Box and one and Paul Popovich

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Box and one

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1st of all I'm not predicting or reviewing a game . So skip this post so you don't have to read a boring ass story about me and my HS team.. Will come back later with a few predictions hopefully better then last nites picks in another post.

This morning my wife tells me she is going kayaking in Sam Marcus with all her friends and won't be back until late afternoon. Last night my son tells me " dad we don't need you today to babysit .. what no wife,no babysittting the paw patrol gang. and then my daughter tells me " molly your grand daughter is getting a ride home from school today so you don't need to meet her at the bus stop .

So I go to starbucks by myself and get a tall cafe latte with 2 sugars and read the Austin Statesmen newspaper. Only bring in the sports page section and read the sports headlines. " Popowich Spurs coach on the cusp of coaching summit" He has 1,335 wins NBA wins and will pass Nelson for most wins in NBA history. But he is stuck on 1,335 because the Spurs have lost 4 in a row. The article reminded me of my quest for getting 200 HS wins . Now I'm not trying to compare me with Popowich but the story just reminded me of me and my quest for 200 .

now lets go back to me .. I had 199 wins and the newpapers head lined a big article on me and my team and about box and ones road to 200 . Well all the schools in my conference and future opponents used that as locker room hype. So I have 3 away games. One I should win and 2 are vs HF the HS that serves West Point and BHS the catholic power house of our county I lose the 1st game in overtime to the team I should of beaten so I'm stuck on 199. Now the next 2 schools are better then me and lose the next one again on OT to HFalls . Now the friday nite game is at the Catholic power house JBHS . They are 17-1 and I;m about 14-4 and my big rival And many years before I won my 100th game in their gym. But didn't realize that, that night i was going for the 200th I found out later a few years later at a bar I won my 100th there.

Anyway the gym is sold out and the crowd is packed . Through out the game the whole crowd is chanting 199 in reference to me being stuck on 199. Although Popwich is stuck now in a different way the story reminded me of my 200th.

The game is a war BHS... has all shooters so we are playing man/man All cathloic white boys can shoot. Everyone one of these kids has a basket attached to their garage and have been shooting jumpers since the age of 5. But I have the stud .Alex O A big 6'5 NYC kid that can shoot drive to the basket and leads my team in every possible category. Pts,rebounds assists, blocks etc The score is tied 55-55 with about 6 minutes left in the 4th qrt and Alex gets its 5th foul. think he has 20 points 15 rebounds,5 steals.etc The crowd erupts because he has carried us and the 199 looks like I will be stuck again



have to run back in a few with part 2
 
B

Box and one

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sorry part 2 but again stop reading because there is no review of any games today those that continue to read this probably need some help like me

Alex fouling out was devastating .As he walked to the bench after fouling out the crowd was brutal . In the back round the chant for 199 was deafening. I called time out and looking back I was a fighter coach never gave up but I had huge doubt in that huddle. On the next play Rafer S my 5'5 pt gd that could dunk gets called on an offensive foul Terrible call but he is my no 2 scorer and my best defender. Now I forgot to mention I had dressed only 8 players for the game because two players of mine were suspended . When Raf fouled out my asst coach and jv coach said put Paul Wiggins in. We had just bought him up from the JV and told him " do you want to move up ,you probably won't play but we need you just in case, Paul wanted to play and agreed . Now this kid was 6'2 s skinny ass and had a quickest move to the basket He had a wind shield wiper move that my varsity kids couldn't stop .But he played no defense at all and was only a sophomore and that is why he was on the JV team/ So at the time out with the score still tied I put in Wiggins in . I thought about the only advantage I have is speed. We are all black and quicker but JBHS has the half court offense,shooters rebounders etc So I tell my players lets go diamond Press 1-2-1-1 full court trap don't foul because cathloic kids hit 100% of FT's . Wiggins goes where do I play. OMG he doesn't know . So I put him on the ball on the out of bounds and said try to deflect the in bounds and don't reach in . At mid court Wiggins reaches in but gets all ball for a steal and is driving to the basket, I can see an offensive foul because they have 2 defenders in front of him But he makes his token wind shield move and is so quick hits a lay up glass swish BHS scores and takes the lead. There are 6 seconds left and Burke is up one. I have the ball at mid court on a time out. We run an in bounds play that we end practice on everyday ..thank you Hubie Brown and all those clinics Ralphy a 5'4 guard takes it out. He cannot shoot but is a penetrator and I know there coach won't be guarding him takes it out,he hits one of my players with the in bound pass ,he flips it back to Ralphy and Ralphy drives to the elbow and hits the game winning jumper at the buzzer un contesed. We also have a drill where everyone comes to the ball at the elbow and catches and shoots. Ralph can hit that jumper. It was a swish and I got my 200th The newspaper the next day have a picture of me looking at the clock after the basket went in on the front page. Its a norman rockwell photo

So I can relate a little with Popwich tonight Ralphy the following week made another big play that beat the Long Island defending state champions at Hofsta to lead my team to the state finals ] I lost that game} Last year Alex texted me that Ralphy had died of an overdose in NYC. I loved that kid what a waste of a life

.
 
B

Box and one

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Tigerfan how do I post that picture . if I take a picture of it on my phone I can send it to someone and they can post it. Its a classic picture because 1st of all its in color which the newspapers always had pictures in black and white. and if you look closely my bench is jumping in joy. Alex my star who fouled out is about 3 feet off the bench jumping and the little blonde kid you can see is my son. Everyone is celebrating the shot and buzzer beater but me, I am staring right into the scoreboard to make sure the clock says 0..classic picture talk about intense . and when I realized we won and there was no time on the clock I never celebrated just went over to the other coach and shook his hands and his players went back to my bench and tried to find my family in the crowd.. I never showed my emotion until I went into our lockeroom and that I can't remember but my kids were going crazy .. crazy night and to think the hero Ralph Riveria is no longer with us . And in practice Ralph when we did the elbow drill he always hit that shot running from one elbow to the other as another ball was coming. It was a " machine gun shooting drill " that I stole from some other coach .. I stole almost everything .. will work on posting the picture
 
Keyser Soze

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BOX....

I love your stories as well.

Just wanted to mention that Paul Popovich was an infielder for the Cubs, Dodgers and Pirates in the '60s and early '70s........

Gregg is the coach of the Spurs:0008
 
M

ManofWar

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Keyser Soze said:
BOX....

I love your stories as well.

Just wanted to mention that Paul Popovich was an infielder for the Cubs, Dodgers and Pirates in the '60s and early '70s........

Gregg is the coach of the Spurs:0008
Click to expand...

Paul played basketball with Jerry West at WVU
 
B

Box and one

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lol I meant pop not Paul .. and I do have a baseball card of Paul I sent the photo to dog lover and he is a member here at MJ's. Think he can down load the pictures I sent him. didn't know Paul played with Jerry West. Now if West was playing would he be as good as Curry with the 3 pt line. I remember him talking about growing up in West Vir, His brother would put a broom up when he shot so he could get more arch when shooting. He had a funny shot but it was deadly.

My wife got home from her kayaking late this afternoon . She was all wet, her kayak capsized in the rapids. got stuck went totally under but did leave her phone and wallet in the van. The rec worker and guide trying to free her from a tree and brush also flipped over and he lost his phone camera and wallet . This was there 1st time on the San Marcus river. Usually they kayak the Colorado river that goes thru downtown austin. No rapids and a very calm river.
hopefully dog lover can figure out how to post that picture. I looked at it today and everyone is celebrating but not me. I am zeroed in on the clock .
 
MadJack

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Box and one said:
Link for the picture:
https://p195.p4.n0.cdn.getcloudapp....rce=viewer&v=104aa4b657876967f2e189fc7ddb2fcd
Click to expand...

I got your email last night but I wasn't here. I just replied.

20389be6-10dd-41f3-99cb-fbecb8b6f451.jpg
 
B

Box and one

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just got back from my sons house and he did it . He is a computer engineer and just resigned from his computer company after 3 years. He stayed home during the covid time and is being paid consulting fees from his company. He interviewed via zoom to 3 other computer companies and 2 starters ups groups. All these jobs are 6 figure salaries and there is a 2 as the 1st number.. Unreal He can go anywhere he wants to go. Thank god he got his smarts from my wife's side because it sure wasn't me.
I was looking at that picture and there have been many pictures of me and my teams over the years but that is the only color picture I ever saw.
You see me looking at the scoreboard not Ralphie after his winning shot. Alex my star who fouled out is jumping from the ground not the bleachers. You can see he has ups just from that picture. If you look closely you can see my son behind one of my players arm that are raised. And if you look you can see the Coach and home team looking at the court realizing that they just lost. And they had won I think 25 straight home games before Ralphies jumper.
And about 3 years later at the NY State Basketball finals in Glen Falls all the coaches were at a bar where we were staying. Greg D the pt gd for the the other team comes up to me at the bar. He asks " coach do you know who I am" I say sure Greg D from BHS. He says did you ever know when you won your 200th in our gym what happened in our lockeroom . I said no that your coach came out to the floor and gave me the game ball. He laughed and said this is what happened He was screaming that Oquendo had fouled out, a jv player came in and they had no bench. Coach D had suspended half his team and we let them come into our gym and beat us. I now have to go out there and give him this f..kin ball and smile This ass hole won his 100th game here and now 200th. He then kicked a chair that broke a wall mirror and shattered it.. and the nuns at his school made him pay for it.. I never heard that story and really liked that coach and respected him a lot . In the news paper article I actually mention that their coach had class and gave me the game ball after the game I didn't realize I won my 100 th game there to .
this afternoon when I went to my sons house to down load the picture, I asked him do you remember this game .He was 12 years old . He said I remember that little guard hit the winning shot. And half your school went into the lockeroom celebrating after the game . I also remember that crowd was mean .. I don't remember that , anyway probably boring to many but to me its a Norman Rockwell picture I got to 270 wins before I retired and became a Principal ..
Alex who's father was incarcerated and only had his mother to raise him was taken away Alex was raised by his aunt and uncle. He was classified with reading and although he went to a juco we know academically he couldn't make it . He got a job at the new Sams Club where we live. He is now the store manager got married and has 2 boys. His son Alex was one of the leading scorers 2 years ago in HS basketball and his other son played football and wrestled .
I keep in contact with him and his family all the time. And I have always said I have had many more talented kids then Alex but if I ever went to war he will be right behind me . What a player ..
 
Z

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Thanks Box!

Thanks Box!

Long time follower and tell all my friends to join Jack just so they can enjoy the insight, picks and incredible stories. Several have done so and most texted me about your 200th story. What a great story. The icing on the cake was the newspaper photo which brought the entire experience to life. Keep it up, enjoy the grand babies, happy capping and thanks for making NCAAM a whole lot more fun for so many. I?ll be pulling hard for my Zips today, who knows?.
 
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