An unforgettable 12th year reminds me why I do what I do. It’s because of you, so I wanted to thank you.

A season of virtual coverage was highlighted by Rutgers’ first NCAA Tournament in 30 years. (Photo by Rutgers Athletics)

If the sun refused to shine, I would still be loving you.

How can I not love the game that has afforded me so much over my career? And how can I not love the fans I’ve been exponentially blessed to have picked up at various stops on this long and winding — and sometimes never-ending — road on which you have all willingly served as my companions? As far back as I can remember, I have always been the type to share my world with anyone interested, and once I open the door and let you in, you’re probably not getting kicked out. So even in the face of adverse and undesirable circumstances, I made it a point this season to make sure I was there for the people who support and appreciate me without questioning why they do.

When mountains crumble to the sea, there will still be you and me.

The past year is something I — and I’m sure none of you as well — ever want to experience again. Covering 62 games from the backdrop of your own home — a decision I made because I felt I would be able to create a better and less sterile experience than coming to you from an empty gym far away from the court — with a nine-year-old iPad for a stat monitor may be good for the wallet, and in my case, it saved hundreds of dollars on train fare, but too much gets lost in translation. I would hope the days of dialing into a Zoom call for postgame press conferences and most other virtual media availabilities go the way of the press row fax machine, because the human element of journalism makes for better storytelling. And for those of us with extroverted personalities, a group to which I know I’m not the only one who belongs, it just allows us to live a normal and fulfilling life.

Through all the bylines and recaps of the past five months, as much as I did, I still speak to you today and tell you that I feel like I could have done more. And I apologize for having failed you in that regard by not doing more. But regardless of the quality or quantity of content, and despite the hurdles placed in front of us through no fault of our own, there was me, and there was you. I appreciate all of you for who and what you are anyway, but even more so for staying with me through a season whose pages could not be turned fast enough.

Some stories, like Rutgers’ return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1991 and Rick Pitino’s fairytale comeback at Iona, will never be forgotten and are only magnified by the travails and sacrifices through which everyone endured. We also saw Seton Hall learn to navigate the waters without Myles Powell, St. John’s take greater flight under Mike Anderson, and the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference have one of its most unpredictable years yet. Let me elaborate on Rutgers for a quick second, if I may: Three years ago, I couldn’t grow an audience in Piscataway if you gave me all the land on either side of the Raritan. To have so many of you now follow, ask for, and praise my postgame columns every time I cover the Scarlet Knights is one of my greatest achievements, and I thought you should know that. If you build it, they will indeed come.

We also had to bid adieu to Joe Mihalich, a longtime supporter of the site who will be dearly and greatly missed the next time Vinny Simone and myself go to Hofstra. Eight years ago last weekend, I was in attendance for Joe’s introductory press conference and still remember telling Jerry Beach over a late afternoon breakfast in the coffee shop outside the Mineola LIRR station that his alma mater was in great hands even after the wounds of its nadir were still fresh and raw. Seven seasons and an unforgettable conference championship later, Mihalich vindicated everyone. Yes, Hofstra was denied the NCAA Tournament like everyone else in 2020, but the blessing in disguise here is that Joe Mihalich got to walk away a winner in an industry where very few can make that boast. And there are not many more deserving of that distinction.

My love is strong. With you, there is no wrong.

April 17 needs no explanation for the longtime followers in this space. If you’re new to the family, allow me to give a brief history.

It was on this date in 2009 that I had the foresight and the nothing-to-lose mindset behind creating this site in the event that a budding broadcast career was unable to get off the ground. Here I stand a dozen years later, blessed and privileged to be able to serve and expand both horizons with a constant desire to improve, to build on what already exists. And so, to all the newcomers, this post becomes an annual tradition on this date every year thereafter.

Together we shall go until we die.

All 12 years of this operation could not have been done alone. To all the administrators and sports information directors who went above and beyond in more ways than one this season for this site and its coverage, thank you. I’ll name you all individually, too: Steve Dombroski, Tom Chen, Jordan Ozer, Brian Beyrer, Jon Stanko, Kevin Ross, Hamilton Cook, Gary Kowal, Mike Ferraro, Mike Demos, Greg Ott, Jack Jones, Nick Solari, Matt Reitnour, Derick Thornton, Stephen Gorchov, Cam Boon, Joe DiBari, John Paquette, Taylor O’Connor, Bill Hanousek, and Rich Ensor. But in reality, everyone involved with college athletics, whether your programs got a mention here or not, deserves a token of my appreciation for making sure everyone had something to enjoy when there were many reasons to be miserable.

