You won't get any argument from me about bashing guys like TO. I like guys who want to win. The problem is, as Coach K said graciously tonight after their game, sometimes you don't win. And in those situations, you learn more about yourself, and gain more respect for handling it properly. And also as Coach K said, you have to handle losing in a similar manner to how you handle winning. It isn't easy to do, but that's life, isn't it? And it's obvious that this is one thing that Coach K hopes his guys learned from him in their 4 years there. It appeared to me that Reddick and Williams did...it also appeared to me that Morrison did not in his college experience, and that is disappointing. If you have tears rolling down your face in the handshake line as you accept hugs and handshakes from opposing players and teammates, that's totally cool. If you are balling before the game is over, and then throw a temper tantrum at center court instead of getting in your team huddle and in the handshake line, that's not cool.
Morrison plays hard, but he's not hated because of how he carries himself. He's hated for the same reason Notre Dame football and Duke basketball are hated in general: the media fights over who gets to spooge more about him, and he gets away with things during the game that other players don't. I don't have any huge problem with him personally, he's nothing to me either way, but given all the positive press he soaked up when he was winning, I was disappointed to see him not handle this better. He got a free education while playing college basketball at the highest level, and now he's on his way to making millions of dollars in the NBA. I guess I just see no reason to feel sorry for him.
