Matthew Atewe -> Auburn -> Washington

[Norm Peterson]

In case anyone's interested, here's some video of Matt Atewe and his teammates at Notre Dame Prep taking on Hargrave Military Academy a couple of weeks ago. Atewe is #12 in white.

OK, for comparison purposes, here's some video of former commit Keith Coleman (#0 in Blue) competing for Lee Academy 2 years ago. (Coincidentally, the same court as the Atewe video above.) Someone please explain to me what Atewe has that Coleman lacks.

Edited to note: Coleman fouls at about the 1 minute mark of the above vid, gets pulled from the game and doesn't return. But in that minute, he looks to me like nearly the same player as Atewe. JMOO.

[MandRHusker]

Atewe had me when he won the opening tip! I don't care if we win the game, I just want to win an opening tip!!!

[Norm Peterson]

Atewe had me when he won the opening tip! I don't care if we win the game, I just want to win an opening tip!!!

[Swan88]

Norm said: "Edited to note: Coleman fouls at about the 1 minute mark of the above vid, gets pulled from the game and doesn't return. But in that minute, he looks to me like nearly the same player as Atewe. JMOO."

Ok, Norm. I'll bite. That's a long video of Atewe's team, and I watched only excerpts. But during those excerpts, Atewe made a free throw, had a couple rebounds, had a steal, was setting effective picks for the guards--and won the tip. Coleman had no such results in the one minute video of him. Moreover, I saw Coleman play last season in Council Bluffs and believe that the comparison of Atewe to Coleman is off-base.

[Norm Peterson]

Swan,comparing which of these two very raw players has more skill is like comparing which hobo sleeps in the more luxurious cardboard box. Both are terrific athletes of comparable size. Both are significantly raw. Neither has much of an advantage over the other from what I can tell.

You said in the excerpts you saw of Atewe that he got a couple of rebounds and that Coleman "had no such results" in his 1 minute of playing time in his clip. Au contraire. Coleman has a couple of rebounds in his clip as well. And he gets them trying to be aggressive on the offensive end. I'll grant you that Atewe attempted to set some screens but I'm not sure I'd describe them as "effective."

Both get lost on defense. Both, frankly, get lost on offense. Atewe tries to set some screens but he doesn't seem to understand how to set them or where to be or what to do afterwards. When he rolls off the screen, he doesn't open himself up to the pass as he cuts to the block. One time when he does get an inside pass, he fumbles it out of bounds. And at the end of a half of basketball, against other high school age kids, he finishes with 1 point and about 4 rebounds.

I am certain that Tim Miles knows a ton more about basketball than I do and is far better and more experienced at finding and identifying talent and knowing who will be able to contribute on the next level. So, if Miles thinks Atewe is worthy of a scholarship, I'll take his word for it. And far be it for me to doubt him. But if Coleman's development is any guide, I think we should be careful not to expect too much out of Atewe in a Husker uniform anytime soon.

The point of this discussion is that I've been saying for awhile that we need to recruit another 2013 Big who can contribute immediately next season and let's just say I have my doubts that Atewe can be that guy.

[FredsSlacks]

Swan,comparing which of these two very raw players has more skill is like comparing which hobo sleeps in the more luxurious cardboard box. Both are terrific athletes of comparable size. Both are significantly raw. Neither has much of an advantage over the other from what I can tell.

You said in the excerpts you saw of Atewe that he got a couple of rebounds and that Coleman "had no such results" in his 1 minute of playing time in his clip. Au contraire. Coleman has a couple of rebounds in his clip as well. And he gets them trying to be aggressive on the offensive end. I'll grant you that Atewe attempted to set some screens but I'm not sure I'd describe them as "effective."

Both get lost on defense. Both, frankly, get lost on offense. Atewe tries to set some screens but he doesn't seem to understand how to set them or where to be or what to do afterwards. When he rolls off the screen, he doesn't open himself up to the pass as he cuts to the block. One time when he does get an inside pass, he fumbles it out of bounds. And at the end of a half of basketball, against other high school age kids, he finishes with 1 point and about 4 rebounds.

