COLLINS TWINS ARE TARGETS.Byline: Eric Sondheimer There's some strange revisionism re·vi·sion·ism n. 1. Advocacy of the revision of an accepted, usually long-standing view, theory, or doctrine, especially a revision of historical events and movements. 2. going on regarding Harvard-Westlake High School's Collins twins, and it's preposterous. In three years, they've led the Wolverines to an 82-8 overall record, back-to-back Southern Section Division III-A basketball championships and soon, a State title. But word is spreading that the 6-foot-11 Jason Collins Jason Paul Collins (born December 2, 1978 in Northridge, California) is a professional basketball player for the New Jersey Nets of the NBA. He graduated from Harvard-Westlake School and later attended Stanford University, where he was an All-American in 2000-01 and appeared on and the 6-10 Jarron are dropping in Dropping in is a skateboarding trick with which a skateboarder can start skating a half-pipe by dropping into it from the coping instead of starting from the bottom and pumping gradually for more speed. stature among college recruiters. Last week, I got into a shouting match shouting match n (col) → discusión f a voz en grito shouting match n (inf) → engueulade f, empoignade f with a fellow sportswriter sports·writ·er n. A person who writes about sports, especially for a newspaper or magazine. sports who insisted that the twins would end up having to attend a "WCC-type" school, like Pepperdine. Then there are the rumors that UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX is no longer recruiting the twins (false!). What's going on What's Going On is a record by American soul singer Marvin Gaye. Released on May 21, 1971 (see 1971 in music), What's Going On reflected the beginning of a new trend in soul music. here? Have the twins really faltered in their junior year? Have others passed them by? The class of 1997 is considered one of the most talented basketball groups in years. UCLA, Duke and Kansas have made their top recruiting priority two prep players from Orange County - 6-10 Chris Burgess of Woodbridge and 7-0 Eric Chenowith Eric Chenowith (born March 9, 1979 in Villa Park, California) is an American basketball player. As a high school player, he was selected to the McDonald's All-American Team in 1997. He played collegiately for University of Kansas. of Villa Park. Somewhere after them, the Collins twins are ranked. But the twins have been caught in an expectations game. They're so tall and talented that every move they make is monitored and every fault they might have is magnified. Jason's scoring statistics this season have dropped while his weight has gone up, causing warning bells to go off. Jarron's statistics haven't increased significantly, creating more concerns. But a closer look at the twins reveal a different story. Jason doesn't need to score as much this season because other teammates have stepped up, so his 18.1 points-per-game average is no big deal. He's a team player and still dominates by rebounding and blocking shots. And does anyone know of a 6-11 center who would take two charging fouls in a Southern California Regional championship game like Jason did last Saturday? "I'm having a great year," Jason said. "Overall, as a team, we're better, more well-rounded. Last year, I felt I was forced to score because I was the main option. This year, it's allowing me to do more." As always, Jarron has come on strong in the postseason. He can dribble the ball like a point guard and is contributing as a rebounder and shot blocker. Yes, he still needs to be able to hit an open 15-foot jump shot consistently, but give him time. He's improving in all aspects of his game, as is his brother. The basketball recruiting game is filled with political intrigue and lots of egos. Everybody has an opinion, and those opinions can change with each game. No one needs to worry that the Collins twins might go unwanted next fall. On the contrary, there are dozens of college programs that would quickly sign them in a second. But the talk among some so-called recruiting experts questioning whether the twins still belong among the nation's elite prospects is bewildering be·wil·der tr.v. be·wil·dered, be·wil·der·ing, be·wil·ders 1. To confuse or befuddle, especially with numerous conflicting situations, objects, or statements. See Synonyms at puzzle. 2. . Harvard-Westlake coach Greg Hilliard reads recruiting info on the Internet discussing the twins' strengths and weaknesses. As soon as they lead Harvard-Westlake (29-2) to a win over Sacramento's Grant High on Saturday in the State Division III title game in Sacramento, the twins will be well on their way to earning a place in history as two of the best basketball players ever from the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. . Yes, there will be skeptics who wonder if they've become too slow to compete against players of similar ability. But in the recruiting game, all it takes is one top performance at a well-attended summer camp to get everybody back on the bandwagon. "As people begin to watch them more, some (schools) will drop off and some will get excited," Hilliard said. Dealing with a variety of opinions is part of the twins' life now. "I guess because we're the twins, we're drawing attention," Jarron said. I predict the twins will end up at a big-time college program (UCLA, Stanford or California), Dick Vitale will scream, "I love the Twin Towers," they will earn their college degrees and then maybe get a shot at the NBA NBA abbr. 1. National Basketball Association 2. National Boxing Association NBA (US) n abbr (= National Basketball Association) → Basketball-Dachverband (= . Then I'll get to say, "I told you so." CAPTION(S): CHART Chart THE COLLINS FACTOR |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion