Thursday, April 15, 2010
College Basketball 2010-11
As a hoops junkie, it's never too early to start thinking about the next basketball season, and so, a week or so after the 09-10 season ended, I'll start putting up some previews of next year's landscape, and hopefully one a day for the next seven months or so as a way of whiling away the time, starting with the ACC.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Champions League Quarters - 2nd Legs
In both of Manchester United's matches against Bayern Munich in this quarterfinal round, they got out to fast starts, getting a Wayne Rooney goal in the second minute in the first leg, then on Wednesday getting a third-minute goal from Gibson and seventh-minute goal by Nani to give Man U the 3-2 aggregate lead. Still later in the first half, a second Nani goal gave Man U the first three goals in the match and a two goal aggregate lead.
Of the three goals, the first goal by Nani was the most spectacular. It began with a beautiful diagonal pass from just inside midfield by Wayne Rooney (who was playing with an ankle injury suffered in the first leg) to Valencia, who after settling into a one-on-one matchup with his defender, played a beautiful accurate cross into the box to Nani who had freed himself. Nani let the ball pass through his legs then redirected the ball with his back leg for the goal.
The first goal for Manchester came when the Bayern keeper Butt made a poor attempt on a strike by Gibson from just outside the box, then the third goal came on a familiar combination when Nani made a great move to get free following a throw-in and again found Nani on a cross that was promptly slammed in for his second goal.
However, with Man U now having a goal to spare, they let their guard down, and just two minutes later took advantage of some sloppy, lazy defense and snuck a ball past the keeper Van Der Sar on a bit of a broken play, giving Bayern some confidence heading into the half and leaving them just a goal back of tying the aggregate score and allowing them to advance based on away goals.
What's more, Man U's Rooney took a shot to the ankle in the 21st minute and played the rest of the half with a noticeable lack of mobility. Rooney would play through the 55th minute, before getting pulled for a sub.
More bad news came for the United side when midfielder Rafael got redcarded after a tackle about seven minutes into the second half, leaving them down a man with just a goal to spare.
However, that goal advantage disappeared in the 71st minute when Bayern's Franck Ribary lifted a beautiful corner kick into the box that found Robben just waiting for it. He timed the ball perfectly and drilled the ball into the far low corner of the net, tying up the aggregate score, which was all Bayern needed to advance. The final 20 minutes or so Bayern controlled, (not without a few solid runs by Man U), and they advance to face the winner of Bordeaux and Lyon, a game that I hope to watch tomorrow at some point.
Elsewhere in the quarterfinals, Barcelona finished off Arsenal behind an amazing four-goal performance by Messi, regarded as one of the handful of best players in the world. He showed why on Tuesday, proving himself a dangerous weapon, an aggressive player with a quick shot that he can get off without a lot of space. While Arsenal scored first on a goal by Bendtner on a breakaway that was perhaps poorly played by Theo Walcott (nevertheless, a huge spark for Arsenal throughout this round), Messi began his onslaught in the 21st minute when he grabbed a loose ball that occurred after his pass was broken up and slammed it home. In the 37th minute, he scored a similar goal of a loose ball (on a play that was begun by Messi near midfield on a pass to a cutting Avidal), and just before the break he made it a first-half hat-trick with a little chip over a charging keeper that began when he had broken up a Arsenal pass at midfield. Messi even had a chance for a fourth goal in the first half, but actually misplayed a ball on a breakway, hitting a dribble a little fat and allowing the keeper the chance to cover it up. Messi added a fourth goal late in the game on a play that highlighted his persistence, even with the game firmly in hand.
With the win, Barcelona will advance to the semis to face Inter Milan, who traveled to Moscow and finished off CSKA, highlighted by a free kick by Sneijder early in the game that went right under a CSKA wall and past a blinded keeper.
Some other random thoughts: Champions League semifinal without an EPL participant. I'm not entirely sure, but I think this is a fairly rare occurence.
When Rooney left the pitch on Wednesday, the broadcast showed a sign that said: "Wayne Rooney: the white Pele". Now, I clearly haven't watched a ton of Rooney, and while I think he is a tough player and certainly skilled, I think that sign is frankly ridiculous.
Players I found myself drawn to in these three games: Bayern's Ribary continues to be a favorite, Man U's young guns like Valencia and Nani, and I like Van Der Sar as a keeper, and, of course, Messi, who was amazing in the second leg.
Of the three goals, the first goal by Nani was the most spectacular. It began with a beautiful diagonal pass from just inside midfield by Wayne Rooney (who was playing with an ankle injury suffered in the first leg) to Valencia, who after settling into a one-on-one matchup with his defender, played a beautiful accurate cross into the box to Nani who had freed himself. Nani let the ball pass through his legs then redirected the ball with his back leg for the goal.
The first goal for Manchester came when the Bayern keeper Butt made a poor attempt on a strike by Gibson from just outside the box, then the third goal came on a familiar combination when Nani made a great move to get free following a throw-in and again found Nani on a cross that was promptly slammed in for his second goal.
However, with Man U now having a goal to spare, they let their guard down, and just two minutes later took advantage of some sloppy, lazy defense and snuck a ball past the keeper Van Der Sar on a bit of a broken play, giving Bayern some confidence heading into the half and leaving them just a goal back of tying the aggregate score and allowing them to advance based on away goals.
What's more, Man U's Rooney took a shot to the ankle in the 21st minute and played the rest of the half with a noticeable lack of mobility. Rooney would play through the 55th minute, before getting pulled for a sub.
More bad news came for the United side when midfielder Rafael got redcarded after a tackle about seven minutes into the second half, leaving them down a man with just a goal to spare.
However, that goal advantage disappeared in the 71st minute when Bayern's Franck Ribary lifted a beautiful corner kick into the box that found Robben just waiting for it. He timed the ball perfectly and drilled the ball into the far low corner of the net, tying up the aggregate score, which was all Bayern needed to advance. The final 20 minutes or so Bayern controlled, (not without a few solid runs by Man U), and they advance to face the winner of Bordeaux and Lyon, a game that I hope to watch tomorrow at some point.
Elsewhere in the quarterfinals, Barcelona finished off Arsenal behind an amazing four-goal performance by Messi, regarded as one of the handful of best players in the world. He showed why on Tuesday, proving himself a dangerous weapon, an aggressive player with a quick shot that he can get off without a lot of space. While Arsenal scored first on a goal by Bendtner on a breakaway that was perhaps poorly played by Theo Walcott (nevertheless, a huge spark for Arsenal throughout this round), Messi began his onslaught in the 21st minute when he grabbed a loose ball that occurred after his pass was broken up and slammed it home. In the 37th minute, he scored a similar goal of a loose ball (on a play that was begun by Messi near midfield on a pass to a cutting Avidal), and just before the break he made it a first-half hat-trick with a little chip over a charging keeper that began when he had broken up a Arsenal pass at midfield. Messi even had a chance for a fourth goal in the first half, but actually misplayed a ball on a breakway, hitting a dribble a little fat and allowing the keeper the chance to cover it up. Messi added a fourth goal late in the game on a play that highlighted his persistence, even with the game firmly in hand.
With the win, Barcelona will advance to the semis to face Inter Milan, who traveled to Moscow and finished off CSKA, highlighted by a free kick by Sneijder early in the game that went right under a CSKA wall and past a blinded keeper.
Some other random thoughts: Champions League semifinal without an EPL participant. I'm not entirely sure, but I think this is a fairly rare occurence.
When Rooney left the pitch on Wednesday, the broadcast showed a sign that said: "Wayne Rooney: the white Pele". Now, I clearly haven't watched a ton of Rooney, and while I think he is a tough player and certainly skilled, I think that sign is frankly ridiculous.
Players I found myself drawn to in these three games: Bayern's Ribary continues to be a favorite, Man U's young guns like Valencia and Nani, and I like Van Der Sar as a keeper, and, of course, Messi, who was amazing in the second leg.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
All-Murawa Team, College Basketball 2009-2010 Edition
With the an excellent college basketball season and one of the most exciting Tournaments in history squarely in our rearview mirror now, it’s time to take a look back at the season, hand out some awards and recognize some of the players that made this season a memorable one.
To start with, we’ll dive right in with our best players in the nation. While other organizations hand out their All-American awards based on the strength of a player during the regular season, we’ll take the entire season, including post-season play into account.
All-Murawa Player of the Year
Evan Turner, Jr, Ohio State
Evan Turner takes down Player of the Year despite missing a stretch of games in December following his scary fall after a dunk that fractured his back. However, after being clearly the best player in the nation prior to the injury, Turner was able to return to form ahead of schedule and lead his Buckeyes to a Big Ten championship.
All-Murawa Coach of the Year
Brad Stevens, Butler
Stevens clearly won his award on the basis of his team’s post-season run (and his brilliant job during that run), squeaking past guys like Mike Krzyzewski and Jim Boeheim to earn my award.
All-Murawa Team, First Team
G Da’Sean Butler, Sr, West Virginia
G Jon Scheyer, Sr, Duke
G Evan Turner, Jr, Ohio State
F Wesley Johnson, So, Syracuse
C DeMarcus Cousins, Fr, Kentucky
Second Team
G James Anderson, Jr, Oklahoma State
G Greivis Vasquez, Sr, Maryland
G John Wall, Fr, Kentucky
F Quincy Pondexter, Sr, Washington
F Ekpe Udoh, Jr, Baylor
Third Team
G Jordan Crawford, So, Xavier
G Jacob Pullen, Jr, Kansas State
G Scottie Reynolds, Sr, Villanova
F Gordon Hayward, So, Butler
F Darington Hobson, Jr, New Mexico
For some reason Wall was being mentioned in the same breath as Turner in regards to player of the year consideration. In my estimation, Wall wasn’t even the best player on his team, and was at best the fourth best guard in the nation; I could find no way to put Wall ahead of any of the guards that made my first team.
