By
Brett Erickson
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Remember this one from Eugene Edgerson?
"It is unacceptable for us not to win the championship, we are just too talented of a team. It would be short change if we don't win a championship."
Or how about this beauty, courtesy of Loren Woods:
"We definitely have the bull's eye on our chest, so now I think we just have to come out every single game and establish the attitude that we're trying to crush every single opponent that's in our way."
Well, unless you spent the holiday season in Gila Bend, the fact that the UA basketball team is heading up you-know-what creek without a paddle is old news. The bull's eye is long gone, as the team more resembles a matador being charged by the bull.
Once ranked No. 1 in every preseason poll on the planet, the Wildcats have since dropped five games and fallen to 21st in the latest Associated Press rankings. With the always competitive Pac-10 schedule now underway, things will not get easier.
So, everyone wants to know what the team's real problem is as the real season progresses. Hell, if I could answer that, I wouldn't be stressing about where I'm going to live once this whole college thing ends in May. Regarding the X's and O's, I don't know anything about what's preventing the team from being able to win the tough games down the stretch.
But other aspects of the team's struggles are not terribly difficult to figure out.
For starters, the attitude being shown on the court sucks.
Nothing demonstrates this better than Woods' blowup in last Thursday's game against California after he was whistled for a foul that he thought was questionable. If you actually want to know what he thought about the call, watch the replay and read his lips. Anyway, Woods charged the referee and had to be restrained by his teammates. So much for sportsmanship.
UA won the game 78-75, but the team clearly suffered by Woods not being on the court for the final minutes of the Pac-10 opener. Yes, this was the team's first game since Bobbi Olson passed away on Jan. 1, and emotions were running extremely high, but this outburst seemed to indicate that frustrations are running deeper than the loss of a loved one.
Shockingly, Woods was not suspended for Saturday's game against conference-power Stanford. Apparently an apology was enough for acting head coach Jim Rosborough to allow his seven-footer to start less than 48 hours after going after an official.
Unfortunately for the team, Woods is not the only one having a tough time on the court right now. Richard Jefferson is doing his best Houdini impersonation in big games (zero points against Purdue, three against Stanford). But that's not all his fault. Against Stanford, it was painfully clear which team was undefeated just by watching the Cardinal direct their half court offenses.
Stanford worked the ball around the perimeter and often passed the ball four or five times before taking a shot. Arizona players did just the opposite, frequently taking long shots with more than 20 seconds left on the shot clock.
This is understandable to a point, as every player surely feels talented enough to be able to take the team on his shoulders and save the sinking ship. But right now, UA needs players who are willing to pass the ball and set teammates up for easy looks.
Above all, though, it seems the Wildcats need a court leader. Someone who has the respect of his coaches, teammates and opponents. Someone who can start or come off the bench and provide the team with an instant spark. Someone who gets the fans energized and plays the game with an old school flare to match his old school fro.
The team needs Gene Edgerson.
Edgerson won't be back until at least next week, as Rosborough has asked the forward to take a week off and re-evaluate his role on the team. Edgerson obliged and plans on using the time to find the desire he played with during his three previous seasons as a Wildcat.
When the team returns from the Pacific Northwest this weekend, Rosborough needs to meet with Gene and talk about the team. But the coach, not the player, should do the learning. If Gene wants more minutes, give them to him. If he wants to start at center, start him. If he wants to be on the court for 25-30 minutes, let him.
Edgerson plays to win, he plays with heart, and he plays physical basketball, all of which the team desperately needs at the moment.
Starting Gene is not going to turn around the season overnight. Benching Woods on Saturday would not have done so either.
But the team has to start somewhere in order to get things rolling in Pac-10 play. And that somewhere known as "square one" might as well be labeled attitude adjustment.
