Do We Still Hate LeBron?

What’s  happening kinfolk, let me holla at y’all for a bit. Now that the NBA Draft has come and gone, I find myself asking the question, was the next “LeBron James” name called by commissioner Adam Silver.  No, you didn’t read that line incorrectly,  I’m not looking for arguably the next G.O.A.T.  Ladies and gents, I’m looking for he next “most shaded on”  basketball player EVER! 

Sure, MJ was 6 for 6 in the Finals - Kobe and Magic Johnson have 5 rings each - I can’t leave out Bill Russell and his 10 championships, although most do when bringing up G.O.A.T status.  Shade thrown on these greats are minimum; LeBron James may as will be sitting under the biggest oak tree on planet earth (that’s beaucoup shade if you speak French).  

After another loss, LeBron now has a 3-6 Finals Loss. I’m quite sure a substantial swath of the basketball population that jumped for joy as the Golden State Warriors finished off a 4-game sweep of LeBron’s Cleveland Cavaliers.  We’ve had a few weeks to digest the finals, my question now is, will the haters continue to hate LeBron, or will they find another object of their shaderation?

Anointed “the chosen one”, from day one, can be a heavy burden for most athletes to carry; James has not only lived up to the hype,  but has exceeded it, my humble opinion.  For the past 15 seasons and counting, LeBron has been in a lose-lose situation.  I know most of you are stats folks; stats folks rely solely on the numbers to quantify the greatness of an athlete.  LeBron’s got the numbers to easily put him in GOAT status, 7th in points, and 11th in assists all time.  He’s the best small forward of all-time, yeah, even better than Larry (Bird) Legend.  I know, I know, but LeBron’s 3-6 in the Finals.  I’m here to tell you, come up with another argument.  

Unless you’re Stevie Wonder, you can easily see that James is one of, if not the best ball player to ever lace up a pair of hi-tops.  You can argue he’s not clutch, but clearly that’s not the case. James has 5 playoff buzzer beaters; MJ and Kobe have 5 combined.  James’s 34.9ppg average in game 7’s is freaking ridiculous. I could go on-and-on with stats, but I won’t.  I’ll listen to legitimate reasons for thinking LeBron isn’t the G.O.A.T.  What I won’t entertain are these lame points: LeBron is a cry-baby, LeBron doesn’t have killer instinct, the Eastern Conference is weak, LeBron isn’t clutch, etc.  

NOW LEBRON IS A LOS ANGELES LAKER!

LET THE HATE CONTINUE! 

In my humble, LeBron James can retire today, and he’ll be the greatest basketball player ever.  Of course my opinion is always up for debate, but like my 2-year old daughter says. “Daddy is always right.”

The Rock Was Lit

"What did you do this weekend?" -  That's the common question asked around the water cooler on Monday's mornings.  Saturday afternoons in the late summer and fall are arguably the most time of the year.  Temperatures in my neck of the woods (Durham, N.C.) run in the mid-to-low 70's; you can't beat that unless there's an ice cool breeze as proverbial cherry on top.

Well, what did I do this weekend, I took my talents to Boone. I made the trip up US-421N to check out the Appalachian State Mountaineers take on the Wake Forest Deamon Deacons.  I've made this trip plenty of times before, but I hadn't been to the high country for a game since 2008.  This game turned out to be Tony the Tiger great.   Myself and 35,000 other people were treated to one whale of a game. Moby Dick would have been jealous of this game; it ended in dramatic fashion when App State's last second field goal was blocked. The best part of my Saturday afternoon in Boone was all of the cool and passionate folks I came across.  

My first interaction as I walked up to Kidd Brewer Stadium, or as App State fans affectionately call it "The Rock", was with a ticket scalper on a bicycle.  He asked if I needed tickets.  I was late arriving so my media pass wasn't at the gate; I was going to need a ticket, so I snagged one for about forty bucks.  Next, I smelled meat - I hit the first tailgate I see - I mosey on up to the grill and grab a hamburger to go.  As I'm walking up to the gate I find myself giddy with anticipation.  When I finally get in, atmosphere was electric,  and I enjoyed one H E double hockey sticks of a game.  

The next four hours were filled with roars and moans, depending on which team you were rooting for.  I overheard arm chair quarterbacks, coaches, and referees; I even had a long conversation with a young lady from Nebo, NC.   I watched the game while listening to my little brother (Pierre) do his color analyst duties for App State. (Shoutout to A-Dub and Molly.)  "The Rock" was lit despite the Mountaineers loss.   I couldn't have asked for a better game day experience; people of Boone, please believe I'll be back 

Oh yea, I almost forgot.  Pierre and I stopped by Five Guys after the game; I ate hella fries. 

