Clearly, the 2002-03 season has become The Year of the Freshman. Young studs like Syracuse’s Anthony, Duke's J.J. Redick, Florida’s Anthony Roberson and Matt Walsh, Arizona’s Hassan Adams, Arizona State's Ike Diogu and so many other rookies have held hostage highlight reels, box scores and general conversations about the State of the Game.
Enough already.
Of course, we love the young breed of instant superstars, too, but it’s not the only path to success. And while scant few of the above would probably listen if you sat them down and discussed it, those youngsters could learn a thing or two from their elders.
Some of today’s most valuable players were anything but overnight success stories. Some fought against high expectations while finding the transition from high school to college a difficult one. Some had to wait in line behind better, older players; others battled through injuries.
Some simply had to work on their games for four whole years before ultimately realizing their potential. For some -- unlike today’s first-year impact players -- it takes time to succeed. For others, it comes quickly. (Some perspective: Carmelo Anthony won’t be honing his NCAA skills three years from now; he’ll be negotiating his second NBA contract.)
Let’s take a moment and celebrate a few seniors who put in years of work to earn the ink they now receive.
Brian Cook, Illinois
Year
Points
Reb.
2002-03, Senior
21.6
8.7
2001-02, Junior
13.5
6.7
2000-01, Soph.
11.5
6.2
1999-00, Frosh
9.0
4.5
Jeff Newton, Indiana
Year
Points
Reb.
2002-03, Senior
14.8
9.8
2001-02, Junior
8.1
5.1
2000-01, Soph.
6.1
4.9
1999-00, Frosh
6.8
3.8
Drew Nicholas, Maryland
Year
Points
Reb.
2002-03, Senior
17.8
4.0
2001-02, Junior
7.1
2.3
2000-01, Soph.
6.6
1.6
1999-00, Frosh
5.1
1.1
Justin Hamilton, Florida
Year
Points
Ast.
2002-03, Senior
10.6
4.5
2001-02, Junior
8.5
3.3
2000-01, Soph.
6.6
1.8
1999-00, Frosh
4.7
1.7
Cook and Newton probably are the best examples of players who took more time mature into the type of force many knew they could become. Nicholas did the best he could with the incomparable Juan Dixon in front of him for three years, now it's his time. Hamilton had a devastating ACL injury during his sophomore year that set his development back. All four seniors are invaluable pieces to their teams' success this year, and all of their coaches would agree: It was worth the wait.
Seeing what time, patience and hard work have done for these four, can you imagine how good Anthony or Roberson would be if they stuck around campus for four years? It won’t happen, of course, but Cook, Newton, Nicholas and Hamilton -- all of whom have NBA careers ahead of them, too -- have shown what a complete college career can do for their future.
Each week, we pick the top five players in the country based on the previous week's performances.
• GUARD: Dwyane Wade, Marquette. Outside of Georgia’s Jarvis Hayes, Wade is probably the most explosive guard in the country. Wade scored 35 points on 13-of-16 shooting in an 85-73 victory against Tulane on Tuesday, and he touched up Charlotte for 20 in a 67-64 win on Saturday.
• GUARD: Marcus Hatten, St. John’s. You can’t score if you don’t shoot. Hatten put up 25 shots against Georgetown on Saturday and made 14 of them, finishing with 34 points in the Red Storm’s 77-72 win. He scored 24 three days earlier in a loss to Villanova. Averaging 23.4 points, Hatten hasn’t scored fewer than 23 in St. John’s past five games.
• GUARD: Drew Nicholas, Maryland. More love for the senior. In arguably the biggest game on a national stage so far this year, Nicholas was Juan Dixon, pouring in 24 points and sinking all eight of his free throw attempts in the Terps’ 15-point rout of then-No.1 Duke. Is there any doubt, by the way, that Duke-Maryland is the country’s best rivalry today?
• FORWARD: Josh Howard, Wake Forest. One of the most athletic forwards in the game, Howard scored 30 points against Georgia Tech in a Sunday win, and he went for 23 points and eight rebounds in a huge conference over Maryland earlier in the week. Howard hit on 19-of-20 free throws in the two wins.
