PCTI Players' Poll: #2 Actor

The Brat's Preamble: Since the very dawn of PCTI, it's always been clear that one player was superior. As the years go by, it seems that Actor has established himself as the clear cut number two option. And lets be clear, he's earned it. Actor has changed his game and his attitude through four PCTIs and has shown a drastic dedication to winning.

To understand Actor's rise, it helps to know his history. In high school he was a member of the vaunted Father Ryan system. He was hardwired to play defense, to only dribble when the purpose was clear and to sacrifice for the team. He grew from a little-used reserve on the freshman team to one of the top players in the league as a senior. Some will say that the Actor let the success that came with his ascension go to his head. It certainly didn't help that he started spending much of his time away from the court with the David Lipscomb crew who, for reasons known only to them, worshiped him like a pagan idol.

His career took him to Rhodes College, where he enjoyed new-founded offensive freedom (and far less pressure to defend) and became a stat-stuffing guard. His persona grew quickly on campus as evidenced by him having five buddies from Rhodes in every city in the country, despite the school having a microscopic number of undergraduates in its student body.

After toiling aimlessly for several years in the ubiquitous Thompson Industries, Joe set out with a dream and a cardigan to the City of Angels, shocking even his closest friends. That's when The Doctor became The Actor. The Actor committed to his craft with vigor and was eager to learn. Around this same time PCTI was conceived.

The man who showed up at the first few PCTI's was a true work in progress. Not only were his various backgrounds still melding, he was a working actor eager to try the craft in a foreign environment. It made for a volatile player who could dazzle, frustrate and seemed ready to burn to brightly and quit at any moment.

Years passed and Actor hardened to Hollywood. With it came not only an inner-peace but the need for a sanctum from the absurdities of Tinsel Town. What did he turn to? His old friend PCTI. At PCTI three he showed up in-shape and with no mention of retirement. Gone were many of the vaudeville-like distractions. With his perspective changed from years of toil, torment and success in LA, Actor had returned to his truest basketball form. The guy who many had not seen since he was 17 years old. A man hungry to compete and with the skills to change a game.

So what do you get with Actor nowadays? A combo guard with dynamic scoring ability, a competitor on defense and an athletic force on the glass. Actor has never been a playmaker but he makes up for it with an innate ability to stay just ahead of the flow of the game. In a typical ten possession sequence for the typical combo guard, he would look to score three or four times and create plays for others three or four times. The game would always be going through him. Actor rarely will make those sort of plays for others but he has an innate ability to choose when to try to make his three or four plays and when to stand aside and let the others on his team do their thing. The result is a guy who always seems to have control of the game but rarely is dominating the ball in a way that can hurt his teammates. 

Actor seems poised to have a successful run as PCTI's clear cut no. 2 (call him best supporting actor?) Can he ever challenge for the top spot? It's certainly possible.

Voting Breakdown: highest vote: 1, lowest vote: 7

Lifetime PCTI Record: 3-1, knocked from the ranks of the unbeaten after an unsuccessful captaincy in IIII.

Lifetime Stats: 10.6 ppg (6^th, a mere two points behind the Brat for fifth. Six guys average double figures), 4.8 rpg (7^th, the leader in a log jam of guys who rebound about the same. Five guys average between 4.5 and 4.8 rebounds a game), 23 steals (2^nd and every one of them coming on poke outs from behind), 8 blocks (6^th), 43 assists (6th) 42.4 percent shooting (7^th, very few guards shoot north of 40 percent in PCTI), 35.1 percent from three (trailing only Skillz and by a fraction, Sabin) and the all-important Sabin productivity number: 179 (5^th)

Lifetime Bests: 30 points! (PCTI III, game 4), 9 rebounds (PCTI I, game 5), 4 assists (multiple times)

Other Notes: The single-game scoring record and a nice round number to boot. Actor's 30 point game was a long range shooting display: 9 made threes on only 14 attempts. Actor has had a few dogs in his PCTI career, including an epic 2 points on 1-14 (0-7) shooting in the ribbon cutter, PCTI I, game one. But such is life for the few guys in PCTI who can find their own shot whenever they choose. Never underestimate the responsibility they have to make something out of nothing when the rest of us are standing around expecting them to score. Actor's PCTI IIII was rather pedestrian but there's no question that his metamorphosis in to a win at all costs competitor has impressed the brethren.

But there are still traces of Actor of Years Past. He finished second in the voting for Guy You Most Enjoy Seeing Lose (behind a former player, who won in a landslide). I am sure Actor delights in this honor. He received two votes for best teammate and one vote for playing above his ability. He did not receive a vote for Best Looking, probably because of his teethstick.