I could be making a false assumption about basketball in Ireland and the UK, but I'm assuming Alajiki has not had years and years of top coaching and top competition. Maybe he blows up. Decent (at a minimum) athleticism and that 3 point shot he has are a good place to start from!
How about a little love for Mark Fox?
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Last: 1 yr ago by calumnus
I could be making a false assumption about basketball in Ireland and the UK, but I'm assuming Alajiki has not had years and years of top coaching and top competition. Maybe he blows up. Decent (at a minimum) athleticism and that 3 point shot he has are a good place to start from!
Big C said:
I could be making a false assumption about basketball in Ireland and the UK, but I'm assuming Alajiki has not had years and years of top coaching and top competition. Maybe he blows up. Decent (at a minimum) athleticism and that 3 point shot he has are a good place to start from!
I agree 100% I think Monty would love to coach him.
Theo on offense basically had that 3 from the left corner. Or he could pump fake and drive baseline for the layup. If that was cut off he could dish to someone else inside. Simple and very effective. Not enough versatkity to play in the NBA, but more than effective enough to be a really productive college player. The key was having a PG/offense that could threaten elsewhere, or set a pick, then get the ball to Theo when he was open in the corner.
You saw similar play from a lot of Monty's small forwards at Stanford. They had a few things they did very well and Monty ran an offense to get them the ball in a spot to do that.
Omar Wilkes was similar. Mathews also. I always thought that was one of the reasons he left after playing (a year?) under Martin but Mark Few saw and utilized his talent in his more structured offense.
One of Fox's criticisms at Georgia was that he did not recruit many three point shooters, did not play the ones he had enough and did not get them shots when he did. Seems very similar at Cal so far. There is no excuse for a coach in 2022 to not recognize the importance of the three point shot and not develop his recruiting and offense around it.
Big C said:
I could be making a false assumption about basketball in Ireland and the UK, but I'm assuming Alajiki has not had years and years of top coaching and top competition. Maybe he blows up. Decent (at a minimum) athleticism and that 3 point shot he has are a good place to start from!
What Alajiki would need to become a versatile impact offensive player (i.e., more than a 3nD player), especially along the lines of a special offensive player like Allen Crabbe, would require major development of coordination and ball handling that Alajiki appears nowhere near having at this point. That kind of development cannot happen at this stage of Alajiki's physical or basketball skill maturity. That kind of fundamental coordination has to happen before puberty, and probably well before puberty.
I'm not saying he can't improve at all, but the amount of development possible in a few years for a college-age player would be more on the margins than what would be needed for Sam to become a versatile and dynamic offensive player. But I'm also fine with that. Sam has quality skills and abilities as is. He's already a nice asset as a true freshman, and will become more so in the coming years.
He might be able to add some back-to-the-basket game to use against players likely to be guarding him. That's doable. Improving his FT percentage is doable (although his relatively low FT percentage right now might be more about small sample size). Becoming Allen Crabbe (or anything like that) is not doable.
I realize you're not necessarily saying he could become Allen Crabbe, but when you say he could "blow up", and others make similar types of comments, I'm thinking you and they are suggesting a dramatic expansion of his game along those lines.
This is obviously just my opinion. I'm not looking to convince anyone. Obviously I'd be happy with any amount of development (and I expect he will show nice development), and I'd be thrilled if he became a player who could use his dribble with either hand to create shots (I'm not talking about just going by someone on a poor close out at the perimeter) for himself and develop a strong midrange pull-up game, float game, and finish at rim game.
drizzlybear said:Big C said:
I could be making a false assumption about basketball in Ireland and the UK, but I'm assuming Alajiki has not had years and years of top coaching and top competition. Maybe he blows up. Decent (at a minimum) athleticism and that 3 point shot he has are a good place to start from!
What Alajiki would need to become a versatile impact offensive player (i.e., more than a 3nD player), especially along the lines of a special offensive player like Allen Crabbe, would require major development of coordination and ball handling that Alajiki appears nowhere near having at this point. That kind of development cannot happen at this stage of Alajiki's physical or basketball skill maturity. That kind of fundamental coordination has to happen before puberty, and probably well before puberty. I'm not saying he can't improve at all, but the amount of development possible in a few years of college would be more on the margins than what would be needed for Sam to become a versatile and dynamic offensive player. But I'm also fine with that. Sam has excellent skills and abilities as is. He's already a nice asset as a true freshman, and will become much more so in the coming years.
He might be able to add some back-to-the-basket game to use against players likely to be guarding him. That's doable. Improving his FT percentage is doable (although his relatively low FT percentage right now might be more about small sample size). Becoming Allen Crabbe (or anything like that) is not doable.
I realize you're not necessarily saying he could become Allen Crabbe, but when you say he could "blow up", I'm thinking you're suggesting something along those lines.
This is obviously just my opinion. I'm not looking to convince anyone. Obviously I'd be happy with any amount of development, and I'd be thrilled if he became a player who could use his dribble with either hand to create shots (I'm not talking about just going by someone on a poor close out at the perimeter) for himself and develop a strong midrange pull-up game, float game, and finish at rim game.
If I'm understanding you correctly this week, a freshman from Ireland's potential has a rather low ceiling which you can clearly foresee, but Joel Brown, after three years in the program, is going to all of a sudden turn into Prentice McGruder II.
Got it.
drizzlybear, my man, I'm messing with you a little bit here! Just havin' a little fun! I know you were just riffing on my choice of words "blow up". I know we both hope that everybody on the Cal roster blows up (and I don't mean literally)!
drizzlybear said:Big C said:
I could be making a false assumption about basketball in Ireland and the UK, but I'm assuming Alajiki has not had years and years of top coaching and top competition. Maybe he blows up. Decent (at a minimum) athleticism and that 3 point shot he has are a good place to start from!
What Alajiki would need to become a versatile impact offensive player (i.e., more than a 3nD player), especially along the lines of a special offensive player like Allen Crabbe, would require major development of coordination and ball handling that Alajiki appears nowhere near having at this point. That kind of development cannot happen at this stage of Alajiki's physical or basketball skill maturity. That kind of fundamental coordination has to happen before puberty, and probably well before puberty.
I'm not saying he can't improve at all, but the amount of development possible in a few years for a college-age player would be more on the margins than what would be needed for Sam to become a versatile and dynamic offensive player. But I'm also fine with that. Sam has quality skills and abilities as is. He's already a nice asset as a true freshman, and will become more so in the coming years.
He might be able to add some back-to-the-basket game to use against players likely to be guarding him. That's doable. Improving his FT percentage is doable (although his relatively low FT percentage right now might be more about small sample size). Becoming Allen Crabbe (or anything like that) is not doable.
I realize you're not necessarily saying he could become Allen Crabbe, but when you say he could "blow up", and others make similar types of comments, I'm thinking you and they are suggesting a dramatic expansion of his game along those lines.
This is obviously just my opinion. I'm not looking to convince anyone. Obviously I'd be happy with any amount of development (and I expect he will show nice development), and I'd be thrilled if he became a player who could use his dribble with either hand to create shots (I'm not talking about just going by someone on a poor close out at the perimeter) for himself and develop a strong midrange pull-up game, float game, and finish at rim game.
As I said above, Crabbe is not the model for Alajiki, Theo is.
calumnus said:drizzlybear said:Big C said:
I could be making a false assumption about basketball in Ireland and the UK, but I'm assuming Alajiki has not had years and years of top coaching and top competition. Maybe he blows up. Decent (at a minimum) athleticism and that 3 point shot he has are a good place to start from!
What Alajiki would need to become a versatile impact offensive player (i.e., more than a 3nD player), especially along the lines of a special offensive player like Allen Crabbe, would require major development of coordination and ball handling that Alajiki appears nowhere near having at this point. That kind of development cannot happen at this stage of Alajiki's physical or basketball skill maturity. That kind of fundamental coordination has to happen before puberty, and probably well before puberty.
I'm not saying he can't improve at all, but the amount of development possible in a few years for a college-age player would be more on the margins than what would be needed for Sam to become a versatile and dynamic offensive player. But I'm also fine with that. Sam has quality skills and abilities as is. He's already a nice asset as a true freshman, and will become more so in the coming years.
He might be able to add some back-to-the-basket game to use against players likely to be guarding him. That's doable. Improving his FT percentage is doable (although his relatively low FT percentage right now might be more about small sample size). Becoming Allen Crabbe (or anything like that) is not doable.
