Mailbag: Highlight reel

The 2009-10 college basketball season may still be young, but we’ve already been treated to some thrilling moments and performances.

To wit: John Wall’s 23-point effort and Eric Bledsoe’s long 3-pointer in Kentucky’s overtime comeback against Stanford, an overtime win for underrated Gonzaga in the Maui Invitational, Wesley Johnson’s hot hand in Syracuse’s win against North Carolina and that exciting, one-point victory by Purdue over Tennessee.

Lots of highlights – and I’m sure there will be plenty more during this weekend’s tournaments in Orlando and Anaheim. And don’t forget about the big Michigan State-North Carolina rematch Tuesday in Chapel Hill. Before we look that far ahead, though, we’ll reflect a bit in this week’s mailbag.

I read your article on Wesley Johnson. I saw a little of the Syracuse-Cal game and the whole game vs. North Carolina. My eyes popped when seeing Johnson’s stats against Cal, so I watched him more closely against the Tar Heels. What I saw was a kid who has some incredible talent and potential. The form on his jump shot is beautiful to watch, and he can shoot it very well. He also has good jumping ability and can go inside and score. His rebounding and shot blocking are also excellent for a small forward. Dick Vitale was going crazy over what he was seeing from Johnson. His remark after each basket was, “This kid is a pro!” I agree with Jim Boeheim in that Johnson is only going to get better. I’d love to see him stay in college next year, but if he does what he did, I’m sure he will be a lottery pick in this summer’s draft.

Brad Cohen,
Narberth, Pa.

Without question, Johnson has one of the top skill sets in college basketball. When he’s playing well, Syracuse looks like a team capable of making the Final Four. Hopefully that happens this season, because the Orange may be hard-pressed to keep him another year. Where he’d go in the draft is still a guess at this point, but one of the more credible websites predicts that he’ll be the ninth overall player selected. Another site thinks that Johnson will go fourth overall. We’ll see.

What do you think about Duke in the Final Four?

Tryvon Paige
Roanoke, Va.

I think Duke has a good chance to reach the Final Four – just not this season. The Blue Devils’ lack of depth on the perimeter will hurt them, and I’m not sure how good they are down low, either. I know it’s still early and that the Blue Devils will get better. Still, the fact that Duke struggled as much as it did against a bad Arizona State squad confirmed the thought that Duke will be a good team. In other words, a top-20 team – but not a top-10 team. Help is definitely on the way, though, as Duke’s recruiting success is on an upswing. It won’t be long before they’re back in the Final Four.

Who in your mind is the best conference this year, and how many teams from that conference will get in the NCAA tournament?

Greg Williams
New York

Good question, Greg. The Big East isn’t as tough as it was last year, but I still think it’s the top league. Villanova, Syracuse, Connecticut and West Virginia (if it gets Devin Ebanks back) are all Final Four contenders. Louisville and Georgetown are solid, and Marquette and Pittsburgh don’t appear to have fallen nearly as far as most folks thought they would. Putting the league over the top, though, is the improvement made by some of the schools that had struggled. Cincinnati just placed second in the Maui Invitational, Seton Hall is a potential NCAA tournament team, South Florida has three really good players who will keep the Bulls in most games and DePaul – which was winless in conference play last season – is off to a 3-1 start. As of Thursday morning the Big East had an overall record of 60-6. Not bad for a conference that was supposed to have a “down year.” I think the conference will get at least eight teams in the NCAA tournament, and it wouldn’t shock me if nine advanced.

It’s nice to hear from a journalist who appears to have actually watched the game (Ohio State vs. North Carolina) rather than one who just looked at the box score. I’ll be happy with a 2-2 split for North Carolina in games against Syracuse, Michigan State, Texas and Kentucky. They have that much talent. And good luck to the rest of the ACC when they bring in their 2010 class. That, plus Duke’s incredible 2010 class, should make the ACC all-blue until 2014, at least.

Nathan Bitner
Chapel Hill, N.C.

A 2-2 split in those games would be great for the Heels. I like North Carolina’s chances at home against Michigan State and on the road against Kentucky. I think the Wildcats are more talented, but it’ll be awhile before they “get it.” The Texas game may be tough. And you’re right about next season and beyond. The impending arrival of Harrison Barnes has North Carolina fans in a tizzy. Same goes for the Duke fans who are eagerly awaiting the moment Seth Curry and Kyrie Irving man the Blue Devils’ backcourt.

One of the questions from last week asked if anyone in the Big 12 had big men as talented as the ones at Texas and Kansas. Just wanted to let you know that, soon, KU will have a 7-footer (Jeff Withey) who will be eligible to play. He can take his defense to the outside when he and Cole Aldrich are playing together. If that works, no one will be able to match up with Kansas. The other thing I’m looking for is to see how many of these other big men can actually block shots like Aldrich, a machine.

Jesse
Topeka, Kansas

Jeff Withey, who transferred to Kansas before he ever took the court at Arizona, will play a role for the Jayhawks this season, but I’m not sure it’ll be a big one. With Aldrich and the Morris twins and Thomas Robinson playing so well, Withey will really have to fight for minutes. Keep in mind, the kid has never played a college game. It’s going to be a process with him, and with KU hoping to win the title this season, Bill Self probably won’t waste a lot of time experimenting. Still, Withey is a 7-footer, so his presence alone should be enough to make a difference at times. We’ll see. In regards to your question about shot-blockers, no one in the Big 12 does it at well as Aldrich, although sometimes using your long arms to alter a shot is just as effective a block.

My question has to do with “phraseology” used by television broadcasters. Why do they continue to refer to teams as having “great length?” Whatever happened to “height” or “being tall?” Am I missing something? I thought “length” was a term applied to building materials or the duration of an event, such as a play or a movie. Please enlighten “old-school” people such as myself on this apparent “malapropism.” Thanks.

Leighton Stephenson
Denver

Funny question, Leighton. I, too, get annoyed with some of the words and cliches that announcers come up with each year. These days guys don’t just score, they “score the basketball.” If a player is good, he’s “fun to watch.” If he excels at dribbling, passing and shooting, he’s got a good “skill set.” I even catch myself using some of their terminology, as you probably noticed. “Length” – definitely a favorite among announcers – is a word usually used when talking about players who, along with decent height, also have long, sinewy arms that, when stretched out, can make it difficult for someone to pass around them or shoot over them. It gives players an advantage when it comes to rebounding, shot blocking, etc.