Cedric Simmons showed Shelden Williams and the rest of the nation that he is going to be a force to be reckoned with; Marcus Slaughter is a much better all-around player this year and has been proving that emphatically lately; Marcus Williams is one of the few bright spots in what has been a turbulent season so far for Arizona fans; Richard Roby is becoming one of the best 3-point shooters in the NCAA for the surging Colorado Buffaloes; Daniel Gibson redeems himself with one of the best shooting performances we've seen all year and Quinton Hosley is a JUCO transfer that has Fresno State fans as excited as they've been for a while.
Cedric Simmons, 6-10, sophomore, center, NC State
28 points, 9 rebounds, 7 blocks, 3 steals, 2 assists, 2 turnovers, 11/18 FG, 6/8 FT
Jonathan Givony
In arguably the most impressive performance of the week considering the stage and who he did it against, Cedric Simmons came up with an impressive 28 points, 9 rebounds and 7 blocks against one of the most solid big men in the country in Shelden Williams.
Simmons started off extremely hot and did not quiet down the entire game. He did it in a variety of ways, mostly with his back to the basket, off of offensive rebounds and running the floor in transition, keeping Shelden Williams on his heels the entire game. Simmons blocked his shot numerous times both straight up and from the weak-side, and altered countless others.
Despite playing for a team that seemingly does not fit his style at all with their Princeton style of offense that feature multiple ball-handlers at all positions and perimeter shooting big men, Simmons showed that NC State is a team that can do more than just hurt you by playing a stifling zone and knocking down threes. The reason this was possible was that Dukes strategy coming into this game appeared to be to not sag up their perimeter defense no matter what and instead leave Shelden Williams all by himself on an island in the post. Simmons took advantage of him multiple times in one and one situations thanks to his size, quickness and length, and the help defense never came. He was more assertive and decisive than weve ever seen him, spinning towards the basket knowing exactly what he wanted to do, attacking Williams relentlessly on every possession with a jump-hook or baby hook shot, not backing down and showing surprisingly good touch around the rim that we ordinarily arent used to seeing.
Despite this one excellent game, though, Simmons is still far from being a perfect prospect and needs to find a way to add consistency and plenty of polish to his game. Hes still figuring out what he is capable of doing on the offensive end outside of 5 feet, learning how to use his left hand, staying out of foul trouble, and just being a complete all-around player night in and night out. Being more of a prospect for the 2007 or 2008 draft, there are a lot of reasons to continue to follow him and check up on his progress. He certainly raised the bar telling us what we can expect from him in the future.
Simmons started off extremely hot and did not quiet down the entire game. He did it in a variety of ways, mostly with his back to the basket, off of offensive rebounds and running the floor in transition, keeping Shelden Williams on his heels the entire game. Simmons blocked his shot numerous times both straight up and from the weak-side, and altered countless others.
Despite playing for a team that seemingly does not fit his style at all with their Princeton style of offense that feature multiple ball-handlers at all positions and perimeter shooting big men, Simmons showed that NC State is a team that can do more than just hurt you by playing a stifling zone and knocking down threes. The reason this was possible was that Dukes strategy coming into this game appeared to be to not sag up their perimeter defense no matter what and instead leave Shelden Williams all by himself on an island in the post. Simmons took advantage of him multiple times in one and one situations thanks to his size, quickness and length, and the help defense never came. He was more assertive and decisive than weve ever seen him, spinning towards the basket knowing exactly what he wanted to do, attacking Williams relentlessly on every possession with a jump-hook or baby hook shot, not backing down and showing surprisingly good touch around the rim that we ordinarily arent used to seeing.
Despite this one excellent game, though, Simmons is still far from being a perfect prospect and needs to find a way to add consistency and plenty of polish to his game. Hes still figuring out what he is capable of doing on the offensive end outside of 5 feet, learning how to use his left hand, staying out of foul trouble, and just being a complete all-around player night in and night out. Being more of a prospect for the 2007 or 2008 draft, there are a lot of reasons to continue to follow him and check up on his progress. He certainly raised the bar telling us what we can expect from him in the future.