Lewis, baby!!

[The Big East]

JFL has the most upside of any player in our program since JFB

JFL can so many things well, has a Big East body and plays smart and with passion.

The reason I think his ceiling is so huge is that he will keep improving with experience . The foundation and fundamentals are strong. The kid values winning.

[Goose]

jockey

We do agree on MU ball a fair amount, I will admit that.

Galway

IMO Lewis has some traits of one my all time favorite Warriors, David Boone. Lewis looks to be far better offensively (range) and a better athlete, but some similar traits to Boone

I have to say that he also reminds me of two "old" time players, Robert Parrish and Sam Perkins. The comparison here is completely based off how stoic the kid is. It is very refreshing to see his on court demeanor.

[DarkWarrior]

You could see Lewis was going to be good from all of the minutes he had in earlier games. That said, you just don't expect a freshman to have the strength, intelligence and confidence to play as he did against a very good Senior laden Wisconsin front line. Lewis was used to winning big games in high school. It is clear he intends to make sure the winning continues. Love this kid!

Also, please give WOJO some credit. His management of substitutions allowed us to maintain wall-to-wall defensive intensity. We actually managed to get a very well coached Wisconsin team to play out of character. 

[cheebs09]

I was struck by his poise. It was a late basket that he had that got me really excited. Noticed he had a mismatch and took his guy to the post and called for the ball. There he calmly backed him down and put in a short shot. Seemed way more mature than a Freshman.

ETA: Looks like BLM had this thought awhile ago in the Road Kill thread.

[Da 'Lanche]

Look, can we all agree Lewis did not actually tip the ball in?  He glared at it, snarled, growled  "get in" and then pointed at the basket in mid air.   That is the way my scotch and I will remember it anyway. 

[Da 'Lanche]

jockey

We do agree on MU ball a fair amount, I will admit that.

Galway

IMO Lewis has some traits of one my all time favorite Warriors, David Boone. Lewis looks to be far better offensively (range) and a better athlete, but some similar traits to Boone

I have to say that he also reminds me of two "old" time players, Robert Parrish and Sam Perkins. The comparison here is completely based off how stoic the kid is. It is very refreshing to see his on court demeanor.

I loved David Boone's game!   He had such great body awareness and positioning that he was a beast inside as well as a good mid range and even long range game.  I always thought if he were blessed with just a bit more height, he would have had a great NBA career.  I think he was only 6-5 but played like he was 6-9.  I may be a bit off on the specifics.

[GooooMarquette]

Slight nitpick...I know the announcers aren't in the building, but Steve Lavin should have let that moment breathe a little bit on the call at the end of the game. Between the popcorn comment and then immediately talking after the tip in, it's the only thing that ever so slightly bugs me (having re-watched the clip an unscientific 7,389 times already).

Yep. Lavin knows the game, but he doesn't know when to stop talking.

And why haven't you hit 5 figures on your clip reviews yet?!?

[Jockey]

jockey

We do agree on MU ball a fair amount, I will admit that.

Galway

IMO Lewis has some traits of one my all time favorite Warriors, David Boone. Lewis looks to be far better offensively (range) and a better athlete, but some similar traits to Boone

I have to say that he also reminds me of two "old" time players, Robert Parrish and Sam Perkins. The comparison here is completely based off how stoic the kid is. It is very refreshing to see his on court demeanor.

Lewis can obviously hit 3s. But he will be the best low post player MU has had since ???

[The Sultan]

Lewis can obviously hit 3s. But he will be the best low post player MU has had since ???

Davante.

[MU82]

As time goes on, Lewis can be an interesting study in recruiting rankings.

Might he end up being better than Garcia? How many top 10-20 players might he end up being better than? A few? Several? None? We don't know, but we do know that players are "mis-ranked" all the time.

Is there any objective observer who watched last night's game and didn't come away thinking that Lewis already is a better all-around player, and much better prospect, than any Madison big?

[Jockey]

Davante.

Great answer. I forgot about him and was thinking further back.

[MU82]

Davante.

Perhaps. We'll see. As a basketball player, freshman Justin appears to be miles ahead of freshman Davante.

[Nukem2]

I loved David Boone's game!   He had such great body awareness and positioning that he was a beast inside as well as a good mid range and even long range game.  I always thought if he were blessed with just a bit more height, he would have had a great NBA career.  I think he was only 6-5 but played like he was 6-9.  I may be a bit off on the specifics.

Yeah, he was 6'5".  Your description is good though he had no long range game.  A beast on the boards.

[Jockey]

Perhaps. We'll see. As a basketball player, freshman Justin appears to be miles ahead of freshman Davante.

I think Lewis will clearly be a better player than Davante.

