Hype is a fickle bitch.
It can be the ticket to landing your school's team on ESPN 24/7, without regard to actual skill level or past performance. It can also leave you with a warehouse full of useless "WVU Football: 1998 National Champions!" t-shirts. And then, every once in awhile, hype is actually realized, leading teams to the promised land (and Jim Nantz).
Well, I am to here to tell you one thing and one thing only: when it comes to Devin Ebanks, believe the hype.
Ebanks is very obviously vain; he seeks attention. He poses, he preens, he makes sure his head band is just right. For Mountaineer Madness, he debuted his mohawk. No one in the history of the world has ever had a mohawk and not sought attention. This road of vanity and attention is usually the death of potential superstars.
But Devin Ebanks is different. He hustles. He defends. He seems to relish in the little things, like put backs and blocked shots. He limits his range to shots he's comfortable with, not every shot. All to often, players become full of themselves, hogging the ball and hoisting shots from all lengths and angles. Ebanks, on the other hand, will make the good pass, hustle his ass off, and do the little things that make the team better.
And when you put those qualities in the body of a player that can do this...
...and this...
You have the ingredients for a superstar.
Vanity, which usually is attached the obsession of one's looks, can also mean concern of accomplishments. Ebanks seems centered on making himself the best basketball player possible -- and looking good doing it, not the other way around. It's a subtle but important distinction. Ebanks is a basketball player first, showman second.
And if we're to believe the hype, Mountaineer fans are in for a show this season.