Ralph Sampson III

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scher215

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Myron tweeted before the game how hyped he looked before the game in warmups.

I was impressed with how he played in the game. He played aggressive, he played confident, he played well. He wasn't perfect by any means (Even MJ was never perfect) but I loved the mentality he played with. He played with confidence, aggression, and he wanted the ball. That is exactly how we need him to play. Sure he took some bad shots early, but if they go in, it is a huge momentum boost. I liked his desire to put the ball up and the confidence that he had in doing so. He really played tough last night and with a lot of energy and it showed on the stat sheet.

I don't know how or why he ended up guarding Taylor those few times, but that is something that does need to be corrected. Very few centers should ever guard the PG.
 

I liked that version of Ralph. He wasn't afraid to take it to the rim which has been an issue before.
 

scher215 said:
Myron tweeted before the game how hyped he looked before the game in warmups.

I was impressed with how he played in the game. He played aggressive, he played confident, he played well. He wasn't perfect by any means (Even MJ was never perfect) but I loved the mentality he played with. He played with confidence, aggression, and he wanted the ball. That is exactly how we need him to play. Sure he took some bad shots early, but if they go in, it is a huge momentum boost. I liked his desire to put the ball up and the confidence that he had in doing so. He really played tough last night and with a lot of energy and it showed on the stat sheet.

I don't know how or why he ended up guarding Taylor those few times, but that is something that does need to be corrected. Very few centers should ever guard the PG.
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Unfortunately that's what happens on ball screens some times. Credit the Gophers for doing a much better job of not allowing that to happen in the last couple of minutes when Wisconsin ran repeated ball screens to try to effect the same result.

I thought Wisconsin actually had quite a bit of trouble defending the ball screens as well, as Dakich was pointing out. Except when Wisconsin had issues it came in the form of forgetting that the screener still existed leading to easy shots, like Iverson's dunk
 

I think its rare that Sampson has ever looked "tough." Perhaps last night he looked "tough" for Ralph. He is who he is and that is not "tough."
 

Swede said:
I think its rare that Sampson has ever looked "tough." Perhaps last night he looked "tough" for Ralph. He is who he is and that is not "tough."
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You watch the first half? He came out tough for any player. He looked confident. I remember watching the Canada games, and at times being unable to tall if it was Trevor or Ralph making the play. Ralph came out the way in this game.
 


Man, you must've been watching a different game than I was.

If that was "tough," we're in MAJOR trouble. Now, I don't think Ralph played poorly, but there were a number of times I couldn't believe that he didn't get a rebound because a more physical Badger either took it away from him, or pushed him away from the ball. I just at this point of his career, Ralph would be a double/double machine and a dependable presence. He's probably the most inconsistent player we have, and really hasn't blossomed as much as I thought he would by now.

Hopefully he gets there, but by his junior year, I thought he'd be a shoe-in 2nd team, maybe 1st team All-Big 10 player.
 

ShowinGoldyLove said:
Man, you must've been watching a different game than I was.

If that was "tough," we're in MAJOR trouble. Now, I don't think Ralph played poorly, but there were a number of times I couldn't believe that he didn't get a rebound because a more physical Badger either took it away from him, or pushed him away from the ball. I just at this point of his career, Ralph would be a double/double machine and a dependable presence. He's probably the most inconsistent player we have, and really hasn't blossomed as much as I thought he would by now.

Hopefully he gets there, but by his junior year, I thought he'd be a shoe-in 2nd team, maybe 1st team All-Big 10 player.
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I guess I didn't notice much of his rebounding issues (we did get most of them though) I was mostly referring to how he came out in the first half. He played confidently, wanted the ball, and wanted to get to the hoop, wanted to draw fouls, etc. He wasn't shying away from contact or doubting himself. He saw an open jump shot? Take it. Got the ball down low? Went hard to the hoop. I liked seeing that from him offensivley.
 

RSIII looks like a gangly, meek 7th grade boy who just happens to be tall. His foot "speed" is embarrassing.

