Is Matt Heldt Breaking Out?

[wadesworld]

Listen. Our defense sucked. We shot lights out. Unlike VERY TALL Mich and Pitt teams, these guys were similar to us. And we shot better, got some rebounds. #donedeal.

Thanks for contributing to the Matt Heldt thread!

[Loose Cannon]

Listen. Our defense sucked. We shot lights out. Unlike VERY TALL Mich and Pitt teams, these guys were similar to us. And we shot better, got some rebounds. #donedeal.

As a stat, that a Win

[Herman Cain]

Going into the season I felt our key player was Matt. if he could give us 12-15 minutes of Big East level play we would be in good shape. Today was a step in that direction.

[GoldenDieners32]

He had some big rebounds and scored the ball decently

[fjm]

Going into the season I felt our key player was Matt. if he could give us 12-15 minutes of Big East level play we would be in good shape. Today was a step in that direction.

Ummm What??
You didn't make a "Matt heldt........" thread.
But you made Hauser, JJJ, and Duane (I believe) threads.

[MU82]

I'd also give Wojo credit for settling the team down when Georgia made runs. After the Bulldogs got within 2 in the second half at 72-70, Marquette came out of the timeout and scored 11 straight unanswered points. I wasn't in the huddle, of course — but that shows all the signs of good coaching.

Careful. Giving credit to Wojo is regarded as evil by some here.

I didn't mind him bringing back Luke and Sam with 2 fouls each. I thought Wojo had an excellent game, including motivating JJJ at halftime and getting the entire team to re-focus after Georgia cut it to 2 in the second half.

My only beef wasn't that Luke was in the game with 2 fouls but that he was asked to hedge on defense and got called for No. 3 about 25 feet from the basket. It was unnecessarily putting him at risk.

Nice job by Matt to make Luke less missed during his time on the bench. I happened to be sitting right in front of Matt's aunt and cousin in Section QQ. They were very proud of their guy! And I had a blast cheering on The Gold!!!

[Herman Cain]

Ummm What??
You didn't make a "Matt heldt........" thread.
But you made Hauser, JJJ, and Duane (I believe) threads.

I deliberately did not make a JJJ breakout season thread.

 Just Duane , Haanif, Sam and Luke. I responded in several threads and polls about key players with my position on Matt being able to give us 12-15 minutes.

[PGsHeroes32]

5K wasted posts, hey?

Being right is a privledge, hey?

[4everwarriors]

Maybe if he got a little, he wouldn't be breakin' out, hey?

[Marqevans]

He deserves credit for sitting out starting big man with 3 fouls

After he already stupidly brought him in with 2 fouls before an immediate 3rd foul in the 1st half?

Yeah, let's applaud him for doing the obvious.

Sitting a guy with 3 fouls and doubling the only guy we couldn't stop at all

I think he thought Luke would be smart enough not to get a foul so far away from the basket.

[Marqevans]

Matt is better defensively than Luke as he is quicker.  Good adjustment by Wojo to start Matt in the 2nd while double downing the post.  UGA not prepared for that and it saved Luke.

Matt doesn't appear to be quicker running back to the other end.

[muwarrior69]

Wasn't Matt "coached' by Brian Butch before he came to MU? Could Matt be our Kaminsky?

[tower912]

Matt is not going to be an All-American first round draft pick.   IMO, Matt's ceiling is a 12/7 center.    Solid, workmanlike, good hands, does all the stuff he is supposed to.    In other words, the kind of project big that eventually pans out that neither Crean nor Buzz could land.

[muwarrior69]

Matt is not going to be an All-American first round draft pick.   IMO, Matt's ceiling is a 12/7 center.    Solid, workmanlike, good hands, does all the stuff he is supposed to.    In other words, the kind of project big that eventually pans out that neither Crean nor Buzz could land.

Wasn't Kaminsky a "project" and not highly recruited? Just asking why Frank blossomed and why you think Matt will not?

https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/36592

[Tugg Speedman]

Wasn't Matt "coached' by Brian Butch before he came to MU? Could Matt be our Kaminsky?

Kaminsky was a three-star center that did not play his freshman year, save some mop up duty and got some back up minutes his sophomore year.  Then exploded on the scene his junior year and was National Player Of The Year (NPoY) his senior year.

In the history of college basketball no one has ever come close to doing what Kaminsky has done.  That is he not only had the worst Frehman and Sophomore stats for a NPoY, it is not even close.  Every other NPoY was a starter and probably their teams best player their Freshman and Sophomore years.

Their will never be another Kaminsky as he is that unique.  A black swan.

Think of it this way.  You have a friend that wins a $100 million Powerball.  Would you then ask them to buy you Powerball tickets because they can do it again?  Kaminsky was Bucky winning a Powerball.  Do not expect it to ever happen again.

