Thursday, August 17, 2006



by: Rick Noland Medina Gazette

I am a hoops junkie. I'll watch any kind of basketball game, anytime. I'll play in any game, anytime.

Over the years, I've had hundreds — maybe even thousands — of great experiences playing and watching the best sport in the world. I recently added three I'd like to share.

The first occurred Friday night, when a bunch of us old geezers won the 26-and-over championship at Pinnacle Sports Complex in our first year in the league.

I bring this up not to brag, but because I've played in a lot of leagues over the years and this one ranked right near the top due to its diversity in age, race, style of play and team makeup, not to mention its great officiating and sportsmanlike players.

Of course, that Salem Plumbing managed to come out on top with a nine-man roster that featured players 37, 38, 43, 45, 45 and 49 years of age made it even sweeter.

That none of us had a heart attack while laughing hysterically as we watched a videotape of the game — trust me, "slow-motion" replays were not needed — was icing on the cake.

Just how slow we were, are and will continue to be was driven home the next two days when I went to Ray Mellert Park to watch the fourth annual Hoop-n-Que 4-on-4 tournament.

I'm normally not a big fan of unnecessary showmanship — you don't get extra points for a no-look pass, dunk or between-the-legs dribble, after all — but this event was awesome on a number of fronts.

No. 1, it brought me back to the pickup games of my youth, when long jumpers were rare due to wobbly backboards, wind, bright sunlight and bent rims that were too low to begin with.

No. 2, the talent level was absolutely fabulous, the athleticism was phenomenal and the play was amazingly physical, yet clean.

Hoop-n-Que would have gotten raves based on those aspects alone, but what truly made it special was the vibrant atmosphere that existed at a park some people are afraid to visit.

The music was lively, the food was terrific, the play was spectacular and everyone was smiling. About 350 people were on hand each day, and that number should grow in 2007 now that Hoop-n-Que has finally gotten some long overdue publicity.

Organized by Medina natives Mantrell Price and Ramon Burnham, the event was as well-run as the 26-and-over league at Pinnacle and the men's 3-on-3 league at the Medina Community Recreation Center, which brings me to my third great basketball experience in recent days.

While loosening up for our 3-on-3 game Monday, I couldn't help but notice an extremely large gentleman. He was sitting down at the time, so I put him at about 6-foot-9, 6-10. Only when he stood up did I realize he was well over 7 feet tall.

His gait was undeniably that of a former pro athlete, but I did not recognize 7-2, five-time ABA All-Star, six-time NBA All-Star Artis Gilmore until I was told who he was.

Turns out he was in town because he is very good friends with a player on our team. It also turns out he was coming to Pinnacle the next afternoon to play pickup ball with a bunch of us who congregate there on a regular basis.

Gilmore will be 57 in September, so his legs aren't what they used to be. But he's still 7-2, he weighs about 325 pounds, his hands make the basketball look like a grapefruit and his long arms allow him to come within inches of the rim without jumping.

Needless to say, everyone in our group of chuckers was eager to play with and against a guy who scored 9,362 points in five ABA seasons (22.3 average) and 15,579 more in 12 NBA campaigns (17.1).

Now, I've played with and against NBA players and coaches before and the games have always fallen into one of two categories: Either the pro is so nice he holds back the entire time (Larry Nance, Austin Carr) or so unbelievably competitive (Barry Clemens, George Karl) no one else gets to touch the ball. Either way, the games usually aren't all that much fun once the initial thrill of playing with a pro is gone.

This was different. Gilmore proved to be a proud, competitive athlete who wanted to win and did not look down — figuratively, at least — at the unathletic hacks around him. Yet he was sane enough that he didn't suddenly explode in a burst of 100 percent effort and accidentally kill someone.

The games were competitive, yet friendly and fun. Gilmore, who put the ball over his head, muscled his way to the basket and scored whenever he really felt like it, even called a few fouls and debated a few called against him.

It all added up to yet another great basketball experience — my third in a span of just five days.

Hopefully, there are many more still to come.

Who's got next?


Noland may be reached at rickn@ohio.net

For more about Artis Gilmore --- or to e-mail
questions to A-Train --- please visit:
WWW.ARTISGILMORE.COM


Wednesday, June 21, 2006


ARTIS GILMORE SPEAKS OUT ABOUT REFEREES

Artis Answers Questions From Readers

QUESTION:

In the recent series between Miami and Dallas it seems like everyone
was complaining about the refs. Although that has always been part of
the game, did you talk much to refs when you were playing and what is
your attitude about what seems to be a growing tendency of many
players to constantly be bellyaching to referees while the game is in
progress?

