Bleacher Report - Articles by adam bradley

The Top 10 Athletes in Movie History (Oakland Raiders)

adam bradley — Mon, 12 May 2008 08:35:58 -0400

This list excludes movies that star actual athletes, since, of course, they'd be the best. It also doesn't include movies about real athletes because that is also not fair. And boring.

So here are the top 10 athletes in movie history.

10. David Simms—Tin Cup

This guy was the man. Roy "Tin Cup" McAvoy might have had more talent but boozing and having one of the biggest stoners in American history as your caddie don't equal victories. Just ask John Daly. Sure, Simms was a smug prick who hates kids and dogs, but it was genius when he hit that drive down the street to beat Mr. Cup.

9. Rocky

You might be asking, "Why isn't Rocky, who was heavyweight champ multiple times, higher on this list?"

Well that's because in Rocky Balboa, the last installment of the series, the scoreboard before the fight against Mason "the Line" Dixon (the worst Rocky opponent name ever by the way. At least Tommy Gunn was badass sounding. The Line? Not cool. Maybe if it was Nose "the Line" Candy. That would have been pretty awesome), it showed that Rocky's career record is something like 57-23-1. Then he lost.

In fact, he lost TWICE in his own movies. But still, 24 losses? Sorry, but I don't think Ivan Drago went on to lose 23 more bouts. (But I think the Russians might have executed him after the Rocky fight.)

8. Henry Rowengartner—Rookie of the Year

12 years old, throws 100 MPH heat. That's pretty impressive.

Even when he trips, falls, is no longer able to throw the cheese, and reverts into his old, no skills self, he is crafty enough to still retire the side in a big game. Throwing a floater is still pretty gay though. Greg Maddux would never do that.

7. Lance Harbor –Varsity Blues

It was a shame what happened to Lance. He was clearly next in line for football superstardom before hurting his knee. He was on his way to play for a still competent Bobby Bowden at Florida State.

He was likely on his way to multiple Heismans and National Titles, while destroying Rex Grossman led Florida Gators teams year after year. He would have been selected No. 1 by the expansion Houston Texans in 2002. After only three seasons in the league, the Hall of Fame would have changed its rules to allow Harbor to be inducted while still playing. Meanwhile, the Texans become football’s greatest dynasty, and Tom Brady is a nobody who doesn't ever get to bang Giselle.

But that wasn't the case. Instead, he hurt his knee and was out of football. He stayed in West Canaan where his girl and her whipped cream bikinis left him for fucking Dawson.

6. Shep (Shepherd)—Above the Rim

Another victim of tragic circumstances. His promising basketball career was cut short due to his friend, um, accidentally falling off a roof to his death while playing basketball with Shep.

The thought of playing again caused Shep too much pain, which is ridiculously retarded. But years later, he becomes a security guard. When he starts banging the mother of a basketball stud, he feels the need to guide him and offer him his wisdom.

What he doesn't realize is that his kid is going to teach him just as much about life as he teaches him. Oh well, that crap doesn't matter.

What matters is that when they play one on one, Shep DESTROYS him, and this kid is going on to star at Georgetown. I think the moral of the story was don't play basketball on the roof of a high rise.

5. Roy Hobbs—The Natural

Would have been the greatest ever if that bitch Harriet Bird didn't shoot him. I mean, he struck out The Whammer on three pitches as a 19-year-old. The white Ken Griffey Jr. of his fake era.

4. Kelly Leak—Bad News Bears

Henry Rowengartner was pretty awesome for being in the bigs at age 12, but he didn't have shit on Kelly Leak. First of all, he was badass enough to be awesome despite being named Kelly.

He was smoking, drinking, and riding a motorcycle as a 12-year-old. As soon as he joined the Bears, their season turned around and they started winning.

Also, I heard there were some deleted scenes where Kelly beat up some gang members and ate them. And it wasn't in the script. It was all improved on the spot.

