course, mull it over and talk to who you need to talk to. I offered him the opportunity for clarification, to come and talk to me,” Hummel said.

Smith’s journey as a coach has been as dramatic as it has been successful. After serving as an assistant coach at the University of Hawaii, where he had been a standout guard, he coached Punahou to a 24-4 mark in the 2009-10 season before leaving after just one season.

He returned to his high school alma mater, where he had played for his father, legendary coach Pete Smith.

Alika Smith guided the Mustangs to the 2012 Division II state championship with a 57-42 win over McKinley in the final.

In ’13, the Mustangs reached the pinnacle, edging Maryknoll 60-54 in overtime in the D-I state championship game.

Last February, Kalaheo returned to the state final and outlasted ‘Iolani 53-45 for the D-I state crown.

Twice, Smith was voted All-State coach of the year by coaches and media.

2015 NBA Draft

6/26/15 - grading the draft
NBA draft winners and losers

6/25/15 - Here we go, live on ESPN
1 - Minnesota - Karl Anthony-Towns, C, Kentucky
2 - L.A. Lakers - D'Angelo Russell, PG, Ohio State (surprising most experts)
3 - Philadelphia - Jahlil Okafor, C, Duke (joining Noel and Embiid)
4 - New York - Kristaps Porzingis, PF, Latvia

Hmm.  I'm getting the results on Yahoo before ESPN.

5 - Orlando - Mario Hezonja, SG-SF, Croatia
6 - Sacramento - Willie Cauley-Stein, C, Kentucky
7 - Denver - Emmanuel Mudiay, PG, DRC
8 - Detroit - Stanley Johnson, SF, Arizona
9 - Charlotte - Frank Kaminsky, PF-C, Wisconsin
10 - Miami - Justise Winslow, SF, Duke
11 - Indiana - Myles Turner, C, Texas
12 - Utah - Trey Lyles, PF, Kentucky

NBA draft day trades

[6/21/16 - Finch scouting reports -- yes that's 2016 that I entered this]

6/19/15 - Mock Draft 2.0
1. Minnesota: Karl Anthony-Towns, Kentucky, C-PF
2. L.A. Lakers: Jahlil Okafor, Duke, C
3. Philadelphia: D'Angelo Russell, Ohio State, G
4. New York: Kristaps Porzingis, Latvia, PF [up from 5]
5. Orlando: Justise Winslow, Duke, SF [up from 7]
6. Sacramento: Emmanuel Mudiay, China, PG [down from 4]
7. Denver: Mario Hezonja, Croatia, SG [up from 8]
8. Detroit: Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky, C [down from 6]

6/4/15 - Consensus Mock Draft
1. Minnesota: Karl Anthony-Towns, Kentucky, C
2. L.A. Lakers: Jahlil Okafor, Duke, C
3. Philadelphia: D'Angelo Russell, Ohio State, PG
4. New York: Emmanuel Mudiay, China, PG
5. Orlando: Kristaps Porzingis, Latvia, PF
6. Sacramento: Justise Winslow, Duke, SG
7. Denver: Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky, C
8. Detroit: Stanley Johnson, Arizona, SF

5/20/15 - Mock Draft by Scott Howard Cooper
1. Minnesota: Karl Anthony-Towns, Kentucky, C-PF
2. L.A. Lakers: Jahlil Okafor, Duke, C
3. Philadelphia: D'Angelo Russell, Ohio State, G
4. New York: Emmanuel Mudiay, China, PG
5. Orlando: Kristaps Porzingis, Latvia, PF
6. Sacramento: Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky, C
7. Denver: Justise Winslow, Duke, SF
8. Detroit: Mario Hezonja, Croatia, SG

5/19/15 - David Aldridge Big Board - Center
5/18/15 - David Aldridge Big Board - Power Forward
5/18/15 - David Aldridge Big Board - Small Forward
5/18/15 - David Aldridge Big Board - Shooting Guard
5/18/15 - David Aldridge Big Board - Point Guard
3/18/15 - The top 30 of the moment: Okafor, Towns, Mudiay, Russell, Porizngis, Johnson, Hezonga.

Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock

They're still active?  I guess this would be good match in a video game.  Or a movie..

Anyway, they actually did meet at Bellator 138 tonight.

Friday night's Bellator event in St. Louis was headlined by a fight six years in the making, pitting 41-year-old onetime Internet sensation Kimbo Slice vs. 51-year-old MMA legend Ken Shamrock. Kimbo ended up scoring a knockout with a vicious punch in 2:22 of the first round. Neither man had participated in a professional mixed martial arts fight since 2010.

