Understand that while Tyler Zeller had become the obvious scapegoat for the Duke debacle on Feb. 8, a true point guard like Kendall Marshall takes the ultimate responsibility for a meltdown like that onto himself.
Tyler Zeller stared at his shoelaces. Same for Harrison Barnes and John Henson. All of them refused to watch the pregame highlight video blaring on the Cameron Indoor Stadium scoreboard during the introductions before Saturday night’s game. But Kendall Marshall’s head was up and probing, as it always is. Marshall stared up at the video of Austin Rivers’ dagger from three weeks earlier as it played to a thunderous roar.
The jerseys that hang on the wall shoulder-to-shoulder behind one basket inside the venerable gym at Oak Hill Academy come in all colors of the rainbow. They are college jerseys of the alums produced by the celebrated prep basketball dynasty in rural Virginia.
A few years ago, I ran into an exasperated writer from a national magazine who'd been dispatched to Tobacco Road to find a fresh story about the Duke-North Carolina game.
Tim Crothers is an author and former senior writer at Sports Illustrated who is joining The Charlotte Observer sports staff to write a regular column during the rest of the college basketball season.
By Tim Crothers | Staff columnist
| January 26, 2012
Along with Mason Plumlee, Michael Snaer, Harrison Barnes and C.J. Leslie, one of the most pivotal players in this ACC basketball season is Karl Hicks. Karl Hicks?
Tim Crothers is an author and former senior writer at Sports Illustrated who is joining the sports staff to write a regular column during the rest of the college basketball season.
Tim Crothers is an author and former senior writer at Sports Illustrated who is joining the sports staff to write a regular column during the rest of the college basketball season.
