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Montez 20/9

Very happy for Montze. 20/9 against a solid Nebby team is no joke. He stays poised and can finish around the rim in tons of traffic. Hes playing towards his game. We get him a reliable midrange/3.... watch out big ten.

Also to note, Myles had a huge game. Double double and played really well. Happy for all our young bucks, theyve showed glimpses at different parts of the season.
 
Kid is a baller.

At times he’s a little out of control but then he’s got an edge that I wouldn’t want to mess with.

Not to mention he gets to the hole strong. Need to keep finding a way to get the ball in his hands and feed him when he slashes to the hoop.
 
Man it was great that he adjusted to the height and length of Nebraska after some fruitless attempts early on
 
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I noticed that late in the game when it was obvious Nebraska had to foul, he held the ball so he'd be the one going to the line. While his FT% was a little low coming into tonight, that showed me he is confident and wanted to be going to the line. Great all-around player, can't wait to watch his growth over the next few seasons.
 
Kid is a baller.

At times he’s a little out of control but then he’s got an edge that I wouldn’t want to mess with.

Not to mention he gets to the hole strong. Need to keep finding a way to get the ball in his hands and feed him when he slashes to the hoop.

Well said. I'll trade the occasional out-of-control play for the nearly constant high energy D and O. Kid's really starting to come into his own.
 
Might be the best player on the team. Gene most valuable. Geo court general. Myles turning it on. Couldn’t do it without them
 
Our 3 leading scorers were 2 freshmen and a soph. and their 3 leading scorers were seniors. Great to see the hustle. The RAC will be rocking again. Apparently17 NBA scouts were looking at Roby and we shut him down pretty good.
 
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You can see this kid wants to win. Great work ethic on the court. It has to be contagious. $$$$
 
This young man is coming on fast. Probably averaging 16 pts over the last six games. He’s a killer.
True. I love this kid. I wish however, as he continues to develop to learn how to sometimes not driving into the trees and stop and pull up for a nice 10-12 foot jumper. Some of his drives were way off and wild. Once he learns that there's no telling how high his ceiling is.
 
I love Montez....tenacious defender.....plays with an edge......goes to the rac looking for contact.....His game reminds me of Dahntay Jones...a little rough around the edges offensively but ahead of his stature defensively and takes no crap from anyone including Bruno Fernando......tough as nails....
 
the exciting thing is that he is having excellent offense games without a great outside shot....he is scoring against very good teams that have good defenses, slashing to the basket.

and with the moves to the basket, I don't see the offensive charges so many freshmen would make.....more than not, it winds up a basket and one.......

we have had players who started out with a 20 point game, mostly from the outside we get a bit excited about that....but games later they disappear when that shot fails

with Mathis, his offensive game should not disappear like that....it is much easier to remain an offensive threat if you can get to the bucket like he does.

I think he is all big 10 some day
 
He has scored 90 points in the last 6 games for 15.0 ppg over that span. He is really coming on.
 
I noticed that late in the game when it was obvious Nebraska had to foul, he held the ball so he'd be the one going to the line. While his FT% was a little low coming into tonight, that showed me he is confident and wanted to be going to the line. Great all-around player, can't wait to watch his growth over the next few seasons.
I wanted him on the line too
 
I didnt...while Mathis had a great game, he missed two one and ones late and then only 2-4 for 2-6. When you have guys like Geo and Kiss, that is who you want shooting. Not to say that Mathis will not turn into the man who will make these at the end of the game but its still tough to put that pressure on a freshmen rather than more seasoned guys.
 
the exciting thing is that he is having excellent offense games without a great outside shot....he is scoring against very good teams that have good defenses, slashing to the basket.

and with the moves to the basket, I don't see the offensive charges so many freshmen would make.....more than not, it winds up a basket and one.......

we have had players who started out with a 20 point game, mostly from the outside we get a bit excited about that....but games later they disappear when that shot fails

with Mathis, his offensive game should not disappear like that....it is much easier to remain an offensive threat if you can get to the bucket like he does.

I think he is all big 10 some day
I was really concerned earlier in the year when he seemed to have so much trouble finishing on drives, but he's making a believer out of me.
 
There have been a ton of times since he became a starter that I've said "where the hell is he going" when I see him driving it into the trees and then somehow he manages to finish. I'm not saying it anymore. He is, or will be the best penetrating guard we've had in my memory. He may also be the best rebounding guard we've had. If/ when he improves his mid range and 3 pt shooting, he will be impossible to stop.
 
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I think he is starting to take some of the pressure off of Baker.
When you have guys that can score at each position, there is less pressure on everybody. We're not there yet, but you're correct. When you have a guy like Mathis attacking the basket, the help defenders must come, leaving other guys open.
 
He's really been a better defender than the offensive end of the court...he was bird-dogging 5th year senior, James Palmer most of the 2nd half, making him work for his space and points.

When you give that much effort on the defensive end, or have to work very hard to get free on the offensive end, your FT shooting suffers a bit....that explains his missed FTs but it also takes the legs out of the person he's hounding, which impacted Palmer's missed FTs, a normal 82% shooter.

He is also getting in on the offensive glass and creating havoc. There's so many ways to impact a game beyond being a bomber from 3. He will improve that shooting aspect with another off season but you can't teach that athletic ability, it's just what allows him to thrive.

I think even though Jacob Young is being downplayed by a lot of people, Mathis and Young are going to create problems for teams next year. They can get into passing lanes and get easy baskets in transition, something RU doesn't get enough of.
 
when you are as athletic as Montez, you can control your body in the air in a way that allows you to avoid contact. He's had a few plays this season where that athleticism showed and it made a big difference.

Now think about it, we only have 1 of these type of guys, the really good teams have a few. Keep recruiting!
 
I didnt...while Mathis had a great game, he missed two one and ones late and then only 2-4 for 2-6. When you have guys like Geo and Kiss, that is who you want shooting. Not to say that Mathis will not turn into the man who will make these at the end of the game but its still tough to put that pressure on a freshmen rather than more seasoned guys.
Hindsight is easy. Montez was our most confident player last night. Free throws are mostly mental. That's why I wanted him on the line once he got fouled, not after seeing the result. He missed a few, but we managed to win. Perfect learning experience.
 
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