COLUMN: Basketball to be proud of

From Andrew Exum's, "Perilous Orthodoxy," Fall '98 From Andrew Exum's, "Perilous Orthodoxy," Fall '98Much to my chagrin, Friday's Daily Pennsylvanian contained yet another article on the ongoing NBA lockout. It pointed out that what should have been Day 17 of the NBA season was instead Day 142 of the stand-off between the owners and players. The work stoppage has been painful and tiresome for the loyal fans who support the league. Still, I find the new Nike advertisement pretty amusing. If you haven't already seen it, the ad focuses in on New York Knicks fan and erstwhile film director Spike Lee sitting on the edge of a bleacher in a dimly lit gymnasium, watching a junior high school girls basketball game along with a dozen other people. As one girl passes down the court, Lee's trash-talk is relentless. "Where's your game, Regina Miller?" Lee yells out. It's as if he's court-side at Madison Square Garden yelling at Pacers guard Reggie Miller instead of the flustered adolescent. "Lucky shot," Lee chides the girl. "Shut up," the frustrated girl retorts. "You shut up," Lee fires back. The dialogue between Lee and the 13-year-old is as funny as it is absurd, and the commercial ends with Lee mocking the NBA catch phrase, pronouncing, "St. Ignatius eighth grade girls basketball is FAN-tastic!" Then the black screen exhorts, "Start the season. Soon." You can hardly blame Nike for wanting the NBA season underway already. I'm sure Nike Chief Executive Officer Phil Knight is losing all kinds of money without his endorsed athletes on the court helping him peddle $145 shoes to our nation's youth. Still, I empathize with all the basketball fans out there who want nothing more than to see their favorite teams back on the court. At the same time, however, I think the NBA lockout provides us with opportunities to look elsewhere for athletic entertainment. When major league baseball players went on strike a few years ago, I spent half the summer sitting in Engle Stadium watching my hometown Chattanooga Lookouts play minor league ball. In the same way, I'm perfectly content to spend my nights watching college basketball. For example, Penn's opponent last night, Temple, played an outstanding game against fifth-ranked Michigan State the other night, earning their one-point victory with a couple of free-throw shots after the final buzzer. Last night, in an equally thrilling game, Penn edged out the Owls in an overtime barn-burner. Games like these typify the collegiate season. When's the last time you saw fans rush the court and hug the players after a regular season NBA game? The best thing about watching the college game however, is that only a small minority of the players will ever bother us by playing in the NBA. Of course, many players do go on to the pros, but I remember seeing Latrell Sprewell, Chris Webber and Shaquille O'Neill all play in college and can attest to the fact that back then, they were just dynamic players that were fun to watch. They hadn't yet evolved into coach-chokers, delinquents and greedy superstars. If men's college basketball doesn't offer an appealing alternative to the pros, there's no reason not to try the excellent women's game. Being from Tennessee, I was raised on a healthy diet consisting more of women's basketball than men's. When the three-time defending national champion University of Tennessee Lady Vols lost for the first time in 45 games two weeks ago to Purdue, the everyone in the state went to bed that night unsure of whether the sun would rise the following morning. Despite the loss, this year's Lady Vols team is loaded with All-Americans and returning starters from last year's undefeated team. If you want to see crisp, fluid basketball, forget the First Union Center here in Philly and travel south to Thompson-Bowling Arena in Knoxville, where the women's crowd almost always out-sells the men's team, which is also nationally ranked. As an added bonus for your trip, coach Pat Summitt's team will treat you to tough team defense as well, something you would be hard-pressed to find in the professional ranks. Summitt, who owns six championship rings, was lauded last spring by Sports Illustrated as possibly the greatest college basketball coach since UCLA men's legend John Wooden. I think Penn coach Julie Soriero would be the first to admit that she's no Pat Summitt, but she has put together a good team this year, mixing returning starters with talented newcomers. Seeing as how it's unlikely you'll be making the trip to Knoxville anytime soon, I highly recommend you check out some women's games in the Palestra. The Quakers men's hoops team, of course, is picked by many to dethrone Princeton as this year's league champions, and with good reason. With a veteran backcourt and a solid front line, they should easily manhandle the rest of the Ivy League. That said, there's really no reason you should sit at home praying for an end to the NBA lockout. There's plenty of good basketball scheduled at the Palestra this season, involving both Penn and other members of the Big Five. Also, ESPN is filled every night with college teams made up of players who play for the love of the game and a chance to compete. That said, throw your Bulls jersey in the closet, fold up your Grant Hill poster and start enjoying the college game as much as its players do.