Texas suspended basketball coach Chris Beard after a domestic-violence arrest in December, then fired Beard as soon as the lawyers said it was kosher, in early January. Two months later, Ole Miss hired Beard, leaving the Longhorns to compete against Beard when they go into the Southeastern Conference in 2024.
An Alabama basketball player, Darius Miles, was indicted on capital murder charges, and a teammate, star freshman Brandon Miller was implicated as bringing the murder weapon, a gun, to Miles in the January killing. Miller continued playing, Alabama ascended to No. 1 in the national polls and Miller became the lightning-rod of the NCAA Tournament.
In January, a Georgia football player and staff member were killed in a car crash that police described as part of a street race. The other car was driven by Georgia star defensive tackle Jalen Carter, who eventually pleaded no contest to reckless-driving charges. Carter in the fall semester had received three citations for traffic violations, including one for going 89 miles per hour in a 45 MPH zone.
Then last week, Alabama fired baseball coach Brad Bohannon three days after news broke that the state of Ohio (and eventually others) had stopped taking bets on the Crimson Tide over suspicious betting irregularities.
We’ll save for later the curiosity over someone in Ohio betting on Alabama baseball, apparently with inside information.
More: Tramel: Spring transfer portal makes roster management dicey for Brent Venables, Mike Gundy
For now, let’s just ask the question. Do OU and Texas know what they’re getting into by joining the Southeastern Conference?
I know, the Sooners’ history has its share of sordid sagas. Some thought the streets of Norman weren’t safe in 1989, when Bernard Hall and Jerry Parks and Charles Thompson were making news over a variety of investigations and arrests and convictions.
And bad apples can spoil any barrel, no matter their region of the country. But three or four barrels, in such a condensed period of time?
The SEC long has touted its theme as “it just means more.” No kidding. The win-at-all-costs mantra clearly came through this winter and spring.
And here’s the thing. It’s not all football. Baseball and basketball are outnumbering football in the major SEC scandal scoreboard. Football, you can sort of understand. High stakes, inflamed passions. We know that well here in Oklahoma, and Texas does, too.
But losing your moral compass in basketball? Not tapping the brakes to say, let’s see where this murder case takes us before we trot out Brandon Miller to beat Vanderbilt? Hiring Beard in the wake of the disturbing domestic incident, and knowing that even when Beard’s fiancé later wanted to drop the charges, that’s a common trait of domestic-violence stories?
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We know that not every SEC school has compromised its values. We know that every coach and/or administrator at Alabama, Georgia and Ole Miss has not plundered their ethics.
We also know that you can get caught in a trap. That you can get swallowed up by circumstances and culture, trying to keep pace with peers.
The Big 12 is not pure in spirit; the Big 12 is not clothed in robes of white. But OU and Texas are leaving a league with members like Kansas State and Iowa State, for a league with members like Auburn and Ole Miss.
The pressure to win is much greater in the SEC. Pressure to win causes people to make dubious decisions.
Can OU and Texas keep up without doing the same? Sure. Can OU and Texas be swallowed up in the dubious decision-making? Sure.
Be on guard, Sooners and Longhorns. Your values are about to be tested.
More: Tramel’s ScissorTales: Big 12 games in Mexico would be a bold strategy from Brett Yormark
When the NBA season started, Jalen Williams of Santa Clara was known for having a teammate (Jaylin Williams of Arkansas) with the same-sounding name. Soon enough, Santa Clara Williams was known as one of the NBA’s top rookies and indeed finished second in the rookie-of-the-year voting, to Orlando’s Paola Banchero.
We conclude our series on Thunder individual report cards, finishing with Jalen Williams.
March: A. In 15 March games, Williams averaged 19.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.9 turnovers and 1.7 steals. He shot 56.6% from the field, 46.7% from 3-point range and 87.5% from the foul line. Mark Daigneault leaned on Williams for 34.1 minutes per game during that month. Williams was one of the best rookies in the league through February. But in March, Williams was one of the best players in the league.
Finishing: A. Williams made 72.6% of his shots from the restricted area. That was a team-high for any player who attempted more than 38 shots from 0-3 feet. And Williams took 37.7% of his shots from close in. That’s a righteous number, considering noted Shai Gilgeous-Alexander attempted just 28.3% of his shots from the restricted area. Williams led the Thunder in dunks, with 77, far ahead of SGA’s second-place 50. The only Thunders who used a bigger percentage of shots for dunks than Williams’ .106 was the traded Darius Bazley (.171).
On-court value: C. It makes no sense, but Williams had one of the Thunder’s worst on-court/off-court ratios. Basically, the Thunder fared better without Williams than with him. Williams played 2,259 minutes this season. During that time, the Thunder was outscored by 0.3 points per 100 possessions. But in OKC’s other 1,679 minutes, the Thunder outscored opponents by 3.4 points per 100 possessions. It makes no sense. But Williams was in good company – Arkansas Williams was a minus-6.4, Josh Giddey was a minus-9.5 and Luguentz Dort was a minus-0.4. The Thunder’s starting lineup down the stretch of the season, which includes the two Williamses, Dort, Giddey and Gilgeous-Alexander, were a minus-2.1 for the season. There’s no telling reason for Jalen Williams’ negative rating, but it is interesting.
Road games: C. Williams was a much better player at home than on the road. And that’s in about the same amount of playing time (30.5 minutes per game in OKC; 30.2 on the road). Williams’ numbers were better at home in scoring (15.8/12.5), rebounds (4.7/4.3), field-goal percentage (.552/.490) and 3-point percentage (.385/.330). And the aforementioned net rating? Williams was plus-2.7 at home per 100 possessions, but minus-3.8 on the road.
Versatility: A. Most rookies must adjust to the NBA game. Williams adjusted to the NBA game on several fronts, playing mostly wing but also some point guard and some small-ball post. He guarded four positions and was solid (his 2.5 deflections per 36 minutes trailed only SGA and Kenrich Williams on OKC’s roster). Jalen Williams’ versatility gives the Thunder all kinds of options moving forward.
More: Tramel: Why the Thunder U. team of Durant, Harden and Westbrook was ahead of its time
Mailbag: Field-storming
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the Southeastern Conference’s efforts to stop fans from storming the field or court after notable victories. On the Sports Animal, I also talked about being carried by the storming crowd after the 1997 OU-Syracuse game.
Keith: “Your recent article about the issue of storming the field brought some thoughts to mind. First, you are totally correct in affirming that it is a potential for disaster. The Hillsborough (soccer) disaster in England comes to mind. Though technically different because of retaining fences, the problem of pushing crowds you described, where you were carried along with no options but to stay on your feet, are eerily similar! In that disaster, there were 97 deaths and 766 injuries! In Brazil, the local soccer stadium had a huge ‘moat’ around the playing field to prohibit invasion of the field by fans. It was so deep that there was almost no way for fans to jump into it from the stands without hurting themselves. An underground tunnel leads from the dressing rooms to stairs up onto the field for the players. I mention this only to say that the problem is worldwide. If the SEC would decide to take away a home game, I would totally be OK with that. Get the universities to be proactive. Everyone has to be invested or, like you said, some day someone is going to get killed.”
Tramel: I don’t know what the answer is. Neither does anyone else, I presume. But I go back to the 1970s, when fans storming the field was common. Remember the goobers who got on the field and ran around with Henry Aaron after he hit home run 715? Then the Phillies were about to cinch the 1980 World Series, and Philly officials positioned a platoon of mounted police, complete with K9 dogs, in the bowels of Veterans Stadium. In the ninth inning, out came the horses. Message received. The Phillies won their first World Series title and mostly had the field to themselves.
More: OKC Thunder guard Jalen Williams goes from NBA Combine standout to All-Rookie first teamer
NBA has a front-row problem
The front-row frenzy of Sunday night – when Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia and Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic jostled for the basketball, Ishbia flopped like a trampoline act and some wondered if Jokic faced a suspension – settled down Monday.
Ishbia went on Twitter and said no suspension should be forthcoming.
