STrib: Transfer speculation behind him, U's Ahanmisi becomes reliable relief

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BleedGopher

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"He has really been very efficient," Smith said. "That gives me confidence to play him. And there may be times you might see both [Ahanmisi and Andre Hollins playing together], especially with the way he's shooting the ball. ...

"He's really off to a good start. He's having a good all-around game. And plus, his attitude. He just has a great demeanor about him. He's done everything we've asked him to do. He doesn't complain. Doesn't make excuses. He just works."

http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/182912141.html

Go Gophers!!
 


He's been great for the program and been a great example of Tubby's ability to coach. From freshmen to Junior this kid has improved immensely. Unfortunately some fans just can't forget about the past and take this kid for what he is now and that is a formidable back up. He has earned his minutes.
 

That was a tough freshman campaign for Mav. He wasn't ready to fill Al's shoes when the latter went down, and then Tubby handing the PG duties to Hoff must have damaged his confidence. I've never been a huge Mav fan, but he's doing a better job handling the ball and limiting TOs when he's in, which is pretty much all I want of him.
 

afurry91 said:
He's been great for the program and been a great example of Tubby's ability to coach. From freshmen to Junior this kid has improved immensely. Unfortunately some fans just can't forget about the past and take this kid for what he is now and that is a formidable back up. He has earned his minutes.
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He's definitely improved but I wouldn't diss the fans. The reality is that in today's CBB most players can either contribute or show flashes of talent as freshmen, especially for high major conference teams. As a frosh and through much of last year there just wasn't much evidence that Mav could ever be a B1G level PG. He's never been very athletic and offensively he wasn't bringing much to the table, not even a consistent jumper. He was basically a guy that hopefully wouldn't turn it over. This year he's been more confident offensively and is showing more savvy but he's still a junior playing a purely backup role. Basically he's no longer a player that will hurt you by being on the court against top teams
 


Not that I am a huge basketball fundamentalist, but his jumpshot is night and day from last year.
 

First, hats off to the kid because he's shot the ball very well so far this year.

Biggest thing that's helped him besides shots going in is getting to the line. He's shown zero fear driving to the bucket and drawing contact.

That said, I think he'll get shut down by good Big Ten teams and I'd have Welch playing more.

The turnover rate for Ahanmisi is still too high and his shooting %'s and frequent FT trips will fall as the season goes on.

No doubt, though, he's posted some strong numbers so far and is a fighter.
 

As one of the primary Mav critics during his freshman year, I have to say that I'm very pleasantly surprised by how effective he's become. He's not an All Big 10 player or anything, but he's giving us what we need, stable play at the point guard spot, and some offense when necessary. He's still not athletically gifted enough to give us huge minutes, but with Dre in there, all we need is somebody to keep things running smoothly when the Hollins boys need a rest. I'm happy to see Mav starting to prove me wrong. I hope it continues.
 

He isn't that quick and doesn't have the best hands, good basketball IQ, shoots the ball pretty well, just doesn't have all the athletic skills to be a PG, he is more productive when he plays off the ball, when he plays with Andre Hollins or Welsh he isn't being asked to control the ball as much and is more effective.
 



Another weak article from Amelia...

I'll grant that Mav hasn't looked horrible, but let's see how he does in the B1G. I'll put it this way, I'm just hoping that Andre never gets into foul trouble.
 

Gopher Warrior said:
First, hats off to the kid because he's shot the ball very well so far this year.

Biggest thing that's helped him besides shots going in is getting to the line. He's shown zero fear driving to the bucket and drawing contact.

That said, I think he'll get shut down by good Big Ten teams and I'd have Welch playing more.

The turnover rate for Ahanmisi is still too high and his shooting %'s and frequent FT trips will fall as the season goes on.

No doubt, though, he's posted some strong numbers so far and is a fighter.
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Welch is already playing more MPG than Mav despite being last in offensive rating, second to last in eFG%, and last in FTR. For a guard that turns it over at a rate of 25.5%, and plays mediocre to poor team defense, he better be able to score with some efficiency or he will lose more minutes. Mav has earned every minute he has played.
 

Gold Vision said:
Welch is already playing more MPG than Mav despite being last in offensive rating, second to last in eFG%, and last in FTR. For a guard that turns it over at a rate of 25.5%, and plays mediocre to poor team defense, he better be able to score with some efficiency or he will lose more minutes. Mav has earned every minute he has played.
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Let me ask you this... if it's December 31 and Michigan State is in town... you need to play either Welch or Ahanmisi, who do you play? (side note: Julian's assist rate is higher and turnover rate is lower than Ahanmisi's... the shooting % differential this season so far will begin to even out).
 

Gopher Warrior said:
Let me ask you this... if it's December 31 and Michigan State is in town... you need to play either Welch or Ahanmisi, who do you play? (side note: Julian's assist rate is higher and turnover rate is lower than Ahanmisi's... the shooting % differential this season so far will begin to even out).
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Maverick. He can score.
 



Gopher Warrior said:
Let me ask you this... if it's December 31 and Michigan State is in town... you need to play either Welch or Ahanmisi, who do you play? (side note: Julian's assist rate is higher and turnover rate is lower than Ahanmisi's... the shooting % differential this season so far will begin to even out).
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I'm with GW on this 100%. Very glad Mav has improved so much, great testament to the type of guy he is. Think he will be a solid back up PG next year.

This year, give me Julian Welch every time.
 

Love how Mav has improved and I'm much more confident when he has the ball in his hands now than I was a year ago. Having said that, Welch is still more talented and I think his shooting percentage is going to start to go back up. He's been in a slump most of the season, but he's bound to come out of it and last game may have been the start of that. We're going to need his shooting this year.
 

I think Welch has the higher ceiling based on last year's performance, and I want him to be that spark off the bench. He simply isn't the same guy this year so far. It's especially noticeable on team defense where he has been a liability outside of his ability to occasionally steal the ball. He just looks gassed all the time. I think Maverick has played consistently better offensively over the first 10 games. I'm fine with them splitting limited minutes pretty evenly at this point.

Joe Coleman adds so much more than Welch does at this point, it's hard envisioning the 3 guard lineup with Welch instead of Coleman.
 

Gold Vision said:
Joe Coleman adds so much more than Welch does at this point, it's hard envisioning the 3 guard lineup with Welch instead of Coleman.
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Not for me. Welch needs to get a bit more arc on his shot consistently, but he provides a third 3-point shooter in the lineup and that's a big reason why I like the idea of him on the court with 2xHollins. Offensively the lineup becomes very difficult to defend (with Mbakwe instead of Eliason, as well).

Joe's been solid and he's a great asset to the team, but I would like to see a higher free throw rate from him and fewer shots away from the rim. He's been hitting some jump shots so I understand why others may not agree, but I don't think those are the best shots for this offense. I want him attacking all the way to the bucket.

BTW, Coleman is finishing at the rim at an incredible rate... which isn't quite sustainable. I see his FG% dropping as the year progresses unless more shots are taken in the paint.. Joe getting to the line is big for me.
 

scher215 said:
I'm with GW on this 100%. Very glad Mav has improved so much, great testament to the type of guy he is. Think he will be a solid back up PG next year.

This year, give me Julian Welch every time.
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Agree 100% with Welch. Dude can handle the ball in pressure situations. He also has proven he can shoot in big games in the B10.
 

I must say though that after the 'who should transfer' debate of Mav vs Chip I think we may have came out on top. Chip did some things well (energy, could finish, etc) but his ball handling and decision making as poor and his shooting eratic. With this team I'm glad we have the steadier Mav (combined with his consistent shooting) as opposed to having to play welch at PG against quicker competition
 

Gopher Warrior said:
Not for me. Welch needs to get a bit more arc on his shot consistently, but he provides a third 3-point shooter in the lineup and that's a big reason why I like the idea of him on the court with 2xHollins. Offensively the lineup becomes very difficult to defend (with Mbakwe instead of Eliason, as well).
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He only provides a third 3-point shooter if he is making them. His shot is completely broken though right now, if he's not making them, he's a liability on defense. Coleman's shot actually looks better mechanically right now. Coleman is also much better in transition and in the secondary break.

Gopher Warrior said:
Joe's been solid and he's a great asset to the team, but I would like to see a higher free throw rate from him and fewer shots away from the rim. He's been hitting some jump shots so I understand why others may not agree, but I don't think those are the best shots for this offense. I want him attacking all the way to the bucket.
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Joe had the second highest free throw rate on the team last year outside of Mbakwe's limited play, that number will come up (much like Welch's FG%). Watch how quick Coleman gets down the floor in transition tonight. Welch is not a threat to draw contact and he's not a transition threat unless he's getting down the court to hit a spot up jumper.

Gopher Warrior said:
BTW, Coleman is finishing at the rim at an incredible rate... which isn't quite sustainable. I see his FG% dropping as the year progresses unless more shots are taken in the paint.. Joe getting to the line is big for me.
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Joe shot 44% from the field last year, it wouldn't be abnormal for him to jump into the high 40's with his type of game. His FTR will go up.

I thought Welch was going to be a major asset this year, he's just not hitting his shots yet and I've been disappointed in his defense and conditioning. He just doesn't fit into what they are trying to do if he can't hit those spot up jump shots. Hopefully he comes around, but I see no reason to complain about the minutes he is losing to Coleman and Mav when they are performing better.
 

scher215 said:
I'm with GW on this 100%. Very glad Mav has improved so much, great testament to the type of guy he is. Think he will be a solid back up PG next year.

This year, give me Julian Welch every time.
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I'd take last year Welch over this year Mav, but as of right now, I'd want Mav until Welch finds his way out of whatever funk he is in. I have a bit of a soft spot for Mav, I like it when players take the kind of abuse from the fans that he has, and then use it to quietly improve their game without developing an attitue about it.
 

Right on Queue, Welch with a nice game and Coleman with a rough night.
 


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