Player Workouts: Tuesdays With Mardy
by Tom Kertes

GREENBURGH, New York, May 30, 2006 -- Shot blocking, a Knicks need of late, is probably THE most underrated factor in hoops. “It can completely change the flavor and nature of a basketball game,” UConn center-forward Josh Boone said following his workout on Tuesday at the team’s Madison Square Garden Training Center in Greenburgh, NY.

Not at all surprisingly, the 6-10 Boone, with his awe-inspiring athleticism and never-ending arms, is a premiere shot-blocker, one of the most fearsome rejection artists in the nation. Extremely surprisingly, however, the rest of his game did not catch up to his unquestioned abilities last season. “That’s true,” he agrees. “It was too up-and-down for me. We just had too many expectations, too many lineup changes, and too much stuff going on at UConn last season. And it affected me more than most. I guess maybe I’m too sensitive a person.”

“That’s one of my goals in these workouts,” said Boone. ”To show teams consistency and that there’s a lot more to my game than ‘just’ blocking shots. Coach (Herb) Williams told me just now I need just two things offensively -- a go-to-move and a counter move -- and I’ll be fine. So that’s what I’m working on.”

“That’s why I feel this was my best workout so far,” added Boone. “Larry Brown is a real teaching coach, he was out there with us with the whole staff, giving us a lot of pointers for the entire hour and fifteen minutes. I learned a lot.”

Said Boone, “Still, I’m a defensive player first and foremost -- and, in the NBA, it’s all about defense. As you can see, defense won championships the past two seasons, both with the Spurs and the Pistons.”

Boone actually “grew up in New York for the first ten years of his life -- so playing here would be like coming home,” he said. Asked of he was a Knicks fan growing up, the very personable big guy hesitates a beat or two, breaks out in a shy smile, and finally blurts “yes”. “No,” he then says. “I’ve got to be honest. I always loved the Bulls. Michael Jordan, you know.”

“Still, I played in the Big East,” added Boone. “And playing at the Garden was always an unbelievably special experience. So playing here, and playing for people I could learn so much from, would be totally awesome for me.”


Temple's Mardy Collins.
MSG Photos
Boone worked out with N. C. State big man Cedric Simmons, Michigan State shooting guard Shannon Brown, and Temple quarterback Mardy Collins. The irony? Collins and Boone’s teammate Marcus Williams have been leapfrogging each other all last year as “the best point guard in the nation” in scouts’ eyes.

“Well, yeah,” nodded Collins. “I would hope I’d go higher than Number 20 -- but (Knicks President, Basketball Operations) Isiah (Thomas) and Larry both told me how they’ve been watching me over the last four years and how highly they think of my game.”

The interest is understandable, as Collins is that rarest of phenomenon these days, “a pure point guard with good size,“ he says. “On a team with a lot of franchise players, I really like to be the guy who helps the others score by finding them in the best possible position to shoot the ball. I’m also aware of the fact that my own shooting is one possible knock on me. That, and learning to play effectively at a faster, NBA, pace, are the main things I’m working on right now.”

“But I feel that after playing for Coach (John) Chaney, I’m ready for pretty much anything,” adds Collins. “He was particularly good at teaching you all the small nuances of the game. After watching Coach Brown in Philly with the Sixers, I think Coach Chaney and he are actually kind of similar. They are both very hands-on, for sure.”

“Coach (Phil) Ford was teaching me some things today about bringing the ball up the floor against quick guys by using my size to an advantage,” said Collins. “It’s an adjustment I WILL have to make in the NBA. So the suggestions were amazingly helpful. I learned a lot about being a professional ballplayer today.”

dopplegangers?



josh boone...rain pryor?