Missed the game - how did Rodney look?

Donate To GopherHole
K

KSBGopher

Member
Joined
Jun 10, 2010
Messages
579
Reaction score
0
Points
16
I see the stats show a great game for Rodney, and I am all about any kind of false hope I can get.

A double-double though? No turnovers? Hoo-wee!

But, I didn't see any of the game. I heard about the dunk...how were his other shots and how was his aggressiveness?
 

Best game of the year for Rodney. He was aggressive on the baseline including a pretty 10' runner. Couple huge blocks and aggressive on the boards too.
 

Rodney and Trevor were our two best guys tonight by a country mile. Blake was okay except for the three-point shot. Everybody else failed to show much of anything.
 


I'd say his best game was WKU but anyway...he played aggressive and played well on defense...can't say much about his "other shots", he had 5 dunks and the nice little pull-up already mentioned.
 


He had five dunks and a 7-foot runner. Not the greatest offensive performance ever, but there were three things I liked about his game tonight:

1) Rebounding focus
2) Searching for driving lanes rather than just content to float on the perimeter. An aggresive Rodney is a dangerous Rodney
3) On the one drive where he was cut off by a defender, instead of overpenetrating and committing a charge, he made the floater on the baseline
 

I will say Rodney is quite adept at dunking the ball. If he could develop a consistent jump shot to keep defenders honest, he'd be unstoppable.

I think that he played well defensively.
 

He's good at dunking right now.....no jump shot or three shot. He needs, and the team needs him to start creating shots for himself. Extremely one dimensional and that is why he will not be in the nba next year.
 

I wish Rodney would always play that hard. He has the ability to be a great rebounding sf.

Pretty pathetic rebounding night for Ralph. 2 rebounds in 29 minutes while Rodney grabbed 10, Iverson had 6 in 12 minutes, and Mo had 5 in 11 minutes.
 



Nice - thanks for the info guys. Hopefully come Badger time Rodney will remain aggressive and hopefully start getting some jumpers to fall.
 

MRJ said:
Rodney and Trevor were our two best guys tonight by a country mile. Blake was okay except for the three-point shot. Everybody else failed to show much of anything.
Click to expand...

God, if those two guys could improve their outside shooting. Wouldn't we have something going on.
 

He was playing pretty decent early in the year, got hurt, disappeared, is getting healthy.....

there is a definite correlation between health and performance for him this year. Take it easy, he is a raw athlete who is definitely getting better. The runner was great to see. Double Double is terrific to see. Had 5 dunks, but if he hits 1 runner and dunks 3 times a game....all of a sudden he is an 8/5 guy. Which is a very good player in the Big Ten.
 

figi said:
Quote:
Originally Posted by MRJ
Rodney and Trevor were our two best guys tonight by a country mile. Blake was okay except for the three-point shot. Everybody else failed to show much of anything.

God, if those two guys could improve their outside shooting. Wouldn't we have something going on.
Click to expand...
MRJ: Blake was okay??? He had a terrific game. 2-8 from 3 was not all he did. His passing tonight was a clinic - and not just the 7 assists. Blake really knows how to move the ball.

Figi, are you talking about Rodney and Trevor? I hope so, because Blake was shooting 40% from 3 coming into tonight's game. The other two can't hit the broad side of a barn with an outside shot.
 



figi said:
God, if those two guys could improve their outside shooting. Wouldn't we have something going on.
Click to expand...

Seems like a lot of us want Trevor to do more, shoot better, jump higher, run faster? I think I'll be satisfied if he just keeps doing what he is doing.
 

MN1nAZ said:
Seems like a lot of us want Trevor to do more, shoot better, jump higher, run faster? I think I'll be satisfied if he just keeps doing what he is doing.
Click to expand...

I would like him to make more of his free throws and keep doing exactly what he is doing with the rest of his game. If he could shoot a better free throw percentage he'd add a nice element to his game that is non-existant right now.
 

josh087 said:
He had five dunks and a 7-foot runner. Not the greatest offensive performance ever, but there were three things I liked about his game tonight:

1) Rebounding focus
2) Searching for driving lanes rather than just content to float on the perimeter. An aggresive Rodney is a dangerous Rodney
3) On the one drive where he was cut off by a defender, instead of overpenetrating and committing a charge, he made the floater on the baseline
Click to expand...

That line is awesome. Someone should use it as their signature.
 

As Rosemount said, Rodney looked good & he's clearly getting healthier. Encouraging performance by our most dynamic athlete. The basketball skills will catch up; give it time. The floater was a really difficult shot. We're going to need more of those mid-range type shots from Rodney starting with the Badger game.
 

