Boogie Takes the Spotlight

It really must be crazy to be on this year's basketball team. Last season at this time, the talk was all about Jeanine Edwards, Clyde being crazy and whether the team would eek into the tournament. Now the Cats are the #1 story in college basketball, are a topic on national talk shows every day and have the biggest star in the land. Well lets take that back, make it the two biggest stars in the land. Emerging from the shadows, headband and all, is the newest star on the national scene, Demarcus Cousins. We have been Boogie fans here all year. From the moment he asked KSR to give him a nickname, there was no doubt that he would be a website favorite. And yes, we knew he was very talented and could be a top player all season. But really, did anyone think he would be THIS good? Make no mistake, in the last three weeks, Boogie has been the best player in college basketball. Honestly, it really hasnt been close. In the last five games, he has been unstoppable offensively and has generally limited his foul trouble, keeping him on the floor longer and in more key situations. He has become the poster child for "AND ONE" finishes around the basket and has joined Patterson and Wall as one of the "ok he has the ball, we are ok" guys on the team. Did anyone outside of the Cousins dorm room see this coming? John Calipari certainly did not. While acknowledging his talent all year, Calipari admitted on Tuesday that he has never had a player improve more over the course of the year than Boogie. And then he added that he thinks Boogie is the best big man he has ever coached...and he coached Marcus Camby in college. Because he is playing with John Wall, and Wall has become Star #1 in college basketball, Cousins likely wont get the Player of the Year recognition he deserves. But those that matter are watching. An informal survey of the NBA types at the Ole Miss game suggest that if he can finish strong, no one will have made more money for himself this year than Boogie. He has gone from a guy that could have gotten a recommendation to return to college, to a person who could play himself to consideration for the #2 pick if he finishes the year strong. That is amazing. And by the way, he is the funniest guy to play at UK in years (along with Woo) and gives the best quotes in a generation. On a team with John Wall and Patrick Patterson, Cousins now gets more attention after games from the media than anyone. But as of now, that shouldnt be surprising. The media likes stars, and in the last two weeks the man they call Boogie has officially become one.