My apologies on Tip Time’s apparently notable absence. Whoever you are, please stop sending suicide threats: I can tell that you’re bluffing just by the fact that you say you’re looking forward to the Big 10 conference tournament in March for “Michigan’s indirect revenge” (whatever that means) and have been praying to the good lord above in gratefulness for its overdue existence since 1998.
People who look forward to things and pray don’t kill themselves, so, let’s let bygones be bygones and move on to more pressing – heh … that one was for you, Mike Andserson and Mizzou – matters. After a paid suspension following my initiating contact with an inattentive writer that fell somewhere on the spectrum between nudge and dry-gulch, I’m back to share some early thoughts on the 2006-07 Div. I Men’s Basketball Season, now a few weeks old. Think of it as a tremendous burp after the ESPN-manufactured “Feast Week.” Then think of me mumbling “My compliments to the schedule-makers” with a Cheshire cat smile on my face as I chuckle awkwardly.
Before we begin, allow me to address my broken promise of a women’s preview. Don’t know what to tell you, people, other than that I’m not sure I’m the best person to provide it: The only women’s team I watch is UNC’s, and that’s because I like watching senior point guard Ivory Latta. She’s a great competitor. So, here’s my prediction: Latta leads the Heels to the national championship in Cleveland, and, after their having played during the first and second rounds at the Erwin Center – where Latta and I lock eyes briefly but soulfully during a postgame press conference following her triple-double – we see each other for a short time before getting hitched at center court in the Dean Dome. Wine-and-cheese crowd, indeed. Then: She gets drafted by the WNBA’s Charlotte Sting; supports me with her seven-figure salary as I write my first novel while freelancing the occasional essay; and bears a papasan full of beautiful children who will become, alternatingly, sports stars and someone who does this kind of shit for a living.
I know what you’re thinking: You are ridiculous, Tip Time, and the scenario you have presented here is pure storybook, as UNC will undoubtedly play their first- and second-round games at the RBC Center in Raleigh, not to mention any potential Regional ones in Greensboro. Dream on, a-hole.
To which I say: ridiculous in a good way.
Speaking of ESPN and the Tar Heels, something Dick Vitale said during Wednesday’s extraordinary Ohio State-North Carolina game caught my attention. No, not a groaning “change the possession-arrow rule” or an exuberant “the trifecter has revolutionized the college game!” or even a satisfied “thanks for the back rub last night before your [Ed. note: un]impressive win against Indiana, Josh McRoberts.” Rather, it was the claim that this season’s is the best freshman class since 1979. Vitale was by no means the first to say so, but his voice has the biggest reach and could keep people paying attention.
Which is exactly why such a statement bears traces of propaganda and a certain desperation to retain casual viewers as Men’s Div. I faces significant dilution amid NBA defection. Still, I think he’s right. 1981 might edge it out, but it’s a fun thing to look at either way. Sure, Dickie V. looks like he starred in The Dark Crystal or something – handful of people total reading this at any given time taken together for the rest of recorded history, trust me when I say I have seen the famed “one good eye” up close, and it’s the glass one – but his weird-unearthly-creature-ness has finally paid off in wisdom and prescience. Or, at least, I guess it’s true that if you never shut up, you will eventually say something worth listening to.
Anyway, enjoy them while they last. What follows are the first five of my Top 15 freshmen of 2006-07, who, across the board, will determine the quality of this campaign. Maybe we should say, then, that they’ll finish as the most impactful class – as distinct from the best one – since the debut of Clark Kellogg, Ralph Sampson, Isiah Thompson, Dominique Wilkins, and James Worthy. Of course, the contention hinges on a player who has yet to suit up for a game, and we’ll begin with him.
1) Greg Oden, C, Ohio State The 7-footer, suffering from a wrist injury that will sideline him until January [UPDATE: Oden played on Saturday against Valparaiso, putting up a line of 14, 10, and 5 in 23 minutes], will have people recalling another great big man from another great freshman class … Alonzo Mourning at Georgetown in 1988-89.
2) Kevin Durant, F, Texas Let me give you a rough idea: He’s averaging what he did in high school – which happens to be about a double-double (22.3, 9.5) – against college competition. He’s shooting 48% and has blocked almost three shots a game, including four against Michigan State. Gonzaga will load up the bulk on Saturday (1pm, ESPN), giving him and his fellow newcomers another test before the punishing Big 12 slate.
3) Wayne Ellington, G, UNC He played his most minutes so far this season in the frenetic win over No. 1 OSU, while matching his high in points with 19. Still, he narrowly edges out the frosh comp on his own team …
4) Brandan Wright, F, UNC The Tar Heels are loaded, allowing Roy Williams to baby this kid, who’s just the type he likes to coach: lots of endurance to get up and down and full of frontcourt energy. Fifteen and seven so far, with veteran bruiser Randolph Morris and Kentucky on Saturday.
5) Darrell Arthur, F, Kansas He made six shots from the field in seven attempts during the Jayhawks’ win over Florida, and is shooting 64% this season. Like his team, he’s improving with every game. If I were Durant, I’d be lifting weights, eating my spinach, and drinking my milk.
Look for the next 10 this weekend.
This article appears in November 24 • 2006.