We reminisce: Jamelle Horne leaves Arizona no less than a Wildcat
by K_Zim on Jul 18, 2011 7:01 AM PDT
in Arizona Wildcats Basketball
Email
PrintMaybe he's remembered for two silly fouls. Maybe for a missed shot that would have propelled the Arizona Wildcats to the first Final Four under Sean Miller. Maybe for not living up to the billing of a five-star recruit.
Jamelle Horne went through than more than anyone could imagine at Arizona. Recruited by Lute Olson. Coached by hard-nosed Kevin O'Neill, positive-headed Russ Pennell, then Miller. This guy supposedly didn't have his head in the game, struggling to grasp the talent he had. You know what, though? Nobody can play up to standards these days.
LeBron James can't even squeeze out of the expectations of his potential. So when Horne played his role on an Elite Eight team this past season, we forgot that the guy who had struggled to find a niche really had agreed to play his heart out for a team rather than mope about a place he had failed to fulfill.
Sure, there was a missed shot. But Horne gave the Wildcats something of an X-factor. Maybe you never knew what to get out of him. Maybe you saw the potential of a double-double on a daily basis. It didn't go like that. It doesn't always. We're not all built like Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant. So Jamelle Horne played his heart out as Jamelle Horne."I've been through a lot, and everyone knows that, here at Arizona," Horne told Pat Finley of the Arizona Daily Star. "When that curveball comes my way, I'll be able to hit that thing."
Jamelle Horne felt the worst in an inexplicable manner, missing the potential game-winner against UConn that would have propelled the Wildcats into the Final Four.
"That's the way the game goes," Horne told the Daily Star last week. "Of course, it was a huge shot. No one wants to make that thing more than me.
"There were no nightmares, no hauntings, because it looked great, it felt great. As a player, that's what you want."
Now, Horne is looking to Europe. Of course, the NBA is anyone's dream, but Horne told the Star he's just hoping to nab a job. With the current lockout situation in the NBA, there's little choice for hoopers hoping to play their way into the professional leagues in the states. Like former Wildcat Nic Wise, Horne is confident he can land a professional gig overseas, something Kansas State guard Jacob Pullen pulled out of his pocket without waiting a tick for the NBA to figure itself out.
"Right now, my focus is to get a job," he told the Star.
Horne can make it. He's one of the most athletic guys on the market, and whether you like his game or not, Jamelle has the three-point bomb and otherwise to make himself into a nice role player on a Euro team or otherwise.
All because of four years of learning at Arizona.
"I became a man here," Horne said to Finley. "You see the chin hair?
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF JAMELLE HORNE'S LEGACY AT ARIZONA?
2 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Proud to have called him a Wildcat
First of all, nice write up.
Second, Horne had a good college career by any measure. He was a valuable reserve/spot starter for multiple coaches, all of whom wanted to keep him around. That’s nothing to dismiss. Coaches run players off all the time—good kids too—when the fit just isn’t there. Horne never lived up to the hype, but that says more about the hype than it says about him.
Horne is a bit of a tweener who had to make the toughest prep-to-D1 transition there is: from prep post-up to college wing. Those of us who were fans during the Richard Jefferson era got spoiled because RJ made it look easy. The post to wing transition involves developing an entirely different skill set, and doing it at a position that is usually loaded in college. We saw Horne trying to learn on the job against guys that can make you pay. Add to that all the coaching changes, none of which really played to his strengths the way Olsen’s system would have.
You could make the case that, if anything, the kid overachieved while at Arizona. He is similar to Hasaan Adams in this way - a kid with great physical tools who lacked the skill set to play on the wing. He did a lot on hops, guts, and desire. It’s unfortunate that the “5-star” tag can become such a scarlet letter for some of these kids. I still love Horne’s tools, potential, and work ethic. I think he can carve out a career overseas-and it’s not like that would be tragic—but he could also carve out a niche in the NBA if he keeps working on his game and gets a shot.
"Those who fear disorder more than injustice inevitably produce more of both." -- Rev. William Coffin
Horne
I really wish you the best and please when you are ready…..come back and try out for the NBA so we can all appreciate your talents in the U.S.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
