Coaches kid

In the Purdue giveaway to FSU, I think Cline has to bear some of the blame for that held ball, regardless of the fact that Valentine was not in position to fully see the play. Purdue wanted him at the free throw line, so I understand why he doesn't want to give the ball up. But he needed to go all out to sell the foul and make it more difficult for the defender to create the perception of a held ball. IMO he made it way too easy for the FSU player to get that call. That said, Purdue misses Vince Edwards, Matthias, Thompson and Haas.

Nice run down. Great win. I was a doom and gloomer going into this game, but that was night and day better than the Tech fiasco. While we stalled at times, offensive movement was way, way better. The thing that struck me is that even though we played well, I don't think we played near our ceiling. We haven't had all our guys playing well on the same night yet. If that happens, we can play with most anybody. Some observations: For a few possessions, Nana wreaked some havoc on the offensive boards, so much so that Brownell was telling one of his players to "block out 25." On his basket, Borchardt finished with his left hand (without bringing the ball below his shoulders). Thomas' 3 was huge. I would love to see us get him a few more open looks. I always feel like the ball is going in when he shoots it. I still think James needs to get the ball out of his hands sooner when a driving lane isn't available, but he was very good last night. As for Amir, he got a shot at guarding Reed and had some trouble, but you can just tell he has the tools to be a very good, lockdown-type defender. As the season progresses, I predict we see him make some plays on the defensive end. Let's stick it to Illinois. We owe them for last year's game in Champaign.

Probably right about Miles' comment. The problem I see is that we haven't shown the same dogged determination in getting to the rim, and that the ball has quit moving too much. The exception would be the last 10 minutes against Seton Hall. It hasn't mattered as much against the weaker competition. James needs to be patient. If he can't create on his first touch, the ball needs to move and he may get the opportunity on a second touch when the defense has had to scramble a bit. It also looks like he's thinking too much and is not reacting to the situation in front of him.

If we don't move the ball and don't see motion in our offense, I don't like our chances. Last year, our identity was a team that attacked the basket. The idea that we want to play into the popular "metrics" and begin shooting 3s in volume is a bit perplexing to me. Nobody on this team should be jacking up 3's early in the shot clock except for Glynn (when he's feeling it), and Allen. Otherwise, we need to see the ball move from side to side before taking quick shots. Granted, defenses are playing pack-line against us, but we have to move defenders off of their spots. That might mean having the patience to make some extra passes, screens or a hard off-ball cut or two. We never really did that against Tech. Not disputing that we need to take and make some 3s, but with this team, I think the type of 3s we shoot will be more important than the quantity of 3s we shoot. Years of being a long-suffering Nebrasketball fan have made me a glass half empty guy, but I'd hate to see this group of talented players (who are good guys as well), fail to give it their best shot because we have tried to adopt an identity which does not play to our strengths. Hoping we give great effort and play well tonight.

I did the same thing teaching youth basketball over the years. After being around the game all of my life, I didn't think there was much new to learn about shooting technique, but after doing research, watching training video and trying it out myself, I am now convinced. Interestingly, I had noticed over the years that I shot it much better with my right foot staggered forward, and now it makes sense why that was the case. Shows that even old codgers like me can learn something new.

Spot on, Dean. You have to put in the work so that you are not "thinking" when you are shooting in game circumstances, but trusting your mechanics and form. One of the trends I've noticed in the teaching of shooting mechanics is foot placement. Instead of lining up completely square (head on) to the basket, many popular shooting instructors are teaching kids to stagger their feet at 10 to 11 o'clock (for right-handed shooters, 1 to 2 o'clock for lefties) in relation to the basket. The reasoning behind this theory is that this set-up will naturally align your elbow and shooting hand towards the target, as well as take away a sight/line obstruction of your hands interfering with your eyes on the target during the shot. For an example of this watch Steph Curry and James Harden. I have bought in to this method, but whatever foot method is being taught, good shooters simply have to have their elbows and hands aligned towards the target at release. Perhaps a shot guru can work with Amir during the off season to work on making some fundamental mechanics changes.

