Next Year's Roster?

[49r]

rey is who he is.

 

He's finishing up his 4th year on campus.   He's not going to be a different player next year.  

 

Jeter improved but he had only been on campus one year, not 4...and safe to say he was the exception not the norm.

 

Rey isn't going to suddenly become some great player.   He's going to be a guy who plays solid defense, doesn't handle the ball well and will have some nights where he melts the nets and others where he couldn't make a lay-up.   The key is going to be if we can surround him with enough help so that when he does have his off-nights..they don't impact us so heavily.

 

This is fair enough.  No, his game will probably not be appreciably different next year, but the team will.  That may prove to be what makes the difference for him.  I also still believe in intangibles, and senior leadership.  Those are the guys who are usually the least likely to get rattled in tough situations.  In the B1G that's extremely important, we may be more talented next year, but we're going to be sorely lacking in that leadership and experience.  That's why I believe Ray is going to be important to the team next year.

[hugh42]

More than likely, Ray will still be our most athletic guard next season, which I think tends to get overlooked.  And for those that say he can't create his own shot, I would beg to differ.  Considering teams know to guard the 3 point line, Ray still manages to create enough space to get the shot off, even without a screen.  And when he is on the break he has had some acrobatic finishes that show he has more to his game than just shooting the jumper.  With more experience his game should continue to improve and having better talent around him won't hurt either.

[CrazyforNUHOOPS]

This year there was need for those guys to start, next year there won't be. None of those freshman will come in and be ready to play over Ray 13 games into the season.

 

 

Ray's a pretty good defender, I guess, but is that enough? Give me the compelling argument for why Ray Gallegos is a lock to start next year over a guy like Tai Webster.

I'd actually say Ray is a poor defender.....and Webster will play the 1.

[Norm Peterson]

Y'know, one of the things I get frustrated by is people who basically say that a player's skillset when they arrive on campus is what it is and will and can never change.  We talk about this with respect to shooting technique and how some people say not to mess around with or try to change a guy's shot and how the important thing is whether it goes in or not.

 

Listen, people said the same exact thing about Taylor Martinez's throwing motion.  I remember some sort of press conference deal where Tim Beck was defending the way Taylor Martinez threw the ball before this year and saying what counts is if he gets the ball where it needs to be when it needs to get there.  But the problem was that his mechanics affected his ability to put the ball where it needed to be and when.  There is a fundamental relationship between the two.  And they acted like it was something immutable that couldn't be changed.

 

So, what does Taylor do?  Summer before his junior year of college, he goes out to California and works with a guy and improves his damn mechanics.  And all last fall, every televised football game, the genius announcers would talk about Taylor's improved mechanics and what a difference it's made in his throwing.  And I wanted to say, "well DUH!"  Of course it makes a difference.  Sad thing is, Taylor was supposed to go out to California the summer before that but instead spent it in Omaha learning how to run the option with Eric Crouch.  Not that Eric ain't a great player, but it's Taylor's throwing that needed the work and he finally got it after being in the program for 4 years.

 

So, Ray Gallegos takes a redshirt year.  And spends time working on his shot.  And, while it might not seem like it's had a lot of impact, I think that it has.  He's facing a lot more defensive attention than he ever has before and he's able to hit shots while closely guarded.  I wish Brandon Ubel would have spent a summer working on overhauling his shot.  A guy his size who hits 80% or better from the stripe ought to be able to stroke it at least half that good from beyond the arc.  I think his mechanics held him back.  I honestly do. 

 

But, back to Ray.  It's getting late, but it's not too late, for Ray to work on his ball handling.  It'll take work.  I think his coaches could probably devise things for him to do to work on being a better ball handler and learn how to take his defender off the dribble.  It won't happen by osmosis and it won't happen if he doesn't work on it.  But I don't believe that it CAN'T happen.  I believe it CAN.  I just am not sure it will.  But, if it does, then all the people who think highly of Ray and think he'll contribute greatly next year will be right.  What Ray lacks is a second tool.  Take away his perimeter shot and he doesn't hurt you.  Hedge every screen, force him to his left, but stay in his jock and he's not going to burn you for a lot of points.

