Jared Jordan, WVU, Arkansas
1. I'd be surprised if there is a player more valuable to his team than Jared Jordan, the Marist point guard. Jordan led the nation in assists per game and minutes per game last year, and won Most Outstanding Player in Orlando this week, averaging 20.7 points, 9 assists, and 6.3 rebounds over the three games.
I watched all of those contests, and am more impressed by him than anyone I've seen on this young season. He has everything you look for in a point guard. He's not exceptionally quick, but he gets into the lane relatively easily. He's not big, but once he's in the lane, he always seems to have enough room to put up a shot or snap off a smart pass. It's the kind of thing that is hard to explain in words, but there are certain players who never are bothered by defense; their understanding of the game keeps them from putting themselves in unmanagable situations. A big key to this is keeping his dribble alive until he needs to do something else with the ball. He can shoot from outside and finish at the rim. His sense of timing is excellent, and he knows what the other nine guys on the court are doing -- and often, what they are about to do -- at all times.
The Red Foxes are far from a one-man team; they have a bunch of snipers who make the extra pass around the perimeter, and seven-footer James Smith is another legit threat, although his post game could use a little more polish. But they'd be lost without Jordan, and I'm not sure there's another player in America that means as much to his team.
2. At the beginning of the season, I casually mentioned to a friend that I thought Arkansas was a sleeper team in the SEC.
Now that I've seen them play, I'm even more convinced. I knew about their defense and their size, but I didn't know about Sonny Weems, the juco transfer who broke out with 19 big points against West Virginia. I had concerns about Mississippi St. transfer Gary Ervin's ability to run this team -- and he vindicated them with 7 turnovers against a Souther Illinois team that defends as well, if not better, than the Razorbacks -- but he settled down with just two turnovers against Marist and three against WVU. I think these guys will ultimately be better off working Weems, Stefan Walsh, and Patrick Beverley into the offense even more than they are now (I don't like having a point guard as my main deep threat), but this is a team to watch.
3. Much has been made of the players coach John Beilein lost, and the difficulty he'll have teaching them his offense. The Mountaineers run a unique, complex offense that is based heavily on reads, and young players lack the experience necessary to run it perfectly. But this group is actually well-equipped to succeed through the difficult learning process.
Several current Mountaineers can create their own shots -- something no West Virginia player save Mike Gansey could do last year. Frank Young, Alex Ruoff, Joe Alexander, and Da'sean Butler don't shoot as well as Kevin Pittsnogle, Johannes Herber, and Patrick Beilein did, but they can all put it on the floor and get a shot off. And Ruoff seems particularly adept at finding teammates for easy buckets -- something that will serve him well as they learn more and more of the offense.
One other quick note on WVU, included mainly so it doesn't look like I'm leaving him out: Darris Nichols is a better fit for what Coach Beilein does than J.D. Collins. He hardly turns the ball over, but what I really like about him is that he plays within himself. Too often, Collins would get himself into trouble breaking the set by pounding the ball into the lane. Nichols doesn't do that.
(And 1) I love Feast Week -- it's one of my favorite weeks of the season -- so don't take this the wrong way. But there's one bad thing about all of these "preseason" tournaments: The announcers only have so much filler material, and the production team only has so many graphics. So while I thoroughly enjoyed all of this week's games, I'm very glad that I no longer have to hear that WVU's Alexander grew up in the Far East and learned to play basketball from And1 Mixed Tapes, or listen to Hubert Davis complain about not seeing a moose, or hear Jimmy Dykes blather on about how the Old Spice Classic will become a premier tournament. I am also glad to be rid of the graphic that tells me the temperatures in the eight cities of the participating teams in the Great Alaska Shootout, and the one where Dykes circles the word "mid-majors" and explains that they should really be called "non-BCS schools."
Sorry. But I had to get it out. Bring on the Big Ten/ACC Challenge!
I watched all of those contests, and am more impressed by him than anyone I've seen on this young season. He has everything you look for in a point guard. He's not exceptionally quick, but he gets into the lane relatively easily. He's not big, but once he's in the lane, he always seems to have enough room to put up a shot or snap off a smart pass. It's the kind of thing that is hard to explain in words, but there are certain players who never are bothered by defense; their understanding of the game keeps them from putting themselves in unmanagable situations. A big key to this is keeping his dribble alive until he needs to do something else with the ball. He can shoot from outside and finish at the rim. His sense of timing is excellent, and he knows what the other nine guys on the court are doing -- and often, what they are about to do -- at all times.
The Red Foxes are far from a one-man team; they have a bunch of snipers who make the extra pass around the perimeter, and seven-footer James Smith is another legit threat, although his post game could use a little more polish. But they'd be lost without Jordan, and I'm not sure there's another player in America that means as much to his team.
2. At the beginning of the season, I casually mentioned to a friend that I thought Arkansas was a sleeper team in the SEC.
Now that I've seen them play, I'm even more convinced. I knew about their defense and their size, but I didn't know about Sonny Weems, the juco transfer who broke out with 19 big points against West Virginia. I had concerns about Mississippi St. transfer Gary Ervin's ability to run this team -- and he vindicated them with 7 turnovers against a Souther Illinois team that defends as well, if not better, than the Razorbacks -- but he settled down with just two turnovers against Marist and three against WVU. I think these guys will ultimately be better off working Weems, Stefan Walsh, and Patrick Beverley into the offense even more than they are now (I don't like having a point guard as my main deep threat), but this is a team to watch.
3. Much has been made of the players coach John Beilein lost, and the difficulty he'll have teaching them his offense. The Mountaineers run a unique, complex offense that is based heavily on reads, and young players lack the experience necessary to run it perfectly. But this group is actually well-equipped to succeed through the difficult learning process.
Several current Mountaineers can create their own shots -- something no West Virginia player save Mike Gansey could do last year. Frank Young, Alex Ruoff, Joe Alexander, and Da'sean Butler don't shoot as well as Kevin Pittsnogle, Johannes Herber, and Patrick Beilein did, but they can all put it on the floor and get a shot off. And Ruoff seems particularly adept at finding teammates for easy buckets -- something that will serve him well as they learn more and more of the offense.
One other quick note on WVU, included mainly so it doesn't look like I'm leaving him out: Darris Nichols is a better fit for what Coach Beilein does than J.D. Collins. He hardly turns the ball over, but what I really like about him is that he plays within himself. Too often, Collins would get himself into trouble breaking the set by pounding the ball into the lane. Nichols doesn't do that.
(And 1) I love Feast Week -- it's one of my favorite weeks of the season -- so don't take this the wrong way. But there's one bad thing about all of these "preseason" tournaments: The announcers only have so much filler material, and the production team only has so many graphics. So while I thoroughly enjoyed all of this week's games, I'm very glad that I no longer have to hear that WVU's Alexander grew up in the Far East and learned to play basketball from And1 Mixed Tapes, or listen to Hubert Davis complain about not seeing a moose, or hear Jimmy Dykes blather on about how the Old Spice Classic will become a premier tournament. I am also glad to be rid of the graphic that tells me the temperatures in the eight cities of the participating teams in the Great Alaska Shootout, and the one where Dykes circles the word "mid-majors" and explains that they should really be called "non-BCS schools."
Sorry. But I had to get it out. Bring on the Big Ten/ACC Challenge!
posted by H.S. Slam, Ph.D at 1:37 AM
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