Derrick Moratorium

[Goose]

BCHoopster


Refresh my memory, Jimmy Burke or Jackie Burke? Jack is and remains one of my favorite Warriors of all time.

[BCHoopster]

BCHoopster


Refresh my memory, Jimmy Burke or Jackie Burke? Jack is and remains one of my favorite Warriors of all time.

Jimmy was a smallish point, great D, quick, two handed set shot, Jackie was a slow white shooter who guarded Pete Maravich who was hung over in the NIT, and Jackie stated he is the
one who stopped Pete, I think Pete stopped himself but let Jackie have his due.

[Lennys Tap]

No more Derrick, only good stories from the past.  Another one of Al's first recruits was Jimmy Burke, he had the most interesting outside shot, two handed set shot, quick little player
and fun to watch.

Jimmy lived a couple of doors down the the hall in Schroeder (4 South) my freshman year. Great guy, he actually got me a job refereeing intramural football games with him. Starting point guard who roomed with starting forward Brian Brunkhorst. In March 1968, Jimmy hit his patented two hand set shot from the top of the key in the waning seconds to beat Bowling Green in Kent, Ohio and give Al his first ever NCAA tournament win. My first of many "road trips" to watch the Warriors in the tournament - fond memories.

[Goose]

Lenny

Thanks for the insight. I was only 5 in '68 and do not remember the Bowling Green game. Sounds like a powerhouse floor with Brunkhorst, smith and Lenny on it. What year did Jimmy graduate?

BCHoopster

Jackie definitely got his due for the Pistol comment.

[Lennys Tap]

Lenny

Thanks for the insight. I was only 5 in '68 and do not remember the Bowling Green game. Sounds like a powerhouse floor with Brunkhorst, smith and Lenny on it. What year did Jimmy graduate?

BCHoopster

Jackie definitely got his due for the Pistol comment.

Goose

My freshman year was 66-67. If I remember correctly, Jimmy Burke was a junior then who had transferred from a school out east. Brian was a sophomore. Both great guys, not full of themselves at all. Jimmy played center field and Brian played first base on our intramural softball team. Jimmy graduated in '68, Brian in '69.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

This is the best idea since they put the pocket in pita

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Bump!

Just wanted to throw this out there again

[MU82]

OK, I gave myself this moratorium some three weeks ago and vowed not to make any more comments about Derrick for the rest of 2013.

The only comment I made about him in that time was when I nominated him for SoG after one of the cupcake wins.

Now it's 2014, so here goes ...

I want to start with this: I have absolutely no frustration with Derrick nor any animosity toward him. He seems like a nice young man and, as a basketball player, he is who he is. I have little doubt that he's trying very hard and doing his best. It isn't my fault that I'm not George Clooney and it isn't Derrick's fault that he's not Chris Paul (or even Junior Cadougan).

Having said all that, it did not take a wild imagination or a brilliant basketball mind to know going into this season that PG would be a major issue. Not once in his first two years at Marquette did Derrick ever give a sign that he had what it took to be a high-level college PG. Not once. That he has to start and play so many minutes is not an indictment of Derrick but of Buzz, who obviously feels he has no other options.

It would also seem to be some bad luck, because Duane's injury took away one possible option -- although Buzz said before the injury that Duane wasn't close to taking Derrick's job. So even that recruit apparently wasn't good enough to help much this season, and that's on Buzz, not Derrick. The other excuse folks like to make for Buzz is that he was surprised by Vander's decision to go pro. Well, if we want to be a big-time program, we're gonna have guys go pro after 3 years (or even 2 or even 1). Buzz had to know that Vander hated school and that he often had talked about going pro. Even if he was completely taken by surprise, that's why a coach recruits multiple studs, especially at a position as critical as PG.

I'm a big Buzz fan, but he isn't beyond criticism. Watching last night's game, I was floored by Buzz's decision to play Derrick even as Jamil was serving as PG. Given that bouncing the basketball is pretty much Derrick's only offensive skill, that move was a real head-scratcher. Playing Derrick off the ball is like using a WR with casts on two broken hands to serve as a decoy.

