Tag: Larry Finch

A Study in Societal Decay-Memphis Tigers Basketball From Larry Finch to Jamirah Shutes

On By kingsjesterIn PoliticsLeave a comment

“Memphis guard Jamirah Shutes has been charged with assault for allegedly punching Bowling Green player Elissa Brett as the two teams lined up for handshakes following the Falcons’ third-round victory in the Women’s National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) on Thursday night, police said.

The Bowling Green State University Police Department issued a press release Friday confirming that Shutes, a fifth-year player, was charged after the “unwarranted physical incident” involving Brett at the conclusion of BGSU’s 73-60 victory.

“Following Thursday’s unwarranted physical incident after the WNIT home game, the Bowling Green State University Police Department has charged a member of the Memphis women’s basketball team with assault,” the statement said.

“Violence is never acceptable, and our priority remains the health, safety and support of our student-athlete, who is recovering and doing well. This is an active investigation in conjunction with the City of Bowling Green Prosecutor, and no further comment is available at this time.”

Police said BGSU Athletics was also conducting its own review.

The incident happened at the conclusion of the Memphis-BGSU Sweet 16 matchup. As both teams approached center court to shake hands, Shutes appeared to stop when she reached Brett.

Shutes then sucker-punched Brett, forcing her to the floor, according to police.

A member of the Tigers’ coaching staff appeared to grab Shutes and escort her off the court.

According to an incident report, Brett sustained “swelling in their right eye due to this strike.”

Memphis released a statement Friday confirming that it was working with local authorities.

“The incident that occurred following Thursday’s women’s basketball game was extremely unfortunate and certainly not consistent with, or representative of, our expectations for our programs and student-athletes,” the statement said.

“Because the incident occurred after the game, jurisdiction falls in the hands of local authorities, and we are cooperating fully with their process. To be respectful of that process, we will not comment further until it is complete.”

A Tennessee native, Shutes became the 27th player in program history to score 1,000 points. She ranks 13th at the school all-time in career points.””(Courtesy FoxNews.com)

Here we are, in the middle of the NCAA and NIT College Basketball Tournaments, that time of year which has been dubbed “March Madness”.

This time of year, I always think about a man who made a difference in my life and that of many others.

His name was Larry O. Finch.

You may or may not have heard of him.

The following is an adaptation of a post that I wrote upon hearing of his death in 2011.

I am reposting this because, in this age of self-centered Collegiate and Professional Athletes, it  is a story about a man whose life was not only filled with a love of the game, but with love for his fellow man.

The year is 1972.  A skinny, undersized asthmatic kid, new to Wooddale Junior High, is about to be annihilated in a game called Bombardment, a rather sadistic game thought up by the 9th grade P.E. coach for his personal amusement. 

Resembling the movie “Dodgeball” on steroids,  two teams (usually the delinquents on one side and their victims on the other), would line up against both sides of the bleachers waiting for the coach’s whistle. 

Then, the massacre would ensue.

Sure that I was about to breathe my last, I felt a hand on my shoulder, and a kind voice telling me to stand beside him.  I looked up to see the smiling face of Larry Finch, Senior shooting guard on the Memphis State University Tigers Basketball Team. 

He had just taken an Internship at my school!

Over the semester, we became friends.  I became a Tiger fan for life, eventually receiving my degree there in 1980 in Radio, TV, and Film. 

While there, I had the privilege of calling radio play-by-play for the Women’s Basketball and Men’s Baseball teams.

Larry is also the reason that I went on to play and coach basketball, a 4th grade team and a church team, respectively.  My coaching record is 24-5.

But, I digress…

Of course, that was the year that the Memphis State University Basketball Team lost the NCAA Championship to Bill Walton and the UCLA Bruins. I don’t think that anyone in the nation hollered at their television set louder that night than I did.

Toward the end of that game, UCLA’s All-Star Center, Bill Walton, who had been absolutely running amok all night, sprained his ankle.

