BigTexHusker

GOD I HATE MY IPAD WHEN I TRY TO GIVE POSITIVE POINTS. I totally agree with what you are saying did not mean to give you a negitive. No worries

I think we, as fans, will love the brand of basketball played in the end. As long as the NCAA and the conferences remain vigilant in holding the refs accountable to the new standards, the game will ultimately morph back into what it was originally designed to be . It was never intended to be as physical as it's become. It should be a game of flow and movement, and should be played and executed with anticipation and adjustment, rather than force and leverage. With player evolution to a point where even the 18 and 19 year old kids are long, strong, and athletic, the offensive angles and lanes are constricted far more than when I played, based strictly on the physical attributes of the players. The way the game was being called, allowing defenses to redirect offenses consistently, there were points where it was almost impossible to get any look at the basket that wasn't 22 feet and out. That's NOT basketball. I agree with other members above who are saying the players will figure it out, and will ultimately learn to play defense the right way. Teams like Miles has typically put on the floor throughout his career, will excel and thrive in an environment like that, I think. Precision offense and disciplined execution will be rewarded far more than the standard fare isolation and out-athlete-the-opponent type will. All of this is exciting to me, and I believe should be for Nebraska fans in general. We're well-suited to take advantage of this because we've got pretty skilled players, and it will serve to make the games more enjoyable to watch - if not immediately, at least eventually. GBR!!

Started 10 min ago. Not many questions so far.

+1 I totally agree with Norm on this one. At the D1 level, as well as the next one, position is almost always dictated by what position a player can consistently defend without help. With the exception of requiring PG/SG be able to handle the ball under heavy man pressure, offensive skill-set rarely dictates position by itself.

I know he was in the metroplex as late as yesterday. Was told he was seen out and about.

I believe he landed here. Probably headed to San Antonio at some point early, amongst other stops, in this first week.

This!!!!

Doesn't Harriman have AAU connections? Didn't he arrange for the team from Indiana to visit? Chin certainly had AAU connections, but the rest of them have AAU connections of thier own. We didn't go for 10 to 0 in that regard, not even close. Every basketball coach in American has some AAU connections. The issue is the caliber and strength of those connections. Harriman's forte is international recruiting. He has plenty of contacts in the US, but I feel that's his specialty. Johnson has good contacts in Minnesota in particular. I'm not exactly sure where Smith's AAU connections are. What I'm saying is that Coleman had very strong AAU connections, especially in the Chicago metro, which walked out the building when he left and haven't been replaced. Coach Smith has made large inroads in the Texas AAU community. Since his beginnings at CSU, he has been a mainstay in TX and there are plenty of elite level programs here that I've seen him around. Coach Miles as well, has been here numerous times and seems to have a little juice in the TX ranks. Obviously, that only increased with the move to a high major, with the facilities and B1G calling cards, and will continue to rise with winning. Another thing that helps us going forward is TV exposure. When you can tell a recruit every game is on national TV, it's a lot easier to convince mom to let her baby go

must not have seen Andrew Wiggins play yet. He is graduating HS a year early just so he can get to the NBA draft a year early. Draftexpress.com said he would've been the #1 pick last year as a sophomore in high school, especially after destroying Team USA at the Hoops Summit. Having watched him 3 times in person I can agree. Oh and kentucky is in his final 4 with UNC, KU< and FSU where his dad went Thanks for the vid and short bio Kamdy, but I'm very familiar with Mr. Wiggins, and have seen him play as well. I'm assuming you're implying that you disagree about JR being the closest thing to the physicality of LBJ? I also assume you believe AW is the closest thing physically to LBJ? If so, I guess we'll have to agree to disagree, because I don't see AW the same way I see LBJ. They do have similar skill sets; however, they utilize them in different ways IMO. AW is silky smooth. LBJ is power personified. Both are hellacious athletes; however, I don't think LBJ is as fluid in his hips as AW, and I don't think AW will ever be as broad and powerful as LBJ. In my humble opinion, AW reminds me more of Vince Carter. But I've definitely seen AW, and fully considered him when I made the above statement. Wiggins reminds me of Kevin Durant His game or his body, or the combination of the two? Durant is 6'10" maybe even 11". Wiggins is 6'7" or 8" at best - I've stood next to him. Wiggins can definitely guard the perimeter and hang with guards. Durant cannot. AW is also not nearly as diverse or consistent as Durant was offensively at the same age - especially on the perimeter, IMO. I mostly just meant how he has a lanky build, long arms and how he finishes. I'm sure this kid will need to improve to be the next Durant, but from the short video it looks like he can attack the rim, shoot 3s, dunk at will and even hit some short hook shots after post moves. I think Wiggins is truly special! Without significant injury, I think he has the chance to be a milestone type player in the league - just like I think Durant and LBJ are.

