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Who is in line for a big jump next year?


khoock

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This year we saw a Tai Webster who was night and day better from last year. Proof that we shouldn't give up on a player after one or two lackluster seasons. These players are only kids and have to learn to deal with both the mental and physical stress of being a student athlete at such a high level. For players like Tai and Jack they also have to adjust to American basketball and being so far away from home.

Here is my list for possible most improved players for next year:

1. Jake Hammond. This is the ideal one. If he can get a little bigger and go from 2pt and 3 reb a game to say 6 points and 6 rebounds that would be huge. He is already our best post defender.

2. Glynn Watson is the most likely candidate. I wouldn't be surprised if he is around 14 points a game average and 4-5 assists.

3. Jack McVeigh is another logical choice just based on how much his production increased when Shavon was out.

4. Nick Fuller is my wildcard. With the added depth at the four he should be able to move back to the wing and hopefully he rediscovers his stroke. If he could pair up a decent 3 shot with energy and hustle he could be next year's Benny Parker for us in a way.

Feel free to share your thoughts.

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I think you should see improvement/more consistency from almost all the freshmen as long as they stay healthy.

Last summer/fall

Morrow - Foot injury

Jacobson - Foot injury

McVeigh - playing in Europe

 

Spending their summer in the weight room will be huge for these guys as they all can use more strength. You could say the same for Watson.  Evelyn needs to work on whatever aspect of his game that kept him out of the lineup, be it defense and/or shooting.

 

Hammond needs more strength and just needs to keep practicing. He probably will never be a 30 minute a guy and/or full time starter. He has gone from no playing time to 10 or so quality games. Can we count on him for 20 quality games of him part time?

 

Right now Fuller is Ed Morrow without Ed Morrow's athletic ability. To be blunt if he's going to be an undersized post player who can't/won't shoot from 3 then he's really wasting his time here and using up a scholarship we should be using on either a post player, shooting guard, or a Div 1 transfer.

 

If I had to pick one guy who makes the biggest leap I'd say Morrow.

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Jake Hammond. Positive incremental improvement this year, look for more next season.

 

Tai Webster. Positive significant improvement this season, look for senior leader next year.

 

AW-III. Expansion of offensive game towards the end of the year, look for all-conference type player next season.

 

GW2. Expansion of his role on the team, look for Glynn to be the out-right on-court leader as the starting PG.

 

EM2. Ed Morrow Jr. will be a force to be reckoned with in his future in the Big Ten.  I could see him averaging double-digit rebounds before too long.

 

Anton Gill. Sitting out this year as a transfer from L'Ville. Look for Gill to become an all-around great player to complement the skills of AW-III.

 

MJ. Jacobson started 25 games this year, and generally held his own against like-sized competition. If he's still growing, look for MJ to take the next step in his role as a 5.

 

Jack McVeigh. Kind of one-dimensional as an offensive threat. Look for Jack to become a better all-around player next year.

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Ed's athleticism gives him a high ceiling.  He's a bit raw in some areas but that splendid athleticism means he probably has the most potential for further development.

 

Watson still has room for improvement but he's much closer to reaching his potential than Morrow.  Can you imagine Ed Morrow developing a three-point shot like Vito Brown?

 

This is not to say Morrow will be the guy, but he has the most room to move upward within the ceiling he has.

 

I think they all could come back as significantly improved players next year.  None are as good as they could be.

 

The question we have to wait to see answered is will they?

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I anticipate Jack making a kangaroo sized leap. Could turn out to be a likeable Laymon

Thought about this a lot.

 

I'd say we need Hammond to make the leap...but I think McVeigh is the next likely.   He was pretty good when he saw extended minutes.  Another year of conditioning and experience and I think a few more of those 3s drop.

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I anticipate Jack making a kangaroo sized leap. Could turn out to be a likeable Laymon

I was thinking the same thing with the Laymon comparison.

 

I hate to say this -- given how much I dislike Layman -- but McVeigh needs to watch Layman shoot the ball. 

 

Jack has a low ball position on his shots and kind of out in front of his body, which does a couple of things: 1) it's slower for him to square up and get set; and 2) release point is lower and therefore more subject to being blocked.  Layman's stroke is compact, not a lot of extra moving parts and it's quick. 

 

Here's a video from Draft Express evaluating Layman's potential.  They address his shooting stroke from about the 4:35 mark of the vid until about the 6:20 mark.  Worth watching to get a sense of Layman's shooting stroke.  It's become very reliable, obviously.  Of note: Jake's freshman year shooting percent was just under 30%; Jack's was 34%.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Osqbx7qviyY

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My only concern with Morrow is that his foot will get in the way. Plantar can linger for a long time. We've seen it before with Nebrasketball players, too. (Toney McCray, anyone?) If he can get over that, I think he'll have a significant role. I'm just hoping it doesn't hold him back and prevents him from reaching the level we all think he can get to.

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My only concern with Morrow is that his foot will get in the way. Plantar can linger for a long time. We've seen it before with Nebrasketball players, too. (Toney McCray, anyone?) If he can get over that, I think he'll have a significant role. I'm just hoping it doesn't hold him back and prevents him from reaching the level we all think he can get to.

I remember Miles commenting on Morrow's foot and saying it was not an overuse injury or anything like that, but that something is genetically "funky" (I think that was the adjective he used) down there (referring to Eds foot or feet). This leads me to believe it will be a reoccurring problem that the coaching staff and athletic trainers will have to learn how to manage.
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My only concern with Morrow is that his foot will get in the way. Plantar can linger for a long time. We've seen it before with Nebrasketball players, too. (Toney McCray, anyone?) If he can get over that, I think he'll have a significant role. I'm just hoping it doesn't hold him back and prevents him from reaching the level we all think he can get to.

 

Marcus Perry had it the worst.

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I'm not a fan of Jake L at all, but if Jack could get to the point to where he moved around on the court even close to how Jake does, I'd be thrilled.  I was hoping Jack would be a little taller Eric Piatkowski (sp?) clone, but he just can't move like Eric P or the villainous Jake L.  I really hope they can keep building his athleticism, because he needs it.

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