In the aftermath of the Zion Williamson injury, everyone is consumed with pontificating over whether Zion should consider returning to Duke basketball once his injury heals. Zion has been the vehicle for every talking head and sportswriter with an ax to grind about the one-and-done rule imposed by the agreement between the NBA and the players association.
Everyone is wasting their breath of course. Zion will play again once he heals up, and the injury really doesn’t appear that serious. The real injured party appears to be Nike which now faces a PR nightmare and the need to pay up much more to get Zion on board.
16-seed UMBC beating No. 1 Virginia was one hell of an upset, but naturally everyone tries to make it even bigger or more significant than it is. UMBC deserves a ton of credit. It was an amazing upset. But can we stop with all the “Miracle on Ice” and Buster Douglas comparisons?
A win by a 16-seed was inevitable. I’m frankly shocked it took this long.
Nobody gave UMBC a chance, and I love seeing them enjoy their moment in the sun. But our tendency to try to rank every great achievement sometimes gets to be ridiculous.
Which team provided the biggest underdog moment in NCAA history? 2013 Florida Gulf Coast? 1983 NC State? 1996 Princeton?
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Round one goes to Wiggins, but get used to this matchup as we’ll be seeing it for years in the NBA. Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker have taken turns being crowned the inevitable top pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, but now we’ll have a year of college basketball to settle the matter, though Kentucky’s super freshman Julius Randle may have something to say about it as well.
Both Wiggins and Parker were magnificent last night. Parker dominated in the first half and finished 27 points. He’s an all-around great player who can do everything very well from rebounding to draining three-pointers. Then in the second half Wiggins and the Jayhawks took over as Wiggins showed off his incredible athleticism that has people comparing him to Jordan and Lebron. The highlight above gives just a glimpse of what he will be capable of. Wiggins ended up with 22 points.
I had the opportunity to interview both Wiggins and Parker in the past as both of them won the Gatorade High School Player of the Year Award for basketball (Wiggins won the overall award as well). Both are great kids and have a bright future ahead of them.
Jabari Parker
Andrew Wiggins
With these two and Julius Randle, it’s hard to imagine any team in the top three of next year’s NBA Draft being disappointed. In the meantime they can fight it out for the National Championship.
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Even though he just recently finished his sophomore season at the University of Wisconsin, Traevon Jackson comes across just like his game- confident, smooth and mature.
For being just 20 years old, he’s so calm and composed, you can’t help but think about where you were in life at 20….and then sheepishly quit punishing yourself.
Some of that confidence undoubtedly comes from his famous genetics and being the son of NBA star player Jim Jackson, but the greater part of it comes from his faith and approach to life, off the court.
What was your experience like playing in the NCAA Tournament? “Obviously, it didn’t end the way we wanted it to. Just the fact of me playing in the tournament was great because it’s the attitude of “loser goes home” and unfortunately we had to go home. But it really puts into perspective what you need to do to prepare for it going forward. And learning from that this year helps us next year.”
Is there added pressure based on who your dad is to succeed? What’s the dynamic of that like? “Growing up, I felt it more than I do now, but now I don’t even think about it at all, actually. The pressure that I feel now the most is pleasing the Lord. That may sound cliché, but that’s an everyday type of task and the biggest thing for me. As long as I continue to grow in that aspect, there is no other question.”
Who would win a game of one on one right now? “Oh, me of course (laughing). Easily. He can beat me in golf and all the other, cards, all that stuff, but he’s not beating me on the court.”