 

He has one year left to take his game to the next level.  I don't think there's any legitimate reason, with his athleticism, why he can't become a threat to slash and get to the rim.  But it's up to Ray.  It's ALL up to Ray as to what kind of player he wants to be.  And, if he just brings shooting to the table next year (on the offensive end) well, we'll have guys on the roster who will be able to shoot more effectively.  So ... what's it gonna be, Ray?  Are you going to be satisfied coming back next year as just an older version of what you were this year?  Or are you going to add another tool to your arsenal.  It really is that simple.

[Hooper]

More than likely, Ray will still be our most athletic guard next season, which I think tends to get overlooked.  And for those that say he can't create his own shot, I would beg to differ.  Considering teams know to guard the 3 point line, Ray still manages to create enough space to get the shot off, even without a screen.  And when he is on the break he has had some acrobatic finishes that show he has more to his game than just shooting the jumper.  With more experience his game should continue to improve and having better talent around him won't hurt either.

 

I happen to believe that Tai Webster will be our most athletic guard next season, and Biggs may even be more athletic than Ray. We'll see. I really hope you're wrong about that. My personal opinion is that I've seen Webster do things athletically on the court that I don't believe Ray could do. I haven't seen more than two plays of Biggs, but he's supposed to be extremely quick and athletic, and extremely difficult to guard. I guess we'll see. Obviously, if Ray is NOT the most athletic guard next season, that's very good news for Husker hoops.

 

 

This year there was need for those guys to start, next year there won't be. None of those freshman will come in and be ready to play over Ray 13 games into the season.

 

 

Ray's a pretty good defender, I guess, but is that enough? Give me the compelling argument for why Ray Gallegos is a lock to start next year over a guy like Tai Webster.

I'd actually say Ray is a poor defender.....and Webster will play the 1.

 

What if Webster is one of the two best guards, though? If he's one of the top-two guards, then he could end up at either spot. We have to get our two best guards on the court together. Webster can play either.

[Norm Peterson]

Hoops, I hope you're right about Webster.  If he's the top 25 type player Fraschilla says, then we're in for some good days ahead.  Just need that one quality big.  Because Fuller is a hell of a player.  And Hawkins can stroke it.  If Webster is what people think he might be, oooooh.  Nebrasketball is going places it hasn't gone before.  It's tantalyzing to think about it.  Wish I knew more about the kind of player Webster will be.

[49r]

Y'know, one of the things I get frustrated by is people who basically say that a player's skillset when they arrive on campus is what it is and will and can never change.  We talk about this with respect to shooting technique and how some people say not to mess around with or try to change a guy's shot and how the important thing is whether it goes in or not.

 

Listen, people said the same exact thing about Taylor Martinez's throwing motion.  I remember some sort of press conference deal where Tim Beck was defending the way Taylor Martinez threw the ball before this year and saying what counts is if he gets the ball where it needs to be when it needs to get there.  But the problem was that his mechanics affected his ability to put the ball where it needed to be and when.  There is a fundamental relationship between the two.  And they acted like it was something immutable that couldn't be changed.

 

So, what does Taylor do?  Summer before his junior year of college, he goes out to California and works with a guy and improves his damn mechanics.  And all last fall, every televised football game, the genius announcers would talk about Taylor's improved mechanics and what a difference it's made in his throwing.  And I wanted to say, "well DUH!"  Of course it makes a difference.  Sad thing is, Taylor was supposed to go out to California the summer before that but instead spent it in Omaha learning how to run the option with Eric Crouch.  Not that Eric ain't a great player, but it's Taylor's throwing that needed the work and he finally got it after being in the program for 4 years.

