Great Adventure

"Get the point...good...let's dance"

Janet Jackson - Interlude: Let's Dance

As a collegian one of the things I always looked forward to outside my broadcast television classes...was the NCAA tournament.

Madness

Temple University always had great basketball teams...in fact it was the leadership of Coach Chaney...and play of the Eddie Jones/Aaron McKie tandem that attracted me to enroll. Well...that is after my dream of attending UCLA didn't come to fruition, however that's another story...nevertheless I'm happy to say that things haven't changed much on North Broad Street, as the Owls have been ranked throughout the season, and well on their way back to the tournament.

My allegiance is to TU, and then everyone else...one of my favorites outside the alma mater is Villanova, and even though they have struggled recently, I know they will be just fine because the Big East is by far the best conference in the nation.

Everyone talks of the SEC with Kentucky, the Big 12 and Kansas, or the ACC with Duke...however the Big East has several schools that have superior teams with experience, and talent at numerous positions. With their victory over Georgetown, hopefully the world will understand how good West Virginia is, and the Pitt Panthers are another team that plays exceptionally well without the recognition.

I'm not going to make any predictions, however when you are filling out your brackets, remember the Temple Owls, and their neighbors in the Big East.

You can thank me later.

Photo: AXG

By Any Means Necessary...

Proven

The future

"I thought Jordans, and a gold chain was living it up..."

Nas - Street Dreams

I can admit when I'm wrong...so when the Charlotte Bobcats drafted DJ Augustin out of Texas with the 9th overall pick last summer, I wasn't too sure about him. Then he signed an endorsement deal with the Jordan Brand soon after...at which I felt was another move in the wrong direction. To say I was perplexed is an understatement.

The Most Known Unknown

Augustin played collegiately at Texas, and outside of Kansas, I don't watch teams from the BIG 12 Conference, but after seeing him play recently in Philadelphia, I wish that I would have paid more attention to him before. His game is good, and by the time I caught up with him in the visiting locker room, we started what will become a good friendship, and respect for each other's profession.

Here is the final score on our conversation:

What are your feelings in playing for Michael Jordan, as well as representing him on the court, with the Jordan Brand?
“It’s a dream come true. Growing up, I always looked up to Michael Jordan, he’s my favorite player, and to play for his team and to wear his shoe, it’s a great feeling!”

Did you collect Jordan sneakers when you were younger?
“I tried, I tried to keep up with them, but I couldn’t keep up. My friends they used to do, but I never did, but now I have all the Jordan’s so…now my friends are calling and asking me for shoes now. [Laughs]”

How often do you switch up and wear a new pair?
“I don’t wear a new pair that often…it’s tough to do that…I have to break them in a little bit. I try to go about 10…about 10 games, and then I’ll switch them up. We get different shoes every quarter of the season, and after All-Star break, we get a new selection, so I just try to switch up every 10 games. They [Jordan Brand] offer a lot of different colors and different styles, it’s great!”

Which is your favorite Jordan?
“Favorite shoe…man? There’s so many man…I’ll probably have to say the XI’s, I like the Space Jams, and the Six Rings right now, they’re tight. I was playing in them, but they’re kind of heavy for me, so I don’t play in them anymore. Now I’m wearing the Jumpman Pro, and they’re really light.”

Growing up as a fan, and now you are representing the brand…can you put how that feels into words?
“It’s crazy…it’s unbelievable, it’s really a dream come true like I said…I’m just very blessed to be in this opportunity and take advantage of it.”