Roundball Chatter
Each week I'll talk about the sport I love, college basketball:
•How important is point guard play in college basketball? Think about it, you can't win in this sport without good point guard play. Look at last season, when Derrick Rose of Memphis and Mario Chalmers of Kansas stepped up. They got to the final game because they had players who could run the offense and execute efficiently.
•Speaking of Memphis, John Calipari is on a roll. He got a commitment from Xavier Henry, one of the top recruits in America. It did not hurt that he was an assistant at Kansas when he father played for Larry Brown. There is nothing like brotherly love as Xavier wanted to join his brother CJ, who is currently on the Tigers' roster. Calipari keeps striking gold, with Rose, Tyreke Evans and now Henry.
•Florida has to get tougher inside. Billy Donovan's team has to be more physical on the boards and scoring in the paint. Alex Tyus is undersized at 6-8 but he is super in transition. Chandler Parsons is a solid outside shooter for a big man. Guys like diaper dandy Kenny Kadji will have to contribute up front for the Gators. In talking about Florida, I love the way Nick Calathes plays. He is versatile and an outstanding passer. He has great poise and his size allows him to see over defenses to make good passes.
•I was very impressed with Syracuse as the Orange rallied to beat Kansas in the CBE championship game in Kansas City. In watching forward Paul Harris I really feel he has the perfect build to be a defensive back in the NFL. There have been other college basketball players who have made the transition to football, like Antonio Gates of the Chargers. Jim Boeheim's team has balance with Harris, Jonny Flynn, Eric Devendorf and the extremely underrated Arinze Onuaku; this group gives the Orange multiple threats and defenses will have a hard time stopping all four.
•Keep an eye on Michigan. Manny Harris is one of the nation's premier sophomores. Players are buying into John Beilein's system and after just 10 wins last season the Wolverines are capable of finishing in the first division of the Big Ten. The win at Madison Square Garden over UCLA was the first signature victory for Beilein since going to Ann Arbor.
•Washington's Jon Brockman is one of the nation's most underrated players. He is an absolute terror on the glass. Watching him in person in Kansas City, he works so hard on the glass and will be a key to the Huskies come Pac-10 play. I feel the conference as a whole is a little bit down this season. UCLA lost to Michigan; Arizona fell against UAB; Oregon lost to Oakland; Washington lost to Portland. I will tell you one team that will be better than most experts thought California. Mike Montgomery is an outstanding coach and teacher and the Golden Bears will challenge for a spot in the upper echelon of the league.
•I really feel Pittsburgh is not getting as much publicity as deserved. Jamie Dixon's squad is tenacious and talented. Levance Fields seems to be fine after injuries plagued him last season. DeJuan Blair has a presence in the middle. The Big East has so much talent, yet the Panthers don't get as much respect as teams like Connecticut, Louisville and Notre Dame, Watch out as the Oakland Zoo should be rockin' and rolling, baby!
*An early observation about the three-point line. I don't think it being back a foot is going to make that big a difference. You see plenty of good shooters stepping back and making the longer trifecta. What is confusing is seeing different lines on the court as the women's game did not change the distance for its three-pointers. I wish there was some uniformity between men's and women's hoops.
