Understanding the Souf Mensah Mistake

[RUSCFORMERLYRULOU]

First of all, I love the guy's attitude - he's always up off the bench cheering event though he's not getting a lot of playing time.
From a basketball standpoint, I want to try to understand why he was recruited to begin with - obviously he has not lived up to expectations. What did Pike see? He's got a good BB IQ so it's puzzling how he missed on Souf.

 

[KevH]

First of all, I love the guy's attitude - he's always up off the bench cheering event though he's not getting a lot of playing time.
From a basketball standpoint, I want to try to understand why he was recruited to begin with - obviously he has not lived up to expectations. What did Pike see? He's got a good BB IQ so it's puzzling how he missed on Souf.

I don't like to beat coach P up over it, but it is a head scratcher.

 

[JERSEYROOTS]

On a positive note, he can sometimes be quite the disrupter on D. Lots of hustle. If he could eliminate contact while maintaining pressure, that could prove to be a value-add down the stretch.

 

[kcg88]

Honestly, I'm coming to the opinion that I think Pike wanted a "glue guy" and didn't care one iota about his basketball acumen. Souf speaks four languages and, like you said, he's the first guy up to congratulate/cheer guys on.

Nothing about his on-court play suggests that he should be at the D-1 level, let alone a Big Ten team. He would be fine on the roster if he was playing walk-on minutes and no more. Unfortunately, with three guys sitting out (Kiss, Johnson, and Bullock) Mensah has to go on the court, where his lack of ability is exposed.

He seems like a good guy, but it's my hope that he transfers out for both our sake and his... it's frankly unfair for him to have to try and compete at this level.

 

[RUKnights86]

While it is a mystery a little, and coaches do miss from time to time, I have to give Souf not only props for his attitude because his attitude really appears to be positive, but Pike has put him into games for more minutes as we move along in the season, and although we know he does not pose an offensive threat, he has not made the mistakes we saw early in non conference play.

Last night he had a laser pass into the paint that would have resulted in a layup if not for a foul on Bridges running through the screen and had another assist. No turnovers and pressure defense while Corey gets a breather is a benefit to the team that does not show up in the stat sheet.

Its clear Pike sneaks him in prior to media timeouts and right after to give Corey extended breaks in real time.

 

[KevH]

On a positive note, he can sometimes be quite the disrupter on D. Lots of hustle. If he could eliminate contact while maintaining pressure, that could prove to be a value-add down the stretch.

Glass half full. I like it.

 

[RU-ROCS]

Bleacher Report had some speculation a little while ago that RU took a chance on Souf because of his ties to a current highly rated Canarias Basketball Academy kid that we are recruiting. Sounds a little far-fetched, but at least it is a rationale. Certainly, Souf's underwhelming JUCO stats, his total lack of P5 offers and the "eye test" do not explain how or why he got an RU scholarship.

 

[RU-Choppin-Ohio]

here we go again. lol

 

[DennisHajekRC84]

here we go again. lol

seriously..we need to give this a rest already.

 

[lilphilw]

At this point I just don't expect much from him. By his standards I thought he did pretty well yesterday. Didn't hep the offense but no TOs and just kept it simple. Didn't force any shots. On defense he didn't take any bad fouls and kept up with his man. So I'll take it

 

[RUinOhio]

thank you

here we go again. lol

 

[mikefla]

I think its not unusual for a coach to see a fit guy who did well at one level to rise to the occaision at the next level.

Coach took a chance.

He is OK on D and he does provide a rest for Corey, I just wish he would snag some REBS chip in some assts or.....(heaven forbid) score a few points LOL

 

[RUChoppin]

Last two games have been better... 15 min, 2 ast, 1 rb, 1 pf, 0 to
Based on his first 14 Div-I games, his averages per 15 min were: 0.9 ast, 1.1 rb, 2.9 pf, 1.4 to

If he can come in for 8-10 min, give a couple assists/rebounds, and limit the turnovers/fouls, that could go a long way to keeping Sanders fresh for the end of games.

 

[RU_DIO]

He didn't play terrible the last couple of games, but his lack of offense makes us basically play 4 on 5.

