JACK TAYLOR

Who said D1 schools have the best scorers in the NCAA? Grinnel College keeps proving that statement untrue. Jack Taylor, a 5'10 sophmore guard, scored a whopping 138 points. He went 52-108 from the field; Taylor was 25-37 from 2 point range, 27-71 from beyond the arc, and he nailed 7-10 free throws. Taylor has set a scoring record for all NCAA divisions. He annihilated two previous scoring records set by Frank Selvy (100 pts vs. Newberry:PLAYED FOR Furman:D1) and Clarence "Bevo" Francis (113 pts vs. Hillsdale: PLAYED FOR Rio Grande:D2) in 1954. The Grinnell Pioneers dominated Faith Bapist Bible 179-104. Taylor attempted 108 out of 136 team field goals. Coach David Arseneault is known for his up tempo style of play called "The System". "The System" incorporates an all game full court press, focus on offensive rebounding, a plethora of three point shots, and regular subsitutions (he subs 5 new players every 2 minutes). Last season Griffin Lentsch, Taylor's senior teammate scored 89 points, and set a new D3 scoring record. Taylor was averaging 23.5 ppg in only 13.5 mpg, after yesterday's game he's avering 61.7 ppg through 3 games played.

Lakers hire Mike D'Antoni

On Sunday night, early Monday morning, The LA Lakers hired former Coach Of The Year Mike D'Antoni. D'Antoni signed a $12M/4yr deal with Tinseltown's team. Communication with Phil Jackson broke down due to his seemlingly outlandish demands ( $10-15M a year, major clout in personnel choices, choosing his successor, and skipping selected road games). Obviously that's a lot to ask for even for Phil Jackson. Now that the Lakers have their coaching situation in tact, how will the rest of the season play out for them? I believe that Lakers will flourish under Mike D'Antoni. D'Antoni has a great relationship with Steve Nash; Nash knows how to run a D'Antoni offense. Their offense will be fast paced, high octane, pick n roll oriented, and fun to watch. Dwight will thrive in the pick n roll with Nash, which will free up Kobe for open shots due to the threat of Nash's unparalleled pick n roll ability. A plethora of critics, including myself, know that D'Antoni isn't a defensive minded coach; However according to ESPN D'Antoni's teams have solid defensive stats. Although that is true none of D'Antoni's previous teams had the best low post defender in the NBA, in their starting lineup. Dwight will improve D'Antoni's solid defensive stats, and transform them into great defensive stats. The Lakers currently are on the right track again; They've won two straight games, and have hired a new coach. I'm dubbing these new look Lakers "Showtime Pt. 2". Things are looking up in Hollywood. NUFF SAID.

Mike Brown FIRED!

Yesterday, Lakers coach Mike Brown was terminated from his head coaching position. Mike Brown compiled a record 42-29 while with the Lakers. This season the Lakers were expected to win the Western Conference, but seemingly can't get it together. Brown seemingly never had an offensive system in place; Brown's predecessor Phil Jackson who implemented the Triangle Offense, enabled the Lakers to flourish without a true point guard. Mike D'Antoni and Phil Jackson are the top 2 candidates for the job. D'Antoni is known for his "7 second offense", and high scoring games. In his stint with the Suns the team stayed among the top 10 in PPG, and top 10 in other offensive categories. However, defense is not his fortay; Dwight would control the defense, allow the offense to score in transition, and thrive in the pick n roll with Steve Nash. Phil Jackson is Phil Jackson, need I say more? The only concern with Phil is his health. Can he deal with 82 game grind of the NBA season, plus a predicted deep playoff run? I believe Phil Jackson should be rehired, simply because he's Phil Jackson. NUFF SAID