The Freshman Phenom: Kevin Durant
This time last year all of the hype was about the 7-0 beast out of Indianapolis, Greg Oden; however, let us fast forward to present day and it's a young man out of Suitland, Maryland who is getting all of the attention. Ranked as the #2 recruit in the nation last year, Kevin Durant narrowed his list down to three teams but it would be Rick Barnes and the University of Texas who would come away victorious on signing day. Durant, a 6-9, 225 lb. guard-forward has established himself as the best freshman in all of the land and could quite possibly end up hoisting the Naismith Trophy by the end of the year.
Being compared to players like Kevin Garnett and Tracy McGrady makes the 18 year-old Durant a little uncomfortable as it's these players whom he has looked up to since he was a little boy. Although the humble freshman may not like being compared to his childhood idles, it's hard to ignore the similarities Kevin Durant brings to the hardwood. With his tall frame and 89 inch wingspan, Kevin has the ability to play shooting forward, power forward, and center, but don't let his size fool you into thinking all he can do is play the frontcourt. With his quick feet, amazing ball handling skills, and the ability to knock down the three ball with regularity, you can find Durant in the backcourt quite frequently as well. His inside presence matched with his unreal guard play makes Durant virtually un-defendable, and it is these credentials that have NBA scouts drooling over him.
With the only apparent weakness being his defensive play, a common hardship amongst freshman in division 1, Durant has been putting in extra hours with the Longhorns' coaching staff, all of whom have praised Durant for being a student of the game. Head coach Rick Barnes went as far as to say that Kevin's willingness to learn matched with his raw skills has made him into the most talented player that he has ever coached, a tall compliment considering the likes of LaMarcus Aldridge, T.J. Ford, and Daniel Gibson, all of whom were coached by Barnes.
One can argue that Durant's ridiculous numbers (25.4 ppg, 11.6 rpg, and 2.0 bpg) are a result of a lack of supporting cast, which is somewhat true. The Longhorns start four freshman in what looks to be Rick Barnes' youngest team of his coaching tenure; however, Durant is by no means hogging all the shots for himself. Part of the reason for Texas' mediocre season is that the young team has yet to find itself which has resulted in all of the younger players trying to take over games in a Jordan-like fashion. Durant has been called on to come up big in conference games this season by Coach Barnes with his most notable performance coming against Oklahoma State where he took over with an astounding 37 point performance in what turned out to be a 2OT loss in Oklahoma City.
At a mere 18 years of age, Kevin Durant's future couldn't be anymore bright. Averaging a double-double as a freshman, Durant looks to be the odds-on favorite for both the freshman of the year honors and the nation's top overall collegiate basketball player, the Naismith Award. With his proven ability to step up in clutch situations paired with his freakish talent and ability to play any position on the floor, Longhorn fans across the country are begging Durant to stick around for another season but their prayers are more than likely falling upon deaf ears. Durant is a man among boys in his very first year as a collegiate player and with his talent and drive to be the best I don't see him sticking around Austin for another year.
Make no mistake, I'm not taking anything away from Greg Oden as he has more than lived up to his hype, but I can not recall any freshman being more dominant than Kevin Durant has been in his first year campaign with the Longhorns. Not Allen Iverson, not Grant Hill, not even Carmello Anthony dominated the game as a freshman the way Durant has been dominating on a nightly basis. His talents are endless and his NBA-ready physique is a gift. Durant's solid moral character and mannerism is a rarity in basketball, and his work ethic and willingness to improve and learn are a coach's dream, but this is not a dream, this is history in the making.
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