Where Are They Now?

Friday Where Are They Now?
Late 80s Edition

So much of the fun of being a fan is remembering the players from when you were first a fan. It’s great to root for Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Wally Szcz..., well it’s great to root for Durant and Green, anyway, but isn’t at least as much fun to recall people like Michael Cage and Sedale Threatt?

Well, maybe it’s just me, but I miss those guys. Here’s a quick update on some greats from Seattle’s hoops history.


SEDALE THREATT – Threatt was part of a quartet of great Sonic point guards – Avery Johnson, Nate McMillan, and John Lucas were the other three (and they got Gary Payton within a year or two!), all on the roster at the same time. Best known for his tremendous speed and defense, Threatt wound up being dealt to the Lakers for three 2nd-round picks, then spent half a decade in LA before finishing his career in Houston. Anyway, the former Sonic is now living Down Under, working with And1 Elite Camps as well as coaching. You can find more here.

MICHAEL CAGE – You can’t be a Sonic fan and not love Soul Glo, right? Cage, in addition to his duties working for FOX covering Memphis Grizzlies games, referees girls’ soccer games in San Diego, where he attended college. It’s refreshing to see that Cage, even though he’s now a part-time ref, has little or no sympathy with the NBA or its refs (and this article was written before the Tim Donaghy scandal broke).

DANA BARROS – While Barros is best remembered in Seattle for draining 3’s, I loved the way he battled Tim Hardaway in the playoffs more than a decade a go. But Barros’ recent life hasn’t been as smooth as his jump shot would lead you to believe. Folks in Massachusetts know this story better than us Westerners, but Barros has been embroiled in legal trouble over the Dana Barros Sports Complex, which failed and has placed him on the nasty side of some massive lawsuits. After the failure of his complex, Barros accepted a position as an assistant at Northeastern University for old friend Bill Coen in May 2006. Within a couple of months, he quit the Northeastern gig, opting to take a job as the Director of Recreation of City of Boston. After less than a year, Barros resigned from his job at the city, citing “personal reasons.” A great quote from the city, after Barros had been missing from his job for a couple of weeks: “We were wondering what happened to him.” Note to prospective employers of Dana Barros: Caveat emptor.

CLEMON JOHNSON – Finally, a little more enjoyable tale. Best known to Sonic fans for his odd platoon with Alton Lister (Clem would start the games, but Lister got the bulk of the minutes), Johnson is the head coach at the University of Alaska. Belying the stereotype surrounding most pro athletes, Johnson holds a Bachelor’s of Economics and a Masters in Sports Administration. Better yet, he hasn’t quit the position for something better, and with some recent recruits as evidence, seems to be helping in bringing the program to a new level.