freshman Landry Shamet has some ups

[pinstripers]

There will never be a better PG at WSU than FVV.

Never.

But I do want the guy that thinks he can be.

I hope this is not true.

[60Shock]

We can always hope and dream, but it is way to early to even talk about a freshman who has never played Div 1 ball being better than the best point guard we have ever had and who is just entering his senior year.

[Cdizzle]

who is just entering his senior year.

Bingo, bango, boingo.

The best is yet to come. I'm preparing myself to see something special the likes of which I've never seen from an individual player before.

[Dave Stalwart]

It's going to get ugly out there. And the MVC is probably going to be down at the top end from where it was last year. Sure, the conference rpi might be a bit better overall if our sub-200s improve, but I don't see a top 50 challenger either.

It's going to be ugly. Fred is going to feast.

[ShockdaWorld]

I don't see FVV's scoring going up excessively during his senior year, as they don't need to, and I'm convinced that winning the NC is more important to him than having higher scoring numbers. The best chance to get that NC is for him to make everyone else better (as he's proven time and again that he is extremely capable of). That being said, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see a 5/1 assist/turnover ratio or a multitude of triple doubles.

[Cdizzle]

In 36 games as a Sophomore starter, FVV averaged 11.6ppg. In the first 20 games of his Junior season, FVV averaged 10.5ppg.

In the last 15 games of his Junior season, FVV averaged 17.5ppg. He shot 40% more. He took 30% more 3's. He averaged 5rpg, and held the same steal rate of 1.9spg. All while sacrificing 0.8apg. It's easy to forget, but Fred started last season in a pretty dreadful and long shooting slump.

Basically, Fred realized he was better than everyone else (on the court, no offense Ron) and decided to show it a little more often. I'm not saying Fred is going to average 18ppg next year. But I do think he will score more. And not because he is being selfish to increase his scoring, but because he will be the best player on the court nearly every night and his taking over gives us the best chance to win.

[ArtVandalay]

I think our options besides Fred and Ron are better this year, which is why I don't see his scoring increasing. Last year, Rian and Corey never really proved they could be reliable (and are no longer on the team). This year, you have more options at the guard that will mean Fred can actually see what it's like to watch part of a game from the bench. Ron and Fred were short on shots a lot at the end of the year. They were tired. I think that changes this year with less playing time for both, and I think that's a great thing.

[Kung Wu]

I think our options besides Fred and Ron are better this year, which is why I don't see his scoring increasing. Last year, Rian and Corey never really proved they could be reliable (and are no longer on the team). This year, you have more options at the guard that will mean Fred can actually see what it's like to watch part of a game from the bench. Ron and Fred were short on shots a lot at the end of the year. They were tired. I think that changes this year with less playing time for both, and I think that's a great thing.

I dunno. When both Baker and FVV are off the court, no matter who you put out there is going to look sloppy in comparison, and possibly drive Marshall nuts. Not because any of the substitutes aren't excellent individual athletes or even good point guards, but because they are sooo inexperienced relative to FVV and Baker both in NCAA playing time and in running Marshall's system. The Dynamic Duo have set the expectation ridiculously high. It will take an extraordinary freshman to step right in and not make a ton of mistakes. We'll see how patient Marshall can be now that he's used to running finely tuned horses.

I guess if Baker spells FVV significant minutes at the point, and Baker gets rest while FVV is in, then we could see some newcomers making headway at the two and three -- but I don't see a ton of _point guard_ minutes going out to anybody other than those two. I'd love to be dead wrong.

[ROOT ANGRY!]

it's past time to get seasoning for the next round of point guards. i wince when i think about the loss of bowles, and was disappointed that henderson didn't pan out.
there's a lot riding on shamet and taylor.

[Dan]

it's past time to get seasoning for the next round of point guards. i wince when i think about the loss of bowles, and was disappointed that henderson didn't pan out.
there's a lot riding on shamet and taylor.

There's also a huge wildcard in there called Conner Frankamp.

[fuball7]

In 36 games as a Sophomore starter, FVV averaged 11.6ppg. In the first 20 games of his Junior season, FVV averaged 10.5ppg.

In the last 15 games of his Junior season, FVV averaged 17.5ppg. He shot 40% more. He took 30% more 3's. He averaged 5rpg, and held the same steal rate of 1.9spg. All while sacrificing 0.8apg. It's easy to forget, but Fred started last season in a pretty dreadful and long shooting slump.

Basically, Fred realized he was better than everyone else (on the court, no offense Ron) and decided to show it a little more often. I'm not saying Fred is going to average 18ppg next year. But I do think he will score more. And not because he is being selfish to increase his scoring, but because he will be the best player on the court nearly every night and his taking over gives us the best chance to win.

I agree with alot of this. During crunch time the last 6 to 7 games of the year against the best competition, fred was consistently scoring 20+ points. He loosened up and played like a true all american.

[shocka khan]

IMO, it's not just his athletic ability that will make Landry a star. It's all the little things he was doing like encouraging his future teammates when they achieved milestones last season. Things like that build good order and cohesion in groups.

I'm not only expecting Landry to be a great player, I also expect we will see some great leadership traits from him.

[_kai_]

Sounds a lot like Fred.