Little big shot
Auburn's Pohlman shows size isn't all that matters
Posted: Wednesday March 10, 1999 11:22 AM
When Scott Pohlman puffs out his chest, it is rumored, you can almost see it. But, since he almost never does -- he may be the last guy in college basketball to walk around all proud -- we have to go with the conventional wisdom on this one.
Pohlman, Auburn's skinny, scrappy starting shooting guard, evidently has no chest.
His shoulders, for that matter, barely hold up his jersey. He has just the hint of some biceps. His forearms look a bit like cocktail toothpicks. He's been likened, look-wise, to Opie Taylor.
When Pohlman (bottom) is on the floor, he never stops moving. His strategy is to run his man into submission. AP |
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OK, OK, OK. Pohlman's heard it all before. Every time somebody discovers Auburn basketball -- hey, did you know Auburn is a Top 5 team this season? In basketball! -- they are invariably drawn to the unlikeliest of the Tigers' heroes.
"That's how I am. Some skinny white boy out there playing," says the sophomore from Roswell, Ga. "I don't think it's not fair to talk about it."
The NCAA Tournament begins Thursday, and the best part about it is seeing guys like Pohlman out there. And teams like Florida A&M, Winthrop and Lafayette. Coaches like Rick Majerus. Last-second shots by Valparaiso, Indiana getting beaten ...
And players like Pohlman.
Auburn is 27-3 and where it is today -- the top seed in the South Region -- because of the Tigers' rim-dancing star forward, Chris Porter. They are one of the season's biggest surprises because of the do-it-all play of senior forward Bryant Smith. And the intimidation of 7-footer Mamadou N'Diaye, the savvy of point guard Doc Robinson, the team's deep bench and the impeccable moves of Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year Cliff Ellis.
| From the e-mailbag |
Some comments on He's no genius, March 3, 1999.
I agree with you about all the things that should be a given in the NBA, but the fact of the matter is most NBA players don't do these things and Rodman does.
-- Anne Bell
Crazy boy is a very good passer in the half-court set, and he's a terrific outlet passer, something the Lakers ain't had this decade. Those aren't pedestrian skills (remember Bill Walton's outlets? Remember anyone else's?), and I would submit that his rise a good deal beyond even your correct assumptions about what NBA players should do.
-- Matt Welch
Okay, so let's just disregard the seven consecutive rebounding titles (while playing for three different teams), two NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards, five NBA Championships, and multiple All-Star and NBA Defensive team selections. Common sense would tell you that if what Rodman does on the basketball court is simple to do, is only a matter practice and concentration, there would be at least 20 or more other players in the league who were doing the same. Last time I looked, I didn't see anyone else in the league who brings abilities equivalent to Rodman's to the floor.
-- Kenneth Terrell
Not only is Rodman one of the greatest defensive players ever to play the game, but he's one of the best outlet passers, and he does the dirty work offensively (setting picks, passing, offensive rebounds, constantly moving), that makes him an offensive force as well. You guys in the media hate to give credit to players unless they kiss your butts. Us TRUE students of the game know the truth.
-- Anthony Harris
If Dennis plays up to his potential, and can put the circus that surrounds him (partly his own making) in context, then the Lakers have a chance. YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!
-- Jeff Patterson
Please define genius for me. The man has five rings and god knows how many rebounding title not to mention that he has guarded supposedly the best centers and power forward in the league very successfully at times even embarrassed them. Hell, I think he should be one of the 50 best players NBA ever had.
--Glenn Chang
Genius comes in packages big and small, and Rodman carries a singular genius: he makes good teams much better.
--Kylelane Purcell
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But Scott Pohlman, a skinny white boy with floppy hair and baggy shorts who happens to be the team's second-leading scorer, is a player, too.
Pohlman has started every game (scoring 11.3 points per) this season and is on a streak of 59 straight starts. He scored in double figures in 20 games and knocked down nearly 40 percent of his three-pointers. He averages almost 10 shots and fewer than one turnover a game. His 27 turnovers in Auburn's 30 games are by far the fewest of any of the Tigers' starters.
He's a big reason -- well, maybe not so big -- that Porter and Smith can be so successful inside.
And to look at him, you'd never figure he could play.
Pohlman is listed at 6-foot-2 and 160 pounds. But it's more likely he goes 6-foot (maybe 6-foot-1) and the people who authored the game program weighed him with the Auburn media guide stuffed in his sweats.
So how's he do it? How is this guy a starter on one of the best teams in the country when he's constantly being bounced around on the court by bigger, stronger, quicker guards?
"They try to bump me a little," says Pohlman, not willing to give away the book on how teams try to play him. "But that's been happening all my life. I just have to try to wear them down."
Pohlman stays stuck in the starting lineup by never stopping, by trying to run his man into submission. He does it by rubbing his skinny frame off screens. He does it by knowing when to shoot, and then getting his shot off quickly.
"I think maybe sometimes [opponents] are like 'What's that guy doing out there?'" he says. "And, yeah, I think it works to my advantage sometimes."
It doesn't always. Against Kentucky in the SEC Tournament semifinals, the Wildcats threw bigger guards at him, Pohlman got off only five shots and played only 13 minutes.
The Tigers were beaten, 69-57.
Auburn may be one of the NCAA Tournament's shakiest top seeds, thanks to that loss and the fact that the Tigers haven't been to a tournament in 11 years. Regardless, Auburn will be a team worth watching.
For Porter. And Smith. And Ellis. And all the rest.
John Donovan is senior writer for CNNSI.com.
Comments? To e-mail Donovan, click here.
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