3. Happy Gilmore

Wins the tour championship in his first year. And by first year, I don't mean first year on the tour, I mean first year of PLAYING GOLF PERIOD.

That is remarkable. All it took was going to one round of mini golf and finding his "happy place,” which is so weird because his name was also "happy.”

2. Jimmy Chitwood–Hoosiers

I don't know if he ever missed a shot. Ever. He would have been No. 1 on this list because you know, being able to make every shot is a pretty good skill set to have on the basketball court, but he was kind of a prima donna for not playing until halfway through the season.

1. Derice Bannock–Cool Runnings

Was clearly on his way to the Olympics as a world class sprinter, but that loser tripped him and destroyed his dreams. Like a crazy person, he never gives up, and decides to start a bobsled team (in Jamaica! They don't even have snow!!).

Of course he makes it to the Olympics because everybody knows that sprinters make the best bobsledders.

Considering this is the second time that Leon Robinson (the actor) appears on this list (see Shep, No. 6), this also makes him the greatest actor/athlete in history.

Plus, he got to bang Madonna in that Like a Prayer video when she was still hot. I don't care how many baseball movies Kevin Costner does, he's got nothing on Leon.

Coaching Carousel: Up-and-Coming College Basketball Coaches

adam bradley — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 11:40:56 -0400

As the college basketball season comes to a close, the coaching carousel begins to turn. Coaches getting fired, getting hired.

Already this off-season we have seen several high profile positions open up such as Cal, Indiana, and Oklahoma State. While Tom Crean has already taken the Hoosiers head position, there are several other jobs still available.

Here is a list of some of the top “up-and-coming” coaches in college basketball. Note: The names on this list are of people who are already head coaches at other programs and have put themselves in a position to move up to bigger name jobs.

1. Anthony Grant, VCU—Grant is one of the top names up for the LSU job. He was a Florida assistant for 10 years and after leading VCU past Duke in last years NCAA tournament, he was all but announced as the next head man at Florida after Billy Donovan temporarily defected to the NBA. Initially LSU contacted USC head man Tim Floyd before he said he wasn’t interested. As soon as the speculation began, USC insiders pegged Grant as the likely top choice at the school.

2. Darrin Horn, South Carolina—The latest coach to skyrocket up the charts at the surprising coach factory that is Western Kentucky. Led the Hilltoppers to a 111-48 record in five seasons including a sweet 16 birth in this years tourney. The cat’s out of the bag on this guy. Just this week he was named Dave Odom’s successor at South Carolina.

3. Travis Ford, UMASS – Really hot name right now after leading UMASS to the NIT final, which doesn’t seem that impressive. Actually, his overall record as a Division 1 coach is 98-104, but he does have a track record for improving teams. His first job with NAIA Campbellsville University he led his team to a 28-3 record and was Mid-South Conference Coach of the Year.

He moved on to Eastern Kentucky and turned the team around in one year, as they were 7-19 the year before he got there and 22-9 when he took over. He led them to the NCAA tourney and pushed his alma mater Kentucky to the brink before falling short. He is either the first or second candidate along with VCU’s Anthony Grant for the open position at LSU, which would get him back to his SEC roots.

4. Sean Miller, Xavier—Has turned Xavier into a legitimate power in his first head coaching position. Last season they should have beaten eventual national runners-up Ohio State in the second round, and this year they made it all the way to the Elite 8. His name was thrown out there for the Indiana job as well as the South Carolina job already, but many people see him staying at Xavier until his dream job becomes available, which would be the job at Pitt (his alma mater). But that will only happen when and if Jamie Dixon feels the need to return to his roots on the west coast as others have speculated he will eventually do.

