2008 Woodie Awards
Not basketball for Tipton, but chess
Andrew Bailey
Issue date: 2/14/07 Section: Sports
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Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, J.T. Tipton, and Bobby Fisher? If you are asking who Bobby Fisher is, then you are probably not alone. He is a famously great chess player, and you may think of me as a little crazy to put them in the same sentence, but bear with me. J.T. Tipton is perhaps the best player to ever wear a Sonoma State basketball jersey, and just one look at his stats or his records will tell you that.
So this is the part where we are supposed to list off his stats and records, but that would just equate to beating a dead horse. What is more impressive to me is the man behind the stats--the man behind the superman cape. Described by coaches and players as a blue collar guy, who brings his lunch bucket and hard hat to work everyday, and a guy who leads by example. There is more to him than just that. To truly appreciate Tipton you have to see the game within the game--the things that don't show up on stat sheets.
You can measure his height, and ask how high he can jump. When you ask head coach Pat Fuscaldo how Tipton moves, he won't beat around the bush, "like molasses." To anyone who watches his game, they can tell you exactly what I am telling you. Although to me there is a difference between a guy who works hard, plays great and puts up good numbers, and a guy who can make his whole team great.
It would be naive to say that Tipton isn't a physical specimen himself, but it is his court IQ that not only helps with his lack of athleticism, but truly makes him great. While we are all watching the ball fly through the air for a shot, he is down in the post imposing his will to get the rebound. Make no mistake about the imposing part either, as Tipton has won the team's tough man award two of the past three years, and is on pace to do it again this year.
It is his chess-like IQ which makes him a unique athlete. Like a chess player, Tipton is thinking of moves ahead of the desired goal. In the game of chess the game is usually over before it truly ends, and the same can be seen with the way Tipton rebounds the ball. Beyond his desire and his great work ethic, it is this chess-like strategy that allows Tipton to set up the rebound before the ball has even left the shooter's hand. This is something that cannot be measured, and for me to have to relate basketball to chess, that should tell you just how hard it is to describe.