ducks
03-24-2005, 11:01 PM
Tough, talented Bogut leads Utah into latest Kentucky game
By JAIME ARON, AP Sports Writer
March 24, 2005
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Ray Giacoletti had been Utah's coach for a few months when he finally got to see his star player in action for the first time. And it wasn't exactly under the best of circumstances.
Andrew Bogut was the 19-year-old lining up at midcourt for Australia in the Athens Olympics, jumping center against someone a decade older who was wearing the blue and white of the host country in a gym overflowing with loud, proud Greeks. If that scenario didn't leave Bogut breathless, a forearm slammed into his chest immediately after tipoff could've done the trick.
Nah. Bogut just swung back, bringing a smile to Giacoletti's face then and again Thursday as he retold the story.
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``That,'' he said, ``is when I thought we had something special.''
Since returning to college and picking on kids his own age, Bogut has become a bully of sorts. The 7-foot sophomore was so dominant this season that he was the top vote-getter on the AP's All-America team announced this week and he's the main reason Utah (29-5) will play Kentucky (27-5) in a semifinal of the Austin Regional on Friday night.
Forget the usual squawking about teamwork. Giacoletti and the rest of the Utes fully acknowledge that Bogut is the prime reason they are two wins from the Final Four -- and why their fans can forget that five of their last 10 appearances in the NCAA tournament have ended with losses to the Wildcats. After all, Bogut was Down Under for all of them.
``They have to prepare for us a lot more than two years ago,'' said Utah guard Marc Jackson, part of the squad that lost to Kentucky by 20 points in a second-round game in 2003.
The Wildcats know they must slow Bogut to get past the Utes and set up a possible regional final matchup with Duke. They're not even talking about stopping Bogut because that rarely happens to someone who averages 20.4 points (12th best in the nation) and 12.2 rebounds (second best), and is coming off a career-high seven assists in a second-round game against Oklahoma.
``You can't give him a strict diet of doing things,'' Kentucky coach Tubby Smith said. ``You have to change it up.''
The variety of schemes will feature plenty of double teams. However, as Wildcats forward Chuck Hayes noted, ``he's seen double teams all year and still put up the numbers he has.''
Those numbers include double figures in points and rebounds 25 times.
Kentucky's rotation of Bogut busters will start with freshman center Randolph Morris, who is coming off his first double-double and drew his coach's praise for how well he's been rebounding and avoiding fouls lately.
Morris said he hopes to be aggressive enough on offense to wear out Bogut. He also appears to be falling into the trap of thinking the Croatian-born, Australian-bred Bogut is a soft international player.
``I think he may try not to bang with us and play so physical, so we have to draw him into that type of play,'' Morris said.
Apparently, he hasn't seen the clip of the tipoff from the Australia-Greece game.
Or heard Bogut describe it.
``I was just playing, my man,'' Bogut said. ``I wasn't trying to prove a point. I was just playing.''
For Giacoletti, seeing Bogut thrive on the international stage -- he averaged 14.8 points and 8.8 rebounds in five games, with 21 and nine against fourth-place finisher Lithuania -- was especially rewarding because it verified everything he'd heard about his star player.
Giacoletti was hired from Eastern Washington about this time last year. He knew Bogut was considering turning pro, likely in Europe, so talking him out of it became the coach's top priority.
He asked Bogut to drop by his office daily to start developing a relationship. Giacoletti also occasionally called Bogut's parents in Melbourne, Australia. His big move was flying 21 hours to their home for a face-to-face chat about their son's future.
After dinner over a barbie, Giacoletti heard what he was hoping to hear. Even when Bogut's breakout performance in the Olympics sent his stock soaring, the center never wavered from his promise.
His big reward likely will come in June, when he'll likely be the top pick in the NBA draft or close to it. For now, though, he's still proving his worth against his peers.
``You put together his background of skill and toughness,'' Giacoletti said, ``and you get the best player in college basketball.''
By JAIME ARON, AP Sports Writer
March 24, 2005
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Ray Giacoletti had been Utah's coach for a few months when he finally got to see his star player in action for the first time. And it wasn't exactly under the best of circumstances.
Andrew Bogut was the 19-year-old lining up at midcourt for Australia in the Athens Olympics, jumping center against someone a decade older who was wearing the blue and white of the host country in a gym overflowing with loud, proud Greeks. If that scenario didn't leave Bogut breathless, a forearm slammed into his chest immediately after tipoff could've done the trick.
Nah. Bogut just swung back, bringing a smile to Giacoletti's face then and again Thursday as he retold the story.
ADVERTISEMENT
``That,'' he said, ``is when I thought we had something special.''
Since returning to college and picking on kids his own age, Bogut has become a bully of sorts. The 7-foot sophomore was so dominant this season that he was the top vote-getter on the AP's All-America team announced this week and he's the main reason Utah (29-5) will play Kentucky (27-5) in a semifinal of the Austin Regional on Friday night.
Forget the usual squawking about teamwork. Giacoletti and the rest of the Utes fully acknowledge that Bogut is the prime reason they are two wins from the Final Four -- and why their fans can forget that five of their last 10 appearances in the NCAA tournament have ended with losses to the Wildcats. After all, Bogut was Down Under for all of them.
``They have to prepare for us a lot more than two years ago,'' said Utah guard Marc Jackson, part of the squad that lost to Kentucky by 20 points in a second-round game in 2003.
The Wildcats know they must slow Bogut to get past the Utes and set up a possible regional final matchup with Duke. They're not even talking about stopping Bogut because that rarely happens to someone who averages 20.4 points (12th best in the nation) and 12.2 rebounds (second best), and is coming off a career-high seven assists in a second-round game against Oklahoma.
``You can't give him a strict diet of doing things,'' Kentucky coach Tubby Smith said. ``You have to change it up.''
The variety of schemes will feature plenty of double teams. However, as Wildcats forward Chuck Hayes noted, ``he's seen double teams all year and still put up the numbers he has.''
Those numbers include double figures in points and rebounds 25 times.
Kentucky's rotation of Bogut busters will start with freshman center Randolph Morris, who is coming off his first double-double and drew his coach's praise for how well he's been rebounding and avoiding fouls lately.
Morris said he hopes to be aggressive enough on offense to wear out Bogut. He also appears to be falling into the trap of thinking the Croatian-born, Australian-bred Bogut is a soft international player.
``I think he may try not to bang with us and play so physical, so we have to draw him into that type of play,'' Morris said.
Apparently, he hasn't seen the clip of the tipoff from the Australia-Greece game.
Or heard Bogut describe it.
``I was just playing, my man,'' Bogut said. ``I wasn't trying to prove a point. I was just playing.''
For Giacoletti, seeing Bogut thrive on the international stage -- he averaged 14.8 points and 8.8 rebounds in five games, with 21 and nine against fourth-place finisher Lithuania -- was especially rewarding because it verified everything he'd heard about his star player.
Giacoletti was hired from Eastern Washington about this time last year. He knew Bogut was considering turning pro, likely in Europe, so talking him out of it became the coach's top priority.
He asked Bogut to drop by his office daily to start developing a relationship. Giacoletti also occasionally called Bogut's parents in Melbourne, Australia. His big move was flying 21 hours to their home for a face-to-face chat about their son's future.
After dinner over a barbie, Giacoletti heard what he was hoping to hear. Even when Bogut's breakout performance in the Olympics sent his stock soaring, the center never wavered from his promise.
His big reward likely will come in June, when he'll likely be the top pick in the NBA draft or close to it. For now, though, he's still proving his worth against his peers.
``You put together his background of skill and toughness,'' Giacoletti said, ``and you get the best player in college basketball.''