Mailbag

March 18, 2023

Penn State run stirring memories When I was in graduate school at Penn State (Jan. 1971-Sept. 1972), I greatly enjoyed attending Penn State basketball games at Rec Hall, as I had really gotten into college basketball during my undergraduate years (U of Rochester, Div III). If nothing else, I got to see some standouts on visiting teams, one of which was Princeton, coached by legendary Pete Carril and featuring Brian Taylor, who went on to a very successful NBA career. Taylor was the fastest basketball player I’ve ever seen (Penn State won that game). Penn State ...

Mailbag

March 11, 2023

PIAA needs more flexibility to better reward top teams The most watched sporting event each year by fans is March Madness as 68 NCAA Division I universities compete yearly for gold in basketball. Up until a few years ago, this field consisted of 64 teams. For whatever reasons, four schools (considered on the bubble) were added, and a seventh round, too, in hopes of providing more teams that thought they were left out prematurely. Pennsylvania has its own March Madness yearly, offering six gold medals from 192 high schools in six classes. One thing that bothered me yearly was ...

Mailbag

March 4, 2023

Athletes using their platform to speak out is a good thing I would like to talk about the rights of athletes and sports teams as a whole to protest. In recent history, we have seen many athletes protest for their beliefs and feelings, whether that be Black Lives Matter or whatever else they believe in. Colin Kaepernick comes to mind right away as one of the most prominent protesters in the sports world, known for kneeling during the national anthem to display his belief of racial and ethnic equality. The NBA playoffs from a few years ago also come to mind. Three games were ...

Mailbag

February 25, 2023

Incident shows some referees need more training I’m a grandfather and great grandfather who attends all my grandsons’ basketball games and many others. I’m also a former coach and referee. I witnessed a girls game recently — Bishop Carroll at Penn Cambria — that shocked me and all the other spectators. The referee was told he made a bad call on one of the players. I have to admit some people get caught up in the moment at these games, but the referees do make some obvious bad calls at times. So this referee stopped the game and made an entire section of spectators ...

Mailbag

February 4, 2023

PSU Altoona basketball team is ‘filling it up’ I went down memory lane on a recent Saturday at Penn State Altoona’s Adler Arena. Dean Smith’s four-corner offense came to mind, not for the reason you might expect. The shot clock ended that offensive keep-away strategy years ago. One of the best ticket values in the area is a Penn State Altoona men’s basketball game. The cost of one gallon of gas is $3.89 as I write this, and for $3 a ticket, you get two hours of entertainment in your backyard. The lion mascot can be seen mingling with the fans, and if you get ...

Mailbag

January 21, 2023

PSU basketball needs wrestling’s mentality The question in the Mirror was asked last week if Penn State’s men’s basketball team will make it to the Big Dance, and the answer is no. Again, this year’s team is like any other Penn State basketball team — poor coaching and not enough talent. They are playing a Big Ten schedule now, and the losses are coming. There is no big man to go to when a game is on the line. Penn State lacks big talent and a big-time head coach. Remember, history will tell you PSU will never be big in men’s basketball. This school is ...