Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Former Celtic Kenny Anderson finds calling coaching at a South Florida Jewish school
By Dieter Kurtenbach / Sun Sentinel | Saturday, September 10, 2011 |
DAVIE, Fla. — Kenny Anderson stands in the hallway of Davie’s David Posnack Jewish Day School, surrounded by a few dozen high school students, wearing backpacks and kippahs, who take photos of the former NBA All-Star.
Seemingly every one of Posnack’s 138 students wants to steal a moment with the star; after all, it’s the first time that a former NBA player has walked the halls of the school.
But it won’t be the last time. Anderson, after a 14-year NBA career, agreed last week to become the boys basketball coach at Posnack, replacing a local referee who coached the Class 1A team last year as a favor to the school’s athletic director.
Wait, what?
Yes, Kenny Anderson will coach a small Jewish high school in South Florida.
"This is where I belong, this is a good fit for me," Anderson said.
Anderson, 40, ended his NBA playing career in 2005. He filed for bankruptcy shortly thereafter. The more than $50 million that he had earned as a player had dwindled down to nothing. Anderson was broke, twice divorced and a distant father of the seven children he had with five different mothers.
He didn’t know what came after life in the NBA. He knew he wanted to coach — he wanted to teach the game that he knew so well, but the opportunities didn’t come.
He had a chance to be a head coach in the now-defunct Continental Basketball Association and the made-for-TV sport Slamball. But coaching the Atlanta Krunk and in a trampoline-basketball hybrid sport offered little credibility.
"It’s been a real humbling experience," Anderson said of his post-NBA life. "... I was eating humble pie for a couple, four or five years."
But after meeting his third wife, Natasha, Anderson began to come to grips with his new life station. He graduated from Miami’s St. Thomas University this past May at the request of his late mother, Joan. He focused on running basketball camps, motivational speaking and being a better father.
But Anderson still wanted to coach. An interview with University of Miami coach Jim Larranaga didn’t lead to a job.
"I’m sitting, pondering, for months, ’What am I going to do? What am I going to do?’." Anderson said.
Then, a harmless twitter conversation between a Georgia Tech basketball fan and Anderson developed into an opportunity.
Jay Doobrow (@JayDoobrow) tweets at plenty of celebrities and athletes, but few send messages back. Anderson, a stay-at-home dad in Pembroke Pines, did respond. Doobrow, whose two children attend Posnack, sent Anderson a message with his phone number, asking if he was interested in coaching at the school.
Anderson was, but he was also concerned that the school really wanted him.
Posnack Athletic Director Mitch Evron had a similar, although reversed, concern.
"I said ’Yeah, I’ll talk to Kenny Anderson, I’ll talk to Dwyane Wade, too,’." Evron said of Doobrow’s proposal.
Three meetings later, Kenny Anderson was hired.
"When I found out, I was pretty psyched," Jonah Wassersterom, a 10th-grade basketball player said. "He’s really coming here. It’s awesome. It’s a little shock, because, you know, (we’re a) small Jewish school."
It’s not about the money. Anderson will make little more than the normal coach’s stipend of $2,500, Evron said. For Anderson, it was about rekindling the competitive spirit that drove him during his NBA career in his new life.
"My challenge after leaving the pros was going back to school, that’s the only challenge I had. And I did that," Anderson said. "This is another challenge, and that’s what I feed off of."
Visit the Sun Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) at www.sun-sentinel.com
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1364772
Seemingly every one of Posnack’s 138 students wants to steal a moment with the star; after all, it’s the first time that a former NBA player has walked the halls of the school.
But it won’t be the last time. Anderson, after a 14-year NBA career, agreed last week to become the boys basketball coach at Posnack, replacing a local referee who coached the Class 1A team last year as a favor to the school’s athletic director.
Wait, what?
Yes, Kenny Anderson will coach a small Jewish high school in South Florida.
"This is where I belong, this is a good fit for me," Anderson said.
