Coaches kid Posted February 19, 2015 Report Posted February 19, 2015 As a life-long Husker hoops fan, I will not give up hope for a late-run this year. We have endured far, far worse than what we are seeing this year. That being said, I was pondering what components will allow us to make another NCAA run next year. 1) Continued improvement and maturity from Terran and Shavon. My assumption is that Petteway will be here. Both could make better decisions and become more cerebral players. Terran could develop his ability to go left and become a better jump shooter. Another year of maturity will hopefully help his court temperament as well. Shavon could work on becoming a true-threat from 3 pt. range, as well as improve his toughness as a rebounder. 2) Have a third scoring option not named Pitchford. I really thought Walt would be that third threat this year. Andrew White will hopefully be that guy. If that materializes, perhaps Walt could thrive as option number 4 and give us at least 4 guys on the floor who are actual threats. Beyond those guys, it would be helpful to at least have somebody who could get 8-10 points in the post. I would hope Morrow is that guy. Haven't seen enough of Hammonds to know whether he can be a threat next year. Is there a one-year transfer or JUCO big who can fill that role? I am hoping so. 3) Point guard play. I love Benny's heart. He will have a role as a spark plug and defensive hound. Nonetheless, it would be great if Watson lived up to the hype and was ready to take the point guard role sometime in December. Tarrin's upside is exciting as well, but if Watson has the ability to score, it looks like Tarrin may be better suited to being a combo guard. Heck, maybe we could have five guys on the floor who actually need to be guarded. 4) Rebounding. Will we have more bodies who can neutralize this weakness? I don't expect we will be a great rebounding team, but if we can limit offensive rebounds by the other team it would be a huge boost. Once again, will Morrow, Hammonds, JUCO/transfer, Walt and Shields step up? Maybe White can rebound. Here's hoping that's the case. 5) More variety and intangibles. By variety, I mean that improved depth and talent could enable us to win in a number of different ways (instead of having to grind out every possession and run endless on-ball screens with lots of dribbling and no movement). For example, if we needed to press, wanted to push the tempo, ran some plays for an option other than Petteway/Shields. The point is, if we have more ways to beat an opponent, it will make us more dangerous. As for intangibles, will some of the younger players step up. Will Fuller become a zone-buster? Will Tai become a true defensive stopper and a guy who can consistently finish at the rim? Will Jacobsen and McVeigh make earlier than expected contributions? Sorry for the length. Interested to hear what others think. Hoping for some late February/early March wins and a run at least the NIT . GBR Quote
PimpMario Posted February 20, 2015 Report Posted February 20, 2015 If we make the cbi I will celebrate Quote
Coaches kid Posted February 20, 2015 Author Report Posted February 20, 2015 I would take the cbi right now as well. Quote
hhcmatt Posted February 20, 2015 Report Posted February 20, 2015 I would take the cbi right now as well. I'll take us turning it down over nothing Quote
jimmykc Posted February 20, 2015 Report Posted February 20, 2015 I do not want us in one of the tourneys that start with c, there is nothing to gain. I think with last night we have morphed into one of those teams no one wants to draw in the Big 10 tourney with an outside shot at the NIT still possible. With that said, I don't expect much else out of this year except for the team and coach to keep improving and to play as hard as we did last night. Quote
Coaches kid Posted February 20, 2015 Author Report Posted February 20, 2015 Were we a team made up of freshmen/sophomores, playing in the cbi might be okay. Upon further reflection, I agree we would have nothing to gain from going this year. The frustration is that after going to the dance last year, it's hard not to be a part of the post-season festivities this year. As for the intangibles portion of my initial post in this thread, perhaps Fuller showed last night that he could be a viable contributor next season. By the way, when was the last time we saw Hammonds on the floor? Quote
Bugeaters1 Posted February 20, 2015 Report Posted February 20, 2015 Were we a team made up of freshmen/sophomores, playing in the cbi might be okay. Upon further reflection, I agree we would have nothing to gain from going this year. The frustration is that after going to the dance last year, it's hard not to be a part of the post-season festivities this year. As for the intangibles portion of my initial post in this thread, perhaps Fuller showed last night that he could be a viable contributor next season. By the way, when was the last time we saw Hammonds on the floor? Around Christmas time?Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk Quote
