Boom-or-bust mentality
posted by LW, Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Eighteen games into Milton Jennings' career at Clemson, people are wondering what's wrong with Milton Jennings.
I'll admit I expected more, based on coaches' belief that he could instantly be a mid-range and long-range shooting threat.
But is Jennings' lack of production a huge surprise? I don't think so. It's just way too early to judge a kid who, despite all the accolades earned in high school, is still adjusting to the speed and size of big-time college basketball.
There have been a few recent stories on how McDonald's All-Americans are faring in the ACC this season, and Milton's statistics aren't all that out of whack with those who received the same distinction last year.
Travis Sawchik of The Post and Courier explores the issue in this article.
Of the conference's nine McDonald's All-Americans, only Georgia Tech's Derrick Favors is averaging more than 10 points per game.
"If you look at the so-called McDonald's All-Americans in our league, other than one or two of them, none are making a huge impact in the first semester of their freshman year," Clemson coach Oliver Purnell said. "I think it is pretty standard … Particularly in high- echelon leagues where it takes a while to establish yourself."
Over at North Carolina, I'm sure North Carolina fans are wondering what in the heck is wrong with John Henson. The dude was all-everything when he arrived at Chapel Hill, and when you look at him you wonder if a stiff wind would whisk him away.
Henson's stats are strikingly similar to Jennings': Less than four points and three rebounds per game.
Roy Williams said incoming freshmen are typically ranked for their long-term potential, not immediate college impact.
"It's such a physical game," Williams said. "At 6-10, 185 you can't (play inside) against (Georgia Tech's) Gani Lawal … People said John would be one-and-done, the greatest thing since sliced bread. That's not fair to him. That just wasn't going to happen.
"I still think John is going to be a big-time player. But it's hard to be successful in the ACC as a freshman unless you are really exceptional."
Favors is one of those exceptions, and it's unfair to compare Jennings to a guy who's NBA-ready right now.
Jennings has missed 17 of 20 shots from 3-point range, and no doubt that's a disappointment. I think a lot of folks expected more in that area.
So much of his problems seem to stem from tentativeness. When he gets the ball, it appears he's trying to get rid of it as soon as possible.
Jennings could end up being a bust. Could end up being another Lance Thomas, who has not proven worthy of his McDonald's All-America status.
But 18 games into his college career is way too early to label him a bust. He still has plenty of time to show us the boom that was anticipated when he signed with the Tigers.
Good quote from Paul Hewitt in Sawchik's story:
"Any coach wouldn't be surprised. Freshmen are freshmen … speed of the game, so many different things. Unfortunately, our voices are drowned out by experts who say these kids are supposed to be getting 20 and 20."
In his ACC notebook, Sawchik says this is the week we could learn whether Clemson is a contender or pretender.
He also makes an observation N.C. State fans never thought they'd hear:
They're longing for Herb Sendek and Engin Atsur in Raleigh.
Ouch.
In The State, a look at the Tigers' point-guard situation.
More on that in the Greenville News.
If you hate North Carolina, you'll love this column by Lenox Rawlings of the Winston-Salem Journal. Rawlings picks apart the Tar Heels with surgical precision in his column from Saturday's home loss to Georgia Tech.
Deer season ended New Year's Day, but Tar Heel season has only just begun.
Georgia Tech became North Carolina's sixth conqueror yesterday, blowing a 20-point lead yet still surviving 73-71 for two elemental reasons. The Yellow Jackets put better players on the floor, and they made better plays with the game on the line.
Carolina committed 26 turnovers during a 19-point fiasco at Clemson and 17 against softer Georgia Tech pressure, some at the worst possible moments. It took the performance of Will Graves' lifetime -- 24 points on 5 3-pointers -- to rescue a low-voltage offense and remove a lifeless crowd from a dome-sized ventilator.
Georgia Tech is always the Ramblin' Wreck, but right now Carolina looks like a train wreck. Coach Roy Williams, wearing a blue mood under his pink shirt, sped through a litany of shortcomings and put exhausted confidence at the top.
But wait, it gets worse for the Tar Heels: Larry Drew II and Ed Davis didn't practice Monday because of injuries.
Duke has a much more favorable injury report: Kyle Singler and Mason Plumlee appear OK after suffering nasty falls in Sunday night's brutal affair against Wake Forest.
The Chicago Sun-Times tackles a topic that's been at the forefront of everyone's minds since Gaines Adams' tragic death Sunday morning: Why was his heart condition not detected?
Adams underwent a battery of tests before he was drafted in 2007. And you'd think the Chicago Bears subjected him to some pretty rigorous testing after trading for him.
And going back even further, you have to think the medical staff at Clemson is mystified and wondering why they didn't spot what apparently killed Adams.
Good information here:
The NFL, NBA and NHL long have required an electrocardiography, more commonly known as an EKG, a non-invasive recording that provides the electrical signals of the heart.
But Beshai said EKGs only ''suggest abnormalities'' while an echocardiogram can provide more conclusive information. An ECHO is a cardiac ultrasound that can demonstrate the size and shape of the heart, as well as its pumping capacity.
Both doctors said athletes can be particularly tricky to diagnose.
Like their muscles, athletes can develop hearts that are bigger and thicker than normal.
''Athletes' hearts are bigger and have more voltage than regular people,'' Beshai said.
But the challenge for doctors is determining which bigger hearts are healthy or sickly.
Patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HOCM) have heart muscles that have thickened, which can decrease the blood flow in the heart, and the fibers are in disarray.
''Like electric circuitry, they should be in line,'' Beshai said. ''But if they're crisscrossed, it can cause a trip or a short circuit, which can cause an abnormal heartbeat.''
Physical exertion can lead to athletes passing out or even dying.
Four years ago, Estes helped develop the NBA's heart-testing policy to include echocardiograms for all incoming players, and the NFL and NHL started to require them at their respective scouting combines in the last couple of years.
But it's unclear if Gaines, who attended the 2007 NFL combine, underwent an echocardiogram.
Melissa Isaacson of ESPN.com has more on the issue.
Greg Wallace of the Independent-Mail has a column remembering Gaines.
Bob Gillespie of the rapidly-depleting sports staff of The State spoke with Steve Taneyhill about Adams' life.
In the hours after Adams' death, I didn't think of Da'Quan Bowers as one who'd have been close with Adams. But sure enough, Adams and Bowers shared a bond beyond No. 93.
"Gaines was like my mentor," Bowers said. "He was my friend, but really, he was more like a brother to me than anything. He kind of took me in when I was being recruited, told me what to expect out of all these schools ... explained how I should come up with a decision."
On the field, Bowers is Clemson's 6-4, 280-pound wrecking machine. It takes a lot to slow him down, even more to bring him to tears. But, losing a mentor, a friend, a brother -- that is a blow that Bowers was struggling mightily to deal with a day later. Sunday morning, Adams, 26, a former All-American defensive end at Clemson, died at Self Regional Hospital after going into cardiac arrest an hour earlier at his family home in Greenwood.
"I was coming back from Pennsylvania with my family, and I got a text that said, 'did you hear what happened to Gaines?' " Bowers said Monday evening. "I was thinking that it was something dealing with the Bears, football ... something. Then, they said, 'he died about 9 a.m.'
"I just started crying. I cried from Maryland all the way to North Carolina, and I have just been trying to deal with it."
And later...
"I talked to Gaines just about every week," Bowers added. "Right before the games, he would always send me a text that said, 'alright big boy, let's go! You have to do it!' "
LW
Click here for the "Eye On The Tigers" blog archive.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
Eighteen games into Milton Jennings' career at Clemson, people are wondering what's wrong with Milton Jennings.
I'll admit I expected more, based on coaches' belief that he could instantly be a mid-range and long-range shooting threat.
