2008 Woodie Awards
Video related to this article is available below.Issue date: 12/11/07 Section: Sports
Change for change's sake doesn't always help
Andrew Scurria
CORAL GABLES, Fla. - Had the outcome been different, Cameron Lewis's sudden transition from liability to asset would have been reason to celebrate. But the fact that he was perhaps the top option wearing red and blue last night just served to show how muddy and confused the picture has become for the Quakers.
Like all of Penn's bright spots this year, Lewis's performance came with plenty of dark strings attached. He scored 13 points and could have had more if not for yet another bad night at the free-throw line, but picked up his third foul at maybe the worst possible time and sat on the bench as the Hurricanes turned BankUnited Center into their own personal slam-dunk contest.
Where were Jack Eggleston (15 minutes), Justin Reilly (who didn't start) and Tyler Bernardini (23 minutes)? What happened to investing in your youth? What happened to the adage, often called upon in baseball but just as meaningful here, that if they're going to beat you, make them beat your best?
More pressing, if Glen Miller isn't going to call on those three underclassmen when the chips are down, what was the point of starting them up to this point?
It's not unreasonable to think that the lack of confidence Miller showed in his stars was part of the reason they didn't assert themselves on the floor. Instead, Lewis was left to. That's not to say that his toughness shouldn't earn Lewis minutes, but no way should a player who simply isn't a scorer be asked to score that much.
You can't quibble with Miller's choice to give Lewis minutes over the players he's been cultivating for the long haul (Eggleston and Reilly). What happened at FGCU demanded some response, some change, especially with plenty more tune-ups still available before February. As Miller said after the game, he went away from his bread-and-butter because Penn lost by 30 to a fledgling program a few days before, and something had to give. He also owed as much to Eggleston and Reilly, if only to prove that Penn's chances of making it to March rest primarily on their shoulders.
Like all of Penn's bright spots this year, Lewis's performance came with plenty of dark strings attached. He scored 13 points and could have had more if not for yet another bad night at the free-throw line, but picked up his third foul at maybe the worst possible time and sat on the bench as the Hurricanes turned BankUnited Center into their own personal slam-dunk contest.
Where were Jack Eggleston (15 minutes), Justin Reilly (who didn't start) and Tyler Bernardini (23 minutes)? What happened to investing in your youth? What happened to the adage, often called upon in baseball but just as meaningful here, that if they're going to beat you, make them beat your best?
More pressing, if Glen Miller isn't going to call on those three underclassmen when the chips are down, what was the point of starting them up to this point?
It's not unreasonable to think that the lack of confidence Miller showed in his stars was part of the reason they didn't assert themselves on the floor. Instead, Lewis was left to. That's not to say that his toughness shouldn't earn Lewis minutes, but no way should a player who simply isn't a scorer be asked to score that much.
You can't quibble with Miller's choice to give Lewis minutes over the players he's been cultivating for the long haul (Eggleston and Reilly). What happened at FGCU demanded some response, some change, especially with plenty more tune-ups still available before February. As Miller said after the game, he went away from his bread-and-butter because Penn lost by 30 to a fledgling program a few days before, and something had to give. He also owed as much to Eggleston and Reilly, if only to prove that Penn's chances of making it to March rest primarily on their shoulders.
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