Luke Fischer

[GGGG]

I'm just impressed that nobody is seriously waxing poetic about him leaving MU early to be a sure-fire NBA first-round pick. (Yet.)

Someone did on another board.

I mean, some had Deonte as the next Barkley, Mayo as the next Vinny Johnson and, if memory serves, Grimm as the next Neal Walk!

And of course...Magic Dawson.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

I'm sure a select few would, but I think the majority are level headed.

Yes and no. The vocal minority while small, can be pretty loud sometimes.

Realistically, what do we expect from Luke?

10pts+, 7reb+ 1.5blks +? Shoot a good percentage.

Last night was amazing, but I also expect some growing pains. (that goes for Luke, and the whole team quite frankly).

[Warrior Code]

Best part of the game was to hear the tv commentary that Fischer is much better than Brian Butch ever was!!  I bet you could hear the screams coming from Madison at the BC!

And the news gets even better. Anyone have the quote or a clip of this?

[MUEng92]

I believe the sequence was more "that Butch kid from a few years ago... I think it was Brian Butch"

Brando didn't remember his first name and Raft was only half sure it was Brian.

[Lennys Tap]

I have no real argument with those preaching a little caution here. One game does not a season or career make. Luke is young, inexperienced and he'll struggle at times.

That said, comparing him to Dawson, Deonte, Steve, etc., is ridiculous. Those guys are talented at some things but also have major holes in their games. Luke is fundamentally sound and light years ahead of those guys. He's already a really good "all around" player. He is and will remain our most important player on the team (just ahead of Duane Wilson) at least until Henry arrives. I thought he'd be good - he was way better than that. Without him we're a bottom feeder battling DePaul for last place. With him, we'll see, but the team that was really hard to watch against UW was (while still frustrating at times) not only watchable but exciting. I'm officially cancelling my "wait until next year" stance until next year.

[Coleman]

Yes and no. The vocal minority while small, can be pretty loud sometimes.

Realistically, what do we expect from Luke?

10pts+, 7reb+ 1.5blks +? Shoot a good percentage.

Last night was amazing, but I also expect some growing pains. (that goes for Luke, and the whole team quite frankly).

I think 10 pts, 7 rebs, and 2 blocks is a reasonable thing to expect from Luke night in, night out.

If he can deliver that, with an occasional 20/10 breakthrough game, I think we will make the tournament.

More importantly than the blocked shots stat is the way he alter shots, forces people to put up questionable shots, defends the lane, etc.

[JediWarrior]

I am a skeptical sports fan and have no real basketball experience outside of watching and playing pick-up, so consider this when I provide my summary.

Marquette has been forcing players to play out of their natural position for years.  Lazar and Crowder frequently played the five position and did very well.  Otule just didn't have the physical skills (depth perception) to be offensive, and the same was true for Gardner (stamina) on defense.  Unfortunately, this allowed opponents to guard the perimeter on defense and post up aggressively on offense to exploit our weaknesses.

Last night was the first time in a long time that I have seen a team that will be able to adapt to opponents with different strengths and weaknesses.  More importantly, Fischer's presence as a true center will allow the other players on the floor to focus on improving at their natural positions.  Duane and Jajuan seemed to be the biggest benefactors of this freedom.

Needless to say, Fischer was better than I could have hoped.  He knew how to be disruptive in the paint without overexposing himself to foul trouble.  His touch around the hoop was well-rehearsed and he instinctively knew where to look after securing a rebound.

Carlino will have to adapt his play with Luke in the game as is he used to driving and kicking, rather than passing into the post and working off screens for open looks.

Jajuan is looking like a trust-worthy facilitator and will probably be playing more minutes as the year progresses.

Duane looks like the best player on the team.  I haven't seen that level of sustained aggressive guard play since the James/Matthews/McNeil era.  As fans, we need to be prepared for some off nights and costly turnovers, but I think he has the greatest scoring potential on the team.

Juan Anderson developed some "big-man" skills that never looked possible when he first arrived.  Using this experience at the four spot should be helpful on the boards and on defense, but he will need to stick to taking intelligent shots as he doesn't improvise well.

I wish we could have found a spot for Burton, but am guessing that he and Wojo had some "philosophical differences," especially around defense.  I don't find myself saying, "If only we still had Mayo," and I think the team will move on without Burton in much the same way.

Last night renewed my hope that we can contend in the Big East and possibly fight for a spot in the tournament.  Go MU!

[Coleman]

I am a skeptical sports fan and have no real basketball experience outside of watching and playing pick-up, so consider this when I provide my summary.

