Pan-Am'sters versus Philly's Best

We were just a bit off with the expected competition. Roy Williams and Gerald Henderson were MIA. Instead, the gym was packed with Philly-area hoopsters who have serious basketball pedigrees. DaJuan Wagner, the Camden native best known for his 100 point performance in a high school game, pulled his trigger whenever and wherever possible. Wagner has only recently recovered from surgery in 2005, in which his entire colon was removed as a result of “ulcerative colitis”. Villanova’s Chris Charles, former Chicago Bulls forward Malik Allen, former ‘Nova star Jason Fraser and former Friends Central standout, then Syracuse Orangeman and current Memphis Grizzly Hakim Warrick played along the front lines for the visiting squad. Rick Brunson donned some Temple gear to give the appearance that he could still run with the young’uns despite being the elder statesman at 35 years of age. In addition to Wagner, the backcourt was comprised of former URI Ram and current LA Clipper Dawan Robinson and Norristown native, former St. Bonaventure Bonnie Marques Green. Green is listed at 5’7’’, 170 lbs. on the Bonnies webpage, but he’s closer to 5’5’’ 150 lbs.

But the man with the biggest impact on the game of basketball wasn’t on the floor. Pan-Am Games IX alum and 1985 Villanova National Champion Ed Pinckney hobbled around Gooding Arena, hoping to transfer his gold medal vibes from his run with MJ and the ’83 championship team to this squad.

With Pinckney courtside, Team USA got off to a fiery start. They went up 18-6 on the shoulders of their shooters. PG Drew Neitzel got the ball rolling in response to tremendous defense by Dawan Robinson. Neitzel ran Robinson into a solid screen from C Roy Hibbert and then banged a three from about 23 feet. G/F Bryce Taylor stuck another 3 in from the corner off a two-pass swing. PG Scottie Reynolds followed that up by raising the bar from this morning’s POM honor to attain POD status (Player of the Day). The defense sagged at the top of the key and Reynolds knocked a triple down off the back of the rim. When the visitors defense went from aggressive to red-alert, Reynolds didn’t look fazed for a second. Some other Team USA players appeared flustered for a couple possessions, but Reynolds' instinctive moxie enabled him to shoot right through a defender's harassment. He capped a great day with a bomb three-pointer later on, ranging back around 25 feet.

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Despite some defensive growing pains, Team USA managed to break through some of the old heavy-handed habits. G/F Kyle Weaver’s hands were active – not zealous when in the paint with other bodies. He picked some passes and stripped guys going up for shots before getting what appeared to be a knee to his quad, which required some icing after practice.

While the visitors seemed heavy-footed at times, the Pan-Am’sters took advantage of their youth and athleticism to spring ahead. On successive possessions, PF Joey Dorsey went aerial for a right-handed version of Desmond Mason’s 2001 left-handed pull-back slam (about 2 minutes in to this video), which was one-upped by F James Gist’s two-handed rock-the-body dunk. Gist should patent this dunk, which is a carbon-copy of his slam from today. “Whenever me and Dorsey’s on the court it’s gonna’ be a highlight. When you get big men running the floor with the guards, a lot of production is gonna’ come outta that,” said the Maryland high-flyer.

(Gist, #20, hanging around the rim)

The anti-Dorsey – only in his shot selection – F Maarty Leunen had a breakout performance. He’s flown under the radar until today. He banged long-range jumpers in groves, feasting on swing passes that caused the defense to be late getting over. “I know I’m not one of the most athletic guys so I gotta stick to my strengths – shooting the ball,” said Leunen. Referencing a smart decision to stick a jumpshot on a 3-on-2 fast break, he said: “I’ll take the uncontested shot rather than go up against the big guys and try to be more athletic than them.”

(Leunen, #37, hitting a jumpshot during Sunday's practice)

With something on the line, even if it was just pride, he was a reliable option for Team USA. “It definitely helps just playing against higher competition because we don’t always get this back in Oregon. So for everybody to come out and try to play their best always raises the level of competition and how everybody plays,” said Leunen. His style of play fits pretty well in the international game given his proclivity for fundamental basketball. He also has a knack for being in the right place at the right time, collecting more offensive rebounds than one would imagine.

We saw more of the same from SG Wayne Ellington, who was nothing short of spectacular today. SG Derrick Low threaded the needle through the paint to find Ellington cutting to the rim. The UNC standout went off for nine straight points including that lay-up. Two 15-18 footers fell, which he then followed with a three. It seems as though nothing stops him from getting off that smooth, perfectly-rotating shot.

