Rodney Williams

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GophersOnTheRise

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With all the negative posts on here after a 37 point victory, I thought I would try to turn the focus to more positive things. Rodney had 14 points and proved to any doubters that he is capable of hitting the three in addition to putting up espn top 10 worthy dunks. I don't know about everyone else, but I'm really looking forward to seeing how this season progresses and how the future looks with the young talent we have.
 

I agree, the crowd loves Rodney too. I get a kick out of him calling for an alley-oop every time down the court. But he is a blast to watch.
 

I'm excited about this kid. He's got ridiculous raw potential that someone like a Tubby Smith might really be able to bring the best out of. In the end, he could wind up being legendary in Gopher lore if he just stays the course.
 

Some players dunk because they want the glory. Some players dunk because they can.
Tonights story should be Rodney.
 



I think he's going to be the surprise this year. I thought he brought a great deal of excitement at Tubby's Tip Off. Plus you can tell how thrilled he is to be playing here.

I hope he has a breakout year.
 


Gotta give Rodney tons of credit - he worked his tail off to get his grades up and study for his ACT, he qualified (when many doubted him), and he did that all to be a Gopher. It looks like he is having fun out there, loves it, and appreciates his opportunity.

Can you just imagine this kid with 20 extra pounds, and some more experience? He will be unreal. Plus - he's just about the cutest thing since puppies!
 

Monty519 said:
I'm excited about this kid. He's got ridiculous raw potential that someone like a Tubby Smith might really be able to bring the best out of. In the end, he could wind up being legendary in Gopher lore if he just stays the course.
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Stop right there! That's WAY t0o premature! He did awesome tonight, but even mentioning the word legendary after one game against a weak opponent is just wrong. I understand the context of the post, but let's slow down here!;)
 



I thought he looked great tonight. As a prep, I compared his peer physical dominance to the level I saw Michael Floyd dominate on the gridiron. People should remember that he was a frequent Top 30-40 prospect until his senior season. It might be said that he didn't have a great senior year and it led to a slide, but when I watched him he was forced to play a lot of post which might have hurt his cause along with his awkward shooting release. His shot looks better and he looks at home on the wing, so maybe he'll be the big surprise in the Big Ten.
 

Glad to hear that Rodney had a big game. We sure need another scorer.
 

BigGopherFan said:
Stop right there! That's WAY t0o premature! He did awesome tonight, but even mentioning the word legendary after one game against a weak opponent is just wrong. I understand the context of the post, but let's slow down here!;)
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I've thought that before he even stepped foot on campus lol. It's simply about the raw athleticism and talent that he's got. If it's groomed right, yes, he could be that good. Rarely though, do things ever work out perfectly, so it's more likely he just turns into a decent player. But hey, the fan in me hopes he blows up lol.
 

Monty519 said:
I've thought that before he even stepped foot on campus lol. It's simply about the raw athleticism and talent that he's got. If it's groomed right, yes, he could be that good. Rarely though, do things ever work out perfectly, so it's more likely he just turns into a decent player. But hey, the fan in me hopes he blows up lol.
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You are right. Reality sits between the best and worst case scenarios.
 



GophersOnTheRise said:
With all the negative posts on here after a 37 point victory, I thought I would try to turn the focus to more positive things. Rodney had 14 points and proved to any doubters that he is capable of hitting the three in addition to putting up espn top 10 worthy dunks. I don't know about everyone else, but I'm really looking forward to seeing how this season progresses and how the future looks with the young talent we have.
Click to expand...

Great post. Come on Rodney! This guy is going to be sweet.
 

He is a team player too.

Passes the ball, only shoots when open, doesn't force anything.

Very impressed so far...
 

GophersOnTheRise said:
proved to any doubters that he is capable of hitting the three
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I'm not quite ready to concede this yet, but please don't take that as a negative. The kid has been great so far, and has already exceeded my expectations and has taken a lot of sting out of the stuff that this thread was started so we would not talk about.

Holy god that sentence is awful. In my defense, I'm pretty drunk.
 

Monty519 said:
I'm excited about this kid. He's got ridiculous raw potential that someone like a Tubby Smith might really be able to bring the best out of. In the end, he could wind up being legendary in Gopher lore if he just stays the course.
Click to expand...

Monty - I'm with you on your take on Rodney. I think part of it is, these probably aren't the first few games we're seeing of his. I've seen Rodney play since his sophomore year (I'm sure many on the board saw him even before that) and have ALWAYS loved his style of play and athleticism. Even when he looked about 40 pounds thinner than he is now (at about the same height), I saw it. Granted, I do not expect things overnight, and BT opponents will be much, much tougher - so he may not get as much PT (you just have to go with guys like DJ that have proved themselves at that level), and be able to dunk over all those guys - but I see it in him. If he sticks around, is a 4 year player, continues to be coachable as Tubby says he is - I see him as becoming legendary.
 

Rodney's early success has been a breath of fresh air with all the bad news we have had. I always said he will have to improve his jump shot if he is going to be a real impact player. I still don't like the way his shot looks, but hell, it's going in and that's what counts.

Go Rodney !!
 

His form looks so much better, he looks a lot more confident dribbling, he's moving around more on offense and he looks like he knows where to go now, and he's been able to do the amazing stuff we saw from him in high school. I love watching him and Damian block shots. I think Rodney is going to be by new favorite player once Damian graduates. I'm going to be so sad to see DJ go. Westbrook too. People seem to have problems with him on here, but there's no denying that he's still our best scorer and maybe really our only player who we can count on to be able to create his own shot when we really need buckets.
 

Say what you want, but so far, this kid has been a superstar. I was skeptical about whether he'd be one of those super-freak athletes that couldn't do anything but dunk and block shots. Couldn't have been more wrong. His stroke is beautiful on threes. He plays tight to his man always. He is great defensively as a freshman. He is very good so far offensively, this will most likely drop off a little bit against better competition but the expieriance at the college level will help him a lot as the season progresses. With him willing to pass like this, we are gonna be very dangerous.
 

Rodney is the reason why so many still love college sports even with the Royce Whites of the world. Both have tremendous talent but one thought that rules didn't apply to him and the other has taken an opportunity and so far just run with it.

Not to badmouth the Cooper coaching but this is really the first time Rodney has received any real coaching and by all reports I've heard, he has asked alot of questions and takes the coaches criticisms and works really hard at improving. He knows he has an amazing opportunity to play at his hometown university for a legendary coach and if he keeps working, a really good shot at the NBA. Kids like Rodney and Damien make it worth it as fans to put up with the bad ones.
 

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