NUdiehard

If anything i think it will be a one year grad transfer guy. The more I look at it with the offers going out that Miles wants at least 2 guys next class. You wont get that with a juco guy so if you get a one year player you get their services but also can get a player for next years class. Miles could still sign Atewe and a juco and still have at 2 ships to give out in 2014 if someone leaves. I just don't see BP having much of a role on this team after this year. Vooch may be out if Mlies thinks he is too big a project, and there are other possibilites. Heck, some have even speculated Biggs is standing on a thin strand right now b/c of his DUI. Lots can happen to open up more ships over the next year, and most likely at least 1 or 2 more spots will open up. I hope Miles can land Atewe and a decent juco to give us a few more options next year and going forward. If a one-year grad transfer wants to join the party then great.

This one is tricky, but one thing I know. If Webster is not immediately in the top 3 next year, I will be disappointed. This may be unfair to him. It is possible he could struggle to adapt his first year and then blossom. But I fully expect him to be able to come in and be a very effective player immediatley. I remember watching Tyronne Lue as a freshman and it was immediately obvious that he was the best player on the floor. That is what we need. We need someone who is a program changer. If Webster is not that, then we still have a long ways to go b/c it is unlikely that any of the other guys are program changers, at least not for a while anyway. Honestly, I don't see how one couldn't have him in the prospective top 3. Lets look at what he has done. He played against grown men at a very high level, almost elite level, and fared very well. He must be strong enough and athletic enough to play in the B1G by next year, b/c he was obviously strong enough and athletic enough to play at the international level last year. Lets compare him to the other options. I certainly hope he is better than Gallegos. I like Ray, and have been very impressed with his improvement, but he stll has a looong ways to go. He simply is not a complete player at all. He cannot play PG b/c he simply is not strong enough with the ball. He cannot handle on-ball pressure at all. Watch him. His defender will simply push him back to the half court line. Ray also will not penetrate. No matter how much Miles tells him to, he doesn't have it in his mentality. And he is a decent, but not great, outside shooter. As of now, he is shooting 22% from 3-land in conference play. I realize he has to jack up a lot of shots, but still. If he would drive, he could get more open for 3s, but he won't drive, so he isn't. I believe Webster will immediately be better at penetrating to either score or distribute. In comparison to Biggs, I certainly hope Webster is better than him. Biggs is not a great outside shooter and not a great defender. Biggs could be decent, but he has his limitations. I expect Webster to be the starting PG next year and maybe Biggs will back him up and maybe get some time at the SG. Most likely he will be backing up Webster and Ray, so his minutes may be somewhat limited. In comparison to Pettaway. I sure hope that Pettaway is everthing that some say he is. But we do have some basis to know what he was. Last year, as a freshman, he averaged 3 pts and 2 RBs per game for a bad Texas Tech team. Shavon Shields is on a bad NU team this year and has already put up significantly better numbers. I realize Pettaway didn't get to play as many minutes, but that says something as well. Look, if we really want to get to the next level, we need to get next level players. And in general, next level players can and do come in and produce right away as freshman. Just look around the league and see them on other teams. We need to get at least 1 or 2 of these types of players, and I expect Webster to be one of those. With that said, by all accounts, Pettaway gets GATA, so I expect him to play a lot and he may crack the top 3. The same thing goes for Pitchford as Pettaway. I hope he can really produce, but the fact that he could not crack the lineup at all last year concerns me a bit. Again, next level players are generally next level from the moment they walk on the floor and everyone knows it. Hoever, I give Pitchford a little more grace in this regard since he is a big man (or at least tall). Tall players tend to take a little longer to develop in many instances, so I am not ruling him out in any respect. Miles said on the radio that he thinks Pitchford has a NBA body. I have to wonder if he has an NBA mentality and work eithic though. With that said, as we all know, Miles doesn't really have any other options next year, so Pitchford is going to play a lot. Thus, he could be a top 3 player. Hard to say right now. I like Fuller a lot. He is exactly the type of guy Miles likes. he is a smart basketball player who simply knows how to play the game. I think he will be able to come in and play right away. In some respects, he might be a little like Shields, but he may be a bit more refined, but I am not sure if he will be quite as strong or athletically ready as Shields. I don't know enough about Hawkins to predict his success next year. I do think he is in the Miles mold b/c he is a bigger guard. I don't think he will play PG as Miles initially suggested, but he may be able to get some minutes at that 2 if he is savvy enough and ready to go. As for Rivers, I just don't see it. I really don't mean this as a slight to him, but if he is in our top 3, then we are in trouble. He had a great game on the offensive end the other night, but a large part of that was b/c he was playing out of position. What hurt us on the defensive end helped us on the offensive end. He was being guarded by a big man and therefore was able to get looks he normally won't get. I just don't think he can create on his own enough to be a major factor. He may be a good role player, but not top 3. And I am sure Miles would agree. Just look at all this year. Miles has been playing Shields ahead of Rivers all year until Ubel got hurt. That is not just coincidence. Miles prefers Shields over Rivers even though Shields is a true freshman and coming off an injury that still bothers him. That says everything I need to know. To be honest, I think Rivers is playing right now for a spot on next years roster. That is just my opinion. I like Shields a lot. He is not uber-athletic, but he is such a smart player that has refined skills. If he can get stronger, and healthier, and improve his shot a bit, then he could be a factor. He is one of those players that just "gets it." I just wish he was a little more athletic or a little taller. So with all that said, my top 3. Hmmm. Defintely Webster. After that, I just can't decide between Fuller, Pitchford, Pettaway, Shields and Gallegos.

