Mach-E (Rad-Ford) de Sade

[MU82]

OMax had 13 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and played the most minutes (30) on the team. Not sure why you label him as being "the same as last year".

Also, Kolek shot 1 3-pointer. Nothing to worry about yet with him. His shot will be fine. I also think it's encouraging that he looked so good distributing with what we thought would be limited scoring options around him.

You seem to think O-Max played much better last night than he did in the second half of last season. I thought he looked like essentially the same player. Especially when compared to obvious improvement by the likes of Oso and Stevie. So I guess we'll agree to disagree. Please note that I also said he's "an athletic role player who defends hard and does a lot of things pretty well," just that I don't think he's gonna take a Lewis-ish leap. Would love to be wrong about that.

I thought Kolek played well and said so. I'm greedy. I want him to be more of a scoring threat because we'll need that for us to win some of our games. He was 1-for-5 from the floor and his wide-open 3 attempt was ugly. Saying I wish he'd be more of a threat doesn't equal "I hate Kolek."

[PGsHeroes32]

You seem to think O-Max played much better last night than he did in the second half of last season. I thought he looked like essentially the same player. Especially when compared to obvious improvement by the likes of Oso and Stevie. So I guess we'll agree to disagree. Please note that I also said he's "an athletic role player who defends hard and does a lot of things pretty well," just that I don't think he's gonna take a Lewis-ish leap. Would love to be wrong about that.

I thought Kolek played well and said so. I'm greedy. I want him to be more of a scoring threat because we'll need that for us to win some of our games. He was 1-for-5 from the floor and his wide-open 3 attempt was ugly. Saying I wish he'd be more of a threat doesn't equal "I hate Kolek."

To be fair, you just used quotes and that wasnt indicated by him. He just disagreed with your take on Kolek.

For the record, I do agree that Kolek for one game looked more of the same. Stated earlier in the thread that I hope it was more due to other factors though

[Jockey]

You seem to think O-Max played much better last night than he did in the second half of last season. I thought he looked like essentially the same player. Especially when compared to obvious improvement by the likes of Oso and Stevie. So I guess we'll agree to disagree. Please note that I also said he's "an athletic role player who defends hard and does a lot of things pretty well," just that I don't think he's gonna take a Lewis-ish leap. Would love to be wrong about that.

I thought Kolek played well and said so. I'm greedy. I want him to be more of a scoring threat because we'll need that for us to win some of our games. He was 1-for-5 from the floor and his wide-open 3 attempt was ugly. Saying I wish he'd be more of a threat doesn't equal "I hate Kolek."

I agree with you on OMax and Stevie. I also lean your way on Oso, but he had an easy time with no one to defend him yesterday. He has added to his game with his ball handling, strength, and confidence. If he continues to play that way against better competition he will be the SOTG leader for the year.

[MU82]

To be fair, you just used quotes and that wasnt indicated by him. He just disagreed with your take on Kolek.

For the record, I do agree that Kolek for one game looked more of the same. Stated earlier in the thread that I hope it was more due to other factors though

Yes, I did not mean to imply that he said I hate Kolek. It was the generic, "I hate so-and-so." Some people -- I'm not saying you or GE03) -- seem to equate gentle criticism of a player's game as the equivalent to "hating." I hate that!

Really looking forward to Purdue, the games in Ft. Myers, and the Baylor, Madison and ND games so we can get a better fix on where we stand before the BEast season begins.

[panda]

I’m not too worried about the disjointed team performance. First game of the season against a bad team isn’t a great read on team cohesiveness.

[tower912]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1CV_5Z2qxg


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJDcPz7B37Q

[GoldenEagles03]

Think it should be noted that Oso played like 40 total minutes in year 1 with Wojo. Last year he played almost 600 minutes and shot 68% from the floor while demonstrating some unique skills he previously hadn't showcased. Yesterday he looked like our best player.

All that to say, Shaka finds ways to get guys to reach another level. I think with time Gold and Itejere can carve out a role and be good at it this season. Maybe it's only for 5 to 10 minutes, but learning to become good at what the team needs you to be good at is a realistic ask. I think that will come quicker for Wrightsil too who is older. Oso carried the weight yesterday because he had to. I think he'll have some reinforcements behind him as time moves along.

[Newsdreams]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1CV_5Z2qxg


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJDcPz7B37Q

This thing about the domino, there are 28 dominoes in a regular (double six) set. Si nothing special.

[bilsu]

21 D1 minutes played, what more do you need to see?

Chase's size and quickness reminded me of Matthews who is still playing for the Bucks. I can see Chase playing in NBA.

[GoldenEagles03]

Chase's size and quickness reminded me of Matthews who is still playing for the Bucks. I can see Chase playing in NBA.

Chase has more burst and bounce than Matthews, but Wes developed into a truly elite shooter. Would be tough for Ross to reach that level of shooter but I'd be all for it.

