Friday, January 18, 2008

The "why" in team

Remember the big Morro Bay-Templeton boys basketball game that had us in a furor a couple weeks ago?

Well, now it's ruined.

Since the storm that knocked some leaky shingles off the Templeton gym, both teams have lost a couple league games and though their game might be a good one, it won't mean near as much as if the two were still undefeated in the Los Padres League.

And that's too bad.

No, I'm not rooting for the Pirates or the Eagles over any other team in San Luis Obispo County. Nor am I playing favorites with Royer and Hattar.

But the fact is basketball is a lot more fun for everyone when the most dynamic scorers are also on the best teams.

Or is it?

Not if you ask the Arroyo Grande girls team, which doesn't have one player averaging more than eight points per game but is dominantly running away with the PAC 7.

And here's where I have an internal conflict. My basketball instincts say I want to see the biggest individual stars on the best teams. That's what Derrick Jasper and co. had at Paso Robles a couple years ago, and were there two people in the county who weren't at that last big playoff game?

We love that stuff.

But here's a tough question: Do we love a more successful team without a major stud scorer more than a less successful one with a standout star? Why not?

Your thoughts?

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Depends,

I like the team that overachieves, that's success.

I've seen teams that don't meld and still win or those that give up - it's not pretty.

When we get treated to a great individual, it doesn't matter, so long as the standout plays within the team framework. That's why we loved Bird & Magic.

Anonymous said...

Being successful as a team is rare, with Hattar, he is the most amazing player i have ever seen come out of this area, but no one is helping him, its just their luck that no one else can step up, the one yr templeton has their best player ever come through,others in the class have not stepped up..but its not over yet....

Anonymous said...

Best player ever from this area? Did you ever watch Derrick Jasper?? Wow! He didn't score as much as Hattar, but do you realize how many great passes he gave to his teamates so they could score...ohh and he still averaged about 18 ppg. You gotta be joking me!

Anonymous said...

Who was the best glory hound ever to play in SLO county?

Anonymous said...

why are you discrediting morro bay scroggin.. they just knocked off undefeated saint joes and they are one game out of first.. templeton on the other hand is three games below .500.. its kind of hard to compare the two teams now.. but anyways i'll take a better team over a great player any day of the week..

Anonymous said...

yea mb still has a good shot at winning league, templeton on the other hand is dwellin in the cellars.

i like a great player to watch more then a great team, but a great team is better to root for.

Anonymous said...

yea mb still has a good shot at winning league, templeton on the other hand is dwellin in the cellars.

i like a great player to watch more then a great team, but a great team is better to root for.

Anonymous said...

to prballa26 A good player makes those around him better. I haven't seen Hattar play, but I saw a lot of Derrick Jasper play. Those that played with him certainly improved their game. The games against The Greyhounds were the best ! You can have a great player, BUT if he's only got himself he's lacking.
Let's just hope Jasper gets healthy so he can contribute at the college level and really enjoy the game.

Anonymous said...

HEY SCROGGS -- Jasper was indeed the best player in the county... BUT

I THINK MISSION BEAT PASO


" My basketball instincts say I want to see the biggest individual stars on the best teams. That's what Derrick Jasper and co. had at Paso Robles a couple years ago"

Joshua D. Scroggin said...

pac5 vs. lpl —

I knew that comment was coming when I typed that sentence.

And though I thoroughly enjoyed covering that Mission team in the playoffs, the heroics of Nick Pruit especially, Mission ended up getting in trouble that year for using ineligible players. That makes it hard to include them in the discussion.

Even so, even if we choose to include Mission Prep, Paso Robles was still one of the best teams that year, and my original statement — biggest stars on the best teams — was meant to mean the best couple, few or handful of teams in any given year.

The 05-06 Bearcats still qualify as that even if we count a loss to Mission that year.

Anonymous said...

you say "using ineligible players" but really there was only one player found to be ineligible from the Mission Prep team that year: Adrian Hernandez, who, in case you didn't know, has recently signed with the University of Tulsa...so if your covering some guy that you have never seen signing with a small school such as Idaho State, you should definately cover a former local player who will be playing for Tulsa next year in a conference (C-USA) featuring the #1 team in the country- Memphis.

Anonymous said...

im sorry but NCC would get smashed by 50 if they played morro bay, and they would probly get beat pretty bad by templeton too, their having a good year, but their still not that good.

Anonymous said...

Wrongo mondo. NCC wins easily.