ARTIS ANSWERS:

Athletes are always going to complain about the officials --- that really is part of the game. When I was playing Rick Barry had the reputation of being the biggest crybaby of all times because he was always complaining during the game. Sometimes, though, I think refs showed him some favoritism just because they knew he’d complain. There’s one part of this subject that I never hear much about. I regret observing that there are still officials continuing in the game for the earlier years when I was there. More power to them for hanging in that long, but quite honestly, I don’t think that some of them are quick enough any more to properly referee complex situations involving today’s fast moving athletes.

A-Train
June 21, 2006


For more about Artis Gilmore --- or to e-mail
questions to A-Train --- please visit:
WWW.ARTISGILMORE.COM




Wednesday, May 31, 2006



Artis Answers Questions From Readers

QUESTION:

Artis: if you were playing against Shaq, what would you do on defense and how would you come at him on offense?

ARTIS ANSWERS:


The rules of engagement haven't changed very much from the earlier years when I played the league. The best offense players are frequently not matched against each other in games. The key reason is to prevent foul trouble for offense threats, especially with big men during the early stages of the games. Of course, as the game moves forward there are occasions where the big guns go head-to-head. If I were to have had the opportunity to face Shaq I would work to prevent him from catching the ball on the box near the basket. That would mean using phyical strength to force him to catch the ball further away from the basket, and to make him use more energies on all attempts to receive the ball on offense. Many centers simply don’t have the power to do that with Shaq, but hat was exactly the type of physical game I was able to play for many years and I certainly believe that would be my edge against him.


A-Train
May 31, 2006


For more about Artis Gilmore --- or to e-mail
questions to A-Train --- please visit:
WWW.ARTISGILMORE.COM


Tuesday, May 16, 2006



Artis Answers Questions From Readers

QUESTION:

As one of only three NBA players to be on the same team with both
Michael Jordan and Larry Bird, you have a first hand knowledge of
what made them great. Watching LeBron James, do you have a prediction about whether or not he has the ability to live up to expectations?

ARTIS ANSWERS:

I haven't had the opportunity to observe LeBron James during any of the CAVS practice sessions with his coaches and teammates, but from afar he certainly shows a great appreciation for the game and seems to be growing up with the same perspectives that I remember from other great players like Larry Bird and Michael Jordan. Respect for the game and for one’s teammates translates into leadership qualities on the court. If LeBron continues in good health h
Linke certainly will be one of the truly great players to watch in the near future.

A-Train

May 16, 2006


For more about Artis Gilmore --- or to e-mail
questions to A-Train --- please visit:
WWW.ARTISGILMORE.COM


Artis Answers Questions From Readers
QUESTION:

As a former SPURS you've probably been following the San Antonio versus Dallas playoff series. What do the SPURS need to do to recover and get passed the MAVS?

ARTIS ANSWERS:

Unfortunately my beloved SPURS may not have the ability to recover
from this very difficult deficit against the newly revitalized Dallas Mavs.

If I had the opportunity to make some suggestions to this SPURS team, it certainly would focus on the fact that on defense the larger Dirk Nowitzki has been guarded with a smaller defender like Bruce Bowen. As good as he is, Bruce just just doesn't have the size to match up with Dirk. The imbalance in defense is also evident by the fact that the SPURS are giving up way too many points. Reliability on defense is key to success in any game, but especially so in the playoffs.

A-Train

May 16, 2006


For more about Artis Gilmore --- or to e-mail
questions to A-Train --- please visit:
WWW.ARTISGILMORE.COM


Saturday, May 13, 2006


ARTIS GILMORE
"A-Train"


This ABA and NBA Legend
Deserves To Be In The Basketball Hall Of Fame.


• Named to Sporting News’ Top 50 of the first 50 Years of the NBA
• Named to Athlon’s Top 50 of the first 50 Years of the NBA
• ABA Championship, Kentucky Colonels, 1975
• Career .599 field-goal percentage - highest in NBA history
• 3rd highest shot blocker in pro basketball history (3,178)
• 4th highest rebounder in pro basketball history (16,330)
• 14th of all time pro basketball scorers (24,941)
• Leading left-handed scorer in professional basketball history
• One of only eight players in college history to average
20 points and 20 rebounds per game over a career
• All Star in 11 of 17 years as a pro
• 5th best all-time for pro minutes played (43,836)
• Played 670 consecutive games
• ABA Most Valuable Player and Rookie, 1971-72
• ABA single-season record for the most blocked shots (422)
• All-time ABA rebounds per game (40)
• Won 4 out of 5 ABA rebounding titles
• Led Jacksonville University to the NCAA championship final game vs UCLA in 1970
• Top of ESPN’s list of “Players Missing From The Hall Of Fame”

For more about Artis Gilmore --- or to e-mail
questions to A-Train --- please visit:
WWW.ARTISGILMORE.COM