Judge Iverson on victories, not assists

by Jim Martin sports editor

Although he has played only six games for the Philadelphia 76ers, rookie point guard Allen Iverson is quickly becoming one of the most scrutinized players in Philadelphia.

After Iverson led the Sixers in scoring in his debut, his critics complained that he did not pass the ball enough.

As the Sixers got off to an 0-3 start, some people began to wonder if the Sixers could ever win with Iverson, because he was not a "true point guard"

When the Sixers won their first game of the year against the Boston Celtics, Iverson was the one who led them to victory. He led them back from a huge deficit and was flying all over the court, forcing the ·tempoof the game.

Critics continued to argue that Iverson was not passing the ball enough and they pointed to Jerry Stackhouse's lack of shots as proof.

After the Sixers won their second game of the season, Iverson showed he was a rookie by committing nine turnovers. However, he also dished out eight assists. In that game, Stackhouse broke out of his slump and everything seemed to be fine.

When he was drafted, the NBA was said to have told him they were not happy with the company he was making.

After the first week of the season, the NBA began reviewing tapes of Iverson's signature move, the cross-over dribble. They determined that he sometimes was guilty of "carrying" the ball while performing the move. After the league looked at the video tapes, Iverson was twice called for carrying the ball in the Sixers' game against the Phoenix Suns.

When the Sixers announced their selection of Iverson in the draft, it was welcomed with many cheers. Iverson was one of the most exciting players in college basketball and the Si.xers'fans were looking fmward to watching him play.

1verson has yet to disappoint Players are already saying that he might be the quickest player in the NBA Opposing players are having problems with his speed and quickness. Iverson has not only been a terror on offense, but on defense as well. He runs all over the court on defense trying to force turnovers, something the Si.xershave not had for a long time.· Iverson is already leading the Si.xersin steals.

The Sixers knew exactly what they were getting when they drafted Iverson. They knew how talented he was, but they also knew that he was a young and inexperienced player.

If the Sixers had wanted to draft a "true point guard," then they would have drafted Stephon Marbury, a player who many thought fit the mold of the "pass first, shoot second" point guard. However, the Sixers could not afford to pass up the opportunity to draft a player like Iverson.

The NBA has undergone a change over the last couple of years. True point guards are becoming a rarity. Players like John Stockton,who see shooting as secondary to passing, are a rare breed.

Iverson fits the mold of the point guard of the 1990's. He can set up his teammates but can also score whenever the Sixers need him to.

When you look around the NBA, you see that Iverson is like most point guards. He can do many things on any given night and he does not have to lead his team in assists for them to win the game.

Iverson has already dramatically improved the Sixers. They have won three games in a row, something they did only once or twice last year. Much of their success can be attributed to Iverson. He is a superstar in the making.

However, pressure has been known to break players and that is exactly what could happen to Iverson.

I know that as the number one pick, Iverson is due to get a lot of pres.s. However, the amount of scrutiny he is getting is ridicµIous.

The NBA is all about winning, and after going 18-64 last year, a 33 record looks pretty good

Smoltz,Hanigan winC,Young

by Thomas McKee editor-in-chief

There was something different about the 1996 Major League Baseball Cy Young Award winners.

They were both first time winners.

John Smoltz, the Atlanta Braves righthander and Pat Hentgen, a right handed pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays received the Cy Young Awards earlier this week.

Smoltz became the third Braves pitcher to win the award in the last six years.

Atlanta pitchers have held a virtual lock on the trophy, winning it in five of the last six years. The one exception being 1992 when Greg Maddux, now with the Braves, won the award with the Chicago Cubs. Maddux had won the award an unprecedented four consecutive times.

Smoltz won a major leaguehigh 24 games this season and easily outdistanced runner-up Kevin Browne of the Florida Marlins, who led the majors with a 1.89 earned run average.

Hentgen, who went 20-10 with a 3.22 earned run average edged out Andy Pettitte to win the award.~

Pettitte, who went 21-8 for the world champion New York Yankees, was considered to be the favorite.

Hentgen did not win his 20 th game until the final day of the season, while Pettitte led the Yankees to their first World Series title in two decades.

Hentgen 's six point margin of victory matched the second closest margin in the history of the American League Cy Young.

Hentgen, who received 16 first-place votes, also led the majors in complete games with 10. Hentgen finished second in earned run average (2.93) behind teammate Juan Guzman. Pettitte received 11 firstplace votes.