|
| Thursday, February 17 | |||||
ESPN.com | ||||||
The season's under way, which means the Word's Answer Man is down in his defensive crouch ready to take on the tough questions. If you want to send a question to the Word, click here and check back each week to see if your question was answered.
Before we get to this week's questions, a brief note. A lot of readers are upset with the Freshman Watch -- namely, who was left off the list. Readers were most upset over the omissions of Dayton's Brooks Hall, Virginia's Travis Watson, Xavier's David West, George Washington's SirValiant Brown, Indiana's Jeffrey Newton, Arizona's Gilbert Arenas, Auburn's Jamison Brewer, Ball State's Theorn Smith, Memphis' Courtney Trask and San Francisco's Darrell Tucker. Those players shouldn't feel like they were slighted -- we just wanted to narrow the field a bit. We will admit that perhaps the "Question these five" category was a bit misleading -- it was meant more as a picking out of a fault, not a rip on the player's overall talent. We know the above players are having decent seasons. But to give a little extra exposure, we fielded some of your responses on the subject. Thanks for the input. Just read your column about impact freshmen, and I agree with virtually all of your picks. However, I think you might have missed a freshman to watch in Reece Gaines, Louisville's starter at the point. I have followed him since he lit up Ed Cota earlier this season, and have come away very impressed. He has excellent vision, is unselfish, and is generally an intense defender. I also like how he can raise different facets of his game (namely scoring) when his teammates aren't producing. I think he will be a star next year, and beyond. What's your impression?
Andy, I love reading your columns, they are very insightful. I have a question that you probably know a lot about. What are you to make of the rumors that BYU head coach Steve Cleveland will bolt for Fresno State when Jerry Tarkanian leaves? This way he can recruit the kind of player he wants to, and not what BYU dictates to him. Would this open the door for Danny Ainge to take over the Cougars and coach his son?
There's something to be said of those rumors. Cleveland would be a candidate whenever Jerry Tarkanian decides to retire. Leaving BYU wouldn't be a slap against the Cougars, but more of a chance for Cleveland to go home to Fresno. It's not a definite that he would make the move, but the chance exists. Ainge has clearly stated that he won't coach his son, Austin. Austin won't be finished at BYU for seven years (two years for his mission, one redshirt season and four years of eligibility). I know on your "magic eight" list that you said you guaranteed the national champion would come from this group. After the Syracuse-UConn game I'd like to know if you'd like to make any changes to that list?
How likely is it for a school like the College of Charleston to move into a better conference? The Cougars have dominated the TAAC and have proven themselves in the Southern. Should we expect to see them moving up in the next few years?
This wasn't a slight on Satterfield's overall game. In conversations with the Cincinnati coaching staff, they told me they'd like to see Kenny's shooting improve. So, we put it down as something to question. Maybe it was too early to criticize, but we're not slamming Satterfield. As for the choice, I still stick by picking Gardner over Satterfield, regardless of the statistics. Andy, do you think getting Kareem Rush back will help stabilize the play of Missouri? Before games recently, it has been hard to tell which team is going to show up -- the one that destroyed Kansas, or the one the lost to Winthrop at home. Do you think this team can win with its small but fast lineup consistently against top competition, or will their sporadic shooting problems persist and spoil their chances?
Having Rush return to the Tigers gives them another scorer and rebounder. It could also give the Tigers the lift they'll need to continue on their recent tear through the Big 12. Missouri will likely end up as a bubble team that eventually gets into the tournament, and having Rush around helps its cause. The boys out at Pepperdine have been pretty impressive this season, playing tough against Kansas, Auburn, and UCLA. You mentioned the 'Zags as a team on the rise, what about Pepperdine? Do the Waves have a chance to be in the Big Dance this year even if they don't win the WCC tournament?
Does SMU have a legitimate shot at making the tournament? After beating up on Fresno State last Saturday, what else do we need to do to help ourselves? Would a split with Tulsa and a first- or second-place finish in the WAC do?
When does the ruling come down on the Dayton Flyers regarding the Brooks Hall issue? And what do you think the ruling will be?
Why don't you adopt the policy that Billy Packer has seemed to espouse, that you will no longer make mention of how high an underclassman or a high school senior will go in the NBA draft? Why speculate and plant ideas in these kids' heads this early in their careers? It might keep the kids around longer and make the game less frantic. Gerald Wallace to the NBA -- right!?!?!
Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.
| ALSO SEE The Weekly Word on college basketball Have a question for the Weekly Word? AUDIO/VIDEO Get all the answers from ESPN.com's Andy Katz in this week's Ask Andy. RealVideo: | 28.8 |