I realize you're not necessarily saying he could become Allen Crabbe, but when you say he could "blow up", and others make similar types of comments, I'm thinking you and they are suggesting a dramatic expansion of his game along those lines.
This is obviously just my opinion. I'm not looking to convince anyone. Obviously I'd be happy with any amount of development (and I expect he will show nice development), and I'd be thrilled if he became a player who could use his dribble with either hand to create shots (I'm not talking about just going by someone on a poor close out at the perimeter) for himself and develop a strong midrange pull-up game, float game, and finish at rim game.
As I said above, Crabbe is not the model for Alajiki, Theo is.
Bingo.
I actually think Sam has the potential to be even better than Theo (Sam is quicker, stronger, and more athletic, and hopefully won't have the injury issues Theo had) , but still in the same mold with similar game. Good call.
Theo arrived at Cal with great fundamentals from playing in Frank Allocco's system at DLS. Great model for Alajiki, but he has a long way to go in that regard.
Big C said:drizzlybear said:Big C said:
I could be making a false assumption about basketball in Ireland and the UK, but I'm assuming Alajiki has not had years and years of top coaching and top competition. Maybe he blows up. Decent (at a minimum) athleticism and that 3 point shot he has are a good place to start from!
What Alajiki would need to become a versatile impact offensive player (i.e., more than a 3nD player), especially along the lines of a special offensive player like Allen Crabbe, would require major development of coordination and ball handling that Alajiki appears nowhere near having at this point. That kind of development cannot happen at this stage of Alajiki's physical or basketball skill maturity. That kind of fundamental coordination has to happen before puberty, and probably well before puberty. I'm not saying he can't improve at all, but the amount of development possible in a few years of college would be more on the margins than what would be needed for Sam to become a versatile and dynamic offensive player. But I'm also fine with that. Sam has excellent skills and abilities as is. He's already a nice asset as a true freshman, and will become much more so in the coming years.
He might be able to add some back-to-the-basket game to use against players likely to be guarding him. That's doable. Improving his FT percentage is doable (although his relatively low FT percentage right now might be more about small sample size). Becoming Allen Crabbe (or anything like that) is not doable.
I realize you're not necessarily saying he could become Allen Crabbe, but when you say he could "blow up", I'm thinking you're suggesting something along those lines.
This is obviously just my opinion. I'm not looking to convince anyone. Obviously I'd be happy with any amount of development, and I'd be thrilled if he became a player who could use his dribble with either hand to create shots (I'm not talking about just going by someone on a poor close out at the perimeter) for himself and develop a strong midrange pull-up game, float game, and finish at rim game.
If I'm understanding you correctly this week, a freshman from Ireland's potential has a rather low ceiling which you can clearly foresee, but Joel Brown, after three years in the program, is going to all of a sudden turn into Prentice McGruder II.
Got it.
drizzlybear, my man, I'm messing with you a little bit here! Just havin' a little fun! I know you were just riffing on my choice of words "blow up". I know we both hope that everybody on the Cal roster blows up (and I don't mean literally)!
Hey, no offense taken. You are always very civil.
What I would say is that Prentice McGruder wasn't exactly a special level player. As much as I liked Prentice, he was no Allen Crabbe.
Like Alajiki (and Brown), McGruder had a limited game, too. More importantly, Brown's skill set is coincidentally very similar to McGruder's, so Brown doesn't have to develop radically new areas of his game to become McGruder. All he really has to do is mature as a PG to where he's more in control of himself and his team, cut down on turnovers a bit and be more consistent with his passing game. And he needs to improve his FT. But, as I said about Alajiki, improving free throws is doable for a college player.
I actually feel confident Brown could be a little better than McGruder (more rebounding and more scoring) if he remains the starting PG. BUT, the reason it worked well for McGruder is he was a conductor with a quality orchestra (including a phenomenal soloist) to lead. Brown might not have such a good orchestra (especially if Kelly doesn't return).
drizzlybear said:Big C said:drizzlybear said:Big C said:
I could be making a false assumption about basketball in Ireland and the UK, but I'm assuming Alajiki has not had years and years of top coaching and top competition. Maybe he blows up. Decent (at a minimum) athleticism and that 3 point shot he has are a good place to start from!
What Alajiki would need to become a versatile impact offensive player (i.e., more than a 3nD player), especially along the lines of a special offensive player like Allen Crabbe, would require major development of coordination and ball handling that Alajiki appears nowhere near having at this point. That kind of development cannot happen at this stage of Alajiki's physical or basketball skill maturity. That kind of fundamental coordination has to happen before puberty, and probably well before puberty. I'm not saying he can't improve at all, but the amount of development possible in a few years of college would be more on the margins than what would be needed for Sam to become a versatile and dynamic offensive player. But I'm also fine with that. Sam has excellent skills and abilities as is. He's already a nice asset as a true freshman, and will become much more so in the coming years.
He might be able to add some back-to-the-basket game to use against players likely to be guarding him. That's doable. Improving his FT percentage is doable (although his relatively low FT percentage right now might be more about small sample size). Becoming Allen Crabbe (or anything like that) is not doable.
I realize you're not necessarily saying he could become Allen Crabbe, but when you say he could "blow up", I'm thinking you're suggesting something along those lines.
This is obviously just my opinion. I'm not looking to convince anyone. Obviously I'd be happy with any amount of development, and I'd be thrilled if he became a player who could use his dribble with either hand to create shots (I'm not talking about just going by someone on a poor close out at the perimeter) for himself and develop a strong midrange pull-up game, float game, and finish at rim game.
If I'm understanding you correctly this week, a freshman from Ireland's potential has a rather low ceiling which you can clearly foresee, but Joel Brown, after three years in the program, is going to all of a sudden turn into Prentice McGruder II.
Got it.
drizzlybear, my man, I'm messing with you a little bit here! Just havin' a little fun! I know you were just riffing on my choice of words "blow up". I know we both hope that everybody on the Cal roster blows up (and I don't mean literally)!
Hey, no offense taken. You are always very civil.
What I would say is that Prentice McGruder wasn't exactly a special level player. As much as I liked Prentice, he was no Allen Crabbe.
Like Alajiki (and Brown), McGruder had a limited game, too. More importantly, Brown's skill set is coincidentally very similar to McGruder's, so Brown doesn't have to develop radically new areas of his game to become McGruder. All he really has to do is mature as a PG to where he's more in control of himself and his team, cut down on turnovers a bit and be more consistent with his passing game. And he needs to improve his FT. But, as I said about Alajiki, improving free throws is doable for a college player.
I actually feel confident Brown could be a little better than McGruder (more rebounding and more scoring) if he remains the starting PG. BUT, the reason it worked well for McGruder is he was a conductor with a quality orchestra (including a phenomenal soloist) to lead. Brown might not have such a good orchestra (especially if Kelly doesn't return).
Oh wow, you're really doubling down on this Joel Brown thing. I admire somebody who has a definite opinion, especially if it involves positive potential for a Cal football or basketball player. Now he's going to be a scorer, too! Well, as I've said before, I hope you're right. My thing is, if he had that much more to show, we would be seeing more of it in this, his third Cal season.
Vanover would be good for 30 per game had he stayed.
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BeachedBear said:Agreed squared. Celestine seemed to start clicking about 8 games into this season (although you could see his talent last year).calumnus said:drizzlybear said:
Alajiki should be getting more minutes. That kid plays super tough, gets offensive rebounds, and is money from 3.
Agreed, and thought Celestine should have played more last year. They are Fox's best recruits and will be key players next year.
I think the challenge (for FOX) is that he needs four and a half players running his offense (near perfectly) for it to not look real ugly (and it has been looking good lately). It seems like the players (going two deep+) fit into two groups:
Get It: Grant, Shepherd, Brown, Andre, Foreman & Celestine (after a few games this season)
Almost (worth 1/2): K2, Lars (almost there), Alajiki, Anyanwu, Bowser
I'm thinking its pretty rare to have more than one of the second group in at the same time. But with Andre out, that has had to happen. Lars and K2 are getting minutes and may understand the scheme better than Alajiki - which is why he's not getting as much run. Personally, I'd invest more minutes in Sam, but I'm not Fox.
I saw Bowser play in person in high school and, as I posted at the time, I was very underwhelmed. I'm no basketball expert, but I have seen at least 5 past Cal recruits play in the same high-competition San Diego area tournament, and I made a note of my impressions and how they turned out as Cal players. So, I can rely on that past experience. And, I saw Jason Kidd play in high school for the other end of the extreme.
