Monmouth’s King Rice is all things right for college basketball

Cool, calm and collected. That’s the motto for Monmouth Head Coach King Rice.

In a battle for third place in the 2015 AdvoCare Invitational Rice watches on his team, up three points with 2:02 left to play. Monmouth once held a 14 point lead over Southern Cal, but the Trojans eagerly trimmed away the lead. Rice’s demeanor hasn’t changed.

His actions opposite Southern Cal head coach Andy Enfield. Enfield’s arms flailing about, commanding assignments to his players at the top of his lungs. The other end of the sideline stands Rice. No play signaling, no shouting and no movement. Rice stands at the end of the bench watching on not as a coach, but as a fan.

Monmouth would go on to pull ahead once again in one final push where the Hawks made their last four attempts to close out the game, a victory for third place, 83-73.

Monmouth has defeated two Power Five opponents in less than four days, and Rice let’s his emotions show. Rice accredits every bit of success to his players and the faculty at Monmouth. Rice has made a statement worthy of national attention.

Rice has no true stand alone talents on his roster. Nor is he a thriving success of a coach. In his first four seasons at Monmouth, Rice recorded an astounding record of 82 losses; something that often doesn’t go unnoticed.

“Typically, you’d be fired if you did that,” said Rice. “The Athletic Department stuck with me because I continued to graduate these men and taught them how to grow up, all in front of their eyes.”

Despite the losing record the program believed in the plan Rice wanted to execute, and now they’re seeing it at full strength.

The team is working together in every facet to make the improbable happen, but Rice attributes the change in success to one revealing secret.

“This game is college and it’s with kids,” said Rice. “Kids aged 18-22. They’re going to make a whole bunch of mistakes. They want to have fun, so let them have fun.”

The plan couldn’t be executed any better. In the weeks following the event the Monmouth bench, nicknamed ‘The Hawk’s Nest,’ has taken the internet by storm for their clever and obnoxious sideline celebrations.

“I tell them all the time, let it all hang out,” said Rice. “When you get to be my age you’re told you can’t have fun like that. But when you’re a young person go let it all hang out and have a great time.”

While other coaches are getting caught up in the stress and drama of late game scenarios and center-focused on winning, King Rice is taking a backseat and trusting in his players.

It’s the recipe more coaches need to adopt. Take a page out of Coach Rice’s book, calm yourself, calm your players and enjoy the game. If your goal isn’t to go out and have fun, why play the game at all?

You’ll never be: The story of Monmouth guard Justin Robinson

MVP chants fill the HP Field House in Orlando Florida as Monmouth guard Justin Robinson dribbles out the clock in the 2015 AdvoCare Invitational. Robinson has just broke a tournament scoring record with 77 points in three games.

In a deep tournament filled with top-tier teams — Xavier, Notre Dame, Wichita State and Alabama — Monmouth was left far out of the spotlight. But that wasn’t part of what Robinson had planned.

Robinson stole the spotlight in Monmouth’s victory over No. 17 Notre Dame in opening night of the AdvoCare Invitational. Robinson tallied two late free throws with 3.6 seconds remaining to put the Hawks above by two, enough to give Monmouth their first win over a ranked opponent in the program’s 49 year history.

The victory marked a big win for the program, but it marked an even bigger one for Robinson.

“I’ll let my game speak for itself,” said Robinson. “That’s been my whole life, continuing to prove people wrong.”

Robinson has faced a lot of adversity as a basketball player. Robinson stands as a 5’8, 175-lb point guard. He’s considered undersized in almost every match-up, a red flag for many college recruiters.

Robinson slowed in growth during high school where he entered the varsity lineup for Kingston High School as a 5’4 freshman. Robinson battled frustrations of sizing up with bigger and stronger 17 and 18-year-olds, but he continued to find ways to contribute to his team. Robinson averaged 7 assists per game as a freshman at Kingston.

Progressing to an 5’8 18-year-old, Robinson improved his stat sheet where he averaged 17 points, 8 assists and 4 steals per game in his senior year at Kingston. He led the Tigers to a Divisional Championship victory, behind a 19 win and 3 loss record.

Yet with all the accolades Robinson still faced issues of gaining national exposure.

“Justin didn’t get too many looks from Division I coaches,” said Justin’s brother Tyler Robinson. “No coach could look past his height to find the true value in him.”

Robinson recalled many naysayers who told him how skilled he was, just not enough to play Division I basketball.

Robinson recalled from an AAU Tournament where he played pretty well in the presence of several college recruiters and coaches, “A coach approached me, I don’t recall the school, and he told me, ‘Hey, you’re pretty good. I want you to come play for me. I said, ‘I’ll pretty much go anywhere. What level?’ and he said ‘Division III’ and I said, ‘I’m not going to close the door, but I’m hoping to get a Division I offer’ and he just laughed in my face.”

It wasn’t the first time Robinson had coaches question his ability to play at a Division I level.

“I’ll just prove you wrong too,” Robinson would continuously say to himself.

Yet Robinson drew the eye of one Division I coach in Monmouth’s King Rice. Rice and his staff noticed the talent in Robinson, even if others weren’t recruiting him Rice wasn’t about to close the file on the small guard.

“A lot of people told me I was crazy trying to go after him,” said Rice.

Now Rice is the one laughing at all those who didn’t pursue his point guard.

“Now (Justin) is better than all those guys that everybody ranked ahead of him,” said Rice. “Justin can score the ball on anyone.”

Rice isn’t joking. His point guard currently ranks fifth in Division I scoring this season, averaging 24.8 points per game.

Robinson is continuing to make large strides for his school. Along with achieving the school’s first ever victory over a ranked opponent (Notre Dame), Robinson has continued to lead his team to a combination of victories over Power Five schools; including an overtime win at UCLA and a win over Southern Cal in Orlando.

With the impressive résumé of victories Monmouth is gaining national recognition. Following the 2-1 record in the AdvoCare Invitational the team received their first votes for the AP Top 25 Polls in school history.

“People are starting to pronounce our school name right, so that’s pretty cool. We’re no Mammoth anymore, or Mawn Mouth,” said Robinson.

Robinson is finally starting to earn recognition, but the 5’8 guard is in search of much more than shocking non-conference victories.

“We can’t let (the success) get to our heads,” said Robinson. “We still haven’t accomplished anything yet”

Draft Day: Drafting Quarterback Marcus Mariota

The 2015 NFL Draft is finally here, and if it’s half as good as the hype surrounding it, it is sure to be one of the best yet. No storyline has been bigger during the off-season more than the case for a franchise quarterback. The draft is changing the minds of a lot of teams, take a chance on one guy with the off-chance that he completes your program. The Jaguars did it last year with rookie Blake Bortles who started in week three. The Colts did it in 2012 when they selected Andrew Luck with the first overall pick. Oh, and the number two pick? None other than Washington selecting Robert Griffin III. Also among the list of previous first overall picks in recent drafts include the lights of Matt Stafford, Sam Bradford, and Cam Newton. While there is no clear-cut answer stating the payoff of going all in for a franchise QB, it really doesn’t look too bad. Unless of course you’re the Cleveland Browns.

The push for a franchise quarterback has returned, and it’s more than just Jameis Winston. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are ready to settle into the next stage in their franchise, and it begins with Jameis leading the way. The Bucs have senior leadership in Josh McCown and an okay backup in Mike Glennon. Yet, neither of these men are equipped as the alpha-male Jameis Winston. Given Winston time to settle into the role he can and will be the guy for Tampa Bay. The Bucs took a chance on a young wideout in Mike Evans last year who had an outstanding season. If Odell Beckham Jr. hadn’t taken the nation by storm in his unprecedented rookie season then Mike Evans could have risen for a potential top candidate for offensive rookie of the year. A pair of Evans and Winston is a match made in football heaven. Every piece to puzzle that is the Bucs offense is in place, and Winston is guy. They’re settled. Don’t assume any situation that doesn’t involve the Buccaneers selecting Jameis Winston with the first overall pick in 2015.

Now, moving on to Mariota. There’s little separating Mariota from Winston. He’s just as much as every team wants and more. Mariota is gifted with a knowledge for the game, and he is much more athletic than Winston in his current state. Simply put, he’s the guy you take a chance on. There’s a reason several teams are considering making that push to do whatever they can to snag him.

The Tennessee Titans have the second pick the draft, and Mariota could be the guy for them. They’ve were a disaster at QB last year with the struggles of injuries surrounding Jake Locker and Zach Mettenberger. Going forward Mettenberger stands atop the Titans depth chart at the position, but it’s not his to keep. The Titans have formally stated they are naming Mettenberger the guy, sorry Jake. Mettenberger was selected by the Titans in the sixth round of last year’s draft, yet some draft boards suggested Mettenberger was roughly the sixth or seventh best quarterback in the draft. To my own critique he is a decent pocket passer, who can really launch the ball. He’s not the most athletic, nor is the the most knowledgable. Collectively he’s mediocre at best. If you look at the full scheme of things it would appear that Tennessee has been plotting this out all along. It would appear as though Mariota is all part of the plan. What makes this all confusing is breaking down the positions for the Titans. Tennessee has holes in more positions than not, yet the quarterback position is not one they can elect to pass on. With the chance at Mariota it is hard to see a situation that does not entail them snagging a young quarterback, and who better than Marcus Mariota? 

Hold on, it’s not that easy. Did I mention how many teams are interested in making a push for Mariota? A lot. The top potential candidates aside from the Titans feature the Cleveland Browns and the Philadelphia Eagles.

It would be hard for the Titans to make their mark in history and not select Marcus Mariota with the second pick, but it can be done. The Titans have the perfect shot at many other game-changing stars, and if they want to drop down a few places, that’d be fine too. If a QB is destine to land in Tennessee and it’s not Marcus Mariota, the Titans could afford to trade away their first round and snag Brett Hundley or Bryce Petty in the second round. If the Titans are interested in letting someone trade up for their spot, who is willing to offer it?

The Philadelphia Eagles should come as a shock to no one. If we’ve seen one thing in the offseason it’s that Chip Kelly is plotting the official takeover. Kelly wants to make a statement with this franchise and that starts and ends with his own young-blood Marcus Mariota. Kelly has been put into question my many critics for his offseason moves trading away Nick Foles for Sam Bradford, and returning the era of Tim Tebow. With the addition of Tebow in the April many thought the race for Mariota was long and gone, in reality it’s evermore prominent. Why?
Kelly has expressed he wants the signal-caller Mariota, the connection between coach and QB is definitively established already. The problem is that Kelly will face rugged challenges trying to unload for the young gun. In order for Kelly to get to Mariota he’s going to have to unload Sam Bradford. The Eagles acquired Bradford in the offseason in an odd exchange for Nick Foles, but it started to make sense after they acquired Bradford’s former teammate in running back Demarco Murray.

When it all breaks down however, the Eagles could afford to lose Bradford at no liability to Kelly’s miracle franchise. First and foremost after all the wild and crazed imaginations that became reality for Kelly in the offseason the picture for Kelly to use the 20th draft pick straight up makes little sense. Here’s how he unloads: It starts with a package deal surrounding Sam Bradford and talented defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, and maybe even linebacker Mychal Kendricks. Current rumors suggest this trade could be more than capable from a willing Chip Kelly. It sounds like a steep bargain from Kelly, one which has me questioning whether or not Mariota could be worth such. If that wasn’t enough, rumors suggest Kelly would surrender the 20th pick along with it. Rumors rarely happen, especially something this astounding. The reality of this trade breakdown is Mychal Kendricks has become a luxury to Philly behind Kiko Alonso, so really it’s sacrificing arguably the Eagles best defensive player in Fletcher Cox, not to mention possibly their first-round draft pick too. There’s so many pieces to this it’s hard to bet on it, but Kelly knows Tennessee has drawn a hard bargain with Mariota, and it won’t stop Kelly from drawing up something big.

Before he landed in the hands of Chip Kelly Sam Bradford was sought after by the Cleveland Browns. The Browns are torn between the idea whether they see a future in Manziel or not. It could be the time the Browns quit trying to jump on the next best thing and insert Sam Bradford. Unfortunately, there’s more to it than just Bradford. If the deal doesn’t work out with Tennessee Chip Kelly could drag the Browns alongside the drawing board to try and swing a deal. For this to work out Cleveland would give up the 19th pick for Sam Bradford, and the Titans would give up the second pick to gain Fletcher Cox, Mychal Kendricks, the 19th pick from Cleveland, and the Eagles 20th pick. If the first write-up for Kelly doesn’t workout, this very well could. Again it should be stated the Titans biggest problem is more than just filling the quarterback position, and with this deal they instantly boost their defense, and can continue to build their offense line, all while holding to snag their signal-caller in the second round. It’s a good look for Tennessee. And Cleveland? With Brian Hoyer out of the picture it’s not a bad idea to challenge Manziel in another quarterback battle against Sam Bradford, if Manziel does have a future in the NFL. Considering the Eagles, yes, you’re giving up a lot. However, consider the fact you have eight more picks left, and if Kelly ends up going all in on the first round who knows what can happen in the other eight. There’s a lot for all three teams to gain here.

All things considered the Browns could be drawing up a few things themselves. The Browns could continue the tradition of drafting quarterback after quarterback and finally settling on Mariota. The Browns hold two first-round picks at their disposal, and although it has been rumored they’ve already offered both the 12th and 19th pick to Tennessee, the Titans may be holding out for even more than that. Unfortunately the Browns don’t have enough to wage a better bargain than that, and in reality it really would be a stretch to try and value Mariota better than what the Browns hold. It’s the Browns draft to lose. The Browns are in desperate need of a star wideout and would be smart to select the best wideout on the board when they are on the clock with the 12th pick. Even though the future for the Cleveland Browns probably won’t revolve around Johnny Manziel, they could benefit by waiting. The Browns will likely make a move for a quarterback in 2015, but if it isn’t Mariota, Brett Hundley is the guy. There’s a chance he’s on the board when they select the 43rd pick, but again there’s trades to be made. One thing is for sure, we will know the new face of the franchise for the Browns in the next two days.

So what about Mariota? Where does this leave the highly-touted signal-caller? The Tennessee Titans. There’s much to be offered. The 2014 draft held five trades in the first round, the 2013 draft with eight. There’s a lot to be done in the first round of the draft, but amongst everything Tennessee will continue to hold out for a buying price that is much too high. Bottom-line, Tennessee has no intent of trading away their pick unless Chip Kelly offers the moon. Welcome to the Tennessee Titans Marcus Mariota.

Best of luck to everyone’s favorite team as we make way for the 2015 NFL Draft. Coverage begins at 8PM/ET on ESPN.

NBA Draft: The Case for Cliff

The NCAA regular season is entering the final stages. In the few weeks short coming we will soon know if Kansas wins their eleventh Big XII Conference Title, if Kentucky remains undefeated, and who will make their return back to Kansas for yet another season.

In the year post the Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid phenomena that left many Kansas fans thinking the school was making the official transition to a destination for one-and-done athletes, the case for guys to stay the extra years to help ease their transition also continually grows. The question remains to be who might declare for the draft come the move for summer.

Early Tuesday morning, following a loss to in conference rival Kansas State, Kansas Forward Cliff Alexander tweeted out, “Where the old cliff?” This statement likely result of frustration after he tied a career low performance on scoring; Alexander was held without a score in ten minutes of play off a single shot attempt. 

Cliff isn’t the only one not living up to the hype. Even freshman sensation Andrew Wiggins was by definition overrated in the quick claim to fame in his time at Kansas. Sophomore, Wayne Selden Jr. also was a well recognized prospected one-and-done last season; and had it not been for knee issues, he probably would’ve. So is Alexander really underplaying his abilities, or is the hype the source of his frustrations?

Upon his arrival at Kansas, Cliff Alexander was ESPN’s third overall projected athlete behind Jahlil Okafor and Myles Turner; Alexander the top rated power forward in the class. In his transition to Kansas reporters speculated a lot about his NBA potential claiming he could have an immediate impact, and others claiming that he would be a contender for the top spot in the draft overall. However, no reporter speculated that Alexander would wait until past midway through the season to earn a role as a starter, and even then have it in question game-in and game-out. They probably wouldn’t have expected Alexander averaging seventeen minutes a game. 

