What did Page do?
- Thread starter Baz = Heisman
- Start date
We don't know but if it were criminal there would be a police report and that is public so we would know if it was that. I think.
He’s criminally bad on defense.
Team rules. Could be missed a meeting, or late for practice, etc.
I don’t think we will ever know. It was a one game suspension.
Probably this. Good for Collins holding him accountable. Now let's see Page play with intention on Saturday when he's back.
Was only supposedly for one game so doubt it is academics. Criminality? Doubt that. Team rules maybe?
Collins said after the game it happened closer to game time and they had to alter the game plan, so my guess is he didn’t show up on time today
Funny, I never considered his agent. These kids have so much going on. I suppose a good agent defends you and gets on you at the same time.
Agents in college sports are a disgrace. It’s time for Congress to do something about this.
I’m sick and tired of this board calling Page lazy and nitpicking body language or attitude of all things. You have no idea what these guys are like in practice, on the bench, or in huddles, and you definitely can’t tell that from TV angles or the stands. That’s just lazy analysis.
Page does not play lazy at all. He actually runs a pretty high motor and isn’t afraid to hit the deck for a loose ball. The defensive and rebounding issues are real, but they’re about positioning and feel, not effort. That’s a reps and experience problem, not a want-to problem.
Page does not play lazy at all. He actually runs a pretty high motor and isn’t afraid to hit the deck for a loose ball. The defensive and rebounding issues are real, but they’re about positioning and feel, not effort. That’s a reps and experience problem, not a want-to problem.
I’d genuinely like to see some kind of optional certification process, for example similar to what person trainers go through (you don’t have to be certified by any of the several personal trainer orgs to be a trainer, but it’s a good basic and simple standard to aquire and not overly onerous). We can all think of many other industries who have this. The NCAA could even have a test or set of standards that would confer an additional certification. Just something that certifies agents know what they’re doing that kids can check.
I saw a Page leave a plastic tray full of food wrappers, chips, and empty cups on the dining table at Del Taco in Effingham three weeks ago. There was a trash bin 8 feet away. He’s clearly a bum.
He is only 7' tall
That’s not an effort issue. That’s an IQ/experience/feel issue.
Not so sure I agree with this take. In that Butler game, he'd often stand flat-footed under the rim, in nothing resembling a defensive "ready to move your feet" posture, and after another Butler brick, makes ZERO EFFORT to find a body and block out, instead hoping the ball is within his airspace already after the miss so all he has to do is jump straight up to get it (which he often did not). For all his offensive grandstanding early in the year, he really lacks the "dawg" mentality on defense that we so desperately need.
He never hesitates to dive after loose balls, which he's done several times already this year. But he is also guilty of ball watching, and maybe it is what you would call lacking the "dawg mentality". It might just be trying to think too much about what he should be doing rather than just trusting his instincts. Another weird thing about Page is that he never seems to win a jump ball at the start of the game, even though he clearly is the superior athlete in many matchups.
Not sure why AP gets the brunt of the defensive criticism around here. He is not a good defender, but who outside of Mullins is? Who exactly has that “dawg” mentality? None of the transfers are accustomed to the defensive intensity the Wizard demands and the Frosh are all learning.
I think it's because of our glaring rebounding deficiencies. He's our biggest guy out there so we need him to snag a lot of boards.
Probably because of 3 years of Big Matty clogging the lane (but not much on the other end). But tell me, as a basketball novice, why isn't this defensive shortcoming addressed in practice and improving?. Seems to me that he's probably had 100+ practices/games under Lowery, is it not sinking in? Feels like there should be some improvement.
To my unschooled brain, there are some things that are harder to master in practice, like 3 point shooting, but free throws and defensive positioning are items that you just get better through effort and practice. I'll make an exception for certain lack of athleticism (i.e Martinelli on defense his first 2 years) But...why is AP not getting better on D?
Flat-footed under the rim and late blockouts are real issues. But that’s exactly the point. That’s not a lack of effort or “dawg,” it’s a lack of defensive processing speed and feel. He’s reacting instead of anticipating. When you’re late on the read, you end up upright, ball watching, and hoping the rebound comes to you. That might appear as laziness to some, but in my opinion it’s uncertainty. True low effort guys don’t sprint back, don’t contest, don’t ever hit the floor. Page does those things. His mistakes are mental and positional, not effort.
As for why this hasn’t been fixed yet, defensive improvement isn’t linear, especially for bigs in a switch heavy system like NU runs. It’s not just “stand here and box out.” You’re reading the ball, your man, the driver, help responsibilities, and the switch all at once. If you’re a half second late on any of that, it’s over at this level. That’s why you see him caught in no man’s land instead of being early and active. Practice isn’t a vacuum. He’s learning new coverages, new terminology, and playing with new teammates who are also learning where their help is coming from. Defense relys on trust and communication. If you’re not 100% sure where your help is or if you should help, you hesitate. Hesitation looks like standing around. Hesitation gets you beat.
Positioning at this level isn’t static. It’s dynamic and read-based. That’s why you see improvement come in chunks, not week to week. Normally takes a year or two for most college players to get up to speed on that end. Page has the ability to be a good defender/rebounder. His positioning just needs drastic improvement.
Gelo is a good defender. Hindsight is 20/20 but he flashed it against Baldwin last year despite not being what I would have called a good defender last year. Very very improved this year on that end.
Great insight. I also think it reflects the player's mentality as they were growing up in basketball. Do you like defense? Do you view it as being as aggressive and rewarding as offensive ball? Rodman had that mentality and refined his art of anticipation and positioning. Most players click it off on defense and only pick it up if they are fortunate to be schooled under defensive minded coaches.
When the opposition center sets a high post screen, Page will switch to the guard leaving the post open or leaving Page in a poor rebounding position and a guard on the center going to the basket
Wyndham remains glued to the bench while the players taking his minutes are not contributing defensively or with perimeter shooting.
Wyndham remains glued to the bench while the players taking his minutes are not contributing defensively or with perimeter shooting.
That all makes sense, but are you saying he had two wasted years of defensive development at his last two stops, or NUs system is so different that it's like starting over?
I haven't seen enough to judge, but listening to the wailing and gnashing of teeth, along with our complete inability to rebound, is what I'm going on.
For reference, it feels like he is very slow to develop compared to other incoming Big transfers. Taking what you said at face value, if not effort, and he is clearly athletic as he11, then what's taking so long? It's not all on him, but at least we have options at other areas (point guard). AP either picks it up quickly or we are a 4 conf win team.
Defensive rebounding is a team-wide issue, but statistically Page has the best defensive rebounding rate on the entire team.
Looking at recent games, we've definitely improved since the Oklahoma State game. Last game against Howard was a regression, but we didn't have Page, so that should tell you something. Butler is the #14 team in the country at offensive rebounding at 39%, and we held them to 33% without Martinelli.
Looking at recent games, we've definitely improved since the Oklahoma State game. Last game against Howard was a regression, but we didn't have Page, so that should tell you something. Butler is the #14 team in the country at offensive rebounding at 39%, and we held them to 33% without Martinelli.
Getting mono can straight up wipe out a year of development. On top of that, this is his first season in this kind of role. He’s not coming in for 5 to 10 minutes as an energy big or matchup piece. He’s being asked to be the defensive anchor, the primary rebounder, and the second offensive option who can create his own shot and help drive offense for others, all while playing more minutes than he ever has.
That’s a massive load, especially for a big. You’re processing a ton on both ends every possession. When legs and brain are taxed, the first things to slip are timing, positioning, and read. Add in the fact that bigs almost always take longer to develop, and there are plenty of explanations here that don’t involve questioning his motor or attitude.