Mark Titus talks to Big East Walk-ons

[MUONTOP]

I don't have insider and have no idea if he got to Frozena but thought I'd pass along the link as Titus is usually hilarious.

http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/preview2010/insider/news/story?id=5704358&action=upsell&appRedirect=http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/preview2010/insider/news/story%3fid%3d5704358

[SaintPaulWarrior]

Yes he did talk to Frozena but I do not want to say anymore.....I do not want to be accused of stealing info from a premium site and being called a felon or something.

[Ari Gold]

Aww I really wanted read the article. Someone can post it

[hoyasincebirth]

the way we normally get around insider info is to have someone send the article via pm. So if someone wants to pm the article around. I'd take one. I'm friend's with one of the Georgetown walk ons and would love to see if he was part of this.

[chren21]

Did I miss something?  Am I not supposed to copy the article and post it from insider?  I do not belive I pay for insider info so is that stealing?

[MU B2002]

Even Titus apologizes for the Insider article on his blog & facebook page.  I believe this is one of his first stories that was not free to read on his blog.


Oh well. 

[kryza]

[SalsaMan]

A sample of Titus' insight could make subscribers out of some of us. They should give us a freebie!

[furrious9]

I'd love pm of the article from someone as well

[MauraDay]

Hello, college basketball fans. My name is Mark Titus, a former member of the Ohio State Buckeyes. You may recall me from a blog I have called Club Trillion. You may better recall my practice nemesis, Evan Turner, who I affectionately call The Villain.



I'll be contributing to ESPN Insider periodically this season to help offer a player perspective on college hoops. To get things started, let's take a look at the Big East.



When I think of the Big East, I immediately think of a conference that's rich with iconic figures such as John Thompson and Luke Harangody's reverse mullet. I also think about how the Big East Tournament is almost as entertaining as the NCAA Tournament, mostly because it has about the same number of teams. The thing I don't think is that the Big East is the premier conference in college basketball. There are many reasons for this, the most relevant of which is that I don't know as much as I should about the Big East. In an effort to change my perception, I quizzed a handful of walk-ons from around the conference to get a better idea of the conference's best team, best student section, coolest tradition, least comfortable benches and more.




The best team: Pittsburgh Panthers


For the walk-ons of the Big East, the Panthers were nearly a unanimous decision -- and rightfully so. Not only do they return four starters from a 25-win team that tied for second in the conference last season, but as Pitt's starting center recently informed the media, everyone on this year's Pitt team can dunk, including 6-foot walk-on Nick Rivers. In my experience, when even a team's relatively-short walk-on can throw down it's usually a good indicator that the team is more athletic than most.



The best player: Austin Freeman, Georgetown Hoyas


As a junior last season, Freeman was the leading scorer for the Hoyas, even with the No. 7 overall pick in the NBA draft (Greg Monroe) as a teammate. Even more impressive, he managed to lead the Hoyas after his highly publicized diabetes diagnosis was announces toward the latter part of the season. This year, he will undoubtedly be the best college basketball player with diabetes since Adam Morrison, although most experts agree that he won't be able to grow a mustache nearly as awesome as Morrison's.



The best student section: Pitt


Even though "The Oakland Zoo" kind of sounds like a way of describing the entire Raiders organization in recent years, for the walk-ons of the Big East that joint represents the most formidable student section in the conference. With Pitt being the favorite to win the Big East title, it appears that coming away unscathed after facing The Zoo and the Panthers will be a rarity this season.



The coolest Big East tradition: West Virginia Mountaineers mascot shooting the musket


Having played at West Virginia last season, I can attest to this not only being the coolest tradition but one of the most intimidating. I knew exactly when every musket shot was about to happen, but each one still managed to completely startle me. The Mountaineer may want to leave the rifle at home when West Virginia plays Georgetown, though, because as Gilbert Arenas can attest bad things happen when you bring guns into Verizon Center.



The most attractive cheerleaders: South Florida Bulls


I could write a few sentences about how this pick isn't much of a surprise to me, but I'll instead let Rivers explain why this was the obvious choice for the walk-ons.



Key Questions
Insider is examining a few critical issues in several conferences to kick off the 2010-11 NCAA basketball season.

• ACC: Can Barnes make UNC elite?
• Big East: Is Pitt really an elite team?
• C-USA: Will UTEP fall off for Floyd?
• MVC: Can Northern Iowa do it again?

Blue Ribbon: Every team in-depth



"They know how to make them down south!"



Well said, Nick. Well said indeed.



Most comfortable bench: Seton Hall Pirates


Oddly, the South Orange pine also got a vote for least comfortable bench, which ultimately went to ...



Least comfortable bench: WVU


There are two problems in Morgnatown: The chairs the players sit on aren't cushioned enough and the passionate West Virginia fans made the entire experience unpleasant.



Syracuse's Nick Resavy said, "A few water bottles were thrown onto the court during our game. It was definitely not a very comfortable feeling."



The best road trip: Madison Square Garden for the conference tourney


It's hard to pick against a free trip to New York that can last almost a week. After all, there's so much to do in the Big Apple in between the tournament games. What makes the big city so enjoyable for the Big East walk-ons? Is it some of the best shopping in the world, the seemingly endless tourist attractions or maybe the chance to catch "Cats" on Broadway? Nope. It's the abundance of cheap and quickly prepared food throughout the city.



Marquette's Robert Frozena: "There is a McDonald's across the street, which is perfect for those late night McFlurry runs."



UConn's Kyle Bailey: "There are places to eat everywhere. McDonald's late and tacos during the day at Qdoba."



Rivers: "I can taste the gyro trucks now!"



The risers


These are some guys who were benchwarmers last year but figure to have a much bigger impact (or at least an impact) this season:



For the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Scott Martin is a candidate. "Scott has the most versatile game I've ever seen," Teammate, Tom Kopko, said. "Inside, outside and mid-range are all viable options for him. He's hungry, too. He's been out two years -- one for transfer rules and the other because of an ACL injury. I definitely see him capable of being a potential double-double threat on any given night."



At Marquette, look out for Erik Williams. Teammate Robert Frozena: "He will be a sophomore this season and has improved a lot from last year. He has gotten a lot stronger, and his mid-range game has improved immensely. He's very active, and will be crucial to the success of the team by coming into the game and giving us solid minutes while the starters are getting a breather."



Getty Images
Donnell Beverly could be a stud in Storrs this year.

For the Connecticut Huskies, check out Donnell Beverly. Bailey, who just won the Husky Fun Run (not normally won by walk-ons), said, "He has grown as a leader and player over the past four years, especially playing behind great players like Jerome Dyson, A.J. Price and Kemba Walker. Everyone on the team really looks to him. He has worked hard in the offseason and is mentally and physically ready to make a big impact."



Devin Hill could be an emergent stud for DePaul. His man Jimmy Drew said, "He didn't play a lot last year, but the different style of the new coaching staff will open things up for him."



For Pitt, watch out for Talib Zanna. The name is stellar enough, but Rivers -- he of gyro trucks fandom -- said, "He is a rebounding machine with a tremendous upside. He is finally getting comfortable in the system."



And with the Syracuse Orange, James Southerland could be a beast. Resavy told me, "James is a guy who can fill it up in a heartbeat. He has an incredible shot and he's creative with jump hooks in the lane, etc. He can also run down the floor and catch oops. He could be big for us this year if he continues to develop and fine tune his game. With Kris Joseph ready to start, we are going to need that 3 man off the bench, and James is primed for that spot."

[Spaniel with a Short Tail]

I feel the need to take a shower after reading this.

[MU B2002]

It is probably a good thing they made that an Insider article.  It might the least interesting piece Mark "Rainmaker" Titus has ever written. Granted it was basically an interview.  Thanks to indy for typing out the article from memory because that is safer than cut and paste.