That’s a magnanimous stance by Ishbia, but it doesn’t change the truth. The NBA has a Nicholson-seats problem.
From celebrity interactions to knuckleheaded fans to entitled family members, the people sitting in the NBA’s high-dollar seats are becoming more and more the story. And that’s never good.
Jokic went looking to grab an errant basketball Sunday night, hoping to entice the officiating crew to let the Nuggets quickly inbound and potentially get an advantage on the Suns. Turns out, Phoenix’s new owner had the ball, and when Jokic gave Ishbia a little forearm, Ishbia acted like he had been shot out of a cannon.
Jokic received a technical foul Sunday night and was fined $25,000 by the league Monday. The Suns eventually beat the Nuggets 129-124 to even their Western Conference semifinal series 2-2.
“Great win for the Suns last night in an amazing series so far!” Ishbia tweeted. “That should be and is the only story. Suspending or fining anyone over last night’s incident would not be right. I have a lot of respect for Jokic and don’t want to see anything like that. Excited for game 5! Go Suns!”
Good for Ishbia, who perhaps knows he can’t get involved in such chicanery. If you’re a fan – or an owner, or anyone sitting in those seats – and the ball comes to you, give it back to the first person of standing that wants it.
Most front-row altercations have nothing to do with the ball. Most are verbal, like the absurd jawing between Tee Morant, father of Memphis star Ja Morant, and Fox Sports’ Shannon Sharpe during a game in Los Angeles earlier this season.
Sharpe is a public figure and Tee Morant is a family member. They are going to make news if anything untoward happens on the sidelines.
It’s unbecoming of the NBA for such altercations to take place. But even worse are physical interactions. NBA games are high-emotion events. Allowing excessive mouthing from fans – or occasionally players – only fosters a culture that the front row can be a battleground.
“The fan put the hand on me first,” Jokic said of Ishbia. “I thought the league was supposed to protect us. Maybe I am wrong. I know who he is, but he is a fan. Isn’t he?”
Jokic is correct. We’ve seen a slippery slope, where front-row fans are starting to believe they have more than just a great view, that they have a license to be part of the show.
Which they are not. Even the guy who signs the checks.
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The List: Oakland Athletic names
The great Vida Blue died Saturday at age 73. A pitching wunderkind for the Oakland Athletics, Blue at the age of 21 went 24-8 with a 1.82 earned run average in 1971 and 301 strikeouts in 312 innings. Blue was a starting pitcher on Oakland’s three straight World Series champion teams, 1972-74, and twice more won at least 20 games in a season.
Blue didn’t reach Hall of Fame status. He pitched in 17 seasons and finished with a record of 209-161.
But the memories of Blue harken back to one of baseball’s greatest championship runs. Since 1953, when the Yankees capped off five straight World Series titles, those 1972-74 A’s and the 1998-2000 Yankees are the only franchises with more than two straight championships.
Blue’s death made me reminisce about those grand Charlie Finley teams, with their green-and-gold uniforms and facial hair and swashbuckling attitudes. And names. Don’t forget the names.
Here are the five best names from those Athletics:
1. Vida Blue: In the history of Major League Baseball, the only Vida. And one of only three Blues, joining Lu Blue (1921-33), Bert Blue (1908) and a first-name-unknown pitcher named Blue (1930, Negro Leagues).
2. Catfish Hunter: His first name was Jim, but Hunter always was known as Catfish en route to the Hall of Fame.
3. Blue Moon Odom: A 12-year Athletic, dating back to Kansas City days, his given name was Johnny and some called him “John,” but most called him “Blue Moon.”
4. Sal Bando: The captain of the A’s was a good third baseman who sounded like he ought to captain a Sicilian fishing boat.
5. Bert Campaneris: His nickname was “Campy,” but I loved the name “Bert” for a Cuban immigrant. His given name was Dagoberto, which also would have made the list.
Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at 405-760-8080 or at [email protected]. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. Support his work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: SEC scandals mounting with Chris Beard, Brandon Miller, Brad Bohannon