• FORWARD: Chuck Hayes, Kentucky. Watch out SEC teams, Kentucky is more loaded up front than you think. Hayes, a sophomore, broke out against Notre Dame and set career highs for himself with 17 points, 16 boards (13 defensive) and five assists in the Wildcats’ seventh straight victory.
OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS: Down in Stillwater, Okla., Eddie Sutton and his Cowboys are riding what is perhaps the quietest 12-game winning streak of all time. Oklahoma State’s early success in the Big 12 -- a 3-0 start including wins against Oklahoma and Missouri -– is the biggest surprise in the conference outside of the 68-44 shellacking Kansas State put on Texas Tech. The Cowboys are getting it done with intense defense, allowing their opponents to shoot just 37.2 percent from the floor (second in the league) for an average of 58.9 points a game (also second in the Big 12). Point guard Victor Williams has been spectacular in league play, scoring 16 and 24 points against Oklahoma and Missouri, respectively. Oklahoma State (14-1 overall) plays at Baylor (0-3 in Big 12 play) on Tuesday, then the Cowboys travel to Lubbock, Texas, to face the Red Raiders of Texas Tech. Can you picture a 5-0 Oklahoma State team in first place of the Big 12 in late January? Don’t be surprised if it happens.
DUNK: Pitt (and the Big East, sort of)
We can admit when we’re wrong. The “Big Easy” may actually have something this year with the resilient Panthers (holding off a better-than-you-think Syracuse team after Pitt’s best player, point guard Brandin Knight, went down with a concussion). We like Notre Dame (Matt Carroll is going to have a nice NBA career), but we’ll wait a bit to decide on Villanova (11-5, 4-0). All that said, you’re not going to convince us that UConn ever deserved a top-10 team ranking.
AIR BALL: Duke’s non-conference schedule
Ah ha. Maybe if Mike Krzyzewski mixed in at least one decent road game before the ACC season started, Duke would have been more prepared for defending national champion Maryland at the Comcast Center.
DUNK: Roy, Pat and the UConn women
A rare week of milestones: Kansas coach Roy Williams won his 400th game (against just 96 losses in 15 seasons), Tennessee’s Pat Summit won her 800th game, and the UConn women won their 55th consecutive game. One question: How can the UConn women win 55 games without a single loss and not be ranked No. 1 in the nation?
AIR BALL: UConn (men)
Nice coaching, Jim Calhoun. Your team was down one point at UNC with 38 seconds to play. With the Tar Heels in possession of the ball, your boys let 34 seconds tick off the clock before they fouled, leaving UConn just 3.3 seconds to go the length of the floor and heave a desperation 3-pointer. A valiant second-half rally notwithstanding, the Huskies deserved to lose because of poor clock management.
DUNK: Hollis Price, Oklahoma
You measure a man on how he reacts after a setback. Price went 2-for-14 and scored just six points in a loss to Oklahoma State on Monday. The senior point guard rebounded on Saturday with 33 points (including nine 3-pointers) in the Sooners' 70-60 win over Iowa State.
Texas Tech at Oklahoma, Monday, 9 p.m., ESPN
Bobby Knight, Kelvin Sampson … need we say more? We will. It’s early, but both Texas Tech and Oklahoma have one loss conference loss. We’re not saying Kansas, Texas or Oklahoma State (the last remaining unbeaten teams in Big 12 play) are going to repeat the 2001-02 Jayhawks’ perfect run through the conference, but both of these teams are expected to finish in the top five of the league and two losses at this point are not going to help that occur. The pace of this game could determine its winner: Texas Tech is averaging 80.1 points a game, while Oklahoma is allowing just 59.4.
Maryland at North Carolina, Wednesday, 7 p.m., ESPN
The ebb and flow of North Carolina’s season continues. Currently, the Young Tar Heels are riding the momentum of their 68-65 victory over the overrated UConn Huskies (if you watched the game, you know that UNC should have won by 15 points -- at least). Still, holding off the Huskies’ late run is something to build upon. But you want to talk about momentum? Maryland is screaming along at about 120 mph after knocking off No. 1 Duke on Saturday. Let’s be honest, if Maryland plays like it did Saturday, North Carolina will be lucky to stay within 15 points. But if UNC has shown us anything this year, it’s not to turn your back on the Tar Heels, because you just never know.
