Husker MBB thoughts after weekend games.

[huskerbaseball13]

I'll start with the short list of disappointments.

1. White III - he's no where near the best player on the team, best shooter yes but his ball handling skills aren't very good. It seems he is a role player, hit the open 3 and try to rebound.

Positives:
1. McVeigh - after Shields the best all around player on team. Can shoot, pass, drive and smart defensively. Sure he needs to get stronger and will get a lot better as a result.
2. Watson Jr. - Not phased by competition and plays with confidence. I was a little surprised how quick his hands are, he will get a lot more steals that I imagined. I still don't like the form on his shot but he shouldn't be shooting too many 3s. He has great vision and passing skills as expected.
3. Hammond - Played VERY well - relative to his prior play - over the weekend and a big boost in terms of expectations. We showed much better defense over the weekend as well. I wish we had the depth to start Hammond and Morrow at the 4.
4. Jacobson - Nice physical player but more impressively he a smart player and excellent shooter. Future looks bright for him.
5. Morrow - he hasn't shown as much as expected but I love the energy he plays with. He'll clearly be our most consistent rebounder over time. His points will be limited to garbage points and free throws but that's fine for this year.
6. Webster - the lights are finally starting to come on for this kid and happy to see it. I still don't think he will be a consistent shooter with that hitch in his shot but he has always been able to drive to the basket. If he continues to play the way he did this weekend it will be a HUGE boost.


In summary the freshmen have all looked promising and some of the hold overs have improved significantly. This team is a lot more fun to watch because they pass and share the ball, especially when McVeigh is playing. They will get killed on the boards all year - can't imagine them against Purdue - but if Miles can get a couple of big men soon much brighter days are ahead.

No mention of Shields? He's The man this year with White being a disappointment. I see why Miles pushed Shields at media days with barely a mention of White.

Care to talk about the "second best player on the team" McVeigh......and compare his numbers to White? I didn't think so. You would prefer to not deal with actual stats.

 

[newAD]

Any doubts creeping in yet about White III? Yea he played great against the Bluejays but today was a representative game against the best teams we have played thus far. A major disappointment still to me. He had critical ball handling turnovers at the end.

You have got to be kidding me. Really? The best defender on a good defensive team (who was offered by Kansas) was on him. That kept him off Shields, especially early, and it also kept that defender from helping on drives. White was his sole focus.

URI was not going to let White have open shots after gping for what 30 and 28 his last 2 games?. He still got 9 (we won by 3 right?) and was perfect from the line. 2 of this FTs were in crunch time IIRC.

Did he have some mistakes today? Yep, but White played better today then Shields vs CU. So should we bench Shields too because of his turnovers against CU?

You can start being worried about White when the other teams no longer respect him, and then can totally take away the inside game, and dare everyone else to shoot from the outside. If you forgot what it is like to not have a respected outside threat just look back to last year when we no longer had Gallegos.

Let me repeat, he barely played at Kansas for 2 years. Sat out a transfer year last year. What the hell did you expect? 25, 10, and 10 from him every game?????????????? Please.

 

[huskerbaseball13]

You have got to be kidding me. Really? The best defender on a good defensive team (who was offered by Kansas) was on him. That kept him off Shields, especially early, and it also kept that defender from helping on drives. White was his sole focus.

URI was not going to let White have open shots after gping for what 30 and 28 his last 2 games?. He still got 9 (we won by 3 right?) and was perfect from the line. 2 of this FTs were in crunch time IIRC.

Did he have some mistakes today? Yep, but White played better today then Shields vs CU. So should we bench Shields too because of his turnovers against CU?

You can start being worried about White when the other teams no longer respect him, and then can totally take away the inside game, and dare everyone else to shoot from the outside. If you forgot what it is like to not have a respected outside threat just look back to last year when we no longer had Gallegos.

Let me repeat, he barely played at Kansas for 2 years. Sat out a transfer year last year. What the hell did you expect? 25, 10, and 10 from him every game?????????????? Please.

OP thinks Jack McVeigh is an all around better player than White...and anyone else besides Shields on this team. That's all you need to know in regards to the OP knowing diddly squat about bball. That, or he/she is blind.

 

[newAD]

OP thinks Jack McVeigh is an all around better player than White...and anyone else besides Shields on this team. That's all you need to know in regards to the OP knowing diddly squat about bball. That, or he/she is blind.

So you are saying:

 

[Hoosker Du]

The good news? We just beat a much higher ranked RPI team. The bad news? They are #119 RPI.

 

[Soda Popinski]

Any doubts creeping in yet about White III? Yea he played great against the Bluejays but today was a representative game against the best teams we have played thus far. A major disappointment still to me. He had critical ball handling turnovers at the end.

Miles better get it together and start Watson sooner than later. Defense is the reason he isn't now but his value outweighs any defensive liability. Bennie is confused and not playing the role he played in the past. They had him practice shooting so much - no not a bad thing - that it seems he forgets where his strengths and real value to the team is and that is playing lights out D and getting steals. He played terrible today outside of the 3 point shot at the end. I only wish Webster saw that shot and took it to heart. Webster is glue when reversing the ball and he has an open 3. Webster's problem remains in his head. He has almost zero basketball IQ, twice today he drove against 3-4 guys. He can't consistently let the plays come to him, instead he consistently forces plays and not smart plays at that. Hard to give up on an athlete like him though, his physical skills are top line. Yet compare him to a player like Watson who has a really high basketball IQ and a fraction of Webster's physical abilities.

Jacobson is the steal of the freshman class clearly. I could tell from the first shot I saw him take the kid can flat out shoot. He has great form on his shot and visible confidence when shooting it. He also showed today some good moves around the basket, a really good 4 playing out of position. It's not clear what Hammond has done to merit reduced playing time outside of Jacobson taking his minutes, as well as Morrow's. I would like to see more of Hammond at the 5 and Jacobson and Morrow at the 4. White would sit with this line up and spell Shields depending on the match-ups.

There were several times today where it felt like last year with only one or two players being a threat. They just passed the ball until Shields got it to force a drive, that changed with Watson in the game.

I do have to give Miles credit for adjusting lineups to find what would work.

I guess I'm a little confused by your expectations of White. Guys don't just transfer to a different school and sit out a year for fun. He didn't get enough PT at KU; why do you expect a league MVP type? Bill Self isn't an idiot. Anyway, my opinion is that he's a great team player. He can shoot lights out, rebound and defense isn't a liability. He's our best player IMO, and gives us the opportunity to be a threatening team. I shudder to think about this team without him.

 

[noazhusker]

Yeah he scored 28 vs Creighton but derpy derp derp! I think one thing is clear..and its that your basketball knowledge is lacking. That or White stole your wife. This coming from the guy who said he would take McVeigh over White....Bwahaha

I have agree here, for anyone to think white should sit..... I don't know what you're smoking but I sure don't want any. I still content and will continue to believe white is the best on the team and without him, we have no chance. it does seem white and shield's have a difficult time coexisting. they need to get on the same page, the team and the program need them.

 

[huskerbaseball13]

I have agree here, for anyone to think white should sit..... I don't know what you're smoking but I sure don't want any. I still content and will continue to believe white is the best on the team and without him, we have no chance. it does seem white and shield's have a difficult time coexisting. they need to get on the same page, the team and the program need them.

The sooner the OP gets it thru his thick skull that White is not an All American the better off he will feel. White did not have a great game yesterday...but his defense was crucial down the stretch. Probably something he did not even consider....I would like to hear his thoughts on McVeigh's defense the past few weeks? Just for an update OP...McVeigh has played 32 minutes the last three games and has not hit a FG. Thoughts? Hell, I like McVeigh but am still laughing at you saying he is currently better than White.

 

[dinglefritz]

So you are saying:

Thank you thank you thank you for making me smile this morning. The OP probably has got the message by now so I won't pile on but your clips are FUNNY! Groucho! White is maybe the best offensive player we've had at NU since Danny Nee. At the very least he's the most fun for me to watch but he isn't an All-American. No disappointment for me in his play.

 

[big red22]

I have agree here, for anyone to think white should sit..... I don't know what you're smoking but I sure don't want any. I still content and will continue to believe white is the best on the team and without him, we have no chance. it does seem white and shield's have a difficult time coexisting. they need to get on the same page, the team and the program need them.

There are 3 people on the team that need 25-35 a game and McVeigh isn't one of them.

Shields
White
Watson

The rest can see who is hot and who is not.

To the OP, White is our best scorer why on earth would you want to sit him? He had 5 turnovers... AND? LeBron James had 9 one game last season, I think the Cavs should sit him... right???

When we complain about Webster turnovers, and the fact he should sit is on a whole different level. Webster is like a broken record, and until he shows consistency he needs to have his minutes taken away

 

[Huskers_Rule]

Yeah he scored 28 vs Creighton but derpy derp derp! I think one thing is clear..and its that your basketball knowledge is lacking. That or White stole your wife. This coming from the guy who said he would take McVeigh over White....Bwahaha

Did you miss his two turnovers in the last 2 mins of the game? He handles the ball poorly. Taking McVeigh over White was longer term when he gets a lot stronger and yea on my team I still make that call.

White is GREAT for our team, we needed a GREAT 3 point shooter. Just don't ask him to be the man, don't make him have to put it on the floor too much.

 

[huskerbaseball13]

Did you miss his two turnovers in the last 2 mins of the game? He handles the ball poorly. Taking McVeigh over White was longer term when he gets a lot stronger and yea on my team I still make that call.

White is GREAT for our team, we needed a GREAT 3 point shooter. Just don't ask him to be the man, don't make him have to put it on the floor too much.

So, in your mind...his two turnovers in the last portion of the game trumps him leading the team in scoring and second in rebounding? Did you catch McVeigh stepping out of bounds last possession of the half giving RI the ball in which they promptly nailed a 3 at the buzzer?

