3 Questions

[Handy Johnson]

1.Will Pitchford ever develop a low post move? (baby hook, turnaround j, anything?)

 

2. Will Tai ever trust, or TAKE a jump shot?

 

3.Will Rivers ever again see meaningful minutes?

 

It seems pretty obvious moving forward we should start:

 

Biggs, Petteweay, Shields, Smith & Pitchford

 

Then we have some size to compete, AND the ability to attack the rim.

[Huskerpapa]

- I have watched Walter practice many post moves...I believe the moves and the know-how exists, perhaps the better question is whether or not he ever leverages the moves in a game situation

- Tai has shot from the perimeter; and actually, he does not have bad form.  I believe Tai is still struggling to find confidence PLUS, he is still working to define his exact role.  I believe, in his past life, he was a major scorer for every team he has played on.  History would tell us that he has a scorers mentality.  He needs to find that balence and confidence.  I still think Tai is going to be a good one.

- David must have played himself out of minutes.  The kid has talent...it may be limited, but talent is there.  To me, he has to earn his minutes in practice, and obviously he has not yet done that.

- I think Tai needs to be in the starting line-up. 

[HuskerFever]

1.Will Pitchford ever develop a low post move? (baby hook, turnaround j, anything?)

 

2. Will Tai ever trust, or TAKE a jump shot?

 

3.Will Rivers ever again see meaningful minutes?

 

It seems pretty obvious moving forward we should start:

 

Biggs, Petteweay, Shields, Smith & Pitchford

 

Then we have some size to compete, AND the ability to attack the rim.

I believe in Miles' ability to coach, so I guess my answers are: yes, yes, and yes. As long as these players stick with the program and believe in Coach.

[Norm Peterson]

1.Will Pitchford ever develop a low post move? (baby hook, turnaround j, anything?)

 

The video posted on the other thread shows a nice-looking baby hook from Walt.  I trust he has other moves.  What you don't see from him is trying to get position in the low post to put into use any post moves he does have.

 

2. Will Tai ever trust, or TAKE a jump shot?

 

Sure.  He's a freshman and right now he's struggling with some confidence issues and getting things figured out.  He'll get there.

 

3.Will Rivers ever again see meaningful minutes?

 

Meaningful minutes?  Honestly?  I'm thinking probably not.

That's my take.

[ajb5856]

Regarding your potential starting lineup, I think it's been established that Smith won't ever start. I can't remember for sure if it was Miles that decided he was better coming off the bench or Smith who came to Miles with the idea. I also think it has something to do with the health of his knees and keeping them healthy. Playing Pitchford and Smith together makes it more difficult to limit Smiths minutes because we absolutely have to have one of them out there all the time.

[hskr4life]

Regarding your potential starting lineup, I think it's been established that Smith won't ever start. I can't remember for sure if it was Miles that decided he was better coming off the bench or Smith who came to Miles with the idea. I also think it has something to do with the health of his knees and keeping them healthy. Playing Pitchford and Smith together makes it more difficult to limit Smiths minutes because we absolutely have to have one of them out there all the time.

 

I think it was Smith who told Miles he would rather come off the bench.  Kudos to him as that is putting Team first!

[a0t0w0]

1. I think so.  He was much more active in the paint vs Iowa than I had seen from him in other games. 

2. What CWG said

3. It doesn't look good.  I wish he would though.  He did well in conference play last year.

 

I'd like to see Biggs starting, especially after the show he put on at Iowa.

 

Webster, Biggs, Petteway, Shields, Pitchford

[hal9000]

1.Will Pitchford ever develop a low post move? (baby hook, turnaround j, anything?)

I've only seen Pitch play in Husker games, and never in practice or highlight videos.  I'll defer to those who have seen him utilize post moves before, but I would think it behooves him to start trying to incorporate a baby hook into his repertoire.  And as Norm pointed out, he needs to put himself in position to do that.  I think Miles will get him there. 

