Pro Am Updates

[Ellenson Guerrero]

Last year I posted updates from the Pro Am for those who couldn't attend. People seemed to appreciate them so I'll be doing the same this year, only from my twitter account as it will be easier to upload. Follow me at #Wegz17 if you are interested. I won't be at all the games but I plan on making as many as I can.

[Slim]

Thanks Wets. I'm looking forward to it.

[brewcity77]

Vander running the point. And Jake Thomas has disgusting range.

[GGGG]

And Wegs is very impressed with JA.  Said that he is 6'7"...maybe even 6'8".

I like that.

[brewcity77]

I'd put JA at at least 6'8". Level with Nankivil and about 2 inches shorter than Otule. The star so far is Cadougan. Good looking range out to 3, distributing, and had one steal/drive/dunk sequence (yeah, he threw it down). Jones also has good range.

[Clam Crowder]

I didn't even know Cadougan could dunk hahah. I think Junior broke out at the end of last year, and showed what he is capable of I look forward to seeing what he can do this year. How is Jamail looking overall?? I think he could be great this year as well, along with Vander.

[🏀]

I didn't even know Cadougan could dunk hahah. I think Junior broke out at the end of last year, and showed what he is capable of I look forward to seeing what he can do this year. How is Jamail looking overall?? I think he could be great this year as well, along with Vander.

Vander not looking too hot thus far, according to Weg.

[4everwarriors]

Any hot lookin' cheerleaders out there this season?

[ChicosBailBonds]

I temper my enthusiasm every year with this and similar reports.  Every year player XYZ got HUGE ripped over the Summer, player ABC dropped 10lbs, and player 123's range is now 6 feet further back.

I love the reports, but seen way too much of this year after year and the season rolls around and you wonder what happened.  I'm excited, but tempered considerably.

[Clam Crowder]

Well there is photographic evidence of how Gardner lost weight, and also of how Jamail got what I guess you call HUGE ripped...

[hoops12]

The biggest question with Vander is, how do the mechanics of his shot look? His entire game will improve 100% if he starts knocking down jumpers consistently. I hope they are working on that daily. If he improves that, he will be special.

GO MU!

[AZWarrior]

The biggest question with Vander is, how do the mechanics of his shot look? His entire game will improve 100% if he starts knocking down jumpers consistently. I hope they are working on that daily. If he improves that, he will be special.

GO MU!

Yeah - He has to "re-engineer" his jumper.  But for an athlete as gifted as he, with a few months to do the work, it's completely achievable.

[NersEllenson]

The biggest question with Vander is, how do the mechanics of his shot look? His entire game will improve 100% if he starts knocking down jumpers consistently. I hope they are working on that daily. If he improves that, he will be special.

GO MU!

My fear with Vander is that he's going to be Dominic James 2.0 - except Vander hit his ceiling as a Junior in high school, whereas James hit his Freshman year at MU.  James was always tweaking his shot at MU...as for Vander - I'd say forget all the mechanics, and everything else - just shoot how it feels most natural.  Jim Furyk has a TERRIBLE golf swing - but it works for him.  Shawn Marion has a completely funky release on his shot..but it works for him.  Michael Redd had a slingshot shooting motion..it worked for him.  Kenny the Jet Smith...had shooting form similar to Vander currently...

The hell with what it is "supposed to look like," just get results..however they come.. and let go of the mental gymnastics that go along with focusing on form, fundamentals, etc.  Just let it rip Vander..be free...it will be at that moment that his shots start falling again.

[Mr. Nielsen]

Nobody other than Jake Thomas stood out to me.

Nice set-up at Greenfield High School.

[MuMark]

Cadougan and Gardner stood out to me.......

[TedBaxter]

Nobody other than Jake Thomas stood out to me.

Nice set-up at Greenfield High School.

Cadougan was outstanding. Marquette won't find a better big man prospect in the 2012 recruiting class than Davante Gardner.  Jamil Wilson was really hobbling with an ankle and could only shoot 3's tonight.  Jake Thomas will help in 2012-2013.

After seeing Gardner in the opening day of last years Pro-Am, I didn't know if he would make it one year at MU and now I'm wondering how he won't average in double figures as a sophomore, even if he splits time with Otule.  The guy has special offensive ability and with his revised body, he's got more quickness, agility and stamina.

[Brewtown Andy]

Jake Thomas will help in 2012-2013.

