The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
A SHOW OF SOLIDARITY
Calhoun, Burrell, Jones support NBA players
“You fight the same fight every day, but are people listening? Do people care? That’s what’s sad.”
— Scott Burrell, SCSU men’s basketball coach and former NBA champion
Scott Burrell never dealt with any type of social justice protest in his eight seasons in the NBA.
James Jones has never played or coached at the NBA level. Jim Calhoun has never walked in the shoes of the NBA’s large Black contingent.
But all three are supportive of the recent boycotts and demonstrations by NBA players in protest over the shooting of Jacob Blake.
“People have different ways of trying to show how important the injustices are and bring it to light even more, like it was done with George Floyd. It continues,” said Burrell, the Hamden product and current head men’s basketball coach at Southern Connecticut State. “We see the video and it’s sad that another Black man has to die that way. It’s sad. When does it end?”
Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, was shot seven times in the back by a police officer Sunday in Kenosha, Wisc. Blake has survived, but is reportedly paralyzed from the waist down.
As the video of the shooting went viral, protests erupted around the country and in Kenosha, about 45 minutes south of Milwaukee.
On Wednesday, players from the
Milwaukee Bucks decided to not play their playoff game against the Orlando Magic in the NBA bubble in Orlando. All other NBA teams quickly followed the Bucks’ lead, along with WNBA teams, some Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer teams and professional tennis players.
“You fight the same fight every day,” said Burrell, who played for four different teams over his career, “but are people listening? Do people care? That’s what’s sad.”
Jones, who is entering his 22nd season as Yale’s first and only Black men’s basketball head coach, said he was proud of the NBA players leading the way with the boycotts and protests.
“There are people I know all over the country that are trying to stand up for change,” Jones said. “They certainly have a large platform, and they’re using it.”
Jones is perturbed by the criticism of protests in many cities that have sometimes turned violent.
“I just really wish people would understand what exactly is happening here, and that these protests are all cause and effect,” Jones said. “If these Black men and women aren’t killed for little to nothing, then there wouldn’t be any protests. There wouldn’t be any rioting, because this wouldn’t happen. This is why it happens. Nobody wants anybody to riot or die in a riot or anything like that to happen. But I don’t know what’s the answer for us to have these changes.”
Calhoun, the Hall of Fame former UConn head coach, was happy to see NBA players use their power and influence for what they believe is the right cause.
“As a coach or a player, when you’re at LeBron level, Kemba-level, any level, when you have power — the need for people to be entertained — that’s when people listen to you,” he said. “They used their power, and to me it’s a great sign of intelligence. It’s not a fiscal decision, it’s an emotional decision.”
Calhoun, coach of Division III St. Joseph, sent numerous players to the NBA, including Hall of Famer Ray Allen, Richard Hamilton and Caron Butler, along with current stars Kemba Walker and Andre Drummond. He has spoken to several of his former players over the past couple of months, since the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis originally set off protests and riots across the nation.
Calhoun said he often sends a letter to his players after their conversation, saying: “I’ve never walked in your shoes, but I’ve always stood beside you.”
“I’ve never made believe I was in those same shoes as my players, but I wanted them to know I was there for them,” Calhoun told Hearst Connecticut Media. “The idea is we’ve got to have a strong voice. They get educated, they get in positions where they can affect change. I think it’s a great position for us to be in. Those guys are out there making a statement that this can’t keep going on. They’re absolutely right about that.”
Jones coached Utah Jazz rookie Miye Oni for three seasons at Yale. He hasn’t reached out to Oni yet.
“I want to give these guys their space,” Jones said. “To be honest with you, everybody should be offended and appalled. There’s not much to talk about. For Black people, there’s not much to talk about. You’re angry about what continues to happen.”
Indeed, that’s what frustrates these men the most — that issues involving police brutality against Blacks seems to be a neverending problem.
“Rodney King was 29 years ago,” Jones pointed out, “and nothing’s different.”
Added Burrell: “The saddest part about it is that it’s still happening. It’s like it didn’t miss a beat. When you watch that video — I don’t know what happened, I heard what happened, I don’t know if it’s true or not — but no one should (be treated) like that. It’s incredible to watch. It’s sad, it’s disgusting.”