I tried really hard, mentioning players the Spurs might/should be after.
Boggan = Craig Smith
He's not a first rounder because his lack of size and versatility won't allow him to be. It doesn't mean he won't be productive, but productive college players without the "measurables" drop in the draft all the time.
He'll be available in the second round.
He's undersized PLUS a fifth year senior, so he's "already tapped his potential."
While I'd love the Spurs to nab him with the Milwaukee pick, if he's still there, they'll probably pass him up because he's undersized or some crazy stupid reason. Or just because he's American - that's curtains in their eyes.
Wow! What a triple-overtime Big 12 thriller
Jan. 17, 2007
By Gary Parrish
CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer
Tell Gary your opinion!
The only person I felt sorry for was Andre Agassi. Poor guy was just sitting there with a film crew in front of him waiting to do a live interview on television during the network's Australian Open coverage. And when I say just sitting there, I mean just sitting there. For an hour. While Texas and Oklahoma State went back and forth in a game so good I half-expected a player to propose to a cheerleader.
Agassi was scheduled for 11 p.m. ET.
Parrish: Whatever 'it' is, Kevin Durant has it. (AP)
He came on at midnight.
The reason was D.J. Augustin. And JamesOn Curry. And Kevin Durant. And Mario Boggan. And, really, there were too many people involved to list them all.
Either way, what went down at Gallagher-Iba Arena Tuesday night -- a 105-103 triple-overtime thriller won by the Cowboys -- was what makes college hoops wonderful. There were great players making great plays for two great programs, and when that gets mixed with a great crowd and national television audience what you get is, well, what you get is one of the great American tennis players in history being put on hold.
Here are four things we know after OSU-Texas:
1. Oklahoma State's blowout loss at Kansas was a fluke: Coming off a 30-point defeat at KU, the Cowboys needed to prove last week's embarrassment was just a bad night indicative of nothing. In short, they did. OSU took Durant's best shots (more on him below) and countered each time, the last time being with Boggan's improbable 3-pointer that won the game. Consequently, Sean Sutton is off to a 16-2 start in his first season, and he has wins over Missouri State, Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Texas. The two losses were at Kansas and against Tennessee (in Nashville), and that's why it's safe to assume Oklahoma State will figure prominently in the Big 12 race.
2. Texas is not a one-man show: Durant has received a lot of attention, and rightfully so. But for those who didn't know, the Longhorns have other talented players, namely Augustin, A.J. Abrams, Justin Mason and Damion James. Each of those guys made critical plays at some point, and even Connor Atchley hit a huge 3-pointer from the left corner in the third overtime. The Longhorns' top eight scorers are freshmen and sop res, but it doesn't matter. Texas is 13-4 with wins over LSU and Arkansas, and two of its losses came in overtime (at Tennessee and at Oklahoma State) while another was by a bucket (to Michigan State). Those aren't bad credentials, and that Texas didn't wilt under the pressure at OSU is probably why Rick Barnes was smiling afterward. He learned a lot about his young team in this game, and what he learned must've been pleasing, despite the loss.
3. Boggan is a legitimate star: At this level in these games it's important for a team to have somebody who can dominate, and Oklahoma State has that guy in Boggan, who made up for last week's stinker against Kansas (eight points, zero rebounds in 26 minutes) with an incredible 37-point, 20-rebound outing in the win over Texas. That the senior big man hit the game-winning 3-pointer was wild on many levels, particularly given that he hadn't hit a 3-pointer since January 2 and had sank just five all season (in 36 attempts). But stars tend to make big plays in big situations, and so when the shot left Boggan's hand I had a feeling it would fall. When it did, his place among college basketball's elite was solidified, and the name Boggan should be well-represented come All-American teams selection time.
4. Yes, Durant is that good: Durant's 37 points and 12 rebounds didn't demonstrate what makes him special as much as the way he scored, when he scored and how he scored did while carrying Texas in crucial moments. Every time Oklahoma State created separation, Durant would sink a one-dribble pull-up jumper, a transition 3-pointer or emphatic dunk. His offensive rebound and stickback -- while enduring a foul -- with 10.5 seconds remaining in the third overtime was incredible, and that he swished the ensuing free throw to give Texas that brief 103-102 lead spoke volumes about the freshman's heart (and by heart, I mean stones). Bottom line, whatever "it" is, Durant has it. And though I'm not sure he can carry Texas to a national le like Carmelo Anthony once did at Syracuse, I'm quite sure I wouldn't want to be the coach of the team trying to stop him from doing it.
By the way, the way Boggan 'got away' from everyone is that he was fat. He originally played at Oak Hill Academy with Desagana Diop, Rashaad Carruth and Billy Edelin in 2001.
He got up to well over 300 pounds (some say 325) while a Frosh at Florida. He was also on the verge of flunking out. After a year and a half in Gainesville, Boggan transferred to St. Bonaventure but stayed there only a month before "being asked to leave." He landed at Chipola (Fla.) Junior College. They won the FCCAA State Championship, and Mario made All-Tournament 1st team.
Mario almost signed with Cincinnati before Huggins was forced out. Then he almost signed with atm. He was set to chose between atm and South Alabama March 21, 2005. Supposedly the only reason he was ven considering S Bama was the Florida assistant that recruited him was the new coach there. Sutton offered him that day, fresh off our Final Four in 2004. He signed with OSU 4 days later.
There are enough questions he'll probably be second round fodder or late first. There's a guy in Glen Davis already who may take his first round spot.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