But let's get back to the topic at hand! How about a little love for Mark Fox!!!
.
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Chapman_is_Gone said:BeachedBear said:Agreed squared. Celestine seemed to start clicking about 8 games into this season (although you could see his talent last year).calumnus said:drizzlybear said:
Alajiki should be getting more minutes. That kid plays super tough, gets offensive rebounds, and is money from 3.
Agreed, and thought Celestine should have played more last year. They are Fox's best recruits and will be key players next year.
I think the challenge (for FOX) is that he needs four and a half players running his offense (near perfectly) for it to not look real ugly (and it has been looking good lately). It seems like the players (going two deep+) fit into two groups:
Get It: Grant, Shepherd, Brown, Andre, Foreman & Celestine (after a few games this season)
Almost (worth 1/2): K2, Lars (almost there), Alajiki, Anyanwu, Bowser
I'm thinking its pretty rare to have more than one of the second group in at the same time. But with Andre out, that has had to happen. Lars and K2 are getting minutes and may understand the scheme better than Alajiki - which is why he's not getting as much run. Personally, I'd invest more minutes in Sam, but I'm not Fox.
I saw Bowser play in person in high school and, as I posted at the time, I was very underwhelmed. I'm no basketball expert, but I have seen at least 5 past Cal recruits play in the same high-competition San Diego area tournament, and I made a note of my impressions and how they turned out as Cal players. So, I can rely on that past experience. And, I saw Jason Kidd play in high school for the other end of the extreme.
But let's get back to the topic at hand! How about a little love for Mark Fox!!!
.
.
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Which tournament? Torrey Pines?
Big C said:drizzlybear said:Big C said:drizzlybear said:Big C said:
I could be making a false assumption about basketball in Ireland and the UK, but I'm assuming Alajiki has not had years and years of top coaching and top competition. Maybe he blows up. Decent (at a minimum) athleticism and that 3 point shot he has are a good place to start from!
What Alajiki would need to become a versatile impact offensive player (i.e., more than a 3nD player), especially along the lines of a special offensive player like Allen Crabbe, would require major development of coordination and ball handling that Alajiki appears nowhere near having at this point. That kind of development cannot happen at this stage of Alajiki's physical or basketball skill maturity. That kind of fundamental coordination has to happen before puberty, and probably well before puberty. I'm not saying he can't improve at all, but the amount of development possible in a few years of college would be more on the margins than what would be needed for Sam to become a versatile and dynamic offensive player. But I'm also fine with that. Sam has excellent skills and abilities as is. He's already a nice asset as a true freshman, and will become much more so in the coming years.
He might be able to add some back-to-the-basket game to use against players likely to be guarding him. That's doable. Improving his FT percentage is doable (although his relatively low FT percentage right now might be more about small sample size). Becoming Allen Crabbe (or anything like that) is not doable.
I realize you're not necessarily saying he could become Allen Crabbe, but when you say he could "blow up", I'm thinking you're suggesting something along those lines.
This is obviously just my opinion. I'm not looking to convince anyone. Obviously I'd be happy with any amount of development, and I'd be thrilled if he became a player who could use his dribble with either hand to create shots (I'm not talking about just going by someone on a poor close out at the perimeter) for himself and develop a strong midrange pull-up game, float game, and finish at rim game.
If I'm understanding you correctly this week, a freshman from Ireland's potential has a rather low ceiling which you can clearly foresee, but Joel Brown, after three years in the program, is going to all of a sudden turn into Prentice McGruder II.
Got it.
drizzlybear, my man, I'm messing with you a little bit here! Just havin' a little fun! I know you were just riffing on my choice of words "blow up". I know we both hope that everybody on the Cal roster blows up (and I don't mean literally)!
Hey, no offense taken. You are always very civil.
What I would say is that Prentice McGruder wasn't exactly a special level player. As much as I liked Prentice, he was no Allen Crabbe.
Like Alajiki (and Brown), McGruder had a limited game, too. More importantly, Brown's skill set is coincidentally very similar to McGruder's, so Brown doesn't have to develop radically new areas of his game to become McGruder. All he really has to do is mature as a PG to where he's more in control of himself and his team, cut down on turnovers a bit and be more consistent with his passing game. And he needs to improve his FT. But, as I said about Alajiki, improving free throws is doable for a college player.
I actually feel confident Brown could be a little better than McGruder (more rebounding and more scoring) if he remains the starting PG. BUT, the reason it worked well for McGruder is he was a conductor with a quality orchestra (including a phenomenal soloist) to lead. Brown might not have such a good orchestra (especially if Kelly doesn't return).
Oh wow, you're really doubling down on this Joel Brown thing. I admire somebody who has a definite opinion, especially if it involves positive potential for a Cal football or basketball player. Now he's going to be a scorer, too! Well, as I've said before, I hope you're right. My thing is, if he had that much more to show, we would be seeing more of it in this, his third Cal season.
No, I didn't say he was going to be a scorer; I said he would score more than McGruder. Since McGruder scored 5 pts/game, it shouldn't be that difficult. In fact, it looks like he's already there. So it seems like a pretty safe bet that Brown will be more of a scorer than McGruder was.
Chapman_is_Gone said:BeachedBear said:Agreed squared. Celestine seemed to start clicking about 8 games into this season (although you could see his talent last year).calumnus said:drizzlybear said:
Alajiki should be getting more minutes. That kid plays super tough, gets offensive rebounds, and is money from 3.
Agreed, and thought Celestine should have played more last year. They are Fox's best recruits and will be key players next year.
I think the challenge (for FOX) is that he needs four and a half players running his offense (near perfectly) for it to not look real ugly (and it has been looking good lately). It seems like the players (going two deep+) fit into two groups:
Get It: Grant, Shepherd, Brown, Andre, Foreman & Celestine (after a few games this season)
Almost (worth 1/2): K2, Lars (almost there), Alajiki, Anyanwu, Bowser
I'm thinking its pretty rare to have more than one of the second group in at the same time. But with Andre out, that has had to happen. Lars and K2 are getting minutes and may understand the scheme better than Alajiki - which is why he's not getting as much run. Personally, I'd invest more minutes in Sam, but I'm not Fox.
I saw Bowser play in person in high school and, as I posted at the time, I was very underwhelmed. I'm no basketball expert, but I have seen at least 5 past Cal recruits play in the same high-competition San Diego area tournament, and I made a note of my impressions and how they turned out as Cal players. So, I can rely on that past experience. And, I saw Jason Kidd play in high school for the other end of the extreme.
I think Bowser and Roberson played on the same team, and Roberson (and Lewis) was the go to scorer (mostly as a slasher)
can anyone confirm?
HoopDreams said:Chapman_is_Gone said:BeachedBear said:Agreed squared. Celestine seemed to start clicking about 8 games into this season (although you could see his talent last year).calumnus said:drizzlybear said:
Alajiki should be getting more minutes. That kid plays super tough, gets offensive rebounds, and is money from 3.
Agreed, and thought Celestine should have played more last year. They are Fox's best recruits and will be key players next year.
I think the challenge (for FOX) is that he needs four and a half players running his offense (near perfectly) for it to not look real ugly (and it has been looking good lately). It seems like the players (going two deep+) fit into two groups:
Get It: Grant, Shepherd, Brown, Andre, Foreman & Celestine (after a few games this season)
Almost (worth 1/2): K2, Lars (almost there), Alajiki, Anyanwu, Bowser
I'm thinking its pretty rare to have more than one of the second group in at the same time. But with Andre out, that has had to happen. Lars and K2 are getting minutes and may understand the scheme better than Alajiki - which is why he's not getting as much run. Personally, I'd invest more minutes in Sam, but I'm not Fox.
I saw Bowser play in person in high school and, as I posted at the time, I was very underwhelmed. I'm no basketball expert, but I have seen at least 5 past Cal recruits play in the same high-competition San Diego area tournament, and I made a note of my impressions and how they turned out as Cal players. So, I can rely on that past experience. And, I saw Jason Kidd play in high school for the other end of the extreme.
I think Bowser and Roberson played on the same team, and Roberson (and Lewis) was the go to scorer (mostly as a slasher)
can anyone confirm?
