Starting Lineups: When David Lee And James White Threw Down
Showing posts with label james white. Show all posts
Showing posts with label james white. Show all posts
Friday, February 14, 2014
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
About the All-Big Ten Honors
You see this guy?
His name is Denard Robinson, as I'm sure you are all well aware of. He was one of the most dynamic, electric players in college football this year, becoming the first quarterback in NCAA history to run and throw for more than 1,500 yards in one season. He led the Big Ten with 136.9 rushing yards per game, good for 4th in the nation, shattered Antwaan Randle El's previous rushing record by a Big Ten quarterback of 1,270 by finishing with 1,643 yards. He was in the top 20 in the country with a pass efficiency rating of 152.9, completing 62 percent of his passes for 2,316 yard. And he scored 30 total touchdowns, running for 14 and passes for another 16. Rightfully, Denard Robinson was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year.
That's not the news here. No, the news is that despite being by far the best offensive player in the conference and one of the most terrorizing quarterbacks in the nation, despite being named the Offensive Player of the Year, Denard Robinson was somehow not named the First or Second Team All-Conference QB. What? How is that even possible? How can you be the best offensive player in the conference, and play quarterback, but not be the best quarterback in the conference? It makes no sense. None at all. But take a look at the All-Conference First and Second Teams. Denard Robinson, the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, is nowhere to be found. Northwestern's Dan Persa was named the first team QB, with Wisconsin's Scott Tolzien as the second team signal caller.
Don't get me wrong, Persa had a great year for the Wildcats, and Tolzien helped lead the Badgers to a share of the Big Ten title, but there isn't a chance in hell anyone in the Big Ten would rather have either one of those guys as their quarterback over Denard Robinson. Denard should have been named first team QB, with Persa as second team. No question about it. It doesn't make a lick of sense that the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year only gets Honorable Mention on the All-Conference team, especially when he was far and away the most dangerous quarterback in the conference.
I really need someone to explain this to me. Then again, I could use an explanation on the Penn Staters that were named to the team.
For starters, I have a really, really hard time believing that Stefen Wisniewski was one of the two best guards in the Big Ten this season.
Two years ago, sure. He was awesome as a sophomore. He really was. Then last season he moved to center out of necessity and struggled early on, becoming adequate as the year progressed. This year, back at guard from the very beginning, he was as much a part of the problems Penn State had on its offensive line as anyone. He was missing blocks, slow on pulling, overall struggling like the rest of the line. Yes, he stabilized as the season wore on, and he's by no means a terrible player, but if Stefen Wisniewski was named Stefen Jones, there's no way in hell he'd be named First Team All-Big Ten. None. He's just not at that level. He had some truly horrid games this season, some really good ones, but lacked the consistency needed, in my opinion, to make first team. Honestly, I would have him at Honorable Mention at best. Because his last name invokes memories of his All-Pro uncle, he gets more praise than he deserves. Like I said, I don't think Wisniewski is a bad player, but I do think he's perhaps the most overrated Penn State offensive lineman of my lifetime.
As for the Penn Staters named to the second team, with all due respect to Evan Royster and Ollie Ogbu, I don't think either player deserved it. Royster had such a slow start to his season that it's hard for me to take him making the all-conference team seriously. I guess it's more of a lifetime achievement award, being so tremendous for four seasons and becoming the all-time leading rusher in Penn State history. I don't have a huge problem with Royster being named to the second team, because he did get stronger as the year wore on and showed he could still have a huge impact, but his whole year was fairly underwhelming.
As for Ogbu, I just don't think he consistently made enough of an impact to warrant selection, though that may not have been his fault. Ogbu was definitely Penn State's best defensive tackle, and he received very little help from his linemates all season. Devon Still had some good games, but didn't have a season to write home about. Jack Crawford was MIA. Ditto any other defensive end not named Pete Massaro. So Ogbu was left to do it by his lonesome much of the time, and was forced to play a lot of snaps. I like the guy and think he's a great player. I was just surprised he was named to the second team.