Scheyer was perhaps the most efficient point guard in the country, running a potent Duke offensive to near-perfection, handing out assists while taking care of the ball and maintaining his ability to knock down threes with the slimmest bit of space, and even adding some slippery moves in the teeth of the defense.
Butler, meanwhile was perhaps the nation’s most clutch player, time and again knocking down game winners despite entire buildings understanding that he would have the ball in his hand. His career ended in heartbreak, as he lay on the floor in Lucas Oil Stadium with a serious knee injury and a looming semifinal loss, but Butler was not only a great player for the Mountaineers, he was a great leader, a great student and a great citizen.
Johnson was on target for this type of honor since his play in the Coaches vs. Cancer tournament in Madison Square Garden in mid-November. His play dropped off slightly down the stretch of the regular season due in part to a wrist injury, but he picked things back up in March to finish a great season in Syracuse.
While it was Wall that got much of the press for Kentucky, it was Cousins who was their most unstoppable force. The best per-40-minute rebounder in the country, an active quick offensive post-player and a solid defensive force, Cousins was clearly the best big man in the country in his one season at this level.
Other people whose post-season play changed their positions on (or even off) of this team:
Reynolds – clearly swooned down the stretch, a tough end to an otherwise stellar career in Philly.
Hayward – went from an honorable mention type guy to one who was seriously considered for a second-team spot.
Pullen – along with teammate Denis Clemente, Pullen was somewhere in this neighborhood all season long, but his play in the tournament definitely solidified his place on this team. If this were Bracketology, Clemente would likely be the first name listed under the “First Four Out” header.
All-Defensive Team, First Team
G Jermaine Dixon, Sr, Pitt
G Venoy Overton, Jr, Washington
F Ekpe Udoh, Jr, Baylor
C Jarvis Varnado, Sr, Mississippi State
C Hassan Whiteside, Fr, Marshall
Second Team
G Ronald Nored, So, Butler
G J.P. Prince, Sr, Tennessee
F Devin Ebanks, So, West Virginia
F Kawhi Leonard, Fr, San Diego State
C Cole Aldrich, Jr, Kansas
The highlight of this team may be the trio of shotblocking big men on the first team, impressive enough to relegate an All-American type center like Aldrich to the second team. If Whiteside were to remain in school for four years (increasingly unlikely, as he may not even see a sophomore season), he would put up Varnado-like numbers in the blocks column.
Dixon, Overton, Nored and Prince proved to be versatile man defenders that could lock up with just about anybody in the country, and Leonard is a rising star who does a ton of things well, but it is his ability to defend inside and out, bigger guys and smaller guys, that earns the freshman his spot on this list.
Ebanks did not play his best basketball on either end of the court in the Mountaineers season-ending loss to Kentucky, but he was a tough presence both in the WVU defense with the ability to take on players from point guards to power forwards, and even man the point when Bob Huggins switched to zone.
All-Freshman Team, First Team
G Eric Bledsoe, Kentucky
G John Wall, Kentucky
F Xavier Henry, Kansas
F Kawhi Leonard, San Diego State
C DeMarcus Cousins, Kentucky
Second Team
G Avery Bradley, Texas
G Derek Needhman, Fairfield
F Derrick Williams, Arizona
F Elias Harris, Gonzaga
C Derrick Favors, Georgia Tech
Clearly John Calipari does the recruiting thing very well. Three Wildcats man our first team, with Cousins and Wall also earning spots on our national teams. Bledsoe was excellent as well, despite the natural point guard playing somewhat out of place next to Wall in the backcourt.
Henry and Leonard perhaps represent opposite ends of the forward spectrum, with Henry a smooth offensive wing while Leonard was a tough, grind-it-out rebounder and defender.
Prior to the season, Favors was right there with Wall and Cousins as the best recruits in the nation, and while Favors did average 12 points, eight rebounds and two blocks per game, he never really lived up to expectations in his first (and perhaps only?) year in Atlanta.
All-Glue Team, First Team
G Chris Kramer, Sr, Purdue
G D.J. Gay, Jr, San Diego State
G Joe Mazulla, Jr, West Virginia
F Willie Veasley, Sr, Butler
F Draymond Green, So, Michigan State
Second Team
G Eric Hayes, Sr, Maryland
G Ronald Nored, So, Butler
G Keiton Page, So, Oklahoma State
F Dominique Sutton, Jr Kansas State
F Cam Thoroughman, Jr, West Virginia
This group of guys may not always put up impressive numbers, but they are each indispensible to their team’s success.
Kramer was the tough, strong man defender, capable of grabbing rebounds, running the offense for a possession or two, and even taking over during crunch time like he did against Texas A&M in the tournament.
The diminutive Gay had less than impressive numbers throughout the season for the Aztecs, but anytime a big play was called for, he was there ready to step up.
Mazulla played much of the season one-armed, unable to effectively use his right arm due to a shoulder injury, he even shot free throws left-handed, but still gutted it out on both ends of the floor for his Mounties.
Veasley is just a six-foot-three do-everything guy for the Bulldogs. At various times this season, he guarded guys like Clemson’s power forward Trevor Booker, Kansas State guard Jacob Pullen, even Minnesota’s seven-footer Ralph Sampson III.
And Green, Michigan State’s sixth-man did a bit of everything for Izzo, running some point-forward in the absence of injured point-guard Kalin Lucas, grabbing rebounds, defending in the post, and even becoming their go-to offensive player when the season was on the line.
Onions Squad – Big shots by the bushel, often causing the other team to cry
Da’Sean Butler, Sr, West Virginia
Ali Farokmanesh, Sr, Northern Iowa
Jacob Pullen, Jr, Kansas State
Jordan Crawford, So, Xavier
Austin Freeman, Jr, Georgetown
Chandler Parsons, Jr, Florida
Devan Downey, Sr, South Carolina
Andy Rautins, Sr, Syracuse
Evan Turner, Jr, Ohio State
Quincy Pondexter, Sr , Washington
The only thing that needs to be said about these guys is that if your team is playing against one of them, and you’re up a couple points late, don’t get comfortable. Some guys hit big winners every now and then; these guys make a career out of it.
All-Non-BCS Team, First Team
G Kevin Anderson, Jr Richmond
G Jordan Crawford, So, Xavier
G Jimmer Fredette, Jr, BYU
F Gordon Hayward, So, Butler
F Darington Hobson, Jr, New Mexico
Second Team
G Aubrey Coleman, Sr, Houston
G Randy Culpepper, Jr, UTEP
F Elias Harris, Fr, Gonzaga
F Adam Koch, Sr, Northern Iowa
C Omar Samhan, Sr, St. Mary’s
Third Team
G Shelvin Mack, So Butler
G Jared Quayle, Sr, Utah State
G Randy Wittman, Sr, Cornell
F Edwin Ubiles, Sr, Siena
C Derrick Caracter, Jr, UTEP
Since some of these players’ programs don’t particularly like the “Mid-Major” label, we’ll just call these the non-BCS awards. Why make a special category just for these guys? Well, really, these schools and these players are to me what makes college basketball so special. Sure, guys like John Wall and Evan Turner and Wesley Johnson are fun to watch, but to me, it is even more fun to watch a guy like Adam Koch or Kevin Anderson or Darington Hobson, guys who were passed over for one reason or another by the “big boys”, lead their teams on a charge against the Goliaths of the world. And in a year like this one, when one of their own made it all the way to the last second of the last game with that slingshot still firing at the giants, we definitely need to recognize these types of guys from some of the smaller schools that make college basketball what it is.
Most Improved
G Ashton Gibbs, So, Pitt
G Scoop Jardine, So, Syracuse
F Ekpe Udoh, Jr, Baylor
C Derrick Caracter, Jr, UTEP
C Greg Zoubek, Sr, Duke
Zoubek’s the man here. For three years he was little more than the big pudgy guy that Coach K would bring off the bench to pick up a few fouls when his regulars needed a break for a few minutes. This year, he turned into a major factor for the National Champion, a guy without whom Duke would likely have been left for dead far short of Indianapolis. He turned into a monster rebounder, especially on the offensive end, and excellent passer out of the post (again, especially off of those offensive rebounds) and a solid interior defender. Zoubek’s senior season was a good summary of everything that is good about college basketball.
Jardine bounced back from last year’s redshirt season due to an injury to become one of the Orange’s “seven starters” system as Syracuse took home the regular season Big East title.
Pitt needed some young guys to step up to replace the production of ex-Panthers like LeVance Fields and without missing a beat Gibbs did just that, jumping from averaging just four points in ten minutes a game last season to almost 16 ppg in over 34 minutes.
Udoh took advantage of his year off after transferring from Michigan and took his game to a whole new level in Waco, keeping all of the devastating shotblocking and defensive ability he had displayed previously and adding a seriously skilled and fluid offensive game.
And Caracter reappeared on the basketball landscape after seemingly burning all of his bridges in his first tour of duty under Rick Pitino in Louisville. Caracter brought all of the talent that he had shown since his high schools days to El Paso, and left the attitude behind, giving head coach Tony Barbee plenty of production and minimal headaches.
Senior Class Awards – seniors who did not make any of the above teams, who we nevertheless want to give some props to for great careers, just to be able to write their names again one last time.
