Next year's top three players, a poll.

[BigTexHusker]

BigTex, you got any big centers or PFs still on the market for '13 down there?

There are a few, but none that we're in on.  And none really that are of B1G caliber.  I know we're in on a number of 2014's though, and one or two of those are high major types.  I see coach Smith down here a lot.  He's been recruiting Texas hard for at least 4 years that I know of.

If you don't mind, would you post on the recruiting side any guys you think have potential for us?  Thanks.

Norm, I'm assuming you're referring to bigs since that was the subject of our talks.  I'm not sure if you're wanting me to make a new post or to reply here, so I'm just gonna drop some names here and hopefully that will be what you're asking for.

 

These are kids I know we're in on:

 

2014's

Elbert Robinson - 6'10" huge body, but soft.  Has made a lot of strides in past season and a half.  Didn't even play varsity his freshman year, but has developed into a rare big with soft hands, great balance, and good feet.  He's a project at this point (as most bigs are), and he plays for a low-profile outfit in the summers, which bodes well for us.  He's still carrying a ton of "baby fat", and is soft, but that seems to be changing some.  I know for a fact he's giving the Huskers serious consideration and would fit well in B1G.

David Wacker - 6'9" not as big as Elbert, but WAY more polished offensively and is already aware of how to use his strength to gain advantages.  He still has a bunch of room to gain weight/muscle and because he's fairly skilled, that makes him attractive.  He could end up a face up/pick and pop dominant player because he can already shoot from deep.  Likewise, he's also got a body/game that would play well in the B1G.

Ben Lammers - 6'9" more of a skilled 4 IMO, but still has the size and game to help.  Could end up a lot like Ubel.  Where the other two are more centers, he's got enough high post/perimeter experience that he could play alongside either and not skip a beat.  Actually he and Wacker have played together in the summers and have been fun to watch.  He probably is the most natural of the three, but not as big.  Has long arms and is pretty smooth.

 

I've seen our coaches in the stands watching all three at one point or another.

 

2015's

Elijah Thomas - 6'8" is a super skilled young kid.  NBA type body (think Zach Randolph).  Has all the moves already and is strong as a mule.  Doesn't always play hard and has the tendency to disappear.  Kind of immature and finds himself with a poor attitude at times.  But when he comes to play, there's no one better really.  Could end up being one of the top kids in the country in 2015.  I think we've had discussions with him and know we've been by to watch him on numerous occasions.  Not sure where we stand with him, but wouldn't be surprised if there's not mutual interest.

[Norm Peterson]

Thanks BigTex.  If you don't mind, cut and paste this into a new thread on the recruiting page.  Gives us a platform to start talking about future recruits there.  I think the mods would like us to use that board for all recruiting speculation.

 

Thanks for the info. 

[BjoeHusker]

Vooch and Rivers both have a vote but Parker's not getting any love. 

Wouldn't surprise me if Parker transfers after this season

[BjoeHusker]

1. Pitchford

2. Biggs

3. Shields

[Norm Peterson]

I hate to say this but if Biggs is among our top 3 scorers next year, it'll only be because our other newcomers are not as good as we hope.  I think Biggs has enormous competition to be one of the top scorers.  Maybe he will be, but I sure hope we'll have at least three other players who are more capable scorers than he.

[leonidas]

I hate to say this but if Biggs is among our top 3 scorers next year, it'll only be because our other newcomers are not as good as we hope.  I think Biggs has enormous competition to be one of the top scorers.  Maybe he will be, but I sure hope we'll have at least three other players who are more capable scorers than he.

 

He doesn't need to be a top-3 scorer so long as he can create and get them the ball.  Miles' quote last night about not having a PG who can create for others doesn't bode well for the future of Parker, in my opinion.

[Norm Peterson]

Wow.  Miles said that?  Oooh.  That has to sting Benny a little bit.  I stopped listening to the radio when I got home from the game so I didn't hear all of it but I did hear Miles make a comment about needing a guard who can get his feet in the paint (because of how that sets other players up for dishes and kick-outs.)  Was that the comment you were referring to?  If so, I did hear that one. 

[leonidas]

Wow.  Miles said that?  Oooh.  That has to sting Benny a little bit.  I stopped listening to the radio when I got home from the game so I didn't hear all of it but I did hear Miles make a comment about needing a guard who can get his feet in the paint (because of how that sets other players up for dishes and kick-outs.)  Was that the comment you were referring to?  If so, I did hear that one. 

