Josh Q. Public:  I’ll throw it down your throat like Barkley.  See these car keys - you’ll never get these.  They belong to the 98 posse.  -Public Enemy

Public Service Announcement: OK, here we go!  It’s college basketball baby!  Diaper Dandies.   PTPers.  Maalox Mashers.  Dipsy-doo dunkeroo slam-jam-bams.   Call the fire chief cause he’s on fire!.  All of it.  It’s awesome baby!  Had enough of all this football nonsense?  Can’t keep it up for another two weeks straight?  You need a break?  You wanna talk basketball?  Is basketball your favorite sport?   Do you like the way they dribble up and down the court?  Kurtis Blow style.  Huh?  Well today’s your lucky day.  Today we’re talking about college basketball’s best kept secret.  Today we’re talking about the University of Massachusetts’ own Stephane Lasme. 

UMass Basketball?  Really?  I thought they died.  I thought they died after Calipari blew town.  I thought they died after Marcus Camby went pro.  I thought you said are you all right Spider.  Think again folks.  Don’t be so Simple Minded.  UMass Basketball is alive and kicking.  Stephane Lasme is alive.  Stephane Lasme is kicking.  Yup, Stephane Lasme is his name.  Defense is his game.  Just been named #### Vitale’s National Player of the Week baby!  Just been named #### Vitale’s  All-Human Eraser Team.  Just been named in ESPN’s Weekly Watch: Five Your Should Know.  Just been named ESPN.com Big Man On Campus.  Why Public?  Why him? Why?  Why?  Why?

In case you haven’t been watching.  In case you haven’t been paying attention.  Lasme had a monster of a week.  A Frankenstein of a week.  A Yeti of a week.   A Godzilla of a week.  In wins over George Washington and Temple this cat totaled 44 points.  This cat totaled 26 boards.  This cat blocked 17 shots. In the win over GW, he put up a triple-double.  Triple trouble.  A triple double  that featured eleven blocks.  Eleven blocks.  My oh my!  Lasme is second in the country in blocks (5.35).  He leads the A-10 in blocks and rebounds (9.9).  He is the reason the Minutemen are hanging with Xavier in the standings.  Hangin’ tough.  Are you tough enough?  NKOTB style.  He became only the 23rd player with multiple triple-doubles in the same season.  And that third double ain’t assists.  It’s blocks.  Who does that?  Stephane Lasme, that’s who.

Lasme is the best defender in the nation.  Never on vacation.  The man’s an aberration.  Knocking balls into orbit like the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
.  He simply changes the game with his defense.  He’s the difference maker.   The chocolate caker.  His five plus blocks a game are just one shy of the record single-season pace set by Colgate’s Adonal Foyle.  And this ain’t the mid ’90s Patriot League.   This is big time basketball.  He has the ability to block shots without getting into foul trouble. But don’t think Sean Bradley.  Don’t think Manute Bol.  Don’t think Samuel Dalembert.  He is not simply a one dimensional player.  You don’t amass triple doubles by being one dimensional.  He can shoot the short jumper in traffic.  In rush hour traffic.  In Lincoln Tunnel rush hour traffic.  Against Temple he was 9-of-10 from the floor.  He can shoot free throws.  Only shooting at .616 pace so far this year, he went 14-of-14 from the line as a sophomore against Duquesne.  So remember the name.  Coming soon to an NCAA Tournament near you.  Coming soon to an NBA arena near you.  Blocking shots into a stratosphere near you.  Stepahne Lasme.

Peace out homies.  Six Two and Even!