|
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE |  |
Youth rules Freshmen will play a big part for some big-time programs
Posted: Wednesday November 10, 1999 12:14 PM By John Donovan, CNN/SI Experience is not what it used to be in college basketball. Take Duke, for example. The Blue Devils, NCAA Tournament finalists last season, have all but handed over the keys to their fine-tuned basketball machine to a bunch of underaged drivers. Cincinnati is doing it, too. And Florida. Even Arizona. Some of the best teams in the country are giving wet-behind-the-ears kids a chance to take their programs out for a spin this season. The freshmen are coming. And coming. And coming. "Experience is a key," says Florida freshman Brett Nelson, a 6-foot-3 guard from St. Albans, W. Va. "But I don't think it will be that big of a key." College basketball used to be run by upperclassmen, guys who served as practice fodder and benchwarmers for their first few seasons. But that's changing -- especially at some of the better schools -- as more upperclassmen bolt for the pros and the freshmen coming in get bigger, quicker, stronger ... and better. It may be especially surprising that some of the best freshmen in the country this year will be point guards, probably the most difficult position to master. Several top-notch schools, including Arizona, Cincinnati, Duke and Florida, will have a freshman point this season playing a major role. Some will start. Nelson is one of four freshmen who figure to have a huge impact at Florida, a team many expect to make a run at the Final Four. He's not a solid starter at point yet, but he will get plenty of time. And he figures to be either at point or at the shooting guard position when it counts most -- in the waning minutes of each game. Duke has six freshmen, and at least two of them -- point guard Jason Williams and forward Carlos Boozer -- will be in the starting lineup. Cincinnati has two high-profile freshmen, both of whom could start, including DerMarr Johnson, a 6-9 shooter who many believe may be the best of all freshmen. Then there's Jason Gardner, the freshman point guard who figures to start at Arizona. The list goes on and on. "Experience is pretty good to have in college. A lot of guys struggle just to learn the plays," says Kenny Satterfield, the freshman point guard at Cincinnati. "But I picked it up pretty easy. A lot of the AAU tournaments you play in get you ready." If these guys want competition, there's always plenty to be found. Many have been steeled for upcoming competition by playing in all sorts of offseason contests: summer league affairs, AAU tourneys, pickup games with their teammates or some that involve pros. But can a pickup game match the intensity of what these freshmen are about to face on the college level? Do these guys really have any idea what they're in for? "When Mike Krzyzewski tells you he believes in you," says Duke freshman Mike Dunleavy Jr., a 6-7 guard from Oregon who is the son of the Portland Trail Blazers' coach, "and he really believes in you ... that's the biggest confidence booster you can get." Dunleavy can play shooting guard, small forward and backup point, so he figures to be one of the more versatile of any of the Duke players. But the team itself may well live or die with the play of another freshman, Jason Williams, the 6-2 point guard from Metuchen, N.J., who stepped onto campus as a starter. Williams already is wowing the people around Durham with his flair and his ability to penetrate. He spent much of the summer, and hours and hours of practice since Midnight Madness, figuring out his new teammates -- how they like to get the ball, where on the court they like to get it, when they like to get it. Still, the starting slot hardly has been handed to him. He's been ridden hard by some of the few upperclassmen the Devils have left, guys like Chris Carrawell and Shane Battier. "They're used to winning. They hate to lose. Them losing the [championship game] last year, I think it makes them want to get it even more this year," Williams says. "They come down on me a lot. "You know, coming from high school, you're used to being the main thing. You come here, they're on you and you kind of get frustrated, and then you start to play bad. "But now, after talking to the coaches ... it's not like they're yelling at you because they hate you. They expect big things out of you. They expect you to get better. They want you to get better." It is, in fact, what many programs are looking for from their freshmen. Florida was one basket away from making the Elite Eight last season, but the program's freshman class (and coach Billy Donovan's up-tempo, heavy-defense coaching style) has many analysts thinking the Gators may go even higher this season. "I think the freshmen are expected to take Florida basketball to another level," says Justin Hamilton, a 6-3 guard from Sarasota, Fla., who probably won't start right away but who figures to get plenty of time in Donovan's scheme. "You always want to be a pioneer." Says teammate Nelson: "There are going to be some mistakes. But I think we are going to be really, really good. I think the sky's the limit." Still, the question is whether all this talk is so much naivete, or whether this year's crop of freshmen really can back up their preseason banter. Once they step on the floor, they can expect lots of upperclassmen tricks, lots of physical play, lots of trash talk ... and that's in addition to the flat-out unbelievable physical and mental demands of practicing and playing and balancing all of it with academics. The best teams -- squads like Duke -- don't have much time to get it together, either. The Blue Devils open the season against No. 13 Stanford on Nov. 11. And will play defending national champ UConn or Iowa on Nov. 12. Which means we may know by the end of the month whether these guys can play, or whether experience really does count for something in college basketball. "There's no question that experience plays a big part in it," Williams says. "We may not have experience. But one thing we do have is youth and enthusiasm. That will help us get through the rough times. "And we have a lot of talent ... we'll learn how to use it. We all have something to prove this year." Hold on. This could be one wild ride.
|