Anderson, 40, ended his NBA playing career in 2005. He filed for bankruptcy shortly thereafter. The more than $50 million that he had earned as a player had dwindled down to nothing. Anderson was broke, twice divorced and a distant father of the seven children he had with five different mothers.
He didn’t know what came after life in the NBA. He knew he wanted to coach — he wanted to teach the game that he knew so well, but the opportunities didn’t come.
He had a chance to be a head coach in the now-defunct Continental Basketball Association and the made-for-TV sport Slamball. But coaching the Atlanta Krunk and in a trampoline-basketball hybrid sport offered little credibility.
"It’s been a real humbling experience," Anderson said of his post-NBA life. "... I was eating humble pie for a couple, four or five years."
But after meeting his third wife, Natasha, Anderson began to come to grips with his new life station. He graduated from Miami’s St. Thomas University this past May at the request of his late mother, Joan. He focused on running basketball camps, motivational speaking and being a better father.
But Anderson still wanted to coach. An interview with University of Miami coach Jim Larranaga didn’t lead to a job.
"I’m sitting, pondering, for months, ’What am I going to do? What am I going to do?’." Anderson said.
Then, a harmless twitter conversation between a Georgia Tech basketball fan and Anderson developed into an opportunity.
Jay Doobrow (@JayDoobrow) tweets at plenty of celebrities and athletes, but few send messages back. Anderson, a stay-at-home dad in Pembroke Pines, did respond. Doobrow, whose two children attend Posnack, sent Anderson a message with his phone number, asking if he was interested in coaching at the school.
Anderson was, but he was also concerned that the school really wanted him.
Posnack Athletic Director Mitch Evron had a similar, although reversed, concern.
"I said ’Yeah, I’ll talk to Kenny Anderson, I’ll talk to Dwyane Wade, too,’." Evron said of Doobrow’s proposal.
Three meetings later, Kenny Anderson was hired.
"When I found out, I was pretty psyched," Jonah Wassersterom, a 10th-grade basketball player said. "He’s really coming here. It’s awesome. It’s a little shock, because, you know, (we’re a) small Jewish school."
It’s not about the money. Anderson will make little more than the normal coach’s stipend of $2,500, Evron said. For Anderson, it was about rekindling the competitive spirit that drove him during his NBA career in his new life.
"My challenge after leaving the pros was going back to school, that’s the only challenge I had. And I did that," Anderson said. "This is another challenge, and that’s what I feed off of."
Visit the Sun Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) at www.sun-sentinel.com
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1364772
Tom Brady, offense produce stirring win over Dolphins
By Ian R. Rapoport | Tuesday, September 13, 2011 | N.E. Patriots
Photo by Matt Stone
When Tom lines up behind the center, the limits of what can transpire are nonexistent. And even when the quarterback turns in a career performance, abusing the Miami Dolphins defense in last night’s 38-24 season-opening victory, his teammates are more amused than shocked.
Brady threw for a team-record 517 yards? Four touchdowns? Leading an offense that gained 622 yards?
“That’s crazy,” receiver Matthew Slater said. “It’s like a video game. I don’t even think you can do that in a video game.”
Maybe if Brady was playing. And with the way he toyed with the Dolphins, it was like he was holding the joystick — even if most of the 66,860 fans at Sun Life Stadium didn’t stay around to see the end of the game.
“Look, it’s a team sport,” Brady insisted after going 32-of-48 with an interception. “Those guys were catching the ball on some tough looks out there. We made enough plays to win, and that’s the goal.”
When Brady found Wes Welker for a 99-yard touchdown reception with 5:44 left, the Pats had administered the exclamation point. The receiver stiff-arming Miami cornerback Benny Sapp to the ground only made it sweeter.
“You can’t make a big deal out of this or that,” Welker said. “It’s whatever we had to do to win. How many catches do I need? How many yards do I need? How many yards will Tom throw for? Whatever it takes to win. We have some high expectations for ourselves and we expect to be able to move the ball down the field.”
