Despair, Meet Hope
As you’ve probably guessed, 'Nova basketball's crappy week has me bummed out pretty badly--to the point that I was incapable of approaching the topic until today. To review, first, they barely took advantage of blatant speed mismatches versus the Cincy football-cum-basketball squad, and then they shot like pathetic garbage in the ScrewConn rematch. We basically blew in both of those games; we lucked our way to a split as far as I'm concerned. Thankfully, Syracuse and St. John's both suck, and we're still in contention for a top seed in March. But, man oh man, I hate losing to ScrewConn!
Choppy, underdeveloped, and awkward--so describes 'Nova basketball this week. Am I wrong in my assessment that they appear to be cruisin' it out a little? However, it is important to remember that these guys are kids, and, in addition to performing at the highest level college basketball offers, the 'Cats are also routinely burned and distressed by the same dumb things as their fellow Villaova undergrads. Maybe ARay's psych teacher is a total dick, or Lowry's girl's been riding his ass about nothing in particular. Maybe the guy across from Shane Clark's room went to Manhattan for the weekend and left his stereo on full blast, or maybe Fraser's got the runs from a drunken Pizzi's run at 3 a.m. Life on the Main Line is oftentimes wacky, even if you're not every night's subject of discussion for the Eastern Sports Promotional Network talkie circuit.
I'm beginning to wonder if Jay Wright has something up his sleeve. Consider this: In the early part of the season, 'Nova's guards slashed and spread out wherever and whenever they wanted. This style of play utterly confounded opposing teams, which resulted in eye-opening final scores and an enormous amount of national attention. However, over the last three games in particular, there seems to be a decreased reliance upon shooting and slashing, and an increased emphasis on rebounding and pounding the post. The four-guard front that everyone keeps talking about has not been on display nearly as much as the three guards with two forwards formation. The slightly taller offensive set, however, in and of itself poses significant problems, because any combination of the four guards can create a fireworks display. As a matter of fact, any of 'Nova's starting seven--because that is essentially what they are--is capable of executing a huge play in a tight spot. Therefore, over the last few weeks--since Nardi was struck with mono, roughly the weekend of the Notre Dame thriller--'Nova has had the luxury of shelving the vaunted four-one attack.
Now, stay with me here: Under the current three-two set, they would likely roll right through the rounds of sixty-four and thirty-two, particularly if they are lucky enough to be seeded in Philly for those opening games. (I don't even want to think of what a madhouse the F.U.C., or whatever it's called these days, would be for those games.) The Sweet Sixteen takes place more than a month since we last saw the dazzling four-guard exposition. Opponents would therefore be forced to look at tape from much earlier in the season, or even as far back as last year, in the hopes of formulating some kind of game plan to counter the four guard onslaught. Thereupon, the 'Cats will basically maul everybody, including Puke in the final, Wright will be crowned the new genius and awarded coach of the year, and 'Nova will raise its second championship banner. Glory may yet be within our reach after all.
Historians of college basketball will forever linger on what-ifs involving Curtis Sumpter. It's not ridiculous to assert that the 'Cats might have been #1 end-to-end had he stayed healthy. Reportedly, last Sunday's ScrewConn game was his return target date, yet there he was on the end of the bench, sitting quietly as he has for the last 12 months. At this point, I really hope he takes the red shirt and comes back for a full year. Frankly, 'Nova is good enough to win it all without him this year, and I honestly think he could help make next year's team better than the current squad. But, if he does decide to come back for the tournies and enter the draft next year, there’s no doubt that Jay will figure something else out. This past week aside, the program is in fantastic shape--maybe its best shape ever.
Dear God, please let us win it all this year. 'Nova Nation would go Villa-nuts.
Choppy, underdeveloped, and awkward--so describes 'Nova basketball this week. Am I wrong in my assessment that they appear to be cruisin' it out a little? However, it is important to remember that these guys are kids, and, in addition to performing at the highest level college basketball offers, the 'Cats are also routinely burned and distressed by the same dumb things as their fellow Villaova undergrads. Maybe ARay's psych teacher is a total dick, or Lowry's girl's been riding his ass about nothing in particular. Maybe the guy across from Shane Clark's room went to Manhattan for the weekend and left his stereo on full blast, or maybe Fraser's got the runs from a drunken Pizzi's run at 3 a.m. Life on the Main Line is oftentimes wacky, even if you're not every night's subject of discussion for the Eastern Sports Promotional Network talkie circuit.
I'm beginning to wonder if Jay Wright has something up his sleeve. Consider this: In the early part of the season, 'Nova's guards slashed and spread out wherever and whenever they wanted. This style of play utterly confounded opposing teams, which resulted in eye-opening final scores and an enormous amount of national attention. However, over the last three games in particular, there seems to be a decreased reliance upon shooting and slashing, and an increased emphasis on rebounding and pounding the post. The four-guard front that everyone keeps talking about has not been on display nearly as much as the three guards with two forwards formation. The slightly taller offensive set, however, in and of itself poses significant problems, because any combination of the four guards can create a fireworks display. As a matter of fact, any of 'Nova's starting seven--because that is essentially what they are--is capable of executing a huge play in a tight spot. Therefore, over the last few weeks--since Nardi was struck with mono, roughly the weekend of the Notre Dame thriller--'Nova has had the luxury of shelving the vaunted four-one attack.
Now, stay with me here: Under the current three-two set, they would likely roll right through the rounds of sixty-four and thirty-two, particularly if they are lucky enough to be seeded in Philly for those opening games. (I don't even want to think of what a madhouse the F.U.C., or whatever it's called these days, would be for those games.) The Sweet Sixteen takes place more than a month since we last saw the dazzling four-guard exposition. Opponents would therefore be forced to look at tape from much earlier in the season, or even as far back as last year, in the hopes of formulating some kind of game plan to counter the four guard onslaught. Thereupon, the 'Cats will basically maul everybody, including Puke in the final, Wright will be crowned the new genius and awarded coach of the year, and 'Nova will raise its second championship banner. Glory may yet be within our reach after all.
Historians of college basketball will forever linger on what-ifs involving Curtis Sumpter. It's not ridiculous to assert that the 'Cats might have been #1 end-to-end had he stayed healthy. Reportedly, last Sunday's ScrewConn game was his return target date, yet there he was on the end of the bench, sitting quietly as he has for the last 12 months. At this point, I really hope he takes the red shirt and comes back for a full year. Frankly, 'Nova is good enough to win it all without him this year, and I honestly think he could help make next year's team better than the current squad. But, if he does decide to come back for the tournies and enter the draft next year, there’s no doubt that Jay will figure something else out. This past week aside, the program is in fantastic shape--maybe its best shape ever.
Dear God, please let us win it all this year. 'Nova Nation would go Villa-nuts.
posted by Pat at 10:50 PM
1 Comments:
I checked it out and, I gotta tell ya, you freak me out a little bit. Stalker-ish poems? Thoughts of suicide? Broken homes? Life is apparently pretty brutal even on the other side of the globe. Keep your chin up, Tamara, and stay the hell away from sharp objects!
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