Kwadzo Ahelegbe, G, Northern Iowa
Bilal Benn, F, Niagara
Eric Boateng, C, Arizona State
Trevor Booker, F, Clemson
Matt Bouldin, G, Gonzaga
Jamal Boykin, F, California
Ryan Brooks, G, Temple
Tweeny Carter, G, Baylor
Wayne Chism, F, Tennessee
Patrick Christopher, G, California
Sherron Collins, G, Kansas
Bryan Davis, F, Texas A&M
Kelvin Davis, G, San Diego State
Jerome Dyson, G, Connecticut
Landry Fields, F, Stanford
Derek Glasser, G, Arizona State
Luke Harangody, F, Notre Dame
Lazar Hayward, F, Marquette
Trevon Hughes, G, Wisconsin
Matt Janning, F, Northeastern
Anthony Johnson, G, Montana
Jerome Jordan, C, Tulsa
Gerald Lee, F, Old Dominion
Tyrone Lewis, G Niagara
Jason Love, C, Xavier
Roman Martinez, F, New Mexico
Tasmin Mitchell, F, LSU
Jerome Randle, G, California
Theo Robertson, F, California
Stanley Robinson, F, Connecticut
Derrick Roland, G, Texas A&M
Donald Sloan, G, Texas A&M
Ishmael Smith, G, Wake Forest
JT Tiller, G, Missouri
Nic Wise, G, Arizona
The NBA Can Wait Team
Even before seeing Da’Sean Butler lying on the floor at the Final Four with a busted knee, I wouldn’t really begrudge a guy if he chose to leave school early to pursue a job playing basketball elsewhere. That being said, it does make me sad to see some of these guys go, knowing that with the little I watch the NBA, I will likely never see them play again once their gone. And so, I’ve got a team of players who I’d like to see stick around for another year (or two… or three), either because they could really use some more time before they go to the next level, or because I just really want to see them some more.
Solomon Alabi, So, C, Florida State
Alabi could leave now and perhaps even get picked in the lottery. Being 7-foot-1 will do that for you, but he could really use some more time to work on his offensive game, otherwise he’ll go sit on an NBA bench for a few years, never improve and turn into Kelvin Cato or something.
Eric Bledsoe, Fr, G, Kentucky
John Wall is gone, that is a given. But I’d sure like to see Bledsoe play a year at the point before heading to the NBA, and it likely would help his draft stock as well. Consider this one a tie between what is good for the player and what is good for the basketball fan. But, he’s probably gone anyway.
Avery Bradley, Fr, G, Texas
A defender beyond his years, a great athlete, and a guy who will likely be a first round pick if he leaves this year. But come back for a year, entertain us all, and work on your offensive game and perhaps you start working your way up near the lottery.
Devin Ebanks, So, F, West Virginia
Long, super-athletic, stellar defender, offensively skilled. You just need a little more polish offensively before you’re ready to go.
Derrick Favors, Fr, C, Georgia Tech
With all the hype that preceded Favors into the ACC, I just want to see this guy put together one all-conference type season before he heads off into the sunset. Probably a pipe-dream, however, as he is a near-lock to be a high-lottery guy.
Jimmer Fredette, Jr, G, BYU
Okay, Fredette’s on this list for purely selfish reasons. We all got cheated out of watching him in the New Mexico/BYU game for the MWC regular season championship due to illness, and I want to see one fully healthy season out of this guy to see what kind of amazing things he can do.
Elias Harris, Fr, F, Gonzaga
Another purely selfish one here. I want to see what this guy can do once he learns the game a bit. He could be the best thing ever to go through Spokane, and as of today, it looks like Harris will be around for at least another year.
Manny Harris, Jr, G, Michigan
A terribly disappointing season in Ann Arbor, and given that Harris’ draft stock ain’t exactly sky high, it wouldn’t hurt anybody to have him return to school, improve his game and maybe get his Wolverines back into the tournament. But, he and his agent that he is hiring obviously have different ideas.
Darington Hobson, Jr, F, New Mexico
Tough one. His draft stock may be as high as it ever gets, but imagine is this guy developed a consistent outside shot.
Patrick Patterson, Jr, F, Kentucky
Much like Bledsoe, I just want to see what Patterson can do out of the shadow of Wall/Cousins. However, it seems doubtful that we’ll get that chance.
Greg Monroe, So, C, Georgetown
Purely selfish again. Monroe can leave and immediately be a lottery pick, and likely a high-lottery pick. That said, I’d sure love to see him play just a little bit more, and he is so far teasing us with that possibility. If he returns for his junior year, the Hoyas have to be considered a Final Four favorite.
Evan Turner, Jr, G, Ohio State
Turner is as gone as the rotary telephone. Doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like to see him lead a Buckeye charge to the Final Four as a senior. But I’m sure that back injury will have something to say about his decision.
Willie Warren, So, G
Things weren’t pretty in Norman this season; things have gotten far uglier since the season ended, with reports of players being paid and with anyone with any talent heading for the hills. But Warren was terrible this season (although he likely would have been a first-round pick if he left after last season). The NBA would like to see that he has some little bit of maturity to go along with his loads of talent, and I would like to see him live up to his expectations at the college level. Go ahead. Stick around.
To start with, we’ll dive right in with our best players in the nation. While other organizations hand out their All-American awards based on the strength of a player during the regular season, we’ll take the entire season, including post-season play into account.
All-Murawa Player of the Year
Evan Turner, Jr, Ohio State
Evan Turner takes down Player of the Year despite missing a stretch of games in December following his scary fall after a dunk that fractured his back. However, after being clearly the best player in the nation prior to the injury, Turner was able to return to form ahead of schedule and lead his Buckeyes to a Big Ten championship.
All-Murawa Coach of the Year
Brad Stevens, Butler
Stevens clearly won his award on the basis of his team’s post-season run (and his brilliant job during that run), squeaking past guys like Mike Krzyzewski and Jim Boeheim to earn my award.
All-Murawa Team, First Team
G Da’Sean Butler, Sr, West Virginia
G Jon Scheyer, Sr, Duke
G Evan Turner, Jr, Ohio State
F Wesley Johnson, So, Syracuse
C DeMarcus Cousins, Fr, Kentucky
Second Team
G James Anderson, Jr, Oklahoma State
G Greivis Vasquez, Sr, Maryland
G John Wall, Fr, Kentucky
F Quincy Pondexter, Sr, Washington
F Ekpe Udoh, Jr, Baylor
Third Team
G Jordan Crawford, So, Xavier
G Jacob Pullen, Jr, Kansas State
G Scottie Reynolds, Sr, Villanova
F Gordon Hayward, So, Butler
F Darington Hobson, Jr, New Mexico
For some reason Wall was being mentioned in the same breath as Turner in regards to player of the year consideration. In my estimation, Wall wasn’t even the best player on his team, and was at best the fourth best guard in the nation; I could find no way to put Wall ahead of any of the guards that made my first team.
Scheyer was perhaps the most efficient point guard in the country, running a potent Duke offensive to near-perfection, handing out assists while taking care of the ball and maintaining his ability to knock down threes with the slimmest bit of space, and even adding some slippery moves in the teeth of the defense.
Butler, meanwhile was perhaps the nation’s most clutch player, time and again knocking down game winners despite entire buildings understanding that he would have the ball in his hand. His career ended in heartbreak, as he lay on the floor in Lucas Oil Stadium with a serious knee injury and a looming semifinal loss, but Butler was not only a great player for the Mountaineers, he was a great leader, a great student and a great citizen.
Johnson was on target for this type of honor since his play in the Coaches vs. Cancer tournament in Madison Square Garden in mid-November. His play dropped off slightly down the stretch of the regular season due in part to a wrist injury, but he picked things back up in March to finish a great season in Syracuse.
While it was Wall that got much of the press for Kentucky, it was Cousins who was their most unstoppable force. The best per-40-minute rebounder in the country, an active quick offensive post-player and a solid defensive force, Cousins was clearly the best big man in the country in his one season at this level.
Other people whose post-season play changed their positions on (or even off) of this team:
Reynolds – clearly swooned down the stretch, a tough end to an otherwise stellar career in Philly.
Hayward – went from an honorable mention type guy to one who was seriously considered for a second-team spot.
Pullen – along with teammate Denis Clemente, Pullen was somewhere in this neighborhood all season long, but his play in the tournament definitely solidified his place on this team. If this were Bracketology, Clemente would likely be the first name listed under the “First Four Out” header.
All-Defensive Team, First Team
G Jermaine Dixon, Sr, Pitt
G Venoy Overton, Jr, Washington
F Ekpe Udoh, Jr, Baylor
C Jarvis Varnado, Sr, Mississippi State
C Hassan Whiteside, Fr, Marshall
Second Team
G Ronald Nored, So, Butler
G J.P. Prince, Sr, Tennessee
F Devin Ebanks, So, West Virginia
F Kawhi Leonard, Fr, San Diego State
C Cole Aldrich, Jr, Kansas
The highlight of this team may be the trio of shotblocking big men on the first team, impressive enough to relegate an All-American type center like Aldrich to the second team. If Whiteside were to remain in school for four years (increasingly unlikely, as he may not even see a sophomore season), he would put up Varnado-like numbers in the blocks column.
Dixon, Overton, Nored and Prince proved to be versatile man defenders that could lock up with just about anybody in the country, and Leonard is a rising star who does a ton of things well, but it is his ability to defend inside and out, bigger guys and smaller guys, that earns the freshman his spot on this list.
Ebanks did not play his best basketball on either end of the court in the Mountaineers season-ending loss to Kentucky, but he was a tough presence both in the WVU defense with the ability to take on players from point guards to power forwards, and even man the point when Bob Huggins switched to zone.
All-Freshman Team, First Team
G Eric Bledsoe, Kentucky
G John Wall, Kentucky
F Xavier Henry, Kansas
F Kawhi Leonard, San Diego State
C DeMarcus Cousins, Kentucky
Second Team
G Avery Bradley, Texas
G Derek Needhman, Fairfield
F Derrick Williams, Arizona
F Elias Harris, Gonzaga
C Derrick Favors, Georgia Tech
Clearly John Calipari does the recruiting thing very well. Three Wildcats man our first team, with Cousins and Wall also earning spots on our national teams. Bledsoe was excellent as well, despite the natural point guard playing somewhat out of place next to Wall in the backcourt.
