Josaphat Bilau: A Box of Surprises

[Aargh]

Comparing Bilau to some of the better post players for Marshall

Stutz - Bilau is probably less raw as a Fr than Stutz was. Bilau is more coordinated and athletic. Stutz had solid BBIQ.
Durley - Durley was more polished as a Fr than Bilau seems to be, but Bilau can't possibly have a worse motor and can legitimately hang out at the 3-point line.
Morris - Morris was more polished, but Bilau is almost certain to have a better attitude and motor.

So, in my opinion, Bilau is ahead of Stutz as a Fr and significantly more coordinated and athletic. He's unlikely to be out of position on offense more often than Durley was.

I think it's Bilau, Etienne, and Dennis who show the new guys that they may have been the hot guy their entire lives up until now, but they're in a different world now.

[Dan]

What we don’t really know is how much post has he actually played? Those three guys grew up playing center and came in know how to get position, receive the ball, make outlet passes, etc. We have no film on JB, he may just now be learning the center position. He may not even be a center for all we know, we just know he’s tall and athletic.

[Wuzee]

What we don’t really know is how much post has he actually played? Those three guys grew up playing center and came in know how to get position, receive the ball, make outlet passes, etc. We have no film on JB, he may just now be learning the center position. He may not even be a center for all we know, we just know he’s tall and athletic.

We also know he’s had a full year of instruction in whatever the hell coach wants him to do.

[Shockm]

What we don’t really know is how much post has he actually played? Those three guys grew up playing center and came in know how to get position, receive the ball, make outlet passes, etc. We have no film on JB, he may just now be learning the center position. He may not even be a center for all we know, we just know he’s tall and athletic.

Someone correct me or add to this if you remember differently. I'm not sure about the other two, but I thought that I remembered that Stutz shot up 7"+ or so during his high school years but had played on the perimeter prior. He hadn't played the Center position but it's good for him that he did grow quickly, because while I didn't witness his basketball prior to becoming a Shocker, but I don't think he would have made it to a Div. 1 school if he hadn't grown. His guard skills weren't great.

[shock]

Someone correct me or add to this if you remember differently. I'm not sure about the other two, but I thought that I remembered that Stutz shot up 7"+ or so during his high school years but had played on the perimeter prior. He hadn't played the Center position but it's good for him that he did grow quickly, because while I didn't witness his basketball prior to becoming a Shocker, but I don't think he would have made it to a Div. 1 school if he hadn't grown. His guard skills weren't great.

Part of that is growing 7” in a couple years. He was still getting used to his body. I remember watching him dunk in warmups. He had to move that ball really fast to do the stuff he was doing while in the air. He also had tremendous ball iq.

[60Shock]

If Bilau can adapt his skillset and athleticism into game situations, he could be a matchup nightmare and a high NBA draft pick. We've seen nothing of his ability to catch the ball or pass the ball, which was Orukpe's downfall. Bilau has more offensive skills than Orukpe.

Opponents attacking the rim against against Orukpe was about the equivalent of a turnover. Passing the ball to Orukpe on offense was about the equivalent of a turnover. If Bilau has soft hands and the knowledge of when to attack and when to pass to a teammate, I don't think we will get 4 years out of him. We haven't seen anything so far that indicates he has those abilities in game situations.

Nothing would make me happier than to see him selected within the first five, of the first round of the NBA draft, at the end of his third year, with the exception of being drafted in the first five at the end of his 4th year.

[pie n eye]

If Bilau can adapt his skillset and athleticism into game situations, he could be a matchup nightmare and a high NBA draft pick. We've seen nothing of his ability to catch the ball or pass the ball, which was Orukpe's downfall. Bilau has more offensive skills than Orukpe.

Opponents attacking the rim against against Orukpe was about the equivalent of a turnover. Passing the ball to Orukpe on offense was about the equivalent of a turnover. If Bilau has soft hands and the knowledge of when to attack and when to pass to a teammate, I don't think we will get 4 years out of him. We haven't seen anything so far that indicates he has those abilities in game situations.

I don’t think it’s accurate to say we haven’t seen anything that indicates he has those abilities. He did participate in both shocker madness and the exhibition game last year.

[Wuzee]

The thing that stuck out to me in Taylor's article is that Bilau said that before his injuries he felt he was "the best player on the court." I loved EO, but that is not a thought that ever crossed his mind for even a second at any level he played at, and it likely speaks to a player who was having quite a bit of success in pickup games, practices and workouts. Can't wait to see him on the floor healthy and with a year of experience under his belt.

[ShockingButTrue]

The thing that stuck out to me in Taylor's article is that Bilau said that before his injuries he felt he was "the best player on the court." I loved EO, but that is not a thought that ever crossed his mind for even a second at any level he played at, and it likely speaks to a player who was having quite a bit of success in pickup games, practices and workouts. Can't wait to see him on the floor healthy and with a year of experience under his belt.

The fact that his practice performance has been verified by others is what encourages me vs. what could be wishful hyperbole. Every team in D1 has at least 1 6'10" guy, and we have only 1 total on the roster. I'd love for him to get 15-20 minutes of court time a a Frosh. That in itself would be a very positive start.

[Dan]

The thing that stuck out to me in Taylor's article is that Bilau said that before his injuries he felt he was "the best player on the court."

Erik Stevenson would suggest otherwise

[jcdshocker]

Erik Stevenson would suggest otherwise

Craig too.

[shock]

Craig too.

Craig doesn’t suggest

[BostonWu]

Craig doesn’t suggest

Craig would also question your athletic credentials and inevitably tell you, you don't know jack schitt.

[WuShock16]

Craig would also question your athletic credentials and inevitably tell you, you don't know jack schitt.

Still waiting for the alleged bomb to drop. Should I be more nervous than Cleveland State during a Kentucky NCAA investigation?

I hope meter calibrations have been occurring for you all.

[MikeKennedyRulZ]

Still waiting for the alleged bomb to drop. Should I be more nervous than Cleveland State during a Kentucky NCAA investigation?

I hope meter calibrations have been occurring for you all.