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That is why Doc is no longer here because he thought he could win with guys like this. To be fair, though, take into consideration two things: the league he was meant to play in (the Big 12, not the Big Ten) and his pre-Nebraska career. The Big 12 teams, in general, seemed to have one or two superstar players, with a good supporting cast. You saw a lot more one-and-dones in the Big 12 than you do in the Big Ten. Doc's plan in the later years, however successful, was to slow down those NBA-quality players who ran, ran, ran. Andre fit well into that plan -- he didn't need to be fast, and he didn't need to score a zillion points every game. He needed to be a big body with a good touch around the rim who could vacuum in rebounds and block shots. With that in mind, we get Andre, a guy who, prior to Nebraska, was a third-team juco All-American with pretty good numbers in those categories. He actually does have a pretty good touch, especially for someone his size. Against the best teams in the Big 12, he was pretty darn good -- go back and look at his games against Kansas and Texas. Like Dimes said, imagine him 30 pounds lighter...which we all (I'm sure Doc included) thought would happen after some time with the strength and conditioning program. He has raw ability -- I think his size just gets in the way sometimes. Is he the prototype Big Ten center? No. But he wasn't recruited to be. I'm just hoping that, going forward, Miles is able to go get a big guy who is.

I suppose I can chime in to this one. I haven't posted yet for the fact that I don't have any info that anyone would want to hear anyways. I became a big fan about five years ago as a junior in high school when I attended my first game. Ever since then I have become a huge supporter or the Big Red and moved to Lincoln for college after I graduated. Have only missed a handful of games since then. I get on the site to see if there is any new info of potential recruits, or just any news about the team. One thing I can say though is that I am getting really excited about the future of Husker hoops. The development of the players that I have seen this years makes me a huge believer in what Tim Miles can do here at Nebraska. I Never really saw any of that with the players Doc brought in. I guess that Is all I have to say for now. Here's to a BIG win over the Badgers tonight! GO HUSKERS!!

I think everyone is over sensitive to this. Giving an honest evaluation of someone based on what you see and stating your opinion is not making fun of a player. We live in a society today where everyone can't accept criticism and falls apart when something is said about them. Sometimes things are said in a joking manner and shouldn't be taken serious. It's not like anyone is saying they suck or they are a piece of garbage. They are two different things. Go ahead and swing away at me for being critical too in player evaluations but I'm just giving my opinion on what I see. I see players being discussed on here all the time and when I state facts and what I see I get hammered for it. It just shows passion from fans and caring about a product. You think there is no one on a husker football board or anyone on here who isn't criticizing Taylor Martinez? It comes with being a Division I athlete at a major program. I am calling you out for whispering...speak up man! I think everyone is over sensitive to this. Giving an honest evaluation of someone based on what you see and stating your opinion is not making fun of a player. We live in a society today where everyone can't accept criticism and falls apart when something is said about them. Sometimes things are said in a joking manner and shouldn't be taken serious. It's not like anyone is saying they suck or they are a piece of garbage. They are two different things. Go ahead and swing away at me for being critical too in player evaluations but I'm just giving my opinion on what I see. I see players being discussed on here all the time and when I state facts and what I see I get hammered for it. It just shows passion from fans and caring about a product. You think there is no one on a husker football board or anyone on here who isn't criticizing Taylor Martinez? It comes with being a Division I athlete at a major program. I am calling you out for whispering...speak up man! I think everyone is over sensitive to this. Giving an honest evaluation of someone based on what you see and stating your opinion is not making fun of a player. We live in a society today where everyone can't accept criticism and falls apart when something is said about them. Sometimes things are said in a joking manner and shouldn't be taken serious. It's not like anyone is saying they suck or they are a piece of garbage. They are two different things. Go ahead and swing away at me for being critical too in player evaluations but I'm just giving my opinion on what I see. I see players being discussed on here all the time and when I state facts and what I see I get hammered for it. It just shows passion from fans and caring about a product. You think there is no one on a husker football board or anyone on here who isn't criticizing Taylor Martinez? It comes with being a Division I athlete at a major program. Is that better? Don't know how that happened

The Wreck of the Andre Almeida..... Oh my.....the possibilities..... The legend lives on from the Amazon on down of the big guy that Kent called El Grande Twice as big as a tree, with a vertical of three whopping inches, he was often called Andre etc etc etc... Here are a couple more verses. The legend lives on from São Paulo on down of the big ship they call 'The Almeida'. The ship, it is said, never sails for Big Red ‘cause the ship couldn’t control its a weight-uh With a load on the floor, 330 pounds or more, the Almeida could not make a layup. That big ship, it seems, stored too much in its seams, and was beached on the bench, it couldn’t stay up.

