Everybody Hates on Devo

I read that Jonny Flynn is on the cover of a regional issue of SI this week, and my first thought, of course is that the famous SI jinx will land on us this Friday night. Let's hope not. But ever since the Big East tourney, there's a veritable shower of love for Flynn, and his big heart, and all that stuff. I like Flynn; don't get me wrong; but he's been demonstating a big head as much as a big heart lately, and I really don't like that 'offense', if you want to call it that, where we go four across the baseline, and then Flynn drives into traffic, looking to draw fouls, but more often drawing blocks. I preferwhen he plays within himself, and doesn't try to take over the game.

Meanwhile, for all the love shown Flynn, his backcourt mate is the object of almost universal disrespect, contempt and hate. Writers are hating on Devendorf's chest thumping, on his incessant jabbering, on his posing after threeballs, and even on his tatoos. Ibetthey didn't like when he climbed on the scorers' table after sinking theapparent game winner against UConn. The most aggravating aspect of all this hate is the self righteous sanctimonius hating about that nonincident with some gal who was the exgirlfriend of one or more players, and who ran off to see her lawyer in Long Island as soon as she concluded her encounter with Eric in the early morning hours. We often celebrate hating on this page, and maybe I wouldn't be a big fan of Devo is he were playing for Georgetown (he kind of looks like he would have fit right into the late-80s mentality at Georgetown, when JT was propagating a culture of thuggery), but I don't think he's getting the respect he deserves.

Check out these numbers. During the post-season run (and isn't that the most important time to step up?), and setting aside the Stephen F. Austin game, where not just Devo, but most everyone played awful, he has averaged 21 points a game, shooting just under 50% from three-point range, and committing only eight turnovers total in five games. In the sixty-one minutes he played against UConn, he had a single turnover. Not just that, but think of the big shots he made in the second round; almost single-handedly turning back the run that Arizona State went on. And these big shots don't even include the UConn gamewinner, which the refs waived off.

Another thing is that all his teammates stick up for Devo. They talk about how unselfish he is, and it's seems that he doesn't mind ceding the spotlight to Flynn. There doesn't look to be any competition about whose team this is, or who's in charge, or any of that nonsense. Everyone says that Devo is content to drill threes and do his jabbering at the opposition. So while the rest of the country is hating on Devo, I want to take the time to show him some love here, regardless of how things turn out this weekend. Go Eric. Go Orange.