Mo Walker and Elliott Eliason are painful to watch

Donate To GopherHole
P

Pdiddy

Active member
Joined
Nov 28, 2014
Messages
250
Reaction score
75
Points
28
I'm sorry but these 2 guys are the reason the gophers will not make the ncaa tourney. For two guys who hover near 7 feet they are both as soft as jello. I can't wait till they both graduate. They both run like they have lead weights tied to their ankles. The MOST frustrating thing for me is their buttery fingers. I can count numerous times each game where a pass is thrown to them and it goes right through their fingers. The other team picks it up goes on a fast break and scores. This can't happen!!! I am convinced that if you don't have good hands as a big man you never will. You would think through countless hours of practice you would get better in this area, but these guys are proof that you can't. How many times do you see these guys catch the ball under the basket and I say to myself "here comes a monster dunk with authority". Then to see them go up and get rejected or bumped off position. We need a big man with an attitude, a big man with a chip on his shoulder, a big man who puffs out his chest and gets pissed. A big man who gets the ball under the rim and says try to stop this. In my opinion these two guys are mediocre division 1 players at best. Every game I slam down my remote and scream at the tv. I just want to grab one of these guys and say cmon lets play some ball!!!!! Pitino must get frustrated as hell also with these two. Am I the only one that gets frustrated with these two twin towers of jello? I can't watch anymore.
 

When's the last time we had a good 5-man? I can't even remember. (I don't count 6'7" Trevor Mbakwe as a 5).
 


Pdiddy said:
I'm sorry but these 2 guys are the reason the gophers will not make the ncaa tourney. For two guys who hover near 7 feet they are both as soft as jello. I can't wait till they both graduate. They both run like they have lead weights tied to their ankles. The MOST frustrating thing for me is their buttery fingers. I can count numerous times each game where a pass is thrown to them and it goes right through their fingers. The other team picks it up goes on a fast break and scores. This can't happen!!! I am convinced that if you don't have good hands as a big man you never will. You would think through countless hours of practice you would get better in this area, but these guys are proof that you can't. How many times do you see these guys catch the ball under the basket and I say to myself "here comes a monster dunk with authority". Then to see them go up and get rejected or bumped off position. We need a big man with an attitude, a big man with a chip on his shoulder, a big man who puffs out his chest and gets pissed. A big man who gets the ball under the rim and says try to stop this. In my opinion these two guys are mediocre division 1 players at best. Every game I slam down my remote and scream at the tv. I just want to grab one of these guys and say cmon lets play some ball!!!!! Pitino must get frustrated as hell also with these two. Am I the only one that gets frustrated with these two twin towers of jello? I can't watch anymore.
Click to expand...

This is your 1st post here. I need to inform you that many people here were so happy with the development of these 2 under Richard. I don't know where they are now?????
 

No Walker is night and day a better player than he ever was under Tubby. As for EE the people like the real truth who bitch about him don't give him any credit on the defensive end. Basketball isnt just about offense.
 



The-Real-Truth said:
This is your 1st post here. I need to inform you that many people here were so happy with the development of these 2 under Richard. I don't know where they are now?????
Click to expand...

It's my 1st post because I had to get this off my chest. Both of these guys have their moments where they dominate play for a short stretch and everyone gets all excited. But for me the blunders far outweigh any short stretch of looking like a division 1 player. My biggest frustration is the butter that constantly drips off of their fingers. Passes that go right through their hands. These guys are not good.
 

The-Real-Truth said:
This is your 1st post here. I need to inform you that many people here were so happy with the development of these 2 under Richard. I don't know where they are now?????
Click to expand...

Who recruited them? Do you recall? We are just a few games into the season Real. Walker is "tons" better off than when Tubby was here. EE is what he is- he's tall he hustles and plays defense but doesn't have an ounce of collegiate level athleticism.
 

bga1 said:
Who recruited them? Do you recall? We are just a few games into the season Real. Walker is "tons" better off than when Tubby was here. EE is what he is- he's tall he hustles and plays defense but doesn't have an ounce of collegiate level athleticism.
Click to expand...

He was recruited by a liberal. .....
 




EE - very important to this team. Should be starting. Need him on the court.
 

Pdiddy -- what would you like to see them do? Put them both on the bench and play 40 minutes of Konate? Truthfully, how many Big Ten teams do you think will have a decided advantage over the Gophers at the five position?

This reminds me of the over-the-top criticism of King last year.
 

You commentors are so frikking smart, yet all you can do is comment on a board and be anonymous. YOU are the guys who suck.
 




Dr.Don said:
You commentors are so frikking smart, yet all you can do is comment on a board and be anonymous. YOU are the guys who suck.
Click to expand...

We may suck, but none of us gave the other team two extra free throws in the second half against St. Johns because we weren't tough enough to hold our tongue.
 

I'm simply going off of what I watch night in and night out with these two. I never played basketball growing up, but I am a big gopher fan. I don't really care who is better in the big ten. I get so frustrated with these guys. They simply cannot catch a pass. Maybe I'm way off here but just stating my opinion.
 

Pdiddy said:
I'm simply going off of what I watch night in and night out with these two. I never played basketball growing up, but I am a big gopher fan. I don't really care who is better in the big ten. I get so frustrated with these guys. They simply cannot catch a pass. Maybe I'm way off here but just stating my opinion.
Click to expand...

Point is, good big men are hard to come by. Believe it or not, these guys are above average. Also, the season is young. These two will be fine. Better days ahead.
 

Pdiddy could do better if he'd get his ass out there.
 

Dr.Don said:
Pdiddy could do better if he'd get his ass out there.
Click to expand...

You could do better yourself. Instead of just repeating the same old lines about how posters are immature, or armchair quarterbacks, or pretentious know-nothings, you could actually put some effort into your writing in a way that would add something fresh. Maybe you just don't have anything left in the tank.
 

Keyser Söze said:
Point is, good big men are hard to come by. Believe it or not, these guys are above average. Also, the season is young. These two will be fine. Better days ahead.
Click to expand...

I don't disagree with you, but I don't blame people for being a little disappointed by their lack of advancement given that they are 5th year seniors.
 

Keyser Söze said:
Quick, name 5 better centers in the conference.
Click to expand...

After watching Schilling I hate to say it but I think he has surpassed Mo and Elliot this year after playing sparingly his freshman year, others???
 

I think many have already responded with the points I would have made. Good big men are hard to find, and if you do find them...they usually don't stick around long enough to become 5th year Seniors. Truthfully, I think we'd all have our moments of frustration with AJ Hammons and he's the second best center in the conference.

My frustration with Elliott and Mo at this early stage in the season is that not only has neither player improved on their play from last season, but both seem to be playing below their level (especially their peak levels) of last year. The best case scenario for either player was a Jeff Hagen type jump as Seniors, but I though a reasonable scenario would be for both of them to play at their respective peak levels more consistently this season. On this subject, Coach Pitino was pretty honest with us. He certainly didn't try to sell us in the off season that either Mo or Elliott had taken a big step forward.

Somewhat related subject, but might deserve it's own thread: Who IS improved this year? I'd say I've noticed Andre Hollins being a more active and aggressive defender, but he's also struggling in other areas.

Bottom line is we need all the guys we counted on to play at a certain level, to reach that level of play.
 

EG#9 said:
I think many have already responded with the points I would have made. Good big men are hard to find, and if you do find them...they usually don't stick around long enough to become 5th year Seniors. Truthfully, I think we'd all have our moments of frustration with AJ Hammons and he's the second best center in the conference.

My frustration with Elliott and Mo at this early stage in the season is that not only has neither player improved on their play from last season, but both seem to be playing below their level (especially their peak levels) of last year. The best case scenario for either player was a Jeff Hagen type jump as Seniors, but I though a reasonable scenario would be for both of them to play at their respective peak levels more consistently this season. On this subject, Coach Pitino was pretty honest with us. He certainly didn't try to sell us in the off season that either Mo or Elliott had taken a big step forward.

