the 3 false narratives re: coach cuonzo martin
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Last: 1 yr ago by Civil Bear
I knew Bernie Simpson (3rd from left, front row standing over a trophy).
I used to talk to a guy sitting behind me at Harmon during the games starting in about 1988. We didn't exchange names and he never told me he played for Cal. One game he overheard me telling someone that when I was a boy that I attended a Bishop O' Dowd vs St. Ignatius hoop game at St. Ignatius and that during the game one of the guards for St. Ignatius dropped dead after the ball was inbounded and he was coming up court (circa 1963 or 1964). The man behind me tapped me on the shoulder and said, "I am well aware of that incident. I was the coach of the St. Ignatius team when it happened." It was at this point we exchanged names and I discovered the man behind me all those years was Bernie Simpson.
When Harmon was morphing into Haas and the games were at the Oakland Arena, and then afterwards, when Haas opened, I didn't see Bernie at the games anymore. Years later, he and his wife, Donna, moved to Walnut Creek, and we would bump into them at Sunday Mass. He took a real interest in my kids' basketball careers. Bernie and Donna were such nice, quality people.
I used to talk to a guy sitting behind me at Harmon during the games starting in about 1988. We didn't exchange names and he never told me he played for Cal. One game he overheard me telling someone that when I was a boy that I attended a Bishop O' Dowd vs St. Ignatius hoop game at St. Ignatius and that during the game one of the guards for St. Ignatius dropped dead after the ball was inbounded and he was coming up court (circa 1963 or 1964). The man behind me tapped me on the shoulder and said, "I am well aware of that incident. I was the coach of the St. Ignatius team when it happened." It was at this point we exchanged names and I discovered the man behind me all those years was Bernie Simpson.
When Harmon was morphing into Haas and the games were at the Oakland Arena, and then afterwards, when Haas opened, I didn't see Bernie at the games anymore. Years later, he and his wife, Donna, moved to Walnut Creek, and we would bump into them at Sunday Mass. He took a real interest in my kids' basketball careers. Bernie and Donna were such nice, quality people.
Cancel my subscription to the Resurrection
Send my credentials to the House of Detention
I got some friends inside
Send my credentials to the House of Detention
I got some friends inside
There have been so many versions of Dirk/Cal that I really don't know
Do you have a reference for this because I've not heard that one before
It's like the fish that got away that keeps getting bigger every year
Do you have a reference for this because I've not heard that one before
It's like the fish that got away that keeps getting bigger every year
calumnus said:Civil Bear said:HoopDreams said:
I think only sensely was a silent commitCivil Bear said:Then Braun should easily be the best Cal recruiter over the last 50 years (James, Nowitzki, Winston, Sensley, Blanchard, etc.).HoopDreams said:agree that you shouldn't give credit for the fish that got away, but I'm making an exception in this case with Swanigan who gave a verbal to Cal. I remember the press conference where a reporter asked him if there were going to be any other star signings to the top rated class?Civil Bear said:You can't get credit for the ones you didn't get. Pulling in 1 good class, albeit outstanding, in 3 years does not make him the best recruiter in 50 years. Martin was closer to the least consistent recruiter not named Fox that Cal has had in the last 50 years.HoopDreams said:
Martin also got a silent commitment from Swanigan (his guardian blocked)
If he signed and the two last minute injuries didn't happen that would have been a legit Final Four team
No doubt Martin was the best recruiter Cal has had in 50 years, and he also got maximum buy in from his players
He's the type of leader I wish we had at Cal
Martin couldn't say anything so he gave a vague reply, but his huge grin said all you needed to know
Define silent commit. Kennedy (and I
think Julian) signed an LOI. Dirk told Braun he wanted to come to Cal. LeBron just told the press.
Dirk and Cal were going to sue the NCAA after he verbaled to Cal but they declared him ineligible, then he destroyed the top Americans in an All Star game and the NBA suddenly really was his path.