The last 10 minutes were a blast. They could not stop James from getting to the basket. Our ceiling is much, much higher than we saw tonight. Heck, we did most of our damage despite Roby being on the bench. Good contributions by almost everyone. I was impressed with the hustle plays by Brady. They switched Harris over to guard Nelson after he got in the lane a few times and Amir did a nice job. His length really bothered him. Tanner was always in the right position on both sides of the floor. Glynn held us together offensively early on. SH confused us a bit by changing defenses, but we eventually adjusted. We are a much better team when both the ball and players are moving. Feels good to have a 23 point win over a non-conference opponent from a power conference.

Just walked down to Starbucks with a Seton Hall fan in from NJ to watch the game. Said most of the Pirate fan base thinks it will be a rebuilding year but that they have enough talent to be dangerous once they gel. I told him I hope they don't gel tonight. ? He was worried that some of the newer players wouldn't be ready for a road test against a good team yet. Best case scenario for us would be to jump on them early and see if they fold. Just hoping we get a quality win and build confidence for KC next week.

Purdue now in a tight battle with Ball State at half. Purdue up 42-41. In just three minutes of viewing this game, I was reminded that Matt Haarms is easily the most hateable player in the Big 10. Looks like he's improved his game on the offensive end, but goodness...the kid is absolutely obnoxious. I generally like guys who play with heart, but he's out of control. Wild and dangerous fist pumping, trash talking, excruciatingly painful to watch.

No doubt that Brady needs to do some strength training, and in a perfect world could use a red shirt year. That said, a few things stood out which are very good signs - he had a put back on an offensive rebound where he kept the ball high and went straight back up. He did the same thing off an assist from Roby - caught it and in one motion went right up to lay it in. One of the besetting problems for Jordy was that he couldn't break the habit of bringing the ball below his waist (I know this was something which drove Norm crazy ?). Brady appears to have some fundamental soundness and basketball savvy which Jordy lacked. He also showed some good footwork on the defensive end. Yes, it was against a bad team, but if he can give us some quality minutes down the road this year, he could provide some needed depth and be a factor this year.

I agree with this observation. Seemed like Ed would block some shots as a help defender, but he was average at best defending guys his height or bigger in the post. I think he would have helped us as a role player this year. That being said, team chemistry and unity are huge intangibles, and when he was here, IMO, he was not a net positive for those intangibles.

I only saw the scrimmage before the scrimmage. Agreed that the top 5 are very good. Thomas will benefit by playing with several guys who can take defenders off the dribble. If they leave him to help, he will get open shots (and will likely make them at a higher rate than Anton did last year). The optics say that Nana has really taken a step forward. He has a nice stroke and looks explosive and athletic. My question is whether he can handle the ball out on the floor, but if he can adequately guard stretch 4's and is playing with enough other ball handlers, that may not be such a big deal. Amir Harris is an x-factor. He had a very athletic play in the pre-scrimmage where he took it baseline and tried to flush it two-handed over a defender. Looks like he can handle the ball and could finish at the rim, but as others have pointed out, his shot is shaky (it needs to be re-constructed). Hopes are that he can be a positive contributor, especially on the defensive end, by January 1. No doubt in my mind Tanner will play and will have to provide interior defense (especially if Zay or Cope are in foul trouble). Brady has some athleticism, but he needs to add some muscle. If he could eventually spot the 4/5's for 3-4 minutes per half, that would be a huge plus. Last year, I was pleasantly surprised with Thor, but he didn't look great last night. Perhaps it was just an off night, but from the looks of it, Nana took a giant stride forward and Thor did not. I won't give up on Chan as an eventual contributor, but it doesn't look like that will happen this year. He actually showed the ability to handle the ball in some pre-scrimmage drills, and his frame is much sturdier than what I saw on tape. My guess is he's a bit lost scheme-wise, and he has a way to go to adjust to the basketball played on this level. Dachon is gonna be a good one. Wish he could play this year, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's the next all-big ten-type transfer player from Nebraska. I enjoy reading everybody's input here. It's good to watch basketball again. GBR!!

Not only jumps well, he uses either hand around the basket and has a decent looking shot.

