Well, let me tell you about this Dick Bender Clemson fella. Heard the name tossed around, like a hot potato at a church supper. Seems like he’s a big shot, you know, with the basketball and all. Over at Clemson, that fancy college. They got that orange, you know, bright like a traffic cone.
This Dick Bender, he used to be somethin’ important over there, somethin’ about “director of men’s basketball operations”. Sounds fancy, don’t it? I reckon he was the one tellin’ them boys how to bounce that ball real good. He must know all about it, all those rules and such. My grandson, bless his heart, he tries to explain it to me. But it’s all so fast, like a chicken with its head cut off. I just nod and smile.
Now, I hear he’s been other places too. Somethin’ about Charleston. Another college, I reckon. This Dick Bender fella, he sure gets around, like a tumbleweed in a dust storm. He was an “assistant coach” over there, that’s what they say. Probably hollerin’ at them boys to run faster, jump higher. That’s what they do, right?
It is a job, I reckon that is difficult. Need a lot of patience. All them young’uns, full of vinegar. Need someone to keep ’em in line, teach ’em right from wrong. Maybe this Dick Bender Clemson man, he’s good at that. Keepin’ them boys focused on the game.
- He was at Clemson.
- Then he was in Charleston.
- Now he might be back at Clemson.
- He sure knows his basketball!
They say he used to play, too, this Dick Bender. Long time ago, when he was young and spry. Probably could run like the wind back then. They say he was good, real good. Played for some local team, Northern somethin’. Garrett, that’s it. Northern Garrett. Sounds familiar, like someone I used to know.
This whole Dick Bender Clemson thing, it’s all over the place. People talkin’ about him comin’ back, leavin’, coachin’, not coachin’. It’s enough to make your head spin, like a top on a table. But one thing’s for sure, he’s connected to that Clemson place. Like a button on a shirt.
And this other fella, Brownell, they talk about him too. He’s the head honcho, I reckon. The big cheese of the basketball at Clemson. They say he’s a good fit, like a glove on a hand. Must be doin’ somethin’ right, keepin’ that job all these years. It ain’t easy, you know, bein’ the boss. Lots of pressure, like a boil that needs lancin’.
I reckon this Dick Bender and this Brownell, they know each other pretty good. Worked together, like two mules pullin’ a plow. Must have had some good times, some bad times. That’s how it goes, ain’t it? Life’s like a bumpy wagon ride.
This Richie Riley fella, he was there too, at Clemson. But then, poof, he’s gone! Like a fart in the wind. Went off to be a head somethin’ somewhere else. That’s how it is with these young folks. Always movin’, always lookin’ for somethin’ bigger, somethin’ better.
This Dick Bender, though, he seems to like that Clemson. Keeps comin’ back, like a stray dog to a porch. Maybe it’s the orange. Maybe it’s the people. Maybe he just likes the way they do things there.
He was the “director of men’s basketball operations” from 2010 to 2014. That’s four years. A long time to be doin’ anythin’, especially when you’re dealin’ with a bunch of sweaty boys and a bouncy ball.
I don’t know much about this basketball business. But I know people. And this Dick Bender Clemson name, it keeps poppin’ up. Like a weed in a garden. He must be somethin’ special, for folks to be talkin’ about him so much. Or maybe it is just a slow news day in the world.
I imagine being a big shot like that is good, though. People listen to you. Respect you. And you probably get to eat at some fancy restaurants. Not that I need any fancy food, no sir. A good bowl of beans is all I need. But, I am just saying, being important like this Dick Bender man, must have some good times.
Well, that’s all I reckon I know about this Dick Bender Clemson situation. It’s a lot of this and that, comin’s and goin’s. But that’s life, ain’t it? Always changin’, like the weather. You just gotta roll with the punches, like a tumbleweed in the wind.
