Sunday's Game Notes
--- Harrison Barnes is an absolute ball stopper.
And that ain't a good thing. Carolina will be better off offensively next year once Barnes departs for the draft, as long as Zeller and Henson stay (no sure thing) and their recruits succeed. Barnes offensive game is basically "give me the ball, let me try to score on a jumper or drive, then if I can't, let me give it back to you." A ball stopper.
Carolina may have gotten a 2 seed out of this season, but I have a feeling that next year they could be a 1. Notre Dame's players soared without Harangody dominating the offense and I expect the same thing out of Roy Williams' team in '11-'12.
--- The wild shot by Washington's Overton at the end of the UNC vs Washington game showed that these are, after all, kids.
And kids make mistakes. Overton didn't know how much time was left on the game clock, so he threw up a horrible shot from halfcourt. Man, what did the coach tell him in the huddle? And do players even listen to their coaches at the end of games?
For all their physical talent, these are just 18 to 22 year old young men. I know when I was in college I was a shadow of the man I am now at 44, and would not want to be judged on the actions I undertook way back when. Overton will have to live with the fact, just like Gilbert Brown of Pitt, that he cost his team a shot at victory because he didn't know the clock and/or score, making a basic thinking error. Hopefully the fan bases of the schools involved will be kind to the young men.
--- I am thinking that the reason that Duke kids don't typically have great NBA careers is that their talent is maxed out already by Coach K and his staff, probably by their junior year.
JJ Redick was already as good as he was going to get by the time he graduated. Same with most Duke players. Only Elton Brand comes to mind when I think of good Duke pros in the last ten years, and he left after two years. Is it possible that the coaching at Duke is so good that players cannot get any better at the next level, unlike players from most programs? Seems entirely likely.
---Jared Sullinger is a beast and a winner.
He may not be the first pick in the upcoming draft, but this kid plays to win. He looks like he's having a ton of fun right now and that he enjoys his teammates, who, for the most part, are upperclassmen. Ohio State looked great over the weekend and is clearly the favorite. Enjoy Sullinger now, since he may get drafted by some crappy NBA team in June, and might not be heard from again.
--- Every good white player is not all heart and intangibles, and every good black player is not a great runner and jumper.
I'm sick and tired of hearing about Ben Hansbrough's "heart" and "intangibles." Last night the play by play announcer for the Notre Dame wipeout by Florida State went on and on about this crap. His name is Spero Deds, and he is, apparently and surprisingly, hispanic. At least he looked of hispanic origin when shown next to his color man during timeouts. Wow. I've had to listen to Dick Vitale spout this nonsense for thirty years. It's total crap. There are just as many hard working black dudes in college and the NBA as white guys. Look at Ray Allen: he gets to Celtics games hours early to work on his shot.
Note to announcers and media: stop judging players by the color of their skin. It takes a lot of work and dedication to become a Division 1 athlete, and it's not just white guys who put in the time required. So please stop declaring every white boy who scores a bucket to be "all heart." You embarrass yourself.
--- How about the 2 1/2 point shot?
I've been thinking about this a lot since the end of the Pitt game: How is it fair that a shot from 21 feet away is worth 150% of a layup, since getting a layup has been the object of the game of basketball since Dr. Naismith invented it? Maybe, instead of giving 3 points for a long one, it could be worth 2.5? This might be worth trying in a YMCA league game. The team with the most points wins the game, but you don't get that one third advantage for long shots, only a one fourth edge. Sounds strange, and I don't know that scoreboard could handle fractions or percentages, but I think it's worth a try.
And that ain't a good thing. Carolina will be better off offensively next year once Barnes departs for the draft, as long as Zeller and Henson stay (no sure thing) and their recruits succeed. Barnes offensive game is basically "give me the ball, let me try to score on a jumper or drive, then if I can't, let me give it back to you." A ball stopper.
Carolina may have gotten a 2 seed out of this season, but I have a feeling that next year they could be a 1. Notre Dame's players soared without Harangody dominating the offense and I expect the same thing out of Roy Williams' team in '11-'12.
--- The wild shot by Washington's Overton at the end of the UNC vs Washington game showed that these are, after all, kids.
And kids make mistakes. Overton didn't know how much time was left on the game clock, so he threw up a horrible shot from halfcourt. Man, what did the coach tell him in the huddle? And do players even listen to their coaches at the end of games?
For all their physical talent, these are just 18 to 22 year old young men. I know when I was in college I was a shadow of the man I am now at 44, and would not want to be judged on the actions I undertook way back when. Overton will have to live with the fact, just like Gilbert Brown of Pitt, that he cost his team a shot at victory because he didn't know the clock and/or score, making a basic thinking error. Hopefully the fan bases of the schools involved will be kind to the young men.
--- I am thinking that the reason that Duke kids don't typically have great NBA careers is that their talent is maxed out already by Coach K and his staff, probably by their junior year.
JJ Redick was already as good as he was going to get by the time he graduated. Same with most Duke players. Only Elton Brand comes to mind when I think of good Duke pros in the last ten years, and he left after two years. Is it possible that the coaching at Duke is so good that players cannot get any better at the next level, unlike players from most programs? Seems entirely likely.
---Jared Sullinger is a beast and a winner.
He may not be the first pick in the upcoming draft, but this kid plays to win. He looks like he's having a ton of fun right now and that he enjoys his teammates, who, for the most part, are upperclassmen. Ohio State looked great over the weekend and is clearly the favorite. Enjoy Sullinger now, since he may get drafted by some crappy NBA team in June, and might not be heard from again.
--- Every good white player is not all heart and intangibles, and every good black player is not a great runner and jumper.
I'm sick and tired of hearing about Ben Hansbrough's "heart" and "intangibles." Last night the play by play announcer for the Notre Dame wipeout by Florida State went on and on about this crap. His name is Spero Deds, and he is, apparently and surprisingly, hispanic. At least he looked of hispanic origin when shown next to his color man during timeouts. Wow. I've had to listen to Dick Vitale spout this nonsense for thirty years. It's total crap. There are just as many hard working black dudes in college and the NBA as white guys. Look at Ray Allen: he gets to Celtics games hours early to work on his shot.
Note to announcers and media: stop judging players by the color of their skin. It takes a lot of work and dedication to become a Division 1 athlete, and it's not just white guys who put in the time required. So please stop declaring every white boy who scores a bucket to be "all heart." You embarrass yourself.
--- How about the 2 1/2 point shot?
I've been thinking about this a lot since the end of the Pitt game: How is it fair that a shot from 21 feet away is worth 150% of a layup, since getting a layup has been the object of the game of basketball since Dr. Naismith invented it? Maybe, instead of giving 3 points for a long one, it could be worth 2.5? This might be worth trying in a YMCA league game. The team with the most points wins the game, but you don't get that one third advantage for long shots, only a one fourth edge. Sounds strange, and I don't know that scoreboard could handle fractions or percentages, but I think it's worth a try.
posted by joe sweeney at 6:35 AM
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