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Performance of the Week (POTW) 3/23-3/30
Earlier this season I viewed Derrick Rose with skepticism. I hadn’t seen enough of him to tell whether the stats were nothing more than a feasting on the soft Conference-USA schedule. I even left him out of my top point guards discussion.
Today changed all that. Faced with Texas of the Big 12 and their premier point guard, DJ Augustin, Rose displayed his worth. The freshman canned 21 (including 5 of 6 from the free throw line late in the game as the Longhorns tried to extend the game), dished out nine assists, and grabbed six boards.
Beyond all that Rose asserted himself as the best player on the court as the Tigers advanced to the Final Four.
Any moment now Brother Reynell is gonna comment: “I told you so.” 
Let’s hear from the Clipboard community. Who had your POTW?
6 Responses to “Performance of the Week (POTW) 3/23-3/30”
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The fault all the skeptics had on Rose coming out of high school is that he looked for his teammates too much. I guess in high school that is a fault when you are the best player on the court, even though you’re also the PG. Everyone sees that he is now a true PG, scoring when the opportunity is there. He is the only guard I have ever seen that sprints with and without the ball at the exact same speed – REALLY FAST. His transition ball-handling is amazing; he doesn’t even seem to push the ball out in front him, allowing complete control and nearly impossible to steal or disrupt, even if you can keep up with him in a full court sprint. His vision isn’t spectacular – just seems to know where his players are like any true PG should. But he makes ANY pass from any angle on the court. Against Tennessee he made a cross court diagonal pass to Douglas-Roberts in the corner. He did so moving straight down the sideline, the ball out in front of his shoulders, and made the pass across his body left-to-right. that’s an easy pass, but not from 50 feet. It was on target and a bullet.
Have to give some kudos to Hansbrough. You know he is going to be intense and bust his ass on every single play – offensive, defensive, in transition, waiting for a free throw, going through warmups, in the huddle during a time out, talking to his teammates at the pre-free throw team huddle. He is ready all the time. The man is just intense. But when he started knocking down 18 foot Jump Shots it was pretty remarkable. He carried his team for the last 10 minutes of the game. Roy must love coaching that kid.
On another note, did the baseball season start yet? Officially, when was opening day? 2 weeks ago when the Red Sox played, last night or today. For the record I did not like the opening so early and on foreign soil.
Kevin Love of UCLA is playing really well … if not spectacular. He’s kinda understated, but he can really do it all for a big man. He’s even shooting (and making) a couple treys a game … something Hansbrough doesn’t do. And he’s only a freshman. Have you seen him flick the bullet outlet passes to start the break? Waltonesque.
Wally
I am going to go a little different route and give some love to the Davidson school administration and board of trustees. It is not often that a school dips into pockets to provide students with transportation, lodging and tickets to their schools biggest basketball game(s) in their school history.
Furthermore trustees dug into their OWN pockets to help pay for buses and lodging. Their only mistake was not thinking of the idea earlier in the week. The overwhelming response from the students was only meet with the bad news that they couldn’t find enough buses to transport the students to Detroit.
Their boys gave them a show almost putting the trustees in a position to pay for another weekend of important games in school history.
Smitty – great call!
Can’t believe I am going to do this, BUT Billy Packer deserves props. He suggested that schools should do this in the future as an incentive. If a student has a designated GPA, they earn tickets to such events. That makes A LOT of sense.
Wow. Billy Packer came up with that idea all by himself? You sure he didn’t have help? Better yet, he was able to get it in over one of Jim Nantz’s long, drawn out soliloquies?
The Masters, Jim.. Only once a year.. in April… not every event.