NUdiehard

Constant negativity brings everyone down. But, high expectations keep a program up. That is a dual edge sword that every coach, athlectic department and fanbase must balance. You do not notice Nebraska basketball fans being negative because there are so many fewer Nebraska basketball fans in general. 99 out of 100 people in this state could care less if the NU basketball team stinks or not. And guess what, the team has been terrible for years. If Nebraskans (in general) ever reach the general level of apathy for football that they have about Nebraska basketball, the NU football team will forever remained mired in mediocrity, you can bank on it. Someone above mentioned Kentucky basketball. This is a good illustration. The Kentucky basketball fans are rabid about their program and its success. When Billy G was there and not having IMMEDIATE success, they ran him out of town on a rail. And guess what, they now have John Calipari and the most talented recruits (and often team) in the country year are year. The fan base demanded it, and the administration had no option but to make it happen. I don't suppose those fans are considered "negative" now, but they sure were "negative" when Billy G was failing to get enough wins. If Bo P were winning conference or national championships by now (his 6th year), you would not be noticing so much "negativity". Obviously. Its funny, because many (including many on this board) called some of us (me included) as being way too negative about the baketball program under Doc Sadler. I feel like some of us just called it like we saw it. I tried not to make it personal, but I did not feel Doc could or would ever lead us to wins in the NCAA tourney and I made that clear. This annoyed a lot of people. I guess I was a bad fan in their view. But now we have Tim Miles and everyone seems to be happy again and most feel like he is the right coach for us. Interesting how that works. One last thing. This comparison really isn't fair. Miles is only in his 2nd year. He is still in his honeymoon stage. Nobody expects immediate results from him after inheriting the mess Doc left. But if this team is still finishing 10th-12th (or 12th-14th as it may be) in 6 years, rest assured, of what few basktball fans are left, many will be negative, and the AD will fire him, and so the cycle will continue. It simply is the nature of the beast.

Our non-conf schedule is not that difficult. We play 12 non-conf games and we have 5 automatic, sure-fire wins. That means we would only have win 1 out of 7 competitive games to get to 6 wins. If this team ends up with 12 wins or less, that would be disappointing to say the least. Non-Conference (0-0) (with KenPom Rankings): 112. Florida Gulf Coast 261. Western Illinois 343. South Carolina State ---Charleston Classic--- 60. Umass 17./82. New Mexico/UAB 96./81./122./88. Clemson/Davidson/Georgia/Temple 336. Northern Illinois ---B1G/ACC Challenge--- 62. Miami 13. @Creighton 189. Arkansas State 342. The Citadel 45. @Cincinnati

http://www.omaha.com/article/20131027/HUSKERS/131028698/1002#husker-men-fall-in-secret-scrimmage

