Lzen
03-22-2007, 11:34 AM
Dennis Dodd March 21, 2007
By Dennis Dodd
CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Ian Naismith was driving across Iowa this week when he was asked if he had seen Southern Illinois play.
"I love that type of basketball," Naismith chirped through his cell phone. "Turn everybody on their ear. I'm kind of like everybody else; when I first heard how good they were, I was quite surprised."
If the last name rings a bell, it should. Ian is the grandson of James Naismith. Ian is currently on the road promoting Basketball Man, the just-completed definitive documentary on his grandfather. It occurred to at least one chronicler of the NCAA Tournament (me) to get Ian's thoughts on the West Regional. There are obvious connections besides Kansas (grandpa's school) and SIU (grandson's current crush) in one semifinal on Thursday.
James invented the game, took it to Kansas and is buried in Lawrence. Watching the tournament to date, teams like SIU are tearing it apart. The Salukis are merely the extreme in this dead ball era. This is the only regional with all four participants ranked in the top 50 in scoring defense.
"I'm a defensive guy, " Ian said.
Isn't everybody these days? UCLA -- which plays Pittsburgh in other West semi -- rode Ben Howland's nails-on-a-chalkboard D all the way to the national championship game last year.
Considering how well Pittsburgh's Jamie Dixon knows his former boss Howland, 50 might be the magic number, as in, first one there wins.
We're now at the point where SIU's defense should be in charge of homeland security. The Salukis, ranked third nationally allowing only 56.1 points, are going against Kansas, 12th nationally scoring almost 80 per game. There is only one way a team with no player taller than 6-foot-7 can hope to topple a group of McDonald's All-Americans who could fill a McDonald's.
"You mean like at 2:30 today?" SIU assistant Rodney Watson said.
That refers to practice, which in SIU terms resembles arena football. Under 34-year-old coach Chris Lowery, there are no fouls, no out of bounds. If not for the bleachers, they'd be chasing balls into the parking lot.
Defense breeds bruises.
"What it really does in our favor, is that our guys never complain about calls," Watson said. "They've never been fouled in a game like they've been fouled in practice. They don't get any breaks in practice."
Defense also breeds court gnats.
"Scrappy, they're everywhere, like little piranhas," Kansas' Brandon Rush said of SIU. "Little piranhas biting on you all the time."
Watson has been at the school for 19 years through nine NCAA Tournament appearances, four coaches and two Sweet 16s. It meant something that Naismith noticed.
"Tell him we will never get rid of his season tickets if that ever comes up," Watson said.
Defense also breeds equality. Basketball is about the only sport where a physically outmatched team can win one game for a championship. North Carolina State over Houston in 1983. Villanova over Georgetown in 1985. SIU is getting there as one of only 12 teams to go to the last six NCAA Tournaments.
The Salukis have one player, Missouri Valley Player of the Year Jamaal Tatum, who might get a sniff at the NBA. The rest, Watson readily admits, "are going to be selling insurance."
A year after George Mason, "SIU may go down in history too if they pull that off," said Kansas assistant Tim Jankovich, who will enter the Valley next season as Illinois State's head coach. "Everybody knows they are capable of doing it."
It's no fluke that SIU is one of 10 teams in the top 38 in field-goal percentage defense that made it to the Sweet 16. There's a six degrees of separation feel to the whole thing. Virginia Tech held Illinois scoreless the final 4:28 in winning its first-round game. Then the Hokies were held to a season-low 48 points by SIU in the second round.
Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg came close to comparing the Salukis to a video game.
"They invade your personal space," he said.
Space Invaders?
Eleven days ago Pittsburgh scored 42 points -- the fewest ever in the Big East Tournament -- and lost by 23 to Georgetown. Somehow both teams are in the Sweet 16.
West Coast legend Pete Newell might have them all beat. The former Cal coach believed in controlling tempo, which is essentially what SIU does every time out. It wasn't until John Wooden began springing his fabled press that UCLA began its run of national championships.
"It's how you sell it, how you present it," Howland said. "My belief is the best teams in basketball at the highest level ... those are great defensive players."
UCLA and SIU arguably play the most constricting, asphyxiating defense in the country. Pittsburgh and Kansas know they must pass through an air lock to get to the Final Four.
"I would say the Big Ten," Self said, trying to compare SIU's defensive ferocity. "They guard, but most teams in the Big Ten play traditionally with two big guys. With SIU all five of those guys can deny those passing lanes. To be real honest, it reminds me of my last team at Tulsa -- undersized, tough, fast, deny everything, contest every shot."
Funny Self should mention another mid-major. He parlayed the Golden Hurricane's 2000 run to the Elite Eight into the Illinois job. Lowery is in the same position. As soon the season is over, Lowery seems destined for dollar-greener pastures.
Of the 16 coaches left in the tournament, he is easily the lowest paid. Sooner or later, Lowery will have to think about his family as former Salukis coaches Matt Painter (now at Purdue) and Bruce Weber (Illinois) did before him.
"Why is it that we're always looking for taller guys?" Jankovich said. "It's the great irony of basketball. Maybe we're all missing the boat. Our team should be 5-11, 6-1, 6-2, the center 6-5 and we're running all over the court driving people crazy."