When the bell rang to start the fight, Shamrock went for a takedown right away, eventually scoring a trip takedown, although Slice was able to get right back up. A minute later, Shamrock scored a single-leg takedown, then got Slice's back. He sank in a rear naked choke, then a neck crank, but Slice was somehow able to survive in the submission attempt for over half a minute, then wriggled free. Both men made it to their feet and Slice immediately unloaded, rocking Shamrock and then knocking him down and out for the win.

Slice entered the fight (his first for Bellator) with a professional MMA record of 4-2. Shamrock (also making his Bellator debut), entered with a 28-15-2 record, with two of those losses coming in his most recent year in MMA, 2010. The catchweight fight in the main event of Bellator 138 was at 232 pounds.

*** [6/28/15] fight fake? (see comments)

Warriors defeat Cavaliers for NBA Championship

CLEVELAND -- Revived by a fresh-faced shooting superstar and a first-year coach who made them believe, the Golden State Warriors again reign supreme.

Their 40-year NBA championship drought is finally over.

A half century of misery in Cleveland drags on. LeBron James just didn't have enough help.

Stephen Curry and finals MVP Andre Iguodala scored 25 points apiece, Draymond Green recorded a triple-double and the Warriors -- using a barrage of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter -- won their first title since 1975 by finishing off James and the Cavaliers 105-97 on Tuesday night in Game 6.

For the first time since Gerald Ford was in the White House, disco was in vogue and Rick Barry was flicking in free throws under-handed, the best pro basketball team resides in the Bay Area.

And these Warriors are a lot like Barry and his old crew: fluid, balanced, together. Just like coach Steve Kerr hoped.

After falling behind by two points early in the third quarter, the Warriors took control with Curry, the league's MVP, and Iguodala, who made his first start of the season in Game 4, leading the way.
"World champs," Curry said, letting the title sink in. "This is truly special. This group is a special group. From the time we started the season this is what we envisioned and a lot of hard work goes into it, all the way down to the last minute of this game. This is what it's all about. ... We're going to remember this for a long time."

***

The Golden State Warriors won an NBA title on Tuesday pushing the pace, launching 3s and starting a 6-foot-6 'center.' Associate head coach Alvin Gentry, who will make Anthony Davis' New Orleans Pelicans more fun next season, excitedly credited Phoenix Suns head coach Mike D'Antoni while celebrating. Gentry served under D'Antoni during the seven-seconds-or-less era, and he hasn't forgotten all the crazy criticism that coaching staff received for the sort of outside-the-box thinking that completely changed the game.
From ESPN's Ethan Sherwood Strauss:

Victorious Gentry: "Tell Mike D'Antoni he's vindicated! We just kicked everyone's ass playing the way everybody complained about!"

6:53 PM - 16 Jun 2015

Gentry elaborated to Bleacher Report's Howard Beck:

I would say this is vindication for Mike D'Antoni, if nothing else.  We played like he's been trying to get this league to play forever.  And you can win a championship like that.  So for all the people that said you can't win a championship being a three-point shooting team, and not really a low-post scoring presence or anything like that, we just did it.  So I think it's great for Mike D'Antoni.

Asked postgame about Stephen Curry breaking the mold for a transformative player, Golden State head coach Steve Kerr referenced D'Antoni and Steve Nash's Suns, too. "Steve was kind of the original Steph Curry," he said, adding that he thought Phoenix was going to win a title that way.
"I think Steve kind of laid out a vision for a whole generation of young point guards," Kerr said. "And with the game changing, Mike D'Antoni kind of initiating that style in Phoenix, the floor starting to spread, the whole league kind of playing shooting 4s and 5s and playing a little faster, I think Mike and Steve in many ways set the table for Steph Curry. And I think Steph would tell you that, too."

Kerr told ESPN that the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs, with their spacing and shooting, had already vindicated D'Antoni. For some, that is certainly true, but the Warriors winning means much more. To the Charles Barkleys of the world, the Heat's system wasn't relevant because they had LeBron James on the roster. The same goes for the Spurs and Tim Duncan. Golden State just won the Larry O'Brien trophy with Curry breaking 3-point shooting records alongside four 6-6 to 6-7 guys in the starting lineup. Fans of those Phoenix teams should have smiles on their faces, and it's not just because of Leandro Barbosa finally winning a ring.

The Olympics films

The official Olympic film of the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games in it's entirety is now here on the official Olympic YouTube channel.

