I really like how that kid has progressed. He's not quite all they way there yet, but he's sure as hell came a long ways since his first year at MU. His presence in the lane and ability to score on the block is something we haven't had at MU in awhile from a legit big man. I betcha he's All-Big East by his senior year.
I am excited this kid will have another couple years here. Seems like a great guy, works his tail off, and is making HUGE strides.
he was dominant in the 1st half and that big lead kept us in the 2nd half.
Loved the play where he got the offensive board and gathered and laid it in instead of trying to tip it. Also getting better on free throws.
I will agree with most everyone and lavish heaps of praises on Otule who really has played his tail off in every single game and improved tremendously as a player, but DJO is our difference maker. When he is firing on all cylinders we are a top 25 team easily. Unfortunately, he hasn't done it consistently and as such the team has had a lot of up and downs. A confident DJO is what we need down the stretch.
I think he is the best big man we've had since I enrolled at Marquette ('05). I have a member that also went to Marquette before me (Wade yrs), so I rooted for MU when Jackson was there....but besides that experience, Otule seems to be the best force inside since I first got to Milwaukee.
I love Otule's uncanny ability to hit every part of the gym on his FTs and make them go in.
Fear the goggles.
Chris is also more athletic than I gave him credit for earlier this year. His hands aren't great but he can leap and cover space. He's not a "stiff" by any means.
I'm hoping Chris and Devante going against each other in practice will make them both better as well.
I agree with the comments on Otule and DJO but I am beginning to think that the player that determines whether we win or lose is solidly on the shoulders of Buycks. When he is on everyone else seems to follow, I guess that is what a PG does. If Jr. continues to progress maybe it will be him.
Quote from: radome on February 25, 2011, 08:16:54 AM
I agree with the comments on Otule and DJO but I am beginning to think that the player that determines whether we win or lose is solidly on shoulders of Buycks. When he is on everyone else seems to follow, I guess that is what a PG does. If Jr. continues to progress maybe it will be him.
So you're talking about the times when his bad shots go in right?
Quote from: beaconwarrior on February 25, 2011, 12:00:43 AM
I love Otule's uncanny ability to hit every part of the gym on his FTs and make them go in.
Ha! Sooooooo true.
I don't think Buycks takes many bad shots. For instance, I can think of maybe one "bad" shot he took last night. He just hasn't been hitting his shots lately.
DJO...now there is a dude who takes some bad shots.
Imagine how good he'd be if he had two eyes. I would think it'd be tough to play basketball with no depth perception.
Quote from: MUFanatic4 on February 25, 2011, 08:19:42 AM
So you're talking about the times when his bad shots go in right?
People are probably getting sick of reading me say this, but again, this is a function of Buycks role in the offense. Watch who always gets the ball when the shot clock runs low, or who gets isolation situations when the offense stagnates. Whether by design or not, DJO hasn't been that guy this year, its been DB. His "bad shots" are often the offensive option as opposed to no shot. I think the team has a lot more faith in DB than most here, and his relative lack of offensive conscience is likely a huge reason for that. I would venture that 80% of his bad shots are a function of bad possessions by the whole offense.
+1
Agree that Chris Otule makes Marquette a much more competitive team. It's been great to watch him develop. The more he plays the better he gets. Also, think its important to play Gardner in each game. The more he plays the more effective he is.
Quote from: MUBurrow on February 25, 2011, 09:12:29 AM
relative lack of offensive conscience is likely a huge reason for that.
What does that mean? I take it to mean that you believe that getting stuck with a poor shot and missing it, will not get his head down. If that is what you are saying, I think it is very astute and makes a lot sense for Buzz to do so because I think DJO is much streakier and could be hurt by the misses.
Otule's last few games have been been huge for the team and for him - more rebounds, more scolring, more defensive presence. I am thrilled with how Chris is playing! Kudos to him for all his hard work!
Quote from: radome on February 25, 2011, 09:42:59 AM
What does that mean? I take it to mean that you believe that getting stuck with a poor shot and missing it, will not get his head down. If that is what you are saying, I think it is very astute and makes a lot sense for Buzz to do so because I think DJO is much streakier and could be hurt by the misses.