He gets a rebound and brings it down to his waist like he's picking flowers or something. Get tough. Honestly, he's brutal out there. If that was "aggressive Ralph" than he shouldn't have even played because he was probably on his period.

He had one nice move all game where HE set the tone and did what he wanted...the first play of the game.
 

Ralph

Ralph is soft...

Things I remember about Ralph. First half Berggen blocking his shot without jumping.

2nd half (Ralph with the great basketball IQ) He is 6'11 get you hands up on Taylor he is at the 3 point line and he lets him walk into a three.

Then Taylor drives to the hoop stops and Ralph bites on a pump fake from a 6'1 guard. Stay on the floor til Taylor jumps you have 10 inches on him! Wait for Taylor to jump when he does with your 10 inch height advantage paddle his shot into the second row.

Key posession after that he doesnt box out Leuer who gets the rebound and the Gophers have to start fouling. Much of the above happened late in the game.

On the offenseive end he couldnt finish because he is soft. He got his shot blocked multiple times. When he did get the foul call he went 2-4 from the line in crunch time.

It was a good game Gophers had their chances. They came back a couple different times. I think Al is still getting back into shape. Ralph is Ralph
 



He needs to post up more often. What happened to the hook last night? It was nowhere to be found. He has been the most reliable inside scorer we have had the past couple of years and we needed a little more of it last night.
 

Ralph hoots way too much. He is NOT our go to guy. We need Trevor to start shooting 12 times a game plus go to the line 8-10 times. He could be our go to guy.
 

Really? The past few years other coaches have talked about how great our bigs move for their size, so that was before Trevor (and obviously Ralph moves better than Iverson). Do you see many 6-11 college centers with a lot better foot speed than Ralph? I don't think we can expect any 6-11 player to stick with one of the best BT pgs.

Dirk Diggler said:
RSIII looks like a gangly, meek 7th grade boy who just happens to be tall. His foot "speed" is embarrassing.
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uguysareallmorons! said:
Ralph hoots way too much. He is NOT our go to guy. We need Trevor to start shooting 12 times a game plus go to the line 8-10 times. He could be our go to guy.
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I have always thought that Ralph doesn't hoot enough.
 



This is interesting, I personally was irate at Ralph for much of the Wisconsin game. I thought he was still playing extremely soft and was consistently losing battles to Berggen (sp?). Late in the second half he had number of chances to finish around the rim and could not do it and went 2-4 from the line down the stretch. I was really disappointed with Ralph's defense on Taylor late in the game first just conceding an uncontested 3 point shot and then his defense on the 3 point play was atrocious he was more concerned about not fouling than giving up a layup and ended up doing both.

I may be way too hard on Ralph, I might notice his mistakes/poor play more than other players, but I didn't like what I saw last night at all. I keep preaching that the "light" can go on for big men at any time, but I am still disappointed that Ralph/Colton look like the same guys we saw last year.
 

Mad at how a 7 footer defended one of the top point guards in the conference? Really?
 

Ralph Sampson is not a tough guy. Period. Was never advertised as one. Has yet to develop into one. He's mild mannered and doesn't have a fire in his belly or any kind of chip on his shoulder. It's a shame. He's not built to be a banger, but guys like Kevin Garnett and Kevin Love prove that attitude makes up a good part of a basketball player and can make up physical short comings. That said, why isn't he on the block with the baby hook more often? I've been puzzled the last few years as to why, when we have a supposed superiority in the paint, we go inside early and then seemingly forget about it?
 

Yes Mad

That our 6'11 inch center let a 6'1 guard score two feet from the hoop- and oh yeah he fouled him also. Block the shot or worst case scenario foul him so he doesnt get the shot off.. That was poor..
 

