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I actually expected a little more of a meltdown here when I returned but I suspect there are quite a few fans still in transit from the game.
I am surprised that someone didn't report on GS. From my vantage point there were about a dozen fans in attendance.
Here is a brief analysis of what I saw.
Coach Marshall said it best a while back. If he were 6'5" he would still be a player. He is tall but not razor thin. He does need to improve both conditioning and foot speed. He is not fast. He must get thicker and stronger. He can get pushed around at times. Read on for the pluses.
Someone mentioned earlier that he should score more than the 12 points he had in an early game. Here's the deal. His team is not good and all but one kid has little, if any, understanding of the game of basketball. They can go for 5 possessions without getting him the ball. He often times faced a box and 1.
That's a box of 4 around him and 1 guy zoning the other 4 guys. I suspect that GS has been frustrated on more than 1 occassion with his team this year.
Here is the good news. I had him for 25, 13 and 9 blocks. Those are pretty good numbers when you are triple teamed most of the time. He was 9-12 from the FT line. His understanding of the game is super. He coaches the other 4 guys all the time, trying to get them into the right places. Here is a brief list of things GM will NOT have to teach GS. He will not drop the ball to his knees after catching it or getting a rebound. He never stops working the O boards. He uses both hands effectively. He will not shoot from the left side with his right hand. If you did not see him shoot FTs you wouldn't know if he was left or right handed. He would be effective for us RIGHT NOW in short spurts. We do not have anyone nearly as well skilled offensively in the post and outside of Paul Miller's senoir season, we haven't had one in about 20 years. He can shoot the 3. He is the real deal. He'll play next year, a lot. He has plenty of things to work on, but what high school player doesn't? I have no idea if he will grow any more but it certainly doesn't seem out of the question considering he is only 17 and his dad goes about 6'8" I'd guess and maybe in the 265 range. He has a couple of decent sized brothers and those driveway games must be something to behold.
BTW, he is a GREAT young man from an even better family. We are very fortunate.
I may or may not comment more on the UMKC throughout the day. Shocker fans outnumbered Roo fans at least 3 to 1. Maybe 4 to 1. I never felt good about the game. We built a lead when UMKC was missing easy shots and FTs. There were so many things that went wrong......I am pretty much at a loss right now.
The Schlagle band was a real treat. The Roo cheerleaders and dance team were not. OUCH!
KC, I hate to pick on you but the .500 finish could be way off. Right now I defy anyone to tell me where the next win is coming from......Unless things change, 8th place is out of the question. We'll be lucky to stay out of the basement. I am not saying it's going to happen, but that's the way it is today and now.
Worry all you want about this year. I understand. About next year, however, do not. Help is on the way and things are going to be dramatically different from day 1. We will compete for the Valley title next year, mark my words.
On a side note I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holidays to all the Shocker Nation, friends and family. As I really do not want to engage in an endless pissing match regarding the state of the team, I will be taking an extended vacation from this forum. Not that I have any answers but I will check pm if there are any. Happy New Year to all and keep the faith folks.
I am surprised that someone didn't report on GS. From my vantage point there were about a dozen fans in attendance.
Here is a brief analysis of what I saw.
Coach Marshall said it best a while back. If he were 6'5" he would still be a player. He is tall but not razor thin. He does need to improve both conditioning and foot speed. He is not fast. He must get thicker and stronger. He can get pushed around at times. Read on for the pluses.
Someone mentioned earlier that he should score more than the 12 points he had in an early game. Here's the deal. His team is not good and all but one kid has little, if any, understanding of the game of basketball. They can go for 5 possessions without getting him the ball. He often times faced a box and 1.
That's a box of 4 around him and 1 guy zoning the other 4 guys. I suspect that GS has been frustrated on more than 1 occassion with his team this year.
Here is the good news. I had him for 25, 13 and 9 blocks. Those are pretty good numbers when you are triple teamed most of the time. He was 9-12 from the FT line. His understanding of the game is super. He coaches the other 4 guys all the time, trying to get them into the right places. Here is a brief list of things GM will NOT have to teach GS. He will not drop the ball to his knees after catching it or getting a rebound. He never stops working the O boards. He uses both hands effectively. He will not shoot from the left side with his right hand. If you did not see him shoot FTs you wouldn't know if he was left or right handed. He would be effective for us RIGHT NOW in short spurts. We do not have anyone nearly as well skilled offensively in the post and outside of Paul Miller's senoir season, we haven't had one in about 20 years. He can shoot the 3. He is the real deal. He'll play next year, a lot. He has plenty of things to work on, but what high school player doesn't? I have no idea if he will grow any more but it certainly doesn't seem out of the question considering he is only 17 and his dad goes about 6'8" I'd guess and maybe in the 265 range. He has a couple of decent sized brothers and those driveway games must be something to behold.
BTW, he is a GREAT young man from an even better family. We are very fortunate.
I may or may not comment more on the UMKC throughout the day. Shocker fans outnumbered Roo fans at least 3 to 1. Maybe 4 to 1. I never felt good about the game. We built a lead when UMKC was missing easy shots and FTs. There were so many things that went wrong......I am pretty much at a loss right now.
The Schlagle band was a real treat. The Roo cheerleaders and dance team were not. OUCH!
KC, I hate to pick on you but the .500 finish could be way off. Right now I defy anyone to tell me where the next win is coming from......Unless things change, 8th place is out of the question. We'll be lucky to stay out of the basement. I am not saying it's going to happen, but that's the way it is today and now.
Worry all you want about this year. I understand. About next year, however, do not. Help is on the way and things are going to be dramatically different from day 1. We will compete for the Valley title next year, mark my words.
On a side note I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holidays to all the Shocker Nation, friends and family. As I really do not want to engage in an endless pissing match regarding the state of the team, I will be taking an extended vacation from this forum. Not that I have any answers but I will check pm if there are any. Happy New Year to all and keep the faith folks.
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