FanPost

A Lesson in Chemistry

Call me a pessimist or any other choice words you can think up, but coming into this season, I didn't believe in this team, its potential for growth or its ability to succeed in the Big East.

It wasn't really a view that was unfounded or irrational because, after all, it had been a rough offseason to say the least, perhaps even the worst in recent memory. In addition to a talented class graduating, Samuels surprised everyone by going pro. Our vaunted 2011 recruiting class seemed on the verge of collapse after Marquis Teague (Marquis Teague!) committed to UK. And of course, there were the embarrassing details that emerged from the Sypher Trial.

And as far as I was concerned, the 2010-11 season was possibly going to make things that much worse. An overwhelming percentage of the team's scoring from the season before was gone and the incoming recruiting class was thought to be the worst in Pitino's almost decade-long tenure. Looking over the schedule, I had trouble finding where the team would get wins aside from a weak non-conference schedule and the perennial cellar-dwellers of the Big East.

My feeling and confidence in the Cards wasn't quite at rock bottom, especially because I was never one of the Fire Pitino types (seriously, isn't the point of firing a coach to get someone better?), but it's fair to say it was the most down I'd felt about the program since the end of the 2005-06 NIT season.

Reassurances and optimism from fellow fans were things I quickly dismissed as blind homerism. I tried expressing doubt and concern on the ITV boards, but I was immediately dismissed and dubbed as an undercover UK fan. Let's just say that's the last time I've visited that site. Pitino's insistence that the team would play up tempo, Loyola Maramount circa 1990 style was something I interpreted as Pitino-ese, nothing more nothing less.

When practice hit full swing, though, I kept reading from people close to the program that this team had better chemistry than in years' past, and that that fact alone would help make this team better than the 2009-10 team. It was an interesting thought, yes, but as you can guess by now, I didn't buy this either -- not because I didn't trust the word of those sources, but just because I didn't believe in the idea of chemistry.

Chemistry, besides being a subject I sucked at miserably in high school, was always something I thought the media harped on when there was nothing else to talk about or praise with a given team. Of course, it's important for players on a team to get along, but being buddy-buddy doesn't win you games, talent does -- simply put, the teams with the best players who are utilized correctly (a la if they don't play for Rick Barnes) win conferences, make Final Fours and capture titles.

I had confidence in Pitino, but I just didn't think the talent was there. I wasn't sure if Siva or Jennings was going to be able to have a breakout season. I wasn't sure of newcomers like Dieng or Smith. And I wasn't sure if Preston (!) could step up and be the centerpiece of a winning team (feel free to stone me to death for that last thought). With all those question marks, I felt that no amount of camaraderie could make this team anything more than average or mediocre.

But flash forward eight months and, alas, I'm completely wrong -- not just off by a little bit, but so far off I'm borderline ashamed of myself (especially for the Preston thing).

I always thought I was a knowledgable college basketball fan, but if anything, this U of L team has revealed how utterly ignorant I was because, as has been posted on a million other FanPosts just like this one, this team is special.

When U of L was rolling early in the season and beating the likes of UNLV and Butler, I couldn't understand how this team -- like magnets -- worked. But as we've seen this team continue to pile up wins and silence skeptics, it's clear as day that this is truly a TEAM, a collection of guys who aren't the most talented, but who simply give a damn, play hard and can succeed and persevere because of an inherent trust that every guy on the team can be counted upon to get the job done.

It's because of guys like Preston who can be not only a leader, but also emerge as the go-to-guy who lifts the team on his back and is able to come through when called upon to make shots when the team desperately needs them.

It's because of guys like Siva who can selflessly operate a high-octane, fast-paced offense in just his first year of playing significant minutes. And do so adorably, might I add.

It's also guys like Kuric who prove to us that his memorable Syracuse performance last season was no fluke, that he can have big scoring nights, but also be just as helpful and integral to his team even when he's not lighting up the stat sheet.

And how about a guy like Jennings who, when challenged to improve and reassess himself as a player for the betterment of his team, came through and is starting to develop into the player so many of us thought he could be two years ago.

I could go on and talk about other players like Dieng, Buckles, SVT, Marra, etc. but the point remains the same -- this team, while not filled with blue-chip recruits and first team all-conference performers, plays hard, plays together and uses both of those things to not only be competitive, but win.

Believe me when I say that I give a lot of credit to Pitino on accomplishing what he has with this team, but it's not enough to merely praise the coach and leave the players out of the equation. These aren't guys who are plugged into a system like parts and gears, but guys who bring something different and unique to the table. And when all those skills and contributions are added together, you have a winning product that has made this season so memorable and special for all of us.

Next year, U of L will be getting a group of top-flight prospects who will figure -- in the minds of some -- to have this team in legitimate Final Four contention, but no matter how successful they may be, they will never force me to forget the collection of players that preceded them.

Regardless of how this season may end, this team has changed the way I think of the term chemistry. Basketball is not always about who has the most talent, but how that talent comes together to form a cohesive unit where everyone has a role and where every player looks out for one another. Indeed, as special as this season has been, the wins and memorable moments won't be the first thing to stand out in my mind about this team -- rather, it will be how this team changed me as a fan and the way I view the game of basketball, and for that reason alone, I thank them.