ESPN Men's Basketball

Originally Published: December 11, 2003

Reaching into the Bilas mailbag

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By Jay Bilas
Special to ESPN.com
Archive

ESPN's Jay Bilas answers a few questions each week from ESPN.com users.

"Wow, I think that you went a little overboard with your article, 'Inconsistency all too common'. Granted the 20-hour and one day off rules may be a little too restricting, but comparing this to the fact that kids have unlimited study time is unbelievable. College comes first in college basketball. Believe it or not the majority of students at a college are there to study, NOT pamper to the very small small small minority that may make it to the big leagues. As a Duke fan, I thought you would understand the importance of a quality education. You did have an excellent point of high school players practicing very little simply to play a large number of games. One last thing, how could you leave UNC off the (Dec. 2) Power 16? I realize your allegiance to the dark side is strong, but is it that blinding?"

Matt Berger, Ventura, Calif.

Matt,
Thanks for the e-mail, and the thoughtful response. I promise you that I understand the importance of a quality education, considering I graduated from college and law school. I also understand, because I went through the process as a player and a coach, that one can play high level basketball AND get a great education, and you would probably agree. While I cannot expect you to read an ESPN.com article with the same care you would show if you were to be tested on it, I never said or implied that "kids have unlimited study time". I said that coaches should not be restricted to just 20 hours per week (which includes time taken for games), plus a mandatory day off per week. That does not provide the time or the flexibility to administer a basketball team and its players. I really do believe, Matt, that coaches would not overtrain their teams and players, and it would be a benefit rather than a detriment.

As for your statement that a majority of students go to college to study, that may be so, but there are many students that pursue different avenues while attending college, and still receive a well-rounded education. I do not see athletics as being different from music, drama, the student newspaper or the greek system. I believe that athletics can and should be an important component of student-athlete's educational experience, especially because it is a pursuit of excellence. It is up to each institution to determine for itself the balance it wishes to keep. Simply because a small minority go on to be professionals does not mean that the time spent on the endeavor should be reduced and the quality of play hurt as a result of it. For those who play, and for many who support the endeavor, it is important.

As for my exclusion of North Carolina in last week's Power 16, I hope you and others will cut me some slack on that one. Simply put, I screwed up. I gave ESPN.com my Top 20 over the phone before broadcasting Notre Dame at Marquette, and I blew it. Turnover, horn, sub ... I promise I won't let it happen again. However, I hope that gives you an understanding of how silly polls are. Most of the polls that are undertaken are given short attention by many who vote. Why? Because in basketball, polls don't mean anything of any real substance. The NCAA Tournament selections are determined by who you play and who you beat, not by what any voters think ... but I still should have had UNC in the Top 10 last week, phone or no phone. Now, will you please stop reading this and get studying!

Thanks again for taking the time to share your thoughts.

"Do you think now that UConn has Charlie Villanueva back, they will form a cohesive unit to go along with the talent?"

Dave, Storrs, Conn.

Dave,
I know that UConn can blend into a cohesive unit, but it takes time. Villanueva is a talented player, and has the chance to be a terrific college performer. But he needs to make hard work, defense and rebounding his priority. The truth is, UConn does not need Charlie Villanueva to win the Big East or the national title, but if he jumps in with both feet and gives of himself fully to the team, then he can really add value to the Huskies. I still think that UConn has the best chance to be the best team by March, and the Huskies have a lot of room to improve. Thanks for the e-mail, Dave

"Forget all the hype for the usual suspects like Raymond Felton, Dee Brown and Chris Thomas. Has any point guard in America this year been as good as Jarret Jack or Deron Williams so far?"

Mike Mears,
Champaign, Ill.

Mike,
Perhaps not yet. Williams has been great early in the season, and Jack has been the reason that Georgia Tech has gotten off to such a great start. Keep this in mind when evaluating point guards ... scoring and shooting numbers are nice measures and easy to spot, but the real measure of a point guard is whether he delivers the ball to scorers within the context of the offense being run, and whether they can key their team's defense at the point of attack. Illinois is now running more motion, and Williams has taken it upon himself to score more, and he is shooting it well. But as his team learns to run this new offense, Williams may see his numbers decrease, yet he will be doing a better job. Point guards are like quarterbacks, they are measured by wins and quality of play of their teams. Williams and Jack will keep among the nation's elite if they keep their teams among the nation's elite. By the end of the season, you may be putting Chris Paul of Wake Forest, Aaron Miles of Kansas, John Gilchrest of Maryland, and Blake Stepp of Gonzaga at or near the top of your list as well. Thanks for the observation, you're right on it.