I am certain that Tim Miles knows a ton more about basketball than I do and is far better and more experienced at finding and identifying talent and knowing who will be able to contribute on the next level. So, if Miles thinks Atewe is worthy of a scholarship, I'll take his word for it. And far be it for me to doubt him. But if Coleman's development is any guide, I think we should be careful not to expect too much out of Atewe in a Husker uniform anytime soon.

The point of this discussion is that I've been saying for awhile that we need to recruit another 2013 Big who can contribute immediately next season and let's just say I have my doubts that Atewe can be that guy.

It's important to keep in mind that Atewe is Tim's plan C or D in getting a big man. There have been about 7 or 8 big men that Miles missed out on. Tim's offense is not built around big men, so at this point he is just looking for an active big with a high upside. Atewe has only been playing basketball for about 5 years, which makes his upside high. A lot of teams that are regularly in the tournament have offered Atewe, and Duke has contacted him. That makes me feel confident enough that he can at least play 12 minutes next year off the bench. If Atewe backfires, there's always Sergej.

[MandRHusker]

It's important to keep in mind that Atewe is Tim's plan C or D in getting a big man. There have been about 7 or 8 big men that Miles missed out on. Tim's offense is not built around big men, so at this point he is just looking for an active big with a high upside. Atewe has only been playing basketball for about 5 years, which makes his upside high. A lot of teams that are regularly in the tournament have offered Atewe, and Duke has contacted him. That makes me feel confident enough that he can at least play 12 minutes next year off the bench. If Atewe backfires, there's always Sergej.

Good point Tim! And it won't be as important we sign a big man who can score. We are bringing in some prolific scorers next year already. Hopefully Pitchford can score from the low post. We just need defense to replace Brandon and the Brazilian Panda. From what I have seen so far we really can't depend that the Serbian Cigar will be ready by next year!!!

[Swan88]

Actually, Matthew Atewe looks more like a three-inch-shorter Willie Cauley Stein than like a one-minute sequence of Keith Coleman.

[FredsSlacks]

It's important to keep in mind that Atewe is Tim's plan C or D in getting a big man. There have been about 7 or 8 big men that Miles missed out on. Tim's offense is not built around big men, so at this point he is just looking for an active big with a high upside. Atewe has only been playing basketball for about 5 years, which makes his upside high. A lot of teams that are regularly in the tournament have offered Atewe, and Duke has contacted him. That makes me feel confident enough that he can at least play 12 minutes next year off the bench. If Atewe backfires, there's always Sergej.

Good point Tim! And it won't be as important we sign a big man who can score. We are bringing in some prolific scorers next year already. Hopefully Pitchford can score from the low post. We just need defense to replace Brandon and the Brazilian Panda. From what I have seen so far we really can't depend that the Serbian Cigar will be ready by next year!!!

[Swan88]

While waiting for Santa to arrive, I re-watched the first 10 minutes of the Atewe video above. By way of summary, it appears that he is an athletic player who works hard and comes up with some good plays when the ball isn't in his hands. At 5:50, for example, he does a nice job blocking out and getting the rebound but nearly has it stolen, then at 7:30 makes a steal but turns it over. He has a couple rebounds at 8:40 and 9:20. On the possession around 8:50, he makes three separate screens for guards, one of whom gets open and nails a three pointer.

By the way, one difficulty in evaluating Matthew's defense during the first 10 minutes of this game is that the opposing team seems to have an aversion against going into the paint--except on fast breaks.

Here are some Atewe events from 1:45 to 5:00:

1:45--Matthew takes an entry pass, is fouled, and makes one of two free throws.

2:40--he blocks a shot in an impressive athletic move, then beats everyone down the floor, but muffs the long fast-break pass to him--it could have been a layup.

3:10--gets a steal

4:25--is guarding the high post, who turns the ball over

5:00--gets a rebound.

Around the 10:00 minute mark, he turns the ball over, then seems to become inactive and is subbed out.

[Norm Peterson]

OK, Swan, here's another video with a little more Coleman in it. Again, same gym. Personally, I think these two guys, Coleman and Atewe, appear to be pretty comparable both in terms of athleticism and skill level. Coleman is number 0 in white.