5. Jim Christian, TCU—An impressive career record at 138-58, Christian recently left Kent State to take over at TCU. He won an MAC tourney twice, and was also a two time conference coach of the year

6. Brian Gregory, Dayton—A member of the Tom Izzo coaching tree along with other notable names like Tom Crean and Stan Heath, Gregory has a great basketball education. He led Dayton to a top 15 ranking this season, and if his top player wasn’t hobbled by injuries late in the season, he would have had a good chance at making the tournament.

7. Chris Lowery, Southern Illinois—One of the youngest on this list at 35, his name is being thrown around at big time schools even though SIU had it’s worst record this season since Lowery has taken over at 18-15. But Lowery did take the Salukis to the NCAAs in his first three seasons, including a Sweet 16 birth in ’06-’07. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel listed Lowery as a potential candidate to take over for Tom Crean at Marquette, and now he seems to be on the radar at Oklahoma State as well.

8. Brad Brownell, Wright State—Another promising young name, he led UNC Wilmington to two NCAA appearances in four years, and led Wright State to a tourney appearance. Has a career record of 127-60. His name was mentioned for the Indiana job, but he was never in serious contention. Was the backup choice to Jim Christian for the TCU job.

9. Scott Sutton, Oral Roberts—Sutton, the youngest son of legendary Eddie Sutton, isn’t as well known as his brother Sean, who was recently fired at Oklahoma State, but he just might be the best. He has led Oral Roberts of the mighty Summit League to three straight NCAA tournament appearances. His name has been mentioned in the open positions at Missouri State and TCU, and last year even turned down the position at Wichita State. Give it one more year and one more tourney appearance, and he’ll be gone

10. Bill Grier, San Diego—Grier has learned from one of the best in Mark Few as an assistant at Gonzaga, and in one season at San Diego he beat his former mentor in the WCC tournament, and upset UCONN in the NCAAs. Actually turned down a Pac-10 position at Oregon State to stay at San Diego, but like most on the list, it’s only a matter of time before he moves on.

11. Randy Bennett, St. Mary’s—His name was mentioned for the Oregon State opening as well as the Cal job, but so far he has shown his plans are to stay at St. Mary’s to continue to teach rising stars like Patty Mills.

Other Notables: Some of these coaches are too fresh at their current positions and still have a little to prove before moving up to bigger jobs, some were left off the list because they currently hold jobs at high major schools, and some were omitted because they are too old to be considered “up-and-coming”. But nonetheless, they are all hot commodities in the coaching ranks.

1. Tony Bennett, Washington State—I’m sure by now you’ve heard of him. Last years national coach of the year has turned Washington State’s program around leading them to back to back 26 win seasons after taking over for his father. He was Indiana’s first (public) choice but turned them down, which may come back to bite him since he is losing both of his star guards. If he can keep the program where it is near the top of the Pac-10 after losing Weaver and Low, expect him to be one of the top names come next off season, and the temptation just might be too great. Either way, WSU is in the Pac-10, so it’s already a major job.

2. Mick Cronin, Cincinnati—Also didn’t make the list because Cincinnati is a pretty major job, but he'll be a household name in the next couple of years.

3. Keno Davis, Drake—Just like Tony Bennett, if you win national coach of the year in your first season at the helm, you automatically get a spot on this list. Davis led Drake to a 28-5 record this year, and won the Missouri Valley Conference title after being picked to finish last by some publications. He turned Adam Emmenecker, a former walk-on who averaged only 11 minutes a game through his junior season, into a conference player of the year. If he doesn’t allow Drake to slip in the next year or two, he is surely on his way to a bigger and better job.

4. Brad Stevens, Butler – At 31, Stevens is the 3^rd youngest coach in history to lead his team to 30 wins in a season, his first at Butler. Led the Bulldogs to a top 10 ranking. Needs a few more years of experience before he moves up to a major program.

5. Jim Larranaga, George Mason—Jim Larranaga might not be able to be considered an “up-and-comer” considering he’s 58 years old and has been a head coach dating back to the 70’s. But after taking George Mason to the Final Four two years, his name has jumped back on the radar for other schools. Most recently, he was offered the position at his alma mater Providence, but turned it down and stayed at Mason. If he wouldn’t take that position, don’t expect him to go anywhere anytime soon.

