A Different Perspective: The Sky is not Falling

[huskerbaseball13]

Huskerbaseball, you understand, of course, that this is college, not the NBA.

What a guy did his freshman year is usually a lot less than what he ends up doing his sophomore year.

In the 4 games Shavon sat out with a concussion, Jack shot 11 of 23 from 3-point range.

That's almost 50% shooting from deep on nearly 6 attempts per game.

Do you think those numbers might make any team we face "afraid to defend the three pointer?"

Maybe. McVeigh was making just over two three pointers per 40 minutes last year. Nowhere did I say he won't improve...not sure he will shoot at a better clip but he will certainly be getting more shots. I think McVeigh is probably our best candidate to make teams pay for packing it in but we will need others to knock some down from deep. Hopefully Watson and Tai continue to improve on their numbers. As it stands..until proven otherwise I bet opposing coaches will be just fine with this group settling for threes while they clog the lanes.

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[huskerbaseball13]

Huskerbaseball, you understand, of course, that this is college, not the NBA.

What a guy did his freshman year is usually a lot less than what he ends up doing his sophomore year.

In the 4 games Shavon sat out with a concussion, Jack shot 11 of 23 from 3-point range.

That's almost 50% shooting from deep on nearly 6 attempts per game.

Do you think those numbers might make any team we face "afraid to defend the three pointer?"

Maybe. McVeigh was making just over two three pointers per 40 minutes last year. Nowhere did I say he won't improve...not sure he will shoot at a better clip but he will certainly be getting more shots. I think McVeigh is probably our best candidate to make teams pay for packing it in but we will need others to knock some down from deep. Hopefully Watson and Tai continue to improve on their numbers. As it stands..until proven otherwise I bet opposing coaches will be just fine with this group settling for threes while they clog the lanes.

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[kleitus]

fyi, you requoted yourself on that.  not sure if you meant to even post it.

[cozrulz]

I had no expectations going into next year.  Still do.  The roster on paper looks at least a year away.  Miles better hope he can win enough games (e.g. NIT) this season.

[hskr4life]

What are Tai's 3 point numbers from this summer?

[kleitus]

The olympic qualification games start july 5th i believe.  their first game is the 6th.  he played in some friendly games earlier and i recall seeing him playing decently but i can't give you stats.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_FIBA_World_Olympic_Qualifying_Tournaments_for_Men

 

he's going head to head with tony parker in one of the games, which should be... interesting.

[hskr4life]

If I remember right, he had pretty good 3pt numbers and they have improved every year.

[Hooper]

I agree with Norm here. Let's not bury this team just yet. There are many variables at play here that will determine the true impact of this loss. Anyone who claims to know what type of team this will end up being isn't being sincere, because the truth is that there's so much new talent in the mix that the way it will all come together is largely unknown right now.

 

The big voids here are clearly 3-point shooting and rebounding, as White was skilled in both areas. This situation probably creates both the biggest opportunity as well as the greatest burden for Jack McVeigh, who will now be relied upon as the team's primary 3-point shooter. He needs to show much greater consistency in that area this year.

 

I refuse to let this White thing sour my enthusiasm for this season. There's still a hell of a lot to be excited about, and, unlike last year, this group has the chess pieces to match up against a wide array of line-up configurations. We'll be younger and less experienced than anticipated, but there's some tremendous talent in the program right now, and some of the young guys are just going to have to be ready to step up. Let's hope they are. 

[kleitus]

I agree with Norm here. Let's not bury this team just yet. There are many variables at play here that will determine the true impact of this loss. Anyone who claims to know what type of team this will end up being isn't being sincere, because the truth is that there's so much new talent in the mix that the way it will all come together is largely unknown right now.

 

The big voids here are clearly 3-point shooting and rebounding, as White was skilled in both areas. This situation probably creates both the biggest opportunity as well as the greatest burden for Jack McVeigh, who will now be relied upon as the team's primary 3-point shooter. He needs to show much greater consistency in that area this year.

 

I refuse to let this White thing sour my enthusiasm for this season. There's still a hell of a lot to be excited about, and, unlike last year, this group has the chess pieces to match up against a wide array of line-up configurations. We'll be younger and less experienced than anticipated, but there's some tremendous talent in the program right now, and some of the young guys are just going to have to be ready to step up. Let's hope they are. 

