Friday, February 18, 2011
Posted: 1:29 p.m.
By Dave Zeitlin
CSNPhilly.com Contributor
Its been a season of self-discovery for Andrew Scootie Randall, but theres still at least one thing the Temple junior cant quite figure:
Why is he called Scootie?
Its a nickname my mom gave me since birth, said Randall on Wednesday, from the home locker room of the Liacouras Center. I asked her about it but she said she doesnt know if she wants to tell me. So Im still waiting on that.
The mystery or his nicknames origin may still be unsolved, but there are few other question marks surrounding Randall, who, after two seasons of toiling in relative obscurity on the Temple bench, has enjoyed a renaissance in 2010-11.
The 6-foot-6 junior forward has been a fixture in Temples starting lineup throughout the season, and has recently emerged as a much-needed scorer for the No. 23 Owls (20-5 overall, 10-2 Atlantic 10), who routed a strong Richmond squad, 73-53, on Thursday.
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Randall is second on the squad in scoring (11.6 points per game), second in field goal percentage (.498) and third in rebounding (5.1 rpg).
I think the great story behind Scootie is he didnt get that much of an opportunity to play his freshman and sophomore year and now hes made the most of his opportunity in this, his junior year, Temple head coach Fran Dunphy said.
Hes scoring, hes defending, hes rebounding, hes turning the ball over very, very little, which is part of the reason he didnt play as much the first couple of years. Hes just doing a really good job and is as solid as we could have ever imagined. He has a lot to do with our record at this point.
Of course, it shouldnt come as too much of a surprise how much of an impact Randall is making in college, considering how special of a high school basketball player he was. A born-and-bred Philly star, Randall led Communications Tech to the Philadelphia Public School League title in 2008, and was named the Public League MVP and the Pennsylvania Class AAA Player of the Year.
But despite his impressive pedigree, nothing was handed to him when he arrived at Temple. And as each game passed with him sitting on the bench, the Philly native said some people were pressuring him to go somewhere else where he could get more playing time. Randall, though, didnt listen.
You know, I was surprised, Randall admitted about not playing much his first two seasons. But there were guys in front of me with more experience. And with me waiting, I learned a lot from those guys. I always had people in my ear saying this and that. Personally, it was my decision at the end of the dayand my decision was to stay here and learn from those guys and play under Coach Dunphy, who I always wanted to play for.
Randalls patience is fitting for a player whos never been a prima donna on the court. While growing up and playing ball on the Philly playgrounds and recreation centers against guys like Villanovas Maalik Wayns and La Salles Aaric Murray, Randall learned lessons in toughness, perseverance and humility.
I was an OK player but there was always room to get better, Randall said. I never thought to myself that I was better than I was. I always told myself I did things wrong when I probably didnt. I was always putting myself down to make myself a better player.
The hard work paid big dividends, first in allowing Randall to sign on with a high-level Division I program in his home city, and now in giving him the opportunity to make a name for himself with the Temple program while playing in front of family and friends.
A good teammate, Randalls loudness on the court helps organize the team on the defensive end. And his scoring touch will be especially vital now that the team has lost another member of the starting frontcourt, Micheal Eric, for the rest of the season with a fractured right patella.
For me, Im needed more with my team, Randall said. They depend on me more than just defense. They look at me to shoot the ball because they know I can shoot. Im giving them something to look forward to. Ive been a leader this whole year and I think Ill continue to be a leader throughout the rest of the season and next season.
When the Bell rolls
Just as it looked like Villanova (20-6 overall, 8-5 Big East) might drop its third straight game, little-known freshman James Bell came to the rescue.
Coming into Tuesdays game against Seton Hall, Bell had only scored 31 points on the season, but he scored 21 points to lead the Wildcats to a much-needed 60-57 win over the Pirates.
Villanova head coach Jay Wright said after that game that starting guard Corey Stokes may be out through the rest of the month with turf toe, so Bell may be asked to keep producing.
The 6-5 freshman was a big-time national recruit coming out of Montverde Academy in Florida, so he could very well be up for the challenge. But at the same time, Bell also had a metal rods inserted into both of his legs in August after he was diagnosed with stress fractures in his tibias.
Well find out if Bell stays hot and if Nova can build a winning streak when the Wildcats play a road game Saturday at noon vs. DePaul before hosting Syracuse on Monday at 7 p.m. at the Wells Fargo Center.
The home stretch
ESPNs BracketBusters, which pits NCAA tournament hopefuls against each other over the next three days, is designed to give teams a better shot of making the Big Dance.
Drexel was invited to participate in the event and will host Kent State at 9 p.m. Friday in a game televised on ESPNUbut even the most loyal Dragons supporters would probably concede an at-large berth to the NCAA tournament is slim.
Following Tuesdays loss to UNC-Wilmington, Drexel (17-9 overall, 9-7 Colonial Athletic Association) is ranked 81 in the RPI and 101 in the Pomeroy Ratings.
Still, a win over a strong Kent State squad tonight, followed by a victory over an even stronger VCU team Wednesday at home, would certainly help the Dragons NCAA rsum as the CAA tournament draws nearer.
The only way for two other city teams to make the Big Dance is to win their conference tournaments, although its very much a long shot for both La Salle and St. Joes.
La Salle (12-14 overall, 4-7 Atlantic 10), which is coming off an ugly 82-61 loss to St. Bonaventure this pat Saturday and next plays George Washington this Saturday (Tom Gola Arena, 7 p.m), is jockeying to finish in the top eight in the conference, so it can host a first-round game in the Atlantic 10 tourney. The Explorers are currently in 10th place but within striking distance.
St. Joes (7-18, 2-9), meanwhile, is just hoping to finish in the top 12 in Atlantic 10 so it can qualify for the conference tournament. The Hawks, who saw their modest two-game win streak snapped by Xavier on Wednesday, are tied with Charlotte in 12th place in the 14-team league. They face Big 5 rival Temple on Sunday at 4 p.m. at the Liacouras Center.
And then theres Penn, which cant rely on a conference tournament to get into the Big Dance since the Ivy League does not have one. Instead, the Quakers (9-12, 3-4) need to finish in first in the league during the regular season to go dancingand thats all but impossible now that theyve lost four straight, including three consecutive overtime heartbreakers.
Penn, which had high hopes after staring 3-0 in the league, will try to get back on track this weekend with road games against Brown and Yale.
Six in the City is a weekly feature on the citys six Division I college basketball programs written by CSNPhilly.com contributor Dave Zeitlin. You can email him at djzeitlin@gmail.com