Myron blog: A pair of athletic recruits coming to Minnesota this weekend

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Shooting is nice and all, but if you aren't athletic or quick too ... good luck getting more than 1-2 shots a game. The reason the Gophers had so many open shots is because they couldn't shoot. Period. But if you can shoot, but can't drive, pass, or anything else then good luck getting open shots.

Also, the thinking is ... you can take a jump shot, you can somewhat teach IQ (watch film), you can teach post moves, you can teach ball handling. What can't you teach? Length and being athletic. Sure, it'd be nice to have a guy complete and ready to go from day 1. But a lot of times it can take 2-3 years. The JUCO's should be a little further along than a freshman however.
 

And let's not forget, that prior to the issues of this year, it's not like the team was chopped liver. Don't overreact to a bad stretch of ball. Tubby's bringing in some guards who should be able to handle the ball and get the team in some offense. That is why we saw so many breakdowns late in games last year. We have other problems, but those problems didn't cause us to lose 9 of 10 as much as simply not having a guard who could play the point did. Remember, we led a ton of these games late, and pretty much every single loss included a late 2nd half breakdown that cost us the game. A piece here or there could completely alter this team right back into the top 20.
 

scher215 said:
or Kobe Bryant / MJ size :clap:




If he shoots 400% from three next year, I think MN will have its first number 1 draft pick! :clap:

(I realize it was a typo, but couldn't resist ... sorry)
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Mychal Thompson was a #1 pick. ;)
 


Not sure about that one. There are plenty of ways to make up for that. All you really need to do is run around screens and have teammates who can find you. I wouldn't call Blake or Devoe athletic or quick. Then all the 3 point specialists in the NBA...

scher215 said:
Shooting is nice and all, but if you aren't athletic or quick too ... good luck getting more than 1-2 shots a game.
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scher215 said:
Shooting is nice and all, but if you aren't athletic or quick too ... good luck getting more than 1-2 shots a game. The reason the Gophers had so many open shots is because they couldn't shoot. Period. But if you can shoot, but can't drive, pass, or anything else then good luck getting open shots.

Also, the thinking is ... you can take a jump shot, you can somewhat teach IQ (watch film), you can teach post moves, you can teach ball handling. What can't you teach? Length and being athletic. Sure, it'd be nice to have a guy complete and ready to go from day 1. But a lot of times it can take 2-3 years. The JUCO's should be a little further along than a freshman however.
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Very good post. We all saw what happened to Blake and the kid from OSU when they were heavily defended. Our scoring was gone in many games including Purdue game when Blake was defended by a good defender like Smith. OSU lost the game to UK because the 3-point shooter was a non-factor. You are right, you have to be athletic.

Go Gophers
 

You can win a lot of games without any shooters if you can get to the rim. You can win a lot of games with lots of shooters and no one who can get to the rim.

Last season we had one shooter taken out of the shooting role, no other shooters, and no one who could get to the rim. Regadless of what happens with these two recruits, next year should be much better offensively.
 

I believe OSU lost to Kentucky because Buford had one of his worst games of the year and decided to keep on shooting when they have many other options on that team. Diebler has 16pts and was 4-7 on three's he is their main 3pt shooter. Buford was 2-16 from the floor and decided to take the last shot..unbelievable!! The other factor was that Harrelson, Kentucky's center, probably had the best game of his career and fought Sullinger to a draw.
 

march madness said:
I believe OSU lost to Kentucky because Buford had one of his worst games of the year and decided to keep on shooting when they have many other options on that team. Diebler has 16pts and was 4-7 on three's he is their main 3pt shooter. Buford was 2-16 from the floor and decided to take the last shot..unbelievable!! The other factor was that Harrelson, Kentucky's center, probably had the best game of his career and fought Sullinger to a draw.
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Thanks. Very true. I was wrong to make such a statement. I watched that game. Yes, Diebler did his thing but I thought that he wasn't getting any clean shots all day long. I didn't realize that he scored 16 points. During the Big10-T, he was a monster. I was looking for his shots so I didn't pay any attention to Buford.

Also, you are right about Harrelson to take Sullinger out of the game. I was so mad at our big players for not being able to do that when we played OSU. It was one game though. I am not sure if he could the same thing if Uk played OSU again.

Go Gophers
 



bga1 said:
You obviously don't get it. If you play the ball line defense properly with l-o-n-g athletic defenders all you need is 2 points and you should win the game. :)
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It works well for the timberwolves.
 

jamiche said:
It works well for the timberwolves.
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The wolves excel at the GOAL LINE defense. Everytime the opponent comes down court they end up with a field goal. :)
 

The-Real-Truth said:
Our scoring was gone in many games including Purdue game when Blake was defended by a good defender like Smith.
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You mean the OSU game where Hoff had 27 pts last year, or 16 pts at home this year? Or the Purdue game where Smith "held" Blake to 26 pts?
 

ShowinGoldyLove said:
You mean the OSU game where Hoff had 27 pts last year, or 16 pts at home this year? Or the Purdue game where Smith "held" Blake to 26 pts?
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Boy, I am not doing too well today (like many other days). I thought that Smith killed blake in WL this year. That's what happens when you rely so much on your memory. Sorry, I go back to reading the posts without posting any.

Go Gophers
 



ShowinGoldyLove said:
You mean the OSU game where Hoff had 27 pts last year, or 16 pts at home this year? Or the Purdue game where Smith "held" Blake to 26 pts?
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Thanks for setting the record straight. Blake completely debunked the myth he couldn't score vs more athletic defenders.
 

Selection Sunday,

>>Isn't it a stretch to call Landry and Ingram juco "standouts"?<<

Both are athletic, have decent stats, and played in very good juco leagues. What else do you want? Way better leagues than the one Bobby Jackson came from, BTW.
 

Great, they come from a better league than Bobby Jackson did. Congratulations to them.

I'm sure they're good players, but when I hear the words "juco standout" I'm thinking of someone in the mold of a Larry Johnson. If Ingram comes to the U, I'll be happy if he's half the player LJ was.
 

I wouldn't exactly call them standouts, but it's hard to judge from JUCO either way. Bostick was a JUCO standout...
 

The real-truth. I tend to pull up the box score in another window to verify before I post just to make sure my memory or the beer I drank isnt betraying me. cheers!
 




katz and dpod,

What's idiotic about factoring in the strength of the juco conference where the recruit developed his game?

My reference to BJ was that he became a great Big Ten player in spite of his juco conference...and these guys could do the same given that they've faced even tougher competition.

BTW, I'll match my credibility against yours any old day.
 

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