A Tale of Two Guards

Two Guards. Both basketball players. Both members of an NCAA Division 1 basketball program. Both guards. And, as far as I can tell, that is the extent of their similarities as players. One a guard for Kansas’ Rock Chalk Jayhawks. The other a guard for Villanova’s Wildcats. One a highly touted, highly recruited, Canadian transplant, expected to be a lottery pick, if not the first overall pick, in the 2014 NBA draft.  The other a local suburban Philly kid who, while undoubtedly the hardest worker on the court at any given time, may not even be the best athlete in his family. One is Andrew Wiggins. The other is Ryan Arcidiacono.  Lucky for us, their very different paths crossed on the 2014 Battle 4 Atlantis floor.  Who were you watching?

My guess is that most tuned in to the coverage of the tournament with little to no knowledge of Villanova’s 6’3” guard, Arcidiacono. I’d also be willing to bet that most, if not all, who tuned in not only knew of Andrew Wiggins, but at least in part tuned in specifically to see him play. I really can’t say that I blame them. Not only is Kansas a storied behemoth of a college basketball program with a fan base that I would argue rivals any in sports, but Wiggins himself has been dubbed the second coming of LeBron. How could you not want to see his basketball magic for yourself? There was no shortage of tournament magic at this year’s Battle 4 Atlantis: upsets, double-digit comebacks, game winners, multiple games that required overtime to be decided. Yet none, none of it was supplied by Kansas’ #22. If your tournament crush was Andrew Wiggins, then I’m sorry to say you were probably left a bit empty and unfulfilled. Minimal playing time, deferred shots, lackadaisical strolls up and down the court, and an overall lack of interest in the game. After watching all three of Kansas’ Battle 4 Atlantis tournament games in person, I could not tell you with any real conviction that Andrew Wiggins even enjoys playing the game of basketball. What a shame.  Ryan Arcidiacono, on the other hand, with a humble confidence and a game winner over Perry Ellis to upset preseason #2 Kansas in an arena that, if you closed your eyes, could have been mistaken for Allen Field House thanks to the some 2,000 plus Jayhawks fans who made the trip to Paradise Island. He not only provided a healthy heap of magic but, more importantly, made his team better and put them in a position to win.

I was fortunate enough to have seen Arcidiacono (“Arch”) play in the Big East Tournament earlier this year. Going into Battle 4 Atlantis, I had already seen the now sophomore point guard lead his team on the court with the gumption and grace of an NBA veteran years his senior, so I had a little inside information on who to draft as my #1 who to watch for the tournament. And here’s what I, and anyone else who was watching Villanova’s #15, saw- A player who has the utmost respect and complete trust of all of his teammates and coaches. A point guard who sees the entire game in slow motion and manages it much like a football quarterback. A teammate who does everything he can to put the other 4 Wildcats on the floor in a position to succeed. A selfless leader who will not be outworked, and who won’t force a shot just to score, but who isn’t afraid to take THE shot, either. We saw someone who makes everyone around him a better player. That game winning trey was pretty sweet, too. To be fair, I am pretty sure I did see Wiggins give one of his teammates a high five, once.

Two guards with two very different paths that happened to cross in Paradise. Wiggins is the guard who is fulfilling his mandatory one year in college on his way to declaring for the NBA draft. The next Shabazz (two z’s) Muhammad, perhaps?  Arch is the guard who could be one of those NCAA athletes who goes pro in something other than sports. Whatever he decides to go pro in and wherever he ends up, his is the path I’ll be watching.

C

P.S. A huge congratulations to the Villanova Wildcats, 2014 Battle 4 Atlantis Champions. That entire team, every one of them, made it happen. 

P.P. S. If you’re in the market for a new Jayhawk, might I suggest Joel Embiid? Much like Arch, that kid is also all kinds of hard work and wonderful.