ESPN.com: Arkansas 71, Alabama 59
Three Arkansas players recorded double-doubles and the Razorbacks used a strong second-half showing to defeat Alabama 71-59 Saturday.
Also:
- ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Razorbacks rock Tide, Win at Walton, Game Stats
- ArkansasRazorbacks.com (Video): Razorbacks roll the Tide
- Razorback Nation (Video): Post-Game Comments
- WholeHogSports.com (Video): WholeHogCast: Hogs knock off ‘Bama
- Chris Bahn: Hard Foul Galvanizes Razorbacks in Victory Against Alabama
- Harry King: Arkansas wins must game
Hey, somebody say sumthin'. This was a good win. Maybe it will give the team the confidence that they can still have a decent season, and give the fans reason to believe there is something worth showing up to cheer about.
And Washington had a great game, in case his critics (whadayasay, Gonzo,?) didn't notice. The radio broadcasters named him "Player of the Game," tho he did not give a postgame interview and hasn't done one for a long time, to my knowledge, citing a need for immediate postgame therapy. Powell took the interview and was not a bit shy about claiming good things for himself and his team. He's the real deal, the most promising freshman forward we've had in a long time, maybe sinde Corliss W. He seems fresh and unencumbered by the false modesty which afflicts some of his teammates.
I still can't believe Washington is a slacker: he's done too much and he has too much to lose by posting a mediocre season. I find no reason to disbelieve the official position that he has been suffering from back problems of recent. Washington may lack the agressive personality you'd like in a front-court player, but he gets the job done when he's healthy.
The team needs him to carry his weight the rest of the season.
Hey – ANY win is a good win…we will take it! It is great to see the Hogs already halfway to matching their conference win total from last year.
Although many players may be responsible for the win, I think the one ultimately responsible for the victory is my two month old son. See, his old Man asked for a Razorback outfit for the boy at Xmas (we live in NC) and since we the Hogs need every bit of help they can get, I dressed the boy in the Hog outfit yesterday. He has worn the outfit one other time, to watch the Liberty Bowl, so he is 2 – 0 now.
Oldskooljt
No doubt you are right about your son. He can do anything. In addition, he has no problem leeting other folks know what he wants and when he wants it. I wish he were here with me right now.
Doz
I agree with almost everything you just said, Swineherd. It was great to see Micheal Washington have his best game of the year so far.
If this new one game resurgence is only because of his healthy back, great, but i'm not going to buy a product souly on what happened yesterday.
Alabama didn't show anymore consistantcy than we did, but it is something to build on for the rest of the SEC schedual.
If you go to Richard Davenport's blog site "The Recruiting Guy", you'll notice I had a few things to say about M. Washington on the game discussion.
How well he plays from here on out will determine the sucsess of our team for the rest of our schedual, no doubt.
I'm happy for our team and M. Washington as an individual, but I didn't realize this performance was due only to his back being healthy.
Are there some facts out there somewhere you might provide that I wasn't aware of? Maybe I missed something.
Gonzo, I was just jivin' ya a little about Washington because you recently averred, MOL, "Washington's problem is definitely not physical. 'Nough said." (One of your favorite expressions.) That was when he was reported as having back spasms. I thought you were implying that Washington's problems were between his ears, or wherever they were, but definitely not his back. I was only opining that it didn't make sense to me that he would let down his game in his senior season with a professional career looming on the horizon. This is his last big chance to show what he's got before the draft. He'd better make good on this season or his name might not be called on the judgement day.
I agree with your comments re Washington on "The Recriuting Guy": (paraphrasing) As Washington goes, so go the Hogs. Powell is the future.
Marvell Waithe has stated openly that Powell is one of the biggest reasons he wants to play for Arkansas. The top in-state recruits are watching Powell as well. Taking a future perspective, Powell's performance is more pivotal than Washington's from a recruiting standpoint. If Fortson gets his game under control, and if Clarke's knees hold up, and if we land that recruiting class, the future looks bright for Hawgball. That's a lot of "ifs" but they are all trending positive.
