Off The Boards by Jack Scheuer – November 28, 2018 Edition

Off The Boards 

By Jack Scheuer

November 28, 2018 Edition

It seems like it was just a few years ago that if an offensive player was 6-9 or taller, he was told to stay close to the hoop and don’t go wandering anywhere. If he did stray a little, there would be coaches yelling “get inside.” Those days are obviously over, and the emergence of big men shooting from the outside has made a big change in the game. All over the country the Bigs are getting up shots, and not just from 15 – 18 feet, but frequently from 3-point land. For instance, Jamorko Pickett, at Georgetown, a 6-10 soph, is 9 for 18 from 3; John Mooney, a 6-9 Notre Dame senior, is 7 for 14;  Xavier senior, 6-9 Ryan Welage, has made 12 of 34, and on and on it goes. Locally, Saint Joseph’s 6-9 soph Taylor Funk, has nailed 16 for 34 from beyond the arc, and is very likely the best pure shooter in the city.

It’s a new game out there hoop fans, so sit back and enjoy yourselves.

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At this early part of the season, the best player in the area has been Saint Joseph’s Charlie Brown Jr., the 6-7 junior from Philadelphia’s George Washington H.S. who missed all of last season with an injury. He is putting up 25 points a game while shooting 59% from the field, and has made 21 of 37, (57%)  on 3-pointers. His dad, Charlie Sr.,played on Overbrook’s 34-0 team in the late 70’s.

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Our highly-regarded research department has come up with not one, but five of the most unique names in college basketball, and, hard to believe, they all play for the same team. On the Baylor women’s squad are: Queen Egbo, Moon Ursin, Trinity Oliver, Honesty Scott-Grayson, and Juicy Landrum.  Juicy wins Name of the Year.

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Trivia Time : Pete Maravich averaged 44.2 points per game, as a collegian and is far and away the all-time leader in that department. Who is in second place ? Hints: He was a guard, and it’s been a while.  Answer at the end of the column.

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This and That : Bol Bol, Manute’s son, is really, really a good, good player. The 7-2 Oregon freshman does an awful lot for a guy that size….Some incentive for talented Penn soph forward A.J. Brodeur: The Quakers haven’t had a first-team all Big 5 selection since Zack Rosen in 2011-12….At Iowa, freshman 6-5 Connor McCaffery, who red-shirted last season, is averaging 10.6 points per game. His coach is former Penn guard Fran, and Uncle Jack is the local sports writer…. Nova soph Collin Gillespie is looking more and more like a young Ryan Arcidiacono….Cam Reddish, a Norristown native and Westtown grad, looks like a certain one- and- done guy. The 6-7 Duke freshman has been very impressive, scoring over 15 points a game including 17 for 18 on free throws…. Two Big 5 tilts on Saturday, when Temple visits Hawk Hill, and La Salle hosts Villanova at the Palestra.

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Answer to Trivia Time : The great Austin Carr, who graduated from Notre Dame in 1971, averaged 34.6 points game.