Future Shocks

[pinstripers]

I think the height to the top of the head of a basketball player is almost irrelevant. If it were necessary to head the ball in like soccer then it might be important. It would be nice to see reach and wing span measurements in addition to height & weight.

It's not irrelevant, neither is it almost irrelevant.

[pie n eye]

Who gives a **** if they're 6'7 3/4 or 6'8 1/4?

Can they play ball, that's the only thing that matters to me.

[Signman]

In a pre game discussion GM recently addressed the two legit centers we already have and
was very positive about them both. I remembering him saying something like just wait until
you see what these guys will look like physically next year. We have the potential for another
three headed monster. With fifteen fouls to give I think we will be improved in the paint
defensively. GM said BW was working hard on basic low post moves and improving. RN
already has all the skill sets inside and out and only needs upper body strength which he was
excited about addressing. If he puts on 15 pounds of muscle much of what he lacks
defensively will be remedied. I, for one, believe that RN's age is a positive, after all, Wisconsin
beat KU with maturity.

One of the assistants told me a several weeks ago that Rauno was down to 219. Don't know for sure if he caught the flu over the winter, but that is down quite a bit from his listed weight of 242 on GoShockers.com.
This same assistant when asked who he thought had the biggest potential of the newcomers he said without hesitation "Rauno".

[Ricardo del Rio]

I think he meant top 100 overall. There are 16 centers listed in the top 100 on ESPN. Of those signed, all of them are going to the P5 except 2. One is going to Georgetown of the Big East and one to UCF in the AAC.

Thanks, I was cross wired.

[Ricardo del Rio]

I'm guessing he meant centers in the top 100. Otherwise, yeah, it's a lot.

Thanks, I was cross wired.

[Aargh]

One of the assistants told me a several weeks ago that Rauno was down to 219. Don't know for sure if he caught the flu over the winter, but that is down quite a bit from his listed weight of 242 on GoShockers.com.
This same assistant when asked who he thought had the biggest potential of the newcomers he said without hesitation "Rauno".

Ding! Ding! Ding!!

If this is true, it explains a lot.

Some guys who appear fairly fit l;ose weight when they go on a steady conditioning and strengthening program. This indicates Nurger lost nearly 10% of his body weight.

When I was getting nuked, on a feeding tube, and had one entire week where I didn't eat a thing, I lost about 18% of my body weight in the same time frame as Nurger lost about half that percentage. You tend to get weaker, not stronger, when your body is dropping weight. This also indicates Nurger was carrying around an extra 23 useless pounds on a 6'10" body that had no more than 219 pounds of "usable" weight.

You can throw out age as a limiting factor in his development. Conditioning and strength-building don't seem to have occurred in the first 21 years of his life. In that sense, he's in exactly the same situation Stutz was in when Stutz was 18.

Looks like Nurger was losing about a pound a week during the entire basketball season. It's tough to go all out and hard when you're dropping weight like that. I'd suspect that by the time the coaching staff knew Nurger needed a RS year, and that he wasn't going to be a contributor, they had already played him in a few games. Either that or Nurger vetoed the RWS year.

[AndShock]

Nurger contributed a decent amount at the beginning of the year. It's tough to redshirt anyone at a position that has a lot of unknowns trying to step in and contribute.

[wufan]

Nurger got really sick around Christmas (plus or minus a couple of weeks). He didn't see much action after that. I wondered if he had lost weight, and it sounds like he had.

[WSUwatcher]

Good point about Rauno's age being a red herring, Aargh. He is indeed starting from scratch in terms of a strength and conditioning program, which should make a considerable difference inasmuch as his greatest deficiency last season seemed to be in strength rather than skill or even technique (and of course, whatever technique you have in your arsenal is also not that easy to apply when you're getting pushed around).

