In this world of NBA Draft early entry and one-and-done freshman, it is difficult to become attached to a college star. They simply don't hang around long enough. But when they do, that player becomes the fan favorite. There is nothing like watching a kid develop from a overwhelmed freshman into star as a senior. Those are the players that the fans connect with.
We reached out to some of the blogosphere's best, and over the next couple of weeks we will be running a series of posts saying goodbye to some of the country's best seniors.
Our sixth installment of "Saying Goodbye" comes courtesy of Glenn Logan, the managing editor of the great Kentucky basketball blog A Sea of Blue. There are many Kentucky basketball sites to choose from, but you won;t find one with as much insightful analysis as A Sea of Blue. You can follow along with A Sea of Blue on twitter at @truzenzuzex
Saying goodbye is something Kentucky fans have become used to since John Calipari came to Kentucky, usually to players moving on to the NBA who have a lot of college eligibility left. In the case of Josh Harrellson, though, he is leaving as a senior who will have averaged less than 5 minutes per game throughout his Kentucky career, but made the most of them when it counted, helping lead Kentucky back to a Final Four his senior year for the first time in 13 seasons. Such players usually find themselves elevated into the pantheon of the unforgettable at Kentucky, and Harrellson is no exception.
Little was expected of Harrellson after 2009-10, whch saw him log only 88 minutes the entire season. Despite a reasonably impressive performance in the exhibition games in Canada last summer, Harrellson was expected to serve only as a backup for Enes Kanter.
As the Kanter battle for eligibility drew out into the season, Harrellson was the starter by default at the center position. He played serviceably early in the year, but was pretty much what Kentucky fans expected him to be – a big body that took up space, set screens and got a few rebounds, but little else.
Harrellson famously sent out an ill-advised Twitter comment critical of coach John Calipari’s lack of recognition of his 26 rebounds in the annual intra-squad scrimmage known as the Blue-White game. Calipari was very angry with that tweet, and considered dismissing Harrellson from the team. But after some thought, Calipari decided to ban him from using Twitter and require him to perform 30 minutes of extra conditioning prior to every practice.
As the season went on, Harrellson’s play got steadily better. Few noticed it at first, because of the many weaker teams Kentucky played in the early part of the non-conference schedule. As the schedule wore on, Kentucky fans began commenting on blogs and call-in shows about Harrellson’s solid play, but most UK fans expected him to be exposed in the closing game of the non-conference season against the Louisville Cardinals in the brand-new KFC um! Center.
What happened in the Louisville game was extraordinary. Instead of being dominated by Louisville’s much more athletic big men like Terrance Jennings, Harrellson had the game of his life, exploding for a double-double including 23 points and 14 rebounds. Kentucky thrashed the talented Cardinals in the series inaugural in their brand-new gym, and Harrellson was a major reason why.
By the time league play began, Harrellson’s stats, particularly his rebounding, began to be noticed. After about one third of the SEC season had passed, Harrellson was among the leading rebounders in conference, and had begun showing signs of development in other areas of his game, such as defense.
When the SEC Tournament came around, Harrellson was a genuine force in the paint. While not offensively gifted, his many put-backs and occasional fast-break points began to give his Wildcat teammates more confidence in him. The Wildcats began giving Harrellson the ball on offense, and Harrellson obliged by putting it in the basket.
Perhaps Harrellson’s greatest achievement would happen in the 2011 NCAA Tournament’s third round, where Kentucky went up against the #1 Ohio State Buckeyes. In that game, Harrellson played Buckeye star freshman Jared Sullinger to a virtual draw, allowing Kentucky to play without double-teaming Sullinger in the post, and forcing OSU’s great 3-point shooters to put up challenged shots. Mainly because of Harrellson’s play on Sullinger and some timely shooting from Brandon Knight, the #4 seeded Wildcats upset the #1 seeded Buckeyes and went on to defeat the North Carolina Tar Heels to get to the Final Four, where they lost to the eventual champions, the Connecticut Huskies.
Harrellson’s remarkable play has become the stuff of legend in Kentucky. Kentucky Sports Radio bloggers famously nicknamed Harrellson “Jorts” in reference to the blue jean shorts he liked to wear in the summer, and Harrellson embraced that nickname. As any fan knows, there is nothing quite like a catchy nickname to help propel a player into the hearts and minds of Wildcats fans, and that’s exactly what happened to Harrellson.
As Harrellson’s days as a Kentucky student-athlete come to an end, he is suddenly a hot property among NBA agents due to his marketability, he has started his own commercial venture, Jorts55.com.
Harrellson will almost unquestionably play basketball for a living somewhere, a prospect that seemed as unlikely as winning the Powerball lottery at the beginning of this past season.
What a difference a year can make. From unplayable to unforgettable in 12 short months – it could only happen at Kentucky.
More from "Saying Goodbye"
2011: DJ Kennedy, St. John's
2011: JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore, Purdue
2011: Matt Howard, Butler
2011: Keith Benson, Oakland
2011: Preston Knowles, Louisville
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment