Jimmy Chitwood
Hall of Famer
Comparing Apples to Apples with the Orange
by Jimmy Chitwood.
Even when they’re bigger, more versatile, and measurably better, White kids still get screwed.
Talent evaluation, we are told, is simply a matter of finding the best possible athletes. Bigger is better than small, faster is better than slow, and explosive playmakers are what all coaches covet — at least, that’s what the fans are told. There’s nothing more to the process than that, because talent (does that mean productivity?) is all that matters.
So we’re told, over and over. . .
Sports fans love making comparisons, arguing over which player or team is better. I enjoy making comparisons, as well, especially when the comparisons make the Caste System easily visible to even the most disbelieving. So let us make a comparison between two talented players with similar attributes and allow the rest of the story to tell itself.
Player A and Player B, are both combo guards for the same Division One basketball team. Both players have started every game for the past two seasons, playing mostly on the wing but also frequently running the point for long stretches. They’ve played nine games so far this season, and their team is a strong 8-1.
Player A is a junior listed at 6-feet-4, 190-pounds. In 33.3 minutes per game, he’s averaging 15.9 points (43.1% shooting, 31.3% from 3-pt range), 6.4 rebounds, 4.9 assists to 2.4 turnovers (a 1.75 assists-to-turvover ratio). He shoots 78.6% from the free throw line, and contributes 1.1 steal and 0.7 blocked shots per game.
Player B is a senior listed at 6-feet-7, 205-pounds. In 31.1 minutes per game, he’s averaging 18.6 points (47.5% shooting, 38.5% from 3-pt range), 7.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists to 1.8 turnovers (a 2.22 assists-to-turvover ratio). He shoots 92.6% from the free throw line, and contributes 0.6 steal and 0.2 blocked shots per game.
One of these players was a preseason all-American and is considered a John Wooden and Naismith player of the year candidate as well as a future first-round draft pick in the 2024 NBA draft.The other is not any of those things. Which player is it?
From the concise player profiles above it would seem obvious that while both players are very good, it is Player B, the bigger, more productive and more efficient athlete, who appears to be the better prospect. However, in the world of the Caste System, that isn’t the case.
You see, Player A is the athlete that is regarded as one of the premier talents in all of college basketball. Conversely, Player B is usually regarded as a “solid” player who “is a pretty good shooter.” In fact, he isn’t even expected to be drafted (though he was recently named the Oscar Robertson national player of the week).
If you understand the Caste System, you understand this phenomenon quite well, because Player A, Trey Alexander, is black and Player B, Baylor Scheierman, is White. They play for the Creighton Bluejays, currently the #10 team in the nation.
The honest assessment skews even more in favor of Scheierman when you take the analysis even deeper. His per-40-minutes numbers are significantly better than his more “talented” teammate, and his length and versatility on defense allow him to guard multiple positions. Alexander is undersized for his position in the NBA and will likely need to show more ability as a point guard and cut down his turnovers if he wants to be more than a role player off the bench at the next level.
You’d think that “talent” “evaluators” would be salivating over Scheierman as a prospect, because he has so much of what they claim they’re looking for: length, playmaking ability, versatility, and above all shooting prowess.
But once you understand the Caste System you know why it is, in fact, Alexander who is considered to have tremendous “upside,” while Scheierman isn’t considered at all.
by Jimmy Chitwood.
Even when they’re bigger, more versatile, and measurably better, White kids still get screwed.
Talent evaluation, we are told, is simply a matter of finding the best possible athletes. Bigger is better than small, faster is better than slow, and explosive playmakers are what all coaches covet — at least, that’s what the fans are told. There’s nothing more to the process than that, because talent (does that mean productivity?) is all that matters.
So we’re told, over and over. . .
Sports fans love making comparisons, arguing over which player or team is better. I enjoy making comparisons, as well, especially when the comparisons make the Caste System easily visible to even the most disbelieving. So let us make a comparison between two talented players with similar attributes and allow the rest of the story to tell itself.
Player A and Player B, are both combo guards for the same Division One basketball team. Both players have started every game for the past two seasons, playing mostly on the wing but also frequently running the point for long stretches. They’ve played nine games so far this season, and their team is a strong 8-1.
Player A is a junior listed at 6-feet-4, 190-pounds. In 33.3 minutes per game, he’s averaging 15.9 points (43.1% shooting, 31.3% from 3-pt range), 6.4 rebounds, 4.9 assists to 2.4 turnovers (a 1.75 assists-to-turvover ratio). He shoots 78.6% from the free throw line, and contributes 1.1 steal and 0.7 blocked shots per game.
Player B is a senior listed at 6-feet-7, 205-pounds. In 31.1 minutes per game, he’s averaging 18.6 points (47.5% shooting, 38.5% from 3-pt range), 7.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists to 1.8 turnovers (a 2.22 assists-to-turvover ratio). He shoots 92.6% from the free throw line, and contributes 0.6 steal and 0.2 blocked shots per game.
One of these players was a preseason all-American and is considered a John Wooden and Naismith player of the year candidate as well as a future first-round draft pick in the 2024 NBA draft.The other is not any of those things. Which player is it?
From the concise player profiles above it would seem obvious that while both players are very good, it is Player B, the bigger, more productive and more efficient athlete, who appears to be the better prospect. However, in the world of the Caste System, that isn’t the case.
You see, Player A is the athlete that is regarded as one of the premier talents in all of college basketball. Conversely, Player B is usually regarded as a “solid” player who “is a pretty good shooter.” In fact, he isn’t even expected to be drafted (though he was recently named the Oscar Robertson national player of the week).
If you understand the Caste System, you understand this phenomenon quite well, because Player A, Trey Alexander, is black and Player B, Baylor Scheierman, is White. They play for the Creighton Bluejays, currently the #10 team in the nation.
The honest assessment skews even more in favor of Scheierman when you take the analysis even deeper. His per-40-minutes numbers are significantly better than his more “talented” teammate, and his length and versatility on defense allow him to guard multiple positions. Alexander is undersized for his position in the NBA and will likely need to show more ability as a point guard and cut down his turnovers if he wants to be more than a role player off the bench at the next level.
You’d think that “talent” “evaluators” would be salivating over Scheierman as a prospect, because he has so much of what they claim they’re looking for: length, playmaking ability, versatility, and above all shooting prowess.
But once you understand the Caste System you know why it is, in fact, Alexander who is considered to have tremendous “upside,” while Scheierman isn’t considered at all.
