November 27, 2003
Respect Your Elder
Last night I had the good fortune of attending the Preseason NIT at Madison Square Garden. Though the first game I saw was somewhat of a stinker (Texas Tech absolutely paddled a pretty sorry-looking Utah squad), the nightcap, featuring my hometown Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets versus the #1-ranked UConn Huskies, was much more than anyone could have imagined. Incredibly, Tech dominated UConn essentially from the opening tip, partially due to the fact that the Huskes were atrocious at the line (they shot a grotesque 10 for 30 as a team), and partially due to the fact that the nation's number one player, Emeka Okafor, was playing with back spasms and spent the better part of the game running so gingerly that he looked like he was just trying to keep his pants from falling down. The game featured some absolutely explosive dunks (if you aren't familiar with the name Isma'il Muhammad, it might be time to learn it -- the man attacks the rim as fearlessly as any player in the nation), but more than anything, it was the play of Tech junior shooting guard BJ Elder that stood out. Isolated on the wing time and again, Elder flashed a sweet turnaround jumper that was basically automatic from 17 feet. Any time Tech needed a bucket, Elder was there to bail them out with a tough hoop. He reminded me a lot of former Georgia Bulldog and current Washington Wizard Jarvis Hayes. The mid-range jumper is somewhat of a lost art, but Elder looks like he's going to make a living off of it in the league one day. Speaking of making a living, UConn better take a look in the mirror and start earning their respect, because last night at least, Georgia Tech was flat out the better basketball team.
-Matt Stroup
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