"Who do you think will win a national title first: Kansas (Bill Self) or UNC (Roy Williams)? Also, is there any way that the deal was in place for Roy to go to Chapel Hill before the NCAA Tournament even took place? How 'bout before the national title game? Thank you very much Mr. Bilas, I enjoy your work and value your opinions."

Will Hipp,
Wichita, Kan.

Will,
Who knows which coach will win one first, but I know that both will before they are done. Roy Williams is a sure fire Hall of Famer whose success at North Carolina is no surprise. Bill Self has proven himself at Oral Roberts, Tulsa and Illinois, and will again at Kansas. Self is the real thing, and he'll prove it. If Self wins it before Williams, it will be another KU-UNC thing for Williams to fret about, but it won't mean anything ... Williams could have two or three national championships by now, and with a healthy Wayne Simien, he would have had one last year. How ironic is that? If Sean May doesn't get hurt, Matt Doherty is still the coach at North Carolina, and if Wayne Simien doesn't get hurt, Roy Williams has a national championship. That could be one of those ESP(N) The Magazine commercials. Thanks for the question.

"Are you surprised about Kansas losing to Stanford? Well, I'm not. But at the end of the year, I think they'll win it all, and coach of the year award will go to Bill Self. I'm a big Jayhawk fan and is disappointed about Roy leaving, but love Bill Self's coaching strategy."

McCall Grimes,
The Woodlands, Texas

McCall,
The only cause for surprise would be because Stanford played without Josh Childress. But, beyond that, it was not a surprise at all. Anyone in the top 30 can beat anyone at all. Kansas has a team that could reach the Final Four, but the Jayhawks are not a great shooting team. As I said before the season, KU will see a lot of zone, and has to knock down perimeter shots in order to be as good as they can be. I agree with you on Self, he is an outstanding coach who believes down to his socks in his system, as Williams does as well, and he will maintain the excellence that KU has come to expect over the years. As for upsets, get used to it, because there are 25 or 30 teams that are capable of winning the national title this year. Not a team in America is playing up to its potential right now, and the team that continues to progress toward March will be in the best position to win it all. KU can be among those teams. Thanks for the question.

"Did you catch the Wake/Indiana game? The student section was holding signs up calling you out! Are you still going to sleep on Wake Forest after we've dismantled IU in the biggest ACC/BigTen challenge loss ever! Wake Forest is deeper than any other ACC team, maybe in all of basketball. The team had averaged over 94 points per game after we beat Memphis, and yet have no dominant scorer. Chris Paul is making an immediate impact, Big E is becoming a beast, and none of our other big men are even healthy yet. Wake Forest could run with any other team in the country right now.

This is a great time for the ACC. Please don't overlook the Deacs."

Brian Carlo,
Winston-Salem, N.C.

Brian,
I did catch the game, but did not see any signs. My wife, a Wake Forest B-School grad, will be proud that I was a target at Joel Coliseum. I agree with you that Wake Forest is the real thing, which is one reason that I have not given Georgia Tech the ACC crown after the great performance in New York and Ohio State. Wake has everything, and will be really hard to beat. Skip Prosser is a truly outstanding coach, Chris Paul a terrific point guard who is beyond his years, and Jamaal Levy reminds me of James Posey (Skip's "Do Everything" player from Xavier). After the Willis Reed act put on by Taron Downey in Madison Square Garden, it should be a special year for Wake Forest. By the way, what's the deal with the signs? I've been on Wake's bandwagon for a long while now ... gimme some credit! Thanks for the e-mail.

"How do you not have UNC in your power 16 (last week)? I know there is a lack of depth issue, but our starting 5 can match up with anyone in the country."

Paul Worth,
Chapel Hill, N.C.

Paul,
See my response to Matt Berger, above. I screwed up, and now the conspiracy theorists will think it was because of my diploma. Back, and to the left. Back, and to the left. Carolina has, arguably, the best starting five in America, and one of the five is hurt ... David Noel. The Tar Heels can score with anyone, and will be among the truly elite teams in America all season long. This team reminds me of Carolina's 1998 team that went only six deep, yet advanced to the Final Four before losing to Utah. I think they will get better and better, but cannot afford another injury to one of the top four guys. Sorry for the omission.