That leaves Pelphrey.
All I'm saying is that we all know Pelphrey can be a bit crazy sometimes, but I said at the start of the season that Pel's got something up his sleeve to create a decent conference season. When he has the players surrounding him that he needs we can get the job done. Due to the lack of depth we have on our team anyway, why not have a a full healthy team, midway threw season instead of at the beginning. A complete turnaround of last season possibly. I cant help but be on the Pelphery wagon. I like watching him coach, he has those boys in shape, out hustling Miss st and Alabama. Go Hogs Go!!
We deserved yesterday's win and I believe we will deserve many SEC wins as this season progresses. I saw motivation, determination and generally a lot of discipline. About time, huh?
If you look at how the SEC West is performing so far, the Hogs could finish as high as third behind the Mississippi schools. If that's the way it falls, that will be a respectable finish and better than I expected before the season.
And oldskooljt…I'm glad to hear you're raising your boy right!
How' bout that Senario Hillman, the guy who was ejected after the second time he forearmed Rotnei Clark? Petrino could sure use him on the Hogs defense next season. The SEC oughta sit him down for a few games.
Fortson is the straw that stirs the drink. His presence opens things up for both Washington and Clarke. He gives Hog opponents a third man to worry about. His drives to the bucket sometime look out of control, but the fact that he make some of those crazy shots forces the defense to collapse on him. He draws defenders allowing Washington and Clarke to get position without the ball and without a defender hanging on their backs. Washington's energy and intensity in the Alabama game is no mystery. It's the presence of Fortson. Fortson's passing is a litle sloppy as yet and unfortunately a trip to the free throw line is an adventure. But With Fortson the Hogs have a chance to beat anyone if they are on their game. One of the TV commentators, I believe, said that Arkansas is very dangerous team. Before Courtney's return that wouldn't have been said. Should be fun from here on out if the 'Backs learn to finish a game consistently.
jdogg, I agree with you about Fortson. Some common taters on this site don't like his attitude, but it doesn't bother me. He's a helluva competitor and he has a dynamic personality, things that might threaten some of the law 'n' order crowd, but that's part of what makes him the player that he is. He has to drive the lane and dish off or pull one out of his jock, or the defense will just push the perimeter out beyond the winning percentage line.
Fortson is no choir boy and I hope they don't try to make him into one. Let him be Courtenay.
Swineherd,
We're still not fully communicating with one another.
Washington's abilities ARE LIMITED between his ears. He may have a healthy back and he may also have C. Fortson back, but there is still plenty of game film at crucial points of the game to prove what i'm saying.
Early in the 'Bama game, he drained a 3. Whoopie!! What's he doing out there?
The very next possession, he does it again? Why? Because the first ill-advised shot went in? …uhh, ok.
Also, defensive breakdowns late in the game by 'Bama made one of his running dunks look really super. There are other circumstances in other games that suggest he would have normally been challenged on that play, the ball would have been knocked out of bounds, and then he would have irratically missed both FTs.
What 'till we play a road game, when we're not getting the favorable calls and see what he does. If he reverts back to his old way of thinking, (and he will) he'll get frustrated with the refs/score/opposing players/etc…,and then commit the dumbest foul known to mankind. (that's another expression I like) The 3rd one, right before the half, or the 4th one, not 5 minutes into the second half. That's why we continue to have depth concerns inside the paint. Our "MVP" is sitting on the bench.
You know it's true. We've all seen it.
He's a Sr. I don't expect him to suddenly become smarter on the court.
NBA material? I have major, major doubts on that one.
If Corliss Williamson had to settle for the 6th man on his team, (Detroit Pistons) at the peak of his NBA career, what will Micheal Washington have to settle for?
Well, Gonzo, you're obviously right about his propensity to foul. I played center in H.S., so I understand what he's up against, and I cut him a lot of slack for it. Professional courtesy. Last game he took four charges, calls he won't get on the road. It requires a lot of discipline to take a charge, knowing what a judgement call it is for the ref.