Civil Bear said:HoopDreams said:
I think only sensely was a silent commitCivil Bear said:Then Braun should easily be the best Cal recruiter over the last 50 years (James, Nowitzki, Winston, Sensley, Blanchard, etc.).HoopDreams said:agree that you shouldn't give credit for the fish that got away, but I'm making an exception in this case with Swanigan who gave a verbal to Cal. I remember the press conference where a reporter asked him if there were going to be any other star signings to the top rated class?Civil Bear said:You can't get credit for the ones you didn't get. Pulling in 1 good class, albeit outstanding, in 3 years does not make him the best recruiter in 50 years. Martin was closer to the least consistent recruiter not named Fox that Cal has had in the last 50 years.HoopDreams said:
Martin also got a silent commitment from Swanigan (his guardian blocked)
If he signed and the two last minute injuries didn't happen that would have been a legit Final Four team
No doubt Martin was the best recruiter Cal has had in 50 years, and he also got maximum buy in from his players
He's the type of leader I wish we had at Cal
Martin couldn't say anything so he gave a vague reply, but his huge grin said all you needed to know
Define silent commit. LeBron just told the press.
My understanding was the rumor was because LeBron played with the Oakland Soldiers and Leon Powe one summer, but I'm pretty sure any comment from LeBron to go to Cal was just a casual mention or before he blew up
https://www.mercurynews.com/2015/06/01/lebron-james-basketball-rise-came-through-bay-area/amp/
HoopDreams said:
There have been so many versions of Dirk/Cal that I really don't know
Do you have a reference for this because I've not heard that one before
It's like the fish that got away that keeps getting bigger every yearcalumnus said:Civil Bear said:HoopDreams said:
I think only sensely was a silent commitCivil Bear said:Then Braun should easily be the best Cal recruiter over the last 50 years (James, Nowitzki, Winston, Sensley, Blanchard, etc.).HoopDreams said:agree that you shouldn't give credit for the fish that got away, but I'm making an exception in this case with Swanigan who gave a verbal to Cal. I remember the press conference where a reporter asked him if there were going to be any other star signings to the top rated class?Civil Bear said:You can't get credit for the ones you didn't get. Pulling in 1 good class, albeit outstanding, in 3 years does not make him the best recruiter in 50 years. Martin was closer to the least consistent recruiter not named Fox that Cal has had in the last 50 years.HoopDreams said:
Martin also got a silent commitment from Swanigan (his guardian blocked)
If he signed and the two last minute injuries didn't happen that would have been a legit Final Four team
No doubt Martin was the best recruiter Cal has had in 50 years, and he also got maximum buy in from his players
He's the type of leader I wish we had at Cal
Martin couldn't say anything so he gave a vague reply, but his huge grin said all you needed to know
Define silent commit. Kennedy (and I
think Julian) signed an LOI. Dirk told Braun he wanted to come to Cal. LeBron just told the press.
Dirk and Cal were going to sue the NCAA after he verbaled to Cal but they declared him ineligible, then he destroyed the top Americans in an All Star game and the NBA suddenly really was his path.
At one point Kobe was all but signed by Bozeman before he decided to declare for the NBA draft..
"Coach Bozeman kept recruiting me. He kept recruiting me. He didn't just resign to the fact that I'm going to go pro. He was persistent about it. So at that moment in time, for me to make a decision and say, 'OK, you know what? I'm not going to go pro,' it would have been Cal because Coach Bozeman just kept on keeping on. Roy Williams did, too, when he was at Kansas."