 

2. Will Tai ever trust, or TAKE a jump shot?

 

Yes, it will come. 

 

3.Will Rivers ever again see meaningful minutes?

 

Probably not, unless Smith or Webster gets injured and cannot play.  I think he is as good as he'll ever be here, and it seems that Miles has determined it's not good enough. 

 

It seems pretty obvious moving forward we should start:

 

Biggs, Petteweay, Shields, Smith & Pitchford

 

Then we have some size to compete, AND the ability to attack the rim.

[Rome4Lyfe]

I would rather see Rivers play rather than Gallegos.  I cant wait until Gallegos graduates and we never have to see is untapped potential ever again!!!

[hal9000]

If I were to ask Miles three question right now, it would be the following:

 

1) Why has Sergej Vucetic not seen virtually any minutes in any games this year or last?

2) How do you see him fitting in with our program over the next two years?

3) If Sergej is simply not good enough, would you categorize his recruitment as a failure in talent evaluation, or is it a case of him not living up to his potential?

[leonidas]

If I were to ask Miles three question right now, it would be the following:

 

1) Why has Sergej Vucetic not seen virtually any minutes in any games this year or last?

2) How do you see him fitting in with our program over the next two years?

3) If Sergej is simply not good enough, would you categorize his recruitment as a failure in talent evaluation, or is it a case of him not living up to his potential?

You'd waste your 3 questions on one of the last guys on the bench?

[Norm Peterson]

 

If I were to ask Miles three question right now, it would be the following:

 

1) Why has Sergej Vucetic not seen virtually any minutes in any games this year or last?

2) How do you see him fitting in with our program over the next two years?

3) If Sergej is simply not good enough, would you categorize his recruitment as a failure in talent evaluation, or is it a case of him not living up to his potential?

You'd waste your 3 questions on one of the last guys on the bench?

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nb8eC5Q_VJk

[Hooper]

1) Craig Smith told someone I know at a gathering last year that Walt had zero big man training at Florida. He came to Nebraska with absolutely no skills in the post. Everything they're working on with him is new to him. They're really starting from ground zero. 

 

Walt's biggest problem is that he doesn't seem to embrace the notion that he's not a '2' guard. He jokes with people about how he's a 6-10 shooting guard. Sadly, the joke's on Walt. No one's looking for a 6-10, 245-pound '2' guard. The sooner he understands that, the sooner he can start to become the player his size dictates.

 

It's almost a bad thing that Walt is a good long-range shooter, because it's given him an excuse not to develop as a true big. I'd gladly trade his 1-2 threes for a legitimate post game. I'm hopeful that he can develop enough by next season to be a factor in the paint, but it's obvious that it's not going to happen this year. Ultimately, I'm not sure that Walt has the mindset to play in the post. 

 

2) Tai's confidence has ebbed since the Charleston Classic. He's too afraid of missing shots and making mistakes now, and it's impacting his performance. Giving up an easy layup or dunk in exchange for a kick-out to Shields for a three seemed to suggest that thre's a confidence issue there. Maybe it was just a brain fart, but I doubt it. He definitely needs a lot of work on his shot, but he's still too timid, which causes him to pass up open looks. Hopefully this will change in time.

 

3) David Rivers is not likely to see substantial minutes going forward. I felt it was pretty obvious last year that the two players whose playing time would be impacted the most would be Benny Parker and David Rivers. There are just too many new players in the mix who offer more on the offensive end to justify substantial minutes for Rivers especially. As Miles has noted, Rivers' productivity in scoring and rebounding don't justify additional playing time.

[hhcmatt]

Walt's biggest problem is that he doesn't seem to embrace the notion that he's not a '2' guard. He jokes with people about how he's a 6-10 shooting guard. Sadly, the joke's on Walt. No one's looking for a 6-10, 245-pound '2' guard. The sooner he understands that, the sooner he can start to become the player his size dictates.

 

Corey Brewer was a 6'9" 2 guard.

