From: dew6c@uvacs.cs.Virginia.EDU (Dallas E. Wrege)
Subject: Necessity of a Big Man
Organization: University of Virginia Computer Science Department
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1992 03:07:10 GMT

All of this talk about Shaq and Sampson has got me thinking about big men
in general, and so I'm going to put my two cents in.  I claim that if a
team doesn't have a (1) HUGE and (2) AGGRESSIVE guy at center, their road
ends in the first game of the Final Four.

OK, maybe it isn't a brilliant theme, but bear with me as I make a case
study of Georgia Tech, a team that has *incredible* talent over the last
8 years or so, but has never had that man in the middle:

Back in March of 1985, the Yellow Jackets had done a couple of amazing
things.  They won the ACC tournament, defeating UNC for the third time
that season, 57-54, and they went on to the round of sixteen in the Dance,
losing to Georgetown.  You may not think that this is very impressive,
until you realize that Tech had never won an ACC game *at all* until
1983...  They vaulted into the national spotlight in a mere two years.
Those were the days of Mark Price and John Salley, and they were good
days for Tech fans.  The next year, they were pre-ranked #1 in the 
nation in some polls, as Price and Salley were coming back for their 
senior years, and they had a big date with Michigan in the Tip-Off
Classic.  But somehow the year didn't go off that well...  They lost to
Michigan, and soon they dropped out of the poll entirely...  1986 was
probably the worst year for the Jackets in their current string of 7 
straight NCAA years...

But how could this be?  Look at the roster...  Most of the other players
were back: Dalrymple and the gang.  They even brought in some new talent
that should have been more than enough for Tech to have a good year...

The player that did not return was a 7'1" Hatian by the name of Yvon
Joseph.  He was 26 or 27 years old, and only played for Tech for 2 years.
The wacky thing about him was that he had never even played basketball
before he came into the United States...  He was a volleyball player that
learned to play basketball because it would get him a scholarship to go
to school over here.  And his inexperience showed...  He committed many
stupid fouls, and didn't have the best hands in the world.

But what Joseph *did* do was use his 270 pound frame to move people out
of the middle, and his aggressive style of play allowed Tech to control
the center of the floor at both ends of the court.  It was this that
Salley couldn't do as a collegian.  At Detroit, Salley filled out (at
least a little), but in college he was a forward, and he just couldn't
do his thing.

Just think of all the great college players Tech has had...  Price, Salley,
Ferrell, Hammonds (ok, so he isn't having such a great pro career...  he
was *marvelous* at Tech), Oliver, Scott, Anderson; just to name a few.
Seriously, Tech has had something like 6 of the last 9 ACC rookies of the
year, and the ACC gets some *good* players!  But if guys like Salley,
McNeil and Geiger don't play aggressively and move some people around
at the center position, a team like Tech doesn't stand a chance.  Just
look at the "Lethal Weapon 3" team...

All right, guys, rip me apart...

	- Dallas