Re: Tinsley

[Hironaka <j.hironaka@unesco.org>]

Gene Kirkpatrick wrote:

> I saw Tinsley's second half last night.  He was good, especially when
> he drove full-court to lay almost-in the winning basket.  He just
> missed it.  But his passing and outside shooting and getting into the
> lane and unselfishness are good enough.  His composure is fine.  I
> have some doubts, but I think he had a great first half of a senior
> year and faded mainly because his teammates couldn't step up with him
> (they needed production from two excellent freshmen and didn't get it
> down the stretch).  I think he will be able to step it up with better
> competition.  I'd still go with him at 10.  He has the body, the cool,
> and real talent.  Then add Haywood or the best player/swingman next.
>
> Enjoying the tournament; got most of them right yesterday.  Missed on
> Ia. State, Ga., Ind., and Arkansas.  Cheers,  Gene

I was checking out Tinsley's stats since I hear so much about him on this
list but know pitifully little about him.  A Brooklyn native who competed
against the likes of Stephon Marbury and Ed Cota, he never played high
school ball. Tinsley was a Rucker League star with the nickname "the
abuser". According to his AAU coach, he attended only a month-and-a-half
of classes over an 8 semester span (and that wasn't because he was busy
working on his Westinghouse science project). On the court, in his last
Juco season at Mount San Jacinto, he did his best Oscar Robertson
imitation by averaging 22 points, nine assists, nine rebounds and five
steals per game. That's pretty much a triple-double average for a
powerhouse Juco program.

One odd thing about this season, though, was that he had six games this
season with 7 or fewer points and six more with 3 or fewer assists. I
can't explain the cause of that inconsistency because I don't follow that
team. He's had some monster games though.

Below is what "Hoops R Us" Web site has to say about him:

Has the ballhandling and athleticism to do damage as a scorer, though he
is an undependable shooter on the perimeter Marvelous handle, uses
crossover and spin dribble as well as ball fakes to get a step on his
defender
- Truly incredible as a finisher, smooth when he needs to be smooth,
explosive when he needs to be explosive
- Great speed, collected in the open court -Doesn't have a full enough
shooting rotation and instead almost flicks the ball to the basket with a
quick release
- This makes for poor accuracy from anywhere on the floor, especially from
long-range or off the dribble
- Great in his recognitions, exceptional as a downcourt and crosscourt
passer
- Makes extraordinarily quick feeds off his reads, getting teammates the
ball before the play is finished developing
- Often tries to do too much looking for assists and overaggressiveness
leads to turnovers -Very alert on defense, reading the passing lanes for
steals and initiating the break

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Here also is the ESPN scouting report of Brendan Haywood, the other guy
Gene mentioned in his post. I would think a guy his size would almost
surely go in the top ten. If he develops at the rate of Tar Heal alum
Rasheed Wallace, that would be something.

Brendan Haywood
Center | #0 | Senior | Roster
Height: 7-0
Weight: 264 lbs.
Hometown: Greensboro, NC
Considered a project when he arrived in Chapel Hill, is slowly learning
how to harness his natural physical abilities ... As a specimen and as an
athlete, reminds of a larger version of a young Chris Webber ... Probably
gets high-percentage shots around the basket better than anyone in the
country ... Dynamic as a finisher, has great size and mobility ...
Tremendous pair of hands ... Hangs in the air and adjusts his shot
accordingly to kiss it off the glass ... Superb touch ... Excellent
quickness in his body rotation on spins ... Holds off his man on the front
for easy layups off lobs ... Uses his pivot foot very well, especially on
the up and under ... Remarkable ability to move such a big body so well
... Needs to give his teammates a wider target in the post, as he will
establish a narrow base in his setup .. Rebounding skills are good, but
considering his natural ability, one would think he would be more
productive than he is ... The upside to his game is scary, a lot of NBA
scouts have their eyes fixed on his development ... Highly- recruited out
of high school, though it should be said he wasn't as dominate as one
would think he would be at the prep level.

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