Prospect watch 2011
- Thread starter asakkings
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As I pointed out to Cruzdude, who is a big San Diego St. fan, when it comes to college basketball, I always go the with the team that has the best guards. In this case, BYU. BYU just had too much fire power for San Diego St. Another typical game for Fredette, and I hope all that watched the game noticed that he does have PG skills. Yes he dribbles into traffic too often, but then when he has the ball, all there is, is traffic.. 4 for 8 from behind the line today I think. I'll have to look up his stats again, but I think he also had around 8 or 9 assists..
Only got to see part of the Moorehead St. game, as there were bad thunder storms in the area and the broadcast was interupted. Kenneth Faried had his usual 15 pts on 5 of 10 shooting and grabbed his usual 13 rebounds, which actually is one less than he's averaging. He also had 4 blocked shots. He's listed at 6'8", but he's been listed at that height since he was a freshman, and I swear he looks taller than that. Hard to say though without knowing the true height of those he's playing against.
It was obvious that Murray St.'s plan was to not get beat by Faried. To start with, they did a great job of denying him the ball. With as many as two players trying to front him at all times. And on the few occasions they did get the ball into him, he was double and triple teamed. On one occasion when Murray St. made a mistake on a switch off a screen and he was in perfect position under the basket, he didn't get the ball. He almost went ballistic at his PG for not getting him the ball.
Because of how he's defended, its hard to get a good read on his offensive capablities. He does have a decent post game, and also has a little 15 ft jumper. He has good hands, and decent touch around the basket. Hard to say his touch is great, or bad because he's always in a crowd and getting banged around. From an athletic point of view, he's one of those freak athletes in the Gerald Wallace mold.
On the defensive side of the ball he's terrific. He has great timing on blocking shots, either straight up in man defense, or as a weakside helper. In the NBA I see him more as a weakside shotblocker. As a rebounder, well since he's the all time leading NCAA rebounder, I think that speaks for itself. If he were to slide into the second round, he would be an absolute steal. He brings a lot of intangibles to the game. It doesn't matter if you call him a PF or a SF. Just put him on the floor and good things will come out of it.
As you can see, I like him quite a bit.. I'm anxious to see how he measures out at the combine.
It was obvious that Murray St.'s plan was to not get beat by Faried. To start with, they did a great job of denying him the ball. With as many as two players trying to front him at all times. And on the few occasions they did get the ball into him, he was double and triple teamed. On one occasion when Murray St. made a mistake on a switch off a screen and he was in perfect position under the basket, he didn't get the ball. He almost went ballistic at his PG for not getting him the ball.
Because of how he's defended, its hard to get a good read on his offensive capablities. He does have a decent post game, and also has a little 15 ft jumper. He has good hands, and decent touch around the basket. Hard to say his touch is great, or bad because he's always in a crowd and getting banged around. From an athletic point of view, he's one of those freak athletes in the Gerald Wallace mold.
On the defensive side of the ball he's terrific. He has great timing on blocking shots, either straight up in man defense, or as a weakside helper. In the NBA I see him more as a weakside shotblocker. As a rebounder, well since he's the all time leading NCAA rebounder, I think that speaks for itself. If he were to slide into the second round, he would be an absolute steal. He brings a lot of intangibles to the game. It doesn't matter if you call him a PF or a SF. Just put him on the floor and good things will come out of it.
As you can see, I like him quite a bit.. I'm anxious to see how he measures out at the combine.
Just finished watching Faried against Murray St, and will post my notes in the other thread.
I just wanted to mention that you should be able to watch Faried play again in about 15 minutes if you have ESPNU. This will probably be Morehead State's last televised game, so if you've got the time, you should watch him play. (My TV schedule says the game should be on now, but I think it will start shortly.)
I just wanted to mention that you should be able to watch Faried play again in about 15 minutes if you have ESPNU. This will probably be Morehead State's last televised game, so if you've got the time, you should watch him play. (My TV schedule says the game should be on now, but I think it will start shortly.)
