Two New Guys

[PURPLECAT88]

I believe your take here has some merit. We weren't able to redshirt people in the past, and it cost us. Collins tried to do this with Pardon, but unfortunately ever warm body at center getting injured at once torpedoed that plan. The process was resumed with Young, and I believe that we will see at least one redshirt a year in the future,

As an aside, think about if CC had succeeded with his plan to redshirt Pardon. If that one move had not been sunk by injury, we are talking about a completely different 2019-20 season....

We might also be talking about a completely different 2016-17 season without Pardon having gained a year of on-court experience. I'm happy with how that worked out.

 

[go cats go_rivals310290]

None of the players who left that you cite would have had anywhere near an impact as Pardon:, imo. Think Benson or Ash, etc.staying would have influnced grad transfers? Believe you're truly underestimating the talent level of DP here....

No, I don't think that Benson or Ash would have induced grad transfers. I'm saying that you haven't convinced me that if DP had one more season left, we would have all kinds of magical results, including an influx of top grad transfers. You're really stretching. DP was an Honorable Mention All-B1G-level player twice. Sure, I'd love to have him for one more season...but we don't. He already appeared in 112 games and played a full college career.

Meanwhile:
* We made the Tournament.
* We got a new area.
* Collins has a long-term contract.
* Collins has an increased recruiting budget.

With all of these advancements, we still simply do not have a competitive roster of players for the 2019-20 season. And, once again, we will not make full use of our allotted scholarships. And your excuse is somehow Alex Olah's 2015 foot injury? Come on.

Collins could learn quite a bit from Fitz about player development, competitive depth and more. The fact that DP's best career game was his second game in an NU uniform (back in December 2015)--and the fact that you discount the potential impact of other experienced players who came in as fairly highly touted recruits--speaks volumes about CC's player development and program development going into his 7th season.

You can't praise CC's awesome recruiting, disregard early departures as unimportant (especially when it's those same players used as evidence of awesome recruiting) and wind up with a 14th place B1G team that is looking ahead to an even worse season. It just doesn't add up.

 

[Medill90]

We also need Jared Jones to contribute in a similar manner as Dererk Pardon after he burned his shirt freshman year.

from the video it looks like Jared has a really low center of gravity

no idea if he comes in with the basketball IQ that Dererk did

you just can't overestimate Dererk's contribution....really a special player

 

[Medill90]

The fact that DP's best career game was his second game in an NU uniform (back in December 2015)

You're half right.

It was his second game.

 

[go cats go_rivals310290]

You're half right.

It was his second game.

That's exactly what I said. Go look at my post--or the part of it that you quoted in your post.

 

[ThatadultfromHolland]

But not a better one:

LG: tru frosh or Greer - blah
Wings - Gaines, Kopp, Buie, Lax - blah
S4 - Nance, Beran - blah
C - Pardon, R Young, JJ

The LG has nothing proven to rely on - more of sophomore leap and true frosh savior.

Gaines is a hard nosed D guy. Kopp show some spark as a legit rotation guy, not a superstar. More sophomore leap prayers. Then tru frosh prayers and missed stardom as b-ball to play non revenue sport but came to NU to lift the program prayers.

Nance showed nothing. Plenty of excuses...I mean explanations. But more sophomore leap and tru frosh prayers.

Pardon - legit B1G player but not MJ 2.0. Ryan and JJ - more unproven product prayers.

Do I need to eval the walkons?

Lots of prayers without considering the NU injury bug.

Lead guard... You have a point Greer should have been a true frosh this year. Turner and Buie should see time there though. (I have very little opinion on Buie until I see him play in a NU uniform) Turner should have a solid season and he's a respectable B1G player. Granted his ideal position is a 2-3 (Wing)

Gaines as you said great at D. I think he is underrated offensively. He can drive pretty well and knows when to take his opportunities, which he improved on from his frosh year which he tried to force too much. If he can get a better jumper he'll be deadly.

Kopp has flashed a lot more than just rotational player. He was rotational player last year but he clearly showed he has the ability to be a legit B1G starter.

Nance- The dude is a developmental prospect. Nobody that saw his tape with a decent basketball mind expected him to be a B1G player as a frosh. He's supposed to improve a lot each year. He has sooooo much potential it's unreal by NU standards. If he gets reaches that potential, that's the question but it's still pretty clearly there. I'm not gonna make excuses for him last year but honestly nobody shoulda been expecting much more when you lose a lot of the season to illness. If he doesn't show up by his junior year then there's some problems.

Rest of players you mentioned I can't comment on as haven't seen play. Except if Lax= Patrick Spencer I'm pretty sure he's a LG.

Edit for grammar because I'm on a smart phone

 

[freewillie07]

Somehow something tells me I am going to lol at this in a few years when someone other than Nance makes 1st team all BIG. Way to have confidence in our players, though!

Who do you think it would be?

I’m not down on our players. Kopp has the tools to be a solid Big Ten player, Gaines is pretty much already there, I’m hopeful that Buie and Jones will force their way into the starting lineup this year, and Beran is obviously among the most touted guys we’ve brought in.

My point was more that it takes an *extremely special* player, a legitimate star, to be on the first team. To me, only Nance, with his freakish athleticism and his ability to handle the ball and shoot 3s at his height, seems likely to develop into one of the top players in the Big Ten.

Has any NU player made the first team since Shurna?

 

[mikewebb68]

Who do you think it would be?

I’m not down on our players. Kopp has the tools to be a solid Big Ten player, Gaines is pretty much already there, I’m hopeful that Buie and Jones will force their way into the starting lineup this year, and Beran is obviously among the most touted guys we’ve brought in.

My point was more that it takes an *extremely special* player, a legitimate star, to be on the first team. To me, only Nance, with his freakish athleticism and his ability to handle the ball and shoot 3s at his height, seems likely to develop into one of the top players in the Big Ten.

Has any NU player made the first team since Shurna?

Many of our 2018-19-20 recruits have the opportunity to be first-team all BIG, as we are recruiting at a consistently higher level than we ever have before...

 

[NJCat]

Has any NU player made the first team since Shurna?

No. BMac was 2nd team in 2016-17.

Crawford (2x) and Scottie were 3rd.

NU has had 10 players make first team All Big 10 in their history, and only 2 this century. Not easy in a very competitive league.

 

[IGNORE]

So you're saying our 2019-20 season would not be appreciably better with Pardon as a 5th year? I respectfully disagree it that is what you are saying. And you can't look at it with just the existing cast; for example if Pardon was here, than a grad transfer or two who had just one year of eligibility is likely here because with Pardon they can see a winning team...

It would be the tallest midget.