A friend of mine works with a bunch of Creighton alums. They told him because Nebraska was not on the list of schools to make illegal offers, it was proof we were not a "big time" program. Mentality being, if you don't cheat, you're not a real basketball school. Typical Creighton mentality.

By the way, ZAYWHAT! may be the best handle of all time on this board. ?

I based my comment about Nana working hard on the reports that he was was putting in work both before and after games. Dimes makes a great point - being a great shooter will only get you so far with this coach and in this league. If the team can't count on you to execute your defensive assignments, or if you are a wing and can't handle the ball or can't pass worth a lick, you won't see the floor very much.

I agree about Thomas being the 5th starter. If we are going to have a legit 8 man rotation, there are a few gaping question marks: 1) Who among the trio of Thor, Nana and Harris will step up to take minutes? My guess is that because of Harris' length and his reported defensive-mindedness, we will see him materialize as the go-to back-up point sometime during the year. I don't think Thomas is a natural point guard, and it would help if Harris can get ready to play early on. As for Nana and Thor, while Nana is clear-cut the better athlete, my sense is that Thor will get the nod over Nana for minutes at the 2 and 3. From what I've seen of the two (admittedly not much), Thor seems to have the higher bball IQ and intangibles at this point in their careers. He seems to be a pretty confident dude when he gets on the floor and he looked like he knew how to play. It sounds like Nana is working hard to become a contributor, so let's hope he progresses substantially over last year. 2) Will Chan be good enough quickly enough to save what should be Heiman's redshirt year? He is an instant upgrade offensively from Jordy, but will he rebound and defend enough to be a significant contributor in an 8-man rotation? He's got good length and he seems to have a great attitude and willingness to work to get better. 3) If Chan isn't ready to contribute 10-12 minutes, how much will we see Borchardt or Heiman on the floor? If they don't play will Nana, as some here have suggested, take some minutes at the 4? My hope is that our 8 man rotation includes Harris, Chan and either Thor or Nana. If we save Heiman's redshirt, that would hopefully benefit us in years to come. Right now, I'd bet 60% Heiman does not redshirt, but I hope I'm wrong. At least two of the four mentioned above will simply have to make positive contributions at some point this year for us to weather the ups and downs of conference play.

You know you are starved for information when you check in every 4 hours to see whether there is any news about landing a Euro or JUCO 6'9ish transfer who can play post defense, give us 12 minutes, 4 points and 5 rebounds per game. I don't care if the source of the information has zero credibility. This yet unknown player has to be out there somewhere. Please, please materialize.

Griesel is athletic and a smart kid with a high BB IQ - the kind of guy Wisconsin has historically molded into a quality contributor. Not saying that Griesel will end up that way, but I have a sense whoever lands him will, a few years down the road, be happy they did.

My kid played in the same high school league as Teddy, so I saw him quite a bit in high school. He was simply a man among boys in C-1 ball. His athleticism and quickness for his build and size was clearly at a D1 level. He was an excellent rebounder and a great slasher. He had nice court vision and good handles for a guy his size as well. That being said, he was not a great jump shooter and he had substantial motivation and attitude issues. I thought he would need a year or two to develop his game to play at the college level. For that reason, his success as a freshman at WVU surprised me a bit, until I realized that the chaos and frenetic system Huggins employs was a perfect fit for his skill set. My concern with bringing him in is whether his skill set translates into success in Miles' system, not to mention the question of whether he would mesh with the team chemistry we enjoyed on last year's squad. Recruiting him may be worth a shot, but I'm 50/50 as to whether the positives outweigh the negatives.

Does anybody know whether we have actively been recruiting Wingett?

I read a biography about Bill Russell when I was a teenager. Very interesting guy, but like Wilt's story, there were some things in there that I could not recommend for younger kids.

Other differentiations - he finished with both his right and left hands at the rim; he looked like he could catch the ball; he set legal screens and could roll to the basket on pick and rolls; he ran the floor pretty well. There were no defensive clips on the video, so whether he can defend or protect the rim like Duby is still an open question. Likely an upgrade on offense, but an unknown on defense.

Dang - I liked the tape on this guy. Might have given us a legit scoring threat inside.

I run in similar circles, uneblinstu. In Lincoln, by any chance?