Get to Know Your Lions, NBA Style

If you go to a big-time basketball school like Duke, Syracuse or UNC, then sports fans everywhere will know your roster in and out. People will be familiar with your players’ respective strengths, weaknesses, athleticism, and skills. Since Columbia men’s basketball is currently in the midst of a four-game winning streak, it struck me that the majority of the students strolling across College Walk are unfamiliar with the players on the Columbia team.

Well, I’d like to change that. In order to familiarize people with the team that is currently third in the Ivy League standings, I came up with an NBA counterpart for each respective Lion. These are the NBA players whose games and temperament most resemble different players on the Columbia roster. Despite my loyalty to Columbia basketball, I’m going to keep it real and give you my honest opinion on the team’s players. I feel torn, kind of like Rudolph Giuliani’s daughter when she joined the “Barack Obama (One Million Strong for Barack)” Facebook group. Hey, sometimes the truth hurts.

Here we go...

Point Guard: Patrick Foley – Sophomore
Foley is probably my favorite Lion to watch. He came to the team last year and provided an instant spark as the sixth man. I’d say that he reminds me of Devin Harris, the newly acquired New Jersey Nets point guard. Right now both Foley and Harris are injured. Like Harris, Foley is quick, handles the rock well, plays good perimeter defense, penetrates with ease, and has wonderful court presence. Plus, he plays with the swagger of a veteran. At times, Devin Harris has looked like a future perennial all-star, and Foley definitely looks like he’ll be one of the Ivy League’s top guards over the next couple years. Despite coming off the bench most of last season, Foley was second on the team last year in both points and assists. That’s an impressive accomplishment for a freshman floor general. With Foley set to hold down the point guard position for the next two years, the Lions are in pretty safe hands.

Shooting Guard: Niko Scott – Sophomore
The player that first comes to mind when I watch Scott play ball is Cuttino Mobley of the Los Angeles Clippers. Both players are streaky left-handed shooters who demand defensive attention. There was a lot of hype surrounding Niko’s arrival on campus last year, but he failed to live up to the expectations. At times he seems hesitant to look for and create his own shot, seemingly preferring to pass the rock to a teammate. On a team with no real perimeter go-to player, Scott needs to assert himself and demand the ball. Lately, Scott’s been playing extremely good basketball. Against Penn and Princeton a couple of weeks ago he looked like the dominant player people have expected him to be. If he can turn into a go-to scorer for Columbia, then I might change his NBA counterpart to another lefty scorer, Michael Redd. There is a big difference between a secondary, albeit solid, player like Mobley and a bona fide star like Redd. For now I’ll say that he’s closer to Cuttino Mobley, but if he continues to mature as a player over the rest of the year, I might be ready to bump him up to Michael Redd status.

Small Forward: Mack Montgomery – Senior
Mack Montgomery is an enigma. He has all the physical tools to become a candidate for Ivy League MVP. At 6’5”, 200 pounds, Montgomery has the size to penetrate to the basket and absorb contact, and a smooth stroke that allows him to knock down jumpers if you give him space. From what I’ve heard, he was a high school legend who dominated games. However, as a junior, Montgomery only averaged 5.6 points and 3.4 rebounds. This year those numbers are up slightly to 7.2 ppg and 3.7 rpg. Something doesn’t add up. He reminds me of Mike Dunleavy Jr. from the Indiana Pacers. Dunleavy was the third pick of the 2002 NBA draft and at 6’9” he was touted as a small forward with great range, athletic ability, and perfect intangibles. Over the course of his five year career, Dunleavy has been a perennial underachiever, but this season he’s playing his best games ever. In the past, the key problem with both Dunleavy and Montgomery has been a lack of confidence. Last year you could often find Mack running back on defense with his head down and his confidence broken. It was not uncommon for him to have 15-20 minute stretches without shooting the ball. However, this year Montgomery, like Dunleavy, has been more assertive. Montgomery is a true lockdown defender on the other side of the ball, which is more than I can say for Mike Dunleavy Jr.—but as far as their respective demeanors and offensive games, Montgomery reminds me of Dunleavy.

Power Forward: John Baumann – Senior
Baumann is the star, the soul, the heart, and the leader of this Lions team. He was a first-team All-Ivy League selection last year and he is the model of consistency. I liken his game to game to that of Kevin Garnett of the Boston Celtics. I know that’s saying a lot, but this guy delivers night in and night out. He has the range on his jump-shot to stretch the defense, and if you try to guard him in the post he’ll dominate on the block. To put it bluntly, Baumann is a beast. He’s the team leader in points, rebounds, field goal percentage, and free throws made. Plus, his on-court leadership is invaluable. If you’re a Columbia basketball fan, the play of Mr. John Baumann is the least of your worries.

Center: “Big” Ben Nwachukwu – Senior
If you look up Erick Dampier in the dictionary, you’ll get a picture of Ben Nwachukwu. Can Nwachukwu dominate a game? Eh, naw, not really. He might give you a solid double-double, but don’t expect a Tim Duncanesque stat line (or even Pau Gasolesque production for that matter). He’s good for some interior defensive presence, a few rebounds, and five fouls a night. Anything else you get from him is gravy. 10 points? Sure, I’ll take it. Eight points? Umm...hell, give it to me. Nwachukwu, like Dampier, had the potential to be a great player. There have been games when he’s been a monster in the paint (like his 16 points and three blocks in 23 minutes against Harvard last Saturday). But it’s only potential to a certain point—if you’re an 11-year veteran like Dampier or a college senior like Nwachukwu, the grace period to fulfill your “potential” has officially expired.

For brevity’s sake I’ll refrain from going into detail about the rest of the Columbia basketball team. Here is a list of the rest of the key Columbia contributors and their NBA counterparts:

• Brett Loscalzo (Guard, Sr.) = Andre Miller, Philadelphia 76ers
• KJ. Matsui (Guard, Jr.) = Kyle Korver, Utah Jazz
• Kevin Bulger (Guard, So.) = Shane Battier, Houston Rockets (Consummate glue guy)
• Asenso Ampim (Forward, Fr.) = Anderson Varejao, Cleveland Cavaliers.
• Kashif Sweet (Guard, Sr.) = Jacque Vaughn, San Antonio Spurs.

So there you have it. Could an NBA team with a starting lineup of Devin, Cuttino Mobley (or Michael Redd), Mike Dunleavy Jr., Kevin Garnett, and Erick Dampier compete for an NBA championship? One thing is certain, an NBA team like that would certainly be competitive. This season the Columbia men have been one of the stronger teams in the Ivy League. Truth be told, Columbia is a team that has the talent to win the league, but losses to Cornell and Brown have taken the Lions’ fate out of their hands. With four straight victories, they seem to have harnessed that talent and hopefully the Lions can continue to take care of business going forward with the rest of the season.

Jelani Johnson is a Columbia College sophomore. Sports@columbiaspectator.com