Indianapolis Youth Summer Basketball Leagues

Indiana Pacers 2010-11 Player Review: Roy Hibbert

Little was publicized more this past summer for the Pacers than the work load Roy Hibbert took on to improve his game and look to become a quality center in the NBA. Working with Bill Walton, training in MMA, pushing his rookie protégé, slimming down, becoming limber and quick, it was a summer of transformation for Hibbert, a player coming out of the draft was seen as slow and lumbering.

And the work paid immediate dividends on opening night, dropping 28 and 9 on the Spurs . Through November, Hibbert was a 16/10 player with 2 blocks per for an above .500 ball club, showing himself as a clear front runner for the league’s Most Improved Player award. His post game was refined and patient to go alongside a potent midrange jumper, his play on defense active and anticipatory. It seemed Indiana would be in for a great season with Hibbert at the center spot.

Unfortunately, Hibbert’s effectiveness proved to be unsustainable as teams around the league began game planning for the big fella. Once that happened, it went south pretty quickly. Suddenly, shots wouldn’t fall, movements were awkward, and his post game fell apart. Nothing Roy was doing had any kind of confidence and it was easily visible in his play.

Over the next two months, Hibbert went from a potential award winner to possible benching, averaging just 9.7/6.7 on an unfathomably dreadful .399 shooting. But while Roy’s ego was shaken, he wasn’t receiving much help from his coach, who did everything to belittle Hibbert’s play except whisper in his ear at night how much he hated him, going so far as to say the only reason Hibbert was still the starter was because there was no one behind him.

Hibbert’s psyche definitely took a hit this past year, even as his own Area 55 cheered him on, and it simply didn’t improve under Jim O’Brien. It seemed that once teams figured out an effective way to remove Hibbert, O’Brien didn’t allow Roy the patience to overcome the hurdle, rather opting to issue him some tough love, even though it proved to be ineffective.

Then, as O’Brien tinkered with the lineups, slowly moving Josh McRoberts out of the post and inserting Tyler Hansbrough in addition to the PF play of James Posey , it didn’t leave Hibbert any help in the paint to showcase his passing skills to his forward should he get caught in the post. Not only was O’Brien throwing Roy under the bus at any given opportunity, but he was also abandoning him down low.

Well deserved honor for Allen coach Doug Snyder - Mcall.com ...

I have a tribute column running in the paper tomorrow on the life of Ken Wildonger.

He was one of the last of his kind, someone who meant so much to the city of Allentown, the school district and the kids in the community.

Wildonger loved Doug Snyder and saw a lot of the same traits in him that he saw in legends like J. Birney Crum, and J. Milo Sewards.

Put simply, there is no finer person in local high school sports today than Doug Snyder.

He was the commencement speaker at Allen's graduation last week and received a very nice honor. He won the Distinguished Alumni Award presented to a deserving member of the ASD family.

Here are the particulars and Snyder's bio from the Allentown School District website:

Coach Douglas M. Snyder , a member of Allen’s Class of 1974, received the award at Allen.  A native of Allentown, Coach Snyder studied history and played men’s basketball at Princeton University, graduating in 1978.  While at Princeton, he played on two Ivy League championship teams and in two NCAA tournaments, under Basketball Hall of Famer and Bethlehem native, Pete Carril.  After graduation, Coach Snyder began his teaching and coaching career at Princeton High School in New Jersey.  He coached football, basketball and softball, eventually becoming the head basketball coach for 11 years and winning three consecutive Central Jersey Group II championships.  After 15 years there, he became the head boys’ basketball coach at William Allen in 1997 and just completed his 14 year as head coach.  In that time, the team has won three District 11 4A championships and competed in four PIAA state tournaments.  He teaches advanced placement U.S. history and economics.  In 2001, he was appointed assistant coach for the East team at the Youth Development Festival in Colorado Springs, CO, losing the championship to the North squad led by Lebron James.  For the past 17 years, Coach Snyder has been one of 10 high school coaches from across the country to work at the prestigious National Basketball Players Association Top 100 camp for the top high school players in the nation, held at the University of Virginia.  He founded and ran the Princeton Recreation Department Men’s Summer Basketball League, the JV Basketball League at Cedar Beach and the Allen Basketball Camp for young players in the City of Allentown.  He resides in Bethlehem with his wife, Liz.  His brother, sister, father and mother are all graduates of William Allen High School.

Annual reports of the National Collegiate Athletic Association

Indianapolis Monthly

Indianapolis Monthly

Insiders' Guide to Indianapolis

Indianapolis Washington High School and the West Side