USD Men's Basketball 1996-1997

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With the three– point shot so popular, even power forwards like Syracuse'., John Wallace can be seen facing the basket from downtown and firing away on occasion.

like Paul Silas, who is col– lege hoops' all-time leading rebounder, and Larry Johnson defined the power aspect of the frontcourt with rippling muscles, sharp elbows and bushels of rebounds. Larry Bird tweaked that definition with his deft passing (he averaged six assists as a senior at Indiana State) and his ability to back a defender close to the basket and sink a jumper or stay outside and hit a three. Jamal Wilkes helped establish the image of the shooting forward and Grant Hill stretched the limits of the definition of the college coach's favori te word-"versatility." Recently, Ed O'Bannon and John Wallace fleshed out the definition, adding quick feet to power to get from inside to outside in a flash and get the job done. "The players are more athletic, they run and jump better," said Providence coach Pete Gillen. "Guys are more versa– tile, all dribbling the ball, shooting the three-pointer." Those are the 6-9 guys who are dribbling and running the floor like a 10-year-old kid in pursuit of Shaq's autograph. Quickness is no longer the domain of small, shifty guards. Those same 6-9 guys aren't putting their backs to the hoop and shouting "Ball!" anymore, either. Neither are the young players emulating them. "Facing the basket, that's what's happening on the playgrounds every day," Vitale said. "They're taking it to the basket." Which leads us to the small forward. He's got scoring in his job description. He's supposed to slash and fill the bas– ket, like David Thompson and Julius Erving, whose flashy moves to the hoop turned fans on to hangtime, above-the-rim offense. Great leapers like Erving and Thompson not only changed observers thinking about forwards, but paved the way for later aerial acrobats like Michael Jordan (a guard while at North Carolina) and Shawn Kemp. Since the advent of the three-point shot in 1986-87, more players than ever are facing the basket, looking to drive or launch away. And the small forward is happy to do either. "Oh, the three," said UCLA coach Jim Harrick. "Everyone wants to shoot 'em. Even the big guys take a lot of pride in going outside. It's part of the versatility." Said Vitale: "Guys want to be able to step back and shoot. The one, two and three guys on the perimeter are interchange– able. If you get three quality guys on the wing, that's beautiful." And if you get two quality guys as forwards, that's beauti– ful, too. No matter what you call their position.

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ANTHONY McCARRON is a.freelance writerfrom New York, and regular contributor to College Hoops lllustrated this season.

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