must not have seen Andrew Wiggins play yet. He is graduating HS a year early just so he can get to the NBA draft a year early. Draftexpress.com said he would've been the #1 pick last year as a sophomore in high school, especially after destroying Team USA at the Hoops Summit. Having watched him 3 times in person I can agree. Oh and kentucky is in his final 4 with UNC, KU< and FSU where his dad went Thanks for the vid and short bio Kamdy, but I'm very familiar with Mr. Wiggins, and have seen him play as well. I'm assuming you're implying that you disagree about JR being the closest thing to the physicality of LBJ? I also assume you believe AW is the closest thing physically to LBJ? If so, I guess we'll have to agree to disagree, because I don't see AW the same way I see LBJ. They do have similar skill sets; however, they utilize them in different ways IMO. AW is silky smooth. LBJ is power personified. Both are hellacious athletes; however, I don't think LBJ is as fluid in his hips as AW, and I don't think AW will ever be as broad and powerful as LBJ. In my humble opinion, AW reminds me more of Vince Carter. But I've definitely seen AW, and fully considered him when I made the above statement. Wiggins reminds me of Kevin Durant His game or his body, or the combination of the two? Durant is 6'10" maybe even 11". Wiggins is 6'7" or 8" at best - I've stood next to him. Wiggins can definitely guard the perimeter and hang with guards. Durant cannot. AW is also not nearly as diverse or consistent as Durant was offensively at the same age - especially on the perimeter, IMO.

Kenny Troutt is the billionaire in question. He has two sons (Preston 2013 and Grant 2015). He created two travel teams when Preston's "AAU" team wasn't providing the results he anticipated in the fourth grade. He called on a close friend who had been a college basketball head coach in the past, and who he had recently been in non-basketball related businesses with, and recruited him to help start these two teams. The Texas Titans program was nothing more than a dad using his money and relationships to start two teams for his two sons. The fact that he could afford to pay for everything and to bring in "real" basketball guys to coach, teach skills, work on speed agility and quickness, diet, and weight training, are really the only differences between him and any other dad who has created a team for his sons. All of those boys were/are treated equally in that none of them have to pay for anything, from the time they join through the time they exit. With Randle and others, the training and coaching really paid off in the end.

must not have seen Andrew Wiggins play yet. He is graduating HS a year early just so he can get to the NBA draft a year early. Draftexpress.com said he would've been the #1 pick last year as a sophomore in high school, especially after destroying Team USA at the Hoops Summit. Having watched him 3 times in person I can agree. Oh and kentucky is in his final 4 with UNC, KU< and FSU where his dad went Thanks for the vid and short bio Kamdy, but I'm very familiar with Mr. Wiggins, and have seen him play as well. I'm assuming you're implying that you disagree about JR being the closest thing to the physicality of LBJ? I also assume you believe AW is the closest thing physically to LBJ? If so, I guess we'll have to agree to disagree, because I don't see AW the same way I see LBJ. They do have similar skill sets; however, they utilize them in different ways IMO. AW is silky smooth. LBJ is power personified. Both are hellacious athletes; however, I don't think LBJ is as fluid in his hips as AW, and I don't think AW will ever be as broad and powerful as LBJ. In my humble opinion, AW reminds me more of Vince Carter. But I've definitely seen AW, and fully considered him when I made the above statement.

Randle is a monster. Doesn't have the same game as LeBron, but is equally imposing and dominant at the HS level. Don't get all twisted when I say this, but he's the closest thing I've seen to a physical specimen rivaling LBJ. I know he's NOT LeBron, and I don't think his ceiling is as high, but d*** this kid is off the charts impressive. Been around him and watching him play since he was in the fourth grade. I know "one and done" and "future lottery pick" are monikers that routinely get hung around the necks of nearly every 5* player in every class, but mark my words, he IS every bit each of those. If we can ever become a traditional contender in the B1G, I'm not so sure we can't start to lure some of these type guys to Huskerland. Lincoln and Lexington are very similar, our facilities are very similar, and our fan base has the potential to be very similar. Not out of the realm of possibilities given the right set of circumstances. Aside from dealing money under the table, we could be attractive to a prospect in much the same way as UK is to prospects, given the right dominoes falling.

