so he isnt a drop candidate just yet. In the same game, Lions wideout Golden Tate managed just two catches for 13 yards, but the

This story appears in ESPN The Magazines November 28 Tall Ball Issue. Subscribe today!POINT GUARDS, BASKETBALLS vertically challenged demographic, tend to view post players with a mix of exasperation and admiration. South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, a former point herself, is no different when she looks at 6-foot-4 senior center Alaina Coates.It seems like for bigs, theres no middle ground, the 5-5 Staley says. Theyre either soft or theyre physical, its not like theres an in-between.Soft is a bit harsh -- even bigs who drift to the perimeter still end up taking some punishment inside. But Staley sees the womens game changing, with fewer pure centers who play with their backs to the basket and dont act like 3-point shooters.Of course, part of her perspective comes from having such a valuable commodity in Coates. And with junior Aja Wilson, a 6-5 forward who prefers to face the basket, she has two very different types of dominant bigs. The Gamecocks relied on the inside-outside strength of the duo to go 33-2 and win the SEC title last season.While Wilson is a superstar -- she was a consensus All-American and national player of the year candidate last season -- and the face of one of the countrys best teams, Coates is also an elite professional prospect, one who will be in the mix to become the WNBAs No. 1 draft pick in April.Because of her willingness to play a style that few are willing to play, shell find her way into a positive role with a WNBA team, says Cori Close, coach of Pac-12 preseason favorite UCLA, which will face South Carolina on Dec. 18. You cant put a price tag on it.In the WNBA, big players with guard skills abound: Los Angeles 6-4 forward-center Candace Parker, Chicagos 6-5 forward-guard Elena Delle Donne and Seattles 6-4 forward Breanna Stewart are all among the two tallest players on their teams, but only Parker is designated as a center. No matter how theyre listed, they have similar styles: Stewart made 45 3s this past season, Delle Donne 43 and Parker 42.In contrast, Minnesotas 6-6 Sylvia Fowles has attempted just one 3-pointer in nine WNBA seasons. Phoenixs 6-9 star Brittney Griner has taken none. Fowles says its simple: Players such as Coates should perfect what they do best.Staley, who played alongside 6-5 Lisa Leslie in the Olympics -- Leslie was a four-time Olympian and three-time MVP with Los Angeles -- has the same vision for Coates. Lisa was really smart in that she knew where she was going to make the most money, Staley says. Which was: Ive got to get down there and score in the paint. She worked at it.Staley says Coates, while still a work in progress, can be the most dominant player in the country just being a back-to-the-basket player. Shes embraced that.That allows Staley a luxury that few other college coaches have. According to Synergy Sports Technology, the Gamecocks posted up 64 percent more than the national average last season.Coates considers Wilson the perfect high-low partner -- I trust Aja -- and they share the joy of being local stars who have helped South Carolina become the nations attendance leader (14,978 per home game last season) in womens basketball. Coates is from Irmo, just northwest of Columbia, and Wilson is from Hopkins, to the southeast. Their towns are 35 minutes apart, with the university downtown right between them.Alaina and I have been playing together since we were 12 or 13 years old, with AAU, Wilson says. Its fun to have a true back-to-the-basket player, especially with a person like me whos not. Its a nice balance.Coates, who posted up 33.3 percent more than the average player last season, was the only center among the SECs top 20 scorers (12.1 points per game). Just 15 percent of the SECs top 41 rebounders were centers, with Coates leading at 10.3 rpg.She was mentored from an early age by her father, Gary Coates, a command sergeant major in the Army National Guard and active-duty military for 33 years. Playing the post makes you mature, says Gary, whose brother, Ben Coates, was an NFL tight end for 10 seasons.Alaina has taken her dads lessons to heart.I enjoy being a 5, she says. Being a center means youre going to war down there on the block. I like the feeling that Im going to bully my way around out there.The kindhearted Coates says this with a laugh. But Staley prefers Coates to have a bit of an edge. That may be the difference in the Gamecocks run at the 2017 national title.I dont like when she plays passive or when she makes herself blend in, Staley says. Shes physical, shes imposing, shes mobile, shes quick. Shes all of those things.And if shes anything less than that, then she might as well be 5-11. Air Max 1 NZ Outlet . Mats Zuccarello and Derek Stepan scored shootout goals, and backup goalie Cam Talbot earned his second win in two nights as the Rangers shook off a late tying tally and beat the Maple Leafs 2-1 Monday night. Discount Air Max 1 NZ . Pierce was ejected in the third quarter of Indianas 103-86 win Monday. George Hill stole a bad pass and was going in for a layup, and Pierce hustled back and appeared to be