Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Wounded Dancers
Injuries in basketball can hurt. They can hurt the player afflicted with the injury as well as hurting the team’s chances of winning, especially teams dancing in the NCAA tournament. Some injuries don’t hurt teams too much because they have so much other talent, but sometimes they can be fatal to a team. Illinois was plagued by the injury of their star point guard Chester Frazier (5.3 assists per game, which led the Big Ten) and ended up getting upset by 12th seeded Western Kentucky in the first round. Number 1-seeded North Carolina was really depleted when superstar point guard Ty Lawson (16 ppg and 6.5 assists per game to lead ACC) went down with a toe injury because they had lost their other point guard, Marcus Ginyard, at the beginning of the year. They managed to obliterate Radford 101-58 in the first round without him and then were very relieved when he was able to play and play well in their 2nd round victory over LSU (he scored 23 points). So some guys can overcome an injury to help their team. Levance Fields of Pittsburgh overcame back trouble to help his number 1-seeded team win in the first two rounds. Even though he didn’t perform that well in the first game win over East Tennessee State, he rebounded to score 13 points with 9 assists in the second game victory over Oklahoma State and also hit a key shot late in the game to help secure the victory. Marquette was thought to be a Final Four team in the beginning of the year after starting 23-4, but then star guard Dominic James got hurt and the Golden Eagles lost 5 out of their last 6 regular season games including the game when he was injured. They barely escaped against 11th-seeded Utah State with a 58-57 win in the first round of the NCAA tourney. James came back for the second game, but couldn’t do much as his team was eliminated by Missouri. The biggest and possibly the most influential injury may turn out to be 1-seeded Connecticut’s Jerome Dyson. He missed the 2nd half of the regular season after averaging over 13 points per game. His injury hurts Uconn depth, but they have many bench players like Craig Austrie who can try to fill in. If Dyson doesn’t return during the Huskies’ run in the tournament, they may have more of a struggle winning tough games like this week’s matchup with Purdue. Connecticut’s coach, Jim Calhoun, was hospitalized because of dehydration and missed their first game in the tourney. The good news for UConn about this “injury” is that the last two NCAA tournaments where Calhoun missed a game resulted in a national championship for the Huskies (1999, 2004). So unfortunately, some teams dancing in the tourney had their season’s cut short by a fallen dancer. But fortunately, some teams are talented enough to go on without them, and some players, or dancers, feel that the show must go on and that it’s do or die at this point in the year.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
bid stealers
Thieves can leave you heart-broken. They can steal something from you that was rightfully yours and was something you worked hard to get. This applies to people all over the world, including college basketball teams during March Madness. There are a lot of border-line or bubble teams that need everything to go the right way for them to get in the NCAA tourney. You can receive an automatic bid by winning your conference tournament. Unfortunately, some bubble teams don’t quite win their tournaments and therefore root for the favorites of the other tournaments. This is so because those favorites are already good enough to be guaranteed a spot in the tourney in most cases. If they lose to a different bubble team, and that bubble team secures a bid with a conference tournament title, they potentially eliminate a spot for another border-line team that thought they were getting in. Or as some would say, stealing a spot from another team. Southern California was thought of as one of the teams that would just miss out on the tourney. But they stole a bid from a bubble team when upset Arizona State in the Pac-10 final. LSU was thought of as a clear favorite in the SEC and possibly the only team from the conference to go dancing in the NCAA tourney. But what do you know, they lost in the SEC semifinals to Mississippi State. By winning the SEC title game as well, MSU will steal another bid away from an already stressed and anxious bubble team while LSU will still have a decent seed. Butler stayed in the top 25 most of the year and secured their bid a long time ago. So some more bubble teams were crying when Cleveland State knocked Butler off in the Horizon League championship game to steal yet another spot in the Big Dance. Border-line squads like Arizona and Penn State are two teams in particular who were hurt by these bid thieves. They were both considered just out of the tournament and they both needed a lot of help and a lot of things to go their way. With these three bids gone, Arizona’s streak of 24 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances will likely come to an end, and Penn State probably won’t become the 8th Big Ten school in the tourney. But hey, anything can happen on Selection Sunday, dreams will become reality, and hearts will be broken by the sneaky and shocking bid stealers.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Foreign Power
It’s like a foreign-exchange program in a high school. Someone from another country comes to the U.S. either for an opportunity or just to say they went. In professional and college basketball, the same concept applies. Sometimes, when a player from Europe or Asia comes to have an opportunity to make millions in the NBA, they have a major impact on the popularity of the sport. For example, Dirk Nowitzki (Germany) and Yao Ming (China) have become popular stars in the league since their arrival. Dirk ( 25 points per game) has a gorgeous outside shot for a 7-footer while it is entertaining to watch the 7’6” Ming walk among players several feet shorter than him. Foreign immigrants have also impacted the college game. Artsiom Parakhouski led Radford to the NCAA tournament this season and had 18 rebounds in the Big South championship game. He was named the Big South Player of the Year after averaging 16 points per game. His 11 rebounds per game were ninth in the nation. Well, he accomplished this after being a farmer from Belarus who didn’t speak a word of English when he came to this country. Hasheem Thabeet from Tanzania is second in the nation in blocks per game for UConn, which isn’t surprising considering his unrealistic height. At 7’3”, Thabeet is intimidating in the post and can block further-back shots. His efforts have led to a season where Connecticut has a chance to be a number one seed in the NCAA tournament.
