College basketball

Double dribble; Men

By BRIAN LANDMAN
Published February 4, 2006

STRANGE CASE

Temple coach John Chaney didn't know what to do to help junior center Wayne Marshall, who had been plagued by dizzy spells for months and then didn't even dress for the Owls' first eight games.

It wasn't for lack of trying.

He sent Marshall to a dentist, who suggested that night-time teeth grinding might be to blame. He sent him to a ears, nose and throat specialist. He had him get CT scans, stress tests and EKGs. He had his eyes checked. He even was told about a hypnotist.

"I said, "If you hypnotize him, he'll be going to sleep on the damn basketball court; I don't need no hypnotist,' " Chaney said. "I have 50 documents here in my office, copies of documents, that we may have sent him to 50 different people. ... Everybody had an opinion and that's the worst thing that happens."

Finally, Marshall's problem was linked, strangely enough for someone who must perform with grace and fearlessness on the grandest of stages, to panic attacks.

He's been seeing a psychiatrist on campus and receiving medication, which has allowed him to slowly but surely work his way back onto the court for the Owls.

In the last seven games, he's averaged 6.9 points and 4.1 rebounds.

The Owls have won six of those seven, including against Maryland.

Marshall, understandably, isn't talking to the media these days. To keep as much outward pressure as possible off of him, Chaney is handling the questions with his trademark humor.

"I always threaten him, "If you keep this up, I'm going to give you a big panic attack 'cause I need you,' " Chaney said. "You know me, I'm hard, man. I'm tough."

Maybe if the SEC player of the year, Brandon Bass, had stuck around for another season and if Tack Minor hadn't been suspended, then you could applaud LSU coach John Brady's ambitious non-conference schedule.

But with three freshmen in the starting lineup - forward Tyrus Thomas (13.7 ppg, 9.6 rpg), forward Tasmin Mitchell (11.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg) and guard Garrett Temple (5.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg) - and two other freshmen in the top eight, going to Ohio State, going to West Virginia, playing Cincinnati on a neutral floor, hosting a veteran Northern Iowa team and then meeting Connecticut in Hartford sure seemed a bad idea.

Somehow, the youthful Tigers beat West Virginia and lost the other four by a combined 10 points. A potential game-winning shot was in the air at the end against the now top-ranked Huskies, a 67-66 loss, on Jan. 7.

"I told our team (afterward), "In spite of whatever our record is, it really doesn't matter; you're one of the best 25 teams in the country,' " Brady said.

Apparently his kids believed him and gained much needed confidence from strong showings against some of the nation's elite. The Tigers (15-5) have won seven straight since then and are 7-0 in the SEC entering today's game at Alabama (Ch. 38, 1 p.m.).

"When you do back away and look at it, we are awful young," Brady said. "I guess there is a little element of surprise."

6.1: Blocks per game by Northeastern 6-9 sophomore forward Shawn James, tops in the nation.

33: Gonzaga's and Illinois' home-court winning streaks, tops in the nation, entering games today against Santa Clara and Penn State, respectively.

51: Clemson's losses at North Carolina, where it plays today, in 51 tries.

NO. 1 UCONN AT NO. 22 INDIANA, 1 P.M., CH. 10: The Huskies, fresh off a WWE-like, no-holds-barred win against Pittsburgh, step out of conference for a tough one against the Hoosiers.

KENTUCKY AT NO. 8 FLORIDA, 9 P.M., ESPN2: Let's see. Tennessee gets a big win against the Gators. Then South Carolina, desperate for a signature win, gets one. A trend? As strange as it may sound, Kentucky needs a big road win for its postseason resume.

[Last modified February 4, 2006, 00:32:20]