photo: si.com
The Dunk! The Ram! The Slam! The Bong! Whatever you want to call it, it’s an art form, birthed on the playground, that has revolutionized the way the game is played.
And no dunk will reverberate throughout this year’s NCAA Tournament landscape quite like the one Derrick Williams’ delivered last night against Duke in the Sweet 16.
If you somehow missed it, peep what he does with about 13:27 left in the first half.
If you were shocked by the game’s eventual outcome, you shouldn’t have been. While Greg Anthony, Greg Gumble and Kenny Smith acted patronizingly toward Charles Barkley when he predicted that Arizona would win, I saw the prescience in the Round Mound of Rebound’s pre and mid-game analysis.
If you haven’t been watching PAC-10 hoops over the past few years, here’s what you’ve missed – Derrick Williams is the Real Deal Holyfield!
Last year’s top freshman in the conference, Williams has been the most productive player in the land this year. He punctuated his case, with last night’s gem, of why his name should be included along with Jimmer, Kemba and Nolan Smith (I would also personally include Kansas’ Marcus Morris) as a candidate for the National Player of the Year award.
As he showed last night, his offensive arsenal is filled with more weaponry than an LL Cool J battle rap. In order to go far in the NCAA’s, you must have a singular talent that’s capable of producing transcendent performances on a consistent basis. With his bizzaro 25 point first half, and overall 32 points and 13 rebounds, he showed why many NBA General Managers are considering him the #1 overall pick in the upcoming draft.
Had you been paying attention to Williams’ multidimensional Machine Gun Funk since last season, you would have known that Arizona had much more than a puncher’s chance of walking out of the Sweet 16, against the defending national champs, with the victory.
(If you’re new to this, click on the instrumental first and then let the highlights fill in the track. Rewind and let the beat start again until Williams is done mesmerizing you.)
Along with Uconn’s Kemba Walker, aka EZ Pass aka The Prince of Zamunda, Williams showed last night just how much one otherworldly talent can make a difference in college hoops.
I don’t know about you, but I’m salivating to see what other players will put their personal stamp on the remainder of this year’s tourney. And to Williams and Walker, and this is simply for my own selfish reasons, ummmm, can we get an encore?
March 25th, 2011 at 3:37 pm
funkalot says:
Fam,
Barkley picked Arizona because of his residence in the State. He is no seer. Arizona is a sleeper. You could not reasonably predict their run in the tourney. I am happy for upstarts, though and enjoy their successes.
Williams is the realest. He should be number 1 in the draft pending the need of the team selecting. POY,nope. The Lion King has been the most consistently dominant and clutch performer this season.
Note: The rumor of the NYC PG demise is premature, with Kemba, MoMo Jones (Arizona) and Erv Walker (Florida) all still getting it in, in the tourney.
The most intriguing story of the tourney might be Shaka Smart of VCU. The basketball illuminati hated on VCU’s inclusion in the tourney, at the expense of their coaching friends or privileged programs. I got two words for them: C-Lo Green!
March 25th, 2011 at 4:52 pm
Blk Caesar says:
Funk,
The irony of the whole Shaka Smart situation is now those big programs will be trying to offer him a job after the tourney..
March 25th, 2011 at 5:07 pm
Ali says:
funk,
you kill me! cee-lo green? hilarious. in terms of barkley’s prediction, i think it was based a little more on just living in state. he saw them more than any of those other guys due to his arizona residency, so he knew how beastly derrick williams really was. outside of the west coast, despite having more skills than bruce lee, williams was still deep cover, so far as many are concerned.
you know, as well as i do, that one man-child can make all the difference in the tourney. just ask danny manning.
and all the blue bloods are some of this right now, it terms of getting ready to go after shaka smart – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObjLb6ElTvs
“…let me take you in my arms, let me fill you with my charms, shaka…”
can’t wait to see ohio state-kentucky, unc-marquette, and them morris boys tonight! hyped!!!
March 25th, 2011 at 9:40 pm
funkalot says:
Fellas,
You are correct, Shaka is soon to get a serious promotion.
It took some time, but damn, UNC’s fromtline is Danger Will Robinson. The former Jack In the Box All-Americans during the early season, are back cheffing it up at Mickey D’s. Sundays game, UNC versus Ohio State or kentucky is why this is the best sporting event. It don’t get no betta!
March 26th, 2011 at 7:29 pm
LowerEastScribe says:
Williams looked LeBron-esque out there agianst Duke. Hopefully EZ Pass can lead UConn to the Final 4 tonight. Shaka Smart and Brad Stevens are gunna be the hottest girls in high school and the big time colleges are gunna flock like jocks looking for a prom date.
Great write up, big bro!
P.S., I also think Marcus Morris should be a POY candidate. But Kemba should win it. That’ll be some shi* if he wins that and didn’t win Big East POY. He was robbed.
March 27th, 2011 at 5:29 pm
funkalot says:
No Doubt LES, kemba was bamboozled out of the Big East POY award.
With VCU winning it is justification for Shaka and his men, but also vindication for the oft maligned Gene Smith, Ohio State AD, who was ridiculed by Jay Bilas and Dick Vitale for his selection choices as the Men’s Committe Chairman.
They questioned his intelligence, not unlike the derision we see President Obama subjected to. These basketball Tea Partiers should be made to cede a public apology for their disparaging remarks, given their “quasi” acumen as basketball prognosticators.
This is what Jalen Rose was speaking of in the Fab Five piece, the perception of some programs, players and coaches as American and righteous, seemingly without questioning. They are classists and elitists. As such, I can not root for the programs they deem worthy. Fork Dorothy, Toto and the wizard. WE ain’t in Kansas anymore!
March 27th, 2011 at 5:31 pm
funkalot says:
Oh and Grant Hill, stop being so sensitive and watch the documentary before speaking errantly. Your Duke education should have had you perform your due diligence, instead of ranting.