Jordan versus LeBron, McIntosh versus Jones—these are the basketball debates that rule our time. At least, they controlled the conversation on Wednesday night at Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall in Athens.
Georgia left tackle Broderick Jones, a lifelong LeBron James fan, said he might take James over Michael Jordan one-on-one. Jones then had to defend himself from running back Kenny McIntosh after the former claimed to be the best basketball player on the team.
"Why are you doing all that in front of these cameras?" McIntosh called to Jones, who had just finished his media availability.
"Don't make me come back over there," Jones replied.
The ribbing was all in good fun. But there are some legitimate hardwood lessons that McIntosh and Jones still apply today.
McIntosh played high school basketball for University School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He had two future NBA teammates in Vernon Carey and Scottie Barnes.
A self-described "defensive guy," McIntosh still remembers running suicides on the court. He believes those types of drills helped him with his football skill set.
"It’s definitely different from football, changing directions, being able to shuffle your feet and stuff like that," McIntosh said. "It taught me a lot with my feet, just helped me with my feet really."
Footwork can help in pass protection, for example. McIntosh did note that instead of taking a charge, he's colliding head-on with blitzing linebackers and charging defensive ends. But the lessons can still apply.
The love of basketball carried over to college. McIntosh recalled he and former Bulldog D'Andre Swift shooting on a mini-hoop in the locker room, often barely making it on time for meetings.
Jones also said basketball improved his footwork. He grew up thinking his future resided on the hardwood and starred on the court for Lithonia High School.
But the basketball career had its pitfalls when it came to football as well.
"During basketball season, I was always light," Jones said. "When I first got here, I had to gain a lot of weight. That’s the biggest thing in the SEC. As an offensive tackle, you have to be able to hold weight and be able to hold your quickness as well. That’s been something I’ve been trying to work on."
The LeBron supporter in Jones told him to take King James over Jordan head-to-head due to James' size. Within the Bulldogs, however, debates reign.
Jones claimed to be better than McIntosh. The running back reacted with incredulity. Both said they're better than 6-foot-7, 270-pound tight end Darnell Washington.
As for a full team, McIntosh listed himself, Jones, Washington, and quarterback Stetson Bennett for his dream Bulldog five. The last spot is up for grabs between defensive backs Chris Smith and Tykee Smith, along with inside linebacker Trezman Marshall.
Both McIntosh and Jones said they haven't hooped seriously in a while. But certain aspects of their game still have their roots on the high school hardwood.
