Musketeer, have no fear.

[Scoop Snoop]

brew

I think Gold can do some of the things Oso has done offensively, plus has other tools. He has shown that he can be a nifty passer and I think he can develop into a very good ball handler for a big guy. That said, they are not the same players and Gold has to develop into the best version of himself, not try and be Oso.

The bolded says it all Goose. The three posts above yours are really good and rebut the arguments of Gold's critics who seem to lie in wait for him to do something wrong.

[Goose]

Tower

The pass to Al caught my eye instantly. There is plenty to like about Gold, but many are stuck comparing him to Oso. Oso is a freak college player and none of us saw that two years ago. That said, he has weaknesses that are often overlooked.

[tower912]

I hope to see Ben finish with more authority next season.   There are times that I see skilled Euro-big instinct in him.  Against Xavier, that pump fake, baseline drive with his left hand into a pull up one hander is a move that almost no other 6'10 players have.   Next year he needs to finish at rhe rim.   
   But the fact that he is skilled enough to do the first part fills me with optimism.

[rgoode57]

I was shocked to see that both Kalkbrenner and Dixon can return next season of they want. They both seem like they should be old enough for Social Security by now.

[MU82]

I hope to see Ben finish with more authority next season.   There are times that I see skilled Euro-big instinct in him.  Against Xavier, that pump fake, baseline drive with his left hand into a pull up one hander is a move that almost no other 6'10 players have.   Next year he needs to finish at rhe rim.   
   But the fact that he is skilled enough to do the first part fills me with optimism.

Ben also got stripped a couple times he tried to dribble through traffic vs X. He's usually good at picking his spots, though. And those two 3s he hit were immense. That shooting can be such an enormous weapon next season. Heck, it might be a big weapon for us in the upcoming NCAAT. And I agree with your comment on Gold looking surprisingly small vs Clingan.

Oso is a freak college player and none of us saw that two years ago. That said, he has weaknesses that are often overlooked.

Agree about Oso being a "freak." We haven't seen his likes ever at Marquette, and he is the most unique big in college basketball today. That Shaka called him the most unselfish great player he's ever coached says pretty much all anybody needs to know about him.

But I don't think his weaknesses are overlooked by anyone on Scoop. He's one of my favorite Warrior Eagles ever, but I obviously know he can't shoot even from 15 feet, he isn't as good at boxing out as he should be, he occasionally has lapses in assertiveness, etc.

In other words, he's not perfect - which makes him like Kolek, Edey, Shead and every other outstanding player in college basketball today.

[mileskishnish72]

As I just posted in another thread, in addition to vastly improved defense that has been extremely valuable to the team, he is shooting .375 from 3 the last 13 games. And that includes the 1-8 vs Creighton; aside from that, he's at .425 during the stretch.

If Gold had done exactly that for (name a high-major team), entered the portal and transferred to Marquette, most of the same MU fans criticizing him would be giving Shaka huzzahs for adding him.

Good point, 82 - the new girl in school syndrome.

[tower912]

He did get stripped driving into traffic.  Some plays like that against UConn, too. To my eyes, it is clear the coaching staff wants him to be more assertive and less deferential.  He hears that as making more plays off the dribble.   He has the ballhandling skills.   The next step is learning how to defeat the help, the second hand reaching in from the helping guard.   

Like Oso this year, I fully expect Ben to be the outlet against man pressure next season.

[muwarrior97]

Ben Gold lost all summer last year due to injury.  He’ll have this entire summer to work on strength and conditioning and his game

Ben Gold’s offensive rating in conference games is 113.5, defensive rebounding % is 15.1, block % is 3.4, fouls committed is 3.9%

Oso’s sophomore year was 129.3, 10.0, 5.6 % and 4.2 %

Players get better playing for Shaka and his staff

AND he's getting NIL money now (welp I recall something on Scoop saying he couldn't receive money BUT the NIL store just added some stuff for him.....)

[TSmith34, Inc.]

Oso is a unicorn who can guard 5 positions.   Ben isn't.   Yet.   It struck me how small Ben looked against Clingan.   Ben lacks the explosiveness of Oso.  I want to see what he looks like after a healthy offseason.   I have seen Ben make moves that Oso did not or could not as a sophomore.   I have seen Ben beat his man off the dribble from the top of the key only to throw an alley oop to Amadou. I have seen him compete for 37 minutes against Kalkbrenner and not get embarrassed.

So, tell me.   What am I missing?  What is it about this sophomore that has convinced a subset of scoop that he cannot be the starting center as a junior.   Seriously.  Enlighten me.

Will Shaka ask Ben to cover all 5 positions next year, i.e., switch everything? Or will he adjust the defensive scheme?

[cheebs09]

AND he's getting NIL money now (welp I recall something on Scoop saying he couldn't receive money BUT the NIL store just added some stuff for him.....)

I love the shirt they just started selling. Not $40 worth, but love it nonetheless.

[Scoop Snoop]

He did get stripped driving into traffic.  Some plays like that against UConn, too. To my eyes, it is clear the coaching staff wants him to be more assertive and less deferential.  He hears that as making more plays off the dribble.   He has the ballhandling skills.   The next step is learning how to defeat the help, the second hand reaching in from the helping guard.   

Like Oso this year, I fully expect Ben to be the outlet against man pressure next season.

Assertive? Hell no. I want him to be known as the Kiwi ass Kicker. No more Mr. Nice Guy crap.

[TSmith34, Inc.]

Assertive? Hell no. I want him to be known as the Kiwi ass Kicker. No more Mr. Nice Guy crap.

Shaka can hit the portal for an All Black

[Farley36]

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