Not sure how tongue in cheek you are with this Norm, but I'm not so sure you're not right on with this. At minimum, I think it's a distinct possibility (see my post in another thread referencing Georgia Tech and Bobby Cremins). If you're being reasonably serious, I'll jump on this bandwagon with you. Sweet 16 in 2016!

I 100% agree with this! I also wish you the health you had 3 years ago.

In B1G play in particular, I see next season's team almost polar opposites of this season's team. All conference season long, I thought our strength was our ability to defend and control an opposition's offensive output by controlling tempo. Next season, I think we'll have a very difficult time hanging our hat on defense to keep us in games, primarily because we won't have traditional bigs who can clog up the middle and deter teams from perimeter penetration (without going to a zone). On the other hand, where we struggled offensively this season, I think it will become our strength next year. I think we'll have to outscore and work to control games by adding possessions, rather than limiting them like we were forced to this year. We'll get to the free throw line more effectively and more often, helping us add points while the clock is stopped. We should be able to press more often and with more success in the full court. All of which would help make scoring our chief asset and help offset the struggles I think we'll have on defense in the half court.

I know it's months away, but that video got the juices flowing. I can't wait to see what next year holds! There's going to be so much hype next season, it'll be hard to contain under that newly constructed roof - hype for the new facility, for the new program, and for the young team. Every bit of that commercial had the right feel!

Next year's team will be decidedly different in it's offensive make-up. This season, we had one guy who could get his own shot and get consistent paint touches from the perimeter (Talley) and two catch and shoot guys (Shavon and Ray). The offense Miles prefers to run in the past doesn't have a true single PG instigating things in the half court. Though against pressure in the full court he likes to have someone he trusts bring it up consistently. His best offenses have always been where minimum two guys have the ability to create and preferably three, and there are many catch and shoot options available on penetration. I've said on this forum a couple of times I believe that Terran is the real deal. I don't think those outside Texas can appreciate just how elite the state of basketball is in this area. I may sound over-dramatic, but players raised in this environment are hardened and sharpened at a level that far exceeds 90% of other areas in this country, IMO. Doesn't mean they're always better players, but more often than not, they are proven and tested when they head off to school. Dallas and Houston are chalked full of elite prospects every single year. These two cities might as well be one when it comes to the long-term development of these guys. They play almost weekly against one another on the travel circuit, and Terran is certainly a byproduct of that. I promise you he'll be able to create for himself and for others. I've seen Biggs do the same, though to a lesser degree, especially on the creating for others front. I've seen Hawkins do it at will against the best competition, and though I've never seen him personally, I believe Tai will be able to as well, based on the highlights I've seen. That's three guys I've seen with my own two eyes do it, and a fourth who I firmly believe can do it. Versus one guy who could do it this season. Additionally, next season will have Ray, Shavon, Fuller, and Hawkins who are all proven catch and shoot guys. Biggs is streaky, but can shoot, and Terran can as well. Add in the front line of Walt and Rivers who are also very capable shooters (and more importantly, floor spacers) and next year's offense will look entirely different than this season's did.

MVP - the age old question of what definition does a voter give the award he/she is handing out? In my book, MVP isn't short for "best player" (though it obviously can be the best player). I take the acronym literally. The most VALUABLE player on this team would be the player that's the most costly to lose, in my opinion. The two neediest components we had to have were a big who could defend in the paint and make the rest of the B1G pay a little when their bigs had to defend, and a point guard who could reliably get us into sets and to keep defenses honest with legitimate, consistent offensive threats. In addition to the simple lack of scholarship players, a large part of our depth woes came from only having one legitimate player to fit each of those roles. Tally was the only PG we had whose ball handling was strong enough to get us into consistent quality sets and be able to get his own shot going to the rim. Ubel was the only big we had that could even remotely come close to defending the plethora of quality post players seemingly every team in the B1G had. He also was the only post player with enough offensive threat outside 12 feet to get those shot blockers even close to coming out of the paint. That makes them equal in my eyes. Both pretty much irreplaceable. So, I think it comes down to who did their job better, more consistently. Here I give the nod to Ubel because I feel like he was there giving quality minutes, other than the injury, at the same basic level all season long. I think Talley was more inconsistent in what he produced. Without either one for an extended period of time, we would have been in a world of hurt, relatively speaking. Ubel gets my MVP in a close call.

With Parker (and Vooch) It becomes a matter of numbers - survival of the fittest if you will. The issue with debating this situation now, is we don't have all the numbers yet. There's no way to tell if either of the two remaining 2013 scholarships will be used. In the speculation about Bennie, there's no way to tell if the guards we do have committed to scholarships for 2013 will all be avail come opening day. The reason being, this is almost a totally unproven roster when it comes to guards - there's health and academic eligibility that could affect those numbers. Not to mention the fact that none of us have seen Biggs, Webster, or Hawkins compete against Division 1 coaching and players. To accurately gauge Parker's standing is a tough one to call. The one thing I feel like will be a constant we can accurately gauge in the process, is Miles. We know what kind of offense/defense he likes to run, the tempo he likes to play at, and the type guards he prefers to run with (watch Colorado State this NCAA tournament if you get the chance). All of those players are his. We also know from his statements throughout this season what he would like for his guards to provide. I'm sure Parker is a competitive person because he's made it to this level of ball. The only way I see him leaving is if Miles tells him it's in his best interest, and I don't see that happening.

Hawkins and Atewe interviewed last night. Interesting to hear them speak. Atewe is in Seg 2 clip and Hawkins is in Seg 3. http://www.espn1480.com/pages/15243381.php

After watching him in the game against Hawkins I really dont see him fitting the style of offense Miles wants to run. I think he would end up being the "Andre Almeida" to what type of center Miles is looking for when comparing him to Pitchord, Atewe, Vucetic, etc. Seems he wants a leaner, more athletic 5 that can be on the smaller side if need be but can run the floor. Duly noted Kamdy

Just as an aside, I had mentioned in another thread a while back that I know we're recruiting a few bigs in the 2014 class down here. One of them is a 6'10" center - Elbert Robinson. He is taking an unofficial to Georgetown this weekend. We really need to get him to Lincoln - sooner rather than later - if we want any chance at him.

Sorry, but Tavarius Shine is not even close to being ready for this level of ball. If he were 6'8", raw, and athletic, he might stand a chance, but he's not. He's 6'5" (closer to 6'4"), raw, and athletic.

Tim Miles has the chance to be the patriarch of an elite program in an elite basketball conference. Everything is laid out if he can prove to be the right guy at the right place at the right time. Famous in the south for taking a perennial cellar dweller Georgia Tech program, without a single thread of elite pedigree, and making it relevant and to some degree a destination program in a dominant basketball conference, Tim Miles reminds me of Bobby Cremins in many ways, and our current program of Georgia Tech's at the beginning of the 80's. For those of you who don't know the Ga Tech history, here's a brief quote from an article written back in '87: "In six seasons at Georgia Tech, Cremins has turned the worst program in Atlantic Coast Conference history--1-29 in league play during the two seasons before he arrived--into a perennial national contender. The Yellow Jackets won the ACC tournament in 1985 and reached the NCAA tournament final eight. They have been to three straight NCAA tournaments. During one stretch, Cremins recruited four straight ACC rookies of the year: Mark Price, Bruce Dalrymple, Ferrell and Tommy Hammonds. He has the odds-on favorite to win it this year, Dennis Scott. In short, Cremins is a winner, a big-time winner who has been rewarded with a lucrative contract, plenty of endorsement money and status in his profession at age 39 envied by most. He isn't satisfied. "I want this to be a great program," he said, driving toward a preseason scrimmage on a rainy night. "The first few years after I got here, we kept going up, doing better every year. We weren't getting guys the whole world wanted, we were getting guys who came here and got better like Price, (John) Salley and (Yvon) Joseph. Dalrymple was the first big name recruit we had." Miles has recruited some talent in Webster, Fuller, and Hawkins that I feel is very similar to the building blocks Cremins started his program with - undervalued, but talented. Cremins was/is a very dynamic communicator - people are drawn to him and fascinated by him - same with Miles. If I'm not mistaken, Georgia Tech was a newby in the ACC just like we are in the B1G. I could see a scenario where Miles could end up with his name on a court in Lincoln, same as Cremins has in Atlanta. It could be that we are witnessing the birth of something bigger, something lasting, something elite.