slufanskip Posted August 13, 2004 Share Posted August 13, 2004 Polk replaces Fish on offense ... but Fish guarded the opponents top offensive guard threat ... so Polk doesn't have to do that. I think DC has the athleticism to be a very good defender ... I didn't say he would ... I said he could if he was getting the minutes. RB doesn't have to sit either ... I bet we play a lot of 3 guard offense. I agree Fish's defense will be hard to replace. As far as Sloan goes ... he will not be as hard to replace as you think ... I won't be surprised to see VN do it on both ends. I know you disagree ... but I think he is the most overrated Bill I can remember ... he brought hustle to the table not much else. Inconsistent scoring, very little rebounding, and a tendency to sulk when he committed stupid fouls. ... he was an ideal 6th man ... and sorry but I don't think he was much more than an average defender on the ball. Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillikenButch Posted August 13, 2004 Share Posted August 13, 2004 I look for Frericks to easily make up for the absence of Sloan's arm flailing, disgusted face making, and "I just got screwed" looks in the last five minutes of close game. I am worried about next season, perhaps Ian can step in at that point. As for Fisher's defense, there is no way Clarke comes close. Drejaj will have to play the role of stopper, which worries me because his relative short arms and slower feet. The intensity is there, the physical attributes are lacking compared to Fisher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted August 13, 2004 Share Posted August 13, 2004 if athleticism was all it took to be a great defender, then our past defensive stalwarts wouldnt have been the players that unofficially held that title. except for mo jeffers, none of our reputed defensive stoppers were the best athletes on their respective teams. defense is more about attitude and effort than athleticism. of course it can surely help if the defender is an athlete, but it hasnt been the factor for the billikens. i know there are plenty of drejaj doubters out there, but he is the only player that shows that attitude on this team at this point. it is my guess that any player that is "the man" on the opposing team that is under 6'5" or so will get to know anthony drejaj this year. i agree the likes of bryant, clarke polk, etc may be better athletes, but they dont have that edge mentality that anthony brings to the floor. drejaj will be the defensive stopper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillikenButch Posted August 13, 2004 Share Posted August 13, 2004 See John Redden as an example of the best defender not being the most athletic player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3star_recruit Posted August 13, 2004 Share Posted August 13, 2004 Defense will continue to be the staple of Soderberg-coached teams but when you've got Polk pushing the ball on offense and multiple players that can create their own shot, we'll have more margin for error. I expect us to score at least 7 more points more game this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slufanskip Posted August 13, 2004 Share Posted August 13, 2004 Again ... I didn't say he would ... but I have heard from a source that watches them play ... that he has bulked up and is playing much more agressive ... I said he could ... might may have been a better word ... AD is too slow. He isn't guarding any 6'5" quick guards without committing a lot of fouls. I am not an AD doubter ... but I am realistic about his skills ... I think he is a good 1st guard off the bench ... and if he comes in hot ... run with him. As a starter he is way to inconsistent and makes bad decissions. Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tseugnekillib Posted August 14, 2004 Share Posted August 14, 2004 I don't think you can "make bad decisions" for Soderberg and average 26 minutes per game, as Drejaj did! (2004 stats for AD = 26 minutes per game, 6.5 pts per game, 75 rebounds, 70 assists, 52 turnovers, 37 steals, 75 fouls, and he fouled out of one game). Can Drejaj play better? Sure. Even though he was our second best 3pt shooter at 36% (for the players that played in every game) I hope he can improve a bit on that stat. Also, he should be able to shoot better than 58% from the free throw line. That's surprising for a proud competitor like AD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slufanskip Posted August 14, 2004 Share Posted August 14, 2004 IMO ... and obviously we disagree ... I think he turns the ball over too much while trying to force things ... he is a very streaky player ... he needs to be able to feel when he is on and should play more aggressive and when he needs to be a little more controlled .... just my opinion Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tseugnekillib Posted August 14, 2004 Share Posted August 14, 2004 skip, we agree that AD is a streaky shooter, not an uncommon trait. It will be interesting to see at what weight AD comes in at. He now has plenty of experience, we need him to be good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slufanskip Posted August 14, 2004 Share Posted August 14, 2004 I heard from someone that sees him almost daily ... that he is overweight ... by at least 15 lbs Official Billikens.com sponsor of H. Waldman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted August 14, 2004 Share Posted August 14, 2004 werent the billikens like in the top echelon for turnovers committed in the country? and considering that anthony was the second string point guard and averaged a lot of minutes at the wing as well, his turnovers must not have been that bad. in fact, drejaj was behind bryant, fisher, and izik in turnovers committed last year. and considering he was 4th in minutes played and had the ball as much as he did, i actually was surprised he wasnt one of the top 2 in turnovers. in fact, only sloan and fisher had better assists to turnover ratios than drejaj did. and along with fisher and sloan, only ross and drejaj had more assists than turnovers last year. i didnt realize drejaj's playmaking stats were as good as they were last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3star_recruit Posted August 14, 2004 Share Posted August 14, 2004 We had only had point guard on the roster last year -- Fish -- and he was a converted point guard. I love The Playa but if Brandon Morris would have signed with us, Drejaj would have only played 10-12 minutes last year. This year we will again only have one point guard on the roster so Drejaj will again have to log significant minutes at the point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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