Yes, they both played for O'Dowd. Never saw them play there, but what I can tell you is that the junior Roberson was Chronicle Bay Area Player of the Year... when Bowser was a senior.
bearister said:
Vanover would be good for 30 per game had he stayed.
Huge mistake for the formerly awesome Connor Vanover to leave Cal: Had he stayed, he'd be averaging a "perfect 10.0" ppg on his coiffure-de-la-semaine alone! I think we all know where woke bearister got his idea for the man bun.
drizzlybear said:Big C said:drizzlybear said:Big C said:drizzlybear said:Big C said:
I could be making a false assumption about basketball in Ireland and the UK, but I'm assuming Alajiki has not had years and years of top coaching and top competition. Maybe he blows up. Decent (at a minimum) athleticism and that 3 point shot he has are a good place to start from!
What Alajiki would need to become a versatile impact offensive player (i.e., more than a 3nD player), especially along the lines of a special offensive player like Allen Crabbe, would require major development of coordination and ball handling that Alajiki appears nowhere near having at this point. That kind of development cannot happen at this stage of Alajiki's physical or basketball skill maturity. That kind of fundamental coordination has to happen before puberty, and probably well before puberty. I'm not saying he can't improve at all, but the amount of development possible in a few years of college would be more on the margins than what would be needed for Sam to become a versatile and dynamic offensive player. But I'm also fine with that. Sam has excellent skills and abilities as is. He's already a nice asset as a true freshman, and will become much more so in the coming years.
He might be able to add some back-to-the-basket game to use against players likely to be guarding him. That's doable. Improving his FT percentage is doable (although his relatively low FT percentage right now might be more about small sample size). Becoming Allen Crabbe (or anything like that) is not doable.
I realize you're not necessarily saying he could become Allen Crabbe, but when you say he could "blow up", I'm thinking you're suggesting something along those lines.
This is obviously just my opinion. I'm not looking to convince anyone. Obviously I'd be happy with any amount of development, and I'd be thrilled if he became a player who could use his dribble with either hand to create shots (I'm not talking about just going by someone on a poor close out at the perimeter) for himself and develop a strong midrange pull-up game, float game, and finish at rim game.
If I'm understanding you correctly this week, a freshman from Ireland's potential has a rather low ceiling which you can clearly foresee, but Joel Brown, after three years in the program, is going to all of a sudden turn into Prentice McGruder II.
Got it.
drizzlybear, my man, I'm messing with you a little bit here! Just havin' a little fun! I know you were just riffing on my choice of words "blow up". I know we both hope that everybody on the Cal roster blows up (and I don't mean literally)!
Hey, no offense taken. You are always very civil.
What I would say is that Prentice McGruder wasn't exactly a special level player. As much as I liked Prentice, he was no Allen Crabbe.
Like Alajiki (and Brown), McGruder had a limited game, too. More importantly, Brown's skill set is coincidentally very similar to McGruder's, so Brown doesn't have to develop radically new areas of his game to become McGruder. All he really has to do is mature as a PG to where he's more in control of himself and his team, cut down on turnovers a bit and be more consistent with his passing game. And he needs to improve his FT. But, as I said about Alajiki, improving free throws is doable for a college player.
I actually feel confident Brown could be a little better than McGruder (more rebounding and more scoring) if he remains the starting PG. BUT, the reason it worked well for McGruder is he was a conductor with a quality orchestra (including a phenomenal soloist) to lead. Brown might not have such a good orchestra (especially if Kelly doesn't return).
Oh wow, you're really doubling down on this Joel Brown thing. I admire somebody who has a definite opinion, especially if it involves positive potential for a Cal football or basketball player. Now he's going to be a scorer, too! Well, as I've said before, I hope you're right. My thing is, if he had that much more to show, we would be seeing more of it in this, his third Cal season.
No, I didn't say he was going to be a scorer; I said he would score more than McGruder. Since McGruder scored 5 pts/game, it shouldn't be that difficult. In fact, it looks like he's already there. So it seems like a pretty safe bet that Brown will be more of a scorer than McGruder was.
You got me again, drizzlybear! True, Prentice McGruder averaged but 5.1 ppg as a senior, whereas Joel Brown is already averaging a gaudy 5.0 ppg... and he's only a junior! Somewhere, a record-conscious Ed Gray is getting very nervous. Speaking of "Ed"s, so is Eddie House! ("j/k" on those last two sentences... I get your point!)
Big C said:drizzlybear said:Big C said:drizzlybear said:Big C said:drizzlybear said:Big C said:
I could be making a false assumption about basketball in Ireland and the UK, but I'm assuming Alajiki has not had years and years of top coaching and top competition. Maybe he blows up. Decent (at a minimum) athleticism and that 3 point shot he has are a good place to start from!
What Alajiki would need to become a versatile impact offensive player (i.e., more than a 3nD player), especially along the lines of a special offensive player like Allen Crabbe, would require major development of coordination and ball handling that Alajiki appears nowhere near having at this point. That kind of development cannot happen at this stage of Alajiki's physical or basketball skill maturity. That kind of fundamental coordination has to happen before puberty, and probably well before puberty. I'm not saying he can't improve at all, but the amount of development possible in a few years of college would be more on the margins than what would be needed for Sam to become a versatile and dynamic offensive player. But I'm also fine with that. Sam has excellent skills and abilities as is. He's already a nice asset as a true freshman, and will become much more so in the coming years.
He might be able to add some back-to-the-basket game to use against players likely to be guarding him. That's doable. Improving his FT percentage is doable (although his relatively low FT percentage right now might be more about small sample size). Becoming Allen Crabbe (or anything like that) is not doable.
I realize you're not necessarily saying he could become Allen Crabbe, but when you say he could "blow up", I'm thinking you're suggesting something along those lines.
This is obviously just my opinion. I'm not looking to convince anyone. Obviously I'd be happy with any amount of development, and I'd be thrilled if he became a player who could use his dribble with either hand to create shots (I'm not talking about just going by someone on a poor close out at the perimeter) for himself and develop a strong midrange pull-up game, float game, and finish at rim game.
If I'm understanding you correctly this week, a freshman from Ireland's potential has a rather low ceiling which you can clearly foresee, but Joel Brown, after three years in the program, is going to all of a sudden turn into Prentice McGruder II.
Got it.
drizzlybear, my man, I'm messing with you a little bit here! Just havin' a little fun! I know you were just riffing on my choice of words "blow up". I know we both hope that everybody on the Cal roster blows up (and I don't mean literally)!
Hey, no offense taken. You are always very civil.
What I would say is that Prentice McGruder wasn't exactly a special level player. As much as I liked Prentice, he was no Allen Crabbe.
Like Alajiki (and Brown), McGruder had a limited game, too. More importantly, Brown's skill set is coincidentally very similar to McGruder's, so Brown doesn't have to develop radically new areas of his game to become McGruder. All he really has to do is mature as a PG to where he's more in control of himself and his team, cut down on turnovers a bit and be more consistent with his passing game. And he needs to improve his FT. But, as I said about Alajiki, improving free throws is doable for a college player.
I actually feel confident Brown could be a little better than McGruder (more rebounding and more scoring) if he remains the starting PG. BUT, the reason it worked well for McGruder is he was a conductor with a quality orchestra (including a phenomenal soloist) to lead. Brown might not have such a good orchestra (especially if Kelly doesn't return).
Oh wow, you're really doubling down on this Joel Brown thing. I admire somebody who has a definite opinion, especially if it involves positive potential for a Cal football or basketball player. Now he's going to be a scorer, too! Well, as I've said before, I hope you're right. My thing is, if he had that much more to show, we would be seeing more of it in this, his third Cal season.
No, I didn't say he was going to be a scorer; I said he would score more than McGruder. Since McGruder scored 5 pts/game, it shouldn't be that difficult. In fact, it looks like he's already there. So it seems like a pretty safe bet that Brown will be more of a scorer than McGruder was.
You got me again, drizzlybear! True, Prentice McGruder averaged but 5.1 ppg as a senior, whereas Joel Brown is already averaging a gaudy 5.0 ppg... and he's only a junior! Somewhere, a record-conscious Ed Gray is getting very nervous. Speaking of "Ed"s, so is Eddie House! ("j/k" on those last two sentences... I get your point!)
