The 2008 Game Over Classic  will be held June 20 - 22 in New York City.  Age groups for the Classic are:

10 and Under; 11 and Under; 12 and Under; 13 and Under; 14 and Under; 15 and Under; 16 and Under; and 17 and Under.

The Entry fee is $425.00 per Team.  Money Orders and Bank Checks accepted (no Personal Checks).  Please make checks payable to GO Sports, Inc.

Registration Deadline is Friday, June 10, 2008

For additional information, please contact:

Dana Dingle - 646-773-4878 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Shandue McNeill - 516-924-9921 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Darryl Jones - This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Eric Jones - This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Be sure to check out all the Game Over Classic action at www.gameovernyc.com.  Click on the Game On tab and then the Game Over Classic button OR http://www.gameovernyc.com/basketball/go-classic/ 

Our NBA correspondent A. Katz (not that A. Katz from ESPN) reports: 

Watching the Sixers play the last few weeks has been a lot of fun.  They play hard, they push the ball and they have fun.  They exemplify what are both worst and best in the NBA.  Why the best?  That's pretty obvious:  well-executed fast breaks, hard nose defense, good team basketball and consistent improvement.  Why the worst? Because despite all the good stuff, they are actually moving further away from a chance to contend for an NBA title. Improved or not, they still can't compete with teams that have bona fide Superstars.  By trying and caring a little too much, the Sixers continue to play themselves to a lower spot in the first round of the draft where there are no franchise saviors to be had.  Their young players put up better stats in the short term thereby making them harder or more expensive to re-sign (even with Billy King gone) and making it less likely the team will spend money on incoming free agents.   On their current trajectory, the Sixers slow growth will ultimately hit a low ceiling with a first round playoff win (within the next couple of years) and then start on a slow decline.  They won't be in the NBA finals for another ten years.  Compare this situation to the Miami Heat whose postage budget for mailing in games this year is almost as high as their salary cap.  They still have Wade and Marion (or a high priced replacement) and will own a top 5 lottery pick this year.  They will likely be back in the Conference Finals within 2-3 years.  There's something very wrong with a system that rewards the binge and purgers and punishes the teams trying to win the right way. 

- A. Katz, Philadelphia, PA

Game Over welcomes All American Signs & Awards Plus as an official Game Over trophy retailer.  All American is located on the Queens / Long Island border in Valley Stream, NY.  All American is able to fulfill all your Game Over trophy needs: from team awards to Camp and Clinic trophys.  For Participation, Sportsmanship, MVP, to Team Awards.  So to order your Game Over trophies in NYC and Long Island, give All American a phone call.  516-87-AWARD (516-872-9273

Ever see the movie Scent of a Woman with Al Pacino?  He defends a young man who saw three of his classmates pull a pratical joke on the dean of the prep school they attend.  Instead of being pressured to sell out to protect himself, as one of the three has done, he stays honorable and will not give in to coercion to give up his classmates.  The lesson learned is that honor still has a place in our society, though it seems lost on many who are more concerned about looking out for themselves. 

We were kicking it at Game Over Headquarters when word came down that Kelvin Sampson accepted a $750,000 buy out of his contract to resign immediately.  Whoa, the hypocrisy meter went up and we all put our two cents in.  Here is how we see it.

First, Indiana University knew of the allegations against Sampson, in fact, he was hired with full knowledge AND the NCAA penalties that came with him.  In fact, Sampson was put on notice at the time of hiring that he could not conduct himself in the same manner if he expected to stay as head coach. - First Game Over reaction - Sampson, seriously, how in the world do you commit the same infractions?  Or have your staff do it for you?  Yeah, competition in the Big Ten, and the whole NCAA is tough for recruits, but that means you have to do a better job selling the program with less face time - and to explain to the recruits that the reason you are not flooding their cell phones three times a day is not that you don't love them but that you don't want the school to go on NCAA probation when they got on campus. 

Second, the NCAA got its teeth into Sampson the way they did former UNLV head coach Jerry Tarkanian and just wouldn't let go.  Okay, so he flagrantly violated NCAA rules, in fact, the same rules they just nailed him on back at Oklahoma.  But why are you keeping him on such a tight leash?  He ia already paying a penalty of a lost scholarship at IU.  Other coaches are out there for you to teach a lesson.  Now we are not saying that he isn't possibly guilty of the allegations, but why is the microscope on him like an ant?

Finally, the best for last, Indiana University.  An institution of higher learning.  Oh, the lessons they are teaching.  First, the always good, throw the alleged guilty under the bus to save your hide.  Lets look at the facts, the NCAA was investigating and had not as yet made formal charges against Sampson.  Sampson would have 90 days to then rebutt the allegations. Worried of the possible sanctions and loss of face, IU launches its own, ad hoc investigation for one week.  Its intent, to head the NCAA off at the pass and if they find Sampson and staff guilty, take their own action to stave off whatever harsher sanctions may occur by NCAA punishment.  So they find that one of their own has violated the rules, and then take the harshest of actions.  They look to fire their head coach three quarters through the season.  Whatever happened to the street ethic of protecting your own?

Was there truly any thought about the current student athletes and staff that have at this date put together a tremendous season?  Is the school too far to the right in its view that these are Student athletes and it is a privelege that they enjoy.  That IU is a school of higher learning and athletics come second.  We can understand that.  But what about innocent until proven guilty?  How many attorney's defend known guilty parties because that is a constitutional right of all persons.  While IU is no attorney, do they have any responsibility to honor and defend one of their own?

What about the affect it has on the student athletes under its care?  Most have only known Sampson as their coach as he recruited them.  They are on the verge of capturing a Big Ten championship, don't they deserve to have their head coach when they enter the NCAA's?  Or is this just a day care center for ball players as they then move on to the pros.  You can't condemn student athletes for coming in, using the system as a means to move on to the NBA or other professional league if the system is using them (how many uniform tops are sold throughout the USA with the number and/or name of the student athlete on them) without the student athelte seeing one dime?  If this is a business (no fooling), don't get your britches tied in a knot when the student atheltes you are "looking out for" treat it as a business too.

So what could have, should have been done?  One possible solution was for IU to investigate and hold onto its results until after the season was concluded so as to not upset the team.  Or, acknowledge the infractions by Sampson and tell him and the NCAA that appropriate actions will be taken at the end of the season.  The NCAA can accept the findings of IU and agree not to impose any greater sanctions when IU does punish and/or fires Sampson.  It shows institutional control on the part of IU and demonstrates that the self-policing system works to the NCAA.

Perhaps no other aspect of the NCAA is reviled more by the general public than its manner of imposing sanctions.  If the idea is for schools to not violate the rules, and if they do, correct it, than why is a hammer necessary to kill a fly?  Great life lessons we teach the student athletes, and all students around the world.

Saw the Suns – Lakers last night.  It won’t take too long for Shaq to fit in and the Suns will be a major power. He’s going to make Amare an MVP candidate.  With that said, how f-ing good is Kobe?  I will go so far to say that his basketball skills are better than anyone who has ever played (including players with the initials MJ).  He may not be as tough mentally as some players with the initials MJ but with him the Lakers will be awesome for the next few years (and possibly this year if Bynum comes back in time to be ready for the playoffs).  The thing I took away from that game was that the Jason Kidd trade was a fairly big mistake for Dallas—you don’t mortgage your future to be fourth best in your conference. Also, the Spurs will need more points from their bench—while Kurt Thomas helps, he doesn’t replace the fading contributions from Horry and Bowen.  It’ll be fun to watch the Western playoffs that’s for sure . . . Also, I should clarify, that MJ in his prime would be who I would take if I were a GM choosing between Prime Kobe and Prime MJ.  However, as a fan evaluating basketball talent—even MJ was not a pure a player as Kobe.  Kobe’s silk factor is off the chart . . .- A. Katz, Philly

What a joke!  Jerry Stackhouse can't keep himself from dropping a dime on himself and what the plans of the Nets / Mavericks regarding his playing after the trade.  You see, what was supposed to go down was this: the Mavs get Jason Kidd and bodies and the Nets get bodies, draft choices, and $.  One of those bodies was going to be a short-term deal, Stackhouse.  He would report, the Nets would release him within a month's time, and he would resign with the Mavs.  He would lose no money, go from a team that is thankful the Knicks are in their division, rest a little, and then refreshed go back to a team that is going to contend for a title AND with J Kidd running the show!  But he had to inform on himself to the NBA police and the deal was off.

Or so it seemed.  You see, here is where the double-standard kicks in.  The NBA didn't want the teams to get around the intent of the trade just to satisfy the salary cap requirements on trades.  Here, Stackhouse was going to return to the Mavs after a short term, so he really wasn't "traded".  Ah, but you have to love loopholes.  When a player no longer is playing but hasn't filed with the NBA office his retirement papers, he can stay the property of the team he last played for.  Therefore if he wants to "unretire", such as Chris Webber last year halfway through the season (we should call this the Roger Clemens Rule), he can play for the team he last played for.

And that is how this trade got done.  By some miracle (read, a new contract for going to the Nets, "attempt" a comeback for a period of time, and then decide that your legs just won't carry you the rest of the season) Keith Van Horn decided it was time to attempt to add to his career stats.  Lets be real.  While the NBA says they looked into the reasons for Van Horn coming back and they are legit (if you are faking they will know - now how in the world will they know?, not everyone is Stackhouse and is going to tell everyone what they really are thinking), why in the world would he comeback to a team that has lost the season series to the Knicks?  He can't be trying to make a post-season push like Kidd.  But for sweating for a month or so he will collect some good $$$.  Enough dollars that you and I could retire on.  For a month's fake work.  And you thought the supposed college jobs wre you wouldn't even have to show up to the booster's business to get paid were a scam.

But our question is, NBA, why is one okay but the other not?

The on-again / off-again /on-again trade of the Nets point guard supreme to the Dallas Mavericks is a joke.  Besides the questions as to why Dallas wants Kidd (we know, he is a great guard, but they need help in hte forecourt, not the backcourt if they want to challenge LA and Phoenix).  The affair became funny when Devean George envoked his right not to be traded.  We could all understand that, why leave the playoof contender and luxury conditions that Mark Cuban provides for the swamps of New Jersey?  But then Jerry Stackhouse had to open his mouth.

Here is where the silliness begins.  The plan, as according to Stackhouse, was for him to join the Nets and after a short period of time (and probable rest), he would be bought out of his contract (after all, New Jersey already has two players that play his position in Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter) and he would resign with the Mavericks in time for the stretch run.  But he had to open his mouth and now, supposedly, the NBA has stated that Stackhouse cannot be a part of the deal because of the deception (David Stern denies that the league office says Stackhouse cannot be part of the deal).  Deals like this happen all the time, but its done so the NBA doesn't take it in the face when its to get around its rules.  All Stackhouse had to do was shut his mouth, spend a month or less in dreary New Jersey, get bought out, and return to the Mavs.  And the beauty - they would have Kidd to lead them to a potential Western Confrence Final.  Now its possible he will remain a Mav and without getting Kidd, which means the team will be poorer.

It is possible the deal will be ressurected, and it sounds as if it is with Keith Van Horne replacing Stackhouse.  But it was so close that to his own benefit that Stackhouse not only blew it for himself but for his team by being heard, whereas he should have just been seen.