Mike Young to Va Tech

[Mr. Taggart]

Jasper, I am a fair amount younger than you, but I remember another famous player from your high school -- Kenny Anderson. His Archbishop Malloy team beat the best basketball team I have ever seen -- Hillcrest High with Sullivan and crew -- in a tremendous Beach Ball Tourney Championship game.

[Jasper]

I live locally, am a sports fan and am particularly fond of the level of student athletes that represent this university. I think that Furman is a good example of everything that is right about college sports these days and have season tickets to 5 of its sports programs. I am simply a fan.

BTW, two of the best players ever to play for South Carolina were from my HS in NYC: Brian Winters and Kevin Joyce. They won a few games in high school as well and I can assure you were highly recruited scholarship players coming out of 8th grade. Private schools then and now can do that.

Growing up in Raleigh, NC as a BIG NC State basketball fan...I was certainly NOT a fan of those 2 guys...they were evil, mean, dirty (but, John Roche was dirtier)....and VERY GOOD PLAYERS! [NOTE for the young peeps: South Carolina used to be in the ACC...and ONLY the Tournament Champion made the NCAA Tourney. The 'fights' were very bitter back in those days...and those ACC Tournament games felt like 'life & death' affairs to a 10-year old Fan...and many adults]

BTW - THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF FURMAN ATHLETICS!!!!! Finding a way to connect and attract more local non-Furman Alumni to be FANS of FU Athletics should be a top priority, IMO, for Furman Athletics AND Furman University. Hopefully, we/they are doing a good job of showing you how much they appreciate your support.

Can’t be sure of the year. But ACC championship game—‘71?—-SC beat NC 52-51(?) on jump ball. SC player 6 inches shorter out jumps nc player to get the tip and score.

I cried. I was a 9 year old die hard Heels fan.

That was Jasper's schoolmate...Get your tissues ready...

Well, you sure opened the floodgates to Memory Lane with that one. I wound up watching about 5 videos back from the days, boys. All the tissues in the house are gone and I am into the t shirt draw. I know Brian from alumni events, etc. but Kevin Joyce and I were good friends for years; even working together for a few years. I even watched a John Roche tribute. Those guys played well after me but Roche played for LaSalle HS, who was an archrival of ours in my day. Our record in 53-54 was 29-1. LaSalle was the one. I'll stop thinking about that one when the coffin is being lowered.
That was a heckuva jump ball film, Charlie. But the most famous of that genre involved my old teammate from HS, Tommy Kearns who played for the 1957 North Carolina team that won it all. Tommy was a "generous" 5'11 and Coach Maguire sent him out for the opening jump in the championship game against Wilt Chamberlain ( 7'4"") of Kansas. It wasn't quite as dramatic an outcome as Winter's classic leap in your film though. That tape is shown a lot. That Tar Heel team had more Yankees on it than were with Sherman. In that younger world, those games really WERE matters of life and death, BeAR. You weren't imagining it at all.

[Jasper]

Jasper, I am a fair amount younger than you, but I remember another famous player from your high school -- Kenny Anderson. His Archbishop Malloy team beat the best basketball team I have ever seen -- Hillcrest High with Sullivan and crew -- in a tremendous Beach Ball Tourney Championship game.

You are right about that, Mr. Taggert. Kenny was the best player on a great team when he was a freshman. Coach Curran told me that he didn't start him only out of respect for the other fine players on Malloy who had put in the years. He sat the entire first quarter of every game and still averaged in the 20's. I watched them play a great Tolentine team for the city championship at Fordham that year and Curran took no chances in that one and started him for the first time. It was tied at the end of regulation with 15 seconds on the clock after a Tolentine score. They went into a 2-1-2 chase zone trying to force an outside shot with Anderson dribbling the ball at the top of the key when he suddenly did the fastest cross-over I've ever seen, moving the ball from his right to his stronger left and drove to the basket past the big defenders before switching back to his right for a tear drop game winner. As I recall, Kenny played at Wake and then had a pretty good pro career. Did you know he was first cousins with Kenny Smith from North Carolina who also played at Malloy.

[Mr. Taggart]

Kenny Anderson was at Ga. Tech, on Crimmins' only Final Four team, with Dennis Scott.

The Jet was my first favorite player in college basketball. I still love him on TV.

[Jasper]

Kenny Anderson was at Ga. Tech, on Crimmins' only Final Four team, with Dennis Scott.

The Jet was my first favorite player in college basketball. I still love him on TV.

Right you are. Mt. T. GT it was. Both Anderson and Smith grew up in a hardass housing project in Queens. Hoops was a great way out for these kids. Crimins played at All Hallows HS, another powerhouse and archrival from that city league that produced so may memorable players. Maguire not only started the pipeline but he also had a great eye, right? I visited with Bobby the last time C of Charleston played at Timmons. Nice guy.

[gofurman]

I'll believe it when they quote the Mike Young career experts from GoPaladins.com. Until then, this is heresay.

If true, however, then good for him getting to go back home.

Appears to be true.

I heard from two different people that there was reportedly some “friction” between Young and AD Richard Johnson.

Then again, they have been together for 30 years.

Social media tells me some Hokie fans are not pleased with the hire. I have little doubt that they will be proven wrong.

I don't share your confidence on how he'll do, but we shall see. He's following one of the best young coaches in America. I don't follow Tech, but on the plus side of following Williams, he may be inheriting a talented team.

huge acc basketball fan here - Tech loses most everything next year ... 3 of starters plus probably another to draft (Walker).. leaving 1 starter if he stays. he may leave (follow Buzz??) - just sayin. Young will have his work cut out for him but if he was making less than 200k at Woff and I bet he gets 3M at Vt.. so who cares who returns. take the money - as someone said if he gets fired in 2 years he made 6 MIL. 6 MIL... just crazy what all these guys get paid. I'm a huge Furman guy and if I made 200k and was offered 3M go to evil Furman rival I am gone. Money talks at some level. Maybe I don't leave for 250K but at some point...

[gofurman]

Jasper, I am a fair amount younger than you, but I remember another famous player from your high school -- Kenny Anderson. His Archbishop Malloy team beat the best basketball team I have ever seen -- Hillcrest High with Sullivan and crew -- in a tremendous Beach Ball Tourney Championship game.

Taggart, I know the recruiter for Kenny Anderson.. worked most of his career under Bobby Cremins. Lives at Lake Junaluska in nc part-time now. Fun story on hiding Anderson from Dean Smith.. they put Kenny Anderson in a hotel and had 2 men on the door the whole night before signing day or whatever.. bc Dean and his assistants were supposedly trying to find Anderson to talk to him. They stayed up 24/7 to make sure no one could find him. Hid him away in a hotel.. lol. Not sure that's legal anymore but he said no one cared back then