Somewhat related subject, but might deserve it's own thread: Who IS improved this year? I'd say I've noticed Andre Hollins being a more active and aggressive defender, but he's also struggling in other areas.

Bottom line is we need all the guys we counted on to play at a certain level, to reach that level of play.
Click to expand...

I had been thinking the same thing. Most of us fans expect improvement each year, but it's not always the case. Injuries, coaching changes and different teammates can keep that from happening, but we overlook other factors. One, is that is about as good as the player is going to get. Ya, they can work their butt off, but that's not going to make them quicker, give them better hands, make them more coordinated, etc. Two, they're seniors. Been here four years, and they're thinking about moving on. They might tell themselves they're going to give it everything, but it's hard, and they really don't.

Several years ago, when I was really starting to get pissed at Borton, I compared stats for her players from their junior to their senior year. A major rap on her was that players never improved. Roysland, McCoy, Fox, Loberg, Ellis-Milan, Buford, Voight were some of the players, but there were others. Good people--seemed to play hard--but they weren't better and some regressed. Proved what everyone knew. But then I was into it enough that I actually sat down and did this with the entire league. I took the 2 or 3 best players from every team and compared junior and senior stats. Damn near every women's basketball player either stayed the same and some regressed. The "study" was crude, but eye-opening. Women athletes generally seem to mature quicker and they don't have the pro opportunities, but I wonder what the trend is overall with the men's teams in the league. I know there are all sorts of factors, but I'm not too sure we'd find that many examples of Gophers who made a significant jump between their junior and senior years.

Not excusing the seniors for their play so far, and I do think they'll get it together. However, I'm preparing myself. Can't help it--been a Gopher fan too long.
 

cjbfbp said:
You could do better yourself. Instead of just repeating the same old lines about how posters are immature, or armchair quarterbacks, or pretentious know-nothings, you could actually put some effort into your writing in a way that would add something fresh. Maybe you just don't have anything left in the tank.
Click to expand...

+1
 

jovs said:
After watching Schilling I hate to say it but I think he has surpassed Mo and Elliot this year after playing sparingly his freshman year, others???
Click to expand...

I thought Mo and Elliot might have been the best center tandem in the league last year but so far this year they seem to be playing below Iowa's (Woodbury and Olaseni), Purdue's (Hammons and Haas who is just a freshman), and probably OSU's (Amir Williams and Trey McDonald). As far as other individual centers in the conference, Northwestern's Olah is playing better early in the season.
 

It is very early in the season and we have one significant difference between this year and last year. The always steady, smart, in-control, coach-on-the-floor Austin Hollins has been replaced by a slightly more athletic, likely not as smart, less in in control, probably doesn't understand the game nearly as well Carlos Morris.

I believe this is a big difference that everyone is struggling with.
 

GopherJake said:
It is very early in the season and we have one significant difference between this year and last year. The always steady, smart, in-control, coach-on-the-floor Austin Hollins has been replaced by a slightly more athletic, likely not as smart, less in in control, probably doesn't understand the game nearly as well Carlos Morris.

I believe this is a big difference that everyone is struggling with.
Click to expand...

Agreed that we would be much better with Austin. I don't understand people who think there is little difference between the two.
 


I would like to see him start again. He clearly has more confidence issues than Mo and it was nice having Mo as an offensive spark off the bench. Plus he's a much better defender and defensive rebounder. Just needs to shut the hell up.

Gopher Warrior said:
EE - very important to this team. Should be starting. Need him on the court.
Click to expand...
 

Agree with all of this. Is Morris really more athletic than Austin though? Austin was a freak. I miss him. Morris drives me insane with his shot selection. Andre too with his contested jumpers early in the clock just a step inside the three point line.

GopherJake said:
It is very early in the season and we have one significant difference between this year and last year. The always steady, smart, in-control, coach-on-the-floor Austin Hollins has been replaced by a slightly more athletic, likely not as smart, less in in control, probably doesn't understand the game nearly as well Carlos Morris.

I believe this is a big difference that everyone is struggling with.
Click to expand...
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom