Slick Willie
Oklahoma guard Willie Warren has long since established that those who labeled him as a selfish player while in high school had gotten it all wrong. But just in case there were any lingering doubts, he posted this stat line in the opening game of what should be an All-America season for him: 15 points, 11 assists.
Yes, during the summer, Warren apparently went all Bobby Hurley on us.
So that pretty much settles the issue for good, doesn't it? Warren is as much a winner as any great college player. He deferred last season to superstar Blake Griffin, as he should have, and Saturday he deferred to freshman guard Steven Pledger because Pledger — 8-of-9 from the field, 4-of-5 on 3-pointers — could barely miss a shot.
This development was fascinating because having distanced himself from that old rep, Warren did face the danger that it could be revived as he became, by necessity, the Sooners' primary scoring option.
He said in the preseason he was not worried about this: "I'm not one of those players to get caught up in media. I feel like the media can break you. If you get caught up in all that — the NBAdraft.net, all that — I feel like it takes you away from focusing on the team."
That seems to be Warren's only concern at the moment.
