| | Zach Marbury wasn't ducking the media. He wasn't invited to the postgame press conference.
Rhode Island had no reason to let Marbury speak and draw any more attention to Tulsa's spanking of the Rams.
But that didn't stop the brash sophomore point guard from doing what he does best right now -- talk about his game, instead of playing it.
Standing in a dark hallway in the dungeon-like bowels of the Providence Civic Center last Sunday, Marbury didn't hide from the truth.
|  | | Zach Marbury had trouble holding on to the ball against Tulsa, turning it over six times. |
His debut wasn't a Marbury day -- at least not by his brother Stephon's standards.
We're not quite sure what Zach's game is yet. All he did Sunday was get tied up twice by five-second calls and commit six turnovers, including a telegraphed pass that Tulsa's Eric Coley stole for a layup to open the game.
Comparing the younger Zach to the older Stephon is about as fair as saying Zach must make up for the huge void left by Lamar Odom all by himself. But Marbury is the one bringing up the past and trying to put himself at a level he hasn't earned yet.
Instead of playing aggressive and attacking Tulsa, Marbury allowed himself to get tied up by dribbling too much along the perimeter. Luther Clay, Tiger Womack and Tip Vinson were left idle as the Rhode Island offense was stagnant against the Hurricane's suffocating 'D.'
"I wasn't playing my game, I was playing how (Tulsa) wanted me to play," said Marbury, who sat out last season after the NCAA Clearinghouse pulled the plug on his freshman eligibility. "I'm the go-to guy. I think I can take over games anytime I want. But I'm trying to get everybody shots and make everybody happy."
The problem is the Rams are searching for an identity. Defining the Rams as Marbury's squad can't be the answer -- not this early in the season. A year ago, Jim Harrick had Odom when he needed a basket (see: winning shot against Temple in the Atlantic 10 tournament final). This month, Harrick is in Georgia while Odom is the leading candidate for NBA rookie of the year.
Two weeks into this season, it's clear no team was hurt more by an underclassman bolting to the NBA than Rhode Island. The Rams have a talented five -- Marbury, Vinson, wing Tavorris Bell and inside bangers Clay and Womack -- but lack direction. Five talented players standing around won't cut it. That's where Marbury has to be more of a playmaker than a self-promoting star, especially this week at the Big Island Invitational. The Rams open against Santa Clara (a serious threat to unseat Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference) and its seasoned guards Brian Jones and Nathan Fast.
"I've got to be Zach Marbury," Marbury said of himself after scoring 10 points on 2-of-9 shooting and handing out two assists in his debut. "I'm trying to be that from day one. That means creating, and shooting and getting everybody involved offensively."
There's not much left. Vinson says Marbury will live up to his billing. Bell was a bit more realistic.
"There's no go-to person, because it could be any one of us," Bell said. "Losing like this was good because it shows that this isn't a joke. This isn't high school basketball."
Marbury wasn't alone in a disastrous debut. Jerry DeGregorio, who replaced Harrick, didn't want to save anything from the Rams' opener. He bought a new black, pinstripe suit but that's about all he'll keep. Marbury's turnovers weren't as bad a stat as the offensive rebounds (21-3 in favor of Tulsa).
Dashing debuts
In case you missed them, here are a few other noteworthy debuts since the start of the season:
Saint Mary's center Brad Millard: Back after nearly two years away from the game with a broken foot, Millard scored 18 points in 28 minutes (8 of 18, 8 rebounds) in a loss to Colorado. Big Continent followed that up with 18 points and 12 boards in a loss to Washington.
Fresno State junior Demetrius Porter: Tabbed as the starting point guard, Porter scored 23 points in a win at Georgia State. The Bulldogs were without two injured starters (Courtney Alexander and Melvin Ely). But Porter couldn't prevent a crushing loss to Pepperdine Tuesday night in Fresno. Ely, who was deemed healthy to play, was called for goaltending with six-tenths of a second remaining.
Cincinnati's DerMarr Johnson and Kenny Satterfield: The freshmen guards led the Bearcats to a win over Youngstown State with 18 and 14 points, respectively.
North Carolina wing Joseph Forte: He scored 24 points in an impressive walk-away win over USC. Point guard Ed Cota put Forte in position to score, but the pressure was still on the freshman to convert.
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Making waves
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Along with the impressive personal debuts, a few teams grabbed key early-season wins. Here are a few season-opening victories of note:
Iowa over Connecticut
Notre Dame over Ohio State
Drake over Iowa State
Virginia Commonwealth over Louisville
Wofford over Clemson
Northern Iowa over Alabama
Samford over St. John's
Dayton over New Mexico |
Santa Clara guard Brian Jones: Scored 20 points in 23 minutes in a win over Pacific in his first game back after sitting out last season with a dislocated knee cap.
