In Memory Of

His story has been told. Reading this column means you digest sports in massive quantities just like me. The passing of Wayman Tisdale saddens the heart.

By now you are familiar with his high school accomplishments. You followed his collegiate career and multitude of accolades. His 12-year NBA career speaks to his longevity.

His music will soothe and entertain for generations to come. Running a weekly column almost seven days after his untimely death leaves little else to be said.

However, I'd be remiss if I didn't comment on the 12th pick in my recent Tulsa Draft. There is one thing I can add that has yet to be covered.

In the current age of Internet tough guys, I've yet to read a negative comment or remark on Tisdale. The Internet, blogs and comment sections are like Petri dishes for negativity. I'm not talking about the warm statements released by media members, former coaches and ex-teammates.

The comment section located below an article is usually fodder for people looking to lob a few cheap shots. I've read dozens of pieces on Tisdale during the past few days. Not a single comment spoke ill of the godfather of Tulsa.

The lack of negativity speaks louder than any additional commentary I could give. A celebration of Tisdale's life takes place at 11am Thursday, May 21 in the BOK Center. RIP.

Get Your Tweet On

Transitions are not my strong suit. Just ask my editor. Trying to continue on with additional sports topics seems rather blah. But let's give it a try.

"I feel very fortunate to be asked to be on the committee," said the University of Tulsa's head basketball coach Doug Wojcik.

NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Ethics Coalition is a newly created group charged with promoting ethical conduct through leadership, education and mentoring.

Wojcik is one of 14 charter members. The committee includes 11 men's basketball head coaches. "It's not, by any means, to set policy, it is really to set examples and discuss issues in college basketball, whether it's recruiting or sportsmanship. To be with such a great group of guys... it's a privilege to be a part of this committee," he said.

Wojcik is joined by OU's coach Jeff Capel on the committee. John Beilein of Michigan is the coalition's chairman.

Will the NCAA take advice from the solid group? Or will they continue to turn a blind-eye to issues facing college athletics?

Speaking of TU, they "Tweet" now. What's a "Tweet" you ask? Well, you are probably not the target audience if you are unfamiliar with twitter-tweets.

The athletic department activated the Twitter account April 23. They announced to the media May 14 they were going live on Twitter. TU fans are encouraged to follow along.

"This is another way to reach out to our Tulsa fans, and even those who are just sports fans in general," said TU Athletics Director Bubba Cunningham. "We want to be able to inform our 'followers' with breaking news and special events more efficiently and quickly."

Two issues here: The link is www.twitter.com/TulsaHurricane, but the press release directs you to log onto twitter.com and to search for TulsaHurricane. This leads me to believe the technology is still new to TU. But big props for jumping in.

Second issue. Only 34 followers so far. They are new, so we'll cut them some slack.

Ashton Kutcher ranks number 1 with the most followers in Twitterville at almost 2 million. TulsaHurricane is ranked 623,971. Help them out. Join.

My suggestion? TU brass, liven up the Tweets. Don't be afraid to slip a humorous anecdote in every now and then. By the way, is it a coincidence that the daily paper has not pointed you in the direction of getting immediate updates from TU?

More Wayman.

I plopped down on my couch to watch both game 7s in the NBA this past Sunday. Of course a little Survivor mixed in but mainly basketball. My plan was to pimp a little Drillers baseball in this spot... but my mind drifted.

As I watched the games, I couldn't help but imagine how Wayman Tisdale would fare in today's NBA during his prime. He would have gone up against the likes of Pau Gasol, Luis Scola, Rashard Lewis and Glen Davis.

The Lakers' Gasol is averse to defense. Tisdale would have faced him up and took him to the rim at will. Either a left-handed floater or a dish to a teammate would result.

Luis Scola is the consummate overachiever. The floppy-haired Argentine outworks his opponent with scrappy play. Tisdale would outclass him around the bucket.

Lewis of the Magic would be tricky. He's an undersized power forward with range. Tisdale would struggle guarding him on the outside. However, he'd own Lewis on the other end of the floor.

As much as I love Big Baby Davis, he simply isn't ready for a player the caliber of Tisdale in his prime. Maybe next year, Glen.

Am I giving Tisdale too much credit these days? Perhaps. But I know one thing: no one is going to leave a comment saying otherwise.

To Contribute:

The Wayman Tisdale Foundation

c/o Paul Samuels

Morgan Stanley

2200 S. Utica Place

Suite 500

Tulsa, OK 74114.