This official Olympic film features some of the most inspiring and courageous stories from the Atlanta Games including those of Michael Johnson, Josia Thugwane, Naim Süleymanoğlu, Ghada Shouaa and Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

More films:
Athens 2004 Olympic Games
Sydney 2000 Olympics
Atlanta 1996 Olympics
Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games
Mexico City 1968 Olympics
Tokyo 1964 Olympics
London 1948 Olympics

Official Olympics Films - Full Versions
Olympic History: Official Films

Dusty Rhodes

 (CNN)Dusty Rhodes -- the rotund, easy bleeding, easy talking professional wrestler who billed himself as "The American Dream" -- died Thursday, the WWE said on its website.

Rhodes, whose real name was Virgil Runnels, was 69. The WWE didn't give a cause of death.

Rhodes rose to fame as a common-man figure. He didn't have the chiseled body some associate with today's wrestlers. He was a good guy wrestler, often battling heels like Superstar Billy Graham, Blackjack Mulligan, Harley Race and The Four Horsemen, who were led by Ric Flair.

"My mentor @WWEDustyRhodes. Much love to your family and more respect than can ever be measured. Love you Dream," Flair tweeted.

Rhodes liked to pitch himself as the son of a plumber from Austin, Texas, and an everyman who became the extremely popular champion of the National Wrestling Alliance three times in the 1980s.

He moved on to the World Wrestling Federation (now the WWE), and also wrestled on several other circuits before coming back to the WWE in the mid-2000s.

He will be remembered for the spirited and often hilarious in-studio interviews he would give to wrestling commentators to promote upcoming matches.

"I have wined and dined with kings and queens, and I've slept in alleys and dined on pork and beans," he once exclaimed.

Don Nelson's house of hemp

KIHEI, Maui » Building one of the first homes in Hawaii made of hemp has left Hall of Fame NBA coach Don Nelson open to some friendly ribbing from his Maui neighbors.

“Most of them think they can smoke it,” Nelson said.

While industrial hemp used in the construction of homes comes from the same cannabis sativa plant species as marijuana, it contains only a small amount of tetrahydrocannabinol — the psychoactive chemical that creates the marijuana high.

“You’d have to smoke a telephone pole worth to get a little buzz on,” said Don’s wife, Joy Nelson.

The walls of the Nelsons’ 700-square-foot guest house are being filled with a material — made out of the chips and fibers of hemp stalk mixed with water and lime — called “hempcrete.”

Once the smaller house is finished later this month, the next project for the Nelsons is to construct the main house on their Sugar Beach oceanfront property — a 6,000 square-foot home — with hempcrete.

Don Nelson, 75, said he wanted to use hempcrete because of its low environmental impact, noting the sustainability of the hemp plant, which can be grown in Hawaii.

“I always felt that hemp was the building material of the future. It’s a wonderful plant. Some day there will be a lot of hemp homes,” Nelson said.

The building material is nontoxic and has other advantages for construction, including being resistant to insects, mildew and fire.

“We’re not killing any trees, which makes us feel good,” said Nelson, the winningest coach in NBA history. Nelson ended his NBA career in 2010 with the Golden State Warriors, the team heading into the NBA Finals Thursday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

UAB Football to be reinstated

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- After making what was described by UAB president Ray Watts as an agonizing decision to terminate the football program in December, he and the university reversed field and announced Monday that they would reinstate the program, along with bowling and rifle.

Watts, who originally disbanded the three programs based largely on a reported lack of financial solvency, said recent changes in private support through individuals and the business community made the reinstatement possible. An estimated $27 million has been raised through the UAB Football Foundation, the city of Birmingham and the UAB Undergraduate Student Government Association.

"The biggest single difference is we now have tangible commitments for additional support that we have never had before," Watts told reporters. "Without that additional support, we could not have maintained a balanced budget moving forward."

Cormier defeats Johnson to win UFC light heavyweight title

LAS VEGAS » Daniel Cormier was clearly conflicted when he got the UFC's light heavyweight title belt strapped around his waist in the same Vegas cage where he failed to win it a few months ago.

While Cormier celebrated the biggest night of his career, the new champion also realized a bigger fight casts a shadow over this achievement.

"I have a message for one man," Cormier said. "Jon Jones, get your (stuff) together. I'm waiting for you."

Cormier beat Anthony "Rumble" Johnson with a rear naked choke in the third round, dominating on the ground to win the vacant 205-pound title at UFC 187 on Saturday night.

Cormier (16-1) controlled Johnson throughout the final two rounds to claim the title stripped from Jones, who was suspended indefinitely by the UFC last month after his arrest when police said he left the scene of a car accident.

