The first time I met Gary Parrish was on the radio. Like a lot of people in the radio business, you can develop relationships with guests without ever meeting them in person. I developed a quasi-friendship with Gary over the course of a year in the early 2000's in which he broke a major recruiting scandal at the University of Alabama. I was in my early 20's as was Gary and his work for the Memphis Commercial Appeal earned him national respect, and a death wish from certain Bama fans. My radio show on WUMP in Hunstville, AL was one of the first shows to get Gary on the air and he broke several angles to the Albert Means scandal with me.
After the scandal was over, CBSSports.com hired Gary to be one of their lead college basketball writers and our paths crossed again one afternoon in the service elevator at Scott Trade Center. I noticed Gary's media credential and finally was able to meet him face to face. It had been over 5 years since the Bama story broke and we ate lunch and talked about the Valley for an hour or so.
Gary was in St. Louis for Arch Madness and watched Doug McDermott throw up 33 points on Illinois State in the final. He was kind enough to be our next guest on "5 Questions."
1) Where do you rank Doug right now in terms of National Player of the Year and is he a 1st Team AA in your mind?
I would have him third right now -- just behind Anthony Davis and Thomas Robinson, just ahead of Draymond Green. He's really been terrific all season, particularly in the MVC Tournament title game. He makes that team ... but I'm not sure he'll be a First Team All-American. Honestly, I'd probably vote for him right now. But the way we do our teams at CBSSports.com is to have them built like real teams with a point guard, a shooting guard, a wing and two bigs. The point guard will probably be Kendall Marshall or Isaiah Canaan, the shooting guard Marcus Denmon. The bigs will be Thomas Robinson and Anthony Davis. So I think we'll be picking between Doug and Draymond for the final spot. I'd go with Doug right now. But I'm not sure my colleague Jeff Goodman would. So we'll probably argue, then decide.
2) What do you see as Creighton's biggest strength heading into March and what should their seed be?
The way the Bluejays shoot the ball makes them dangerous against anybody. Obviously, I'd like them to guard a little better, and I'm sure Greg would, too. But they're tough when they shoot it well. If they get hot, watch out. I could see Doug doing for Creighton what Steph Curry once did for Davidson.
3) Is the Valley the best Non-BCS league this year?
No, that's the Mountain West. Three teams that have been ranked at different times this season, probably four making the NCAA Tournament. That's a great non-BCS league. I love The Valley. But The Valley isn't the MWC, at least not this season.
4) Is Coach Mac's story a warning to other non-BCS coaches who are looking to move up?
I don't know if it's a warning, but it's a reminder to make sure you know where you're going and whether it fits you well because if it doesn't the high-major level can eat you up. Happens to good coaches all the time. But lots of times those guys are just chasing the big payday, and I don't blame them. I'll never tell a MVC coach not to go get $2 million a year from a BCS league. But you need to know the risks going in and be honest with yourself. The high-major level and all that it requires to be successful isn't for everybody. Clearly, Greg learned that pretty quickly.
5) Where does Arch Madness rank in terms of conference tourney's you have covered?
It's one of my favorites. Great fans. Fun basketball. And Doug Elgin is one of the good guys. I'm a big fan of his. I'd be happy to spend every year there, and I just might considering we now have multiple college basketball writers at CBSSports.com. In years past, I kinda had to be at Duke-UNC in that weekend. But there are more of us now, so I can pop up to St. Louis if I want, and I think I might want to more years than not.
CBS will announce the bracket on Sunday.
After the scandal was over, CBSSports.com hired Gary to be one of their lead college basketball writers and our paths crossed again one afternoon in the service elevator at Scott Trade Center. I noticed Gary's media credential and finally was able to meet him face to face. It had been over 5 years since the Bama story broke and we ate lunch and talked about the Valley for an hour or so.
Gary was in St. Louis for Arch Madness and watched Doug McDermott throw up 33 points on Illinois State in the final. He was kind enough to be our next guest on "5 Questions."
1) Where do you rank Doug right now in terms of National Player of the Year and is he a 1st Team AA in your mind?
I would have him third right now -- just behind Anthony Davis and Thomas Robinson, just ahead of Draymond Green. He's really been terrific all season, particularly in the MVC Tournament title game. He makes that team ... but I'm not sure he'll be a First Team All-American. Honestly, I'd probably vote for him right now. But the way we do our teams at CBSSports.com is to have them built like real teams with a point guard, a shooting guard, a wing and two bigs. The point guard will probably be Kendall Marshall or Isaiah Canaan, the shooting guard Marcus Denmon. The bigs will be Thomas Robinson and Anthony Davis. So I think we'll be picking between Doug and Draymond for the final spot. I'd go with Doug right now. But I'm not sure my colleague Jeff Goodman would. So we'll probably argue, then decide.
2) What do you see as Creighton's biggest strength heading into March and what should their seed be?
The way the Bluejays shoot the ball makes them dangerous against anybody. Obviously, I'd like them to guard a little better, and I'm sure Greg would, too. But they're tough when they shoot it well. If they get hot, watch out. I could see Doug doing for Creighton what Steph Curry once did for Davidson.
3) Is the Valley the best Non-BCS league this year?
No, that's the Mountain West. Three teams that have been ranked at different times this season, probably four making the NCAA Tournament. That's a great non-BCS league. I love The Valley. But The Valley isn't the MWC, at least not this season.
4) Is Coach Mac's story a warning to other non-BCS coaches who are looking to move up?
I don't know if it's a warning, but it's a reminder to make sure you know where you're going and whether it fits you well because if it doesn't the high-major level can eat you up. Happens to good coaches all the time. But lots of times those guys are just chasing the big payday, and I don't blame them. I'll never tell a MVC coach not to go get $2 million a year from a BCS league. But you need to know the risks going in and be honest with yourself. The high-major level and all that it requires to be successful isn't for everybody. Clearly, Greg learned that pretty quickly.
5) Where does Arch Madness rank in terms of conference tourney's you have covered?
It's one of my favorites. Great fans. Fun basketball. And Doug Elgin is one of the good guys. I'm a big fan of his. I'd be happy to spend every year there, and I just might considering we now have multiple college basketball writers at CBSSports.com. In years past, I kinda had to be at Duke-UNC in that weekend. But there are more of us now, so I can pop up to St. Louis if I want, and I think I might want to more years than not.
CBS will announce the bracket on Sunday.