 

So, Ray Gallegos takes a redshirt year.  And spends time working on his shot.  And, while it might not seem like it's had a lot of impact, I think that it has.  He's facing a lot more defensive attention than he ever has before and he's able to hit shots while closely guarded.  I wish Brandon Ubel would have spent a summer working on overhauling his shot.  A guy his size who hits 80% or better from the stripe ought to be able to stroke it at least half that good from beyond the arc.  I think his mechanics held him back.  I honestly do. 

 

But, back to Ray.  It's getting late, but it's not too late, for Ray to work on his ball handling.  It'll take work.  I think his coaches could probably devise things for him to do to work on being a better ball handler and learn how to take his defender off the dribble.  It won't happen by osmosis and it won't happen if he doesn't work on it.  But I don't believe that it CAN'T happen.  I believe it CAN.  I just am not sure it will.  But, if it does, then all the people who think highly of Ray and think he'll contribute greatly next year will be right.  What Ray lacks is a second tool.  Take away his perimeter shot and he doesn't hurt you.  Hedge every screen, force him to his left, but stay in his jock and he's not going to burn you for a lot of points.

 

He has one year left to take his game to the next level.  I don't think there's any legitimate reason, with his athleticism, why he can't become a threat to slash and get to the rim.  But it's up to Ray.  It's ALL up to Ray as to what kind of player he wants to be.  And, if he just brings shooting to the table next year (on the offensive end) well, we'll have guys on the roster who will be able to shoot more effectively.  So ... what's it gonna be, Ray?  Are you going to be satisfied coming back next year as just an older version of what you were this year?  Or are you going to add another tool to your arsenal.  It really is that simple.

 

POTD.

 

Good work, Norm!  

[Hooper]

Hoops, I hope you're right about Webster.  If he's the top 25 type player Fraschilla says, then we're in for some good days ahead.  Just need that one quality big.  Because Fuller is a hell of a player.  And Hawkins can stroke it.  If Webster is what people think he might be, oooooh.  Nebrasketball is going places it hasn't gone before.  It's tantalyzing to think about it.  Wish I knew more about the kind of player Webster will be.

 

Norm, I don't hear a lot of inside info about the basketball program, but one thing I did hear from someone whose contact talks to Miles and his staff regularly was that Webster was "the real deal" and would play a BIG role on the team next year. Exactly what that means remains to be seen, but they have big plans for him this season. I believe the staff feels he's our most talented player. Also, he had to have done some pretty special things in international play for Fraschilla to say such dramatic things about him.

 

Also, players have told people that Biggs is the best athlete on the current roster, but apparently his mental game isn't up to the level of his physical skills yet.

[Norm Peterson]

49r, does the "D" in "POTD" stand for day or decade?  Just wonderin'.  

[Norm Peterson]

Hoops, that's good to hear.  I feel pretty comfortable that, for the most part, I know what I see.  And from what I've seen of Fuller, he's going to be a talent upgrade for sure.  If Webster comes in and he's even better, then we will have some guys with skills sufficient to challenge teams in the upper half of the league.  Not necessarily beat them night in and night out, but enough that we'll be a tough out for anyone.  Not a gimme anymore.  (I hate being someone else's gimme.)  Some nights, we'll still lose those games, but if those guys are what we think they'll be, then some nights we're going to beat some very good teams.  

 

Still just looking for that one quality big who can bring it all together.

[nustudent]

rey is who he is.

 

He's finishing up his 4th year on campus.   He's not going to be a different player next year.  

 

Jeter improved but he had only been on campus one year, not 4...and safe to say he was the exception not the norm.

 

Rey isn't going to suddenly become some great player.   He's going to be a guy who plays solid defense, doesn't handle the ball well and will have some nights where he melts the nets and others where he couldn't make a lay-up.   The key is going to be if we can surround him with enough help so that when he does have his off-nights..they don't impact us so heavily.