Cormier lost a decision at UFC 182 in January to Jones, widely considered the world's best mixed martial artist. He returned to the MGM Grand Garden to replace Jones on short notice, but still gave a dominant effort against Johnson (19-5), ending his nine-fight winning streak.

Chris Weidman also defended his middleweight title in the UFC's hometown, stopping Vitor Belfort in the first round with a relentless series of punches on the ground.

Jones is expected to get an immediate title shot when he returns to the UFC, and Cormier realizes his cathartic victory over Johnson will ring hollow until he beats Jones.

Johnson floored Cormier with a huge right hand in the opening minute, but Cormier recovered and survived the round. Cormier then lifted Johnson off his feet early in the second round, dumping him onto the canvas and taking ground control for a dominant round that left Johnson blinking blood out of his eyes.

Cormier was clinical in his finish, mounting Johnson and getting control before forcing Johnson to tap out 2:39 into the third round.

"He did everything I thought he was going to do," Johnson said. "I have nothing but respect for him. Have you seen the size of his melon? I wasn't surprised he could take (the punches)."

Cormier unexpectedly got another shot at the title less than five months after Jones handed Cormier his first career defeat by a clear decision. The former U.S. Olympic wrestler was in training for a bout next month when Jones imploded, and Cormier eagerly accepted a chance to fill the vacancy.

Johnson has revitalized his career after he was dropped by the UFC in early 2012. He earned his title shot with a surprising first-round stoppage victory over Alexander Gustafsson in Sweden in January, and he didn't hesitate when Jones' arrest forced a change in opponents to Cormier.

Weidman (13-0) survived an early scare from Belfort and quickly took control of his third title defense, taking down Belfort and battering his head against the canvas until referee Herb Dean stopped the bout with 2:07 left. Weidman walked around the cage with an American flag on his back, celebrating his latest dominant victory.

The 38-year-old Belfort (24-11) briefly appeared to get Weidman in trouble, backing him against the cage while Weidman covered up. But Weidman landed a takedown and took control, mounting Belfort and battering him.

"He hit me with some good shots, but I've been there in sparring," Weidman said. "I was just covering, covering, covering, and I was ready to come back."

2014-15 NBA All-Star Team

NEW YORK — The Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry and the Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James headline the 2014-15 All-NBA First Team, the NBA announced today. Curry, the 2014-15 Kia NBA MVP, and James received First Team votes on all 129 ballots. This marks the first All-NBA First Team selection for Curry and the ninth in 12 seasons for James, who tied Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson for the third most all time.

Joining Curry and James on the First Team are James Harden of the Houston Rockets, Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans and Marc Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies. Harden, who garnered 125 First Team votes, makes his second straight appearance on the First Team. Davis (119 First Team votes) and Gasol (68 First Team votes) earned First Team honors for the first time.

The All-NBA Second Team consists of Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers, LaMarcus Aldridge of the Portland Trail Blazers, Pau Gasol of the Chicago Bulls and DeMarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings.

The All-NBA Third Team is composed of the Warriors' Klay Thompson, the Cavaliers' Kyrie Irving, the Clippers' Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, and the San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan.

The All-NBA Teams were chosen by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. The media voted for All-NBA First, Second and Third Teams by position with points awarded on a 5-3-1 basis. Voters were asked to select two guards, two forwards and one center for each team, choosing players at the position they play regularly.

Curry helped the Warriors win a franchise-record 67 games by averaging 23.8 points (sixth in the NBA), 7.7 assists (sixth), a career-high 2.04 steals (fourth) and 4.3 rebounds. He made 286 three-pointers, breaking his own NBA record of 272 set in 2012-13. Curry, the leading vote-getter in NBA All-Star Balloting 2015 presented by Sprint, shot 48.7 percent from the field, ranked fourth in the league in three-point field goal percentage (44.3) and led the NBA in free throw percentage (91.4).

James ranked third in the NBA in scoring (25.3 ppg) and seventh in assists (7.4 apg) as Cleveland finished with the second-best record (53-29) in the Eastern Conference. The Cavaliers were 50-19 in the 69 games James played and 3-10 in the 13 games he did not. The 11-time All-Star was one of only three players to tally 1,700 points, 500 assists, 400 rebounds and 100 steals, joining Harden and Westbrook.

Harden finished second in the NBA in scoring (27.4 ppg) and ninth in assists (7.0 apg) while leading the Rockets to 56 wins and the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. He led the NBA in 40-point games (10) and 30-point games (35), and his four triple-doubles were the most by a Rocket since Hakeem Olajuwon posted four in 1989-90. Harden, who was named an All-Star for the third season in a row, also led the NBA in free throws made (715) and attempted (824), good for 86.8 percent.

