Mediaphile: Bud Bowl
As a media obsessed journalist, I love to take time and reflect on great pieces of popular culture. In honor of Super Bowl weekend, I’m taking a look at the brilliance of… BUD BOWL!
The Bud Bowl, in my eyes felt more like a real competition than the actual big game. Of course with advertising juggernaut, Budweiser, it’s not too hard to imagine the meticulous detail put into these series of ads for each Super Bowl. Please note this was still a time when beer companies could do this stuff, along with this and this and people didn’t think it was influencing kids to become alcoholics by their sweet sixteen.
Bud Bowl allowed fans to see a tongue-in-cheek look on the ever-changing landscape of pro football so let’s go to tape.
Simple set up. Bud playing Bud Light as we watch this tightly contested match up. A key turnover sets up a crucial field goal attempt to decide this one. No wait!!! Suspense as the Bud Bowl is held up by thirsty partygoers.
Note: Players saying, “Hello Mom!” and clipboard throwing.
Hype, lots of hype. Seems like a bowl game to me.
Love the “Bud Announcers” decked out in the cold weather jackets. Also, I like the Bear Bryant/Tom Landry fused Bud Light coach, looking to play some “foo’ball”. Houndstooth works for Bud Light.
Key to this match up is Budweiser looking to stop Bud-way Joe. All he needs is a mink coat. Maybe some jockey ads.
Is it legal in the BFL rulebook for Billy Bud and Bobby Bud to wear none-league marked bandanas?
I like Budweiser with their beast… The Freezer. I anticipate big things from him.
With the low temps and chance of snow and ice, watch the running game.
I love the slight reference to “tear away” jerseys.
Can The Freezer beat the Washer, the Dryer and Kitchen Sink?
What… a…finish!
We’re really hyping this up with Chris Berman, Don Meredith and Keith Jackson. Bud Bowl is here to stay.
I’m worried about Bud-way Joe’s injury. Do this mean he will have to stalk sideline reporters asking for kisses?
Nice idea, the helmet cam, what comes off as a joke became a reality for FOX’s MLB telecasts to bring us closer to a ball game. Of course the NFL brought in the elevated tracking camera as did the NHL.
Hopefully, Bud Dry is represented by Drew Rosenhaus… or Jerry Maguire and got that huge signing bonus.
Did the “Bud Bowl Boogie” hit #41 on the Billboard Chart?
Wait? Ads in an ad? Sea World blimp?
“Keith, these bottle came to play.” – Dandy Don Meredith
Wait? Eagle’s nuts too?
Is that opener legal?
Bobby Bud seems a bit distracted.
Oh no! THE BAND IS ON THE FIELD. Poor John Elway.
That marriage is ending in divorce. I’m calling it.
Apart from this stupid set up, no bottles playing, no Keith, no Don, no fun!
Bud Light led by… WAIT!!! ROGER DORN!?! Dorn’s oh-for-the century against this guy! With plenty of foul tips.
Team Bud is all about showmanship. Led by Joe Willie Namath, sans sideburns.
Who the hell is Karen Duffy?
Bud “Neon” Light. I wonder if he had a Nike shoe deal?
Now, come on, the Budweiser rocket has to be illegal!
Kudos for Corbin to argue on the side of state bottle return policies.
The Illumimator has to be on steroids. What is the BFL guideline on wheat and barley supplements?
Thank God Marv Albert is calling it. I love his work on SNL or NBA videos from the late 80′s.
I like Coach Ditka leading Budweiser. His defensive mind should give his offense some confidence.
Bum Phillips just doesn’t have enough experience to take down Coach.
Bum can’t stop those fakes.
That Basher is one tall boy.
You can’t throw the Basher out, we’re getting robbed!
We have had the Fog Bowl, the Ice Bowl but now the wind bowl? This game being played in Chicago?
Coach Ditka better filed a complaint for the replay of the last-minute of action.
In the end, the Bud Bowl did get progressively stupider, as Budweiser need to give people a reason to watch and hopelessly win some cash. Not to mention promote different sizes of their product.
Auburn Maroon Report: The Last 2 Weeks
It seems like yesterday the 2011-12 basketball season was just starting. The Maroons held off Rush-Henrietta on a last second drive for their first win, in their first game (at home) of the season. From there it felt like Auburn was going to be able to recapture the same kind of run they had last year.
