NEW YORK, NY — The scene at “The World’s Famous Arena” last Friday night had Dan Hurley’s UConn Huskies on one side and Rick Pitino’s St. John’s Red Storm on the other with over 19,000 in the building.
It is not hyperbole to say that Friday’s 81-72 win over the University of Connecticut at Madison Square Garden was the biggest regular season in years by the St. John’s University men’s basketball team. The Huskies had won eighteen consecutive games coming into their matchup with the Red Storm who were doing well themselves having won eight straight.
This game held such national interest that FOX broadcast the game nationally with former Knicks voice Gus Johnson doing the play-by-play. The always enthusiastic Johnson was clearly happy to be back in New York from the intro. He became emotional when a live photo of the Statue of Liberty was shown.
FOX sideline reporter Allison Williams spoke to Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino before the game and asked him the secret for the UConn Huskies’ success. “Well, they have a great offense; they play solid defense; and they are well-coached. Gee, I better leave right now!” Pitino joked.
After the game, Williams asked Pitino about his pregame comment. “I am happy I decided to stick around!” Pitino wisecracked. He then praised his players for their smart play, and for not being intimidated.
Image Credit: St. John’s Men’s Basketball
The Red Storm earned their win thanks to a tenacious defense; big man Zuby Ejiofor scoring 21 points; and a clutch three-point shot by Dylan Darling. Free throw shooting has long been a Red Storm problem, but Bryce Hopkins hit a pair of foul shots to salt the game away in the final minute.
I had a feeling it would be a good night for the Red Storm when the FOX camera crew penned in behind the St. John’s bench to see who was sitting in celebrity row. Sure enough, there was inimitable Mets executive Jay Horwitz smiling and wearing a Red Storm hoodie.
No blockbuster trade made for Giannis Antetokounmpo as Knicks add Jose Alvarado
It was no Giannis Antetokounmpo, no problem for the Knicks at last Thursday’s NBA trade deadline. After months of rumors and speculation, the Milwaukee Bucks decided not to trade their disgruntled superstar. The Knicks, who had won eight straight games at the deadline, did not feel the need to break up their team, nor the need to discard any future draft capital, for the supremely talented, but often injured, Giannis.
The Knicks did acquire sharpshooting guard, and Brooklyn native, Jose Alvarado, from the New Orleans Pelicans last Thursday.
Image Credit: NBA
Alvarado of Puerto Rican heritage was needed because Miles “Deuce” McBride will be lost for the rest of the regular season as he recovers from inguinal hernia surgery.
Nets’ moves and non-moves at NBA Trade Deadline
The Brooklyn Nets, who are more interested in getting a high position in the 2026 NBA Draft than they are in winning games, wound up holding on to their best player, and most marketable asset, Michael Porter Jr. when no rival team was willing to part with their top draft picks for him.
The Nets cut Cam Thomas last Thursday. Thomas was their best scorer in recent years, but he was allergic to both passing the ball and playing defense. Whenever he was sitting on the bench, Thomas seemed disinterested in the game as opposed to rooting for his teammates.
Image Credit: NBA
It was easy to see a divorce between Thomas and the Nets was inevitable the moment team general manager Sean Marks decided not to offer him a contract extension. During Nets media day last September Thomas gave one-word answers to YES Network Nets studio anchors Frank Isola and Chris Shearn. It appeared Thomas would rather have been getting a root canal.
Nets superfan Mr. Whammy celebrates 90th birthday
Congratulations to Nets superfan, Bruce Reznick, who is known around Barclays Center as “Mr. Whammy,” for turning 90 years young this past Saturday. Reznick was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame last September for his years of running up to the stanchion and waving his hands to symbolize a hex whenever an opposing player was attempting a free throw. Bruce is such a showman that opposing NBA players consider it an honor when he tries to disrupt their concentration.
Carlos Beltrán announces his plans to head into Cooperstown as a Met
In an expected move, the National Baseball Hall of Fame announced last week that Carlos Beltran’s plaque will show him wearing a Mets cap.
Image Credit: MLB
He becomes the third player to don a cap from the team from Queens on his plaque. Tom Seaver and Mike Piazza are the other two.
Remembering and Paying Tribute to Mickey Lolich
Mickey Lolich, who was a Detroit legend for pitching three complete games in the 1968 World Series in which the Tigers defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games, died last week at the age of 85.
Baby boomer Mets fans have less sanguine memories of Lolich because the Mets traded fan favorite Rusty Staub to the Tigers for him in late 1975. Lolich had an 8-13 record for the Mets and retired after the 1976 season. He would mount a short-term comeback with the San Diego Padres in 1978.
The Mickey Lolich trade has been obscured over the years because of the many other ill-advised trades the Mets made in the 1970s such as those which sent Nolan Ryan, Amos Otis, and Tom Seaver packing.
Media’s Obsession with Bad Bunny and Kid Rock during lead up to Super Bowl LX
The media was more obsessed with the Super Bowl LX halftime entertainment battle between Benito Ocasio and Robert Ritchie, better known as Bad Bunny and Kid Rock, than they were in the two participating teams, the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks in the week leading up to the big game.
Image Credit: NFL
The choice of Bad Bunny as the Super Bowl halftime performer angered some on the extreme right because they did not like the idea of hearing a performer singing strictly in Spanish even though he is the most popular artist in the world right now. They became further enraged when Mr. Ocasio criticized Immigration & Customs Enforcement for their frequently thuggish behavior.