The offense really improved in the second half. They moved better, got betterr shots, just seemed to play together better than they have all season. If they can play like that they could be very successfull.

Bad first half, can't see that in two weeks or they will be to far behind to come back.
 

"The offense really improved in the second half. They moved better, got better shots, just seemed to play together better than they have all season."

Agree. Shortening the bench, like Tubby did in the second half, will definitely help once Big Ten play starts. Now's the time where we'll start seeing more of the Gophers' best and most seasoned (Big Ten ready) players. Once Al gets back, I think among the freshmen that will include Walker & Hollins.

Regular Rotation Once Big Ten Play Starts (read: steady minutes)
Guards: Joseph, Nolen
Wings: Hoffarber, Hollins, Williams
Forwards: Mbakwe, Walker
Centers: Iverson, Sampson

That's 9 guys (though it's pretty obvious which 7 give us the best chance to win at this point), with Armelin & Ahanmisi getting spot duty for energy boost when needed, extra rest/foul trouble for regulars, etc.
 

There were a few quotable post that I could argue/make points against but I'm lazy so I'll just say what I feel like saying.

Rodney Williams is the best athlete on the Gophers roster (speed, jumping, quickness, size, etc.) but he will never be a good basketball player. He doesn't dribble well, he doesn't pass well, he doesn't shoot well, he doesn't consistently rebound well and he doesn't defend well for his size/athleticism. Being athletic and being good at basketball are two very different things.

Blake Hoffarber is very good at basketball. He is fundamentally sound and does everything you would want, but he is not a good athlete.

Rodney should be a lock down defender that can take any wing out of the offense for extended periods of time. We shouldn't be thrilled that he finally decided to rebound and that he hit a 7' runner. I love the fact that he can dunk the ball but so can most guys in D1 basketball and most of them can do something else as well. If Rodney got hurt for the rest of the season I don't think it would hurt the Gophers season at all. Call me an idiot, I've heard it before and don't care.
 

Kauffman

I can't comment on if you have been called an idiot but most of us have. A couple points on your post.

1) I agree with most of what you said about both Blake and Rodney, but the big difference is you are talking about a Soph and a senior. Two years ago most on this board were saying Blake is one dimensional, just a shooter, can't dribble, pass, etc. Two years in a college payer's career make a huge difference. The talk about Rodney going to the NBA early is mostly silly, but the thought that he could turn into an exceptional payer is not unreasonable at all.
2) Yeah if the (unhealthy) Rodney we have seen so far this year got hurt, and was out the rest of the season it would probably not be the end of the world. But if the (healthy) Rodney who might just show up and get better each game the rest of the year was to be hurt and out, that could stop this team from being really good.
 

khoffman43 said:
Rodney should be a lock down defender that can take any wing out of the offense for extended periods of time. We shouldn't be thrilled that he finally decided to rebound and that he hit a 7' runner. I love the fact that he can dunk the ball but so can most guys in D1 basketball and most of them can do something else as well. If Rodney got hurt for the rest of the season I don't think it would hurt the Gophers season at all. Call me an idiot, I've heard it before and don't care.
Click to expand...

I think WHEN HEALTHY, Rodney's defense has been quite good. He covers a lot of ground out there, especially with this ball line defense Tubby plays. He's one of few who can get out and at least distract shooters. And no, not every player in D1 can dunk like Rodney can, not many at all can honestly. I think you're discrediting the baseline drives he put on, those are not gimmie moves, not a lot of players have the athleticism to go baseline and then rise up on dudes, oftentimes it'll turn into charges or just missed layups. If Rodney got hurt the rest of the season, you'd see the perimeter defense take a step down, just like it did earlier when he got dinged up. Let's not act like the kid is worthless out there, that's just not the case. If we want to be anything in the Big Ten, Rodney is gonna be a factor in that.
 

khoffman43 said:
Rodney Williams is the best athlete on the Gophers roster (speed, jumping, quickness, size, etc.) but he will never be a good basketball player. He doesn't dribble well, he doesn't pass well, he doesn't shoot well, he doesn't consistently rebound well and he doesn't defend well for his size/athleticism. Being athletic and being good at basketball are two very different things.

Blake Hoffarber is very good at basketball. He is fundamentally sound and does everything you would want, but he is not a good athlete.
Click to expand...

Wrong and wrong.

He is already a good player. He could become better. He needs to become a lot better to become an NBA type player.