Somebody commented earlier that they thought Washington would be a monster this year. So did I. I think his back problems have caused his decline in production. Remember: He led the SEC in rebounding last year. No small feat. And his offense seemed to be developing.
If they don't guard you on the perimeter, why not shoot the three? Where is it writ that a center is not allowed to shoot a trey? He hasn't taken many 3s, but I'll bet his average is close to everybody else's on the team except Clarke's.
And like JayTown says, there's always the threat that he can just knock ya down and fall on ya "all funky." Not everybody has that.
Does he have a shot at the pros? I think he has a shot, because of his body, if it's healthy, if he can run. If not the NBA, perhaps developmental league or some foreign league. He's at an age when young men start to wise up. Let's hope he comes on and has a good conference season, becomes a monster, proves all his critics wrong.
I beleive Washingtons strategy is if you don't get out of my way I'm gonna hurt ya by falling on you all funky, so next get out my way haha. And Fortson is all over the place beating everybody down court. Not very many people can guard him or keep Fortson in front of them
How many times does a center get guarded on the perimeter? If I'm the opposing center/defender, I'm not going to come that far out on my man to defend that shot, when the only thing that's going to accomplish is giving up the the defensive rebounding position Washington just handed to him.
When M.J. shoots from the perimeter, we're basically relying on M. Powell to get the rebound/tip in if it's missed, otherwise, we usually just give the ball right back to the opposing team in a very close ballgame. (I'm usually pulling my hair out at this point.)
He does this at the most inoppertune times of the game, and since he's a Sr. now, I don't expect this foolishness to stop.
I don't like to put down players like Mike and Stephan. I would really love to support those kids, but sometimes, they just leave me shaking my head with their erratic play.
Sometimes centers have to go to the ball to relieve pressure, to avoid a turnover. Since centers usually don't dribble that well, they may have to shoot if they can't find an open man. This usually occurs when the defense is in a half-court press. If the shot hits the rim, there's a chance for an offensive rebound. If he makes it, good.
I don't know what Washington's career average is for the three, but I'll bet it's not far off the team average. He probably doesn't shoot enough to be rated in that category. A perimeter-shooting center is a big plus if the opposing center does not go out to guard him. You can't tell any player not to shoot the ball when they're open; it ruins their confidence.
I guess it's up for debate, but please lay off the excuses when it ends up costing the Hogs a game somewhere down the road.
I feel better even with Fortson shooting the 3 than M.J. At least then we have both our big men in a better position to rebound the ball.
I have a feeling we're going to beat Florida come Thursday night in BWA, but I'm still kind of leary we're not improved enough to keep it going on the road in the SEC. We'll see.
I share your feelings about FL and the road. After a rocky start we did come back at MS State. We lack experience on the bench, of course.
I think I finally get what you've been implying about Washington, and you're probably right. Sorry to be so dense. But everybody has limits, physical and mental. If he could just learn to stay out of foul trouble, that would be a big help. It's up to the coaching staff to figure out the value of intense defense vs staying in the game longer.
I have long thought that very few college coaches know how to coach centers, perhaps because most coaches were probably guards. (Pel was a small forward, I think.) Whatever the reason, it seems Arkansas never gets a really good power center, one who can both rebound and score as well as hold position against other power players.
Swine: I agree with you for the most part, especially about coaches not knowing much about developing centers. I admit, having played the post (not in college, but in the Army) I never considered it that way. It was my experience that centers learned a lot of their trade from other centers and playing against them in practice or pickup games. Anyway, about this hullaballo regarding Washington and the 3 point shot. But first, the time to use the center away from a post position is in breaking or taking pressure off the press in the backcourt, where the guard can feed the center high and then the center can hit the cutting guard. In the front court the center is rotating the offense when he's out on top. Jimmie Counce was one of the best at this although he was a strong forward. If the center is all alone at the top (and it is unlikely that he will be alone)then the center has a clear and unobstructive view of where to pass, and chances are that someone will break open, or he can hand off to a guard coming off a screen. If the center has pulled the opposing center away from the bucket the defense still has the edge because the defender can block the center from going to the basket.