Too bad it did not last. The Maroons followed up that dramatic win with some heartbreaking losses Fayetteville-Manlius (59-53) and Corcoran (77-74 OT) that very same week. Then it felt like every single game was going to be decided in the last minute of play. In all actuality it was. Apart from the losses to West Genesee, Utica Proctor and Friday’s loss to Cicero-North Syracuse, every single game has been a battle to the end.
It seems so odd that would occur in one year for one team. For Coach Tim Darnell it has to be nerve racking for him. This year’s squad has had to overcome many obstacles and yet through it all he always seems to have his team ready to play. As the regular season comes to a close and the Maroons on the bubble of making the playoffs will they have enough left in them to get in?
The Hardest Part:
One thing hurting the Maroons is depth. Not that this is a newsflash, this has been the story all year. Especially with the loss of so many seniors last year and a JV program with too many green players, Darnell had to use what was at his disposal.
With the Maroons losing Dan DeFranco this past week, it hurts their depth at guard. Granted for sophomore Trent Ward, he’ll see his minutes increase, it means the Maroons have only 8 players to work with.
James Feocco will finally be healthy to play this week and yes, while that moves the roster total to 9 players, it will be tough to see if he is healthy enough to be effective from the bench. Having missed essentially the whole season, it is so hard to go from being at the games as a cheerleader to be suited up ready to play down low against some tough opponents. The Maroons will have plenty of work ahead of them as they have to face off against four winning teams: Henninger, Nottingham, Fayetteville-Manlius and Oswego.
With such a limited bench, Darnell has been able to use that small number of bodies to his advantage. In the last few weeks he has been able to establish a rotation of players who have been very effective against larger rosters. I felt his coaching really worked well in Oswego on Tuesday, utilizing center Luke Boedicker, whose length was able to deter Buccaneers from driving to the hoop when teamed up with Joe Wilson.
The Unlikely Scenario:
Now, some might ask, “why doesn’t Darnell call up some JV players to fill out the bench?”
Granted the JV team is much larger this year with the elimination of the freshman team, but there is the key. That roster is loaded with lots of potential but to much inexperience. A majority of that team is not ready for the primetime. Talking with people during the last couple of weeks the only play who has any semblance of size and skill to even be worthy of a varsity spot is Mike Charles.
The freshman guard has the length, the speed and shooting touch to play varsity but it’s too early. With the way Coach Darnell has that team situated with his rotation and with so many guards as it is, Charles would be wasted in a varsity uniform this year. Give him time during the off season and have him work with the varsity squad. Come next November I would expect him to have the same role Trent Ward has this year, coming off the bench as an offensive substitution.
I do want to add that this years freshman class does have lots of skilled players there can be quite a few guards/forwards who can be effective in a few years.
Where Do We Go From Here?:
On the plus side for these last four games, the Maroons have already played three of them this season. Henninger is by far the toughest test. This team is easily the best team in AA in Central New York. If they can beat Proctor, they can beat anyone (and have).
Coach Darnell is going to have his scouting report on this team and he will break it down for the boys. The key for Auburn is that they cannot afford to start off flat like they did on Friday night. Henninger will not allow teams to catch up to them. And for this Auburn team that seemed emotionally exhausted, they cannot afford to play that kind of game. The Maroons have to come out strong and smart on Tuesday.
Friday, Auburn is at Nottingham, who are looking very good this year. Though the Maroons did have them where they wanted them in the last two minutes. However, Auburn could not execute imbounding plays and took themselves out of the game. They cannot repeat that.
From there they face off against Fayetteville-Manlius. The Hornets started off strong, getting lots of help from freshman, but have cooled off. They have lost 3 of their last 6 games. Auburn did have plenty of chances of beating them in December but their shooting went cold.
The Maroons close out the season against Oswego. This is a team they were able to shut down defensively. The only thing that hurt Auburn’s chances in that game was losing Kareef Rufus to fouls in the fourth. While subbing in Matt Nolan and Boedicker were effective, Kareef is more explosive of a threat and that turned them into a one dimensional team.
The Final Thought:
Auburn has to win. Simple as that. They need to find a way to hold onto victories. Many of their losses were decided in the last two minutes. Darnell even mentioned this, that while these games are competitve they need to close them out. At this point of the year, can they do it? We’ll find out starting Tuesday on WAUB.
Auburn – Utica Proctor
Click here for the online audio stream.
Auburn looked very solid defensively when it counted in Tuesday’s win against Baldwinsville. Lead by Mike Granato’s 27 points, the offense fell into a funk in the second quarter. This allowed the Bees to come from a 12 point deficit in the first (where they scored only 5 points) to keeping it a close game.
Tonight, Auburn will be facing an always potent Raiders team that always finds a way to win. In fact, undefeated and ranked in the state top 20, this is a tough match up for the Maroons. Auburn will need to be playing very focused basketball and cannot succumb to foul trouble, especially with a short bench. Expect the Rufus boys to have their hands full covering the quality five that Proctor throws out.
You can always hear Auburn Maroons basketball on WAUB. Tip off is 7PM.
Notes From The Voice of The Maroons: Ringing in the New Year
A Tale of Two Quarters:
Looking back at Wednesday’s loss to ESM, the Maroons showcased a convincing second quarter followed by a disasterous third quarter. Their meltdown in the third, along with key substitutions from the Spartans coaching staff, showcased the shortcomings of this year’s Maroons.
The Second Quarter:
Auburn excelled at two things to give them a three point halftime lead: defense and transition offense. The Maroons were able to generate turnovers and low quatlity shots for the Spartans and then use their speed to pick up easy points. This swung the momentum and the lead to Auburn. Until…
The Third Quarter:
Jeff McDuffie entered the game and just ran Kyree Rufus ragged. Kyree hurt his play by picking up three fouls inside the first minute of play. Psychologically that affect his defense and physcially he was drained by the fresh McDuffie. To complicate things more for Auburn was their offense, trying to force shots and hurry play. This became evident when they found themselves losing the lead and losing their cool, committing silly fouls.
Credit Tim Darnell for calling timeouts when he needed to but he could not get his boys back on track mentally. The fourth quarter, coming off a 5 point third quarter, was anti-climatic as the Maroons could not produce a comeback.
Ironing Out The Wrinkles:
Tomorrow this Auburn team plays a Baldwinsville team they beat to get to the finals of the Vince Celi Memorial Tournament. They played a hard fought game, which they won in part due to the Bees beating themselves up for not getting the calls they wanted from the referees. Auburn cannot rely on that tomorrow.
Though I’m not saying that’s their gameplan. I expect Darnell to address the boys, telling them to maintain their focus. This is a team that has to keep their cool and execute a tight, limited-mistake gameplan. Adding a lack of established depth on this team and it multiplies the need to stick to the gameplan.
I have been harking on the “depth” of this team all season long. It’s not all bad though, especially looking at the front court for the Maroons. While lacking in size, Auburn has had some strong play from bench players Matt Nolan and Luke Boedicker. Having lost Brett Sanderson for the past few weeks, Boedicker has been given a chance to use his length to prove to Darnell he can handle more minutes. It should be interesting to see if he can keep up his strong play downlow and possibly see more time added to give needed rest to Joe Wilson and the utility player Kareef Rufus.
Pregame Looks:
As they approach this game against the Bees, Auburn will on again be focused on Willie Hython and Kevin Drain. With their length and scoring touch they can hurt a team. On the offensive side, the Maroons need to find away to maintain an offensive presence when they slow down the tempo. Their transition offense accounted for a decent amount of their scoring on Wednesday and they need to find that balance on the offensive end.
Auburn Maroons Pregame: 12/22 Central Square
With Auburn falling to a 1-3 record after Monday’s loss to West Genesee at home, it seems like the Maroons are losing focus. Their fourth quarter play displayed lack of concentration, resulting in poor offensive play and absent-minded turnovers. Combine this with a night where the shots could not fall, West Genny was able to limit their mistakes to win the ballgame.
Eventually, a team like the Maroons will have these nights, relying on perimeter shooting to get them back into games, falling short. It was not the fourth quarter where Auburn shooting was denied by the rim, but the entire game. They will need to bounce back tonight against the Redhawks.
Central Square will be trying to redeem themselves from their loss on Tuesday to the uptempo, deep shooting Corcoran Cougars. Though inside man, Chris Putman led the way for the victors, Auburn should look to do the same with Joe Wilson. Wilson had a strong night from the floor on Tuesday and should get some looks from the driving Mike Granato.
If Auburn can get some shooting around the arch early, they can help their cause trying to find some separation. If not they will need to be more active in the drive and need to open up lanes and finish. Another thing they need to improve is offensive rebounds. With many shots not going in on Tuesday, Auburn did not have many bodies down low to rebound. This cannot happen. They need to always play aggressive on the glass, not just in the fourth quarter when they need it.
Defensively, Auburn will be looking to stop Ben Piazza and hot shooter Malcolm Anderson. Much like Friday’s game, they will need to be aware of their defensive presence around the perimeter to try to limit Anderson’s chances. Expect Auburn to try to have one of the Rufus boys to stick on Piazza and keep passing lanes closed off of him. Either way Auburn needs to come out aggressive.
If the Maroons can start off strong from both ends of the floor they can roll to a strong first half lead to a win. They need to know they’re a much better team than their record indicates but at the same time, play smart basketball and stay focused to their game plan.
Tip-off is slated around 7:00PM EST on WAUB.
Brandon Roy – We Hardly Knew Ya!
With the shortened NBA season only a few days away, I find myself down one player to root for. Brandon Roy. While I do not claim to be the largest Portland Trailblazers fan, I have been searching for a team or player to pull for since LeBron took his talent to South Beach. Deep down, I think I always wanted to be a Blazers fan. A trio of Jerome Kersey, Terry Porter and Clyde Drexler seemed fun. Well, maybe not as fun as the ill-fated Run TMC of Golden State, but I wanted to like the Blazers. They always had such cool uniforms, a fierce logo and damn it, their name is the Blazers.
Brandon Roy seemed to be the keystone to a promising franchise. Brandon Roy was supposed to have his bigs of LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden (when healthy) to work with. Things did not work out for Portland. Oden being Oden, cannot find a healthy stretch being more likely to retire from injury before Roy. As it played out we lost Roy before he could try to lead Portland to anything, bowing out of the Association a couple weeks ago.
His rookie year 2006-07, Roy started strong averaging 16.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.0 assist a game. He earned a trip to the NBA All-Star’s Rookie Challenge, Conference Rookie of the Month nods three times, a pick to the All-Rookie 1st team and most importantly the Rookie of the Year hardware. Roy truly impressed, earning 127 of the 128 first places votes for the rookie award.
Roy tried to avoid a sophomore slump, starting the season red hot. His Blazers ran off a 13-game win streak in December but halfway through, Roy fell victim to injury. In the final game before the All-Star break, Roy injured his right ankle, affecting his play for the rest of the year. Portland would finish with a 41-41 record and missing the playoffs.
In retrospect the trouble started to come forRoy in 2008-09. He missed the preseason after having some cartilage removed from his left knee. Roy was able to come back to the Blazers on opening day and play some of his best ball in the regular season. He started in 78 games, averaging 22.6 points, 5.7 assists and 1.13 steals, leading the team in those categories. Roy even tied a franchise record of 10 steals against the Wizards. Then to top off his regular season accomplishments, he earned a trip to the All-Star game as a reserve and a spot on the All-NBA second team.
The Blazers finished with the fourth best record in the West (54-28) and a playoff series with the Houston Rockets. Roy was the Blazers’ leading scorer in 5 of the 6 games in the series, won by the Rockets.
The next season Roy had a new contract with Portland and a desire to stick with this blossoming team. However his health started to deteriorate first with hamstring injuries and then a right knee bone contusion. His MRI showed a tear in the right meniscus, leaving Roy with injuries to both knees in two years. He still played in the playoffs, but was limited and not one hundred percent.
That seemed to be the end of Brandon Roy’s career as by the next season (2010-11), his knees were affected by a lack of cartilage. Roy would play through the season and into another playoff loss, this time to Dallas. That brings us to the now retired Roy.
It seems tragic that a player like that could miss his potential. Sport has done this plenty of times robbing players with scouting reports boasting huge payoffs to not only the teams that draft them but also the sport itself.
Bobby Orr always comes to mind with knee injuries. The revolutionary Bruins defenseman, blessed with blazing speed, skilled skating and on-ice vision, changed that position’s role. Scouts always listed the possibility of Orr ruining his career since his junior days. They would mention how his up-tempo, hard charging style of play would wreck havoc on his knees. Orr knew this, but that was his style of play. He took the good, with the bad.
