The Brat's Preamble: Perhaps what you
remember about PCTIs of years past is how you view BenWilson within the PCTI hierarchy. Either
way, frankly, right now it's not very favorable. I think it's fair to say
that our (sometimes) bearded hero is at a career crossroads as he
faces a winless record and now a pair of unsavory superlatives from the
brethren.
In the most lopsided vote of all the
categories, BenWilson is the player who has played most under his
ability. To put it in a way that really hits home, there are more
people who think BenWilson is historically disappointing than who
think Beas is the best looking or who derive the most pleasure out of seeing
Pitto lose. And PCTI wasn't done piling on. The brethren also picked
BenWilson as the most overrated player.
Those who consider him overrated may
not remember the monster that BenWilson was in the Kentucky PCTIs.
Those who consider him most disappointing may remember those two
years (especially PCTI I) all too well and are wondering where that production has gone in the two PCTIs since then. Either way, the
vast majority seem to be in agreement on this: there's all sorts of pressure on
Osama Bin Wilson to redeem himself heading in to Denver.
Voting Breakdown: highest vote: 2,
lowest vote: 14. This matches the two guys who got a 3-15 (One was
Ahop, the other has yet to appear on the list) as the widest variance.
This isn't too much of a surprise as BenWilson appears to be among PCTIs
most polarizing players at the moment.
PCTI Liftetime Record: 0-4. This stat
will take on more significance as the years go by but right now, the
only way it matters is if there's a zero on either side of the dash.
This is a huge storyline going in to PCTI V and one Ben has to shoulder alone after attrition claimed Sabin.
Lifetime Stats: 11.7 ppg (2nd,
it's a very close three way battle for PCTI's second best scorer.
BenWilson is only 8 points up on fourth), 6.4 rpg (5th,
few probably think of BenWilson as a rebounder yet he's mere three
rebounds behind Bruiser for fourth), 14 steals (t-9, with his buddy
Danie), 3 blocks (t-11, with his buddy the Swashbuckler), 39 assists
(7th), 34.7 percent shooting (12th, ahead of
the Swashbuckler by a fraction), 26.7 percent from three (10th)
and the all-important Sabin Productivity number: 126 (8th)
Lifetime Bests: 29 points! (PCTI 1,
game 2 second all-time only to Actor's 30 point game in KD 4), 13 rebounds
(PCTI 2, game 1), 4 assists (multiple times)
Other Notes: BenWilson has put up some
monstrous games. He's a much better rebounder than I realized and
interestingly many of his best rebounding games have come when he's
been scoring at a high rate. It's clear that Ben's motor runs best at the beginning of the weekends and goes to another notch when he's finding it easy to score. He had 27 points (on 22 shots!) in his
13 rebound game to open PCTI II. He also has a 22 and 11 line under
his belt. I'd be remiss if I didn't also point out that in PCTI II,
game three, BenWilson put together an 0-11, zero points masterpiece.
As far as scoring goes, he has PCTI's second best game and arguably
its worst.
Here's the four PCTIs set side-by-side.
Obviously if he could ever replicate PCTI I, he'd be a shoe-in top
three player. Few would complain about the output from PCTI II, as
well. While many guys get absolved from their sins as time marches onward, BenWilson is
still seen by many as a scapegoat for the KD and perhaps rightfully so. A guy
who had 29 and 27 point games in the first two PCTIs scored 31 points
for the weekend after being a lottery pick for Sabin. Then there was last season, 10 and 6 is always a
solid contribution but the field goal percentage again was troubling as it showed no signs of
improvement from the KD.
PCTI I: 15/6/44%
PCTI II: 13/8/34%
PCTI III: 8/5/29%
PCTI IV 10/6/30%
BenWilson got a startling 59 percent of
the vote for most disappointing and 30 percent of the vote for most
overrated. Someone takes special delight in the losing streak and
voted BenWilson as the person he most enjoys watching lose. He got
one vote for best off-court talents and – unlike his boy DTOMFS –
got a vote for best looking.
As someone who did not know Ben before PCTI, I should start by saying that I have always found him to be pleasant, fun, and in good spirits. I can't remember a time that he has been down, with maybe a forgiving nod to his technical foul in KD. His personality is one of being almost universally beloved by others in PCTI, and this is also perhaps a reason that other players have been slow to criticize his on-floor performances. As for me, I can say that he is an asset to our league and that we are all better off for sharing his association.
ReplyDeleteTo basketball...A quick glance at PCTI's lifetime stats makes the argument that Ben has been a top producer in PCTI: 2nd in FG made, 4th in 3FG made, 2nd in FT made, and 5th in total rebounds. However, factoring in lifetime shooting splits of 34/26/60, it is hard to justify the number of shooting attempts and usage rate he employs.
I have also heard several BW defenders make claims of his past unstoppability, especially during college years and beyond. No one doubts these claims given that we see flashes of the spectacular from him now and again, but the greater truth is that we all get judged by our PCTI peers based on current production and ability, not what we once were in our primes.
My perception is that some still cling to a nostalgic view of Ben as dominating ballplayer instead of a more current and critical review which appraises him as an inefficient volume scorer. I, for one, have always thought that Ben was the type of player who could lead PCTI in assists if he chose to. Maybe total points created is a better way to say it. His blend of creativity, IQ, size, relative quickness, and passing ability make him a natural to lead his team's facilitating efforts. But it also seems that he comes into PCTI with an agenda to score, and this perhaps has been his undoing for 3 seasons. My hope is that Ben can return to the kind of form we saw in PCTI 1, and to the kind of form other players saw before that.
I, fur won, no that Bin cruches mysspelling better than n-e-won in PCTI. It's outstanding.
ReplyDeleteThe RB (ask Ben what it stands for) story/joke is still legendary in my book. Funniest I've laughed in awhile. His off-the-court get up is definitely top 2.
I've only gotten to play with him once but he's still the scariest player outside of Abe in PCTI for his streakiness.
What the hell is the world coming to that he got a vote for best looking. As Ben says, "WOOF."
ReplyDelete