Regarding rebounding: 3 point shots come off of the rim or backboard pranging away from the basket. Position under the basket is somewhat neutralized because of this and that's why coaches stress defensive players to block out. Long shot rebounding usually favors the more athletic teams that can get to the ball. (a caveat here is that today's athletes that play forward or center near the basket have amazing reaches and quick hands that can catch high rebounds from long shots). Another aspect of rebounding that most of you already know is what I call the weakside rebounding position. If a shooter is on the left side of the basket the best position is on the right side, and vice versa, because most missed shots are too far rather then too short. There are other techniques so I would suggest that those with recorded games might study Hogs rebounding to see if they are doing the right (or wrong) things. I would add that Stan Heath studied under Tom Izzo whose Michigan State teams are consistently among the nation's leading rebounding teams. Pel ball might suit some of you but the Hogs really need more muscle and finesse near the basket.
As for Washinton's 3 pointers. He may just shoot those as well as other players aside from Clarke. Swine, you mentioned not allowing to shoot open 3s would affect his confidence. It's up to the coaches to determine how well a player can shoot from a given distance or court position. My technique was to take a player aside and work with him by having him shoot from all positions on the court a number of times, I would record hits, misses and bad misses. I would show him the numbers and say that here is where your best shot is and if you get the chance, go ahead. If you are out of your accuracy range, I'll let it go once, but more than that, you sit. I coached a player in the 9th grade AAUs named Louweggie Dyer. Louweggie had the propensity to like long, impressive shots on the perimeter. Not that accurate, especially when there was no 3 point shot. I took him aside and showed him that his 5-10 foot jumpers were deadly accurate and that he should penetrate and pull up and shoot. Louweggie scored 28 points in his last AAU game mostly on pull up jumpers and made the all-star team. He eventually got his outside perimeter shot as he got older, but, smart kid, he paid attention.* When you are dealing with youngsters, they think that every shot has a chance to go in, and I don't think that goes away in college. As a coach you need to convince them otherwise. The time for a center on the perimeter to take an ill advised, out-of-position shot, is of course, when the shot clock is near zero.
*(Louweggie made first team All State at Parkview and first team all Sunbelt at the University of New Orleans, mainly due to Coach Ripley's tutoring not mine)
Jim dogg, I agree with what you say. I think all players should develop as many facets of their game as they can, because that makes them better at their position, too. Sometimes post players need to handle the ball. One of the things that impressed me about FL when they had Noah and Horford was the ability of those big guys to handle the ball. They could take it coast to coast. I've seen Karl Malone do that in the pros. Some coaches stifle big men because they forbid them to dribble or shoot the long jumper. Larry Bird, at 6'9", could shoot the NBA three as well as almost anybody, and he didn't even have a jump shot, just a kind of two-handed push shot with a little hop.
One of the things I always regretted for U.S. Reed was that in HS he had to play center at 6'2" and he didn't get to develop his skills as a guard, his natural position. Otherwise I think he would have had a good NBA career at guard.
Seems I read one of these bloggers who said he refused to let his daughter play post, implying that it could stunt her development as a player. I didn't blame him.
Another point: I think that being a shooter makes you a better rebounder, because you can better judge how the ball is going to come off the rim, the way an outfielder can judge the flight of a baseball as soon as it leaves the bat.
Anyhow, if Washington is playing on my team, I let him shoot whenever he feels it. That's a thing about shooting: sometimes ya just feel like you're gonna pop it and ya gotta turn it loose. If you don't feel it, you're not a shooter. If you have to think about it, you'll probably miss.
The fundamentals of basketball are probably similar at all levels of play.
PS: Thanks for the aside about Louweegie. (Love the way he spells that.) How big is he? It's great to hear about a player taking it to higher levels of organized ball. Basketball is a great sport to keep mentally and physically fit, even if it's just a pick-up game. If I were a football or baseball coach I'd have my players playing basketball in the off-season.