Although Orlando Woolridge's (6'9''-F-59) life came to a premature end just before midnight Thursday, it's tough to say the former basketball sensation was cheated.
The Bernice native, 52, who died at his parents' Mansfield home where he'd been under hospice care for a chronic heart condition, was a superstar at Mansfield High, graduated from the University of Notre Dame, played with both Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan during his 13 seasons in the NBA and earned induction into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame two years ago.
The sharp-shooting 6-foot-9, 215-pounder was a first-round selection (sixth overall) of the Chicago Bulls in 1981.
'He was a complete player,' Digger Phelps, Woolridge's coach with the Fighting Irish, told The Times.
Phelps took the somber news that spread quickly Friday particularly hard.
'You go in a home to recruit and there was one thing I always promised the parents: 'Your son is going to graduate from Notre Dame. As far as the NBA, he's going to have to earn it.'
'In 20 years of coaching, I had 56 guys play for me and 56 guys got their degrees - about 20 went on to play in the NBA. He's the first guy I've lost. At 52, to have him die, it's like losing a son. It's hit me hard.'
Woolridge is survived by his children, Zachary, Renaldo and Tiana; parents, Mattie and Larnceen; sister, Dr. Vanessa Woolridge Duplessis; brother-in-law, Darren Duplessis; and nephew, Nigel Duplessis.
In addition to his successes, Woolridge battled personal demons throughout his life. He was suspended for the 1987-88 season by the NBA for substance abuse and was arrested in February on a charge of theft of more than $1,500 for allegedly stealing aluminum lines used to transfer water to natural gas drilling sites.
A cousin to NBA legend and fellow Bernice native Willis Reed, Woolridge scored 3,036 points (22.0 per game) and grabbed 1,945 rebounds (14 per game) in his prep career, including averages of 21 points and 25 rebounds as a senior at Mansfield he played his first three seasons at nearby All Saints High School.
Woolridge enrolled at Notre Dame in 1977, and by the time he was a senior, was a captain for the Fighting Irish.
A key figure during the NBA's slam-dunk era, Woolridge averaged 22.9 points per game during Jordan's rookie season (1984-85). The duo averaged more than 51 points for the Bulls that year.
Spurs take the lead in Western Conference Finals - May 20, 2013
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Lionel Hollins isn't normally one for histrionics. The Memphis Grizzlies coach is the steady sort, a composed personality who reflects the confident steadiness of his workmanlike team with his courtside demeanor. So who was this guy on Sunday at the AT&T Center, the frustrated and furious fellow who spent so much of the afternoon flailing his arms, rolling his eyes and scolding his players who were so overmatched? It was Hollins alright. But this sure didn't look like his team [read more]
Lionel Hollins isn't normally one for histrionics. The Memphis Grizzlies coach is the steady sort, a composed personality who reflects the confident steadiness of his workmanlike team with his courtside demeanor. So who was this guy on Sunday at the AT&T Center, the frustrated and furious fellow who spent so much of the afternoon flailing his arms, rolling his eyes and scolding his players who were so overmatched? It was Hollins alright. But this sure didn't look like his team. The San Antonio Spurs not only put his Grizzlies in a 1-0 hole in the Western Conference Finals by winning 105-83, but they also put Memphis in the sort of tailspin that they have spent their historical season avoiding. They trailed by double digits less than six minutes into play, then managed only one semi-believable comeback when a Quincy Pondexter (6'6''-F-88, college: Washington) shooting show helped cut the lead to six in the third quarter. The Spurs put a quick end to any notion that they would blow this dominating debut, with Matt Bonner (6'9''-F-80, college: Florida)'s three sparking an 11-1 run to end the third quarter leading 73-57. But Hollins was hardly the only one who didn't look like himself, as the most ominous sign of them all for the Grizzlies was the disappearance of forward Zach Randolph (6'9''-C-81, college: Michigan St.). He checked out for good with 5:14 left in the fourth quarter and just two points to his name, setting a new season low after missing seven of eight shots. For all the well-deserved praise the Grizzlies had received for their classic approach inside-out offense and gritty defense it seems the Spurs are more than happy to beat them at their own game. San Antonio had just spent the previous six games chasing those sharpshooting, fun and run, Golden State Warriors, and the chance to slow down the style and make it a match of sheer force again against the Grizzlies was apparently welcomed. As has been the case so often of late, only one member of the Spurs' Big Three played big (Tony Parker (6'2''-PG-82) 20 points on 9-for-14 shooting and nine assists), but the collective effort was more than enough. Their swarming defense held the Grizzlies to X shooting, and young guns Danny Green (6'6''-G/F-87, college: N.Carolina) and Kawhi Leonard (6'7''-F-91, college: San Diego St.) combined for 34 points on 13-for-19 shooting to lift the offense. By the time the first quarter came to a merciful close for the Grizzlies, they looked as if this was the end of a double-overtime affair. Darrell Arthur's chest heaved up and down as he tried to catch his breath late in the one-sided period, as did Randolph's, perhaps because Arthur had spent so much energy throwing his gum at the scorer's table in a fit of frustration. The Grizzlies forward had failed his assignment of guarding Matt Bonner miserably, letting him bury back-to-back three-pointers that pushed the lead to 17 points and left coach Lionel Hollins screaming on the sidelines. Bad went to worse moments later, when Arthur fouled GInobili outside the top of the arc on a questionable shooting foul call and his free throws brought their disastrous start to a bitter end. This was a much more daunting defensive assignment than the last one for Memphis, which faced an Oklahoma City Thunder team that was isolation-heavy without injured star Russell Westbrook and more than capable of exploiting that simplistic style. But the Spurs at their best are a thing of ball-moving beauty, and the Grizzlies couldn't contain them from the start. Leonard and Green hit open threes that were the byproduct of penetration, while Parker did what he so desired both inside and out. The Spurs led 18-6 less than six minutes in after hitting seven of their first eight shots. The edge grew from there, with Parker and Green combining for 22 points in the first half on a combined nine of 12 shooting. Nothing mattered more than Randolph's disappearing act, though, and it doesn't bode well for Memphis that their leading scorer in both the regular season and the playoffs was nowhere to be found. It was as if he was playing against himself, what with the way he was bumped and bullied and beaten down low. The Spurs' big bodies came with effective force, from Tiago Splitter to Bonner and Tim Duncan. It reached ridiculous levels in the second half, when Randolph missed a number of layups and putbacks that could have made the game so much more manageable for Memphis. Courtesy of: usatoday.com
Pacers knock out Knicks with 106-99 win in Game 6 - May 19, 2013
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Indiana P. - New York K. 106-99
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Lance Stephenson (6'5''-F-90, college: Cincinnati) scored nine of his playoff career-high 23 points during a late 11-2 run Saturday night, leading the Indiana Pacers past the New York Knicks, 106-99 and into the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2004. The New York native also had 10 rebounds and the Pacers were spurred by the return of point guard George Hill two days after he was diagnosed with a concussion [read more]
Indiana P. - New York K. 106-99 INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Lance Stephenson (6'5''-F-90, college: Cincinnati) scored nine of his playoff career-high 23 points during a late 11-2 run Saturday night, leading the Indiana Pacers past the New York Knicks, 106-99 and into the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2004. The New York native also had 10 rebounds and the Pacers were spurred by the return of point guard George Hill two days after he was diagnosed with a concussion. Next up is a rematch with Miami, the team that eliminated Indiana last season. Game 1 will be Wednesday at Miami. Carmelo Anthony (6'8''-SF-84, college: Syracuse) scored 39 points and Iman Shumpert (6'5''-G-90, college: Georgia Tech) had 19 for New York. Indiana is 6-0 at home in the playoffs, but this one sure wasn't easy. Courtesy of: Associated Press
Golden St.W. - San Antonio S. 82-94 It all proved to be too much, the injuries, the minutes, the machine that is the San Antonio Spurs. Will simply wasn't enough. Golden State's dramatic playoff run came to an exhausting end Thursday night at Oracle Arena. The Spurs advanced to the Western Conference finals with a 94-82 win over the Warriors, winning the best-of-seven series 4-2. By the time the game ended, Warriors starting center Andrew Bogut was glued to the bench, hobbled and rendered ineffective for the second consecutive game. Their emerging rookie star, Harrison Barnes, was in the locker room with a head injury that forced him to sit out the entire fourth quarter. And star guard Stephen Curry (6'3''-PG-88, college: Davidson), hounded and harassed for the 12th consecutive game and playing on a tender left ankle, didn't have enough in him to put the Warriors on his back. He missed his last four shots, all of them carried the Warriors' last hopes. In the end, the Warriors couldn't score enough, shooting just 39.3 percent from the field. They couldn't defend well enough, torched by San Antonio's precision execution that produced 27 assists on 32 baskets. As a result, the Warriors - who entered the playoffs as a No. 6 seed, upset the Denver Nuggets in the first round and had the No. 2 Spurs tied after four games - were bounced from their first postseason appearance in six years. The Warriors tried to put together a comeback, and was in striking distance to do so. Back-to-back jumpers by Klay Thompson (6'6''-G-90, college: Washington St.) and Stephen Curry, both after missed jumpers by San Antonio, cut Golden State's deficit to 77-75 with 4:52 left in the game. After a Spurs turnover, the Warriors had a chance to tie, but Stephen Curry missed back-to-back jumpers. San Antonio then snapped a three-minute drought when Parker, thanks to a blown assignment by the Warriors, drilled a wide-open 3-pointer from the left corner. After a Thompson missed jumper and a loose ball foul, the Spur went back up 82-75 with a pair of free throws by forward Kawhi Leonard. The Warriors answered with a floater in the lane by Jack. After another stop, a pair of free throws had the free throws down to four. But Leonard answered with a 3-pointer from the left corner, putting the Spurs back up by six. Thompson and Stephen Curry each had 3-pointers rattle out on the next possession. Then Spurs guard Tony Parker, who finished with 13 points on 3 of 16 shooting, iced the series with a 3-pointer from the right side. Stephen Curry finished with 22 points, six assists and four rebounds. Guard Jarrett Jack had 15 points. Forward Carl Landry had 11 points and six rebounds off the bench. For the second consecutive game, the Warriors put together a brutal first-half for the home crowd. They managed 40 points on 40.9 percent shooting. Stephen Curry and Barnes combined for 24 points on 11 of 21 shooting. The rest of the Warriors: 16 points on 7 of 23 shooting. The Warriors went three minutes without scoring early in the second quarter and San Antonio turned that drought into a 10-point lead. And it wasn't the usual suspects who hurt the Warriors, but the role players. Big man Tiago Splitter scored five points during the run. Matt Bonner hit a turnaround in the lane to put the Warriors down 35-35. Stephen Curry and Barnes got the Warriors back in the game. Stephen Curry converted back-to-back baskets off drives. A minute later, his 3-pointer cut the Spurs lead to five. Barnes caught Duncan guarding him out by the three-point line and drove by him for a reverse layup. Another layup by Stephen Curry and Golden State trailed 39-36 with 3:11 left in the half. But the Warriors couldn't sustain the run and trailed 47-40 at the half. Stephen Curry opened the second half with a floater and the Bogut split a pair of free throws. But Golden State put together another drought, this time three minutes, 22 seconds. The Spurs scored six straight, the last four by Duncan, and the Warriors were back down double-digits 53-43. It was a trend for most of the second half. Golden State got the stops. But they couldn't score. Golden State trailed by six after a jumper by Jarrett Jack but missed its next five shots. The Spurs scored five straight to push the lead to 61-48. The Warriors trailed 65-55 late in the third quarter. The Spurs failed to score on five straight possessions, but Golden State was only able to shave four points off the lead. A free throw by guard Manu Ginobili sent them into the fourth quarter down 66-57. At that point, the Warriors were shooting 39.1 percent from the field, making on 3 of 11 from deep. They took eight more shots than the Spurs and failed to take advantage. The Warriors simply looked tired, a step slow and running on fumes. Courtesy of: mercurynews.com
Krzyzewski reconsidering return to USA Basketball through 2016 - May 18, 2013
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Mike Krzyzewski is now giving serious consideration to remaining as head coach of USA Basketball through the 2016 Olympics in Rio. "There's a chance," Krzyzewski said. "That's correct." Krzyzewski had said for eight months that he's not returning to his position with USA Basketball, but a final decision has yet to be reached. Jerry Colangelo said Saturday he and Krzyzewski have been discussing his return "in installments." "I think it's very close to being resolved," Colangelo said [read more]
Mike Krzyzewski is now giving serious consideration to remaining as head coach of USA Basketball through the 2016 Olympics in Rio. "There's a chance," Krzyzewski said. "That's correct." Krzyzewski had said for eight months that he's not returning to his position with USA Basketball, but a final decision has yet to be reached. Jerry Colangelo said Saturday he and Krzyzewski have been discussing his return "in installments." "I think it's very close to being resolved," Colangelo said. "That's all I can say for sure." Krzyzewski has a 62-1 since 2005, a run that includes gold medal Olympic victories in Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012. Courtesy of: basketball.realgm.com
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