Last week, Professor Frosh handed out grades to a slew of youngsters, and maybe I was a tad harsh on one such teenager. Tristan Spurlock got into the action last night, and scored six points in five minutes. Just imagine those numbers over 30 minutes! Anyone still holding on to Spurlock can rest assured I’m using my “family” ties to beg Coach Bennett to play the kid. This week, I’m feeling somewhat generous, so no grades, no disparaging words; just more solid play from across the nation from some ‘shmen!
DeMarcus Cousins,
F, Kentucky – Writers like me like to use the terms “underrated” and “overrated” rather loosely when it comes to describing players, but is it completely irrational to label the number two ranked recruit as underrated? Cousins is playing in the shadow of a mega frosh point guard who will remain nameless.
He didn’t come out of the gates swinging like said teammate, but in his last five outings, Cousins has been arguably the Wildcats’ best player. Despite averaging just 19.2 minutes, the 6-foot-11, 260 pounder is contributing 14.9 points, 8.7 boards, and 1.8 blocks each time out. Cousins’ 62.2% field goal rate speaks for itself. Anyone who has watched Kentucky with an objective eye should have three conclusions. 1) The Wildcats can’t shoot. 2) One unnamed freshman point guard isn’t guardable, but makes a lot of mistakes. 3) Kentucky will go as far as Cousins will take them. When it gets to crunch time, who wants to shoot a 20-foot jumper over a 2-foot layup? If Mr. One-and-Done PG can spread the floor, Patrick Patterson offers an inside-outside threat; then Cousins has a clear path to continue that remarkable shooting percentage. He has two double-doubles in his last four outings, and we should relish his bruising style before it’s off to a league where that is the norm.
Terrell Vinson,
F, Massachusetts – A big recruit out of Baltimore, Md; Vinson has been solid throughout his first two months of the season before having his breakout performance before a national television audience Saturday against Memphis. After hitting a game winning shot, finishing with 21 points and nine rebounds, you need to know about this swingman.
At 6-foot-7, 205 pounds, Vinson’s frame is perfect for the physically demanding A-10 conference, and he appears to be rounding into form as league play is set to open. In his last three outings, Vinson has averaged 17.7 points and nine rebounds. He is the future of UMass hoops, and that future is rapidly becoming the present. He’ll face his share of struggles as defenses key on him, but Vinson has more games like his performance against Memphis in his immediate future.
J'Covan Brown,
G, Texas – Talk about a wildcard. Brown is a sparkplug, both on and off the court. When he is on, the sky is the limit. Watching the Longhorns’ game in Jerry’s house this past Saturday, Dick Vitale had me convinced it was Brown’s season debut and no one knew of him. Precisely why you should tune him out. Well, you should really tune Dickey V out because he insists on talking about Duke and their rat-faced coach at least seven times per half, but I digress. Brown was kicked off his high school team, and that makes him a character risk a la
Courtney Fortson. But Brown has also scored in double-figures in eight of ten contests this season. Brown’s career-high 21 came while he hit six three-pointers against UNC, and as long as he can stay on the court, Brown figures to be a tremendous source of points. He is currently averaging 13.1 points, three rebounds and 2.3 assists. It’s unreasonable to see the board and dish totals to double over his career, while his scoring should increase some too. Translation – keep playing = superstar potential.
Raymond Taylor,
G, Florida Atlantic – Quick, how many freshmen lead their teams’ in points and assists? And how many are 5-foot-6, 145 pounds? An anonymous tip alerted me to Mr. Taylor, and simply looking at his stats and vitals, how can you not want to watch him play? Enough questions, because Taylor is clearly a stud.
In his last four games, Taylor has averaged 18.2 points and six assists while playing a remarkable 36.8 minutes. Kid has stamina, you have to think he has some moxy, and may be one of the more dynamic freshmen in the country. Taylor has upcoming games against Georgia and Maryland; anything close to his 18.2-point, 6.3-assist, 3.1-rebound, 1.9-steal averages would be a sign of great, great things to come in conference season. Thanks for the tip anonymous!
Holiday week means vacations abound; including for yours truly. Many thanks for reading in the early going, and I promise we have great things in store as conference season takes off. Hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday, and we’ll catch ya next week!