HoopDreams said:
There have been so many versions of Dirk/Cal that I really don't know
Do you have a reference for this because I've not heard that one before
It's like the fish that got away that keeps getting bigger every yearcalumnus said:Civil Bear said:HoopDreams said:
I think only sensely was a silent commitCivil Bear said:Then Braun should easily be the best Cal recruiter over the last 50 years (James, Nowitzki, Winston, Sensley, Blanchard, etc.).HoopDreams said:agree that you shouldn't give credit for the fish that got away, but I'm making an exception in this case with Swanigan who gave a verbal to Cal. I remember the press conference where a reporter asked him if there were going to be any other star signings to the top rated class?Civil Bear said:You can't get credit for the ones you didn't get. Pulling in 1 good class, albeit outstanding, in 3 years does not make him the best recruiter in 50 years. Martin was closer to the least consistent recruiter not named Fox that Cal has had in the last 50 years.HoopDreams said:
Martin also got a silent commitment from Swanigan (his guardian blocked)
If he signed and the two last minute injuries didn't happen that would have been a legit Final Four team
No doubt Martin was the best recruiter Cal has had in 50 years, and he also got maximum buy in from his players
He's the type of leader I wish we had at Cal
Martin couldn't say anything so he gave a vague reply, but his huge grin said all you needed to know
Define silent commit. Kennedy (and I
think Julian) signed an LOI. Dirk told Braun he wanted to come to Cal. LeBron just told the press.
Dirk and Cal were going to sue the NCAA after he verbaled to Cal but they declared him ineligible, then he destroyed the top Americans in an All Star game and the NBA suddenly really was his path.
How Cal Landed Dirk Nowitzki and Lost Him to the NBA
https://sports.yahoo.com/how-cal-landed-dirk-nowitzki-and-lost-him-to-the-nba-232656336.html
HoopDreams said:Civil Bear said:HoopDreams said:
I think only sensely was a silent commitCivil Bear said:Then Braun should easily be the best Cal recruiter over the last 50 years (James, Nowitzki, Winston, Sensley, Blanchard, etc.).HoopDreams said:agree that you shouldn't give credit for the fish that got away, but I'm making an exception in this case with Swanigan who gave a verbal to Cal. I remember the press conference where a reporter asked him if there were going to be any other star signings to the top rated class?Civil Bear said:You can't get credit for the ones you didn't get. Pulling in 1 good class, albeit outstanding, in 3 years does not make him the best recruiter in 50 years. Martin was closer to the least consistent recruiter not named Fox that Cal has had in the last 50 years.HoopDreams said:
Martin also got a silent commitment from Swanigan (his guardian blocked)
If he signed and the two last minute injuries didn't happen that would have been a legit Final Four team
No doubt Martin was the best recruiter Cal has had in 50 years, and he also got maximum buy in from his players
He's the type of leader I wish we had at Cal
Martin couldn't say anything so he gave a vague reply, but his huge grin said all you needed to know
Define silent commit. LeBron just told the press.
My understanding was the rumor was because LeBron played with the Oakland Soldiers and Leon Powe one summer, but I'm pretty sure any comment from LeBron to go to Cal was just a casual mention or before he blew up
https://www.mercurynews.com/2015/06/01/lebron-james-basketball-rise-came-through-bay-area/amp/
LeBron's high school coach, Keith Drombot, was Braun's good friend and had been Braun's assistant at Eastern Michigan. Braun knew LeBron since he was in junior high. It was not a coincidence and it was more than one summer LeBron spent playing on the Soldiers at the RSF. Powe, Ubaka, McGuire all came to Cal and were LeBron's Soldiers teammates and friends. He loved hanging out with them on Durant and Telegraph (there used to be rap battles back then) and even used to bring his teammates there as a young NBA player whenever they played the Warriors.
The NBA has gone back and forth about one-and-dones vs direct entry. If It had been a year where LeBron had to spend one year in college, there is a great chance it would have been at Cal playing with his "best friend" Leon Powe and their Soldier teammates and friends coached by Ben Braun, who had been recruiting him the longest. LeBron has said so himself.
> LeBron has said so himself.
anybody seen his book? tnx in adv..
2022 > My new book is out now!!! Hope everyone read it and also write a review, appreciate the love.
anybody seen his book? tnx in adv..
2022 > My new book is out now!!! Hope everyone read it and also write a review, appreciate the love.
My new book is out now!!! Hope everyone read it and also write a review, appreciate the love. https://t.co/SCV6vIQ9dL
— Leon Powe (@Leon_Powe) July 1, 2022
smh said:
> LeBron has said so himself.
anybody seen his book? tnx in adv..
2022 > My new book is out now!!! Hope everyone read it and also write a review, appreciate the love.My new book is out now!!! Hope everyone read it and also write a review, appreciate the love. https://t.co/SCV6vIQ9dL
— Leon Powe (@Leon_Powe) July 1, 2022
Wow, next book on my list, thanks!
thanks for the article. yes, it sounded like both coaches were very optimistic Cal would have landed Dirk, and it wasn't just talk ... Cal visited Dirk and his family several times, and Dirk visited Cal along with UK and Stanford.calumnus said:HoopDreams said:
There have been so many versions of Dirk/Cal that I really don't know
Do you have a reference for this because I've not heard that one before
It's like the fish that got away that keeps getting bigger every yearcalumnus said:Civil Bear said:HoopDreams said:
I think only sensely was a silent commitCivil Bear said:Then Braun should easily be the best Cal recruiter over the last 50 years (James, Nowitzki, Winston, Sensley, Blanchard, etc.).HoopDreams said:agree that you shouldn't give credit for the fish that got away, but I'm making an exception in this case with Swanigan who gave a verbal to Cal. I remember the press conference where a reporter asked him if there were going to be any other star signings to the top rated class?Civil Bear said:You can't get credit for the ones you didn't get. Pulling in 1 good class, albeit outstanding, in 3 years does not make him the best recruiter in 50 years. Martin was closer to the least consistent recruiter not named Fox that Cal has had in the last 50 years.HoopDreams said:
Martin also got a silent commitment from Swanigan (his guardian blocked)
If he signed and the two last minute injuries didn't happen that would have been a legit Final Four team
No doubt Martin was the best recruiter Cal has had in 50 years, and he also got maximum buy in from his players
He's the type of leader I wish we had at Cal
Martin couldn't say anything so he gave a vague reply, but his huge grin said all you needed to know
Define silent commit. Kennedy (and I
think Julian) signed an LOI. Dirk told Braun he wanted to come to Cal. LeBron just told the press.
Dirk and Cal were going to sue the NCAA after he verbaled to Cal but they declared him ineligible, then he destroyed the top Americans in an All Star game and the NBA suddenly really was his path.
How Cal Landed Dirk Nowitzki and Lost Him to the NBA
https://sports.yahoo.com/how-cal-landed-dirk-nowitzki-and-lost-him-to-the-nba-232656336.html
but that's still different than a verbal that only needed the guardian to sign
HoopDreams said:thanks for the article. yes, it sounded like both coaches were very optimistic Cal would have landed Dirk, and it wasn't just talk ... Cal visited Dirk and his family several times, and Dirk visited Cal along with UK and Stanford.calumnus said:HoopDreams said:
There have been so many versions of Dirk/Cal that I really don't know
Do you have a reference for this because I've not heard that one before
It's like the fish that got away that keeps getting bigger every yearcalumnus said:Civil Bear said:HoopDreams said:
I think only sensely was a silent commitCivil Bear said:Then Braun should easily be the best Cal recruiter over the last 50 years (James, Nowitzki, Winston, Sensley, Blanchard, etc.).HoopDreams said:agree that you shouldn't give credit for the fish that got away, but I'm making an exception in this case with Swanigan who gave a verbal to Cal. I remember the press conference where a reporter asked him if there were going to be any other star signings to the top rated class?Civil Bear said:You can't get credit for the ones you didn't get. Pulling in 1 good class, albeit outstanding, in 3 years does not make him the best recruiter in 50 years. Martin was closer to the least consistent recruiter not named Fox that Cal has had in the last 50 years.HoopDreams said:
Martin also got a silent commitment from Swanigan (his guardian blocked)
If he signed and the two last minute injuries didn't happen that would have been a legit Final Four team
No doubt Martin was the best recruiter Cal has had in 50 years, and he also got maximum buy in from his players
He's the type of leader I wish we had at Cal
Martin couldn't say anything so he gave a vague reply, but his huge grin said all you needed to know
Define silent commit. Kennedy (and I
think Julian) signed an LOI. Dirk told Braun he wanted to come to Cal. LeBron just told the press.