Sometimes, players that aren’t quite good enough for the NBA or simply think they would play better somewhere else, go to Europe to play basketball. After ranking third in double-doubles in the NBA, Josh Childress left the Hawks for the Euroleague. He signed an unprecedented $20 million 3-year contract with the Olympiacos Pirates. Brandon Jennings was considered by some to be the number 1 player coming out of high school this year. Instead of going to UConn, he decided to travel to Italy to play for Lotttomatica Roma before probably entering the 2009 NBA draft, where he is predicted to be a Top 10 pick.
As you can see, foreign players come to the U.S. for the opportunity of getting rich, and sometimes U.S. players head overseas to have more playing time or hone their skills for the NBA. This foreign exchange adds another interesting element to the world-renowned game of basketball.
Sometimes, players that aren’t quite good enough for the NBA or simply think they would play better somewhere else, go to Europe to play basketball. After ranking third in double-doubles in the NBA, Josh Childress left the Hawks for the Euroleague. He signed an unprecedented $20 million 3-year contract with the Olympiacos Pirates. Brandon Jennings was considered by some to be the number 1 player coming out of high school this year. Instead of going to UConn, he decided to travel to Italy to play for Lotttomatica Roma before probably entering the 2009 NBA draft, where he is predicted to be a Top 10 pick.
As you can see, foreign players come to the U.S. for the opportunity of getting rich, and sometimes U.S. players head overseas to have more playing time or hone their skills for the NBA. This foreign exchange adds another interesting element to the world-renowned game of basketball.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Deja Vu in uconn
Déjà vu. It’s happening again. The men’s and women’s basketball teams at UConn are both candidates, if not favorites, to win the NCAA tournament. The same was true in 2004, and both teams ended up winning the tournament, which was a first in history. The coaches for both teams are legendary. The girl’s coach, Geno Auriemma, has won 5 national championships, while Jim Calhoun, the boy’s coach, is one of only 19 college coaches to have won 700 games. Back in 2004, the UConn men had 6 future NBA players, as well as incredible depth. They had layers of guards and forwards they could count on. They almost lost in the Final Four to Duke, but pulled out a 79-78 win. They finished the year 33-6.
The women that year were unstoppable on the way to a 31-4 record and a third straight national championship victory. They were led by Diana Taurasi, who is now a dominant player in the WNBA. As good as they were, they weren’t as good as this year’s women’s squad. They are 30-0, that’s right, 30-0, and have beaten every opponent by at least 10 points. They are led by Maya Moore, who won her second straight Big East Player of the Year award. The last Lady Husky to accomplish this feat was Taurasi in ’04. They have great senior leadership in Renee Montgomery and have at least 6 players averaging 8 points per game or more.
This year’s men have a 27-3 record, have been number 1 in the nation numerous times, and are a probable number 1 seed in the tournament. They have a similar balance to the ’04 squad, with six players scoring at least 6 points per game. They have one of the best shot-blockers in the country in 7’3” Hasheem Thabeet, as well as a red-hot A.J. Price, who has scored 59 points in his last 3 games. Despite key injuries to Jerome Dyson (13.2 ppg) and Caroline Doty (8 ppg), both UConn teams should have the chance to win the national championship, and add their magical seasons to the long legacy of this prestigious athletic university.
The women that year were unstoppable on the way to a 31-4 record and a third straight national championship victory. They were led by Diana Taurasi, who is now a dominant player in the WNBA. As good as they were, they weren’t as good as this year’s women’s squad. They are 30-0, that’s right, 30-0, and have beaten every opponent by at least 10 points. They are led by Maya Moore, who won her second straight Big East Player of the Year award. The last Lady Husky to accomplish this feat was Taurasi in ’04. They have great senior leadership in Renee Montgomery and have at least 6 players averaging 8 points per game or more.