[FredsSlacks]

OK, Swan, here's another video with a little more Coleman in it. Again, same gym. Personally, I think these two guys, Coleman and Atewe, appear to be pretty comparable both in terms of athleticism and skill level. Coleman is number 0 in white.

There are clearly similarities between the two, but I do not blame Miles for letting Coleman walk. Miles had hopes of getting guys like Agau, Vitto Brown, Tory Miller, Zach Hanson, Alex Foster, etc. At this point Tim is going to have a hard time finding a guy that can be a starter as a freshman. I think we know Miles did everything he possibly could to get those guys above.

I still think Atewe will be a much better get than Coleman though. Atewe's upside is higher coming straight out of high school, and Coleman struggled in junior college. Atewe has better offers than what Coleman had.

[Huskerpapa]

You need players that can roles along with the players who will star. We are just not used to getting the stars.

[Norm Peterson]

Tim and CWG, both good points. I'm going to trust that Miles knows what he's doing and knows what he needs. And, if he thinks he can coach Atewe up and develop him, I'm good with that. Very good. Because I think Atewe is clearly a splendid athlete at any size but particularly good at 6'9".

BUT ... I was truly hoping we'd find a guy who could come in next season and immediately be able to start in the low blocks. I view Pitchford as being more of a power forward. His game, from what I've been able to gather, is maybe more facing the basket. What I truly was hoping we'd find is the bruiser who can battle down low. While he might not be THE STAR, I want a guy who's at least a competent low-post threat to score, knows a few post up moves and can hit some shots down there.

And while Atewe might get there someday, I just honestly don't see him being that guy next season. And that was really my point with the comparison to Coleman. He's going to need more than a year of prep school to be ready to start on the big stage and be the kind of player that would contribute on anything better than a B1G cellar dwellar, which is not what I hope for us to be next year.

[Swan88]

Hey, Norm, I'll grant that it is the same gym, but that is the primary similarity.

In this last gem of a Coleman video, he manages to badly flub an entry pass (1:13--much worse than any shortcoming exhibited by Atewe), miss a dunk with a running start (1:50), exhibit some particularly bad defense (4:20), and take an incredibly poor and badly-executed attempt at an in-the-paint shot (4:40). But he did manage two rebounds (1:00 & 4:00) and a tipped ball to a teammate (3:50).

In the prior one minute Coleman video, you seemed impressed with his rebounding, which consists of missing a bunny and attempting (unsuccessfully) the putback--that's it.

To repeat my claim to authority on this subject, I saw Coleman play last year in Council Bluffs. In my opinion, based on available Atewe videos, Coleman is no Atewe--not even close.

[Norm Peterson]

Swan, you're reaching. They both blew entry passes. Both blew defensive assignments and seemed lost out there on both ends of the floor. Neither showed particularly good hands. Both looked pretty athletic, however, and did a reasonable job rebounding. Bottom line is that both are very raw. And to argue about which one is better is like arguing whether a Ford Pinto is better than a Chevy Chevette. One may indeed be better than the other, but neither is exactly a Honda Accord, let alone a Volvo, much less a Mercedes Benz. But, hey, I'll concede for the sake of harmony that Atewe is better than Coleman. Though, it would take someone with authority on the subject and who has broken down the film by the second to really tell the difference.

[trickey]

Agreed that we need a power big man (better yet 2), however the search is far from desperate or over.

If Miles can't find what he needs in high school or JC, you should recall there is still the transfer route, that does not become apparent until after the season concludes.

We got two players last season that we never considered this time last year.

A good example is Creighton center Gregory Echenique who is a huge key to why CU improved significantly to where they are now, yet who heard about him around here until he transferred?

Most of these transfers have to sit out for a year, (except for the grad transfers).

This team building is a process that takes time. While it would be ideal if all fell into place next year, more realistically you expect a minimum of 3 to 4 years to put a complete tournament worthy team on the court.

I trust that if Miles is not after every BIG still remaining that he has a plan that is not readily apparent to us who are not on the inside.

Time will tell. Yet I trust TM does not need us to set the snooze alarm on this issue or certain players....and he has a plan...that so far he appears to be working quite well.

