NEW YORK — The College Basketball season is on the horizon, as the calendar flips from October to November in the next coming days. And with the lead up to the season, comes the annual media day for each respective College Basketball conference across the NCAA.
Last Tuesday, the Big East conference held their annual basketball media day at Madison Square Garden. The number of credentialed media was the largest I had seen in years. This was expected considering St. John’s University hiring Rick Pitino to be the Red Storm’s men’s basketball head coach. Not surprisingly, the Red Storm table attracted the largest media scrum, a fact which certainly pleased Pitino who enjoyed holding court.
I asked Pitino about guard Chris Ledlum who grew up in Staten Island and who has a year of college playing eligibility after graduating from Harvard University last May. “He will be running the floor for us,” Pitino told me when I asked him about his role. I followed up by asking Pitino if he had ever coached a Harvard man before.” He thought about it for a couple of seconds and replied, “Probably not. At least he is finally at a real institution of higher learning!” he chuckled. I heartily agree, especially considering recent events on that Cambridge campus.
Rick Pitino presser at Big East Media Day – Image Credit: St. Johns/Big East Conference
Center Joel Soriano was the Red Storm’s best player last year and is one of the few returnees. Pitino made it no secret he wanted to clean house on the Red Storm roster as soon as he signed his contract. He told guard Posh Alexander he should consider transferring to another college. Alexander complied as he left Queens for Indianapolis where he will be playing for the Butler Bulldogs.
College athletes are not allowed to be paid directly by the schools for which they play. They are allowed, however, to make money through their name, image, and likeness. I asked Joel Soriano if he has been able to land any endorsement deals. “Not really. If we win, then those things will take care of themselves.” Soriano’s teammate, guard Daniss Jenkins, who followed Pitino from Iona to St. John’s, echoed Soriano’s statement.
Joel Soriano of St. Johns Red Storm – Image Credit: Big East Conference
It is tough for college athletes playing in the greater New York metropolitan area to make money from endorsements because of the number of professional sports teams in our market. Xavier University guard Quincy Olivari told me one reason he selected that school was because it was in Cincinnati which does not have either an NBA or NHL team. That makes it a lot easier to make money by appearing at local car dealerships and other southern Ohio/northern Kentucky businesses.
Villanova University forward Eric Dixon was the only basketball player who wore his glasses to media day. He laughed when I said he should seek an endorsement deal with an optical company. “I should, since I really need them!’ he replied. Dixon wears contact lenses when he plays. I asked him if he must look for them on the floor after going for a rebound. “Every practice!” he quipped.
Broadcasters Wing of the National Baseball Hall of Fame
Longtime Mets voice, and Flushing native, Gary Cohen is one of the candidates to be enshrined in the broadcasters’ wing of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Gary Cohen during 2023 Mets Hall of Fame Induction ceremony this past summer at Citi Field – Image Credit: George Napolitano/Latino Sports
He will be facing some stiff competition as both Joe Buck and Dan Shulman, two television sportscasters with plenty of national recognition, are also eligible for the Ford C. Frick Award which bestows enshrinement in the broadcasters wing. Unlike with the players’ ballot, there can only be one winner in this category.
Mets pre and postgame radio host Pat McCarthy on the Road to Recovery
Mets pre and postgame radio host Pat McCarthy required surgery after he was struck by a car as he was jogging near his home. Happily, he told me he is rehabilitating well. Hopefully, he will be good as new when spring training begins.
TCS New York City Marathon set to take place this Sunday, November 5th
The TCS New York City Marathon will be taking place this Sunday. Among the notables who will be running the 26.2-mile route through the five boroughs will be NBC Today co-host Sheinelle Jones, sportscaster Harry Cicma, actor Luke MacFarlane, singer/actor Patina Miller, and retired NHL star Zdeno Chara.
Image Credit: TCS New York City Marathon
Also running this year are Samantha Judge and Emily Rizzo who are the wives of Yankees players Aaron Judge and Anthony Rizzo. It is safe to assume the Yankees do not want any of their players taking part in the NYC Marathon out of understandable fear of injury.
Jets-Giants at MetLife on a Rainy Sunday
Last Sunday’s Jets-Giants game may have set the National Football League back 75 years. Granted, the rain created miserable field conditions, and caused numerous injuries, but that still does not excuse how awful this game was. The only good thing about the game is that it was played at 1 PM. Jets and Giants fans were able to get home at a reasonable hour after witnessing this debacle.
The offense for both teams stunk. The Giants had an excuse as they had to play third-string QB Tommy DeVito. Jets QB Zach Wilson looked lost for most of the afternoon as was evidenced by his inability to convert third downs into first downs, something which has plagued his entire NFL career.
Zach Wilson and Jets defeat Giants in a sloppy game at MetLife Stadium this past Sunday – Image Credit: ESPN
Zach Wilson continues to take bad sacks which marches the Jets’ offense backwards. CBS NFL analyst, Matt Ryan, who was a solid signal caller in his time, had a great line about why the Jets offense always seems to be behind the eight-ball. “Zach Wilson holds onto the football longer than it takes to read a Cheesecake Factory menu!”
Moon Baseball Road Trips by Timothy Malcolm
Few things are more American than getting out of town for leisure and watching baseball games. Surprisingly though, there have been very few books for baseball fans who want to plan a vacation which revolves around watching their favorite team play outside of their home ballpark. That gap in the literary marketplace has now been filled by author Timothy Malcolm with his new book “Moon Baseball Road Trips” (Moon/Avalon Publishing).
Avalon provides all the information a baseball fan could ask. He tells readers the best way to save money on tickets in each ballpark; where to stay and eat in each city for every budget; and what to do in each city besides going to the game.
Moon Baseball Road Trips – Image Credit: Moon/Avalon Publishing
When writing about Citi Field, he does not just discuss just the touristy Manhattan points of interest, but to his credit, provides details about all which Flushing Meadows Park has to offer.
Global Travel Collection hold annual Elevate conference + Yankees attend New York International Travel Show
Speaking of getting on the road, there were two events dedicated to tourism in New York last week. Global Travel Collection, a luxury hospitality consortium, held its annual “Elevate” conference. A representative from the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority said the two-time defending WNBA champions, the Las Vegas Aces, will be getting a new arena built for them. The Aces’ CEO is Mark Davis, who also owns the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders. The rep from the PGA Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, Claudia Bonaiuto, told me it is a misconception that only expert golfers are welcomed there. “We have instructors who are great at teaching novice golfers how to play.”
The Yankees were at the New York International Travel Show held at Javits Center. The tours given at Yankee Stadium are very profitable. Many of the attendees are not traditional baseball fans, but rather, are tourists who want to see the home of the most iconic sports franchise in American history.
Remembering and Paying Tribute to Matthew Perry
While the late Matthew Perry will always best be known for playing Chandler Bing on “Friends,” he was also a top athlete who was a top junior tennis player, and a good amateur hockey player.
You can read more of Lloyd Carroll’s columns posted weekly on The Queens Chronicle.