Just finished watching the first half. Faried. 6 pts, 6 rebounds, 6 blocked shots, 5 steals. There simply is no way to describe this kid. You have to see him play. If someone wants an impact player, here he is. This kid is the real deal. By the way, if Moorehead state wins, and thier leading by 10 at the half, then the tournament championship game will be televised as well, so he'll be on again. There was a nice interview with him at the half. Very humble kid.
By the way, for those that don't know who's record he broke to become the all time leading rebounder in NCAA history, it was some dude named Tim Duncan. A few other stats for those that are stat freaks. Faried leads his conference in pts. He leads his conference in rebounds. He's second in his conference in steals. And he leads his conference in blocked shots. Other than that, he hasn't done much.. Oh, he's also been defensive player three years in a row in his conference.
By the way, for those that don't know who's record he broke to become the all time leading rebounder in NCAA history, it was some dude named Tim Duncan. A few other stats for those that are stat freaks. Faried leads his conference in pts. He leads his conference in rebounds. He's second in his conference in steals. And he leads his conference in blocked shots. Other than that, he hasn't done much.. Oh, he's also been defensive player three years in a row in his conference.
Update to the Moorehead St./Austin Peay game. It was a monster game for Kenneth Faried. His final stats were: 12 points on 6 of 8 shooting. 21 rebounds, 8 blocked shots, and 3 steals. At halftime the announcers said he had 5 steals, and to be honest by my count, they were correct. However the official scorer only gave him 3 at the end of the game. As a result Moorehead St. moves on in their conference tournament and today will face Tennessee Tech, who upset the tourney favorite Murray St. last night.
For those interested, that game will be televised on ESPN 2 at 5 PM pacific.
For those interested, that game will be televised on ESPN 2 at 5 PM pacific.
Its conference tournament time in college. last chance for teams that disappointed during the year to make one last grab at the brass ring. For those interested, here are some of the games, in no particular order, on television today..
BYU/Wyoming: MTN channel 616 Direct TV at 12:30 PM. A chance to see SG/PG shooting sensation Jimmer Fredette. Note: BYU lost its best interior defender and rebounder because of his breaking team morality rules. He admitted having pre-marital sex with his girlfriend. He'd probably get a high five and a gold star at Cal Berkley for that, but bottom line is, it really damages BYU chances of going far in the tournament. Too bad, I had them making the final 8. They'll be lucky to get to the sweet sixteen now.
Duke/North Carolina: CBS at 5 PM pacific. Classic matchup between two of the biggest rivals in college basketball. I give Duke the edge in this one, but North Carolina has been playing much better thanks to the slow emergence of Harrison Barnes. He has yet to blow my socks off, but he's starting to show why he was so highly regarded coming into the season. He's moved up 5 spots on my draft board.
Kansas/Missouri: CBS at 9 AM pacific. This could be a tough game for Kansas, who I think is somewhat overrated. They do have what every good college team needs to make it to the final four. A good inside game and a good outside game. My problem has been their overall erratic play, and lack of consistency. However, they've been playing well of late, so maybe their peaking at the right time. I expect Missouri to give them a tough battle.
Oregon/Arizona: CBS at 11 AM pacific. Good chance to see what everyone is talking about with Derrick Williams, the 6'9" PF/SF for Arizona. I have him ranked number 2 on my personal board. Thats how good I think he is. Arizona probably has a berth locked up already, but with the Pac 10 being down again this year, you never know. So winning the tournament would help solidify a spot in the tournament as well as giving them a top seed. They should beat Oregon.
Texas/Baylor: ESPN at 6 PM pacific. Here's a chance to see the highly touted SF, 6'11" Perry Jones of Baylor and one of my favorites, SF/SG, 6'7" Jordan Hamilton. The last time these two teams met earlier in the year, Texas just destroyed Baylor. I wouldn't be surprised to see it happen again. Baylor has been a huge disappointment this year, and probably the only chance they have of making the tournament is to win the tournament. So they certainly have incentive to bring out all their weapons. Texas on the other hand is one of the best teams in the nation, and is going to make the tournament regardless. All Texas is playing for is a high seed. Baylor also features SG LaceDarius Dunn and Texas has 6'9" PF freshman Tristan Thompson.
Tennessee Tech/Moorehead St : ESPN 2 at 5 PM. As mentioned in the previous post, a chance to see another one of my favorites, Kenneth Faried, a 6'8" PF. In most cases you would say, Oh no, not another undersized PF. Trust me, there is nothing undersized about Kenneth Faried. He plays like he's 6'11" player on speed. You can't miss him. He's the one with the ponytail.
Colorado St./San Diego St.: This tournament is all about seeding for San Diego St. They're a lock to make the tournament along with BYU. This is a tough conference and will likely send three teams to the tournament. San Diego St. features SF, 6'8" Kawhi Leonard. Leonard is a jack of all trades for his team. he can score from just about anywhere. He rebounds and is a tough defender. He's also a terrific athlete. About the only thing holding him back is his unselfishness, and the fact that he doesn't stand out in any one area. He's just sort of good at everything. I like this kid a lot..If you look up the word effort in the dictionary, you'll see his picture..
Enjoy!!
BYU/Wyoming: MTN channel 616 Direct TV at 12:30 PM. A chance to see SG/PG shooting sensation Jimmer Fredette. Note: BYU lost its best interior defender and rebounder because of his breaking team morality rules. He admitted having pre-marital sex with his girlfriend. He'd probably get a high five and a gold star at Cal Berkley for that, but bottom line is, it really damages BYU chances of going far in the tournament. Too bad, I had them making the final 8. They'll be lucky to get to the sweet sixteen now.
Duke/North Carolina: CBS at 5 PM pacific. Classic matchup between two of the biggest rivals in college basketball. I give Duke the edge in this one, but North Carolina has been playing much better thanks to the slow emergence of Harrison Barnes. He has yet to blow my socks off, but he's starting to show why he was so highly regarded coming into the season. He's moved up 5 spots on my draft board.
Kansas/Missouri: CBS at 9 AM pacific. This could be a tough game for Kansas, who I think is somewhat overrated. They do have what every good college team needs to make it to the final four. A good inside game and a good outside game. My problem has been their overall erratic play, and lack of consistency. However, they've been playing well of late, so maybe their peaking at the right time. I expect Missouri to give them a tough battle.
Oregon/Arizona: CBS at 11 AM pacific. Good chance to see what everyone is talking about with Derrick Williams, the 6'9" PF/SF for Arizona. I have him ranked number 2 on my personal board. Thats how good I think he is. Arizona probably has a berth locked up already, but with the Pac 10 being down again this year, you never know. So winning the tournament would help solidify a spot in the tournament as well as giving them a top seed. They should beat Oregon.
Texas/Baylor: ESPN at 6 PM pacific. Here's a chance to see the highly touted SF, 6'11" Perry Jones of Baylor and one of my favorites, SF/SG, 6'7" Jordan Hamilton. The last time these two teams met earlier in the year, Texas just destroyed Baylor. I wouldn't be surprised to see it happen again. Baylor has been a huge disappointment this year, and probably the only chance they have of making the tournament is to win the tournament. So they certainly have incentive to bring out all their weapons. Texas on the other hand is one of the best teams in the nation, and is going to make the tournament regardless. All Texas is playing for is a high seed. Baylor also features SG LaceDarius Dunn and Texas has 6'9" PF freshman Tristan Thompson.
Tennessee Tech/Moorehead St : ESPN 2 at 5 PM. As mentioned in the previous post, a chance to see another one of my favorites, Kenneth Faried, a 6'8" PF. In most cases you would say, Oh no, not another undersized PF. Trust me, there is nothing undersized about Kenneth Faried. He plays like he's 6'11" player on speed. You can't miss him. He's the one with the ponytail.
Colorado St./San Diego St.: This tournament is all about seeding for San Diego St. They're a lock to make the tournament along with BYU. This is a tough conference and will likely send three teams to the tournament. San Diego St. features SF, 6'8" Kawhi Leonard. Leonard is a jack of all trades for his team. he can score from just about anywhere. He rebounds and is a tough defender. He's also a terrific athlete. About the only thing holding him back is his unselfishness, and the fact that he doesn't stand out in any one area. He's just sort of good at everything. I like this kid a lot..If you look up the word effort in the dictionary, you'll see his picture..
Enjoy!!
I really hope Baylor wins this game. If they do, they'll make the tournament and we'll get to see Jones there. If they lose, they are out, which would be a shame. Texas will be making it no matter what, but losing could drop them to a 3rd or 4th seed in the tournament, which is crazy as if they had beaten Nebraska two weeks ago, they would have had the over-all number 1 ranking.
From a selfish point of view, I want Baylor in the tournament. But to be honest, the don't deserve it. They have really underacheived. And, I have to lay a lot of the blame on P. Jones. Execept for losing Tweety Carter, they have almost the same team back from last year with Jones replacing Udoh. And there's the problem. He hasn't replaced what Udoh did. Either defensively or offensively. Damm shame, they should be better than they are.
He finally had a good shooting day. The problem with UCONN is that either Walker dominates the ball, or no one else on the team can score. Walker took more shots than the rest of the starting lineup combined. Your not going to win too many games doing that. Its the lack of assist totals that Walker gets that bothers me. The dude has to be a PG at that height. They have him listed at 6 foot, and I'll eat a roll of toilet paper if he's that tall. He does work hard on defense though, I'll give him that.
Finished watching the North Carolina/Duke game. As I said before the game, its one of, if not the biggest rivalry in college basketball. This year, the arrow pointed toward North Carolina who trounced Duke. Duke had a big size advantage inside, but it never became a factor in this game. Let me start by saying, welcome back to the lottery Harrison Barnes! He's suddenly turned into the player everyone thought he would be prior to the season. He's finally playing aggressively. He didn't shoot the ball all that well in this game going 7 for 17, but it wasn't terrible. He was 2 for 6 from behind the line and had 5 rebounds.
Defensively he guarded Kyle Singler of Duke, and did a nice job on him. The more I watch Barnes, I'm starting to think more of him as a shooting guard than a SF. He's listed at 6'8", and it will be interesting to see if he's really that height. He has a small frame and is slight of build, and as a result, I wonder how he would match up against some of the stronger SF's in the NBA. Of course the question that would follow, is whether he's quick enough to guard the SG's in the NBA. His shooting doesn't concern me at all. He's has an almost picture perfect jumpshot.
Defensively he guarded Kyle Singler of Duke, and did a nice job on him. The more I watch Barnes, I'm starting to think more of him as a shooting guard than a SF. He's listed at 6'8", and it will be interesting to see if he's really that height. He has a small frame and is slight of build, and as a result, I wonder how he would match up against some of the stronger SF's in the NBA. Of course the question that would follow, is whether he's quick enough to guard the SG's in the NBA. His shooting doesn't concern me at all. He's has an almost picture perfect jumpshot.
Going back to the North Carolina/Duke game, there was another player I wanted to mention. But I wanted him in a separate post, so he wouldn't get lost in the shuffle. I've been watching him all season and wanted to wait until I had a good sampling to judge by. I'm speaking of Kendall Marshall, the 6'3" freshman PG for North Carolina. I'm sure most of you who don't watch college basketball haven't heard of him, but this kid is the real deal. He got my attention the first time I saw him play, but I didn't give him a second thought at the time. But he's impressed me every time I've seen him, and he's getting better as he's gotten more comfortable with his role on the team.
He's quick, and at 6'3", has good size for the position. He's a very good ballhandler. There's still room for improvement there, but for a freshman its pretty dammed good. He's also a very good, and creative passer. The kid is gifted with outstanding court vision. Were talking about a pass first PG. Almost all of his points come as a result of there being nothing else there. That said, he's a very good shooter. He just doesn't shoot all that often. He's averaging only 4.3 APG. As a result, he's only averaging 5.9 PPG. Rounding out his yearly stats, he's averaging 5.6 APG to only 2.2 Turnovers per game. He's also shooting 38.2% from behind the line.
The larger story is the improvement from the beginning of the year. In November and December he aveaged 14.4 minutes a game. In Feburary and March so far, he's averaging 33.2 minutes per game. Obviously as his play improved, the coaching staff had more confidence in him and his minutes went up.