Kid Rock agreed to be alternative entertainment for when Bad Bunny was performing in Santa Clara, CA, for the conservative political organization Turning Point USA. Capitalism is about competition and choice for the consumer, so I had no problem with it.
The Bad Bunny halftime extravaganza was far more memorable and energetic than the game itself.
Image Credit: NFL/Apple Music
The Patriots impersonated the New York Jets with QB Drake Maye morphing into end-of-year Jets QB Brady Cook.
Broadcasters working their tails off during Super Bowl LX and Winter Olympics
Veteran broadcaster, and Forest Hills High School alum, Ian Eagle was the Super Bowl television play-by-play voice for the international community. “You can listen to me if you are in the Philippines!” he joked to me a couple of weeks ago. American football fans were treated to the play calling from Whitestone native, and Bayside High School graduate, Mike Tirico.
Image Credit: NFL
NBC thrust Douglaston’s Mary Carillo into being an Olympic anchor as a replacement for Savannah Guthrie who understandably could not be in Milan. Carillo had been scheduled to announce various Olympic competitions.
NFL Hall of Famer Sonny Jurgensen passes away at 91
NFL Hall of Fame QB Sonny Jurgensen, who played most of his career with the then-Washington Redskins, passed away last week at the age 91. His passing comes two after the death of one of his contemporaries, John Brodie.
A disaster for Lindsey Vonn
Lindsey Vonn is one of the best American skiers of all-time, but it was foolish for her to ski down a bunny slope after tearing her ACL, let alone engage in Olympic downhill racing.
Ever think of proposing at a Major League Baseball Stadium?
The Hallmark holiday for romance, Valentine’s Day, is Saturday. If you are thinking of popping the big question to your significant other at a baseball stadium, Sportsbookreview.com has the price list for each MLB ballpark.
It will cost you $1,500 to propose on the Citi Field scoreboard which is the costliest in the majors.
Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
You may want to think about going to the Bronx as those hopeless romantics, the Yankees, only charge $150. Bargain hunters can go to one of the nicest MLB locales, PNC Park, the home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, where it only costs $40. There are no refunds in case you get turned down at any of the stadiums. The humiliation is completely on the house, however!
Washington Post shuts down sports department
Granted, nothing is shocking when it comes to bad tidings relating to daily newspapers, but the Washington Post’s decision to shutter its sports department is upsetting given its rich heritage. Past WaPo sports columnists like Shirley Povich, Tom Boswell, Tony Kornheiser, Michael Wilbon, and John Feinstein represent the platinum standard of the field.
Tourism Ireland makes a visit to Manhattan
Tourism Ireland held a conference in Manhattan last week to promote its 2026 marketing plans for the travel industry. Sports tourism is a key component of it.
Image Credit: Tourism Ireland
Just as the FIFA World Cup will be a major driver of tourism in North America this summer, Ireland sees golf and American football to be major assets for them. The Aer Lingus College Football Classic played at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium the last Saturday in August, has been an enormous success. This year the University of North Carolina will take on Texas Christian University. ESPN will televise it here in the US.
The NFL played its first game in Dublin last fall. Irish tourism officials are hoping the NFL will return there in 2028.
Ireland will host the 2027 Ryder Cup golf tournament. The US will be looking to avenge its 2025 loss to Team Europe at Bethpage last September.
Ray Romano joins cast of “All Out”
Forest Hills native Ray Romano has joined the cast of Broadway comedy about ambition, “All Out,” which is taking place at the Nederlander Theater.
Image Credit: The official website of Broadway Shows at Broadway.com
Romano will appear in it through March 8th.
Paul Simon looking forward to European Tour this spring and summer
Forest Hills High School’s most famous alumnus, Paul Simon, shows no signs of slowing down at age 84. He will be embarking on a spring European tour before starting a domestic one in the summer. It will be a homecoming for him when he plays Forest Hills Stadium on July 8. If you happen to be in Philadelphia for America’s 250th birthday celebration, Simon will be in concert at the Mann Theater in Fairmount Park on July 5th.
Pop Music World loses a pair of icons in Chuck Negron and LaMonte McLemore
Pop music lost a pair of luminaries last week with the passing of Three Dog Night member Chuck Negron and the Fifth Dimension’s LaMonte McLemore.
Chuck Negron’s tenor voice is best known for singing about the fishes in the deep blue sea on 1971’s “Joy to the World,” but his best work was his tender description of a recently ended relationship in 1973’s “Pieces of April.”
Lamonte McLemore never got to sing lead in the Fifth Dimension, but his smooth background harmonies helped make big hits out of “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In,” “Up, Up and Away,” “One Less Bell to Answer,” “California Soul,” and so many others. Interestingly, McLemore was a second baseman in the Los Angeles Dodgers minor league system before switching to a career in pop music.
Get your Koukli before it’s too late
The ice-skating rink at Bryant Park in midtown Manhattan closes for the season on March 1, as does one of New York’s best food bargains, the Koukli Saucy Greek kiosk.
Image Credit: The official website of Bryant Park at BryantPark.org
You can enjoy reasonably priced cuisine such as grilled chicken, lamb, beef, or sausage skewers, delightfully seasoned fries, and such sweet treats as Halloumi cheese and honey, and their baklava hot chocolate. The owner of Koukli is a Peruvian émigré, Mina Newman.
You can read more of Lloyd Carroll’s columns posted weekly on The Queens Chronicle.
