THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 21, 1996 TAG: 9603210519
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: ATLANTA LENGTH: Medium: 82 lines
Allen Iverson springs toward the basket, propelled by the quickest feet in the country.
Kareem Reid fearlessly ventures into the land of giants, flipping in acrobatic shots or creating easy baskets for his teammates while defenders stand dumbfounded.
Stephon Marbury bounces the ball leisurely at the top of the key when - boom! - his powerful legs propel him in the air for a 3-pointer while everyone else remains firmly planted on the ground.
They have taken the NCAA tournament into their hands with the deftness of a crossover dribble. They are the UnGuardables.
``If you don't have any guards, baby, you can forget it,'' said Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson, who has turned his team over to the freshman Reid. ``You can have the big guy, the aircraft carrier, but if you ain't got a guard who can play defense and get the ball to those big people on time, it won't matter.''
Guards have produced the seven highest-scoring games in the NCAA tournament, but their importance goes beyond the points that wind up in their name.
How many teams, wary of Iverson's creativity, open up space on the floor for his less-heralded Georgetown teammates? Would Kansas have reached the West Regional semifinals without Jacque Vaughn's defensive toughness?
Would Massachusetts be No. 1 without the stability and 3-point shooting of Edgar Padilla and Carmelo Travieso?
``Nine times out of 10, the guards are going to be put in a leadership role,'' Iverson said Wednesday at the Georgia Dome, where his team will play Texas Tech in the East Regional semifinals tonight.
``I think teams are looking for guards who can play physically and stay out there on the court. They have to know when to slow it down; they have to know when the opportunity is there to run. Guard play is going to play a big difference in this tournament.''
Georgia Tech wound up in the round of 16 by turning its team over to not one but to two natural point guards. Drew Barry led the ACC in assists for the third year in a row, freeing up Marbury to develop as a scorer.
``They're definitely one of the keys to winning,'' Georgia Tech coach Bobby Cremins said of his guards. ``There's no question the guards are going to handle the ball most of the time and take most of the shots.''
A natural shooting guard when he came to Georgetown, the 6-foot, 165-pound Iverson was moved to the point because that's the position he will play in the NBA. While he had a dynamic freshman season, it was a difficult adjustment.
``When you have so much talent, you tend to have so much confidence that you don't think to look around at other people,'' Thompson said. ``Allen has so much talent that it caused him to be impatient. It caused him not to understand why the others around him might not be able to do what he can do so quickly.''
Iverson realized his problem and actually had to bring his creativity down a level.
``Last year, I used to rush a lot,'' he said. ``I wanted so much to contribute to this team and try to do things on my own. This year, I think I've changed. I play a little bit more patient now. I get other people more involved. I'm taking better shots.''
Arkansas, which lost all five starters from the team that reached the 1995 national championship game, put itself in the hands of Reid, who sat out last season because of a conflict over the score on his college entrance exam. The result: yet another trip to the round of 16 even with a lineup that includes four freshmen.
``In order for teams to win the national championship, to me, the guards are the most important people on the floor,'' Richardson said. ``They dictate everything that happens in championship basketball.''
Cremins, on the other hand, will put only one foot on the guard bandwagon. Maybe that's because Georgia Tech's opponent in the semifinals of the Southeast Regional is Cincinnati, which got this far largely by having a strong game in the lane.
``I don't think you can win it all without any inside presence,'' Cremins said. ``Don't get me wrong, point guards are crucial. But I think when you see the Final Four, you're going to see some really big guys.'' ILLUSTRATION: ASSOCIATED PRESS color photo
by CNB