I believe TM thinks there are bigger fish in the sea than some of the players we lament about at times.( i am not referring to Agau, Vitto Brown, Tory Miller, etc...but some of the others).

I am extremely grateful that he has made me once again expect progress.

If we reach the first day of fall classes next year without one or two solutions for the 5 spot...then it will be time to worry....for now, you might want to study the Big East rosters for a future Husker or two fleeing a crumbling conference.

GATA

[Swan88]

Swan, you're reaching. They both blew entry passes. Both blew defensive assignments and seemed lost out there on both ends of the floor. Neither showed particularly good hands. Both looked pretty athletic, however, and did a reasonable job rebounding. Bottom line is that both are very raw. And to argue about which one is better is like arguing whether a Ford Pinto is better than a Chevy Chevette. One may indeed be better than the other, but neither is exactly a Honda Accord, let alone a Volvo, much less a Mercedes Benz. But, hey, I'll concede for the sake of harmony that Atewe is better than Coleman. Though, it would take someone with authority on the subject and who has broken down the film by the second to really tell the difference.

touche'

[Norm Peterson]

That's a good point about transfers, Trickey. Now's about the time you could potentially see semester transfers. Hey, they happen. Usually the opposite direction. I can think of four or so off the top of my head who started here and transfered out at semester to go elsewhere. And I can think of one under Doc that we brought in at semester. So, it happens. And, if there are bigs out there who want to transfer somewhere, we are in a position that we have an extra scholarship spot sitting open right now (I believe) where we could take a kid. And if they came in at semester, they'd be eligible right after December graduation next year. I don't know how often those happen, but it does occur.

[FredsSlacks]

We should have a good idea about our chances with Atewe in about 2 weeks. I hope NU gets him, but I would be happy with getting another Pitchford type transfer if he does not commit. Transfers are a gamble in that you don't know who is going to transfer, but Miles has been pretty good at getting talented transfers. He brought in some very good transfers at CSU.

Also, what are the chances either Rivers, Parker, or Vucetic transfers from NU? I would say there is about a 50% chance at least one of those guys leaves. I don't think any of those 3 will start a game after this year.

Shields is already better than rivers after playing only 4 games.

Webster, Biggs, and Hawkins will probably all be ahead of parker

vucetic... he's played about 2 minutes this year on a team where he is the only post player on the bench.

[TheKamdyMan]

Parker and Rivers will both get a ton of minutes this year. You dont transfer if youre getting minutes and are on the floor. Guys transfer when they dont play and dont see a chance to play in the future at their position. Vucetic is about the only player of those 3 and I dont see it happening after year one with what we have coming back. he may see it as his chance. Now after next year with little playing time i could see a transfer because he'd still have his RS year available.

[Norm Peterson]

Atewe is a physical specimen, no question. He's not only tall but he's built. And that's a big deal. If he could just learn to play basketball in the next year ...

Oh, well. I agree, again, with Kamdy. Given the choice between the two, you kind of have to take the kid who looks the part. Martin's skills aren't enough better to outweigh his lack of heft when compared with Atewe. It'll probably be easier for Atewe to upgrade his skills than for Martin to upgrade his physique.

[Concrete]

I'm pretty confident in saying there is no way Rivers transfers unless he's completely homesick or unhappy here. He's going to get quite a bit of minutes at the 4 next year.. We're going to run a 4 out 1 in with him and Shields splitting time at the 4. Possibly Fuller, too, but I can't see him being strong enough as a true freshman to be effective on the defensive side at 4.

That said, I can't see Rivers being unhappy here after the improvement he's shown under Miles. He has to be pretty happy with this staff and will want to continue to let them develop him

[hhcmatt]

I'm pretty confident in saying there is no way Rivers transfers unless he's completely homesick or unhappy here.

That said, I can't see Rivers being unhappy here after the improvement he's shown under Miles. He has to be pretty happy with this staff and will want to continue to let them develop him

Agreed. Even if Rivers doesn't ever start he's a valuable player who will see minutes regardless of who we bring in.

[hhcmatt]

+ Rivers has improved exponentially over last year. If he can continue to improve, we may rue the fact that he did not redshirt....but....perhaps he can redshirt next year?

I'm not sure there would be much to be gained by him redshirting.