All due respect to both you and Jake Thomas, but why does anyone think this is possible?

[Skatastrophy]

All due respect to both you and Jake Thomas, but why does anyone think this is possible?

I think if he was going to contribute, Buzz would have given him one of the free scholarships we still have open.

[TedBaxter]

I think if he was going to contribute, Buzz would have given him one of the free scholarships we still have open.

He was better than a couple of the scholarship guys for MU last night and by a wide margin in one case.  Best walk-on I've seen at Marquette.

[avid1010]

All due respect to both you and Jake Thomas, but why does anyone think this is possible?

because he's a zone buster and will open up lanes without having to touch the ball...

[Ellenson Guerrero]

All due respect to both you and Jake Thomas, but why does anyone think this is possible?

This kid is not Tommy Brice or Rob Frosena. This kid has a legitimate Division 1 basketball skill in shooting the 3. Granted he probably can't do anything else or guard anyone, but if you are down 3 with 5 seconds on the clock, I want JT on the floor.

[tower912]

a 6'5 novak without the advanced defensive skills?   

[wildbillsb]

I temper my enthusiasm every year with this and similar reports.  Every year player XYZ got HUGE ripped over the Summer, player ABC dropped 10lbs, and player 123's range is now 6 feet further back.

I love the reports, but seen way too much of this year after year and the season rolls around and you wonder what happened.  I'm excited, but tempered considerably.

I know what you mean, CBB.  Same thing happens to me every summer:  I get HUGE, I add 10 lbs, my range is 6 feet closer.  By the time the season rolls around, I wonder what happened.

[NersEllenson]

He was better than a couple of the scholarship guys for MU last night and by a wide margin in one case.  Best walk-on I've seen at Marquette.

Not surprised to hear this Baxter - the kid got 13 points against Marquette when they played.  Don't care if he was on a crappy South Dakota team, he still faced MU defense.  I'll never understand the pessimism many here had when it was announced Jake was transferring to MU.  Many have clamored for a traditional, dead eye shooter...VOILA....Jake shows up, scholarship-free, and some here piled on the kid and wrote him off as a nothing/typical walk on.

Should be interesting to see how it plays out..

[Marquette84]

Not surprised to hear this Baxter - the kid got 13 points against Marquette when they played.  Don't care if he was on a crappy South Dakota team, he still faced MU defense.  I'll never understand the pessimism many here had when it was announced Jake was transferring to MU.  Many have clamored for a traditional, dead eye shooter...VOILA....Jake shows up, scholarship-free, and some here piled on the kid and wrote him off as a nothing/typical walk on.

Should be interesting to see how it plays out..

Baxter's comments don't sound much different than Wes Matthews comments on Singleton last year.  And by the time he left, many here piled on Singleton as just an ordinary walk-on who wouldn't have played much anyway.

Lets keep in mind that we will have 3 scholarship players at his position next year (Cadougan, Derrick Wilson and TJ Taylor).  If Thomas is better than one of those players, then the wrong guy has the scholie.

Next, Thomas' performance against MU wasn't as good as you imply:
1.  Thomas scored 11 points against us, not 13.
2.  The 11 points came on just 4 of 13 shooting. 
3.  9 of his 11 points were on 3 point shots, where the "Marquette defense" you cite was ranked #254th nationally. 

Finally, you have twisted reasonable comments into "pessimism".  This is s a good example of what you twist into "piling on":

I don't think Sultan has said anything untoward here.
Still, Sultan correctly points out that we shouldn't get excited to the point we're expecting many on-court contributions from the kid. In his three games last year against what most of us would consider "major" programs (MU, UW, Nebraska), Jake shot 9-for-37 overall and 7-for-26 from beyond the arc. The year before, against Texas Tech, MU, Oregon St. and K-State, he was 8-for-34 overall and 1-for-17 from beyond the arc.
None of us have a clue at this point of how or whether he'll have an impact, especially since he'll have an extra year to adjust to the higher level of competition. But given how he's shown against better teams so far, it's completely reasonable to have low expectations and shouldn't be taken as an insult to the kid.

Pakuni and I may not see eye to eye on many things, but he's spot on here--as he said, it is completely reasonable to have low expectations at this point and shouldn't be taken as an insult to the kid.

I hope he does well and will be pleasantly surprised if he does--but I don't expect him to play much more than Frozena unless Wilson and Taylor are busts.