Henry and Leonard perhaps represent opposite ends of the forward spectrum, with Henry a smooth offensive wing while Leonard was a tough, grind-it-out rebounder and defender.
Prior to the season, Favors was right there with Wall and Cousins as the best recruits in the nation, and while Favors did average 12 points, eight rebounds and two blocks per game, he never really lived up to expectations in his first (and perhaps only?) year in Atlanta.
All-Glue Team, First Team
G Chris Kramer, Sr, Purdue
G D.J. Gay, Jr, San Diego State
G Joe Mazulla, Jr, West Virginia
F Willie Veasley, Sr, Butler
F Draymond Green, So, Michigan State
Second Team
G Eric Hayes, Sr, Maryland
G Ronald Nored, So, Butler
G Keiton Page, So, Oklahoma State
F Dominique Sutton, Jr Kansas State
F Cam Thoroughman, Jr, West Virginia
This group of guys may not always put up impressive numbers, but they are each indispensible to their team’s success.
Kramer was the tough, strong man defender, capable of grabbing rebounds, running the offense for a possession or two, and even taking over during crunch time like he did against Texas A&M in the tournament.
The diminutive Gay had less than impressive numbers throughout the season for the Aztecs, but anytime a big play was called for, he was there ready to step up.
Mazulla played much of the season one-armed, unable to effectively use his right arm due to a shoulder injury, he even shot free throws left-handed, but still gutted it out on both ends of the floor for his Mounties.
Veasley is just a six-foot-three do-everything guy for the Bulldogs. At various times this season, he guarded guys like Clemson’s power forward Trevor Booker, Kansas State guard Jacob Pullen, even Minnesota’s seven-footer Ralph Sampson III.
And Green, Michigan State’s sixth-man did a bit of everything for Izzo, running some point-forward in the absence of injured point-guard Kalin Lucas, grabbing rebounds, defending in the post, and even becoming their go-to offensive player when the season was on the line.
Onions Squad – Big shots by the bushel, often causing the other team to cry
Da’Sean Butler, Sr, West Virginia
Ali Farokmanesh, Sr, Northern Iowa
Jacob Pullen, Jr, Kansas State
Jordan Crawford, So, Xavier
Austin Freeman, Jr, Georgetown
Chandler Parsons, Jr, Florida
Devan Downey, Sr, South Carolina
Andy Rautins, Sr, Syracuse
Evan Turner, Jr, Ohio State
Quincy Pondexter, Sr , Washington
The only thing that needs to be said about these guys is that if your team is playing against one of them, and you’re up a couple points late, don’t get comfortable. Some guys hit big winners every now and then; these guys make a career out of it.
All-Non-BCS Team, First Team
G Kevin Anderson, Jr Richmond
G Jordan Crawford, So, Xavier
G Jimmer Fredette, Jr, BYU
F Gordon Hayward, So, Butler
F Darington Hobson, Jr, New Mexico
Second Team
G Aubrey Coleman, Sr, Houston
G Randy Culpepper, Jr, UTEP
F Elias Harris, Fr, Gonzaga
F Adam Koch, Sr, Northern Iowa
C Omar Samhan, Sr, St. Mary’s
Third Team
G Shelvin Mack, So Butler
G Jared Quayle, Sr, Utah State
G Randy Wittman, Sr, Cornell
F Edwin Ubiles, Sr, Siena
C Derrick Caracter, Jr, UTEP
Since some of these players’ programs don’t particularly like the “Mid-Major” label, we’ll just call these the non-BCS awards. Why make a special category just for these guys? Well, really, these schools and these players are to me what makes college basketball so special. Sure, guys like John Wall and Evan Turner and Wesley Johnson are fun to watch, but to me, it is even more fun to watch a guy like Adam Koch or Kevin Anderson or Darington Hobson, guys who were passed over for one reason or another by the “big boys”, lead their teams on a charge against the Goliaths of the world. And in a year like this one, when one of their own made it all the way to the last second of the last game with that slingshot still firing at the giants, we definitely need to recognize these types of guys from some of the smaller schools that make college basketball what it is.
Most Improved
G Ashton Gibbs, So, Pitt
G Scoop Jardine, So, Syracuse
F Ekpe Udoh, Jr, Baylor
C Derrick Caracter, Jr, UTEP
C Greg Zoubek, Sr, Duke
Zoubek’s the man here. For three years he was little more than the big pudgy guy that Coach K would bring off the bench to pick up a few fouls when his regulars needed a break for a few minutes. This year, he turned into a major factor for the National Champion, a guy without whom Duke would likely have been left for dead far short of Indianapolis. He turned into a monster rebounder, especially on the offensive end, and excellent passer out of the post (again, especially off of those offensive rebounds) and a solid interior defender. Zoubek’s senior season was a good summary of everything that is good about college basketball.
Jardine bounced back from last year’s redshirt season due to an injury to become one of the Orange’s “seven starters” system as Syracuse took home the regular season Big East title.
Pitt needed some young guys to step up to replace the production of ex-Panthers like LeVance Fields and without missing a beat Gibbs did just that, jumping from averaging just four points in ten minutes a game last season to almost 16 ppg in over 34 minutes.
Udoh took advantage of his year off after transferring from Michigan and took his game to a whole new level in Waco, keeping all of the devastating shotblocking and defensive ability he had displayed previously and adding a seriously skilled and fluid offensive game.
And Caracter reappeared on the basketball landscape after seemingly burning all of his bridges in his first tour of duty under Rick Pitino in Louisville. Caracter brought all of the talent that he had shown since his high schools days to El Paso, and left the attitude behind, giving head coach Tony Barbee plenty of production and minimal headaches.
Senior Class Awards – seniors who did not make any of the above teams, who we nevertheless want to give some props to for great careers, just to be able to write their names again one last time.
Kwadzo Ahelegbe, G, Northern Iowa
Bilal Benn, F, Niagara
Eric Boateng, C, Arizona State
Trevor Booker, F, Clemson
Matt Bouldin, G, Gonzaga
Jamal Boykin, F, California
Ryan Brooks, G, Temple
Tweeny Carter, G, Baylor
Wayne Chism, F, Tennessee
Patrick Christopher, G, California
Sherron Collins, G, Kansas
Bryan Davis, F, Texas A&M
Kelvin Davis, G, San Diego State
Jerome Dyson, G, Connecticut
Landry Fields, F, Stanford
Derek Glasser, G, Arizona State
Luke Harangody, F, Notre Dame
Lazar Hayward, F, Marquette
Trevon Hughes, G, Wisconsin
Matt Janning, F, Northeastern
Anthony Johnson, G, Montana
Jerome Jordan, C, Tulsa
Gerald Lee, F, Old Dominion
Tyrone Lewis, G Niagara
Jason Love, C, Xavier
Roman Martinez, F, New Mexico
Tasmin Mitchell, F, LSU
Jerome Randle, G, California
Theo Robertson, F, California
Stanley Robinson, F, Connecticut
Derrick Roland, G, Texas A&M
Donald Sloan, G, Texas A&M
Ishmael Smith, G, Wake Forest
JT Tiller, G, Missouri
Nic Wise, G, Arizona
The NBA Can Wait Team
Even before seeing Da’Sean Butler lying on the floor at the Final Four with a busted knee, I wouldn’t really begrudge a guy if he chose to leave school early to pursue a job playing basketball elsewhere. That being said, it does make me sad to see some of these guys go, knowing that with the little I watch the NBA, I will likely never see them play again once their gone. And so, I’ve got a team of players who I’d like to see stick around for another year (or two… or three), either because they could really use some more time before they go to the next level, or because I just really want to see them some more.
Solomon Alabi, So, C, Florida State
Alabi could leave now and perhaps even get picked in the lottery. Being 7-foot-1 will do that for you, but he could really use some more time to work on his offensive game, otherwise he’ll go sit on an NBA bench for a few years, never improve and turn into Kelvin Cato or something.
Eric Bledsoe, Fr, G, Kentucky
John Wall is gone, that is a given. But I’d sure like to see Bledsoe play a year at the point before heading to the NBA, and it likely would help his draft stock as well. Consider this one a tie between what is good for the player and what is good for the basketball fan. But, he’s probably gone anyway.
Avery Bradley, Fr, G, Texas
A defender beyond his years, a great athlete, and a guy who will likely be a first round pick if he leaves this year. But come back for a year, entertain us all, and work on your offensive game and perhaps you start working your way up near the lottery.
Devin Ebanks, So, F, West Virginia
Long, super-athletic, stellar defender, offensively skilled. You just need a little more polish offensively before you’re ready to go.
Derrick Favors, Fr, C, Georgia Tech
With all the hype that preceded Favors into the ACC, I just want to see this guy put together one all-conference type season before he heads off into the sunset. Probably a pipe-dream, however, as he is a near-lock to be a high-lottery guy.
Jimmer Fredette, Jr, G, BYU
Okay, Fredette’s on this list for purely selfish reasons. We all got cheated out of watching him in the New Mexico/BYU game for the MWC regular season championship due to illness, and I want to see one fully healthy season out of this guy to see what kind of amazing things he can do.
Elias Harris, Fr, F, Gonzaga
Another purely selfish one here. I want to see what this guy can do once he learns the game a bit. He could be the best thing ever to go through Spokane, and as of today, it looks like Harris will be around for at least another year.
Manny Harris, Jr, G, Michigan
A terribly disappointing season in Ann Arbor, and given that Harris’ draft stock ain’t exactly sky high, it wouldn’t hurt anybody to have him return to school, improve his game and maybe get his Wolverines back into the tournament. But, he and his agent that he is hiring obviously have different ideas.
