Why the freshman will struggle

[wufan]

Here's a brief blurb I like on McDuffie immediately after his commitment:

http://www.hoopseen.com/index.php/news/hoopseen-20/item/1706-markis-mcduffie-is-a-shocker

"...Coach Marshall gave me a great opportunity to play and excel depending on how hard I work."

"Coach Marshall told me that he's never had a 6-foot-8 guard before, so I'm pretty sure that he will have me on the wing."

The way Gregg uses the 4, it wouldn't surprise me if Markis ended up there either. Wessel and Ben Smith are good examples of HCGMs willingness to play SFs at the 4.

[Dan]

The more I watch McDuffie highlights, the more I see the next coming of Cleanthony Early. His movements are eerily similar.

[wufan]

The more I watch McDuffie highlights, the more I see the next coming of Cleanthony Early. His movements are eerily similar.

He's a better ball handler than Cle ever was, but I get the comparison. I think Eric Hamilton looks like Cle 2.0.

[60Shock]

A lot of talk about how talented the incoming freshman are already, and rightfully so, but as we see most years, freshman don't usually make an immediate and consistent impact. Here's my thoughts on what might hold them back:

None of them know the system (though Hamilton has a little insight) and all of them are on the slender side. There are no overly obvious holes to fill on the roster where the incoming player are obviously more talented.

Taylor: more of a combo guard, but recruited to play PG. He's got to learn the most difficult position and play exceptionally well to spell Fred. He's a clutch shooter, but it's unlikely he will have the ball in his hands with the game on the line. Handles and passing are just average.

Shamet: good, not great shooter. Good, not great athlete. Defense is not yet at this level. Overall probably the most ready to contribute.

McDuffie: too skinny to play the 4 and not quite a guard yet (though he's close). He doesn't have a killer instinct and will likely be a bit passive to be effective.

Hamilton: he's raw. Post moves are questionable. Shooting is streaky. Handles well for a 6-8+ power forward, not so much for a wing. Defense is so-so.

wufan, I appreciate your sense of prospective in describing our incoming recruits not in the usual extravagant exaggeration of previous classes, like we all have so often done in the past, and then being disappointed in them because they did not live up to our expectations.

[pie n eye]

Disclaimer: I've never seen Taylor play, I'm basing this opinion entirely on what I have actually seen Frankamp do on the court in HS and at KU and what I have read about Taylor in his recruiting thread.

IMO Frankamp will be the primary PG his junior and senior seasons. He has all the tools necessary to continue the line of outstanding PG's at WSU under Coach Marshall. He has great handles, shoots lights out, can distribute and maybe most importantly he has a high BBall IQ. At North he basically ran their entire offense. He constantly had the ball in his hands and either created a shot for himself or for one of his teammates.

That's not to say Taylor doesn't possess all those skills and more. If he does then he will be an all time great player here.

Either way we are in good hands for the foreseeable future.

[Jhook89]

Disclaimer: I've never seen Taylor play, I'm basing this opinion entirely on what I have actually seen Frankamp do on the court in HS and at KU and what I have read about Taylor in his recruiting thread.

IMO Frankamp will be the primary PG his junior and senior seasons. He has all the tools necessary to continue the line of outstanding PG's at WSU under Coach Marshall. He has great handles, shoots lights out, can distribute and maybe most importantly he has a high BBall IQ. At North he basically ran their entire offense. He constantly had the ball in his hands and either created a shot for himself or for one of his teammates.

That's not to say Taylor doesn't possess all those skills and more. If he does then he will be an all time great player here.

Either way we are in good hands for the foreseeable future.

Wasn't one of the reasons Frankamp left KU was because he wanted more minutes at the point?

[Art Bunch]

for some reason I'm expecting Taylor to be more in the mold of Tekele.