Davis, according to NBA.com/Stats, led the NBA in Player Impact Estimate (PIE), which measures a player's overall statistical contribution against the total statistics in games he plays. He ranked first in the league in blocks (2.94 bpg), fourth in scoring (24.4 ppg), seventh in field goal percentage (53.5) and eighth in rebounding (10.2 rpg). Davis helped the Pelicans make the playoffs for the first time since 2011.

Gasol averaged a career-best 17.4 points to go with 7.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists for the 55-win Grizzlies. He scored 30-plus points five times after doing so just once in his first six seasons. He set career highs in field goals made and attempted, as well as free throws made and attempted. Gasol was named an All-Star for the second time, earning his first All-Star start.

Other players receiving votes, with point totals (First Team votes in parentheses): Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio, 155; Paul Millsap, Atlanta, 70; Al Horford, Atlanta, 64 (1); John Wall, Washington, 50; Jimmy Butler, Chicago, 32; Damian Lillard, Portland, 22; Draymond Green, Golden State, 9; Zach Randolph, Memphis, 7; Jeff Teague, Atlanta, 7; Andrew Bogut, Golden State, 6; Nikola Vucevic, Orlando, 6; DeMar DeRozan, Toronto, 3; Rudy Gay, Sacramento, 3; Andre Drummond, Detroit, 2; Gordon Hayward, Utah, 2; Kyle Korver, Atlanta, 2; Joakim Noah, Chicago, 2; Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas, 2; Dwyane Wade, Miami, 2; Carmelo Anthony, New York, 1; Tyson Chandler, Dallas, 1; Mike Conley, Memphis, 1; Brook Lopez, Brooklyn, 1; Kevin Love, Cleveland, 1; Kyle Lowry, Toronto, 1; Khris Middleton, Milwaukee, 1.

*** 5/20/15

San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard, the Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year, headlines the 2014-15 NBA All-Defensive First Team, the NBA announced today. He is one of three players to make his first All-Defensive First Team.

Leonard received 116 First Team votes and 242 points from a panel of 129 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. The NBA All-Defensive First Team also includes forward Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors (229 points, 107 First Team votes), guard Tony Allen of the Memphis Grizzlies (207 points, 88 First Team votes), center DeAndre Jordan of the Los Angeles Clippers (187 points, 84 First Team votes) and guard Chris Paul of the Clippers (170 points, 67 First Team votes).

Green and Jordan, who finished second and third, respectively, in the voting for the 2014-15 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award, join Leonard as first-time selections on the All-NBA Defensive First Team. Paul made the First Team for the fourth straight season and fifth time overall, while Allen earned his third First Team nod. 

Marques Haynes

Marques Haynes, whose dazzling ball-handling skills, exhibited for more than 40 years as a member of the Harlem Globetrotters and other barnstorming black basketball teams, earned him a place in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and an international reputation as the world’s greatest dribbler, died on Friday in Plano, Tex. He was 89.

A spokesman for the Globetrotters, Brett Meister, confirmed the death. Haynes had lived in Plano.

Haynes was a stellar cog on the Globetrotter squads of the late 1940s and early ’50s, when the team was as competitive as any team anywhere, including those in the professional leagues that in 1949 merged to form the National Basketball Association.

Indeed, the Globetrotters were basketball’s biggest attraction, not only in the United States — where their popularity was a societal sneer at segregation and bigotry even though they were victims of it — but also around the world, where their signature mix of sport and showmanship made them ambassadors of American good will.

In two stints with the Globetrotters (his second was in the 1970s, a more showmanlike incarnation of the team), over decades with his own team, the Harlem Magicians (also called the Fabulous Magicians) and with a few other squads, Haynes traveled an estimated four million miles and played in an estimated 12,000 basketball games in 100 countries, give or take a few — in racially hostile Southern towns, in dim school gyms, on dirt courts in dusty African villages, in bullrings, soccer stadiums and emptied swimming pools, not to mention in Madison Square Garden, the Rose Bowl and other celebrated arenas all over the world.

Haynes was a brilliant player — a fine shooter, a tenacious defender and an expert passer. But as a dribbler he was nonpareil, and it was that skill that made him an ace entertainer.

Able to bounce a ball three times a second, to control it just an inch or two off the floor, to tease defenders with a now-you-see-it-now-you-don’t legerdemain, he befuddled opponents and thrilled fans night after night with his dexterous displays — dribbling from his knees, lying on his side or sitting, and weaving in and out of court traffic, playing a solo game of keep-away within the larger game.

