Morning Brew: Aldrich shows Collison-esque qualities

Thursday, February 26, 2009

His hat was pulled down so far, you could barely see his eyes.

Stubble covered his cheeks, and his skin looked aged. But you’d never forget that face. You’d never forget Nick Collison.

As you probably know by now, Nick Collison was in attendance in Norman, Okla., on Monday as the Jayhawks beat the Sooners and took control of the Big 12 standings.

It was fitting that Collison, who plays for the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder, picked this game to attend. It’s been almost six years since Collison immortalized himself on Big Monday with a game for the ages against Texas.

You probably remember how Collison pulled down 24 rebounds and willed Kansas to a 90-87 victory. You probably remember how ESPN’s Dick Vitale stood up on press row and gave Collison a standing ovation.

And now the years have passed, and Collison sat in the stands as Kansas sophomore Cole Aldrich scored 15 points and grabbed 20 rebounds in a performance that could only be described as Collison-esque.

And of course, you can’t think about Nick Collison without thinking about his old teammate Kirk Hinrich. And again, it’s fitting that Hinrich will be in Allen Fieldhouse on Sunday to have his jersey retired during halftime of the Missouri game.

Yep, it’s a week to reminisce. So, as we march toward March, The Morning Brew’s list mania returns.

Top 5 months of the year:
1. March – Winter finally ends, the NCAA tournament begins and we get hours of Masters’ commercials on CBS. Yes, I love March.
2. June – “School's out for Summer, Schools out for ever!”
3. December – Who doesn’t love the holidays?
4. July – More Summer.
5. October – The World Series, football heats up and basketball season begins.

Five movies to see this year:
1. Sherlock Holmes
2. Up
3. Amelia
4. Public Enemies
5. Terminator Salvation

Three Movies to miss this year:
1. Star Trek
2. 2012
3. X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Top 5 basketball teams in the country (right now):
1. North Carolina
2. Memphis
3. Marquette
4. Pittsburgh
5. Kansas

Final Four prediction:
1. Pittsburgh (Champion)
2. North Carolina
3. Louisville
4. Arizona State

Five reasons to Hate Missouri:
1. Jason Sutherland, cheap shots
2. Quantrill’s Raid
3. The Antlers
4. Former coach Norm Stewart refused to spend money in Kansas
5. The Missouri Athletic Department’s offices are located at One Champions Drive, Columbia, Mo., and Missouri has never won a national championship in any sport. Really, Missouri? Really?

Five questions
1. What’s Chase Daniel going to do with his life?
2. Is Sherron Collins a second-team All-American?
3. What you gon’ do with all that junk? All that junk inside your trunk?
4. Are you still reading?
5. Really?

— — Edited by Realle Roth

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