Rodney Williams
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Eye of the Gopher
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Coaches decision. As much of a fan as I am of Rodney, I think it was best he sit this one out.
KyGopherfan
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I think Tubby wasn't playing around in this one. This was a big game and too much on the line. Rodney wasn't the only one. Devron didn't play either. Tubby wisely decided to not do the mass substitutions to shorten the rotation a bit.
Mikie S
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In short, Rodney can't create his own shot because he can't dribble worth a damn.
Rodney spent to much fricking time working on highlight dunk vids.
And way, way to little time working on ball handling, passing and shooting.
I guess that's today's culture ... but its not winning basketball.
Rodney spent to much fricking time working on highlight dunk vids.
And way, way to little time working on ball handling, passing and shooting.
I guess that's today's culture ... but its not winning basketball.
GophersOnTheRise
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How the heck do you know how much time he spent on skill development vs. dunking? For all you know he spent hours every day working on developing his skills. We used Ralph and Iverson together a lot tonight, so there was less time for freshman wing players. Rodney will be a great player for this program and I'm sure he spends plenty of time working on the right things.
Mikie S
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Well other than watching vids of
dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk after dunk
in his high school highlights , I guessed he just didn't have any plays where he actually put the ball on the floor. I may be wrong, but then I can't remember a single time he's done it this year either.
BTW, if you've been around here here very long, you will know this is not just the first, second or the third time I've brought this up.
wont turn 19 until late July.
many parents 'redshirt' boys with summer birthdays holding them out of kindergarten until the next year.
i think he's had a dose of reality in B10 play after a fast NonConf start..
may not even pay dividends next year... should blossom JR/SR years if he stays.
many parents 'redshirt' boys with summer birthdays holding them out of kindergarten until the next year.
i think he's had a dose of reality in B10 play after a fast NonConf start..
may not even pay dividends next year... should blossom JR/SR years if he stays.
If we had a full slate of players I think they would have red shirted him. Outstanding potential and seems like a great kid. That being said he has a long way to go before he can contribute in a big game. He looks lost out there and doesn't add a whole lot(today). Can't wait until he gets a better understanding of the game and harnesses his unbelievable physical skills. He will be a great player before he leaves the "U".
Honyocker
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Agree
Rodney is not a complete player by any means. He could get by with his limited game in HS and that is where he is today. He needs to watch Evan Turner and John Leuer a little. Complete players. If Rodney works at it, he will be great. If he does not improve and broaden his game, he will be another guy riding a lot of bench, frustrated and thinking he is getting screwed. It is completely in his hands.
Rodney is not a complete player by any means. He could get by with his limited game in HS and that is where he is today. He needs to watch Evan Turner and John Leuer a little. Complete players. If Rodney works at it, he will be great. If he does not improve and broaden his game, he will be another guy riding a lot of bench, frustrated and thinking he is getting screwed. It is completely in his hands.
Gold Vision
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I'm hoping Rodney will develop similar to Damian Johnson with a higher ceiling. Damian came in looking long and athletic, but lost in most aspects of his game. He became the glue of this team in his last 2 years.
He's certainly limited, but I have a lot of hope. Not only has Rodney shown his athleticism this year, he's also shown great shot-blocking instincts, reasonably good on-the-ball perimeter D, an above-average outside shot, and the occasional ability to make a turnaround in the lane. Unfortunately, his ball-handling is very weak, so he has some real trouble creating his own shot. Also, I think he's got some freshman nerves, and it's easier for him to stand on the perimeter and pass the ball around. If he gets an attacking mindset next year, he'll be a huge contributor. I honestly believe that he's not far from being a very good player for us. He needs to bulk up, he needs to work a ton on ball-handling, and he needs to get much more offensive and defensive awareness, but I think he's doing okay for a skinny freshman.
Eye of the Gopher
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Very well said, it is almost difficult to watch Rodney knowing he is on the brink or reaching his potential. Rodney needs to put in some signifcant time this offseason taking people off the dribble and improving his ball handling.
I want to see him blow by someone and throw down a tomahawk dunk in the worst way!
Agree. He is able to score because he is athletic enough to overcome all that he can not do YET. He has passed up alot of open shots the last few weeks, guess he knows what he can and not do.
Brew_recruit
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he should of red shirted this year period.
GoldenGuts
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if you are assuming this because of what you have seen on his high school highlights do you assume the same when you watch lebron james highlights because that is about all they show for him as well
from my basketball experience every person i have ever played with or coached who could dunk would rarely practice dunking because of the toll it takes on your hands.
GophersOnTheRise
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Him dunking more than almost anyone else in his highlight videos has nothing to do with how much he practices his actual skills. Athleticism is something you're born with, not something you practice. If you could practice jumping higher then every wannabe basketball player at my school who spends hours trying to dunk the ball with absolutely zero success would have 60 inch verticals by now and have videos all over youtube, but they don't. If a player can dunk over someone and get a guaranteed two points, should he decide instead to jump half as high as he can and do a layup (while risking getting blocked and reducing his chances of scoring and igniting the crowd) just to satisfy Mikie S? I don't think so. Athleticism is more of a natural thing than shooting and dribbling. Just because he is more advanced with athleticism doesn't mean he didn't practice shooting and dribbling as much, it just means he is physically blessed and needs more time for skill development. I hope for your sake that you can understand that.
Mikie S
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My problem is that so many young athletic players equate fancy dunks with being a great basketball player. When I see all-dunking vids I think: "that player doesn't have anything else to show me".