UCLA at Stanford, Thursday, 10:30 p.m. FSN
Just kidding. Don’t watch this game. That is, unless you’re a total college hoops junkie or you’re enthralled with the Steve Lavin death watch. Let’s see if first-year UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero still wants to keep Lavin around all year if the Bruins start Pac-10 play with a 2-4 record.
Arizona at Kansas, Saturday, 1 p.m., CBS
When team schedules were released before the season, we thought this game had No. 1 vs. No. 2 written all over it. Three early Kansas losses tossed any chance of a one-two battle royal. Nevertheless, Roy Williams and the Jayhawks have won 10 in a row, and Kansas is 10-0 in Allen Fieldhouse. Arizona hasn't looked overpowering, but the Wildcats have won eight straight in their own right. The Nick Collison-Luke Walton matchup (though they probably won’t face each other all game) will be a joy to watch, as they two are of the best in the country at their positions. Both teams have games early in the week -- Kansas at Colorado and Arizona at home against Arizona State. The Wildcats draw the tougher tune-up, but while it won’t be No. 1 against No. 2, it should be 14-1 against 14-3. Not what we expected, but not bad, either.
"I was trying to hit somebody." -- Missouri forward Arthur Johnson, who, out of frustration over the 76-56 beating his team took from Oklahoma State, fired the basketball the length of the court as time expired.
"They're down and all, but I figured with us coming to town it was going to be a lot more intense than it was. -- Arizona senior Luke Walton on UCLA’s lack of passion during the Wildcats’ 87-52 whipping of the 4-9 Bruins.
"I know I have a work in progress. Because we won all of our games up to now somebody voted us No. 1. I have coached No. 1 teams and I know that's not where we're at." -- Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski after the Blue Devils lost by 15 points at Maryland on Saturday.
Last week, we asked which "Cinderella" team would make an NCAA Tournament run. Here’s what you said:
Creighton is Cinderella on steroids. Creighton, out of the Missouri Valley Conference, will easily make it to the Sweet 16 and possibly the Elite 8. They have a solid front court with Brody Deren and the most versatile player in the country with Kyle Korver. Adam Ecklund, Bellevue, Neb.
Optimist, realist or homer? I have to pick the Dayton Flyers. After big wins over Marquette, Cincinnati and Villanova, and two consecutive trips to the NIT, I have to believe the team is as hungry as the fans are to have an impact in the tournament like our last Cinderella run in 1984. Leslie Gonya, Dayton, Ohio
Carmelo Anthony, Carmelo Anthony, Carmelo Anthony, Carmelo Anthony, Carmelo Anthony, Carmelo Anthony, Carmelo Anthony, oh yeah, and Jimmy Boeheim. Alex Maier, Kalamazoo, Mich.
Starting the season 13-1 and beating teams like Michigan State (at the time No. 9) and Oklahoma (No. 5), Oklahoma State still gets no respect. With one of the most stout defenses in the NCAA, look for them to top the Big 12, beating teams like Texas, Missouri, and Kansas. (Yes, I said Kansas.) Tony Draxler, Wichita, Kan.
War Eagle! Yes, the Auburn Tigers would qualify as a "Cinderella" team. Picked at the bottom of the SEC and playing a puny pre-conference schedule, Auburn could sneak into the Tourney at a 10-12 seed. They have defense, youth, and a bunch of no-names. What makes for a better "Cinderella"? David Giles, Johnson City, Tenn.
Don't be surprised if Tulsa ends up making a run at the Elite Eight or Final Four. They won a game in the NCAAs last year and have several Sweet 16 and Elite Eight appearances in the last five years. With their injured guards getting healthy, they will give any top-10 team problems. Stephen Haney, Poteau, Okla.
West Virginia will make a run in this year’s NCAA tournament. When West Virginia hits its 3s, nobody can beat them. They have already pulled off the upset of Florida. They need to start beating the little schools if they want to be noticed to go to the NCAA tournament. Billy Smith, Austin, Texas
Who are the best five players in the nation (any positions), based on their seasons as a whole to this point?