Darington Hobson, Jr, F, New Mexico
Tough one. His draft stock may be as high as it ever gets, but imagine is this guy developed a consistent outside shot.
Patrick Patterson, Jr, F, Kentucky
Much like Bledsoe, I just want to see what Patterson can do out of the shadow of Wall/Cousins. However, it seems doubtful that we’ll get that chance.
Greg Monroe, So, C, Georgetown
Purely selfish again. Monroe can leave and immediately be a lottery pick, and likely a high-lottery pick. That said, I’d sure love to see him play just a little bit more, and he is so far teasing us with that possibility. If he returns for his junior year, the Hoyas have to be considered a Final Four favorite.
Evan Turner, Jr, G, Ohio State
Turner is as gone as the rotary telephone. Doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like to see him lead a Buckeye charge to the Final Four as a senior. But I’m sure that back injury will have something to say about his decision.
Willie Warren, So, G
Things weren’t pretty in Norman this season; things have gotten far uglier since the season ended, with reports of players being paid and with anyone with any talent heading for the hills. But Warren was terrible this season (although he likely would have been a first-round pick if he left after last season). The NBA would like to see that he has some little bit of maturity to go along with his loads of talent, and I would like to see him live up to his expectations at the college level. Go ahead. Stick around.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Barcelona @ Arsenal - Part I
Taking a look at last week's first leg of the UEFA Quarters, when I know the second leg was played today. I'll be running behind throughout this little project, it seems, but I don't mind.
This game was a heavyweight fight between two teams who I take it are somewhat equally respected and both legitimate contenders for the title here. My impression of this game (and I could be completely wrong, who knows) is that Barcelona is the more veteran, more confident team and that Arsenal, while very good and talented have something to prove before they are considered quite at Barcelona's level.
And the opening beared that out as Barcelona dominated the first half, keeping offensive pressure on almost throughout (something like nine shots with six on goal in the first 15 minutes), but despite their control of the pace of the game managed just a 0-0 tie going into the break. Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia had several spectacular saves in the first half, but erred at the very beginning of the second half on a long pass down to Barcelona forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic who lofted it softly over the keeper who was caught in no man's land between defending the goal and attacking the offender.
Arsenal responded a bit with a header on goal a few minutes later, but Barcelona extended their lead when a beautifully played ball found a cutting Ibrahimovic for another goal over the pressing Arsenal defenders.
But, when Arsenal subbed Theo Walcott about midway through the second half, he immediately provided a spark, getting a couple runs at the goalie, the second of which resulted in the first Arsenal goal of the night, in the 69th minute.
With Arsenal continuing to press down one goal in their home leg, they finally got another prime chance when Fabregas was fouled on a scrap for a ball in the box. The penalty was a marginal call, but resulted in a free kick for Fabregas who knocked it home easily to tie up the match. In the meantime, Barcelona defender Puyol was redcarded and Fabregas, sometime between pulling the ball out of the net and getting to the sideline with it, fell down in a heap and spent the rest of the match limping severely, rendering it more or less a ten-on-ten matchup. (Fabregas had received his second yellow card in two games earlier in the match, eliminating him from the second leg of the round regardless of the injury. Barcelona defender Pique had also been double-yellowed out of the next leg).
In the end, both teams were pleased enough to settle on the 2-2 tie, setting up a second leg in which Arsenal will need to pull out a win to advance.
Other notes from a novice:
Thierry Henry - I am familiar with from his play with France in international competition, but I found out tonight that he is the all-time leading goal scorer in Arsenal history, and this was his first game back there. The Arsenal crowd gave him a warm ovation, until he touched the ball, at least.
Fabregas - The opposite of Henry; he started at Barcelona and plays with Arsenal now. He'll get no chance for an ovation from his old team's fans as he will not be eligible to play in the second leg due to his two yellows.
Eboue - I like this guy, good speedy midfielder who can make plays offensively with his speed and disrupt the other team defensively.
Nasri - Perhaps my favorite Arsenal player at first glance, a creative player in space.
This game was a heavyweight fight between two teams who I take it are somewhat equally respected and both legitimate contenders for the title here. My impression of this game (and I could be completely wrong, who knows) is that Barcelona is the more veteran, more confident team and that Arsenal, while very good and talented have something to prove before they are considered quite at Barcelona's level.
And the opening beared that out as Barcelona dominated the first half, keeping offensive pressure on almost throughout (something like nine shots with six on goal in the first 15 minutes), but despite their control of the pace of the game managed just a 0-0 tie going into the break. Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia had several spectacular saves in the first half, but erred at the very beginning of the second half on a long pass down to Barcelona forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic who lofted it softly over the keeper who was caught in no man's land between defending the goal and attacking the offender.
Arsenal responded a bit with a header on goal a few minutes later, but Barcelona extended their lead when a beautifully played ball found a cutting Ibrahimovic for another goal over the pressing Arsenal defenders.
But, when Arsenal subbed Theo Walcott about midway through the second half, he immediately provided a spark, getting a couple runs at the goalie, the second of which resulted in the first Arsenal goal of the night, in the 69th minute.
With Arsenal continuing to press down one goal in their home leg, they finally got another prime chance when Fabregas was fouled on a scrap for a ball in the box. The penalty was a marginal call, but resulted in a free kick for Fabregas who knocked it home easily to tie up the match. In the meantime, Barcelona defender Puyol was redcarded and Fabregas, sometime between pulling the ball out of the net and getting to the sideline with it, fell down in a heap and spent the rest of the match limping severely, rendering it more or less a ten-on-ten matchup. (Fabregas had received his second yellow card in two games earlier in the match, eliminating him from the second leg of the round regardless of the injury. Barcelona defender Pique had also been double-yellowed out of the next leg).
In the end, both teams were pleased enough to settle on the 2-2 tie, setting up a second leg in which Arsenal will need to pull out a win to advance.
Other notes from a novice:
Thierry Henry - I am familiar with from his play with France in international competition, but I found out tonight that he is the all-time leading goal scorer in Arsenal history, and this was his first game back there. The Arsenal crowd gave him a warm ovation, until he touched the ball, at least.
Fabregas - The opposite of Henry; he started at Barcelona and plays with Arsenal now. He'll get no chance for an ovation from his old team's fans as he will not be eligible to play in the second leg due to his two yellows.
Eboue - I like this guy, good speedy midfielder who can make plays offensively with his speed and disrupt the other team defensively.
Nasri - Perhaps my favorite Arsenal player at first glance, a creative player in space.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
UEFA Champion's League Quarterfinals - II
So, tonight I took my next look at one of the first-leg games from the UEFA Champion’s League Quarterfinals, and it was something else: Manchester United at Bayern Munich.
I haven’t seen all that many soccer games in my life, and I’ve little strong memories of the games I have seen, but those qualifications aside, this was without a doubt one of the better soccer games I’ve come across.
A little summary: Man U takes a very early lead with a goal by Wayne Rooney in the 2nd minute when Bayern defender DiMichaelis makes a couple horrible decisions in the first series of plays, first tackling a Bayern forward on a ball that was headed out of bounds, setting up a free kick from the corner, then slipping and losing Rooney right in front of the goal, allowing Rooney to tap in an easy goal right out of the gates. This would be a them that would be replayed time and again through the first half: Rooney making solid plays, DiMichaelis make poor plays.
For the rest of the first half, and then some, Bayern was on the attack, with Franck Ribery and Hamit Alintop leading their offensive charge. Alintop had a big shot on goal in the 58th minute and Ivan Olic had another shot on the short corner in the 71st minute, but it wasn’t until the 77th minute when Ribery got the equalizer on a freekick (caused by a handball/yellow card) that was deflected off Rooney and found its way into the goal without the keeper (Van der Sar) having any chance.
Just a few minutes later, Man U had a header off of a corner hit the goal bar. Then, in the first minute of extra time, Bayern’s Gomez had a chance on goal, but Van der Sar made an excellent save. However, not a minute later, Gomez again had another chance on some transition offense. Gomez got tackled in the box on a play that likely should have drawn a kick, but the ref swallowed his whistle, and it was a good thing for the Munich squad, as Olic appeared out of nowhere, gained control of the ball in the midst of four Man U defenders and slammed home the game winner in the waning seconds of penalty time.
All in all, a spectacular game: great opening sequence, great closing sequence and amazing flow and pace to the game in between with dozens upon dozens of spectacular athletic plays in between.
I thought a little bit about why I’m interested in soccer during the middle of this game, and decided that the common denominator between the sports that I love (basketball and football) are great athletes making profoundly athletic displays in the midst of games based on teamwork and strategy. Those criteria would define my dislike for baseball and predict my love of soccer. In this game alone, for instance, the type of plays that Olic (to name just one hero) was making down the stretch after having played 90 grueling minutes, were spectacular. Soccer definitely fits right in there on the good side of the equation of teams sports that I love.
I haven’t seen all that many soccer games in my life, and I’ve little strong memories of the games I have seen, but those qualifications aside, this was without a doubt one of the better soccer games I’ve come across.
A little summary: Man U takes a very early lead with a goal by Wayne Rooney in the 2nd minute when Bayern defender DiMichaelis makes a couple horrible decisions in the first series of plays, first tackling a Bayern forward on a ball that was headed out of bounds, setting up a free kick from the corner, then slipping and losing Rooney right in front of the goal, allowing Rooney to tap in an easy goal right out of the gates. This would be a them that would be replayed time and again through the first half: Rooney making solid plays, DiMichaelis make poor plays.
For the rest of the first half, and then some, Bayern was on the attack, with Franck Ribery and Hamit Alintop leading their offensive charge. Alintop had a big shot on goal in the 58th minute and Ivan Olic had another shot on the short corner in the 71st minute, but it wasn’t until the 77th minute when Ribery got the equalizer on a freekick (caused by a handball/yellow card) that was deflected off Rooney and found its way into the goal without the keeper (Van der Sar) having any chance.
