Post by cviller on Mar 13, 2008 9:07:38 GMT -5
Everything slows down for Alexander
By Mike Casazza
Daily Mail sportswriter
NEW YORK - Still amazing, Joe Alexander remains amazed.
"It's crazy," he said after scoring 22 points and again making key free throws Wednesday in Madison Square Garden during critical moments as West Virginia beat Providence, 58-53, in the first round of the Big East Conference Tournament. "I can't believe what's happening."
The shock, however, has nothing to do with the 21.3 points he's averaged the past nine games or the 58.7 percent he's been shooting along the way.
Opponents are now scheming defenses around the 6-foot-8 junior from Mount Airy, Md.
"Never happened before," he said. "I never thought it would happen, either."
It's all very new to the kid who's been playing organized, competitive basketball for only five or six years. He doesn't know much about the history of the game and doesn't care to get caught up.
The extent of his basketball culture, he once said, is "M.J. and M.J."
The way he's been going since Valentine's Day would make His Airness swoon. It's also made coaches take notice. Different defenders, different ideas, different wrinkles, the latest provided by Providence, which went with a 2-3 zone designed to keep the ball out of Alexander's hot hands.
He ended up going 8-of-17 and assisting on four easy layups when he passed out of the extra attention. That's what's crazy.
"Even though it's never happened, I'm able to deal with it now and the reason I deal with it is because I slow it down," he said.
The Friars decided to deny Alexander in different ways. When he jumped to the top of the key and caught a pass, there was a double team. When he cut through the paint without the ball, someone followed. When he got the ball in the paint, the defense swarmed.
Alexander didn't take a shot in the first 5:13. He instead had an assist and basically assisted on an assist to create a fastbreak layup. By the time he shot and scored for an 11-6 lead, Alex Ruoff had missed three 3-pointers and the Mountaineers were struggling to shake the zone.
"It's not about that," Alexander said. "It'd be harder if we were down 15 points. Then maybe I'd be like, 'Man, I've got to hurry here.' But when you're still in the game, it's much easier. It sort of seems like a secret, but if I slow it down, it's easy."
As far as opponents are concerned, it's been too easy, or at least made to look that way, for far too long now.
Enter Connecticut, the team that ranks No. 6 nationally in field goal percentage defense and is greatly bothered by the fact Alexander scored 32 in Hartford on March 1. Jeff Adrien wasn't comfortable guarding Alexander on the perimeter and Stanley Robinson wasn't capable guarding Alexander in the post.
"Alexander is developing into a top player," UConn Coach Jim Calhoun said. "He is a really, really tough matchup once he gets going."
The goal, of course, is to prevent that. Calhoun was watching closely as Alexander blossomed into what he said "might be the best offensive force in the league."
That the Mountaineers have followed suit, winning five of six and seven of nine, is of no surprise to the Basketball Hall of Fame coach with 773 career victories and two national championships.
"There aren't many teams they can't play with," Calhoun said. "The only thing that gets to them is a lack of consistent post play, which when they're not making shots hurts them."
He may as well have showed his hand, although it's no secret the focus will be on Alexander. Calhoun and his assistants have spent a great deal of time recently finding ways to speed him up and slow his progress, if only for a day.
"They've done a nice job getting him into the post and utilizing the fact he just jumps over people," Calhoun said. "And he fades away. When you have a guy who jumps over you and fades away from you, that's difficult to stop.
"He's playing as well as anyone in the league right now."