I have to tell you that when Alajiki hit his first three last night, I thought I'd your comment because it was a corner three. That's one for Big C.
drizzlybear said:Big C said:drizzlybear said:Big C said:drizzlybear said:Big C said:drizzlybear said:Big C said:
I could be making a false assumption about basketball in Ireland and the UK, but I'm assuming Alajiki has not had years and years of top coaching and top competition. Maybe he blows up. Decent (at a minimum) athleticism and that 3 point shot he has are a good place to start from!
What Alajiki would need to become a versatile impact offensive player (i.e., more than a 3nD player), especially along the lines of a special offensive player like Allen Crabbe, would require major development of coordination and ball handling that Alajiki appears nowhere near having at this point. That kind of development cannot happen at this stage of Alajiki's physical or basketball skill maturity. That kind of fundamental coordination has to happen before puberty, and probably well before puberty. I'm not saying he can't improve at all, but the amount of development possible in a few years of college would be more on the margins than what would be needed for Sam to become a versatile and dynamic offensive player. But I'm also fine with that. Sam has excellent skills and abilities as is. He's already a nice asset as a true freshman, and will become much more so in the coming years.
He might be able to add some back-to-the-basket game to use against players likely to be guarding him. That's doable. Improving his FT percentage is doable (although his relatively low FT percentage right now might be more about small sample size). Becoming Allen Crabbe (or anything like that) is not doable.
I realize you're not necessarily saying he could become Allen Crabbe, but when you say he could "blow up", I'm thinking you're suggesting something along those lines.
This is obviously just my opinion. I'm not looking to convince anyone. Obviously I'd be happy with any amount of development, and I'd be thrilled if he became a player who could use his dribble with either hand to create shots (I'm not talking about just going by someone on a poor close out at the perimeter) for himself and develop a strong midrange pull-up game, float game, and finish at rim game.
If I'm understanding you correctly this week, a freshman from Ireland's potential has a rather low ceiling which you can clearly foresee, but Joel Brown, after three years in the program, is going to all of a sudden turn into Prentice McGruder II.
Got it.
drizzlybear, my man, I'm messing with you a little bit here! Just havin' a little fun! I know you were just riffing on my choice of words "blow up". I know we both hope that everybody on the Cal roster blows up (and I don't mean literally)!
Hey, no offense taken. You are always very civil.
What I would say is that Prentice McGruder wasn't exactly a special level player. As much as I liked Prentice, he was no Allen Crabbe.
Like Alajiki (and Brown), McGruder had a limited game, too. More importantly, Brown's skill set is coincidentally very similar to McGruder's, so Brown doesn't have to develop radically new areas of his game to become McGruder. All he really has to do is mature as a PG to where he's more in control of himself and his team, cut down on turnovers a bit and be more consistent with his passing game. And he needs to improve his FT. But, as I said about Alajiki, improving free throws is doable for a college player.
I actually feel confident Brown could be a little better than McGruder (more rebounding and more scoring) if he remains the starting PG. BUT, the reason it worked well for McGruder is he was a conductor with a quality orchestra (including a phenomenal soloist) to lead. Brown might not have such a good orchestra (especially if Kelly doesn't return).
Oh wow, you're really doubling down on this Joel Brown thing. I admire somebody who has a definite opinion, especially if it involves positive potential for a Cal football or basketball player. Now he's going to be a scorer, too! Well, as I've said before, I hope you're right. My thing is, if he had that much more to show, we would be seeing more of it in this, his third Cal season.
No, I didn't say he was going to be a scorer; I said he would score more than McGruder. Since McGruder scored 5 pts/game, it shouldn't be that difficult. In fact, it looks like he's already there. So it seems like a pretty safe bet that Brown will be more of a scorer than McGruder was.
You got me again, drizzlybear! True, Prentice McGruder averaged but 5.1 ppg as a senior, whereas Joel Brown is already averaging a gaudy 5.0 ppg... and he's only a junior! Somewhere, a record-conscious Ed Gray is getting very nervous. Speaking of "Ed"s, so is Eddie House! ("j/k" on those last two sentences... I get your point!)
I have to tell you that when Alajiki hit his first three last night, I thought I'd your comment because it was a corner three. That's one for Big C.
Well, that must've been a figment of your imagination because I read right here on Bear Insider that it's actually Kuany that hits the 3s from the baseline.
Big C said:drizzlybear said:Big C said:drizzlybear said:Big C said:drizzlybear said:Big C said:drizzlybear said:Big C said:
I could be making a false assumption about basketball in Ireland and the UK, but I'm assuming Alajiki has not had years and years of top coaching and top competition. Maybe he blows up. Decent (at a minimum) athleticism and that 3 point shot he has are a good place to start from!
What Alajiki would need to become a versatile impact offensive player (i.e., more than a 3nD player), especially along the lines of a special offensive player like Allen Crabbe, would require major development of coordination and ball handling that Alajiki appears nowhere near having at this point. That kind of development cannot happen at this stage of Alajiki's physical or basketball skill maturity. That kind of fundamental coordination has to happen before puberty, and probably well before puberty. I'm not saying he can't improve at all, but the amount of development possible in a few years of college would be more on the margins than what would be needed for Sam to become a versatile and dynamic offensive player. But I'm also fine with that. Sam has excellent skills and abilities as is. He's already a nice asset as a true freshman, and will become much more so in the coming years.
He might be able to add some back-to-the-basket game to use against players likely to be guarding him. That's doable. Improving his FT percentage is doable (although his relatively low FT percentage right now might be more about small sample size). Becoming Allen Crabbe (or anything like that) is not doable.
I realize you're not necessarily saying he could become Allen Crabbe, but when you say he could "blow up", I'm thinking you're suggesting something along those lines.
This is obviously just my opinion. I'm not looking to convince anyone. Obviously I'd be happy with any amount of development, and I'd be thrilled if he became a player who could use his dribble with either hand to create shots (I'm not talking about just going by someone on a poor close out at the perimeter) for himself and develop a strong midrange pull-up game, float game, and finish at rim game.
If I'm understanding you correctly this week, a freshman from Ireland's potential has a rather low ceiling which you can clearly foresee, but Joel Brown, after three years in the program, is going to all of a sudden turn into Prentice McGruder II.
Got it.
drizzlybear, my man, I'm messing with you a little bit here! Just havin' a little fun! I know you were just riffing on my choice of words "blow up". I know we both hope that everybody on the Cal roster blows up (and I don't mean literally)!
Hey, no offense taken. You are always very civil.
What I would say is that Prentice McGruder wasn't exactly a special level player. As much as I liked Prentice, he was no Allen Crabbe.
Like Alajiki (and Brown), McGruder had a limited game, too. More importantly, Brown's skill set is coincidentally very similar to McGruder's, so Brown doesn't have to develop radically new areas of his game to become McGruder. All he really has to do is mature as a PG to where he's more in control of himself and his team, cut down on turnovers a bit and be more consistent with his passing game. And he needs to improve his FT. But, as I said about Alajiki, improving free throws is doable for a college player.
I actually feel confident Brown could be a little better than McGruder (more rebounding and more scoring) if he remains the starting PG. BUT, the reason it worked well for McGruder is he was a conductor with a quality orchestra (including a phenomenal soloist) to lead. Brown might not have such a good orchestra (especially if Kelly doesn't return).
Oh wow, you're really doubling down on this Joel Brown thing. I admire somebody who has a definite opinion, especially if it involves positive potential for a Cal football or basketball player. Now he's going to be a scorer, too! Well, as I've said before, I hope you're right. My thing is, if he had that much more to show, we would be seeing more of it in this, his third Cal season.
No, I didn't say he was going to be a scorer; I said he would score more than McGruder. Since McGruder scored 5 pts/game, it shouldn't be that difficult. In fact, it looks like he's already there. So it seems like a pretty safe bet that Brown will be more of a scorer than McGruder was.
You got me again, drizzlybear! True, Prentice McGruder averaged but 5.1 ppg as a senior, whereas Joel Brown is already averaging a gaudy 5.0 ppg... and he's only a junior! Somewhere, a record-conscious Ed Gray is getting very nervous. Speaking of "Ed"s, so is Eddie House! ("j/k" on those last two sentences... I get your point!)
I have to tell you that when Alajiki hit his first three last night, I thought I'd your comment because it was a corner three. That's one for Big C.
Well, that must've been a figment of your imagination because I read right here on Bear Insider that it's actually Kuany that hits the 3s from the baseline.
Ha! Well played. That wasn't I who said that, but honestly my impression is that Sam also hits a lot of his from the top of the arc (and I actually agree with the other poster that Kuany does shoot more of his from the corner). That's why it made me think of you when, right away, SA hit his first one last night from the corner.