That Buzz sets that up by design out of consideration for DJO is actually a great angle on that I hadn't even thought of. I think as far as DB, you articulated what I was trying to say even better than I did. I just think DB is one of those guys who, if he misses 99 straight shots, is sure his 100th is going in. I think the other guys feed off that, and that it all adds up to DB getting the ball when the offense stagnates or the team is unsure where the next points will come from. Its an awkward balance for a point guard to strike, but every team needs a guy like DB, no matter how frustrating it can get to watch his occasionally suspect shot selection.
Chris is progressing much along the lines of Amal McCaskill, who also was very limited when he arrived at MU, dealt with a bunch of injuries, worked his tail off and eventually emerged as a major contributor by his final two seasons. In fact, Chris' numbers this year (5.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg) is identical to Amal's second year.
I'm not putting Chris in the NBA just yet, but could definitely see him becoming the 10 ppg/9 rpg guy McCaskill was by his senior year.
Excellent analogy Pakuni. Amal still plays professional basketball...for the Incheon Elephants in Korea.
Quote from: The Sultan of South Wayne on February 25, 2011, 10:13:01 AM
Excellent analogy Pakuni. Amal still plays professional basketball...for the Incheon Elephants in Korea.
Wow! That's pretty obscure. Good for him to still be making money doing what he loves.
Quote from: radome on February 25, 2011, 08:16:54 AM
I agree with the comments on Otule and DJO but I am beginning to think that the player that determines whether we win or lose is solidly on the shoulders of Buycks. When he is on everyone else seems to follow, I guess that is what a PG does. If Jr. continues to progress maybe it will be him.
i agree about buycks. But it is not his shot selection that bothers me. Every time I start to think that Buycks is the key, and the better he plays the more dangerous we are, he makes a bonehead pass or dribbles off his legs. He can make everyone else better when he is on, but he does some stupid stuff with the ball. I notice he is guilty of picking up his dribble to early in offensive sets. Buycks can play, just don't play stupid.
love otule this year.
I could see Otule being an 8/8 with 1.5-2 blocks.
The biggest challenge with be to continue his physical development, and learn the small nuances of the game. Staying out of foul trouble, learning how to set up moves in the post, etc.
He's already got good size, decent footwork and most recently, a very aggressive attitude on both ends.
Would love to get 8/8 out of him and 8/4 out of Garnder next year. I think that's a realistic goal, and if they can get that kind of performance out of those big guys, that team could be very, very good.
Chris has definitely improved this year and it has been fun to watch. I hate to be a Debbie Downer here but my expecations are somewhat limited for him going forward. I really, really hope he proves me wrong but I don't see a day where Otule averages 11ppg, 9rpg like Amal McCaskill did both his Junior and Senior years (maybe close to the blocks average though).
Because of Chris' eye(s) and his hands there will always be some limitations on his rebounding and scoring in the post. It will be interesting to see as Gardner improves (as he has a higher ceiling) who gets the bulk of the playing time at the five position going forward. Maybe both average around 20mpg next year and the year after?
Again, very much hope Chris proves me wrong on this one!
Quote from: MarquetteDano on February 25, 2011, 12:24:40 PM
Chris has definitely improved this year and it has been fun to watch. I hate to be a Debbie Downer here but my expecations are somewhat limited for him going forward. I really, really hope he proves me wrong but I don't see a day where Otule averages 11ppg, 9rpg like Amal McCaskill did both his Junior and Senior years (maybe close to the blocks average though).
Because of Chris' eye(s) and his hands there will always be some limitations on his rebounding and scoring in the post. It will be interesting to see as Gardner improves (as he has a higher ceiling) who gets the bulk of the playing time at the five position going forward. Maybe both average around 20mpg next year and the year after?
Again, very much hope Chris proves me wrong on this one!
I agree.
I love Otule, but do we think he's ever going to get 10-13 shots per game? That's what he's going to need to get 10+ points (some free throws in there too). That's a lot of attempts for a team that traditionally does run offense through the post.
Actually, it sounds silly, but Chris needs to become a better passer before he can avg. 10+ pts/game. He's pretty much a black hole right now, so it's tough to give him too many touches in the post because it never comes back out.
