Somehow, the many of many nicknames has managed to keep a relatively low profile on the court despite constantly being in the PCTI (German) spotlight. I'm here to make a point that some people appear to be missing...
Sure, not a single one of Hops on court skills are redeeming on paper. Think about it. Is he known for his shooting? No (I actually will debate this with anyone since I spent three years at UT with him, all of which he didn't miss a jumper). Is he known for his rebounding? No. Is he known for his passing? No. Is he known for his defense? Well, yes (but I think it's the worst part of his game).
So yeah, Hops is not known for anything outside of being a glue guy. Because of that, people have forgotten that he is the only guy in PCTI history that in my eyes has single handily won two games for his team (PCTI2 Game 2 and PCTI3 Game 2). He seems to make shots at all the right times. The rebounds he gets are difficult ones and mostly offensive, not the easy defensive boards that people pad stats with. He sets fantastic screens with his huge ass. He draws the defense with his methodical drives to the hoop. He keeps people focused, even when he could barely drag himself on the court for his PCTI 1 and 2 Sunday games.
Everyone has always known Hops is a world class role player. What you can't measure is his statistical production in key moments, something that should be comparable to the most important stat in baseball, batting average with runners in scoring position.
It will be interesting to see if the captain's start recognizing the big game (David) flair that comes with Anthony Hopkins.
Big Shot Bob. Big Shot Hop.
If you took Justin Bieber's haircut and combined it with Dr. J's majestic 70s afro from the ABA days, would you approach the awesomeness of Hops' hair in this photo?
ReplyDelete