Once, at a game in Chihuahua, Mexico, when two teammates fouled out in the third quarter and only four men were left on the floor, he dribbled out nearly the whole fourth quarter to exhaust the clock.

Haynes often played against local teams around the world that could not match the Trotters’ skills, and against hapless opponents whose very haplessness was the point. But he also played in the Globetrotters’ victories over the all-white Minneapolis Lakers and their star center George Mikan in 1948 and 1949, games that helped prompt the integration of professional basketball. (One of the first black players in the National Basketball Association, Sweetwater Clifton, who joined the Knicks in 1950, came from the Globetrotters.)

And Haynes played on a European tour in 1951 that ended at Olympic Stadium in Berlin, where 75,000 people welcomed the Globetrotters and a special guest: Jesse Owens, who in 1936, in the same stadium, won four Olympic gold medals, to Adolf Hitler’s dismay.

UH hopes to offer stipends

The University of Hawaii expects to offer some form of cost of attendance stipends to scholarship athletes this year, UH-Manoa athletic director David Matlin told a Board of Regents committee.

"I think it is something that we need to do to compete and to show we're (serious)," Matlin told the Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics Thursday. "I believe it is in our best interests to start now, even if we have to start small."

Beginning Aug. 1 NCAA members may, for the first time, pay athletes the COA stipends intended to cover costs such as transportation, school supplies, cellphone, laundry and miscellaneous expenses. Full scholarships currently cover tuition, room, board, books and mandatory fees.

At UH, Matlin said, the average fully-funded stipend would be $4,085. If all 248 scholarship athletes received full stipends, the bill would be $1.1 million-$1.2 million, depending upon transportation costs, Matlin said. 

"I don't see us fully funded to begin with, but I think starting now is some fashion is important," Matlin said.

He said UH is looking at 12 different models with varying amounts within gender equity guidelines, some in which not all of UH's 21 teams would be initial recipients. 

"First we have to see what we can allocate budget wise and, then, how we divide it up to bring the best value," Matlin said.

The COA issue comes as athletics said it expects to finish the fiscal year June 30 with a deficit of $3.8 million-$4 million. A rough early draft for the fiscal year that starts July 1 projects a $4.7 million-$4.8 million deficit if COA is fully funded.

But Matlin told regents he is talking to some potential donors who he hopes might contribute significant sums to help underwrite COA and is also exploring some licensing and marketing possibilities. 

In the Mountain West, where UH competes in football, so far only one of the 11 schools (Air Force does not offer scholarships), Nevada, has said it will not offer COAs for the 2015-'16 school year.  At least nine have so far said they plan to offer COA.

In the Big West, where most other UH teams compete, there is a conference-wide agreement to offer some form of stipends for at least men's and women's basketball.

2014-2015 NBA All-Rookie Team

NEW YORK — The Minnesota Timberwolves' Andrew Wiggins, the 2014-15 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year, headlines the 2014-15 NBA All-Rookie First Team, the NBA announced today. Wiggins was the lone unanimous choice, receiving 130 First Team votes from a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada.

 Wiggins is joined on the First Team by the Chicago Bulls' Nikola Mirotic (128 First Team votes, 258 points), the Philadelphia 76ers' Nerlens Noel (125 First Team votes, 252 points), the Orlando Magic's Elfrid Payton (121 First Team votes, 250 points) and the Los Angeles Lakers' Jordan Clarkson (74 First Team votes, 200 points).

The NBA All-Rookie Second Team consists of the Boston Celtics' Marcus Smart (142 points, 28 First Team votes), the Timberwolves' Zach LaVine (135 points, 22 First Team votes), the Brooklyn Nets' Bojan Bogdanovic (107 points, seven First Team votes), the Denver Nuggets' Jusuf Nurkic (97 points, three First Team votes) and the New York Knicks' Langston Galloway (72 points, seven First Team votes).

The panel was asked to select five players for the First Team and five players for the Second Team, regardless of position. Two points were awarded for First Team votes and one for Second Team votes.

Wiggins averaged a rookie-high 16.9 points, the second-best mark by a first-year player in Minnesota history, behind Christian Laettner's 18.2 points in 1992-93. He appeared in all 82 games and ranked fourth in the NBA with a rookie-leading 36.2 minutes, the highest average ever by a Timberwolves rookie. Wiggins, the first Canadian-born winner of the Kia NBA Rookie of the Year Award, won Kia NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month honors four times.

Mirotic also appeared in all 82 games, averaging 10.2 points in 20.2 minutes. He was the Kia NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month in December and March. Mirotic paced all rookies and the Bulls in scoring (20.8 ppg) in March, when he also led the NBA in total fourth-quarter points (136) and fourth-quarter scoring average (9.1).

