Bajaden on College Hoops (merged)

[bajaden]

For those unaware, its underway. I watched Syracuse play Robert Morris on ESPNU. It was a repeat from the week-end. I mainly watched to get a look at Arinze Onuaku. Didn't play great, but didn't play bad. He certainly takes up space, and showed a nice little jump hook. I came away more impressed with Wesley Johnson. A 6'7" SF. Very athletic and can score from everywhere. He played very good defense, but then Syracuse exclusively plays a zone, so it difficult to say how that translates. I don't know what his arm length is, but he appears very long. Yeah, I know, we don't need another SF. Not saying we do. Just pointing out that I think this guy is someone to watch.

For those interested. Today at 3:30 PM. On ESPNU, Kentucky plays Moorehead ST. All those drooling over Wall, this is your chance to get a look at him.. I'm assuming he'll play. Also DeMarcus Cousins...

 

[Vlade4GM]

I wish I had ESPNU

 

[pdxKingsFan]

Not much of a scout but I'm really looking forward to seeing the Miller era begin in Tucson.

 

[dbfish]

I will be watching the Kentucky game to see how real Wall is.

Also will watch Cal vs Syracuse 11/19 and will keep an eye on johnson and Onuaku.

 

[bajaden]

I will be watching the Kentucky game to see how real Wall is.

Also will watch Cal vs Syracuse 11/19 and will keep an eye on johnson and Onuaku.

Yeah, Johnson was pretty impressive in the game I watched. Onuaku not so much. But, its just one game of many. I don't want you to get theidea that Onuaku played badly. Its just that he didn't leap out..

 

[bajaden]

I wish I had ESPNU

You have my sympathies. ESPNU has a ton of college games on. The good thing is that they repeat them a couple of times, so if you miss them the first time around you get another chance.

 

[bajaden]

Vlade, just so you know... Wall didn't play. He has a two game suspension for some kind of violation. Sorry I missed the whole expaination. Anyway, no surprise, Kentucky won, although they didn't look good doing it. Very sloppy with a lot of turnovers. They can thank their lucky stars that they had Patrick Patterson on their team. He had a great game. Same thing can't be said for Cousins. The positives about Cousins:

He runs the floor pretty good. Not great, but for a guy his size I'd say above average. He finishes on the break fairly well. He has good size. Id say he looks to be a legit 6'10", maybe taller. He has an NBA body that could definitely hold more weight. But he's by no means skinny. Just not real defined. Which Patterson is.

Now the negatives. He got lost on defense constantly. No surprise there, it being his first game in a new system. Lateral movement didn't seem all that good, but its too early to call on that. Just from this one game, I'd say he has average hops. Of course when your that tall, you don't need great hops. Based on just this game, he has zero post game. He also had trouble connecting with his teammates on offense. At least twice the ball was zipped into him and before the ball got there he had turned his back. Again, not all that unusual being his first game. He fumbled a couple of passes, but he also caught a couple, so the jury is out on his hands. Personally I chalk it up to first game jitters.

All in all, I'd call it a below average showing. But its just one game and he has a good coach in Calipari. He has a lot of improving to do. Especially in the post. If he has a jump shot, I never saw it. Basicly, he's very limited on offense right now. To me, he looks like a big kid that was the biggest kid in his school and the biggest kid in most of the games he played. He never had to learn that many skills. Until now.

Hey, he could come out next game and surprise the hell out of me. Thats what makes it fun...

Patterson looked terrific. He reminds me, forgive me, of a young Kenny Thomas coming out of college. Kenny was a pretty good player at one time folks. Its just been a while..

 

[MoneyMike916]

[yt=Wall]3MqmMxvQrxM[/yt]

 

[Vlade4GM]

I expect a big year out of Patterson.

 

[bajaden]

I expect a big year out of Patterson.

He's playing like a man on a mission. Very talented guy, if a little undersized at the PF position. But what the hell, the league is full of undersized PF's right now.

I watched the Kentucky/Miami of Ohio game. Wall's first game. He played pretty well. Perhaps the only knock is the 5 turnovers to go with his 5 assists. But it was his first game. Holliday would have been thrilled with a game like this last year. DeMarcus Cousins played a little better in this game but still struggled on offense. 5 out of 15 from the floor. He rebounded pretty well and blocked a couple of shots. He'd look better if he weren't playing next to Patterson, who is all over the place. The contrast between the two is interesting to watch. Its sort of like, one person is thinking about what to do, while the other is actually doing it.

Kentucky once again struggled in this game, and once again against a suspossed lesser opponent. Kentucky is a young team that will only get better. They just need to find ways to win while their doing it.

As an aside about Wall. He plays with a confidence that reminds of Evans. He just looks like he belongs. He's the real deal..

 

[bajaden]

Bajaden on College Hoops...

Halftime in the game. Its on the Sun channel for those interested and get it. Also on FSS. Cousin's had a very good first half. 18 points and 10 boards. Wall has also looked good. A little too flashy at times, but fun to watch. He's sort of like Jason Williams with less flash, but with warp speed. The dude is lightning quick.

He pulled off one of the strangest alley opps I've ever seen. He's on a fast break driving down the right side of the lane. His teammate is directly across from him running down the left side of the lane. Unfortunately there is a defender exactly between them. Wall rises up as though he's going to dunk the ball but the defender is right there with his hand between Wall and the basket. Wall deftly tosses the ball over the outstretched hand to the other side of the basket where his teammate catches it on the way up and dunks it. Absolutely beautiful play. Anyway, back to the game...... More later.

 

[Spike]

Howabout we rename this thread the "Official Bajaden College Hoops Update Thread" and you can give updates on some top 10 players?

I don't meant that to be condescending, I just figured you should get the official title, since you're probably going to be checking out a lot more college hoops than I will..at least until Big East play begins and el niño is in bed.

 

[VF21]

I renamed the thread.

 

[bajaden]

Well I'm flattered, at least I think I'am. but I'm hardly the last word on college basketball. But I'll certainly tell you what I think. Whereas Its a little late and I'm tired, I'll give my opinion on Wall, Patterson, and Cousins tomorrow. One thing about watching Kentucky, is that you get three for one. All three of those players are probably going to be first round picks in next years draft. Not often that one team has three players in the first round.

One interesting side note to tonights game. One of the assistant coaches on the Houston team was Tony Delk. Apparently Delk held the record for the most three pointers made in a game at Rupp arena. Which was 10. Tonight, his record was broken by one of his teams own players who made 11. I believe his name was Corey Aldrich. Going on memory, so don't hold me to it.

 

[6th]

So, if Kentucky has 3 probable first round picks, how high are they ranked in College Hoops?

 

[dbfish]

Baj, I expect you to report on every college prospect and every college game, every night. I Can't stay awake that long.

 

[bajaden]

Baj, I expect you to report on every college prospect and every college game, every night. I Can't stay awake that long.

Good luck with that one..

 

[bajaden]

So, if Kentucky has 3 probable first round picks, how high are they ranked in College Hoops?

Good question. I guess I should know the answer to that one but I'm not sure. I think their ranked around 8th. although they have three in the first round, two of them are freshmen and the rest of the team is fairly young. so its a matter of how well they can come together as a team. Right now, their winning on talent alone, but their playng very sloppy basketball. They need to correct some of their mistakes before they start playing some of the better teams..

 

[bajaden]

This is a follow up to the game from last night. Cousins ended up having a nice game. 27 points and 18 rebounds. Before you get your panties in an uproar and run out to buy a Cousins jersey, I should point out that he was taller and just plain bigger than anyone on the other team. That by no means discredits his effort. He has a nice little jump hook that he shoots out to about 8 or 9 feet. He's hard to get a read on and that will come with seeing him play more games. But I can see why some have said the at times he appears to be loafing in the game. He simply doesn't move all that fast at times. And then there will be a loose ball and he'll cover 10 or 12 feet of floor before you can bat an eye. He battles for rebounds. He kind of reminds me of Thompson under the basket, in that he'll tip the ball a couple of times and finally come down with it, or tip it to a teammate. His build reminds me of a young Wilt Chamberlin. He's not as tall of course, but he has the lean muscular look with wide shoulders. He looks like he could easily carry another 20 or so pounds. I'll be curious to see how he fares against better competition..

Wall reminds me or our own Tyreke Evans. Not quite as tall or long, but faster. 6 assists and 6 turnovers. Almost the same as last game. The knock on him was his lack of an outside shot, and so far, thats true. He scored almost all of his points by driving to the basket. He has serious hops. Where he leaves the Evans comparison is in his ability to create. The Kid is fun to watch. He needs to cut down on his turnovers and improve his outside shot. Actually the two go together. He plays in different speeds and thats what makes him hard to guard. You think you've got him covered and suddenly he switches to another gear and he's gone. He's far from a finished product. But he just drips with ability and confidence. Last year Holiday looked like he was trying to find his way. Wall just leads the way. No comparison between them..

Patrick Patterson had another nice game. He does a little bit of everything. Scores from the outside. Scores on the inside. Rebounds, and blocks shot. At times he makes everyone else on the court look like their in slow motion. I still don't know how he'll translate to the NBA, but I'm sure he'll find a niche somewhere. Whoever drafts him will get someone that puts out 100% all the time.

