Unfortunately, my favorite team in the NCAA tournament will not be making the trip to the Elite 8 this year. This is fortunate for my brackets, which have Kansas beating Georgetown in the championship game. It’s still a bummer, though. The refs sucked. Those Salukis really grew on me, and it was nice to have a team representin’ for the ILL.
It’s also a bummer because I just realized that Jamaal Tatum is the new Gilbert Arenas.
He recently rigged a trashcan filled with water to fall on an “unsuspecting teammate”; he performed a rap song he wrote when he was in high school over the SIU Arena intercom; he plays “Name that Tune” with Pink Floyd songs; he makes teammates roll their eyes with his antics but also makes everyone laugh; he runs fast as hell, has an incredible work ethic, and kicks some serious ass on the basketball court.
That’s just the kind of awesome that makes me love an athlete. It’s one thing to be good at what you do. It’s another thing to be good at what you do and be such an amazing, funny, cool person who has fun with everything and really just gets it. Oh and also, he’s hot.
You know what would kick ass? If he got drafted and played for the Nuggets next year. I could just see Tatum hanging out with Reggie Evans and playing tricks on teammates and Rocky the mascot. He also would bring something magical to the Nuggets — the ability to play defense consistently and well.
Links:
St Louis Post-Dispatch profile
Chicago Tribune article
Jamaal Tatum Saluki profile
ESPN player card.
In other news, Iowa hoops coach Steve Alford is leaving the Hawkeyes and heading for New Mexico. Have fun, dude. I hope they can round up a coach who doesn’t suck and win some games next year.
