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College Basketball Mailbag

Sports Illustrated's Seth Davis kicks off college hoops season by answering your questions

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Posted: Wednesday October 14, 1998 04:43 PM

Click here to send your college hoops questions to Seth Davis.

What is your projection for the Florida Gators this season? Do you think they have a chance to get to the field of 64? Also do you think any of the freshmen that UF brought in this year will make an immediate impact?
—Shawn Hasley, Auburndale, Florida

I don't see Florida as having any kind of shot to win the SEC, but lots of teams will not want to play them. The Gators will be one of the better long-range shooting teams in the nation, which means they can score in bunches. And Billy Donovan, like any good Pitino disciple, excels at coaching an up-tempo, pressing style.

But this team has too many problems to be considered a threat to play deep into the tournament. In the first place, the Gators will be without the services of senior guard Kenyan Weaks for the first nine games. Weaks was suspended from the team for what the school is describing as "an incident in a dorm" this summer. This is the worst possible development for a team with so dire a need for veteran stewardship. Also, Florida was the worst rebounding team in the SEC last year, and though senior forward Greg Stolt (4.6 rpg) and sophomore forward Brent Wright (4.3 rpg, All-SEC freshman team) return, there's no reason to believe the Gators will improve in this department.

This team does have impact freshmen. Donovan assembled one of the top five recruiting classes in the nation. The plum of the class is 6-foot-8 forward Mike Miller from South Dakota. Miller is being compared to Larry Bird, but I think that's only because he's white. His game is more like that of Scottie Pippen; Miller can defend the perimeter, shoot the 3 and break ankles off the dribble. He'll be the Gators' go-to guy by January. Also, I'm told that 6-4 wingman LaDarius Halton has looked impressive in preseason workouts and will probably be the best athlete on the team. The 5-10 guard Ted Dupay, like Miller, was a McDonald's All-American, but with senior incumbent Eddie Shannon returning at the point, I don't see Dupay as more than a backup this year.

How good is this year's Duke team? Can they make it to the Final Four? And do you see Coach K leaving Duke anytime soon?
—Harris Cohen, Brooklyn, New York

Sure, Duke can make it to the Final Four, but will they? Well, that depends. First of all, the Blue Devils, like everyone else, have to stay healthy. They're not particularly deep this year (only nine scholarship players) so that leaves them especially susceptible to injury. Also, ballhandling will be a problem, and that can be a kiss of death in college basketball. Now that Steve Wojciechowski has graduated, the Blue Devils are without a pure point guard. The duties will be shared by sophomore Will Avery and senior Trajan Langdon, but neither is particularly adept at running a team.

Duke does, however, have one of the best frontlines in the nation, featuring sophomore forwards Shane Battier and Elton Brand. And in Corey Maggette, Chris Burgess, Nate James and Taymon Domzalski, Mike Krzyzewski has four reserves who could start on most teams. This squad will be very hard to beat.

And as far as Coach K leaving, I'm guessing he's got a couple more years in him at most. He's been bothered by an arthritic hip the last year or so, so he's not able to get as physically involved in games as he once did. He is still recruiting and coaching with trademark passion, but the reality is, he's 51 now, he's accomplished everything there is to accomplish in his profession, and he won't be there forever. (And, yes, I think former Duke player and assistant coach—and current Seton Hall head coach—Tommy Amaker will succeed him.)

What is your take on the Clyde Drexler hire at Houston? Bob Cousy is the only other NBA superstar I know about that went directly from playing to coaching (Celtics to Boston College), and he was successful. I think Drexler will be able to pack the house and recruit like the dickens. I see an NCAA bid by Year 3.
—Parker Binion, Houston

It was obviously a good move for the University of Houston to bring in the Glide. But beyond the initial cavalcade of publicity the hire created, the jury is going to be out for a while on whether Clyde can flourish in the job. In the first place, playing and coaching are two vastly different skills, and given Drexler's low-key personality, I wonder if he'll find ways to motivate today's young players.

More importantly, the game is much different than it was when Clyde was a college player. College coaches will tell you that 90 percent of being a coach in the '90s has nothing to do with basketball. It has more to do with recruiting, academics, parents, boosters, the university and all sorts of annoying headaches. We all know Clyde knows basketball. The question is going to be how he handles the other 90 percent of the job.

Not many teams will be anxious to face Donovan's Gators this year Andy Lyons/Allsport

Do you think the SEC is now the premier men's basketball conference? Take into consideration that they have won the national championship three out of the last five years, sent at least one team to the Final Four for the six consecutive years, and provided one-quarter of the teams in the Final Four in the 1990's.
—William Lockhart, Huntsville, Alabama

There's no question the SEC is one of the premier conferences in the land. The league's NCAA tournament performance the last few years—that includes the earlier rounds, not just the Final Four—has been most impressive. But the best? Well, that depends on what criteria you set. If you're looking for top-to-bottom parity and tradition, I'd say it's the ACC. If you're looking for glamour teams who are ranked high, then you could certainly make a case this season for the Pac-10. The Big Ten has been horrific come tournament time of late, but year in and year out I think it has more top-quality teams than the SEC does.

But hey, we're splitting hairs here. The SEC doesn't have to take a backseat to any league, and this should be another strong year. Kentucky is a bona fide favorite to repeat as champs; Tennessee, Arkansas and Georgia could make plenty of hay in the NCAAs; and Florida, South Carolina and Mississippi have the potential to reach the field of 64. Not bad at all.

Which school do you think has the best freshman class of men's basketball players this year?
—Jeff Dershewitz, Annandale, Virginia

No school has a better freshman class than UCLA, and those freshmen will need to make an immediate impact if the Bruins are to have the kind of season they're hoping for in Westwood. The best of the lot is Dan Gadzuric, a 6-foot-10 center with terrific running and leaping ability, though his basketball skills could use a good bit of polish. 6-7 wingman JaRon Rush is also loaded with talent. The concern with him is his attitude; Kansas coach Roy Williams pulled out of the Rush sweepstakes because the player had questioned Williams' coaching strategy on a Kansas City radio show. Also, 6-5 guard Ray Young will be among the top seven players for the Bruins this year.

Other schools with elite rookies include Arizona (highlighted by 6-8 Michael Wright and 6-7 Richard Jefferson), Rhode Island (6-8 Lamar Odom), Florida (6-8 Mike Miller, 6-4 LaDarius Halton) and North Carolina (6-7 Jason Capel, 6-9 Kris Lang and 6-2 Ronald Curry). FYI, the top junior college prospects are 6-3 point guard Steve Francis of Maryland, and 6-7 swingman Shawn Merion of UNLV.

I'm guessing the title of national freshman of the year will go to either 7-1 Joel Pryzbilla of Minnesota or 6-8 Vincent Yarborough of Tennessee. You heard it here first.

I have three questions for you about the Kentucky Wildcats. Does Kentucky have the depth and talent to have a legitimate chance to repeat this year? How will the loss of Nazr Mohammed hurt the team, even though Jamaal Magloire and Scott Padgett return? And lastly is the recruiting class good enough to maybe have a couple decent players come off the bench, something you really need in the tournament?
—Simon Poon, Toronto

1) Yes on depth, yes on talent, yes they have a legitimate chance to repeat.

2) Losing Nazr Mohammed won't bother them nearly as much as losing Jeff Sheppard will. Not only did Shep give the Cats their best perimeter punch, he was the undisputed team leader. But I see Heshimu Evans having a big year at the 2-spot, and between Jamaal Magloire, Michael Bradley and Scott Padgett, I don't think too many teams will be dominating Kentucky inside.

3) Tayshaun Prince is one of the more interesting freshmen in the country. He's extremely thin (205 lbs.), but at 6-foot-7 he can put the ball on the floor and pass it off. And though his outside shot is a funny-looking set shot, he's money when he's open. I also expect 6-6 forward Desmond Allison will find a spot in the rotation. If he does, Kentucky will again be one of the deepest teams in the country.

Click here to send a question to Seth Davis.

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