|
|
|
Thursday, December 14, 2000
'Goofy' Crispin brothers serious about winning
By Rick Morrissey
Special to ESPN.com
|
Let's be clear about one thing: They're friends. It's just hard to tell sometimes.
Joe Crispin and Jon Crispin are brothers, Penn State teammates and, oh yeah, something else, too.
"We're a couple of goofballs," Joe says.
If that is the case, expect college basketball recruiters to start looking for the coveted goofball-brother combination on their appointed
rounds. Joe, the senior point guard, and Jon, the sophomore shooting guard, sometimes argue on the court. They have argued all the way to a 5-1 record.
|  | | There's been plenty of celebrations for Jon Crispin (top) and Penn State already this season. |
And off the court? Don't even ask.
"We'll argue about the stupidest things, and people around us will be shaking their heads," Joe says. "We'll argue over whether the windows should be up or down. That could last 10 minutes. That leads into something else, which leads into something else and so on. It's ridiculous."
"I'll be driving somewhere, take a right and Joe will tell me that going straight is quicker," Jon says. "I'm like, no it's not. It's the same. He's never done it before. He's just making it up to make it sound like he knows
something.
"We'll fight about anything. I want to go to McDonald's, he says 'Why do you want to eat that crap?' It's crazy."
Whatever, it works.
Opposing teams aren't sure what to make of the brothers. Kentucky, for example, is still dazed and confused after its
encounter with the Crispins. Joe dropped 31 points on the Wildcats, and Jon had 26. Kentucky found out that getting up on the brothers at the three-point arc is a nice idea in principle, but not very effective when they take two
steps back and hit from NBA land. They spent the summer practicing that, as
well as, you know, arguing.
"It's not like a teammate-to-teammate argument," Joe says. "Once we argue, it's done. We kind of move on because we know how to communicate. We've done it so long that it's no big deal. We just push to make each other
better. We know what buttons to press. We've gotten better at knowing when to
get on each other and when to encourage."
Joe might "suggest" that Jon start playing some defense. Jon will "suggest" back that Joe start giving him the ball a little more. Why can't everybody get along like this?
Joe is averaging 21 points and 5.3 rebounds, not bad for a 6-1 guard. He had 36 points against Pittsburgh. Against Temple on Saturday, he held Owls star Lynn Greer to seven points on 3-of-17 shooting. Jon is averaging 11.2
points.
Joe is the religious one. Jon is more comfortable at parties. Joe is the better ballhandler. Jon jumps much better.
Joe is the leader. By his decision-making, Joe has helped Tyler Smith and Gyasi Cline-Heard get better. He was told coming out of high school that he wasn't big enough, and he's hoping he doesn't have to teach NBA teams the
same lesson. It would be so much easier if they just realized he was good,
size aside.
But for now, there are more immediate goals.
"If we don't make the NCAA Tournament, it will be a disaster year as far as I'm concerned," Joe says. "I want to go to the tournament and do something there."
Argue with his brother, probably.
|
Games of the Week
|
|
Arizona at Illinois
at Chicago
Saturday
Illinois got a nice confidence boost when it hung with the Wildcats in the championship game of the Maui Invitational. One difference this time: Arizona's Loren Woods, who was serving an NCAA suspension, is back. Illinois'
inside game will be key.
Missouri at Iowa
Saturday
This should be a fun matchup between two teams trying to flex their muscles. Iowa cracked the USA Today/ESPN coaches poll this week, moving up to 25th. The Tigers were one spot behind. Can Luke Recker keep up the big
scoring against a top team?
|
Lost civilization
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo has been living in a fantasy world in which players graduate and then move on to the NBA. Duke
coach Mike Krzyzewski used to live there, too, but then he lost Corey Maggette, Elton Brand, et al, to the pros.
"We base our program on a family-oriented group," Izzo said. "Guys who have stayed four years or five years, they become part of the family. I've got the greatest group of seniors that anyone can ask for. During one
time out, I told our two seniors, 'You coach the team.'
"You can't get that in one- or two-year guys. It worries me a little bit. But then again, my job is to make sure they get good enough, that it's their option (whether to leave for the NBA) and they have enough fun that the option is to stay."
Izzo has three players -- sophomore Jason Richardson and freshmen Marcus Taylor and Zach Randolph -- who might have enough potential to leave early. And Kelvin Torbert, a Michigan State signee from Flint, Mich., probably will
hear the same talk when he arrives next year.
"I think pretty soon we're going to get to the point of age limits in the NBA," Richardson said. "You've got guys going from high school to the NBA who are not ready mentally or physically to take the pressure of it. You see what happened to Leon Smith in the NBA."
Smith, a first-round draft pick who was traded to Dallas, tried to commit suicide last year.
Immovable
Kansas coach Roy Williams says he is at peace with his decision to stay in Lawrence rather than take the North Carolina job. A lot
of that, he says, has to do with Dean Smith.
"North Carolina people were initially disappointed, shocked, whatever," he said. "But as time went on, so many more of them have understood when I say I did what the man taught me to do. It's a way of honoring Coach Smith. I
stayed loyal to my players, which is what he taught me to do. And he has been
wonderful about it, fantastic.
"... I have friends who are hurt. They think I misled them. I don't think I did that, but that part has been difficult. There has been some bitterness. But it has been far outweighed by people who have been
understanding."
Newspaper story
Bob Knight is gone but not forgotten.
In order to show appreciation for their old coach, former Indiana coaches, players and managers have chipped in for full-page ads that will run in the Dec. 17 Indianapolis Star and the Bloomington Herald-Times.
"We all feel that maybe this might show him our appreciation for what he has done for all of us," said Scott May, a star on the 1976 team that went undefeated. "A lot of us wouldn't be in the position we're in or wouldn't have had the chance to play for a national championship team without him.
"The whole thing hit us pretty hard."
The "whole thing" was Knight's dismissal from Indiana after years of bad behavior as coach. After he was fired, presidents of Big Ten schools took out a full-page ad in the Chicago Tribune supporting Indiana's decision to
take control of its athletic department.
Around the Midwest
Oral Roberts has lost four straight games, but Sunday's overtime loss to crosstown rival Tulsa didn't feel like one. "We
wanted to prove that we're not the little weak team in the city," Oral Roberts coach Scott Sutton said. "People think we are, but we came out with heart and aggression."
Missouri's Tajudeen Soyoye, who is 6-9, 240 pounds, bench presses 400 pounds and runs the 40-yard dash in 4.32 seconds.
In case you wanted to know.
South Florida's B.B. Waldon said Texas' Brian Boddicker intentionally elbowed him above the right eye two minutes into
their game Saturday. After clearing the stars from his eyes, Waldon scored 27 points. "He was wrong for what he did," Waldon said. "But things like that turn back against you, and he got his tail whipped."
Not that it's been awhile or anything, but Illinois' victory over Seton Hall was its first home
win over a non-conference opponent ranked seventh or higher since beating No. 2 UCLA in 1964.
Rick Morrissey of the Chicago Tribune (www.chicagotribune.com) is a regular contributor to ESPN.com
|
|
|
|
