Let's face it: like it or not, fashion plays a central role in sport. That's why we remember things like Agassi's mane surrounded by flourescents, Michael Cooper's knee-high socks, Deion Sanders belly-knotted Florida State jersey, the Fab Five's shorts, or even the rally-cap. Need a recent example? How about the Band-Wade. Basketball is definitely no exception. T-Mobile did a great job of pointing this out in the recent commercial featuring D-Wade and Sir Charles when D-Wade says "Amazing.....how you fit into those short shorts" while watching a clip of Charles dunking decades ago for the Sixers. Any basketball fan with an ounce of curiosity has always wondered or bet with buddies how long it will take for the short shorts to come back. These things take time. One article of clothing at a time.
On that note, let's cut to the chase and talk about the college hoops fashion trends of the 2008-2009 season. There are three ways to characterize the fashion trends of any season: 1) the standard look, 2) what's trend-forward, and 3) what's trend-backward. Definitely the signature look and fashion formula for this season has been the five following ingredients, three of which are required, two are optional. They are: the tight jersey (required), fairly baggy shorts (required), the crew sock (required), the tight-breathy-tech-fit under t-shirt (optional), and headband (optional).
The headband, tight jersey, and crew sock are all trend-forward elements. Academics on Athletics thinks we have to give credit to Carmelo Anthony for the crew sock trend, as we all remember watching him cut down the nets in '03 when few to no other players were sporting the crew socks as noticably as him. And we know that NCAA players emulate pro players, and our hypothesis is that LeBron James started the emergence of the headband in high school. Before that time, there really was not any prevalence of the headband in the college game. The headband is spreading like wildfire and it's hard to imgaine it disappearing anytime soon.
Trend-backward? The amazingly sudden and surprising disppearance of the ankle sock. Not the quarter sock, but the true ankle sock (no sock visible). Only Gerald Henderson of Duke and Goran Suton of Michigan State are sporting remnants of the true ankle sock. These guys are definitely trend-backward.
So, without further ado, here is Academics on Athletics 2008-2009 All-College Hoops Style Watch Team. Criteria: Those who best embody the signature look of the season.
G Tyreke Evans, Memphis
G Jonny Flynn, Syracuse
G Tyrese Rice, BC
F Jeff Adrien, Connecticut
F Deion Thompson, UNC
MVP (unanimous): Jonny Flynn
Anyway, as we embark on March Madness, I offer our readers a competition to view who can point out the person who best embodies the 2008-2009 signature look of tight jersey -- baggy shorts -- crew sock. And, who looks the best in the look.
Please feel free to comment if you have any questions or suggestions.
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