Okay. I understand your point better now. I guess I was also responding to some people who seemed to indicate that almost never is a good idea to RS players in college basketball today. For just one last look at this. Let's say that Hawkins could play "some" minutes this year. Let's say he could play 7-9 minutes per game and average about 2.9pts and 1.2 assists per game. Is that worth it? Let's also assume (based on what we have seen and heard) that he is a talented player that will continue to devlelop each year. This would mean that he could potentially average something in the range of 13pts, 4.6RBs and 3.3 assists per game his 5th year. That is some pretty significant production. Is it worth trading that 5th year of significant production for a few "relief" minutes his freshman year? I don't know. I guess if you just "assume" that by then Miles will be bringing in 4 star and 5 star recruits who can immediately come in and play at that same level, then okay, play him now. But is that really that realistic? Miles may bring in 1 or 2 high profile recruits a year, but all of them? And is a 4 star freshman really the same as a mature, experienced and developed player like a talented 5th year senior? Talented freshman can do some amazing things, but they also can do some really stupid things. Even the best tend to turn the ball over and make plenty of mistakes. It takes freshman time to learn the system, etc. Having mature and experienced leaders on the team and on the floor can make a big difference. This is the balance the coach and player must weigh in making these decisions. And for a coach like Miles, who is trying to build a program from the ashes, he may have to consider it much more strongly than a coach at a more established or esteeemed program. As for the player not wanting to RS. Well, here is the way I see it. If the coach comes to you and says you should RS, you should RS. And if you refuse, then you are immature and ignorant and need an adult to step in and make the decision for you. Basically, the coach is saying "I don't think you will play much this year, it is better for you and the team for you to RS, get stronger, and be a very productive memeber of this team in the following years." In other words, the coach is telling you you won't be playing much. If the coach thought you were going to be a starter or a major contributor, then he wouldn't be asking you to RS. Duh! As for the player still not wanting to RS. If the player is a major project like Vooch, then tough! The coach can decide just to never insert him in the game. What is Vooch going to do about it? Quit? So what. If all he cares about is himself, then he isn't worth the trouble. He is not good enough to be dictating those types of things. Besides, does anyone really think that Vooch is so much more happy and content now that Miles inserted in for a total of 10 minutes of playing time last year? Did this meaningless gesture pacify him? If it did, then he is too stupid to care about whether he quits or not (and I am NOT implying this to Vooch, I am just using this as an illustration of the moranic basis for this type of position). Players who are projects should not be dictating what a coach does. If the only reason the coach has them on roster is in the hope that they can be productive in years 4 and 5, and the player refuses to play to year 5, then open the door for them. If they want to leave, so be it.

This is correct. But if the player only plays a few meaningless minutes, he really has not gained anything by "playing" that extra season at the first school. It would be more logical to preserve the opportunity to play significant meaningful minutes in a 5th year of eligibility at the first school. Even if that does not happen and he transfers, he has not lost anything of significant value b/c his minutes were so few and were meaningless in garbage time.

And your point is? You are simply restating my entire point. If there is even a small chance that Vooch could develop into a productive player for us, why would you simply throw away that chance? Why not preserve it, even if remote? And why wouldn't Vooch also want to preserve that chance to develop and contribute for a BCS program in the B1G? Even if Vooch decides to transfer, he gained ABSOLUTEY NOTHING by burning his RS his freshman year. NOTHING. So, the math is as follows: 1. Vooch could RS and preserve the possibility of developing and being a contributor his senior year while losing NOTHING as far as playing time his freshman year; or 2. Burn his RS freshman year while gaining NO meaningful playing time and lose the potential extra year at NU as a contributor, and, even if he transfers, he is no better off than he would have been under scenerio #1. Why would any coach or player choose option #2? I don't get it and will never understand it. It makes no sense.

I fail to see how they are "saving" a year even if they transfer. If the player RS his freshman year, and then transfers later, he will have exactly the same amount of eligibility with his "new" team as he would have had if he had played his freshman year and then used his RS for this transfer year. For instance, if Vooch had RS last year, he would be a RS freshman this year rather than a sophmore. Thus, if he were to transfer after this year, he would have 2 years of eligibility with his new team no matter whether he RS his freshman year or whether he "saved" his RS for the transfer year. The net result is exactly the same. The difference for the original team he signs for (in this case Nebraska) however, can be significant. Because, if Vooch were to develop strength after this year and develop into a good player who can be a contributor next year and thereafter, he has essentially wasted a full year that he could have "saved" until his "5th" year when he would have been at his peak productivity. There is no rationale whatsoever IMO to burn a players eligility for a few garbage minutes his freshman year.