In his last 10 games he's averaging 9.6 PPG, 8 APG, and 3 turnovers a game. He's outstanding at driving the lane and dishing the ball. Many times he'll start to drive the lane, reverse directions and pass the ball behind him to a cutter. He just seems to know where everyone on the floor is at all times. If your into march maddness, then try and take in a game by North Carolina. Marshall is # 5. I think he's worth a look..
He's quick, and at 6'3", has good size for the position. He's a very good ballhandler. There's still room for improvement there, but for a freshman its pretty dammed good. He's also a very good, and creative passer. The kid is gifted with outstanding court vision. Were talking about a pass first PG. Almost all of his points come as a result of there being nothing else there. That said, he's a very good shooter. He just doesn't shoot all that often. He's averaging only 4.3 APG. As a result, he's only averaging 5.9 PPG. Rounding out his yearly stats, he's averaging 5.6 APG to only 2.2 Turnovers per game. He's also shooting 38.2% from behind the line.
The larger story is the improvement from the beginning of the year. In November and December he aveaged 14.4 minutes a game. In Feburary and March so far, he's averaging 33.2 minutes per game. Obviously as his play improved, the coaching staff had more confidence in him and his minutes went up.
In his last 10 games he's averaging 9.6 PPG, 8 APG, and 3 turnovers a game. He's outstanding at driving the lane and dishing the ball. Many times he'll start to drive the lane, reverse directions and pass the ball behind him to a cutter. He just seems to know where everyone on the floor is at all times. If your into march maddness, then try and take in a game by North Carolina. Marshall is # 5. I think he's worth a look..
Here's an interesting video of Jimmer Fredette. Gives a littel background..
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=6190702&categoryid=2378529
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=6190702&categoryid=2378529
Haven't seen him play, but almost sounds like Rondo part II? Better outside shot, defense not as good. I mean in style of play - not that he'll be as good.
Very interesting, shame it's not longer. Think he'd be a very good fit next to Tyreke - decent size, lights out shooter, can share ball handling duties, solid passer etc.. Unfortunately Fredette is a guy I've yet to see play. There is a decent amount of games shown where I live, but BYU haven't been on yet AFAIK. Hopefully that will change in the next month, very eager to see him play.
On the one hand, he's a guy that Petrie would love - skilled and great shooting ability. On the other hand, we'll likely be picking too high to take him. We'd need to get an additional pick, and we know that's not GP's style.
He actually kind of reminded me of Rondo a little bit. I hate making comparisons like that. Defensively, he's good at the college level. Just how that translates to the NBA, is anyone's guess. But my guess is that he'll be a least a good defender. How good, we'll just have to wait and see. If you get a chance take in a game. The kid is really good. Very composed and always seems in control.
Your right about Fredette. I currently have him at number 10 on my board and he could go as high as 7 or 8 depending a teams need. He's not a pure point guard, but he can play the point just fine. So yeah, we would have to aquire another 1st round pick if we wanted to grab him. The biggest question mark surrounding Fredette is whether he'll be able to play defense at the next level. I think he's a better athlete than some give him credit for. BYU plays a zone, so its hard to tell how good a defender he'll be..
Your right about Fredette. I currently have him at number 10 on my board and he could go as high as 7 or 8 depending a teams need. He's not a pure point guard, but he can play the point just fine. So yeah, we would have to aquire another 1st round pick if we wanted to grab him. The biggest question mark surrounding Fredette is whether he'll be able to play defense at the next level. I think he's a better athlete than some give him credit for. BYU plays a zone, so its hard to tell how good a defender he'll be..
I currently have him at 12 on my list. But thats an improvement up from 18. I would hardly call him mediocre, unless you were expecting LeBron. He doesn't blow my socks off, but for the last 11 games, he's been playing very well. He's been aggressively looking for his shot, when earlier in the year he seemed almost passive and an afterthought to the rest of the team. Over the last 11 games he's been averaging 17 pts a game on 45.2% shooting. Thats compared to the 40% he's averaging for the year. Over that same 11 games he's averaged 5.7 rebounds, which isn't great, but its not terrible from the SF position. He's certainly not a top 5 pick, so I doubt he'll be on the Kings radar.
