Laettner Looking for Coaching Gig

[Bluedog]

Laettner is apparently looking for an assistant coaching gig. I know lots of people here will say "Big man coach!"

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketb...n=ncaab-wp1640

I especially like this line on his website about the Christian Laettner Basketball Academy:

I offer discounts to all players, teams and coaches who hail from the states of Kentucky, North Carolina and Connecticut. This comes from the compassion and generosity of my heart and soul for causing you all so much pain, agony and hate over my four year career at Duke!!

Classic Laettner...

[uh_no]

I offer discounts to all players, teams and coaches who hail from the states of Kentucky, North Carolina and Connecticut. This comes from the compassion and generosity of my heart and soul for causing you all so much pain, agony and hate over my four year career at Duke!!

I'm not going to lie, I think (though humorous) that is a completely unprofessional and arrogant thing to put on a website for a sports camp. Can you ever imagine K putting up something like that? For me, it solidifies my opinion of him as rather arrogant and unlikable, though a tremendous player here at duke.

[happydays1949]

I'm not going to lie, I think (though humorous) that is a completely unprofessional and arrogant thing to put on a website for a sports camp. Can you ever imagine K putting up something like that? For me, it solidifies my opinion of him as rather arrogant and unlikable, though a tremendous player here at duke.

Not me...I love it...

[LSanders]

I'm not going to lie, I think (though humorous) that is a completely unprofessional and arrogant thing to put on a website for a sports camp. Can you ever imagine K putting up something like that? For me, it solidifies my opinion of him as rather arrogant and unlikable, though a tremendous player here at duke.

Dude, lighten up.

[-bdbd]

I'm not going to lie, I think (though humorous) that is a completely unprofessional and arrogant thing to put on a website for a sports camp. Can you ever imagine K putting up something like that? For me, it solidifies my opinion of him as rather arrogant and unlikable, though a tremendous player here at duke.

Yes, typical Christian. But if you ever read about all the tons of nasty crap he's had to put up with from KY (and U-con and NC) fans over the years, you might have a better sense of why he'd put that on there.... ...I don't think 'unprofessional' is the right word. It IS funny. ... That said, it doesn't seem like very good "business sense" to, right off the bat, alienate three states' worth of prospective customers...

[uh_no]

Yes, typical Christian. But if you ever read about all the tons of nasty crap he's had to put up with from KY (and U-con and NC) fans over the years, you might have a better sense of why he'd put that on there... I don't think 'unprofessional' is the right word. It IS funny. That said, it doesn't seem like very good "business sense" to, right off the bat, alienate three states' worth of prospective customers...

Its just an opinion, but regardless of how much you've had to put up with, rubbing your superiority and success in those people's faces in a professional setting is unacceptable. Since he wants to be a coach, he needs to let his playing days be behind him...it was 20 years ago already...as he says to pitino in the commercial a couple years ago "let it go"

[Duvall]

Its just an opinion, but regardless of how much you've had to put up with, rubbing your superiority and success in those people's faces in a professional setting is unacceptable.

Call it arrogance or unsportsmanlike, but the guy has more final fours than any non-Duke player in history, won 122 games in his Duke career, and has two titles.

[uh_no]

Call it arrogance or unsportsmanlike, but the guy has more final fours than any non-Duke player in history, won 122 games in his Duke career, and has two titles.

wait wait wait...so winning justifies unsportsmanlike conduct?

That, in my mind, is everything that Duke Basketball does NOT stand for.

[Duke4Ever32]

wait wait wait...so winning justifies unsportsmanlike conduct?

That, in my mind, is everything that Duke Basketball does NOT stand for.

He's pointing out your own hypocrisy; apparently you're failing to realize it. Hint: click on the text.

[uh_no]

He's pointing out your own hypocrisy; apparently you're failing to realize it. Hint: click on the text.

Leaving players in the game = stomping on a guy?

whatever you say.

[Duke4Ever32]

Leaving players in the game = stomping on a guy?

whatever you say.

Again, you're the only one here finding it appropriate to characterize it as "stomping on a helpless guy". If you see that as stomping, please don't ever become a prosecutor.

[duke4ever19]

Welcome to the 21st Century. Please feel free to leave your emotional baggage from a game played in 1992 at the door.

[uh_no]

Again, you're the only one here finding it appropriate to characterize it as "stomping on a helpless guy". If you see that as stomping, please don't ever become a prosecutor.

Call it whatever you want. Its semantics. "Putting your foot down on top of someone," which I will refer to here as "stomping" if only for simplicity, is probably the next most demeaning thing you can do to someone after spitting on them.

What do you think K's response to the situation was?
a) that's not what our program is about
b) it's okay, christian wins, so it's acceptable

I guess you guys seem to be okay with his action, but tolerance of that sort of thing is NOT the kind of thing i would cheer for Duke basketball. What do you guys tell your kids (if you have them) about it? "It's okay to do that son, he didn't put any force behind it and he's a winner, and as long as you win everything is okay." (this sounds so much like ricky bobby raising his kids...) i know if I ever am lucky enough to have kids, and they come across this incident I sure as heck would tell them that it is unacceptable for anyone to act that way, especially someone related to the Duke program and that I would be sorely disappointed if i ever saw a kid of mine act that way during a sporting event.

[Duke4Ever32]

Call it whatever you want. Its semantics. "Putting your foot down on top of someone," which I will refer to here as "stomping" if only for simplicity, is probably the next most demeaning thing you can do to someone after spitting on them.

