The first thing you notice about Micah Downs is how thin he is for a big-time college basketball player. And then you watch him do it all on the court, and you don’t really care he has pencils for arms.
You should have seen this kid play like a man in his first scrimmage Friday for a packed Allen Fieldhouse during Late Night in the Phog.
And C.J. Giles? All that talk about his improvement looks like a whole lot more than just talk. You watch him explode off the floor, close ground so quickly to snare a rebound, block a shot, and hold on to what he catches, and you see dollar signs in his future. Big ones. The best part of his night: no personal fouls. Sasha Kaun couldn’t hang with Giles. On this night, there was no comparison between them.
And then there was Mario Chalmers, who gained a national reputation as a shooter by getting so hot in the McDonald’s All-America game. He can shoot, but it’s only one of the dimensions that will make him the leader of this team before too long, and his touch is far from the first that grabs your attention. His aggressive, brainy play at both ends, and his scary athleticism come first, then the shot.
So there you have it, a wing, a post player and a point guard. A picture is beginning to form of a winning team that’s easier on the eyes than recent versions.
The trio carried the Red to a 48-30 blowout victory over the Blue in a 20-minute, running-clock scrimmage. Mix in a Brandon Rush here and a Julian Wright there, and come March that’s more than a crowd-pleasing starting five, it’s a winner.
We’re getting ahead of ourselves, naming the starters after watching a 20-minute glorified pickup game. But isn’t that what Late Night is all about, burying the last March and to dream about the next one?
Downs, Giles and Chalmers made it difficult not to believe exciting nights are in the future.
If you’re one of the lucky ones and hold a ticket to the Fort Hays State exhibition game, do yourself a favor and arrive early. Zero in on Downs during warmups. Watch the rotation on his jumpshot, and ask yourself if you’ve ever seen a more perfect one. Keep watching him shoot until you see him miss a shot. And when somebody tries to talk to you, interrupt with, “Can’t you see I’m busy. Go buy me a hot dog.” And when he or she comes back with a hot dog and tries to talk to you again, say, “Can’t you see I’m still busy.” Then watch the way Downs runs in the layup line, how his feet don’t seem to stay on the ground very long. And when he comes in the game and cuts so sharply to the hoop to put himself in position for an offensive rebound, watch how quickly he gets off the floor.
Downs had the loudest night among the four freshmen and Wright the quietest. He had the look of a nervous kid trying too hard to make a big first impression on the crowd that will worship him in time. Rush appeared the most winded of the four, quite unsure of himself defensively and creative and confident with the basketball in his hands, especially when near the hoop. He has a nice knack for passing, as do Downs and Chalmers.
Can this team score? Yes. Can it keep others from scoring? That’s going to take a little longer.