Whitman news since 1896

Whitman Wire

Vol. CLIV, Issue 6
Whitman news since 1896

Whitman Wire

Whitman news since 1896

Whitman Wire

‘Non Shock-Jock’ talks

This is going to be kind of a unique column for the Non-Shock Jocks: or, rather, I should say, for this Non-Shock Jock.   With Brian Woods in New Orleans for not Mardi Gras but a chemistry conference, of all things (woo-hoo!   par-tay!), and without access to the Internet, the column this week is going to be all-Asch, all the time.   So for those of you who read us every week for of our stunning exchanges of witty repartee (Note: We know that the person who reads us every week is, in truth, a purely hypothetical construct), sorry, this week it’s just me breaking down some ball.   Which is really unfortunate, now that I come to think about it, because Woods is the basketball guy . . . so you might wanna skip this one and just wait ’til next week.
Woods and I did, however, have a post-game phone conversation during which he imparted some basketball wisdom to me that I will now share with you.   All season Woods and I have both harped on how we love big men in March: the reason being that big men take high-percentage shots and don’t go cold (at a time when going cold for one day means your season is over).   In Kansas and Memphis’s finals match-up, though, we saw two guard-driven offenses.   At least, that’s what we thought coming into the game.

And while it is true that vaunted guards Chris Douglas-Roberts and Derrick Rose combined for 40 points for the Tigers, and perimeter-players Mario Chalmers and Brandon Rush put up 30 for the Jayhawks, the difference in this game was a Kansas big man.   The Tigers had absolutely no answer Darrell Arthur, Kansas’s bruising 6’9″ forward who posted 10 rebounds (five of them offensive) and 20 points (six of them coming in the final 3:36 of regulation).   When Memphis forward Joey Dorsey fouled out with 1:23 remaining with just six points and two rebounds he had clearly been outplayed and overmatched.

The most telling illustration of Kansas’s domination inside came at halftime, when CBS put up a graphic showing that all but two of the Jayhawks’ first-half makes had come in the paint.   Darrell Jackson (eight points, eight rebounds) also contributed to Kansas’s dominance inside, and center 6’11” center Sasha Kaun (who has one of the best names in college basketball) used his big frame well, providing adequate defense and four points in 21 minutes off the bench.

Of course, the biggest play of the game (and the one people will be talking about for years to come) didn’t come in the paint, but rather came about 21 feet from the basket out on the right wing.   Mario Chalmers’s game-tying three with 2.1 seconds left in regulation has probably earned itself a permanent spot on CBS’s “One Shining Moment” highlight reel.   No matter what Chalmers does from here on in, that guy is drinking for free in Kansas for the rest of his life.

While Chalmers’s twine-tickling big shot is the image we’ll all remember from this final, in Memphis they won’t ever forget Douglas-Roberts and Rose combining to clank four of five free throws in the final minute-and-a-half to allow Kansas to come back a 60-51 deficit with just over two minutes remaining.   All season long, free throw shooting has been this team’s biggest problem, but, as coach John Calipari was fond of pointing out, if you win big you don’t have to make free throws down the stretch.   In this tight contest, though, their Achilles’ heel was exposed: Memphis attempted 19 free throws on the game, but made only 12; Kansas, however, went a sterling 14 of 15 from the foul line, including Chalmers and Sherron Collins sealing the deal by each going two-for-two as Memphis fouled to try to get back into the game in overtime.

Also notable, even though Rose and CDR (as Douglas Roberts is known) both got theirs on the offensive end, was Kansas’s persistent perimeter defense.   While Rose did go for 18 points and eight assists, the Jayhawks harassed him into making five turnovers; Douglas-Roberts, who only had two turnovers, was still constantly pressured, and was forced to work for his shots.   Usually able to get to the rim seemingly at-will, CDR found it much harder to penetrate deep into the paint for high-percentage shots against 6’6″ Brandon Rush (who guarded CDR for much of the game, as well as going for 12 points, six rebounds and two assists), and the fact that he put up 22 points in this contest is a credit to his creative shot-making.
Ultimately, though, the day belonged to Kansas and Chalmers, who was named Most Outstanding Player for his 18 point-performance and very timely shooting.   Now, sadly, the college basketball season is over: well, almost, that is: As I write this on Tuesday morning, about six hours remain until the tip-off of the women’s final, which features a showdown between powerhouse programs Tennessee and Stanford and their respective super-stars Candace Parker (“Ace”) and Candice Wiggins (“Ice”).   The teams already played one thriller this season, with Ice’s Cardinals taking down Ace’s Vols in overtime on Dec. 22.   Maybe this season’s got just one more great finish left in it . . .

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