Last night Calathes scored 21 points, had 4 rebounds and 4 assists. :Banana: I am super impressed with how well he's played as a Freshman. If he continues to grow throughout this season and next, we could be in for another National Championship run in 09.
Nick is a great player. Hubert Davis (from yes, ESPN) said in a blog on ESPN recently that Nick is the best freshman in the Nation this year. He said he doesn't score the most or get the most rebounds or even assists or the best stats or even most attention, but that he raises the level of his teammates and makes everyone around him better. He is that good. He also mentioned many people were comparing him to Steve Nash at the Kentucky game and he played with Nash and he said NO ONE is as good as Steve Nash.
I don't know if I agree Calathes is the best freshman in the Nation, but I do agree that "stats" shouldn't solely determine a players greatness. Just because Michael Beasley scores top 5 in the Nation and is the leading rebounder in the Nation doesn't necessarily mean he is the best freshman in the Nation. Nick is a Steve Nash type player to me. Both could easily score 20+ points a game. And if Nick wanted to play strictly point guard, with his passing skills he could dish out 7-10 assists per game. No doubt about that. But he combines all the skills.
16 points per game.
4.9 rebounds per game.
5.9 assists per game (which LEADS the SEC).
He is one hell of a player and I'm glad that he is a Gator.:Banane25: