Swan88

Washut's Tunnel Talk today is very high on Alonzo Verge . . . and on Wilhelm Breidenbach.

Actually, it implies we were heading in the wrong direction recently.

The last sentence in this article:

Gotta love this: “We're going to get this thing turned around and not only win soon, but for a long time." —Fred Hoiberg, while discussing Trev Alberts.

49r posted above Alonzo Verge's 2021 stats--"2021 Game Data." To see something impressive, run down the side-by-side columns for DR and A to see: lots of 4 to 8 defensive rebounds; and lots of 4 to 9 assists. Here's guessing that Hoiberg & Co. think they can make hay at NU out of those skills, which are Banton-esque. The free throw column is also impressive. Here's guessing Hoiberg & Co. believe a point guard's 80% free throw skill will come in handy during "foul-'em" time at the end of games--that's one clear improvement over Banton.

As we are waiting for word on who Nebraska is after to fill Banton's spot, here's another tidbit--strictly for speculation purposes: Avery Brown was young for his original class of 2021, so he "reclassified to 2022 and the move is paying off with high majors getting involved recently." The "recently" is in an article from a year ago.

Here is a more recent tweet: https://twitter.com/JonRothstein/status/1410331484142157839?s=20

Agree—we are going to miss him a lot. He merely, according to Sports Illustrated, “led the G League camp in rebounds and assists.”

Washut says “No” on both Cockburn and Carr.

As Banton received reactions from on-site people at the NBA process (from "This is a stretch," to "Hey, he's pretty good," to ""Wow, he has a chance"), it seemed like same song, second verse from when Roby went through that process--with the same stay-in decision. Would have loved for him to come back . . . but moving another one into the League can't hurt Hoiberg & Co. By the way, Washut is suggesting that a replacement is in the works--they've apparently seen this coming for a while.

Here is a Sports Illustrated report: Dalano Banton, G/F, Nebraska Height: 6' 9" | Weight: 195 | Age: 21 | Sophomore While Banton didn’t receive enough votes for the combine, he proved himself to be one of the most intriguing prospects at G League Elite Camp, only after being added to the event as a late injury replacement for Dejon Jarreau. Banton measured at 6' 9" in shoes with a 6' 10.25" wingspan and 9' 0" standing reach and led the G League camp in rebounds and assists, legitimizing his potential as a jumbo-sized playmaker and drawing second-round interest from teams. I highlighted Banton as a sleeper before the combine, with the primary caveat being whether he’ll shoot. That remains a real question, but he did shoot well at his pro day workout, and if teams can talk themselves into the workability of the jumper, there’s a fascinating pathway for him to develop into a Shaun Livingston–esque role player. Banton is unselfish almost to a fault, but is an exceptional ball-screen playmaker who can access passing angles other guards can’t due to his size and vision. He’s built a case to be drafted after coming in off the radar, and has become more than just a curiosity for some scouts.

Delano continues to exceed expectations. One of the "Top 5 Game Performers" at an "Elite Camp" for NBA prospects is not bad for a player deemed ineffectual by some Nebrasketball fans:

Cool! Love it when Delano gets the defensive rebound and begins a break on the dribble. If his teammates could hit shots, he’d have double the number of assists. And he blocked the three-point shot at the first half ending buzzer. he’s playing some good defense, too. The name on his jersey is a hand-written “BAN” on tape right next to the printed-on-jersey “TON”—pretty funny (he was, apparently, a late invitee to the event). sure hope he comes back.

And father was pretty good, too. Here is a link to his stats: One year at Syracuse, then three at Long Beach State (the coach was a former assistant at Syracuse). And here is a quote from the link: "Ramel 'Rock' Lloyd was a shooting guard at Syracuse for one season. Lloyd was a big guard, with a reputation for being tough. He was a Parade All American at Cardinal Hayes High School." And here is an Arkansas connection: "Lloyd would play in the NBDL in the 2001-02 season for Fayetteville."

Here are a couple blurbs on Delano Banton from the links above. 1. This is from an article titled, "NBA combine invitations suggest who could be heading back to the NCAA": "Nebraska's Dalano Banton, recently described by SI.com's Jeremy Woo as one of the most underrated players in this class, was one of the last players to announce he was declaring early entry for the NBA draft. That made it hard for him to get enough votes to earn a trip to the combine." 2. This is from an article titled, "The Biggest NBA Draft Sleepers, Five underappreciated prospects to watch for as the draft approaches": "A native of Toronto, Banton has spent much of his career flying under the radar, and he enters the draft as a fascinating deep cut, albeit a long shot to be drafted. The point forward was a top-100 recruit, but landed at Western Kentucky as a freshman in 2018–19, sitting out the following season while transferring to Nebraska, and posting pedestrian counting stats (9.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists) on a team that went 7–20. He snuck into this year’s draft, declaring just before the early-entry deadline with little fanfare. At surface level, last season’s shooting splits don’t pop at all shooting 49.6% on twos, 24.1% on 79 three-point attempts and 66% from the foul line. On the brighter side, he led Nebraska in assist rate (27.5%) and shot 60.3% around the rim, per Barttorvik.com data. For better or worse, much of the intrigue with Banton centers around the oft-maligned eye test. But if you’re an NBA team willing to take a flier on a player who can’t really shoot, investing in a huge, skilled passer is a pretty interesting thing to consider. Banton’s broad shoulders and long arms pop immediately on film, and his height gives him legitimate functionality using ball screens, able to see over defenders and giving him access to passing angles that smaller handlers don’t have. He delivers the ball well using a variety of passes, and his size allows him to rebound, push in transition and help facilitate early offense. Banton has a long stride that helps him cover ground quickly, and, while not particularly explosive, he has a workable degree of pace as a handler and gets good extension in the paint on finishes. His overall feel for moving the ball stands out immediately, even as bad as Nebraska was this season. The playmaking seems bankable as an NBA-level skill."

Sounds like he is N for sure--but why is he waiting to commit? Here's a guess: perhaps it's a cooperative effort to keep a scholarship open for recruiting other players: --the expectation is that a scholarship or two will open at the end of the coming season; but --if he commits now, everyone will wonder how the coaches can continue to recruit? Any other speculations?