Griffiths: Cody Zeller one of the all-time great college big men
By DOUG GRIFFITHS
ISL Assistant Editor
CHICAGO – Cody Zeller’s Indiana career is coming to a close.
He’s only a sophomore, but after IU makes what looks destined to be Big Ten Tournament championship and Final Four runs, Zeller will head for the NBA’s riches and fame.
There are those who are holding out hope Zeller returns for his junior season. In reality though, he’s a goner.
No way does the 7-foot big man return to Bloomington for another year of college hoops.
He is as talented as they come, doing so many things few men his size have ever done on a basketball court. He is the poster boy for what every basketball coach at any level is looking for. Zeller has a non-stop motor, runs like a gazelle, never tires, has a basketball IQ off the charts, is practically unstoppable around the basket, is a great teammate Do I need to go on?
In IU’s 80-64 win over Illinois this afternoon in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals, Zeller showcased all his skills, going off a game-high 24 points, hitting 9-of-11 shots from the floor, including all six of his free throws, grabbed nine rebounds, had two assists, two steals and two blocks in 34 minutes of action.
“He’s a terrific player,” Illinois coach John Groce said. “There’s a reason he’s on all those magazines to start the preseason.
“He’s very versatile. One of the things he does really well, exceptionally well for a guy his size, is run. He can really run. Really run.”
One play against Groce’s Illini displayed just how special Zeller really is. In the first half, Zeller stole the ball from guard Brandon Paul near midcourt, raced half the length of the floor, outrunning all Illini defenders and converted the terrific play with a layup.
I can’t ever remember seeing a 7-foot player with the kind of athleticism and talent necessary to pull that off.
Later in the game, Zeller showed off another one of his truly unique traits – his passing ability.
While breaking Illinois’ press, Zeller got the ball on the baseline and fed Victor Oladipo with a perfect pass as he was streaking down the lane for a tomahawk dunk.
As if that wasn’t enough, Zeller is absolutely tenacious on the glass. He may not get every rebound, but sure fights for every one of them.
Some will cling to the hope that finishing his degree will lure Zeller back to IU. But we all know he can always go back and finish his degree requirements. He also can’t play the game he loves at the level he’s currently playing forever, and the risk of injury is far too great. After all, how many standout college players have we seen go down with season-ending knee injuries?
The fact is Zeller is very good, too good for the college game in fact. Another year of college will do nothing to better his NBA stock.
Zeller is as NBA ready a big man as I can remember. He’ll be a lottery pick come June, but for the time being IU fans need to enjoy having one of the best big men to ever call the Big Ten home.
Who knows? There’s a good probability that he’ll cap his brief Hoosier career by delivering the school with its sixth national championship banner. That would be very fitting for such a very special player.
Also:
Griffiths’ game story from Chicago: Indiana 80, Illinois 64.
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