Fin 

@sportsbydaimeon   

There is no Off-Season

Let me preface this post by saying that I have played and watched sports since I could walk.  I've played, in no particular order: football, basketball, baseball, soccer, tennis, track&field, and even dabbled in lacrosse.  As a kid growing up in Durham, Norh Carolina I was always going from one sport to the next.  After football season came basketball - after basketball came baseball - after baseball came the next sport.  Looking back,  it was a vicious cycle actually, thanks Mom.  But in all seriousness; what I've come to realize in my geriatric years is that there is no longer an off-season.

I listen to quite a bit of sports-talk radio.  Like most Americans I obsessively watch ESPN, FS1, and the like.  I listen and read pretty much anything sports related just to get my "fix."   Sports season's  have now done what most human being wish they could do; they never DIE!!!!

I swear the Super Bowl just ended (Congrats Patriots fans, sucks to be you Falcons fans) yet teams are only a few weeks away from reporting back to training camp.  Squeezed in between the SB and the start of training camps have been 14,000000 OTA's ⬅️ Organized team activities, and the endless talk of why Colin Kaepernick is still unemployed 🤷🏾‍♂️  In short, the season never ended!

The NBA finals concluded a few weeks back.  KD got his chip, GS is the best team in the history of  teams sports on any plant, in the entire friggin galaxy, and LeBron haters can continue to rejoice in pure unadulterated hate.  You wouldn't know it because not two hours after the final buzzer sounded in game 5, pundits (me included m) were yapping about what trade Cleveland needed to make to compete with Golden State.  Also, the NBA draft just went down and every 18-year old in Amaerica just went in the first round.  It's never - friggn - ends.

I love sports for the lessons it teaches, the bonds they build,  and the character that they reveal. With that being said,  I still feel we as humans need a break from sports.  Take time and enjoy your family, read and good book, or even volunteer in your community.  Help your neighbor, take your granny to the supermarket, start a blog.  What I'm saying is sports shouldn't be all encompassing in your life; get out there and live it.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to check twitter for any trade updates.  Don't judge me.

Daimeon S.Banks
@Sportsbydaimeon

Campbell blanks Davidson 28-0, snaps 3-game losing streak

Anthony Robbins (7) (Daimeon Banks photo)

BUIES CREEK, N.C. - Jared Joyner ran for a 184 yards on 32 carries,  both of which were career-highs, and Anthony Robbins threw for two touchdowns to help Campbell shutout Davidson 28-0 Saturday at Barker-Lane Stadium.

Campbell (4-4, 2-3) marched 75 yards on it's opening possession, ending with a 9-yard touchdown run by the aforementioned Joyner.   Davidson had an opportunity to put points on the board in the first quarter when Trevor Smith's  27-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Camels linebacker Daniel Bostick. 

Robbins found Austin Fleming on a 25 yard touchdown pass midway through the second quarter, followed by a 46-yard pitch and catch to Aaron Blockmon, who finished with 110 yards receiving on the day. 

Davidson (2-8, 0-7) missed another opportunity to score in the second quarter but Smith was wide left on a 46-yard field goal attempt.  Joyner finished of the scoring for the Camels with a determined 59-yard run with 9:40 to play in the fourth quarter. 

Campbell outgained the Wildcats 398-218, snapping a 3-games losing streak, while Davidson has now lost their 7th straight.

Notes:  Campbell next plays at Morehead State, Nov.12th.  Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.  Davidson has a bye-week, but return to action Nov. 19th versus the same Morehead State team. 

Winston-Salem State spoils Shaw's homecoming, edge Bears 30-23

Darron Downing (Daimeon Banks photo)

DURHAM, NC - Winston-Salem State University racked up 428 yards of total offense, including 289 yards on the ground, while quarterback Rod Tinsley passed for two touchdowns in a 30-23 Rams victory over the Shaw Bears Saturday at Durham County Memorial Stadium. 

It was homecoming, as well as Senior Day for Shaw, and the Bears played inspired football in the first half.  Junior signal caller Darron Downing punched it in from four yards out to get the scoring started for Shaw - Beni Kensemi followed by a 39-yard field goal extending the lead to 10-0  - Another Downing touchdown run put Shaw up 16-0 late in the first quarter. 

Winston-Salem State (7-2, 6-0) would grab a bit of momentum before halftime with a two-play scoring drive.  Will Walton had a huge 48-yard reception, followed by a 29-yard touchdown grab by Demeeko Jones, cutting Shaw's lead to 16-7 at the half. 

The Rams rode the wave of that late first half score by pounding the ball on the ground.  Kerrion Moore rushed for a game-high 151 yards; a touchdown run by Devaughn Hurse of 9-yards followed by Will Johnson's 30-yard field goal gave Winston-Salem their first lead at 17-16.  Tinsley then found Michael Benis on a nine yard touchdown pass, and Justin Pickett's 10-yard run put WSSU up 30-16 with 11:24 left to play in the game. 