So, Blake is not a good athlete? Sure thing! :rolleyes:
 

I'll buy the fact that Rodney is dinged up and that is probably affecting him. Also, I did factor in that he is just a sophomore. I'm not concerned about Rodney going to the NBA. I hope he does because that reflects well on Minnesota basketball, particularly Gopher basketball but if Rodney can play like he did the other night for the full season (I dont expect him to average a double-double) it would make the Gophers a much better and more dynamic team.

So far, Rodney's defense has been improved and is continuing to improve but is that a result of him or the competition? I am not an expert on Akron or most other mid-majors but they don't usually have athletes like Rodney. By being a better athlete he can take chances and he should. I hope Rodney's potential turns into results and they win all sorts of game with him leading the way. I just don't like his game, I dont like how he disappears for long stretches (similar to RS3) and I can't stand when he tries to shoot 3's.

In 3 months we will have a lot larger sample on Rodney than we do now
 

The problem right now is that Rodney is not doing what he is good at. By hoisting up a bunch of threes that don't go in (and many look ugly), it doesn't make him look like a very good player. Is Shaq a bad player because he doesn't hit threes? They're obviously not the same type of player, but my point is that it would do Shaq no good if he floated around the perimeter and took a bunch of threes when he should be under the basket. Similarly, Rodney needs to develop and use the aggressive, driving game more and stop shooting so many threes. If he gets to the NBA, he will have plenty of time to work on his jumpers. Until then, the road to getting there, and the way to make our team better, is to do what he does best - drive, use his athleticism, and get to the basket.

I'm not concerned with Rodney's defense. That aspect will be just fine.
 

Josh summed it up nicely. I like what Rodney gives the Gophers. He & Trevor give the Gophers an element we haven't seen in a long time, incredible athletes/specimens who legitimately play above the rim. To have two of those guys on a Gopher roster, let alone one, just doesn't happen very often.

I, too, wince any time Rodney rises for a three-pointer. Down the road as his game evolves, OK, but not right now. That's not what we need him doing. He needs to do his business in the lane and around the rim, and on the defensive end of the floor. Leave the 3-point shooting primarily to Blake & Devoe, and to a lesser extent Austin & Al.
 

I think people are confusing what Rodney's skill set SHOULD be with what his skill set ACTUALLY is. There is a lot of talk in this thread about "take it to the rim" and "drive the ball". With his athleticism that seems like it should be a given however Rodney rarely beats people off the dribble. At this point he most often he gets to the lane or baseline with his defender still on his hip. He has shown a couple of times that he has the ability to hit a runner or a pull up but that certainly isn't a staple in his repertoire at this point.

I think Rodney's best attribute offensively at this point, and I actually think he does this very well, is to put himself in position ready to receive the ball when his defender collapses elsewhere. This is where a lot of his dunks come from and hence most of his points.
 

Rodney's dunks weren't just like breakawy dunks that any Division 1 basketball player would have notched. They were a product of his freakish athletic ability and the fact that he was moving really well without the ball. Whether or not it's the polished offense you seem from some players doesn't take away from the fact that it is part of his offensive game. He is quicker than a lot of players so when he finds a seem in the defense and when he gets the ball in those positions, it's a dunk. If you don't think that is something of greater value than dunking like any other D1 basketball player can dunk than you must've missed the amount of bunnies that guys like Paul Carter, Colton Iverson, and RSIII failed to put away last year in close games. I'm not ripping on those guys but the ability to finish decisively in traffic is a valuable offensive ability.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
Rodney's dunks weren't just like breakawy dunks that any Division 1 basketball player would have notched. They were a product of his freakish athletic ability and the fact that he was moving really well without the ball. Whether or not it's the polished offense you seem from some players doesn't take away from the fact that it is part of his offensive game. He is quicker than a lot of players so when he finds a seem in the defense and when he gets the ball in those positions, it's a dunk. If you don't think that is something of greater value than dunking like any other D1 basketball player can dunk than you must've missed the amount of bunnies that guys like Paul Carter, Colton Iverson, and RSIII failed to put away last year in close games. I'm not ripping on those guys but the ability to finish decisively in traffic is a valuable offensive ability.
Click to expand...

Very true.
 

When Rodney plays like that the Gophs are hard to defense. They have to guard Hoff on the 3's. They have been doubling down on Mbwake, Sampson, and Iverson, that leaves Rodney open enough that he can drive to the basket. Lets see how teams adjust, my guess is the middle is going to be more open.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom