Northwestern Basketball 2010: Why Luka Mirkovic is Either Loved or Hated

How can one describe Luka Mirkovic?

He's a 6'11'' center on the Northwestern Wildcats Men's Basketball team. He wears a protective face mask to protect his broken nose, even though it's been five months since he broke it. Despite being 6'11'', I have yet to see him dunk a basketball or lift two feet off the ground, but he's got one more year left, so we still may see it happen.

Most importantly, Luka plays with the fire that is needed of all basketball players, but especially ones that just aren't as talented as other players.

Let's compare Luka Mirkovic and Jared Sullinger.

Sullinger is a couple inches shorter than Mirkovic but has the talent and physicality as well as the ability to dunk the ball with have a vertical of over two feet. He is also the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and has made a case to be the Big Ten Player of the Year.

Meanwhile, in Luka's three years at Northwestern, he has compiled stats of just over six points per game and just under five rebounds per game.

Enough with the criticism of Mirkovic, let's see why he is considered a fan favorite in Evanston.

Some compare him to a Cliff Livingston, a reserve player for the Chicago Bulls during their title run, or a significantly less talented version of Kevin Garnett (remember, I'm comparing based on intensity).

He always loves to pump his chest after he makes a shot that is outside the lane or anything that he considers significant (blocked shot, drawn charge). He also decides that it's electrifying when he pumps his chest and screams towards fans, whether he is at home or on the road.

He is absolutely adored by the Northwestern fans because of the intensity and emotion that he plays with, but, in the Big Ten and everywhere else in the country, he is despised.

It has gotten so bad that he is booed every time he touches the ball.

It also doesn't help his reputation that he raises both of his hands in the air when he makes a three-pointer. I mean, the only players that ever perform an act like this are three-point specialists such as Ray Allen, Mike Miller and J.J. Redick.

Intensity is a contributing factor to teams winning games, but, at a certain point, there has to be something to back up that intensity—like talent.