 

This is fair enough.  No, his game will probably not be appreciably different next year, but the team will.  That may prove to be what makes the difference for him.  I also still believe in intangibles, and senior leadership.  Those are the guys who are usually the least likely to get rattled in tough situations.  In the B1G that's extremely important, we may be more talented next year, but we're going to be sorely lacking in that leadership and experience.  That's why I believe Ray is going to be important to the team next year.

Possibly...but its not the end all be all as we saw last.   We had an extremely veteran squad and it had little leadership.

 

As I said earlier in this thread...the safe money would be on Gallegos to start more than he doesn't.   But I don't think it'd be the upset of the century to see Webster and Biggs win starting roles.

[nustudent]

Y'know, one of the things I get frustrated by is people who basically say that a player's skillset when they arrive on campus is what it is and will and can never change.  We talk about this with respect to shooting technique and how some people say not to mess around with or try to change a guy's shot and how the important thing is whether it goes in or not.

 

Listen, people said the same exact thing about Taylor Martinez's throwing motion.  I remember some sort of press conference deal where Tim Beck was defending the way Taylor Martinez threw the ball before this year and saying what counts is if he gets the ball where it needs to be when it needs to get there.  But the problem was that his mechanics affected his ability to put the ball where it needed to be and when.  There is a fundamental relationship between the two.  And they acted like it was something immutable that couldn't be changed.

 

So, what does Taylor do?  Summer before his junior year of college, he goes out to California and works with a guy and improves his damn mechanics.  And all last fall, every televised football game, the genius announcers would talk about Taylor's improved mechanics and what a difference it's made in his throwing.  And I wanted to say, "well DUH!"  Of course it makes a difference.  Sad thing is, Taylor was supposed to go out to California the summer before that but instead spent it in Omaha learning how to run the option with Eric Crouch.  Not that Eric ain't a great player, but it's Taylor's throwing that needed the work and he finally got it after being in the program for 4 years.

 

So, Ray Gallegos takes a redshirt year.  And spends time working on his shot.  And, while it might not seem like it's had a lot of impact, I think that it has.  He's facing a lot more defensive attention than he ever has before and he's able to hit shots while closely guarded.  I wish Brandon Ubel would have spent a summer working on overhauling his shot.  A guy his size who hits 80% or better from the stripe ought to be able to stroke it at least half that good from beyond the arc.  I think his mechanics held him back.  I honestly do. 

 

But, back to Ray.  It's getting late, but it's not too late, for Ray to work on his ball handling.  It'll take work.  I think his coaches could probably devise things for him to do to work on being a better ball handler and learn how to take his defender off the dribble.  It won't happen by osmosis and it won't happen if he doesn't work on it.  But I don't believe that it CAN'T happen.  I believe it CAN.  I just am not sure it will.  But, if it does, then all the people who think highly of Ray and think he'll contribute greatly next year will be right.  What Ray lacks is a second tool.  Take away his perimeter shot and he doesn't hurt you.  Hedge every screen, force him to his left, but stay in his jock and he's not going to burn you for a lot of points.

 

He has one year left to take his game to the next level.  I don't think there's any legitimate reason, with his athleticism, why he can't become a threat to slash and get to the rim.  But it's up to Ray.  It's ALL up to Ray as to what kind of player he wants to be.  And, if he just brings shooting to the table next year (on the offensive end) well, we'll have guys on the roster who will be able to shoot more effectively.  So ... what's it gonna be, Ray?  Are you going to be satisfied coming back next year as just an older version of what you were this year?  Or are you going to add another tool to your arsenal.  It really is that simple.

 

I think a player can refine and improve slightly on his skills.   But at this stage, it's highly unlikely you see a total overhaul.  

 

Using Martinez as an example...you saw him look drastically different against lesser competition  but he took steps back and reverted back to form at times against.

 

Gallegos has been playing ball for probably 15 years now and is a finishing his 4th season as a division1 basketball player.  If he's not a good ball handler now...he won't be next year.   Can he improve?   Sure.   But I don't think it's realistic to expect wholesale changes at this point.

[Norm Peterson]

Not sure I entirely agree with you, nustudent.  I think players can make changes if they put their mind to it and work at it.  And it's not  something that necessarily has to take them steps back.  With Martinez, he might have backslid a little bit at times but his mechanics never fell all the way back to where they were.  And it takes a bit of time to get it totally ingrained.  If he continues to work on it, look for it to be even more second nature next year.

 

That's only one example.  Another would be Tiger Woods.  Tiger overhauls his swing every 3-4 years or so.  And I mean he makes noticeable changes.  

 

Another is a guy at BYU who's getting looked at as a 1st round NFL draft pick.  Reading about him in the paper this morning, he was playing soccer in Ghana through his highschool years.  Went to BYU to play basketball and got cut from the hoops team twice.  Then finally followed his track coach's advice and went out for football.  And now he's looking to get drafted.  

 

I remain convinced that Brandon Ubel could have overhauled his jumper and become a very effective outside shooter if he'd had someone help him work on his mechanics.  What did he have to lose?  What did we have to lose?  We're talking about a 20% shooter.  What do you have to lose by trying to work on his mechanics?  Ryan Anderson?  Yeah, I could see leaving his alone.  But Ubel?  As far as I'm concerned, what a waste.  Woulda, coulda, shoulda.  If he woulda, he coulda and he shoulda.  He could have been a very effective offensive weapon for us this year if he was able to stroke it from deep the way I think he had the potential to do.

 

And Ray?  I mean, we're talking about ball handling skills.  Those are simply things that take practice to develop.  My guess is that Ray is like the golfer who spends all his practice time on the driving range bombing his driver and neglects his short game.  If Ray put his mind to it, I'm certain he could come back next year with the ability to at least be a credible threat to drive the ball.

[NUdiehard]

Its always interesting to me that when people analyze players and who may or may not play next year, all they talk about is what that player can do on the offensive end.  I assure you, if a player cannot hold down his end of the bargain on defense, then he will not play much.  AA and Serg are two classic examples of this.  They are riding the pine b/c of their lack of offensive skills. 

 

In regards to Biggs, I have heard from someone who was able to attend practice and talk to the coaches that Biggs is electric on offense in breaking down the defense and getting to th basket.  But I also heard that he really struggles on defense.  In fact, in th practice I heard about, when they were scrimmaging, when Bigg's scout team would go back on defense, Biggs would actually sub out of the scrimmage and one of the assistant coaches would go in in his place.   Biggs is athletic enough, but he struggles with the mental part of the game and on the defensive end.  Now, these are things he could improve on, but he is going to have to figure those things out before he will be a regular contributor during games next year.

 

[NUdiehard]

As for Gallegos, I feel like he has untapped potential, but unfortunately I don't see him ever fully tapping into it--al least not while he is at NU.  Frankly, I don't understand his approach to the game.

 

He took a RS year and clearly worked on his shot.  But it appears he worked almost exclusively on this 3-point shot and, for the life of me, I don't understand why.  He is athletic enough to go to the rack on a semi-regular basis, but he simply will not do it.  And this is NOT b/c of coach Miles.  I heard a radio interview Miles early in the season.  Miles was asked directly about Gallegos going to the basket.  Miles said that they are constantly on him about it, but basically will try it maybe once after they get on him, and then abandon it until they get on him again, and then he may try once, and then abandon, and so forth.

 

Being aggressive and going to the basket is a mentality almost more than a skillset.  Some people just don't have the mentality, and Ray clearly doesn't.  Frankly, I think it is a waste of talent and ability.  Ray should have spent the last two years working on his handles and driving HARD to the rim.  He should have had coaches or friends hold the pads and make him fight through them and go up hard, etc.  There is no indication he did this.  If he wants to take the next step, this is where he needs to go.  He can jump out of the gym, but he needs to get waaayyyy tougher, both mentally and physically.

