Last week, the Big West announced its 2015-16 Big West Men’s Basketball pre-season rankings.  At the top of the rankings, for good reason, is UC Irvine.  The Anteaters are coming off a 21-win season and return the Bruiser from Britain, Luke Nelson (please note this is not his actual nickname) and Mamadou N’Diaye, the 7-6″ Wall of Insanity (again, not his actual nickname), both named to the pre-season all-conference team.  The Mustangs find themselves ranked sixth, above Cal State Northridge and UC Davis (tied for #7), and Cal State Fullerton at the bottom.  So while six seems like bad place to be, I would like to argue that six can sometimes be pretty awesome.

I mean, let’s just stay in the world of sports, and obviously when you think of the number 6, you think of one person, and one person only.  He was a champion, he played for one of the most storied franchises in sports, and he was synonymous with winning and class.  I am, of course, talking about two time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers, Adam Morrison.

Adam Morrison wore number six for the Lakers and he has a title. It’s just science. By Davej1006, via Wikimedia Commons

We all remember that one game, and that one time when he did that one thing on the basketball court, and who forget that OTHER time when something happened that he was involved in.  Also, there’s Derek Jeter, who is sixth all-time in Major League history in hits.

But the famous 6’s don’t end with Stache and the other guy.  Julius Erving was #6, current Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson currently wears #6 (until they retire it for Morrison), and of course, Hall of Fame center, Patrick Ewing, wore #6…for the Orlando Magic.

The sixes don’t end in the world of sports.  Let’s talk about some of the great sixes in cinema.  Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country made us all forget the insanity that was Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.  Fast Six is the one that brought The Rock into the franchise.  But if you wanna see the biggest parallel between the Mustangs and another number six, one needs to look no further than the magic that is Police Academy 6: City Under Siege.

I know, I know. This is my first post, and it seems like am trying to get kicked off the internet, but just bear with me, and I am pretty sure I can convince you that I am insane..I mean, a genius. Okay, so the Mustangs have been ranked sixth in the Big West Preseason poll despite returning three starters, including David Nwaba who is from Los Angeles, where coincidentally, is where Police Academy 6 was shot, and all-Big West Second Team selections Brian Bennett, and Ridge Shipley.  These are your veterans, the people that you can count on, much like Hightower, Tackleberry, and Jones. These guys have been through a bunch of battles together.  Some highs.  For the Mustangs, the 2014 NCAA Tournament, and for the coppers, the first Police Academy is a legit comedy classic, and all the work they did turning average citizens into C.O.Ps (Citizens on Patrol).

Some lows. The Mustangs loss to UC Davis in overtime on National TV was tough, and I don’t think that the Police Academy will ever fully recover from the inexplicable loss of one Carey Mahoney, who after helping start the aforementioned C.O.P. program, was suddenly missing for their next assignment, Miami Beach.  

The team missed him so much they never even discussed him being around. It’s was if he never existed.  In fact, the Police Academy gang is so shaken up by the loss of Mahoney, that when a new guy arrives, Commandant Lassard’s nephew, Nick, who is clearly just trying to be the new “Mahoney” while in Miami, no one even bats an eyelash.  So, needless to say, tough loss.  However, it is through these veterans that give both the sixth-seeded Mustangs, and the sixth version of the Police Academy, give them a good base for the start of their story.

Which brings me to my next point, the story. Now, one would think that the sixth film in a franchise would not have much of a plot, well, that is where you are wrong my friend. Police Academy 6 introduces a completely different, totally new plot never seen in the Police Academy movies…since the second one.  Basically, there is a criminal mastermind, literally called the “Mastermind”, who is orchestrating a series of robberies all over the city, perpetrated by the Wilson gang, and Commandant Lassard is given the assignment of tracking the “Mastermind” down.  He gets a bunch of his guys together, and then hilarity ensues.

Well, I think it goes without saying that head coach Joe Callero is Commandant Lassard (although, I can safely say that he is about 4,000 times smarter than the aforementioned Commandant), and the Mastermind is everyone who thinks that this Mustang team is not going to be any good. The media is trying so very hard to keep the mighty Mustangs from rising to the top of the Big West, much like no one thought Lassard’s men and women would be able to stop the Mastermind from tormenting the city (or putting the city “under siege” if you will). Well, as we all know the Police Academy gang , was able to stop the Mastermind and save the city. Time will tell if the Mustangs will be able to do the same.

Now one final point that I want to bring up, since no one is asking, is a lot of people would say that Police Academy 6: City Under Siege is a really bad film. In fact there is this website where they take all of the reviews that a film receives and then creates an aggregate percentage score for that film, and that website did give Police Academy 6 a 0%.  However, this same website also shows that Police Academy 4,5,6, and 7 (yes, there is a Police Academy 7 my friends) all have a 0%.

So, just because someone says something is the worst, doesn’t mean that it’s true. If those four movies are all statistically the worst, then each film on it’s own, by definition can’t be the worst, because they can’t all be the worst, only one can (I’m totally insane I know). And for the sake of this piece, let’s say the worst is the seventh Police Academy. Therefore, just because someone, or some poll or website, ranks you low, it doesn’t mean that you are the worst. You hear me Mustang fans?!  Now, let’s get ready for the season, by watching Police Academy 6!

Also, the director’s name is Peter Bonerz. Just saying.

Can Doug McDermott Translate His Game at the Pro Level?

I say a resounding yes. Have you seen the man shoot? Not only is the Creighton star a seasoned four year collegiate player, but arguably the best shooter in College Basketball history. Sorry, Larry Bird. Sorry, Shawn Respert, Adam Morrison, JJ Reddick, and Ray Allen, move over.

In a recent crushing of the four seeded Villanova Wildcats, McDermott calmly cast an array of deep, pro-length threes from all over the court. Spinning off screens, stop and pops or flat guarded, the 6’8” swing hit on 7-12 from beyond the arc, finishing with 25 points.

He currently ranks 4th in the NCAA’s with his 24.8 point per game average. But it isn’t just the numbers. I wouldn’t be dumb enough to think it is.

McDermott will be compared to players like Adam Morrison (above) and Larry Bird. His ability to find his own identity will be a key factor in his success at the next level. By Davej1006 at en.wikipedia, from Wikimedia Commons

As most of you know, McDermott has a couple things going against him. He’s white (not that there’s anything wrong with that, but…), slower (in comparison to more athletic combo forwards), and average athletically (again, he’s white.) But he’s calm on the court, he’s a leader, he’s ready to run fluid ball sharing offensive sets, defensively good enough, and a gifted three point specialist.

The reason I think he’ll be better than just a stand-still shooter like J.J Redick, is found in his size. He’s a more agile dribbler in comparison to former lengthy college shooters like Adam Morrison, and with his height and weight (225 pounds), a more viable option both in and outside the post — Something Redick has never been able to be either in college or the NBA.

I would hope NBA executives would see what I see. He isn’t the sexy pick or probably an All Star or even a second option offensively, but as a third option or a sixth man, he could arguably be the steal in what should be the most talent-loaded NBA draft in ten years.

For me, his best comparison is a beefier version of Rex Chapman, a player who defied more athletic defenders with a catch-fire peripheral shot, intense demeanor and fearless ball handling. Chapman always wanted the ball in his hands at crucial times of the game, something McDermott clearly has no problem with, dropping 21 in the 2^nd half of a come from behind win, over Cincinnati in last season’s March bracket.

His ceiling comparison would be to Antawn Jamison, a perennial All Star and quiet offensive captain, able to play alongside two other stars. Like Jamison, McDermott prefers the periphery, but if need be, has the strength to post the block both fading away or driving hard to the rim.

He might not go early in this crazily talent-laden draft. But whoever gets him won’t be disappointed.

As of now, the idea of Adam Morrison is dead.

That idea was that he’s the next Larry Bird. Or that he we was worthy of a third pick in 2006, to Charlotte.  

He’s like the Thunderbird of wine: nearing extinction.

It wouldn’t hurt as much, if his name translated into one of the great “Morrison’s;” Jim for one. But it doesn’t, it would be make believe. The dude from the Zags, yes, a guy who averaged 28.1 points per game his Junior year, leading Gonzaga to a 29-4 season, into the sweet sixteen, finishing with a National Player of the Year Award, whom was heralded at times by the narrow-visioned Jordan, to be the next “it” thing, has been tossed into the sea of pro-hopefuls like myself, waiting tables at Marie Callenders, and drinking cheap beer. The last two years he’s done as much basketball–watching, as any overweight bartender has, playing forty-one games, and averaging a pea-size 2.1 points with the L.A. Lakers.

The mop top, slinky white kid, from Glendive, Montana, with the awkardly perfect stroke (42.6% 3pt his Junior year) has been given over to the harsh reality of linguistics. A reality that some people have it, and some don’t. As Darwin would say, a game masquerade in survival of the fittest, where the biggest fish eats the littlest fish, then grows into a bonafide superstar. Unfortunately Morrison has been ingested.

I have travelled the country quite a bit. My travels have taken me to parts of Africa, most of Indonesia, in the slums with the Abo’s in Australia, and the list continues to mount. But no matter how much my Spanish speaking friends continue to quiz me on the difference between ‘que’ and ‘quien’ I am a lost soul awaiting a certain type of death: death by stupidity. Attempting to be a linguist would be less attainable to me than would walking the tight rope from New York to New Jersey; it just isn’t happening. Period.

So I’ve taken to being the laughing stock of our gatherings. And it’s awarded me with a comedic role, one I now relish in, considering most of the pretty Latina girls are taken by my humbly sensitive English-only-quiet-naturedness. But when it comes to professional sports, none of this funny. We all remember watching Morrison drill tough minded Michigan St. for 43, then, two weeks later doing the same against Washington, on 18-29 shooting, 6-9 from downtown.  He followed that with 27 against Virginia one week later, and then 34 against Memphis the next. Without a doubt he was the risen, beetles clad, better looking version of Larry Bird. So on draft day, going to the Bobcats could not have been a more perfect fit. He would certainly be the starting swing man and begin his ascent as the teams go-to, and the leagues best Caucasian player since Nowitski or Nash.