 

This was his quote from the OWH: “We don't have a real ball-in-hand guard who is going to create for others.”

 

Miles' offense is guard-oriented and from everything I've read, he wants his guards to be able to penetrate and dish-out.  I think this is where Biggs' value comes from.  He may not be an elite scorer, but we should have guys on the team next year who can shoot and if Biggs can create (which apparently his strong-suit) and get those guys open looks, then he's going to be a strong component of next year's team.

[Norm Peterson]

In order to maximize the effectiveness of his ability to penetrate, I think Biggs needs to also improve his perimeter shooting.  If you're defending a guy who can slash but can't shoot from the outside, you basically say, "I'm going to let you take that shot, but I'm not letting you get by me" and you play off him a foot or two more than you would if you had to worry about his outside shot.

 

You might be right, Leonidas, about Biggs getting the starting nod at point.  The question in the poll was not which three Huskers would score the most although you could certainly look at it like that.  The question was which would be the best three players.  And the reason I set the poll up like that was because I was reading some of the sources linked at Ken-pom about how they come up with some of their ways of weighting data and one of the sources I looked at talked about looking at a team's best three players to project which team would win.

 

I'm not sure I ever got to the point in reading the material to understand why just the top three players matter, but according to at least one statistics guru, he focuses primarily on which team in a matchup has the best three players.  And it made me wonder who our best three players might be and how well they'd stack up.

[Norm Peterson]

P.S.  FWIW, I think Miles is obviously right that we don't have a ball-in-hand guard who creates for others.  I think that's also what he was getting at when he was talking about a guard who could get his feet in the paint.

[nebrasketball10]

I wonder what would happen if we "reset" the polls now that we're in conference play... I would imagine the number of votes for Gallegos would take a dive. Maybe not... but those people who think Gallegos will be one of our best players must be thinking either 1) he will improve drastically over the offseason, or 2) we're not going to be very good again. I'm not sure I'd call Rey one of the best 3 players on the current team.

[Norm Peterson]

Maybe Dimes could lock this for now and we could do another one in the spring or fall and compare the two.  BTW, I voted for Shields originally and I'm sticking with it.

[nebrasketball10]

Good foresight. I like Shields - seems to has a nose for the ball. Gets his shot blocked a lot - could stand to benefit from working on driving and finishing.

[NeeandMe]

Webster and Shields I'm fairly certain of. Thought about going with Petteway or Pitchford but honestly I haven't seen enough from what they did last year to KNOW they'll be solid next year. I ended up going with Biggs as I could see Miles wanting to run a system where you have two guards - Biggs and Webster - capable of initiating the offense.

[doc1394]

Went back to search for this thread and finally found it. Funny how Petteway was the 6th leading vote getter. We all had no idea how good that kid is.

 

  In the beginning I said, Pitchford, Webster and Gallegos, now I'm thinking Petteway, Pitchford, and probably Shields. 

[Norm Peterson]

Can I change my vote?

[HuskerFever]

Can I change my vote?

 

I agree!

 

Looking at these votes as our 'expectations', it appears that Pitchford and Webster are not quite up to expectations and Petteway has far exceeded expectations.

[hskr4life]

I would say Petteway above, Walt neutral, and Webster below. Part of the Webster though was all he hype. Just goes to show you how much we as fans actually "know" when it comes to the ins and outs of the program.

[PimpMario]

Petteway, Pitchford and Smith are my current 3.

[Cazzie22]

Pettaway has exceeded my expectations, though his shot selection is not always to my liking.  I believe he is going to be All B1G which is quite an accomplishment.  Webster is going to be a solid player, it's going to take some time, he is a young kid adjusting to life far, far from home.  Gallegos, who was my top selection has not had to cast up as many shots as last year.  He is still playing decent defense.  I hope Ray has a game or two in him where he is unconcious shooting the ball.

[doc1394]

Petteway, Pitchford and Smith are my current 3.

I don't think I would put Smith in my top 6. 

 

I would go:

1. Petteway

2. Shields

3. Pitchford

4. Ray

5. Benny

6. Tai

7. Smith 

 

I may be missing some things that he brings to the table, but I just don't see it the last like 10 games.