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Until the NBA finally figures out a way to add some sort of play-in tournament for the league's final playoff spots, the best tournament basketball will continue to be the NCAA Championship. With March Madness in full swing, the college related story lines are flowing like Gatorade at a Michael Jordan charity event (or Crown Royal at a Hornets soiree).
Former Charlotte Hornet, and current University of Virginia men's basketball coach, Tony Bennett had some great things to say about his time in Charlotte. "I have such fond memories of those three years and when we go to the playoff and Alonzo (Mourning) hit the shot against the (Boston) Celtics," Bennett said. The Cavaliers will start their tournament run in Charlotte on Friday against the Belmont Bruins.
In other tournament news, the Hornets' own Kemba Walker had his bracket posted on hornets.com. Having won an NCAA Championship with the University of Connecticut, Kemba may know what he's doing. If you're too lazy to click on the link, he chose Arizona to defeat Duke in the finals, and also had Bennett's Cavaliers making the Final Four.
Unlike Walker, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist's college team (the Kentucky Wildcats) are in the tournament and are favored to win it all. Some people are even going so far as to say this Kentucky team is the best college basketball team ever. Maybe that has inspired Kidd-Gilchrist to be the best defender ever. In an interview with the Charlotte Observer's Rick Bonnell, MKG spoke about his defensive aspirations and his growing confidence.
"When my shot started falling I just became more confident in myself both on and off the court. I don't shy away from things anymore," Kidd-Gilchrist said.
Kidd-Gilchrist can become anxious speaking to a crowd of reporters, which can be confused for being timid. He is anything but. He understands his considerable potential and how well he sizes up plays in real time.
"I just know what is going on – what the next move is," Kidd-Gilchrist said. "I don't second-guess myself at all. I'm just getting older and getting a lot better. Better and better and better."
Fans of the team have seen this on the court. Hopefully for Kidd-Gilchrist, he can shake the "bust" label and develop into the two-way wing that has been flashing more and more each and every week. Who knows, maybe he comes out next year with a decent 3-point shot...
MKG casually hitting a corner 3-pointer during warmups. #Hornets https://t.co/ZxM69g9Kha
— Frank Berndt (@MullensMafia) March 9, 2015