Edwin A. (Scotty) McDonald, Jr. – the late, great basketball savant whose wisdom has been regularly referred to on this blog – is never far from my thoughts, and especially so these days, what with the 2014 college basketball season beginning. Not too awfully long before he died, prematurely, from a heart attack at age 55, the Phoenix Suns consultant, aide, assistant coach and scout told a Los Angeles-area high school awards banquet:

“You take one boy — my boy — my son — and you have the opportunity to somehow make him better.  Perhaps he is mediocre, but you can improve him … Maybe he blows a free throw or a lay-up, which loses the championship game. You can help him learn to withstand pressure, to overcome heartbreak, to have guts — so that later in life he can stand up to business adversity or personal tragedy without whining or complaining. I give you my boy, this is my son. Take care of him, Coach.” ###