The Amazing Jonathan

Jonathan Mitchell continues to defy convention and improve with each passing day, as his four-point play with :00.8 seconds left lifts Rutgers to 77-76 upset over Villanova. (Photo courtesy of Newark Star-Ledger)

Eight days ago, Rutgers took my alma mater of St. John's to the limit at Carnesecca Arena before ultimately falling short on a Justin Brownlee game-winner. After the final buzzer, I immediately concluded that the Scarlet Knights were the Rocky Balboa of the Big East. For those unfamiliar with the analogy, just watch the end of the first "Rocky" movie, where although Apollo Creed wins the fight, Rocky wins the war by gaining more credibility; and ultimately the heavyweight championship in "Rocky II."

The Scarlet Knights had won me over before that thanks to coach Mike Rice; but the more I watched the team, one player stood out in particular. This player had been through an emotional roller coaster of sorts, from winning a national championship as a true freshman at Florida to having to transfer due to lack of playing time with the Gators. A product of upstate New York, growing up in the shadows of the Bronx in Mount Vernon, he is the embodiment of a warrior. A man who refuses to let criticism or anything else get the best of him, one who just goes out and takes care of business every night. The first time I saw him, he scored 20 against North Carolina at Madison Square Garden; and although a senior, I sensed he could really be something special. That was the first time I got to see Jonathan Mitchell.

Just over a month later, "J-Mitch" has continued to elevate his already vast talent, doing so to the tune of 24 points against St. John's and 25 last night against Villanova, the last four of those coming on a four-point play with :00.8 seconds remaining in regulation after Mitchell drained a three while drawing a foul on the Wildcats' Corey Fisher. Less than 24 hours after the shot, (which was called brilliantly by my friend and colleague Chris Carlin, who handled radio play-by-play for the Scarlet Knights on WOR) coaches across the Big East could not stop raving about Mitchell, even those who had unsuccessfully tried to recruit him.

"We recruited him out of high school," said Villanova head man Jay Wright, who was burned firsthand by Mitchell's heroics last night. "I'm not surprised that he gets better and better every year." South Florida's Stan Heath, who was also on the losing end of a battle against Rutgers, also praised Mitchell on this morning's Big East coaches' conference call. "You could tell he's playing like a senior," said the affable Heath. "He's playing inspirational basketball." Notre Dame coach Mike Brey commented about how he had two chances to land Mitchell in South Bend, losing out both after Mitchell graduated high school and left Florida; however the coach insisted that he has "always loved him." Cincinnati's Mick Cronin added perhaps the greatest praise for Mitchell, calling his shot-making ability "tremendous;" and even going so far as to call him "one of the better players in our league and one of the most underrated players in our conference."

Mitchell's own coach lauded his senior swingman as someone who was "trying to carry us and become a leader" after the loss at St. John's. This morning, Mike Rice said it was "unbelievable" as to how much he has grown and come outside himself. "Every single day, he refuses to listen to anybody. He's one of the guys I'll always owe the beginning of our success to, and one of the guys I'll always remember."

From someone who has covered his share of underrated players, (coincidentally, most of them have played against St. John's) it's nice to see someone like Mitchell succeed; and as a fan turned media member, I can agree with Mike Rice on many things, none more so than this:

Jonathan Mitchell is one of the guys that I, too, will always remember.