True, Brady wasn’t alone, even if the reigning NFL MVP looked like the future MVP in the Pats’ ninth straight 30-plus point game.
The tight end tandem of Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski combined for 189 yards and two touchdowns, while Welker finished with 160 yards and two TDs. Receiver Deion Branch, who had no catches in the preseason, had seven receptions for 93 yards. Even center Dan Koppen suffering a broken ankle didn’t ruin a feel-good opener.
“Today was phenomenal,” said veteran guard Brian Waters, who joined the team last week as a free agent. “And there’s still some things that we can still get better at. That’s kind of scary.”
The defense flashed some positives, administering some pressure with two sacks, but allowing Dolphins quarterback Chad Henne to throw for 416 yards. Brady’s crew made sure it didn’t matter.
“You just sit back and admire it,” linebacker Jerod Mayo said.
The Dolphins came out swinging, taking a seven-point lead on Henne’s 9-yard run seven minutes in. But the response came like lightning.
Facing little pressure, even with rookie tackler Nate Solder and Waters starting on the right side of the line, Brady was surgical in his precision. Sprung by a 46-yard reception from Slater, the Pats tied it at 7 when BenJarvus Green-Ellis ran the ball in from the 4.
After Miami went three-and-out, Brady hit Gronkowski for a 10-yard touchdown to make it 14-7. Through two drives, Brady was 8-of-8 for 127 yards. With the Dolphins suffering in the South Florida heat, Brady poured it on.
“We definitely knew what the game plan was,” Miami cornerback Sean Smith said, “but that doesn’t make it easy.”
Last night was also the debut of defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, who made two tackles and drew two holding penalties. New receiver Chad Ochocinco had just a 14-yard catch. The machine simply rolled on.
In the second half, Brady offered a rare miscue, as a batted pass was intercepted by defensive end Jared Odrick intercepted it. Brian Hartline’s 10-yard catch tied it at 14 in the third quarter.
A 2-yard touchdown toss to Welker and a 1-yard scoring pass to Hernandez, answering a Dolphins field goal, later, and it was a 28-17 game at the end of three quarters.
The defense forced Henne into an incompletion on fourth down from the Patriots 1 with 6:02 left. Brady hit Welker with the 99-yarder from there.
“It was no one-man band out there,” coach Bill Belichick said. “We had a lot of contributions from everybody, and that’s what a good offensive team should do.”
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/football/patriots/view.bg?articleid=1365383
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Everett eases into the season
DiBiaso (4 TDs), Tide open by rolling over Leominster
EVERETT - After a Super Bowl ring ceremony, Everett showed last night why it is again one of the best teams in the state, beating Leominster for the 10th straight time.
Jonathan DiBiaso threw four touchdown passes for the Crimson Tide.
Everett’s defensive front was able to impose its will early, stopping Leominster on its first possession. The Blue Devils were forced to punt, allowing DiBiaso to get under center for the first time.
The lefthander didn’t take long to get into a groove.
DiBiaso dropped back to pass seven times in the opening possession, which ended with a 2-yard TD pass off play-action to senior tailback Vondell Langston.
“It’s good to get off on the right foot by scoring on our first possession,’’ said Langston. “Jon was able to shovel the pass to me and it got us ahead.’’
It took Leominster 28 seconds and two plays to answer, the first a 78-yard connection between quarterback Garrett Delle-Chiaie and Kyle Sanders. Delle-Chiaie then hooked up with Kevin O’Connor for the touchdown to make it 7-6.
DiBiaso got back to work quickly. On the second play of the possession, he connected with Jayle McRae for a 65-yard touchdown. The extra point failed, and Everett was on top, 13-6, after the first quarter.
“[McRae] was great all game,’’ said DiBiaso. “As a matter a fact, all of our players were. It was nice to be able to put points on the board so often in the opener.’’
The Crimson Tide continued their aerial attack on their next possession as DiBiaso threw a slant to Ralph Jonathas for a 19-yard touchdown. Jonathas muscled his way through the final 9 yards en route to the end zone. Kenny Calaj added the conversion rush.