GATA Posted February 20, 2015 Report Posted February 20, 2015 Looking forward, I don't think we're going to learn anything more about Petteway and Shields for THIS year, but I think we can learn more about Tarin Smith and Nick Fuller, particularly Fuller. We need to see if last night is something he's capable of doing consistently or if he simply had the right matchup. At the very least, he seems to have a nose for the basketball and a knack for getting open without the ball. Those two things were incredibly valuable last night. If he finds his 3-point stroke, we'll really be onto something. Silverbacked1 and Bugeaters1 2 Quote
Silverbacked1 Posted February 20, 2015 Report Posted February 20, 2015 And I think I heard yell bank on his last 3. hhcmatt 1 Quote
Handy Johnson Posted February 20, 2015 Report Posted February 20, 2015 McVeigh will redshirt I'm guessing, and we will NOT be participating in the postseason this year. I'd rather board up the Bank then go to something called the cbi. Quote
FredsSlacks Posted February 20, 2015 Report Posted February 20, 2015 if we can land a legit juco/transfer big man, we'll be a very good team next year. ( I feel like we've been saying this for the last 2 years) Quote
GATA Posted February 20, 2015 Report Posted February 20, 2015 if we can land a legit juco/transfer big man, we'll be a very good team next year. ( I feel like we've been saying this for the last 2 years) Someone would have to transfer out for that to happen, correct? I thought Tai or Fuller would have been a candidate earlier in the year, but I'm not so sure now. Hammond would make sense, but I don't want to lose him. If he adds some weight/muscle, I think we'll have a good player on our hands. Quote
Miles ahead of the rest Posted February 20, 2015 Report Posted February 20, 2015 I don't think Hammond will be here next year. I don't think he's gonna turn out to be what we originally hoped back when he was our first top 150 signee. Also, I know there are some grade issues going on, and if that keeps up, that's not gonna help his cause Quote
GATA Posted February 20, 2015 Report Posted February 20, 2015 I don't think Hammond will be here next year. I don't think he's gonna turn out to be what we originally hoped back when he was our first top 150 signee. Also, I know there are some grade issues going on, and if that keeps up, that's not gonna help his cause I hope you're wrong. Obviously we haven't seen much from him, but I like his movement skills for a big. We really need 15 minutes a game out of him next year. Quote
Miles ahead of the rest Posted February 20, 2015 Report Posted February 20, 2015 I obviously hope I'm wrong as well, but just don't see him sticking around. If he could gain some strength over the offseason and develop some skill in some specific areas, I think he could turn out to be a beneficial player for us, but I guess we'll find out soon enough whether or not he decides to stick around. Quote
Coaches kid Posted February 20, 2015 Author Report Posted February 20, 2015 I agree that we need quality minutes from somebody who is a legitimate post or a true 4. Coach obviously likes wings who are versatile, and I get that. Guys like Petteway, Shields and White can get the bulk of the points and you don't need a Jalil Okafor to be successful. However, over the course of the year, there will be games when jump shots will not fall and you need to get some baskets from a post player in the paint - someone who every once in awhile requires a double team or who can get to the foul line. Maybe that will be Morrow, eventually, but that's alot to ask from a true freshman. That's why I hope we have another JUCO/transfer option. Like Tim Smiles said, a decent big would have made a huge difference this year (and last). It would be nice to rid ourselves of the feeling that we are missing a piece of the puzzle. Quote
RailyardBum Posted February 20, 2015 Report Posted February 20, 2015 I'm not giving up on Hammond yet. He shows some good moves and skills but just not strong enough for the Big Ten yet. Hopefully the offseason in the weightroom and with the coaches helps him a lot. HB and Silverbacked1 2 Quote
hhcmatt Posted February 20, 2015 Report Posted February 20, 2015 McVeigh will redshirt I'm guessing He seems like the logical choice for "guy voted most likely to redshirt" which almost guarantees he doesn't redshirt. Silverbacked1 and HB 2 Quote
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