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On the trail of Madness
Posted: Tuesday October 19, 1999 12:08 PM
Sports Illustrated staff writer Grant Wahl will answer your questions every Tuesday during the college basketball season. Click here to send him a question. CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Where am I? Why am I here? And who is my bedside companion? Existential as these questions may be, they are what pass through your mind each morning when you visit five colleges in five days (and seven in 10). The answers, for today at least, are the University of Illinois; my annual preseason sojourn to some of the top college hoops programs of the Midwest; and a box of cold Domino's pizza. (What, you thought it would be Lon Kruger's daughter?) While pondering why any Chicago blue-chip player would ever make the trek to somnolent Champaign, let's get to the 'Bag. Who has the better backcourt -- Michigan State or Ohio
State?
A lot of people are asking this question, Bill, and, frankly, I don't think it's a close call. While Michigan State's Mateen Cleaves and Charlie Bell are solid, they're nowhere near as good as the Buckeyes' Scoonie Penn and Michael Redd. Let's compare: Cleaves and Penn are both good defenders who can dish the ball, but Penn is a far more dependable shooter and a more productive scorer. Ask yourself, How many times have you seen Penn go 2-for-15? At 2-guard, Bell is unflashy and underrated, but Redd has the best first step in college basketball. It's no contest. That said, Michigan State is the better team. With Morris Peterson, A.J. Granger, Andre Hutson and Mike Chappell, the Spartans have way more depth than Ohio State. If the Buckeyes are going to contend for a national title, Ken Johnson needs to become a much bigger inside presence. Don't count on it. But back to the backcourts for a second. Since I'm in Illini country, let me throw this one at you: By the time Big Ten season starts, the conference's second-best tandem will be Frank Williams and Cory Bradford at Illinois. Florida is coming off two great recruiting years and enters the season with
basically a squad of freshmen and sophomores. With their inexperience and great
talent, how far do you think the Gators will go in this year's
tournament?
I've seen the Gators ranked anywhere from No. 2 to No. 15 in various preseason publications, which should give you an indication of how difficult it is to judge whether they're ready for the next step after last year's huge improvement. In my mind, they're a lot closer to No. 2. Mike Miller could become one of the top five players in the country this year, and with the addition of superfrosh Donnell Harvey and Brett Nelson, the Gators should be set at center and the point. Whether Florida makes the Final Four will depend on how well these highly touted recruits play together, and the jury's still out. Coach Billy Donovan is going to be managing a lot of talent -- and a lot of egos. Grant, I think UConn has a tremendous chance to repeat as champs. Obviously,
there are some holes to fill with Richard Hamilton and Ricky Moore gone, but a
solid cast returns plus some very promising youngsters. What's your
take?
We think alike, Lloyd. I watched a UConn pickup game in Storrs three weeks ago, and the Huskies are rippling with as much strength as Kevin Freeman's monstrous pectorals. (He's so proud of them that he was going shirtless at the time.) Granted, Hamilton was a special player, and Moore was such a great defender that his loss hurts almost as much. But look who remains: point guard Khalid El-Amin is a fearless leader who can score; Albert Mouring is a dead-eye shooter primed for a breakout year; Freeman, a World University Games standout, can't be moved inside; and Jake Voskuhl, already excellent on defense, looks ready to provide more inside offense this season. (He got placed with the NBA guys at Pete Newell's big-man camp over the summer.) Combine the vets with a couple of outstanding newcomers -- 6'11" ball-handling forward Ajou (he's dropped the second Ajou) Deng and 6'6" swingman Doug Wrenn -- and UConn has more ingredients for a repeat than most folks realize. Before things get serious, I have read comments about North Carolina having
"championship potential" this year. I find that a vast overstatement.
Having followed the Tar Heels for over 30 years, I have become increasingly
dismayed at their erratic performance. What is your take on
UNC?
So 'Heels pessimism has spread to Eastern Europe? How do you say FIRE COACH GUT in Hungarian? (I'm sure you know.) At any rate, UNC won't be losing to Weber State in the first round this year, but I'm not ready to jump on the Final Four bandwagon just yet. Ed Cota is a fine passer at the point, and there's a lot of potential in sophs Kris Lang and Jason Capel, but 7-foot center Brendan Haywood has been a bit of an enigma. It's not a good sign when you're not even considered in the same league as pivot classmates Chris Mihm (Texas) and Eric Chenowith (Kansas). What will Quin Snyder bring to the Missouri Tigers team that wasn't there
with Norm Stewart? Also, what do you think about the talent level of Keyon
Dooling and prize recruit Kareem Rush? Will the young talent of the Tigers be
able to carry them to the Big 12 title and into the NCAA
Tournament?
I had the pleasure of watching Midnight Madness last week in Columbia, where two things became clear: 1) Snyder will have a very good team ... by next year; and 2) the Tigers have almost nothing inside. First, Snyder. With one simple hiring, Missouri has joined Florida and DePaul as programs with bullets next to their names. As both Dooling and Rush told me, Snyder can relate to them in ways that Stewart never did. Expect a big recruiting class next year (Mizzou avoided any major sanctions over its recent snafu involving the parents of recruits traveling on a school-chartered plane), and expect the sleepy Hearnes Center to wake up: Snyder recently met for two hours with the Antlers, Missouri's rowdy student fan club, which hopes to create the kind of atmosphere that Snyder had at Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium. Second, this year's team. Dooling, a sophomore, is easily the star. He has a scary-quick first step and a soft shooting touch, and under Snyder he'll be able to show them off now that MU has adopted an up-tempo offense. Meanwhile Rush, the Missouri high school player of the year last season, should develop into a steady player by the end of the year. The concern is inside, where Nigerian juco transfer T.J. Soyoye, a 6'9" forward, is the best of a thin lot. Soyoye is a physical specimen -- he benches 340 pounds and ran a team-best 4.32 40 -- but he's still learning the game. Still, Soyoye led the team in points and rebounds at the Midnight Madness scrimmage, though it was hard to tell if that was because of his talent or because MU had nobody to guard him. So, look for the Tigers to battle for fourth in the Big 12 with Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. Next year, watch out. Do you see Siena College making any noise on the national scene? The Saints
are loaded with talent and also Paul Hewitt. He is as good as
advertised.
Just in case you readers are wondering, Paul Hewitt is a coach, not a player. But remember the name, because he'll be at a big-time school awfully soon if his Saints, 25-6 last year, continue to thrive in the MAAC. They should. All five starters return, including fun-to-watch guard Marcus Faison. As far as national recognition, though, Siena's schedule may make that difficult. The Saints' toughest opponents are George Washington and Rhode Island, which could mean a gaudy record but few quality wins. Keep the questions coming. Less than a month until the season tips off ...
Click here to send your college basketball question to Grant Wahl, and check back Tuesday, Nov. 9, when the 'Bag goes weekly.
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