Before the season and in its early stages, there were some here who tried admirably hard to be very positive by saying a team with loads of talent elsewhere could get by with a caretaker/non-scoring PG. I suppose that's true, but who wants to just "get by"? Look at recent championship teams and point out one that had a PG who was totally incapable of hitting a shot other than a layup. I can't.

Plus, many of us obviously overrated our talent. We don't have enough of it to survive a PG who cannot create scoring opportunities for himself or for others. Opponents simply sag off on Derrick, which makes feeding the post more difficult and affects floor spacing all game long. The fact that not one of our 2-guards has emerged as a legitimate, consistent, high-level college player makes Derrick's shortcomings more obvious. I like to think JJJ will get there, but he isn't there yet. When nobody can hit an outside shot, it makes an offense-challenged PG stand out like a huge red zit on the end of a nose.

Even if Derrick plays great defense, it's still a killer to have such an offense-challenged player at the most important offensive position. It's like having a good-field, no-hit first baseman. Yeah, it's nice to have a guy who can scoop up bad throws, but great teams have first basemen who hit the ball over the fence and drive in runs. Great basketball teams have PGs who at least are threats to take the ball to the rim and/or hit an occasional outside shot. I would think a Junior Cadougan type is the absolute floor when talking about the level of PG necessary for a team with high aspirations.

I think Buzz is a smart coach and I think he already is learning how badly he overestimated Derrick's ability to be the floor general of a team that aspires to greatness. His increasing use of Jamil at PG is proof of that in the short term, and hopefully his recruiting will reflect that realization in the long term. I haven't seen the kids who have committed to Marquette for future classes, but plenty of others here have and say we have a couple of good PG options coming in. That makes me hopeful.

In the meantime, I am still going to resist dumping on Derrick the rest of the season. He is who he is, and that isn't his fault.

Happy New Year, everybody. Remember, it's only basketball, not anything important such as real life.

[Sunbelt15]

In the meantime, I am still going to resist dumping on Derrick the rest of the season. He is who he is, and that isn't his fault.

In truth, it is his fault because he knew his talent level and shortcomings, and speculating he  would start this season, he did not work harder in the off season to improve his floor awareness and passing ability.

[keefe]

In truth, it is his fault because he knew his talent level and shortcomings, and speculating he  would start this season, he did not work harder in the off season to improve his floor awareness and passing ability.

What about the role of that sonuvabitch Larry Williams in all of this?

[connie]

In truth, it is his fault because he knew his talent level and shortcomings, and speculating he  would start this season, he did not work harder in the off season to improve his floor awareness and passing ability.

Yeah, I'm sure DW told himself "I suck, so I won't work on any of my deficiencies."  As MU82 said, he is who he is.  We all want him to be more.  I want to win the lottery too.  It's just not going to happen, as has become clear.  As much as I love him, this is on Buzz.  You can't always appreciate how far a 17-18 year old high school player will develop, and when you miss a couple of classes in a row, this is what happens.

[keefe]

If you go back that far, Dean barely took an outside shot as a freshman, and I watched all his games. 

You must have been watching the Freshman Team because The Dream never laced 'em up for Al as a Frosh.

[brandx]

In truth, it is his fault because he knew his talent level and shortcomings, and speculating he  would start this season, he did not work harder in the off season to improve his floor awareness and passing ability.

And you know this how?? We all have our opinions on this board, but to make something up out of the blue and pass it off as fact... c'mon, Man.

[Sunbelt15]

Yeah, I'm sure DW told himself "I suck, so I won't work on any of my deficiencies."  As MU82 said, he is who he is.  We all want him to be more.  I want to win the lottery too.  It's just not going to happen, as has become clear.  As much as I love him, this is on Buzz.  You can't always appreciate how far a 17-18 year old high school player will develop, and when you miss a couple of classes in a row, this is what happens.

So, in a nutshell, he can't improve even if he tried because "he is who he is".  OK?