I think the potential value of a redshirt year is greatly misunderstood by fans and young players alike today (and possibly coaches as well). Reading some of the comments in this thread make me shake my head. To suggest that no players (or very, very few) should ever redshirt in college basketball today is unfathomable IMO. It simply cannot be denied that in a majority of cases, a college basketball player is going to be SIGNIFICANTLY better his senior year than his freshman year. Why wouldn't a player and coach (and a fan of the team) want to have a player for an extra "5th" year when that player is at his peak of productivity vs. the (often) limited productivity that player provides his freshman year? I am NOT saying this is true in every case. And I am not saying that every recruit should be redshirted. Obviously, there are many exceptions. For instance, if you have a player that is so skilled that he can immediately be an impact player and a possibly a starter, then you usually should play him right away. If you have a guy who is considered a "one-and-done" type (or even 2 or 3-and-done), then it obviously would be foolish to play him. But NU has not had one of them in a LONG, LONG time (if ever). But for players a step below, who have potential but need to develop, then redshirting should be STRONGLY considered and possibly even strongly suggested by the coach. We are trying to "build" a program here. It will not happen overnight. If redshirting a few players is the best way, then go for it. Let's just take some examples. Brandon Ubel did not RS his freshman year. What did it get him? The team was absolutely terrible his freshman year and he wasn't much better. BUT, he developed into a decent player. If he was returning this year for a 5th year, he could be a valuable piece to the puzzle, especially if Smith struggles with injury. Similarly, had Gallegos not RS, he would not be on the team this year. Can anyone argue that his value this year (his 5th year) will be light years ahead of the minuscule value he provided his freshman year? He will not be All-B1G this year, but he will be a starter and a valuable contributor. I have previously argued ad nauseum why Vooch should have RS last year. He provided absolutely nothing to the team last year. Whether or not he transfers later is irrelevant. He should have RS simply to preserve the chance that he may be able to develop later. Now, that chance is lost unless he decides to RS this year (which would be unfortunate b/c if he is going to RS, it should have been last year). Nebraska is a doormat program. Has been for a long time. We may need to do some "unconventional" things to work our way to the top. Look, if Miles starts pulling in the Elbert Robinsons of the recruiting world. then yes, this argument will become moot. But he is not doing that just yet. So he must keep other options open. With that said, I am not even sure if I was Miles that I would want to RS any of the new players this year. It would be a difficult decision. Realistically, only Hawkins and Fuller are candidates, and from all reports I think Fuller will be significant contributor, so I don't see him RSing this year. That only leaves Hawkins and only Coach Miles has seen enough of him in practice to make that decision. If he can play decent minutes right away and contribute, then play him. But I don't want to see another Vooch situation where he plays a few garbage minutes here and there and wastes a year of eligibility. That would be unfortunately IMO.

Trust, but verify

Some of us have been around long enough to remember all the optimist talking about how Collier was going to take us to the top, then it was Sadler who had finally righted the ship and "clearly was better than Collier" and so forth. I could go back to Iba and Nee as well, but at least each of them at least made the NCAA and had decent years in conference, which apparently is the gold-standard around this long-suffering program. Sometimes it is just hard to be "optimistic" about NU Hoops if you have been following it for more than 30+ years (some on here go back even farther than that, God bless them!). We have been let down year, after year, after year . . . With that said, I think we are all excited about Miles, what he has done so far, and where we all think/hope this program is headed. Personally, I love Miles and everything he is about and what he appears to bring to the table. But there is always room for a little "realism" to mix in with the newbies who tend to go off the board with unbridled and almost limitless "optimism". At some point, what we "hope" will happen (ie, win a game in the NCAA, land a top 20 recruit, etc) must ACTUALLY happen, or the hope begins to fade just like it has so many times before.

I will be very disappointed if we only sign one recruit in November. As we have discussed, this staff could sign 2 or even 3 recruits in November and still make room for another signee in April. There is always turnover in a roster, that should be expected and planned for. Not to mention there are a few spots on the current roster that need to be upgraded, and that is just the truth. It is nice to see us be in on the big boy right to the end, but at some point we need to actually land the big boy, and then another. Teams like Mich. St., Ohio St., Indiana, etc, are not standing still and waiting for us. With that said, I am not writing off the November signing period yet. As has been mentioned, Miles and staff seem to constantly working the recruiting trail, so hopefully there is a quality prospect out there that they are in on and we just don't know about it yet. Hopefully. Why do we HAVE to take someone just to take someone though? Theres no major players currently in the fold for NU so it would be plan c-d guys that we could still get in April. I didn't say we have to take one, and I agree that Miles should not take a c-d type of guy just to fill a spot. I just said that I will be disappointed if we don't sign at least 2 players in November. I should have qualifed that by saying that I will be disappointed if we don't sign 2 quality recruits in November. This is year 2 for Miles. He has been here for over 18 months now. He has a brand new arena and a brand new practice facility to sell. So yes, I will be disappointed if he can't pull in at least 2 quality recruits in November. Not saying I don't like or believe in Miles, or I don't think he can or will get it done, just saying I will be a bit disappointed. It is tough and rare to sign a quality freshman recruit in April. Usually that is a time for jucos. I would much rather sign a quality freshman than a juco at this point. Besides, as I said, if we could sign a quality freshman in November, we could still easily make room to sign a juco or other recruit in April. But again, as I said above, there is still time and I am still holding out hope for another QUALITY recruit. I will actually be even more disappointed if Miles signs a c-d type recruit just to fill the spot. Better to have him hold it than give it to another Doc/Collier type recruit.