I felt all of the guys that played gave tremendous effort, and Miles deserves a lot of credit for this as well. After the poor effort against OSU, he seems to have gotten his message across that 100% effort is non-negotiable. That is a good thing. It will be interesting to see how the guys hold up playing so many minutes through the grind of the B1G though. A few quick observations: 1. Benny P seems over-matched in the B1G. In short, this is why you don't recruit 5'8" players to play in the B1G unless they are so unbelievably talented that they can overcome their natural shortcomings (pun intended). Against Wisconsin, his man simply backed him down to the paint and shot over him for 2 easy baskets late in the game, and last night he was completely overmatched guarding Burkes (granted, Burkes is a great player, but the mismatch was glaring with Benny). This is compounded by the fact that BP is absolutely no threat on the offensive end. Maybe BP is hindered by his injury, but right now he appears to be one guy that is not long lived for this level of competition. 2. Shields is quickly becoming my favorite player. He started out very strong and then faded a bit as the game went on, but he gives max effort and, what I like most about him, he is not afraid to bang with the big boys. He drives more than any player on the team (although he will need to develop his left hand--always goes to his right) and he fights and scraps against much bigger guys for the rebound almost every possession. Good passer and all-around smart player. His shooting is still a bit of an unknown since I think his elbow injury, and also the large pad and sleeve he must wear as a result, is still hindering him considerably. His 3 FT shots were not really close, and I think the injury plays a part in that. 3. Gallegos is soooo streaky. Right now we live or die with his outside shot. I am still quite frustrated that he simply refuses to penetrate and drive to the basket or at least pull up for the 15 ft jumper rather than always the 3 ball. He has the hops, and based on that fast break layup he made with his left hand while shielding with his right hand, he has the ability. All he lacks is the mentality, and that is simply a waste of talent and potential easy points. A shot fake and drive could do wonders for his shooting percentage. 4. If i had one criticism of Miles so far this year, it is his lack of willingness to play Almeida more minutes. The ankle did not appear to be bothering AA much at all, and I thought he gave good minutes when he was in there. He was blocking or altering shots and causing disruption in the paint. My other frustration is that NOBODY feeds him the ball down low on offense. I was keeping track and I think AA only had 1 touch the entire first half, and not many more the 2nd. That simply is unaccpetable. All he has to do is shoot better than 33% to raise the shooting average of this team, and I think he is more than capable of doing that. 5. Speaking of 33%, did anyone notice the box score. Only 5 players shot the ball and all of them, except Shields, shot 33%. Rivers 2-6; Ubel 3-9, Talley 4-12 and Gallegos 7-21. Shields shot 37.5% (3-8). That is remarkable. Not sure that has happened very often before, if ever. But that shows exactly what we are--a team full of players who are capable of making 33% of their shots against quality competition. Not going to get it done. That is not Miles fault, just the reality of what we are.

+ 1

I disagree. I think it is essential that Ray develop his ability to drive into the lane. Opposing coaches are going to scout him as a spot up shooter and try to take that away. Developing the ability to drive would open up a lot of opportunities for him. Plus, Ray has great hops--he can really get up. Not the greatest handle ever, but I believe he can handle it at least as well as guys like Talley or Rivers. No reason he can't penetrate and finish at least a few times a game.

I will be out of town and multi-tasking for family commitments, so I won't be able to anchor in front of a TV and I was hoping to watch at least parts on my iphone. Anyone have any suggestions? (I am asking about the Oregon game this Sat BTW).

