First Week of Practice

[shocker22]

http://blogs.kansas.com/shockwaves/2010/10/21/shockers-talk-hoops/

[newshock1234]

Point guard is the position of biggest intrigue with the Shockers trying to replace Clevin Hannah. While junior college transfer Joe Ragland is doing well, Marshall said sophomore Demetric Williams is out-playing Ragland.

[SubGod22]

Point guard is the position of biggest intrigue with the Shockers trying to replace Clevin Hannah. While junior college transfer Joe Ragland is doing well, Marshall said sophomore Demetric Williams is out-playing Ragland.

That makes me happy. Those two should push each other and everybody is a winner! DWill is going to be a hell of a player before he's done here.

My stupid work has that site blocked so I'm a little irritated I have to wait until I get home.

[WuDrWu]

Ben Smith made me laugh.


"I was prepared for it to be tough, but not that tough".


Coach Marshall's practices are not for the lighthearted.

[Aargh]

At Shocker Madness, Orukpe was already playing a different style of game than he played at JuCo. (The picture of him on the block with Stutz on his hip and Orukpe's butt stuck back about 2 feet isn't a style of play that was in Orukpe's game last year.)

Maybe the tougher practices at D1 will help him advance quicker. I think he's got the will to work that hard. He wants to play in the NBA and has said that the harder he works now, the better his chance of making the NBA. His hitting the weights even before he got to WSU is pretty obvious.

If he's in the 270 lb. range by the time he's a senior he will be able to score at will. Defenders will just get out of the way in self-preservation when he gets the ball.

[wsushox1]

If he's in the 270 lb. range by the time he's a senior he will be able to score at will. Defenders will just get out of the way in self-preservation when he gets the ball.

Assuming he doesn't travel all over the place.

Maybe I'm not giving him enough credit cause I haven't seen him play in person yet but are his offensive skills that polished yet? I hope they are but from the streaming games I watched of his time at Three Rivers he was pretty darn Raw.

[wu_shizzle]

Media Day video is up.

GoShockers.com

[Aargh]

If he's in the 270 lb. range by the time he's a senior he will be able to score at will. Defenders will just get out of the way in self-preservation when he gets the ball.

Assuming he doesn't travel all over the place.

Maybe I'm not giving him enough credit cause I haven't seen him play in person yet but are his offensive skills that polished yet? I hope they are but from the streaming games I watched of his time at Three Rivers he was pretty darn Raw.

He's already not as raw as he was at 3R, but he's raw. Marshall has said that if he gets the ball within 5' of the basket, he will dunk it. He tried twice at SM. Travelled once, and missed once when Stutz stayed with him. Another time, he drew so much attention to prevent his dunk, that he slipped the ball to Murry who got the dunk.

Stutz did a good job on him at SM. I think playing against a faster, quicker guy his own size has done wonders for Stutz. Stutz wouldn't back down an inch and wasn't beat badly by the difference in quickness. Stutz sees Orukpre's move to the bgasket about every day and probably knows it very well by now.

My use of the singular, "move", was intentional. I imagine Orukpe has one - and only one - right now. Even with only one, I doubt you'll see a lot of 6'8", 220 lb. players real eager to step between Orukpe and the basket.

[Ashockalypse]

I keep hearing terms relative to Orupke's skill like they are "raw" or that they aren't yet "polished". The truth is that Orupke may not HAVE offensive skills and the question is whether they can be developed. I hope they can. He is so big and athletic that good coaches like our ought to be able to develop something and if dunking is a large part of the equation then fine. But, I think a lot of people are acting like this is going to be like polishing up or honing some skills that are just built into EO already and waiting to pop out and from what I have seen offensively he has a long way to go.

[The Mad Hatter]

I keep hearing terms relative to Orupke's skill like they are "raw" or that they aren't yet "polished". The truth is that Orupke may not HAVE offensive skills and the question is whether they can be developed. I hope they can. He is so big and athletic that good coaches like our ought to be able to develop something and if dunking is a large part of the equation then fine. But, I think a lot of people are acting like this is going to be like polishing up or honing some skills that are just built into EO already and waiting to pop out and from what I have seen offensively he has a long way to go.

As Marshall has said, Coach Jans was at Illinois State when Odiakosa was a freshman, and he has said that EO is worlds ahead of where Odiakosa was. Odiakosa went from not being able to catch a ball to save his life to leading the Valley in rebounding multiple years. Marshall and Jans have been clear that EO is further along in his development and skill set than Odiakosa was at the equivalent point. There is no lack of physical tools, and as with Odiakosa, what he lacks are things that can be coached.

[wufan]

It was obvious at Shocker Madness that EO had been taught a drop step. It was QUICK AND POWERFUL! I am positive that he doesn't have a up-and-under or fade away. When folks are saying he is raw, it is that he doesn't have the bag-o-tricks that Durley has or the ability to drive with the ball that Blair possesses. He also doesn't have a full understanding of how to get into ideal position so that when he receives the ball he can utilize the drop step.

EO's game is:

1. Get in position
2. Ask for the ball
3. Catch the ball
4. Use quickness and strength to try and dunk

That's a good game plan. It's all the subtle in-between stuff that EO does not fully grasp.

[wufan]

Hopefully the PGs "get it" soon. Without a PG that can run the offense, we will stall out for long periods. Basketball is a game of runs, and it is often up to the PG to make sure that the droughts are short. The talent is there, the execution needs to be too.

[tropicalshox]

It's all stuff he will learn. We need some of our guys to make it to the NBA. It's been to long. Elite recruits many times want a school and coach who have a proven track record of getting players there. I'm counting on EO to help out. Hopefully he will become the 3rd member of the team to make it there.

[rjl]

I'm of the belief that all big men with the athletic ability and size of Orupke can learn all the offensive skills they will need to be a force in the paint. There's is less of a finesse game and more of a strength and speed one. You cannot teach height, it's hard to teach speed, and it takes a lot of work to develop strength. He's got all the hardware; just needs to get the software fulling installed.

Any more general platitudes needed to assuage your fears?

[WuDrWu]

I'm of the belief that all big men with the athletic ability and size of Orupke can learn all the offensive skills they will need to be a force in the paint. There's is less of a finesse game and more of a strength and speed one. You cannot teach height, it's hard to teach speed, and it takes a lot of work to develop strength. He's got all the hardware; just needs to get the software fulling installed.

Any more general platitudes needed to assuage your fears?

"Assuage" is word used not nearly often enough. :good: