Tampilkan postingan dengan label NCAA. Tampilkan semua postingan
Tampilkan postingan dengan label NCAA. Tampilkan semua postingan
Rabu, 19 Oktober 2011
Selasa, 18 Oktober 2011
Kamis, 07 April 2011
Kemba Walker & some UConn brilliance
Now, I will be the first to admit that I don't know right from left when it comes to NCAA basketball in the States. Since barely any games or promotion is done in India, it is only out of curiousity that I know anything at all about it. It is important for me, for instance, to know where the world's best basketball player in the NBA came from, or what kind of challenges and competition they had in their younger years.
But otherwise, there is very little other interest. Yes, I know, as those who swear about college ball will say, that the games are perhaps more exciting sometimes. Most teams are closely matched, the atmosphere in the games are excellent, and the players seem to try harder. But I'm not completely sold on it. I hate the idea of 35-second shot clocks, shorter three-point lines, and lots and lots and lots of really bad offense. Still, every once in a while, a story comes out that even the least interest ones can't help but follow. The story this year, I believe, has been of University of Connecticut (UConn) point guard Kemba Walker. A solid but generally unspectacular player in his first season, he improved in year two, and by the time he was a Junior, he became one of the best players in the country, making the biggest plays all year and leading his team to a National Championship title. His clutch play, and leadership has already become stuff of legend. And his buzzer-beaters have taken YouTube by storm!
Walker is a slashing quick guard, known for this ball-handling ability and accurate jump-shot. At 6 foot, he may be a tad bit undersized, but in today's NBA, a league that favours the confident, fast small men, he could blend in easily.
UConn capped off a fairytale run in the NCAA tournament by leading the Huskies past Kentucky in the Final Four, and then beating Butler 53-41 in an ugly, high-on-defense-low-on-offense game in the Final to win the National Championship on April 4th. It was the UConn Huskies' third championship in the last 11 years. Jeremy Lamp also played a crucial role in the second half of the Championship game. Walker was named the NCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player. His only shortcoming was being snubbed for the Naismith Men's College Player of the Year award, which went to another small guard, Jimmer Fredette of BYU. "The Jimmer", who has also had an outstanding season, may have shown his brilliance when it came to individual scoring, but in my opinion, this award should've been Walker's all along.
Now, to judge how successful college players will be in the NBA, I rely almost exclusive on my favourite scouting website, DraftExpress. At this point, Walker, if he goes pro, as been ranked as the 6th overall pick in the 2011 draft. From afar, it seems to be a year without any guaranteed future pro superstars, but I'll be rooting for Kemba to fight amongst the likes of Kyrie Irving, Harrison Barnes, Derrick Williams, Perry Jones, and Brandon Knight.
And for my interest in college ball? Let's hope someone can figure out to show more of the NCAA tournament games in India next year. Maybe, just maybe, I'll start to warm up to it.
Selasa, 01 Juni 2010
US Colleges chasing the Giant Bhullars!
This could potentially be huge for Indians and my fellow Brown Peeps all over the world - The giant Bhullar brothers, whose parents hailed from Punjab (India), who settled into Toronto (Canada), and who have recently been making some noise with their basketball at Kiski School in Pennslyvania (USA), may soon become a very, very big deal in the States. College basketball recruiting in America is an uber-competitive, harsh, and crazy world, and it seems that once they finish High School, the Bhullar Brothers are set to become sought-after commodities.
Truly giants, Sim Bhullar (17) is 7 feet 4 inches, and weighs almost 130 kgs. The younger brother, Tanveer (15), is 7 feet 2 inches, and weighs around 118 kgs. Their parents hail from Amritsar, Punjab - father Avtar is 6-1 and mother Varinder is 5-10. Hey, the father's name is Avtar. Didn't anyone else see this coming? I've seen how tall those Na'vi are.
Anyways, since I last checked on the Bhullar Bros, they have improved considerably. Under the tutelage of Kiski School head coach Daryn Freedman, the brothers have improved several parts of their game. Leading the school to a 16-4 record this season, Sim averaged 16 points and 14 rebounds per game and his strenghts on the court include a surprising three-point range, strong passing, and the ability to finish strong around the basket. Tanveer, who averaged 12 and 11, possesses a smooth 15 to 17foot jumper, has quick feet and soft hands, which are key attributes to low-post success.
As American college sports website Rivals.com reports, some of the best colleges and coaches could be coming after the Bhullars very soon. "You just don't find big guys that agile," Kiski School head coach Daryn Freedman said. "There's nothing like him in the country right now."
They both have improved immensely at Kiski School under Freedman, a longtime college and NBA assistant who arrived at the school about a month before the Bhullars did. They have since remade their bodies, regularly working out at 5 a.m. with the Kiski wrestling coach.
Sim, who has lost 30 pounds, could not run the court more than two or three times. Tanveer, who started last season as a backup, needed a month before he could dunk after a running start.
And while they both have areas to work on - Tanveer must resist the urge to shoot fadeaway jumpers and improve his foot speed; Sim needs to be a more active rebounder and to maintain his composure after committing a silly foul - there have been glimpses of greatness.
West Virginia has already offered Sim a scholarship. Duke plans to visit him.
Duquesne, Florida State, Kentucky, LSU, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Stanford, Texas, UMass, USC and Washington State have expressed interest in both brothers.
The Bhullars are looking for a strong academic school that excels at developing big men and is close to Toronto. And they'd like to play together.
"If we could," Sim said, "we most likely would do it."
Anyone who has seen them together, understands why.
"Everyone thinks they're twins," Freedman said. "They're really, really tight... They definitely have each other's backs all the time."
It is definitely exciting to see the attention these boys are getting from top NCAA basketball colleges. They have an experienced coach in Daryn Freedman who has worked with several Division 1 schools and with NBA teams New Jersey Nets and Philadelphia 76ers.
But the best part of their story has been the potential interest of superstar coach John Calipari of Kentucky. Calipari is the same guy who has coached the last two NBA rookie of the years, Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans. He is the same guy who has been the coach of the consensus top pick in the NBA Draft on June 24th, John Wall. He is the same guy who recently made the cover of SLAM magazine with Wall and other players of the Kentucky team. And he's the same guy who is now being linked to coach the Cleveland Cavaliers (and keep LeBron James in Cleveland).The Bhullars' current coach Freedman spent eight years as an assistant to Calipari. "He was my mentor, my coaching idol," Freedman says - some assume Kentucky has the inside track.
Wherever Sim and Tanveer end up, these are exciting times for basketball fans in India. Both the brothers dream of playing in the NBA.
The brothers are serious about their future - and would welcome roles as Indian basketball pioneers.
The NBA had players from 36 countries and territories this season, but none from India.
The brothers already have a following. When they visited the Golden Temple, a Sikh spiritual and cultural center, last summer, about 100 people crowded them.
"If I was able to make the NBA," Sim said, "that would be something big for India."
For a big country like India, there will be nothing bigger in basketball than these giants. Let's hope that the Bhullars are guided and coached well so that they can make a difference in college basketball in the States, and eventually fulfil the dream of every Indian fan by one day playing in the NBA. I'm going to ignore the fact that they are actually now Canadian.
Here is a video of the Bhullars sure to get more than a few fans excited...
Langganan:
Postingan (Atom)