Roundball Chatter
Each week I talk about the sport I love, college basketball:
• The addition of Rick Jackson to the Syracuse starting lineup gives coach Jim Boeheim a lot of size and strength up front. I really like the move and Jackson responded to the addition playing time by performing well in wins over Canisius and at Memphis. Having Jackson and Arinze Onuaku up front could pay dividends against physical opponents in the Big East. Then throw in Jonny Flynn, who is one of the premier point guards in America, and I am really impressed with what I have seen from the Orange. After falling short of the NCAA tournament the last two seasons, Syracuse should go dancing come March Madness. Boeheim has never had three straight teams fall short of the NCAA. The resume already has three impressive Ws Florida, Kansas and Memphis, and none of those came at the Carrier Dome.
• It has been a tough season for Mississippi coach Andy Kennedy. His team has been hampered by injury after injury. The latest blow came when sophomore point guard Chris Warren was lost for the remainder of the season due to a torn ACL in his left knee. He also suffered a minor MCL sprain, a medial meniscus tear and a lateral bone contusion when injured on a lay-up attempt late in Rebels' loss to Louisville at SEC/BIG EAST Invitational. Previously Mississippi lost two other guards for the season due to injury -- Junior Eniel Polynice had surgery to repair extensive cartilage damage and loose fragments in his left knee on Nov. 18.Trevor Gaskins, a member of the All-SEC freshman team last season, was lost with a torn ACL in his left knee a week prior to the season opener.
• St. John's lost starting forward Justin Burrell for a couple of games due to hairline fractures to three facial bones. Burrell suffered the injury in practice when he collided with teammate Sean Evans in practice last week. Burrell should return to the Red Storm lineup when the team takes on Miami (Fla.) at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 27. Point guard Malik Boothe will be out for approximately two weeks, following surgery to repair torn thumb ligaments.
• Blake Griffin has been in the headlines for his strong start, but the Sooners have another star on the rise in diaper dandy Willie Warren. A McDonald's All-American, Warren has put up his own impressive numbers, including a 31-point effort against Rice. Keep an eye on this solid performer when Big 12 play rolls around.
• I felt the addition of Laval Lucas-Perry would be a big plus for Michigan. The guard, a transfer from Arizona, scored 14 points in his debut with the Wolverines, a win over Oakland. John Beilein had to be happy with his newcomer, who provides another solid scorer to go with Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims. With wins over Duke and UCLA already, it looks like Michigan could make its first trip back to the big dance since 1998.
• Thad Matta is starting to see progress from his diaper dandy, big man B.J. Mullens. After a slow start, Mullens has put together several productive games, including a 19-point, eight-rebound performance earlier in the week against UNC-Asheville.
• Last season, Drake emerged as a surprise team in the Missouri Valley Conference. This season, Illinois State has jumped out to an 11-0 start. Tim Jankovich's squad has good balance with five players averaging 9.5 ppg. or better. We will see if this is a contender or a pretender come league play.
• While Stephen Curry has grabbed a lot of the national headlines, another member of the family deserves his share of the spotlight. At Liberty, Ritchie McKay is thrilled to have a diaper dandy extraordinaire in Stepehn's brother, Seth. He has already been a PTPer in his own right, including a 30-point performance earlier in the week against Northern Colorado. Seth Curry was recruited by Davidson coach Bob McKillop, but the young man wanted to establish his own identity and is off to a flying start.