6. Bob McKillop, Davidson—A really hot name right now after Davidson surprise run to the Elite 8 and just falling short of the Final Four. Like Larranaga, he is no spring chicken at 57. Don’t expect him to leave anytime soon though. While Stephan Curry is still shooting threes on the court, McKillop will be roaming the sideline. Plus, his ties to the school are great. His two eldest children graduated from the school, and his youngest son, Brenden, is a guard on the team currently. Not to mention he has been there since 1989.

7. Tommy Dempsey, Rider—Dempsey is the youngest Division I coach with 100 wins, which is very impressive. Next year will really be the deciding factor in Dempsey’s future, where we will see how Rider fares as he loses Jason Thompson to the NBA.

Six Assistants Who Will Be Head Coaches Soon:

1. Gib Arnold, USC - Has a serious basketball education. Was an assistant at Pepperdine under Paul Westphal, and is now the associate head coach under Tim Floyd at SC. Father, Frank, was an assistant at UCLA under John Wooden and a successful head man at BYU.

2. John Groce, Ohio State - At age 35, has already been a coach for 14 years, first cracking a division I staff under Herb Sendek at NC State, and now serves under Thad Motta. Is largely responsible for Ohio States back-to-back top five recruiting classes that included Greg Oden and Mike Conley, Jr.

3. Tony Jones, Tennessee - Associate head coach under Bruce Pearl, he is largely credited with recruiting top recruits Ramar Smith and Duke Crews

4. Derek Kellogg, Memphis - As a player led some great UMASS teams under John Calipari, who now serves as his mentor at Memphis.

5. Anyone, Duke – Take your pick. Johnny Dawkins is always a hot name, but he seems to have a little Bill Guthridge syndrome and doesn’t seem ready to leave Coach K’s side any time soon. The same can’t be said for Chris Collins and Steve Wojciechowski, former Duke standouts as players, who should find themselves head guys in the next few years.

6. Mark Montgomery, Michigan State—Associate head coach at his alma mater, he has been with Tom Izzo for six seasons now. Considering Izzos track record of sending his top assistants off to head coaching positions, this one is a no-brainer.

Other Notables:

Larry Shyatt, Florida
Cameron Dollar, Washington
Joe Dooley, Kansas
Ray McCallum, Indiana
Kevin O’Neill, Arizona
Joe Holladay, North Carolina
Greg Gard, Wisconsin

Why UNC Will Never Lose Again: The Future of the Tarheels

adam bradley — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 07:56:02 -0400

Okay, first things first.

The Tarheels could very possibly lose Tyler Hansbrough, Tywon Lawson, and Wayne Ellington to the NBA. If they end up continuing this domination of the opposition in the tourney and win it all, then at the very least Hansbrough and Lawson are gone.

If they don't win it all, there is a good chance that they will return. Rumor has it Hansbrough has already renewed his lease on his apartment for next year.

So for the article's sake, and for my dreams, we will assume that they are all staying.

Here is a position-by-position breakdown of the team that will undoubtedly go undefeated and win the national title next season.

And with this article, I hereby announce that if they lose even ONE SINGLE game next year with this team, I will pay $20 to any and every Bleacher Report reader that remembers to call me out on it.*

Here are your 2008-2009 University of North Carolina Tarheels.

(Note: some of these players can be considered for two different positions, and it's unclear who is a power forward and who is a center sometimes, so I did the best I could.)

Point Guard

This is where the Tarheels will be the deepest and most dangerous. Like this season (before the loss of Bobby Frasor to injury), they have three more than capable options.

Tywon Lawson (with the loss of Derrick Rose, Darren Collison, and D.J. Augustin to the league) is the nation's premier PG. He brings valuable experience as a third year starter and has already gone deep into March twice.

