Anthony Davis, the Kentucky Wildcats freshman phenom, might as well have showed up to Monday night’s title game in a cape. The Naismith Award-winning player showed up in superhero form as he made onlookers marvel at his impact on the game. But it wasn’t an offensive outburst that earned him the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award – it was pure, unadulterated, dominating defense.
From the onset of the game, both Davis and Kansas center Jeff Withey looked to set a defensive tone by protecting the paint. In what looked to be a game of one-upmanship, the battling centers took turns rejecting and altering shots from the opposing team’s players. But despite having a few balls sent into the stands, Kentucky players continued to press the ball up court and attack the rim with success.
Meanwhile, Davis’ astounding length and athleticism created havoc for KU players throughout the game. Though he finished with 16 rebounds and six blocks, his defensive presence accounted for numerous misses and missteps by his flustered opponents. With less 30 seconds left on the clock and down by six points, Kansas guard Elijah Johnson spotted up for what could’ve been a huge three point shot. Davis hustled from the post and vaulted his lengthy 6’10” frame high in the sky. Predictably rattled by a front-row viewing of one of the most dominant defensive performances since Patrick Ewing roamed the NCAA hardwood, Johnson froze up with fear, dropped the ball until Super Davis flew by, resulting in a traveling violation.
The play was a microcosm of the game. While Davis had a subpar night on the offensive end, with just six points, his smothering defense instilled fear in the Jayhawks. What’s more amazing is that Kansas’ All-American Thomas Robinson’s monster stat line of 18 points and 17 rebounds nearly went unnoticed by fans. Though he outplayed Davis by the numbers, the freshman’s impact on the game was more profound as he capped off an amazing season and will likely gather up all his accolades and awards before flying off in the night to the sunset to redeem his mega millions ticket as the number one selection in the upcoming NBA draft.
Mizzou fans salute you, Mr. Davis.
Birds on bat
Now that the national championship game is past, St. Louisans can turn their attention to the World Champion Cardinals as they gear up to defend their amazing 2011 title. Gone are skipper Tony LaRussa and superstar slugger Albert Pujols, whose automatic .300+ average and 100+ RBIs relocated to a different zip code and tax bracket. In his place are a recovered Adam Wainwright, who missed the entire 2011 season after Tommy John surgery, Carlos Beltran and Manager Mike Matheny, who hopes to return to Redbirds to the post-Pujols promised land.
Matheny is actually in an oddly ideal situation for a rookie manager. If he returns to team to the postseason, he’ll be lauded as a genius and a great hire. If the team fails, much of the blame will fall on the loss of Pujols, LaRussa and former pitching coach Dave Duncan.
I love that Matheny is seemingly embracing the return of speed to the Cardinals lineup. With the big bats of Pujols, Lance Berkman and Matt Holliday, LaRussa was always reluctant to set runners free on the basepath. With Pujols gone, look for Matheny to put more players in motion to help create runs. It won’t be Whiteyball but could be a nice fusion of styles of two of the greatest Cardinals managers in history.
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