uneblinstu's postgame chatter: vol 14; Introduction - vs. Peru St.

[uneblinstu]

It was good to be back!

 

Saw some things I liked, definitely room for growth. Really excited to see more from this group!

 

I'll post more thoughts later.

[HolyBobpilgrimage]

Really fun to be back. Especially nice esp considering the long hiatus of fans. The kids seemed to really feed on the presence in the building of the fans.

 

Gonna come back and take a look at the box score - - they like to make it hard to find boxes for these unofficial exhibition games.

 

Explosive athletic and young. Not gonna win every one, but I guarantee you guys it'll be fun and we'll score. Chemistry is high and they're deep. Already some fan and team favorite characters... All you need for good college hoops. Ah, how great it feels this time of year, to be back!

[HolyBobpilgrimage]

Got there late so I missed intros and the first 3 or 4 of game time. Anyone have any takeaways from that?

Like last couple years,  Im a huge fan of the new DJ and music feature. But I guess I'm still young, at a mere 30.

[HuskerFever]

29 minutes ago, uneblinstu said:

It was good to be back!

 

Saw some things I liked, definitely room for growth. Really excited to see more from this group!

 

I'll post more thoughts later.

 

You don't know how elating it was to see a postgame thread back on this board...

[basketballjones]

So fun to see the guys back, playing in front of a crowd, and taking care of business.

 

 I’m going to say one thing that’s gonna piss people off and I’m gonna say one thing I’m 100% right on and if you disagree I think you’re wrong.

 

 I hope… we’ll put it this way… everyone on this team knows once practice starts and the games are going - all your NIL bs is done. Your pods and promotions are not a focus. And this season isn’t about 1 or 2 players. It’s about the whole team. I’ll leave it at that.

 

Second thing that I’ll be a little more black and white about: Verge is our point guard Trey is not. Hope that decision is made soon. 

[Huskerpapa]

Yeah...the fact that many of us were able to attend a live basketball game was the best take away of the night.  I will be honest, the crowd went through a preseason as well.  At times it even felt a bit awkward; yet fantastic, if that makes any sense at all.

This was an exhibition game against an inferior opponent who had a bit of spit and vinegar, a couple local players  and a good night beyond the arc.  That said, here are a few of my takeaways:

- Verge is a playa.  Think Cam with a shot and a desire to play all around ball.  My initial gut reaction is that he makes the team much better.

- The McGowens brothers may have pressed a bit tonight.  They are going to put together some shows.  Bryce may get bounced around a bit as he becomes the super dude we all expect. 

- Our bigs have hands...let me repeat that...our bigs have hands.  We will actually have a solid inside game.

- Let me add, I really like that Briedenbach kid :)

- oh...and if Andre is #3 in the big man rotation, that tells me we have a pretty decent rotation... 

- THIS WAS ONLY AN EXHIBITION!!!

- BUT methinks we are going to be pretty good and/or very much improved. 

 

Edited October 28, 2021 by Huskerpapa

[Huskerpapa]

5 minutes ago, basketballjones said:

So fun to see the guys back, playing in front of a crowd, and taking care of business.

 

 I’m going to say one thing that’s gonna piss people off and I’m gonna say one thing I’m 100% right on and if you disagree I think you’re wrong.

 

 I hope… we’ll put it this way… everyone on this team knows once practice starts and the games are going - all your NIL bs is done. Your pods and promotions are not a focus. And this season isn’t about 1 or 2 players. It’s about the whole team. I’ll leave it at that.

 

Second thing that I’ll be a little more black and white about: Verge is our point guard Trey is not. Hope that decision is made soon. 

We will need both of them during the season; yet I liked the start of the second half when they shared the floor.

[Huskerpapa]

Keon had a better three ball than I expected.

***any guesses as to which player drew the biggest crowd buzz when he entered the game???  If you guessed a certain Japanese sniper, you would be correct.

[HolyBobpilgrimage]

For sure, that was a welcome surprise to see a good inside game start to develop throughout the game... and we were all confused why andre didnt see the court for 35 min of the game... methinks it was fred experimenting with smaller fast lineups. whatever it means, when he did hit the court he was so dominant. what I love to see with the big men is the active hands and jumping, effort on the boards... there were a few athletic possessions by Ed where he blocked then tipped the ball up a few times and then got the rebound or tipped it to a teammate. thats what we like to see!

other bigs/wings who can rebound:

 

Lat

our lithuanian dude, Oleg

Alonzo and his activity where he seems to be everywhere on the court, at all times. the energy he brings!

VILHEIM!

Andre

 

That's not bad. esp considering my expectations coming in of this team being more of a versatile Every-guy-is-a-6'7-wing kind of lineup. yet we dont seem to suffer from a slow big anymore.