Marquette has been forcing players to play out of their natural position for years.  Lazar and Crowder frequently played the five position and did very well.  Otule just didn't have the physical skills (depth perception) to be offensive, and the same was true for Gardner (stamina) on defense.  Unfortunately, this allowed opponents to guard the perimeter on defense and post up aggressively on offense to exploit our weaknesses.

Last night was the first time in a long time that I have seen a team that will be able to adapt to opponents with different strengths and weaknesses.  More importantly, Fischer's presence as a true center will allow the other players on the floor to focus on improving at their natural positions.  Duane and Jajuan seemed to be the biggest benefactors of this freedom.

Needless to say, Fischer was better than I could have hoped.  He knew how to be disruptive in the paint without overexposing himself to foul trouble.  His touch around the hoop was well-rehearsed and he instinctively knew where to look after securing a rebound.

Carlino will have to adapt his play with Luke in the game as is he used to driving and kicking, rather than passing into the post and working off screens for open looks.

Jajuan is looking like a trust-worthy facilitator and will probably be playing more minutes as the year progresses.

Duane looks like the best player on the team.  I haven't seen that level of sustained aggressive guard play since the James/Matthews/McNeil era.  As fans, we need to be prepared for some off nights and costly turnovers, but I think he has the greatest scoring potential on the team.

Juan Anderson developed some "big-man" skills that never looked possible when he first arrived.  Using this experience at the four spot should be helpful on the boards and on defense, but he will need to stick to taking intelligent shots as he doesn't improvise well.

I wish we could have found a spot for Burton, but am guessing that he and Wojo had some "philosophical differences," especially around defense.  I don't find myself saying, "If only we still had Mayo," and I think the team will move on without Burton in much the same way.

Last night renewed my hope that we can contend in the Big East and possibly fight for a spot in the tournament.  Go MU!

Great post. I agree with most of this, although I do still wish we had Burton, if only because we have 8 scholarship guys, which is just tough in terms of conditioning and staying out of foul trouble.

And don't worry about your lack of playing experience. This was a more intelligent post than many here by people who claim to have some sort of knowledge because they played in high school.

[mikekinsellaMVP]

Not to be hyperbolic...

I am gonna run with the hyperbole...

Now people are actually floating the idea of a BE POY or first team all BE.

And Sultan missed the discussion on the difference between "nobody" and "damn near everyone who sits in front of Scoop a couple hours a day"

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hyperbole

Sorry man, I couldn't resist.

25+ minutes, 6 points, 10 rebounds, altering shots, and allowing our guards to play as guards.  That's all I really ask.

[mattyv1908]

How many times have you seen a MLB prospect get called up and hit the cover off the ball..... until a detailed, advanced scouting report is compiled and their numbers come back to reality.

I think Fischer was all you could ask for in his first game of eligibility, but I think 1) ASU didn't have any scouting report on him and 2) they were prepared to play against the zone and I think the man to man really confused them given what was likely a game plan to play against the zone.

This could be the start of a fantastic year for Fischer but the 19/9/5 line might be his high water mark this year as well.  Let's not get carried away until we see what he looks like five games into the Big East schedule.

[MerrittsMustache]

Apologies if this has been brought up on these boards before but...

A week ago, if a "trade" was offered where MU would get Luke Fischer in exchange for Burton and Dawson, who would have taken it?

[San Diego Warrior]

Apologies if this has been brought up on these boards before but...

A week ago, if a "trade" was offered where MU would get Luke Fischer in exchange for Burton and Dawson, who would have taken it?

I would've because you can't teach height, and we were severely lacking that.  I still think Burton can be something special, but he is very raw in his basketball IQ.

[mattyv1908]

Apologies if this has been brought up on these boards before but...

A week ago, if a "trade" was offered where MU would get Luke Fischer in exchange for Burton and Dawson, who would have taken it?

Except that's not even close to the real scenario at hand.

We were getting Fischer back regardless, so the scenario of having Fischer with Burton (and Dawson) was much preferred to having Fischer sans Burton (and Dawson) leaving us with 8 available scholarship players.

Fischer entering the line up has nothing to do with the recent transfers.  He would've made his contributions regardless.

[cheebs09]

I'm watching the game on FSN-WI now, and one thing I really like is how Fischer puts his arms out when a guy is backing him down. Will hopefully keep him out of foul trouble. I noticed Steve Taylor do the same thing, so it must be a Wojo philosophy.