Nonetheless, the me-first, stylistic NBA clashed with Mark Fews pick setting sets at Gonzaga. Morrison, who’d lived off the pick and pops, no longer had that luxury, playing with athletic freaks like Gerald Wallace, who would rather go 1 on 5, jumping over his defenders, then work a team oriented set. This lack of a team concept suprised the non-athletic forward his rookie seasion, as he averaged 11.8 points per game. Though that was an understatement for what people thought he was capable of, we still saw it as a partial success. He could continue to build on such, and would hopefully assert himself more and more on the wayward, loss heavy Bobcats. But a seriously sprained knee in training camp his sophomore season deterred him. He played 44 games, starting just 5, and clearly lost his perfectly dopey looking demeanor. He was now tense, and it showed, as he shot 36% from the floor and averaged 4.5 points.  Guys like Nazi Mohammad made Morrison’s slow feet look like blocks of concrete. At that point, the slow forigiving Larry Brown  asked his personal chefs what the fat content would be with roast de Morrison. The answer was zippa-roo!(As they skipped to the Sounds of Music)

His trade to the Lakers, on the eve of his third season, was a salary dump on Charlotte’s part. The deep and experienced Lakers allowed the soft tempered Morrison to drown in the background, lose touch with his could-be abilities, and collect rings in the art of all things sitting. The days of comparisons were clearly over. He was more of a poor man’s Keith Van Horn than he was Larry Legend. His translation abilities were like a blind man reading letters in a darkened optometry office. He scored a zero.

The latest news on Morrision is close to null.  He was waived by the Washinton Wizards on the eve of the 2010-2011 season, over lost projects like Yi Jianlian, and Hilton Armstrong.  A Washington team who as of Saturday is 13-31, and without a doubt would lose to ranked elites like Kentucky, Kansas, Duke, or Syracuse.

Morrison has become more intriguing as an unexpected flop, than he would have, as a success. Not only because of our cultural  fondness for his days of railing teams for 30+ with Gonzaga, but because of our interpretable use for him, as we further try and compare and translate others at the college level with similar skill sets.

Jimmer Fredette is one of these translatable college players. Breaking on the scene last year, the 6’2, 195 pound guard, torched Arizona for 49, a BYU record.  Later, in the Mountain West conference tourney, Fredette put up 37 against TCU, a conference tourney record.  His record setting did not end with personal numbers, as Fredette led BYU to their best season in their history, losing in the 2nd round, 30-6, and ranked #16 in the polls.  In their opening round game against Florida, a double overtime thriller, Fredette put up 37, hitting two clutch threes down the stretch to ice a 99-92 win over Billy Donovan and co.

Then the questions began. A limited athlete, and short for his position, Fredette became the talk of the NBA draft. BYU’s up-tempo offense allowed for Fredette to put up a lot of shots. Which bore the question, is he really this good, or is he a product of a fast paced environment? His numbers answered the question. Last season, Fredette shot 45.8 from the floor, 88.9% from the free throw line, and 44.0% from the three point line. He averaged 22.1 points per game, first in the Mountain West, and his 4.7 assist per night, ranked second on his team.   

Before the start of this season, Fredette had been determined to be a late first to early second round pick, based upon his lack of athleticism, and size. This is because of players like Adam Morrison, who without the pick and pops simply could not get open. Not to mention Morrison had six inches on the stocky Fredette, and could shoot with the same depth.

According to Charlie Zeggers, a free lance writer with rotowire.com, and others, Fredette will have a “career path [that] will most closely mirror Redick’s, unless he has the good fortune to land with an NBA team that will play to his strengths and hide his weaknesses.” This is based upon the current comparisons to: Steph Curry, J.J Redick, and Morrison,  whom were great college shooters, but lacked either the size or athleticism, to translate it at the next level.

Or so we thought. As of now, Steph Curry is a budding all star with Golden St, and is arguably the best player of his draft class. Redick has become a solid role guy with Orlando, and is used as both a three point specialist, and a spark off the bench ala Tony Delk. Both players have ignored the translation factors, and outplayed a large majority of those drafted above them, further giving Fredette fans hope, because Morrison is the exception of the three.

 Which is why we need to live in the moment and enjoy what he’s doing now. His 27.4 points per game, on the 16-1 eighth ranked Cougars, without question places him as the early favorite to win the National Player of the Year Award. Three 40+ nights in his last four games, have us admiring not only his hard-nosed play, but his godly, astronomical greatness. And to top it off, the dude is humble, a class act, a guy who says more about his teammates than he does his individual accolades.

I believe he’ll translate something positive into any NBA arena next year. His humility should earn him kudos with the brash arrogance of the NBA elites.  He’ll rival Curry, Redick, Mike Miller, and Jared Dudley, as one of the premier three point shooters in the league.  And with his work ethic, could become like a Mark Price, who with hard nosed determination, and shooting ability, earned himself top fifteen point guard status in the history of the NBA.

If not, then you can expect a write up on the guy three years from now. It will be entitled: “Only the Good Die Young,” and will leave you wondering why the NBA is more popular than the momentary game of college hoops.

–Luke Johnson