TerryVandrovec

Catching up with … Tom Black

Yes, this blog is comprised of month-old leftovers. But that’s how interesting I found former South Dakota State and NBA player Tom Black to be during an interview about his path to the draft.

The 71-year-old former center lives on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains in Ovando, Mont., a town of 71 people not far from Missoula. And the Wisconsin native - and University of Wisconsin transfer – knows how to tell a story:

* One of the first few games of his NBA career, Black was matched up against Wilt Chamberlain. The two sparked up an on-court conversation in short order. Chamberlain referred to his adversary as “Mr. Black” and offered up a deal: He wouldn’t make life too difficult on Black as long as he stayed above the free-throw line. 
“I wanted to thank him,” Black said.
But things changed after Black hit a couple of shots, Chamberlain following him more closely. Then, Black got really brave and tried to dunk after faking a hook shot.
“From 15 feet in the air, this hand was coming down at me - I couldn’t even believe it,” Black said with a chuckle. 

* In his post-basketball life, Black has been heavily involved with outdoor activities. He ran logging shows - speed climbing, log rolling, things like that – for nearly 40 years and still acts as a sort of guide for corporate groups. It’s a lucrative endeavor in line with making $30,000 as a player for Seattle back in the day.
“I’ll take a group like Mercedes-Benz and their executives come out and I teach them how to shoot skeet and throw knives and hatchets,” he explained.
He also puts on a basketball camp for local kids every summer.

* For all the adventure he’s experienced, the only thing hanging on his wall is a picture from his SDSU days that was given to him by the school. That’s in line with a life lesson more than a decorative statement.
“You sit there and think you were really something, and you find out when you get older nobody really remembers you anymore,” he said. “I somebody remembers me, I say, ‘Thank you for remembering.’ It was a great time in my life.” 

Terry Vandrovec also posts regular updates on his Twitter page.

Larson leftovers

A few more notes and thoughts on ex-Roosevelt High star and top-100 recruit Cody Larson joining the South Dakota State men’s basketball team:

Would Larson have joined the Jackrabbits if the post-season departure of Taevaunn Prince hadn’t opened up a scholarship? Maybe, said coach Scott Nagy. Because being a walk-on at SDSU would have been much cheaper for Larson than paying out-of-state tuition at Florida.
Then again, he had offers from plenty of other area schools.

One of the ways Larson stayed in shape during a season out of organized hoops: CrossFit. He picked up that activity in addition to lifting, running and playing pick-up games.
Still, he’s looking forward to resuming offseason team activities next week.
“I love structure,” he said, “so once we start school and workouts again and being around the time - I love the team environment and especially with my friends up there. It’ll be a really great experience.”

Once summer classes start, Larson and the Jack can begin the process of applying for an NCAA waiver in the hope that he can play immediately and for more than one year. Neither Nagy nor Larson seemed sure of what sort of outcome to expect. But a ruling should be issued in relatively short order - certainly before official team workouts start for 2013-14. 
“I’ve heard of it happening for coaching changes and stuff,” Larson said. “We’ve got people who know what they’re doing.” 

One recruiting service had Larson as the No. 88 recruit in America as a senior. He was ahead of Syracuse wing C.J. Fair and a few spots behind Jeremy Lamb, a current NBA player.
You’ve probably heard of the top four in that class: Harrison Barnes, Kyrie Irving, Jared Sullinger and Brandon Knight. Here’s the full list.

There’s no telling how this story will end. But Larson caught me off guard with several comments during our maybe 20-minute conversation Tuesday. There was no talk of having a chip on his shoulder or being an all-league player or changing the program. Instead, he came across as humble and introspective. If that approach holds, he’ll do fine - regardless of basketball.
Larson also made a couple of jokes, cracking that his sister, Wagner, a volleyball player at SDSU, turned down an invitation to be his roommate. He also acknowledged that younger sister and current Roosevelt hoops and volleyball standout, Tagyn, has a scholarship offer from the Jacks.
“She’s the athlete of the family,” he said. 

Terry Vandrovec also posts regular updates on his Twitter page.

Too Much TV: Colton Iverson

The Too Much TV podcast breaks a record this week as Yankton High grad and Colorado State center Colton Iverson becomes the tallest guest in program history. He’s 6-foot-10.5 without shoes, for the record. 

That’s one of the things we discuss in this precursor to the upcoming NBA Draft Combine. I’ll be in Chicago for the event on Thursday and Friday with plenty of updates on Iverson and South Dakota State star Nate Wolters.

Here’s the link to the podcast. And another.

Terry Vandrovec also posts regular updates on his Twitter page.

Too Much TV: Francis speaks out

Oakland women’s basketball coach Beckie Francis was in Sioux Falls over the weekend. But this visit had little to do with hoops.

Instead, Francis spoke at Children’s Home Society and a local church as an advocate of sexual abuse awareness. Why? Because she was a victim, and went public with her story in 2012.

She explains that and more in this week’s Too Much TV podcast. Here’s the link. And another.

Terry Vandrovec also posts regular updates on his Twitter page.

As the transfer turns

Taevaunn Prince bid adieu to South Dakota on Saturday, leaving Brookings for Canada to set the course for the next leg of his basketball career. The sophomore guard said he hopes to land at another NCAA Division I school and has had talks with some already. 

One year ago, Prince seemed a better bet to be a key player for the Jacks rather than an outgoing transfer. He said all the right things publicly when transferring out of South Dakota State. So did the Jackrabbits staff. Maybe there’s more to it, maybe there isn’t. The bottom line is this: More than 360 D-I players (and counting) will make moves this offseason, according to the annual list compiled by CBSSports.com writer Jeff Goodman. Last year, the number was in the 450 range.

That seems like a lot. But it’s not really considering there are 347 D-I programs. And most schools have 13 scholarship players. So you’re talking about 7.7 percent of the roster transferring out. That isn’t a lot - the retention rate for regular students nationwide is far lower. Even the comparatively stable SDSU football program has lost more than that on the average in recent years.

This is the way it is right now. And if coaches can’t be held to contracts and schools can’t commit to conferences, kids probably shouldn’t be criticized for moving, either.

What matters more: What do the Jacks do with their open spot? They’re at a place where they should be able to land an impact player, be it a transfer or a freshman. And how will the 6-foot-3 Prince do with his fresh start? He still wants to play pro ball after college, meaning he would do well to try to make an impact at a high-level program.

Things could work out for both parties. Or not. But adjusting on the fly has become a mandatory skill for players and coaches alike. 

Terry Vandrovec also posts regular updates on his Twitter page.

Looking back on the Bison

Some extra notes from South Dakota State’s weekend basketball games against North Dakota State:

Men
The SDSU bench scored just three points against NDSU – all by forward Marcus Heemstra. It was the same total against New Mexico.
Meanwhile, the Jacks starters struggled at times, too. Chad White didn’t score at all, Jordan Dykstra was shutout in the first half and Brayden Carlson was blanked in the second half.

Jacks coach Scott Nagy said that guard Nate Wolters is getting closer to 100 percent in his return from an ankle injury, although his practice time has been limited in an attempt to help the process.
Wolters finished with 26 points on 10 of 21 shooting against the Bison, arguably his best overall showing in Fargo. His career line in the Bison Sports Arena: 24 of 72 from the floor and 73 points in four games. SDSU won just one of the four.
The senior needs 38 points to break the school career scoring record. On his current pace of roughly 20 per game, Wolters would set the mark Saturday at South Dakota.

Prior to Saturday, SDSU had been 7-0 this season when winning the rebounding battle. The Jacks were a combined minus-22 on the glass last year vs. NDSU, but won both games.
Meanwhile, SDSU has played 15 games this season with six of them being decided by three points or less. The Jacks are 3-3 in those contests.

Officially, neither team scored any fast break points, indicative of the fact that the game was played at NDSU’s preferred pace. The Bison also didn’t score any second-chance points.
The teams combined for just 16 turnovers – eight each. The Bison didn’t commit any in the second half.
Both teams had scoreless droughts of 5 minutes or more in the first half, too.

Bison junior forward Marshall Bjorklund scored 20 points on 8 of 8 shooting against the Jacks. His stats from the last game before Christmas: 20 points on 8 of 8 shooting against Morehead State.

The Jacks have committed 44 fouls in the last two games compared to 30 by the opposition. Prior to that, SDSU has been whistled for 46 fewer fouls than its foes.
On the other hand, the Bison didn’t shoot any free throws in the first half. But they finished with 21.

Women
From the stats department, SDSU coach Aaron Johnston said that he recently looked back at historical stats and determined that the team was getting a typical number of shots per game despite a turnover average of 20 per game. Meanwhile, senior guard Ashley Eide said that the Jacks put more stock in turnover margin than the number of turnovers they commit. On that front, they were plus-6 vs. the Bison.
Also, Johnston said that he’d like to see senior forward Leah Dietel average 9-10 points going forward. She was at 6.2 heading into the weekend, but put up 14 vs. NDSU as part of an upward trend. That gives her 38 points and 22 boards over the last three games.

NDSU coach Carolyn DeHoff said that her team has had to completely retool its plan of attack in light of losing center Janae Burich for the season due to a knee injury. Burich and Katie Birkel, another former all-conference pick who missed all of last season due to a knee injury, were to anchor the team.

Eide has scored at least 20 points in each of the last three games, the longest such run by an SDSU player since All-American Jenn Warkenthien in 2008-09. Warkenthien also maxed out at three in a row. Before that, Megan Vogel - a WNBA Draft pick - had runs of three, four and five games in a row in 2006-07.
“I think Ashley’s at a good place mentally,” Johnston said.

Jacks senior post Katie Lingle played four minutes vs. NDSU in her return to action. She missed the Georgetown game plus several days of practice, returning to the floor only Saturday. Johnston said it perhaps wasn’t even fair to play her under those conditions, but that it’s hard to keep seniors off the floor.
Lingle suffered a cut to her forehead that required stitches on Dec. 18 vs. Delaware State. She’s third on the team in scoring (7.8) and second in rebounding (4.7).

Terry Vandrovec also posts regular updates on his Twitter page.