Rodney....

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freshtrout

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It could sure be argued that he was the most important player on the floor tonight. DJ certainly provided as much positive play, but Rodney, man he is impressive for a true freshman. With his PT it appears that Tubby must believe this as well. Utah Valley was the toughest team so far, a solid team that tested the Gophers until Utah Valley ran out of gas because of the tough D the Gophers continued to show....If we only had a true power forward.:mad:...the Gophers would be a very tough out.
 


Couldn't be any happier with Rodney. I'm glad that all of the people that doubted Rodney would contribute a lot as a a freshman are being proven wrong. And in case no one has noticed, Nolen has a 9.5/1 assist/turnover ratio so far...
 

I've been pretty critical of Nolen, but he played well tonight

If Rodney keeps himself focused and keeps working as hard as he has been, with Tubby's help he will be an absolute stud for the Gophers and make some nice money in the NBA... that's way down the road though, for now he needs to focus on his strength, his jumper, his handle and his class work.

I love Devoe, but he's not ready to be The Man on offense yet.. I love that he's playing more aggressively offensively this year, but I think he needs to utilize more screens and be more willing to step inside and take a mid-range shot.

And as always, DJ is a hell of a player, and embodies everything you could hope for from your senior leadership. I really think that he'll step up his offensive game this year when we play against tougher competition.

Ralph's game has certainly improved, but it can be frustrating watching him rebound... he seems to go up with his hands high and catch the ball rather than going up to the ball and grabbing it.. there's a difference. He seriously could have had twice as many rebounds as he did tonight if he just grabbed the ball and held on to it.. it kept getting knocked out of his hands or knocked away from him, or or a UV player would go get the ball as it was coming towards Ralph. I really hope he improves there, especially with our lack of a real power forward.
 

Agree with all the high praise for Rodney. His future Looks bright. But I have to say that DJ is the guy that makes this team go. After his sophomore year he has become the team leader.
 


I think Rodney can develop into a Corey Brewer-type player. He obviously has the tools to be a very good, if not excellent, defender. Like Brewer, his offensive skills are lacking, but with his athleticism he can get some buckets off fast breaks, slash to the bucket, and sky for put backs to form a crudely effective offensive game.

Long term, he's probably too short and thin to play SF in the NBA, so he's gonna have to become a much, much better shooter than Brewer in order to hack it at SG.
 

GophersOnTheRise said:
Couldn't be any happier with Rodney. I'm glad that all of the people that doubted Rodney would contribute a lot as a a freshman are being proven wrong. And in case no one has noticed, Nolen has a 9.5/1 assist/turnover ratio so far...
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Nolen had one heck of a NC run last year too. Can't wait to see the performance against quality competition.
 

Plinnius said:
I think Rodney can develop into a Corey Brewer-type player. He obviously has the tools to be a very good, if not excellent, defender. Like Brewer, his offensive skills are lacking, but with his athleticism he can get some buckets off fast breaks, slash to the bucket, and sky for put backs to form a crudely effective offensive game.

Long term, he's probably too short and thin to play SF in the NBA, so he's gonna have to become a much, much better shooter than Brewer in order to hack it at SG.
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You really think he is lacking offensively? He isn't Carmelo Anthony, but I think he will be solid in a half court offense. Not all the way there yet by any means, but I think he has a nice shot and will continue to improve. I don't see any huge holes in his actual game yet, but that could change against better competition. I was impressed with his rebounding and defense tonight. If he can get stronger I think the sky is the limit.
 

We should get a better read on Nolen after the Butler game, but he is playing well. Once we settled down, we were patient and yet we didn't run the shot clock way down like the second half of last year. There was also a spell where Nolen looked to dish on penetration.

I hope Iverson steps it up. He really has looked awkward at times this year. He also gets his hands on the basketball but then doesn't control it. He looks stronger but is still getting banged around in there.

Was very, very, very happy when Rodney got up. I had visions of a broken hand or arm as he laid there. He still looked like he was hurting on his free throws. Then he went gliding in and got that basket with sort of a Dr. J move. I told my wife, "I think he's fine."
 



Saber said:
I love Devoe, but he's not ready to be The Man on offense yet.. I love that he's playing more aggressively offensively this year, but I think he needs to utilize more screens and be more willing to step inside and take a mid-range shot.
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Agree with everything you wrote, but wanted to focus on the above quote. The good news is he isn't supposed to be the man on offense yet. That's Westbrook's job as a senior. Devoe is the understudy, and like you, I'm convinced that when his turn arrives, he'll be ready for it.
 

I loved the toughness that he showed tonight. After getting slammed into the ground while going for a dunk he not only gets up and makes the two free throws but then soars through the middle of the lane for a layup on the next possession. Keep working Rodney!
 

Plinnius said:
I think Rodney can develop into a Corey Brewer-type player. He obviously has the tools to be a very good, if not excellent, defender. Like Brewer, his offensive skills are lacking, but with his athleticism he can get some buckets off fast breaks, slash to the bucket, and sky for put backs to form a crudely effective offensive game.

Long term, he's probably too short and thin to play SF in the NBA, so he's gonna have to become a much, much better shooter than Brewer in order to hack it at SG.
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Obviously he has a ways to go, but I think Rodney's ceiling is higher than Corey Brewer's in quite possibly all aspects of the game.
 

Corey brewer was the #7 pick in the draft and the MOP of the Final Four... I understand that he's offensively limited in ways, but it's far from a negative comparison
 



chi-town gopher said:
You really think he is lacking offensively?
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Well, yeah. He's not a strong ball handler, so he's going to struggle to create shots for himself. He has shot fairly well so far, but the sample size is small, so the jury is still out.
 

Plinnius said:
I think Rodney can develop into a Corey Brewer-type player. He obviously has the tools to be a very good, if not excellent, defender. Like Brewer, his offensive skills are lacking, but with his athleticism he can get some buckets off fast breaks, slash to the bucket, and sky for put backs to form a crudely effective offensive game.

Long term, he's probably too short and thin to play SF in the NBA, so he's gonna have to become a much, much better shooter than Brewer in order to hack it at SG.
Click to expand...

What harsh criticism. Brewer is possibly the worst starting guard in the NBA. Williams has more potential than Brewer did as a frosh at Florida.

Somebody mentioned they were impressed with Nolen tonight. I couldn't agree more. He was great compared to Joseph (3-13 with 4 turnovers and 3 assists) He is leading our team like an upperclassmen, and I hate to say it, but he is a good Big Ten point guard.
 


Nolen played excellent D and was strong going to the hole but I still think the offense was stagnant way too much with him at the helm and that's a PG's job.
 

Al

I thought Al was terrific last night. Went to the hole with authority, but still needs to finish stronger at the rim. He has the ability to do so.
 

One of the biggest things I like with Rodney is that he plays a patient game on offense. He flows really well and seems to have been well coached by Tubby (at least to this point) on playing within the framework of the offense and then taking advantage of his natural abilities (length, speed, jumping ability). This isn't very surprising considering reports from the Gopher camp that indicate he's very coachable and works extremely hard. As Plinnius said, if he can develop a good mid-range to long-range jumper, he's got a chance to be really good.

Of course, that's a ways off. For now, I agree with others. He just needs to continue playing hard and let things come to him.
 

I am very happy for him with this great start. I know he's an athletic 18 year old kid, but I have to say I fear he's an injury waiting to happen the way he flys around on some of his dunk attempts. That horrific spill he took tonight will surely not be the last, and one of those times he may not get up. Hopefully he can learn to pick his spots a bit.
 

(Rodney) Not one for hyperbole. ...

nor generally speaking do I get too excited about big performances vs. weak competition, but it's pretty apparent to me we have a "next level" athlete in our program. With the talent & athletic ability he already has, the coachability Tubby says he has, the "out of your chair" excitement he's already stirring at Williams Arena every time he touches the ball, Rodney clearly has the makings of a superstar, a program changer. For now all he needs to do is fit in, and he's certainly doing that.

There will be plenty of bumps in the road, especially when the Big 10 season arrives, but this young man has special talent that doesn't come around very often. I plan on enjoying it.
 

who was the guy on here that wanted to red shirt Rodney? Come out of hiding and admit you are a bonehead
 

dex8425 said:
What harsh criticism. Brewer is possibly the worst starting guard in the NBA. Williams has more potential than Brewer did as a frosh at Florida.
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Woah. If Rodney turns out as good as Corey Brewer, I think everyone will be extremely happy.
 

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