Tournament Recap
It has been a great many years since I watched as much college basketball as I did over the last four weeks. I’m not really sure what got into me, but I have a sneaking suspicion it was two fellows by the name of Greg Oden and Kevin Durant.
It all started on Championship weekend when I decided to tune in for the first time and see what all the fuss was about. I’ll admit, I mostly only watched the Oregon Ducks play through the first three rounds. However, I was back watching every game from the Elite 8 on.
Maybe it was because I had 6 of the 8, 3 of the 4, the final game and the tourney winner correct? (BTW, I finished 126,207 in ESPN’s ‘Tournament Challenge’) But really, I can’t be the only one that thinks the juice is back in the tournament because of the 19-year-old age limit instituted by the NBA. Can I?
Anyway, it has also been a very long while since I’ve had any opinions at all on the college players coming to the association. So since I actually watched for a change, here’s what I think…
Florida
Joakim Noah - a nice energy guy, but nothing more. Needs to bulk up and develop something on the offensive end. He has "bust" written all over him.
Al Horford - for some reason I'm not overly impressed with him. Guess I'm missing something? He just doesn't seem all that athletic to me.
Corey Brewer - definite NBA athlete who should be a top notch defender within a few years. Needs to work on his jumper though.
Ohio State
Greg Oden - he is special, of that I have no doubt. Needs to hit the weight room and improve his conditioning, but the package is all there. Offense, defense, competitive fire, etc. I think at worst he’s Alonzo Mourning prior to the kidney problem. Oden’s “upside” is practically limitless.
Mike Conley Jr. - not ready for prime time yet. One more year would do wonders for him.
Georgetown
Roy Hibbert - has potential, but with the NBA moving away from big slow centers, he may only be a backup.
Jeff Green - could be a great all-around player in the pros. He's going to need the right coach to fully reach his full potential though.
UCLA
Arron Afflalo - how's he going to fare when everyone defending him is as athletic as Corey Brewer? Exactly.
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute – this guy is not an NBA player in my book.
I guess I didn’t pay close enough attention to Kansas, North Carolina and Memphis, because no one stuck out to me. Sorry.
Oregon
Aaron Brooks – should have a long career in Europe.
Malik Hariston – needs to come back for his senior year and fine tune his game. I see him as kind of a do-it-all bench player type in the league. He’s good, but not great in a lot of areas (shooting, driving, passing, rebounding, defending).
Others
Kevin Durant - would have averaged 15 points a game in the NBA *this* season. Needs to bulk up badly though.
Acie Law IV – only saw him miss that last second lay-up against Memphis. All I can say is, an NBA player finishes that play in that situation.
Josh McRoberts - only saw one game, but this kid is a bench player in the NBA.
Aaron Gray – again, only saw one game, but this guy absolutely screams stiff.
Nick Fazekas – no clue what all the hubbub is about with him? Couldn’t get his own shot off under pressure, and almost seemed to not want the ball during crunch time.
It all started on Championship weekend when I decided to tune in for the first time and see what all the fuss was about. I’ll admit, I mostly only watched the Oregon Ducks play through the first three rounds. However, I was back watching every game from the Elite 8 on.
Maybe it was because I had 6 of the 8, 3 of the 4, the final game and the tourney winner correct? (BTW, I finished 126,207 in ESPN’s ‘Tournament Challenge’) But really, I can’t be the only one that thinks the juice is back in the tournament because of the 19-year-old age limit instituted by the NBA. Can I?
Anyway, it has also been a very long while since I’ve had any opinions at all on the college players coming to the association. So since I actually watched for a change, here’s what I think…
Florida
Joakim Noah - a nice energy guy, but nothing more. Needs to bulk up and develop something on the offensive end. He has "bust" written all over him.
Al Horford - for some reason I'm not overly impressed with him. Guess I'm missing something? He just doesn't seem all that athletic to me.
Corey Brewer - definite NBA athlete who should be a top notch defender within a few years. Needs to work on his jumper though.
Ohio State
Greg Oden - he is special, of that I have no doubt. Needs to hit the weight room and improve his conditioning, but the package is all there. Offense, defense, competitive fire, etc. I think at worst he’s Alonzo Mourning prior to the kidney problem. Oden’s “upside” is practically limitless.
Mike Conley Jr. - not ready for prime time yet. One more year would do wonders for him.
Georgetown
Roy Hibbert - has potential, but with the NBA moving away from big slow centers, he may only be a backup.
Jeff Green - could be a great all-around player in the pros. He's going to need the right coach to fully reach his full potential though.
UCLA
Arron Afflalo - how's he going to fare when everyone defending him is as athletic as Corey Brewer? Exactly.
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute – this guy is not an NBA player in my book.
I guess I didn’t pay close enough attention to Kansas, North Carolina and Memphis, because no one stuck out to me. Sorry.
Oregon
Aaron Brooks – should have a long career in Europe.
Malik Hariston – needs to come back for his senior year and fine tune his game. I see him as kind of a do-it-all bench player type in the league. He’s good, but not great in a lot of areas (shooting, driving, passing, rebounding, defending).
Others
Kevin Durant - would have averaged 15 points a game in the NBA *this* season. Needs to bulk up badly though.
Acie Law IV – only saw him miss that last second lay-up against Memphis. All I can say is, an NBA player finishes that play in that situation.
Josh McRoberts - only saw one game, but this kid is a bench player in the NBA.
Aaron Gray – again, only saw one game, but this guy absolutely screams stiff.
Nick Fazekas – no clue what all the hubbub is about with him? Couldn’t get his own shot off under pressure, and almost seemed to not want the ball during crunch time.
posted by D$ at 10:24 AM
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