Point guards are the quarterbacks of the hardwood. They call the shots and handle, deal, dunk, shoot and run the rock. A handfulla elite PGs have worn the cardinal and white over the years, and each led their team to great heights. Throughout my 50 years of fandom Ron Brewer, Lee Mayberry and Corey Beck are the best of the best and make up the Mt. Rushmore of Razorback PGs.
It’s a tough pick to choose one of them as the outright G.O.A.T., cuz they all three had plenty of jazz, snap and rizz. Mayberry and Brewer played similar styles, both with deadly accurate jumpers, innate abilities to score and assist, along with sick sets of hops. Beck, the only one with a Natty and two Final Fours under his belt, was a pass-first-kinda guy but could step up and score when needed. They all ran their respective offenses like bosses in the yard, barking out orders and calling the shots. All irreplaceable.
Another trait all three shared was a hankering for ball hawking. As notorious crooks on the defensive end, they were chronic pickpockets and pilferers that rattled many an opposing PGs’ cages during their careers with a relentless, in-your-face and lightning-quick approach to full-court-pressure defense.
They all benefited from freakishly athletic backcourt mates who would help swarm to the ball and trap teams to death, especially near the half-court line, where turnovers ensued on the reg. From the Triplets, to Mayberry with Arlyn Bowers and Robert Shepherd by his side, to Beck and his vast den of thieves, led by Clint McDaniel and Scotty Thurman, they all created constant chaos for opposing ball handlers. And from Eddie Sutton to Nolan Richardson to John Calipari, defense was, is and always will be a priority up on the Hill, and conditioning its foundation.
Sutton stressed it, as did Nolan as does Cal. In a beautiful youtube.com clip, Richardson addresses this year’s team at a pre-season practice – “There is no substitute for conditioning. None!” he barked. “There is no substitute for conditioning! There is no substitute for strength! You can’t substitute it. You can’t put something in its place. It’s got to be done. Then you’ve got to believe. And then you work hard.”
Chillingly simple words of wisdom from the master, himself.
Yes, defense is about being a dawg, and fitness is key. If you wanna be able to break down teams late in games, have them hanging on their shorts, you gotta be able to outrun ‘em, all night long.
Cal emphasizes extreme conditioning, and it reflects in the kind of ball he prefers his teams to play that, in turn, reflects Nolan’s style in effort and intensity; all the while standing atop the bedrock of Sutton’s Three Ds – defense, discipline and dedication, instilled 50 years ago.
Back to PGs – freshman Darius Acuff, Jr., may turn out to be the best one of all. So far, he has started and delivered in every game of his young and fleeting NC2A career and turned the SEC Freshman-of-the-Week Award into his own, regular flossing sesh. Playing way beyond his age, he never seems rushed and is always good for some points, whether a 3-pointer, mid-range jumper, layup, dunk, free throw, whatever. Just get him the ball and let him work. His vision and feel for the game are off the charts, as are his bravado and swagger. Necessary traits, if you wanna run with the big dawgs as a teenager.
He also has a solid supporting cast that can perhaps pull off the improbable. KK, BR3, DJ, Meleek, TB, Ewin and Pringle make for a formidable forest of arms and traps that lead to turnovers and steals that inevitably make thangs hectic for opposing guards.
By the way, Nolan went on to close out that pep talk by saying, “Something tells me we got something beautiful in the air here, and it’s not coach Cal.”
GoHogs!