 Noel led all rookies in rebounding (8.1 rpg), steals (1.77 spg, 10th in the NBA) and blocks (1.89 bpg, seventh in the league). He was the only player in the league to rank in the top 10 in both steals and blocks. Noel became the second rookie in NBA history to average at least 1.50 steals and 1.50 blocks; David Robinson accomplished the feat in 1989-90.

The NBA All-Rookie First Team is rounded out by Payton, the rookie leader in assists (6.5 apg), and Clarkson, who averaged 16.7 points in 28 games after the All-Star break and was named the Kia NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month for March.

Matlin chooses Ganot over Benjy

[5/17/15] Norm Parrish named as second full assistant

[5/16/15] The University of Hawaii said it will vacate 36 victories; reduce scholarships, practice time and tryouts; cut back the role of its operations director; pay a $10,000 fine; and place itself on one-year probation for violations of NCAA rules by its men's basketball program.

The self-imposed sanctions, contained in a 64-page reply to the NCAA on Friday, were immediately blasted by fired coach Gib Arnold's attorney, James Bickerton, who categorized them as "a typically shortsighted action, throwing students and their achievements under the bus to save their own okoles."

[5/12/15] Bryce Canda Q&A
[5/11/15] Ganot's first recruit is Bryce Canda

[5/1/15] Awards banquet and sendoff for Benjy
[4/29/15] Ganot yet to sign contract
[4/24/15] Ganot's first hire is Adam Jacobsen
[4/14/15] Isaac Fleming will stick it out

[4/10/15] Ganot sees it as a calling
[4/10/15] Ganot is out to build a culture
[4/9/15] Eran Ganot introduced as the 21st coach for Hawaii basketball

***

When Eran Ganot left the University of Hawaii five years ago, his avowed goal was to someday work his way back as the Rainbow Warriors' head basketball coach.

"Someday" arrived Wednesday when the 33-year-old Saint Mary's associate head coach signed to become the 'Bows' newest and youngest full-time head basketball coach of the conference era (1979-2015).

"Eran loved Saint Mary's but the No. 1 place he's always wanted to be — and be a head coach — was Hawaii," said Randy Bennett, the Gaels' head coach. "He's always talked about it, always been improving his craft working toward getting back to Hawaii. He even gave up a chance at the Chaminade job to wait (for UH)."

UH has scheduled a 9 a.m. campus news conference to introduce Ganot, who told Saint Mary's players about the job Wednesday afternoon before catching a flight to Honolulu. Ganot and UH officials have declined comment, pending the official announcement.

Ganot, a New Jersey native whose name is pronounced eh-RON gah-knot, was a four-year starter and two-time captain at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania who broke into coaching as a volunteer assistant at Saint Mary's (2003-06) before coming to UH.

At UH he served under the last three full-time UH head coaches, Gib Arnold, Bob Nash and Riley Wallace. He was director of operations for Wallace (2006-07), was promoted to an assistant by Nash (2007-10) and briefly assisted in Arnold's transition (2010) before returning to Saint Mary's, a highly successful mid-major program.

Along the way, Ganot has gained a reputation for persistence, painstaking attention to detail, a tireless work ethic and an ability to be a quick study. Ganot reportedly came to the favorable attention of ESPN, which owns the Diamond Head Classic, and incoming UH athletic director David Matlin, who operated the event, while handling scheduling for the Gaels, who appeared in the tournament twice.

"Believe me I was glad to get him back and, now, having seen the unbelieveable growth in him as a person and a coach, I'm happy for him to be going back (to UH) as their head coach," Bennett said. "He's definitely ready to be a head coach. You guys got a real steal. He has a chance to become a real star in this profession — and at a young age."

Bruce O'Neil was 27 when he replaced Red Rocha as UH head coach in 1973. Rick Pitino was 23 when he became interim head coach for the final six games of the 1975-76 season after O'Neil stepped down.

Ganot served as Saint Mary's interim head coach for two and a half weeks in the 2013-14 season, going 3-2, when Bennett was suspended for an NCAA violation. He becomes the fourth of Bennett's Saint Mary's assistants to go on to a head coaching jobs at a U.S. college. Two others achieved head coaching posts in Australia.

Bennett's coaching tree includes Columbia head coach Kyle Smith, who was a finalist for the UH job this time was well as when it went to Arnold in 2010.

Smith was one of at least four sitting Division I head coaches, including UH interim coach Benjy Taylor, who either applied for the job or talked to UH. New Mexico State's Marvin Menzies, with five NCAA Tournament appearances, was among them.

