First, I’d like to congratulate my long time friend LC Comine on being one of the 2020 nominees for the Ultimate Hoops Hall of Fame.

There are many deserving players and contributors who will be waiting years before ever getting their nomination, so to get on the list so early in the HOF’s history is already a great honor. 

The voters will likely recognize LC as the guy on the bench for the Vegas teams each year at the National Tourneys, then they will look at the stats to try to get a picture of what it is he does for these teams. I could talk about how he’s been a 50% 3-point shooter for our time as teammates, but that doesn’t really matter. I’ll tell you first hand that there’s only two stats on that page that will give you any indication of what he brings. 

Championships, currently the all time UH leader with 21. Even if he were only nominated as a GM, this alone would be a reason to see him as one of the best at that across the nation. Open, Vet, Rec, Draft, National Tournaments, you name it and LC has put together contenders and champions in each of them consistently.

I first began playing with LC many years ago when I decided to leave a dominant Mob team. Since that first season, I’ve told him he always has a spot on my team if he wants it. We partnered in building Mob teams, Villains teams, National Tourney teams, and I even got him on 3 straight draft teams (2 titles with a chance at a 3rd this season) over the years, turning each into consistent winners.

The reason I am so confident in having LC be the guy I partner with to build teams has little to do with the on court part of the game. He is willing and capable of being an organizer and leader, on top of being a planner and culture setter. He’s the one I count on to keep in constant communication with everyone. He’s keeping an eye on minutes and who should be in. He’s checking in with guys who are sitting more than others, making sure we are all on the same page. Making sure we address any potential chemistry issues long before they effect the team.

He’s the first one to be willing to sit out entire games if that’s what he thinks is best for winning, so it makes it easier for everyone else to buy in as well. He is also the one who does most of the behind the scenes roster work. We talk often about potential fits and moves, but he is the one doing the heavy lifting in making it all actually happen.

In a league where team hopping is the norm, we consider personality above talent most times. That’s how over years we have had teams with little to no drama, where guys are always willing to come back to run again. Together we have built a team culture of personal sacrifice and team first play. He is a huge part of making that happen.

I’d like to think I am a big part as well, but then again LC has proven to be a winner in each and every league regardless of who the “MVP candidates” on the team are. His runs in Vet and Rec since their start in Vegas have once again led to contender after contender, many of those with completely different core groups of players. He’s all about winning and the court, and that shows time and time again.

21 banners and counting. 

The next stat, and last one that matters, is wins. As of writing this, 504 out of 689 games. Good for 2nd All-Time in total wins, and a winning percentage of 73%.

That’s over 160 more wins than the next closest people in UH Vegas.

What makes that more impressive is he didn’t start out winning right out of the gate. LC started how many new players start, taking his lumps (and L’s) on the free agent teams. Slowly he built up his status and was able to piece together winning teams.

I’ve played consistently for almost a decade straight in UH leagues, hardly ever missing games, being a threat to win a banner each season. That’s led to a whole lot of winning, and even a UH HOF induction, yet LC has 70 more wins than I even have games played.

Mind blowing. LC’s a winner, case closed. 

Another thing we as voters are to consider is longevity and consistency in the UH leagues. No one in Vegas comes close. He’s been here from the beginning, playing in each and every type of league there has been.

Even with moving away for work and missing some seasons, he is still by a large margin the leader in games played in Vegas (60 more than second place and almost 200 above 3rd place). Even nationally where league have been running for years longer in some cases, he is up to 5th all time.

LC has consistently worked to put teams in each national tourney, even flying across the country twice for the New York tourneys. There is no one more consistent and committed to UH in Vegas, maybe nationally than LC. 

We haven’t even gotten to the real reason we are here. As a contributor is where LC really shines. He works tirelessly to keep the leagues organized and running smoothly. He’s always looking for ways to expand the leagues and options available for players.

Most regions don’t even have Open and Rec divisions alone. Here he is running two open divisions, a draft league, two rec divisions with a combined playoff, two vet divisions with a combined playoff, and a vet b division. The organizing, the write ups, the media, the interviews, the work behind the scenes, the listening to complaints from never happy players... that’s him.

LC signed up for it, and still wants to do more.

UH Vegas is a great market, we love basketball here. The leagues have lots of competition though, many players are playing in other leagues around town. There have been multiple times where one league or another in UH Vegas was on the brink of folding under past leadership. They are all thriving and more interesting now with LC at the helm. It starts with being organized, making sure teams have enough players and games are as scheduled. Then it’s getting stats/media up in a timely manner. Engaging media rather than just a box score and standings recap is a must, and LC is one of the best.

That’s not what really makes a difference though. As consumer, I can tell you that there’s one thing that matters above all else in making a league something I want to spend my money on. That’s a person in charge who truly cares about the players and their experience. We were lucky to have that with UH HOF’er Joe Neuenfeldt, and we are lucky to have that again in LC. 

Each and every region has their fair share of great players, guys who have played a long time, guys who will be on the top of leader boards. They even have guys behind the scenes that have brought it all together and made the leagues work. Those guys will all get their induction at some point. Only a few regions though are lucky enough to have found that rare person who loves UH and is invested in doing whatever they can to make it better.

LC is that person for Vegas in many of the same ways Joe was. We as a region are better for having him, and UH as a whole is.

He is exactly what a HOF’er is to me, and will have my vote. 

What others say about LC Comine.