Kobe scored an MSG-record 61 against the Knicks Monday, followed by LeBron dropping 52 (part of a suspicious triple-double) in Cleveland’s win over New York on Wednesday. With Paul Pierce —- toiling against the Lakers as of this writing — visiting the Garden Friday evening, the hosts have less than a day to devise a strategy to stop The Truth and the defending champs from running riot. Perhaps Mike D’Antoni (above) can take a tip from the St. John’s (KS) Boy’s basketball team by employing a hypnotist. From the Wichita Eagle‘s Becky Tanner :
Most team members underwent two 45-minute sessions last week to increase their concentration and focus. It’s not clear what happened during the sessions; the therapist who led them wouldn’t say, and the coach did not return phone calls.
Monday night, the school board voted to stop the sessions.
“It won’t be going on any more at school,” said superintendent James Kenworthy. “If parents want their child to do that, they can contact the licensed therapist on their own.”
Hypnotizing students perhaps sends the wrong message to students and surrounding schools, said Kenworthy, who has requested a transcript of the sessions.
“At the high school level, it’s not appropriate. We are trying to get kids to understand who they are and what they are. It may give kids a mixed message if you can’t do it on your own.”
Coach Clint Kinnamon had sought the help of Carl Feril, a Church of Christ minister who is also a clinical family and marriage therapist.
Feril would not discuss what happened during the team’s sessions, saying his was a privileged therapist/client relationship.
“Any client I work with, particularly a minor, would always have a written parental consent,” Feril said. “I cannot confirm or deny I work with those people.”