SOTG for UWGB

[DomJamesToTheBasket]

JAE!  The guy is an assassin this season.  4-6 from 3 for a game high 21.  He's now hit the most 3's on the team and at a better percentage than DJO!  WOW!!!

[esotericmindguy]

The rest of the team is playing against the same scrubs.  And did you watch the Wisconsin game?  He hardly played a marginal role there.

You mean the game where he shot 4-14, had 1 assist, 3 turnovers and 8 rebounds? Yeah I was there and witnessed it. Again, you can get upset with me all you want but he put up the same exact stats last year in pre-conference play. I'm not doubting he'll be good, but he's just not right now.

[/quote]Last I checked, basketball is a game that is played on both ends of the court.[/quote]

He's a decent defender, but not nearly as great as you guys make him out to be. My goodness, Ross put a game on him last week.

[ATL MU Warrior]

You mean the game where he shot 4-14, had 1 assist, 3 turnovers and 8 rebounds? Yeah I was there and witnessed it. Again, you can get upset with me all you want but he put up the same exact stats last year in pre-conference play. I'm not doubting he'll be good, but he's just not right now.

Last I checked, basketball is a game that is played on both ends of the court.

He's a decent defender, but not nearly as great as you guys make him out to be. My goodness, Ross put a game on him last week.

That's funny, I remember that it was DJO guarding Ross most of the game and know that it was DJO that got backdoored for that crazy 180 ally oop. 

[GGGG]

You mean the game where he shot 4-14, had 1 assist, 3 turnovers and 8 rebounds? Yeah I was there and witnessed it. Again, you can get upset with me all you want but he put up the same exact stats last year in pre-conference play. I'm not doubting he'll be good, but he's just not right now.

Last I checked, basketball is a game that is played on both ends of the court.

He's a decent defender, but not nearly as great as you guys make him out to be. My goodness, Ross put a game on him last week.

He played a fantastic defensive game against Wisconsin.  He was on Taylor, Gasser, Brust, and Bruesewitz and hardly let them breathe.

Too bad your only understanding of basketball is the box score because that's the only thing you seem to mention.

[Silkk the Shaka]

He's a decent defender, but not nearly as great as you guys make him out to be. My goodness, Ross put a game on him last week.

Aside from the Ross comment being factually incorrect, Blue is arguably our best defender this year.  It's between him, Otule and Wilson, and after that it's not even close.  He probably gets the edge since he can guard 1-3 and those two specialize guarding the 1 & 5.  If he's only a "decent" defender, then apparently our entire roster is defensively inept.

[CTWarrior]

I don't get the love/hate thing with Vander.  To me, it is obvious that he a major negative to the team in the half court offense (can't shoot, not a good decision maker, turnover prone) but excels in every other facet of the game (defense, rebounding his position, transition O).  He is what he is.  On a team that is very good offensively like we are, his skillset is very valuable.  I also think he will continue to improve, because he strikes me as a kid who is not afraid to work.

[CTWarrior]

Im no poster on the scout boards and even here i find brews posts generally respectable, but honestly the things I saw on scout where ppl called out brewse, RIDICULOUS love affair for Otule is correct. Yes, we need chris to clog the middle, alter shots and play defense but it is sickening how vital you actually think a 5 ppg scorer is

This is not that complicated.  Half of basketball is scoring and half of basketball is stopping the other team from scoring.  We lost our most valuable guy when it comes to stopping the other team from scoring.  So, yeah, that hurts a lot.  Arguing over whether losing Otule would hurt more than DJO or Crowder or something is pointless because there is no way to know.  I do know that with Otule in the lineup, everyone else is a little bit better defender, too, because we can take a few more chances for steals, etc. with a deterrent like Otule in the lane.

[MUMac]

So he should be the stud because he CAN be great? Yes, i agree he has oodles of talent but he's a marginal player at this point. Go back an watch how he scores every game. I'd be willing to bet 50% of his buckets are in transition, which is why he'll struggle again once conference games start. I could be wrong but I'm fully expecting his production to reflect last year. Against the three good teams we've played he's shot 13-32 and had 7 TOs vs 5 assists.

I'm not a vander hater, just objective. He might be good even next year but he's not there yet.

This may be the most basketball ignorant post I have seen on this board.  You may be objective, but you are lacking in basketball perspective.   

[DSEEagle]

I really don't think anyone is questioning that we would be in trouble without DJO or Crowder. But without Otule we will win atleast 2-3 less games in the big east..which could mean playing an extra day in the garden and a seed 2 spots lower in the tournament.

people who don't understand otules importance to this team are ignorant and know nothing about basketball.

[GGGG]

I don't get the love/hate thing with Vander.  To me, it is obvious that he a major negative to the team in the half court offense (can't shoot, not a good decision maker, turnover prone)

Again..."he can't shoot."  Right now, he has a higher FG% than any guard except DJO.  You are right about the turnovers, but he is #2 in assists.

He's just fine in the half-court if he limits the turnovers.

[esotericmindguy]

This may be the most basketball ignorant post I have seen on this board.  You may be objective, but you are lacking in basketball perspective.   

We'll see.

[esotericmindguy]

That's funny, I remember that it was DJO guarding Ross most of the game and know that it was DJO that got backdoored for that crazy 180 ally oop. 

Ok, well all of their guards went off.

[CTWarrior]

Again..."he can't shoot."  Right now, he has a higher FG% than any guard except DJO.  You are right about the turnovers, but he is #2 in assists.

He's just fine in the half-court if he limits the turnovers.

I understand his shooting % isn't bad, but as has been mentioned elsewhere in this thread, I think he gets a large chunk of his made baskets and assists in transition.  I don't have stats to back that up of course, but that's just my feeling watching the games.

[ATL MU Warrior]

I understand his shooting % isn't bad, but as has been mentioned elsewhere in this thread, I think he gets a large chunk of his made baskets and assists in transition.  I don't have stats to back that up of course, but that's just my feeling watching the games.

So what?  A basket in transition is a good thing, right?

[Goose]

Vander was the star of the game and is impact player across the board. He will be in impact player in BE play and NCAA. I agree with earlier post that said if VB is marginal player I hope we get a ton more marginal guys.

To not acknowledge that VB is a special talent and playing at high level you either know nothing about basketball or you simply do not like the kid.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Marquette's all-time leading scorer wasn't a good shooter until he was a senior.

Marquette's brightest star (Wade) was never a great shooter in college.

Implying that a player isn't good because he can't shoot is stupid.

[CTWarrior]

So what?  A basket in transition is a good thing, right?

Sure it is, but my original point was that Vander Blue excels in all areas of the game except half court offense. 

[Goose]

During the the UW game and UW-GB games I had the opportunity to have great seats and watch game with closer view. On Saturday I decided to watch VB exclusively while he was on the court because it was a game we could not lose. His ability to rebound both offensively and defensively is extremely impressive. He is great in transition and knows how to dish the ball. Love his defense and he causing trouble on that side of the ball.

In addition, he is bigger this year and is playing with level of confidence. Obviously his shooting is drawback but same held true for Butch Lee and Doc Rivers nearly in career. Butch became great scorer and Doc became good scorer. Have said it before but believe VB and Rivers have a ton of similiarities and believe VB is better player than Doc was as a sophmore.