As time and injury wore down on Orr, he went from being the young leader who would lead the Bruins to a Stanley Cup to a battered, oft-injured member of the Blackhawks. In fact Orr’s career with Chicago was limited to only 26 games from 1976 to 1979. Orr’s only note during that time was his play in the 1976 Canada Cup. Even then, his one bad knee, could not stop him from being the tournament MVP. Unlike Roy, Orr was able to reach the pinnacle, even legendary status, of his profession.
The same can be applied to Sandy Koufax. Koufax started off more poorly than Roy, from a statistical standpoint, pitching poorly from the bullpen his first several years for the Dodgers. In fact the reason the Dodgers kept him was that as a “bonus baby” the rules forced them to keep him around. Eventually he learned to pace himself mechanically and became one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball. In fact his dominance from 1961 to 1966 help atone for his poor start in the major leagues, advancing him to the top status of pitching.
In terms of where Roy closely compared in his profession was Bo Jackson. When a hip injury fell Bo in the Raiders 1990 playoff match up against the Bengals, he would retire from football and would never reach his true potential on the diamond. Bo was on the verge of becoming a better player every year with the Kansas City Royals. He had power, speed, great fielding and a phenomenal arm.
Like any Adonis of that age, he played football just as skillfully. Whether it was destroying Brian Bosworth or just being the power runner for the Raiders, Bo was making his mark in both leagues.
Bo Jackson’s 1989 season was the year Bo was stepping out. He took the All-Star MVP while crushing a career high 32 home runs and 105 RBI’s. Those numbers would be unattainable after his hip injury, requiring a replacement. While Bo returned to baseball in 1993, he never could reach that level of play again and was no longer the “X-factor” for either the White Sox or Angels.
Brandon Roy could have gone somewhere over time. He had tremendous length, a great step and was developing a decent shot. He could have been something for the Blazers but now, he’ll become a “what if”? Fans will always drop that “what if?” in the same context Bo Jackson is applied. For the Portland Trailblazers, they’ll be asking, “what now?”
Journalism Gone Wrong: OnMilwaukee.com’s Sexist Rant
This is not the freshest take on journalism, since my journalist co-horts tweeted it up and down the information superhighway. However, being a constant defender of the sports press, trying to prove that not all of us are just searching to stir the pot or picking a fight with the establishment, I want to educate. See, this column is an example of when journalism goes wrong.
Let’s be up front, this was a piece of commentary. It is not bound by being the 100% fact or truth of a beat story or feature story. At the same time, when one has a piece of commentary, it needs to have a relevant point and cannot be a blatant open attack. In this case the author, Dave Begel, goes on the offensive calling out the weakness of women’s basketball. I’m putting that in a more caring and respective tone than how Begel wrote.
He opens up with a deceiving lead:
“With a nod to Julie Andrews and “The Sound of Music,” here are two of my favorite things:
Women.
Basketball.”
While it seems odd to reference a Julie Andrews’ film, especially one as friendly and inviting as The Sound of Music, he starts readers off with a lead out of left field. He then decides to “stir the pot” by ranking his dislike for women’s basketball.
“Women playing basketball, which doesn’t even make the top 1,000 on the list of my favorite things. And please note that getting hit by a car but luckily only suffering a broken ankle does make my list.”
Either he is a masochist or he’s just typing away, spewing his hate on a page.
From there he attempts to redeem himself by referencing something newsworthy. He mentions about how “two guys in Milwaukee” were looking into opening a franchise in the Wisconsin city. Though that portion of the commentary is short, Begel decides to use extensive analogies to compare the men’s and women’s game.
Yes, there is some truth that men’s and women’s basketball is different. Though with the biting “analysis” of Begel, he comes off like some crotchety old timer from the turn of the 20th century trying to keep the “women-folk” from voting. Interestingly enough, he feels only this way about women’s basketball. He applauds the athleticism of, “softball and women’s tennis and skiing and golf and the lingerie football league and even women’s hockey.” Seriously, he feels the lingerie football league features more skilled and entertaining athletes than women’s basketball.
This is not to knock those sports because they all feature different skill sets, instruction and rules. Basketball, despite Begel’s grips, is doing just fine in its own incarnation. Will it ever surpass the NBA in terms of fans… no. It does not need to, seeing as how the NBA funds the WNBA and utilizes it to promote the game of basketball.
The final blow of Begel’s argument on how “terrible” women’s basketball is by bastardizing the game to what it was ages ago (read: pre-suffrage). His improvements are not limited to playing six players aside but keeping the “guards” from crossing center court on offense. He even adds that the game should allow only two dribbles per player possession along with a mercy rule. Those are not improvements those are sexist comments, out of touch with reality.
While going through and actually analyzing that was not my point, questioning the reasoning for the need of the commentary is my point.
We have seen lots of meltdowns on TV, especially recently with Jerry Sandusky talking to Bob Costas, looking to improve his view in public opinion. Obviously, Sandusky did the exact opposite.
One of my most memorable meltdowns was watching Al Campanis take an interview discussing race in baseball and turned it into a public relations disaster.
Those two are one in the same, but differ from this in the respect that it was the gatekeeper of information destroying the story, not the subject. As journalists, we are given the power to present fact. Even in commentary, we need to base our argument on fact and in good taste. This column was a mess from graph two, read as hidden sexist comments arguing women as an inferior species. From an editor’s perspective, would you even run this, let alone publish it on the website? From the writer’s perspective, does this even make sense? You can reason there is a point but it’s so small and meaningless underneath the idiocy of the rest of the column, it’s pointless.
The main argument I’m trying to make is that, as gatekeepers, we have to be responsible with what we say or print. Even when a journalist wants to rant on something, they need to have a central purpose and meaning to it. This column resembles a lot of commentary I saw in my college paper. College papers are supposed to be the end of those rants. Real world news sources are supposed to be able to filter that kind of writing out. Even as many journalists tag that style of prose and rhetoric as “blogging”, it’s printed on an actual news website. In the end all we can do is better police and proofread our work for more than just grammar and spelling, but for relevance.
Notes From The Voice of The Maroons: Rebounding From Corcoran
Calling Your Cardiologist:
This past week, three games were played. All three games were decided in the last minute of play. While Auburn dropped two of those three, they were in it until the end. The hardest loss was Friday’s to Corcoran. Auburn was able to fight back in the fourth and build a strong lead in the overtime session. Then the hottest hand on the floor, Shakim Buckmon, was able to bring them back with his stellar shooting from the perimeter.
Buckmon and Henry Sullivan were able to redirect any Cougar deficit with stellar shooting from outside. It’s been their calling card all season long. Auburn was able to counter from clutch shooting from Trent Ward, who saw significant time in the second half. His shooting along with Mike Granato’s highlight reel acts helped Auburn tie the game and force overtime.
How Do You Comeback?:
For the Maroons it’s simple, just keep playing. They have done so well this early season, with so many players stepping up. Despite the losses, the Syracuse area is so competitive that Auburn will be able to fight back up the standings. While it’s helpful to go into January with a winning record, the Maroons can grow and learn from early season losses. With the amount of potential this team has, combined with the scouting reports they get opponents, this team can improve further. Though the key to that is moving on from how last week ended and trying to come into their match ups with West Genesee and Central Square fresh.
What’s Working:
Defense has been a huge factor in these weeks’ games. The backcourt combo of Chris Courtney and Granato were the expected strength of this team, but add the underrated coverage of Kyree Rufus to the mix. His contributions from Thursday’s loss to Fayetteville-Manlius were noted, holding John Schurman to under 20 points for the first time of the season. Kyree had double the trouble switching off between Buckmon and Sullivan all throughout the game. Again, despite the tally in the loss column, Kyree was key in shutting down both those players ability to drive to the hoop.
Staying with the defensive unit, rebounding has been timely for the Maroons. Joe Wilson has been a stud in the paint, looking better as each game passes. Though what really impresses is his ability to avoid fouls and being suckered into cheap fouls. His efforts on the glass along with Kareef Rufus are one factor that needs to be a constant in Auburn’s game.
Offensively, this team has succeeded on establishing a strong perimeter game. With the addition of Trent Ward to the squad, Auburn found another threat. He displayed his touch with three made shot from downtown against Corcoran.
Auburn has another threat in Kareef Rufus. Against the speedier teams, Rush-Henrietta and Corcoran, Kareef has been able to drive and generate plenty of offense. If he can continue that, it can keep the offense diverse and balanced.