Here's the way the vast majority of the college coaches I have known over the years talk about trying to "position" a player - both when time to recruit and time to distribute playing time comes. In most cases, they do not look at offensive skills/prowess/abilities/qualities until AFTER they decide how they fit defensively. We all know that coaches don't always play man, but for the sake of this post, I'm going to use it in my example. The longest and strongest body that can play a specific position, is the guy who'll be looked at first. So, in general, if you've got a 6'6" guy battling a 6'9" guy for the 4, the 6'9" guy is going to come out on top if both can defend that spot equally. The same can be said when deciding where an individual player plays. If a 6'6" guy can defend the 4, 3, and 2, he's going to be looked at initially as a 2. The offensive side of the ball is secondary to ability to defend a position when deciding where to place a player. That's why bigs with guard skills don't often play the guard spot. It's not because they can't handle the ball and shoot it like a guard, it's because they can't defend on the perimeter. Even the most athletic guys that fit that bill offensively (e.g. Kevin Durant), would never be able to stay in front of a Derek Rose or a Chris Paul. Therefore, guys like Durant can only go down as far as SF in most cases. When I apply that line of thinking to our squad next year, and if we're going to be a quality team, I don't see any way Shields can move his feet well enough to play on the perimeter at the three. He should be a 4. I do think Rivers can guard a perimeter if he gets hungry enough to work at the 3. I see Petteway fitting in nicely as a 3. It's really perfect for both his offensive and defensive game. Like Rivers, I think he can check smaller players and move down to become a 2 with enough emphasis and work. Walt is unique in this scenario because we're so thin with quality bigs. But for the sake of argument, If we did have good depth at the PF and C, the ideal place to play him is 4 because of his ability to athletically stay with shorter players despite his great length. I just don't know if we have that luxury next year. Bear in mind, this is only a general guideline that these coaches have shared with me. There are no absolutes. Within any given team there is potential for chemistry issues, specialty needs, offensive skills so great they outweigh defensive liabilities and size, etc; that ultimately dictate who plays and who plays where. But in general, a player is going to be placed where he can defend the smallest spot without consistent help.

The Wreck of the Andre Almeida..... Oh my.....the possibilities..... The legend lives on from the Amazon on down of the big guy that Kent called El Grande Twice as big as a tree, with a vertical of three whopping inches, he was often called Andre etc etc etc...

This was the perfect recipe for a blowout. - Emotional come from behind win a few days ago. - Andre out for the game. - Wisconsin is much more physical. - They were going to wear us down with their size and us not having a bench.

What a loaded question. For me it is the replacement for years of wishing for better. I admit I really didn't think Doc would get it done here and Barry wasn't much better. I have felt and still do that we have had better players than our coaches. The threads I have been privileged to read concerning past players have made me relive and remember also realize I have been a fan all along. I don't claim to be any kind of expert on basketball but I have played thousands of games. I watch College basketball and wish pro would stick to the rules more. Thanks to all who have shared their opinions here. The best part of this board is no one seems to get picked on unless they ask for it. My personal favorite poster is Icey from the other board. I lack his optimism but admire it, same for others. Don't kick us off. I haven't been to a Husker game since Barry. But I hope to see them play. I doubt I would leave early. In short this board is fun. tux

I think everyone is over sensitive to this. Giving an honest evaluation of someone based on what you see and stating your opinion is not making fun of a player. We live in a society today where everyone can't accept criticism and falls apart when something is said about them. Sometimes things are said in a joking manner and shouldn't be taken serious. It's not like anyone is saying they suck or they are a piece of garbage. They are two different things. Go ahead and swing away at me for being critical too in player evaluations but I'm just giving my opinion on what I see. I see players being discussed on here all the time and when I state facts and what I see I get hammered for it. It just shows passion from fans and caring about a product. You think there is no one on a husker football board or anyone on here who isn't criticizing Taylor Martinez? It comes with being a Division I athlete at a major program.

I'm going to get killed for this, but it's been bugging me for a while. I'm not singling anybody out here nor talking specifically about this site, but I absolutely hate that fact that people are so willing to make fun of college athletes. Yes Andre is overweight. Who are we to make fun of him. Grown adults making fun of a college player. Yeah he has struggled a ton this year. But he is also coming off of a knee injury and from the sounds of it hasn't fully recovered. That, his struggles, and match up issues isn't playing. But like people said before, when he was healthier in his first year he was a good role player off the bench. We was suppose to be a role player last year but was hurt. This year he was forced to play a larger role. It's not his fault Diaz left. It's not his fault Doc offered him a scholorship and didn't bring in other recuits which would allow him to stay as a role player.