I will be very disappointed if we only sign one recruit in November. As we have discussed, this staff could sign 2 or even 3 recruits in November and still make room for another signee in April. There is always turnover in a roster, that should be expected and planned for. Not to mention there are a few spots on the current roster that need to be upgraded, and that is just the truth. It is nice to see us be in on the big boy right to the end, but at some point we need to actually land the big boy, and then another. Teams like Mich. St., Ohio St., Indiana, etc, are not standing still and waiting for us. With that said, I am not writing off the November signing period yet. As has been mentioned, Miles and staff seem to constantly working the recruiting trail, so hopefully there is a quality prospect out there that they are in on and we just don't know about it yet. Hopefully.

Looking up and around at the considerable vastness of the arena, and then down at the display of very bad streetball before me, I can't help but feel afraid of what might become once the afterglow of the new dig wears off. This arena feels too big for our program. Only consistent, top 20 basketball will come close to keeping it full. Not only are we not there yet as a program, but we also have the disadvantage of having no rivals, along with unfamiliar and bland (IMO) foes. Pinnacle Bank arena is definitely NOT too big for our program. Our program has proven already that it can support this size of an arena, and probably much larger. If NU has success on the hardwood, the fans will come no matter how much the glitz of the new arena has worn off by then. NU fans love and support a winner, it has been proven time and again. This really is not even disputable IMO. In fact, the current arena is not much larger than the Devaney Center. When the Devaney Sports Center originally opened, its listed capacity was over 14,000, and it could hold much more than that. The largest crowd to watch a game in Devaney Center was 15,038 in 1981. In the history of Devaney Center, there have been scores of game with attendance over 14,000. Click HERE to see a link to the all time attendance records at Devaney and to see that getting crowds of 14,000+ simply will not be an issue if the team is winning.

this is my leading theory...to much is going on for Tim Miles, not to think he has at least a 80% chance of getting him. I mean were not going have to any big men of comparable size, nor are granting visits at this time to Deng, or Smith again, and we let wacker walk, and let pinder leave w/o a offer...this will be extremely interesting. I'm not sure I follow this reasoning. NU currently has a 6'10" sophmore, a 7'1" sophmore and a 6'8" 255 lb. junioron its roster. Miles has also already received a verbal from a 6'10" center who plays with his back to the basket (same as Robinson). Miles does not need to bring in another stiff big man just to fill a spot. He has the luxury of going after a difference maker like Robinson. If that doesn't pan out, he can look elsewhwere. As things stand now, if Robinson were to commit and Vooch stays on the team next year, NU will have 5 big men on the roster next year, with 3 to 4 of them being true post players. That is a lot of post players. I don't think we can read anything in to who has and who has not visited when it comes to Robinson.

Throughout the Doc years I always attended at least a portion of one preseason practice (which were open to the public) to see all of the newcomers. Looking back, I would say that more often than not, my initial impression of individual players turned out to be pretty darn accurate. It doesn't take a coach or a basketball genius to know you are seeing. Much like watching American Idol, it often only takes one short performance to discern those who have "it" from those who don't. Not saying there aren't surprises or exceptions, or that players can't improve, just sayin' . . .

