Saturday night, as the dust started to settle from the University of Kentucky’s 69-62 victory over the University of Louisville, most sports fans in the state were probably either gloating or moaning, watching the Indiana Hoosiers upset Ohio State or just waiting for the big ball to drop.
But some may have noticed what was going on in a West Coast basketball game. Former UK big man Josh Harrellson was drawing his first NBA start, stepping in for the New York Knicks’ Amar’e Stoudemire, and going head-to-head with former teammate DeMarcus Cousins at Sacramento.
Harrellson’s final stat line: A double-double, 14 points, 12 rebounds,high risk merchant account 4-of-8 shooting from 3-point range and a solid defensive job on Cousins.
And that, more than anything that happened in Rupp Arena on Saturday, is the basketball lesson of the weekend in the Bluegrass.
It probably even has more resonance for U of L, because it has more players in the Harrellson mold than UK at the moment. But there is meaning for both.
Here’s Harrellson, a guy whose career was left for dead by former Wildcat coach Billy Gillispie, a guy certainly not celebrated by any recruiting analysts or talent evaluators for most of his college career, a guy who played in the shadow of Enes Kanter, even with Kanter not playing a game, for the first part of his senior season.
North Carolina had John Henson and Tyler Zeller. Ohio State had Jared Sullinger. Harrellson helped UK get past them both.porcelain tiles
These are the things you can do if you have ability, perseverance, work your tail off and understand how to play basketball. You can get to a Final Four. You can even get to the NBA and post a double-double in your first start.
Harrellson is what is great about college basketball — a guy getting a chance and showing that there’s something more to being a great basketball player than wingspan and a 40-inch vertical. If you know how to play and are willing to be coached, you can level the court with the best players anywhere.
These are the things U of L’s basketball team must do and has done in great measure over the past two seasons. These are the things IU did against UK and Ohio State.
Cardinals can’t shoot 30 percent in many games and still win. They can’t make many mental mistakes.plastic injection moulding In each of their past two losses, they did not get good shots late.
The difference between IU and U of L right now is that the Hoosiers are making shots — and creating better looks for themselves and their top shooters. There have been times in Pitino’s U of L tenure when he has turned to set plays to free specific scorers, and this might be one of those.
Regardless, if NCAA basketball has shown us anything,magic cube it is that talent alone cannot navigate through March. You have to have a true team.
For the Wildcats, talent will be no trouble. The question is, how much of Harrellson’s coachability and effort can they muster? For U of L, which figures to get better as it gets healthier and gets more practice time with a full roster, Harrellson offers plenty of hope.Air purifier
College basketball season is off to a stellar start in these parts. But as an unexpected pro showed again Saturday, you never know where it might wind up.
But some may have noticed what was going on in a West Coast basketball game. Former UK big man Josh Harrellson was drawing his first NBA start, stepping in for the New York Knicks’ Amar’e Stoudemire, and going head-to-head with former teammate DeMarcus Cousins at Sacramento.
Harrellson’s final stat line: A double-double, 14 points, 12 rebounds,high risk merchant account 4-of-8 shooting from 3-point range and a solid defensive job on Cousins.
And that, more than anything that happened in Rupp Arena on Saturday, is the basketball lesson of the weekend in the Bluegrass.
It probably even has more resonance for U of L, because it has more players in the Harrellson mold than UK at the moment. But there is meaning for both.
Here’s Harrellson, a guy whose career was left for dead by former Wildcat coach Billy Gillispie, a guy certainly not celebrated by any recruiting analysts or talent evaluators for most of his college career, a guy who played in the shadow of Enes Kanter, even with Kanter not playing a game, for the first part of his senior season.
North Carolina had John Henson and Tyler Zeller. Ohio State had Jared Sullinger. Harrellson helped UK get past them both.porcelain tiles
These are the things you can do if you have ability, perseverance, work your tail off and understand how to play basketball. You can get to a Final Four. You can even get to the NBA and post a double-double in your first start.
Harrellson is what is great about college basketball — a guy getting a chance and showing that there’s something more to being a great basketball player than wingspan and a 40-inch vertical. If you know how to play and are willing to be coached, you can level the court with the best players anywhere.
These are the things U of L’s basketball team must do and has done in great measure over the past two seasons. These are the things IU did against UK and Ohio State.
Cardinals can’t shoot 30 percent in many games and still win. They can’t make many mental mistakes.plastic injection moulding In each of their past two losses, they did not get good shots late.
The difference between IU and U of L right now is that the Hoosiers are making shots — and creating better looks for themselves and their top shooters. There have been times in Pitino’s U of L tenure when he has turned to set plays to free specific scorers, and this might be one of those.
Regardless, if NCAA basketball has shown us anything,magic cube it is that talent alone cannot navigate through March. You have to have a true team.
For the Wildcats, talent will be no trouble. The question is, how much of Harrellson’s coachability and effort can they muster? For U of L, which figures to get better as it gets healthier and gets more practice time with a full roster, Harrellson offers plenty of hope.Air purifier
College basketball season is off to a stellar start in these parts. But as an unexpected pro showed again Saturday, you never know where it might wind up.
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