With the PIAA and District XI classifications in basketball going from four to six this year, there were a record number 80 teams that qualified for the playoffs in both boys and girls. Obviously, some of these teams are not in our viewing audience, but most are. Putting together a broadcast schedule and gathering the information for those broadcasts is a difficult task.
This past season produced some of the best team and individual performances ever. The Nazareth, Easton, Southern Lehigh, Bethlehem Catholic and Notre Dame girls had outstanding regular seasons. Losses were few and far between.
On the boys’ side, Allen got to districts as the number one team in the state, but Parkland, Emmaus, Pocono Mountain West, Bangor, and Bethlehem Catholic were all mentioned in the state rankings, also.
Individual players on these teams created, perhaps, the most talented group we have ever seen in one season. I fear mentioning names because I will forget someone so, suffice it to say, that this week I did a double header that featured seven 1,000 point scorers – seven!! To have a couple reach this individual milestone each year is the norm. We have seen fantastic dunks, amazing point productions, and great team play.
This was a special year, for sure, and with it, came the challenge of many more games. Preparing for this many games in such a short time is a labor of love, but it would be virtually impossible to properly research all of these games without the cooperation of the coaches and the statisticians. This time of the year there is, often, just one day to get starting lineups, updated stats, officials, background, etc – information necessary to present a quality broadcast. Add to that the possibility that the RCN crew will be going into gymnasiums that we have not been at previously. This, too, requires advanced site surveys and logistical decisions to lay all the wire and get the proper camera angles.
It is certainly a time of necessary chaos, but through the cooperation of athletic directors, coaches, stat guys, and school personnel, it gets done. Basketball is a game of numbers – threes made, foul shooting percentages, rebounds per game, points per game, assists, steals, blocked shots, team shooting percentages, scoring averages, free throw percentages – the list can go on and on.
So before I start to prepare for the next double header, I just want to thank everyone who helps to make our product better. There is plenty of basketball left to be played and, before I get caught up in the state playoffs, I just wanted to thank those who help along the way. Those numbers of people are the most important numbers of all.
ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
- Gonzaga lost their last regular season game of the year against BYU. But does it mean anything as we head to March Madness? Probably not – with Villanova, Kansas, and North Carolina solidified as the top regional seeds, Gonzaga should and will get the other spot. The only change may be that Kansas or Villanova will probably be ranked #1 this week.
- Will Michigan get into the NCAA playoffs? Will Central Catholic’s Muhammad Ali Abdur-Rahkman get a chance to show the hometown fans his skills? As I write this, he has started 28 of the 29 Michigan games, is the fifth leading scorer (8.9) and is fourth on the team in minutes played. Michigan is 19-10 and should get a serious look by the committee.
- I know that NFL rumors abound this time of the year, but there is talk that DeSean Jackson AND LeSean McCoy might both be back in Eagles’ uniforms this year. Jackson is a free agent and Buffalo may want to get rid of McCoy. I don’t like acquiring either one. What do you think?
- Tim Tebow went into broadcasting after his NFL failure and, word is, he is very good at analysis on SEC Network and ESPN. But it appears he still wants to compete. He is trying professional baseball, a sport he has not played since high school. Remember Michael Jordan? – that didn’t go so well.
- First it was Steve Harvey at the Miss Universe contest announcing the wrong name and this past Sunday the wrong Picture of the Year was announced at the Oscars due to some envelope confusion. Embarrassing to say the least. I feel a little better now when I call the wrong player in the heat of a game. The difference is that I can’t blame anyone else.
