Ron Harper Jr. (And Quinerly) highlights...

[Greene Rice FIG]

NJH has it right. There is versatility when you have Eugene, Harper and Thaim. You can play anywhere between 40 and 90 or so minutes of bigs. Matchups determine a lot of that, but if Pikiell trusts caertain people or doesn't others minutes can be moved around.

OOC I see no reason why a Thaim or Harper could spend lots of minutes on the floor with only 1 big (meaning they are the 4). It comes down to defensive play, defensive rebounding and not making mistakes offensively.

We all have thoughts and expectations, but no one really knows much about anything with this roster. That includes returning Baker and his "1" ability OR Issa coming out of his offensive shell OR Eugene honing his "3 or WF" skills OR Shaq improving mobility.

 

[Scarlet83]

Of course it's possible.

That is what me and other posters were saying. It is possible.

Add to that what his Dad said, and it is more likely that Jr hasn’t stopped growing than the average HS senior. Note that I didn’t say it was guaranteed or even very likely. He is probably more likely to continue to grow than most HS seniors.

And in a year or two we will find out.

 

[RUChoppin]

That is what me and other posters were saying. It is possible.

Add to that what his Dad said, and it is more likely that Jr hasn’t stopped growing than the average HS senior. Note that I didn’t say it was guaranteed or even very likely. He is probably more likely to continue to grow than most HS seniors.

And in a year or two we will find out.

It's also possible that every other player on the team grows another inch or two.

 

[dkostus]

Thiam became a much better rebounder last year through technique (fundamentals, boxing out) rather than just his length, so I could see him spending minutes at the 4. Although he might wear down if it was too extended.

 

[snowboarder]

Kiss will start at the 2 in my opinion
He was streaky as a freshman shooter but proved he could score at the D1 level
He will benefit from the year off
Many here expect Mathis to come in and start but he does not appear to be a great outside shooter and we have to have improved 3 point shooting to get better
From what I see, Harper will push Issa for time but I believe that Issa will continue to improve. Issa has the ability to become an all big ten guy in my opinion but I also love Harpers game
Eugene though undersized will play a lot of 4
He is too good to be on the bench but has got to improve his outside shooting to consistently play the 3

 

[higgins3]

Overall, it’s not about who starts, but if the general talent of the class can make an okay transition to higher level ball. It’s not how many blocks, or if they are star rebounders, but if they defend without fouling, and make easy passes.i am not expecting a lights out shooter from Mathis. He will need to have the ability to grab 3_4 rebounds to get his floor time. Harper will have to make his free throws at an above .720 clip. Having realistic expectations is key for us fans.

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

Kiss will start at the 2 in my opinion
He was streaky as a freshman shooter but proved he could score at the D1 level
He will benefit from the year off
Many here expect Mathis to come in and start but he does not appear to be a great outside shooter and we have to have improved 3 point shooting to get better
From what I see, Harper will push Issa for time but I believe that Issa will continue to improve. Issa has the ability to become an all big ten guy in my opinion but I also love Harpers game
Eugene though undersized will play a lot of 4
He is too good to be on the bench but has got to improve his outside shooting to consistently play the 3

The ability to start as a freshman is what i would expect for Maths, but i would try Kiss at the SF...i view Mathis and Kiss and more likely to score vs Thiam...i see Thiam off bench more than Mathis and Kiss.

 

[Scarlet Shack]

Kiss will start at the 2 in my opinion
He was streaky as a freshman shooter but proved he could score at the D1 level
He will benefit from the year off
Many here expect Mathis to come in and start but he does not appear to be a great outside shooter and we have to have improved 3 point shooting to get better
From what I see, Harper will push Issa for time but I believe that Issa will continue to improve. Issa has the ability to become an all big ten guy in my opinion but I also love Harpers game
Eugene though undersized will play a lot of 4
He is too good to be on the bench but has got to improve his outside shooting to consistently play the 3

Eugene is slotted at the four. Exclusively ....

Pretty sure carter ends up at the five

Carter and Eugene are your starting front court

I think Mathis could end up playing as many minutes at the 2 as the 3....

The wild card to how the roster shakes out is Harper. Will be a three or a stretch four?

 

[RU-Choppin-Ohio]

Guards - Baker, McConnell, Mathis and Kiss

Wings - Thiam and Harper

PF - Eugene and Carter

Center - Duke, Johnson and Shaq

Transfer - Young

Open spot?????

Lots of options to Go Big, Go small or Go more traditional....It all depends on the matchups.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Eugene is slotted at the four. Exclusively ....

Wouldn’t use the word exclusively. How many teams (or looking closely minutes) will we face next year where we can get away having Eugene guarding a 5?

We need to move the needle offensively and hope the defense (and defensive rebounding) doesn't suffer too much. It is a must we get the offense at least in to the top 150 this year. 2 bigs constantly in the game may make that tougher.

........now if Eugene improves his perimeter game EXCLUSIVE

 

[dkostus]

Someone on YouTube set a bunch of Harper's highlights to heavy metal and it's awesome

 

[RutHut]

Awesome. Subliminal message at 4:35?

 

[SJScarlet]

Awesome. Subliminal message at 4:35?

lol great catch. WTF, so strange.

 

[RutHut]

lol great catch. WTF, so strange.

I strangely have the urge to go outside on my backyard hoop and do some rebounding drills

 

[SJScarlet]

I strangely have the urge to go outside on my backyard hoop and do some rebounding drills

If only it could convince some 5 stars to commit...