Jimmer, Bruce and Damian

The following was also posted on Kyle Whelliston's Midmajority Report:

The title “Nation’s Leading Scorer” is odd, it doesn’t mean you’re the best player in the country although sometimes it can be -- see Jimmer Fredette a year ago, and  Stephen Curry of Davidson  who led the nation in scoring in 2008 and 2009, each of which were at least in the discussion as the best player in the country as seniors.   Also note the accomplishments of arguably the two greatest players in college basketball history, Pete Maravich who led the nation in scoring in 1968, 1969 and 1970 and Oscar Robertson who did the same in 1958, 1959 and 1960, each of which should come up on the greatest college players of all time list.  Additionally, a player need not have a brilliant career, it only takes one season.  One season of scoring more than anyone else.  Sometimes, the players scoring can become larger than the game.  Maravich was scoring over 40 points per game, still the only player on the list to average over 40 AND he did it three years in a row.   His father Press was his coach, accordingly Pete shot often and shot a lot - some would argue at the expense of the team doing better.  

The most intriguing account of how one player can dominate a team and a season can be found in Shooting Star, The Bevo Francis Story, a recap of Bevo Francis’ remarkable career at tiny Rio Grande College who once scored 116 points in one game written by Kyle Keiderling.  Francis’ did most of his scoring against schools below the black line as we call it now and his own program was a below the black line program.   However, for a time, Rio Grande did step up and play schools like Providence, Villanova and North Carolina State.  Bevo’s scoring much like Maravich was an example of how a player can become bigger than the team.  

The complete list of the nation’s leading scorers for each year is shown below.  Please note that prior to 1948, scoring statistics for regular season games was not available.  I have included the leading scorers in the NCAA Tournament in the list for a few years for the sake of getting to 1943, the year the Wyoming Cowboys won the national championship.    

Adam Morrison in 2006 and Glenn Robinson who put up 30.3 in 1994 also were probably the best player’s in the country during their senior seasons.    More often though, following the list, the leading scorer in the nation is aided by his situation, a team that lacks other scorers and allows him to shoot more than other players at other schools – see  Kevin Houston of Army who averaged 32.9 in 1987 and once remarked that he had been passed over being picked when eleven guys were organizing a pickup basketball game at West Point.   The most obscure leading scorer was likely Greg Guy who led the nation in 1994, yet played on the team with the worst record.  Texas Pan American went 2-20 that year.  

With the advent of so many midmajor and lower level division I programs, leading scorers in the 1950’s, 1960’s and 70’s were more likely to be the best players in the country while more recent decades, it’s just a great player at a smaller program.   I have spent time at both Pepperdine University where Bird Averitt worked his magic and Portland State University where Freeman Williams starred.  Both schools fielded division I programs at the lower level long before there was “mid-major” or a “red-line” and their star players did it before college basketball became a mainstream sport.  

Williams was a first round choice of the Utah Jazz who once score 83 points in a college game.   Averitt’s coming out party was legendary.  As a freshman he scored 43 and 44 points against a UCLA freshman team that included Bill Walton.  Averitt went on to play for the San Antonio Spurs and for the Kentucky Colonels in the ABA where he played for one time Niagara standout Hubie Brown (see below for much more on Niagara and Hubie).

A year ago Jimmer Fredette led the nation in scoring while leading Brigham Young into the top 10, he scored 28.6 points per game.   Tonight I sit in the building where Fredette scored a majority of those points watching his old teammates struggle to find scoring opportunities that he made look so easy a year ago in leading the Cougars to the Sweet 16.   The Cougars opponent tonight, Weber State features the current “Nation’s Leading Scorer”  Damian Lillard.  Accordingly, tonight’s game is all about individual performance of both last year for Fredette and this year for Lillard. 

Lillard’s play is not surprising, a year ago he received a medical redshirt and as a sophomore in 2009 he averaged 19.9 points per game and was named the Big Sky MVP.  In 2008, as a freshman, Lillard put up 11.5 points per game.  I have seen him play numerous times and Lillard strengths are his quickness combined with shooting.  At times, his three point shooting can be unstoppable.  Keep in mind, Lillard is only a junior, he’s likely to become the all time leading scorer in Weber State history passing legendary Bruce Collins. 

I am not happy about this.  Collins is from Rock Springs, Wyoming.  I see Bruce a couple of time per week now whenever I am in Rock Spring, Wyoming.  He works as a recreation director at the Rock Springs rec center.  I have not asked him yet if he know Lillard will likely break his scoring record.  I’m sure I will, just looking for the right time. 

Leading Scorers

Year    Player                             School                                          Points per Game

2011  Jimmer Fredette              BYU                                                   28.8

2010   Aubrey Coleman           Houston                                              25.6

2009   Stephen Curry               Davidson                                            28.6

2008   Stephen Curry               Davidson                                             32.0

2007   Reggie Williams           Virginia Military                                 28.1

2006  Adam Morrison              Gonzaga                                             28.1

2005  Keyden Clark                 St.Peters                                             25.8

2004  Keyden Clark                 St.Peters                                             26.7

2003  Ruben Douglas              New Mexico                                        28.0

2002  Jason Conley                 VMI                                                      29.3

2001  Ronnie McCollum         Centenary                                             29.1

2000   Courtney Alexander     Fresno State                                          24.8

1999  Alvin Young                 Niagara                                                  25.1

1998  Charles Jones                Long Island                                           29.0

1997  Charles Jones                Long Island                                           30.1

1996  Kevin Granger              Texas Southern                                      27.0

1995  Kurt Thomas                 Texas Christian                                      28.9

1994  Glenn Robinson            Purdue                                                    30.3

1993  Greg Guy                      Texas Pan American                              29.3

1992   Brett Roberts                Moreghead State                                   28.1

1991  Kevin Bradshaw            U.S. International                                  37.6

1990  Bo Kimble                     Loyola Marymount                                35.3

1989   Hank Gathers                Loyola Marymount                               32.7

1988   Hersey Hawkins            Bradley                                                 36.3

1987   Kevin Houston              Army                                                     32.0

1986   Terrance Bailey             Wagner                                                  29.4

1985    Xavier McDaniel          Wichita State                                        27.2

1984    Joe Jakubick                 Akron                                                    30.1

1983   Harry Kelly                   Texas Southern                                      28.8

1982   Harry Kelly                   Texas Southern                                      29.7

1981   Zam Frerick                   South Carolina                                      28.9

1980   Tony Murphy                 Southern University                             32.1

1979   Lamar Butler                  Idaho State                                            30.1

1978   Freeman Williams          Portland State                                       35.9

1977   Freeman Williams          Portland State                                       38.8

1976   Marshall Rogers             Texas Pan American                            36.8

1975   Bob McCardy                Richmond                                              32.9

1974   Larry Fogle                    Canisius                                                 33.4

1973   Bird Averitt                    Pepperdine                                            33.9

1972   Dweight Lamar              Louisiana-Lafayette                              36.3

1971   Johnny Neumann           Mississippi                                            40.1

1970   Pete Maravich                LSU                                                       44.5

1969   Pete Maravich                LSU                                                       44.2

1968   Pete Maravich                LSU                                                       43.8

1967   Jimmy Walker               Providence                                             30.4

1966   Dave Shellhase              Purdue                                                   32.5

1965   Ollie Johnson                San Francisco                                         36.0

1964   Howard Komives          Bowling Green                                      36.7

1963   Nick Werkman              Seton Hall                                              29.5

1962   Billy McGill                 Utah                                                        38.8

1961   Frank Burgess              Gonzaga                                                  32.4

1960   Oscar Robertson          Cincinnati                                                33.7

1959   Oscar Robertson          Cincinnati                                                32.6

1958   Oscar Robertson          Cincinnati                                                35.1

1957   Grady Wallace            South Carolina                                         31.2

1956   Darrell Floyd              Furman                                                     33.8

1955   Bob Patterson              Tulsa                                                        28.5

1954   Frank Selvy                  Furman                                                    41.7

1953   Frank Selvy                 Furman                                                     29.5

1952   Clyde Louvellette        Kansas                                                     28.6

1951   Bill Mikvy                   Temple                                                     29.2

1950   Paul Arizin                  Villanova                                                 25.3

1949   Tony Lavellie              Yale                                                         22.4

1948   Murray Wier                 Iowa                                                         21.0

1947   George Kaftan            Holly Cross                                               21.0*

1946   Bob Kurland              Oklahoma A & M                                      24.0*

1945   Dickie Wilkins           Oregon                                                       22.0*

1944   Nick Buzolich            Pepperdine                                                 22.5*

1943   John Hargis                Texas                                                          29.5

Damian Lillard wears number 1 for Weber State, he’s number 1 in the country in scoring.  I’ve seen Lillard play on numerous occasions before.  He sat out last year due to an injury, but in prior seasons he has been a remarkably good player.   He also benefits by having a good set of role players around him.   Weber State is the classic midmajor looking at a good year.    They are the Big Sky favorite. 

Weber State has never won at the Marriott Center.  Tonight’s game, like all games involving Utah schools will count towards the Oquirh Bucket – a traveling trophy awarded to the team with the best record against all other Utah school during the year.    The court seems funny.  The West Coast Conference logo on opposite ends doesn’t quite fit yet, and as a long time follower, not fan of BYU, I’m used to thinking of them as a Mountain West Conference school.   It will be hard to adjust to thinking of BYU in the same league as Pepperdine, Loyola Marymount and Portland. 

The Marriott Center does not possess the atmosphere that it did when Jimmermania was in full force.   The excitement level has gone down and it easier for the opposition to remain focused.  It’s also easier for opponents to remain close in the foul count.  When players are leading the nation in scoring as Fredette did last year, they seem to get more calls from especially when playing at home.   Lillard who wears number 1, is on the road tonight, so I’m anxious to see if he can get any calls or how the road game will affect his performance.

Weber’s leading rebounder and a fellow Wyoming native – Kyle Bullinger – is apparently out with a dislocated elbow and he’s not in the starting lineup and does not play which is odd because he’s noted for being a tough hardnosed player who has started almost his entire career for the Wildcats, he gives them an element of toughness that makes them the Big Sky favorite.

Lillard misses his first attempt, a long three.  Lillard Misses another long three and gets checked on a drive to the basket (the first time he has not gotten a whistle while attacking, but could have).  Brock Zylstra of BYU scores ten early points and the Cougars open up a 22-15 lead at the ten minute mark.   

At this point, someone in front of me points out that Jimmer Fredette is in attendance tonight.   I’m surprised as I thought he would be in Sacramento, his NBA home. 

Weber State’s second leading scorer picks up two quick fouls and has to sit out, but BYU opens up a thirteen point lead and Weber coach Randy Rahe is forced to bring him back in with five minutes left in the first half.  It doesn’t help that Lillard has only four points during the first fifteen minutes and has not hit an outside shot.  Bullinger’s absence is felt as BYU controls the paint and is able to get the ball inside and gets multiple second chance opportunities.  Lillard finally hits a long three at the three minute mark, but then gets called for a questionable travel shortly thereafter.  He misses a long three at the end of the first half and is struggling to get into rhythm that the great scorers all seem to have.  Yet at the half he still has nine points in a mediocre performance.  BYU leads by thirteen at the half. 

At the start of the second half, Charles Abouo hits two three pointers and the Cougars open up a twenty point lead and Weber is forced to take a time out.   The only question is what the final score will be and can Damon Lillard hold onto his national scoring lead.  Coming into the game Lillard led Boston University’s Darryl Partin by almost five points per game, but with so few games played even one subpar night can have a huge impact.  Lillard finishes with only fifteen points.   But BYU looks impressive and appears to have more depth and  size than they had when Fredette carried them over the past couple of seasons.  BYU wins easily 94-66.   

Next up for the Cougars is a showdown in the Marriott Center against tenth ranked Baylor meanwhile I can tell Bruce Collins that his Weber State scoring record is safe for another game.     