Dunking is just such a tiny part of the overall game. Even Michael Jordan only had a dunk or two a game. Neither Larry Bird or Magic Johnson could have put together a dunk-fest video like Rodney Williams, yet somehow they managed to be the two greatest players of their (and my) era. John Wall could have made bunches of those all-dunk vids, but instead I see a young player showing off his dribbling, passing, shooting and even ending drives with (gasp) lay-ups.
I like Rodney, but currently he is behind the curve in developing basic basketball skills and that is a big reason he is not getting the minutes.
Dunking is just such a tiny part of the overall game. Even Michael Jordan only had a dunk or two a game. Neither Larry Bird or Magic Johnson could have put together a dunk-fest video like Rodney Williams, yet somehow they managed to be the two greatest players of their (and my) era. John Wall could have made bunches of those all-dunk vids, but instead I see a young player showing off his dribbling, passing, shooting and even ending drives with (gasp) lay-ups.
I like Rodney, but currently he is behind the curve in developing basic basketball skills and that is a big reason he is not getting the minutes.
It's not like Rodney sat at home and made dunk reels of himself. He can't control what's put out there.
I'll admit, I got excited watching him earlier in the year, but reality is, I wasn't expecting him to play much this year, and if we hadn't had all the issues with personnel, they might not have used that redshirt, but he was needed and still might be needed going forward just simply cause of a lack of bodies.
Rodney is RAW, and we all knew it coming in. No one should be shocked about where he is. We have quality players ahead of him who are plenty able to contribute and are more experienced. Rodney is a freshman who is probably inconsistent in practice and is in games. He'll get it together and he'll be a beast, but he needs time to hone in some skills. It's a little like Hoff, who was very one dimensional his first year but now is quite a decent well-rounded player nowadays. Rodney's one dimension is insane athleticism, but I believe he will expand that into more of a slashing type scorer when he learns to harness that athleticism into offensive ability.
I'll admit, I got excited watching him earlier in the year, but reality is, I wasn't expecting him to play much this year, and if we hadn't had all the issues with personnel, they might not have used that redshirt, but he was needed and still might be needed going forward just simply cause of a lack of bodies.
Rodney is RAW, and we all knew it coming in. No one should be shocked about where he is. We have quality players ahead of him who are plenty able to contribute and are more experienced. Rodney is a freshman who is probably inconsistent in practice and is in games. He'll get it together and he'll be a beast, but he needs time to hone in some skills. It's a little like Hoff, who was very one dimensional his first year but now is quite a decent well-rounded player nowadays. Rodney's one dimension is insane athleticism, but I believe he will expand that into more of a slashing type scorer when he learns to harness that athleticism into offensive ability.
GophersOnTheRise
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This is a shock to...well, no one (except apparently you). Tubby recruited him knowing he had all of the things you can't teach (length and athleticim) and therefore had unbelievable potential. With extra skill development he could be unstoppable. His rankings coming out of high school were based off of this as well and there are plenty of mock drafts with Rodney still in the lottery (not for this upcoming draft). My point is he has more potential than anyone else on the team and it really isn't even close. He wasn't brought here to be an immediate impact player, and if you are surprised that he isn't close to a finished product right now I am sorry, but you are the only one. Rodney's best years are in front of him. I understand that you hate players who dunk and Rodney is probably your least favorite player on the team, but try to have some patience.
so you scan youtube for 'dribbling, passing, shooting, lay-ups' videos?
Jordan/Magic/Bird also had freakish althetic gifts...
Jordan 'broke in' as a great defender... would have been nice to see Rodney be a lock-down guy this year with little pressue to play O but it gets you on the floor.
GoldenGuts
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i agree with your take on dunking. i think the bigger issue is no one makes highlights tapes to show basic skills or the full package a player actually brings to the table. the majority are just flashy moves or dunks which just show how athletic someone is. if you are going to play D1 basketball you are already athletic and coaches know that so they will look at game tapes to see the little things and to see what else a player brings to the table. the dunks and the flashy moves are just out there to impress people. i personally enjoy watching highlight tapes when you can see a player read the defense and make a play off the second or third option, or to watch a player on defense to see how they move as the ball rotates, or to see what they do if someone sends a double team at them. if that is what highlight tapes were though many of the players would not get the hype they are after to get the attention of the general public.
I am not sure why Mikie's comments are so disagreeable. Players do practice fancy moves including dunks. Rodney is behind the curve as far as this season is concerned. It is not just offense. Rodney should play better defense and move better by now as playing D and understanding the system on both ends are usually the first step for a guy like him. I am not saying he is a disappointment as most of us have accepted that Rodney would not gain necessary skills fast. But, it is frustrating. At any rate, it may take another year for him to mature offensively. And, I am afraid we will have one good season out of Rodney. Once he becomes a good marksman and/or learns to dribble drive effectively, he will be gone to the NBA after that season. I am just hoping that he will blossom at the right time.
underground629
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Mikie, why do you assume that all he does is practice dunking because that's what you've seen in his highlights? Usually highlights aren't hitting jumpshots. Yeah, his offense mostly revolves around dunking, but I don't think you can say that dunking is all he practices because that's what you've mostly seen him do. He could practice dribbling all of the time but just not have much of a ceiling in terms of potential there. I don't think people really go out of their way to practice dunking. He just happens to be insanely athletic. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't know if you can criticize him for something that you don't know is true.
Brew_recruit
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You clearly don't know what you are talking about. Everyone in High school that can dunk or can get close to dunking does it ALL THE TIME, NO MATTER WHAT That is a fact and ask anyone who played with someone who could in HS and they will tell you the same.
WadeHokenson
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