trying to wrap him up. http://www.airmax1salenz.com/ . Cote was eligible to become a free agent Feb. 15. Cote helped running back Jon Cornish run for a league-high 1,813 rushing yards en route to being named the leagues most outstanding player. Wholesale Shoes NZ From China .ca NFL Power Rankings, overtaking the Denver Broncos and remaining ahead of NFC competition San Francisco, Carolina and New Orleans. Wholesale Air Max 1 NZ . Its an influence in football and a big part of the game. By the end of this week -- when the severity of the hamstring, groin, knee, and shoulder injuries suffered in Week 2 crystallizes -- fantasy owners may only have one or two players lost for a significant amount of time.While this may seem like good news, its actually going to create a messy set of logic games on the waiver wire.---THE INJURY REPORTTake Jonathan Stewarts hamstring injury, for instance. Stewart owners are going to have to decide whether to add Fozzy Whitaker (who had 131 total yards filling in for Stewart) or Cameron Artis-Payne (who has been a healthy scratch the past two weeks, but more neatly fits the lead back profile). And even if an owner successfully claims the correct back, theres Mike Tolbert stealing touchdowns -- followed by the possibility of Stewart being healthy enough to play. Once thats all settled, a fundamental fantasy dilemma remains: Do you let go of a potential star whos off to a slow start (someone like Titans wideout Rishard Matthews) for an iffy player with a new opportunity?This is going to be an issue throughout fantasy football.Adrian Petersons knee injury appears serious enough to keep him out for a significant amount of time, and while Jerick McKinnon seems like the obvious backup, it was Matt Asiata getting six carries in Mondays win -- McKinnon got two. In an odd twist, Petersons wife said after the game that hell be OK and was walking on the injured knee, according to a tweet from Larry Fitzgerald, Sr., a prominent member of the Minneapolis-area media and the father of the Arizona wide receiver.---MORE SIGNIFICANT INJURIESIn Detroit, Ameer Abdullahs foot injury opens the door for either second-year running back Zach Zenner or rookie Dwayne Washington. Zenner has been a healthy scratch the last two weeks, while Washington had 56 total yards Sunday, most of them on two big plays. Washington may quietly be the most intriguing add of the week.In San Diego, a Danny Woodhead injury turns all eyes to... Kenneth Farrow? The rookie caught 74 passes over four years at the University of Houston, and is the closest thing the Chargers have to a Woodhead-style pass-catching back. Expect the Chargers -- if Woodhead is out -- to get creative with their playmakers, like Travis Benjamin and Dontrelle Inman.---A BRIEF INTERMISSION TO LOOK AT ACTUAL PERFORMANCESBrowns receiver Corey Coleman built on his Week 1 momentum with a Week 2 full-on explosion, catching five passes on eight targets for 104 yards and two touchdowns.dddddddddddd. He is available in 38 percent of CBSSports.com leagues. But, a fun fact: Terrelle Pryor had more targets from new starter Josh McCown (who, naturally, also may be hurt).Will Fuller also put forth a 104-yard game -- his second 100-yard game in a row -- to prove his legitimacy as Houstons No. 2 receiver and confirm a fantasy-friendly rapport with Brock Osweiler.Willie Snead (five catches on eight targets, 54 yards and a TD) and Stefon Diggs (nine catches, 11 targets, 182 yards, TD) continued to remind us that their 2015 breakouts werent flukes. Diggs, especially, looked like a bona fide NFL superstar Sunday night, with a series of deft moves and cuts against Green Bay.The Steelers had a value shift at wide receiver, as Sammie Coates (available in 81 percent of CBSSports.com leagues) hauled in 97 yards on two receptions, while last weeks waiver wire darling, Eli Rogers, managed just one catch for 9 yards.Titans rookie Taj Sharpe finished with an unimpressive four catches for 33 yards, but received a team-high seven targets, so he isnt a drop candidate just yet. In the same game, Lions wideout Golden Tate managed just two catches for 13 yards, but they came on nine targets. While Tate has been a bit of a bust thus far, he has 16 targets on the season -- more than Eric Decker, Allen Hurns, or Travis Benjamin.---WE NOW RETURN TO YOUR REGULARLY-SCHEDULED INJURY UPDATESJimmy Garoppolos shoulder injury and Tom Bradys impending return will create a messy window for the Patriots in Week 3 (a Thursday night game) and Week 4, as their only healthy, non-suspended quarterback is rookie Jacoby Brissett. Expect to hear names like T.J. Yates and Ryan Lindley thrown around, but expect Brissett to start.Arian Foster (backup: Jay Ajayi), Thomas Rawls (backup: Christine Michael) and Doug Martin (backup: probably Charles Sims, maybe Jacquizz Rodgers) also suffered injuries, but the extent wont be known until later this week.And it would be wise to keep an eye on Brandon Marshalls status. While hes been known to play through injury, a possible MCL issue could sideline him and bring Quincy Enunwa up wide receiver rankings for Week 3.---This column was provided to The Associated Press by the Fantasy Sports Network, http://FNTSY.com. ' ' '