Off The Boards By Jack Scheuer – December 2, 2015 Edition

Since Villanova lost three starters from last season’s 33 – 3 team, there was some question about just how good this year’s edition of the Wildcats would be.  Well, after defeating arch-rival St.Joe’s last night, the ‘Cats are 7-0, and even though it is still early, they appear to be on their way to another banner season.  Not only do they do a great job of sharing the ball, but each  game seems to bring about a different leading scorer.  Combine those two elements with a minimum amount of turnovers, add excellent defense, and you can understand why they are currently ranked #8 in the latest poll.  No superstars, just a very solid group that plays the game the right way.

                                                                                                         *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Virginia’s Malcolm Brogdon seems to be cut right out of the Bill Bradley mold.  The 6-5 All-American guard who led the Cavaliers to a 30-4 record last season, is on his way to a masters degree in public policy.  He passed up a chance to go to the pros by remaining in school this year to continue his studies.

                                                                                                         *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

One player who we know must be happy with Steve Donahue’s offense is 6-11 center  Darien Nelson- Henry.  The Big Hyphen scored 31 points and had 17 rebounds in Penn’s big win over La Salle, then came back with a 20 and 9 effort in a loss at Lafayette.  The senior from Kirkland, Washington, averaged 8.5 points per game and 5 rebounds last year.

                                                                                                         *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Trivia Time: The NCAA record for most career triple doubles is six.  Name the two players who share that honor (A Hint: One of them has a local connection).  Answer at the end of the column.

                                                                                                         *  * *  *  *  *  *  *

What is it with centers and free throw shooting?  DeAndre Jordan is an outstanding defensive player, but the Los Angeles Clippers center is on his way to becoming the worst foul shooter in NBA history (at least 500 games). Coming  into this season, he was at 41.7 %.  The record low is 41.4%  held by Ben Wallace.  So far this year Jordan has made only 46 of 119 from the line (38.7), and by the end of the year should be the new record holder.  Detroit’s rebounding demon Andre Drummond has made only  47 of 123 foul shots (38%), but has played in only 241 games. Hall of Fame centers Bill Russell  at 56%, and Wilt Chamberlain, 51%, also had their troubles with free throws.

                                                                                                          *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

This and That: Savon Goodman, from Constitution High, is a starting forward for coach Bobby Hurley at Arizona State….Diamond DiShields daughter of Delino, is a potential All-America  guard at Tennessee.  She transferred from North Carolina after averaging 17.9 points per game….Duke transfer Rasheed Sulaimon is having a fine season at Maryland.  Fortunately for him, the Terps don’t visit Durham this season….6-10 center. Kameron Rooks, son of Sixer assistant Sean, is a soph at California…After 5 games, former Drexel star Damion Lee is averaging a team-leading 17 points per game with Louisville…. Nit- picking: Ever wonder why broadcasters frequently say that a team “has had good success” at doing something? Hard to have bad success..

                                                                                                            *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Answer to Trivia Time: Shaquille O’Neal and Drexel’s own Michael Anderson each had six triple doubles.