Thanks. I think people that are calling for NU to roll him out there over Kropp should have at least seen in play once or twice.
Good and Bad
- Thread starter TheC
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Two most popular positions in NU sports. The backup qb and end of bench tall guy.
On that note, I'm a bit sad that Gus hasn't gotten more minutes at center.
A number of silly reasons.
I like to root for the walk-ons and other guys at the end of the bench who get little glory but still show up, work hard, and cheer their teammates.
I've watched him in practice banging against various starting centers over the years and he looks pretty good in isolated play, offense and defense.
I'd take his playing as evidence the coaching staff has developed him after four years on the team and in the system.
He's actually 6'9", so one of the taller guys on the team.
and also because Holland made the end of bench reference and I get it.
There could also be a lot of negative takeaways if he did start seeing minutes, but that's not how I'm looking at it in the moment.
I've been at every game so I think I qualify on that front.
He's clearly not ready physically, nobody can dispute that, but watching Martinelli trying to guard the 7+footer from DePaul (who's also a freshman by the way) made my stomach turn. He's practicing against a B1G quality big man every day in Page. He gets 5 fouls, so he can at least cover a few minutes and prevent some layups when Page is in foul trouble. He can handle the ball, looked like he knew what to do with it when he got it.
We got lucky when Page, Singleton and Martinelli had four fouls but were able not to get a fifth. It's not a perfect solution -- again, no one is saying that it is. But last year's team would have been better down the stretch if KJ had gotten some minutes in the preseason, and worked out some of the growing pains (and no, I have no clue why he hasn't been better so far this year).
I see no downside to giving it a try in some of these pre-season games. If it doesn't work after a few test runs, then he hasn't blown his redshirt...
KJ logged a lot of early reps before the season with Barnhizer and Berry sidelined for the entire offseason. He even started the first four games, but it was clear he was not ready to help a group that expected to play at a tournament level at that point in the season. Those expectations were real before the injuries hit although with very slim margins.
The larger priority at the start of the season was getting Leach as many lead guard reps as possible in the non conference. He was playing out of position and he needed time to build chemistry with Brooks, Berry, and Matt. All three missed the chance to do that during the international trip and the offseason. Once Leach finally started to find a rhythm, he tore his ACL a few games later.
The core that gave that roster a real shot at the tournament was Leach, Barnhizer, and Martinelli. Losing two of the three for the season ended any realistic path back to March.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t work this way in basketball like the four-game rule in football. If he’s not hurt for the year, then playing a game burns the shirt. That’s why Clayton is a junior and not a sophomore after last year.
The calculation is can he help us enough now to merit losing the fifth year of a big man.
In a world where players rarely stick around for five years and you can plug holes via portal, I’m not totally averse to finding out. But if the staff isn’t playing him, then that’s probably the answer.
I have never seen Brennamen live, so this is not as informed as Smolania, but it makes no sense for CCC to glue him to the bench if he can help even with back up minutes. I believe NU has an excellent staff and I am going to trust them to do what is right until I see evidence of a screw up.
Cade is a long-term upside player, not an instant-impact piece. His ranking reflected what he could become over time, not what he was ready to give right away. Based on his high school film and the limited scrimmage reps he got, a redshirt makes complete sense. He is extremely raw, and the overall feel, strength, and fundamentals are the parts of his game that will take time to develop.
He also projects more as a very long wing than a true post in my opinion. The athleticism and face-up tools show up first, but those need real polish before they translate at this level. The staff seems to be treating him exactly that way, a developmental player they can build out slowly.
Ultimately, it will come down to whether he is strong enough to guard other bigs in the post and be an effective defensive rebounder. I assume he will become an effective rim protector with his length and hops. If he can’t guard bigs and rebound, than he would have to make an extraordinary leap offensively to be a rotation guy. Unless he is athletic enough to shut down 3’s.
Well, Collins is speaking through his actions that Kropp at this point is further along as a center than Bennerman for what it's worth. The upside for Bennerman is massive, but if we can have the luxury of redshirting him, we should try by all means. As a comp, Kropp can give us Hunger-like minutes, they are similar in height, the only real advantage that Luke has over Kropp at this stage is experience and a more mature body. But Kropp is no lightweight, and he has more offensive weapons than Luke. Give him a few more games, I think Kropp will develop at a fast pace this season and hopefully be an adequate backup. We don't have much choice anyways.
I meant down the road for Bennerman. Maybe not even next year. Unless he is a truly phenomenal athlete, his value defensively will be guarding bigs.
So of the 8 guys we brought in over the off season, who would you have not brought in? Cause with the new rules, that is likely the only way you would have gotten what you want. (I don't see CCC forcing out one of the walk-ons or Clayton after what they have given to the program