Pitch doesn't hit that outside shot enough and doesn't slash well enough that he can be 6'10" shooting guard though.

[hal9000]

 

If I were to ask Miles three question right now, it would be the following:

 

1) Why has Sergej Vucetic not seen virtually any minutes in any games this year or last?

2) How do you see him fitting in with our program over the next two years?

3) If Sergej is simply not good enough, would you categorize his recruitment as a failure in talent evaluation, or is it a case of him not living up to his potential?

You'd waste your 3 questions on one of the last guys on the bench?

 

Well, it'd still be better than "what's your favorite Christmas cookie?"

[Norm Peterson]

1) Craig Smith told someone I know at a gathering last year that Walt had zero big man training at Florida. He came to Nebraska with absolutely no skills in the post. Everything they're working on with him is new to him. They're really starting from ground zero. 

 

Walt's biggest problem is that he doesn't seem to embrace the notion that he's not a '2' guard. He jokes with people about how he's a 6-10 shooting guard. Sadly, the joke's on Walt. No one's looking for a 6-10, 245-pound '2' guard. The sooner he understands that, the sooner he can start to become the player his size dictates.

 

It's almost a bad thing that Walt is a good long-range shooter, because it's given him an excuse not to develop as a true big. I'd gladly trade his 1-2 threes for a legitimate post game. I'm hopeful that he can develop enough by next season to be a factor in the paint, but it's obvious that it's not going to happen this year. Ultimately, I'm not sure that Walt has the mindset to play in the post. 

 

On the player introduction videos before the games, it sounds like Walt calls himself a "point forward" rather than "power forward."  Walt can develop an inside game.  No doubt about it.  And past is not prologue.  What he's done before isn't determinative.  This is the first significant playing time he's had in college and the notion that he can't be that 2-guard and needs to be a big is undoubtedly dawning on him.  As it does, his efforts at becoming what he needs to become will pick up.  And I strenuously contend these things can be learned.

 

2) Tai's confidence has ebbed since the Charleston Classic. He's too afraid of missing shots and making mistakes now, and it's impacting his performance. Giving up an easy layup or dunk in exchange for a kick-out to Shields for a three seemed to suggest that thre's a confidence issue there. Maybe it was just a brain fart, but I doubt it. He definitely needs a lot of work on his shot, but he's still too timid, which causes him to pass up open looks. Hopefully this will change in time.

 

Bypassing that open dunk is a head-scratcher.  It wasn't about lacking confidence in his ability to dunk.  It might have been about maturity, though.  It might have been about him trying to make a statement about how unselfish he is by passing up an easy, high-percentage shot attempt for himself in order to kick out to a wide-open but less certain 3-pt attempt.  And, let's be honest, the shot was open in the corner.  He froze and made the wrong choice, passing up the easy, open layup, and I suspect that will never happen again.  Be a little patient with Tai.  He has the tools.  The game needs to slow down for him a bit.

 

On the issue of his shooting, I know some people don't like it when I critique a guy's shot.  Sorry.  I think technique matters.  For Tai, he's shooting from his eye.  His windup ends right in front of his dominant eye and I wonder if he can even see the basket when he begins the launch of his shot.  I think he needs to get his hands overhead a little bit.  Otherwise, his shooting form is pretty good.  He has good rhythm and tempo to the shot.  He just needs to extend his arms so that his hands are higher overhead when he finishes his windup and begins the launch.  Pitchford, on the other hand, gets his hands too high, his guide hand isn't really at mid-line of his body and he rotates his torso counter-clockwise through the shot so that his shoulders are almost in line with the target at release.  The height of his hands from windup through release is sooo high that he has difficulty getting any arch on the shot and winds up with a pretty flat trajectory.  When he's feeling it, he's pretty accurate.  But those technique issues, in my opinion, lead directly to his problems with inconsistency.  If he used his guide hand to center the shot on his body more, he'd probably stop rotating his torso through the shot and he'd be able to keep things lined up with the target better from beginning to end.

