We live in a sports world of hype and hoopla.  It’s a world where magazine covers, shoe deals, and sponsors reign supreme.  Six foot six year olds are scouted, thirteen year olds with thirty foot jumpers are tracked, and rubes with ridiculous range are recruited.  In this world of scouting preps - dudes are dubbed saviors and heroes before they’ve even set foot on a collegiate floor. 

Again, consider this sports world we live in and then ask yourself how do we distinguish one player from another.  Who’s to know which of these sparkplugs will turn out to be “the man?”  Who’s to tell which players will live up to the hype? 

While it’s a process difficult to discern, there are certain individual performances by a player that stand out like a siren.  It’s games when Vince Young runs for 200 yards and 3 touchdowns, throws for 267 yards, and single-handedly leads Texas to a national title victory over a USC team widely considered to be one of the greatest ever, that I’m talking about.  It’s games when LeBron James leads his St. Vincent-St. Mary’s high school team to a 78-52 win over national power Westchester High in Los Angeles by equaling the opposing team’s point total with a career high 52 that alert us. 

Those are the types of games, the Siren Games that I am talking about – when a siren goes off to alert you that this guy is the real deal thus affirming the existence of the hype.   

In case you missed it, Kevin Durant had a Siren Game last night.  Durant scored 37 points and grabbed 23 rebounds for Texas – against a real school, Texas Tech – becoming the first Longhorn and second Big 12 player to join the 30-20 club.  In case you missed it, Durant has scored 30 or more in 5 of his last 8 games.  In case you missed it, he has 13 double-doubles, tying him for most ever in the Big 12 (with 9 regular season games to go).  Both coaches were impressed with Durant following the game:

Texas Tech coach Bob Knight said, “what more does he have to do.”

Texas coach Rick Barnes said, “He’s a once in a lifetime guy. He’s special, and we’re lucky that we have him.”

The best part about the whole night was Kevin Durant’s comments after the game:

“I really wasn’t worried about my stats or my rebounds or points. I just wanted to win.”

And, from the Austin-Statesman,

“I could have played a little better, I missed some easy shots. I missed some free throws (three).”

And that my friends is why he will be a successful player.   

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