by Bill Neal, For New Pittsburgh Courier
:10—Overtime might just be the deal today…as I write this, I am live and in living blue and gold color at that “Pete” as the Pitt Men’s basketball team does battle with the Florida State Seminoles. Reason being the Panthers jumped out to a 17-5 start. The Seminoles called a timeout and when they came back to the floor it was clear there was more than “Gator” in their “Ade!” Something woke them up…I am just sayin. 38-27 with two minutes to go in the half on this Saturday afternoon, Jan. 21. I’ll keep you posted.
:09—OK, so it’s basketball time in the ‘Burgh and that means that half my waking hours will be spent at the Pete or the newly established Cooper Fieldhouse at Duquesne. Which always greenlights me to ask a question. When are they going to retire Sam Clancy’s shirt? You don’t need my word, just Google the man’s stats. And no, I won’t let it go! No, you shut up!
:08—I must admit, there is something culturally inspiring about eight young White kids doing the halftime show at the Pitt game Hip-Hop style. And it does echo the words we’ve all heard before…“That we as a nation have more in common than differences.” EXCEPT, NOT ALWAYS! I am just sayin’!!!
:07—OK, let’s just have some fun since I don’t know and you don’t know, not really…not for sure. So, here’s my lockdown predictions…The Chiefs over the Jaguars. The Eagles over the Giants. The Bengals over the Bills, and the 49ers over the Cowboys. (Editor’s note: All were correct.)
:06—Five minutes into the second half…and, as you know, the most important part of the game if you’re trailing. Your main man and mine, Blake Hinson has the Pete “lit” with three 3s in a row. Stay tuned.
:05—By the way and speaking of “lit,” January 25 is Jerome Lane Day remembering when the extremely versatile big man brought it home at the old Fitzgerald Fieldhouse, shattering the glass and icing himself into Pitt folklore. “Send it in Jerome!” That’s a Pitt vs. Wake Forest contest featuring Jerome Lane tee shirts and mugs.
:04—For the record, I had the great pleasure of speaking at my alma mater, Penn Hills H.S. Football Banquet last Friday night. While I could certainly talk you to death about their football accolades, it gives me great pleasure to tell you the highlight of the evening was their collective discipline and that their grade point averages were off the chart. They have about six players with 3.6 GPAs. A tap of the helmet to coach Charles Morris and staff. I can tell you my entire 1970 team couldn’t hit that mark if we combined all our scores! (By the way, that being said . . . can I retake the SAT test? I’ve got to be able to do better by now.)
:03—Good news, your Panthers fought the good fight but came up short, 71-64, against Florida State. And a player you might see in the NBA very soon…Darin Green Jr., was their undoing. A lights-out shooter who makes it look easy. He finished with a game high 24 points, most of which came at critical moments.
:02—If you missed it, you’ll see it here in a future column. The Noblemen of Penn Hills donated basketball shoes to the girls’ and boys’ hoop teams at Penn Hills High School—real big deal!
:01—“Champions Live” Sports Talk Show will premiere in April. We are in search of the ultimate female sports talk show host and the best high school sports talent in town. Call me at Achieving Greatness Inc. (412-628-4856) if you’ve got the skills.
:00—GAME OVER.
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