After more than 40 years in the business of being a professional scout, the legendary career of Tom Konchalski came to an end this past spring. He was the first scout to tell then North Carolina assistant Roy Williams about a little known, but talented kid out of Wilmington that he should take a look at. That kid was Michael Jordan.
One thing Tom is best know for is his certain flair for words when describing a player. If a kid has limited jumping ability Tom may say that the player “is no match for earth’s gravitational pull” or “his vertical is measured in millimeters”. A player with great leaping skills would be described as “getting more elevation than Otis”.
Some say the Missouri native has an photographic memory of players. Adam puts that recall to the test on this very special episode.
Recent guests on The Upside include:
- West Virginia Coach Bob Huggins
- Grand Canyon Head Coach Bryce Drew
- Phil Armstrong, Tulsa 1921 Race Massacre Centennial Commission
- Jeff Capel and Steve Wojciechoski
- Counzo Martin
- Dr. Scott Brooks
- UCLA Head Coach Mick Cronin
- CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein
- Texas Longhorn coach Shaka Smart
- Chris Herren
- ESPN’s Paul Biancardi
- Penn State coach Pat Chambers
Visit The Upside on YurView.com for more and follow Adam Finkelstein on Twitter: @AdamFinkelstein