Larry Finch was the one who helped him off the floor!

I wonder what Coach Finch would have thought about the behavior of that young basketball player representing our Alma Mater in the NIT Tournament?

I know what I thought.

It was a national embarrassment.

Until He Comes,

KJ

The Memphis Kroger “Flash Mob”: When Is A “Hate Crime”, A “Hate Crime”?

On By kingsjesterIn PoliticsLeave a comment

Memphis KrogerFlashMobIt’s the night of April 4, 1968.  A 9 (and almost 1/2) year old boy is watching a program on a black and white television set in his home in the mid-town area of Memphis, Tennessee.  Suddenly, the screen changes to the Civil Defense logo and he hears a voice saying:

Will all members of the National Guard please report to the Armory and all police and fire personnel please report to their stations.

Normal programming resumed.  Then, all of the sudden, or so it seemed, President Lyndon Baines Johnson came on the television saying:

I come to you tonight with a heavy heart…

And everything changed.

The year is 1972.  A skinny, undersized, asthmatic kid, new to Wooddale Junior High, is about to be annihilated in a game called Bombardment, a rather sadistic game thought up by the 9th grade P.E. coach for his personal amusement.  Resembling the movie “Dodgeball” on steroids,  two teams (usually the delinquents on one side and their victims on the other), would line up against both sides of the bleachers waiting for the coach’s whistle.  Then, the massacre would ensue.

Sure that I was about to breathe my last, I felt a hand on my shoulder, and a kind voice telling me to stand beside him.  I looked up to see the smiling face of Larry Finch, Senior shooting guard on the Memphis State University Tigers Basketball Team.  He had just taken an Internship at my school!

Of course, that was the year that they lost the NCAA Championship to Bill Walton and the UCLA Bruins.  I don’t think that anyone in the nation hollered at their television set louder that night than I did.

Over the semester, we became friends.  I became a Tiger Fan for life, eventually receiving my degree there  in 1980 in Radio, TV, and Film.  While there, I had the privilege of calling radio play-by-play for the Women’s Basketball and Men’s Baseball teams.

Larry is also the reason that I went on to play and coach basketball, including a 4th grade team and a church team, respectively.  My coaching record is 25 – 4.

You’re probably thinking to yourself, how can you consider yourself a friend of Larry Finch?  You only knew him for a short time.

In the early 80s, while Larry was an Assistant Coach at Memphis State University under Dana Kirk, I was working at Memphis Cablevision.  I was passing through a front office packed with customers, there to pay their bill.  All of the sudden, I heard a familiar voice shouting my last name at the top of his lungs.  It was Coach Finch!

He grinned that big ol’ grin at me, and hugged me until I thought my ribs would bust.  Then he asked me how I was doing, eager to hear about my life, and we talked as if there was no one else in that lobby.

And now, 30 years later, I’m sitting here, trying to write this post, as I grieve for  our hometown.

Just a few blocks west from an affluent neighborhood in what is known as East Memphis, a scene of reprehensible violence took place.

The local Memphis CBS Affiliate,  WREG, reports that

Three people were attacked by a large group of teenagers Saturday night.

The incident happened around 9:15 p.m. in the parking lot of the Kroger at Highland and Poplar.

A store employee caught video of the attack.

A 25-year-old man said he was attacked by the group as he walked to his car. Two Kroger employees, 17 and 18, ran to help the man. Both were repeatedly hit in the head and face.

The teens told police pumpkins “in excess of 20 pounds” were thrown on their heads while they were on the ground.

Police say both teens lost consciousness.

Eventually, a security guard stopped the attack.

Kroger confirmed two of their male employees were attacked in the parking lot, taken to the hospital and released to their parents.

The video has spread via Facebook and other social media sites.

Memphis Police Director Toney Director Armstrong released a statement to the media:

“We are fully aware of last night’s incidents. It is extremely troubling to see how many young people were involved, especially on the heels of last week’s youth forum.

