Devils15 Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Devils15, what is your connection to Mike, if you don't mind me asking?I coached Mike when he was in 8th grade and then moved up to HS asst when he did so I coached him for 5 years. Are you sure this isn't a highlight of Blake Ahearn?? No seriously, thanks for posting and keeping us informed about Mike. I just renewed my season tickets again am certainly looking forward to watching him play. Unless I am mistaken, and I haven't watched the original Mike highlights in months, these clips appear to show Mike playing much more as a guard (facing the basket), much more comfortable dribbling the ball, much more comfortable shooting off his dribble (as opposed to coming off a pick) as opposed the original highlights (showing more of his catching the ball on the low post/inside and scoring, shooting 3's when left open or coming off a pick). Have you noticed any change in his game? What areas of his game has he improved the most in these past 12 months? What areas of his game is he concentrating on most now? Because he is/has been tall, is it fair to say that he played more with his back to the basket as a Soph and Junior or not?? As we all know, it is very had to evaluate and draw conclusions from only a few video clips. Mike is a guard. He played a lot of point guard for us in high school but will be more of a 2-3 in college. He is a smart player and if he thought he had a mismatch in the post then we took advantage of that. He is a gym rat and his overall game has improved a ton over the years. He's turned himself into a really good 3 point shooter with deep range and his mid range is absolutely lethal. Finishes extremely well around the rim and through contact. Lead the state in free throw attempts and shot 84%. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slufanskip Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 I coached Mike when he was in 8th grade and then moved up to HS asst when he did so I coached him for 5 years. Mike is a guard. He played a lot of point guard for us in high school but will be more of a 2-3 in college. He is a smart player and if he thought he had a mismatch in the post then we took advantage of that. He is a gym rat and his overall game has improved a ton over the years. He's turned himself into a really good 3 point shooter with deep range and his mid range is absolutely lethal. Finishes extremely well around the rim and through contact. Lead the state in free throw attempts and shot 84%. Thanks for all the info Devils. Defensively, how quick are his feet? Would you compare him to Barnett or more to Evans or quicker? I'd love to see him be able to play a 2 as I love the size but my experience tells me 6'4" white guys can't generally guard the 2. Love to hear your opinion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cowboy Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 -I like all I read about MC!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devils15 Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Thanks for all the info Devils. Defensively, how quick are his feet? Would you compare him to Barnett or more to Evans or quicker? I'd love to see him be able to play a 2 as I love the size but my experience tells me 6'4" white guys can't generally guard the 2. Love to hear your opinion He's much improved defensively. He's very good defending shooters. Such a smart and strong player and doesn't get hung up on screens. Much better off the ball defender than on the ball at this point but I have no doubt he will turn into a very good overall defender. Great rebounder too. Also he is 6'5 and I know this because we personally measured him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slufanskip Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 He's much improved defensively. He's very good defending shooters. Such a smart and strong player and doesn't get hung up on screens. Much better off the ball defender than on the ball at this point but I have no doubt he will turn into a very good overall defender. Great rebounder too. Also he is 6'5 and I know this because we personally measured him. Thanks for the info. If he's able to defend the 2, I'd be estatic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Pine Jim Posted August 7, 2013 Share Posted August 7, 2013 I was ready to see the 3 frosh in action yesterday. Let the season begin ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JettFlight5 Posted August 7, 2013 Share Posted August 7, 2013 Thanks to Devis15 for the insight on Mike. Nothing like hearing from someone who SAWTHEKIDPLAY every day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
almaman Posted August 7, 2013 Share Posted August 7, 2013 I coached Mike when he was in 8th grade and then moved up to HS asst when he did so I coached him for 5 years. Mike is a guard. He played a lot of point guard for us in high school but will be more of a 2-3 in college. He is a smart player and if he thought he had a mismatch in the post then we took advantage of that. He is a gym rat and his overall game has improved a ton over the years. He's turned himself into a really good 3 point shooter with deep range and his mid range is absolutely lethal. Finishes extremely well around the rim and through contact. Lead the state in free throw attempts and shot 84%. "Honey, have you seen my drool cup?" goddamn he sounds/looks like the real deal. Smart guy knowing when to take it to the hoop. less than 1 in 5 chance if fouled and he makes we don't have 3 points. I double down on my feeling that no way he doesn't make a meaningful contribution this season. I throw this out there, can't think any off top of my typing fingers but I can't think of any 4 year guy who was worth a sht in the end that we didn't see something of a + performance in freshmen year.In fact we've really never been deep enough to not need any help from those that could. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WVBilliken Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 6'5" with shoes or barefooted? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billikenfan05 Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 6'5" with shoes or barefooted?Holy sh1t Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WVBilliken Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 I am a RM guy. Heights should be real, not stretched! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pretty_ricky Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 just curious devils15, We've heard a lot of praise from you, which is understandable considering you are close to Mike, but I haven't heard any criticisms yet. I'm wondering what i you think his biggest areas for improvement are. and of course all the info you've already supplied is great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billikenfan05 Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 I am a RM guy. Heights should be real, not stretched! You're a stupid question guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Littlebill Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 You're a stupid question guy. +10000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WVBilliken Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 What is his actual height, that is all I asked. My bet is that when the SLU roster comes out he will be less than 6'5" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Box and Won Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 You're a stupid question guy. I don't think asking if the kid is a legit 6'5 is that stupid of a question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billikenfan05 Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 I don't think asking if the kid is a legit 6'5 is that stupid of a question. The guy said he measured him personally... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiseAndGrind Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 The guy said he measured him personally... Right. And then the follow up question asked if he was measured with or without shoes. Damn. Can't catch a break around here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BACKHANDtheRICAN Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 I coached Mike when he was in 8th grade and then moved up to HS asst when he did so I coached him for 5 years. He is a smart player....He is a gym rat. Of course he is. We call knew that from his photo. He is probably very cerebral too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
majerus mojo Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 Of course he is. We call knew that from his photo. He is probably very cerebral too. Preach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waldo027 Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 6'5" with shoes or barefooted? If he stood on 6" stilts then he'd be 6'11". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slufanskip Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 If he stood on 6" stilts then he'd be 6'11". with or without shoes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HusakAttack Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 The guy said he measured him personally... What part of him did he measure personally? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billikenboy Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 Love the discussion but let it be known that out of the 3 incoming frosh, MC, RA, and TL, RA is the only one that has had a full season vs top level D1 and postgrad players. That is an advantage! Irrespective of that none have played a minute of A10 ball so we will see very soon. 1 or 2 of these guys may not crack the rotation which will not be a surprise. You might even see someone redshirted in the process which may not surprise me either. We seem to be most loaded in the guard position so it will be interesting to see how MC cracks that rotation. Limited minutes is most likely the outcome. Does he back up Barnett whose game closely matches his? Questions all the way around. I now wonder who may be transfer bait as the season rolls on. We shall see soon enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bauman Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 Love the discussion but let it be known that out of the 3 incoming frosh, MC, RA, and TL, RA is the only one that has had a full season vs top level D1 and postgrad players. That is an advantage! Irrespective of that none have played a minute of A10 ball so we will see very soon. 1 or 2 of these guys may not crack the rotation which will not be a surprise. You might even see someone redshirted in the process which may not surprise me either. We seem to be most loaded in the guard position so it will be interesting to see how MC cracks that rotation. Limited minutes is most likely the outcome. Does he back up Barnett whose game closely matches his? Questions all the way around. I now wonder who may be transfer bait as the season rolls on. We shall see soon enough. We are all guessing at this point, and I have not seen MC play, but my speculation is that at least by mid season MC will be playing ahead of JB. I think JC will be looking a year or two down the road and see that the upperclassmen next year are what I view to be, overall, a very weak group. Because of that, I think we will see a fair amount of PT for the 3 FR (RA, TL and MC) this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.