Oklahoma guard J.R. Raymond: Scored 29 points in the Sooners' Top of the World win over Montana State. Not to be outdone, senior forward Eduardo Najera was the obvious MVP of the Sooners' Top of the World championship. Najera, who is now the Sooners' go-to guy, dominated Cal in the final.
Cal's Nick Van Der Laan and Joe Shipp: The Bears' fresh-faced frosh frontcourt players led them to the final of the Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska. Shipp was a late addition to the Bears' recruiting class but he matched Van Der Laan's double figures in the first two games.
LSU guard Lamont Roland: The Tigers, in desperate need of a shooting guard, got 20 points (8 of 16 shooting) from Roland in a win over Grambling. Meanwhile, LSU's Stromile Swift got his first full season off to a good start with 22 points against Grambling. Swift was ineligible last fall and didn't play until the second semester.
Baylor's Terry Black: The heralded JC transfer helped the Bears squeak out a win over Eastern Washington with 25 points and 18 rebounds (that's right).
Northern Illinois' T.J. Lux: Back from an injury-riddled year, Lux scored 18 points and had nine boards in a win over Boston University.
Lafayette's Stefan Ciosici: Returning from a season-ending knee injury a year ago, the 7-foot center scored 12 points and had four rebounds in front of eight NBA scouts in a loss at Villanova. Ciosici had a minor scare when he knocked knees in the first half and went down in pain. He returned and hasn't had any residual effects.
SirValiant Brown, George Washington: The pompous point guard (he wants SirValiant in print but goes by Val in person) was given free reign in Alaska. Brown, Shawnta Rogers' replacement, was 20 of 65 (8 of 33 on 3-pointers) in three Colonial games. He's averaging 22.7 points for GW (1-2 in the tourney) and easily earned Atlantic 10 rookie of the week honors.
Michigan's Jamal Crawford: The Wolverines' heralded freshman scored 21 points (8 of 16 from the field) in 29 minutes in the Wolverines' opening win over Oakland (Mich.). He followed that up with 13 in a tight win over Detroit. Crawford played the point against Oakland while Kevin Gaines, another heralded frosh, was disciplined by coach Brian Ellerbe. Gaines played a bit more against Detroit, but Crawford was still the primary ballhandler. Ellerbe says they'll likely play more together.
Houston's George Williams: The freshman who did become eligible scored 19 in his debut in Fairbanks (against Alaska). He helped lead the Cougars to a 2-1 record in the tournament.
Holy Cross coach Ralph Willard: He struggled at Pittsburgh in the Big East but easily handled Providence in his Crusaders' debut. But Willard's second game was a bust when the Crusaders lost at home to Harvard.
Washington State coach Paul Graham: Unlike Willard, Graham got off to a horrible start with a loss at Nevada but rebounded a few days later with a crushing victory over Grambling in his first two games as a head coach.
Weekly chatter
Tulsa should get top 25 consideration for its dismantling of Rhode Island. Bill Self has more depth to work with than a year ago with the additions of forwards David Shelton, Kevin Johnson and guard Dante Swanson. Newcomers rarely come in ready to play defense. But Self has instilled that attitude in Tulsa's new faces.
But Tulsa could always play 'D.' The difference is Tulsa's ability to score. Greg Harrington, Tony Heard, Eric Coley and Marcus Hill can all shoot the 3-pointer and the mid-range jumper. All center Brandon Kurtz has to do is bully his way inside for putbacks.
Remember, Tulsa upset College of Charleston in the first round of last year's NCAA Tournament before losing to Duke in the second round. The only significant player gone from last year is forward Michael Ruffin (now with the Bulls).
"I'm not saying we're better but this year's team can score easier," Self said. "This team already understands how we want to play."
They also know the reality of needing quality wins. The WAC doesn't have an automatic berth this season.
"We need games like this (Rhode Island) to get a bid," Coley said.
Tulsa gets another crack at beating an A-10 team on the road when it travels to St. Joseph's on Monday.
Utah coach Rick Majerus held sophomore point guard Gary Colbert out of the Kentucky game, but not for disciplinary reasons. He's not ready.
"He doesn't know how to bust it yet," Majerus said.
In his place, Majerus is struggling with an injured Trent Whiting and Tony Harvey, better suited for the wing than the point. Majerus needed to sign a point this fall but couldn't get Blaine (Wash.) point guard Luke Ridnour. He chose Oregon over Utah and Gonzaga.
Meanwhile, Majerus said wing Nick Jacobson will redshirt even though the Utes are injury-riddled. Sophomore guard Adam Sharp is out indefinitely. Center Nate Althoff has barely practiced and senior forward Hanno Möttölä is out until Dec. 28 (vs. Oregon State) at the earliest with a ligament tear in his knee.
On a different note, Majerus took time to watch Indiana practice last week. Instead of heading back to Salt Lake City after the Kentucky loss, Majerus drove over to Bloomington, Ind., to watch the Hoosiers. Coaches rarely watch other teams practice, and doing it in-season is almost unheard of in major college basketball. But Knight and Majerus are friends, which helps explain the detour.