[Norm Peterson]

Can't say I disagree with you there, NUdiehard.  Frustrating sometimes thinking about his potential.  He has such amazing athleticism -- the kind of athleticism that would make him ideal at getting to the basket.  Extremely good quicks and change of direction plus HUGE ups.  I think you're right that there's a mentality there.  Shields doesn't have anywhere near Ray's quicks, but he's so much more effective as a driver because he just decides he's going to get there and makes it happen. 

[hhcdave]

In regards to Gallegos, we were told he was redshirting because he wanted to "work on becoming a point guard." Wouldn't that have meant working on handles last year?

[nustudent]

Not sure I entirely agree with you, nustudent.  I think players can make changes if they put their mind to it and work at it.  And it's not  something that necessarily has to take them steps back.  With Martinez, he might have backslid a little bit at times but his mechanics never fell all the way back to where they were.  And it takes a bit of time to get it totally ingrained.  If he continues to work on it, look for it to be even more second nature next year.

 

That's only one example.  Another would be Tiger Woods.  Tiger overhauls his swing every 3-4 years or so.  And I mean he makes noticeable changes.  

 

Another is a guy at BYU who's getting looked at as a 1st round NFL draft pick.  Reading about him in the paper this morning, he was playing soccer in Ghana through his highschool years.  Went to BYU to play basketball and got cut from the hoops team twice.  Then finally followed his track coach's advice and went out for football.  And now he's looking to get drafted.  

 

I remain convinced that Brandon Ubel could have overhauled his jumper and become a very effective outside shooter if he'd had someone help him work on his mechanics.  What did he have to lose?  What did we have to lose?  We're talking about a 20% shooter.  What do you have to lose by trying to work on his mechanics?  Ryan Anderson?  Yeah, I could see leaving his alone.  But Ubel?  As far as I'm concerned, what a waste.  Woulda, coulda, shoulda.  If he woulda, he coulda and he shoulda.  He could have been a very effective offensive weapon for us this year if he was able to stroke it from deep the way I think he had the potential to do.

 

And Ray?  I mean, we're talking about ball handling skills.  Those are simply things that take practice to develop.  My guess is that Ray is like the golfer who spends all his practice time on the driving range bombing his driver and neglects his short game.  If Ray put his mind to it, I'm certain he could come back next year with the ability to at least be a credible threat to drive the ball.

If ball skills are simply things that take practive to develop...why hasn't he developed them after 4 years at a BCS basketball school and in approximately 15 years of basketball overall.

 

As I said...I think a player can fine tune some things.   I don't think he can overhaul or change his entire game at this point.

 

Also safe to say...if he does focus on the ball skills...does his shot take a step back as a bi-product?

 

Not sure the BYU situation is relevant here.

[Norm Peterson]

I don't think working on your handles and developing some ability to drive is the same thing as overhauling your whole game.  And, Dave, I think there was some talk the year before about Gallegos maybe redshirting and becoming a point.  But then he didn't redshirt that year.  IIRC.  And I'm not sure what all he worked on during his redshirt year.  It's clear he's overhauled his jumper.  (Not his whole game but his jumper.)  Looks completely different than it did when he was a soph.

 

I'm not willing to write the kid off yet and say he has no hope of ever improving his handles and developing the ability to drive.  I will continue to maintain it's something that will take work.  And it's every bit as plausible to suggest that the fact you don't see improvement in his handles is because he didn't work on it as it is to suggest that the lack of improvement resulted from spending a year on it and not getting any better.  In fact, I'm thinking it's more plausible that the lack of improvement is reflective of lack of attention to that aspect of his game rather than evidence of an abject failure to get better at something that he concentrated on trying to improve.

[hhcdave]

I think the most likely scenario for us getting our "impact big man" for next season will come in about two weeks when coaches start getting fired.

 

Then, there will be a few bigs who are verbals but not yet signed for the spring period who will "re-open" recruiting, right?