My question was only about being a low post scoring skills. Kind of a lost art. Coaches want bigs now who can hit the outside shot. Many don't ever develop a low post game. Lewis appears to have both.

[Silent Verbal]

As time goes on, Lewis can be an interesting study in recruiting rankings.

Might he end up being better than Garcia? How many top 10-20 players might he end up being better than? A few? Several? None? We don't know, but we do know that players are "mis-ranked" all the time.

Is there any objective observer who watched last night's game and didn't come away thinking that Lewis already is a better all-around player, and much better prospect, than any Madison big?

JFL's recruiting ranking may have played a big role in our win last night.  As he was draining threes and making good post moves, grabbing boards, and blocking shots, the Wisconsin coaching staff was probably wondering what the hell was going on.  There's not much film on him yet and unlike Carton and Garcia, I doubt he was a big part of UW's scouting report on us.  This game was his coming out party, and an increased focus on stopping him may help Garcia get going offensively.

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Perhaps. We'll see. As a basketball player, freshman Justin appears to be miles ahead of freshman Davante.

I mean, Davante was also 300lbs and couldn't jump over a ream of paper.

Always had tremendous footwork though.

[MU82]

JFL's recruiting ranking may have played a big role in our win last night.  As he was draining threes and making good post moves, grabbing boards, and blocking shots, the Wisconsin coaching staff was probably wondering what the hell was going on.  There's not much film on him yet and unlike Carton and Garcia, I doubt he was a big part of UW's scouting report on us.  This game was his coming out party, and an increased focus on stopping him may help Garcia get going offensively.

Second straight opponent to do a good job on Garcia, but DJ did whatever he wanted. Only one who stopped him was DJ. Trice sure as hell didn't.

Justin showed a pretty good amount of what he could do our first 3 games. If Gard ignored that ... shame on him and good for us!

I mean, Davante was also 300lbs and couldn't jump over a ream of paper.

Always had tremendous footwork though.

True dat!

[tower912]

Let us hope that Lewis doesn't end up next to Haanif on the trophy wall of scoop freshman hysteria.

[GooooMarquette]

Like Davante, Justin also seems to have an uncanny knack to be where the ball is.

Side question: Does a different MU frosh win BE frosh of the week this week?

[Goose]

IMO, the blocked shot and then followed up by the rebound showed what the kid is made of. Has a knack for the ball, an athlete and a basketball player. A lot to be excited about in regards to him, Garcia and Carton.

[Silent Verbal]

Let us hope that Lewis doesn't end up next to Haanif on the trophy wall of scoop freshman hysteria.

I never thought Haanif had a ton of upside.  He was a 6'5 slasher who couldn't shoot from the outside consistently and had zero right hand, which was his biggest detriment.  Lewis is a big man with a good looking shot who also seems like he enjoys doing the dirty work.  And, unlike some big men who can shoot the 3, he's not in love with it.  What I'm saying is, he looks like he'll be very coachable.

Agree with your point, though.

[tower912]

I am a fan of JFL.   But we have already seen opposing coaches plan for and make adjustments for Garcia.   Lewis is now moving up the scouting report.  He has shown great promise and I am impressed.   But now it is adjustment and counter adjustment time.

[cheebs09]

I never thought Haanif had a ton of upside.  He was a 6'5 slasher who couldn't shoot from the outside consistently and had zero right hand, which was his biggest detriment.  Lewis is a big man with a good looking shot who also seems like he enjoys doing the dirty work.  And, unlike some big men who can shoot the 3, he's not in love with it.  What I'm saying is, he looks like he'll be very coachable.

Agree with your point, though.

I also believe the bulk of Haanif's success came against buy game competition.

[Its DJOver]

Haani had incredible potential and had he stuck around, was the kind of player that could have helped stop the 18-19 end of season slide (he would have been a SR.).  Was primarily a slasher but made 38% of his three's his Freshman year on over 2 attempts per game (so lack of outside shot is a myth).  Also averaged more ppg in conference than for the season (12.3 to 11.8) so only performed against lower competition is also a myth.  The problem was that he wasn't a great defender (never posted a Drtg below 103, and that was at FGCU against lower competition), and he failed to develop his right hand.  He would have been a solid 4 year player had he stuck around.  Think Lewis' ceiling is higher, but agree that it is far to early to be anointing him anything yet.

[GooooMarquette]

I also believe the bulk of Haanif's success came against buy game competition.

Yes and no. As a frosh, his numbers actually went up slightly in the BE. His overall scoring average was 11.8 ppg, but he averaged 12.3 ppg in conference. There was also a very slight uptick in his rebounding. As a sophomore, his numbers went down as the season progressed into the BE.

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/haanif-cheatham-1.html