Rave reviews are coming out of Indiana about 6-11 freshman forward George Leach, who is currently being redshirted because he is ineligible. Add Leach to signee Jared Jeffries and the Hoosiers might have the necessary frontcourt to get back in the Big Ten title race.
The Big Ten won't comment on whether official Ted Valentine will work any conference games this season. He is listed on their roster of officials but after a conflict with Knight last season, he probably won't do another Hoosier game. That's not rare. Official Moose Stubing didn't do a Fresno State game for three years after he made a three-shot foul call in double overtime in New Mexico's triple-overtime win over the Bulldogs in the '96 WAC tournament semifinals.
Wisconsin coach Dick Bennett says Julian Swartz made the decision to redshirt, not the coaching staff. But Bennett had to convince the 6-6 freshman to play after the Badgers struggled with a bigger lineup in its first two games (even though they split the weekend against Missouri and Syracuse).
Swartz played only a few minutes in a win over Ball State but played 11 minutes in a win over UW-Milwaukee on Monday.
"We wanted to break him in slowly," Bennett said. "But he's physically mature and he'll play an important role on this team."
Bennett is trying to go to a bigger lineup after playing small a year ago with guards Sean Mason and Ty Calderwood.
"Things smooth out faster when you go from big to small," Bennett says. "It gets a little more crude the other way."
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo says he's not sure how much point guard David Thomas can play this week in Puerto Rico. Mateen Cleaves' replacement suffered an ankle injury and played 18 minutes (five assists, four turnovers and four points) in RPI-crushing victory over Toledo (78-33).
"The type of teams we're playing in Puerto Rico makes me concerned because they'll press," Izzo said of potential matchups with DePaul, Texas, Virginia or Arizona State. "David's not that effective right now because of the injury."
Illinois has had plenty of pub on Cory Bradford and newcomers Frank Williams, Marcus Griffin and Brian Cook. But the unsung player may be 6-7 sophomore forward Lucas Johnson. He scored 15 points in the opening victory over Western Illinois but then didn't take a shot in a win over Bradley. "But he was key in that game," Illinois coach Lon Kruger said. "He's got a great attitude about helping this team win."
Arizona guard Ruben Douglas will likely visit Baylor, Saint Louis, New Mexico and Villanova. He intends on transferring in mid-December. Meanwhile, 6-9 Mark McCarroll is searching for a new home. The prep forward out of Christ the King High in New York will visit Utah after failing to qualify. He originally signed with Syracuse.
N.C. State coach Herb Sendek can't catch a break in Raleigh. The Wolfpack, who are deeper this year than they've been under Sendek, suffered another injury when 6-8 Kenny Inge went out with a strained ligament during their win over Old Dominion on Tuesday night.
Inge will be out four to six weeks, but won't require surgery. In his absence, Sendek will go with 6-10 Ron Kelley and 6-8 Damon Thornton. Freshman Damien Wilkins will also play some at power forward. So, too, will Cornelius Williams. Thornton, a former ACC all-freshman team member, recorded a double-double against Old Dominion.
Two seasons ago, seven players missed a combined 69 games. Thornton had a hip problem and then broke his foot. Ron Anderson, who later transferred, broke his foot. Luke Buffum broke his foot. Tim Wells dislocated his shoulder (he did it again this year). That team finished 17-15 and lost in the second round of the NIT.
A year ago, guard Archie Miller was out after the second game with two herniated discs in his back. The Wolfpack finished 19-14 and, again, lost out in the second round of the NIT.
UNC Charlotte beat St. Bonaventure on Tuesday without point guard Diego Guevara. He's out for the next three weeks after undergoing an appendectomy. The 49ers will use 5-11 senior Kendric Smith and 6-5 sophomore Dalonte Hill (a medical redshirt last year) in place of Guevara.
Don't be misled by Akron's blowout 84-68 loss to Wyoming. The Zips, a potential NCAA Tournament team, were without their best player -- guard Jami Bosley. A foot injury kept him back in Ohio.
Cincinnati has always been able to intimidate but the Bearcats are taking it to new heights with their press this season. Having Kenyon Martin and Jermaine Tate at the top of the press makes it even harder to see an open man. Temple has been effective using a big man at the top of its matchup zone to distract passes in the middle.
With the early-signing period over, recruiting analyst Dave Telep ranks the top unsigned talents: 6-8 Travon Bryant (Long Beach Jordan HS/Calif.); 6-10 Kendell Dartuz (Cecellia HS/La.); 6-9 Torrence Johnson (George Republic HS/Grove City, Pa.); 6-3 Cedrick Banks (Westinghouse HS/Chicago); 6-9 Darius Rice (Lanier HS/Jackson, Miss.); 6-3 Eddie Starks (NW Christian HS/Miami, Fla.); 6-9 Garner Meads (Brighton HS/Salt Lake City).
Andy Katz's Weekly Word on college basketball appears every Thursday.
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