As part of the South Florida recap I posted some video interviews with the players. One specifically was a Bud Poliquin chat with Wes Johnson. Mcsteve asked the question as to whether or not anyone was creeped out by the touchy-feely nature of the interaction. So I went back and checked and...Bud is ALL hands in this one, let me tell you. Actually, let me show you.
Notify an adult, Wesley!
Yes, in case you're wondering, WWes Johnson has supplanted Greg Paulus as the object of Bud's affections.
Now, even though Johnson has been as consistent as a noon whistle -- even though he’s scored in double figures in every game but one (against Maine during which he played only 19 minutes) and has shot .500 or better in all but two (against Albany when he went 5-for-11 and South Florida when he went 6-for-14) -- there is a niggling beef with him.
Indeed, he’s just about as good as any player in the country, about as gifted as any athlete on any campus in the land. But on Sunday afternoon, with South Florida having been rolled out of the Dome, there was Wesley describing himself merely as a "glue guy" and that his primary goal is "to fill gaps for everybody." And, yeah, it was kind of like imagining a Lipizzaner stepping high while pulling a beer wagon.
Mmmm...niggling beef.
Wes does sound pretty awesome in the interview, I have to admit.
"I love it here," Johnson said Sunday afternoon at the Carrier Dome where he produced a ho-hum double-double of 19 points and 13 rebounds to lead Syracuse University to its 82-65 victory over overmatched and undermanned South Florida. "I couldn’t have dreamed this.
"Everybody’s smiling and everything. It’s fun. The fans love me. I love the town. I love my teammates. The guys believe in me. The coaches believe in me. There are no regrets. There’s no looking back. This is everything I could ever have wanted. Everything."
Hooray for everyone! Especially Scoop Jardine, who throws caution to the wind and expresses his true emotions over Wes. Not just a teammate, but a true love?
"I call Wes ‘Mr. Everything’," said Scoop Jardine, another Orange guard. "He gets rebounds. He blocks. He scores. He makes steals. And he’s unselfish. His whole thing is to make the team better. Like him? I don’t like Wes. I love him."
Doesn't that sound like the transcript of an infomercial? "Like The Snuggie? I don't like The Snuggie. I love the Snuggie!"