Just a few minutes later, Man U had a header off of a corner hit the goal bar. Then, in the first minute of extra time, Bayern’s Gomez had a chance on goal, but Van der Sar made an excellent save. However, not a minute later, Gomez again had another chance on some transition offense. Gomez got tackled in the box on a play that likely should have drawn a kick, but the ref swallowed his whistle, and it was a good thing for the Munich squad, as Olic appeared out of nowhere, gained control of the ball in the midst of four Man U defenders and slammed home the game winner in the waning seconds of penalty time.
All in all, a spectacular game: great opening sequence, great closing sequence and amazing flow and pace to the game in between with dozens upon dozens of spectacular athletic plays in between.
I thought a little bit about why I’m interested in soccer during the middle of this game, and decided that the common denominator between the sports that I love (basketball and football) are great athletes making profoundly athletic displays in the midst of games based on teamwork and strategy. Those criteria would define my dislike for baseball and predict my love of soccer. In this game alone, for instance, the type of plays that Olic (to name just one hero) was making down the stretch after having played 90 grueling minutes, were spectacular. Soccer definitely fits right in there on the good side of the equation of teams sports that I love.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Soccer - 2010
I’m pretty much a soccer novice. And, for the record, I live in the United States, grew up calling it soccer, and that’s what I’ll continue to call it here, even if football is much better applied to this sport than that other sport they play over here.
Anyway, as I was saying, I am a soccer novice. I “played” for a year or two when I was a kid (assuming we use very generous definitions of the term “played”), played some pick up games here and there back when I was in more reasonable physical condition, and have watched two World Cup tournaments somewhat extensively (1994 and 2006) and some other World Cup games here and there in 1998 and 2002, and maybe even 1990, now that I think about it. And frankly, while basketball is my first love and American football (weird having to use that modifier) a close second, I really like watching soccer. The thing is, it is not often that I am going to forgo watching either basketball or football in favor of soccer, so that leaves a huge chunk of soccer that has no chance of ever being watched by me. I’ve wanted to follow an entire English Premier League season from start to finish, but found that I would have to pretty much ignore American winter sports in order to get that done, and that realization pretty much killed that aspiration. Anyway, that would mostly explain why the only soccer I’ve ever watched extensively is the World Cup, played in the summer when the only American sport for competition is baseball (which ranks somewhere behind competitive grass-growing and professional paint-drying on the list of my top seven thousand spectator sports).
Anyway, as I was saying, I am a soccer novice. I “played” for a year or two when I was a kid (assuming we use very generous definitions of the term “played”), played some pick up games here and there back when I was in more reasonable physical condition, and have watched two World Cup tournaments somewhat extensively (1994 and 2006) and some other World Cup games here and there in 1998 and 2002, and maybe even 1990, now that I think about it. And frankly, while basketball is my first love and American football (weird having to use that modifier) a close second, I really like watching soccer. The thing is, it is not often that I am going to forgo watching either basketball or football in favor of soccer, so that leaves a huge chunk of soccer that has no chance of ever being watched by me. I’ve wanted to follow an entire English Premier League season from start to finish, but found that I would have to pretty much ignore American winter sports in order to get that done, and that realization pretty much killed that aspiration. Anyway, that would mostly explain why the only soccer I’ve ever watched extensively is the World Cup, played in the summer when the only American sport for competition is baseball (which ranks somewhere behind competitive grass-growing and professional paint-drying on the list of my top seven thousand spectator sports).
Which brings me to 2010. I’m a college hoops junkie, the season is winding down (just three games left), and I find myself more and more disinterested in the NBA. I’ve definitely watched less NBA this season (I doubt I’ve watched more than 12 total minutes worth of game time of all NBA games this season) than anytime since I was six or seven years old. Couple that with the fact that I’ve been greatly looking forward to this World Cup since 2002, and here I am, in early April, getting ready to go all-in with soccer for a few months.
And, to warm it all up, I happen to come across the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal round (and, again, I’m a soccer novice, so while I get that this is a tournament between elite soccer clubs in different leagues in Europe, beyond that I’m still in the middle of trying to figure out the significance of this tournament– I understand winners here qualify for some other tournament of some kind – and who all gets to play in this tournament, let alone some of the simple mechanics of the tournament; it’s all very alien to an American sports fan) just in time to serve as a great transition from the NCAA basketball world that I’ve been living in for the better part of five months and a warmup for the World Cup that I have been looking forward to for several years.
Anyway, my plan is this: watch a match a day (so long as there are matches to watch, and perhaps minus this Saturday and Monday – the days for the semifinals and finals of the NCAA Basketball Tournament) and write up a little bit about my impressions (and I mean “little bit” as I don’t know how meaningful my impressions will be, given my aforementioned novicicity). For me it will serve as a fun little project and a nudge towards watching the games with as much interest as possible. For whoever may happen to read this, we’ll see if this is anything more than a waste of time.
One caveat: I am a complete and utter devotee of the time-shifting capabilities of DVRs, and specifically my TiVo. As a result, while the first leg of the quarterfinal round of the Champions League ended yesterday, I just watched my first match tonight. Given that I don’t really have a lot of discussions with a lot of people about soccer matches, I don’t think my tendency towards watching games/matches at my own pace will really be a huge issue in this endeavor.
So, with that preamble complete, onto the game I watched tonight (and, again, if I haven’t made myself abundantly clear: me=soccer novice, must remember that always, so, for instance, if I get some of the jargon wrong or seem super-obvious or even things that seem as clear as the name of the team I am watching is wrong, forgive me or better yet, correct me): Inter Milan vs. CSKA Moscow. Quite simply, Moscow is very lucky to be heading back home only down one goal. The CSKA keeper Akinfeev (not to mention one defender who made his own stellar save) played a huge part in the second half, making several saves as Milan took over what had been a fairly even game in the first half. Most of the game post-half was played on the Moscow side of the field, with Inter having several corner-kick chances and multiple shots on goal. Moscow seemed to struggle with simple possession in the second half, while Milan players like Eto’o, Maicon, and Milito (who had the sole goal in the match, on a quick little stroke in a tight space between CSKA defenders) kept the pressure on offensively.
It is my understanding that it is something of a surprise for CSKA to even be alive at this point, and frankly it was surprising that they were able to stay just a goal back of Inter, as the Milan squad seemed to have far better ballhandling skills and athleticism than the Russian squad. And, still, the Muscovites go back home with a fighting chance to advance.
Some other quick impressions:
After the Milan goal, that place went crazy, rush of fans from their “seats” in the stands to the front of the section behind the goal. Very cool.
Not a huge fan of the current state of the offsides call. Seems like inside the goalbox offsides should be legal, or at least the defenders shouldn’t be able to jump forward and draw the offensive player offsides. I know, very American of me to suggest changes to a sport that seems to be doing just fine as is, but for what its worth, I think American basketball should allow players to take a ball right off the rim like in international play.
I love the idea of the team with the ball intentionally kicking the ball out of bounds when there is an injured player. But, in practice, when a guy writhes in faux-pain for the exact length of time that it takes to get the opposition to clock the ball and then gets back up ready to play, allowing the rest of his teammates to fall back into formation in the interim, that seems like a waste of time. And, again, since I am suggesting changes to a sport I am merely a novice at, I will also admit that in basketball, the onslaught of stoppages (whether timeouts or intentional fouls) at the end of games is obscene and can kill a lot of the momentum of the game.
That’s all for now, hope to watch either Munich vs. Man U or Arsenal vs. Barcelona tomorrow, or maybe Sunday.
Friday, March 26, 2010
College Basketball 2009-2010, By the Numbers
When it comes to wrapping up a college basketball season, I have a hard time doing an All-American team, because, for one, it just seems hard to narrow down four and a half months of basketball to just five names (or even ten or 15 if I add a second or third team – although, I’ll probably do that too). Instead, what I’ll do here today is take all 37 possible uniform numbers (only digits zero through five are possible uniform numbers in NCAA basketball, to aid referees in calling fouls and the foulers) and pick one player for each number.
Note that I am not always going to pick just the best player here. My own prejudices and likes/dislikes will factor in here, plus I want to be able to pick a guy that I will most remember from this season. And, in the case of a tie, a senior will get the nod, although I think you’ll find this team heavily weighted towards juniors. Anyway, without further delay, here it is:
00 – Rick Jackson, Jr, Syracuse – compared to his frontcourt mates, Jackson gets the least pub, but as the Orange push on towards Indianapolis, he has been a key contributor all year long.
0 – Jacob Pullen, Jr, Kansas State – fear the beard, Pullen and his backcourt partner Denis Clemente have been a fearsome duo for all opponents all year long.
1 – Da’Sean Butler, Sr, West Virginia – a strong number, with guys like Darington Hobson, Scottie Reynolds, Al-Farouq Aminu and Andy Rautins all throwing their name in the ring, but it is Butler with his numerous clutch plays that takes down the #1 jersey for the 09-10 season.
2 – Landry Fields, Sr, Stanford – awful tough to leave behind guys like Devan Downey, Ryan Brooks and, perhaps most egregiously, Nolan Smith, but Fields was a do-everything guy for a bad Cardinal team this year.
3 – Randy Culpepper, Jr, UTEP – Culpepper led the Miners to the regular season Conference USA title and was just an exciting blur in doing so. He takes home this award over guys like Devin Ebanks, Trevon Hughes, Manny Harris and Jerome Randle.
4 – Wesley Johnson, Jr, Syracuse – the transfer from Iowa State dropped jaws early in the season in front of a Madison Square Garden crowd, and was perhaps the most vital component in the Orange’s stellar season.