RSIII was the only Minnesota player to score in the last 6:57 of the game. He had all 6 of Minnesota's points and mostly from second chance opportunities. If you are looking for blame, blame our horrid perimeter defense and the blatant refusal of our guards to throw the ball inside. Ralph pushed Leuer completely under the basket for an easy hook for the first score of the game and then did not receive another post entry pass for the next five minutes. He has shown the ability to hit the hook shot with either hand and should at least be given 5 or 6 opportunities a game. Not to mention that he played lock down defense on Leuer who did not score while RSIII was guarding him. If it weren't for his defense against Leuer, the outcome would have been far worse. Certain posters, due to their own bias, choose to ignore this fact, but Ralph is by far our best post defender and passer, and he has more than held his own against Leuer, outplayed both of the Illinii bigs, and dominated Jajuan Johnson. As for him not finishing, even the pro Wisconsin announcers said that Leuer fouled him on both drives. Anyone who thinks that any big man can guard a pg from halfcourt does not know anything about basketball-someone should have stopped Taylor's penetration.
 

tikited said:
I liked that version of Ralph. He wasn't afraid to take it to the rim which has been an issue before.
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I was encouraged to see him go to the rim more... the problem is he get's rejected half the time or misses the dunk, now I see why he has been timid.

Watch the game over people, he didn't look strong, hyped or very aggressive.

As for our other big man Colton, last game he put up 15pts and 5 boards and looked good. Last night he had at least 4 boards in his first 3 minutes and I thought he was in for another solid game. Too bad he missed 6 shots and had one two handed dunk. He's not like last year where he was just throwing the ball at the backboard and hoping it went in, the shots look good (fg% is about .500) they just didn't drop. Although he played D well when matched up with Leuer, it was yet another off night.

Colt and Ralph both should be shooting closer to 60%.
 

Ralph

Scored mostly from second chance opportunities??? 2 points came from the free throw line where he also missed two. One was from a short jumper off a pass. He was soft he couldnt finish the second chance opportunities. -

NURUMBI CONGO summed it up perfect.

Leuer was 4/13 and Taylor 6/16 their other players hit shots that happens on the road.

Ralph gets pushed off the block to easy. One time he got position watch the game he cant hold his spot down low. He cant get 5-6 hooks a game because he gets bumped off the block.

It's not about stopping the penetration. Its about when that guard comes to a jump stop two feet from the hoop and gets an AND ONE. Its about being 10 inches taller then that guard and your both standing flat footed two feet from the hoop and that guard scores and gets fouled. Its about going for a head fake to a 6'1 guard. Anyone who knows ball can see that.

Basic hoops 101 for a player with such a high basketball IQ. Like the nice announcers from the Big 10 Network said a couple week ago Ralph has put up good numbers against directional schools.

He played well against Jajuan Johnson but he also got outplayed by Northwesterns center who name I cant remember.
 

underground629 said:
Really? The past few years other coaches have talked about how great our bigs move for their size, so that was before Trevor (and obviously Ralph moves better than Iverson). Do you see many 6-11 college centers with a lot better foot speed than Ralph? I don't think we can expect any 6-11 player to stick with one of the best BT pgs.
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Ralph standing anywhere outside of the paint trying to play defense ends in disaster. Not only is he soft in the paint, he's slow outside of the paint. He has length, but he doesn't always use it correctly (Taylor play was painful, not only bailed out Taylor by biting, he fouled him too)

He can't get position on the offensive end, he gets a rebound and his noodle arms hold it like its a newborn baby. Get tough, use your lower body to get position, TAKE IT TO THEM, don't let them take it to you.

Its awful. He is awful. He's great in the non-conference against 6'7'' centers and he shows FLASHES against top comp, but overall its not close. Its so frustrating, because, he CAN be good. He can be, but he's not. GET TOUGH YOU PU$$Y.
 

I can't imagine what 6-11 player defending Taylor on the perimeter wouldn't = disaster. Ralph can be frustrating (because you see flashes of brilliance and know what he's capable of), but he's still certainly one of our most reliable players. I wouldn't say he can't get position on the offensive end. Don't forget he's really more of a 4 than 5. He definitely plays weak most of the time, I'll give you that. Saying he's awful is false and he's not only good against 6'7" players. He had a pretty solid sophomore year. This year he had that really rough stretch but otherwise has been fine.

