Check out the latest batch of weekly answers…
1) What is your assessment on Clark Lea? – Anonymous
A fiery, passionate guy who loves the game and is cut from the same cloth as Neuheisel when it comes to recruiting. Loves to recruit, just loves it. Having a passion for recruiting makes up tenfold for the relative lack of experience.
2) What should we expect from Knox this year. I feel he is constantly being overlooked. He’s been in the system long enough to know the playbook. What is missing? – Martin
Not sure, to tell you the truth. I’ve always liked his style, and advocated him getting more run last year. Very surprising to me.
3) Mr. Gold, it has been previously reported that Coach Carroll did not respect or care much for Coach Neuheisel, do you see Coach Kiffin and Coach Neuheisel having a more cordial relationship? As a USC fan, I must admit that I am still surprised that Coach Kiffin is quieter compared to his brief SEC tenure. Thank you in advance. – Gilligan
Cordial? Lane Kiffin? Let’s just say, no, I don’t expect it.
4) What’s your best guess, is Josh Smith (BB) one-and-done? – MichaelRyerson
No, I don’t believe he’ll be.
5) Paradoxically, this has been one of the most exciting tournaments in recent memory but yet, of less interest to me without the Bruins in it. Do you think all the upsets in the tournament are the result of parity being achieved in college basketball or a fluke? If you think it is due to parity, do you think the parity is due to the one-and-done phenomena leveling the playing field? If so, seems exceptional coaching will become the difference maker going forward. – BruinInSeattle
Well said, though I believe it’s deeper than just the one-and-done rule. The advent of big-business AAU basketball in the early-2000s – AAU has been around forever, but the major, major dollars are in the last 15 years – has simply caused better conditioned, better prepared, just better basketball players. There are more to go around. When a school like Northern Iowa can put five really good basketball players together, that’s not so far a jump from one superstar, one great and three really good basketball players, like a Syracuse or Ohio State. Am I shocked at the number of upsets, heck yeah. I still have my final four alive, but I’m still shocked. You’re absolutely right about coaching, though, and there’s a reason that I have Michigan State going to the Elite 8 almost every year.