Stormin’ Norman

Player of the Week

[player: Norman Powell] – UCLA

UCLA is finally starting to play well and won their first game away from Los Angeles, Powell is a huge reason why. The senior guard has been aggressive in attacking the rim, especially against Stanford on Thursday night. Powell may not have shot well from the field, only 7 of 19, but he was able to get to the foul line, break down the defense and create opportunities for other Bruins. The senior also had a great game against Colorado, scoring 22 points on 7 for 11 shooting. Powell also grabbed five rebounds dished four assists and snatched five steals. UCLA has won six of their last eight games. Their defensive effort has picked up and they look to be communicating more. With Powell continuing to get to the rim, UCLA still has time to make noise in the Pac-12.

Who’s Hot

[player: Nigel Williams Goss] – Washington

Its been a really tough year for the Huskies, especially with [player: Robert Upshaw] dismissed from the team. Williams-Goss is making the most of his situation and had two great games this week in tough losses. In a four point loss to Oregon the sophomore scored 19 points and dished six assists, shooting 9 for 13 from the field. Against California in an even tougher game Williams-Goss was excellent. The guard had 31 points six boards and five assists while even canning three three pointers. In a lost year, Williams-Goss should really start to work on his three point shot even more. He is okay defensively, but he has size to be passable. While not being extremely athletic, his shot will be the most important part of his offensive game after his passing ability. Williams-Goss can still raise his stock, but he needs an outside shot if he wants to succeed in the NBA.

Arizona

Okay this may be cheating, but it was really hard for me to boil down Arizona’s performance this week into one player. The Wildcats held Oregon State to 34 points. 34!!! My intramural team scored more points this week. [player:T.J. McConnell] had eight steals in the game while [player:Brandon Ashley] was picking and popping like usual. Oregon State may be overachieving this year, but the Wildcats were incredible on defense, no one was scoring more than 50 on that day. Arizona only played one game this week, but they look focused. As much as I like Utah, it is really hard for me to see them dethroning the Wildcats this year.

Who’s Cold

Andy Enfield – USC head coach

In short, USC has been terrible this year. The Trojans stand at 9-13 overall but a paltry 1-9 in the Pac 12. They have been terrible on both offense and defense ranking in the bottom in the nation in both field goal percentage and points allowed. Honestly, I don’t see much end in sight. Their roster is okay but Enfield certainly hasn’t gotten the most out of his star recruit, [player: Jordan McLaughlin], who is shooting 35 percent from the field. The Trojans also don’t have a true rim protector, making the actual playing of defense difficult. It may be hard to recruit players to a football school, but Enfield needs his team to show some life down the stretch if he wants to keep his job.

[player: Stefan Nastic] – Stanford

Nastic has had an okay year to me, yet he just does not move the needle very much. In other words, he is definitely not an impact player. Nastic did not play well against UCLA. The senior center shot 4 for 11 from the field and was in foul trouble for much of the game. He did manage to grab 11 rebounds but his efforts on the boards was not enough. Against Washington St., Nastic was in foul trouble the entire game and scored 10 points while grabbing only two rebounds. The Cardinal center can fall in love with his jump shot, which is actually really good, but it can hurt the team in close games. Nastic should live in the paint, getting easier buckets around the rim. When his mid-range jump shot is falling, the Cardinals play great, Nastic spaces the floor and Randle has all the room he wants to get to the rim. Stanford dropped two in a row this week after playing some great basketball. Nastic and the rest of the team must be more consistent if the Cardinals are going to make some noise in the NCAA tournament.

I assume everyone reading this was watching the Super Bowl this weekend so my Top 5 list will be based on the true stars of the game, Katy Perry’s two sharks. Here is the Top 5 “fishiest” things about Pac-12 so far this year.

Top 5 “fishy” things about Pac-12

1.    [player: Jakob Poeltl]’s playing time

The freshman center, and maybe the Utes player with the most NBA potential, is only averaging 23 minutes a game. I understand that he is young and still learning how not to foul on defense, but he needs time to grow! It’s tough to get better just during practice, even if he is just polishing his post moves. In the games that are blowout I would like to see Poeltl in. It will help him get more of a feel about the different bodies he will be going against in the NBA. The Austrian clearly doesn’t have any hustling issues and is getting better with each game, lets just see how much better he can be with more playing time.

2. All of this talk about Tony Parker 44190 being the key for UCLA

I have nothing against Parker, he is a good player, knows where to be defensively and defends the rim, but he isn’t the sole reason why UCLA is 6-0 in the last six games he has played in. Parker fouls a lot and honestly doesn’t even play that much, only 24 a game. The forward can kill spacing, especially when he is on the floor with [player: Kevon Looney]. The Bruins are playing great because of a team wide contribution to defense and they have had a home heavy schedule for this win streak. UCLA can still be a really good team, they were ranked in the beginning of the year! The Bruins just have to find a way to be consistent.

3. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson first round draft pick

He is what he is. Hollis-Jefferson is going to be a defensive stopper and hustle player in the league, especially if the refs let him play with his hands. He just gives nothing on the offensive side of the ball. The Wildcat forward turns the ball over too much and still has nothing that resembles a three point shot. Ask the Thunder how its like playing with a non-threat like Andre Roberson in the corner on every offensive possession. The first round is for difference makers, players that won’t be liabilities. I fear if a team drafts Hollis-Jefferson too early, they will not give him time to develop and expectations will be way too high. If Hollis-Jefferson can get drafted to a great team in the second round, he will have a great career. If he goes too early in the first, I’m not so sure he will be successful with that team.  

4. The Ute’s offense

Utah wins with defense. They are ranked 9th in the nation in points allowed and points off turnovers which help to jumpstart their offensive game. The more I watch Utah, the more I am worried about their offense. Yes, they normally get great shots and are ranked sixth in the nation in field goal percentage, but they just seem too stagnant to me. Maybe I watch the NBA too much and enjoy the movement of the really good teams like the Warriors and Hawks. Yet, [player: Delon Wright] cannot create a shot every time he is down the court. Wright gives too much effort defensively and he will fade down the stretch. I really want to see Utah run more off ball screens and get something other than a contested three, even with their defense being so great. Once Utah gets into the NCAA tournament and plays some great defenses, they better be able to get some shots without Wright or they will be leaving rather early.

5. Anyone challenging Arizona

Lock it up, no one is going to beat Arizona in the Pac-12 this year except maybe the Utes. There is just too much to deal with. The Wildcats have one of the best starting fives in all of the nation and still have a good bench. Sean Miller has finally gotten the same point guard for two straight years in McConnell and a phenom in [player:Stanley Johnson]. Arizona plays ferocious defense when they are locked in and I expect them to be the rest of the year.