Hooray For Links! February 7

I was never a big proponent of doing link dumps and the like on this site because, well, it didn't really make sense to me. Why would I simply reproduce things that are already out there? But as I did my own scouring of the Intertubes for college hoops content, I realized there was just too much quality (and, at times, utterly awful) stuff out there to simply leave untapped. So I give you Hooray For Links! which should appear weekly or something. Because without links, it's not really a blog, it's just a place to put thoughts I might not want to forget.

Them links be after the jump.
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- I still can't really decide what to make of OJ Mayo. Not whether he's a "thug" or "ballhog" or "antichrist" or whatever -- I know he is not -- but whether or not his style of play really helps USC win. Or perhaps more importantly, which of his styles of play help USC win. So this article from Andy Glockner at ESPN pandered to my curiosity. The results? Well, they were still inconclusive. Basically when Mayo shoots a lot they lose and when he uses possessions more efficiently they win. And lately he has been choosing the latter option. Also, included in the article is the testimonial from his coach and opposing coaches which say he is extremely talented, a great defender and a coachable guy, all of which aren't too obvious. Now part of that, which is the uninformed public/media opinion of him as the aforementioned thug/ballhog/antichrist (and I'll throw in "lazy" for good measure), brings me to the next link.

- Free Darko is the best source of basketball writing on the Web. This much is true. I will not explain any further, just go read it. It may surprise you to know that I probably enjoy the NBA more than college hoops (yes, my soul is that black) and I also consider myself to not be that stupid, so the site works for me. But today I read an excellent essay on the changing landscape of NBA prospect-dom in college hoops due to the new age-minimum written by the editor at Truth in a Bullet Fedora. He argues that because of the age-rule it is impossible for prospects to hide their limitations as previous high schoolers were able to, but that it also leads to players that show a less-defined brand of talent (i.e. Jeff Green and Corey Brewer) being valued over more proven but limited players (i.e. Joakim Noah) because NBA GMs are now in the mindset to look for franchise saviors (i.e. Durant/Oden) rather than just valuable, but limited players with a better chance to help the team. He uses Mayo as a player that would've been a No. 1 pick based on his "untapped talent" out of high school but because of USC's system he is seen as utilitarian and will probably be out of the Top5... Just read it, trust me, it's good.

- And in that article, I also saw a backlink to an October piece on OJ Mayo by the same author. And I found a brilliant (and refreshingly familiar, I only wish mine had came first) take on the dichotomy between Mayo's style of play, his off-court demeanor and how the media have lumped an uninformed stance on both into one big, incorrect persona. Because he is a shoot-first PG, the author argues, and has a considerable amount of flash to his off-court persona, he is labeled as a young black punk, although, in reality, his game isn't younger, blacker or punkier than say, Derrick Rose, who is given considerable leeway because he has a lower profile and is a pass-first PG. Just read it, trust me, it's good.

- I liked Gary Parrish's take on Greg Paulus today, which took on a similar topic to my Paulus (now known as Pimp G) piece the other day. Except, of course, his is better written and doesn't resort to calling Paulus "The Eli Manning of Basketball."

- Dana O'Neill used to write for my city's very own Philadelphia Daily News, doing a great job on the Nova beat, but that was before the hulking arm of Godzilla, ESPN, snatched her up (and doubled her salary, Godzilla can do that). She turned in a great piece the other day on UNC's junior varsity team. And no, Quentin Thomas cannot be sent down to that team.

- Jokes + Dick Vitale + blogs= Gold, Jerry, Gold! (Awful Announcing)

- Luke Winn at SI.com, who is usually great but hasn't written anything at all of note this season, writes an excellent feature on Kansas' Darnell Jackson and how he has overcome some serious adversity to become a major contributor for the title-contending team he almost left a year earlier.

- Why yes, I do find Erin Andrews to be extremely attractive and would appreciate the results of some ogling photographer that shares the same sentiment. Thank you. (Rush the Court)

- Also from Rush the Court, a great first-hand recap of that Gonzaga-St. Mary's game I was so excited about.

- Against all odds, a student paper -- in this case The Diamondback at Maryland -- turns in a great feature. This one on poofy-haired Terp Bambale Osby.

- The NCAA let a bunch of sports writers try their hand at the Selection Sunday process. They did it last year too, and it's a great idea. At the Double A Zone, the NCAA's official blog, here is the live blog of Day One and Day Two (each day included a different group of sportswriters but the same process so there might be some redundancy) and also Mike DeCourcy's piece on it.

- I was at the Syracuse-Villanova game, cheering for Cuse of course, and thoroughly enjoyed this expected, drunken squabbles between rival fans. It was about 50-50 Cuse/Nova if you exclude the student section. (Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician)

- BTW, I did all the Bob Knight stuff after that broke. That's why it's not in here. It was important however.