5 – Ali Farokmanesh, Sr, Northern Iowa – okay, without a doubt, a week ago this probably would have gone to Damion James, or even Kevin Jones. Maybe Deonta Vaughn. And even after Farokmanesh hit the game winner in the first round against UNLV, he probably was only going to be in the “also-considered” category here. But that “no-no-no-YES!” three against Kansas sealed the deal, and then some.
10 – Greg Monroe, So, Georgetown – when I watched the Hoyas play Temple way back in November, I got so frustrated watching a major talent like Monroe repeatedly defer to teammates and fail to take control down the stretch (even though he did hit the game winner on a jump hook in the lane). But, to Monroe’s credit, even though the Hoyas went out in disappointing and surprising fashion in the Tournament, it was not due to any timidity on Monroe’s part.
11 – John Wall, Fr, Kentucky – Wall has been the most electric player all season long. He may not have been the best (and in fact, some would say that he was the most over-rated), but he has certainly been must-see TV.
12 – Aubrey Coleman, Sr, Houston – a tough battle at #12, with Kyle Singler and Ashton Gibbs coming up short, when the leading scorer in Division I led his team through four days on the Conference USA tournament to steal a bid with the tournament championship.
13 – Ekpe Udoh, Jr, Baylor – the transfer from Michigan gave the perimeter-oriented Bears a legitimate and versatile inside threat, transforming them from a bubble-type team at best to a threat in March.
14 – Kevin Anderson, Jr, Richmond – Anderson was such a solid, do-everything guy for the Spiders this season, getting to the hoop, knocking down outside shots, running the offense, playing great defense and stepping up to make the big play time after time in clutch situations.
15 – Austin Freeman, Jr, Georgetown – this was one of the toughest decisions at any number. Guys like DeMarcus Cousins, Donald Sloan, Kawhi Leonard and Matt Bouldin, however, wound up getting left behind to give this to Freeman. While Freeman was diagnosed with diabetes in February, he continued to make big, clutch plays for the Hoyas, leading furious second-half comebacks on more than one occasion. But the game I’ll remember from Freeman came in early January when he scored 28 points in the second half to come back from a 15-point deficit against Connecticut and save the Hoyas from losing back-to-back games. Not that his 24-point second half outburst at Louisville to bring the Hoyas back from a six-point halftime deficit after having already lost consecutive games was anything too shabby either. I can just say I’m very much looking forward to getting to watch this guy play as a senior.
20 – Dominique Jones, Jr, South Florida – if you never saw Jones play for South Florida, just look at the list of guys he beat out at this number and you might get some idea how good he is: Gordon Hayward, Quincy Pondexter, Elias Harris and Jordan Williams just to name four. Jones was the leading scorer in the Big East and is probably more likely to be playing for a Bulls team in Chicago next season than a Bulls team in Tampa.
21 – Evan Turner, Jr, Ohio State – Turner is my pick for best player in the land, so anyone else that wears that #21 uniform is fighting for second place. Sorry Greivis Vasquez.
22 – Marcus Morris, So, Kansas – sometimes there is just a number that doesn’t have as many great numbers as others. Perhaps there is a more deserving candidate than the better of the Morris twins, but I couldn’t find one.
23 – James Anderson, Jr, Oklahoma State – Anderson was just a deadly scorer, capable of creating points off the dribble or on a catch-and-shoot, on an offensive stickback or off a post move.
24 – LaceDarius Dunn, Jr, Baylor – I would guess that Dunn’s game would drive a coach up the wall from time to time, as he is known to put up a bad shot on a fairly regular basis, and he can definitely fall in love with his jumper, but in Scott Drew’s offense Dunn is a streaky offensive weapon who can light up the scoreboard like few others. Eric Bledsoe? You’ll have to settle for runner-up at the 24 spot.
25 – JaJuan Johnson, Jr, Purdue – Johnson’s offensive game has improved every year, but this year he began to add more strength to his silky-smooth post play. Siena’s point Ronald Moore is a close runner-up at this spot.
30 – Jon Scheyer, Sr, Duke – Scheyer took over the point guard spot for Coach K about halfway through last season, and he has never looked back, running the offense smoothly and getting the rest of Duke’s weapons involved while still being able to get his when necessary.
31 – Gani Lawal, Jr, Georgia Tech – just an amazing physical specimen, big, long arms, major-league hops, skills with both hands and the ability to run the floor like a guard. How did these Yellow Jackets finish under .500 in a weak ACC?
32 – Jimmer Fredette, Jr, BYU – I had an awful hard time leaving Lazar Hayward on the sideline, not to mention Jarvis Varnado, but Fredette was a fun, explosive offensive player playing for a fun, explosive offense. Although I still feel ripped off that Fredette was sick for the second half of the showdown with New Mexico for the MWC regular season title.
33 – E’Twaun Moore, Jr, Purdue – Moore combined with our #25 on this list to keep the Boilermakers alive after the season-ending injury to Robbie Hummel, combining a seemingly effortless offensive game with tough perimeter defense, although fellow juniors Tre’Von Willis and Jon Diebler are at least in the conversation somewhere here.
34 – Adam Koch, Sr, Northern Iowa – the MVC Player of the Year and a versatile offensive big man for the Panthers, one of three UNI seniors on this list.
35 – Trevor Booker, Sr, Clemson – it seems like Booker has been at Clemson forever, and he has certainly provided plenty of “WOW” moments over his time as a Tiger: spectacular dunks, ferocious blocks and plenty of skill packed into a 6-foot-7 and 215 pound frame.
40 – Kelvin Davis, Sr, San Diego State – not the best player in an Aztec uniform, maybe not even the leader on the squad despite being the only senior, but SDSU only lost once when he was in the starting lineup (their opening round Tournament loss to Tennessee), and the inspiration others took from his recovery from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma was reason enough for his inclusion at this spot.
41 – Anthony Jones, So, Baylor – for some reason, kids in college generally aren’t big on the numbers in the 40s and 50s. There are certainly exceptions, but I’m not finding a ton of great players at this number, so the nod goes to Jones and his exciting athleticism and upside.
42 – Tai Wesley, Jr, Utah State – a crafty veteran around the hoop, Wesley is just one on a handful of excellent Aggie juniors who should make USU a tough out next year too. Guys like Jamelle Horne, Ivan Aska and L.D. Williams come up a little short here.
43 – Tony Easley, Sr, Murray State – one of two veteran leaders for the Racers (the one who didn’t get his 15 minutes for hitting a game winning buzzer beater in the Tournament), Easley was a beast in the paint in the OVC this season. He sneaks it out at #43 over Portland’s Luke Sikma.
44 – Luke Harangody, Sr, Notre Dame – while Harangody’s ended with a poor performance in an opening-round Tournament loss to Old Dominion, leaving ‘Gody without a Tournament win in his career, he still had four productive years of great stats and will be a presence not easily replaced around South Bend.
45 – Tweeny Carter, Sr, Baylor – the tie goes to the senior, and Kansas’ junior Cole Aldrich gets left behind here. Carter teams with Dunn (our # 24) to give the Bears a prolific backcourt, and does a great job of keeping an offense that could easily careen out of control on the tracks.
50 – Omar Samhan, Sr, St. Mary’s – Samhan went from little more than a warm body four years ago to one of the best post-players in the country in his senior year, and is in the midst of pushing his Gael team through a March NCAA Tournament run.
51 – David Foster, So, Utah – Foster is a 7-foot-3 gangly behemoth in the middle for the Utes. While his offensive game is still a work in progress (and that is a kind estimation), he controls the paint on the defensive end and blocked about four shots a game this season.
52 – Terrell Holloway, So, Xavier – Holloway took a big step forward this season for the Musketeers, improving from an inconsistent freshman to a rock-solid presence in an excellent XU backcourt.
53 – Jordan Egleseder, Sr, Northern Iowa – Eglseder doesn’t look like much more than a fairly immobile 7-foot-1 mountain in the middle for the Panthers, but he has developed a pretty skilled offensive game and is a key cog in UNI’s Tournament run.
54 – Matt Howard,Jr, Butler – Howard earns this one by a hair over Kentucky’s Patrick Patterson due to the vital role he plays in the Bulldogs offense. As the only true interior player on an undersized Butler team, Howard has a vast responsibility, but always seems to take care of business.
55 – Jordan Crawford, So, Xavier – part of me wanted to go with a senior and give this one to Duke’s Brian Zoubek, who’s improved physical presence in the middle for the Blue Devils is probably most responsible for their emergence as a legit national championship contender. But Crawford is such a fun player to watch, whether it be bombing from deep or gliding to the hole and finishing with a twisting, turning, swooping scoop shot. Along with Holloway (our #52), Crawford gives the Muskies one of the handful of best backcourts in the country, and if he can withstand the lures of the NBA draft for another year, Xavier may be knocking on the door of the Final Four again next year.
Oh, and while I'm on numbers, I've got another one:
65 - NCAA Tournament teams - it's fine the way it is. 64 would likely be better, but that horse done left the barn already. 68 is acceptable, but let's not screw up a great thing.
Note that I am not always going to pick just the best player here. My own prejudices and likes/dislikes will factor in here, plus I want to be able to pick a guy that I will most remember from this season. And, in the case of a tie, a senior will get the nod, although I think you’ll find this team heavily weighted towards juniors. Anyway, without further delay, here it is:
00 – Rick Jackson, Jr, Syracuse – compared to his frontcourt mates, Jackson gets the least pub, but as the Orange push on towards Indianapolis, he has been a key contributor all year long.
0 – Jacob Pullen, Jr, Kansas State – fear the beard, Pullen and his backcourt partner Denis Clemente have been a fearsome duo for all opponents all year long.
1 – Da’Sean Butler, Sr, West Virginia – a strong number, with guys like Darington Hobson, Scottie Reynolds, Al-Farouq Aminu and Andy Rautins all throwing their name in the ring, but it is Butler with his numerous clutch plays that takes down the #1 jersey for the 09-10 season.
