The best piece that you’ll read today comes from ESPN.com’s Jason King, who spent a day in Las Vegas tagging along with Nebraska head coach Tim Miles.
It is truly a fascinating look into what a head coach goes through during live-recruiting periods, from late nights and early mornings to balancing where to be seen when and who to get on the phone with.
And, as you should expect, King turns a great opportunity into a must-read piece.
But the best part of the story has nothing to do with the actual story itself. You see, Miles is a character. He’s got a terrific sense of humor and he’s not afraid to broadcast it out on social media, where he’s been known to tweet during halftime of his team’s games. He is also apparently horrendous when it comes to directions.
Where the reading gets good is when King starts writing about some of the jokes that Miles cracks on the sidelines. Warning: long blockquote coming:“Seriously,” says Miles, pointing. “See that kid right there? Look at all the hair on his legs. That means he’s probably finished growing. Hairy legs at that age is a bad sign.”
Seated nearby, one of Miles’ coaching colleagues doubles over in laughter. Not because Miles is wrong. He’s just, well … funny. Really funny at times.
Miles sometimes sent tweets from the bench during Colorado State games. When a loose ball rolls toward him on the sideline at a recruiting event, he has been known to pick it up and pass it to the prospect he’s there to evaluate, no matter where the player is on the court.
In Las Vegas, Miles spends part of one game shadowboxing near the baseline with Indiana State coach Greg Lansing, who recently broke his hand during a workout with a heavy bag. Later in the day, when Hall of Famer Jim Calhoun of Connecticut stands in front of the bleachers and blocks his vision of the court, Miles turns to a friend.
“Dare me to yell, ‘Down in front,’” he whispers.
With 18 seconds remaining in a close game, a guard receives an inbounds pass and holds up his index finger, signaling for “one last shot.”
“Three more possessions -- guaranteed,” Miles says.
Miles is quick to respond when a colleague approaches to congratulate him on his new job.
“I hear they already love you in Lincoln,” the man says.
“Yeah,” Miles laughs. “That’s because we’re still undefeated.”
Just go read it.
Rob Dauster is the editor of the college basketball website Ballin’ is a Habit. You can find him on twitter @robdauster.