Zone Read PM: World War II veterans visit Ducks, NBA coach Doug Collins retires

Originally Posted on Emerald Media via UWIRE

Spring practices are in full swing as this year’s long-awaited spring game approaches full speed. But aside from the usual quarterback battle talks and the transitioning from one team to the next, the Ducks were treated with a very special event in which they met and listened with World War II veterans. This not only serves as a great motivator, but it was also nice to see head coach Mark Helfrich set something up where his players could gain some perspective outside the realm of their state of the art facilities heading into the upcoming season.

“We had a bunch of World War II veterans with us today and it was just incredible,” Helfrich said at practice this morning. “We had a Bronze Star winner, a Medal of Honor winner, an original Seal, a couple Normandy landers and it was very, very humbling. It was just a great deal for our guys, the living history for our guys and it was an incredible deal.”

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After coaching the Philadelphia 76ers to a dismal 34-48 record, coach and former player Doug Collins has decided to retire. Despite a high level of promise from the young, injury-plagued 76ers, Collins’ decision was based on family matters, not basketball. He merely missed being a family man, and at the age of 61, no one can blame the man for choosing family over business. Collins has been a respected figure in the world of the NBA and will be dearly missed.

The Oregonian has the story.

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The NBA Playoffs are approaching rapidly, and that means one thing and one thing only: matchups. Matchups will be key as always, and if you are an eight seed like the Milwaukee Bucks, or if you are the seven seed like the Lakers, an advantage here or there could mean the difference between going home early and potentially pulling off an upset.

ESPN has the breakdown of all the first round matchups that begin this Saturday.

 

Read more here: http://dailyemerald.com/2013/04/18/world-war-ii-veterans-visit-ducks-nba-coach-doug-collins-retires/
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