Leadership, Where art thou?

Most readers of this blog may find this hard to believe but, there was a time when a 13 point win vs. Tulane used to actually mean something. Then again the Metro Conference was still around, and the Sega Genesis was cutting edge gaming technology. I’m not certain what Saturday night's victory over the Green Wave means with regard to this SU Basketball squad. There are still many questions that need answering when it comes to the 2007-08 version of the Orangemen, but the biggest that I have is: Who is going to step up and become a team leader? You know, someone who I can count on to hit the floor chasing a loose ball, make the clutch shot, lock someone down defensively or knock down some free throws in the final minutes…someone who leads by example on the floor not by pointing at their stat sheet after the game. This team has an abundance of talent, I’m just not sure they know what it takes to win games. I know that conference play is still weeks away, but this team should be unbeaten right now and the losses now are going to come back to bite them. Someone needs to step up and give this team some direction on the floor, as I scan the starting five for a leader (since no reserves actually get playing time) here is what I see:

Devo: Has a ton of game and even some passion, just has no clue what defense is and often gets wrapped up in personal duels – he’s the guy I want our opponents to have as their team leader, not ours.

Arinze: Still learning the zone, and not the shot blocker that we always had to offset the poor defense on the outside…plus I don’t want him with ball at the free throw line ever, let alone in the last minutes of tight game.

Donte: So much offensive game that it is sick, so little effort on defense that it is sickening. Sounds like the typical NBA player.

Flynn: I really like this guy as a floor general, and someone who is going to do whatever it takes to win…high hoops IQ, might be too young to assume team leadership, but someday he’ll lead us to a final four.

Harris: Fights and scraps on the boards even though he’s way undersized, I love the guy’s heart and the way he finishes on the break, unfortunately he’s too busy covering up for everyone else’s lackluster effort to be used effectively. He might be our best hope for a team leader until Flynn is ready for the role.

Young team = growing pains. That is understandable, but effort, intensity, and desire have nothing to do with age. Following Wednesday night’s game in Charlottesville, the outlook for this season will become a lot clearer, I hope the team (and coaches) show up ready to play a full 40 minutes.