Monday, January 26, 2009
Watching a great basketball game is like watching great theater.
All of the performers come together for a two-hour masterpiece full of superb highs, heart-breaking lows and spot on directing. Saturday’s game at Hilton Coliseum was a different kind of play.
Imagine Alec Baldwin, the greatest actor of our generation, putting on a tour de force in “Guys and Dolls” with a cast of yokels from your local community theater.* That’s what it was like to witness Craig Brackins’ greatness swallowed up in the mediocrity of every other Cyclone.
*For a real example of this, go out and rent “The Shadow.” It’s a 1994 cult classic and may be Baldwin’s most entertaining work, in spite of or because of the awful supporting cast. You decide.
Coach Greg McDermott is an amazing recruiter for luring Brackins — a top-20 recruit with no ties to Iowa — to Ames, arguably the least interesting Big 12 town (Lubbock and Manhattan may also have a case for the title). But he’s surrounded him with the brothers (Charles Boozer and Sean Haluska) of legit college players who play nothing like their basketball-gifted kin.
Iowa State doesn’t need Duke’s Carlos Boozer or Iowa’s Adam Haluska, but it could sure use the supporting cast with whom those guys played.
Hell, even four guys who understand that basketball can be played within the three-point line would be an improvement. Minus Brackins’ numbers, Iowa State hit 8-of-36 from the field, including 3-for-21 beyond the arc.
Iowa State tripped on stage and fouled up its lines all day.
Normally the star would use his excellence to move up to a better theater in a bigger town. Unfortunately, Brackins still has two years of duty in Ames.
42 points and 14 rebounds get you headlines for a week. If Brackins wants to cut his suffering short and join the A-list in the NBA, he’ll need a few more one-liners for the not-ready-for-prime-time Cyclones.
I DON’T WANT YOUR LIFE
If anyone ever wondered what happened to West Canaan quarterback Jonathon Moxon, he’s playing basketball for Iowa State.
James Van Der Beek’s genre-defining character in 1999’s “Varsity Blues” is alive and well in similarly named junior forward Jamie Vanderbeken.
Like Mox, Vanderbeken isn’t afraid to chuck the ball deep downfield. Against Kansas, he attempted eight three-pointers.
Unlike Mox, who used his pinpoint precision to break his father’s nose, Vanderbeken probably couldn’t damage Barbara Stresiand’s schnose with a medicine ball from two feet away. He hit only two trifectas.
In other awesome name news, Oscar Mayer is a real person and he stinks at basketball.
Not sure about the spelling, but Saturday’s lucky free throw contestant was a middle-aged Cyclone fan who always wanted to be a wiener.
The king of mediocre meat then proceeded to toss an air ball on his lone free throw attempt. Bologna.
— — Edited by Sam Speer
Kansas pulls away late to win 82-67
Craig Brackins lit up the scoreboard with 42 points and 13 rebounds, ...
Jayhawks ready for Brackins this time
Kansas expects to prevent another 42-point explosion from Iowa State’s Craig Brackins.
McDermott aims for Iowa State resurgence
As Iowa coach Greg McDermott enters his second season with the Cyclones, ...
Morning Brew: Brackins wasn’t enough
Craig Brackins was the Cyclones’ star player Saturday night, but even he ...
Collins outshined in Ames
Despite an outstanding performance, Iowa State’s Brackins outdoes Collins.
Podcast: The Jay Report
The stars shone bright in Ames, where Craig Brackins poured in 42 ...
Kansas glides to 72-55 victory over Iowa ...
Cole Aldrich had no match in this game, hitting 9-of-12 shots for ...
Aldrich shines with help from Collins, team
Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins form an unbeatable offensive duo
Freshman center shines with starters in foul ...
Forced into action, Withey finished with eight points and five rebounds in ...
Kansas wins up and down game
Kansas wins roller coaster ride against Iowa State, 84-79.
Aldrich returns to form in rout of ...
The junior center was crucial in Kansas' 84-61 victory against Iowa State.
Withey has strong performance in opportunity
Jeff Withey’s eight-point, five-rebound performance proves to coaching staff more Jayhawk depth ...
Live Blog: No. 1 Kansas moves to ...
Bill Self picks up his 400th career victory over the Iowa State ...
Self unsatisfied with Aldrich’s playing
A lack of help from frontcourt adds to Self’s disappointment in Saturday’s ...
No. 3 Kansas moves to 4-0 in ...
Jayhawks keep perfect conference record alive with a 23-point drubbing of Iowa ...
No magic for Kansas in loss to ...
Kansas suffered its first Big 12 loss in Ames, Iowa, after losing ...
Iowa State Gameday
Take a glimpse at Iowa State football, Kansas' opponent this weekend.
Winter storm cancels tennis match
Kansas looks to take on Iowa State on Saturday, weather permitting, and ...
Jayhawks need overtime to defeat Cyclones in ...
AMES, Iowa - After a sluggish first half, the Jayhawks came back ...
Aldrich bounces back against Iowa State
The Big Man scores 19 points to help lead the Jayhawks to ...
Jayhawks use dramatic runs to pull away ...
Getting the best effort from its opponents, No. 1 Kansas has embarked ...
Slight drop off in talent doesn't affect ...
Three bench players trigger run that helps put away the Cyclones.
The high/low
Freshmen like K-State’s Michael Beasley are turning heads and leading their teams ...
Improved Iowa State stomps Kansas
Despite winning an early-season match-up against Iowa State, Kansas failed to keep ...
Kansas shouldn’t overlook Iowa State’s struggles
After a two-week break, Kansas will play its first conference football game ...
Matson: Iowa State won’t be an easy ...
The Cyclones are earning a spot at the top of the Big ...
Bears shoot 52 percent, end KU streak
Self says he wishes Kansas could have held Baylor to a better ...
Tournament time for the Big 12
Kansas men's basketball reporter Kory Carpenter breaks down the chances for the ...
Breaking down challengers for conference crown
Kansan writers examine the Big XII men's race.
Jayhawks weather the Cyclone storm
Morning Brew
Self's conversation with recruit misconstrued.
Cyclones storm into big game
Two weeks ago, the Kansas football team probably would have been looking ...
Arthur’s shot inspires team
After Darrell Arthur’s 15-foot jump shot, Kansas rallied to the cause, bringing ...
Marcus Morris goes off in victory
Morris, who Bill Self has called the best all around player he's ...
Nebraska's upset highlight's Big 12 tourney's first ...
Oklahoma State, Texas and Texas Tech also advanced to the quarterfinal round.
Kansas wins 35-33
The Jayhawks faced a 20-point halftime deficit, but Todd Reesing threw three ...
The high/low
Here are the highs and lows from last night's game.
Homecoming rival has its own traditions
Iowa State puts on a show with its campus culture.
From left: Kimberlee Hinkle, Libby Johnson and Hannah ...
1 comment
Kansas Jayhawk fans hold aloft a reproduction of ...
2 comments
Erin Saupe, a Ph.D. student from St. Cloud, ...
1 comment
0 comments
Armed robbers continue to threaten.
3 comments
Lecture from Greg Mortenson, co-author of New York ...
0 comments
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID