CLEVELAND, April 8 -- Carmelo Anthony, the freshman sensation for national champion Syracuse who was named the most outstanding player of the Final Four, may have improved his NBA draft status enough to supplant high school phenom LeBron James as the top pick.
"I think his coming-out party was during this tournament," Michael Jordan said before tonight's Washington Wizards game against Cleveland. "A lot of people have been talking about LeBron James and rightfully so, at the age of 18, and what he's capable of doing. But [Anthony] is a kid that came out of high school probably in contention with LeBron in certain situations and I think that one year of experience in college may make a big difference for him stepping into the pros."
|
___Who Would You Choose?___
Note: This is an unscientific survey of washingtonpost.com readers.
| | |
| _____ The Men's Tournament _____
• Michael Wilbon: Syracuse got its NCAA championship on another signature Superdome play.
• The Jayhawks could not overcome their troubles at the free throw line.
• Regardless of how he is shooting, Syracuse's Gerry McNamara always looks for his shot.
• Notebook: Gerry McNamara made 6 of 8 three-point tries in the first half.
• Final Four Gallery
_____ National Championship _____
• Syracuse 81, Kansas 78
_____ National Semifinals _____
• Kansas 94, Marquette 61
• Syracuse 95, Texas 84
_____ Gallery _____
• Josh Pace, pictured, and the Syracuse Orangmen won their first national title with a 81-78 win over the Kansas Jayhawks.
_____ Nuts & Bolts _____
• Tournament schedule, results
• Final Four teams in the NCAAs
• Breaking down the Final Four
• Story lines and side notes
____ The Challenge ____
• Take the quiz! We've only got four teams but 12 questions in the Final Four Edition of the Challenge.
• Sweet 16 Edition
• Selection Sunday Edition
__ Breaking Down the Field __
• The NCAA kicks off three weeks of basketball that figures to be wild and unpredictable.
• Michael Wilbon: You can spend a lot of time studying this field but in the end it won't matter.
• Tournament history suggests that it's better to land a No. 12 seed than get stuck with a No. 8.
• Despite having lost their past two games, Maryland's Terps were decidedly upbeat Sunday.
• Teams rely on videotape to scout farflung opponents.
__ Multimedia __
• Audio: Title Game Reflection
• Audio: T.J. Ford, Tom Izzo
• Audio: Maryland's Steve Blake
• Audio: Maryland's Drew Nicholas
• Audio: Maryland's Tahj Holden
• Audio: Butler's Darnell Archey
• Audio: Louisville's Rick Pitino
• Audio: Pitt's Brandin Knight
• Video: Maryland fans react to the Terps' dramatic victory over North Carolina Wilmington.
__ John Feinstein's Analysis __
• East
• Midwest
• South
• West
____ Capsules ____
• East
• Midwest
• South
• West
_____ Interactive Bracket _____
• Follow the tournament's progress in our interactive bracket.
• Bracket Challenge: Incredibly, three contestants have all four teams in the Final Four.
_____ What's Your Opinion? _____
• Got a theory or hunch on the tournament you'd like to share?
_____ Entertainment Guide _____
• Check out which local sports bars to watch the action at, the best and worst basketball movies, where to find your team's apparel and more.
_____ Live Online _____
• Michael Wilbon discussed the tournament on Tuesday in a special edition of The Chat House.
• Columnist and author John Feinstein took questions April 1.
• The Post's Matt Rennie was online April 3, March 27 and March 19.
• April 4 Chat House transcript
• March 27 Chat House transcript
• March 24 Chat House transcript
• March 18 Chat House transcript
| | |
|
Anthony had 20 points and 10 rebounds Monday night in leading Syracuse to its first NCAA title with an 81-78 victory over Kansas. He has until May 12 to declare himself eligible for the NBA draft. Along with James, 7-foot Yugoslavian Darko Milicic also is projected as a possible top pick. But after averaging 22 points and 9.8 rebounds during the regular season and scoring a career-high 33 points against Texas in the national semifinals, Anthony's stock has risen. The Baltimore product was the first freshman to be named the Final Four most outstanding player since Pervis Ellison led Louisville to the NCAA title in 1986.
"I think he threw his name in the hat in terms of who could possibly be number one," Jordan said. "Everybody was looking at LeBron and you've got to give this kid some consideration, at least from my perspective."
As for whom he would select, Anthony or James, Jordan would not make a choice.
"I don't know," he said. "You got to give me the whole selection, not just those two guys."