He's a pretty good ballhandler by the way, and at the college level he's able to create his own shot. He's also one of the youngest, if not the youngest freshman in the country.
He's a pretty good ballhandler by the way, and at the college level he's able to create his own shot. He's also one of the youngest, if not the youngest freshman in the country.
Yeah, it's important to remember Barnes is still a freshman. Expectations were sky-high because he was the most consistently excellent player in this high-school class. There's a lot of factors that determine whether someone will succeed in college or not. He's starting to get it now, when the games matter the most. He was never going to come in and blow people away with his athleticism like some prospects have. That's not his game. Barnes was ranked so highly because his overall skill level is impressive as is his demeanor on the court. We're starting to see that now, which reignites speculation that he could still be the best player from this class in the long run. The risk involved in betting on upside will probably keep him out of the top 5, but you never know. Some NBA GMs are a strange breed. 
The NCAA tournament is a great proving ground for seeing who steps up their game with elimination on the line. It'll be fun to see which of these prospects impresses the most. The top 5 or 6 guys are all pretty even right now for me.
The NCAA tournament is a great proving ground for seeing who steps up their game with elimination on the line. It'll be fun to see which of these prospects impresses the most. The top 5 or 6 guys are all pretty even right now for me.
I watched the first game that Marshall played as a full-time starter when Larry Drew II decided to leave the North Carolina Program. Marshall had been sharing minutes with Drew, but got all of them once Drew left.
This game was against Florida St on 2/16/2013 and here was my game note on Marshall when I posted the game summary in the other thread:
(Those 16 assists is a NC assist record for a freshman and the most ever in an ACC game for NC. Very impressive stuff)
As I've watched him play, he hasn't ever had as good a game as that one, but he's been very good. He's a pure point-guard but has good size and can shoot for a good percentage. And as you mentioned, he seems to have eyes in the back of his head for some of the passes he gets to his teammates. He's been playing very well and has really stepped up when NC needed someone to step up.
This game was against Florida St on 2/16/2013 and here was my game note on Marshall when I posted the game summary in the other thread:
(Those 16 assists is a NC assist record for a freshman and the most ever in an ACC game for NC. Very impressive stuff)
As I've watched him play, he hasn't ever had as good a game as that one, but he's been very good. He's a pure point-guard but has good size and can shoot for a good percentage. And as you mentioned, he seems to have eyes in the back of his head for some of the passes he gets to his teammates. He's been playing very well and has really stepped up when NC needed someone to step up.
As everyone knows, North Carolina didn't get off to the best start. They started out ranked fairly high, and in short order the droped completely out of sight. Then about 10 or 12 games in they started a slow turn around to where their looking at a high seed in the tournament. And I think the major reason is Kendal Marshall. He makes that team run, and the difference he's made has been dramatic.
I haven't seen much of Sullinger so far, but i watched the game yesterday. It seemed like his whole offense came in post-up situations and most of the time he was either fouled inside or got his shot blocked. It will be interesting to see how he measures out because at 6'8 he will probably get problems against the big bodies in the NBA.
You could be right, but remember, there are a lot of big bodies out there that are undersized. In Sullinger's defense, he's very strong and can hold his own in the paint. There's one thing for sure though, he's a low post player. He has little or no game away from the basket. So I think in his case, fit is very important. A lot of people were down on Kevin Love because of his height, and those same people would love to have him now. Not comparing the two players skill wise, because they're very different players. Just saying!
I've watched him a few times and admittedly it was at the beginning of the year. I hope we get a SF through free agency.
As to Sullinger, outside of Irving, I think we can pick according to need. We don't "need" Sullinger assuming Dalembert is resigned. I saw that last game and he was taken out of the game either be the defense or his inability. Probably more the former.
As to Sullinger, outside of Irving, I think we can pick according to need. We don't "need" Sullinger assuming Dalembert is resigned. I saw that last game and he was taken out of the game either be the defense or his inability. Probably more the former.