Let me get something out of the way: A lot of people don’t like Jon Rothstein. This seems to be, in each instance, due to one or more of three reasons:
1. Jon Rothstein doesn’t credit up-and-coming reporters for scoops.
2. Jon Rothstein breaks some journalistic traditions (the texting coaches “good luck” thing).
3. Jon Rothstein is a wild animal.
Before I expand on the third, let me just say that number one is legitimate and number two is illegitimate. Who cares if Jon Rothstein texts Fred Hoiberg good luck every day while Fred Hoiberg never responds? Or rather, who is upset by that? Because I think it’s beautiful.
The third, though:
Sometimes, when you have a pet, you have to accept that the pet is an animal and not a human, and that you have brought an animal into your home and occasionally must reap the consequences of that, like when they take your small business’s shipping materials and throw them all over the room, then sprint across the house carrying your remote control while growling.
Jon Rothstein is the same way. He is not human. He can’t be. He’s beyond the bounds of what should be considered this species.
And he must be considered in this context.
Anyway, Rothstein put out something called a Rothstein 45 today (not vinyl, sadly). I’m not linking to it, because he wouldn’t, but he has VCU 45th, and since 45 is sometimes on the NIT side of the cut line, I’m gonna say it:
Jon Rothstein thinks VCU is the NIT favorite.
And since I haven’t heard a lot of other college basketball journos give their favorites (and I don’t really like a few of them, all due to NIT disrespect), I’m blogging about it here. Jon Rothstein thinks VCU will win the 2022 NIT.
We’ll see, Jon.
(No credit to you if you’re right, though.)
