Romar's Boys Are Alright

Elston works as a toothpaste model in the offseason.

Florida 86, Washington 84

I'll admit, despite my nose-holding over yesterday's stinker against Kansas, I like Romar-ball. It can be sloppy and ugly in the halfcourt, but Romar's teams always play like the best kind of underdogs--not the soporific, Princeton offense types, but the aggressive, athletic, undersized, ones.

We got a taste of that against Florida tonight. 5'8" Isaiah Thomas cut up the Gators' defense, showing remarkable confidence and poise for a freshman (particularly down the stretch) and a better-than-advertised ability to drive right (even if he had to finish left). As always, Brockman put the "crash" in crashing the boards. (Just an aside, but is anyone else amazed that his slow-motion, telegraphed baseline spin ever works? There must be more than a little hook to it.) Justin Holiday showed a nice handle for his size and Darnell Gant bounced manically about the paint, a pogo-stick sprung free. It was nice to see Justin Dentmon making good decisions and hitting threes--he's probably had to work pretty hard to get there. Even nicer was the team's sudden understanding of concepts like offensive spacing and shot selection. As commenter Nick predicted it would yesterday, the team already appears to be getting smarter.

That said, more than anything, the game served as an Elston Turner, Jr. teaser. In the few minutes I've seen this year, he looks like the type of smooth, sober player that Romar's teams need. (The best example of course being Brandon Roy.) In five games, Turner is 7-16 on three-pointers, and has a stroke that makes you think his success will continue. Moreover, his court sense seems superb. His instant, laser entry pass to Jon Brockman on a ball reversal was one of the game's highlights. (Still to be determined: whether he has a handle/penetration skills.) Turner's dad (Sr.) is a former NBA player and current NBA coach--it looks like he taught his son some stuff about the game.

Meanwhile, Quincy Pondexter, remains sadly ill-equipped for halfcourt basketball. I say sadly with sincerity--it's clear that he's worked hard on his conditioning and he seems earnest and diligent. But could someone please send him a DVD of the late Pete Newell's big man camps? Or even a scouting tape of Carmelo Anthony? The Bargain Doll has physical tools galore, but I've known eighth graders with better footwork. Like Romar, Rick Pitino has his teams play fast on offense. But Pitino's known for drilling his players relentlessly on individual skills. Romar would be wise to follow suit. Maybe Pondexter is psyching himself out, but from here it looks like he lacks the skills to go with his athleticism.

Finally, why are there no Elston Turner, Jr. clips on YouTube? If Scott Suggs can get compared to Russell and Jordan, can't Elston at least get a few high school highlights set to Lil Wayne?