This year’s men have a 27-3 record, have been number 1 in the nation numerous times, and are a probable number 1 seed in the tournament. They have a similar balance to the ’04 squad, with six players scoring at least 6 points per game. They have one of the best shot-blockers in the country in 7’3” Hasheem Thabeet, as well as a red-hot A.J. Price, who has scored 59 points in his last 3 games. Despite key injuries to Jerome Dyson (13.2 ppg) and Caroline Doty (8 ppg), both UConn teams should have the chance to win the national championship, and add their magical seasons to the long legacy of this prestigious athletic university.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Money-Earnin' Mount Vernon
March 5, 2009
Mount Vernon High School in New York has a humungous reputation for winning and winning year after year when it comes to boys basketball. While a normal high school’s goal is to make the playoffs and do their best, the Knights of Mount Vernon and their fans expect little short of a state championship, which is usually in easy reach by playing their best. The program is often ranked in the Top 50 nationally, which gives kids a good chance to continue their basketball career at a Division 1 college and even professionally. Unfortunately, the city is suffering tremendously from the rough economic downturn. The situation at the high school is so bad that students had to spend their summers conducting fundraisers and asking for donations to have a sports program this year. Fortunately, they got the program going and are continuing to entertain fans from all over state and the country.
Mount Vernon made a trip out to Oregon this season to play some of the best teams in the country in a tournament, only losing 1 out of 4 games. The Knights usually dominate their local section (1 Class A) with ease. They won the section crown again this year, but did have some bumps in the road, almost losing in the semi-final to heavy underdog Yorktown. They have won the last 4 section 1 Class AA championships and 9 of the last 10. They won back to back state championships in ’06 and ’07, and were favorites to win again last year, but Bishop Maginn sent them home early in the state semi-final by beating the Knights 54-52.
Hopefully this year’s team can avenge last season’s underachievement. They have a good chance, as long as star 6’-6” guard Sherrod Wright can continue to perform at the level of excellence that has gotten him recruited by some of the most prestigious sports colleges in the country. But he wasn’t the first Mount Vernon star to have a deep future in the sport and certainly won’t be the last.
Back at the turn of the millennium, Ben Gordon led the Knights to a 28-0 record, a state championship, and a Federation championship, which involved beating the best Catholic schools in the state. He went on to win a national championship with UConn and become a key role player for the Chicago Bulls, which he is still today. A Mount Vernon teammate of Gordon’s in 2001, when the Knights were stopped short of repeating as state champs, was Dexter Gray. Gray started for 4 years at Mount Vernon and played for St. John’s University and Iona College, but didn’t have a successful pro career. Keith Benjamin was a teammate of his in 2004, when the Knights won the state and Federation championships. Benjamin ended up playing for Pittsburgh University in a talented Big East, and averaged about 10 points per game as a senior.
Three other key players on that ’04 team all went to Division 1 colleges: Jonathan Mitchell, Chris Lowe, and Michael Coburn. Mitchell won a national championship at Florida University, but transferred to Rutgers after not getting enough playing time. Lowe is the starting point guard at UMass and the team’s second-leading scorer. He recently set the school record for assists. Coburn is a point guard at Rutgers after spending 5 years on varsity at Mount Vernon while incredibly winning 3 state championships. Last year’s star was forward Kevin Jones, who after helping the Knights to 2 state titles, is having a great freshman year at West Virginia, and may help them reach the NCAA tournament. This long legacy may continue with sophomore Jabarie Hinds, who has been Mount Vernon’s starting point guard since 8th grade. At 6’, he stands over opposing point guards while having just as much speed and an incredible vertical jump that has led to some entertaining dunks. Time will tell if Hinds joins the long list of Mount Vernon graduates who make a great career in the art of basketball.
Mount Vernon High School in New York has a humungous reputation for winning and winning year after year when it comes to boys basketball. While a normal high school’s goal is to make the playoffs and do their best, the Knights of Mount Vernon and their fans expect little short of a state championship, which is usually in easy reach by playing their best. The program is often ranked in the Top 50 nationally, which gives kids a good chance to continue their basketball career at a Division 1 college and even professionally. Unfortunately, the city is suffering tremendously from the rough economic downturn. The situation at the high school is so bad that students had to spend their summers conducting fundraisers and asking for donations to have a sports program this year. Fortunately, they got the program going and are continuing to entertain fans from all over state and the country.
Mount Vernon made a trip out to Oregon this season to play some of the best teams in the country in a tournament, only losing 1 out of 4 games. The Knights usually dominate their local section (1 Class A) with ease. They won the section crown again this year, but did have some bumps in the road, almost losing in the semi-final to heavy underdog Yorktown. They have won the last 4 section 1 Class AA championships and 9 of the last 10. They won back to back state championships in ’06 and ’07, and were favorites to win again last year, but Bishop Maginn sent them home early in the state semi-final by beating the Knights 54-52.