Dirk Diggler said:
Ralph standing anywhere outside of the paint trying to play defense ends in disaster. Not only is he soft in the paint, he's slow outside of the paint. He has length, but he doesn't always use it correctly (Taylor play was painful, not only bailed out Taylor by biting, he fouled him too)

He can't get position on the offensive end, he gets a rebound and his noodle arms hold it like its a newborn baby. Get tough, use your lower body to get position, TAKE IT TO THEM, don't let them take it to you.

Its awful. He is awful. He's great in the non-conference against 6'7'' centers and he shows FLASHES against top comp, but overall its not close. Its so frustrating, because, he CAN be good. He can be, but he's not. GET TOUGH YOU PU$$Y.
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ug629

underground629 said:
I can't imagine what 6-11 player defending Taylor on the perimeter wouldn't = disaster. Ralph can be frustrating (because you see flashes of brilliance and know what he's capable of), but he's still certainly one of our most reliable players. I wouldn't say he can't get position on the offensive end. Don't forget he's really more of a 4 than 5. He definitely plays weak most of the time, I'll give you that. Saying he's awful is false and he's not only good against 6'7" players. He had a pretty solid sophomore year. This year he had that really rough stretch but otherwise has been fine.
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I agree.

I really like Ralph. He will never be a tall version of Mbakwe but he is a solid 6'10" big ten big man that is good to have on the floor.

He also seems to be a "quality" young man that has been great to have as a Gopher.

The flashes of aggressiveness on the floor give me hope for Ralph to emerge as one of the better bigs in the conference. Now is the time.

:clap::clap::clap:
 

I hope Ralph can get it done friday. He should be able to get some work done against Roe, Nix and Sherman who have all struggled and are the reason Mich St. is getting beat.
 

Big Man Development

Seems poor.

I would have thought Colt would be hitting some 12-15' shots by now. RS has alwyas been good hitting the jumpers, just poor in the lane.

These guys are both juniors - that is why I would expect to see it now. Granted, they have the rest of this year and next year.

Trevor will not shoot from 10'.

Who are the coaches for the bigs?
 

The only reason that anyone is questioning Ralph not having his hands up when Taylor hit the 3 is because the announcer said something about it. The announcer also said Ralph needs to keep his feet low so I'm not really sure how credible of a source he is. Also, no one is mentioning the time Taylor drove past Ralph and he blocked it off the backboard which led to a fast break and a dunk by Joseph (I believe).

Ralph Sampson III is not his dad but he is good. He is a good D1 center. He contest shots, rebounds, and can score. He is the best passing big man on our team and one of the best in conference, if not country. He creates shots and spreads the floor so Colt and Trevor can sit down low. I would have loved to see him team up with Walker and play a high-low where he can feed the post and shoot mid range jumpers...but that will have to wait until next year.

He is not tough, he is not aggressive but he is good. I realize we expect more of him and I hope he delivers more but do we want to go back to the days of Spencer Tollackson? I think were at a good place right now and our biggest weakness is the guards on the team.
 

Ralph

I agree with some of what you said.

Having your hands up on D especially when your 10 inches taller then your man is basic basketball dont need Dan Dakich to tell me that...nor Robby Incimkoski..

He should have blocked the second one in crunch time also basic hoops especially when he did it before like you said. The second time they were both standing two feet from the hoop.

I wish there was a break down on his shooting % of those mid range jumpers. He misses alot more then he takes.I would say there is a classic case of people buying into what the announcers says and what Tubby says regarding Ralph making those jumpers.

He is a so-so rebounder rarely does he get a tough board like Iverson or Trevor.
 

For what he COULD be as a player, given his talent and skills...the version we see now is awful.

He can't defend guys his own size outside 10 feet either BTW, he never could. The fact that Leuer didn't eat him up on the perimeter when RSIII was defending him is a testament to how overrated Leuer is...
 

Wow, Ralph bashing must be the new fad going into 2011...

Is he not what he should/could be. I think he is too reliant on getting easy buckets because of the other bigs he plays with. The times he is aggressive he is great, those times are few and far between. I wish he played like Colt...that would make him pretty much unstoppable because he has so much more talent and court awareness than Colt
 

When Ralph decides to start hitting the glass like he means it and starts being aggressive on offense he'll stop getting criticism.
 

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