Post by rainman on Mar 12, 2008 8:03:09 GMT -5
COLUMN: Size counts in Big East
By Bob Hertzel
For the Times West Virginian
MORGANTOWN— Call this “The Year of the Big Man” in the Big East.
As the conference tournament dawns on Wednesday, it would appear that only a team capable of taking the high road can win the championship.
Put another way, let’s just say that size counts.
After years of seeing the NBA reach for the stars by taking away best of college basketball’s supersized heroes, most of them without ever having set foot in a college gymnasium, the Big East has reached heights it never before has seen by gathering a tremendous collection of big men.
Think about it for a moment. Georgetown has 7-3 Roy Hibbert, Connecticut 7-4 Hasheem Thabeet and Louisville 6-11 David Padgett. And when they lack height in the middle, they have put in talented space-eaters like 6-9 Arinze Onuaku of Syracuse and 6-7 DeJuan Blair of Pitt, and even South Florida had 6-9 Kentrell Gransberry.
And the Big East Conference’s Player of the Year is Notre Dame center Luke Harangody, who is listed at 6-7 but plays 7-6.
How important is size?
West Virginia coach Bob Huggins explained how important it was by quoting a coaching legend, Marv Harshman, a Hall of Famer who won 642 games from 1945 to 1985 coaching mostly at Washington.
According to Huggins, Harshman was once asked whether he would rather be big or quick.
“Big,” he answered without hesitation.
When asked why, Harshman replied:
“Little guys get tired but big guys don’t shrink.”
Jim Boeheim of Syracuse has been around a lot longer than he’d care to remember and has learned something about the game.
“It’s no coincidence when Padgett got healthy Louisville began winning,” he said.
Padgett broke a kneecap and missed 10 games early in the season. He came back quicker than anyone imagined, worked his way into the lineup and by February, he was back to full strength.
Louisville did not lose a game in February.
Certainly, over the years, the Big East has had its share of great center – Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Motumbo, Emeka Okafor, Rony Seikaly and Othella Harrington – but never anything like this group.
“All of a sudden the four top teams have four great centers, and there’s other guys,” said Connecticut’s Jim Calhoun. “I don’t think I’ve seen this much post play.”
Think about this group that will gather in Madison Square Garden. Harangody, a blue-collar worker who rebounds and plays the inside game as hard as anyone, is the spotlight player, but he hardly stands alone.
Louisville’s Padgett is the complete package, able to score and rebound and pass, a thinking man’s player. Georgetown’s Hibbert in a rebounder and shot blocker whose game has grown over the years. Blair, at Pitt, is a punishing player who as a freshman reminds you of a young Charles Barkley. Syracuse’s Onuaku is one of the hottest players in the league coming into the tournament.
“We haven’t had center play like this in 10 years,” said Boeheim.”
And then there’s UConn’s Thabett, the shot blocker.
“He’s the most intimidating player in the country,” said Boeheim.
The play of these centers has absolutely changed the way basketball is being played in the Big East, turned it back in time even.
“It’s a throwback to when everyone had a — quote — center — unquote,” said Calhoun. “There are no cheap layups. You have more quality inside-outside play.”
This, of course, is important to West Virginia, who does have a 7-footer in Jamie Smalligan, but he has hardly a post player or shot blocker look.
The Mountaineers benefited by drawing Providence in the first round, but after that would figure to run into UConn, Georgetown and Louisville if they go all the way. That would mean to win the title they would probably have to beat Thabeet, Hibbert and Padgett.
That’s a tall order.
“To this point we haven’t dealt with it well, but I think we can,” Huggins said. “I keep saying it, but Jamie is going to make perimeter shots, and that will drag people away from the basket.”
Smalligan was known for his 3-point shooting last year but that has fallen off badly, meaning opposing centers haven’t had to jump outside to guard him, making life tougher inside for Joe Alexander.
Huggins believes that Smalligan has reached the point where he is an asset against the bigger centers in the league even though he’s not making shots.
“When we play big bodies Jamie has been really effective,” Huggins said, noting how well he played against Georgetown and Connecticut, giving WVU a chance to win.
By Bob Hertzel
For the Times West Virginian
MORGANTOWN— Call this “The Year of the Big Man” in the Big East.
As the conference tournament dawns on Wednesday, it would appear that only a team capable of taking the high road can win the championship.
Put another way, let’s just say that size counts.
After years of seeing the NBA reach for the stars by taking away best of college basketball’s supersized heroes, most of them without ever having set foot in a college gymnasium, the Big East has reached heights it never before has seen by gathering a tremendous collection of big men.
Think about it for a moment. Georgetown has 7-3 Roy Hibbert, Connecticut 7-4 Hasheem Thabeet and Louisville 6-11 David Padgett. And when they lack height in the middle, they have put in talented space-eaters like 6-9 Arinze Onuaku of Syracuse and 6-7 DeJuan Blair of Pitt, and even South Florida had 6-9 Kentrell Gransberry.
And the Big East Conference’s Player of the Year is Notre Dame center Luke Harangody, who is listed at 6-7 but plays 7-6.
How important is size?
West Virginia coach Bob Huggins explained how important it was by quoting a coaching legend, Marv Harshman, a Hall of Famer who won 642 games from 1945 to 1985 coaching mostly at Washington.
According to Huggins, Harshman was once asked whether he would rather be big or quick.
“Big,” he answered without hesitation.
When asked why, Harshman replied:
“Little guys get tired but big guys don’t shrink.”
Jim Boeheim of Syracuse has been around a lot longer than he’d care to remember and has learned something about the game.
“It’s no coincidence when Padgett got healthy Louisville began winning,” he said.
Padgett broke a kneecap and missed 10 games early in the season. He came back quicker than anyone imagined, worked his way into the lineup and by February, he was back to full strength.
Louisville did not lose a game in February.
Certainly, over the years, the Big East has had its share of great center – Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Motumbo, Emeka Okafor, Rony Seikaly and Othella Harrington – but never anything like this group.
“All of a sudden the four top teams have four great centers, and there’s other guys,” said Connecticut’s Jim Calhoun. “I don’t think I’ve seen this much post play.”
Think about this group that will gather in Madison Square Garden. Harangody, a blue-collar worker who rebounds and plays the inside game as hard as anyone, is the spotlight player, but he hardly stands alone.
Louisville’s Padgett is the complete package, able to score and rebound and pass, a thinking man’s player. Georgetown’s Hibbert in a rebounder and shot blocker whose game has grown over the years. Blair, at Pitt, is a punishing player who as a freshman reminds you of a young Charles Barkley. Syracuse’s Onuaku is one of the hottest players in the league coming into the tournament.
“We haven’t had center play like this in 10 years,” said Boeheim.”
And then there’s UConn’s Thabett, the shot blocker.
“He’s the most intimidating player in the country,” said Boeheim.
The play of these centers has absolutely changed the way basketball is being played in the Big East, turned it back in time even.
“It’s a throwback to when everyone had a — quote — center — unquote,” said Calhoun. “There are no cheap layups. You have more quality inside-outside play.”
This, of course, is important to West Virginia, who does have a 7-footer in Jamie Smalligan, but he has hardly a post player or shot blocker look.
The Mountaineers benefited by drawing Providence in the first round, but after that would figure to run into UConn, Georgetown and Louisville if they go all the way. That would mean to win the title they would probably have to beat Thabeet, Hibbert and Padgett.
That’s a tall order.
“To this point we haven’t dealt with it well, but I think we can,” Huggins said. “I keep saying it, but Jamie is going to make perimeter shots, and that will drag people away from the basket.”
Smalligan was known for his 3-point shooting last year but that has fallen off badly, meaning opposing centers haven’t had to jump outside to guard him, making life tougher inside for Joe Alexander.
Huggins believes that Smalligan has reached the point where he is an asset against the bigger centers in the league even though he’s not making shots.
“When we play big bodies Jamie has been really effective,” Huggins said, noting how well he played against Georgetown and Connecticut, giving WVU a chance to win.
