Canzano: A final "cheat sheet" for the opening round NCAA Tournament
Pete Newell Jr. with some last-minute tips.
The Newell family knows basketball.
Pete Sr. coached Cal to the NCAA basketball title in 1959, became general manager of the Lakers, coached Team USA to a gold medal at the 1960 Olympics, scouted, consulted with the NBA, and is a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Pete Sr.’s four sons all spent extensive time contributing to the game of basketball, too. Pete Jr. is a legendary high school coach in California who won a state championship in 2005 at Santa Cruz High. Greg was an executive at Converse, where he spent 17 years signing players to endorsement contracts. Tom worked as an NBA scout and assistant. And Roger created and developed computer software and analytics programs for the NBA.
I asked Pete Jr., who is retired and living in Las Vegas, to provide a “cheat sheet” for the NCAA Tournament. He’s been tuned into college games all season.
Pete Jr. delivered gold: