Conner Frankamp is a Shocker

[ShockdaWorld]

I don't expect him to be a first team AA, at the very least this year. One wonders if that could even be possible? Has a player ever started at semester and even been an honorable mention AA? I meant that anyone who would rather see him fail then be the next JJ Redick doesn't really have our best interest at heart.

I certainly don't want to see CF fail. I also have no desire to see him be the next JJ Redick. I'd much rather see him be the next Steph Curry or Jimmer Ferdette, or anybody other than JJ Redick. JJ Redick and Christian Laettner are the two reasons that to this day, I can't stand anything Duke related.

[pogo]

Great point as always!

As always. He usually can't even find his ass with both hands. I love him though

[shockmonster]

Learns how to play under control and not hurt anyone, particularly his teammates.

Are you insinuating that he has a difficult time establishing relationships with his teammates? Is he not liked?

[Aargh]

Originally Posted by Ricardo del Rio
Learns how to play under control and not hurt anyone, particularly his teammates.

Are you insinuating that he has a difficult time establishing relationships with his teammates? Is he not liked?

That's not at all how I read RDR's post. Remember, fouls are not called in practice and Hamilton has shown some tendencies to - let's call it - play aggressively.

Hamilton showed up with a touch of the X-Man's attitude. He's working with VanVleet and Baker, who aren't soft in any way and are all out players. Combine that orientation with Mamilton's rep as having some attitude and his being 6'9" and 240.

Combine Hamilton's size with X-Man's attitude and you end up with Wes Unseld. I remember seeing him play in Wichita. No one wanted to get within 3' of him on either end of the court. Fouls aren't called at WSU's practices.

Shaq is an immovable object. Hamilton will be an irresistible force.

[wusphlash]

I would rather have to coach a kid's aggressiveness down than to try and instill aggressiveness in him.

[Aargh]

Back on topic. I don't want to see Frankamp fail, but I'm not going to expect him to be an AA or an NBA prospect. That's too much to expect from a Soph.

I will be thrilled if he looks like an AA candidate after this year, but if he is "just a contributor" on a great team - I'm happy for him and for the team. "Just a contributor" on a top-10 team is one hell of an accomplishment.

Frankamp was a top-40 prospect out of HS. There are 40 of those every year and there are 4 years of HS grads in D1 basketball. There are about 30 players who get AA recognition every year. Maybe WSU having 2 guys on that list 2 years in a row has made it seem like something that happens all the time. It doesn't.

Maybe having a guy who made his mark in Wichita instead of Rockford or Scott City means the Wichita guy should be better than the guys from the smaller places. I don't think it's fair to compare a Soph to VanVleet and Baker when that Soph was at the wrong school (for his game) and had an unimpressive Frosh year . Let Frankamp play his game without expecting him to be something that he may not be.

If he turns out to be half the player that some out here expect, he will have a great career and be a Shocker remembered for years. Expectations of AA and NBA scouts might be a setup for disappointment for the fans expressing that right now.

I think Frankamp will be a significant contributor and a player capable of maintaining the Shox status as an elite team. Not an AA. Not an NBA prospect. He doesn't need to be either of those.

Here's a link to a taller guy who holds the NCAA record for FT % http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baske...08a58f194.html

[Kel Varnsen]

Back on topic. I don't want to see Frankamp fail, but I'm not going to expect him to be an AA or an NBA prospect. That's too much to expect from a Soph.

I will be thrilled if he looks like an AA candidate after this year, but if he is "just a contributor" on a great team - I'm happy for him and for the team. "Just a contributor" on a top-10 team is one hell of an accomplishment.

Frankamp was a top-40 prospect out of HS. There are 40 of those every year and there are 4 years of HS grads in D1 basketball. There are about 30 players who get AA recognition every year. Maybe WSU having 2 guys on that list 2 years in a row has made it seem like something that happens all the time. It doesn't.

Maybe having a guy who made his mark in Wichita instead of Rockford or Scott City means the Wichita guy should be better than the guys from the smaller places. I don't think it's fair to compare a Soph to VanVleet and Baker when that Soph was at the wrong school (for his game) and had an unimpressive Frosh year . Let Frankamp play his game without expecting him to be something that he may not be.

If he turns out to be half the player that some out here expect, he will have a great career and be a Shocker remembered for years. Expectations of AA and NBA scouts might be a setup for disappointment for the fans expressing that right now.