Dirk and Cal were going to sue the NCAA after he verbaled to Cal but they declared him ineligible, then he destroyed the top Americans in an All Star game and the NBA suddenly really was his path.
How Cal Landed Dirk Nowitzki and Lost Him to the NBA
https://sports.yahoo.com/how-cal-landed-dirk-nowitzki-and-lost-him-to-the-nba-232656336.html
but that's still different than a verbal that only needed the guardian to sign
Then we're all agreed!
Swanigan: very close
Nowitzki: sorta close
LBJ: makes for a nice story
FIFYHoopDreams said:
thanks for the article. yes, it sounded like both coaches were very optimistic Cal would have landed Dirk, and it wasn't just talk ... Cal visited Dirk and his family several times, and Dirk visited Cal along with UK and Stanford.
but that's still different than a supposed silent verbal that was rumored to only needed the guardian to sign
More like:Big C said:HoopDreams said:thanks for the article. yes, it sounded like both coaches were very optimistic Cal would have landed Dirk, and it wasn't just talk ... Cal visited Dirk and his family several times, and Dirk visited Cal along with UK and Stanford.calumnus said:HoopDreams said:
There have been so many versions of Dirk/Cal that I really don't know
Do you have a reference for this because I've not heard that one before
It's like the fish that got away that keeps getting bigger every yearcalumnus said:Civil Bear said:HoopDreams said:
I think only sensely was a silent commitCivil Bear said:Then Braun should easily be the best Cal recruiter over the last 50 years (James, Nowitzki, Winston, Sensley, Blanchard, etc.).HoopDreams said:agree that you shouldn't give credit for the fish that got away, but I'm making an exception in this case with Swanigan who gave a verbal to Cal. I remember the press conference where a reporter asked him if there were going to be any other star signings to the top rated class?Civil Bear said:You can't get credit for the ones you didn't get. Pulling in 1 good class, albeit outstanding, in 3 years does not make him the best recruiter in 50 years. Martin was closer to the least consistent recruiter not named Fox that Cal has had in the last 50 years.HoopDreams said:
Martin also got a silent commitment from Swanigan (his guardian blocked)
If he signed and the two last minute injuries didn't happen that would have been a legit Final Four team
No doubt Martin was the best recruiter Cal has had in 50 years, and he also got maximum buy in from his players
He's the type of leader I wish we had at Cal
Martin couldn't say anything so he gave a vague reply, but his huge grin said all you needed to know
Define silent commit. Kennedy (and I
think Julian) signed an LOI. Dirk told Braun he wanted to come to Cal. LeBron just told the press.
Dirk and Cal were going to sue the NCAA after he verbaled to Cal but they declared him ineligible, then he destroyed the top Americans in an All Star game and the NBA suddenly really was his path.
How Cal Landed Dirk Nowitzki and Lost Him to the NBA
https://sports.yahoo.com/how-cal-landed-dirk-nowitzki-and-lost-him-to-the-nba-232656336.html
but that's still different than a verbal that only needed the guardian to sign
Then we're all agreed!
Swanigan: very close
Nowitzki: sorta close
LBJ: makes for a nice story
Kennedy Winston: signed, but left
Julian Sensley: super close
Swanigan: very close
Nowitzki: sorta close
LBJ: makes for a nice story
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