Open practice thoughts
- Thread starter kcg88
- Start date
See, that's what is great about this forum, everybody is entitled to an opinion.
Yeah, and I guess it doesn't matter to those with negative opinions of Young that just about EVERY media member who has been watching practices over the past year are on record as saying either that Young is our best player, or, at the very least, will be our starting PG.
So, you negatoids, just keep citing to those irrelevant/outdated stats from 2-3 years ago when Young was in a different program and different system.
Several times bitten, next time shy, on reports out of practice about transfers. hoping for the best on Young and trying to read tea leaves as best possible.
You are not wrong when talking about all of the transfers not living up to their billing(and in many cases a mile off), BUT can you please at least wait to see Young play a few games(or maybe a month) before making a decision?
You are always Mr. Doom and Gloom. Let's think "positive" thoughts that Young and Yeboah will be the start of a special season where we are not always waiting for bad results to happen and somehow, some way we find a way to make the NCAA Tourney which is Pike and the team's goal.
Best of Luck,
Groz
He was, and interestingly enough, there weren't a ton of practice reports saying he was going to be dominant - so he was more of a pleasant surprise than carrying a ton of expectations.
I think you are missing one big thing regarding Young and playing time. We are not a fast team up top and he is a burner. He will play a lot of minutes just because of his speed.
Mathis is fast.
Maybe everyone is right and I am not saying for sure he doesnt play more than 15 MPG. Texas isnt a great basketball program. If he was a lock to play here then why didnt Texas want him?
Mathis is fast, but that's one guy. Need more than him against Illiinois, etc.
Texas made the tourney his sophomore year, so can't really argue that.
My take is he seems a little immature and doesn't like playing defense. If those things haven't changed you will be right, he won't play much. If he has grown up he will play significant minutes against faster teams.
I missed the notion that someone projected Kiss was going to be a definite 3 year starter at RU....
Nigel Johnson played well in spots at RU and pushed RU past Ohio State in the B1G tournament in Pikes 1st year.
Judge was wildly overhyped out of HS, but a definite serviceable player who definitely was a victim of having 2 very vicious and demeaning coaches in Frank Martin at Kansas State and Mike Rice here that didn't help him IMO.
Jacob Young is a player we didn't have on the roster last year, but somehow fans (and bright basketball minds) cannot digest basic information...... it's called coach speak or taking the aspects of a player and how he adds to the overall roster.
The RU fan has to "evolve" into understanding that the program is starting "Year 1..."....Year 1 is where all of the recruits and pieces have been recruited, developed by the Head Coach and assistant coaches on the staff.
When you are in Year 1 or after 2 to.3 cycles of recruiting, players stop becoming asked to be a savior and start fitting roles of need within the roster.....that means games where the player doesn't score at their averages, but fits a role that allows them to "buy-in".
It's new territory asking transfers to play within the context of a program, when RU never developed 3 to 4 classes of recruiting to sustain anything. So while Kiss and Young are not 32 minutes a game players, my guess will be that they'll be remembered in 3 to 5 years as pieces that lifted this program to the next level.
Appreciate everyone posting their observations. This was a fun read.
We return six (6!) kids who's first year playing for us was last year. Myles, Carter, Mathis, Harper, Kiss and Caleb. All "rookies" last season. I have watched a parade of kids get better under this HC, and this group of six has a lot of potential.
One big key for me is Geo. I think he had a very solid season asking what we did of him. I think there may be another level. I love the idea of him playing more off the ball. I remember this:
We return six (6!) kids who's first year playing for us was last year. Myles, Carter, Mathis, Harper, Kiss and Caleb. All "rookies" last season. I have watched a parade of kids get better under this HC, and this group of six has a lot of potential.
One big key for me is Geo. I think he had a very solid season asking what we did of him. I think there may be another level. I love the idea of him playing more off the ball. I remember this:
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Yuppp
I'd be absolutely shocked if young is under 20.
Also this whole notion of other transfers not being great means we should assume Young won't be is an anti intellectual completely worthless take. It's lazy AF
That's a bad read on what's happening.
The intent is to not just take practice reports at face value, especially those used to hype a player up to a level of production they've never shown on the court before.
Lucy has pulled that ball away too many times in the past for that.
I'm glad we're hearing good things about him in practice, but I am not dubbing any transfer as a 20 minute plus starter until I see him on the court with my own eyes.
If you lined Mathis and Young up at one endline and had them sprint to the other it would probably be close. If you put a ball in their hands and had them dribble as fast as they could, my hunch is Young would be faster and better with the dribble.
put a ball in their hands and have them finish with a 6'5'' B1G player back on D in transition.
too bad they don't have NBA2K ratings because this would be settled instantly.
Not even close. Young can coast and has a special gear. Have you watched him run in the sprints they have had in the open practices?
With that said, both have many questions regarding their basketball skills. Mathis showed last year that he CAN be a tremendous lock down defender, but his game seemed to regress in all other areas as the season went on in the BIG. Both need to show big improvement in their shots to have us reach the next level.
Best of Luck,
Groz
Speed doesn't always translate to being better on the offensive end....definitely an asset defensively.
We had a lightning fast guard that could beat anyone off the dribble here before. Unfortunately he rarely passed when he was beating his defender off the dribble. Sometimes we are better off with a slower guy (wearing a headband?) who looks to pass 1st.
Maybe Young can go 100MPH and be able to finish or pass at that speed. I like to use the analogy at football games where people yell from the stands why don't we teach our DBs to turn their heads when the ball is thrown......like it is some video game where you can turn your head, know where you are going and still maintain the same speed.
We had a lightning fast guard that could beat anyone off the dribble here before. Unfortunately he rarely passed when he was beating his defender off the dribble. Sometimes we are better off with a slower guy (wearing a headband?) who looks to pass 1st.
Maybe Young can go 100MPH and be able to finish or pass at that speed. I like to use the analogy at football games where people yell from the stands why don't we teach our DBs to turn their heads when the ball is thrown......like it is some video game where you can turn your head, know where you are going and still maintain the same speed.
"Early in the practice he came over to the fans to tell us that the team is working on not fouling because in the first 6 games the referees are being reviewed and call everything"
Is this correct? I have not heard of this in previous seasons.
Yes, first thing he said when he came over to the fans. Followed that with “by the end of the season I’m telling the guys to club the other team”.
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