I think Frankamp will be a significant contributor and a player capable of maintaining the Shox status as an elite team. Not an AA. Not an NBA prospect. He doesn't need to be either of those.

Here's a link to a taller guy who holds the NCAA record for FT % http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baske...08a58f194.html

Great post. I definitely agree here. His physical limitations will likely hamper him from being a world beater, but he can be very effective at what he's asked to do and help us win games.

[Dave Stalwart]

If I'm being honest, I don't expect much from him. I do believe he will be good, but I don't expect him to exceed anything we are accustomed to lately in his overall game.

What I do expect is a guy who will obliterate the hopes of our opponents by piling threes onto the ten point leads our starters will hang on people. Frankamp will be a backbreaker for teams who don't play good defense on him. And it will be hard for many teams to play good defense on him because other guys on our roster will be requiring the best defender on the opposing squad.

We've got a Wragge here at the very least. Frankamp is going to stretch some defenses beyond what they can handle. They either have to cover him like a blanket or let him eat them alive, and if you are selling out your defense to cover Frankamp, what are you going to do about Baker, Van Vleet, Brown, Wessel and the list goes on. No opposing teams will have enough Tekele Cottons to check all these boxes. CF increases the odds that we will be hot from three in every game. That's a scary thing.

[WSUwatcher]

CF increases the odds that we will be hot from three in every game.

+1, absolutely -- but there are also eight games before he gets to start increasing those odds, some against solid opponents. I'm just hoping the Shocks do well enough in their first eight without him, and then Frankamp starts creating matchup problems right away once he's eligible.

[wufan]

If I'm being honest, I don't expect much from him. I do believe he will be good, but I don't expect him to exceed anything we are accustomed to lately in his overall game.

What I do expect is a guy who will obliterate the hopes of our opponents by piling threes onto the ten point leads our starters will hang on people. Frankamp will be a backbreaker for teams who don't play good defense on him. And it will be hard for many teams to play good defense on him because other guys on our roster will be requiring the best defender on the opposing squad.

We've got a Wragge here at the very least. Frankamp is going to stretch some defenses beyond what they can handle. They either have to cover him like a blanket or let him eat them alive, and if you are selling out your defense to cover Frankamp, what are you going to do about Baker, Van Vleet, Brown, Wessel and the list goes on. No opposing teams will have enough Tekele Cottons to check all these boxes. CF increases the odds that we will be hot from three in every game. That's a scary thing.

+1. He will make this team better.

[im4wsu]

I think the Shocker that CF reminds me of coming out of HS is Paul Guffrovich. Here is a summary of his achievements on a list of the top 100 athletes in the Naticoke, PA area:

#75 Paul Guffrovich - Nanticoke Basketball
"Ever since he was six years old, he had a basketball in his hand. Anytime you went down to West Side (Park), Paul was working out. He wanted to be a player."

- Former Nanticoke Area Coach Jim Zubritski, who coached the Trojans during Guffrovich's Junior and Senior Seasons. -

Paul Guffrovich had one of those "what if?" high school careers at Nanticoke Area. As in, "what if Guffrovich played after the PIAA adopted the three-point line?"
A year after Guffrovich graduated, the PIAA instituted the three-point shot (19-feet, 9 inches) but during his career with the Trojans from 1984-87, Guffrovich regularly drained jump shots from 20-25 feet away from the basket. The 1987 Division I MVP following his senior season with the Trojans, Guffrovich set the school record for career points with 2,271. He averaged 32.6 points per game during his senior year and, as a sophomore, helped lead Nanticoke Area to the PIAA championship game where the Trojans fell to Erie Strong Vincent.
Coaches in the Wyoming Valley Conference tried a variety of defenses to slow the slick shooting point guard, who was also an outstanding defender and passer. Guffrovich consistently saw a box and-one or triangle-and-two defenses. But nothing seemed to work and Guffrovich always found a way to get his points. He ranks eighth in District 2 and fourth in the WVC on the all-time scoring list.
After receiving a scholarship to Wichita State University, he finished his careen 5th on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,247 points.
His role varied with the Shockers, either being counted on to hit the three-pointer or being relied upon to distribute the ball. He is the school's all-time leader in career three-point field goals made with 144. He is sixth all-time in assists with 383 and fifth in three point shooting percentage at 43.4. He is also fourth all-time at WSU with 114 steals and second in free throw percentage at 83.5.

http://www.gnasd.com/2005top100athletes.htm

[WuDrWu]

That's actually pretty damned good @im4wsu:. Guff was a great floor general, was always under control and was a fantastic shooter. Not the fastest or the quickest, but smart as hell.

