** The hour is late, but the Panthers are more than worthy of some after midnight words.
** I doubt this slightly abbreviated version will do everyone justice, so apologies in advance.
** But we must start with 104.
** Not only does Blake now have the season three point record along with his others, he’s now blown it away with plenty of basketball yet to be played.
** Beyond his long bombs though, we’ve had the pleasure of watching the finest Panther single season since a couple of guys named Sam and Fella rocked the court.
** It’s been that good. A better season than Ashton’s, Brad’s, Lamar’s Justin’s or Jamarius.’ And those seasons were pretty darn good.
** But what we will miss most after this season is over is Blake’s character. That is, he is a character who has character. And his character was on full display this late night early on from his egging on the crowd following Bub’s tussle, to his delightful little dance to highlight a Seminole travel call.
** And when that first Blake bomb goes down like it did tonight is when Blake’s character shows the most. He’s been a leader with his play, his personality and his poise.
** All of the Panthers came to play this night with their fullest spirit and energy, but Jaland was the certainly the guy who made us go. All of his double digit assists were worthy, and he’s playing the point at a level that we perhaps have not seen since the aforementioned Sam and Fella rocked the court.
** And that floater of his might be the finest we’ve seen from a Panther since a guy named Jaron.
** For the record, Jaland is now averaging 12.2 PPG in ACC play, and has scored in double figures in 13 of his last 14 contests.
** But this was a team win in all ways shapes and forms and all of our Panthers were on the same page offensively.
** Just a week ago, somehow the guys managed just 4 assists. But they’ve followed that up by dishing 20 two games in a row.
** This night, we got points inside and out perhaps more than any game we’ve seen this year. We created offense instead of just creating shots. There’s still plenty of one on one play, but a chunk of that is now by design with matchups we know we can win.
** This wasn’t a stellar defensive contest from our Panthers. But it was a feisty and physical contest from which the Panthers never backed down.
** But let’s move onto the work that has been done from our once maligned Coach Capel.
** Even I suggested early in January that his work last year may have been just a fluke. We all know now that any such suggestion was dead wrong.
** What was frustrating about Capel's teams in his first four years was how those teams faltered down the stretch. What we have seen from Capel’s teams in his last two years are groups who have improved over the course of the year. His 10-3 record of late, after the 1-5 ACC start is nothing short of remarkable.
** Last year, Jeff Capel was named ACC Coach of the Year, an honor he certainly deserved. He won’t receive this recognition this year. But I have no problem suggesting the work he’s done this year has topped what he accomplished last year.
** So we go into the final games before the NCAA Tournament with our post season fate still hanging in the balance. Personally, I still believe we need to pick up a win Saturday and two in Washington DC for our name to be called on Selection Sunday.
** But if we play in the ACC tournament the way we’ve played the last two games, winning at least two in that tournament may not be such a tall task.
** Still, even if we end up on the wrong side of the bubble, I feel more than comfortable suggesting that the team we’ve watched over the last two games, and really over the last 13 games, is one of the best 40 teams in the country. Maybe a fair bit better than that.
** So let’s all join at the Pete on Saturday to end this fine Panther regular season, and even finer Blake Hinson season with our greatest level of appreciation. They all deserve every bit of it.
** I doubt this slightly abbreviated version will do everyone justice, so apologies in advance.
** But we must start with 104.
** Not only does Blake now have the season three point record along with his others, he’s now blown it away with plenty of basketball yet to be played.
** Beyond his long bombs though, we’ve had the pleasure of watching the finest Panther single season since a couple of guys named Sam and Fella rocked the court.
** It’s been that good. A better season than Ashton’s, Brad’s, Lamar’s Justin’s or Jamarius.’ And those seasons were pretty darn good.
** But what we will miss most after this season is over is Blake’s character. That is, he is a character who has character. And his character was on full display this late night early on from his egging on the crowd following Bub’s tussle, to his delightful little dance to highlight a Seminole travel call.
** And when that first Blake bomb goes down like it did tonight is when Blake’s character shows the most. He’s been a leader with his play, his personality and his poise.
** All of the Panthers came to play this night with their fullest spirit and energy, but Jaland was the certainly the guy who made us go. All of his double digit assists were worthy, and he’s playing the point at a level that we perhaps have not seen since the aforementioned Sam and Fella rocked the court.
** And that floater of his might be the finest we’ve seen from a Panther since a guy named Jaron.
** For the record, Jaland is now averaging 12.2 PPG in ACC play, and has scored in double figures in 13 of his last 14 contests.
** But this was a team win in all ways shapes and forms and all of our Panthers were on the same page offensively.
** Just a week ago, somehow the guys managed just 4 assists. But they’ve followed that up by dishing 20 two games in a row.
** This night, we got points inside and out perhaps more than any game we’ve seen this year. We created offense instead of just creating shots. There’s still plenty of one on one play, but a chunk of that is now by design with matchups we know we can win.
** This wasn’t a stellar defensive contest from our Panthers. But it was a feisty and physical contest from which the Panthers never backed down.
** But let’s move onto the work that has been done from our once maligned Coach Capel.
** Even I suggested early in January that his work last year may have been just a fluke. We all know now that any such suggestion was dead wrong.
** What was frustrating about Capel's teams in his first four years was how those teams faltered down the stretch. What we have seen from Capel’s teams in his last two years are groups who have improved over the course of the year. His 10-3 record of late, after the 1-5 ACC start is nothing short of remarkable.
** Last year, Jeff Capel was named ACC Coach of the Year, an honor he certainly deserved. He won’t receive this recognition this year. But I have no problem suggesting the work he’s done this year has topped what he accomplished last year.
** So we go into the final games before the NCAA Tournament with our post season fate still hanging in the balance. Personally, I still believe we need to pick up a win Saturday and two in Washington DC for our name to be called on Selection Sunday.
** But if we play in the ACC tournament the way we’ve played the last two games, winning at least two in that tournament may not be such a tall task.
** Still, even if we end up on the wrong side of the bubble, I feel more than comfortable suggesting that the team we’ve watched over the last two games, and really over the last 13 games, is one of the best 40 teams in the country. Maybe a fair bit better than that.
** So let’s all join at the Pete on Saturday to end this fine Panther regular season, and even finer Blake Hinson season with our greatest level of appreciation. They all deserve every bit of it.
