Monday Tip: Top tourney efforts
They are played at familiar venues, such as Madison Square Garden, and tropical locales, such as the Virgin Islands.
The early tournaments that punctuate the college basketball landscape have served as a showcase for some of the game’s best and brightest.
Who impressed most during last week’s action? As is often the case, opinions vary.
GERRY AHERN’S RESPONSE
Tennessee’s Scotty Hopson
I’ll go with Scotty Hopson’s 3-point shooting exhibition in the Paradise Jam against East Carolina last Friday. Hopson, Tennessee’s sharp-shooting guard, knocked down four 3-pointers en route to 25 points in a 105-66 blowout of the Pirates. Hopson did his damage in just 23 minutes. He connected on 10 of 15 attempts from the field, 4 of 5 from long distance. Toss in a pair of steals and rebounds and it’s not a bad half-day at the office. The 6-foot-7 sophomore from Hopkinsville, Ky., has hit 14 of his first 18 3-point attempts this season. Hopson, rated by Rivals.com as a five-star prospect out of high school, is playing like he has something to prove. Similar production could help Bruce Pearl and the Vols challenge Kentucky in the SEC East.
JASON KING’S RESPONSE
Syracuse’s Wesley Johnson
Iowa State transfer Wesley Johnson didn’t take long to make a name for himself at Syracuse. The 6-foot-9 small forward earned MVP honors at the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer after averaging 21 points and 9.5 rebounds in wins over Cal and North Carolina. All of the sudden, a team that lost to Division II Le Moyne in a preseason exhibition game is off to a 4-0 start and back in the national rankings – mainly because of Johnson, who shot 59 percent from the field (17 of 29) and 50 percent from 3-point range (6 of 12) in the two victories. Johnson averaged 12.3 points in two seasons at Iowa State before deciding to transfer after the 2007-08 season.
Gerry Ahern and Jason King cover college basketball for Yahoo! Sports. Send Gerry a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast. Send Jason a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.