[tower912]

What heidelberg said, but with less hyperbole.     Frank the Tank was the outlier.    For your own sanity, assume Matt's trajectory is going to be normal. 

[HoopsterBC]

Matt is not going to be an All-American first round draft pick.   IMO, Matt's ceiling is a 12/7 center.    Solid, workmanlike, good hands, does all the stuff he is supposed to.    In other words, the kind of project big that eventually pans out that neither Crean nor Buzz could land.

I am not sure Matts ceiling is that high, it will be hard for him to stay out of foul trouble.   He could have used a red-shirt year to improve his coordination.  I see him
as a back-up his whole career.  Does not have the finesse or quickness to play with the athletic big man.   John and Matt will split time next year, only because that is
all MU has.  Every team needs a Matt Heldt, probably an overachiever, hustles like crazy.  Glad to have him.  I look at Tom Copa and Jarred Lovetter type of player, both
could knock down an outside shot,  need Matt to do that as well.

[tower912]

Copa could knock down an outside shot?   Really?  I watched him for 3 years.    One of us is having hallucinatory memories regarding his shooting ability.

[StillWarriors]

Wasn't Kaminsky a "project" and not highly recruited? Just asking why Frank blossomed and why you think Matt will not?

https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/36592

He was a project, but he did have the ability to hit 3s consistently and was a pretty good passer/ball handler for a kid that size in high school. His big jump came with his athleticism as he got more coordinated and was better able to utilize the basketball skills that he already possessed. The ability to drive some and use multiple post moves rather than just shoot spot up 3s was huge for him. He really came along at the right time with the game all about spacing now and being able to stretch the floor.

[HoopsterBC]

Copa could knock down an outside shot?   Really?  I watched him for 3 years.    One of us is having hallucinatory memories regarding his shooting ability.

Maybe I was dreaming a little, but career wise they averaged between 8 and 10 a game for both, I think you would be happy with that from Matt.

[brewcity77]

Wasn't Kaminsky a "project" and not highly recruited? Just asking why Frank blossomed and why you think Matt will not?

https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/36592

I do think Kaminsky is an outlier and don't think Matt will explode like that, however I will point out that Matt was regarded as a decent three point shooter in high school. Don't think he's attempted one yet, but I suppose you never know.

The thing with Kaminsky, people try to paint it like he completely came out of nowhere and it was impossible to see him coming. That's simply not true. There were plenty of signs that Frank would be a productive player, however as he played limited minutes his first two years, and especially as we Marquette fans are biased against Wisconsin players (especially awkward backups who look like they were hit in the face with a frying pan too many times as a kid) the tendency is for MU fans to have the hyperbole regarding Frank.

The reality is Frank shot 28.6% and 31.1% from three his first two years. Not lighting the world on fire, but respectable for an underclassman, and that was on 80 attempts. He was getting some run, 7.7 mpg and 10.3 mpg his first two years, but was behind a high-efficiency, inside-outside upperclassman big man in Jared Berggren.

That sophomore year he was actually very good. 122.4 adjusted ORtg (Had he maintained that over enough minutes and matched his senior year usage rate that would have been 3rd in the country). 51.0 eFG%, 17.8% assist rate, 5.2% block percentage. His sophomore year numbers are borderline All-American numbers if he had been able to cut down on fouls so that he could have been a 28 mpg guy, but between the foul issues of youth and playing behind a guy in Berggren who was twice honored on the All-Big Ten team (once honorable, once second team), he didn't get a chance.

I remember talking to a Badger friend in 2013 who was just raving about how good Kaminsky was. Every time I saw her, she would go on about how he should play more, how he was better than Berggren, how Big Frank was going to be the man the next year. I just chuckled and chalked it up to biased fandom. The same kind of fandom that has me looking today at Sam Hauser and seeing echoes of a young Doug McDermott. But it wasn't. There were plenty of signs that Frank would be a great player, our fanbase (myself included) just chose to ignore them. It's not so much that it's surprising he was that good, it's surprising we didn't see it coming.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Agreed Brew but I think Kaminsky was hit a too FEW times with a frying pan as a child.

[Stretchdeltsig]

Matt is a good player that will help us win many games.

[JakeBarnes]

Matt is a good player that will help us win many games.

I agree with this analysis.

[forgetful]

Wasn't Kaminsky a "project" and not highly recruited? Just asking why Frank blossomed and why you think Matt will not?

https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/36592

The difference.  As a freshman in high school Frank was a 6'3" shooting guard.  His sophomore year a 6'10" center.  Frank learned to play the game as a guard and developed core athleticism as a young player.  It took him a while to translate that to his bigger body, but when it did the skill sets and athleticism were all there. 

Heldt doesn't have that athleticism and guard background.

He'll never be a Frank Kaminsky.  We need him to be the best Matt Heldt he can be (which could be a skilled 4 year true center).