The Replay: Gordon Hayward, Brad Stevens & James Blackmon Jr.
Every Friday, we post up The Replay: where hot shots and airballs collide. It’s your weekly roster of the most entertaining sports stories playing out in arenas local, statewide, and national.
» Top Dog: Former Butler great Gordon Hayward, now starring for the Utah Jazz, makes ESPN’s list (subscription required) of the NBA’s top 25 players under 25. He checks in at No. 12. But meanwhile …
» Dressed Down: Hayward’s old college mentor, Boston coach Brad Stevens, makes GQ magazine’s index of the NBA’s best- and worst-dressed coaches. “The adage that black suits are only for funeral directors and limo drivers may not be true, but [Stevens] makes it seem like it should be.” In the same slideshow, Hayward gets props for stealing thunder from natty Jazz coach Quin Snyder with “an all-American smile.”
» Call to Arms: Star columnist Gregg Doyel wonders why one of the state’s top prep quarterbacks (who led his team to a state championship) isn’t getting a sniff from big-time college programs.
» One Shining Moment! But that’s about all there was in Indiana’s 94-74 loss to No. 4 Louisville in the Jimmy V Classic. Hoosier fans thank you, James Blackmon Jr.
» Poll Results: Last week we asked readers: Is it socially acceptable for grown men to wear sports jerseys? The answer: At your own risk. Thirty-seven percent of respondents said nope, another 37 percent were indifferent, and 26 percent said yes.
» Now Read This (please and thank you): I wrote a story that looks back on a forgotten period in basketball great Larry Bird’s life, a time when the then-18-year-old left the game. Everyone knows how the story ends. This one is about how it began.