If he can learn to kick it out, and/or reverse the ball, then I can see him getting more touches and being more effective.
Anyways, I still think he can be a nice 7 or 8pts/game guy given his ability for offensive put-backs.
Nice college big man, and nice development so far. Would love a Frosh. version of him next year that could ride the bench for 2 years and develop.
Quote from: 2002MUalum on February 25, 2011, 12:34:52 PM
I agree.
I love Otule, but do we think he's ever going to get 10-13 shots per game? That's what he's going to need to get 10+ points (some free throws in there too). That's a lot of attempts for a team that traditionally does run offense through the post.
A big man definitely doesn't need 10-13 shots per game to average 10 ppg.
The aforementioned Amal McCaskill averaged 7.9 and 7.5 attempts per game his junior and senior seasons. Robert Jackson averaged 10.5 attempts per game the year he averged 15.4 ppg at MU. Jimmy Mac scored over 10 ppg his soph and junior seasons while taking only 6.4 and 6.9 shots per game, respectively.
Right now, Chris is averaging over 5 ppg while taking only 3.5 shots per game. If he improves his free throw shooting marginally (and stay out of foul trouble), he could easily become a 10 ppg with only 3-4 more attempts per game.
Quote from: Pakuni on February 25, 2011, 01:01:36 PM
A big man definitely doesn't need 10-13 shots per game to average 10 ppg.
The aforementioned Amal McCaskill averaged 7.9 and 7.5 attempts per game his junior and senior seasons. Robert Jackson averaged 10.5 attempts per game the year he averged 15.4 ppg at MU. Jimmy Mac scored over 10 ppg his soph and junior seasons while taking only 6.4 and 6.9 shots per game, respectively.
Right now, Chris is averaging over 5 ppg while taking only 3.5 shots per game. If he improves his free throw shooting marginally (and stay out of foul trouble), he could easily become a 10 ppg with only 3-4 more attempts per game.
I stand corrected. I know that big men are typically far more efficient than guards, especially when you take into account free throws, but I wouldn't have guessed that these guys were getting 10 pts on only 7 attempts.
I still think 8 pts/ 8 rebounds is more realistic, but 10 pts is not out of the question.
The biggest impact from Chris would come from rebounding and blocking/altering shots. If he can continue to improve there, MU's overall defensive numbers should improve as well.
Quote from: 2002MUalum on February 25, 2011, 01:24:29 PM
I stand corrected. I know that big men are typically far more efficient than guards, especially when you take into account free throws, but I wouldn't have guessed that these guys were getting 10 pts on only 7 attempts.
I still think 8 pts/ 8 rebounds is more realistic, but 10 pts is not out of the question.
The biggest impact from Chris would come from rebounding and blocking/altering shots. If he can continue to improve there, MU's overall defensive numbers should improve as well.
If he does 8/8, but is a threat and needs to be guarded, (unlike D. Burke), he is very valuable. Have him go off for a couple 16/10 then he needs to be guarded.
Not a slam on Dwight, he played a role defensively, but not much offense.
If Junior and Vander keep developing and we get guys that can find Chris in a position to score he can easily get 10ppg I think. He's only going to keep improving, so I think it's very possible he will average about 10 and 8 his senior year.
Quote from: Jamil_toMU10 on February 25, 2011, 02:05:45 PM
If Junior and Vander keep developing and we get guys that can find Chris in a position to score he can easily get 10ppg I think. He's only going to keep improving, so I think it's very possible he will average about 10 and 8 his senior year.
definitely possible
If Chris can improve with his left hand he could score 8-10 with baby hooks etc.
Quote from: MUBurrow on February 25, 2011, 09:12:29 AM
People are probably getting sick of reading me say this, but again, this is a function of Buycks role in the offense. Watch who always gets the ball when the shot clock runs low, or who gets isolation situations when the offense stagnates. Whether by design or not, DJO hasn't been that guy this year, its been DB. His "bad shots" are often the offensive option as opposed to no shot. I think the team has a lot more faith in DB than most here, and his relative lack of offensive conscience is likely a huge reason for that. I would venture that 80% of his bad shots are a function of bad possessions by the whole offense.
At least some people pay attention.