LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Call off the search, because it's over. We found college basketball's next dominant big man playing for Kentucky.
Not Randolph Morris, though the 6-foot-10 Morris is a fine freshman and probably will be a super sophomore.
|
|
| At 7-3 Kentucky's Shagari Alleyne causes havoc for anyone who enters the lane. (Getty Images) |
Alleyne was the difference Saturday in No. 10 Kentucky's 73-58 victory against Indiana at Freedom Hall, where 20,084 fans saw his debut into college basketball relevance.
"I just did my job, what Coach (Tubby) Smith asked me to do," Alleyne said in his quiet baritone. "Block shots, rebound and score. That's it."
Alleyne makes it sound easy. Makes it look easy, too. He had 10 points, five rebounds and four blocked shots against Indiana, and his impact was far greater. Ten times a Hoosier tried to score over Alleyne. The result was four blocks, five misses and one foul.
In the best of circumstances Indiana doesn't have much of an inside game, but when Alleyne was on the floor Saturday, the Hoosiers had almost zero. During his 21 minutes, Indiana received three points from its big men, all from freshman D.J. White.
Think about that. For half the game, Alleyne essentially shortened Indiana's half of the court from 47 feet to 30 feet -- and the missing 17 feet were the ones closest to the basket.
"He's like the Empire State Building," Indiana coach Mike Davis said.
Wrong borough, but right analogy. Last season Alleyne came to Kentucky out of the Bronx, all knees and elbows but no muscle. He had 14 points, 12 rebounds, four blocks. ... All season.
Now a sophomore, Alleyne is up to 271 pounds after adding some muscle to those elbows. Ask Indiana freshman Robert Vaden, whose reward for running around an Alleyne screen was an elbow to the kisser. It looked unintentional, and probably was. On most screens, the defender's head connects with the screener's shoulder.
Poor Vaden. Alleyne's elbow is located where most people have a shoulder.
In the opening five minutes with Indiana fired up and racing to a 13-4 lead, Alleyne -- Kentucky's first substitute -- kept the Wildcats within range by blocking two shots. The first was a 3-pointer by Marshall Strickland. The second was a short-range jumper by White, who tried to pump-fake Alleyne into the air. Alleyne didn't leave his feet. White then tried a jumper, which Alleyne swatted -- again, without leaving his feet.
