One-off breakout basketball performances aren't wholly unusual. What is odd is when a player intersperses a truly insipid outing in between games that could otherwise be considered huge offensive explosions.
According to the Los Angeles Times, that's what Calabasas (Calif.) High guard Jeremy Liberman did during the final week of 2011. First, he was named MVP of the competitive Palm Springs winter tournament. The sophomore guard followed that up with a performance in which he scored exactly zero points in a 17-point loss to Westlake (Calif.) Oaks Christian School.
Evidently, Liberman's offensive limitation was directly connected to a surprising and sudden penchant for showboating. The guard was benched during the loss to Oaks Christian after forcing two behind-the-back passes, both of which resulted in turnovers.
The question is whether that benching inspired Liberman, or whether he turned a corner on his own. Regardless of motivation, the sophomore followed up his zero point outing with a whopping 29 points in Calabasas' 63-38 rout of Compton (Calif.) Centennial High. That's almost 50 percent of his team's offense after a game in which he provided literally zero percent of it.
If you're curious, you can see some of Liberman's best moments in action right here.
Unsurprisingly, both Calabasas and the school's future opponents are curious about whether the guard's 30-point outings are going to be more common than his zero-point performances in the future. Either way, his recent performances highlight the immense talent -- and volatility -- that any coach has to undertake when trying to build up and establish a new star.
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