 

That's pretty much my feelings to a T.  I realize we're not as good without white as we are with him.  However, i refuse to sit there and turn this into a damn cyclone of crap that will do nothing good.

 

We've got talent.  We've got an interior game (finally).  we've probably got one of the top 25 or so point guards in the country (and if you think i'm joking, go look around a bit).  We've got several other players with serious bright spots of talent at different aspects of the game.   This might be a more talented bunch long-term than any other team in my lifetime and i definitely was there in the 90's.  I'm just going to enjoy the ride -- the ups and the downs.  We've got enough great talent (and it is great talent -- not 1 and done talent but there's that line between great and exceptional) that i'm flat out positive we're going to see some bright spots during this year.  I'll enjoy those and just hope that there's enough of those bright spots to get us into the NIT and/or onto the bubble

 

There's plenty of good yet to come.  Why dwell on people who don't want to be here?

[Fullbacksympathy]

Gill can fill it up from 3.  He's a good shooter--probably our biggest threat from 3.  I think there will be games where he is deadly, but probably not as deadly as White.  

[kleitus]

Gill can fill it up from 3.  He's a good shooter--probably our biggest threat from 3.  I think there will be games where he is deadly, but probably not as deadly as White.  

 

He doesn't have to be.  Tai should improve.  .350 to .370 isn't a stretch

 

mcveigh should improve.   .340 to .370 isn't a stretch

 

can gill match that?  would you rather have 1 guy over .400 or 3 guys at .370 or better?  I like balance but having that one great shooter is very nice.

 

we shot .345 from 3 as a team last year.  i guess i don't see any reason we don't get fairly close to that and probably have a similar amount of opportunities simply because we're actually getting rebounds and second chances inside.  call me crazy all you want.

[Fullbacksympathy]

 

Gill can fill it up from 3.  He's a good shooter--probably our biggest threat from 3.  I think there will be games where he is deadly, but probably not as deadly as White.  

 

He doesn't have to be.  Tai should improve.  .350 to .370 isn't a stretch

 

mcveigh should improve.   .340 to .370 isn't a stretch

 

can gill match that?  would you rather have 1 guy over .400 or 3 guys at .370 or better?  I like balance but having that one great shooter is very nice.

 

we shot .345 from 3 as a team last year.  i guess i don't see any reason we don't get fairly close to that and probably have a similar amount of opportunities simply because we're actually getting rebounds and second chances inside.  call me crazy all you want.

 

 

Agreed.  I think we'll be serviceable from three, but I think we'll be exceptional getting to the rim/midrange jumpshots with the ball in the hands of Watson, Gill, and Tai.  We have good finishers.  I'm interested to see how it all shakes out.  

[hhcmatt]

 

 

 

 

 

Shooting always is the focus of the fan, but rebounding will be the biggest thing missing by losing AW III. McVeigh won't touch AW III in defense and rebounding.

I don't necessarily think you are replacing White as last years 4 with Jack as this years 4. I think Morrow/Jacobsen can match White's D and rebounding.

i was thinking morrow and jacobsen matching shavon more than white. white will be missed, but honestly i think gains on rebounding and interior D will counterbalance losing shooting. and even then, i think gill vs benny needs to be pointed out every time that people think we're losing two big guns makes our team worse.

What we get out of Gill remains to be seen but as of now it would appear we have zero personnel that is going to strike fear into the opposing team from deep. That once again is going to make this team very easy to defend. Another year of watching other teams pack it and watching us struggle to counter.