Besides, the idea that a player doesn't have much room to improve at 22, as Rauno will be next year, is simply silly. Yes, some guys develop earlier than others and approach or hit their ceilings sooner as a result. For example, I always thought Darnell Valentine was about as good by the time he finished high school as he ever became in college and on the way to his long and solid NBA career. On the other hand, plenty of guys in the D-League get distinctly better after 22, and even some players who are already pretty noteworthy continue improving past that age. Kawhi Leonard is a good illustration -- he's almost 24 now, and he's a MUCH better player than he was at 22, even though he was already good then.

If one of the coaches thinks Rauno has a big upside, I'll take his word for it over that of our SN scouts.

[Rlh04d]

Besides, the idea that a player doesn't have much room to improve at 22, as Rauno will be next year, is simply silly.

When I made the point about Nurger in another thread, it was that Nurger will have to work harder than Stutz had to, not that he doesn't have room to improve.

It's absolutely possible for someone to do what Stutz did at Nurger's age. It simply requires more effort.

Anyone that thinks it's impossible for the human body to transform just because a kid's at the ancient age of 22 is insane. And I don't think anyone's said that here.

[ShockerKhan]

I think Rano has decent footwork but needs to strengthen his core and learn how to defend the post with his lower body.
Think of Frank Kaminski from Wisconsin. Didn't burst onto the scene until his junior year.

[pogo]

When I made the point about Nurger in another thread, it was that Nurger will have to work harder than Stutz had to, not that he doesn't have room to improve.

It's absolutely possible for someone to do what Stutz did at Nurger's age. It simply requires more effort.

Anyone that thinks it's impossible for the human body to transform just because a kid's at the ancient age of 22 is insane. And I don't think anyone's said that here.

I know I have kept improving each day. I am still waiting to achieve a chiseled, sculpted look but in my case hope springs eternal.

[shockmonster]

I think Rano has decent footwork but needs to strengthen his core and learn how to defend the post with his lower body.
Think of Frank Kaminski from Wisconsin. Didn't burst onto the scene until his junior year.

I hope you are right but I watched every home game he played in and didn't see the good footwork. He had a nice shot from the outside and he is tall. He wasnt able to post up at all. Now I will say that coaches have seen him everyday in practice so I trust that they know his capabilities and maybe they just need to slow down his mind so he doesn't get twisted up and he'll improve. I'm hopeful.

[pie n eye]

When I made the point about Nurger in another thread, it was that Nurger will have to work harder than Stutz had to, not that he doesn't have room to improve.

It's absolutely possible for someone to do what Stutz did at Nurger's age. It simply requires more effort.

Anyone that thinks it's impossible for the human body to transform just because a kid's at the ancient age of 22 is insane. And I don't think anyone's said that here.

I'm no dietician or exercise scientist or personal trainer but I would think it's easier to gain mass the older you get. Granted there's probably a point where it becomes more difficult but I doubt it's any time during your 20's. Nurger has the coordination and skills already, possibly because he's older. Freshman Nurger is way ahead of Freshman Stutz in those areas I think.

[pie n eye]

I hope you are right but I watched every home game he played in and didn't see the good footwork. He had a nice shot from the outside and he is tall. He wasnt able to post up at all. Now I will say that coaches have seen him everyday in practice so I trust that they know his capabilities and maybe they just need to slow down his mind so he doesn't get twisted up and he'll improve. I'm hopeful.

That's funny because I don't remember him shooting the ball that well (at least in games) or that often. I think his inability to post up comes back to his lack of strength.

He showed he can finish with either hand over both shoulders. His stats weren't there but I think you're right that he has nice form on his jumper. I also thought he showed pretty good timing blocking shots in certain games. I read somewhere (maybe the get to know a shocker portion of the game?) that he is/was a volleyball player. The guys I remember who played Volleyball (Jeff Withey, Joel Embiid) seem to be fairly good rim protectors. Will the same hold true for Rauno? I don't know but there are more reasons to be optimistic about his future rather than pessimistic.

Doesn't it seem like some big guys take longer to develop? By the time they mature physically they're seniors and out the door. I look at his advanced age as a potential positive.