How about this for an understatement?
Next year, for Cal basketball to even be watchable, Joel Brown, Kuany Kuany, and Sam Alajiki have to get a whole lot better.
Joel, work on your free throw shooting. KK and Sam, need both of you guys to hit ALL of your corner shots!
Next year, for Cal basketball to even be watchable, Joel Brown, Kuany Kuany, and Sam Alajiki have to get a whole lot better.
Joel, work on your free throw shooting. KK and Sam, need both of you guys to hit ALL of your corner shots!
For Cal bball to even be watchable next season, Fox has to bye - bye and Gates or Golden the one in charge of the program.
drizzlybear said:Big C said:drizzlybear said:Big C said:drizzlybear said:Big C said:drizzlybear said:Big C said:drizzlybear said:Big C said:
I could be making a false assumption about basketball in Ireland and the UK, but I'm assuming Alajiki has not had years and years of top coaching and top competition. Maybe he blows up. Decent (at a minimum) athleticism and that 3 point shot he has are a good place to start from!
What Alajiki would need to become a versatile impact offensive player (i.e., more than a 3nD player), especially along the lines of a special offensive player like Allen Crabbe, would require major development of coordination and ball handling that Alajiki appears nowhere near having at this point. That kind of development cannot happen at this stage of Alajiki's physical or basketball skill maturity. That kind of fundamental coordination has to happen before puberty, and probably well before puberty. I'm not saying he can't improve at all, but the amount of development possible in a few years of college would be more on the margins than what would be needed for Sam to become a versatile and dynamic offensive player. But I'm also fine with that. Sam has excellent skills and abilities as is. He's already a nice asset as a true freshman, and will become much more so in the coming years.
He might be able to add some back-to-the-basket game to use against players likely to be guarding him. That's doable. Improving his FT percentage is doable (although his relatively low FT percentage right now might be more about small sample size). Becoming Allen Crabbe (or anything like that) is not doable.
I realize you're not necessarily saying he could become Allen Crabbe, but when you say he could "blow up", I'm thinking you're suggesting something along those lines.
This is obviously just my opinion. I'm not looking to convince anyone. Obviously I'd be happy with any amount of development, and I'd be thrilled if he became a player who could use his dribble with either hand to create shots (I'm not talking about just going by someone on a poor close out at the perimeter) for himself and develop a strong midrange pull-up game, float game, and finish at rim game.
If I'm understanding you correctly this week, a freshman from Ireland's potential has a rather low ceiling which you can clearly foresee, but Joel Brown, after three years in the program, is going to all of a sudden turn into Prentice McGruder II.
Got it.
drizzlybear, my man, I'm messing with you a little bit here! Just havin' a little fun! I know you were just riffing on my choice of words "blow up". I know we both hope that everybody on the Cal roster blows up (and I don't mean literally)!
Hey, no offense taken. You are always very civil.
What I would say is that Prentice McGruder wasn't exactly a special level player. As much as I liked Prentice, he was no Allen Crabbe.
Like Alajiki (and Brown), McGruder had a limited game, too. More importantly, Brown's skill set is coincidentally very similar to McGruder's, so Brown doesn't have to develop radically new areas of his game to become McGruder. All he really has to do is mature as a PG to where he's more in control of himself and his team, cut down on turnovers a bit and be more consistent with his passing game. And he needs to improve his FT. But, as I said about Alajiki, improving free throws is doable for a college player.
I actually feel confident Brown could be a little better than McGruder (more rebounding and more scoring) if he remains the starting PG. BUT, the reason it worked well for McGruder is he was a conductor with a quality orchestra (including a phenomenal soloist) to lead. Brown might not have such a good orchestra (especially if Kelly doesn't return).
Oh wow, you're really doubling down on this Joel Brown thing. I admire somebody who has a definite opinion, especially if it involves positive potential for a Cal football or basketball player. Now he's going to be a scorer, too! Well, as I've said before, I hope you're right. My thing is, if he had that much more to show, we would be seeing more of it in this, his third Cal season.
No, I didn't say he was going to be a scorer; I said he would score more than McGruder. Since McGruder scored 5 pts/game, it shouldn't be that difficult. In fact, it looks like he's already there. So it seems like a pretty safe bet that Brown will be more of a scorer than McGruder was.
You got me again, drizzlybear! True, Prentice McGruder averaged but 5.1 ppg as a senior, whereas Joel Brown is already averaging a gaudy 5.0 ppg... and he's only a junior! Somewhere, a record-conscious Ed Gray is getting very nervous. Speaking of "Ed"s, so is Eddie House! ("j/k" on those last two sentences... I get your point!)
I have to tell you that when Alajiki hit his first three last night, I thought I'd your comment because it was a corner three. That's one for Big C.
Well, that must've been a figment of your imagination because I read right here on Bear Insider that it's actually Kuany that hits the 3s from the baseline.
Ha! Well played. That wasn't I who said that, but honestly my impression is that Sam also hits a lot of his from the top of the arc (and I actually agree with the other poster that Kuany does shoot more of his from the corner). That's why it made me think of you when, right away, SA hit his first one last night from the corner.
Kuany definitely shoots better from the baseline, but I seem to remember a lot of Alajiki's makes being from there, too. The poster who corrected me on that is knowledgeable, so maybe I just saw a small sample number. Speaking of "seeing", I'm headed to the Haas in a little while: Go Bears, beat the Utes!
May you see plenty of baseline threes. Made. By Cal.
I would respectfully caution you not to place much faith on the accuracy of high school video. These videos are often produced by people who do this for a living, creating a positive portfolio for the purpose of shopping a recruit to coaches. They highlight a player's best skills, and hide his least-developed skills. Even videos made by a child's parents can be look like they were made by professionals. The classic for me was Omondi Amoke's video. He was portrayed as ball handler on the fast break, who could finish, pass and shoot the three. What he was, was a rebounder, a really good offensive rebounder, with a knack for making tip-ins. He couldn't handle the ball in the open court, or anywhere, and he couldn't make a shot from beyond 3 feet from the basket, including free throws. I'd guess they had to do a lot of takes in that video, to show him making a three.sluggo said:I saw them play on video, not in person. Alajiki had only one game with video. He played poorly and showed a lack of basketball awareness. I underrated him for this reason. His shooting is great, but let's not lose our minds. He is averaging 3 points a game, and outside of shooting his game is rough.SFCityBear said:You mean you actually saw all these kids play in high school? Did you see Alajiki shoot threes at 60% in high school? If he did, he would have been on every school's radar.sluggo said:Totally weird that when the freshmen arrived they played very similarly to how they played in high school. There were no magical basketball transformations. Will be surprising once again when the incoming class of 2022 is not very good, and I say that for the same reason.Big C said:sluggo said:The staff said the freshmen class was strong. They are averaging 5 points a game total. It makes sense to ignore what I say, but the staff is also not a good source.Big C said:BeachedBear said:Which is reflected in his playing time?Big C said:drizzlybear said:sluggo said:
....
Stats which are extremely limited and sporadic are not reliably predictive. Why reference having seen him play if there's nothing more you need to know than his (extremely) limited stats from his freshman season? It sounds like you actually do rely on other information; namely, your impression from having seen him play in high school. Well, that's exactly why I (and others) are asking the question of 4thGen: because he's about the only one on this board who may have actually seen Bowser play in the past 11 months.
Agree. Given the circumstances, it's way too early to write Bowser off without seeing him play more. I'm guessing the staff has a much better idea as to his potential (or lack thereof) at this point.
Well, he is not suited up and we still don't know when the last time he was practicing. You know what I mean: The staff has seen him up close and personal, whereas we have hardly seen him at all and are going on a few minutes in a few games, early last season.
The staff is trying to prolong their jobs. What are they going to say, their incoming class sucks? Anyway, what I mean is, they've seen a lot more of Bowser than we have: In their minds, they must have a decent idea if he is going to eventually be a Pac 12 level player. Although, maybe he's practiced and worked out so little that it's all a mystery (that seems to be on a need-to-know basis and I guess us fans don't need to know).
My current evals on the three frosh:
Alajiki sort of looks like he's hit the wall for the time being. Hopefully he will regroup and grow in the off-season. The 3-pointer from the baseline is beautiful, but he needs more in his game and the rest looks raw.