A lot of our citizens are working to provide safe and productive alternatives for our youth. For those that choose not to take advantage of these opportunities, we will work tirelessly to identify, locate and hold you accountable.

Last night’s events clearly demonstrates a lack of parental controls and if warranted these parents will also be held accountable.”

Investigators are working to identify the ones responsible for this crime.

Per other local sources, 100 black “yutes” were involved in the “flash mob”.

Eleven of the “little angels” were caught, including an 18 year-old, who was on “diversion” for smoking blunts and assault and a 15 year-old, who was not even registered with the Shelby County School System.

My beloved Memphis, a (long) Past Winner of “City Beautiful”,  can no longer lay claim to the nickname of the “City of Good Abode”.

I moved across Stateline Road to DeSoto County, Mississippi from Memphis, Tennessee in November of 1997 for a very good reason: I was no longer wanted there.

Former Memphis Mayor, W.W. Herenton , during a push to raise taxes, injected race into the matter, as he always did, and told Memphis’ White Citizens that, if they did not like the absurdly high tax rate, that they should leave town.

And, sure enough, we did.

My beloved hometown of Memphis, has been gutted by decades of poor financial stewardship, brought about by Democratic Leadership, who never saw a dollar they couldn’t spend, or a relative or friend that they couldn’t give a job with the city to.

And now, Memphis is struggling with its budget, and has now drastically cut the benefits of the police and fire department retirees.

What is amazing to me, the Mayor and City Council of Memphis act like they don’t know why this is happening.

Let’s see, Memphis Leadership, you raised taxes on the people who pay your “public servant” salaries, you then tell them to leave town, and you expand your municipal government to the size of a small city.

Obviously, the words “‘fiscal responsibility” don’t mean a darned thing to you.

Now, Memphis’ chickens have come home… to roost…including a failed school system which turned in its charter in a successful scheme to take over the more affluent county school system, only to see the county municipalities start their own individual systems, Memphis’ black citizens murdering each other every night, and gangs of black teenagers beating the snot out of innocent people, simply because they’re bored…and they have no parental guidance.

There will be very little national news coverage about the beat-down at the Kroger Parking Lot. Attorney General Eric Holder will not come down here…neither will the Justice Brothers, Revs. Jackson and Sharpton.

For, boys and girls, black on white crime, quite frankly, is rarely labeled a “Hate Crime”….due to political expediencies.

I may be a “Pollyanna”. but I can’t help but believe that the Civil Rights Leader, whom I experienced being gunned down, all those years ago, and my coach and mentor, who brought the Bluff City together, would be sorely disappointed in those whom they both believed in and sacrificed for, who have assumed leadership roles, both in Memphis and in the nation’s capital.

Because, for these self-serving Democrat Liberal Politicians, as they have demonstrated repeatedly, it is not about the content of the character of those who break the law, but rather, the color of their skin.

Until He Comes,

KJ

Obama Lays an Egg

On By kingsjesterIn Politics2 Comments

obamabasketballYesterday, the White House held its annual Easter Egg Roll.

Among the “attractions” at this year’s photo op were the Easter Bunny, the First Dog Bo, (Which is what the other set of grandparents call my 5 year old grandson, Robert. Hey, it’s a Mississippi thang.) there were also characters by the name of Colby Carrot and Erica Eggplant.

What do vegetables have to do Easter? Were they there for the Easter Bunny’s lunch?

No. Actually they were there for Mooch’s (First Lady Michelle Obama) benefit. This woman (who takes 2 trips to haul you-know-what) urged the kiddies to have fun and “run around,” and “to learn something about nutrition and exercise”.

In fact, the theme of this year’s Egg Roll had nothing to do at all with Easter. It was

Be Healthy, Be Active, Be You!

Mooch told the children,

We want you guys to have a good time and keep moving and be healthy. And, kids, eat your vegetables, okay?

