Thursday, March 16, 2000
UK can't rely on talent for NCAA title
BY TIM SULLIVAN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
CLEVELAND — Jamaal Magloire is making noises about mayhem. The Kentucky center has announced his intention to do “a lot of things you might be upset with,” during the NCAA Tournament. Given his history, this probably portends fisticuffs.
Magloire may not be the dirtiest player in the Big Dance, but he's a high seed in anybody's bracket. He has been whistled for eight technical fouls during his Kentucky career, suffered three suspensions, and become synonymous with the artful elbow and the surreptitious shove. He views violence not as a recourse, but as a reflex — a key component of his combative game.
He is not what Kentucky basketball is all about, but what it has become.
“It's all about intensity and who wants it the most,” Magloire said Wednesday afternoon. “We're more hungry than we've ever been because adversity has come around this team.”
March is typically a time for the Wildcats to display their ability. This March, however, Kentucky is about appetite. Tubby Smith's talent level is down, and his depth is depleted. Lordly UK must survive on its scrappiness.
Scrappiness is no substitute for skill and experience, however, and these 'Cats would do well to last through the weekend. Temple coach John Chaney is on record predicting a Kentucky defeat in this afternoon's first-round game against 12th-seeded St. Bonaventure. Even if UK should prevail, the loss of Desmond Allison makes a prolonged tournament run improbable.
Depleted roster
Defections, disciplinary problems and the death of 7-foot recruit John Stewart have reduced Smith's roster to nine players, none of whom makes more than half his shots or plays point guard with much precision. (Where have you gone, Wayne Turner?)
Allison, the team's best 3-point and free-throw shooter, was suspended this week after being charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. This means UK will be more reliant on limited role players such as J.P. Blevins, more prone to fatigue and more susceptible to foul trouble.
What that means, most likely, is that any success Kentucky has in the field of 64 is a stay of execution as opposed to a sign of excellence. When a Kentucky coach says his team has “overachieved” — as Smith did Wednesday — he is preparing people for disappointment. In Lexington, where anything short of a national championship is regarded as a rebuilding year, it is dangerous to raise expectations if you can't deliver.
“The key to an elite program is being consistent and nobody has been more consistent than Kentucky,” Smith said. “Our expectations are higher and we have the responsibility to carry on the tradition. (But) you don't have to win a championship to be elite.”
With seven NCAA Championship banners hanging from the Rupp Arena rafters, Kentucky's place among college basketball's elite is unquestioned. Institutional propaganda proclaims the 'Cats to be the Team of the Century, and only UCLA could mount a meaningful challenge.
“They bring a lot of history with them,” said St. Bonaventure point guard Tim Winn. “It's been 20 years since we've been here.”
Low expectations
Tradition can be a terrific recruiting tool, but it has little bearing between the opening tip and the final buzzer. In this college classroom, history counts for a lot less than current events. Kentucky, consequently, starts this tournament a short-handed longshot.
“It's always been us against the world,” Magloire said. “We've been downplayed the whole year.”
Kentucky has won too often for too long to generate much sympathy in a down year. Magloire, in particular, is not a player who engenders warm and fuzzy feelings.
He is, says Florida coach Billy Donovan, “the master at grabbing and holding and taking guys down and then getting fouled.”
“I won't be surprised,” said St. Bonaventure forward Peter Van Paassen. “I played (for Holland) against the Greek national team over the summer, and they've got the trickiest players in the world. And we played them in Greece, where they let everything go.”
Tricky players can only take you so far. Ultimately, you win with talent.
Tim Sullivan welcomes your email at tsullivan@enquirer.com.
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