Scottie Pippen Giving Collegiate Advice
Zion Williamson’s name has been around basketball circles for years now. Ever since videos have shown the star basketball’s amazing dunking feats, he has become an internet sensation. This year, as a freshman for the Duke Blue Devils, he is becoming even more of a household name. He has not only been an elite player for Duke, averaging 21.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2 steals and almost 2 blocks per night, but he is now being considered a likely number one overall pick in the next NBA draft.
With all of this hype and with all of his fame, one NBA legend has a shocking piece of advice…shut it down. Former Chicago Bull Scottie Pippen has suggested that the best thing that Williamson can do is shut it down for the season and focus solely on the NBA draft. While it would be shocking if this were to happen, the premise is understandable. It is the same reason that a number of collegiate football players withheld playing in their bowl games, the risk of injury now may outweigh the glory of any collegiate game. More importantly, one’s health now can go a long way towards dictating your economic return later. On ESPN’s The Jump, Pippen said that he would shut it down, thinking that he has already locked the number one pick. “I would stop playing because I feel he could risk a major injury that could really hurt his career.”
This just adds fuel to the fire of the belief that once you have established your brand, your future is more important than your collegiate career. Possibly more important, if colleges want to keep some of these athletes focused on their team’s games, it may ultimately re-spark the idea of paying college athletes, a debate that is sure to continue for quite some time.
Duke Expecting To Get Back To Health
Speaking of Duke, they had a tough start to the week after not only losing to an unranked Syracuse but also losing a couple of players in the process. After losing to the Orange, Duke has dropped in the rankings to 7th, but when healthy, many still expect this team, which is led by a mostly freshman starting rotation, to be as competitive as any come March Madness. Right now, though, Duke is just hoping to get healthy. In Monday’s contest, Cam Reddish was unable to play due to flu-like symptoms. On the season, Reddish is averaging 13.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.9 steals per game.
Even more important, though, may have been the loss of Tre Jones. During the game against Syracuse, Jones had to leave due to a collision that led to a shoulder injury. The good news for Jones and Duke fans is that it has been diagnosed as a sprain and there is even a small chance he could suit up against Virginia. On the season, Jones has averaged 8.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 2.1 steals per game.
Still, the two biggest stars for Duke are intact in Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett. Williamson is averaging 21.2 points on 66.2% shooting from the field while RJ Barrett is averaging 23.4 points, 6.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.
Oklahoma State Shows 3 Players The Exit
At 8-9 overall and 2-3 in the Big 12, it has already been a tough season for Oklahoma State. On Wednesday, that year became a little tougher. Coach Mike Boynton announced that the team had sent forwards Kentrevious Jones and Maurice Calloo, as well as guard Michael Weathers, packing due to team rule violations. In addition to this, transfer guard Mike Cunningham also left the program last week. Each of the three players had been averaging 8 points or more per game, but with their removal, as well as the departure of Cunningham, the Cowboys now have just 9 players eligible to play. Sadly, their rough season may get a whole lot rougher, but for the sake of their program, they are hoping it will be addition by subtraction.
Is Porter Out At USC?
Another highly touted player is also at odds with his team. Freshman Kevin Porter Jr., who is seen as a first round pick in this year’s NBA draft, is out indefinitely serving a suspension for conduct issues, according to coach Andy Enfield. In 7 games this season, (he missed several games with an injury) Porter Jr. is averaging 10.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1 steal and is shooting 50.8% from the field. While it is unknown the exact cause, there is some speculation that he may be done for the season. While that may be premature, it sad to see another rising star, someone expected to impact the game at the next level, let an opportunity slip due to behavior issues.
Kansas To Admit Violation
It appears that the Kansas Jayhawks will be admitting to a violation in the recruitment of sophomore Silvio De Sousa. Apparently, De Sousa’s guardian received money to help pay for online classes and possibly more in recruitment issues with other schools. Still, Kansas is hoping by doing this and then submitting a request to be reinstated, that they would be able to get the big man back sooner than later. While he has not played a game this season, De Sousa averaged 4 points and 3.7 rebounds per game last year in 20 games. For a team that has gotten hit by the injury bug in the frontcourt, his return could be a big boost.