Nobody gets up and down the court as fast as he does, setting the tempo for what will surely be one of the highest scoring teams in the country.

Backing him up again will be senior Frasor. He has had an unfortunate career thus far, plagued by injuries that sidelined him most of his sophomore and junior seasons. When he has played, though, he has proven to be very effective.

He started as a true freshman and led the ACC in assists. He would probably start for any other school in the country. His style isn't as up and down as Lawson's, but there is probably no better backup PG in the nation. His knee should be healthy, and his experience is valuable.

Finally, there is Larry Drew. Drew comes in a highly touted recruit that is truly suited for the elite level. He is the son of former Pistons first round pick Larry Drew, Sr. who enjoyed a 10-year career and is currently an assistant with the Atlanta Hawks.

Having been exposed to big-time basketball and getting access to some of the best training will assure that at the very least, this kid will be a smart player. He most likely will take over the starting job as a sophomore, having learned even more from his departing teammates.

Shooting Guard

Marcus Ginyard and Danny Green will both see time at SG, but for this they will be listed as small forwards. That leaves Wayne Ellington as the only "true" SG on the team.

Ellington—the Clemson killer—will be a junior, a benefactor of two years of starting under his belt. He made great strides from his freshman year to sophomore year, showing the nation (and NBA scouts) that he is more than just a shooter.

Expect Ellington to continue to develop his all around game by next year. Since the Tarheels are exceptionally deep at the point position, Ellington has not really had to handle the ball, but he certainly is capable.

Small Forward

While they don't get the national attention that the "big three" get, seniors-to-be Marcus Ginyard and Danny Green are two of the best role players in the country.

Ginyard will likely be the starter. His primary responsibility will be as a lock-down defender, an especially important role as the Heels' defensive prowess can be suspect at times. He is listed at 218 pounds, but he looks a good 10-20 pounds heavier than that, in a good way.

He is very strong and physical, and his athleticism doesn't appear to have fallen off at all. He gets to the basket on offense, and although he doesn't shoot from outside often, he manages to shoot 43 percent from the three-point range.

Green, who Coach Williams calls his "sixth starter," will most likely find himself in that role again next year.

But that doesn't bother him.

Easily the best athlete on the team, Green is an exceptional shot blocker and a gifted scorer. His 1.5 blocks per game are second on the team to Deon Thompson, who holds a slight lead. He provides energy off the bench, and can come in and not miss a beat.

Will Graves will also see some time at this position. His weight and athleticism (or lack thereof) have been a question since his arrival on campus two years ago, but he is an excellent shooter.

In a very limited role this year, Graves has shot 45 percent from three-point range, and at 6'6", he is able to get off his shot against smaller defenders.

Power Forward

Again, the Tarheels are extremely deep at this position. The likely starter will be junior Deon Thompson. He was the starter this season and has shown tremendous potential, especially on the offensive end.

His numbers may not reflect it at 8.5 ppg, but that is primarily because he plays opposite Hansbrough, who is without a doubt the first option down low. Thompson displays good footwork, and possesses a deadly jump hook.

Thompson is comfortable making moves going right or left, an often under-appreciated skill most college players never master. He can face the basket and hit jumpers. So far through two tournament games, he is a sizzling 14-16 from the floor, averaging 15.5 ppg.

The knock on him is that he tends to disappear from games at times, but this is more due to the fact that he is overshadowed by Hansbrough, and sometimes defers to him and lets him do all the work. Once he learns to assert himself a little more, he could be a future star.

Backing up Thompson will again be Alex Stepheson. Similar to Danny Green and Bobby Frasor, Stepheson could probably start for any other program in the country. His primary responsibility is defense, but he has shown flashes of a promising offensive game.

This season he has averaged about 14 minutes a game, but with the arrival of Ed Davis, it is not clear whether his minutes will increase or decrease next year, but either way he will be productive.