[Tha Hound]

You seem to think O-Max played much better last night than he did in the second half of last season. I thought he looked like essentially the same player. Especially when compared to obvious improvement by the likes of Oso and Stevie. So I guess we'll agree to disagree. Please note that I also said he's "an athletic role player who defends hard and does a lot of things pretty well," just that I don't think he's gonna take a Lewis-ish leap. Would love to be wrong about that.

I thought Kolek played well and said so. I'm greedy. I want him to be more of a scoring threat because we'll need that for us to win some of our games. He was 1-for-5 from the floor and his wide-open 3 attempt was ugly. Saying I wish he'd be more of a threat doesn't equal "I hate Kolek."

Agreed on your Omax take. He played decently yesterday but didn't do a single thing he wasn't already doing last year. Now it's the first game of the season so I'm not passing judgment yet, but I certainly didn't see anything beyond what we already know about him.

[Newsdreams]

Chase has more burst and bounce than Matthews, but Wes developed into a truly elite shooter. Would be tough for Ross to reach that level of shooter but I'd be all for it.

Matthews has stayed at NBA level because of his D

[Galway Eagle]

Matthews has stayed at NBA level because of his D

In the NBA it's all about D.

Case and point Jamil Wilson's D is what got him out of the NBA

[panda]

In the NBA it's all about D.

Case and point Jamil Wilson's D is what got him out of the NBA

Lol nice

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

In the NBA it's all about D.

Case and point Jamil Wilson's D is what got him out of the NBA

Beautiful work. No notes!

[Newsdreams]

In the NBA it's all about D.

Case and point Jamil Wilson's D is what got him out of the NBA

Nice

[Markusquette]

Middle of the second half Shaka walked up to Kam who was sitting on the bench and said "do you want to play?" Kam nodded and Shaka said "then you have to guard somebody."

[Uncle Rico]

Middle of the second half Shaka walked up to Kam who was sitting on the bench and said "do you want to play?" Kam nodded and Shaka said "then you have to guard somebody."

Mind games

[tower912]

Middle of the second half Shaka walked up to Kam who was sitting on the bench and said "do you want to play?" Kam nodded and Shaka said "then you have to guard somebody."

I still worry it is going to be difficult to play Kam and Joplin at the same time for extended periods because of this.

[Newsdreams]

Mind games

Transfer alert

[Uncle Rico]

Transfer alert

Playing mind games in the NIL era when Memphis can fire their money cannon at Kam is a bad idea.  I fear Marquette is about to enter a Dukiet era

[Newsdreams]

Playing mind games in the NIL era when Memphis can fire their money cannon at Kam is a bad idea.  I fear Marquette is about to enter a Dukiet era

Shaka Dukiet (stolen from Willie)

[Shooter McGavin]

Every time Uncle Rico and Newsy post together I think of Waldorf and Statler.   In a good way of course.

[Newsdreams]

Every time Uncle Rico and Newsy post together I think of Waldorf and Statler.   In a good way of course.

Fck I'm old but not that old. Now dgies yes, he is that old and bald.

[GoldenEagles03]

Re returning players:

Oso looked MUCH better than last season. Quick, confident off the bounce, pulled up and made a nice pass instead of barreling into the defender for a charge, looked more for his shot, finished through contact a couple times, challenged shots without fouling. The only disappointments: two dopey fouls (especially his 4th), which we can't afford, and the missed FTs (though the last 2 obviously had to do with his elbow pain).

Stevie looked every bit a starting college guard, much more comfortable and confident than last season. A dogged defender who never seemed to get tired. Stepped right into a 3 and drilled it, too.

For all the talk of Kolek's improvement, pretty much the same Kolek showed up as last season's model. Passed on a couple chances to shoot floaters or stop-and-pops, bricked a catch-and-shoot 3 after an offensive rebound, and made two late turnovers, but he otherwise looked good on offense and effective on defense. Still, I'm greedy and hoping to see more with his shot to make defenders respect him.

Kam looked like the lead dog ready for an easy 20+ until he hurt his back. Something to watch.

O-Max was the exact same player as last season, and that's fine. Those hoping he'd pull a Justin Lewis ... it doesn't look likely, but he's still an athletic role player who defends hard and does a lot of things pretty well.

Too early to tell for Joplin. Anybody can have a bad game. I mean, if we're gonna go by a 1-game sample, he should never play again, so that's silly.

Perfect example as to why we shouldn't judge anything after the first few weeks. OMax was the same player as last year (to some), last week. After his 31 point performance, he's now the teams leading scorer at 15.3 a night.

He and Joplin can easily replace what Justin brought in the scoring column and glass.  I think Morsell is the guy we will miss the most because he had the experience and the ability to create a shot for himself and others late.  Hoping Kam can be that guy, but he'll have to learn how to handle contact and physicality like Morsell did so well.