As has been mentioned, the guys were gassed before the scrimmage even started. The earlier practice clearly had taken its toll. Not sure what the strategy is from Miles on this. Maybe he wants them to struggle in front of the crowd so he can push them harder in practice. Otherwise, not sure I see the point of asking 8,000 people to come watch players who are clearly struggling b/c they are so tired they can barely stand up. And yes, I know practice comes first, but they have 42 days to get in 30 practices, so Miles did not need to practice Friday afternoon (in fact, I read that Creighton delayed its first practice until Saturday just so one single recruit could come and watch. If Creighton can do it for one recruit, I assume Miles can do it for 8,000 people who came to see a good show). Anyway. . . . Walter Pitchford stole the show, no doubt. I was veeerrrryyy happy with what I saw from him. He appeared to be everything we hope he will be. But, it was just a scrimmage, so I guess we still have to see if he can bang with the big boys of the B1G, but as far as athleticism and talent, yes, he's got it. Won the slam dunk contest hands-down (although I didn't like the format as Tai and Ray only got one shot and that was it, kind of lame really) Tai Webster is legit IMO. From what I saw last night, he has boundless energy, a bounce in his step and game, and a good bit of swagger that I think this teams needs. He just seems like a very confident player and I loved seeing him shoot the game winning shot without hesitation and nailing it, nothing but net. Tai started a little slow, but really picked it up as things went along. Not only did he score his points, but towards the end he had two very nice passes (one was almost a no look, on a seem, right through traffic, to the hoop for a layup, very nice). One of Tai's biggest assets is his size. Benny and Biggs both have comparable athleticism, but Tai just seems sooooo much bigger on the court. Tai can penetrate and he does not appear to get swallowed up by the trees like Benny and Biggs (more on that later). Now, with that said, you could also see that he can be a bit loose with the ball. I don't know if it was just for the scrimmage b/c he knew it was a show, but he played a bit of street ball with the way he handled it. I don't think it is an issue though, cause Miles will reign that in real quick. He will have his ups and downs, but I like him a lot and definintely think he should start at PG from day 1. Leslee Smith: Overall, I liked what I saw from him, but I must admit I went in with rather low expectations. He seems to be a pretty good athlete who is not afraid to bang, and his skills are refined enough that he can play in the B1G. He won't dominate, but he can be a good garbage man, and every team needs one of those. He needs to stay healthy and develop a very aggressive attitute to help this team to his fullest potential. Overall though, I am glad we have him b/c we need the size and muscle down low. Biggs - I already alluded to this, but Biggs just seemed a bit small out there to me. He has all the athleticism and moves, but his small stature will hold him back. It is just harder for him to penetrate and kick b/c he seems to get swallowed up by the bigs underneath. Also not sure about his outside shot. Nonetheless, he could be a valuable player off the bench, especially if Tai is struggling on certain nights. Benny P: He is just too small IMO. He can barely even get the offense started b/c he can't see over the defender. Just don't see his role on this team with other viable options. Tai absolutely towers of Benny (who I think can't be taller than 5'6") Fuller: Fuller did some nice things. I am reserving judgment on him b/c this scrimmage format probably was not best suited for his strengths. He seemed a bit slow to me, but we all know he is not a guy who is going to break the defender down going one-on-one. Rather, he is more of a system guy, must like Shavon. He will look better in a real offense as opposed to the sloppy street ball game that we all watched last night. Hawkins: As many have mentioned, he was probably the "nice surprise" player of the night for me as well. But like Fuller, I am just not sure how much we can read into this one scrimmage so I am reserving judgment for now. He looked confident and smooth, but nothing was overwhelming either. Difficult to know how he will translate to a playing against legit B1G talent, but the first signs were encouraging from him. Gallegos: I think he is still shooting 3s. He must have shot 15 of them. I hope he doesn't think he still has that role on the team, b/c we just don't need him to shoot that much this year (at least not from 3 land). Anyway, Gallegos has to be my most frustrating player to watch. IMO, he has a lot of game and potential. His verticle is ridiculous, yet for 4 years at NU he has relegated himself to being solely a spot-up 3-point shooter. Why? I think its b/c he is soft. I hate to say that, but he has so much more potential in him to be better. He should be penetrating into the lane and either getting to the basket or kicking it out. A scrimmage like this was the perferct opportunity to practice that and to show his teammates and fans that he is coming out with a new attitute this year. But instead, he jacked up a whole bunch of 3s and missed most of them at that. Not that Ray will ever read or see this, or care if he does, but I am calling him out. Drive the ball Ray, penetrate and play aggressive. Maximize your potential and help this team. It is time. You are a 5th year senior, time for you to act and play like it. No more playing soft, time to step it up! Pettaway: I guess I will save him for last. Based on reports that he played well in the early scrimmage, I am going to hold off on evaluating him as well. He clearly was tired, and I felt he tried to do too much. With that said, I don't care how many 3s he may have made in the earlier scrimmage, that shot of his will NEVER be a thing of beauty. Let's just hope he doesn't shoot that many 3s in real games and that when he does they go in more often than they did last night.

I am surprised that Fuller is listed at 6'6". If you look at the team photo, he is standing right next to Petteway, who is also listed at 6'6" and Fuller looks at least one full inch taller, maybe more. Heck, Fuller even looks taller than Rivers in that picture. Maybe he was on his tip-toes.

Tai is now listed at 6'4" and he was listed at 6'3" just yesterday. Imagine how tall he will be by the end of the season!

I think it is hard to make these comparisons in a vacuum. It is impossible for us to know how good a newcomer will play defense. Just because someone is quick and athletic doesn't necessary mean they will be good defenders. For instance, Biggs is lightning quick and athletic, but from everything I have heard he is a very poor defender. Guys like Tai and Fuller and Hawkins have no experience playing defense at this level, it will be a major adjustment. There are other areas that could be worse this year. For instance, last year we had very few turnovers per game. In fact, I think we were in the top 10 in the nation for fewest turnovers last year. This years team, with so many newcomers and young players could easily turn the ball over at a much higher rate. Turnovers not only hinder our ability to score, they also lead to easy baskets for the opponent. There are intangibles. Will there be a Dylan Talley to hit that game winning shot with no time on the clock? Will there be leaders like Brandon and Dylan that keep their composure when the fire gets hot. We just don't know how these kids will respond. Pitchford sounds very athletic, but what are his shortcomings? We just don't know at this point. Based on his measurables (6'10 with a 40" vertical) you would think he would be a phenom, but he has been here a year and there really haven't been a lot of rumors about his dominating at practice and such. who knows, maybe he is and it just isn't getting out. Is he strong enough to bang down low. 235lbs is pretty light to go underneath. Does he have an agressive disposition or does he like to hang out around the perimeter. We need him to bang, will he do it. These are questions we don't know the answers to right now. But, with that said, I am very excited to see these guys. I have high expectations. Hopefully we can make a statement this year and send some shockwaves through the B1G and let other teams and coaches know we will no longer be the pushover they expect NU to be.

OR, if they wanted to not be so long winded, they could just say, "Tell us about some of the newcomers who have stood out." Your question is way too open-ended and leaves Smith too much discretion in how to answer. Plus, he is not going to want to single out any particular players at this point. So, he could respond with a general "we are excited about the newcomers and think they bring a lot to the table. Obviously, they have to work hard and make it happen, but we believe they have a lot talent and the potential to do some good things this year and in the years to come." Or, at best, he talks about 1 or 2 players who are doing well (most likely talk about Petteway and his leadership and maybe Pitchford or mention that Fuller can shoot it (things we all all already know about.) Thus why I asked for "strengths and weaknesses for each and every newcomer. And if the coach leaves out a couple newcomers, the interviewer should follow up with a specific question about the player who was not mentioned (although I doubt either Benning or Sharp could name 3 players on the roster right now). My question forces Smith to address each player individually