Also, getting a little ahead of myself, but I'm excited to see Fischer and Heldt together. The videos I've seen of Heldt shows he has a pretty good jump shot, and can finish with a hook shot with both hands. I haven't seen a lot, so don't know how he compares defensively to Fischer. We could have two nice centers, especially when Heldt gets a year under his belt.

[2TimeWarrior]

I believe the sequence was more "that Butch kid from a few years ago... I think it was Brian Butch"

Brando didn't remember his first name and Raft was only half sure it was Brian.

You're right...that was funny too!  I still have the game on my DVR.  I'll see if I can post that commentary tomorrow.

[brandx]

Was that the best performance for a guy wearing the MU jersey for the first time? I can't imagine many freshman having a game like that and most of the time the first game is against a cupcake. Maybe D-Wade came out the gates hot, but I don't remember? Also I'm too young to know if any of Al's players had a first career game like last night. I think it might be the best debut in the fine history of Warrior basketball.

The only possibility might be Bo Ellis. Al was not fond of playing freshman.

[brandx]

I believe the sequence was more "that Butch kid from a few years ago... I think it was Brian Butch"

Brando didn't remember his first name and Raft was only half sure it was Brian.

THAT was the best part.

[bilsu]

The only possibility might be Bo Ellis. Al was not fond of playing freshman.

Midway through Bo Elli's first game I said " My god, he is better than Lucas". The first half Fischer reminded me of that game, but he certainly slowed down in the second half.

I like this team now. Fischer does not need to average 19 & 9, because he impacts the game in other ways. He allows Duane, Juan and JJJ to get out and run.

[MarquetteDano]

I like this team now. Fischer does not need to average 19 & 9, because he impacts the game in other ways. He allows Duane, Juan and JJJ to get out and run.

And when he gets double teamed he seems to pass well enough to allow for Duane, Juan, JJJ, & Matt to get more uncontested looks at 3 than pre-Fischer.

[barfolomew]

And you really can't give up talking about Derrick, so you just won a 30 day vacation.  Congrats.

Peace on Ners; DeWil toward men.

[keefe]

I have no real argument with those preaching a little caution here. One game does not a season or career make. Luke is young, inexperienced and he'll struggle at times.

That said, comparing him to Dawson, Deonte, Steve, etc., is ridiculous. Those guys are talented at some things but also have major holes in their games. Luke is fundamentally sound and light years ahead of those guys. He's already a really good "all around" player. He is and will remain our most important player on the team (just ahead of Duane Wilson) at least until Henry arrives. I thought he'd be good - he was way better than that. Without him we're a bottom feeder battling DePaul for last place. With him, we'll see, but the team that was really hard to watch against UW was (while still frustrating at times) not only watchable but exciting. I'm officially cancelling my "wait until next year" stance until next year.

Well, jimtelevision would say otherwise...

[MU82]

I'm watching the game on FSN-WI now, and one thing I really like is how Fischer puts his arms out when a guy is backing him down. Will hopefully keep him out of foul trouble. I noticed Steve Taylor do the same thing, so it must be a Wojo philosophy.

As I watched Luke play defense, I immediately thought, "This kid has been well-coached ever since he was 7."

I'm not saying Wojo and staff haven't helped a ton. I'm just saying he was a very good prospect coming out of high school because he already had a sound fundamental base. Very impressed with the way he used his body and his mind, especially on D.

[MU82]

This could be the start of a fantastic year for Fischer but the 19/9/5 line might be his high water mark this year as well.

Then again, it might not be. That's why we watch sports ... to enjoy what happens today and to anticipate what will happen tomorrow!

[brandx]

As I watched Luke play defense, I immediately thought, "This kid has been well-coached ever since he was 7."

I'm not saying Wojo and staff haven't helped a ton. I'm just saying he was a very good prospect coming out of high school because he already had a sound fundamental base. Very impressed with the way he used his body and his mind, especially on D.

I had see Luke play a couple times in HS and knew he had some nice offensive moves, but, yeah, it was his defense that impressed me the most last night. He has bulked up since HS and played much bigger than I remembered.

[MU82]

I had see Luke play a couple times in HS and knew he had some nice offensive moves, but, yeah, it was his defense that impressed me the most last night. He has bulked up since HS and played much bigger than I remembered.

Last night was my first time even seeing one second of him. Never had seen him on film. Didn't notice him last Nov/Dec at IU. Never saw him in HS.

So it was a real revelation for me. I was expecting him to play 15-20 minutes, commit a few fouls, grab a few rebounds, maybe get a couple garbage baskets. I sure as $hittin' wasn't expecting THAT! So yes, I admit I have to work hard to try not to get too psyched about his future.