The most high profile Drummond since a wealthy businessman adopted Gary Coleman is the best walk-on in college basketball. UConn’s freshman phenom, Andre Drummond has the world-class athleticism of #1 overall pick, the fundamentals of a low mid-major role player and the size of an NBA center. Of the 122 field goals he’s made this season, 63 have been dunks. Yes, the kid can soar but he’s also shooting 32 percent from the free throw line. ESPN analyst Jay Bilas calls him a physical freak—that cannot score outside five feet. His talent has been compared to that of Dwight Howard and Amare Stoudemire but his competitiveness is said to rival Kwame Brown’s.
At 6-10 and 270 pounds, Drummond has a more NBA-ready body than Kentucky’s Anthony Davis and is more athletic than Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger and as his freshman campaign nears an end, he’s averaging a respectable 10.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game. While that’s a solid stat line for a “raw” freshman, they’re underwhelming for a player whose expectations may have been too high this season. Drummond wouldn’t be the first highly touted freshman center with to average numbers below his vast expectations but the way how he’s played has been a maddening experiment in inconsistency. There are two Andre Drummond’s battling for supremacy. One has the potential to evolve into a perennial NBA All-Star, while the other could turn him into Michael Olowokandi.
Drummond went 0-for-1 in 12 minutes during his highly touted debut at Columbia. Six nights later, he recorded his first double-double against Maine. Just when it appeared he’d turned the corner en route to becoming an elite center, he scored just four points and snagged two rebounds against Coppin State.
This has been what we’ve come to expect from Drummond. Brilliant flashes of dominance followed by stretches where he’s disappeared so long his face could be featured on the side of milk cartons. Some nights he’s Bruce Banner and on occasion he turns into The Incredible Hulk.
At UConn he’s a freshman on a roster stocked with future NBA lottery picks so it’s expected he would defer but Drummond takes his disappearing act to an extreme. Even in high school scouts noticed he was insanely talented but unwilling to dominate lesser opponents and was inclined to drift out to the perimeter and play a Vlade Divac-like finesse game.
In December, Drummond scored 12 points and recorded seven blocks in a win over #20 ranked Florida State. Last month, he put up a deuce in the box score against Lousivlle. On Saturday, Drummond delivered 17 points and 14 rebounds in 29 minutes of a two-point loss against No. 2 ranked Syracuse and their star seven-foot defensive dynamo, Fab Melo. It’s important to remember that Drummond won’t turn 19 until after the 2012 NBA Draft. However, he has hinted that he may not enter the Draft and return for his sophomore season. Before he even begins entertaining his NBA future, Drummond has a tall task remaining at UConn. Reaching the NCAA Tournament.
As of Monday, the Huskies(17-11) were ninth in the Big East with a 7-9 record against Big East opponents. Most likely, they still have work to do to earn an NCAA Tournament berth. The NCAA Tournament Selection Committee will give the Huskies consideration to the extenuating circumstances that have kept Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun off the sideline for nearly a month, however, winning the tournament or advancing to the Finals would help their case in the eyes of the committee.
The Huskies have a plethora of NBA talents including Jeremy Lamb, Shabazz Napier and Ryan Boatright but their fate lies with whichever Drummond shows up on a nightly basis. The Huskies have two games remaining including the Big East Tournament. If the Huskies are going to avoid the NIT, Drummond will have to assert himself offensively.
Is Andre Drummond a future bust or the next coming of his idol, Dwight Howard, whose number he wears? Whether Drummond returns for his sophomore campaign or not, he’ll have to find the killer instinct inside of him and decide which Andre Drummond fans and opposing teams are going to see.
