Managing editor of WRAL Sports, Dane Huffman, provides his insight into high school sports. Dane once covered prep sports for the News & Observer.
Jun 28, 2009
The magic of television is that it’s both temporal and lasting. The images come and go, oh so quickly, but what’s amazing is how long we remember those pictures in our minds.
At WRAL, few have been responsible for those pictures and words for as long as Bob Holliday. He arrived in 1981 and left our anchor desk on Friday. I watched from the mezzanine as Holliday, tall and thoughtful and always prepared, took his seat in front of the camera one last time.
It is easy to be good at covering sports. You talk to athletes and coaches, transcribe what they say and put it out there in words or pictures.
You put a little spin on it, of course – a nice turn of phrase or a slick presentation, and then you call it a day. Any recent journalism grad can do that.
But it’s hard to be great, to rise above the clatter every day.
Bob Holliday has done that. He asks more than good questions - he asks the right questions. Coaches
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May 19, 2009
Word of God's John Wall, lets one fly at the basket on Wednesday night, February 4, 2009 at Ravenscroft High School in Raleigh. Word of God won 82-64. (Photo by C.F.Ward)
John Wall is leaving the Holy Rams for a team that’s worshiped, and the only surprise is it took this long for Wall to announce for Kentucky.
Wall obviously wanted to play for John Calipari, and Calipari’s move from Memphis to Kentucky didn’t change the mind of the Word of God star.
What’s fascinating is how unusual it is for the state of North Carolina to lose a player to the Wildcats. Kentucky is one of college basketball’s elite programs, but the Wildcats have rarely stolen players from the ACC powers here.
West Charlotte forward Jason Parker signed with UNC but was denied admission. Kentucky said UNC had read his transcript improperly and he wound playing for the Wildcats.
Durham Hillside forward Bobby Perry, from the high school class of 2003, committed to Kentucky and was a steady contributor in a career that concluded in 2007.
But other than that? Kentucky hasn’t hit North Carolina hard
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Mar 2, 2009
Four years ago, Scout.com had Duke’s basketball recruiting class ranked No. 2 in the country, behind only Kansas.
But as the Blue Devils approach Senior Night on Tuesday, the outcome for this class is a good lesson in the unpredictable nature of college basketball now.
Duke had five prospects enter school in the fall of 2005 – point guard Greg Paulus, forward Josh McRoberts, forward Marty Pocius, center Eric Boateng and forward Jamal Boykin.
Paulus and McRoberts were both five-star recruits, according to Scout.com, and the others were four stars.
But four years later, that class is having only a small impact on the Devils season. Paulus and Pocius remain at Duke, but Paulus is no longer a starter and Pocius has scored just 29 points all season. Pocius has a year of eligibility left and won’t return.
McRoberts left for the NBA and is now averaging 2.0 points per game for the Indiana Pacers. Boateng transferred to
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Feb 19, 2009
N.C. State Logo
Two images this week served as a reminder that N.C. State faces a sense of urgency when it comes to its men’s basketball program.
The first came Tuesday night, when you could see huge patches of empty seats in the game at the RBC Center against N.C. Central. The official attendance was 10,888, but either there were phenomenally long lines for popcorn or that figure didn’t reflect how many fans were really there.
The second came Wednesday, as State coach Sidney Lowe watched the Word of God at Ravenscroft game – and Holy Rams star John Wall was spectacular.
State is at a critical point in Lowe’s tenure. Brandon Costner took a medical redshirt as a freshman and is now in his third year of eligibility. But he will graduate in May. The fact that he won’t commit to another year of playing, and that Lowe says he hasn’t talked at length yet with Costner about his future, is a strong indication Costner won’t return.
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