Bret Bielema rather oddly responded to a question about the Baylor sexual assault scandal with an NBA-themed metaphor.
The Arkansas football coach went off on a tangent and said that he wanted his players to be more team-oriented – which in his words meant more like Stephen Curry than LeBron James.
“I can’t speak for others,” Bielema said, via ESPN’s Brett McMurphy. “I can only speak for myself. What happens every day outside of my program in the world of college football I’m aware of, but very seldom does it affect what I do. I think it’s great awareness. I think it’s great education and great teaching tools at times for our players.
“I used the NBA series a year ago, an off-topic deal, but just the way I think. I told our guys here at Arkansas we need to be a little bit Curry and a little less LeBron. We’ve got to be a little bit more about the team and working together and the chemistry.”
What?
“I went through — I think [Curry] was the seventh draft pick or the eighth draft pick? — I listed all the guys that got drafted ahead of him that weren’t even in the league anymore,” Bielema continued. “And I think about it a lot.”
Well, beyond being a really weird answer to a question about Baylor, the comparison leans heavily on perceptions. James has been the best since he was in high school, taken first overall, and is regarded by some people as a me-first player. Curry is viewed more favorably as a more selfless, lower key team-oriented late blooming diamond in the rough. It just doesn’t quite work.
That said, Bielema isn’t the first guy to use other athletes in an example of what to do and what not to do. He won’t be the last, either.
