And the Strapping Jock Award Goes to...

Even though he lost the chance to make it into the Final Four, John Wall still wins our heart for Strapping Jock of the Month AGAIN, and trust me this is no sympathy vote. (This is a pretty big deal too, since no athlete has EVER been crowned SJTM twice!) If you have been hibernating for all of winter, John Wall is currently a freshman playing for the University of Kentucky Wildcats and, as of now, is ranked the #1 top prospect for the 2010 NBA Draft.

In my opinion, John Wall is the next big thing. At first glance, I thought "him?" He is no Shaq in size, has no signature dunk like Michael, but rather, speed is his secret weapon. As he flies down the court plowing through defense, he scores, and follows through with his own "John Wall Dance." That's when I get it. This kid is going to take over the basketball world. He has already graced the cover of Sports Illustrated, won ESPN player of the week in his first collegiate week, and broken nearly every UK record. Not to mention, he has his own alcoholic beverage named after him: a shot of blue raspberry vodka, sour mix and sprite. Mmmmm almost as delicious as he is!

With having the looks and speed to kill, it's no wonder John Wall may leave UK to enter the NBA draft. He has taken the entire sports world by charm. UK's Coach Caliapri calls him the "perfect player" that is just a "good guy." I don't know what more we can ask for in an SJTM. Possibly date one of us? I guess next time I'm down in Lexington "visiting my boyfriend" I'll do some serious stalking and go in for the kill myself.

March Madness: East Region Preview...

Besides Kansas, there isn't a team in the country as talented as the Kentucky Wildcats. The three-headed monster of John Wall, Demarcus Cousins, and Patrick Patterson is as good, if not better than any other threesome in the nation. Their road to the Elite Eight shouldn't be that difficult either. They'll face the winner of the Texas-Wake Forest game (the only important aspect of this game is that we find out which team wins the Choke of the Year Award). Then, in the Sweet 16, they will play powerhouses such as Temple, Cornell, or Wisconsin (sorry Wofford, it's nothing personal). Maybe one of these teams plays with the Wildcats for a half. But there are no gamebreakers that can steal a game's momentum like those that Kentucky has. The bottom half of this region should be a little more interesting. West Virginia is a very dangerous team that is not only capable of knocking off Kentucky, but winning the whole tournament. They were the first #2 seed, meaning that they will be motivated to prove to the committee that winning the Big East Tournament should have been enough for a #1 seed. A potential Kentucky-WVU Elite 8 matchup would certainly give the fans their money's worth.

Other observations on the region:
-Wow, a week ago, people were thinking that Washington might not make the tournament. Now, they have a fairly easy road to the Sweet 16. Washington has always had many athletic players such as Quincy Pondexter and Isaiah Thomas, but has struggled against teams with size. Neither Marquette nor New Mexico has much height, so in battles of fairly equivalent athletic teams, it might be wise to go with the one playing in a relatively familiar area (San Jose) that isn't miles across the country.
-Everyone loves picking those 5-12 upsets, but don't get too excited about this one. Temple coach Fran Dunphy used to coach at Penn, so he knows all about Cornell and what they are capable of. His team has also proved that they are quite the formidable opponent, beating Villanova earlier this season and winning the A-10 regular season and conference titles.

For many people, it's pretty set in stone that Coach Calipari and Coach Huggins will get an opportunity to renew their old C-USA rivalries. The questions is, who do you pick? Both teams have clutch players (Wall and WVU's Da'Sean Butler) and solid supporting casts. Both are also pretty young teams that are coming off of thrilling conference championship victories. But Kentucky has already grown up so much this year that I think by this point they will be cohesive and too much to handle. And that's bad news for a somewhat under-sized WVU team. Plus, the John Wall dance must live on!

And the Strapping Jock Award Goes to...

He commanded the attention of ESPN when he became ranked both 5th best point guard in the country his senior year of high school and National Player of the Week his first week on the college court. Now, John Wall has also caught the eye of the ladies at Curves Change Up Ball, who have crowned him January’s Strapping Jock of the Month. (Truth be told we may have been noticing for slightly more… physical… reasons.) The studly North Carolina native has already broken a handful of records during his first season at the University of Kentucky, leading his team to a thus-far undefeated season. Sadly, though, it was recently announced that Mr. Wall may go AWOL after just one college season to pursue playing in the NBA. While we’re sure the Kentucky girls will miss his rockin’ bod running around getting hot and sweaty on the court, all hope is not lost for the rest of his fans: NBA games generally get more TV coverage anyways.