The funny thing to me is that while Wisniewski was named first team and Royster named second team, Penn State's best and most consistent offensive player all year didn't make the cut. That would be Derek Moye, who had an absolutely tremendous season as the Nittany Lions' leading receiver, finishing among the Big Ten leaders in receiving yards, yards per catch and touchdowns.
If any Penn Stater deserved to be named to the All-Big Ten team, it was Moye. It's a shame the voters didn't feel the same way. Second team seems much more appropriate for Moye than Honorable Mention. Though I will admit, it would be tough to remove the four receivers selected: Tandon Doss of Indiana, Dane Sanzenbacher of Ohio State, and Marvn McNutt and Derrell Johnson-Koulianos of Iowa.
Also, Quinn Barham and Chris Colasanti don't deserve to be anywhere near honorable mention. D'Anton Lynn, who also was named, certainly belongs there.
As for the other big winners, Mark Dantonio was named Big Ten Coach of the Year, and you will hear no arguments from me there. No one expected Michigan State to contend with Ohio State and Wisconsin, yet here they are as co-Big Ten Champs with those two schools.
Ryan Kerrigan of Purdue was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year because he was the Big Ten's best defensive player, much like Jared Odrick was last season. And Wisconsin had the Offensive Lineman of the Year in Gabe Carimi, who is the biggest beast on that beastly Wisconsin o-line, and the Freshman of the Year in running back James White, who was tremendous spelling John Clay. Can't argue with any of those either.
Interestingly, Terrelle Pryor, the man Ohio State fans keep touting as a Heisman candidate before every season despite never really putting up Heisman numbers, was also left off of the first and second teams, joining list of honorable mentions.
His name is Denard Robinson, as I'm sure you are all well aware of. He was one of the most dynamic, electric players in college football this year, becoming the first quarterback in NCAA history to run and throw for more than 1,500 yards in one season. He led the Big Ten with 136.9 rushing yards per game, good for 4th in the nation, shattered Antwaan Randle El's previous rushing record by a Big Ten quarterback of 1,270 by finishing with 1,643 yards. He was in the top 20 in the country with a pass efficiency rating of 152.9, completing 62 percent of his passes for 2,316 yard. And he scored 30 total touchdowns, running for 14 and passes for another 16. Rightfully, Denard Robinson was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year.
That's not the news here. No, the news is that despite being by far the best offensive player in the conference and one of the most terrorizing quarterbacks in the nation, despite being named the Offensive Player of the Year, Denard Robinson was somehow not named the First or Second Team All-Conference QB. What? How is that even possible? How can you be the best offensive player in the conference, and play quarterback, but not be the best quarterback in the conference? It makes no sense. None at all. But take a look at the All-Conference First and Second Teams. Denard Robinson, the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, is nowhere to be found. Northwestern's Dan Persa was named the first team QB, with Wisconsin's Scott Tolzien as the second team signal caller.
Don't get me wrong, Persa had a great year for the Wildcats, and Tolzien helped lead the Badgers to a share of the Big Ten title, but there isn't a chance in hell anyone in the Big Ten would rather have either one of those guys as their quarterback over Denard Robinson. Denard should have been named first team QB, with Persa as second team. No question about it. It doesn't make a lick of sense that the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year only gets Honorable Mention on the All-Conference team, especially when he was far and away the most dangerous quarterback in the conference.
I really need someone to explain this to me. Then again, I could use an explanation on the Penn Staters that were named to the team.
For starters, I have a really, really hard time believing that Stefen Wisniewski was one of the two best guards in the Big Ten this season.
Two years ago, sure. He was awesome as a sophomore. He really was. Then last season he moved to center out of necessity and struggled early on, becoming adequate as the year progressed. This year, back at guard from the very beginning, he was as much a part of the problems Penn State had on its offensive line as anyone. He was missing blocks, slow on pulling, overall struggling like the rest of the line. Yes, he stabilized as the season wore on, and he's by no means a terrible player, but if Stefen Wisniewski was named Stefen Jones, there's no way in hell he'd be named First Team All-Big Ten. None. He's just not at that level. He had some truly horrid games this season, some really good ones, but lacked the consistency needed, in my opinion, to make first team. Honestly, I would have him at Honorable Mention at best. Because his last name invokes memories of his All-Pro uncle, he gets more praise than he deserves. Like I said, I don't think Wisniewski is a bad player, but I do think he's perhaps the most overrated Penn State offensive lineman of my lifetime.