The Blue Devils tacked on another touchdown after Delle-Chiaie threw a 10-yard fade up the left sideline to Joshua Caoutte. The Blue Devils were stuffed at the line on a 2-point attempt, making it 21-12.
DiBiaso threw his fourth touchdown pass with 54 seconds left in the half, giving the Crimson Tide a 28-12 lead.
Everett’s running game took over after intermission, with Langston and Calaj rushing for touchdowns in the third quarter.
Despite losing two of his favorite targets to graduation, DiBiaso dropped back to pass 32 times, completing 15, before leaving in the fourth with a 41-12 lead.
“It was good that we were able to come out and play the way that we did,’’ said coach John DiBiaso. “We need to clean some things up and just be ready to play next week.’’
Link: http://www.boston.com/sports/schools/football/articles/2011/09/10/dibiaso_4_tds_everett_open_high_school_football_season_by_rolling_over_leominster/
Link: http://www.boston.com/sports/schools/football/articles/2011/09/10/dibiaso_4_tds_everett_open_high_school_football_season_by_rolling_over_leominster/
BC High routs Brockton
Two top-10 teams in Eastern Mass. met under the lights at James Cotter Field last night, but only one team looked like it deserved to be called one of the best in the state as third-ranked BC High crushed No. 5 Brockton, 42-0.
Preston Cooper showed why he is one of the top running backs in the state with 124 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries.
“When you don’t think there’s a hole, Preston makes one,’’ BC High coach Jon Bartlett said. “It’s great to have a back like that. The lines did well but Preston is one of those guys who can make the plays on his own.’’
Right away it seemed this would be a game Brockton would like to forget. If not for a 45-yard kickoff return by Jesse Monteiro - which was followed by a three-and-out - Brockton’s offense would not have reached Eagles’ territory in the first half. The Boxers finished the half with 11 total yards on 24 plays.
The Eagles’ defensive strategy was to render Brockton’s standout quarterback, Paul Mroz, ineffective. They did just that.
“We had good help over the top,’’ Bartlett said. “He likes to tuck it away and get to the outside, so I think we did a good job containing him.’’
The Eagles’ physical play put Mroz on his heels, and back, all night. He finished 2-for-15 passing with an interception and two fumbles.
To make matters worse for Brockton, the Eagles found a rhythm early. They opened the scoring by staying on the ground, a six-play, 40-yard drive that resulted in Cooper’s first touchdown, from just inside the 5-yard line. They would tack on another 21 points before the half on two Cooper touchdowns - including an explosive 41-yard run up the middle - and a Zach West fumble return of 25 yards.
But even with a 28-0 lead, the Eagles had too much respect for Brockton to let up.
“Brockton’s always a second-half team,’’ said Cooper. “So we had to pick it up, the intensity, and we did that . . . it went well for us.’’
The Eagles’ next score came with 7:27 left in the third quarter, on a 42-yard screen pass from Bartley Regan to Gordon McLeod.
On the Boxers’ ensuing possession, Mike McAuley intercepted Mroz. A 20-yard run by Skyler Evans, an 18-yard run by James Moynahan, and a 14-yard touchdown run by Evans put the Eagles on the board for the final time.
Bartlett is aware that BC High has a tough Catholic Conference schedule ahead. After the game, he told his team that it has more to work on and it needs to get better.
The Eagles looked ready last night.
Link to article: http://www.boston.com/sports/schools/football/articles/2011/09/10/bc_high_routs_brockton/
Link to article: http://www.boston.com/sports/schools/football/articles/2011/09/10/bc_high_routs_brockton/
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Exclusive: NBA wants 3rd round in draft
VILNIUS, Lithuania — After an overnight flight connecting through Helsinki, Finland, I bumped into a scout for the Denver Nuggets near the tourist information booth at the quaint little airport here where the second round of EuroBasket is taking place.
