UCSB won by 25 at Northridge Thursday. Sophomore forward Alexis Whitfield had 11 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 steals in 20 minutes off the bench for the Gauchos.
I think it was Dallas Maverick Jim Farmer who coined the term “billion” for a player line in an old-fashioned newspaper basketball score that indicates one minute played with 0 FG or FT attempts, 0 offensive or total rebounds, 0 assists, 0 fouls, 0 points, or “1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0”.
One billion is easiest to achieve when entering the game for a couple of seconds, because it rounds up to one minute on the stat sheet. I think the most billions I’ve ever seen in a boxscore was 13, the equivalent of playing an entire quarter of an NBA game, and not affecting the game in the slightest.
Sophomore guard Kathleen Hutchens recorded a billion for the Gauchos last night. Actually, in the newfangled online boxscores, there’s much more space for display. Hutchens had one minute and 15 zeroes: a quadrillion.
I think that kid is talented. Sees the floor very well, makes passes other players can’t make, shoots from distance, has the savvy of a coach’s daughter.
What I don’t know about her is how she’ll handle such little playing time. If Coach Henrickson doesn’t see Hutchens fitting into future plans, that’s one thing. But if Coach is bringing her along slowly with Hutchens’ junior and senior years in store, and Hutchens hates it, that’s another.