The Confidential

The ACC Sports Blog

21 Aug 2013
3 Comments

The ACC School Mount Rushmores: North Carolina State FINAL

The support for Everett Case was overwhelming.  As someone from a distant era, we have to rely on historical information, rather than ESPN telecasts.  So here is what the Raleigh Hall of Fame has to say about Case:

Born at the turn of the 20th century, Case, a legendary high school coach in Indiana, had a vision of what college basketball could be and he brought that vision to Raleigh. Where others saw a partially built Reynolds Coliseum, Case saw an arena that would hold 12,500 fans. While others saw football as the major college sport, Case saw arenas full of cheering, loyal, rabid basketball fans.

At first, Case recruited out-of-state basketball players who knew the nuances of the game. Even so, he spent many hours visiting North Carolina high schools and civic clubs, encouraging cities and towns to build better gymnasiums, so North Carolina lads could eventually compete for college basketball slots. He wanted to see hoops tacked up on pine trees, and backboards and baskets on almost every vacant lot. Within five or six years he did.

Case’s first 10 years at N.C. State have to be among the greatest of all time. His teams had 267 wins against 60 losses, six consecutive Southern Conference tournaments, three straight Atlantic Coast Conference tournaments. They won six of seven Dixie Classics. Tired of being doormats to N.C. State, the 1950s found nearby colleges hiring top caliber coaches, and recruiting quality players from around the country, eventually making college basketball “King” in North Carolina.

In addition to being a legendary coach, Case was a skilled promoter. The Dixie Classic, a Case brainchild, was the forerunner of today’s many popular holiday tournaments. Case introduced such practices as cutting down the nets after a championship and shining a spotlight on players as they were introduced. The installation of an applause meter in Reynolds Coliseum, the invitation to high school coaches for clinics, and his open-door policy to the media were other Case trademarks.

Case resigned from N.C. State in 1965 and died in 1966. He was the first basketball coach enshrined in the State of North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame and was inducted into the National Basketball Hall of Fame in 1981.

The Naismith Hall of Fame adds that Case was “largely responsible for popularizing basketball in both the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and in North Carolina.”

There was some support for Tab Ramos, Phillip Rivers, and Roman Gabriel, among others.  But Case was influential in North Carolina State developing into the basketball school that it is today.

The Final North Carolina State Mount Rushmore:  David Thompson, Jim Valvano, Kay Yow, and Everett Case.

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Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Mount Rushmore and tagged , , , , , ,
19 Aug 2013
5 Comments

The ACC School Mount Rushmores: Clemson FINAL

The Clemson final spot did not prove to be overly difficult.  Although there was some debate over Larry Nance, with Horace Grant being suggested, it is hard to overlook Nance’s taking Clemson farther than anyone else AND having a stellar NBA career.

For the fourth spot, however, we are going with Banks McFadden. Although his name sounds like it should be in a movie… like Dodgeball… the guy was a stellar athlete a long time ago.  Consider this biography:

He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1959 . . . McFadden is widely considered to be the greatest athlete in Clemson University history, lettering in three sports (football, basketball and track). In 1939, McFadden was voted the Associated Press’ “Athlete of the Year”. McFadden was also a two-time All-American in basketball (1938 and 1939) and lead the Tigers basketball team to a Southern Conference championship in 1939. Upon graduating, McFadden played football for the National Football League’s Brooklyn Dodgers. McFadden fought in World War II and upon returning to the United States went into coaching.

On September 19, 1987, Clemson University retired his basketball No. 23 and football No. 66.

So, there you go, a retired jersey in TWO sports.  Not many players get that type of recognition.

The Final Verdict for the Clemson Mount Rushmore:  Danny Ford, Frank Howard, Larry Nance, and Banks McFadden!

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Posted by acaffrey in Mount Rushmore, Opinion and tagged , , , , , ,
17 Aug 2013
27 Comments

ACC & Expansion: August Discussion~Texas

The folks over at Frank the Tank have been having some fun with expansion scenarios involving Big XII teams.   As always, it is the imperialistic Big 10 looking to find colonies (schools) in new lands (markets).  One person even posed the Texas/Oklahoma/Kansas/UConn idea.  Well, our ACC is in a battle for survival.  It is “eat” or “be eaten.”  The Confidential believes that it is the ACC that needs to have its eyes on Texas.  Any conference would be glad to have Texas, if the ACC can pull it off, it would cement the conference in the top 4.  But how to do it?

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Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Conference Realignment, Football, Opinion
17 Aug 2013
5 Comments

The ACC School Mount Rushmores: Pittsburgh FINAL

Well, there were not too many comments on the Pittsburgh Mount Rushmore, making it a challenge for the Confidential.  Ultimately, the Confidential is going with Mike Ditka.  People forget how good he was a Pitt–an All-American tight end that led the team in receiving for all three years.  From there, he solidified his name as a NFL player and coach.  While he has had some controversially dumb things to say, there is no question that he is the epitome of “toughness,” which is an attribute that is associated with Pittsburgh, in general.

