JJ’s got a good read on Leemire Goldwire…
Great stuff there, the kid is very confident: "When asked who the best incoming point guard was in Conference USA, Goldwire said, “I think it’s a guy from Florida. Some guy… I think his name starts with an “L?”
Looking foward to the matchups with Xavier in the A-10. Not only is Muskateer Churchill Odia (6-6) the most touted incoming frosh PG in the A-10, but nationally as well. From yesterday’s “Daily Word with Andy Katz”:
But [Alabama coach Mark] Gottfried is wondering if there are any better freshman point guards than [Crimson Tide newcomer Ronald] Steele. The candidates? Texas’ Daniel Gibson, Memphis’ Darius Washington, UCLA’s Jordan Farmar, Syracuse’s Josh Wright, Kentucky’s Rajon Rondo, Michigan State’s Drew Neitzel and Virginia’s Sean Singletary. Certainly, Xavier’s Churchill Odia could be in this discussion.
Link: ESPN.com
BTW, wonder what Coach Cal would have to say about Goldwire’s comment… 
[i]Originally posted by run49er[/i]@Oct 27 2004, 12:09 PM [b] BTW, wonder what Coach Cal would have to say about Goldwire's comment... :P [/b]Darius Washinton jr is an arrogant self centered me first kind of player, and he is gonna get absolutely SHUT DOWN by Baldwin and Goldiwre.
Washington: What!? These cats playin D!? Man sheeit Ima go to the league so I dont have to play against no one who plays D.
Seriously though, I read an article over the summer (lost the link to it though) about how Washington treated his teammates and how he was so bitter about Telfair going in the first round and how he was mad that the scouts werent saying he was NBA ready. Also mentioned his on court demeanor was terrible. No support for his teammates and very little leadership. The article was centered around Washington, Josh Smith, and Dwight Howard. It went on to say Smith was essentially a slack ass with no work eithic, and said Howard was a great young man who has an incredible work eithic, repspect for his teammates and coches, and is very very humble.
I cant wait til that punk and the rest of the memphidiots come to Halton
Speaking of Mr. Washington…
[b]I’m about the team, Tiger says
Blue-chip Washington wants to develop skills
By Gary Parrish
Memphis Commerical-Appeal
October 17, 2004
It was only about 35 minutes into the first practice of the season when John Calipari halted things and talked to his freshman phenom.
“You’re not listening,” yelled the University of Memphis coach. "We take fakes with our back foot. When you’re guarding somebody, if he fakes, go like this, take it with your back foot.
“Now come on. Let’s go.”
And with that, the teaching began.
All the hype and high school accolades were officially a thing of the past. Darius Washington was now just a freshman on a college basketball team, a guy with a lot to learn despite all he already knows.
“Coach Cal has coached players way better than me, so I know I have to listen,” Washington said. “In the game of basketball, you can always learn. Nobody knows everything. So right now, he’s just sharing his knowledge with me, and I’m trying to absorb it all in.”
In any other season under any other circumstances, most the talk surrounding this team would be about Sean Banks. He is, lest we not forget, the reigning ESPN.com Freshman of the Year.
But as workouts officially began Saturday morning at the Finch Center, it was hard not to instead notice Washington, and note his ongoing progression from prolific high school scorer to steady college floor general.
When Calipari rolled the ball out at 10:30, it marked, presumably, the first practice in Washington’s life where he wasn’t the guy standing alone on a pedestal.
Now, he’s more like a star among stars, an elite talent at an elite program. More specifically, though, he’s the player already tabbed as Antonio Burks’s successor at point guard, which is something Calipari has no reservations about and isn’t trying to hide.
“That’s why I put Darius right out there,” he said. "I’m not trying to kid anybody. For us to be good, Darius has to play well. And I’ve said from the beginning that I’m not worried about him.
“There are some things on this team that I am concerned about, but Darius is not one of them. He’s the least of the issues for me.”
If Calipari seems defensive about Washington’s appointment to starting point guard, it’s probably because a lot of people – from fans to scouts – seem unsure about it.
Valid or not, the one question everybody has about Washington is whether he can be a point guard in the truest sense of the word, because he has forever been a score-at-will guard in the truest sense of the word.
Shooting. Breaking down defenders. Dunking over bigger players in traffic.
Those are all natural abilities for the McDonald’s All-American. Washington could do those things years ago, and do them well.
But can he blend in, mesh with teammates and defer to others?
Can he pass up an open shot, and get Rodney Carney one instead?
Can he be a part of the offense rather than the offense in general?
Those are the popular questions at the water coolers around town. Ask them to any Tiger coach, and the answer is yes.
By all accounts, Washington has been nothing but one of the guys this summer, and he looked a lot like that Saturday.
Despite his reputation as a talker and a talent not shy about letting people know how talented he is, Washington was quiet in both Saturday workouts, attentive and receptive to instruction.
Why?
Perhaps it’s because he realizes NBA riches aren’t a guarantee unless he proves he can evolve as a player.
After all, if the Tigers’ last McDonald’s All-American (Dajuan Wagner) has shown anything, it’s that undersized shooting guards can succeed in college, but doing so at the next level is none too easy.
Thus, Washington’s mission this year is simple: To prove to scouts that he can indeed run a team and manage a game with the ball primarily in his hands.
“You haven’t heard of any 6-1 (shooting guards), except for Allen Iverson, and he’s the exception,” Washington said. “For me to play in the league, I’ve got to play my natural position, and that’s point guard. That’s what Coach Cal is trying to instill in my head, that the high school days are over with. So I will adjust.”
If he does, then it stands to reason that the Tigers will compete for a Conference USA championship, and be well worthy of the national ranking most preseason magazines are bestowing upon them.
In the process, Washington would probably develop into a surefire NBA prospect, and eliminate any doubters of his willingness to share the spotlight and the ball.
But just in case that point still isn’t clear, here’s Florida’s Mr. Basketball one more time with an explanation of why there’s no reason to worry.
“People keep thinking that I’m going to come here and try to score (32) points a game like I did in high school,” Washington said. "I did that in high school because . . . who doesn’t do that in high school? But everybody on this roster was a superstar in high school, and now we all have to sacrifice something for the team.
“So I’ll sacrifice scoring. I’ve got no problem with sacrificing scoring and getting assists, because I’m just trying to get a national championship.”[/b]
Link: CommercialAppeal.com
[b]Now, he's more like a star among stars, an elite talent at an elite program.[/b]
Parrish got a little hopped up on goofballs with that line.
[i]Originally posted by NinerLoudNProud[/i]@Oct 27 2004, 01:19 PM [b] Now, he's more like a star among stars, an elite talent at an elite program [/b]Wait a second, so Washington transferred, I thought he is playing for Memphis?
heh heh, seriously I chuckled at that line too.
Chuckled? I immediately scrolled up to the top to see who wrote that article…and then I stopped reading.
[i]Originally posted by C49er[/i]@Oct 27 2004, 07:35 PM [b] Chuckled? I immediately scrolled up to the top to see who wrote that article...and then I stopped reading. [/b]I immediately tried to email him but can't find his address. :o