I always enjoy listening to Coach Smith. But I was not happy with the interview. I have heard him on that station a few times now, and I swear they ask him the same questions every time (about Miles and what its like to work with him, etc) Coach Smith is one of the select few individuals in the entire world who has had the opportunity to see all of new players (both freshman and transfers alike) play basketball on a regular basis since they arrived on campus (espcially the transfers who practiced with them all of last year). It should be a fundamental requirement that the interviewer ASK ONE SIMPLE QUESTION during an interview in the preseason: QUESTION: "Coach Smith, could you please name all of the new players who will be playing this year and give us a description of their game and how they play, including some strengths and weaknesses. Its not that difficult. Honestly, they did that entire interview and I didn't hear one thing about a single player on the team except maybe Ray Gallegos, who I already know everything I need to know about him b/c he has been on the team for 5 years and I saw him play more than anybody in the history of basketball last year. Jeesh!@

Jadler, is there much talk among the students about the scrimmage on Friday. Would be awesome to get a good student turnout for that, and if the guys do have a dunk contest and put on a good display, might encourage some of then to show up for the games

49er, just curious. I know you love you some Shavon, but are serious in that pick or just saying it b/c, well, you love you some Shields? The only reason I ask is because I would probably not even have him in my top 5. Never considered him to be very explosive to be honest. Very crafty and smart, but not overly athletic or explosive.

A couple thoughts after reading BR's thoughts: 1. Very little mention of Pitchford. This surprises me as of all the guys, he is the one you would think we would be hearing a lot about. Hard to imagine that a guy who is 6'10 and can stroke it out out to the 3 line, very athletic and with a reported (self-reported) verticle of 40" isn't dominating in practice/scrimmages. What am I missing? How can a guy like that not stand out in practices, scrimmages, etc? Is he soft? Is he not as athletic as reported? Is he just not strong enough? What gives? 2. Tai! Tai! Tai! Absolutely stoked to hear these reports about Tai. Remember, he was the last one to arrive on campus, yet he is already creating the most buzz around the players. That says a lot to me. We NEED Tai to be legit. Very excited to hear these reports (albeit, very limited). We need a difference maker. Someone that other teams, and B1G media, and maybe even national media, will pay attention to. Someone to put NU on the map. Get us noticed. That is asking a lot, but having an electric freshman on the team can go a long ways towards getting a little respect and notoriety. 3. Petteway. For some reason, I am just not quite ready to buy into the hype on him. I guess I have trouble believing that a guy who averaged 3pts and 2RBs per game as a freshman at TTU can come here and suddenly be a major difference maker right off the bat. Yes, I realize it is a different system and he is older and more mature. But still, in most cases, if a guy can ball, a guy can ball, even as a freshman. For instance, I expect Tai to average significantly better numbers than that. Shavon averaged significantly numbers better than that last year. Heck, I even expect Fuller to average better numbers than that this year. Beyond that, I am probably more reserved about him based on reports that he is not a great shooter. Miles loves shooters. If Petteway can't stroke it from 15-20ft, I am not sure he will light up the score board. But who knows. I hope I am wrong. 4. Vooch - disappointing. The writing may be on the wall. Miles has made it clear he is looking for at least 2 legit centers in the 2014 class. That says a lot. 5. Nathan Hawkins - What a complete mystery. I am not sure anyone knows what to expect from him. Is a potential darkhorse? He defininately has good size for a 2 guard. Is he athletic enough to cover the other teams 2 guard in the B1G? That may the question. 6. Shavon - I also love me some Shavon. But what will his role be? What position will he play? Is a SF, or will be play the 4? That will be interesting. 7. Attendance at the scrimmage. Wow, I have no idea. But I am going to go with my gut and say it will impress at 7,000+.

OK, I kind of tried to get this going in another thread, but I think it deserves its own thread. If NU were to have a dunk contest on Friday, who would win and why? To me, the most obvious choice is Pitchford (based on reports). But I am going out on a limb and predicting it could be Tai. Imagine if that is true. A PG whose got ups and can throw it down. When was the last time NU could say that?!?