As for the Penn Staters named to the second team, with all due respect to Evan Royster and Ollie Ogbu, I don't think either player deserved it. Royster had such a slow start to his season that it's hard for me to take him making the all-conference team seriously. I guess it's more of a lifetime achievement award, being so tremendous for four seasons and becoming the all-time leading rusher in Penn State history. I don't have a huge problem with Royster being named to the second team, because he did get stronger as the year wore on and showed he could still have a huge impact, but his whole year was fairly underwhelming.
As for Ogbu, I just don't think he consistently made enough of an impact to warrant selection, though that may not have been his fault. Ogbu was definitely Penn State's best defensive tackle, and he received very little help from his linemates all season. Devon Still had some good games, but didn't have a season to write home about. Jack Crawford was MIA. Ditto any other defensive end not named Pete Massaro. So Ogbu was left to do it by his lonesome much of the time, and was forced to play a lot of snaps. I like the guy and think he's a great player. I was just surprised he was named to the second team.
The funny thing to me is that while Wisniewski was named first team and Royster named second team, Penn State's best and most consistent offensive player all year didn't make the cut. That would be Derek Moye, who had an absolutely tremendous season as the Nittany Lions' leading receiver, finishing among the Big Ten leaders in receiving yards, yards per catch and touchdowns.
If any Penn Stater deserved to be named to the All-Big Ten team, it was Moye. It's a shame the voters didn't feel the same way. Second team seems much more appropriate for Moye than Honorable Mention. Though I will admit, it would be tough to remove the four receivers selected: Tandon Doss of Indiana, Dane Sanzenbacher of Ohio State, and Marvn McNutt and Derrell Johnson-Koulianos of Iowa.
Also, Quinn Barham and Chris Colasanti don't deserve to be anywhere near honorable mention. D'Anton Lynn, who also was named, certainly belongs there.
As for the other big winners, Mark Dantonio was named Big Ten Coach of the Year, and you will hear no arguments from me there. No one expected Michigan State to contend with Ohio State and Wisconsin, yet here they are as co-Big Ten Champs with those two schools.
Ryan Kerrigan of Purdue was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year because he was the Big Ten's best defensive player, much like Jared Odrick was last season. And Wisconsin had the Offensive Lineman of the Year in Gabe Carimi, who is the biggest beast on that beastly Wisconsin o-line, and the Freshman of the Year in running back James White, who was tremendous spelling John Clay. Can't argue with any of those either.
Interestingly, Terrelle Pryor, the man Ohio State fans keep touting as a Heisman candidate before every season despite never really putting up Heisman numbers, was also left off of the first and second teams, joining list of honorable mentions.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
The Return of the Links
Andre Iguodala, Elton Brand and Samuel Dalembert all had very good games for the Sixers last night, and they still lost by 16 points to the Magic. You know, the same Magic that the Sixers played in the first round of the playoffs last year. Oh, Andre Miller, where art thou?
Honestly, it's impossible to muster up any kind of enthusiasm for this team. It really is. I watch. Boy do I watch. But I can't figure out why. I certainly can't muster up enough passion to even care anymore, which is saying something if you know me. I won't be going on any diatribes about how Ed Snider loves the Flyers so much more than the Sixers. (By the way, I agree with that premise, however, I completely disagree with the notion the Sixers' season could have been saved by firing Eddie Jordan. The Sixers suck, and at best they are capable of being a team that loses badly in the first round to a far superior opponent. What good is that?) I just don't have any energy left with this team. There are 11 games, and as far as I'm concerned, they can't get over soon enough. And at this point, the more losses, the better. This team needs a John Wall, an Evan Turner, a DeMarcus Cousins, Derrick Favors, Wesley Johnson, Greg Monroe, someone to excite the franchise badly. A quality coach you can stand behind for a few years wouldn't hurt either.
My suggestion … don't hire a grown-ass man with braces.
Just saying.
Thank the lord there actually was some entertaining basketball on for me to avert my eyes to. Yes, I'm talking about the NIT. It may not be the equivalent of Northern Iowa upsetting Kansas, but the Virginia Tech-UConn game last night was wild, and it had a fantastic ending. I mean, just check out the final minute:
Kemba Walker was a man for UConn, but it wasn't enough. Kevin Dyson got called for a backcourt as UConn tried to milk a little clock with a one-point lead. Then Dorenzo Hudson, who had an outstanding game, scoring a game-high 27 points, hit a sick jumper off a curl as he was falling down with a hand in his face to put Va Tech up 64-63. Kemba Walker got blocked on the other end, somehow kept with it, found a wide open Gavin Edwards 2 feet from the basket for a layup, only Edwards missed it and the Hokies got the board. Terrell Bell, who hauled in the rebound, got fouled with 0.7 seconds remaining.
He missed the first free throw, which prompted announcer Tim Welsh to say Bell should miss the second on purpose to let the time run out. Good strategy. Jokingly — at least I think it was jokingly — Mike Patrick chimed in with this, "Sometimes, guys are such poor free throw shooters that when they try to miss, they actually make them." As if he knew it was coming, Bell stepped in and heaved a line drive toward the rim, clearly trying to miss it on purpose … but the ball went in. Mike Patrick must have been having visions. Luckily for Va Tech, Kemba Walker's last-ditch heave came up empty, and the Hokies survived. Like I learned last year, the NIT can be all sorts of fun.
It certainly offers a nice distraction during the week until the big dance games began again.
Anyway, let's link …
-Anthony Tolliver has actually been killing it for Golden State of late, but last night, Amare literally almost killed him:
-As nasty as Amare's dunk was, it ain't got shit on this:
That would be 5'11" Trey Starks of Hillcrest (Missouri) dunking over 6'6" defender Garrett Reeg of Oakville in the state title game.
-Staying with the ridiculous dunks theme, Cal State Fullerton's Gerard Anderson would like to throw his dunk into the ring:
-James White and Gerald Green star in the the best dunk contest that nobody (in America) saw:
-Who says you can never go home again? Philly boy Hakim Warrick threw down on Sammy Dalembert at the Wachovia Center a few games ago:
-Yes, we have all been Lappas'd, especially if you have CBS's college sports station.
Could Villanova have gone from more polar opposites than Lappas to Jay Wright? I say no. No way in hell.
-I never got to see the infamous Erin Andrews peephole video, so a clip of her on that dancing show will have to do:
-Josh Smith made my man Theo Ratliff duck for cover over the weekend, via The Baseline:
That Josh Smith fellow sure would look good in a Sixers uniform. Or the cap space they'd have instead of signing absurd deals to Iggy and especially Elton Brand. Hell, at this point, Theo Ratliff would look better in his old 42 Philadelphia jersey than Brand.
Seriously, if anyone out there has or finds a Theo Ratliff No. 42 Sixers jersey, I will pay good money for it.
-I wonder if it's Cadillac Time here:
Ride in that Cadillac.
-A great piece about former Philadelphia Phillie Nelson Figueroa and the lack of respect the Mets have given him:
The Brooklyn-born Figueroa, a career minor leaguer, has become an afterthought to the Mets — a guy to use when the team’s array of inconsistent headcases have their regularly-scheduled breakdowns. He comes in, throws quality pitches, gets outs, and then usually gets outrighted to Buffalo shortly after.
And yeah, I’ve had my fun with his situation on these pages. But after hearing that the Mets are once again putting Nelson at the base of their questionable totem pole, I’m not seeing much humor in it anymore.
Originally drafted by these very same Mets in 1995, Nelson bounced around MLB, MILB, the Mexican and Taiwanese leagues for the better part of 13 years. When the Mets brought him back to the organization in 2008, all he did was everything they asked…until they returned him to Buffalo for no good reason other than his options.
…
Enough is enough. Let Nelson go find a major league job with a team that will respect his talents and use him accordingly.
I was always a Figueroa fan. Sure, he wasn't the best pitcher around, but in his brief stint in Philadelphia, the guy was a gamer. Good to see him get some respect.
-Excellent commercial featuring perhaps the best 1-2 combo in all of baseball, Felix Hernandez and Clifton Phifer Lee:
It's a funny way to work in the man with two first names to his new club. This makes me miss Cliff that much more. That commercial should be starring Roy Halladay pestering the greatest man who ever lived donned in Phillies red as one of the greatest 1-2 combos in MLB history. I am depressed. Best wishes, Clifford. Enjoy him while you can, Seattle. I'm sure you will.
And because Kenny posted this about MJ the exec and mentions his return to play for the Wizards, I had to put in the block:
Flyers at Ottawa tonight, 7:30 and UNC takes on UAB at 9 in the NIT. Watch.
Honestly, it's impossible to muster up any kind of enthusiasm for this team. It really is. I watch. Boy do I watch. But I can't figure out why. I certainly can't muster up enough passion to even care anymore, which is saying something if you know me. I won't be going on any diatribes about how Ed Snider loves the Flyers so much more than the Sixers. (By the way, I agree with that premise, however, I completely disagree with the notion the Sixers' season could have been saved by firing Eddie Jordan. The Sixers suck, and at best they are capable of being a team that loses badly in the first round to a far superior opponent. What good is that?) I just don't have any energy left with this team. There are 11 games, and as far as I'm concerned, they can't get over soon enough. And at this point, the more losses, the better. This team needs a John Wall, an Evan Turner, a DeMarcus Cousins, Derrick Favors, Wesley Johnson, Greg Monroe, someone to excite the franchise badly. A quality coach you can stand behind for a few years wouldn't hurt either.
My suggestion … don't hire a grown-ass man with braces.
Just saying.
Thank the lord there actually was some entertaining basketball on for me to avert my eyes to. Yes, I'm talking about the NIT. It may not be the equivalent of Northern Iowa upsetting Kansas, but the Virginia Tech-UConn game last night was wild, and it had a fantastic ending. I mean, just check out the final minute:
Kemba Walker was a man for UConn, but it wasn't enough. Kevin Dyson got called for a backcourt as UConn tried to milk a little clock with a one-point lead. Then Dorenzo Hudson, who had an outstanding game, scoring a game-high 27 points, hit a sick jumper off a curl as he was falling down with a hand in his face to put Va Tech up 64-63. Kemba Walker got blocked on the other end, somehow kept with it, found a wide open Gavin Edwards 2 feet from the basket for a layup, only Edwards missed it and the Hokies got the board. Terrell Bell, who hauled in the rebound, got fouled with 0.7 seconds remaining.
He missed the first free throw, which prompted announcer Tim Welsh to say Bell should miss the second on purpose to let the time run out. Good strategy. Jokingly — at least I think it was jokingly — Mike Patrick chimed in with this, "Sometimes, guys are such poor free throw shooters that when they try to miss, they actually make them." As if he knew it was coming, Bell stepped in and heaved a line drive toward the rim, clearly trying to miss it on purpose … but the ball went in. Mike Patrick must have been having visions. Luckily for Va Tech, Kemba Walker's last-ditch heave came up empty, and the Hokies survived. Like I learned last year, the NIT can be all sorts of fun.
It certainly offers a nice distraction during the week until the big dance games began again.
Anyway, let's link …
-Anthony Tolliver has actually been killing it for Golden State of late, but last night, Amare literally almost killed him:
-As nasty as Amare's dunk was, it ain't got shit on this:
That would be 5'11" Trey Starks of Hillcrest (Missouri) dunking over 6'6" defender Garrett Reeg of Oakville in the state title game.