Whether he knows it or not, he may be here scouting future third-round draft picks.
That’s right: Third round.
SheridanHoops.com has learned that NBA owners have proposed adding a third round to the annual draft, a proposal that the players’ union has countered by offering an array of changes to the draft that would help address the owners’ desire for more competitive balance.
According to sources involved in the league’s collective bargaining discussions, the union has proposed various changes to the draft:
_ Under one proposal, the 15 teams with the worst records would continue to pick 1st through 15th, but then would also have the 16th through 30th picks. The teams with the top 15 records would have the first 15 picks of the second round, then would have the 44th through 60th picks, too. Under this proposal, the Chicago Bulls (whose 62-20 record was the league’s best last season) would have the 45th and 60th picks instead of the 30th and 30th picks. The Minnesota Timberwolves, who had the NBA’s worst record (17-65), would have their lottery pick and the 16th pick, but would no longer have the first pick of the second round — No. 31 overall.
_ Under another proposal, the teams with the eight worst records would get an additional first round pick, beginning with selection No. 22, and the teams with the eight best records would have no first-round picks but would select at the top of the second round (picks 31 through 38), then also would get the final eight picks of the second round.
There hasn’t been a third round in an NBA draft since 1988 (Anthony Mason, selected by Portland, was the most memorable pick of that third round), as the following season the draft was shortened to two rounds. The draft was seven rounds from 1985-87, and longer before that (Little-known fact: The Chicago Bulls drafted sprinter Carl Lewis in the 10th round in 1984, even though he had not played high school or college basketball. That was the same year Chicago drafted Michael Jordan No. 3 overall).
The draft negotiations have been one of the few side issues that have been discussed during the labor talks, which have centered mainly on the split of revenues between the owners and players. As reported here yesterday, the sides are closer on the money than they have been leading everyone to believe.
Labor talks will resume today in New York.
LINK TO ARTICLE: http://sheridanhoops.com/2011/09/07/exclusive-nba-wants-3rd-round-in-draft/
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Father and son in NBA grudge
By Ashley Hammond, Staff Reporter
Rivers senior and junior heading for a dream of competing against each other
Image Credit: Arshad Ali/Gulf News
Dubai: The NBA has seen only two father and son match-ups in its 65-year history, but Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers and his son Austin, a freshman with collegiate side Duke University, aim to make it three.
For the record the other two were Jan and Butch Van Breda Kolff in 1976 and more recently Mike Dunleavy junior and senior in 2003.
With 19-year-old Austin having only made three appearances for the Blue Devils so far its still very early days for the youngster but both father and son interestingly dream of competing against each other in the NBA as coach and player as opposed to shooting toward the same hoop.
Legendary Doc Rivers, the 2008 NBA Championship winning coach with the Celtics, was in Dubai watching his son make his fourth appearance in an exhibition game against the UAE national side last night at Al Wasl Club, ahead of November's proposed NBA re-start.
Austin, initially shrouded by his father's success as a coach and player started to make his own name for himself at Winter Park High School winning back-to-back Florida 6A state championships and later named Naismith Prep Player of the Year in March.
Rivers senior added: "I hope that one day he plays [in the NBA] that would be great but I need to play against him. I mean coach a team against him. That would be fun because I know all his strengths and weaknesses.
"That's his dream too to play against one of my sides someday. I wouldn't mind him in my team but you know that would be tough because I have to go home to his mum every night."
Rivers junior said: "I've been playing okay, it's a learning curve and I'm still adapting to the system. We're not playing a lot of minutes at the moment they are trying to sub everyone to let everybody get a taste, so it's hard to get a feel for the game."
Valuable lessons
"Playing in the NBA is a dream but right now it's about getting better as a player and a person. I want to win a National Championship before I can talk about the NBA — my dad has taught me to stay humble and hungry and work hard, that's what you have to do to win and achieve your dreams — because there are a lot that have grown big headed and never lived up to the hype."
