Remember that phrase “senior leadership?”
The one you’d hear UCLA coach Ben Howland mention after
Dijon Thompson would erupt for a career-high in points or rebounds.
The one that led to national championships back when Ed
O’Bannon and Miles Simon seemed to have promising futures in
the NBA.
These days, senior leadership is about as common a theme during
March Madness as sobriety is during spring break in Rosarito.
The term “senior” has carefully been replaced with
“veteran” to describe one of the supposedly essential
ingredients for an NCAA championship team.
Juniors are the new seniors. Last year, CBS couldn’t
change Emeka Okafor’s bio during his junior season at
Connecticut. But by talking up his wealth of experience and his
graduating status, casual viewers couldn’t help but believe
analyst Billy Packer’s prophetic claims of the value of
senior leadership.
This year, it’s been more of the same. Each of the Final
Four teams started two seniors, none of whom were the primary
catalyst during their team’s season. At the same time,
neither North Carolina nor Illinois started any freshmen or
sophomores, and Louisville and Michigan State only started one
apiece.
Juniors were the spark plugs for the teams left standing on the
tournament’s final weekend, and it was little surprise why.
As players continue to bolt to the NBA early, there aren’t
too many talented seniors left to carry their teams to the
collegiate championship.
For the most part, the seniors still around for a fourth year
are the players whose draft prospects weren’t high enough
after their junior year. Sure, there are still refreshing stories
like North Carolina center Sean May, who said he will most likely
return for his final year despite accomplishing everything short of
a 3-point shooting crown. But stories like May’s are the
exception, not the norm.
In most cases, a basketball player can prove himself within the
first two years of college and use the third to decorate his
bedroom with All-American honors.
As freshmen, players receive either a harsh reality check or
validation of their talent. As sophomores, the elites are gauged on
their ability to improve upon their first season. By the time these
players are juniors, they’re playing to convince a few
remaining skeptics scouting at the next level or for another
fleeting chance at an NCAA championship.
Yet because of the tournament’s single-elimination format,
this latter goal is so prone to flukes that it alone can’t
persuade athletes to come back.
Two years ago, Carmelo Anthony achieved the ultimate prize in
his freshman year at Syracuse. But after a successful season at the
collegiate level, Anthony opted for the NBA and landed a starting
spot with the Denver Nuggets. Had he returned for another season,
it would have largely been to cement his place in school history
and cash in on all the love Orange fans were throwing his way.
Nowadays, schools are warmly throwing farewell flowers at
underclassmen’s feet whenever it appears to be a foregone
conclusion they won’t return. At Utah, sophomore Andrew Bogut
was honored during senior day. Same thing at Louisville for junior
guard Francisco Garcia.
These athletes aren’t seniors, but that doesn’t seem
to matter anymore. When there are so few seniors around, their
talent and leadership make them as veteran as possible.
E-mail Finley at [email protected] if you consider
yourself a wily veteran after attending UCLA for three
years.