WRISTBANDS AND HEADBANDS

I recall Slick Watts, the guard for the Seattle Supersonics wearing a head band back in the day.  I also recall Wilt Chamberlain rocking one.

As for wristbands, I have seen many players wear them over the years; most visible was Adrian Dantley.  When A.D. went to the foul line he had his routine with the ball and I always recall his.

Some coaches allow them, some don’t.  I don’t let my players wear headbands; wristbands I could care less.

The New York Times has a piece on how fashionable they have become in the NFL and NBA.

“There is absolutely no benefit from a performance standpoint or a medical standpoint,” said Ralph Reiff, a certified athletic trainer and director of St. Vincent Sports Performance in Indianapolis. He has seen the upper-arm bands become popular on football players from the N.F.L. down to middle school. “It’s purely a fashion statement.”

So are we running a fashion show or a sporting event?

Ronnie Barnes, vice president for medical services for the Giants, agreed. “There is no medical benefit or purpose,” said Barnes, who has about 10 players on his team wearing versions of the bands. “A lot of players wear them because they believe it enhances the muscular definition in their arms. At the end of the day, you can attribute this increasing trend to the old adage: look good, feel good, play good.”

I once heard a coach say he doesn’t allow his players to wear headbands because he thought the player was bringing too much attention to himself.

PLAY THE RIGHT WAY!

ADRIAN DANTLEY

I recall a coaching friend telling me about a conversation he had with Adrian Dantley back when A.D. played for the Fighting Irish. Each workout he did was the same. Same drill, same amount of reps and the same focus and intensity.

Last night I watched Adrian Dantley inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. It took a while (nominated 7 times) but he finally got in. He spent 15 years in the NBA. At 6′5″, A.D. was an undersized warrior

Michael Wilbon of the Washington Post on Dantley.

Adrian Dantley didn’t have Vitale to hype his college career at Notre Dame. He played before the nightly explosion of hoops on TV. Mostly, we know him here in Washington because he played for Morgan Wootten at DeMatha. As great as he was in high school and at Notre Dame, he was just as prolific in the NBA. And he’d have been in the Hall of Fame before now if Pistons star Isiah Thomas hadn’t gotten Dantley shipped off to Dallas for his best friend, Mark Aguirre, just as Detroit was set to win back-to-back NBA titles. With either guy, the Pistons were going to win. Dantley, by all rights, should have two championship rings.

All in all, Dantley stuck to his routine – because he had discipline. A trait many players lack these days.

Last night Dantley said he received some valuable advice from his mother as a youngster. “Do not embarrass yourself in public.”

Bobby Knight once told him as a 9th grader, “If you work hard, you can be a great player.”

The critics said he was short, fat and slow in high school. They also said he wasn’t quick enough. But Dantley said last night he had a brain, heart, a work ethic and a will to win.

David Friedman of 20 Second Time-Out has an outstanding piece on Dantley and well worth the read.

Adrian Dantley is the mystery man: his game wasn’t flashy and he didn’t do anything to attract undue attention to himself. All he did, year after year, is score. A lot of guys talk about “getting buckets” but few players in pro basketball history have been as mind-numbingly consistent at “getting buckets” as Dantley was during his prime. This line from an old Zander Hollander Complete Pro Basketball Handbook (if you’ve never heard of this yearly classic, look for some old copies on eBay) summed it up best: “The sun rises in the East and Adrian Dantley averages 30 ppg.”

PLAY THE RIGHT WAY!