Speaking about the potential of perhaps joining his dad one day at the Celtics, Austin said: "I would love to play for any NBA team and that's always been the goal. I would never say no to anything like that but it would be more fun to go against him."
Contrary to what his father believes about Austin's strengths and weaknesses, the youngster adds: "He doesn't know. He thinks he knows but I've got more tricks up my sleeve that he doesn't know about."
A self-confessed playmaker who models himself on the likes of Derrick Rose, Dwayne Wade and Deron Williams (interestingly none of which have ever played for the Celtics) Austin is anxious to cut ties with his dad, albeit in a good way.
Austin said: "I'm very proud of my dad and the way he handles everything. You'll never see my dad get into trouble with the law or be the guy on TV who says something ridiculous. He's very humble and does things the right way and I've learnt a lot from him more importantly as a person.
"Having him at the Celtics has given me an insight as to what it's like to be an NBA player, what it takes to get there and how to handle yourself once you are there. How to act and how not to act," said Austin.
Despite the praise for his father, if he is to make it all the way to the NBA one day don't be surprised if it's not for the Celtics.
For the record the other two were Jan and Butch Van Breda Kolff in 1976 and more recently Mike Dunleavy junior and senior in 2003.
With 19-year-old Austin having only made three appearances for the Blue Devils so far its still very early days for the youngster but both father and son interestingly dream of competing against each other in the NBA as coach and player as opposed to shooting toward the same hoop.
Legendary Doc Rivers, the 2008 NBA Championship winning coach with the Celtics, was in Dubai watching his son make his fourth appearance in an exhibition game against the UAE national side last night at Al Wasl Club, ahead of November's proposed NBA re-start.
Article continues below
Rivers, aged 49, told Gulf News from the sidelines: "He's [Austin] doing alright. He's played three games so far and he's playing pretty well. Offensively he's really good that's where he excels. Defensively he's getting better and I think going to college will help him improve."Austin, initially shrouded by his father's success as a coach and player started to make his own name for himself at Winter Park High School winning back-to-back Florida 6A state championships and later named Naismith Prep Player of the Year in March.
Rivers senior added: "I hope that one day he plays [in the NBA] that would be great but I need to play against him. I mean coach a team against him. That would be fun because I know all his strengths and weaknesses.
"That's his dream too to play against one of my sides someday. I wouldn't mind him in my team but you know that would be tough because I have to go home to his mum every night."
Rivers junior said: "I've been playing okay, it's a learning curve and I'm still adapting to the system. We're not playing a lot of minutes at the moment they are trying to sub everyone to let everybody get a taste, so it's hard to get a feel for the game."
Valuable lessons
"Playing in the NBA is a dream but right now it's about getting better as a player and a person. I want to win a National Championship before I can talk about the NBA — my dad has taught me to stay humble and hungry and work hard, that's what you have to do to win and achieve your dreams — because there are a lot that have grown big headed and never lived up to the hype."
Speaking about the potential of perhaps joining his dad one day at the Celtics, Austin said: "I would love to play for any NBA team and that's always been the goal. I would never say no to anything like that but it would be more fun to go against him."
Contrary to what his father believes about Austin's strengths and weaknesses, the youngster adds: "He doesn't know. He thinks he knows but I've got more tricks up my sleeve that he doesn't know about."
A self-confessed playmaker who models himself on the likes of Derrick Rose, Dwayne Wade and Deron Williams (interestingly none of which have ever played for the Celtics) Austin is anxious to cut ties with his dad, albeit in a good way.
Austin said: "I'm very proud of my dad and the way he handles everything. You'll never see my dad get into trouble with the law or be the guy on TV who says something ridiculous. He's very humble and does things the right way and I've learnt a lot from him more importantly as a person.
"Having him at the Celtics has given me an insight as to what it's like to be an NBA player, what it takes to get there and how to handle yourself once you are there. How to act and how not to act," said Austin.
Despite the praise for his father, if he is to make it all the way to the NBA one day don't be surprised if it's not for the Celtics.
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