Gregg Popovich hates the Hack-a-Shaq, a technique that intentionally sends an opponent's worst free throw shooter to the line. "I think it's awful. I hate doing it. Seriously," he said last January. "I think it's a pain in the neck, fans don't like it, I don't like it, nobody likes it. It disrupts the flow of the game. If there's an equitable way to get rid of it, I'm all for it."
That said, who has used the Hack-a-Shaq more than any NBA coach during these playoffs? Gregg Popovich. "It's part of the rules now and if you think somebody can't shoot a free throw you might as well take advantage of it," he said. "If you think somebody can't shoot you don't guard him the same way."
With that in mind, let's examine this quote from Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer earlier this month on college football's lighting-rod-of-the-week, satellite camps.
"Am I a fan of that? Not really. A big lore to Ohio State is getting them here on campus," he said at the time. "I think what happens is monkey see, monkey do, they did that so lets go do it. There are ways to evaluate how your camp went: Did you get anyone out of the camp? We're not going to do it only because other schools are trying it."
With That Monkey Up North going on a tour of satellite camps through SEC country, Texas and California, guess who is about to partake in his first satellite camp two months from now? Urban Meyer.
The Buckeyes will join Florida Atlantic's camp in South Florida on June 17. There's a connection between Columbus and Boca Raton as FAU athletics director Pat Chun served as Buckeyes AD Gene Smith's lieutenant before heading south.
Like the Hack-a-Shaq, satellite camps may not survive until next spring, though they are perfectly within the rules for now. But until then, smart coaches will grab hold of an advantage where they see one - even if it makes them feel a little uneasy. Also, Ohio State player personnel director Mark Pantoni has a suggestion for next time around. Make it happen, Urban.