More than just stars shine on the court

When you think about the New York Knicks, you think about Carmelo Anthony. So it comes as a little bit of a surprise that on Tuesday night, when the Knickerbockers snapped a six-game losing streak with an emphatic 111-78 win, Anthony—their leading scorer this season—had only one point in the game. One.

Sure, it might seem strange that the Knicks broke out of their slump the same night Anthony had a career-low scoring effort—he’s averaging 24.1 points per game this year, and scored 60 points over the previous two outings. Yet for those of you that have been paying attention this past season in Levien Gymnasium, it simply confirms what you’ve been seeing all year: It’s not always about the stars.

First, let’s state the obvious. The Lions have been good this year—they’ve won 12 of their last 15 games after dropping their first four and losing leading scorer and All-Everything guard Noruwa Agho to injury. That success has been due in large part to the team’s stars, the team’s Carmelo Anthonys (caveat: Our guys have significantly better shot selection).

But I’m not here to write to you about Brian Barbour, the team’s leading scorer and a candidate for the Bob Cousy Award—given to the nation’s top point guard; Meiko Lyles, who knocked down an eye-popping 12 consecutive three-pointers at one point this year; or Mark Cisco, who put his name in the record books by pulling down 20 rebounds this past Saturday in a 61-56 win over Cornell.

No, I want to talk about the other guys who have played a role in this year’s 12-7 season so far. While this could admittedly be a long list, I’m talking about Dean Kowalski and Steve Egee.

Let’s start with Egee. His averages, nothing special: four points and a shade over two boards per game (although he did have a team-high 13 rebounds two weekends ago). But those numbers don’t tell the whole story. What Egee brings to the table goes far beyond just that, according to his coach and teammates.

The senior captain is “the best human being on the planet,” head coach Kyle Smith said before the season. A few weeks later, Smith responded to a question about his 6-foot-2 guard by exclaiming, “Steve Egee for president!”

“Coach Smith always calls it ‘being a pro,’” Barbour said. “Steve’s one of the best at being a pro, showing up every day, doing his job. He’s a guy that really brings all the pieces together. It’d be tough to do anything around here without Steve Egee on the team.”

Kowalski, on the other hand, draws more comparisons to pit bulls than presidents, but the effect is the same.

He finished Saturday with one assist and three personal fouls—not exactly a statistical eureka. But, just like Egee, Kowalski is a vital cog in the Light Blue’s machine. He scraps. He hustles. He takes care of the ball.

“It’s not going to show up on the stat sheet,” Smith said this week, explaining that with Kowalski in the game, “Barbour doesn’t get as worn out ... Dean’s role is this: If he turns it over or if he gets scored on, he gets the hook.”

Not exactly a glamorous role, but a crucial one nonetheless. It’s no coincidence that I have too many glowing quotes from Smith about these two guys than space to print them. What’s more, it’s contagious. The whole team’s bought in, all the way down the bench.

“It’s tough for those guys” who haven’t played as much, Smith said. “But they’ve had great attitudes about it. Some guys are practicing well, and don’t even get in games, but they’re still making us better.”

So the next time you hear talk about how the star won or lost a game, remember—basketball’s a team sport. This team believes it. Its success says the rest.