John Dawson

[MU82]

Blah...thanks.  Forgot about that.

So yeah, there will be some time available.  Hopefully Mayo returns, but if he doesn't, there could be a lot of guard time available.

Always time available for good players. People think Buzz won't play youngsters, but he will if they show they can help the team win. Blue averaged 19 mpg as a freshman and Mayo averaged 21. Even Gardner averaged 14 down the stretch of his frosh season despite being pretty badly out of shape.

[BCHoopster]

Butch Lee, the #1 player in the country that year, as a freshman averaged 8 points.

[keefe]

Recruiting during Al's day was so much different. I remember reading that Al was the closer and would wait until late in the day to get involved. When MU was after Bo I read that Majerus worked the deal hard and then in April Al asked, "So what do we need? A big guy?" He then got in his car and drove to Chicago to meet Bo. Now, coaches are texting and tweeting and calling and fed exing constantly. Crean offering 8th graders is an extreme example of how awful it has gotten.

[Lennys Tap]

The biggest impact of any freshman class in MU history was the Amigos + Burke - not because they were our best, but because there wasn't much talent on the rest of the roster. As long as Buzz is here the talent level will be high enough to ensure that no freshman class get those kind of minutes.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Always time available for good players. People think Buzz won't play youngsters, but he will if they show they can help the team win. Blue averaged 19 mpg as a freshman and Mayo averaged 21. Even Gardner averaged 14 down the stretch of his frosh season despite being pretty badly out of shape.

Yes, but even those guys didn't have huge impacts as players. They were role players.

I'm not saying it can't be done, but expectations are often too high for incoming players.

Frosh. usually don't play much, and if they do play, they usually aren't great.

Juan Anderson's continued development in the off season will probably impact next year more than any of the frosh.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

The biggest impact of any freshman class in MU history was the Amigos + Burke - not because they were our best, but because there wasn't much talent on the rest of the roster. As long as Buzz is here the talent level will be high enough to ensure that no freshman class get those kind of minutes.

You're right, but it takes minutes + talent.

Cordell Henry and Oluoma Nnamaka started a lot of games as frosh. Neither was anywhere close to the Amigos.

MU has had frosh. starters, but Frosh. impact players are hard to come by.

The Amigos are far and away the best performing frosh. class at MU.

[keefe]

I have to think that we need help at PG next year and that will translate into minutes. Dom James started as a frosh and played his way into first round discussion. I'll bet he is still regretting the decision not to leave. Life changing.

[Lennys Tap]

You're right, but it takes minutes + talent.

Cordell Henry and Oluoma Nnamaka started a lot of games as frosh. Neither was anywhere close to the Amigos.

MU has had frosh. starters, but Frosh. impact players are hard to come by.

The Amigos are far and away the best performing frosh. class at MU.

,

Yes, but the "best performing frosh class at MU" won a grand total of 2 NCAA games in their career and never finished in the top 15. As good as they were, in the Al era (and now) those 4 wouldn't have gotten anything close to 90 minutes a game as freshmen.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

,

Yes, but the "best performing frosh class at MU" won a grand total of 2 NCAA games in their career and never finished in the top 15. As good as they were, in the Al era (and now) those 4 wouldn't have gotten anything close to 90 minutes a game as freshmen.

Probably true. But, it takes a mix minutes AND talent.

I'm not trying to be argumentative, but throughout MU's history, a lot of frosh. have gotten minutes, very few have been impact players.

To have 3 in one class was SUPER rare.

[keefe]

Yes, but the "best performing frosh class at MU" won a grand total of 2 NCAA games in their career and never finished in the top 15.

More than anything else this burned the most.

[wadesworld]

See attached link for scouting report on Dawson by Future150 scouting service - for whatever its worth, they rank him as #83 player in the country for 2013.

http://future150.com/hs/basketball-profiles/john-dawson-pg-2013

Funny, under their "Similar Players" they list Bronson Koenig, who they rank as the #92 recruit.  It's funny that out of a 5 player class, our least hyped/lowest ranked recruit is ranked above the 2nd most hyped recruit since Bryan Bust...I mean, Butch...was coming into Madison.

[Stretchdeltsig]

Really good freshmen play.   Players have to show in practice that they can dominate other players on the team.  The best players will play. 

[Dawson Rental]

I don't see how anyone can get excited about the incoming players.  Once again Buzz has chosen to recruit high school and junior college players instead of recruiting "proven Big East" players.

[MU82]

Yes, but even those guys didn't have huge impacts as players. They were role players.

I'm not saying it can't be done, but expectations are often too high for incoming players.

Frosh. usually don't play much, and if they do play, they usually aren't great.

Juan Anderson's continued development in the off season will probably impact next year more than any of the frosh.

Role players are great and we need more of them. Mostly, we're going to need somebody to play the role of a point guard who isn't offensively challenged and the role of an all-around 4. Here's hoping Duane Wilson and McKay are up to it. If they are, they'll get plenty of minutes.

[Sunbelt15]

If the shots go in, what does it matter what it looks like?

Exactly

I would love to see Buzz recruit an athletic, true 7 footer. With his coaching skills, Buzz would probably have a dominate center by their senior year, taking us deep in the tournament.

[Lennys Tap]

Probably true. But, it takes a mix minutes AND talent.

I'm not trying to be argumentative, but throughout MU's history, a lot of frosh. have gotten minutes, very few have been impact players.

To have 3 in one class was SUPER rare.

Maybe we disagree on what an "impact player" is. Okay teams might have one, really good one might have two, great teams as many as three. In 2005-06, DJ and Novak were our impact players. McNeal and Mathews were not. Actually, Wesley didn't become one til his senior year, long after Dom stopped being one.

[ChicosBailBonds]

I had the opportunity to see JD play Tuesday night in Lovington, NM  (I was in Midland, TX for a few days and took Tuesday afternoon off and drove the ~120 miles) to see the game. 

OK, I have to ask....why were you in Midland, TX.  Very close to my heart, but not many people go to Midland.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Maybe we disagree on what an "impact player" is. Okay teams might have one, really good one might have two, great teams as many as three. In 2005-06, DJ and Novak were our impact players. McNeal and Mathews were not. Actually, Wesley didn't become one til his senior year, long after Dom stopped being one.

Yeah, we're just parsing up semantics now.

I thought McNeal and James were impact players as frosh. with Matthews being a solid role player (mostly due to injury).

But... it's all just semantics of the adjectives we are using.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Role players are great and we need more of them. Mostly, we're going to need somebody to play the role of a point guard who isn't offensively challenged and the role of an all-around 4. Here's hoping Duane Wilson and McKay are up to it. If they are, they'll get plenty of minutes.

If you expect 1 or 2 guys in next years class to be role players, I think that is reasonable.

If you (or anybody else) expects them to come in and play 30min, I think you will be disappointed.

[keefe]

Funny, under their "Similar Players" they list Bronson Koenig, who they rank as the #92 recruit.  It's funny that out of a 5 player class, our least hyped/lowest ranked recruit is ranked above the 2nd most hyped recruit since Bryan Bust...I mean, Butch...was coming into Madison.

Wasn't the highest rated WI recruit Sam Okey? That guy never amounted to anything.

[Marqus Howard]

I would love to see Buzz recruit an athletic, true 7 footer. With his coaching skills, Buzz would probably have a dominate center by their senior year, taking us deep in the tournament.

Not exactly the easiest thing in the world to do. See: Embiid, Joel.

[ChicosBailBonds]

,

Yes, but the "best performing frosh class at MU" won a grand total of 2 NCAA games in their career and never finished in the top 15. As good as they were, in the Al era (and now) those 4 wouldn't have gotten anything close to 90 minutes a game as freshmen.

It happens.  Shaq won two NCAA tournament games in his career as well....SHAQ...one of the most dominant players in the history of the game at any level.  A guy that played with Chris Jackson and Stanley Roberts mind you.   Plenty of other examples just like them.  The DJ injury was huge.  The McNeal injury was huge.  Life goes on, some will judge players and teams by one game, others by their career.