The Smart Take From the Strong

I also published the following with Kyle Whelliston's midmajority.  

Growing up easily the biggest cinderella and the team that played the most memorable first round games in the NCAA Tournament was always Princeton.   Their most memorable game happened in 1989, when the Tigers narrowly upset top seeded Georgetown, losing by a point 50-49.  Legendary Princeton coach Pete Carrill had a saying, "The smart take from the strong."  That saying was epitomized in the way his team played.  It was always smarter than the opponent.   

Desciples of Carrill have been running the Princeton offense faster, but with equal effectiveness in the modern game.   They include Northwestern's BIll Carmody who has the Wildcats at 6-0 headed for a showdown with Baylor on Sunday.   They also include Denver University's Joe Scott.    Tonight I witnessed how effective the Princeton offense can be.   

Utah State entered their home game against Denver University with a 33 game home winning streatk.   The Spectrum is one of the countries top home arena's averaging over ten thousand fans per contest.   The Utah State University student body is among the best in the country.   In fact outside of Creighton, I can't think of a better atmosphere at a midmajor.  The last home loss for the Aggies happened on December 5th, 2007 against St. Mary's.   Until Denver came in tonight and played smarter than the stronger Aggies.   

The activites actually start with the Utah State mascot rappelling down from the scoreboard above the court, but from that moment forward the game is all about Denver's smarter play.   Denver opens the game with a 25-12 blitz.   This inspite of the fact that Utah State Coach Stew Morrill had indicated that star junior college transfer Kyisean Read would not play, yet Kyisean enters the game early in the first half.  The Pioneers are also whistled for six fouls compared to the Aggies one during the first ten minutes of play.   It doesn't matter, the Pioneers hit 53% of their field goal attempts in the first half.   Denver only leads 34-29 at the half, but it seems like more because the loudest the USU student section has been able to cheer was at the start of the game when they did their traditional "I Believe We Will Win" chant. 

Other than those opening moments the Denver execution and precision has effectively taken them out of the game.   In fact the crowd only becomes more stunned as the second half unfolds.   Denver receives balanced scoring as Rob Lewis and Chris Udofia who each score fifteen points.   Standout point guard Chase Haslam plays almost the entire game, scoring twelve points without a turnover and administers the offense as if he were playing alongside Joe Scott and Bill Carmody years ago.  The Aggies get thirteen points from Preston Medlin, but it's not close to enough.   I have been to several Utah State games and have never seen them get handled quite this easily at home.  The student section leaves with a little over four minutes to go.  

Worrisome for the Aggies is the fact that next year this will be a conference game as the Pioneers are set to join the WAC next year.    I can see Denver making a nice run in the Sun Belt this year and perhaps winning the league tournament and getting to their first NCAA tournament ever.                                                                

"Coaches Live for the Applause"

In following college basketball and football over the past 30 years scandal's have become commonplace.  However, picking out the most egregious was actually quite easy, until this week.   Yes, there have been point shaving scandals, recruiting scandals, and criminal behaviors by players, but not one school or incident can compare to what Baylor University's program went through -- until now.  

Dave Bliss's record and background prior to becoming the Baylor University basketball coach was impressive.  He had received his undergraduate degree and MBA from Cornell University and after graduating was enshrined into the Cornell University Hall of Fame.  He also gained membership in the prestigious Sphinx Head Society, which cites Cornell students for strength of character and dedication to leadership.  His first coaching break came when he became an assistant to legendary Bobby Knight at the United States Military Academy.   During three years at Army, Knight, with Bliss as his assistant and Mike Kryszewski as his point guard for the 1968 and 1969 seasons, Army put together the three best years of basketball in Army history, going 60-21 and finishing third in the NIT during the 1969-70 season and playing in the NIT in 1968 and 1969.  They were a successful trio who seemed destined for greater things and the greater good of the game.

Like Kryzewski, Bliss revered his mentor Bobby Knight.  This week, Kryzewski will likely pass Knight as the all time winningest coach in college basketball history.  Joe Paterno holds this distiction in college football.  Like Kryzewski, Bliss believed and preached Knight's way saying Knight was "the best there is."  Bliss named his first son Robert in honor of Knight.  

