2017 SG - Thorir Thorbjarnarson - LOI

[Navin R. Johnson]

40 minutes ago, hhcdimes said:

 

Ray Gallegos had the unconventional mid-career redshirt

 

I think Brandon Richardson also redshirted the traditional way at the same time as Toney McCray.

[Norm Peterson]

22 hours ago, hskr4life said:

 

 

Have to be honest.  I'm pretty excited about this commit.  First, it came out of the blue, and that's always something that generates a little excitement.  But second, I just love the way he flies down the court.  This kid does a good job of pushing tempo.  High energy kid with some range on his jumper.  He needs some work in the weight room and needs to get some more jump into his jump shot, but I really like this pickup.  At this stage of the game, adding another shooter is a good thing.

 

Watch the video again and see how many passes he receives not just to hit a spot up 3 but on a fast break or in-bound play where he's made himself a passing target.  Moves well without the ball.  The one inbound play, he makes a great cut to free himself and then jets to the basket, gets the inbound pass and scores. He rewards passers by 1) getting himself open; and 2) making the shot.

 

Kamaka Hepa, take note: this might be the first Icelandic kid to get a Power 5 scholarship in hoops.  Would be nice to have him joined by the first Inuit kid to get a Power 5 scholarship in hoops.  Think about it. 

Edited August 7, 2017 by Norm Peterson

[Red Don]

I've always thought we should do a better job of recruiting Iceland!

[Norm Peterson]

5 hours ago, huskerbaseball13 said:

Small sample size(7 games) but he shot 28%(21/73) from the field and 14%(4/28) from 3PT in the U20 European Championship.  Did better the previous year at the U18 event scoring 19PPG shooting 38% from the field and 30% from 3PT.  Worst case he transfers out after the year if it doesn't work out...would much rather have the body than not using the scholarship. 

 

I think that's important to point out: at a U18 event, he shot 30% from 3; at a U20 event the next year, when he barely 19, he only shot 14% from 3 in not very many games.

 

What was Glynn Watson's 3 pt accuracy his freshman year?  Oh, yeah, it was 27% his first year and 40% last year.  He didn't change his mechanics; he just got better.

 

There's a lot about this kid's stroke that is solid and doesn't need changing.  While I'd like to see him get a bit more elevation on the shot, his stroke is compact and not a lot of moving parts.  It's also very quick. 

 

In about the same number of games and same number of attempts from the Euro 3 pt distance, Andrew White shot about 22% from three during our Spain trip a couple of years ago.  Look how much those numbers improved across a season here.

[atskooc]

Best name we've had since Richard van Poelgeest?

 

Gets my vote.

[uneblinstu]

5 hours ago, Norm Peterson said:

 

Speaking of which, is this about the quickest we've ever gone from start of a recruiting thread to offer to commit?

 

4 hours ago, 49r said:

 

It looks like Duby was close, his commitment is on page 3 of his thread.  Thor's commitment came on page 2.

 

In real time, Thor clocked in just over 17 hours. Duby was a little over 2 weeks.

[Bugeaters1]

2 hours ago, Norm Peterson said:

 

Have to be honest.  I'm pretty excited about this commit.  First, it came out of the blue, and that's always something that generates a little excitement.  But second, I just love the way he flies down the court.  This kid does a good job of pushing tempo.  High energy kid with some range on his jumper.  He needs some work in the weight room and needs to get some more jump into his jump shot, but I really like this pickup.  At this stage of the game, adding another shooter is a good thing.

 

Watch the video again and see how many passes he receives not just to hit a spot up 3 but on a fast break or in-bound play where he's made himself a passing target.  Moves well without the ball.  The one inbound play, he makes a great cut to free himself and then jets to the basket, gets the inbound pass and scores. He rewards passers by 1) getting himself open; and 2) making the shot.

 

Kamaka Hepa, take note: this might be the first Icelandic kid to get a Power 5 scholarship in hoops.  Would be nice to have him joined by the first Inuit kid to get a Power 5 scholarship in hoops.  Think about it. 

And as a plus he is a wrong arm. great to have a wrong arm on the team.

 

[jimmykc]

And let us not forget, old Jimmy predicted the addition of both a giant from Brazil, and an a sleeper from Iceland to Nebraska rosters on April 1 prognostications many years ago. You can look it up. 

[49r]

Hey Jimmy, how about next time you prognosticate the addition of a couple of 5* from Chicago or something?

Edited August 7, 2017 by 49r

[Dead Dog Alley]

3 hours ago, Norm Peterson said:

 

Toney McCray

 

Brandon Richardson redshirted, also.  Who was so banged up by the end of his career that he couldn't do the thing that was his strong point of his game when he signed.

 

The worst thing about redshirting Toney McCray was that the way things played out he would have gotten a medical redshirt his third season anyway.

[Dead Dog Alley]

6 hours ago, jason2486 said:

Could be the left-handed deal, but I see Manu Ginobli, especially his shooting form. I would be OKAY with that!

I'd settle for Nik Stauskas.

[uneblinstu]

29 minutes ago, jimmykc said:

And let us not forget, old Jimmy predicted the addition of both a giant from Brazil, and an a sleeper from Iceland to Nebraska rosters on April 1 prognostications many years ago. You can look it up. 

