So far, it's been a great NCAA Tournament. Basically everyone's bracket is donzo but there have been some great games (I still have Kansas and Butler in the Final Four, though the rest of my bracket is terrible). Obviously, over the last couple of weeks I've been watching a ton of hoop and certainly haven't been disappointed. The one thing that I always find interesting is seeing who and when the players get "it" whether it be at our level or at the big time D1 level.
Every single kid is different when they figure things out. You look at a player like Harrison Barnes from UNC and he was rated as the best freshmen by everyone and was named the first freshmen to be a preseason All-American. Everyone saw him in the AAU circuit, his state championships, and then during the All Star circuit and it looked easy to him. Then the season started. He didn't seem to click with the rest of his teammates, the game was moving too fast, and teams were taking away some of the things he was able to do over the course of his high school career. He was settling too much for jumpers (which I still think he does a little). Then something clicked.
There was a change at the point guard spot with Kendall Marshall taking over for Larry Drew and all of a sudden Barnes looked more comfortable. Things slowed down, he was getting the ball in scoring positions and all of a sudden he has a swagger about him. You see him smile on the court instead of having the weight of the world on his shoulders. He makes a game winning shot vs. Miami and boom, the "killer" look in his eye is there. Again, if you look at his stats, they aren't out of this world but I believe UNC is undefeated when he has scored 17 or more. It's amazing what a little change can do.
Now, if you look at our league this season, guys get "it" at different points. It's a matter of getting their body and mind use to the intensity of practice everyday. It's hard for a kid to grasp what it takes for them to be successful at the D3 level. They essentially had it easy during their high school years. They were able to slack off in certain situations whether it be on defense or take plays off on offense when they are tired. Some guys even have the free reign to go back into the game after they got taken out. Playing at the college level is just different.
Everyone on the team is usually their best player from their high school team and is use to scoring and getting the ball whenever a tough situation comes up. At our level, the chances that a freshmen is going to come in right away and consistently be the best scorer or player is extremely slim (not saying it doesn't happen but it rarely occurs). Chances are, they will have to do some of the little things that make the team successful like rebounding, getting to loose balls, and playing tough defense (usually another tough concept for freshmen to pick up). As the season progresses and they start to understand more of the team concepts the scoring may come. The scoring may come when they are sophomores or juniors. Sometimes it doesn't.
I know I felt the same way when I came to college. I watched the team play as a high school senior and felt that I could come in and contribute right away. Needless to say, I was in for a rude awakening. Of course, looking back on it now, I realized I wasn't athletic enough and didn't exactly fit the system for me to get immediate playing time but I believed that I was good enough to get time. I never complained, I just worked, on my game, on my body. The team was like Charlie Sheen out there, winning. After another year of basically sitting out, my chance had come in my junior year. Then in practice one day, I got it. I figured out my role and what I was going to do the rest of my career. I was going to be the "team jerk." I normally use another word for it but it's PG here on the blog.
I was going to be the guy that the other team absolutely hated playing against but your teammates love playing with you. I wanted to win and I wanted to see the floor and this was the best way for me to get burn, plus our team didn't have that guy at the time. Every good team has "that guy" and that is one of the reasons why they are successful. St. Thomas has two of those guys in Teddy Archer and Brady Ervin. Both guys are tough as can be and are always involved because that is what their team needs them to do to win. I'm certainly not saying that this has to be every freshmen's role but it's a way to get on the floor and it helps the team.
Connor Gunderson from St. Olaf really struggled early in the year with everything. He was a heck of a high school player but rarely saw competition on a consistent basis. Then something clicked for him towards the end of the year. The game clearly slowed down for him. He averaged 16 a game and shot close to 70% from the floor for a six or seven game stretch. During this time, he became a tough matchup in the league. He's 6'6", long and athletic with the ability to go inside and out. I'm not looking forward to seeing him next year.
I used Connor as an example for our conference because I think he will be a heck of a player. I would think that our returning freshmen will get "it" at some point and challenge for great minutes next season. Can't wait until next October 15th.
"It" is a hard thing to find ... and is a good reason why so many coaches turn gray early. To me, the more telling sign is when a team can stay calm in a crisis. You're going to have nights when the shots don't fall. There are going to be nights when the other team is simply hot. That's part of athletics ... particularly at the college level. It's the teams that managed to stay unfazed when it appears the world is crashing around them that end up winning. I think it is the one constant at the D-I, II and III levels. Those are the teams that win consistently. Butler has one of those teams for a while now.
ReplyDeleteI am no pro bb wonk but I suspect, in the end, the team with the most talent usually ends up as the champ in the NBA. It is not always the case in college and it is often NOT the case in high school. The teams that have "it" there are the ones that are composed and calm at the end of the game. They don't throw up the first shot they see when they don't need to. A coach I know told me once that he is looking for players who are, like good actors, can take direction but also know when to freelance. By that, he meant he wanted guys who understood their roles on a team. In an emergency, however, they had enough instincts to step out of character and make a steal. Those are hard guys to find.