2 – Landry Fields, Sr, Stanford – awful tough to leave behind guys like Devan Downey, Ryan Brooks and, perhaps most egregiously, Nolan Smith, but Fields was a do-everything guy for a bad Cardinal team this year.
3 – Randy Culpepper, Jr, UTEP – Culpepper led the Miners to the regular season Conference USA title and was just an exciting blur in doing so. He takes home this award over guys like Devin Ebanks, Trevon Hughes, Manny Harris and Jerome Randle.
4 – Wesley Johnson, Jr, Syracuse – the transfer from Iowa State dropped jaws early in the season in front of a Madison Square Garden crowd, and was perhaps the most vital component in the Orange’s stellar season.
5 – Ali Farokmanesh, Sr, Northern Iowa – okay, without a doubt, a week ago this probably would have gone to Damion James, or even Kevin Jones. Maybe Deonta Vaughn. And even after Farokmanesh hit the game winner in the first round against UNLV, he probably was only going to be in the “also-considered” category here. But that “no-no-no-YES!” three against Kansas sealed the deal, and then some.
10 – Greg Monroe, So, Georgetown – when I watched the Hoyas play Temple way back in November, I got so frustrated watching a major talent like Monroe repeatedly defer to teammates and fail to take control down the stretch (even though he did hit the game winner on a jump hook in the lane). But, to Monroe’s credit, even though the Hoyas went out in disappointing and surprising fashion in the Tournament, it was not due to any timidity on Monroe’s part.
11 – John Wall, Fr, Kentucky – Wall has been the most electric player all season long. He may not have been the best (and in fact, some would say that he was the most over-rated), but he has certainly been must-see TV.
12 – Aubrey Coleman, Sr, Houston – a tough battle at #12, with Kyle Singler and Ashton Gibbs coming up short, when the leading scorer in Division I led his team through four days on the Conference USA tournament to steal a bid with the tournament championship.
13 – Ekpe Udoh, Jr, Baylor – the transfer from Michigan gave the perimeter-oriented Bears a legitimate and versatile inside threat, transforming them from a bubble-type team at best to a threat in March.
14 – Kevin Anderson, Jr, Richmond – Anderson was such a solid, do-everything guy for the Spiders this season, getting to the hoop, knocking down outside shots, running the offense, playing great defense and stepping up to make the big play time after time in clutch situations.
15 – Austin Freeman, Jr, Georgetown – this was one of the toughest decisions at any number. Guys like DeMarcus Cousins, Donald Sloan, Kawhi Leonard and Matt Bouldin, however, wound up getting left behind to give this to Freeman. While Freeman was diagnosed with diabetes in February, he continued to make big, clutch plays for the Hoyas, leading furious second-half comebacks on more than one occasion. But the game I’ll remember from Freeman came in early January when he scored 28 points in the second half to come back from a 15-point deficit against Connecticut and save the Hoyas from losing back-to-back games. Not that his 24-point second half outburst at Louisville to bring the Hoyas back from a six-point halftime deficit after having already lost consecutive games was anything too shabby either. I can just say I’m very much looking forward to getting to watch this guy play as a senior.
20 – Dominique Jones, Jr, South Florida – if you never saw Jones play for South Florida, just look at the list of guys he beat out at this number and you might get some idea how good he is: Gordon Hayward, Quincy Pondexter, Elias Harris and Jordan Williams just to name four. Jones was the leading scorer in the Big East and is probably more likely to be playing for a Bulls team in Chicago next season than a Bulls team in Tampa.
21 – Evan Turner, Jr, Ohio State – Turner is my pick for best player in the land, so anyone else that wears that #21 uniform is fighting for second place. Sorry Greivis Vasquez.
22 – Marcus Morris, So, Kansas – sometimes there is just a number that doesn’t have as many great numbers as others. Perhaps there is a more deserving candidate than the better of the Morris twins, but I couldn’t find one.
23 – James Anderson, Jr, Oklahoma State – Anderson was just a deadly scorer, capable of creating points off the dribble or on a catch-and-shoot, on an offensive stickback or off a post move.
24 – LaceDarius Dunn, Jr, Baylor – I would guess that Dunn’s game would drive a coach up the wall from time to time, as he is known to put up a bad shot on a fairly regular basis, and he can definitely fall in love with his jumper, but in Scott Drew’s offense Dunn is a streaky offensive weapon who can light up the scoreboard like few others. Eric Bledsoe? You’ll have to settle for runner-up at the 24 spot.
25 – JaJuan Johnson, Jr, Purdue – Johnson’s offensive game has improved every year, but this year he began to add more strength to his silky-smooth post play. Siena’s point Ronald Moore is a close runner-up at this spot.
30 – Jon Scheyer, Sr, Duke – Scheyer took over the point guard spot for Coach K about halfway through last season, and he has never looked back, running the offense smoothly and getting the rest of Duke’s weapons involved while still being able to get his when necessary.
31 – Gani Lawal, Jr, Georgia Tech – just an amazing physical specimen, big, long arms, major-league hops, skills with both hands and the ability to run the floor like a guard. How did these Yellow Jackets finish under .500 in a weak ACC?
32 – Jimmer Fredette, Jr, BYU – I had an awful hard time leaving Lazar Hayward on the sideline, not to mention Jarvis Varnado, but Fredette was a fun, explosive offensive player playing for a fun, explosive offense. Although I still feel ripped off that Fredette was sick for the second half of the showdown with New Mexico for the MWC regular season title.
33 – E’Twaun Moore, Jr, Purdue – Moore combined with our #25 on this list to keep the Boilermakers alive after the season-ending injury to Robbie Hummel, combining a seemingly effortless offensive game with tough perimeter defense, although fellow juniors Tre’Von Willis and Jon Diebler are at least in the conversation somewhere here.
34 – Adam Koch, Sr, Northern Iowa – the MVC Player of the Year and a versatile offensive big man for the Panthers, one of three UNI seniors on this list.
35 – Trevor Booker, Sr, Clemson – it seems like Booker has been at Clemson forever, and he has certainly provided plenty of “WOW” moments over his time as a Tiger: spectacular dunks, ferocious blocks and plenty of skill packed into a 6-foot-7 and 215 pound frame.
40 – Kelvin Davis, Sr, San Diego State – not the best player in an Aztec uniform, maybe not even the leader on the squad despite being the only senior, but SDSU only lost once when he was in the starting lineup (their opening round Tournament loss to Tennessee), and the inspiration others took from his recovery from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma was reason enough for his inclusion at this spot.
41 – Anthony Jones, So, Baylor – for some reason, kids in college generally aren’t big on the numbers in the 40s and 50s. There are certainly exceptions, but I’m not finding a ton of great players at this number, so the nod goes to Jones and his exciting athleticism and upside.
42 – Tai Wesley, Jr, Utah State – a crafty veteran around the hoop, Wesley is just one on a handful of excellent Aggie juniors who should make USU a tough out next year too. Guys like Jamelle Horne, Ivan Aska and L.D. Williams come up a little short here.
43 – Tony Easley, Sr, Murray State – one of two veteran leaders for the Racers (the one who didn’t get his 15 minutes for hitting a game winning buzzer beater in the Tournament), Easley was a beast in the paint in the OVC this season. He sneaks it out at #43 over Portland’s Luke Sikma.
44 – Luke Harangody, Sr, Notre Dame – while Harangody’s ended with a poor performance in an opening-round Tournament loss to Old Dominion, leaving ‘Gody without a Tournament win in his career, he still had four productive years of great stats and will be a presence not easily replaced around South Bend.
45 – Tweeny Carter, Sr, Baylor – the tie goes to the senior, and Kansas’ junior Cole Aldrich gets left behind here. Carter teams with Dunn (our # 24) to give the Bears a prolific backcourt, and does a great job of keeping an offense that could easily careen out of control on the tracks.
50 – Omar Samhan, Sr, St. Mary’s – Samhan went from little more than a warm body four years ago to one of the best post-players in the country in his senior year, and is in the midst of pushing his Gael team through a March NCAA Tournament run.
51 – David Foster, So, Utah – Foster is a 7-foot-3 gangly behemoth in the middle for the Utes. While his offensive game is still a work in progress (and that is a kind estimation), he controls the paint on the defensive end and blocked about four shots a game this season.
52 – Terrell Holloway, So, Xavier – Holloway took a big step forward this season for the Musketeers, improving from an inconsistent freshman to a rock-solid presence in an excellent XU backcourt.
53 – Jordan Egleseder, Sr, Northern Iowa – Eglseder doesn’t look like much more than a fairly immobile 7-foot-1 mountain in the middle for the Panthers, but he has developed a pretty skilled offensive game and is a key cog in UNI’s Tournament run.
54 – Matt Howard,Jr, Butler – Howard earns this one by a hair over Kentucky’s Patrick Patterson due to the vital role he plays in the Bulldogs offense. As the only true interior player on an undersized Butler team, Howard has a vast responsibility, but always seems to take care of business.
55 – Jordan Crawford, So, Xavier – part of me wanted to go with a senior and give this one to Duke’s Brian Zoubek, who’s improved physical presence in the middle for the Blue Devils is probably most responsible for their emergence as a legit national championship contender. But Crawford is such a fun player to watch, whether it be bombing from deep or gliding to the hole and finishing with a twisting, turning, swooping scoop shot. Along with Holloway (our #52), Crawford gives the Muskies one of the handful of best backcourts in the country, and if he can withstand the lures of the NBA draft for another year, Xavier may be knocking on the door of the Final Four again next year.
Oh, and while I'm on numbers, I've got another one:
65 - NCAA Tournament teams - it's fine the way it is. 64 would likely be better, but that horse done left the barn already. 68 is acceptable, but let's not screw up a great thing.
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