That's @Norm Peterson's job.

[FredsSlacks]

iceland? is he a white walker?

[ajb5856]

I can hear the spooky vibrato of the PA guy already...

 

Thorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr-iiiiiiiirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Thorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr-bjaaaaaaaaaaaaar-naaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrr-aaaa-ssssssoooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnn 

 

finishing with 5 seconds left on the shot clock of our opposition's next possession.

[Huskerpapa]

I went out and "google earthed" his hometown.  It is a beautiful location but it looks cold.  They have a Domino's Pizza, I kid you not.  I cannot pronounce the names of the other restaurants.  Point is, there may be a bit of a culture shock with this young man. 

[Silverbacked1]

9 hours ago, jason2486 said:

Could be the left-handed deal, but I see Manu Ginobli, especially his shooting form. I would be OKAY with that!

 

Exactly what my son said.. I think it is how he holds the ball on lays ups,and everything is an under hand flip.. Also that kind of extra but not step that Euro basketball players do.

 

I like a lot 

[hal9000]

On 8/6/2017 at 5:44 PM, hskr4life said:

 

Sure are a lot of zebras on the floor.  I mean I've heard of 7 on 5, but dang.  

[Huskerpapa]

http://www.theindependent.com/sports/huskers_hq/thorbjarnarson-commits-to-tim-miles-huskers/article_ce7a08be-7bc2-11e7-8651-bb92f7808f08.html

 

Thorbjarnarson, who goes by Thor, is immediately eligible and will enroll when the fall semester starts Aug. 21.

 

Though his recruitment appeared sudden, sources said Nebraska had been tracking Thorbjarnarson for months through the work of Ali Farokhmanesh, who was NU’s director of player relations and now is an assistant at Drake. Farokhmanesh played four years of pro ball overseas.

 

Also:

 

DraftExpress offered this analysis after the July tournament:

“After turning in tremendous U18 performances in 2016 and 2015, Thorbjarnarson struggled a bit at the U20 level, having issues scoring efficiently in the half court. He struggled to finish over superior size and length.

“He’s at his best when he’s playing with the ball, getting downhill out of a pick and roll. He has great body control, floater finishes and some creativity as the primary ball-handler. He’s competitive and fairly skilled despite being a very inconsistent jump shooter. Defensively, he has quick hands and excellent instincts even though he’s not overly long or physical.

“He has value as a mid-major slashing, playmaking wing who could become really valuable if the program that takes him is able to turn him into a more reliable shooter than what he showed at this event.’’

[Norm Peterson]

Watched the first half (skipping the parts where Thor wasn't in the game) of the FIBA European U20 Champs earlier this summer where Iceland played the Germans.  Several observations:

 

1.  Some people were concerned about the level of competition he was playing.  These German dudes are good with guys like Mo Wagner from Michigan and a guy who played at St. John's before becoming a Euro pros and some other German pros who could have probably played D1 in the U.S.

2.  The offense they're running on the U20 team featured a 7 footer who was the primary target of their half-court offensive sets.  Thor is basically playing with the older kids here and he's no longer the focus of the offense.  The way he's being utilized might explain his bad 3-pt shooting numbers in this particular tournament.  

3.  I still see him pushing the ball in transition and he still was running the floor very fast.  He also drives with his right hand and was attacking the rim, so fear not that he can only use his left hand.

4.  Defense needs work.  But then, this was a national team playing in a tournament at a level above where he's used to playing, and so he's not playing with the guys he's used to playing with nor playing a role he's used to playing.  That probably has an effect.

5.  I think he'll make the transition to D1 and I think he's worthy of a Power 5 conference scholarship. Not saying he's a lottery pick or that he'll be in the starting lineup the moment he reaches campus.  I'm just saying he looks to be the part of a D1 scholarship recruit.  I don't think he's the reach that some on here might fear.

 

 

[ajb5856]

11 hours ago, jason2486 said:

Could be the left-handed deal, but I see Manu Ginobli, especially his shooting form. I would be OKAY with that!

The euro step sold me

[BigTate]

I don't know much about basketball in Iceland but there is a pretty good band by the name of Sigur Ros from Iceland?

[49r]

Sugarcubes, too.

 

 

[hhcmatt]

11 hours ago, huskercwg said:

Though his recruitment appeared sudden, sources said Nebraska had been tracking Thorbjarnarson for months through the work of Ali Farokhmanesh, who was NU’s director of player relations and now is an assistant at Drake. Farokhmanesh played four years of pro ball overseas.

 

I should have been able to connect the dots better when hearing about the Drake visit

[hal9000]

20 minutes ago, BigTate said:

I don't know much about basketball in Iceland but there is a pretty good band by the name of Sigur Ros from Iceland?

Thumbs up on your avatar BigTate

[49r]

12 hours ago, huskercwg said:

I went out and "google earthed" his hometown.  It is a beautiful location but it looks cold.  They have a Domino's Pizza, I kid you not.  I cannot pronounce the names of the other restaurants.  Point is, there may be a bit of a culture shock with this young man. 

 

Following your lead, I did the same thing.  Wow, that place is way up there.  Really not far from the Arctic Circle at all.