-Staying with the ridiculous dunks theme, Cal State Fullerton's Gerard Anderson would like to throw his dunk into the ring:
-James White and Gerald Green star in the the best dunk contest that nobody (in America) saw:
-Who says you can never go home again? Philly boy Hakim Warrick threw down on Sammy Dalembert at the Wachovia Center a few games ago:
-Yes, we have all been Lappas'd, especially if you have CBS's college sports station.
Could Villanova have gone from more polar opposites than Lappas to Jay Wright? I say no. No way in hell.
-I never got to see the infamous Erin Andrews peephole video, so a clip of her on that dancing show will have to do:
-Josh Smith made my man Theo Ratliff duck for cover over the weekend, via The Baseline:
That Josh Smith fellow sure would look good in a Sixers uniform. Or the cap space they'd have instead of signing absurd deals to Iggy and especially Elton Brand. Hell, at this point, Theo Ratliff would look better in his old 42 Philadelphia jersey than Brand.
Seriously, if anyone out there has or finds a Theo Ratliff No. 42 Sixers jersey, I will pay good money for it.
-I wonder if it's Cadillac Time here:
Ride in that Cadillac.
-A great piece about former Philadelphia Phillie Nelson Figueroa and the lack of respect the Mets have given him:
The Brooklyn-born Figueroa, a career minor leaguer, has become an afterthought to the Mets — a guy to use when the team’s array of inconsistent headcases have their regularly-scheduled breakdowns. He comes in, throws quality pitches, gets outs, and then usually gets outrighted to Buffalo shortly after.
And yeah, I’ve had my fun with his situation on these pages. But after hearing that the Mets are once again putting Nelson at the base of their questionable totem pole, I’m not seeing much humor in it anymore.
Originally drafted by these very same Mets in 1995, Nelson bounced around MLB, MILB, the Mexican and Taiwanese leagues for the better part of 13 years. When the Mets brought him back to the organization in 2008, all he did was everything they asked…until they returned him to Buffalo for no good reason other than his options.
…
Enough is enough. Let Nelson go find a major league job with a team that will respect his talents and use him accordingly.
I was always a Figueroa fan. Sure, he wasn't the best pitcher around, but in his brief stint in Philadelphia, the guy was a gamer. Good to see him get some respect.
-Excellent commercial featuring perhaps the best 1-2 combo in all of baseball, Felix Hernandez and Clifton Phifer Lee:
It's a funny way to work in the man with two first names to his new club. This makes me miss Cliff that much more. That commercial should be starring Roy Halladay pestering the greatest man who ever lived donned in Phillies red as one of the greatest 1-2 combos in MLB history. I am depressed. Best wishes, Clifford. Enjoy him while you can, Seattle. I'm sure you will.
And because Kenny posted this about MJ the exec and mentions his return to play for the Wizards, I had to put in the block:
Flyers at Ottawa tonight, 7:30 and UNC takes on UAB at 9 in the NIT. Watch.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
A Dunk, a Fart and a Trip Down Memory Lane
So I'm giving you a little quick hitter here on some goings on in the basketball world. For starters, check out this sick dunk by Jeff Teague last night:
Yeah, that was nasty. But not as nasty as what LeBron did to his poor teammate:
Man, that's comedy gold.
And finally, word is out that James White has signed a 10-day contract with Rockets. Once upon time, way back in 2001, James White and David Lee, then both high school seniors who were Florida-bound (White eventually transferred to Cincinnati), squared off in a ridiculously sick dunk contest during the McDonald's All-American weekend. Enjoy.
David Lee made Brent Barry proud that day.
Yeah, that was nasty. But not as nasty as what LeBron did to his poor teammate:
Man, that's comedy gold.
And finally, word is out that James White has signed a 10-day contract with Rockets. Once upon time, way back in 2001, James White and David Lee, then both high school seniors who were Florida-bound (White eventually transferred to Cincinnati), squared off in a ridiculously sick dunk contest during the McDonald's All-American weekend. Enjoy.
David Lee made Brent Barry proud that day.
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