Shrewd Cats and Puppy Dogs
October 13, 2006 - American Basketball Association (ABA)
Vermont Frost Heaves News Release
I figured point guard would be the easiest column on the depth chart to fill. In fact, it was the hardest.
We considered Tony Harris, the former SEC Player of the Year at Tennessee. Or we considered him until, scarcely a page into the Google results, we discovered what his agent had neglected to tell us: That, during an incident in Baton Rouge several years ago, a police dog had gotten hold of his arm and caused nerve and muscle damage.
Assistant coach Wayne Lafley delivered the verdict: "We're not gonna sign a chew toy."
A Division II stalwart named Kelvin Parker, who impressed our coach, Will Voigt, in Norway, went passive-aggressive on us. He'd call Coach V to inquire about openings. Then he'd moan about his horrible experience playing for a short-lived ABA franchise in Kansas City. Then he'd hear us out sympathetically on how we'd be different. Then he'd aver that he was in fact hoping for an NBDL gig. Then a few weeks would pass, whereupon he'd call again and the cycle would repeat. Fine player, great guy-but the Hamlet of the Hardwood.
Coach V would have signed him in an Oslo minute. My take? Point guards ought to be able to make decisions.
We put a contract in front of Jitim Young, the former first-team All-Big Ten guard at Northwestern. But his agent wanted an out clause that would have allowed Jitim to accept a better overseas offer up until Nov. 15. Our home opener is set for Nov. 16. House, feed and train a floor leader for weeks, only to have him bolt on the eve of our debut? I don't think so.
Funny: Jitim called last week, wondering if we still had any openings.
Throughout our search, we hoped to land at least one of two types of point guard. There are havoc wreakers, guys who have energy and thrive in the up-and-down, which is the essence of the ABA. Then there are tempo-and-flow guys, guards who can sense the tidal shifts in a game and know how to settle their teammates into place.
Our tempo-and-flow point guard and our havoc wreaker are about as yin and yang as two players can get.
Coach V likens our tempo-and-flow guy, Tyrone Barley, to "a shrewd cat." He's the guard who helped guide St. Joseph's to that undefeated regular season two years ago as the Atlantic 10's Sixth Man of the Year. Glue, as he's known, was putting up ordinary numbers in the weight room until Coach V wandered in one day last week.
"Man, where'd THAT come from?" marveled Scott Caulfield, our strength and conditioning coach, when he recorded Tyrone's 27 reps of a 185-pound bench press. (Scott has the results from the last NBA Pre-Draft Camp, and he couldn't find a single point guard with that kind of strength.)
Tyrone shrugged at the obviousness of the answer: "Hey, COACH is here."
Point proven: Tempo-and-flow point guards are into situational ethics. They're acutely aware of the circumstances around them.
Havoc wreakers know only one mode. Ours is Melvin Creddle, who grew up two blocks from Barley on Newark's West Side-in the same neighborhood as NBA guard Randy Foy.
One of the joys of G.M.-hood has been to read the Frost Heaves' own filled-out player questionnaires, the kind I've pored through in countless sports information offices over the years-the ones that ask for "last book read" and "favorite meal." A glance at Melvin's reveals how thoroughly he's devoted to hoops:
Favorite place to go on vacation? GYM.
If you weren't playing basketball, where would you be? ON THE BLOCK.
Favorite sport other than basketball? N/A.
Havoc-wreaker point guards are obsessive and monomaniacal, in case you couldn't tell. Indeed, while mulling over with Coach V the other day candidates to wear our mascot suit, he said, "How about Melvin? He'll do anything you ask him to. He's a puppy dog."
There you have it: Barley, all tempo and flow, shrewd cat; Creddle, havoc wreaker, puppy dog.
Indeed, Melvin will go and go and go. Which is what he did during the first week of practice. Until he collapsed.
The scary aftermath of which will be the subject of my next post.
For more information about the Vermont Frost Heaves and to purchase Frost Heaves gear, go to ,vermontfrostheaves.com.
Note: OurSports Central no longer actively covers the American Basketball Association (ABA) as a professional league due in part to its inability to publish and play a schedule and the transitory nature of many of its teams. For information on professional minor leagues, please see OSC's basketball section.
American Basketball Association Stories from October 13, 2006
- Shrewd Cats and Puppy Dogs - Vermont Frost Heaves
- Ballers take on Whirlpool Corporation All-Stars - Twin City Ballers
- Kids take a ride aboard Newark Express - Jersey Express
- Kings sign assistant coach - Peoria Kings
- Express interview on WBGO - Jersey Express
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