Hopefully this year’s team can avenge last season’s underachievement. They have a good chance, as long as star 6’-6” guard Sherrod Wright can continue to perform at the level of excellence that has gotten him recruited by some of the most prestigious sports colleges in the country. But he wasn’t the first Mount Vernon star to have a deep future in the sport and certainly won’t be the last.
Back at the turn of the millennium, Ben Gordon led the Knights to a 28-0 record, a state championship, and a Federation championship, which involved beating the best Catholic schools in the state. He went on to win a national championship with UConn and become a key role player for the Chicago Bulls, which he is still today. A Mount Vernon teammate of Gordon’s in 2001, when the Knights were stopped short of repeating as state champs, was Dexter Gray. Gray started for 4 years at Mount Vernon and played for St. John’s University and Iona College, but didn’t have a successful pro career. Keith Benjamin was a teammate of his in 2004, when the Knights won the state and Federation championships. Benjamin ended up playing for Pittsburgh University in a talented Big East, and averaged about 10 points per game as a senior.
Three other key players on that ’04 team all went to Division 1 colleges: Jonathan Mitchell, Chris Lowe, and Michael Coburn. Mitchell won a national championship at Florida University, but transferred to Rutgers after not getting enough playing time. Lowe is the starting point guard at UMass and the team’s second-leading scorer. He recently set the school record for assists. Coburn is a point guard at Rutgers after spending 5 years on varsity at Mount Vernon while incredibly winning 3 state championships. Last year’s star was forward Kevin Jones, who after helping the Knights to 2 state titles, is having a great freshman year at West Virginia, and may help them reach the NCAA tournament. This long legacy may continue with sophomore Jabarie Hinds, who has been Mount Vernon’s starting point guard since 8th grade. At 6’, he stands over opposing point guards while having just as much speed and an incredible vertical jump that has led to some entertaining dunks. Time will tell if Hinds joins the long list of Mount Vernon graduates who make a great career in the art of basketball.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
The Bubble 3/2/09
The big question in college basketball is whether your team will be in or out of the NCAA tournament. Teams that win their conference tournaments get in automatically, and there are 31 conferences, which leaves 34 at-large bids for teams to get to the Big Dance. Teams that are borderline for being good enough for the tournament are “on the bubble”. On Selection Sunday, there are always a few surprise bubble teams that get in, and a few that are left out that many people thought were in. For the past few years, Syracuse has been left out of the field of 65 even though they have compiled some impressive seasons. This has stirred up some doubt about the selection committee, but they do have a stressful job and can’t make everyone happy. Syracuse did make it in back in 2006, when Gerry McNamara hit a series of game-winning shots to lead the Orangemen to an improbable Big East tournament championship victory. This year’s squad probably won’t have the same problem. They are 21-8 and 9-7 in a rugged Big East Conference. The selection committee heavily considers wins over RPI Top 50 teams and how well a team does in its last 8 or 10 games in considering seeds for tournament teams and if a team should get in or not. For example, Syracuse has beaten Kansas (24-5) and Memphis (26-3) and their only non-conference loss was to Cleveland State at the buzzer. Here are some pros and cons for some key bubble teams as the season winds down.
Maryland (18-10): Pro: Beat then No. 3 North Carolina and No. 5 Michigan State, the latter on the road. Con: Lost to Morgan State, whose RPI is well over 100. Verdict: In: Must win one out of last two games. Have to win a couple of games in ACC tournament. They might have to face No.2 Duke or No. 3 North Carolina in the conference tourney.
Rhode Island (22-8): Pro: Beat No.65 VCU, won last 6 games and last 9 out of 10. Con: Lost to No. 98 St. Joe’s. Verdict: In: They must win a couple games in A-10 tournament, but they don’t need to win the whole thing. No.11 Xavier is the only Top 25 team in the conference.
Kentucky (19-10): Pro: Beat No. 20 West Virginia. Beat No.21 Tennessee twice. Con: Lost 5 out of last 8 games, lost to No. 91 Mississippi State and to No. 104 Vanderbilt. Verdict: Out: Too inconsistent, had promising victories, but they need to win their conference tournament to get in NCAA tourney. No. 21 Tennessee and No. 11 LSU are the only Top 25 teams in the conference right now.
Notre Dame (16-12): Pro: Beat No. 38 Texas and No. 10 Louisville. Con: Lost to No. 147 St. John’s , lost 4 of last 8 games, 7-9 in Big East play so far. Verdict: Out: Couldn’t win during conference play, need to win conference tournament to get in NCAA tourney. They might have to face No.1 Pittsburgh or No. 6 UConn in the conference tournament.