Like Larry Drew, Ed Davis is the son of a former NBA player. While I have never seen him play, experts do nothing but rave about his abilities. He is an exceptional athlete, evident by his YouTube video showing him jumping over someone in a a chair for a dunk.

He is very long, and is a tenacious rebounder and an excellent shot blocker. He can sneak up on people being left-handed.

He should be a big time NBA prospect in a year or two. Playing behind talented offensive players like Hansbrough and Thompson should give him a chance to let his offensive game catch his defensive one.

Center

I know. Tyler Hansbrough isn't really a center. His is listed at 6'9", but is likely closer to 6'7". But on this team, he is essentially the center. I won't bore you to death with more Hanbrough ink, you know who he is and what he does.

Tyler Zeller comes in as the highest rated recruit in the Tarheel class. Standing at a legit seven feet tall, he is one of the best running big men in the country.

His older brother Luke is a back-up at Notre Dame, but by scouts estimations, the younger Zeller is by far the better player. He will provide more depth and maybe more importantly, more height in the lineup.

Right now he is a little skinny, but with the other Tyler, Deon Thompson, Alex Stepheson, and Ed Davis able to play down low, he won't have to step in and contribute right away.

This means that the Tarheels will most likely go 12 deep.

That's absolutely unheard of. Even their ridiculously talented championship team of '04-'05 only went 10 deep. I will never say that they have too much talent, but finding the playing time and roles and chemistry of this team may prove to be Roy's most difficult challenge yet.

Maybe some will transfer, maybe some will redshirt. Who knows?

If worse case scenario happens and they lose the big three, this is the lineup:

PG—Bobby Frasor

SG—Marcus Ginyard

SF—Danny Green

PF—Deon Thompson

C—Alex Stepheson

Will Graves, Larry Drew, Ed Davis and Tyler Zeller will come off the bench and get considerable playing time.

And who knows? Maybe one of the freshmen will emerge as a stud and take one of these starting spots. Either way, they would still go nine deep.

This team would lack a go to player on the offensive end, but would still be a Top 15 team, capable of making a deep NCAA tourney run.

As an added bonus, here is an even further look into the Tarheels' future world domination:

'08-'09 Projected Lineup

PG—Larry Drew, So.—Ready for prime time.

SG—Dexter Strictland, Fr.—Currently No. 1 PG in the junior class. Most likely an SG in this scenario. He is known for supreme athleticism.

SF—John Henson, Fr.—Already 6'10" as a high school junior, he is a wing player in the Kevin Durant mold.

PF—Deon Thompson, Sr.—He's experienced and finally reaching full potential.

C—Alex Stepheson, Sr.—He could be Tyler Zeller if he improves enough.

Bench (that will actually see playing time)—Zeller (C, So.), Will Graves (SF, Jr.), Ed Davis (PF, So.), Travis and David Wear (Freshman PF's who have can play inside and outside).

That's 10 deep again. Plus they will probably sign at least one more blue chipper between now and then. Which would obviously make them deeper.

'09-'10 Projected Lineup

PG—Larry Drew, Jr.

SG—Dexter Strictland, So.

SF—John Henson, So.

PF—Ed Davis, Jr.

C—Tyler Zeller, Jr.

Bench—Will Graves (SF, Sr.), Travis and David Wear (PF, So.), Kendall Marshall (PG, Fr. Currently No. 2 ranked high school sophomore PG in the country), Reggie Bullock (SG, Fr. Currently No. 1 ranked high school sophomore SG in the country).

Once again, already 10 deep. And especially in this case it is a virtual lock that they will sign more players.

This is just getting silly folks.

*Agreement is void if I determine that I want to void it, and I have already determined that I do.

20 Reasons Why George Mason Will Not only Return to the Final Four, but Also Win the Whole Thing

adam bradley — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 19:57:39 -0400

Haha. You thought I was serious? Have you lost your mind? They have no chance.