Very well done comparison!

[im4wsu]

That's actually pretty damned good @im4wsu. Guff was a great floor general, was always under control and was a fantastic shooter. Not the fastest or the quickest, but smart as hell.

Very well done comparison!

When Guff was recruited, I subscribed to the Naticoke newspaper and got all the writeups only three or four days late. I really was excited to have him come here. He had a very very good career here, but never quite lived up to my lofty expectations. Okay, extremely lofty expectations. That was thwarted when he missed a free throw for the first time.

[ShockTalk]

I think the Shocker that CF reminds me of coming out of HS is Paul Guffrovich. Here is a summary of his achievements on a list of the top 100 athletes in the Naticoke, PA area:

#75 Paul Guffrovich - Nanticoke Basketball
"Ever since he was six years old, he had a basketball in his hand. Anytime you went down to West Side (Park), Paul was working out. He wanted to be a player."

- Former Nanticoke Area Coach Jim Zubritski, who coached the Trojans during Guffrovich's Junior and Senior Seasons. -

Paul Guffrovich had one of those "what if?" high school careers at Nanticoke Area. As in, "what if Guffrovich played after the PIAA adopted the three-point line?"
A year after Guffrovich graduated, the PIAA instituted the three-point shot (19-feet, 9 inches) but during his career with the Trojans from 1984-87, Guffrovich regularly drained jump shots from 20-25 feet away from the basket. The 1987 Division I MVP following his senior season with the Trojans, Guffrovich set the school record for career points with 2,271. He averaged 32.6 points per game during his senior year and, as a sophomore, helped lead Nanticoke Area to the PIAA championship game where the Trojans fell to Erie Strong Vincent.
Coaches in the Wyoming Valley Conference tried a variety of defenses to slow the slick shooting point guard, who was also an outstanding defender and passer. Guffrovich consistently saw a box and-one or triangle-and-two defenses. But nothing seemed to work and Guffrovich always found a way to get his points. He ranks eighth in District 2 and fourth in the WVC on the all-time scoring list.
After receiving a scholarship to Wichita State University, he finished his careen 5th on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,247 points.
His role varied with the Shockers, either being counted on to hit the three-pointer or being relied upon to distribute the ball. He is the school's all-time leader in career three-point field goals made with 144. He is sixth all-time in assists with 383 and fifth in three point shooting percentage at 43.4. He is also fourth all-time at WSU with 114 steals and second in free throw percentage at 83.5.

http://www.gnasd.com/2005top100athletes.htm

Guff was very good, but not quite as good as the 2005 lists says.

He did not finish his career at WSU as the 5th leading scorer. He was 14th at the time, just behind his teammate Gus Santos, both having the same last year played.

He did finish 1st in 3 point goals after his last year, but the write-up indicates "He is the school's all-time leader in career three-point field goals". Prior to 2005, Guff was 3rd and passed by Randy Burns in 2005 which I'll give the writer a pass on.

[SB Shock]

If I'm being honest, I don't expect much from him. I do believe he will be good, but I don't expect him to exceed anything we are accustomed to lately in his overall game.

What I do expect is a guy who will obliterate the hopes of our opponents by piling threes onto the ten point leads our starters will hang on people. Frankamp will be a backbreaker for teams who don't play good defense on him. And it will be hard for many teams to play good defense on him because other guys on our roster will be requiring the best defender on the opposing squad.

We've got a Wragge here at the very least. Frankamp is going to stretch some defenses beyond what they can handle. They either have to cover him like a blanket or let him eat them alive, and if you are selling out your defense to cover Frankamp, what are you going to do about Baker, Van Vleet, Brown, Wessel and the list goes on. No opposing teams will have enough Tekele Cottons to check all these boxes. CF increases the odds that we will be hot from three in every game. That's a scary thing.

If he can hit about what Ogirri did (44%-45% from 3) then it will be scary. Especially with reports that Wessel is shot is looking even better.