Anyanwu comes in and battles, but he looks like a 6-7 PF and I'm wondering what the ceiling on somebody like that is.
Roberson looks like he can play, except for he can't shoot... and how many guys can we afford to have out there who can't shoot?
Anyanwu and Roberson had more video and I was about right with them. For the incoming recruits, there is tons of video on Okafor, including whole games, less on Newell.
High school recruits usually make their improvement in the summer before arriving at their college. But it often does not appear immediately in their freshman year. They have a great deal to cope with, especially the increased speed of the game. The competition will be bigger and faster than anything they had to deal with in high school, and the skill level of the front line players will be better than most of what they faced in high school. For these reasons, it is seldom that a freshman will improve over the course of the first season. In fact players seldom improve in their individual skills during seasons. It is summer when they make improvement. Allen Crabbe learned a floater in the summer after his 2nd season. The great Tommy Heinsohn said that he had to learn a new shot every year in the offseason, because the opponents had caught up with how to defend all the shots he already had.
I was very high on Alajiki before he arrived, based on seeing two similar videos and an interview with him and another with Mark Fox. I saw an athletic player who could handle the ball in the open court, could leap, and shoot. In his interview, Alajiki said he could make the three, and Fox in his interview, said the same thing. The three is a shot where the players who usually take them in games have a 1/3 probability of it going in the basket, so people don't usually brag about that sort of thing. So far Alajiki has been lights out from three. 60% for a season would be a record, but Micah Mason of Duquesne shot 56%, so 60% may be doable. Tony Bennett of Virginia shot threes at 50% for his career. The other big thing I like about Alajiki which I saw in the videos and still see today is his motor, his hustle. He looks like he is playing at 100% all the time. He gives it all that he has got, and really loves to play this game.
Fox needs to find a way to give Alajiki more playing time. I mean, how do you not play a guy who is capable of making threes at almost double the percentage of anyone else on the floor?
SFCityBear
Maybe he left because Arkansas has better beauty parlors. Does Berkeley even have one?Big C said:bearister said:
Vanover would be good for 30 per game had he stayed.
Huge mistake for the formerly awesome Connor Vanover to leave Cal: Had he stayed, he'd be averaging a "perfect 10.0" ppg on his coiffure-de-la-semaine alone! I think we all know where woke bearister got his idea for the man bun.
SFCityBear
SFCityBear said:I would respectfully caution you not to place much faith on the accuracy of high school video. These videos are often produced by people who do this for a living, creating a positive portfolio for the purpose of shopping a recruit to coaches. They highlight a player's best skills, and hide his least-developed skills. Even videos made by a child's parents can be look like they were made by professionals. The classic for me was Omondi Amoke's video. He was portrayed as ball handler on the fast break, who could finish, pass and shoot the three. What he was, was a rebounder, a really good offensive rebounder, with a knack for making tip-ins. He couldn't handle the ball in the open court, or anywhere, and he couldn't make a shot from beyond 3 feet from the basket, including free throws. I'd guess they had to do a lot of takes in that video, to show him making a three.sluggo said:I saw them play on video, not in person. Alajiki had only one game with video. He played poorly and showed a lack of basketball awareness. I underrated him for this reason. His shooting is great, but let's not lose our minds. He is averaging 3 points a game, and outside of shooting his game is rough.SFCityBear said:You mean you actually saw all these kids play in high school? Did you see Alajiki shoot threes at 60% in high school? If he did, he would have been on every school's radar.sluggo said:Totally weird that when the freshmen arrived they played very similarly to how they played in high school. There were no magical basketball transformations. Will be surprising once again when the incoming class of 2022 is not very good, and I say that for the same reason.Big C said:sluggo said:The staff said the freshmen class was strong. They are averaging 5 points a game total. It makes sense to ignore what I say, but the staff is also not a good source.Big C said:BeachedBear said:Which is reflected in his playing time?Big C said:drizzlybear said:sluggo said:
....
Stats which are extremely limited and sporadic are not reliably predictive. Why reference having seen him play if there's nothing more you need to know than his (extremely) limited stats from his freshman season? It sounds like you actually do rely on other information; namely, your impression from having seen him play in high school. Well, that's exactly why I (and others) are asking the question of 4thGen: because he's about the only one on this board who may have actually seen Bowser play in the past 11 months.
Agree. Given the circumstances, it's way too early to write Bowser off without seeing him play more. I'm guessing the staff has a much better idea as to his potential (or lack thereof) at this point.
Well, he is not suited up and we still don't know when the last time he was practicing. You know what I mean: The staff has seen him up close and personal, whereas we have hardly seen him at all and are going on a few minutes in a few games, early last season.
The staff is trying to prolong their jobs. What are they going to say, their incoming class sucks? Anyway, what I mean is, they've seen a lot more of Bowser than we have: In their minds, they must have a decent idea if he is going to eventually be a Pac 12 level player. Although, maybe he's practiced and worked out so little that it's all a mystery (that seems to be on a need-to-know basis and I guess us fans don't need to know).
My current evals on the three frosh:
Alajiki sort of looks like he's hit the wall for the time being. Hopefully he will regroup and grow in the off-season. The 3-pointer from the baseline is beautiful, but he needs more in his game and the rest looks raw.
Anyanwu comes in and battles, but he looks like a 6-7 PF and I'm wondering what the ceiling on somebody like that is.
Roberson looks like he can play, except for he can't shoot... and how many guys can we afford to have out there who can't shoot?
Anyanwu and Roberson had more video and I was about right with them. For the incoming recruits, there is tons of video on Okafor, including whole games, less on Newell.
High school recruits usually make their improvement in the summer before arriving at their college. But it often does not appear immediately in their freshman year. They have a great deal to cope with, especially the increased speed of the game. The competition will be bigger and faster than anything they had to deal with in high school, and the skill level of the front line players will be better than most of what they faced in high school. For these reasons, it is seldom that a freshman will improve over the course of the first season. In fact players seldom improve in their individual skills during seasons. It is summer when they make improvement. Allen Crabbe learned a floater in the summer after his 2nd season. The great Tommy Heinsohn said that he had to learn a new shot every year in the offseason, because the opponents had caught up with how to defend all the shots he already had.
I was very high on Alajiki before he arrived, based on seeing two similar videos and an interview with him and another with Mark Fox. I saw an athletic player who could handle the ball in the open court, could leap, and shoot. In his interview, Alajiki said he could make the three, and Fox in his interview, said the same thing. The three is a shot where the players who usually take them in games have a 1/3 probability of it going in the basket, so people don't usually brag about that sort of thing. So far Alajiki has been lights out from three. 60% for a season would be a record, but Micah Mason of Duquesne shot 56%, so 60% may be doable. Tony Bennett of Virginia shot threes at 50% for his career. The other big thing I like about Alajiki which I saw in the videos and still see today is his motor, his hustle. He looks like he is playing at 100% all the time. He gives it all that he has got, and really loves to play this game.
Fox needs to find a way to give Alajiki more playing time. I mean, how do you not play a guy who is capable of making threes at almost double the percentage of anyone else on the floor?
Yeah, Alajiki showed he deserved major minutes, if not a starting position early on. This was confirmed by the advanced stats. Last year it was Celestine and Kelly (and Kelly the year before as well). . One way to make your team better and win more is to play your most effective players, more.
calumnus said:Big C said:
I could be making a false assumption about basketball in Ireland and the UK, but I'm assuming Alajiki has not had years and years of top coaching and top competition. Maybe he blows up. Decent (at a minimum) athleticism and that 3 point shot he has are a good place to start from!
I agree 100% I think Monty would love to coach him.
Theo on offense basically had that 3 from the left corner. Or he could pump fake and drive baseline for the layup. If that was cut off he could dish to someone else inside. Simple and very effective. Not enough versatkity to play in the NBA, but more than effective enough to be a really productive college player. The key was having a PG/offense that could threaten elsewhere, or set a pick, then get the ball to Theo when he was open in the corner.
You saw similar play from a lot of Monty's small forwards at Stanford. They had a few things they did very well and Monty ran an offense to get them the ball in a spot to do that.
Omar Wilkes was similar. Mathews also. I always thought that was one of the reasons he left after playing (a year?) under Martin but Mark Few saw and utilized his talent in his more structured offense.
One of Fox's criticisms at Georgia was that he did not recruit many three point shooters, did not play the ones he had enough and did not get them shots when he did. Seems very similar at Cal so far. There is no excuse for a coach in 2022 to not recognize the importance of the three point shot and not develop his recruiting and offense around it.
SFCityBear
Fox has recruited enough three point shooters. Fox was interviewed about Alajiki before he arrived, and said he could make threes. He recruited Celestine, who has shot them at a nice 40%. He recruited Betley, who had very good numbers at Penn 40%, 39%, and 36%. At Cal was on fire through the 1st half of the season and then slumped during the PAC12 games. I figured he was exhausted, or maybe his injury was still bothering him. Foreman had respectable numbers at lower level schools, 38% and 36%, but I think the defenders in the PAC12 were taller than he might have been used to, as he did not shoot as well at Cal, and this season he has had to play with a painful bunion in one foot. Kuany shot the three well enough as a freshman 36%, had a poor second season, but is shooting them at .325 this season. I think he is capable. I do agree that Fox's offense does not get enough good looks for his three-point shooters, but a worse problem is that his offense does not get enough good shots inside the 3 point circle for all his scorers. UW's defense gave him fits, and he his answer for Tad Boyle's defensive changes in the second half was not good enough.SFCityBear said:calumnus said:Big C said:
I could be making a false assumption about basketball in Ireland and the UK, but I'm assuming Alajiki has not had years and years of top coaching and top competition. Maybe he blows up. Decent (at a minimum) athleticism and that 3 point shot he has are a good place to start from!
I agree 100% I think Monty would love to coach him.
Theo on offense basically had that 3 from the left corner. Or he could pump fake and drive baseline for the layup. If that was cut off he could dish to someone else inside. Simple and very effective. Not enough versatkity to play in the NBA, but more than effective enough to be a really productive college player. The key was having a PG/offense that could threaten elsewhere, or set a pick, then get the ball to Theo when he was open in the corner.
You saw similar play from a lot of Monty's small forwards at Stanford. They had a few things they did very well and Monty ran an offense to get them the ball in a spot to do that.
Omar Wilkes was similar. Mathews also. I always thought that was one of the reasons he left after playing (a year?) under Martin but Mark Few saw and utilized his talent in his more structured offense.
One of Fox's criticisms at Georgia was that he did not recruit many three point shooters, did not play the ones he had enough and did not get them shots when he did. Seems very similar at Cal so far. There is no excuse for a coach in 2022 to not recognize the importance of the three point shot and not develop his recruiting and offense around it.
SFCityBear
stu said:
May you see plenty of baseline threes. Made. By Cal.
Back from the Utah game. Didn't happen today. Hoping for a bunch against Furd next time.
SFCityBear said:Fox has recruited enough three point shooters. Fox was interviewed about Alajiki before he arrived, and said he could make threes. He recruited Celestine, who has shot them at a nice 40%. He recruited Betley, who had very good numbers at Penn 40%, 39%, and 36%. At Cal was on fire through the 1st half of the season and then slumped during the PAC12 games. I figured he was exhausted, or maybe his injury was still bothering him. Foreman had respectable numbers at lower level schools, 38% and 36%, but I think the defenders in the PAC12 were taller than he might have been used to, as he did not shoot as well at Cal, and this season he has had to play with a painful bunion in one foot. Kuany shot the three well enough as a freshman 36%, had a poor second season, but is shooting them at .325 this season. I think he is capable. I do agree that Fox's offense does not get enough good looks for his three-point shooters, but a worse problem is that his offense does not get enough good shots inside the 3 point circle for all his scorers. UW's defense gave him fits, and he his answer for Tad Boyle's defensive changes in the second half was not good enough.SFCityBear said:calumnus said:Big C said:
I could be making a false assumption about basketball in Ireland and the UK, but I'm assuming Alajiki has not had years and years of top coaching and top competition. Maybe he blows up. Decent (at a minimum) athleticism and that 3 point shot he has are a good place to start from!
I agree 100% I think Monty would love to coach him.
Theo on offense basically had that 3 from the left corner. Or he could pump fake and drive baseline for the layup. If that was cut off he could dish to someone else inside. Simple and very effective. Not enough versatkity to play in the NBA, but more than effective enough to be a really productive college player. The key was having a PG/offense that could threaten elsewhere, or set a pick, then get the ball to Theo when he was open in the corner.
You saw similar play from a lot of Monty's small forwards at Stanford. They had a few things they did very well and Monty ran an offense to get them the ball in a spot to do that.
Omar Wilkes was similar. Mathews also. I always thought that was one of the reasons he left after playing (a year?) under Martin but Mark Few saw and utilized his talent in his more structured offense.
One of Fox's criticisms at Georgia was that he did not recruit many three point shooters, did not play the ones he had enough and did not get them shots when he did. Seems very similar at Cal so far. There is no excuse for a coach in 2022 to not recognize the importance of the three point shot and not develop his recruiting and offense around it.
Alajiki only played 6 minutes tonight. Made some freshman mistakes, got benched for the rest of the game.
drizzlybear said:
Which tournament? Torrey Pines?
The Torrey Pines tournament is always fun.
I also have an acquaintance who is the head coach at a prominent LA high school, and through a friend, I occasionally get tickets to LA and OC tournaments when his team is playing. (I'm not into high school basketball enough to remember the names of the tournaments). But, a highlight was seeing Lebron play in a tournament (I believe it was at Pauley) when he was in high school. I remember dude looked like a fully built 25-year old man when he was 16/17.
The guys who are going to be Pac-12 stars really stand out and dominate at these tournaments. It immediately concerns me when somebody like Bowser doesn't even look like the best player on his own team. Of course, for the really talented teams, there are exceptions to this rule.
Come to think of it, I believe I may have seen Bowser play in a tournament at Laney College in Oakland. These things blur together after awhile.
Chapman_is_Gone said:drizzlybear said:
Which tournament? Torrey Pines?
The Torrey Pines tournament is always fun.
I also have an acquaintance who is the head coach at a prominent LA high school, and through a friend, I occasionally get tickets to LA and OC tournaments when his team is playing. (I'm not into high school basketball enough to remember the names of the tournaments). But, a highlight was seeing Lebron play in a tournament (I believe it was at Pauley) when he was in high school. I remember dude looked like a fully built 25-year old man when he was 16/17.
The guys who are going to be Pac-12 stars really stand out and dominate at these tournaments. It immediately concerns me when somebody like Bowser doesn't even look like the best player on his own team. Of course, for the really talented teams, there are exceptions to this rule.
Come to think of it, I believe I may have seen Bowser play in a tournament at Laney College in Oakland. These things blur together after awhile.
My son played in the Torrey Pines holiday tournament when he was in high school. You referenced a particular tournament and I was curious if it was the Torrey Pines. In his senior year he played against Cal's Will Craig and his Granite Bay(?) team in a different SD holiday tournament (I forget the name of that one).
drizzlybear said:Chapman_is_Gone said:drizzlybear said:
Which tournament? Torrey Pines?
The Torrey Pines tournament is always fun.
I also have an acquaintance who is the head coach at a prominent LA high school, and through a friend, I occasionally get tickets to LA and OC tournaments when his team is playing. (I'm not into high school basketball enough to remember the names of the tournaments). But, a highlight was seeing Lebron play in a tournament (I believe it was at Pauley) when he was in high school. I remember dude looked like a fully built 25-year old man when he was 16/17.
The guys who are going to be Pac-12 stars really stand out and dominate at these tournaments. It immediately concerns me when somebody like Bowser doesn't even look like the best player on his own team. Of course, for the really talented teams, there are exceptions to this rule.
Come to think of it, I believe I may have seen Bowser play in a tournament at Laney College in Oakland. These things blur together after awhile.
My son played in the Torrey Pines holiday tournament when he was in high school. You referenced a particular tournament and I was curious if it was the Torrey Pines. In his senior year he played against Cal's Will Craig and his Granite Bay(?) team in a different SD holiday tournament (I forget the name of that one).
Will Craig has some eligibility left, how did he look?
Ha, he was a really big strong body on a HS basketball court. Tough to get around his screens. But not quite Tony Gonzales, skillswise. It's a fun little factoid for my family that between Craig and Cindric, my son way up here in Bellevue, WA played *basketball* against 40% of Cal football's starting offensive line.
Cindric actually took basketball pretty seriously growing up, until around his junior year of high school when he really focused more on football. At least, that's the impression I had.
Cindric actually took basketball pretty seriously growing up, until around his junior year of high school when he really focused more on football. At least, that's the impression I had.
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