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The Golden Yearsby: Barrett Baffert
Mustafa Shakur. At the time it sounded, well, perfect. Point Guard U would replace the productive-yet-limited Jason Gardner with top point guard prospect Mustafa Shakur - a 6'3", Philly-hardened floor general with a name that could move mountains. Mustafa Shakur. The Chosen One. The Golden Child. It's too bad he'll only stay for a year or two before joining the likes of Mike Bibby and Jason Terry in the NBA. Rejoice, for great things lie in store for us. Behold... the Mustafa Shakur Era is upon you.
Now, just four years later, I can't sit through a game without hearing pleas for his departure, whether they be from my mouth or others. Each of 'Staf's seasons comes complete with a nickname as dreary as its memory:
- 2004 - the Dark Year
- 2005 - the Year of the Meltdown
- 2006 - the Year to Forget
And in what is supposed to be his year of redemption, nobody close to the program can look 'Staf's stats in the eye. A Pac 10 leading seven assists per game? What about the costly late game turnovers? Improvements in both points-per-game and field goal percentage? How about this stat: since the end of the twelve game winning streak, Arizona has only been victorious in one game where Shakur scored in double digits. That one game? Last Saturday, against Stanford, where it took him until overtime to score ten. The harder Staf tries to put this team on his back, the worse the outcome.
Earlier this season, I thought Mustafa might have just been suffering whatever affliction troubled Salim for most of his time with the 'Cats. Perhaps, like Stoudamire, Shakur's years of inconsistency were meant only to highlight the year where he transcended college hoops and left a Wildcat legend. Perhaps not.
One of the most torturous parts about watching Mustafa is that everyone knows the mistakes he'll make before he even makes them. An audience of oracles simultaneously scream, "don't!" as he leaves his feet with nowhere to pass. It's not that we can see the future, history just has a way of repeating itself with this kid.
So, as we start the postseason, it's impossible not to have doubts in Mustafa Shakur's ability to lead this team to Atlanta. If you are a bit skeptical, that doesn't make you less of a fan. Instead, it proves that you've persevered the last few seasons. As a fan base, we're left with the hope that Mustafa will leave this campus in the same way he came to it - by fulfilling the exact opposite of what everyone expected him to do. “Playing within himself” and avoiding the urge to “do too much” may not be the role his name seemed destined for, but it’s the role this team needs. Besides, what's in a name?
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