Over 30,000 attended the choreographed event. Among those attending, were relatives of some of the children who were murdered by a psychopath during the Dec. 14 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. The White House did not provide names, citing privacy concerns.

Chicagoyouthriot4113How…noble? Hardly.

Obama continues to use the Newtown Tragedy as a Political Opportunity to take away the guns from average-American citizens. Of course, no mention has been made by Obama and his minions concerning the hundred of youths who rioted in the streets of Chicago on Saturday.

“This was a planned attack,” community activist Andrew Holmes told ABC Chicago. “You had these many people down here and that many people just running from one side of the street, jumping on people on the east side, then they come back on the west side and jump on the people.”

More than two dozen teens were arrested during the chaotic melee.

“You have over 300 to 400 teenagers with mob action, jumping on individuals that are downtown,” community activist Andrew Holmes told NBC Chicago.

Police booked 25 juveniles and three adults on misdemeanor reckless conduct and battery charges for purposefully knocking into and jumping on pedestrians during the “mob action.”

At around 6 p.m., hundreds of misbehaved teenagers swarmed in on the Windy City’s Magnificent Mile shopping district that runs along Michigan Avenue, near Chicago Avenue.

“You have over 300 to 400 teenagers with mob action, jumping on individuals that are downtown,” Holmes, who was in the area shopping with family, told NBC Chicago. He said he also witnessed a mounted police officer being assaulted by the teens.

Obama would tell you,

It’s not the yutes’ fault. It’s those darn guns, I tell you.

That is, if he had the guts to bring it up in the first place. But, I digress…

A featured attraction at the Easter Egg Roll, was supposed to be the thrill of watching The Lightbringer display his basketball prowess, by shooting hoops at a basketball goal which his minions had set up on the White House Lawn.

Unfortunately, for the Manchurian President…hilarity ensued.

POTUS stepped to free throw line and kids were asked to stand on opposite sides, depending on whether they think he would sink it. Most kids moved in one direction, but one boy went to the “miss” side.”Oh, man,” a stunned POTUS said, hands on hips. The boy didn’t budge. And three others joined.In sharp form, POTUS released the ball. It bounced off the rim and circled it — miss.”Come on. Come on. Did you see that?” Obama said.It got worse.A little while later, after playing tennis, Obama started to take shots amid the kids and pros. Miss. Miss. Off the rim. Miss. Miss. Off the rim. Airball. He moved closer to the net.But time and again, he missed. Of 22 shots POTUS took, he made two. (22 was general consensus of poolers)At one point, POTUS handed a ball to a boy and asked for help. The boy made the layup.”He couldn’t make one. I had to help him out,” said Kahron Campbell, 10, of Landover, MD.

Being a product of a Memphis upbringing, basketball runs through my veins. It all started in elementary, when I played on a team, then in ninth grade, when the legendary University of Memphis player, Larry Finch, became my student coach the year they lost the National Championship to Bill Walton and UCLA (’72-’73). I later went on to coach my own forth grade squad, while in college at the U of M, and , later, at 36, I coached and played for my church team. My record as a coach is 25-4, with 2 league championships.

Basketball is a metaphor for any tasks you might attempt in life. 

One of the things you learn in basketball, is that…

If the plays aren’t working, you must re-adjust the game plan. 

Every great basketball player knows that when your plays aren’t working you have to adjust, and then adjust some more. The varying strengths and styles of different opponents require different tactics. You have to be able to withstand and adjust to whichever attacks an opponent uses on you.

Just like the game of basketball, life presents us with many challenges for which we must adjust our game plan.

And, just as Obama failed miserably, in his attempt to show off his skills as a basketball player, so has he failed miserably during his tenure as the President of the United States.

He has gained a reputation as being the most -out-of-touch, narcissistic, socialist, prevaricating, petulant President this nation has yet to endure.

Perhaps it is time to Obama to change his game plan.

Until He Comes,

KJ