 

3) David Rivers is not likely to see substantial minutes going forward. I felt it was pretty obvious last year that the two players whose playing time would be impacted the most would be Benny Parker and David Rivers. There are just too many new players in the mix who offer more on the offensive end to justify substantial minutes for Rivers especially. As Miles has noted, Rivers' productivity in scoring and rebounding don't justify additional playing time.

 

Not much to add to that.

[hal9000]

Pitchford's set shot seems to be better than his jumper.  When he's set and steps into this shot it's more accurate than his pull up jumper, which looks awkward, and usually results in a brick.

[jdostal]

http://www.huskers.com/mediaPortal/player.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=100

Insightful interview with Walt.  Hopefully he walks the walk the rest of the season.

[Hooper]

 

Walt's biggest problem is that he doesn't seem to embrace the notion that he's not a '2' guard. He jokes with people about how he's a 6-10 shooting guard. Sadly, the joke's on Walt. No one's looking for a 6-10, 245-pound '2' guard. The sooner he understands that, the sooner he can start to become the player his size dictates.

 

Corey Brewer was a 6'9" 2 guard.

Pitch doesn't hit that outside shot enough and doesn't slash well enough that he can be 6'10" shooting guard though.

 

 

Corey Brewer currently weighs 187 lbs. Obviously, you're going to move a lot more explosively at 187 than you would at 245. The two guys may be similar in height, but their frames and builds are dramatically different. Walt obviously carries far too much weight to ever move like a 2 or a 3. It's more a weight/frame issue than a height issue to me. Hell, Magic Johnson played the 1 at 6-foot-9. It's more about carrying that much weight and how a player is able to move at that size.

[cozrulz]

Pitchford and post moves.  Not really sure Miles wants him playing a lot of post.

 

Tai just needs a few to fall.

 

Rivers no minutes is ridiculous.  He is a main reason some of those conference games last year were even close.

[HB]

Pitchford and post moves.  Not really sure Miles wants him playing a lot of post.

 

Tai just needs a few to fall.

 

Rivers no minutes is ridiculous.  He is a main reason some of those conference games last year were even close.

 

Have you been to a lot of practices, Coz?  Have you tracked Rivers' production from earlier in the season when he was getting minutes?  I know you're in a better position to address playing time than the coaches, but I just thought I would throw out some questions. 

[hhcmatt]

Pitchford and post moves.  Not really sure Miles wants him playing a lot of post.

 

Tai just needs a few to fall.

 

Rivers no minutes is ridiculous.  He is a main reason some of those conference games last year were even close.

 

So was Ray playing 37 mpg and setting the Husker record for 3pt shots attempted.

It is completely befuddling though.

[cozrulz]

 

Pitchford and post moves.  Not really sure Miles wants him playing a lot of post.

 

Tai just needs a few to fall.

 

Rivers no minutes is ridiculous.  He is a main reason some of those conference games last year were even close.

 

Have you been to a lot of practices, Coz?  Have you tracked Rivers' production from earlier in the season when he was getting minutes?  I know you're in a better position to address playing time than the coaches, but I just thought I would throw out some questions. 

 

 

I guess...I see the games.  The team looks lost.  There is something to having a guy that has been through it on the court fighting for everything.  Doesn't seem the new guys are scrappy like Rivers.

[Huskerpapa]

I have always been a fan of David..always.  That said, there is a reason he is not playing minutes and I bet that falls directly on David's shoulders.  Hopefully he can work himself back into the rotation.

[a0t0w0]

I stand by Rivers even after this game.  I know some will say today was evidence of why he hasn't got playing time, but can you blame the guy for being rusty?

 

We need someone to fill minutes at the post.  He did it most of last season.  I'm big on Hawkins, but his stats haven't exactly blown Rivers' out the water.  We need a 4 more than we need another option at 2 or 3.