While it is unlikely UH could have afforded Menzies, who is making a reported $382,294, or Smith, who is at $420,000, people who talked to Ganot said they felt he was the best "all-around fit" for UH at the moment.

Ganot, who will receive a three-year contract, will likely have a salary $100,000 below Arnold's $344,000 base salary.

He is also expected to have less than the approximately $700,000 salary pool that went to fund the salaries of Arnold, three assistants and an operations director.

Ganot will be asked to consider members of the current coaching staff, but will have free hand to select his own assistants.

***

Twenty-two wins. A conference championship game appearance. Goodwill from a significant portion of the Hawaii fan base.

Nope. Not good enough to lock down "a moving target," the football that Charlie Brown could never seem to kick. It was all never going to be satisfactory.

That's what a disappointed Benjy Taylor concluded after the interim coach was passed over for the long-term Hawaii basketball job this week. Saint Mary's assistant Eran Ganot will be introduced at a news conference at the Stan Sheriff Center at 9 a.m. Thursday.

In a 20-minute phone interview Wednesday, Taylor vented frustrations about behind-the-scenes campaigning and what he felt was unfair criticism of himself and his players.

As fifth-seeded UH mounted its improbable Big West tournament run to the title game in mid-March, some speculated that if the Rainbows beat UC Irvine and made it to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2002, the permanent job would have to go to Taylor, the associate head coach who replaced the fired Gib Arnold just before the season's start. But UH fell behind the Anteaters in the final minutes and did not advance to a postseason tournament.

Taylor balked at the notion that his fortunes swung on that game.

"It wouldn't have mattered," he said. "The target, I never knew what the target was, and every time I thought that's where the target is, it was always moved. It was always moved. You know, I don't think it would have mattered. I'm not sure Sweet 16 would have mattered.

"Imagine if our guys don't get hurt in January and February and we win 25 games. It wouldn't have made a difference. What are you going to say, we go to the NCAA Tournament, they keep me? If we go to the Sweet 16, they keep me? OK, well they (administration) didn't think we were going to win eight to 10 games. ‘Just do the best you can, Coach. Just do the best you can.' We win 10. We win 12 before we start conference. Then we guaranteed a winning season. … In the conference tournament, twice in 13 years, (UH) won a first-round game? We do that. Then we won a second-round game. Then we go all the way down to the wire in the finals. And so, what, because we didn't win that game? We really want to tell the athletes that this is happening because you couldn't finish off the Irvine game? That's not the case. They wanted to go in a different direction."

*** [Reardon]

Unfortunately, a lot of fans don't get that the University of Hawaii does not exist solely for their sports entertainment.

If they did, their pea-brains wouldn't be exploding over Benjy Taylor not being retained as UH's basketball coach. Winning 22 games as interim coach is nice, especially commendable considering the situation he had to jump into right before the start of the season.

I like Benjy, a lot. He's fun to talk story with. He's witty, he can speak knowledgeably on a lot of subjects. He's passionate. But he's not the right person to lead UH basketball into the future.

***

Now, who stays, and who goes?

First, Ganot will have to assemble a staff of his own. He may consider elements of the current crew — Senque Carey, Brandon Loyd, Brad Autry and Jamie Smith — or bring in a totally new group from the outside. Associate head coach and regular assistant positions were posted on the “Work at UH” site on Wednesday.

Of course, player movement is a distinct possibility when you’ve got a regime change. You can bet that Ganot will make speaking to the team a top priority upon his arrival, and try to retain as much of the team as he can. UH has a young core that, as Taylor said many times, can do some really positive things if it sticks together for the long haul.

Well, it may be unrealistic to keep everyone.

Freshman guard Isaac Fleming gave the most overt indications that he may elect to move on. This is not a huge surprise, as Fleming was seen as incredibly loyal to Taylor, the coach who brought him into UH, and has a redshirt year to burn. Nothing is a certainty yet, however.

Many of you are not yet familiar with Ganot. He was the third assistant, and quite young, the last time he worked at UH under Bob Nash and through some of the transition to Gib Arnold. Those teams did not enjoy rampant success on the court, though Ganot was hailed for his tireless work ethic at the time. Jordan Coleman was to be one of his first signature recruits at UH, but Ganot landed softly at Saint Mary’s once Nash was dismissed. Coleman didn’t last long under Arnold, transferred to a junior college, and ended up having a productive three-year career at Valparaiso.

Now Ganot has a chance to build something in his own image. He’ll draw from his mentors, Riley Wallace and Randy Bennett, but things will inevitably take their own shape under this first-time head coach.