 

[Section114]

We just took the #4 team in the nation to OT on their home floor and we are talking about Souf. Sheesh!

 

[RU-Choppin-Ohio]

We just took the #4 team in the nation to OT on their home floor and we are talking about Souf. Sheesh!

next up....a Matt Bullock thread and Myles Johnson must not be good because he is redshirting...........lol

 

[TobyTyler1]

We lost a possession in second half because of his bad pass. Forgot who it was that saved it , but then lost ball due to bad pass.

 

[zebnatto]

He didn't play terrible the last couple of games, but his lack of offense makes us basically play 4 on 5.

Basically,I'd leavee him unguarded or cheat off him VERY heavily.

 

[RUChoppin]

He didn't play terrible the last couple of games, but his lack of offense makes us basically play 4 on 5.

Still, I'll take 8-10 placeholder minutes a game if it keeps Corey and Geo fresher. Better than having 8-10 minutes of liability.

 

[RU_DIO]

Still, I'll take 8-10 placeholder minutes a game if it keeps Corey and Geo fresher. Better than having 8-10 minutes of liability.

Sure,

But some days it will be 8-10 minutes of liability. It's understandable that some bigs can't shoot, but guards at a minimum should be able to drive and shoot a little. Not sure why he was ever recruited as I'm thinking Jake D. could do a similar job and add a little offense.

 

[RUChoppin]

Sure,

But some days it will be 8-10 minutes of liability. It's understandable that some bigs can't shoot, but guards at a minimum should be able to drive and shoot a little. Not sure why he was ever recruited as I'm thinking Jake D. could do a similar job and add a little offense.

Some days it will. I've been one of the hardest on Mensah this season, but maybe things are starting to turn a corner for him. Trying to remain hopeful.

 

[RU-Choppin-Ohio]

Some days it will. I've been one of the hardest on Mensah this season, but maybe things are starting to turn a corner for him. Trying to remain hopeful.

You are starting to see some things after lots of bad play earlier in the season......the on ball pressure defense on opposing PG's has been good. Forcing a few turnovers and/or making them give up the ball.

 

[zebnatto]

I think hindsight tells us that Pike would have been better off not offering Souf, let Jake have those minutes, and try to get a local unrecruited All-County type as a preferred Walk-On. I know--hindsight.

 

[bowlgoal]

We've been over this many times but it remains a mystery? And yes, coaches make mistakes and Pike does so many great things; there's no point in killing him over it. I chalk up Bullock as a mistake made to try and get his teammate. I feel like he thought Bullock could be a contributor but never thought he would remain so out of shape. Souf is a different story. Seems like a good kid and glad he's cheering the team on but we need his scholarship. No other way to say it.

 

[jonS]

While it is a mystery a little, and coaches do miss from time to time, I have to give Souf not only props for his attitude because his attitude really appears to be positive, but Pike has put him into games for more minutes as we move along in the season, and although we know he does not pose an offensive threat, he has not made the mistakes we saw early in non conference play.

Last night he had a laser pass into the paint that would have resulted in a layup if not for a foul on Bridges running through the screen and had another assist. No turnovers and pressure defense while Corey gets a breather is a benefit to the team that does not show up in the stat sheet.

Its clear Pike sneaks him in prior to media timeouts and right after to give Corey extended breaks in real time.

If I recall Souf did not play in the first MSU game so Pikiell must be feeling a bit more confident in Mensah's game.

 

[RedChucken123]

I still have faith that Souf is not a complete dud. As we have noticed, his minutes have become respectable with minimal turnovers and solid individual defense. Just really no offense.

I watched some of his old videos again. Going out on the limb, but in my opinion, I think he has the physical potential, but he just didn’t know what the hell he was doing sometimes. During games on offense here, I see him run inside only to run back outside the arc for the ball. In his old videos, everyone would clear out and he’d be the guy to make a move. I’m guessing he makes turnovers here because he’s confused. Once he starts learning the game and it slows down for him, he’ll be contributing. My prediction versus OSU: 2 points, 1 assist, solid individual defense. Working his way up. That’s my hot take. Lol.

 

[Rhuarc]

I can't remember people getting so crazed over a JUCO before. Pike reached, it didn't pay off. Sounds like a good glue guy. Not the end of the world to have him on the team for one more season but obviously you'd like to get more out of a scholarship guard next season especially if Corey leaves.

 

[nirrad]

He sucks period

 

[Upstream]

At the pre-season open practice, everyone was singing Souf's praises and commenting on how he made Corey better in practice.

 

[Knightmoves]

Pretty heavy criticism here of his playing ability. I trust the judgment of those who see him play at the RAC.

Hopefully he can spot Cory during the conference schedule. A tall order for him.

 

[Mr Magoo]

I think it was a panic move at the time.

 

[winfield102]

We had some lineups where there was a 4% chance of scoring. It looked like we we were just waiting for the shot clock to expire for a few possessions. It's shocking that we had a chance to beat them in regulation.

 

[ejgonz]

Bleacher Report had some speculation a little while ago that RU took a chance on Souf because of his ties to a current highly rated Canarias Basketball Academy kid that we are recruiting. Sounds a little far-fetched, but at least it is a rationale. Certainly, Souf's underwhelming JUCO stats, his total lack of P5 offers and the "eye test" do not explain how or why he got an RU scholarship.

Who is the player?

 

[FELONIOUSMONK]

I like his name.

 

[Bleed_Scarlet]

I think it’s all part of Pike’s strategy. We are luring people into a sense of complacency and then Souf will start putting up 12 assists, 6 steals, and 18 points a game (on 60% 3 point shooting)

Wait for it..

 

[RUBand]

We lost a possession in second half because of his bad pass. Forgot who it was that saved it , but then lost ball due to bad pass.

That was a very bad pass. He made what could have been a simple pass into a quick flip to where our other guard wasn’t standing.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

You can sugar coat it all you want.

1. It is killing us not having a 5th perimeter player this year
2. You wear Scarlet glasses if this doesn’t put some concern in the staffs recruiting
3. There almost has to be an alternate reason for the scholarship. It is tough to imagine watching him play in person that you wouldn’t notice his lack of lateral quickness

 

[RUChoppin]

I can't remember people getting so crazed over a JUCO before.

People were pretty worked up over Freeman, too, but for better reasons.

Souf's performance is magnified because we're already carrying Kiss as a transfer redshirt and Bullock on the bench. If either of those scholarships were for another able-bodied guard, Mensah probably wouldn't see the floor and people could just write it off as a "miss". As it is, he has to play, which makes him much more of a focus for fan attention.

 

[RUPartisan]

Honestly, I'm coming to the opinion that I think Pike wanted a "glue guy" and didn't care one iota about his basketball acumen. Souf speaks four languages and, like you said, he's the first guy up to congratulate/cheer guys on.

Nothing about his on-court play suggests that he should be at the D-1 level, let alone a Big Ten team. He would be fine on the roster if he was playing walk-on minutes and no more. Unfortunately, with three guys sitting out (Kiss, Johnson, and Bullock) Mensah has to go on the court, where his lack of ability is exposed.

He seems like a good guy, but it's my hope that he transfers out for both our sake and his... it's frankly unfair for him to have to try and compete at this level.

Haha dude you really think Pike was going to waste a ship on team lacking B1G talent on a "glue guy"?!?! Let's just let it go at this point as a mistake on Pikes part. No need to dig for a deeper meaning. Programs like Kentucky and Kansas can afford to waste a ship on a glue guy. We can't. Maybe Pike got some really bad advice.

 

[kcg88]

Haha dude you really think Pike was going to waste a ship on team lacking B1G talent on a "glue guy"?!?! Let's just let it go at this point as a mistake on Pikes part. No need to dig for a deeper meaning. Programs like Kentucky and Kansas can afford to waste a ship on a glue guy. We can't. Maybe Pike got some really bad advice.

I realize I'm digging for anything. No doubt about it, it's a huge whiff (which I've been saying all along -- one look at his JUCO stats told us that).