THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 2, 1997 TAG: 9702020279
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Bob Molinaro
DATELINE: COLLEGE PARK, MD. LENGTH: 70 lines
When Tim Duncan went to the foul line early in the second half of Saturday's ACC basketball showcase, the students at Maryland's Cole Field House heckled him with chants of ``Overrated! Overrated!''
But to more detached observers sitting courtside, a different exclamation sprang to mind.
Overdue!
``You know it's only a matter of time,'' Maryland coach Gary Williams said after Duncan took control of the game and led Wake Forest to its 74-69 victory, ``before he tries to assert himself.''
Duncan did. Assert himself, that is. Dominate. But not until semi-sleep walking through a dreadful first half. Not until the second period, when he scored 25 of his 29 points and almost single-handedly got most of Maryland's front-line players into foul trouble, did America see the Tim Duncan the pros are drooling over.
``I don't think he played the first half like he wanted it,'' said Dave Odom, the Wake Forest coach. ``He was only assertive for 20 minutes. Twenty minutes of assertiveness for him is not long.''
But it's not completely unusual, either. Duncan, the game's best undergraduate big man, can appear curiously unassertive - almost uninterested - on offense. There are times when his much-heralded unselfishness dissolves into passivity. When he is too willing to step aside for his teammates, who are gritty, but inferior talents.
Neither is it rare when his teammates, who should recognize an NBA lottery pick when they see one, neglect to pass the ball, even in clutch situations, to their celebrated No. 21.
``Three times in a row, three trips in a row,'' said Odom, referring to a crucial juncture in the second half, ``he didn't touch the ball.''
Perhaps this explains how Maryland, forced into playing little known and overmatched Kelly Hite and Brian Watkins in place of foul-ravaged starters, and without a real center for most of the game, managed to hold onto the lead inside of five minutes.
``The foul situation was huge,'' admitted Odom. ``It was a huge factor in this game.''
Ultimately, it was huge. But Wake was overdue in taking advantage.
This was strange, since the incentive for the Deacons was naturally built into the regionally televised rematch. The victory avenges Wake's only loss in 19 games, which came two weeks ago in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Maryland, Duncan said, ``celebrated real well down there. We wanted to do the same thing up here.''
Duncan's style is to walk tall and carry a very little schtick. What did he think when the fans chanted ``Overrated'' over and over?
``I didn't care,'' he said matter-of-factly.
You wonder if he even heard.
Probably, he wouldn't have cared, either, had he heard Maryland center Obinna Ekezie complain about the officiating.
``It's a helpless feeling,'' said Ekezie, who fouled out in only 15 minutes of action, ``once you know you're not getting a fair chance to play defense.''
When Duncan is at his best - and most aggressive - no college opponent gets a fair chance.
``For 20 minutes,'' said Odom, ``that's as determined as I've seen him. Technically, he might have had better games. I think he has. But for sheer determination, I don't know if I've ever seen him more fiery.''
Perhaps it's a reflection of both Duncan's talent and the competition he runs up against that the All-American can get away with pacing himself. But even in a watered-down ACC, Wake's performance this season is impressive, with victories on the road against Duke, Clemson and Maryland.
Lamented Williams following his overachieving Terps' fourth loss, ``We just hit a wall at the start of the second half.''
That would be Duncan, who also is the peak every ACC team must try to scale.