Mbao in the Big east

[romey]

Well, this was my first opportunity to watch our only remaining 6'10" plus player and I was not impressed.  He is very raw.  What really stood out to me, was the way he played defense.  He just seemed to be so uncomfortable.  He stuck his chest or mid section into the player and got called at least a couple times for fouls doing that.  You can't teach height, obviously, and that seems to be his only asset right now.  He will get chewed up and spit out in the Big East at this stage of his career.  It's unfortunate that Otule went down and now Yous will not have the luxury of being brought along slowly.

He works hard, and hustles, and that was great to see, but he's got a long way to go to be average in the Big East.

[chapman]

Watching the game, I just wished it was a video game so I could move him to make some plays with all that height.  Still, watching him get around convinced me he's not a lost cause even though we might not see anything this year.

[Freeport Warrior]

He does work hard when he's in, no denying that. But I don't get my he has to man up a big guy right at, or beyond, the three point line. Seems like he should play off slightly and play some help D when the little guys are penetrating the middle.  There were three or four drives he could have easily swatted if he would have just started a step back. I don't expect much this year, but he definitely has potential. Like they say, you can't teach height.

[romey]

It really is unfortunate that Chris is not available.  I think working against each other in practice would definitely help Yous develop.

[warthog-driver]

Well, this was my first opportunity to watch our only remaining 6'10" plus player and I was not impressed.  He is very raw.  What really stood out to me, was the way he played defense.  He just seemed to be so uncomfortable. 

Hopw dare you contradict the WarhawkMO! He has annointed Mbao as the second coming of Thabeet! Who are you to question such genius?

[spartan3186]

I don't understand why we don't play a 2-3 zone and stick him back there to patrol the paint. It's quite obvious that Yous can't man up anybody right now, so why not let him sit back and alter shots?

[g0lden3agle]

I don't understand why we don't play a 2-3 zone and stick him back there to patrol the paint. It's quite obvious that Yous can't man up anybody right now, so why not let him sit back and alter shots?

Season is still young. I'd expect some new tweaks Thursday against Xavier.

[Daniel]

No question he did not perform well tonight, but he is raw and this is his second game.  He'll get better but this year will be a huge learning curve for the entire team.
 

[77ncaachamps]

Totally raw.
At least his shot in the key didn't look like Manute Bol's over-the-shoulder, boulder throw.
His defensive posture I blame on the Euros: face up and lots of touching. Works there but not here.

[MR.HAYWARD]

wow the ignorance continues.  Sure Mu could have set up in a zone and put Mboa in the middle but is that how Mu defensd, if that how Mbao is going to learn to play M2M defense in a game situation.  SD was setting alot of ball screens with MBao's man and the place was quiet enough to hear buzz alsmost exclusively coaching Mboa on defensive possesions.  Wow waht a great learning opportunity for Mboa!! that is what it was Mboa getting an opportunity to play Mu defense in  agme situation.  rebounding ticky tack fouls and getting pushed around are all strentgh and confidence issues.  18 months in teh weight room and practice court time will help address those.
 
Mboa catches the ball, runs, and passes the ball better than any Mu big man i have seen in the last 30 years as a freshman

[chapman]

wow the ignorance continues.  Sure Mu could have set up in a zone and put Mboa in the middle but is that how Mu defensd, if that how Mbao is going to learn to play M2M defense in a game situation.  SD was setting alot of ball screens with MBao's man and the place was quiet enough to hear buzz alsmost exclusively coaching Mboa on defensive possesions.  Wow waht a great learning opportunity for Mboa!! that is what it was Mboa getting an opportunity to play Mu defense in  agme situation.  rebounding ticky tack fouls and getting pushed around are all strentgh and confidence issues.  18 months in teh weight room and practice court time will help address those.
 
Mboa catches the ball, runs, and passes the ball better than any Mu big man i have seen in the last 30 years as a freshman

Ron Dayne, is that you?

[NCMUFan]

Mbao is far from a refined and complete player.  He has lots to accomplish in terms of weight, strength, BB IQ.  I again don't understand why he has to put pressure on someone at the 3 point line.  It seems to leave a gapping hole under the basket that decent passers will continuously exploit.  In the long run Mbao will probably help Maymon game the most in terms of Maymon learning to get his shot off an not get it swatted. Oh well, I am still optimistic about the team and the season.  I just hope for no more injuries.

[4everwarriors]

Right now Mbao alters shots in the paint. Also runs the court very well. That's it, but it's OK. If MU has success this season, per usual, it will be by going small.

[MR.HAYWARD]

Mbao had probably 15 passes thrown to him and caught every single one, a couple of which were tough catches, he also passed the ball extremly well.  When is the last time that could be said about an Mu big as a Freshman?

[muarmy81]

Mbao had probably 15 passes thrown to him and caught every single one, a couple of which were tough catches, he also passed the ball extremly well.  When is the last time that could be said about an Mu big as a Freshman?

He does look lost on Defense but I have to admit (GULP) I agree with Hayward on this.  I was very impressed with his hands and his understanding of kicking the ball back out.  He caught the ball at the high post a couple times and immediately kicked it back to Mo for an open look.  He's got a lot of work but at least he's being smart about getting the ball to shooters.

[MU B2002]

Mbao had probably 15 passes thrown to him and caught every single one, a couple of which were tough catches, he also passed the ball extremly well.  When is the last time that could be said about an Mu big as a Freshman?

I think the only one he missed was the alley opp that J May threw, and I wouldn't really count that as a miss since Yous never made any attempt to move towards the basket.