The same can be said of my staff. Bob Dea and Vinny Simone still occupy a place on the masthead even though both took some time off until things improved, and each will be welcomed back with open arms whenever they wish to return. Jason Guerette handled the New Jersey branch of the site admirably given the circumstances, Ray Floriani offered his own unique contributions at various points during the year, and I am proud to once again highlight the rookie in the room, Anthony Parelli. Anthony sent me a message shortly after the season started, asking if he could help with coverage of St. John’s, and was able to start right away. Since then, his postgame takeaways have become a staple of the site’s coverage and a well-received source of content, and I look forward to showcasing his platform to a wider audience in the years to come.

Again, it was by no means easy, but I appreciate every effort all of you made to help me pull through, and I hope I was able to do the same for you. As Steve Masiello said in the wake of Manhattan's season finale last month:

“Things have been a lot different this year for everyone. And still, they showed up every day, did the work, didn’t complain, didn’t say anything. They had great character, showed great character throughout. They were there on the front line every day doing the work, and I have a lot of respect for all the kids and student-athletes that sacrificed to play basketball this year and do something they love, so kudos to them.”

An inspiration’s what you are to me. Inspiration. Look, see.

I would be lying if I said you didn’t compel me to try my hand at different things. So many of you said I should look into podcasting, which I put off way too long because I didn’t know how to quite get that endeavor off the ground. I finally did that on January 1, and the reception there has been better and warmer than I could ever have imagined. A special shoutout goes to Erika Fernandez, a friend and exceptional journalist in her own right, for doing such a great job on her own podcast, which you can listen to by clicking the link (I appreciate you, hermana!), that got me to realize I would be able to reach people and make it sound good in the process.

In closing, that wraps up this site’s 12th trip around the sun, with many more on the way. I always welcome and encourage opportunities to join the family, and anyone interested in writing here needs simply to drop me a line or a DM. I don’t have the flexibility to pay yet, so I understand if that hangs you up, but if you’re looking to get experience or simply channel your passion and love for the game, there’s no better place to be.

I will also offer the same advice as I do every year when I conclude this address, a very simple set of requests:

May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, may the rains fall soft upon your fields, and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand. I’m always here if you need to talk — about basketball, about life, about anything — and if I can help you make this day or any other day better in any way, it means I’ve done something constructive.

And so today, my world, it smiles. Your hand in mine, we walk the miles.

I would not be here if not for all of you trusting, loving, and believing in me. Nor would I have as much enjoyment if I didn’t get to interact with all of you. Without you, there is no me. I say it every year, and I mean it every year. We’ve all been blessed to grow our love of the game and the strong relationships that have come from it. Let’s keep it that way.

Thank you for the past 12 years, and thank you for letting me know the best is still yet to come. Peace and blessings, and much love always.

Jaden Daly

Founder and Managing Editor

2020-21 MBWA awards ballot

We made it through arguably the most unorthodox and unique season of college basketball that any of us will probably ever experience, and as a result, an annual rite of passage carries us through April and into the offseason, that of the Metropolitan Basketball Writers’ Association awards, honors for which I have the privilege of voting for a ninth consecutive year.

For the second year in a row, the formal get-together at the Westchester Marriott in Tarrytown has been scrapped due to the pandemic, but it has not prevented the recognitions from being handed out. There is a slight change to this year’s voting, as the MBWA has tweaked the traditional three-team setup to a more uniform two-team vote with seven players on each. As I have always done and will again, I will post my ballot here in this space as well as on Twitter, and will welcome any conversation regarding my own choices or those that you may have:

Lt. Frank J. Haggerty Award: Julian Champagnie, St. John’s (19.8 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1.4 SPG, 1.0 BPG) (Photo by Vincent Dusovic/St. John’s Athletics)

In one of the more wide-open Haggerty Award races in recent memory, it was Champagnie’s quiet consistency and willingness to strap the Red Storm on his back as St. John’s continued its upward trajectory in the Big East Conference that vaulted him to the top of the field. While Rutgers reached the NCAA Tournament and Seton Hall sputtered down the stretch, Champagnie kept the Johnnies forwardly placed and proved to be the most important player to his team during a crucial stretch run. The sophomore from Brooklyn would be the fourth St. John’s player in the past eight years to claim the Haggerty, joining D’Angelo Harrison (2014), Sir’Dominic Pointer (2015) and Shamorie Ponds (2018).

Also considered: Sandro Mamukelashvili, Seton Hall; Jacob Young, Rutgers

Rest of All-Met first team, in alphabetical order:

Posh Alexander, St. John’s

Myles Johnson, Rutgers

Sandro Mamukelashvili, Seton Hall

Jalen Ray, Hofstra

Jared Rhoden, Seton Hall

Jacob Young, Rutgers

All-Met second team, in alphabetical order:

Geo Baker, Rutgers

Deion Hammond, Monmouth

Ron Harper, Jr., Rutgers

Isaac Kante, Hofstra

Alex Morales, Wagner

KC Ndefo, Saint Peter’s

Isaiah Ross, Iona

Honorable mentions, in alphabetical order:

Tareq Coburn, Hofstra

Zach Cooks, NJIT

Elijah Ford, Wagner

Nelly Junior Joseph, Iona

Dwight Murray, Jr., Rider

Eral Penn, LIU

Tyler Thomas, Sacred Heart

Rookie of the Year: Posh Alexander, St. John’s (10.9 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 4.3 APG, 2.6 SPG) (Photo by Red Storm Report)

With college rosters in greater flux than ever before thanks to the volatility of the transfer portal, it has become increasingly rare to find a player who is a perfect marriage for his coach and system as an underclassman. Alexander’s aggressive style is an almost natural soulmate to the frenetic, in-your-face defensive schemes employed by Mike Anderson, and the freshman took advantage of his opportunities to shine in the non-conference season, only ramping up his intensity from there en route to Big East Freshman and Defensive Player of the Year honors, marking the first time a first-year player captured both merits since Allen Iverson over a quarter-century ago.

Also considered: Nelly Junior Joseph, Iona; Ricardo Wright, Marist

Peter A. Carlesimo Coach of the Year Award: Steve Pikiell, Rutgers (Photo by USA Today)

For the second year in a row, Pikiell claims this plaudit by having delivered on his guarantee that the NCAA Tournament would be experienced in Piscataway, and then leading the Scarlet Knights to a victory in the nation’s most prestigious postseason tournament for the first time since 1983. Pikiell’s steady hand and knack for player development in a season where Rutgers navigated a full 20-game Big Ten Conference slate and emerged from the condensed season without a COVID-related pause takes on greater significance in light of the circumstances each team had to endure, and will only burnish his and his players’ legacies on the banks for years to come.

Also considered: Rick Pitino, Iona; Mike Anderson, St. John’s

Speedy Claxton links past history with burgeoning future as Hofstra’s new head coach

Pictured here with fellow Hofstra legend Justin Wright-Foreman, Speedy Claxton (left) now adds to legacy at his alma mater as Pride’s new head coach. (Photo by the New York Post)

The latest trend in college coaching hires is for a program to reach into its past, bringing back a legendary former player to try his hand at guiding his alma mater as the head coach. It has already taken place twice in as many weeks, with former Knicks boss Mike Woodson diving into the collegiate pool for the first time, and just two days ago at North Carolina, where Hubert Davis officially moved over one chair on the bench after assisting the legendary Roy Williams.

This practice has had mixed results, as for every Juwan Howard or Fred Hoiberg, there is also an Eddie Jordan or Clyde Drexler. But for Hofstra University, now trusting the reins to the native son who put the program on the map, Craig Claxton — better known as Speedy — is much closer to the former than he may ever come to the latter.

For starters, Claxton possesses experience at the highest of levels, with eight years in the NBA and a championship alongside the likes of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker to jump off the page on the recruiting trails. In a world where young players are always looking for the quickest path to the professional ranks, a coach who has been down the same road instantly resonates.

Next, Speedy’s eight-year stint as an assistant coach on a staff that guided Hofstra out of one of its darkest hours as an institution and into a champion makes him ready to seize the moment. You can argue that fellow assistant coach Mike Farrelly, the interim coach this past season after Joe Mihalich suddenly retired due to undisclosed health issues, was the logical successor on Long Island after recruiting the core of so many of the Pride’s postseason teams since 2013 — and there is certainly a valid gripe there after the admirable job he did in guiding Hofstra through a campaign where it was snakebitten by COVID-19 at the most inopportune of times in the waning stages of the regular season — but Claxton’s work in developing lead guards the likes of Justin Wright-Foreman and Desure Buie, two huge reasons why Hofstra won 53 games in the two seasons before this one to pair with consecutive regular season conference championships and the 2020 Colonial Athletic Association postseason tournament crown whose luster was dimmed in the wake of March Madness being shut down, were what won the former point guard over with athletic director Rick Cole and an eager alumni base intent on continuing the status quo.

Finally, in a similar vein to how Davis highlighted the link to history at North Carolina, Claxton is a similar puzzle piece at Hofstra, the common thread binding the halcyon days under Jay Wright and upward mobility when Tom Pecora shepherded the Pride into the CAA to the past eight years where Mihalich steered the ship back into tranquil and prosperous waters. At the mid-major level especially, continuity is always important, and when established tradition beckons to be reawakened, sometimes the call is impossible to ignore even if you have two capable architects on the same bench.

He played there, he served there. Now, Craig Claxton gets to lead at Hofstra, hoping to deliver results in a fashion befitting of the moniker he earned on the hardwood a quarter-century ago.

Roy’s retirement reminds us all to recognize what we have before we lose it

Roy Williams’ sudden retirement Thursday is a reminder that even 900-plus wins and three national championships are not enough to provide invincibility. (Photo by Jeffrey Camarati/Tar Heel Photo)

The announcement Thursday morning was shocking enough in its own right. The words that followed hours later were even more sobering, with the common theme linking them being the sharpest of scissors that tore through the strings of every Carolina blue-colored heart across the land.

No one ever adequately prepares for moments like this. In fairness, though, how can you? What reaction suffices or justifies the abrupt retirement of a Hall of Fame coach with 903 career wins and three national championships, one who arguably saved his alma mater by coming home and lifting the gold standard of college basketball from an unforgivable 8-20 campaign two seasons prior back into the fairytale kingdom his mentor spent 36 years constructing and building upon?

Very few among us would have been able to find exactly the right words to describe Roy Williams’ emotional decision to call it a career after a third of a century split between Kansas and North Carolina, the last 18 years in Chapel Hill, where he not only upheld the legacy of the late great Dean Smith, but accomplished the Herculean task of magnifying and enhancing it while also forging his own in a uniquely distinct fashion.

And when Roy explained his decision, letting nothing get in the way of his rationale, even fewer knew how to process multiple invocations of no longer feeling as though he were the right man for a job that was, by all accounts, destined to be his even after he declined it at first offer in 2000 upon the retirement of Smith’s longtime lieutenant and hand-picked successor, Bill Guthridge.

It will always be sobering whenever one watches someone come to grips with — even warmly accepting — his or her own mortality. In a world and society that rewards those who tap into their fullest potential, it is a harsh and shrill cry to the senses when one acknowledges incapability. Seeing that in Williams, who pushed his 70-year-old body more in recent years than ever between a combination of his recurring battles with vertigo, the pandemic, and the off-the-court uncertainty that lingered around his 2015-16 and 2016-17 teams — the former coming within seconds of a national championship, the latter having earned its redemption — confirms once more that time not only waits for no one, it also remains, and will always be, a flat circle.

If nothing else, Williams being at peace with his decision to walk away from a game and sport that, in light of recent legislation regarding the usage of student-athletes’ name, image and likeness; as well as the much-maligned transfer portal that counts approximately a quarter of the entire complement of Division I players, is a small consolation to the most ardent of Carolina fans who do not have it in them to see their coach struggle to adapt to a landscape he may not be a suitable fit for. Younger Tar Heel fans may now find themselves wondering where the program goes from the only coach many of them have ever known or remembered. I was one of those myself when Smith retired in October 1997, several weeks after my 11th birthday. This is different for many reasons, but even 24 years later, the same question is being asked:

Where do we go from here?

The answer, as it was when Smith passed the reins to Guthridge and will when Williams’ successor — whomever it may be — is announced, remains unchanged:

Forward.

Williams, as has always been the case whether observing from a distance or up close and personal, tackled the elephant in the room head-on. He admitted to being scared of what may lie ahead with the book now closed on one of the most prolific careers in the sport, but at the same time, walks away — in his own words — happy and proud of what he, his players and coaching staff accomplished.

“My teams have taken me to nine Final Fours,” Williams recalled in 2016 after UNC had secured yet another trip to the national semifinals after defeating Indiana and Notre Dame to leave Philadelphia with an East Regional championship, a living, breathing display of the same luck and good fortune he reiterated Thursday in his farewell to a sport and community who is far more fortunate to have had him around than he will ever know.

Through every daggum, tough little nut, frickin’, and every other colorful expression he articulated with an equally charming smile, Roy Williams validated the collective luck of the world to have been in his presence, and we will all realize now that one truly never does know what he or she has until it is gone.

It’s just going to hurt like the dickens when we do.

Thanks, Roy.