Page 12
or ting View
Should the rim be
raised in basketball?
by John Musser
Collegian Sports Editor
Buy some new hardwood, get
a pro basketball team, and you
can call your arena a world-class
facility, too.
This is what the people at
the Erie Civic Center have done.
They recently purchased a brand
new basketball floor and
backboards for the arena, which
this summer will host all home
games for Erie's newest pro
franchise, the Erie Wave of the
World Basketball league.
The new floor got its first
test last week, as the Civic
Center played host to the high
school playoffs on Thursday and
Friday nights. I attended the
District 10 AA championship
game in high school hoops
between nearby Girard and
Mercer County's West
Middlesex on Friday night just
to see how things were going at
the Center.
I don't know what it was like
at the previous night's games,
but Friday's definitely had a
championship atmosphere. Both
schools sport strong followings
by their respective
communities, as was evident by
Friday night's attendance of over
4,400 maniacal fans.
As things turned out, it was
a good way for this new world
class facility to initiate its new
floor. Girard and West
Middlesex put on a good game
for the near capacity crowd. The
nip and tuck affair ended with
Girard on top, thanks to some
good foul shooting late in the
game, to win, 59-49.
A friend of mine was telling
me over the weekend how there
was a heated discussion in their
household recently about
whether the hoop should be
raised in basketball to 11 or
even 12 feet.
The main arguments given
by the basket raisers were that
scoring is too high (especially
in the NBA) and that with all of
these seven-footers walking
around, it's too easy to dunk (of
course, so are layups). Those
espousing the virtues of the
hoop at 10 feet gave the classic
"If it ain't broke, boy, don't get
out the tool box" reason.
After telling me about this
discussion, I was asked for my
opinion,
For starters, there has always
been a lot of scoring in the
NBA. However, this year it has
come down. In fact, only four
teams have improved their
scoring average (Chicago,
Indiana, Miami, and Utah) over
last year, while the rest of the
league has dropped. Five teams
are averaging less than 100
points a game, which, if they
should end the season that way,
hasn't happened since the 1955-
56 campaign.
Last year, only two teams
averaged 103.5 points or less
per game. This year nine teams
are on a pace to hit at or below
the 103.5 mark.
There are two reasons for
this. One is that the expansion
teams are slowing games down
in an attempt to win games.
Teams with less talent and
experience are forced to do this
against superior teams.
Second, defenses are getting
more sophisticated, thus making
it harder to score. Maybe instead
of raising the hoop, perhaps we
should encourage more coaches
on all levels to teach defense.
As for the college game,
unless you're watching an
Oklahoma or Loyola-
Marymount game, the score
usually isn't too stratospheric.
But what about dunks?
Admittedly, watching some of
the seven-footers slams can be
boring to watch because it looks
too easy. However, I've never
heard too many people complain
about six-foot-six Michael
Jordan putting down a jam. But
this isn't mv argument here.
Take the regular season
finale between Syracuse and
Georgetown. I reviewed the
game last weekend and counted
four dunks: two by Syracuse
guard Stephen Thompson and
one each from Georgetown's
Dikembe Mutombo and Alonzo
Mourning. For a game that was
45 minutes long (including
overtime) and with at least five
or six guys 6-7 and up on the
floor the whole game, this
wasn't exactly a slamfest.
I realize some games have a
lot more dunks than this, but I
think that there are an equal
amount that have very few.
Besides, I like the dunk, and I
don't think I'm the only one
who feels that way. I also don't
mind high-scoring games, just
like I enjoy watching defensive
ones.
To me, the game is fine with
the hoop where it is.
Who will be the number one
pick in this year's NBA draft?
Don't be surprised if it's Derrick
Coleman of Syracuse.
The only reason to doubt
Coleman as the top choice has
been his questionable attitude.
Lately, there has been no
question. The Orange's 6-10
center/forward has shown,
especially the past couple of
weeks, a desire to do whatever it
takes to win. That's something
NBA scouts like to see.
There never has been a
question about Coleman's
talent. Coleman has set school
records in scoring and
rebounding, and is nearing the
NCAA rebounding mark.
Coleman is also an excellent
passer and has superb court
vision. Whoever has the first
nick will find it difficult to pass
him up.
NCAA hoop tourney causes
writer to get March Madness
(continued from page 11)
Cremins' Yellow Jackets behind
the light 'em-up trio of Dennis
Scott, Kenny Anderson, and
Brian Oliver. Tech has a tough
road to Denver, but they'll be
there.
In the lower half of the
bracket, Syracuse will play
Missouri in the sweet sixteen as
long as the Fighting Irish don't
get in the way. Remember, Notre
Dame plays right around St.
Patty's Day.
In the West Region, the first
seed went to UNLV.
Ohio State plays Providence
in an interesting matchup
between the Big East and the Big
Ten. The winner will take on
UNLV, unless the Runnin'
Rebels are upset by Arkansas-
Little Rock. OSU or Providence
could give UNLV problems.
In the bottom half of the
region, a hot Arizona team
should face SEC champ Alabama
in the second round. That will be
a close one.
Third seeded Michigan has an
easy road to the sweet sixteen,
with only Loyola Marymount in
their way. Michigan should have
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no trouble beating Arizona in the
Regional semi-final, since the
Wildcats are so inconsistent.
In the weakest region, the
East, Connecticut will be in the
final eight, unless Bobby
Knight's experience in the
tourney gets the Hoosiers a win
over the lop seeded Huskies.
LaSalle, with the best record
in the country at 29-1, will have
trouble in the first round against
Southern Mississippi. LaSalle's
schedule was too weak to prepare
them for the tourney.
Duke versus Kansas in the
sweet sixteen should be a thriller.
Duke will go on to play
Connecticut, where the coaching
of Mike Krzyzewski will lead his
team to an upset and into the
Final Four.
In the Midwest, Oklahoma
will probably play Dean Smith's
Tar Heels, where UNC will be
knocked out of the tourney.
The lllinois-Dayton game
might surprise people a little.
Dayton might upset the Illini,
but it won't matter because the
winner will play Arkansas after
the Razorbacks defeat Princeton.
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Princeton just doesn't have the
Cinderella slipper this year.
In the other half of the region
played at Indianapolis, the Hoyas
will have no problem making it
to the final eight by beating
Xavier in the second round.
Georgetown will have to beat a
tough Purdue team, but Alonzo
Mourning and Dikembe
Mutombo inside will be too
much for the Boilermakers. So
Oklahoma will play Georgetown
in the Regional final. This
should be a classic game, but
Oklahoma will beat Georgetown
to make the Final Four.
The Sooners will play Duke
in one of the Final Four
matchups. Oklahoma will
advance to the Final, beating
Duke by a fairly large margin.
The other game matches
Georgia Tech against defending
champ Michigan. Nobody is
going to win the title two years
in a row today so Georgia Tech
will play Oklahoma in the Final.
Georgia Tech will pull off the
upset and win the National
Championship.