Three Freshmen To Remember

[ShockingButTrue]

Coach Marshall did expand on the Coaches Show tonight on our bright future with these 3 Freshmen and threw in MM for good measure as only a Class ahead of them. A nice foundation of corner stones and 3G is high on CJ and mentioned his injuries started him behind the learning curve.

If Coach is optimistic I am.

[Slim]

Glad to see CJ Keyser healthy and doing well. CJ has come along way, but he still has lot room to get better and keep improving. He just has to trust the process, and work hard and listen to his Coaches. His best days are ahead of him for sure.

Very Nice Freshman Class, and all 3 seem like great kids!

[SlyShock]

I will be the first to say Landry will be an All-American within his next two years, likely his junior year due to the graduation of Frankamp next year and a reloading of players. He is arguably the teams best shooter(Connor is unbelievable no doubt) and is also a fantastic and unselfish passer. His defense continues to improve and he seems to have an untiring motor. His biggest weakness as of now is his ability to drive into the lane. He hasn't necessarily been asked to do that as much this year so we haven't seen the entirety of his ability, but continually integrating his finishing ability inside will make him a really great overall player. I hate making comparisons to other players, yet Shamet learned a big portion of his craft from Ron and Fred. He has great size, is a brilliant shooter, and as a freshman (Redshirt) he has developed into one of our team's outspoken leaders. Big things ahead of him and I can't wait to see how he really emerges in the upcoming seasons.

[forevershockerfan]

Now that these three Freshmen are becoming Sophs, I wanted to refresh their role as I see it in the up and coming Season.

L.Shamet, Wow, he exceeded my expectations already. We knew he was a keeper but now folk speak of him joining the NBA a year or two early, that he could be a first round draft pick or even a lottery selection? We will always wonder just how much he could have made in Bake and FVV Senior Season if not for the injury resulting in his redshirt.. LS does so many things well. I think one expert even projected him to win the AAC MVP this coming Season. What a difference a glittering Season can make.

Austin R.--Considering last summer he was injured which delayed his getting started followed by more injuries, AR became a fan favorite and made us realize if he gets and stays more injury free, watch out. A few times we witnessed Austin and LS on the court at the same time which was fun to watch. AR should prove to be skillful at the 1 and 2. The status of this Season for him is still unknown but we have our fingers and toes crossed that he will be healthy. Before his injury he led the MVC in 3-pt. % at times.

CJ-Hopefully this summer CJ will learn to play both the 2 and 3 slots which could increase his playing time. His upside is off the charts, especially if he turns into a defensive stopper similar to Cotton. As he becomes more consistent with his outside shooting, that will be a big plus as well. CJ might win that early dunk contest this Season and the 3-point contest should be close between CF, LS, and Austin. CJ has some serious hops.

So if the old adage remains true about 'the best thing about Freshmen is they become Soph.' rings true, these three players will play an important role in maybe the most rewarding Shocker Season for a spell and that is saying a lot.

[homegrownshocker]

FSF, You choose an excellent group of players to get excited about as they have just started their careers. Landry is being pulled on the track to stardom. I love all aspects of his game & am blown away that he was not running the point from day one last season. He sure looked comfortable in the tournaments when it counts the most.

Landry & Austin have great basketball IQ. That is a trait that makes you so dangerous. Super aware of what is going on at all times to be one step ahead of an opponent.. Austin was sure impressive when he seemed to be healthy early last season. It is incredible that he had so little preparation time with his rehab and still made an impact. He wasn't quite the same hard nosed warrior once he re-injured himself multiple times. Some of that was due to his minutes going down (I think the coaches wanted him to last all season).

CJ Keyser has great potential. When your an athlete like him, you can make a difference on a team. Remember this guy has footage of kissing the rim & dunking on Thon Maker who was guarding him in AAU basketball. To be fair Thon tried to guard him at half court & CJ lost him along the way. I think he had a natural progression as a freshman learning how to run the Shocker system. He also was hurt last summer and fell behind due to the time missed. I look forward to seeing him play & hope he becomes a Tekelle Cotton type player (or even better). Physical tools are there & his jump shot was the part of his game that was suspect. Pleasantly encouraged with the shooting form exhibited in the short stints he played last season.

Coaches did very well in evaluating the talent of these youngsters (and development). . Show me all the 2's that were ranked ahead of Shamet coming out of high school. Thank you Arkansas for not noticing Austin and recruiting him hard. Maybe the one season of playing for Sunrise helped CJ get a taste of Shocker fever.