Rick is joined for a fast-paced interview this week, by a member of the legendary NASCAR family, Kyle Petty.
Petty was in Atlanta promoting Coca-Cola, the upcoming NASCAR season and the Atlanta race, the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500.
He is former stock car racing driver, and current racing commentator. He is the son of racer Richard Petty, grandson of racer Lee Petty, and father of racer Adam Petty, who was killed in a crash during practice in May 2000. Petty last drove the No. 45 Dodge Charger for Petty Enterprises, where he formerly served as CEO; his last race was in 2008.
Kyle is a delight to talk to and a wealth of information, not only about the history of NASCAR, but also about the future of NASCAR and racing technology.
Rick has the pleasure of talking to one of the classiest guys in basketball for this “Tech of Sports.”
Former North Carolina star, longtime NBAer and current Men’s Basketball Coach at NCAA DII, Clark Atlanta, George Lynch.
With the men’s DII and DIII championships also to be crowned in Atlanta this April, Lynch hopes his squad will be a part of the action. Lynch is in his second year as head coach of the Clark Atlanta University Panthers men’s basketball team.
Lynch’s squad finished 14-12 in 2018-19, 10-7 in Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play. The Panthers ranked in the top half of the SIAC in scoring offense, scoring defense, offensive and defensive rebounding, and scoring margin, and were third in turnover margin, assists-to-turnover ratio. They finished second in 3-point field goals made and free throw percentage.
Lynch spent 12 years in the NBA after being a first-round draft pick by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1993. A defensive force, Lynch also was the first rookie since Magic Johnson to score 30 points in a game. He played for four NBA teams during his career (L.A. Lakers, Vancouver Grizzlies, Philadelphia 76ers, and the New Orleans Hornets), playing the NBA Finals with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2001. He was also a second-team All-NBA defensive player that year.
After his playing career, Lynch worked with Southern Methodist University in player training and development and ran a non-profit youth basketball organization in the Dallas area. In 2010, he joined the University of California-Irvine, first as an assistant athletic director for Community Relations and then as a strength coach for the men’s and women’s basketball programs. He served in the same capacity at SMU from 2012 to 2015 before becoming the school’s player development coach in 2015. He has been assistant coach with the Grand Rapid Drive of the NBA’s “G” League since 2017.
Lynch, a graduate of the University of North Carolina, helped lead the Tar Heels to the 1993 Atlantic Coast Conference championship, along with the NCAA National Championship where he was the Most Valuable Player of the NCAA East Regional. Lynch, a four-year letterman, was captain of the 1993 team, was on the NCAA’s All-Tournament team.
Even if you don’t have a ticket to the games being played, there will be plenty of things fans can do leading up to the 2020 NCAA Men’s Final Four in Atlanta, April 3-6, 2020.
Rick talks about that and more with Kevin White, who is best known as Mike Krzyzewski’s boss as the AD at Duke. He is also Chair of the NCAA DI Basketball Selection Committee. Rick also is joined by Dan Gavitt the NCAA’s senior vice president of basketball.
Once again, leading up to the DI semis, the NCAA Men’s Division II and III National Championships will be held on Sunday, April 5, at State Farm Arena. The Division III game will tipoff at 12:30 p.m. and the Division II game will begin at 4 p.m. The games are free and open to the public.
Youth basketball fans ages 18 and under can also be part of the Final Four action with the NCAA Final Four Dribble presented by Buick. The one-of-a-kind and free Final Four event will take place on Sunday, April 5, beginning with check-in at 1 p.m. in downtown Atlanta. Fans can bounce into action and dribble their way through the heart of downtown. To register for the event, fans should visit participating Buick dealerships beginning January 15. The first 3,000 participants will receive a NCAA Final Four Dribble t-shirt, a Wilson basketball and free entry into the Final Four Fan Fest presented by Capital One for Dribble participants and accompanying adults. Immediately following, fans are encouraged to head over to State Farm Arena for the free NCAA Men’s DII and DIII National Championships.
“Conducting all three national basketball championships in one city on the same weekend provides student-athletes from each division, as well as their fans, a special experience,” said Gavitt. “We’re thrilled about all the games and the fan events we have planned for the Final Four weekend, leading up to the Division I National Championship Game.”
The NCAA Final Four Semifinals will take place on Saturday, April 4 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The winners of the two games will advance to the NCAA Final Four Division I National Championship on Monday, April 6.
Atlanta is no stranger to hosting huge events and this is another big to anticipate and enjoy.
Carlos Monroe, Jr. is a professional boxer who currently holds the WBA Latin American Middleweight Title in the Middleweight Division.
Born July 22, 1994 in Chicago, Carlos moved to Atlanta at age three where he spent the rest of his upbringing. He practiced Tae-Kwon-Do as a child and began boxing as a teenager with Xavier Biggs at the Decatur Boxing Club.
Monroe returns to Atlanta on September 28 for a night of boxing.
On Saturday, Sept. 28, Atlanta will host the World Boxing Association (WBA) Continental Americas Middleweight Boxing title bout on with Atlanta native Carlos Monroe fighting Javier Maciel in the headline fight. Eric Moon will fight Mike Guy for the American Boxing Federation (ABF) title, followed by six other bouts.
Missy Dugan, CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta, says: “We are so thankful to partners like this that support the nearly 3,000 kids that attend our Clubs each day and help them reach their full potential. Through sports, youth build skills that will serve them now and throughout their lives including self confidence, good sportsmanship, discipline, and an appreciation of healthy living and exercise.”
When: Saturday, September 28
7:15 p.m. – 8 p.m. – Pre-event reception with live jazz from the renowned Joe Gransden Quartet.
8:00 p.m. – Fights start
Where: Buckhead Theater, 3110 Roswell Road, Atlanta, GA 30305, 404-843-2825, Link to Venue Info: http://www.thebuckheadtheatreatl.com/venueinfo.
As an amateur, his record was 90-15, winning the Golden Gloves in Georgia and Florida 11 times and earning top three placements in various PALs, Ringside, and Olympic Qualifier tournaments.
Since starting his professional career with E3 Promotions in 2017, Carlos has earned a 16-0 record with 13 wins by knock-outs.
He trains with a competitive stable of other pros in Miami under Mike Tyson’s former trainer, Stacy McKinley. Carlos is passionate about using his platform to benefit youth development, foster care support, and supporting his family.
Accolates
16 – 0, 13 KOs
9 time GA Golden Gloves champ
2 time FL Golden Gloves champ
2012 PAL National Bronze Medalist
2013 Ringside National Gold Medalist
2014 WSB Qualifier Bronze Medalist
2015 USA Boxing National Tournament Olympic Qualifier Silver Medalist
2016 Medical DQ Olympic Trials Go Pro
2017 Went Pro (E3) with Starkey through Biggs
Thanks to Carlos for joining Rick this week on “Tech of Sports.”