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So let me get this straight. last year we had shavon and white... .364 and .410 respectively from deep. watson wasnt good (freshman). mcveigh was about .340. tai was .350.

ok, so given that... is it really that much of a stretch to think that gill, tai and mcveigh could hit at a .370 pace between them? could watson jump up to around .340? i'm still not seeing how losing benny does anything but help (.316 from 3 last year). how much different overall is that from last year when you take into account the fact that we'll actually have an interior this year?

seriously... i'm not saying losing white doesn't hurt -- of course it does. but when you compare to last year.. it's a different equation just having jordy around. if our guards put in the work this offseason (and they have from what i've heard) then the biggest loss is who we want shooting in the last 2 minutes. some yes, but huge?

it's one thing to worry about having everyone sag down and defend the interior when you don't have an interior -- and let's be honest, we haven't had an inside game at nebraska since marik and outside of him it's been 20 years. it's quite another when you've got the bodies to bang people around a bit and a few guys who can shoot average (not good, average). losing white hurts, but it's not like we're going to drop from scoring 72 down to doc sadler levels just because of him.

edit: and i'll reiterate. rebounding makes up for a lot, and having an interior means more shots for those shooters. i'll take two shots at .370 over 1 shot at .410 every day of the week, and i can't count the number of one shot possessions we had last year.

McVeigh is obviously going to get more minutes this year...but between him and Tai this year the both of them combined for making just over 1 three pointer per game...combined. So no,as it stands I don't think any team is going to be afraid to defend the three pointer. Perhaps Gill will be that guy...but it may be asking for a lot judging by his stats at UL. One hope is new blood in Lewis coming on board and hopefully changing things up.

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We don't take a lot of 3s as a team...in some regards our offense not relying on jacking 3s will be helpful though we still need to keep firing.

 

McVeigh won't be as good shooting from 3 as White would have been....White is simply more consistent and more polished at this point in their respective careers.  However, it was typically defensive brain-farts where Miles would disgustedly pull out McVeigh vs him being terrible on offense.  It's a small sample size, but him given the opportunity to start during Shield's absence where he was required to take more shots and had a longer leash had some promising results. (12-23 from downtown - 52%). It's possible that McVeigh plays a lot better as a starter and he'll rise to occasion. 

 

Tai has been a complementary player.  Is he capable of becoming the consistent top 3 scorers on the team? Can he do that without his 3pt average plummeting? He's obviously improved his shooting game a ton but it also came with him shifting from a 50/50 2pt/3pt shooter to a 75/25 2pt/3pt. I don't think him moving back to that 50/50 ratio helps anyone and hope he continues to attack the rim while firing up a 3 on anyone who is overguarding that.

 

To me Watson is the key as he's one of the few guys on the team that can truly get a shot of when he wants to but last year made them at a Benny Parker-esque rate.  Is he capable of taking smart shots and hitting them at least at an average rate while also creating space for his teammates to get easier looks?

[uneblinstu]

I'd still like to see NU open it up more. That's where Tai has his success. I think it would compliment the games of Gill and Roby quite a bit, too.

[kldm64]

Gill can fill it up from 3.  He's a good shooter--probably our biggest threat from 3.  I think there will be games where he is deadly, but probably not as deadly as White.  

 

What are you basing your comments on about Gill can fill it up from 3 and he's probably being our biggest threat from 3?  He was not a great 3 point shooter at Louisville so just wondering why you think he's a big threat now?  I'm not even sure he would be in my top 3 players I consider our biggest threat to shoot 3 pointers.  Just curious what you are basing this on?

[huskerbaseball13]

 

Gill can fill it up from 3.  He's a good shooter--probably our biggest threat from 3.  I think there will be games where he is deadly, but probably not as deadly as White.  

 

What are you basing your comments on about Gill can fill it up from 3 and he's probably being our biggest threat from 3?  He was not a great 3 point shooter at Louisville so just wondering why you think he's a big threat now?  I'm not even sure he would be in my top 3 players I consider our biggest threat to shoot 3 pointers.  Just curious what you are basing this on?

 

 

I'm guessing it stems from the flashes that fans saw in last years fall scrimmage and talk out of practice this past season?  I think Gill is a better shooter than what he had shown at UL and he is going to get his change to prove that just like Petteway/White did.  With that said, most of the talk has been about him being a very good downhill player getting and finishing at the rim.  That may be more difficult now that AWIII bailed. 

[kldm64]

 

 

Gill can fill it up from 3.  He's a good shooter--probably our biggest threat from 3.  I think there will be games where he is deadly, but probably not as deadly as White.  