[CTWarrior]

I may be alone, but I think Otule's injury, as long as it doesn't mean constant recurring foot problems, is a blessing in disguise.  Otule is big and had improved a ton from last year, but he still is not anywhere near "good," and he really wasn't even Big East serviceable yet.  Another summer to work on his game and three years of eligibility when he comes back next year would greatly increase his chances of becoming a good Big East player.

As for Mbao, I agree with both sides of the argument.  He's not basketball savvy at all, but he's 7-1, has what appear to be good hands, and can move athletically.  While he won't be much help this year (he is lost on the floor and is just too scrawny right now to be an effective interior defender and get by on physical ability alone), but there is a lot to work with.  Of course some guys never acquire a basketball IQ, but you have a better chance of acquiring basketball IQ than you do of learning how to be 7-1 or learning how to have good hands.

[Jay Bee]

Mbao may become a very solid contributor, but not for at least a year, probably a couple.

+ Dude runs down the court quickly without tripping.  Almost too fast and out of control at this point - often being the first guy down the court.  If the ball was thrown to him while he's running down the court, he wouldn't catch it and score very often at this point - this can be improved upon with time.

+ Hands work better than the hands of many other freshman big men.  Granted, a lot of passes to him are 5-foot passes from the three point line down to the free-throw line, but he catches and can quickly pass himself.  An assist machine!! 

+ Defensively can be OK for now IF he simplifies it.  For some reason, he loves covering guys when they are in three point land.  His primarily defensive move is a hip check to the opponent - it's bizarre and looks like a bad habit he's going to need to break.  If Yous would stay in the paint on defense, and always stay between the basket and his man (by 'basket', I mean the basket he's defending, lots of times he's actually the closest of 10 players to the opponents basket while we're on defense) and play vertically, he is going to alter shots and block shots. 

+ Offense needs to develop.  He seems to like the idea of shooting from 10 to 12 feet out and if he can successfully do that and add some post moves over the next year or two, Yous can be a very solid contributor.

But this year, he's going to look very lost much of the time.

[tower912]

Mbao is going to be the one who breaks the "MU can't develop bigs" stereotype.   The building blocks are there.   7'2, can run without falling and catch and pass the ball.   Huge upside.  But he isn't going to be any more than marginally adequate at best this year.   Any meaningful contribution from him will be a gift.  I hope that everybody can just stay off of his back for a couple of years.

[Benny B]

I would say that Yous had one bad moment all night - missing the pass from Jeronne in the paint.  That was an easy 2 points right there, it didn't make the difference tonight, but missed opportunities is something this team will not be able to afford.  Four fouls, no points, even the missed jumper I would not term as "bad."  He's working hard out there, and it definitely shows - he just doesn't have the numbers to back it up.

In addition to having some God-given athleticism, Yous seems to be very aware of everything on the court, but is just not thinking a step ahead quite yet - this will come in time, and when it does, he will be at least 10x more productive that he is now.

I'm a big fan of trial by fire, and would gladly sacrifice the 5 spot for 10-15 minutes a game this year to get Yous some valuable experience.  Of course, this method doesn't work for everyone, but Yous seems to have the right skills to succeed in this manner.

[mu03eng]

Yous does have some tools, and I think will eventually be a key piece for us, and this year won't be a waste for him as he will learn valuable things, but it will be a "waste" to the team because he just can't produce right now.

However, I do have to defend him on the guarding at the 3 pt line.  It is clear he is coached to defend the screen with a hedge, so he is following his man to provide a hedge on the pick and roll.  In fact his hedging ability or lack thereof caused two of his four fouls.  Thats good coaching because I remember watching UConn last year and Thabeet would never follow out and UConn got burned pretty bad as a result with either an open shooter off the screen or if Thabeet came out half heartedly he got smoked on the roll.

[ecompt]

Whatever he learns this year will only help us two years from now when we should be ready for a deep tournament run. You don't need him to be good this year; you just hope he improves.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Mbao had probably 15 passes thrown to him and caught every single one, a couple of which were tough catches, he also passed the ball extremly well.  When is the last time that could be said about an Mu big as a Freshman?

So you're saying he would make a good dodgeball player?  I'll bet if you add 25lbs to him, he would be a superstar.

[MR.HAYWARD]

Mbao is going to be the one who breaks the "MU can't develop bigs" stereotype.   The building blocks are there.   7'2, can run without falling and catch and pass the ball.   Huge upside.  But he isn't going to be any more than marginally adequate at best this year.   Any meaningful contribution from him will be a gift.  I hope that everybody can just stay off of his back for a couple of years.

well said, he will be what he is this year and probably next year too, but by his junior year when he has become more skilled and put on 25 lbs of muscle, Buzz says he needs 40 lbs.  he will be a beast...much like a Hibbert or a Grey he will be a beast come Junior year.  Actually i think he is a better athlete than Hibbert or Gray.   This kid is going to be really good people need to understand it is a process and not be impatient with Yous ...its not his fault we dont have a Junior or SAenior Big in the program.  When Otule and Yous are upperclassmen our underclassmen bigs will have an opportunity to be not be thrown into the fire until their strength and skill is where it needs to be.

[VegasWarrior77]

"The best thing about freshmen is they become sophomores." Al McGuire

[Big Papi]

I may be alone, but I think Otule's injury, as long as it doesn't mean constant recurring foot problems, is a blessing in disguise.  Otule is big and had improved a ton from last year, but he still is not anywhere near "good," and he really wasn't even Big East serviceable yet.  

Yes but could Otule have been Big East servicable by the end of this year or beginning of next if he was able to get game experience?

If this year is going to be struggle and I guess we will find out soon enough, losing Otule in a lost season is a huge blow. 

I actually see a lot of potential in Otule to be a very servicable center. Unfortunately with him losing all of this year, his improvement for next year will be hindered severly.