Pop Warner had great success, but he had success in a lot of places.  And his replacement had even more success.  Johnny Majors had a great peak with a National Championship, but then departed for his alma mater.  Hugh Green was the real challenger to Ditka.  But Green’s college dominance is offset by notable lack of accomplishment on or off the field thereafter.  Great player, but falls slight short of being an icon.

The Final Pittsburgh Mount Rushmore:  Tony Dorsett, Dan Marino, Jock Southerland, and Mike Ditka.

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Posted by acaffrey in Mount Rushmore, Opinion and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,
16 Aug 2013
6 Comments

The ACC School Mount Rushmores: Duke

The Confidential has been having some fun with league-wide coaches Mount Rushmores.  Football and Basketball, plus polls for each of football and basketball to share your thoughts.  In fact, it was so sufficiently fun and controversial that we are going to do school-wide Mount Rushmores now.  And we will only put three people on the list, leaving you–our readers–to comment as to who should be the fourth.  We will not do polls anymore.  For today, let’s go with a school that helps define the ACC: Duke.

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Posted by acaffrey in Mount Rushmore, Opinion and tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,
15 Aug 2013
8 Comments

The ACC School Mount Rushmores: Virginia FINAL

Well, there were not too many comments on the Virginia Mount Rushmore, making it a challenge for the Confidential.  Ultimately, the Confidential is going with Claudio Reyna.  For those who are not soccer fans, Reyna had a pretty dominant tenure at Virginia:

Highly recruited out of high school, Reyna elected to attend the University of Virginia from 1991–1993 on a full-ride scholarship. While at Virginia, he spent three seasons on the men’s soccer team, coached by future U.S. national team coach Bruce Arena. The Cavaliers would go on to win the NCAA championship each of his three seasons. On an individual level, Reyna won the Hermann Trophy in 1993 and the MAC Award in 1992 and 1993; and was named the 1992 and 1993 Soccer America Player of the Year. In 2000, the magazine placed him on its Team of the Century and named him the male player of the century.

That’s a pretty darn impressive three years of college.  His post-Virginia career has been full of accolades, as well.  He is considered one of the all-time best American soccer players ever.

The Final Virginia Mount Rushmore:  Ralph Sampson, Dawn Staley, Herman Moore, and Claudio Reyna.

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Posted by acaffrey in Mount Rushmore, Opinion and tagged , , , , , , , , , ,
14 Aug 2013

Pitt 2013 Football Preview

Its time! The college football season will be here soon and we wont have to rely on MLB or ESPNs replays of games from last season to get our sports fix. It is, thank God, the FINAL year of the BCS and the year when we get to see the on the field effect of conference realignment. The ACC welcomes Pitt, Syracuse and Notre Dame into the conference, well most of Notre Dame. Lets take a look at the Pitt Panthers.

Just like last season, the last few years has been a roller coaster ride for the Panthers football team. Through all the coaching changes Paul Chryst is ready for his second year as head coach. Pitt finished last season 6-7 (3-4 in the Big East) and with a loss to Ole Miss in the BBVA Compass Bowl 38-17. The lows began with a loss to Youngstown St of the FCS 31-27 but they rebounded to beat Virginia Tech and then #19 Rutgers. There was also a couple of heartbreaking losses as well, a 1 point loss to Syracuse and a 3 overtime loss to the eventual national runner-up Notre Dame. Can Pitt steady the ride in 2013?

 

This will be the first time in four years that they will not be playing in a new system but they will be playing in a new conference. One of the glaring stats from last season that most be improved on is sacks allowed, they gave up 38 and were last in the Big East. Some bright spots from last season was their BE leading 10 turnovers and their 52.5% opponent TD rate in the red zone.

Pitt will have 13 returning starters (5 offense & 8 defense) but will be without QB Tino Sunseri, RB Ray Graham and RB Rushell Shell. Key returners are S Jason Hendricks (90 tackles 6 Int.), DT Aaron Donald (64 tackles 18.5 TFL 5.5 sacks), LB Todd Thomas (59 tackles) and WR Devin Street (73 Rec.). They are also bringing in a solid recruiting class that features OT Dorian Johnson, WR Tyler Boyd, QB TraVon Chapman and DT Tyrique Jarrett.

Finding reliable starters at QB and at RB will be crucial for the Panthers but they have alternatives. At QB will be ether redshirt freshman Chad Voytik or senior Tom Savage. With TraVon they should have 3 quality QB to chose from. Isaac Bennett appears to be poised as the starting RB after a solid preseason game. Malcolm Crocket and Desmond Brown would be his backups. This trio combined for only 41 carries in 2012. With the questions at QB and RB and with the loss of their #2 receiver, the offense looks to be the weakness of the team.

Tom Savage is 6-5 and has a strong arm but he hasn’t played since 2010 with Rutgers. At Rutgers he was a freshman All-American but struggled during his sophomore year. He is 192-368 for 2732 yds with 16 TD for his career. He led Rutgers to a 45-24 victory against UCF in the 2009 St. Petersburg Bowl in his freshman year. After a falling out with the Rutgers coaching staff he transferred to Arizona but came to Pitt instead after a coaching change at Arizona. This will be his last year of eligibility. He was a 5 star recruit coming out of high school.

The defense is the clear strength of this team as they return 7 of their top 8 tacklers and return their top leaders in INT and sacks. Donald and Hendricks are hyped as preseason All-Conference selections.

Following a tough season opener against Florida St. the schedule could be set up to allow them to get their feet set under them during the first part of the year before ending with 5 tough games. The key to a successful 2013 for Pitt will be finding a QB and RB to step up and take control of the starting position. If this happens then an 8 win season is certainly possible but I will predict them to finish 7-5 (4-4) and in the mid pack of the ACC, which is certainly a good accomplishment in the tougher conference.

Here is a look at the Pitt 2013 football schedule;

Sept 2 Florida St              its hard to pick against FSU here.

Sept 14 New Mexico      should be the start of a winning streak.

Sept 21 @ Duke              the Pitt defense should be enough to get the W.

Sept 28 Virginia              playing at home gives the Panthers the edge.

Oct  12 @ Virginia Tech VT gets revenge from last season at home.

Oct  19 Old Dominion   Pitt will need to avoid a Youngstown St repeat.

Oct  26 @ Navy               A must win game for Pitt.

Nov  2 @ Georgia Tech  GT playing at home gives them the edge.

Nov 9 Notre Dame         ND will be favored.

Nov 16 N Carolina          Pitt has the home field advantage here.

Nov 23 @ Syracuse        A possible W and will be needed to reach 8 on the year

Nov 29 Miami                another crucial game for Pitt to get 8.

Posted by lenvillecards in ACC only, Football, Louisville Correspondent, Predictions, Schedule, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , ,
13 Aug 2013
11 Comments

The ACC School Mount Rushmores: Notre Dame

The Confidential has been having some fun with league-wide coaches Mount Rushmores.  Football and Basketball, plus polls for each of football and basketball to share your thoughts.  In fact, it was so sufficiently fun and controversial that we are going to do school-wide Mount Rushmores now.  And we will only put three people on the list, leaving you–our readers–to comment as to who should be the fourth.  We will not do polls anymore.  For today, let’s go with a school that is in the ACC, not in the ACC, or partially in the ACC (depending on how you feel about it): Notre Dame.

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Posted by acaffrey in Mount Rushmore, Opinion and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,
12 Aug 2013
8 Comments

The ACC School Mount Rushmores: Syracuse Final

Well, this was certainly a tough one.  Frankly, narrowing it down to four Syracuse icons is very difficult.  Too many deserving folks get left off.  Based on the comments, and upon further review, it has to come down to Ben Schwartzwalder and Ernie Davis.  For all the lacrosse accomplishments, lacrosse remains a non-revenue sport.  Although many basketball players made contributions, only a few won a national title–Anthony, McNamara, and Warrick.  Does it get won without either of the three?

Still, Ben Schwartzwalder created Syracuse football.  And Ernie Davis won a Heisman Trophy–the only Syracuse player to do so and the first African-American to ever do so.  While Ernie Davis is a hero, it is difficult to choose a player over a legendary coach.  This is especially true when the coach brought the player to campus.  Without Schwartzwalder, perhaps Davis goes elsewhere.  And maybe Davis ends up a linebacker.  Who knows?

The Ernie Davis story deserved to be a movie, but we’ll have to go with the hero here: Ben Schwartzwalder.  He was a military hero, receiving a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, four battle stars, a Presidential Unit Citation and his actions during the Normandy invasion led to a promotion to major.  He coached Syracuse for 24 years, winning 178 games and a national title in 1959.  He brought Jim Brown, Davis, John Mackey, Floyd Little, and Larry Csonka to Syracuse.

Upon further review, however, it is impossible to keep Ernie Davis off the Syracuse Mount Rushmore.  For all that Dave Bing accomplished on and off the court, there is a clear lack of notoriety.  Part of that is because Dave Bing is a very classy individual.  But Bing did not win an award equivalent to a Heisman Trophy.  Bing is certainly a top 5, but we are going to switch things up and give Davis the spot previously reserved for Bing.  Mea culpa.

The final Syracuse Mount Rushmore: Jim Boeheim, Jim Brown, Ben Schwartzwalder, and Ernie Davis.

The original article…

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Posted by acaffrey in Mount Rushmore, Opinion and tagged , , , , , , , , , ,
11 Aug 2013

Two Man QB Race for Syracuse

The muddled Syracuse QB race is down to Oklahoma transfer Drew Allen and redshirt sophomore Terrel Hunt. Fifth Year Senior Charley Loeb has been relegated to the third spot now. Almost all fans expect Drew Allen to win the job but all accounts are that Hunt has been impressive. As fans, we can only want the better QB to actually win the job, but with the excitement of the move to the ACC, having an Oklahoma transfer become the starting QB would add some excitement to the program. With only 20 days to go before the Syracuse opener against Penn State, fans are anxiously awaiting a decision.

One minor news note that may evolve into something down the road is the transfer of QB Troy Green from UCF. Green is the son of Syracuse legend Tim Green. Green said his son will have more opportunity down the road at Syracuse to play than at UCF. Could be interesting next year.

Posted by tjcuseacc in ACC only

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