"Hey Jay,
How come the Hawkeyes can't get any love. They beat a ranked and very highly thought of Louisville team that has that one guy as coach who I think is pretty famous, and then they won their home tourney handily against three teams expected to win their conferences. They're 6-0 and have played some pretty good squads, yet they beat Louisville and it was barely mentioned, they don't break the highlights on ESPN Radio, who announces like Hofstra beating somebody in basketball for God's sakes. I mean, what do the Hawkeyes have to do for you guys to respect them enough to talk about their accomplishments. When we win the NCAA tourney this year, will you mention us then?"

Nathan Merz,
Manson, Iowa

Nathan,
I think if the Hawkeyes win the NCAA Tournament, they will indeed get some mention! You're probably right, that Iowa's win over Louisville didn't get the credit it deserved. In my opinion, the reason is simple. People have to be beaten over the head with success before they believe. Iowa has been good, but not consistent over the past few years, and it will take a while for the media to catch up with the reality of how good Iowa is and will be. Once the Hawks get into conference play and win, you'll see the love.

"Would a healthy Brandon Cotton make a significant difference for Michigan State right now? They have struggled so much with taking care of the ball and apparently Rashi Johnson is not the immediate answer. Somebody who can deliver the ball into the front court and consistently distribute it with some level of security needs to come to the forefront. Can a freshman (this freshman?) do that at this level?"

Jim Johnson,
Marysville, Mich.

Jim,
Brandon Cotton would make a difference, but he would not be the solution to the entire problem. Part of the problem is perception. Michigan State has played, by far, the toughest schedule in the nation, and the Spartans have felt bruised by the experience. However, would it make everyone feel better if Michigan State had played the same schedule as South Carolina and was 8-0? The same issues would exist, and be masked by the pretty record until the Big Ten season.

Michigan State would be much better off with a lead guard that can break a press all by himself, as would a lot of teams. That is a great asset, but Michigan State can win without that. The Spartans don't have it this year, and didn't have it last year. Michigan State can still be very good without a "true" point, but there has to be more accountability from others for getting the ball into operational areas. The turnovers we have seen are not individual turnovers, they are team turnovers, and Tom Izzo and his team will work them out. Players have to make themselves available as outlets to passers, catch and face the defense, and make a play. They will.

Don't be fooled by a team's record. Michigan State has a pretty good gauge on how good they can and will be, and I think they can and will be very good as the season rolls along. Some teams out there right now think they are good, and may react poorly when they see their own blood in January. Thanks for the question.

"I am a Kentucky Wildcat fan. I think Tubby Smith is a great basketball coach, but a terrible recruiter. We have no offensive threat, and no bench. All we can hope for is good team chemistry, and that we hold our opponents to under 60 points. What do you feel about the 'Cats?"

Greg,
Hebron, Ky.

Greg,
You are right that Tubby Smith is a great coach, and his teams are consistently in the hunt for SEC and national honors. Did you ever think that Tubby has a recruiting strategy, and that he recruits four-year guys in addition to the early entry superstars? Kentucky has one of the best five teams in the nation this year, and can be very good when March rolls around. The Wildcats are versatile, deep and can rebound and defend. The only thing that kept the Wildcats out of New Orleans last season was Keith Bogans' ankle and Dwyane Wade's triple double. Going into the NCAAs last year, Kentucky and Kansas were the best teams. Healthy, they would have played each other in the national semifinals. Tubby Smith is one of the very best coaches America, and he would make any program a big winner.

"I was hoping that you could comment on Pitt's chances this year. I know that their schedule isn't as challenging as some in the early going. However, some of the teams that they have played are better than most believe. They handled Penn State very easily. Penn State did give Georgetown all that it could handle earlier this year and Penn State defeated a good Cleveland State team. Pitt defeated Alabama, as well, which defeated a good Charlotte team. With returning players such as Krauser, Page, Brown and Troutman and freshman Taft, I believe that they will challenge UConn and will be a better team than either Notre Dame or Syracuse. I believe they'll be another Sweet 16 team and beyond this year."

Rich Green,
Pittsburgh, Pa.

Rich,
I think that Pitt is going to be a contender in the Big East, and looked pretty good in beating a solid Alabama team when I saw them in New York. Pitt has great strength at every position, and is a physical and powerful defensive and rebounding team. Carl Krauser, Julius Page and Jaron Brown are physically the strongest backcourt in the nation, and they can lock you down on the defensive end. Chevon Troutman reminds me a bit of Rick Fox, and is as efficient as any frontcourt player in the nation. With the development of Chris Taft, this team can beat most anyone. I like experience and talent, and this team has both. The only question mark is perimeter shooting, which will dog a lot of teams. Thanks for the question.

Jay Bilas is a college basketball analyst at ESPN and a regular contributor to ESPN.com.