City of Brotherly Love

In a short interview shown on Comcast Sportsnet last night while at the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association, Temple Owls head coach John Chaney praised St. Joe’s point guard Jameer Nelson by saying that he is, without a doubt, the national player of the year. After watching the Hawks and Owls play many a game over the years, I have developed a begrudging respect for Chaney (helped along by his tirade against the weasel-ly John Calipari during a post-game press conference; see #4.). He gives everything he has -- whether his team is good, bad, or indifferent -- and from listening to him speak you understand that he geniunely cares about his players. This year his team is definitely bad, but will -- at some point -- wind up gaining Chaney his 700th career NCAA victory. (He’s currently sitting at 699, with a chance to get #700 on Wednesday night.) Good luck, Mr. Chaney, and please continue praising those Hawks.