 

[bajaden]

Well on with my conservations with myself.. I Caught the last half of the Georgia Tech game. Favor's played pretty well. He looked bigger than the 6'9" he's listed at, but that may be because the other team was small. He grabbed 7 boards and scored 18 points on 6 of 6 from the floor. He also blocked 3 shots. His teammate Lawal also scored 18 points and grabbed 14 boards. I'm anxious to see more of Favor's.

I've had a chance to see two players, that are similar in style of play twice. One is Evan Turner from Ohio St. and the other is Wesley Johnson from Syracuse. Both these guys are SF's that rebound like PF's. Both are very athletic, and both put out good effort on the defensive side of the ball.
Turner scored 23 and 26 points in the two games I watched. He had 14 boards in one and 11 boards in the other. You can throw in a couple of blocks as well. Turner is interesting in that his true position is probably SF, but he's being asked to play SG and also be the primary handler of the ball. Similar to the role Brandon Roy plays. Not sure thats his future, but it does show his versatility. Turner went 9 for 14 in both games. The lottery is in his future..

Wesley Johnson scored 25 points and had 8 boards, 1 blk, and 1 steal. He keeps playing like this and he'll start moving up the draft boards. Not quite as good a ballhandler as Turner, but still a very good player. I would take either one of these guys on our team. I also think that either one of them could play the SG position as well as the SF position.

 

[bajaden]

I watched the Georgia Tech, Boston College game. Favor's had a nice game. I think 17pts and 10 boards if memory serves, to go along with 2 blocks. He's an interesting player. Not flashy, but very effecient around the basket. Had some nice drop step moves and spins moves. All of his points so far have been scored in the paint. Makes for a little conflict when Favor's and Lawal are on the floor at the same time. Since both live in the same neighborhood.

If Favor's has an outside game I haven't seen it yet. Defensively he's pretty solid. He has good lateral movement and has very good footwork. He doesn't reach on defense and so far doesn't bite on pumpfakes. He's pretty fundamentaly sound for a player coming out of highschool. He also seems to have good basketball IQ. Especially on defense where his rotations are very good.

As I said, offensively he seems limited to playing right under the basket and just taking what comes his way. To his credit, he doesn't try to do things he's not good at. He's one of those guys that at the end of a game has 20 points and 10 boards and you can't remember him doing it.

Lawal on the other hand hasn't improved much over last year at this point. There's still a lot of time left of course. I think he has a place in the NBA. He's one of those hustle guys that every team needs. I find it strange that he and Favor's are both listed at 6'9". But when standing side by side on the floor, Favors looks to be at least 2 inches taller, if not more. The comparison I would make between the two, is that Lawal seems to work hard for everything he gets. Favors just seems to do what he does effortlessly.

 

[6th]

Since I don't watch college hoops much (this time of year anyway), I'm enjoying these write-ups very much, bajaden. Thanks for your time and effort.

 

[bajaden]

Since I don't watch college hoops much (this time of year anyway), I'm enjoying these write-ups very much, bajaden. Thanks for your time and effort.

Oh my god. A live person. I was beginning to think I was having a conversation of one.. Glad to be of service..

 

[6th]

lol....I've been reading them all along.

A suggestion (for those of us who do not know the players very well). When you begin a paragraph talking about a player (for the 1st time in that particular post), would you give us the position and school year for that person?

For example, last year, when talking about Tyreke, it would have said something like this:

Another player to watch out for is Evans (G-Freshman).

 

[Rockmeister]

lol....I've been reading them all along.

A suggestion (for those of us who do not know the players very well). When you begin a paragraph talking about a player (for the 1st time in that particular post), would you give us the position and school year for that person?

For example, last year, when talking about Tyreke, it would have said something like this:

Another player to watch out for is Evans (G-Freshman).

Can you also put what college he plays for. For example: Evans (G-Freshman, Memphis)

Since I don't watch college basketball until the sweet 16, I'm just enjoying reading your posts.

Thanks for taking the time to do this for us.

 

[bajaden]

Can you also put what college he plays for. For example: Evans (G-Freshman, Memphis)

Since I don't watch college basketball until the sweet 16, I'm just enjoying reading your posts.

Thanks for taking the time to do this for us.

Not a problem. I tend to forget that others don't have the same obsession that I do.

The players today that I spoke of were Derrick Favor's and Gani Lawal. both play for Georgia Tech and both are PF's. Favor is a freshman and Lawal is a junior. Other players that I've mentioned so far are Evan Turner a SF who plays for Ohio St. and is a Junior. I have a special place in my heart for this guy. I think he's another special one.. To continue on. DeMarcus Cousins, a C/PF is a freshman and plays for Kentucky. As does John Wall, a PG, who also is a freshman. The other player for Kentucky is Patrick Patterson, a PF/SF, who is a Junior.

I think I've also mentioned Wesley Johnson. Another player I like a lot. And another SF/SG who plays for Syracuse and is a junior. I'll try remember to refresh this information every time I mention a player. I'm glad that some people are interested. Were blessed to have some very knowledgable people on this fourm. We don't always agree, but if you read all the posts you'll get a pretty good impression of potential draft picks. Probably better than most of the draft boards. This is my favorite time of the year.

 

[ovrush]

I'd love to hear more about your thoughts on Turner. I know he has the size to play 3 but with his ball handling and passing ability he could be a nice 2 to put next to Evans. The only problem there, however, is that I was reading his shot is iffy. But you'd have to think our perimeter defense with those two would be stifling, and his ballhandling/passing could be just what Evans needs in a back court mate.

Plus he's a guy who could be mid to low lottery which is looking like the spot we'll be with how hard the team is playing. Granted we still have KMart, but if he comes back and we deem Evans and Kmart can't play together we could maybe look for the right backcourt partner for Evans with our pick and try to get some front court depth with Kevin in a trade.

 

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

Solomon Alabi (7'1 C FSU) is who im watching out for this year. Big defensive athletic center who should be in our pick range. Any chance you've seen him yet bajaden? I havent had the chance to watch any FSU games, and to be honest I usually dont get into the college bball season until its about half way through. just checking FSU box scores, It looks like he is playing how I would expect. 20 minutes with 12 ppg, 6 boards and 3 blocks.

I did get a chance to watch the Ohio State game on ESPN a few nights ago, and yeah, Evan Turner was impressive. A little too impressive. His stats right now are out of this world. 22 pts, 15 Reb, and 6 asst as a 6'7 SG/SF is outstanding.

 

[bajaden]

Solomon Alabi (7'1 C FSU) is who im watching out for this year. Big defensive athletic center who should be in our pick range. Any chance you've seen him yet bajaden? I havent had the chance to watch any FSU games, and to be honest I usually dont get into the college bball season until its about half way through. just checking FSU box scores, It looks like he is playing how I would expect. 20 minutes with 12 ppg, 6 boards and 3 blocks.

I did get a chance to watch the Ohio State game on ESPN a few nights ago, and yeah, Evan Turner was impressive. A little too impressive. His stats right now are out of this world. 22 pts, 15 Reb, and 6 asst as a 6'7 SG/SF is outstanding.

Yeah, I agree. Thats why I suggested that if he keeps playing this way he'll find himself in the top five. It appears his outside shot has improved some. I liked him last year, but if he keeps it up I'll fall in love.

Nope, haven't had a chance to see Alabi yet. And believe me, I won't miss a chance. He's at the top of my watch list. I'm also anxious to see if Jordan at Tulsa has improved his game. I know that some are down on Aldrich from Kansas, but I think the guy has some talent and he's a pretty darn good athlete.

Opp's Sorry..

Soloman Alabi. 7'1" center that plays for Florida St. and is a Sophmore.
Jerome Jordan. 7' center that plays for Tulsa, and is a Senior
Cole Aldrich. 6'11" center that plays for Kansas, and is a Junior.

 

[bajaden]

I'd love to hear more about your thoughts on Turner. I know he has the size to play 3 but with his ball handling and passing ability he could be a nice 2 to put next to Evans. The only problem there, however, is that I was reading his shot is iffy. But you'd have to think our perimeter defense with those two would be stifling, and his ballhandling/passing could be just what Evans needs in a back court mate.

Plus he's a guy who could be mid to low lottery which is looking like the spot we'll be with how hard the team is playing. Granted we still have KMart, but if he comes back and we deem Evans and Kmart can't play together we could maybe look for the right backcourt partner for Evans with our pick and try to get some front court depth with Kevin in a trade.

I think a good comparison. Not is appearance, but as a facilitor of the ball, would be Brandon Roy, or perhaps James Harden from last year. Ohio St. has him playing the shooting guard position this year, and has most of the offense running through him. He's a terrific rebounder for his postion, whether it be SF or SG. Actually, now that I think about it, he'll remind you of our own Tyreke Evans. Maybe you just have to have the name Evan in your name somewhere.

He a terriffic handler of the ball and like Evans, has the ability to get to the basket at will. He's a very good passer, but sometimes get a little carried away with forcing passes that just aren't there. For instance in his last game he had 6 assists, but also had 6 turnovers. Nothing that can't be corrected. While his 3pt shot is somewhat suspect, he has a nice little pullup mid-range jumper. He's a guy that can score in a lot of different ways. He's also a very good defender and plays at 100% all the time.

I wouldn't call him a great athlete, but he's definitely a good athlete, or better than average if you will. We could certainly do worse than him in the draft, and he would make for a very dangerous backcourt at both ends of the floor. However, your not going to get him anywhere below the 7th or 8th pick in my opinion. He's just too good, and doesn't really have many weaknesses. You can't say that about too many players..