Today's Oregonian had a pretty good article on the Beavs that basically says what I've been saying for a few weeks: the Beavs don't have a #1. They have a lot of #2 scorers, but not a true go-to guy.
But even more interestingly are a few of the comments...
The Oregonian - OSU feeling the loss of go-to guy
When it comes to a "true" low-block, back-to-the-basket player who doesn't flinch when the game turns physical inside, the Beavers have 6-9, 258-pound junior Kyle Jeffers -- and little else.
"Kyle is steadily improving," John said. "Right now, his confidence is up, and he seems to have better balance in the post, having to deal with somebody always bumping into him. It's never clean down there. And some guys can finish while they're being bumped, and other guys can't. Well, Kyle is beginning to take some of those bumps and finish."
...
Oregon coach Ernie Kent was impressed with Jeffers' work ethic.
"He was a tough player for us to guard in terms of how active he was," Kent said. "I think there are going to be nights where he is going to score well, as long as they can keep him out of foul trouble and those things.
That's actually an interesting assessment by Kent. Maybe Kyle is growing more than we see. I've noticed he's better inside, but he's not exactly a force inside. But Kent thinks very highly of Kyle. Interesting.
Another interesting part of the article are some comments by Jeffers:
"We don't go down on the block nearly as much, but I think it's good, because everybody scores, not just one player," Jeffers said. "We're just as strong a team without him as we were last year. It's good to have a player like David on the team, but he shot the ball a lot, and it really didn't give other players a chance to get going."
...
"That's what a team should be doing," said Jeffers, who is averaging 6.1 points and 4.2 rebounds while starting nine of the Beavers' 12 games. "We could have five players in double digits, and I feel that's better for us as a team."
I'm not sure if I agree with Kyle. Balanced scoring is great, but you need someone who wants the ball down the stretch. Or maybe a guy who can simply score when everyone else is struggling to get going. Honestly, the only way lots of scorers and no true #1 works is if you can beat teams by 15-20 points. That way you don't have to find someone to get that basket with 10 seconds on the clock you don't have a go-to guy.
One last quote for Trent Johnson, the Stanford head coach:
Stanford coach Trent Johnson agreed that preparing for the Beavers is as tough now as it was when they had Lucas.
"They have seven guys that, basically, can really pass it, really catch, and really shoot it," Johnson said. "I mean, our hands are full in terms of trying to defend this team and slow them down.
"Lucas was an important factor last year, but . . . this is a team that's going to explode here pretty soon. I think they're as talented and as skilled as any team in our conference, and it's just a matter of time before they start going on a roll."
I hope he's right. We need to start rolling and beating some teams badly.