Ultimately, Knight was ousted by future NCAA President Miles Brand while coaching at Indiana.  This didn't happen to Joe Paterno at Penn State because in 2004 then President Graham Spanier and Athletic Director Tim Curley tried to force Paterno out.   He wouldn't let them.  His revered status had made him bigger than them, bigger than the insitution at which he coached.   Ultimately, the applause he was receiving was so great that he had a sense of entitlement.      

And it didn't happen to Dave Bliss until it was too late.
 
Bliss compiled a record of 465-271 during head coaching stops at Oklahoma, New Mexico and SMU.  Taking his Baylor record into account, Bliss's overall record was 526-368, only 276 wins shy of Knight.   Had Bliss continued winning at his previous rate he likely would have been mentioned in the same breath as Kryzewski and Knight.  

Bliss was hired as the Baylor University basketball coach in 1999, believing that his previous successful coaching stints would be the foundation and background that could lead the Baptist University to better results than his predecessor, Harry Miller's 56-87 previous five year record. 

What followed was as disasterous a period as any basketball program has ever gone through. 

On June 14 of 2003, Baylor forward Patrick Dennehey was shot and killed by fellow Baylor Bear player Carlton Dotson.     The subsequent investigation revealed that Dotson and Dennehey had obtained guns and that Dotson had shot and killed Dennehey.  The investigation also revealed that Bliss attempted to to persuade assistant coaches and players to depict Dennehy as a drug dealer who used drug money to help pay his tuition.   Baylor's own investigation of the incident found that Bliss payed the tuition of two players (Dennehy was one), a drug-test coverup and assorted examples of players receiving "extra benefits" from Bliss and his staff.   The school also was cited for "lack of institutional control."   Both Bliss and Athletic Director Tom Stanton resigned on August 8, 2003. 

Bliss, stated, "I messed up and I hurt a lot of people. I mean, I really messed up."  Bliss himself stated that coaching at Baylor was more challenging than other programs and this led to his egregious behavior.

"When you don't coach at the great schools, you have to work harder and explore every opportunity to survive and improve. And a lot of that means (working in) gray areas, areas that aren't illegal but haven't been traversed very often.  You try to create different advantages - not cheating, but pretty soon the gray area goes to the illegal area. And that's what happened to me."

Joe Paterno's situation comes to the forefront.  Like Mike Kryzewski and Bobby Knight, Paterno was regarded as "the best there was."   Yet, Paterno's path is all too similar to Dave Bliss's (Yet, don't forget, Bliss was on the same winning pace as Kryzewski and Paterno).  A coverup, a failure to face truth, a failure to be honest.   Up until last week Paterno was the Mike Kryzewski of college football -- above the fray, above the scandals and cheating, yet still the most successful. 

What does it say about Mike Kryzewski, who like Dave Bliss was mentored by Bobby Knight and accordingly should have a similar character makeup.   What makes Mike Kryzewski so much more special than Dave Bliss and now Joe Paterno that one could be the "best there was" while the others are branded as bringing out the "worst there is."   Widely portrayed after the Baylor scandal as representing all that is insidious in sports, Bliss said he "started to analyze how I had changed, how I had gotten ambitious, how prideful I was, how I felt entitled."

Are there questions we don't want to ask about Mike Kryzewski, if he was faced with a nearly impossible rebuilding challenge or similar ethical dilemma as Joe Paterno or Dave Bliss would he too look to work "in the grey area" does he feel this same sense of entitlement as Bliss and Paterno must have felt.

Somehow, I can't help but think that all of these men share the same resolve, the same competitiveness - a refusal to lose,  a refusal to be branded as anything short "perfect" in the public eye.  The sense of entitlement that Dave Bliss speaks of above.   Had Joe Paterno done the right thing ten years ago his program would have been less revered.  It would have put a black eye on it.  This is something that none of these men want nor will they accept it and ultimately, it results in actions that aren't always right.        

"Coaches live for the applause," Dave Bliss said years later.