In his last four conference games Alexander has recorded six points on ten shots attempts. He’s more notably been held scoreless in two of those match ups. Is Self right to continue to limit Alexander’s playing time, or would the real Cliff emerge if set free? Hard to say, but Sam Vecenie breaks it down pretty effectively here. So where do we go from here as far as NBA career? The most recent NBA mock drafts see Alexander being taken in the range of 20-24, with some having him as high as 12. The majority of these mock drafts (NBADraft.net, CBS Sports, DraftExpress.com, and others) haven’t updated in the last week, so one can only expect Alexander to take a tumble in the direction towards the bottom of the first round with potential to fall even farther. How far will Cliff fall before we find him in Allen Fieldhouse for a sophomore season? Cliff has yet to display his athletic potential, and at with a draft so deep anticipated for the coming months the chances of Alexander playing another season at Kansas seems to grow by the day.

While Cliff is on the downward slope, freshman Kelly Oubre is on the up-and-up. Oubre was limited in minutes for the large part of the first part of the season. Yet, in conference play Oubre has showed that he’s not afraid of the bright lights. From his arrival at Kansas Oubre has been projected as a potential top ten pick in the draft, and despite the rollercoaster of his freshman season, things really haven’t changed. Oubre is athletically built to be an immediate impact player for the league. I don’t see a sophomore Kelly Oubre at Kansas in this lifetime.

What about they guy that we all assumed was gone before it all began? Sophomore Wayne Selden Jr. has had an interesting career. Selden battled a knee injury that held him to extend his career an additional season at Kansas, one he easily could’ve cut short. By perspective Selden has changed a lot, athletically he’s faster and stronger than the freshman last season. Selden has also made changes to his shooting form, which is now more compact and efficient than ever before; when his feet are set he’s proven that he’s rarely going to miss this season. Yet the one thing holding him back is the numbers, this is an entirely different Kansas team, but one thing hasn’t changed. Selden has averaged nearly ten points per game this season alongside three assists, nearly mirroring his freshman season. Many mock draft boards have Selden left out of the list anticipating a junior season. Selden could be a great rotational guy, but with the draft being as deep as it has ever been it may be the better potential opportunity for Selden to hold out for another draft. Selden has a lot to make of himself, and things can only get better. It may come as a surprise, but Selden has a great chance of returning for a junior season, and he’d be one of the more talented guys to do so.

`           In recap of a draft that Jayhawks snagged two of the top three spots Kansas may step out of the spotlight as a destination for one-and-done athletes. Although a lot of this will be determined by the recruiting class the Jayhawks draw in Kansas may return with more experience than any could’ve anticipated. With the NBA Draft over one hundred days away keep up with all the latest draft projections.

The Double Standard: Richard Sherman Slams NFL

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman has no problem voicing his opinion, and with all the problems brewing in the NFL this season there has been no shortage of topics to talk about. The National Football League has no shortage of viewers. In fact, it is reported that 112 million viewers tuned into watch the Seattle Seahawks face off against the Denver Broncos in last year’s super bowl. With all this viewership you would expect the NFL to hold the highest standards to preserve their reputation. That assumption is correct, although sometimes the league can and has overstepped their boundaries. The NFL reportedly fined Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch $100,000 for refusing to speak to media following a game. So what happens when NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell slams a Seahawk’s player? Roger Sherman (and Doug Baldwin) slam back.

Richard Sherman alongside cut-out of wide receiver Doug Baldwin accuse the NFL of being two-faced. The press conference starts by Sherman introducing his frustration for the league fining Lynch for not willing to speak, and then pairs that with the comparison that they would not pay him if he did speak. So why should Lynch have to speak so the NFL can use him as a money making source when they aren’t paying him to speak in the first place? Sherman then introduces his own personal endorsements to the topic including Beats by Dre. Beats by Dre pays Sherman a significant endorsement fee, but the NFL forbids Sherman from being seen wearing them in warm-ups, or post game because of their league signed endorsement with Bose audio. Several players this season have been fined for breaking the rules wearing Beats headphones during coverage. Enter first instance of double-standard. Sherman also hints of the players who have been fined by DUIs, but compares that to the fact that the league’s top sponsor is in fact a beer manufacturer (Budweiser.) In conclusion to his criticism of the league Sherman says that they will continue to fine us for not speaking, but what do they want them to say? The league is going to monitor every word they say, because in retrospect they are exploiting the players as money assets using advertising dollars to bring them money.

What do you think about the double-standard in professional sports?