The Milton value menu
posted by LW, Monday, February 01, 2010
You've probably heard about the person (or persons) who sued McDonald's for serving coffee that was too hot.
Given the reactions to Milton Jennings' difficult freshman season, maybe some folks are pursuing action for their McDonald's All-American being too cold.
The Jennings situation seemed to reach a boil yesterday when Oliver Purnell heard boos that he believed to be directed toward Jennings.
I'm not convinced folks were indeed booing Jennings. There were plenty of boos yesterday in protest of officiating that was often questionable at best, so maybe OP got it wrong.
Then again, maybe he didn't. I didn't hear what he heard, and maybe he heard someone or some people yelling stuff that was specific to Jennings. Purnell always puts a good deal of thought into what he says and seldom delivers his opinions in a rash manner, so it would be reasonable to assume he heard enough to proceed with his post-game fan critique.
I felt bad for Jennings yesterday. The day before, he told me he was working hard on finishing strong. When he pilfered a pass at the top of the key and raced in for a fast-break slam at the 8:07 mark of the first half, you got the sense it was a huge confidence boost and a key moment as he tries to move past the deer-in-headlights tentativeness we've seen in games this season.
But three possessions later, Jennings got the ball in the low block with great position. The deer-in-headlights thing returned in full color. He fumbled away the ball -- I couldn't tell if it was an actual shot or just a turnover -- and OP laid into him during a timeout soon thereafter.
I could be wrong about what Purnell said, but pretty sure he yelled this:
"Attack the basket!!!"
In the second half, Clemson was up 11 and had a chance to build on that lead when Jennings got the ball in the post.
In our interview with him Saturday, Jennings said one of the most difficult parts of his adjustment from high school to college is playing power forward instead of small forward.
"I’m coming from high school playing the 3, moving to the 4. So I have to completely forget the game I learned in high school. … I’m having to back down the bigger guys. When I get in the post, I only have a couple of post moves.”
That was evident in this sequence. Jennings made a few indecisive moves, then attempted a fadeaway that missed.
Later, he threw up an airball on an open 3-point attempt and the air seemed to suck out of the building. Maryland was up two at that point, and I really thought the Tigers were done.
I think Purnell is right to call out folks who are (allegedly) ripping into Jennings during games. Even if OP got it wrong and fans were instead booing the officiating, it's important to send a message that this guy is giving his best and needs the support of the faithful. It's important to send a message that other high-profile recruits could be in the building, and Clemson needs all the help it can get in landing these guys.
In doing some research yesterday for the story on Jennings, it was interesting charting the progress of the 24 guys who made the 2009 McDonald's All-America team.
Here's a look at what each of those guys had done heading into yesterday's games. I put an asterisk beside the guys who are regular starters.
EAST TEAM
*Lance Stephenson, Cincinnati: 29.2 mpg 12.2 ppg 4.8 rpg
*Kenny Boynton, Florida: 32.7 mpg 15 ppg, 3.1 rpg
Dominic Cheek, Villanova: 15 mpg, 5.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg
*DeMarcus Cousins, Kentucky: 21 mpg, 16.2 ppg, 9.7 rpg
*Derrick Favors, Georgia Tech: 26.1 mpg, 11.5 pg, 8.6 rpg
Ryan Kelly, Duke: 8.3 mpg, 1.7 ppg, 1.4 rpg
*Alex Oriakhi, UConn: 27.5 mpg, 5.3 ppg, 7.9 rpg
Peyton Siva, Louisville: 11.2 mpg, 4.1 ppg, 0.7 rpg
Dexter Strickland, North Carolina: 16.5 mpg, 6.2 ppg, 1.4 rpg
Dante Taylor, Pittsburgh: 15.7 mpg, 4.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg
Maalik Wayns, Villanova: 17.2 mpg, 8.7 ppg, 1.7 rpg
Milton Jennings, Clemson: 11.8 mpg, 3.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg
WEST TEAM
*Avery Bradley, Texas: 27.6 mpg, 12.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg
*Abdul Gaddy, Washington: 20.2 mpg, 5 ppg, 1.5 rpg
*Tiny Gallon, Oklahoma: 23.6 mpg, 10.6 ppg, 8.4 rpg
*Xavier Henry, Kansas: 27 mpg, 13.9 ppg, 4 rpg
John Henson, North Carolina: 10.8 mpg; 3.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg
Wally Judge, Kansas State: 11.6 mpg, 3.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg
*Tommy Mason-Griffin, Oklahoma: 34.1 mpg, 12.7 ppg, 3 rpg
Mason Plumlee, Duke, 14.2 mpg, 4.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg
Renardo Sidney, Mississippi State: Ineligible
Michael Snaer, Florida State: 21.2 mpg, 8.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg
David Wear, North Carolina: 9.7 mpg, 2.7 ppg, 1.4 rpg
Travis Wear, North Carolina: 11 mpg, 3.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg
Could these teams have been divided more evenly? Not only did five guys from each side go on to become regular starters, but take a look at the average minutes and points per game:
East: 19.3 mpg, 7.8 ppg
West: 19.1 mpg, 7.34 ppg
I'm far from a McDonald's All-American aficionado, so I was surprised to learn John Wall was not on last year's team. He spent five years in high school, and the team does not allow guys who have done the fifth-year thing.
In the Greenville News, Bart Wright says wins don't get much bigger than yesterday's when you're on the precipice of a 3-5 conference record.
This was one of those ACC home games even a serious follower of Clemson basketball might not have underlined prior to the start of the season, for good reason. It followed home games against Duke and North Carolina and it preceded three in a row in the middle of the month that will impact the seeding for the conference tournament.
But without this 62-53 win against Maryland, the rest of the schedule wouldn’t have been the same. It would have been like a trip through the graveyard at midnight on a moonless night.
“Oh man,” said Clemson center Jerai Grant, after contributing 18 points and 12 rebounds, “I don’t want to think about it. This league is tough enough when you have everybody, but without (Demontez Stitt), it would be awful tough.”
Here are the game stories from the Post and Courier, Independent-Mail and Seneca paper.
I suspected Maryland's 4-1 ACC start was more the result of front-loaded scheduling than on-court excellence, and yesterday's ugliness by the Terps supported that notion.
Maryland was due a bad game at some point, but this team looked awful yesterday. Greivis Vasquez is a one-man roller coaster who alternates between scintillating and stupefying, and he was bad against the Tigers.
Don't pick this team to go far in the NCAA Tournament. Vasquez's reckless play doesn't make a lengthy run likely.
More from Maryland's side of things in the Baltimore Sun.
Normally I'd link to the Washington Times and their excellent beat man Patrick Stevens, but the Washington Times recently scrapped its entire sports section.
Refreshing.
Apparently North Carolina was so bad in last night's loss to Virginia that Roy Williams was holding back tears after the game.
David Teel of the Newport News Daily Press says go ahead and name Tony Bennett ACC coach of the year.
Just goes to show there's never a sure thing either way with this coaching-search thing. Who out there thought Bennett was the right guy in Charlottesville?
Better yet, who was endorsing the Mark Fox hire at Georgia?
In this column, Bennett played it cool through and after his program's rare win in Chapel Hill.
More on Virginia's win in the Washington Post.
Back to Teel's blog post fora moment, a note of interest to Clemson heading into its trip to Blacksburg:
Since making his first two 3-point attempts against Boston College last Saturday, Virginia Tech guard Malcolm Delaney has missed 16 consecutive shots from beyond the arc.
Delaney, the ACC's leading scorer, was 0-for-5 in this afternoon's 82-75 loss at Miami. This on the heels of an 0-for-6 at Virginia and 0-for-his-last-5 against BC.
Rumor has it that some high schoolers will be signing letters of intent Wednesday.
The Post and Courier has a look at the booms and busts, underscoring the inexact science of it all.
And Greg Wallace takes a look at what's shaping up to be a nice class for Dat Boy.
LW
Click here for the "Eye On The Tigers" blog archive.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
You've probably heard about the person (or persons) who sued McDonald's for serving coffee that was too hot.
Given the reactions to Milton Jennings' difficult freshman season, maybe some folks are pursuing action for their McDonald's All-American being too cold.
The Jennings situation seemed to reach a boil yesterday when Oliver Purnell heard boos that he believed to be directed toward Jennings.
I'm not convinced folks were indeed booing Jennings. There were plenty of boos yesterday in protest of officiating that was often questionable at best, so maybe OP got it wrong.
Then again, maybe he didn't. I didn't hear what he heard, and maybe he heard someone or some people yelling stuff that was specific to Jennings. Purnell always puts a good deal of thought into what he says and seldom delivers his opinions in a rash manner, so it would be reasonable to assume he heard enough to proceed with his post-game fan critique.
I felt bad for Jennings yesterday. The day before, he told me he was working hard on finishing strong. When he pilfered a pass at the top of the key and raced in for a fast-break slam at the 8:07 mark of the first half, you got the sense it was a huge confidence boost and a key moment as he tries to move past the deer-in-headlights tentativeness we've seen in games this season.
But three possessions later, Jennings got the ball in the low block with great position. The deer-in-headlights thing returned in full color. He fumbled away the ball -- I couldn't tell if it was an actual shot or just a turnover -- and OP laid into him during a timeout soon thereafter.
I could be wrong about what Purnell said, but pretty sure he yelled this:
"Attack the basket!!!"
In the second half, Clemson was up 11 and had a chance to build on that lead when Jennings got the ball in the post.
In our interview with him Saturday, Jennings said one of the most difficult parts of his adjustment from high school to college is playing power forward instead of small forward.
"I’m coming from high school playing the 3, moving to the 4. So I have to completely forget the game I learned in high school. … I’m having to back down the bigger guys. When I get in the post, I only have a couple of post moves.”
That was evident in this sequence. Jennings made a few indecisive moves, then attempted a fadeaway that missed.
Later, he threw up an airball on an open 3-point attempt and the air seemed to suck out of the building. Maryland was up two at that point, and I really thought the Tigers were done.
I think Purnell is right to call out folks who are (allegedly) ripping into Jennings during games. Even if OP got it wrong and fans were instead booing the officiating, it's important to send a message that this guy is giving his best and needs the support of the faithful. It's important to send a message that other high-profile recruits could be in the building, and Clemson needs all the help it can get in landing these guys.
In doing some research yesterday for the story on Jennings, it was interesting charting the progress of the 24 guys who made the 2009 McDonald's All-America team.
Here's a look at what each of those guys had done heading into yesterday's games. I put an asterisk beside the guys who are regular starters.
EAST TEAM
*Lance Stephenson, Cincinnati: 29.2 mpg 12.2 ppg 4.8 rpg
*Kenny Boynton, Florida: 32.7 mpg 15 ppg, 3.1 rpg
Dominic Cheek, Villanova: 15 mpg, 5.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg
*DeMarcus Cousins, Kentucky: 21 mpg, 16.2 ppg, 9.7 rpg
*Derrick Favors, Georgia Tech: 26.1 mpg, 11.5 pg, 8.6 rpg
Ryan Kelly, Duke: 8.3 mpg, 1.7 ppg, 1.4 rpg
*Alex Oriakhi, UConn: 27.5 mpg, 5.3 ppg, 7.9 rpg
Peyton Siva, Louisville: 11.2 mpg, 4.1 ppg, 0.7 rpg
Dexter Strickland, North Carolina: 16.5 mpg, 6.2 ppg, 1.4 rpg
Dante Taylor, Pittsburgh: 15.7 mpg, 4.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg
Maalik Wayns, Villanova: 17.2 mpg, 8.7 ppg, 1.7 rpg
Milton Jennings, Clemson: 11.8 mpg, 3.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg
WEST TEAM
*Avery Bradley, Texas: 27.6 mpg, 12.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg
*Abdul Gaddy, Washington: 20.2 mpg, 5 ppg, 1.5 rpg
*Tiny Gallon, Oklahoma: 23.6 mpg, 10.6 ppg, 8.4 rpg