Just like the little piranhas.
http://www.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/story/10078808
By Dennis Dodd
CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Ian Naismith was driving across Iowa this week when he was asked if he had seen Southern Illinois play.
"I love that type of basketball," Naismith chirped through his cell phone. "Turn everybody on their ear. I'm kind of like everybody else; when I first heard how good they were, I was quite surprised."
If the last name rings a bell, it should. Ian is the grandson of James Naismith. Ian is currently on the road promoting Basketball Man, the just-completed definitive documentary on his grandfather. It occurred to at least one chronicler of the NCAA Tournament (me) to get Ian's thoughts on the West Regional. There are obvious connections besides Kansas (grandpa's school) and SIU (grandson's current crush) in one semifinal on Thursday.
James invented the game, took it to Kansas and is buried in Lawrence. Watching the tournament to date, teams like SIU are tearing it apart. The Salukis are merely the extreme in this dead ball era. This is the only regional with all four participants ranked in the top 50 in scoring defense.
"I'm a defensive guy, " Ian said.
Isn't everybody these days? UCLA -- which plays Pittsburgh in other West semi -- rode Ben Howland's nails-on-a-chalkboard D all the way to the national championship game last year.
Considering how well Pittsburgh's Jamie Dixon knows his former boss Howland, 50 might be the magic number, as in, first one there wins.
We're now at the point where SIU's defense should be in charge of homeland security. The Salukis, ranked third nationally allowing only 56.1 points, are going against Kansas, 12th nationally scoring almost 80 per game. There is only one way a team with no player taller than 6-foot-7 can hope to topple a group of McDonald's All-Americans who could fill a McDonald's.
"You mean like at 2:30 today?" SIU assistant Rodney Watson said.
That refers to practice, which in SIU terms resembles arena football. Under 34-year-old coach Chris Lowery, there are no fouls, no out of bounds. If not for the bleachers, they'd be chasing balls into the parking lot.
Defense breeds bruises.
"What it really does in our favor, is that our guys never complain about calls," Watson said. "They've never been fouled in a game like they've been fouled in practice. They don't get any breaks in practice."
Defense also breeds court gnats.
"Scrappy, they're everywhere, like little piranhas," Kansas' Brandon Rush said of SIU. "Little piranhas biting on you all the time."
Watson has been at the school for 19 years through nine NCAA Tournament appearances, four coaches and two Sweet 16s. It meant something that Naismith noticed.
"Tell him we will never get rid of his season tickets if that ever comes up," Watson said.
Defense also breeds equality. Basketball is about the only sport where a physically outmatched team can win one game for a championship. North Carolina State over Houston in 1983. Villanova over Georgetown in 1985. SIU is getting there as one of only 12 teams to go to the last six NCAA Tournaments.
The Salukis have one player, Missouri Valley Player of the Year Jamaal Tatum, who might get a sniff at the NBA. The rest, Watson readily admits, "are going to be selling insurance."
A year after George Mason, "SIU may go down in history too if they pull that off," said Kansas assistant Tim Jankovich, who will enter the Valley next season as Illinois State's head coach. "Everybody knows they are capable of doing it."
It's no fluke that SIU is one of 10 teams in the top 38 in field-goal percentage defense that made it to the Sweet 16. There's a six degrees of separation feel to the whole thing. Virginia Tech held Illinois scoreless the final 4:28 in winning its first-round game. Then the Hokies were held to a season-low 48 points by SIU in the second round.
Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg came close to comparing the Salukis to a video game.
"They invade your personal space," he said.
Space Invaders?
Eleven days ago Pittsburgh scored 42 points -- the fewest ever in the Big East Tournament -- and lost by 23 to Georgetown. Somehow both teams are in the Sweet 16.
West Coast legend Pete Newell might have them all beat. The former Cal coach believed in controlling tempo, which is essentially what SIU does every time out. It wasn't until John Wooden began springing his fabled press that UCLA began its run of national championships.
"It's how you sell it, how you present it," Howland said. "My belief is the best teams in basketball at the highest level ... those are great defensive players."
UCLA and SIU arguably play the most constricting, asphyxiating defense in the country. Pittsburgh and Kansas know they must pass through an air lock to get to the Final Four.
"I would say the Big Ten," Self said, trying to compare SIU's defensive ferocity. "They guard, but most teams in the Big Ten play traditionally with two big guys. With SIU all five of those guys can deny those passing lanes. To be real honest, it reminds me of my last team at Tulsa -- undersized, tough, fast, deny everything, contest every shot."
Funny Self should mention another mid-major. He parlayed the Golden Hurricane's 2000 run to the Elite Eight into the Illinois job. Lowery is in the same position. As soon the season is over, Lowery seems destined for dollar-greener pastures.
Of the 16 coaches left in the tournament, he is easily the lowest paid. Sooner or later, Lowery will have to think about his family as former Salukis coaches Matt Painter (now at Purdue) and Bruce Weber (Illinois) did before him.
"Why is it that we're always looking for taller guys?" Jankovich said. "It's the great irony of basketball. Maybe we're all missing the boat. Our team should be 5-11, 6-1, 6-2, the center 6-5 and we're running all over the court driving people crazy."
Just like the little piranhas.
http://www.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/story/10078808