[chapman]

In truth, it is his fault because he knew his talent level and shortcomings, and speculating he  would start this season, he did not work harder in the off season to improve his floor awareness and passing ability.

I bet he worked harder than anyone.  But you're putting a mule in the horse race.  Might be a hard-working mule that can carry a load, but no matter how hard it works it's still half donkey and will lose to every horse.

[Eldon]

I bet he worked harder than anyone.  But you're putting a mule in the horse race.  Might be a hard-working mule that can carry a load, but no matter how hard it works it's still half donkey and will lose to every horse.

Good analogy.  If there must be blame, don't blame the mule--blame the guy who put him in the race.

[Sunbelt15]

I guess practice don't make perfect for Derrick.

[MU82]

I guess practice don't make perfect for Derrick.

I'll give a very apt analogy, Sunbelt:

Shaquille O'Neal tried for years and years and years -- decades! -- to become a better FT shooter. He hired private FT tutors, practiced endlessly, even saw a shrink. Nevertheless, he was an even worse FT shooter in his 12th-16th seasons as a pro than he was in his first 11.

Practice didn't make perfect for one of the greatest players in basketball history ... but an anonymous poster on MUScoop knows for a fact that the reason Derrick didn't become a legit high-major PG was because he didn't work hard enough? Interesting.

[Sunbelt15]

I'll give a very apt analogy, Sunbelt:

Shaquille O'Neal tried for years and years and years -- decades! -- to become a better FT shooter. He hired private FT tutors, practiced endlessly, even saw a shrink. Nevertheless, he was an even worse FT shooter in his 12th-16th seasons as a pro than he was in his first 11.

Practice didn't make perfect for one of the greatest players in basketball history ... but an anonymous poster on MUScoop knows for a fact that the reason Derrick didn't become a legit high-major PG was because he didn't work hard enough? Interesting.

Who's talking facts? It's all opinions up here. Improvement simply takes consent repetition. Not coaches and shrinks. He needed more passing reps and practice. I assume he practice in a comfort zone, meaning he try's nothing new in practice. No no-look passes, no lob passes, etc. Things at take no athletic ability.

Shaq never dedicated himself to freethrows, no matter what he says.

[MU82]

Who's talking facts? It's all opinions up here. Improvement simply takes consent repetition. Not coaches and shrinks. He needed more passing reps and practice. I assume he practice in a comfort zone, meaning he try's nothing new in practice. No no-look passes, no lob passes, etc. Things at take no athletic ability.

Shaq never dedicated himself to freethrows, no matter what he says.

Perfect.

So now you not only are an expert on every Marquette player's practice regimen despite never witnessing any of them, but you also are an expert on Shaquille O'Neal's FT practice regimen.

[connie]

So, in a nutshell, he can't improve even if he tried because "he is who he is".  OK?

Yes.  He simply doesn't have the talent.  This may sound harsh, but what have you seen of his play that would lead you to think different?  With Todd I might agree with you.  He may have commitment issues.  From everything I have heard Derrick is a great teammate and person, and a very hard worker. As much as I want him to improve, what I see tells me he is simply not capable of more.

[WarriorFan]

The odd thing is, he actually has a good looking jumper.  Nice form, good rotation, doesn't over-elevate or jump sideways.  If he's going to play, he should be required to shoot a top of the key 3 within the first two minutes just to change the D.

[Sunbelt15]

Perfect.

So now you not only are an expert on every Marquette player's practice regimen despite never witnessing any of them, but you also are an expert on Shaquille O'Neal's FT practice regimen.

No substance. I won.

[Afroman]

On the plus side, he has a chance to join Chris Grimm, Rod Grosse and Bart Miller as the worst four-year players to suit up for Marquette when all is said and done.

[raul]

Afroman, have you heard of the new laws in Colorado? MU82 , nice post. As for Derrick he is what he is, a great athlete but not a great BB player. This one is more Buzz than Derrick as to him(Derrick) not leading the team like a great pg.