I guess if you like sitting in your car in a parking garage for 45 minutes after every game, then it could be less of a hassle. Personally, I would rather walk a mile than park in one of those death traps (and I probably will be forced to because there is no lot parking near the arena). I guess I am just not sure how anyone thinks parking is going to improve at PBA. We shall see.

Does anyone know if the Oregon game will be available to watch on the internet?

We definitely need a big who can come in and play right away. Most likely, that will be a juco. I was about to answer that we should still try and get both a freshman big and a juco big since we still have 2 scholies open and we seem to have enough guards. However, when I looked at it closer, I think Miles may have a bit of a dilemma. As it stands now, unless I am mistaken, Gallegos will be our only senior on scholarship next year. That means if Miles hands out the remaining 2 scholies this year, he will only have 1 available for the 2014 class unless someone moves on (which is very likely/possible). Is he better off saving that scholarship since it is unlikely Miles can pick up a quality freshman big this late in the game for 2013? I guess it depends on who he can get, but if it is a choice of taking a "servicable" freshman big or holding on to it, then I would hold on to it. With that said, there is no doubt that we desparately need a big for next year. The more I learn (just by reading and observing), it appears to me that Pitchford is closer to 6'8" than 6'10", and he isn't too thick either. Thus, I am already thinking of him as more of a 3/4 than a 5. I just don't see him banging underneath with the big boys. We need someone with some strength and size and attitute to battle and rebound. If we don't get someone, it could be rough in the paint next year.

Like most, I am hopeful that Tai's visit goes well and he sign his LOI with NU. Based on what I have read, it seems there are at least 5 different scenarios that could play out regarding Tai and his commitment: 1.. Tai could "re-affirm" his verbal commitment to NU and wait until the spring signing period to sign with NU. This would be OK, but still make me nervous b/c a lot can happen/change over the course of the next 4 months. 2. Tai could say he is still verbally committed, but that he wants to "keep his options open" and possibly visit a few other schools before the spring signing period. This obviously would not be a good sign at all. 3. Tai could de-commit and state that he wants to visit other schools. This obviously would be the worst case scenario. 4. Rosenthal intimated that Tai maybe could have signed his LOI a couple of weeks ago and that he could hand deliver to it to Coach Miles. As long as it is delivered within 3 weeks of signing it, then it could still be valid. I have not seen any other source confirm or verify this. This, IMO, would be the second best scenario regarding Tai as we could all know with certainty that he is committed and signed. 5. Which leads me to the 5h, and IMO, best way this could play out. By all reports, Tai has now graduated from HS. Thus, there is no apparent reason why he couldn't enroll in school and start classes in January. Numerous football players have done this and there is no reason a basketball player couldn't also do it. If Tai were to enroll, there would be no need to sign a LOI. Enrolling in classes has the same effect as a LOI, it would commit him to NU and I believe he would have to sit out a year if he later decided to transfer. Plus, enrolling in January would mean he would immediately begin to work with the team and trainers in off-season workouts, lifting, training table, etc. He could practice with the current players in the Hendrix facility, etc. This clearly is the best case scenario and the one I am still holding out hope for.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-11-14/sports/chi-illinois-recruiting-class-20121114_1_maverick-morgan-scout-com-rivals-com-lists

How can you say this when you have never seen him play? It is fascinating how the guys people have never seen play are always the best players on the team (at least until we actually see them play). Just like some were claiming that Vucetic would be our starting center this year. What we do know is that as a true freshman, Standhardinger had to sit out the entire non-conf, and in his first game of his career, against a legit Big 12 team in TX A&M, CS had more points in about 10 minutes than Pitchford had all of last year combined. I believe Vander was the voted MVP of his entire conference last year. I realize that Pitchford was on the bench at Florida, but that could be taken both ways. I hope beyond hope you are correct, but none of us really know until we see him/them. I actually am a bit disappointed that I haven't heard more reports/rumors about Pitchford lighting it up in practice. You would think that if he is truly dominating, that word would leak out. There are many people who have watched practices (ie, HS coaches, etc), but I have not heard anyone say that Pitchford was heads and tails above the rest. In contrast, when I watched Doc's practices, it didn't take but 10 minutes to see that Standhardinger stood out. Again, though, Miles does not have open practices, so there is less observations to report. Hopefully, Pitchford is lighting it up and word just is not leaking out. I guess I just have been burned too many times in the past to get my hopes up on a guy that has never actually performed in the big league yet, so I will take a wait and see approach.