What time is it? Roll out the chemistry set to find out and we’ll find out

Last Saturday I found I could read 400 pages of the 700-page “Book of Basketball” by Bill Simmons while watching three consecutive college games in high definition. You just learn to look up when the announcer gets excited and after awhile you begin to think it’s natural for a 19-year-old college kid to climb a 12-ft. ladder before tomahawk dunking into someone’s face. It’s much the same as throwing down the winning card in a game of Tonk, which I learned monitoring advanced placement study hall. Simmon’s book is all about the NBA, looking back over its teams and great players, and there is a theme called ‘The Secret’ which most players believe to be true. Great teams are more about good chemistry than brilliant coaches or All-Star players. I pondered the secret for high school basketball teams and I agree: if coaches can get kids to play together with good chemistry they will be successful and achieve where they should and overachieve where they shouldn’t. Cape Henlopen’s coaches have been working on chemistry all season and now after an 85-64 win at Woodbridge the Vikings are 6-5 with nine left to play and may have discovered the winning formula. Jaron Dukes (18), Paris White (15), Andrew Merlo (12), Trent Batson (10) and Marcus Shockley (9) rounded out balanced Cape scoring at The Cave. Four of Cape’s wins have come against teams that have dismal seasons, while two of the losses came during Christmas to funky, medium-talent Maryland teams. The party to the postseason begins Tuesday, Jan. 26, at the New Little Big House against Seaford (8-3 coming off a win at Milford where Vincent Glover dropped 33 points). Vince is the son of Vincent “Birdman” Glover, former Cape track star who triple jumped 48 feet, 6 inches at the Penn Relays in 1983 and held the Delaware State record for 20 years. A stupid and selfish, up-and-down crazy gym class game goes to Seaford. Just ask Milford, which blew a 10-point fourth-quarter lead to lose. The Vikings have a road game Saturday, Jan. 30, at Caravel (2-7) before facing winning teams Smyrna, Milford, Tatnall and Polytech. What time is it? Roll out the chemistry set and we’ll all find out.

DELAWARE DIAMOND EXTRAVAGANZA - The first annual Delaware Diamond Extravaganza, honoring a commitment to excellence in women’s athletics (sponsored by the Delaware State Athletic Department) will be Friday, Feb. 19, at the Dover Sheraton. A dozen individuals will be honored, including Cape graduate Rob Perciful, longtime Seaford High School track and field, cross country and field hockey coach, and Debbie Windett, who has been successful at Sussex Central, Caesar Rodney and St. Thomas More. Windett, who will coach women’s lacrosse at Wesley this spring, will be among the 12 people honored.  The guest speaker for the Delaware Diamond Extravaganza will be Joetta Clark Diggs, a four-time U.S. Olympian (1988, 1992, 1996, 2000) and collegiate track and field champion. Clark Diggs is a 15-time All-American, 11-time NCAA champion and nine-time All-Southeastern Conference champion at the University of Tennessee. A member of the University of Tennessee Hall of Fame, she is the daughter of former New Jersey high school principal Joe Clark, the subject of the movie “Lean on Me.” Here’s an oddity: Joetta, with a personal best of 1:57 in the 800 meters, was coached by her brother J.J. Clark, who is the head coach at Tennessee. J.J. married Jearl Miles, now Jearl Miles Clark, who holds the American record in the 800 meters at 1:56 and a silver and two golds in the 4 by 400 over three Olympics.

Her 2000 Sydney teammates included Monique Hennagan, Marion Jones and LaTasha Colander-Richardson. This medal was later stripped due to steroid doping admissions by Jones.

Imagine Thanksgiving dinner at the Clark household with old Joe saying grace. “Put the bat down, dad!” Clark was featured on a 1983 Time cover holding a baseball bat with the cover reading “Is Getting Tough the Answer?”

SNIPPETS - “Beat his butt!” “Pummel his Wrangler behind into submission!” “Make him not want to get up!”

The Superdome became The House of Pain Killers Sunday, Jan. 24. The New Orleans defensive game plan was not nice. Those young guys were full tilt after “Mississippi Man” Brett Favre all game long. After a late fourth-quarter high/low hit, I could barely get off the couch and stagger to the refrigerator to see if the light was still on.

Brett completes the pass that was intercepted in the final minute. The Vikings kick the game winner and he’s the legend of all time. You know they won’t do Peyton like that in the Super Bowl.

Atlantic Lacrosse will host its last open registration, 1-3 p.m. Sunday, Jan . 31, at Beacon Middle School on Route 24. Registration includes boys and girls teams.