PARADISE JAM

Where does the time go? Now that I am almost fully retired having worked my last scheduled day way back on October 12, I thought I would have an abundance of time but so far that has been far from the truth.  I fully intended to have this post up on Monday or at the very latest Tuesday of last week but as you can see that didn't happen. But better late than never as they say.

Earlier this year a series of hurricanes passed through the Atlantic Ocean devastating Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.  Recovery has been ongoing and as a result the annual Paradise Jam College Basketball Tournament scheduled each year for the Virgin Islands had to be relocated to the mainland United States.  Tournament Officials decided that the 8-team tournament would be held at the 9,000 seat Vines Center on the campus of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.

Jordan Strawberry

When I found out that the tournament would be played basically in my back yard I decided that it would be a great opportunity to see my Wake Forest Demon Deacons play along with 7-other teams. I called the morning that tickets went on sale and reserved my seat for the 3-day, 12-game event.


The team that I saw play has no desire to play defense and have trouble guarding their own shadow. The offense is ragged and unorganized. The only thing this team does consistent was run down the court and jack up shots from the out side. To me it is ridicules that a team with at least two 7-footers doesn't make any effort to get the ball inside to them. 

Former ESPN Basketball Analyst Andy Katz was assigned to do the streaming video broadcast and said several time during the weekend that Wake Forest was capable of righting the ship and making the NCAA Tournament for a second straight year. But with every lose the hole gets deeper and that opportunity is less likely.

Houston Head Coach
Kelvin Sampson

When all was said and done, the Deacs  dug a deeper hole and lost two of the three games they played, loosing to Drake and Houston, while winning against Quinnipiac. We are not even out of November yet and this basketball season is already in the crapper for Wake Forest.  As much as I want too I can not  make myself like anything about this team. I really think that this teams will struggle to win a single game in the Conference this year. It's going to be a long winter in Winston-Salem.

While I was not impressed with any aspect of the Wake Forest Team, I was impressed with both Colorado and Mercer who just happened to play for the Championship on Sunday.  Both teams are extremely well coached and fundamentally sound in all aspect of the game.  I really like the fact that both teams move the ball well and can score both in the paint and from the outside. Neither were the tallest team in the tournament but they both ran plays designed to get the ball to their big men who had the opportunity to score in the paint.  By demonstrating the ability to score inside their guards opened up and was able to score from the outside. 

While I don't think either Mercer or Colorado will make it to San Antonio, I do think both will probably make the Big Dance and neither is a team that I would want to see in my bracket come March.