*Xavier Henry, Kansas: 27 mpg, 13.9 ppg, 4 rpg
John Henson, North Carolina: 10.8 mpg; 3.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg
Wally Judge, Kansas State: 11.6 mpg, 3.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg
*Tommy Mason-Griffin, Oklahoma: 34.1 mpg, 12.7 ppg, 3 rpg
Mason Plumlee, Duke, 14.2 mpg, 4.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg
Renardo Sidney, Mississippi State: Ineligible
Michael Snaer, Florida State: 21.2 mpg, 8.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg
David Wear, North Carolina: 9.7 mpg, 2.7 ppg, 1.4 rpg
Travis Wear, North Carolina: 11 mpg, 3.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg
Could these teams have been divided more evenly? Not only did five guys from each side go on to become regular starters, but take a look at the average minutes and points per game:
East: 19.3 mpg, 7.8 ppg
West: 19.1 mpg, 7.34 ppg
I'm far from a McDonald's All-American aficionado, so I was surprised to learn John Wall was not on last year's team. He spent five years in high school, and the team does not allow guys who have done the fifth-year thing.
In the Greenville News, Bart Wright says wins don't get much bigger than yesterday's when you're on the precipice of a 3-5 conference record.
This was one of those ACC home games even a serious follower of Clemson basketball might not have underlined prior to the start of the season, for good reason. It followed home games against Duke and North Carolina and it preceded three in a row in the middle of the month that will impact the seeding for the conference tournament.
But without this 62-53 win against Maryland, the rest of the schedule wouldn’t have been the same. It would have been like a trip through the graveyard at midnight on a moonless night.
“Oh man,” said Clemson center Jerai Grant, after contributing 18 points and 12 rebounds, “I don’t want to think about it. This league is tough enough when you have everybody, but without (Demontez Stitt), it would be awful tough.”
Here are the game stories from the Post and Courier, Independent-Mail and Seneca paper.
I suspected Maryland's 4-1 ACC start was more the result of front-loaded scheduling than on-court excellence, and yesterday's ugliness by the Terps supported that notion.
Maryland was due a bad game at some point, but this team looked awful yesterday. Greivis Vasquez is a one-man roller coaster who alternates between scintillating and stupefying, and he was bad against the Tigers.
Don't pick this team to go far in the NCAA Tournament. Vasquez's reckless play doesn't make a lengthy run likely.
More from Maryland's side of things in the Baltimore Sun.
Normally I'd link to the Washington Times and their excellent beat man Patrick Stevens, but the Washington Times recently scrapped its entire sports section.
Refreshing.
Apparently North Carolina was so bad in last night's loss to Virginia that Roy Williams was holding back tears after the game.
David Teel of the Newport News Daily Press says go ahead and name Tony Bennett ACC coach of the year.
Just goes to show there's never a sure thing either way with this coaching-search thing. Who out there thought Bennett was the right guy in Charlottesville?
Better yet, who was endorsing the Mark Fox hire at Georgia?
In this column, Bennett played it cool through and after his program's rare win in Chapel Hill.
More on Virginia's win in the Washington Post.
Back to Teel's blog post fora moment, a note of interest to Clemson heading into its trip to Blacksburg:
Since making his first two 3-point attempts against Boston College last Saturday, Virginia Tech guard Malcolm Delaney has missed 16 consecutive shots from beyond the arc.
Delaney, the ACC's leading scorer, was 0-for-5 in this afternoon's 82-75 loss at Miami. This on the heels of an 0-for-6 at Virginia and 0-for-his-last-5 against BC.
Rumor has it that some high schoolers will be signing letters of intent Wednesday.
The Post and Courier has a look at the booms and busts, underscoring the inexact science of it all.
And Greg Wallace takes a look at what's shaping up to be a nice class for Dat Boy.
LW
Click here for the "Eye On The Tigers" blog archive.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
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