November 14, 2006
Evanston, Illinois
Northwestern 49 DePaul 39
I want Bill Carmody to succeed. The Princeton offense is ideally suited to Northwestern’s unique identity in a conference where the Wildcats will always struggle to put commensurate athletes on the floor. It is a system that allows student-athletes to compete with teams full of players whose daily schedule reads something like this:
1p Awoken from cannabis-laced sleep by Team Manager and escorted to first class.
1:30-2:25p The Elements and Practice of Weight Training R103
2:30-3:30p Lunch
3:30-4:30p Cannabis, Nap
4:30-7p Practice
7-8p Dinner
8-2a Cannabis, XBox, Graduate Assistant Drops Off Term Paper, Sportscenter, Booster Drops Off Envelope, Cannabis, XBox, Conceive child with team groupie, Cannabis
2a-1p Sleep
Watching the Cats befuddle DePaul’s posse of tattoo rife athletes tonight was a pleasure equal to the bear baitings of my Saskatchewan youth. The trapping zone had the Demons forcing low percentage bricks all evening long. It was clear DePaul’s players were not comfortable running patient half-court sets. It is fun to watch the frustration of players used to the immediate gratification of wide open looks, uncontested layups and dunks being denied all of the above by smart team defense. And while the Wildcats didn’t put on an offensive clinic, far from it, they got enough timely shooting to get the job done. Craig Moore followed up his flaccid first game with some huge buckets when they counted. Kevin Coble put together a stretch of dominant, assertive offense in the second half that was something unseen in Evanston since the Rex Walters era. Making it a habit, Jeff Ryan got a strip and took it the length for a huge deuce. Okrzesik has the makings of a floor general. Sterling Williams hit some big shots. And it doesn’t hurt when you hold your opponent to 39 points.
Jerry Wainwright had no answers tonight. Carmody’s team left a considerably more talented bunch shaking their heads in frustration. It wasn’t attractive, but for the purist who appreciates IQ over raw talent, it was a delight. Goddarn it if Carmody had a few more players who could shoot the ball. And hit some free throws. This might be a program where I wasn’t dreading the road trip to Palo Alto. Where a road victory wasn’t like resurrecting Tutankhamen and getting him to karaoke Eddie Money’s Greatest Hits. Because this is a program I really want to get behind. Carmody, please, keep recruiting Cobles and Ryans and Okrzesiks. I’m willing to paint my face purple and go on some roadtrips.
