BASKETBALL FGCU/MT reflection
- Thread starter Matt Dossett
- Start date
Our defensive pressure in the first half seemed to be a factor in FGCU shooting poorly. Played a little softer in second half allowing them to make a couple runs on us. Karl gamble has improved immensely. Has a confident look to him now rather than lost and timid. Thought Hawthorne deserved some more minutes. Long and athletic. Enjoyed the game last night.
King is the real deal! No disrespect to the other "one and done" players we have had [Dendy, Williams, Thomas (one semester?), Dean (?)] but King may turn out to be the best and most impactful. There is a reason he was a 4-star and top 50 recruit out of high school.
Several have asked why King was not more successful at Memphis and Alabama. I would guess that both Memphis' Pastner and Bama's Johnson (illness factored in here) tried to fit a square peg in a round hole (perhaps rectangle would be a better analogy). While Johnson is listed at 6'7" that may be generous. Regardless, he is not the prototypical size for a 4 therefore I would speculate that he was probably asked to primarily play the 3 at his previous stops. Davis does not hesitate to play a shorter player at the 4 than would be desirable in a "power" program.
A second reason King has, so far, proved to be a POY candidate is that he is intelligent (already graduated - smarts show in interviews), knows this is his last chance, is accepting Davis' coaching, and is working on his deficiencies (defense). He may not be a NBA player (skillset and size don't necessarily coincide) but he has to know he can make a very good living playing BkB and obviously wants to become the best he can be. Davis' success with one year players is playing off and this could continue with graduate transfers (although fans shouldn't expect such transfers to all be as impactful).
Looking at recruiting in general our two JUCOs are not normal for our program. They are both in the rotation and the staff has not had to spend half their first year getting the JUCO "out of them". Shows we are doing better not just with high schoolers but with JUCOs also. This could be beneficial in the future if we have a definite need for a "ready to play" signee for the next year's squad.
Only personnel disappointment is with Davion Thomas (Tree?). Had just a little hype that he would be ready after the red-shirt year. Prior to the season I wouldn't have been surprised to see him start; now he's behind JUCO Hawthorne in the rotation.
Biggest surprise has been Gamble. While having some good minutes last year in a spot role I had no hope for him to be a steady contributor during his career. Really a huge surprise. Here's to hoping Thomas and Massenburg can show similar improvement before the '18-'19 year. We'll need a couple of ''bigs" to really step up next year (along with a 2 guard).
Several have asked why King was not more successful at Memphis and Alabama. I would guess that both Memphis' Pastner and Bama's Johnson (illness factored in here) tried to fit a square peg in a round hole (perhaps rectangle would be a better analogy). While Johnson is listed at 6'7" that may be generous. Regardless, he is not the prototypical size for a 4 therefore I would speculate that he was probably asked to primarily play the 3 at his previous stops. Davis does not hesitate to play a shorter player at the 4 than would be desirable in a "power" program.
A second reason King has, so far, proved to be a POY candidate is that he is intelligent (already graduated - smarts show in interviews), knows this is his last chance, is accepting Davis' coaching, and is working on his deficiencies (defense). He may not be a NBA player (skillset and size don't necessarily coincide) but he has to know he can make a very good living playing BkB and obviously wants to become the best he can be. Davis' success with one year players is playing off and this could continue with graduate transfers (although fans shouldn't expect such transfers to all be as impactful).
Looking at recruiting in general our two JUCOs are not normal for our program. They are both in the rotation and the staff has not had to spend half their first year getting the JUCO "out of them". Shows we are doing better not just with high schoolers but with JUCOs also. This could be beneficial in the future if we have a definite need for a "ready to play" signee for the next year's squad.
Only personnel disappointment is with Davion Thomas (Tree?). Had just a little hype that he would be ready after the red-shirt year. Prior to the season I wouldn't have been surprised to see him start; now he's behind JUCO Hawthorne in the rotation.
Biggest surprise has been Gamble. While having some good minutes last year in a spot role I had no hope for him to be a steady contributor during his career. Really a huge surprise. Here's to hoping Thomas and Massenburg can show similar improvement before the '18-'19 year. We'll need a couple of ''bigs" to really step up next year (along with a 2 guard).
Massenburg is being redshirt ed this year. I've heard that Davion is still a little immature. May still have some thin skin and takes some stuff Kermit says to heart.
I think King is the most talented offensive player we have had, maybe ever. He can score inside, mid range and long range. He is a great FT shooter. He is smooth, fast and aggressive.
Since I've been watching he is easily the most potent scorer. A true threat from anywhere on the court and doesn't appear to take any nights off.
Scary thing is, he's probably going to get even better.
Scary thing is, he's probably going to get even better.
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