Hello everyone,
It's been a few days since I've been able to write at Ridiculous Upside as I attempted to get over a vicious sickness -- apparently Mother Nature didn't want me running outside in shorts during January even if we did set a record up here in balmy North Dakota). Before this starts sounding like a Christmas letter, though, let's get into the meat and potatoes of why I'm reaching out to you on this lovely Sunday morning.
Some D-League coaching news happened while I was out as the Fort Wayne Mad Ants decided to replace Joey Meyer with up-and-comer Steve Gansey. Coach Meyer was liked by everyone I've ever heard talk about him, but it seemed the Mad Ants needed a bit of a shakeup as of late as the talent simply wasn't performing up to expectations.
Gansey, a 26-year-old with Ridiculous Upside, should be able to change things around as he was able to pick up his first victory as a head coach on Saturday night with a 107-98 victory over the Canton Charge. Congratulations to Coach Gansey as well as his de facto top assistant -- the all-knowing Sebastian Pruiti.
Another move was made that will impact my dear readers, but it wasn't in the D-League realm. We were able to recruit the excellent Wendell Maxey for a couple of stories each week.
Mr. Maxey is living in Germany and, after writing for NBA.com, ESPN's Page 2 and quite a few other well-respected publications, he's brought his talents to Ridiculous Upside. He's already written a pair of stories that have appeared on the site and we're hoping for many more as he covers all that is happening abroad.
In other site news, I'll be covering the D-League Showcase for NBC Sports' Pro Basketball Talk over the course of the next week. I'll still be sure to post a preview of sorts each day here at Ridiculous Upside, but be sure to check their site out as well as Kurt Helin has given me an excellent opportunity to allow a broader audience to learn more about the NBA Development League and all of its lovely quirks.
That's all for today,
-Scott
P.S. If anyone's going to be in Reno that I haven't talked to as of yet, by the way, be sure to shoot me an email and we'll make plans to meet up so you can buy me an adult beverage of your choosing.