We appreciated a comment we received from Bryce Taylor’s father, Brian Taylor this weekend. The elder Taylor has a very impressive basketball resume, including a team-high 13.3 points per game during the 1971 Pan-American Games alongside Bob McAdoo and Paul Westphal. We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention his two ABA Championships with the Nets. Despite such hardware, the younger Taylor is still convinced that he could take his dad in one-on-one today, noting that his old man has taken a reprieve from the game for about five years.

Big Things Poppin' (Later Tonight)

There wasn’t too much burn this morning, as Coach Wright and his staff dissected the team’s defensive approach for the majority of the two hours. But there’s always a method to the madness with Wright. Rumors are that during the second chapter of today’s double session, Team USA will run against some local players including Duke’s Gerald Henderson and Villanova alum Jason Fraser. We also expect to see UNC Coach Roy Williams in attendance to support his stud shooting guard, Wayne Ellington.

Even with the limited action, Ellington gave the crowd something to ogle. During warm-ups, he and SG Derrick Low traded shots at the same basket. Wayne was ridiculous, stroking twenty-one consecutive jumpers from elbow to elbow. Low held up his end too, knocking down nine in a row. Plain and simple, these guys are good.

(Ellington is poised to start at the 2 in Rio)

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However, POM honors (Player of the Morning) go to PG Scottie Reynolds. As the only player familiar with the Jay Wright experience, Reynolds didn’t seem disturbed by his interjections. While most everyone else struggled to get into some sort of flow, Scottie’s game (and his mouth) were off and running. After yesterday’s half-court hedge from C Roy Hibbert on Reynolds, the little-man knifed in between the 7-footer and another defender to break into the lane for a pretty leaner when the same situation arose.

(Scottie Reynolds, left, a guy who rarely looks flustered)

PG Drew Neitzel gave the usual gritty performance in the AM. He hit a long three from the wing with a man in his face to put his team up. On the other side of the ball, he got caught on a screen and switched over to guard PF Joey Dorsey on the block. As any guard should have in that situation, Neitzel put his body in front of Dorsey’s and wrapped both of his arms behind to hold the big fella and prevent him from getting position. Two possessions later, he went back on the offensive, zipping a pass to G/F Kyle Weaver at the rim, who then dropped it back to PF D.J. White for a monstrous slam. G/F Bryce Taylor made the whole thing possible by diving on the floor for a loose ball.

Dorsey is making a push to surpass PG Eric Maynor as our favorite player at the Trials. While everyone on the floor keeps a straight face when Coach Wright speaks, Dorsey is all smiles. Going through the motions on an out-of-bounds play, Wright told Dorsey that if he catches the ball at the elbow, he sure as heck doesn’t want Dorsey taking that shot. The big man laughed and made the crowd into his audience, joking that “He’s killin’ my confidence man!” Minutes later Dorsey caught a pass at the elbow with 2.4 seconds to play in a tie game. He took the shot. Wright was mad – but only for a minute, as he couldn’t stay angry with the forward.

Practice is closed tonight - which means that we can expect some serious scrimmaging. Remember, the roster still needs to be trimmed from 14 to 12. We'll be back later with updates on the possible cuts and more.

Rapper's Delight

If the U.S. does not succeed in capturing gold despite an incredibly talented roster to select from in 2007, know that all is not lost. Since the 1983 Pan Am games, Brazil (’87, ’99, ’03), Argentina (’95) and Puerto Rico (1991) hung 24 karats around their necks. But the Americans can boast that at least one college delegate from each team since the ’83 gold has hit it bigger in the rare valuables market. No need for an Ace Ventura search – just look to the ring finger on the NCAA champions from 1988, 1992 and 2004, as one or more of their key contributors gained invaluable experience on an international stage at the Pan-Am games during the summer before winning it all. (1995 and 1999 must be excluded because both of those teams were filled with professionals from the Continental Basketball Association.)

F Danny Manning, the leading scorer on the ’87 silver medal team at 14.6 ppg, won the Most Outstanding Player award when his Jayhawks defeated Oklahoma for the 1988 ’chip. After the ’91 Pan-Am bronze, three Dukies from that roster were on the court for the Sports Illustrated “greatest college basketball game of all time”[1] when the Blue Devils defeated Kentucky 104-103, and then in the afterthought twenty-point win over Michigan in the finals. After two silver medals in ’95 and ’99 with CBA players, USA Basketball returned to college players in 2003. Both C Emeka Okafor and G Ben Gordon played on Tom Izzo’s Pan-Am team before heading back to Storrs-Mansfield, CT to win Jim Calhoun’s second title.

(Danny Manning couldn't capture gold at Pan-Am Games X, but won it all with KU the next year)

(Christian Laettner, after hitting the game winner over Kentucky in OT)

(Okafor won MOP honors with UConn in '04 after failing to place during the '03 Pan-Am games)

If this year’s delegation can’t overcome the favored Brazilians, for whom will the stars align and lead his school to “one shining moment”? The original Andy Katz (of ESPN.com) reported that Bruce Pearl’s Tennessee Volunteers added another key piece to their nauseatingly yellow puzzle.[2] F Tyler Smith, a transfer from Iowa, will be allowed to play this year despite the NCAA regulations which call for a player to sit out for a full year when he/she transfers within his/her division (D-I in this case). SG Chris Lofton, the odds-on favorite to succeed Vandy’s F Derrick Byars as the SEC POY, will benefit from Smith’s low-post presence. Even so, Lofton remains the unlikely candidate to fulfill the gemstone requirement for this class.

We spotlighted the KU backcourt of PG Mario Chalmers and G Sherron Collins last week. Along with F Brandon Rush’s team leading 13.8 points per game, the Jayhawks will be a tough team in ’07-’08 – especially at the Phog Allen Fieldhouse. The most pressing question is whether Bill Self can seamlessly replace F Julian Wright’s (6’8’’ 218 lbs.) transition offense and defensive presence in the lane with the younger F Darell Arthur (6’9’’ 230 lbs). If Arthur cannot be that game-changing forward, KU will rely on hulking big man C Sasha Kaun, (6’11’’ 245 lbs.) which will significantly slow down their running game. Despite serious talent, too many questions for KU to cut down the nets for the first time since Danny Manning’s ’88 team.

John Thompson III will have to continue waiting for his first championship, even if the 2007-2008 Georgetown team might be good enough to win the Big East. It’s also too soon for Roy Williams to return to the Promised Land, as the loss of F Brandan Wright’s freakish athleticism and G Reyshawn Terry’s leadership restricts Williams’ use of his best asset: a deep bench. Able-bodied replacements F Deon Thompson and F Alex Stephenson will move into prominent positions, and thus change the role of the Tar Heel primary replacement from crafty scorers (Wright and Terry) into less-skilled rebounders (Thompson and Stephenson).

So who’s left as the insurance policy for this ’07 Pan-Am squad? I’m usually not a Conference USA believer, but the return of virtually everyone to John Calipari’s Memphis team and the addition of the nation’s third most coveted prospect has everyone’s attention. C Joey Dorsey is the Tigers’ rep at the Trials, and one of only three centers in attendance (along with C Brian Butch and C Roy Hibbert). But he’s not even the third option in Calipari’s system. G Chris Douglas-Roberts (our second option in hyphenated last names next to RB Maurice Jones-Drew), G Jeremy Hunt and the incoming freshman, G Derrick Rose, are a triumvirate of scorers who will be far too much for any opposing defense to handle at once. No surprise that the Tigers rattled off twenty-five straight wins last year before falling to Ohio State in the Elite Eight.

A return trip from Brazil with twelve gold medals would be preferable to a single diamond ring, but the selection committee might as well keep Dorsey around just in case. Excluding the CBA teams of ’95 and ’99, the only other squad to finish without intra-American gold or at least one NCAA champ is the 1971 team. But let’s stay on the bright side – the ’71 group has champions too: Paul Westphal won an NBA crown with Boston in ’74 and Bob McAdoo won two with the Lakers.

Two quick non-basketball Pan-Am notes:

-- Two Dominican athletes were expelled from participating because of performance-enhancing drugs. Former St. Louis Cardinal Jose Jimenez, once threw a no-hitter in 1999, will have to watch along with a boxer from the Dominican because of steroid use.

-- On a news media center whiteboard, a U.S.O.C. (American) official wrote: “Welcome to the Congo.” The Brazilian O Globo paper published a picture of the message, criticizing it as being “full of prejudice.” The employee who wrote the comment has been sent home and the U.S. committee apologized.

[1] http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/sioncampus/03/10/greatest_games0311/

[2] http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=katz_andy&id=2929620&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab2pos2