Excellent, excellent post, Ladyhusker. Far better than my lame attempts at coming up with Edmund Fitzgerald-esque lyrics. In my defense, though ... TCP STARTED IT!

That's usually what gets them on my list first. I wished they played for us. Then if they beat us when they don't always do it to others. And the last thing is how big a douche bag they are.

NU still has at least 16 months before he can even sign so theres plenty of time to show the tide has turned.

I'm with you cwg. Terrible passing too. Some of the turnovers were just plain embarassing. What was up with Ray on that one traveling call? Looked like he was drunk. We hurt ourselves the most when the other team is making 3's. Seems like once they get one Talley HAS to take it down and jack up a terrible 3 to try and get it back. Drives me crazy. Ray has logged a lot of minutes, the shot is gone and long gone. It's never been there except 2 games this year Ray hasn't been a consistent shooter in 3 years.

They might have been mentally drained after that Iowa game more than anything else. This was a game of Nebraska not bringing it vs a Wisconsin team that looked like it was taking shooting practice. If you all didn't see this coming, maybe you should actually read the previews I write

Miles himself said that there is no reason for these guys to be tired. They have ice baths, trainers, nutritionists, etc... 30 games over 120 days is pretty reasonable. I highly doubt Miles is killing these guys in practice given our depth.

I'm with you cwg. Terrible passing too. Some of the turnovers were just plain embarassing. What was up with Ray on that one traveling call? Looked like he was drunk. We hurt ourselves the most when the other team is making 3's. Seems like once they get one Talley HAS to take it down and jack up a terrible 3 to try and get it back. Drives me crazy. Ray has logged a lot of minutes, the shot is gone and long gone.

It was pretty obvious tonight the legs weren't there.

Norm, I was about to say: Pitchford. Petteway. Biggs. Hawkins. Fuller. Webster.

I'm not going to give you heat for it, but I don't think it's ever as easy as saying one team showed up and the other didn't, usually. A lot of factors went into this one. The biggest is that the Badgers are a damn good team.

I may be in the minority here, but this was expected for me. I wasn't surprised in the least. We're human, cwg, and we aren't good. They battled their hearts out and got an emotional win at home on Saturday with the 5 starters playing all 20 minutes of the second half. For a team like us, it takes everything we have just to get a single win. They flew to Wisconsin on Monday, practiced Monday night, and got right back to playing today. Meanwhile, Wisconsin hasn't played since last Wednesday, almost a full week off. And they just killed Ohio State too. Sorry to sound abrasive, but to expect anything even average from our guys tonight was probably a stretch. We are tired, we have no depth, and we ran into a team that started, what, 7 of 9 from long range? We were in it until they drained a bunch of 3s on us. Of course we knew we were out of it by then. I don't think for a second that our guys "didn't show up" or "didn't want to play"...we had a lead early on and had our spirit crushed when they couldn't miss. It happens when you have no depth. Onward and upward.

I do believe that Wisconsin is playing the best of anybody in the BIG right now.

At this point I'd take getting to 24

According to Kent Pavelka, this was the halftime show:

WE'RE IN!!!

And you live in Michigan? I see therapy in your future.....

I think this is my first post. Either way I live too far away to stop by for some salsa or beef jerky at the last game at the Bob. But i gives me a few more reasons to get to a game some time soon. Maybe if Atewe signs, the Huskers could play a game in Canada some time. I'm sure there's a great holiday tournament somewhere for Boxing Day! Well, I only found out about this board just before this season started. I wish I would've known about his board along time ago. I've been wishing there was a Husker basketball board for a long time. I guess I just wasn't looking hard enough! :-) And i have to say this board is top notch: from those who run it to the people who contribute, good guys, with positive attitudes, and good input and ideas! I don't post because I'm a busy guy with 3 young kids, and I just try to stay up to date as much as possible by reading everything if I can. But you have inspired me with your question so I'll do my best to post regularly now. Excited about the future with Miles and Co.! The best is yet to come!!!!

He just needs to give some quality spot minutes to keep Ubel out of foul trouble. There is a good chance Ubel will pick up 4 or 5 fouls tonight just based on how Wisconsin plays.

It will take more than one person to replace Andre.....

If Miles can make a deep NIT run or an NCAA appearance in the next 2 years I can see his extension being HEFTY. In other words,

Also, your options are that, or any combination of four letter words.

That is why Doc is no longer here because he thought he could win with guys like this.