 

What are you basing your comments on about Gill can fill it up from 3 and he's probably being our biggest threat from 3?  He was not a great 3 point shooter at Louisville so just wondering why you think he's a big threat now?  I'm not even sure he would be in my top 3 players I consider our biggest threat to shoot 3 pointers.  Just curious what you are basing this on?

 

 

I'm guessing it stems from the flashes that fans saw in last years fall scrimmage and talk out of practice this past season?  I think Gill is a better shooter than what he had shown at UL and he is going to get his change to prove that just like Petteway/White did.  With that said, most of the talk has been about him being a very good downhill player getting and finishing at the rim.  That may be more difficult now that AWIII bailed. 

 

 

I think he is a better player at slashing and getting to the rim than he is a 3 point shooter.  I hope he improves tremendously in this area but that was a huge knock against him at Louisville about his poor 3 point shooting.  Would love to see him develop into one but that is why I was wondering why someone would make comments that this is going to be a strength of his when it hasn't been in the past.

[Norm Peterson]

 

 

Gill can fill it up from 3.  He's a good shooter--probably our biggest threat from 3.  I think there will be games where he is deadly, but probably not as deadly as White.  

 

What are you basing your comments on about Gill can fill it up from 3 and he's probably being our biggest threat from 3?  He was not a great 3 point shooter at Louisville so just wondering why you think he's a big threat now?  I'm not even sure he would be in my top 3 players I consider our biggest threat to shoot 3 pointers.  Just curious what you are basing this on?

 

 

I'm guessing it stems from the flashes that fans saw in last years fall scrimmage and talk out of practice this past season?  I think Gill is a better shooter than what he had shown at UL and he is going to get his change to prove that just like Petteway/White did.  With that said, most of the talk has been about him being a very good downhill player getting and finishing at the rim.  That may be more difficult now that AWIII bailed. 

 

There's no question that White leaving is a hit to the program.  The team would be better with him than without (assuming he was as humble and team-oriented as many have said he is, and therefore not worried about making sure he pads his own stats for his future pro career.)  No doubt about it, the team would be better with an Andrew White who's bought in.

 

So, yeah, not having White could affect how good the driving opportunities are for Gill getting to the rim.  That's true.

 

The answer is that some guys are going to have to step up.  Guys like McVeigh and Roby and probably Horne are going to get more minutes than they would have gotten had White stayed and they'll need to make the most of the opportunity.

 

 

I strongly believe we were an NCAA tourney caliber team this year with White on the roster.  This little setback could draw the guys together.  I'm not about to throw away this season and assume we're doomed to suck just because White decided to transfer.  It's the same attitude I would have had if he'd decided to go pro.  We have some players.  We're not without good weapons.

[Norm Peterson]

Tai Webster retweets a Jack McVeigh tweet from this morning:

 

[HuskerFever]

Tai Webster retweets a Jack McVeigh tweet from this morning:

https://twitter.com/JackMcVeigh1/status/747496029130362881

Just a little context; today is Jack's birthday.

Also, that previous sentence contains a semicolon; as well as this one.

[Norm Peterson]

Zay Roby retweeted this from Glynn Watson:

 

[Red Rum]

[uneblinstu]

Zay Roby retweeted this from Glynn Watson:

 

And Watson retweeted this from some dude I've never heard of. I like it.

 

[atskooc]

Tai Webster retweets a Jack McVeigh tweet from this morning:https://twitter.com/JackMcVeigh1/status/747496029130362881

Just a little context; today is Jack's birthday.

Also, that previous sentence contains a semicolon; as well as this one.

They're not used correctly, but I'll up arrow anyway.

[Fullbacksympathy]

Gill can fill it up from 3. He's a good shooter--probably our biggest threat from 3. I think there will be games where he is deadly, but probably not as deadly as White.

What are you basing your comments on about Gill can fill it up from 3 and he's probably being our biggest threat from 3? He was not a great 3 point shooter at Louisville so just wondering why you think he's a big threat now? I'm not even sure he would be in my top 3 players I consider our biggest threat to shoot 3 pointers. Just curious what you are basing this on?

The real knock is about shots when the games count, from my understanding, so your concern is valid. He needs to be able to have the green light because his 3pt shooting hasn't been anywhere near what he shows in practice/pickup games. Definitely a slasher first.