Improvements:
Right now, the only thing that can hurtAuburn is depth. Friday, Tim Darnell had to sit one of his key players, Kareef Rufus, after committing four fouls. That bench is limited at the forward position. With Brett Sanderson and Matt Nolan the only players who have seen time, that position has to develop with little time and error. Nolan has been impressive in his return from a year sojourn from the hardwood. Sanderson has showed plenty of promise off the bench as well.
On the offense, this team is heavily reliant on Granato. While this can work early in the year, this team will need to look for more consistent contributors. Aforementioned earlier, Kareef Rufus can be one of those guys. But another player who can be a go to is Joe Wilson. While the offense is not built on inside scoring, Wilson has been a great option when Courtney and Granato can pick up a weakness in a team’s defense. Another up and comer is Kyree Rufus, who has been quietly making some big plays on offense.
The Final Thought:
Auburn has a lot going for them. These boys are playing with confidence, have the backing of studious and dedicated coaching and look to be conditioned for the long haul. Last week featured games that were down to the wire, the Maroons found themselves on the losing end on two of them. They can overcome this, because of the various intangibles and skill of this team. The Maroons can find themselves looking pretty by Christmas if they can move on from these losses.
Update From the Editor and Czar: Seth Pohorence
I was planning on recording an Auburn Audio Report yesterday, but due to illness over the weekend I was not able to. However, I’ll have a “notes column” completed by tomorrow morning focusing on this weeks action and analysis for the Maroons. Of course you can hear Auburn Maroons basketball on WAUB through fingerlakesdailynews.com and analysis through this site.
Notes From The Voice of The Maroons: 12/15 Fayetteville-Manlius
Close but no cigar:
The Maroons almost pulled off another comeback last night, losing to the Hornets 59-53. Much like their come from behind victory against Rush-Henrietta on Monday night, they received plenty of help from the roster.
Defense, Defense, Defense:
Auburn helped out their cause in the second half with tenacious defense. Kyree Rufus spent the night guarding F-M’s sizzling soph, John Schurman, who had been averaging over twenty points a night. Schurman was held to few quality shots during the night and finished with 14 points, but nearly half of those were from the free-throw line. That was smart coaching from Tim Darnell, utilizing the smaller, but quicker Rufus to cast a shadow on the Hornets’ star guard.
More praise needs to be extended to Joe Wilson, who has been a rebounding stalwart for the Maroons. His contributions during the game were crucial for Auburn’s chance of coming back. Even when he lost Kareef Rufus with two fouls in the first half, Wilsonstood strong in the paint, battling for rebounds. In most cases, Wilsonhad to get between two Hornets and did so without picking up fouls.
The Maroons’ Best Friend:
Transition offense. This year’s squad is blessed with lots of speed. It’s the tradeoff with having limited depth at the forward position. The second half featured aggressive defense from the usual suspects (Chris Courtney, Mike Granato and Kyree Rufus), stripping the ball from F-M players driving hard to the basket. That allowed them to pick up not only the lead, but also shift the momentum to their side in the second half. The Hornets had to adjust to Auburn’s attack and benefited from a referee crew that, for the moment, allowed more physical play.
What Killed It For Auburn?:
Execution. Within the last three minutes, with Fayetteville-Manlius mounting their rise to a win, Auburn’s offense went cold. Opportunities on the fastbreak did not fall, shots went off the rim and passes were intercepted. The Maroons speed could not find a consistent rhythm to beat the height and strength of the Hornets. This was evident in the first quarter where Auburn fell behind 19-8. The offense was able to get plenty of help from Mike Granato’s touch from downtown, collecting 27 points. But as the old saying goes – live by the three and die by the three. While Granato took the initiative and tried to bring his team back, his final shots were forced and put up under duress. This is not to put the blame on his shot attempts; it’s more of a reflection on how Auburn needed to find a secondary option late in that game.
The reason Auburn beat Rush-Henrietta, from the offensive end, was that they could rely on three players to score that winning basket, Granato, Kareef Rufus and the game winning scorer, Chris Courtney. The Maroons did not have that going into the fourth.
Hopefully Auburn will be able to pick up the pieces and pick up another home win against Corcoran tonight in Auburn. As usual, you can hear all the action on WAUB or online at fingerlakesdailynews.com
Editor’s Note:
I will be continuing my coverage of Auburn Maroons basketball on this site along with my twitter feed. Also, stay tuned for podcasts about the Maroons every Sunday on this site.
