Basketball from a fan’s perspective
Zion Williamson is still a teen-ager, that fact is easy to forget at times considering the youngster stands 6 foot 6 inches and carries the same weight of an NFL linebacker (284 pounds). The Pelican forward will not turn 20 years of age until the middle of summer, his scoring average (21 ppg) is now above fellow rookie Ja Morant.
I agree with the statement Shaq made on the TNT post-game program “I love him (Zion) but he’s not in the conversation he’s missed too many games.” In 28 minutes, Zion’s 31 point 9 rebound 5 assist game led the way in the Pelicans win over the Blazers. The game places Zion in some exclusive company, NBA teens with 30+point and 9 rebound games. A couple of the other names are LeBron, Luka and Kevin Durant.
One more story
It’s clear by now the Lakers could have made a move if they chose to. They allowed the NBA Trade Deadline to pass (Feb 6) without making a move. The Collison portion is his alone, the Lakers had no control over his decision. This is the portion you might find most interesting, there are several free agents the Lakers could sign at this point who might aid the cause. “Sometimes the best trade is the one not made” per ESPN’s Woj.
We also might find this most interesting, despite all the talk floating about the Lakers clearly didn’t believe trading Kuzma was the best move. Numbers alone don’t paint a detailed picture, but you should note currently he’s the team’s third leading scorer. The part that might be a little muddled is seeing his defense, that’s the area we’ve witnessed the most criticism. Kuzma is 24-years old and a key for future play, will he or can he become the X-factor for the immediate future and into the playoffs? Only time will reveal that portion of this account.
The landscape changes
The Knicks Willis Reed arrived in the NBA from Grambling State, Sam Jones from North Carolina A&T and Earl “The Pearl” Monroe from Winston-Salem State. These Naismith Hall of Fame athletes honed their basketball skills at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The landscape was different back then, most major universities in the southern portion of the nation up through the 1960’s didn’t recruit black athletes. African American talent matriculated at west coast, Midwest and east coast time zone universities. The remaining talent headed off to HBCU schools in the south. Although these schools played other HBCU schools tournament time became a different story.
The NAIA included HBCU in the annual championship tournament held in Kansas City, we witnessed Tennessee State University and Kentucky State each winning three consecutive championships. As the society began a change Alabama, North Carolina and other southern schools began to actively recruit black athletes. An increasing number of black athletes remained home and attended the state university rather than head to the east or west coast. A sizable number of HBCU schools realizing the additional income moved from the NAIA to NCAA Division I or II basketball. HBCU schools continue to compete to this day but fail to attract the quality talent that once prevailed in the 1950’s and ‘60’s.
He can play
Mac McClung arrived at Georgetown from Gate City Virginia; the town’s population is reported to be 2,034 according to the 2010 census. To provide you a geographical location Asheville North Carolina is the largest nearby populated city about 90 road miles south of Gate City. Small town America produced this talented 6-foot 2 175-pound guard. Now in his sophomore year at Georgetown his scoring average has risen from 13.1 points a game to its present 16.1. Scouting reports indicate he’s got little chance to earn an NBA spot, these are the negatives.
“Undersized for the 2 and not a pure 1”
“Not a versatile defender-will likely only guard PGs”
“Has a decent looking jumper but doesn’t hit a great percentage from 3 and is an average FT shooter, in the mid 70’s”
The positives of McClung far outweigh the negatives, we need look no further than the Lakers Alex Caruso as an example. Caruso went undrafted in 2016 yet provides a valuable presence for the second unit of the Lakers.