But is Jennings' lack of production a huge surprise? I don't think so. It's just way too early to judge a kid who, despite all the accolades earned in high school, is still adjusting to the speed and size of big-time college basketball.
There have been a few recent stories on how McDonald's All-Americans are faring in the ACC this season, and Milton's statistics aren't all that out of whack with those who received the same distinction last year.
Travis Sawchik of The Post and Courier explores the issue in this article.
Of the conference's nine McDonald's All-Americans, only Georgia Tech's Derrick Favors is averaging more than 10 points per game.
"If you look at the so-called McDonald's All-Americans in our league, other than one or two of them, none are making a huge impact in the first semester of their freshman year," Clemson coach Oliver Purnell said. "I think it is pretty standard … Particularly in high- echelon leagues where it takes a while to establish yourself."
Over at North Carolina, I'm sure North Carolina fans are wondering what in the heck is wrong with John Henson. The dude was all-everything when he arrived at Chapel Hill, and when you look at him you wonder if a stiff wind would whisk him away.
Henson's stats are strikingly similar to Jennings': Less than four points and three rebounds per game.
Roy Williams said incoming freshmen are typically ranked for their long-term potential, not immediate college impact.
"It's such a physical game," Williams said. "At 6-10, 185 you can't (play inside) against (Georgia Tech's) Gani Lawal … People said John would be one-and-done, the greatest thing since sliced bread. That's not fair to him. That just wasn't going to happen.
"I still think John is going to be a big-time player. But it's hard to be successful in the ACC as a freshman unless you are really exceptional."
Favors is one of those exceptions, and it's unfair to compare Jennings to a guy who's NBA-ready right now.
Jennings has missed 17 of 20 shots from 3-point range, and no doubt that's a disappointment. I think a lot of folks expected more in that area.
So much of his problems seem to stem from tentativeness. When he gets the ball, it appears he's trying to get rid of it as soon as possible.
Jennings could end up being a bust. Could end up being another Lance Thomas, who has not proven worthy of his McDonald's All-America status.
But 18 games into his college career is way too early to label him a bust. He still has plenty of time to show us the boom that was anticipated when he signed with the Tigers.
Good quote from Paul Hewitt in Sawchik's story:
"Any coach wouldn't be surprised. Freshmen are freshmen … speed of the game, so many different things. Unfortunately, our voices are drowned out by experts who say these kids are supposed to be getting 20 and 20."
In his ACC notebook, Sawchik says this is the week we could learn whether Clemson is a contender or pretender.
He also makes an observation N.C. State fans never thought they'd hear:
They're longing for Herb Sendek and Engin Atsur in Raleigh.
Ouch.
In The State, a look at the Tigers' point-guard situation.
More on that in the Greenville News.
If you hate North Carolina, you'll love this column by Lenox Rawlings of the Winston-Salem Journal. Rawlings picks apart the Tar Heels with surgical precision in his column from Saturday's home loss to Georgia Tech.
Deer season ended New Year's Day, but Tar Heel season has only just begun.
Georgia Tech became North Carolina's sixth conqueror yesterday, blowing a 20-point lead yet still surviving 73-71 for two elemental reasons. The Yellow Jackets put better players on the floor, and they made better plays with the game on the line.
Carolina committed 26 turnovers during a 19-point fiasco at Clemson and 17 against softer Georgia Tech pressure, some at the worst possible moments. It took the performance of Will Graves' lifetime -- 24 points on 5 3-pointers -- to rescue a low-voltage offense and remove a lifeless crowd from a dome-sized ventilator.
Georgia Tech is always the Ramblin' Wreck, but right now Carolina looks like a train wreck. Coach Roy Williams, wearing a blue mood under his pink shirt, sped through a litany of shortcomings and put exhausted confidence at the top.
But wait, it gets worse for the Tar Heels: Larry Drew II and Ed Davis didn't practice Monday because of injuries.
Duke has a much more favorable injury report: Kyle Singler and Mason Plumlee appear OK after suffering nasty falls in Sunday night's brutal affair against Wake Forest.
The Chicago Sun-Times tackles a topic that's been at the forefront of everyone's minds since Gaines Adams' tragic death Sunday morning: Why was his heart condition not detected?
Adams underwent a battery of tests before he was drafted in 2007. And you'd think the Chicago Bears subjected him to some pretty rigorous testing after trading for him.
And going back even further, you have to think the medical staff at Clemson is mystified and wondering why they didn't spot what apparently killed Adams.
Good information here:
The NFL, NBA and NHL long have required an electrocardiography, more commonly known as an EKG, a non-invasive recording that provides the electrical signals of the heart.
But Beshai said EKGs only ''suggest abnormalities'' while an echocardiogram can provide more conclusive information. An ECHO is a cardiac ultrasound that can demonstrate the size and shape of the heart, as well as its pumping capacity.
Both doctors said athletes can be particularly tricky to diagnose.
Like their muscles, athletes can develop hearts that are bigger and thicker than normal.
''Athletes' hearts are bigger and have more voltage than regular people,'' Beshai said.
But the challenge for doctors is determining which bigger hearts are healthy or sickly.
Patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HOCM) have heart muscles that have thickened, which can decrease the blood flow in the heart, and the fibers are in disarray.
''Like electric circuitry, they should be in line,'' Beshai said. ''But if they're crisscrossed, it can cause a trip or a short circuit, which can cause an abnormal heartbeat.''
Physical exertion can lead to athletes passing out or even dying.
Four years ago, Estes helped develop the NBA's heart-testing policy to include echocardiograms for all incoming players, and the NFL and NHL started to require them at their respective scouting combines in the last couple of years.
But it's unclear if Gaines, who attended the 2007 NFL combine, underwent an echocardiogram.
Melissa Isaacson of ESPN.com has more on the issue.
Greg Wallace of the Independent-Mail has a column remembering Gaines.
Bob Gillespie of the rapidly-depleting sports staff of The State spoke with Steve Taneyhill about Adams' life.
In the hours after Adams' death, I didn't think of Da'Quan Bowers as one who'd have been close with Adams. But sure enough, Adams and Bowers shared a bond beyond No. 93.
"Gaines was like my mentor," Bowers said. "He was my friend, but really, he was more like a brother to me than anything. He kind of took me in when I was being recruited, told me what to expect out of all these schools ... explained how I should come up with a decision."
On the field, Bowers is Clemson's 6-4, 280-pound wrecking machine. It takes a lot to slow him down, even more to bring him to tears. But, losing a mentor, a friend, a brother -- that is a blow that Bowers was struggling mightily to deal with a day later. Sunday morning, Adams, 26, a former All-American defensive end at Clemson, died at Self Regional Hospital after going into cardiac arrest an hour earlier at his family home in Greenwood.
"I was coming back from Pennsylvania with my family, and I got a text that said, 'did you hear what happened to Gaines?' " Bowers said Monday evening. "I was thinking that it was something dealing with the Bears, football ... something. Then, they said, 'he died about 9 a.m.'
"I just started crying. I cried from Maryland all the way to North Carolina, and I have just been trying to deal with it."
And later...
"I talked to Gaines just about every week," Bowers added. "Right before the games, he would always send me a text that said, 'alright big boy, let's go! You have to do it!' "
LW
Click here for the "Eye On The Tigers" blog archive.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
Donnie Patterson. Donnie Patterson is the founder of Patterson Tax Service, located in Easley, S.C. He has been active in tax preparation since 1970, and offers a full range of tax and bookkeeping services.
Larry Williams. Larry has covered the daily beat at Clemson since 2004. Williams, who worked for the Charleston Post & Courier from 2004-08, joined Tigerillustrated.com in November of 2008. He may be reached by email at ldubya08(at)gmail.com. Replace (at) with @.