Shaw (1-8, 1-5) has shown plenty of fight all season long; it was certainly much of the same Saturday afternoon.  Trailing 30-16 midway through the final quarter, Bears quarterback Darron Downing scored his third touchdown on the ground pulling the Bears to within a touchdown at 30-23. 

After a WSSU 3-and-out, Shaw appeared to have excellent field position on a beautiful 38-yard punt return from Bruce Parker, but the play was negated by a blocking penalty.  Downing came up 1-yard short on fourth down play to seal the win for the Rams. 

Defensively, Shaw was lead by senior Keelon Jones.  The Kansas City, MO. native tallied 15 tackles, with 2.5 tackles for loss.  Freshman Devon Hunt also had a double figure tackle day with 13.

Shaw will finish the 2016 season on the road as they take on Raleigh Rival, Saint Augustine's University, kick-off is set for Saturday Nov. 5th at 1 p.m. 

Notes:  Senior wide receiver Trevante Long became Shaw's all-time leader in receptions with his 5 catches for 48-yards.  Long now has 96 career receptions, breaking the previous mark of 93 held by both DeAndre Okonju and James Pettway.

Shaw honored eight seniors that have given their heart and soul to the Bears Program, they are as follows:   Dwight Campbell, Kendall Evans, DeShawn Harris, Dominique Hannibal, Keelan Jones, Venson Jones Jr., Bruce Parker, and Trevekio Roberts

@sportsbydaimeon

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Campbell falls in overtime thriller to Stetson 30-24

Chris  Beaty lines up to defend Jonatho Jerozal

BUIES CREEK, N.C. - Mitchell Brown's 30-yard field goal attempt was blocked and a returned for the game winning touchdown by Donald Payne as Stetson spoiled Campbell's homecoming, beating the Camels 30-24 in overtime. 

De'Shawn Jones gave Campbell (3-3, 1-2) a 10-0 first quarter lead with his ninth rushing touchdown of the season, a 48-yard scamper down the left sideline.  Stetson (4-3, 2-2) would score 24 unanswered points, capped of by a grant Amick 19 yard field goal with 11:04 left in the fourth quarter. 

Both teams lost their starting quarterbacks in the first half due to injury.  The Camels saw Elijah Burress leave just six plays into the game, while Hatters signal caller Gaven DeFilippo went down during Stetsons last drive of the second quarter. 

Backup Anthony Robbins passed for 209 yards and two TD's, including the game tying 6-yarder to Aaron Blockmon with 11 seconds remaining.  Robbins also connected with Blockmon on the two-point conversion to force overtime. 

Notes: Campbell hits the road October 29th to face Pioneer Football league foe Drake in Des Moines, IA.  Kickoff is set for 2:00 PM EST

@Sportsbydaimeon

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Shaw breaks through, takes down Johnson C. Smith 11-8

DURHAM , N.C. - Uriah Bathea's 2-yard touchdown run on fourth and goal with 6:02 to play in the fourth quarter proved to be the game winner as Shaw got their first win of the season, edging Johnson C. Smith by the 11-8 score Saturday at Durham County Memorial Stadium.

The Bears (1-7, 1-4) took an early 3-0 first quarter lead on a 37 yard Beni Kinsemi field goal.  That lead would hold up for most of the first half until the turnover bug bit Shaw once again.  Golden Bulls safety Carlo Thomas picked off Timothy Abbott to set up a 4-yard touchdown pass from Harold Herbin to Rand Wiley, the two-point conversion gave Johnson C. Smith (1-7, 1-4) an 8-3 halftime lead. 

Shaw's defense kept the game close throughout, allowing only 130 yards of total offense by Johnson C. Smith.  Domonique Hannibal backed up his CIAA defensive lineman of the week award with another strong effort.  The Chesapeake, V.A. native tallied a team-high seven tackles; Keelan Jones, Rashad Mosley, and Devon Hunt each recorded 5 stops for the Shaw defense. 

The afformentioned Bathea rushed for 62 yards to go along with the game clinching score, while Sophomore Ray Green Jr. lead the team with 43 yards receiving, including a gorgeous 27-yard catch in the first half. 

Saturdays win was the first for head coach Adrian Jones on the collegiate level.  Jones previously was the running backs coach at North Carolina Central University - Prior to his stint at NC Central,  Jones was head coach at Southern Durham High School, were he lead the Spartans to the 2013 NCHSAA 3-AA State Championship.  

Notes: Shaw will host Winston-Salem State University next Saturday October 29th for homecoming.  Kick off is set for 1p.m.

@sportsbydaimeon

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