 

[frankluv]

Please quit complaining. I for one am glad that we have what we have. Lets just hope that we can keep adding until we become one of the big dogs. GBR

 

[Spectrumalaska]

After reading this entire thread I came to one conclusion:

The OP does crossfit. Nothing else could come close to explaining it.

 

[Huskers_Rule]

Please quit complaining. I for one am glad that we have what we have. Lets just hope that we can keep adding until we become one of the big dogs. GBR

lol - list like 7-8 positives and 1 negative and I need to quit complaining. I see much better days ahead, if only we can get a legitimate 5, though as Miles said Hammonds is more of a rim protector than he thought.

 

[Huskers_Rule]

So, in your mind...his two turnovers in the last portion of the game trumps him leading the team in scoring and second in rebounding? Did you catch McVeigh stepping out of bounds last possession of the half giving RI the ball in which they promptly nailed a 3 at the buzzer?

White has 2 years in college - check McVeigh in 2 years.

White has 24 TOs and a .13 assist to TO ratio. Shields and Webster drive to the basket consistently so logically have more TOs than a shooter. Their assist to TO ratios are 1.0 and .92.

White leads the team in steals and I gave him props several times for having very good hands.

TOTALS GP Min O-Reb D-Reb Tot Reb PF DQ Ast TO Ast/TO Hi Pts
White III, Andrew 11 297 15 41 56 30 1 3 24 0.13 30
Shields, Shavon 11 322 12 47 59 21 1 31 31 1.00 28
Webster, Tai 11 309 7 36 43 26 1 24 26 0.92 21

 

[huskerbaseball13]

White has 2 years in college - check McVeigh in 2 years.

White has 24 TOs and a .13 assist to TO ratio. Shields and Webster drive to the basket consistently so logically have more TOs than a shooter. Their assist to TO ratios are 1.0 and .92.

White leads the team in steals and I gave him props several times for having very good hands.

TOTALS GP Min O-Reb D-Reb Tot Reb PF DQ Ast TO Ast/TO Hi Pts
White III, Andrew 11 297 15 41 56 30 1 3 24 0.13 30
Shields, Shavon 11 322 12 47 59 21 1 31 31 1.00 28
Webster, Tai 11 309 7 36 43 26 1 24 26 0.92 21

In the OP you said right now McVeigh is the second best all around player. You would think our second best all around player could atleast make one FG the past three games....right? Shields and Tai can thank White for opening up the lane. If you have actually watched the game....White does not get much breathing room....because hes a solid player. Maybe he will score 25 points a game in Big Ten and meet your expectations.

 

[Huskers_Rule]

Care to talk about the "second best player on the team" McVeigh......and compare his numbers to White? I didn't think so. You would prefer to not deal with actual stats.

Yep McVeigh seriously regressed last few games, just not strong enough right now. I expect a big leap next year after a year of S&C. I love him and Watson in the same lineup, both have good vision that will lead to a lot of easy baskets the next 4 years.

Actually I like having early perceptions changed over time. I hope White becomes All Big Ten.

 

[Charlie Marlow]

I'll start with the short list of disappointments.

1. White III - he's no where near the best player on the team, best shooter yes but his ball handling skills aren't very good. It seems he is a role player, hit the open 3 and try to rebound.

Positives:
1. McVeigh - after Shields the best all around player on team. Can shoot, pass, drive and smart defensively. Sure he needs to get stronger and will get a lot better as a result.
2. Watson Jr. - Not phased by competition and plays with confidence. I was a little surprised how quick his hands are, he will get a lot more steals that I imagined. I still don't like the form on his shot but he shouldn't be shooting too many 3s. He has great vision and passing skills as expected.
3. Hammond - Played VERY well - relative to his prior play - over the weekend and a big boost in terms of expectations. We showed much better defense over the weekend as well. I wish we had the depth to start Hammond and Morrow at the 4.
4. Jacobson - Nice physical player but more impressively he a smart player and excellent shooter. Future looks bright for him.
5. Morrow - he hasn't shown as much as expected but I love the energy he plays with. He'll clearly be our most consistent rebounder over time. His points will be limited to garbage points and free throws but that's fine for this year.
6. Webster - the lights are finally starting to come on for this kid and happy to see it. I still don't think he will be a consistent shooter with that hitch in his shot but he has always been able to drive to the basket. If he continues to play the way he did this weekend it will be a HUGE boost.


In summary the freshmen have all looked promising and some of the hold overs have improved significantly. This team is a lot more fun to watch because they pass and share the ball, especially when McVeigh is playing. They will get killed on the boards all year - can't imagine them against Purdue - but if Miles can get a couple of big men soon much brighter days are ahead.

No mention of Shields? He's The man this year with White being a disappointment. I see why Miles pushed Shields at media days with barely a mention of White.

What the hell happened to McVeigh? He was our future!

 

[dinglefritz]

What the hell happened to McVeigh? He was our future!

Life's tough. Just a few months ago (it seems) somebody was telling us "you are the future of our country" and now we're just a bunch of washed up old guys nearing retirement....Life has passed Jack by.