All this with a caveat of course, exhibition

they're a little lazy on some possessions but Im not upset at anything really, this was routine. slow start but this team has a HIGH ceiling from my biased point of view

[Huskerpapa]

26 minutes ago, HolyBobpilgrimage said:

Got there late so I missed intros and the first 3 or 4 of game time. Anyone have any takeaways from that?

Like last couple years,  Im a huge fan of the new DJ and music feature. But I guess I'm still young, at a mere 30.

The DJ was okay...that was a bit awkward though when he first yelled "go big red" and the crowd sort of under reacted.

I will also be interested in the fan reaction to the playing of the  unification song and then the national anthem.   I kind of liked it, but the stretch is sort of lengthy.  I wonder if all college basketball is going to handle it the same way? 

Edited October 28, 2021 by Huskerpapa

[HolyBobpilgrimage]

7 minutes ago, Huskerpapa said:

Keon had a better three ball than I expected.

***any guesses as to which player drew the biggest crowd buzz when he entered the game???  If you guessed a certain Japanese sniper, you would be correct.

haha yeah a lot of guys have a nicer stroke than even I expected. although I have had recent low expectations for our shooting and FT%, after recent years.

 

OMG Tominaga and Wilhelm are huge fan favs already. I love them. and all the dudes/personalities on this team. cant wait to see video of locker room celebrations when we upset a team in the B1G this year... its almost inevitable considering the big volume of these opportunities we will get in the best conference in college basketball

[HolyBobpilgrimage]

1 minute ago, Huskerpapa said:

The DJ was okay...that was a bit awkward though when he first yelled "go big red" and the crowd sort of under reacted.

I will also be interested in the fan reaction to the playing of the  unification song and then the national anthem.   I kind of liked it, but the stretch is sort of lengthy.  I wonder if all college basketball is going to handle it the same way? 

oh yeah, I'd agree there with that particular stunt... we all know it's a husker tradition of the 3x GBR chant, but cmon dude it does seem real forced (especially for a lukewarm exhibition crowd. they could probably do well to read the room a bit more in the future

 

unification song? what's that? I feel out of the loop

[HolyBobpilgrimage]

The box, thanks to a friend here;

Box

 

Sorry,  you'll have to Re teach me how to insert to show the little picture of the page in preview... Guess that's unnecessary anyway.

Edited October 28, 2021 by HolyBobpilgrimage

[hskr4life]

Only got to see the majority of the 2nd half.

 

-- Effort was not there on the D Boards and it showed in the score line for a little bit.  It seemed like PST was making a bunch of threes because they would usually get 2 looks per possession so it seemed like they couldn't miss.  

 

-- Verge will be the best all around PG since?  Dare I say he may be the piece this puzzle would have been missing for the year.

 

-- Really interesting to see the McGowens Brothers struggle so much.  Even in the 2nd half.  Never a great thing when your 3rd string post is able to outscore your two starting guards in just 4-5 minutes of work.  With that being said, I have no doubt that the McGowens brothers will figure it out.  Also-- Andre is a pretty decent 3rd string post too.  

 

-- Didn't see him in the first half, but I think I'm going to like this Heem kid as well.  

 

-- Mentioned it in the game thread, but I'll say it here to.  If you are not doing your job, playing hard, scoring, or hustling this year... you're in trouble because there will be someone right there to take your spot!

[Swan88]

50% from three (11 of 22) and 78% from the line (14 of 18) are major improvements over last year.

Edited October 28, 2021 by Swan88

[OurDecay]

Just got home from the game, a few thoughts:

 

- this is unquestionably Verge’s team.  The crowd was sparse enough tonight that you could hear them talking on the court, and Verge is pure alpha.  Demands attention of his teammates.  Doesn’t berate them, but he is running the show.

 

- Now, the flip side of that is that this was Trey’s team last year.  I felt like Trey couldn’t get into his role tonight offensively.  He brings great defensive energy, and that leads to good things.  But when your leading returning score doesn’t officially attempt a shot, it raises some eyebrows.  If he isn’t the point, then I’m not sure he is comfortable in his new role.  
 

- the spacing with Verge & Walker was beautiful.  When we went 5 wide I expected Bryce and Trey to be able to drive and finish and they didn’t.  The guy guarding Trey took away his left and Trey struggled.  Bryce couldn’t get around the guy guarding him.

 

- I think when you look closely at pedigree, you could argue that Keon is as big a recruit as Bryce.  Keon is big enough to play the 4 and an absolute specimen.  He obviously was lights out from outside.  I feel like Fred was testing the idea of subbing out Mayen for him, and I think there is some promise there.  He is physically different and will be a nightmare on both ends of the court as he matures

 

- Wilhelm is an excellent and skilled player.  On the replay, watch how he directs people on the defensive end.  He is vocal and almost always gets to the right places on both ends of the court.  He will play plenty.

 

- it may not matter, but Andre and Lakes are much improved.  We are deep and have lots of options

 

- about Bryce…if you watched the game tonight without knowing anything about our players…he did not strike me as a highly rated guy.  Contrast it to the way all the aforementioned guys flashed.  I have no doubt he is Uber talented, but to me he needs to start small and figure out a focus…whether it is defense, 3-pt-shooting, driving, passing…whatever.  He has the talent to do it all well, but he would be served by finding a niche and excelling, and then expanding his game

 

One last comment.  I agree with the point above about the NIL.  The season has started, let’s focus now.  Some of our players looked unprepared.

[basketballjones]

28 minutes ago, Huskerpapa said:

We will need both of them during the season; yet I liked the start of the second half when they shared the floor.

They’re going to have to. Trey is our best defender and most explosive guy off the bounce vs a bad close out. He can also hit shots.

 

But transition starts with Verge and ball screens are for Verge.

[HolyBobpilgrimage]

another little nugget: I was shocked when I noticed how built and tall lakes is, I didn't expect that; with him standing next to sam, he's a legit 6'8, and sam is my height (6').

We have a great physical profile as a team. I think this looks different than a usual big ten roster,(long wings, everyone's a guard) but that's because it's fred's plan... and I think if we make the postseason it'll help us in  the long run.

still can't get over how incredible it feels to have this depth.

the brothers will get it together (hopefully sooner than later), and when they do, watch out. Might be lookin at 5 more wins than the expectation, closer to 20 at tops I think. goal is still to get close to .500 and make the postseason. just wanna see a better performance, and for gods sake, please, some more wins than we've had before! double digits isn't too much to ask for.

Edited October 28, 2021 by HolyBobpilgrimage

[hhcmatt]

box score

 

[hskr4life]

1 minute ago, hhcmatt said:

box score

 

 

Andre averaging 40 points and 25 rebounds per 40 minutes played.... Seriously though, was impressed with him when he came in.  Came in "fighting" for a spot and not "mopeing" for one.  That was nice to see.

[hhcmatt]

56 minutes ago, hskr4life said:

-- Verge will be the best all around PG since?  Dare I say he may be the piece this puzzle would have been missing for the year.

 

Verge strikes me as someone who can weather adversity but I recall Cam Mack looking quite good, especially against lesser opponents 

[Norm Peterson]

Starter minutes: 97; starter points: 30

 

Bench minutes: 103; bench points: 67

 

36 made shots; 25 assists.

[Faux Mike Peltz]

I drove through the 18 wheeler road spray from Omaha - super excited about this years team. 
Tominaga and Wilhelm both met expectations. Wilhelm is quite skilled for his size.

B5- Yikes. 2-8 and 0-4 from distance. Generally did not look like he could drive past his defender. I really hope this was just a total fluke/anomaly, but I would think first game at PBA (exhibition yes) that he would’ve wanted to show up and show out. 
Keon is a nice prospect. Good size and a great shooting stroke.

Wilcher is a pretty good sized body out there as well.

our 7 footer looks very fluid and has good, probably great mobility for a guy that size. Did a very nice quick spin move and then hard dunk during warmups that Yvan and Sergei V wouldn’t dream of attempting.

[Fullbacksympathy]

Something I’ve noticed: most of our newcomers are complete players. 
 

Verge, Heem, Keon, and even Keisei look pretty versatile on both ends to me.  I think there are going to be plenty of nights where  those guys are our best players.  

 

These 4 dudes shot 17/21 FG, 7/9 3pt, 8/9 FT.  That really, really matters.  

 

Bryce should be one of those guys, but he’s a little Jaron Boonish at this point—needs to sharpen up just about every part of his game.  If he’s not shooting well, he’s a liability because he doesn’t defend or drive particularly well at this point, and zero rebounds with that frame is unacceptable.  
 

Trey is a defensive monster and did a nice job passing.  But I consider him a defensive specialist at this point.  
 

Walker and Eddy looked great, but as bruisers, they’ll have trouble being that efficient against better competition, and Walker didn’t get enough rebounds.  
 

It’s going to be a fascinating season.  

[MandRHusker]

I saw a pretty intensive scrimmage recently and in that scrimmage Bruce hit all his shots and looked like a 5 star. Conversely Keon looked a bit lost. Young players in a new system. They’ll both be great players for us once they’re comfortable.