Baylor (17-11): Pro: Beat No. 33 Arizona State and No.31 Oklahoma State and No.35 Texas A&M. Con: Lost to No. 135 Texas Tech and to No. 152 Iowa State, lost 6 out of last 8 games and are 5-9 in conference play so far. Verdict: Out: They were too erratic in conference play and would have to win their conference tournament. They might have to face No.5 Oklahoma who just got National Player of the Year candidate Blake Griffin back from a concussion.
Providence (18-11): Pro: Beat No.23 Syracuse and No.1 Pittsburgh. Con: Lost to No. 80 Northeastern, lost 4 of last 8 games. Verdict: In: They have the ability to beat great teams and can win a couple of games in the Big East tournament. No key losses.
This is what I think. See if you agree with me. But I’m sure of one thing: picking teams to get into the Big Dance, as hard as it is, is nothing compared to correctly picking games for your bracket during the tournament.
The big question in college basketball is whether your team will be in or out of the NCAA tournament. Teams that win their conference tournaments get in automatically, and there are 31 conferences, which leaves 34 at-large bids for teams to get to the Big Dance. Teams that are borderline for being good enough for the tournament are “on the bubble”. On Selection Sunday, there are always a few surprise bubble teams that get in, and a few that are left out that many people thought were in. For the past few years, Syracuse has been left out of the field of 65 even though they have compiled some impressive seasons. This has stirred up some doubt about the selection committee, but they do have a stressful job and can’t make everyone happy. Syracuse did make it in back in 2006, when Gerry McNamara hit a series of game-winning shots to lead the Orangemen to an improbable Big East tournament championship victory. This year’s squad probably won’t have the same problem. They are 21-8 and 9-7 in a rugged Big East Conference. The selection committee heavily considers wins over RPI Top 50 teams and how well a team does in its last 8 or 10 games in considering seeds for tournament teams and if a team should get in or not. For example, Syracuse has beaten Kansas (24-5) and Memphis (26-3) and their only non-conference loss was to Cleveland State at the buzzer. Here are some pros and cons for some key bubble teams as the season winds down.
Maryland (18-10): Pro: Beat then No. 3 North Carolina and No. 5 Michigan State, the latter on the road. Con: Lost to Morgan State, whose RPI is well over 100. Verdict: In: Must win one out of last two games. Have to win a couple of games in ACC tournament. They might have to face No.2 Duke or No. 3 North Carolina in the conference tourney.
Rhode Island (22-8): Pro: Beat No.65 VCU, won last 6 games and last 9 out of 10. Con: Lost to No. 98 St. Joe’s. Verdict: In: They must win a couple games in A-10 tournament, but they don’t need to win the whole thing. No.11 Xavier is the only Top 25 team in the conference.
Kentucky (19-10): Pro: Beat No. 20 West Virginia. Beat No.21 Tennessee twice. Con: Lost 5 out of last 8 games, lost to No. 91 Mississippi State and to No. 104 Vanderbilt. Verdict: Out: Too inconsistent, had promising victories, but they need to win their conference tournament to get in NCAA tourney. No. 21 Tennessee and No. 11 LSU are the only Top 25 teams in the conference right now.
Notre Dame (16-12): Pro: Beat No. 38 Texas and No. 10 Louisville. Con: Lost to No. 147 St. John’s , lost 4 of last 8 games, 7-9 in Big East play so far. Verdict: Out: Couldn’t win during conference play, need to win conference tournament to get in NCAA tourney. They might have to face No.1 Pittsburgh or No. 6 UConn in the conference tournament.
Baylor (17-11): Pro: Beat No. 33 Arizona State and No.31 Oklahoma State and No.35 Texas A&M. Con: Lost to No. 135 Texas Tech and to No. 152 Iowa State, lost 6 out of last 8 games and are 5-9 in conference play so far. Verdict: Out: They were too erratic in conference play and would have to win their conference tournament. They might have to face No.5 Oklahoma who just got National Player of the Year candidate Blake Griffin back from a concussion.
Providence (18-11): Pro: Beat No.23 Syracuse and No.1 Pittsburgh. Con: Lost to No. 80 Northeastern, lost 4 of last 8 games. Verdict: In: They have the ability to beat great teams and can win a couple of games in the Big East tournament. No key losses.
This is what I think. See if you agree with me. But I’m sure of one thing: picking teams to get into the Big Dance, as hard as it is, is nothing compared to correctly picking games for your bracket during the tournament.
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