What do you think K's response to the situation was?
a) that's not what our program is about
b) it's okay, christian wins, so it's acceptable

I guess you guys seem to be okay with his action, but tolerance of that sort of thing is NOT the kind of thing i would cheer for Duke basketball. What do you guys tell your kids (if you have them) about it? "It's okay to do that son, he didn't put any force behind it and he's a winner, and as long as you win everything is okay." (this sounds so much like ricky bobby raising his kids...) i know if I ever am lucky enough to have kids, and they come across this incident I sure as heck would tell them that it is unacceptable for anyone to act that way, especially someone related to the Duke program and that I would be sorely disappointed if i ever saw a kid of mine act that way during a sporting event.

Sigh. I'll say again - there's a difference between tolerating something and properly characterizing it. What's funny is that neither the former nor the latter are happening here.

No one is holding Christian's actions against Aminu up as something to emulate, cheer for, or accept. You're acting like we're all enthusiatic supporters of what he did and we're tolerating some horrible evil that was perpetrated. That's not the case. What he did was not appropriate or commendable in any way, but neither is it the act of violence you're making it out to be, such that Christian deserves condemnation or judgment from it. If there was either some intent to injure or the real possibility of harm from the act, different story. But there simply wasn't, and you're making a mountain out of a molehill. As I said, you're apparently more offended by it than the person it was directed to, who I would submit was in a better position than you are to judge the maliciousness of it.

At any rate, we're almost 20 years beyond it, and it isn't worth all of this discussion.

[wilko]

Call it whatever you want. Its semantics. "Putting your foot down on top of someone," which I will refer to here as "stomping" if only for simplicity, is probably the next most demeaning thing you can do to someone after spitting on them.

Its over-simplistic. Call it a love-tap if you must. Stomp implies FORCE. If a 7ft dude stomps you, you ain't getting up...

I recall watching an off campus fight once (from my undergrad days NOT @ Duke) where this guy in the ROTC program who was having a fit of roid rage kicked a dudes head (he was already laid out on the ground) like it was a football. I'm surprised the dudes neck wasn't broken.

If Laettners action was truly horrific for you, I submit that you may be somewhat sheltered. Or you are really just inclined to not like Laettner no matter what and this is as good a reason as any.

I guess you guys seem to be okay with his action, but tolerance of that sort of thing is NOT the kind of thing i would cheer for Duke basketball.

I'd say it should have been a foul on Timberlake taking a nap in the middle of the floor where someone could fall and get hurt.

Seriously tho - How often has Duke come up on the short end of the being manhandled stick? JJ left most games bloodied. How many drives did Singler have THIS year where he was mugged with no-call. Or last years Blackeyes. Surely there was a foul somewhere in that contact.

Until you express EQUAL outrage in Duke player being mauled, your comments ring hollow. If you have and I missed it in other threads on other days - apologies.

[94duke]

Any chance this thread can get back to discussing whether or not Laettner would be a good assistant coach?

I think he would be a great coach. He had solid post moves. He could hit the jumper. He had the will to win. He has a lot he could share with his would-be players.

[NSDukeFan]

Any chance this thread can get back to discussing whether or not Laettner would be a good assistant coach?

I think he would be a great coach. He had solid post moves. He could hit the jumper. He had the will to win. He has a lot he could share with his would-be players.

I have no idea whether Laettner would be a good assistant coach, though many on the board seem to believe that your reasons, as well as the fact that he is 6'10 would make him a good big man coach. I am pretty sure that those skills, which made him one of the best college basketball players ever, would mean very little as to whether he would be a good coach or not. Just my opinion. 1f

On the other hand, I like that he is interested in coaching and hope he is very successful. One advantage he does have is that he learned from a pretty good college coach.

[wilko]

Any chance this thread can get back to discussing whether or not Laettner would be a good assistant coach?

I think he would be a great coach. He had solid post moves. He could hit the jumper. He had the will to win. He has a lot he could share with his would-be players.

As a TEACHER of the game... I'm sure he'll be as successful as he wants to be if he applies the same vigor and determination he did as a player...

BUT, can he escape his perceptions and recruit? If he can pull in good players the sky is the limit. (The pic of his wife was attractive, so he MUST have some salesmanship to him.. )

[Cameron]

It is beyond me why the duke community seems to tolerate this abhorrent action.

Abhorrent action? Come on. Who are you, the Earl of Sandwich? Your over the top and almost absurd rebuttals on this subject remind me of a famous satirical letter sent from the Duke of Wellington to the National Office of London in response to petty grievances issued by bureaucrats while The Duke was leading his troops into battle against Napoleon.

Gentlemen,

Whilst marching from Portugal to a position which commands the approach to Madrid and the French forces, my officers have been diligently complying with your requests. I have dispatched reports on the character, wit and spleen of every officer. Each item has been accounted for, with two regrettable exceptions for which I beg your indulgence.

Unfortunately, the sum of one shilling and ninepence remains unaccounted for in one infantry battalion's petty cash and there has been a hideous confusion as to the number of jars of raspberry jam issued to one calvary regiment during a sandstorm in western spain.

Christian lightly pressed his sneaker to a guy's chest because, according to Laettner in later interviews, that freshman was being a punk (as explained as an "undercutting" of Laettner by a poster above) and needed informed that his youthful boastfulness wasn't going to be tolerated. Christian was sending a simple -- and certainly not abhorrent -- message. Abhorrent action is Ron Artest hurtling into the stands to go Buster Douglas on an impotent fan. To be brutally honest, however, in light of the events that would unfold later that night, Laettner could have ridden a Tennessee Walking Horse on top of Aminu and I would have been pretty forgiving.

[wsb3]

Stomp Never ceases to amaze me that anyone could watch the play and the subsequent reaction from the Kentucky player and use the word stomp.